Forty before Forty Item #13: Bonggamom bares it all (well, almost)

We've just come home from an amazing Labor Day weekend trip to Reno and Tahoe. For four glorious days, we basked in the sun and had a great time. We swam in the gorgeous, Tuscan-inspired pools of the Peppermill Resort in Reno as well as the pool and hot tub at the Hampton Inn in Truckee. We rafted down the Truckee river. We splashed on the shores of Lake Tahoe, and paddled a kayak in the lake.

And I finally wore a bikini. On the last official weekend of summer!

(I know, technically I said I'd buy a bikini, but in the spirit of these economically challenged times, I'm happy to consider this Forty before Forty task accomplished with my old bikini).

In my original Forty before Forty post, I said I wouldn't be crossing off item #13 (buy and wear a bikini) until I accomplished item #1 (lose 15 lbs. and keep it off). I'm not quite done with #1 yet -- there are still one or two pesky pounds to get rid of before I can cross it off with a clear conscience -- but I decided to take a bikini along anyway. I've been working hard to get fitter and healthier all summer, and the results are evident enough for me to actually feel comfortable baring my tummy.

Don't worry, I'm not delusional. I know I'm no Kim Kardashian or Demi Moore. There are still rolls and lumps. Hey, I said I felt comfortable, not confident. Sure, my body is not quite where I want it to be -- but will it ever? If I wait until I achieve Demi Moore's body to wear a bikini, I might never wear one! One of the things I regret about my youth was that I didn't wear bikinis more often because I thought I was too fat, even though I wasn't. I figure that in twenty years, when my 2011 body looks amazing compared to my wrinkled and saggy 2031 body, I would probably regret not wearing a bikini in 2011 even more.

So I decided to bite the bullet, throw embarrassment to the winds, seize the day and celebrate my new and improved body. I did not hide underneath a big shirt or a swimsuit cover-up. I did not stay in the corner deck chair, huddled under an umbrella. This weekend I went out into the water and frolicked along with everyone else.

I had the time of my life!