"This just got real" - my first time out dressed!

[Renee Elise]

Congratulations - glad you had fun and it turned out to be a positive experience.

[Stephanie Sometimes]

Congratulations Julie! What a great story you told of your first time out. You did such a good job of communicating your sense of trepidation followed by the joy and excitement of getting Julie out of the closet. What a sweet and thoughtful girl that Amy is to help you along the way and extend her friendship to you.

OMG! Is right, you had an evening that you will remember the rest of your life and I know it will be followed by many more memorable outings in the future. Now you have the confidence to let that girl inside of you out for others to enjoy. Folks have said this many times on this forum: once that cat is out of the bag there is no putting it back.

Hugs,
Stephanie

[flatlander_48]

Glad it all worked out. The next time will be easier!

[AmyGaleRT]

I was just thrilled to pieces that I could finally meet my sister Julie in person and give her a taste of the joys of being a "liberated woman"!

The planning for this actually started back at the end of March, when Julie let me know that she would be coming to Denver. I knew exactly where I'd want to take her, of course; the Black Crown is well known as a T-friendly venue (some of us in Denver have referred to it as "the clubhouse" ) and I had no doubt she'd enjoy herself. My preparations began in earnest the week beforehand, as I found her the gift I wanted to give her...a bottle of my favorite perfume, Lady Gaga Fame. (It's not an overly floral or musky scent, it's more interesting than that. I thought it might suit her as well as it does me.) As I always do the night before an Amy outing, I gave myself a bubble bath and carefully epilated my arms and legs. I also repainted my toes with a new nail polish.

Saturday afternoon, I did my transformation...my usual panties and Cupid shapewear, and my Cacique plunge bra, came first, after I prepared with shaving, eyebrow trimming, facial moisturizer, Aveeno lotion for my arms and legs, Secret "So Very Summerberry," and lavender body powder. My makeup came next: L'Oreal concealer and bold brown eyeliner, Maybelline Plum Smokes shadow, L'Oreal Butterfly mascara in black/brown, foundation, powder, contouring and blush, and L'Oreal red lipliner and "Plum Explosion" lipstick. My hair got its Aveeno Dry Remedy treatment for the ends (thank you Hana!), then sprayed with L'Oreal "Sleek It" spray so I could put some waves into it with my curling iron (another technique Hana's stylist taught me) and set it with Suave hairspray, before adding my gold headband. I stepped into my Jessica London pastel flyaway maxi (the "Full Bloom" dress), fastened my faux pearl and gold bead multistrand necklace around my neck, took out my studs and slipped the French wires of a new pair of gold multi-hoop earrings into my ears, placed my engagement ring on my finger, and strapped my silver ComfortView mid-heel sandals to my feet. I packed my makeup, keys, and wallet into my Kate Spade New York designer purse (thank you to my brother who sent it to me!) and sprayed on some Lady Gaga Fame of my own. Julie had been sending me text messages as she departed from Chicago and landed in Denver, so at that point (around 6:30) I made my way over to the GIC.

A certain amount of waiting ensued, during which I sipped a Diet 7-Up and took in the interesting conversations around me. Julie informed me of her difficulties in getting her "gear," but I wasn't too worried. Finally she let me know she was on her way, and then that she'd arrived and had parked down the street from the GIC. I stepped out the front door to greet her.

Immediately, I escorted her to the staff bathroom so she could change. (I had done this a couple of weeks ago with Brenne, so I had a pretty good idea of how things should work.) Then it was back to waiting for me. I tapped on the door to check on her once, almost did so a second time, and then, when I went there once more to see how she was doing, the door opened, and there she was! I could hardly believe it! I was filled with happiness at finally seeing her there in front of me. I hurried back to grab the gift bag with her gift, and also my purse so I could borrow the mirror to touch up my own makeup. She was thrilled with the gift, which I explained to her and even gave her a sample of the scent (thanks to my own bottle, which I'd put in my purse). Soon she was ready to go, her big "gear bag" in one hand, her own purse in the other. We walked back into the main room of the GIC, and I introduced her to the few people who were still there as "my friend Julie, visiting from out of town." But bigger things were afoot...

We walked out the front door. The slight rain shower that had passed through earlier was long since gone, and the night air was cool and invigorating. "Breathe in," I encouraged Julie. "You're a free woman now." We walked across the street to where I had parked my Taurus, put Julie's gear bag in the trunk, and got in for the short drive over to the Black Crown. As always on a Saturday night, parking near there was a problem, and we wound up parked all the way over on Acoma Street, about two blocks from the Black Crown. She offered me a new kind of mint as we stopped, a chewable mint that dissolved in seconds. It was very powerful! We made our way down Acoma to Arkansas Avenue (dealing with the rough asphalt), then up the street to cross Broadway and walk south to the bar. Julie didn't say a whole lot throughout this trip, but I kept talking, hoping I was being reassuring.

We made it to the Black Crown, through the front gate, and up the walkway to the front door. The first person we saw as we entered was Mark Cameron, owner of the Black Crown. He and I know each other, and I introduced Julie. Julie and I walked around trying to spot some of my other friends, and briefly sat upstairs, though this proved to be a little warm for Julie (and for me, too, truth be told, though I was wearing fewer layers than she was). We found a pair of vacant chairs on the back patio, got the attention of a waiter long enough to order Diet Cokes with lime, and enjoyed the music, chatting about various things (including, at one point, the cannabis industry here in Colorado...I've kept up with that subject, even though I'm not a "head" myself!). When we needed refills of our drinks, the waiter seemed too busy, so I went back in to the bar to find him; Gary, the bartender, solved my problem by pouring us fresh Diet Cokes himself, which I brought back out to Julie.

