Meeting others for the first time tonight

[Bree Wagner]

Well, it's a nervous but exciting afternoon. Tonight I'm visiting my first CD/TG meetup group. It'll be a chance to talk and also a clothing swap. The butterflies are furiously beating their way around my innards right now, but I'm sure they'll calm down in time.

I could say "It's just another step" but it's a big one. Other than my wife and the wig store I visited it'll be the first time I say "Hi, I'm a crossdresser, nice to meet you" to anyone. I'll probably actually say "Hi, I'm Bree" it seems just a bit more appropriate!

I'm sure it'll go well, be a lot of fun, and I'll probably be hooked. But, that's a story to tell later. For now I've got a few hours to go get ready while trying not to fall asleep from my way to early morning.

Thanks to all of you for the support and wonderful comments I've got in the few weeks I've been here leading up to this. It's been a great confidence boost! I also need to thank my wife for telling me to do this since she's just not ready to go out with me yet. :love:

All the best,
Bree

[kimdl93]

Have a great time, Bree!

[EjayeCD]

Hope you have a good time.

[Jamiegirl1]

Hope you have a great time meeting other girls,wish I could go too! Jamie

[KimberlyJean]

Good luck Bree, you will be fine and have a great time!

[Eryn]

Bree, you're going to have a lot of fun. My first time out to a group was also solo as my wife was out of town. I can still remember the butterflies, but I also remember the exhilaration when I discovered how much fun it was! :)

[Rachel Renee]

Oh Bree, I'm so excited for you and I know how you feel. My first meetup/public outing will happen in a little more than two weeks. The butterflies are intense. Please share you experience with us!

[Laura912]

Take a good butterfly repellent (around here we call it bourbon) and have a great time. This message tinged with green for envy. Hope you have the wardrobe picked out.

[Sarah-J]

Have a wonderful time!!

[Bree Wagner]

Hope you have the wardrobe picked out.

Hehe, I think I've got a serious case of Whatamigonnawearitis. That's a disease, right? 90 minutes to figure it out, but I think I have it narrowed down to one of four different tops.

[Barbara Ella]

Just take a deep breath, and charge ahead. I think, however, this is one time when speaking in public that you not try to imagine the audience naked to calm yourself.........

You will enjoy.

Barbara

[SuzanneS]

Bree, you have more courage than I. At least one of my friends on here has invited me to meetings but so far I have chickened out...not sure why, because I have told my best friend and just the other day I actually made a phone call to schedule an appointment to find a new, much better wig....that one is scaring me a little, but I think a good wig will help my confidence...or at least I hope it will. Anyway, I hope you have a great time and I hope to hear details!

Suzanne

[NathalieX66]

Bree, I hope you have a wonderful time!
My first experience ever was attending a support group meeting at a hotel near a major military base, where I ended up having a grand old time in the restaurant/bar that was packed full of military personnel wearing BDU's, got treated great.........that broke the ice for me. That was two years, and two months ago.
Hope you have a fun evening.

[kimdl93]

Take a good butterfly repellent (around here we call it bourbon) and have a great time. This message tinged with green for envy. Hope you have the wardrobe picked out.
A shot of vitamin V ( vodka) works too!

[rachaelsloane]

Bree,
Those butterflies will quickly go away once you get there. Within a few minutes you will forget you're dressed and just feel natural and talking with everyone.
Enjoy your evening and make sure you take pictures to remember the night.
Rachael

[Alberta_Pat]

This is one of the most exciting evenings of your life. Hopefully, you will be able to meet with one of the girls outside the venue and they can walk in with you.

It makes it so much easier, and you will have someone to introduce you to all the others there.

[Kaz]

Bree, I do hope it all goes well and please do share the experience!

[Eryn]

While some have suggested some "liquid courage" I am not of that mind. You definitely need your wits about you and alcohol won't help you there. In fact, it will make your heels wobblier and your dress harder to arrange :)

The hardest thing I had to do my first time out was approach the Maître d' and ask where my group was seated. Luckily, one of the ladies noticed me coming in and swept me away to the group.

