New Friends, New Experiences, New Personal Miliestones: My Great Start to 2011 (pics)

[KristinSkye]

Hey everyone,

Jeez…it feels like ages since I’ve posted a thread on the forum with any substance to it. I felt I need to though because I got a rather humbling PM from a friend and fellow member of this online community last night that really made me think…

To be honest, if it weren’t for the encouraging words, great advice and amazing people I’ve met on these forums (and if I was lucky enough to also in person) I would not be the happy transgendered person I am today. Because of that I felt a bit guilty for sort of abandoning the community as a whole by just disappearing. Granted I’ve been extremely busy but I felt I needed to share what I’ve been up to lately and where I am today and hopefully it will either entertain, inspire, both and maybe more.

Before I begin I have to say that most of this thread is just me going out and having a lot of fun; but there’s also some significant milestones that I’ve crossed lately as well. I also have to give my usual disclaimer and say that what I’ve been up to lately is normal day to day stuff for many in the TG and CD community and isn’t truly anything special.

Oh, and as an FYI each reply to my own post will be a separate event or milestone. I don’t have everything written and put together yet but I plan on doing at least one post every couple of days:

01.29 – CFCA Corvette & Classic Car Show
01.29 – Six & the City: Sweet Tarts Party
01.30 – Disney Day Trip
02.04 – Came Out to My Parents (eeep! #1)
02.05 – St Augustine Day Trip
02.12 – Kennedy Space Center Day Trip
02.12 – Merrit Island Hooters (dressed in uniform :P)
03.11 – Girl’s Night: Banana’s & Mr Sisters, Orlando
03.12 – Straight Bar/Club Hopping in Orlando (eeep! #2)

[KristinSkye]

1/29
CFCA Corvette Show
Six & the City: Sweet Tarts Party

The weekend of the 29th feels like the catalyst for the rest of my 2011 so far… My biggest New Years Resolution was to start attending more CD/TG events and just loosen up and have fun. Luckily for me a group of TG and GG girls called The Six & the City from Orlando, FL were putting on an open party at the end of January.

I figured this would be the perfect thing to attend since I had briefly chatted with two of the six on the forums in the past. Better yet, I mentioned it to my good friend Krysta (who I strangely enough met on this forum despite being from the same small town in MD) and she was able to fly down for the weekend to join me.

The party wasn’t until 7ish that night and my friend Ashley (whom I had met in person only a few weeks before) invited us to go with her and a few of her girlfriends to this Corvette show that was in town. Before I jump into the car show pics I just have to say this about Ashley – she is one of the coolest people I’ve met in my life. Her outlook on TG life and her philosophies on every aspect of being a CD/TG person are very inspiring. I’ve learned a lot from her in the short time we’ve been friends.

Ok so, she had just gotten an amazing new camera which was perfect since we were surrounded by beautiful cars:

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/01.jpg

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/03.jpg


After the car show we met up with a few others that would be attending the party for dinner at a great little Thai place:

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/04.jpg

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/05.jpg


As soon as we could get ready we hit the party. I have to say, the Six & the City group did an amazing job with the whole event. It was more than just a dance floor and DJ; there were raffles, drag performances, a pro photographer and more. Word is that the group may be planning more events like this so if you live nearby I strongly suggest you go because it was sooo much fun! The best part of that night for me though was the positive energy that was radiating from everyone there and all the amazing people I met that night. Krysta and I were greeted with smiles the second we stepped into the room and by the end of the night we both had made some good friends. Anyway pictures speak louder than words so:

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/a01.jpg

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/a02.jpg

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/a03.jpg

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/a04.jpg

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/a05.jpg

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/a06.jpg

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/a08.jpg

After the party Ashley’s friend Gilly (who I now also consider a good friend) invited a group of party goers to her RV for a bit of an after party. It got a bit interesting so those who attended have unofficially agreed that What Happened in the RV Stays in the RV. Ok, so it wasn’t that crazy but it was definitely fun :D

[KristinSkye]

1/30
Disney Day Trip

The next morning (technically the same day since most of us didn’t get to bed until 5AM haha) Ashley got the carshow group together and took us out to Disney for the day. She’s got Disney figured out because we spent literally the entire day there and only spent money on lunch. A couple of pics:

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/b00.jpg

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/b01.jpg

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/b02.jpg

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/b03.jpg

http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/1.29/b04.jpg

I was walking around the park like a zombie due to a lack of sleep and too many drinks the night before but it was still a LOT of fun! It was also a really nice way to end what I consider one of the best couple of days in my life. Krysta and I drove back to Jax and hung out the next day in guy mode for a bit before we said goodbye and she flew back to MD. I think we spent like the next solid week talking about the weekend :P Obviously I immediately was ready to go out again. ;)

[Persephone]

OMG Girl!!! You look waaaaay too good!

Your white evening dress is incredibly on you! And your Disneyland outfit is killer!

I'm blown away, knocked speachless! Awesome!

Hugs,
Persephone.

[PretzelGirl]

Somebody is having too much fun! :D

Wow Kristen. I have to say that I am ready to hear the rest now, even the "eeps!" Sounds like your year is off to a bang. And you are cutting quite the figure. I am jealous.

[AriannaH]

Thanks for sharing your journey Kristin. You look incredible.

[Fran Moore]

Nicely done Kristin! Makes me want to move to Florida and join the group! A great alternative to TG conventions like SCC etc! The smiles on your faces says it all, although I'm still wondering what exactly went on in the RV........

Thanks for sharing!


Suzanne

[Jennifer Marie P.]

Kristen glad youre having fun and you are very pretty.

[insearchofme]

You are so pretty and femme! What a great story and it's nice seeing some of the Florida girls we all know and love!

[Ediosa]

Came out to your parents!!! Wow!!! Hope it went well.

[CaitlynRenee]

Fantastic photography, Kristin and I must say you are absolutely beautiful. Looks like a good time was had by all (I'm jealous).

Hope all went well with the parents.................. Well??

Don't ever leave the site, gal. You're an inspiration.

[HK SPICY GIRL]

Great life with great friends !!!!!

[KristinSkye]

Thanks so much for the comments and compliments ladies :)




..although I'm still
wondering what exactly went on in the RV........


haha, well mostly just silly stuff (you know people get silly after a long night). For example:

The RV Afterparty (http://www.deepskye.com/images/SweetTarts/Kristin/Thread/Misc/01.jpg)


Came out to your parents!!! Wow!!! Hope it went well.

It did! Almost too well...


Fantastic photography, Kristin and I must say you are absolutely beautiful. Looks like a good time was had by all (I'm jealous).

Hope all went well with the parents.................. Well??

Don't ever leave the site, gal. You're an inspiration.

Aww thanks girl :hugs: And as for the photos, its a great thing to have a good friend that's awesome at photography and has a killer camera.

[KristinSkye]

2.04
Came Out to Parents

So the weekend following the party I was still in such a great mood but there was one thing bothering me. While I was getting ready for the party the following Saturday my Mom called me just to chat; I picked up the phone and essentially blew her off. Primarily because I was short on time, but also I just couldn't bring myself to fabricate a lie to explain what I was doing that weekend and all that. That wasn't the first time I had to do that to her and it was really bugging me that I couldn't just be honest with her...

She called me on Tuesday just to catch up and I guess she could tell I was a bit upset and when she asked me what was wrong I told her there was something I really needed to tell her but I couldn't talk until I made sure my wife was OK with it. That Wednesday I asked my wife and she was %100 OK with it so I made my plans for the call to my Mom on Friday.

The call went really well. I started off by explaining that I blew her off the day of the party because I didn't want to lie to her again. I then went on to explain to her how I identify as being transgendered, how long I've been dressing, what I've been up to lately, and pretty much everything else. Since she was being so understanding I was extremely open and honest with her, telling her how my female side is just as strong as my male side and that I would be happy living my life in either gender.

The conversation with my Mom was a lot different than the one with my wife. This conversation was mostly me just getting everything off my chest and covering only the things I wanted to cover; unlike the conversation with my wife where there were a lot of questions. Apart from "So what do you do when you go out?" and other minor questions Mom's only real question was "Well how is your marraige?".

Of EVERYTHING I told her, her primary concern was my relationship with my wife. She didn't care about anything except wether my relationship was ok. I assured her it was and that my wife, while accepting, isn't interested in sharing my experiences but it works for us and we're just fine.

The conversation wasn't %100 positive, there were some parts that weren't so great. First my Mom suggested that Leann and I see a psychiatrist to talk about things, but I told her that our relationship is great and doing that would just complicate things. She then suggested that maybe I should see a psychiatrist to help me replace dressing with some other activity and also that I should see a doctor to have my hormone levels checked and maybe be placed on medication that would reduce my feminine urges. I tried not to get too defensive and pretty much told her that I'm happy with who I am and even if there was a pill that I could take an magically be "normal" there's no way I would take it.

By the end of the conversation I truly feel she came to accept me. She told my Dad the next day and he had the exact same reaction; he was mostly concerned with my marraige. They both agreed that while they were happy I told them, that my being transgended was a private matter that should be kept between me and my wife.

All in all I'm very glad I just spontaneously decided to come out to them. They actually called me back a few days later to assure me that things weren't going to change between me and them and so far they haven't :)

[Ediosa]

Good for you girl!!! Woot, woot

[Julogden]

Hi Kristin,

Congratulations on living life the way you want to! I'm glad to hear that your folks handled your news relatively well, that could have been much worse!