Let us know how it goes, with pictures if possible! :)

[ColleenCD]

Hi Bree,

Hope you have a great time, we sure want to hear the details.

Colleen

[Ally 2112]

Hope you have a great time bree !!

[MandyGG]

Oh how I wish this were Facebook so that I could "Like" the noodles out of this!!!!! So, Like! Like! Like!

Have a wonderful time Ms. Bree!!!!!!! Tell us all about it as soon as you get home!!!!

[Josie M]

You're going to have a great time, and it's going to be a very empowering experience :)

[PretzelGirl]

Oh how I wish this were Facebook so that I could "Like" the noodles out of this!!!!! So, Like! Like! Like!

The similar way here is what I am going to do. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Kristyn Hill]

I am anxious to hear the fun you had, Bree. I bet you look beautiful and had a great night in your heels.

[Contessa]

Bree

Seems although I am dressed I am still over five hundred miles away and haven't left yet. You'll have to go without me (Just kidding I wasn't really going)but still have a good time anyway.

[sterling12]

Well, she hasn't Posted back yet, so that probably means that she's out with The Gals after The Meeting, and down at The Local Trans Hangout. Or, she got cold feet at the last minute and doesn't want to fess up about it. I've seen them literally freeze when stepping out of The Car in The Parking Lot!

But, I am very hopeful. It is so much fun to join a group and meet others, I would wish that for everyone! Suddenly, you feel like about a hundred pounds of concrete has been lifted off your back, and your major thought at the end of the evening is: "Can't wait for the next meeting, and what will I wear?"

Sure hope she had that outcome.

Peace and Love, Joanie

[Eryn]

Or, she got cold feet at the last minute and doesn't want to fess up about it. I've seen them literally freeze when stepping out of The Car in The Parking Lot!

Don't hit me with negative waves so early in the morning! [Oddball, Kelly's Heroes]

[Bree Wagner]

No cold feet here! It was a wonderful night out filled with so many firsts! I went to the meeting and after kind of a slow start really started to enjoy myself when we were doing introductions. Since I was the only newbie at the meeting they had to go over the rules. It basically boiled down to 'be nice'. The meeting itself was about ten of us sharing a few stories for a while and a clothing swap. I didn't come home with anything new but did give away a dress and some boots. My wife will be proud that there is now more space in the closet. Well, proud until I fill that space with significantly more than I gave away!

After the meeting I went with two others out to dinner. Another great experience. We were treated very well and spent the whole time talking; mostly about what a wonderful place Colorado is. I also got a bunch of "You should try going to this place...". Big thanks to the two great people that were out there with me!

Since I was up at 5:15 in the morning and it's now after midnight (and I still have to take all this makeup off!) I really gotta call it a night. I'll try and post some pictures in the morning, though they'll just be before and after shots at home. The only pics at the meeting are private to the group and we were too busy talking to take out any cameras at dinner.

Thanks to all of you for the good wishes!

-Bree

[Eryn]

Sounds like you had a great first time out! Glad it went so perfectly! We're looking forward to the pictures after you get a little shut-eye.

[Shawnc]

after all that is life is all about>

[Laura912]

Congratulations but still green with envy and looking forward to the pics.

[pauletteloraine]

I wished I could have gone with you to that meeting. I've never been out with a group, and would probably find it exciting. It sounds like you had alot of fun. I'm just staring to comeout after 40 years. The have been those evening driving around town dressed, flirting with guys in other vehicles and going to the gas station for gas. WoW, did I gewt some amazing looks, plus a few whistles. You deserve a lot of credit, as it had to be a feeling that one can't describe but only feel. Hopefully you'll send some photos later.

[PretzelGirl]

Good for you Bree! Now you have expanded your circle of friends and know how easy it can be. I am happy for you. So is the group going to be a regular night out now?