Carol

[KristinSkye]

Good for you girl!!! Woot, woot

Aww thanks Elizabeth :) BTW, when are we hanging out again? Feels like its been way too long!


Hi Kristin,

Congratulations on living life the way you want to! I'm glad to hear that your folks handled your news relatively well, that could have been much worse!

Carol

Thanks so much Carol! Lately I feel like I have a whole new outlook on life and its extremely liberating :)

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Kristin, You look fantastic 110% feminine looking lady having way too much fun .

Orchid

[wadevikingfan]

i ma happy that you came out to your parents and everythinig is good..and that everthing is good with your wife...btw, you look awesome...hard to tell sometimes...which is a very good compliment

liz

[sterling12]

Yes, The Party was fun, wasn't it? I understand Josette and The Gurls will be doing something again in a month or two. Old Towne is kind of used to seeing us. Another Support Group from Orlando meets very close by, and many is The Evening we have availed ourselves at some of Their Drinking Establishments. Disney is super LGBT Friendly! Try and go there some time during The Pride Festivities, they do lots of special things for That Event. Where is Banana's and Mr. Sister's located? Are they down by The Parliament House? Seems like everything seems to be located in that Orange Blossom Trail Area.

Glad your being more active. I guess I can also speak for Joann. If you and your Gals get over to Tampa/St. Pete, let us know and we will try and meet-up with You-all.

Peace and Love, Joanie

[AKAMichelle]

2.04
Came Out to Parents

So the weekend following the party I was still in such a great mood but there was one thing bothering me. While I was getting ready for the party the following Saturday my Mom called me just to chat; I picked up the phone and essentially blew her off. Primarily because I was short on time, but also I just couldn't bring myself to fabricate a lie to explain what I was doing that weekend and all that. That wasn't the first time I had to do that to her and it was really bugging me that I couldn't just be honest with her...

She called me on Tuesday just to catch up and I guess she could tell I was a bit upset and when she asked me what was wrong I told her there was something I really needed to tell her but I couldn't talk until I made sure my wife was OK with it. That Wednesday I asked my wife and she was %100 OK with it so I made my plans for the call to my Mom on Friday.

The call went really well. I started off by explaining that I blew her off the day of the party because I didn't want to lie to her again. I then went on to explain to her how I identify as being transgendered, how long I've been dressing, what I've been up to lately, and pretty much everything else. Since she was being so understanding I was extremely open and honest with her, telling her how my female side is just as strong as my male side and that I would be happy living my life in either gender.

The conversation with my Mom was a lot different than the one with my wife. This conversation was mostly me just getting everything off my chest and covering only the things I wanted to cover; unlike the conversation with my wife where there were a lot of questions. Apart from "So what do you do when you go out?" and other minor questions Mom's only real question was "Well how is your marraige?".

Of EVERYTHING I told her, her primary concern was my relationship with my wife. She didn't care about anything except wether my relationship was ok. I assured her it was and that my wife, while accepting, isn't interested in sharing my experiences but it works for us and we're just fine.

The conversation wasn't %100 positive, there were some parts that weren't so great. First my Mom suggested that Leann and I see a psychiatrist to talk about things, but I told her that our relationship is great and doing that would just complicate things. She then suggested that maybe I should see a psychiatrist to help me replace dressing with some other activity and also that I should see a doctor to have my hormone levels checked and maybe be placed on medication that would reduce my feminine urges. I tried not to get too defensive and pretty much told her that I'm happy with who I am and even if there was a pill that I could take an magically be "normal" there's no way I would take it.

By the end of the conversation I truly feel she came to accept me. She told my Dad the next day and he had the exact same reaction; he was mostly concerned with my marraige. They both agreed that while they were happy I told them, that my being transgended was a private matter that should be kept between me and my wife.

All in all I'm very glad I just spontaneously decided to come out to them. They actually called me back a few days later to assure me that things weren't going to change between me and them and so far they haven't :)

This is the way that I feel like my mom would act. Maybe that is why I haven't told her yet.

I am glad that it went as well as it did for you.

[karen88st]

Hi Kristin, you looked totally awesome and natural, whether in dress or skinny jeans or even on flip flop!

[aly01]

wow Kristin you look gorgeous. Amazing pics. glad you had fun and enjoyed yourself amongst friends.
Aly

[Kiera79]

Hi Kristen,

From when I first seen you here your journey has been phenomenal. I commend you on the way you handle yourself, and your outings. You outfits just flow from the hair to the shoes. Your smile also shows positivity. Thanks for sharing and keep it moving.