[Bree Wagner]

So is the group going to be a regular night out now?

Assuming my wife can sufficiently distract my daughter or take her out for an hour or so, I think I can make it an almost regular thing. Maybe once a month or so. I really look forward to doing it again. :daydreaming:

Here's a pic from the car right before stepping into the meeting and one from returning home afterwards. There are a few more at my flickr site.

I'd highly recommend doing something like this to those who can, but haven't. The internet is great for realizing you're not alone in this, but actually interacting with others (and even in public!) is a whole new ballgame. It can be a big confidence boost and can even be a ton of fun.

I'm normally a very happy person, but I smile a heck of a lot more when I'm dressed. Last night it probably would have taken a jackhammer to knock the goofy grin off my face by the time I got home!

All the best,
Bree

[MandyGG]

You. Are. Beautiful.

[Rachel Renee]

Sounds like a really fun night!

And I have to agree, Colorado is pretty amazing.

[Josie M]

I'm glad you were able to do it :) I knew you'd have a great time :)

[Eryn]

You look great! Give your wife a big hug for her support and powers of distraction. I'll bet that she's closer to going out with Bree, but don't push too hard.

[Genny B]

I'm interested in going to one of these meetings but afraid to go enfemme the first time. Is that normal?

[Miriam-J]

Sounds like you had a great time, Bree, and it's well deserved. Enjoy the afterglow, and look forward to the next time.

Miriam

[ColleenCD]

Hi Bree,

Glad to hear you had a great time. You look fantastic, but why are you standing next that short door? ;)

Way to go!

Colleen

[NathalieX66]

Yay, Bree, you did it!
I've met more than two dozen folks on this board (crossdressers.com) , and we are real flesh & blood people.
Peace & Love,
Nathalie

[Julie513]

You look fabulous Bree! Glad you had a great time.

Julie

[Eryn]

I'm interested in going to one of these meetings but afraid to go enfemme the first time. Is that normal?

Absolutely normal! CDing is all about conquering fears. Some we conquer a bit at a time, others require leaps of faith.

I was scared to dress completely while alone, but thrilled when I did it.
I was scared to walk into my front yard in the dead of night while dressed to retrieve something from my car, but I did it, heart pounding.
I was scared to drive around my neighborhood dressed, after dark, but I did it because I had to know that I could.
I was scared to drive 60 miles away to meet with a group of CDers that I hadn't yet met, but I did it and it was FUN!
After that I stopped being scared. Apprehensive was enough! :)

[AliceMeetsTheWizard]

I hate to jump in on a post that isn't mine. But I am very interested in getting out of my house, however I live in Arkansas and resources here are...limited at best. I would like to spend a vacation exploring and not being judged. Does anybody have any advice as to the closest city that would be a good place to go?

[Jamiegirl1]

Assuming my wife can sufficiently distract my daughter or take her out for an hour or so, I think I can make it an almost regular thing. Maybe once a month or so. I really look forward to doing it again. :daydreaming:

Here's a pic from the car right before stepping into the meeting and one from returning home afterwards. There are a few more at my flickr site.

I'd highly recommend doing something like this to those who can, but haven't. The internet is great for realizing you're not alone in this, but actually interacting with others (and even in public!) is a whole new ballgame. It can be a big confidence boost and can even be a ton of fun.

I'm normally a very happy person, but I smile a heck of a lot more when I'm dressed. Last night it probably would have taken a jackhammer to knock the goofy grin off my face by the time I got home!

All the best,
Bree

I love your pretty pics,glad you had a great time!

[Samantha B L]

Hello Bree,Good for you. You did it. I went to my first trans/crossdresser get together about a year ago and I kept thinking over and over again that I should cancel my ride and stay home and forget about it. I managed to get out and go anyway by telling myself if I don't go this time I won't ever do it!



hugs, Samantha