My friend Cindy proved to be sitting over at another table outside, and her silver lame one-shoulder cocktail dress proved that neither Julie nor I were overdressed at all. I got her to snap a couple of pictures of the two of us using my iPhone. Julie quickly looked as comfortable as any of my other friends; the Black Crown does that to you. She sure didn't look like it was her first time out! Eventually, my other friend Felicia showed up, in a short animal-print dress and shrug, and a couple at a nearby table, Stacy and Alex, invited the three of us to share their table. (Stacy loved my shoes, asking where I'd got them. She confessed later she'd like to steal them. I said, "I hope you can wear 11 Wide!" ) The two of them had been married about a year, and had just moved to a new house in Lakewood, but still made a point to come out to the Black Crown, their favorite venue. (Mine too!) Julie shared in the conversation with all of us, and, to my ear, her voice didn't sound un-feminine; it suited her. No one there treated her (or me or Felicia, for that matter) as anything other than a lady; not the waiters, not Mark, not Stacy or Alex, not anyone. Which is just the kind of treatment that makes me appreciate the Black Crown all the more.

Sometime after midnight, I made a trip to the ladies' room; while in there, my phone blipped with an SMS from Sabrina, asking if I was on my way home. I went back out, explained to Julie, and the two of us (actually, Felicia, too) paid our bill and took our leave. Julie and I retraced our steps back to the car, my car keys in my hand (as I usually do); I think this was an easier trip for Julie this time. We went back to the GIC, which by this time was closed and dark; fortunately, I have a key, and we went inside so Julie could "deconstruct" herself. Before she did, though, I got the hug I'd been waiting so long to get from my sister! We also got some last few photos, of which this "selfie" snapped with my iPhone's front camera seems to sum everything up:

girls-selfie-small.jpg

I passed time while she was in the bathroom by plugging my iPhone into a pair of computer speakers there, and doing some dancing and some singing practice. (The main room of the GIC turns out to have really good acoustics. Who knew?) She emerged, and, before we left the GIC, I gave her a nice twirl, my skirts floating and flowing about me. (I love doing that!) We parted ways out front, and I reminded her that, if she's ever back here again, the offer is still open.

I left that night with a feeling of, not only supreme happiness for having seen my sister Julie, but a sense of having done a very good thing for a very deserving lady. Love you, Sis!

- Amy

[Julie Denier]

Aw, Amy -- it's so awesome you have you for my big sis

I spent all day today working at my trade show, wondering if anyone was going to be interested in my evening's tale, and wow -- you all flatter me so It was indeed a night I will never forget, and I hope I have a chance to replicate.

One of the things that struck me most was how well we were accepted by the diverse crowd at the Crown. When we joined the couple next to us at their table, I guess I was semi-surprised that crossdressing never came up in their questions during our conversation. It was just sort of, "These folks are ladies, at least for tonight, so whatever -- let's have a great time getting to know each other!" A genuine blast all around.

Oh, BTW -- I managed to successfully navigate all those industrial steel stairs at the Crown in heels without incident. Then this morning, at the convention center, I tripped going up the stairs in my men's dress oxfords!

Thanks again, Amy, for being my sister and mentor. And thanks all who chimed in about our adventure.

Julie

[AmyGaleRT]

The couple we were with were regulars, as they'd mentioned; they even come all the way out from Lakewood! Anyone who's been to the Black Crown knows it's LGBT-friendly, and you can often find girls like us there. I think they've gotten the message that, if you treat us with respect and as the ladies we present as, it makes for a very pleasant experience. It also furthers my opinion that, if more people knew ladies like us, fewer people would hate and fear us.

Of course, there are those like the group that was entering just as we left...one of them said to the others, "You know what kind of place this is, right?" Well, if they don't, they do now! Dare I say, the Valkyrie walking out the front door, followed by the Amazon, should have clued them in.

Julie, now you know what it is to live by my motto..."Be who you are, and be it in style!" And careful of those stairs in those guy shoes...they can be awkward. Not as graceful as your slingback heels or my sandals.

- Amy

[GenieGirl]

Great story Julie. Glad you had a wonderful evening and you are so lucky to have such an amazing friend!!! We all sweat it out the first time as you did...but once you get to the party and people treat you normal...you realize that its not that big of a fuss to be out and about as a woman.

Ginger

[Camille15]

Thanks for sharing your story, Julie! Your evening sounded amazing and like a real rush of excitement and nerves. I'm sure you'll be thinking about it for weeks to come. I wish you many more exciting outings in the future!!

Camille

[GretchenJ]

Julie

Am very happy that your first night out ( I was also shocked that you have not been out before) was both enjoyable and a total success. You and Amy look fantastic . It just gets better and easier from here . Can Amy make house calls to those living in the Northeast?

[AKADonna]

Congratulations, Julie! You will never forget your first "out" experience!

[AmyGaleRT]

Can Amy make house calls to those living in the Northeast?

Are we talking with paid airfare, accommodations, meals and per diem? A girl's gotta cover expenses, you know.

Bree is going to be moving to the Washington DC area...I believe she has done similar things for other ladies here in Denver in the past. Certainly she was one of the inspirations that helped me start getting out. You might talk to her, too...

- Amy

[Beverley Sims]

Julie,
Good that you are starting to get out and about.
Once you start there is no looking back.
Just do it in stages and slowly, gotta get used to doing it.

[TeresaCD]

So proud of you, girl.
Way to go!

And my average night out in a frock ends at 2am, waaay later than when not frocked up

[Claire Cook]

Hi Julie,

Wow, you did it! And you have done a marvelous job of putting all of those mixed feelings into words. Those of us who have been out share those first-time feelings (all of the anxiety, the nerves, the HIGH ... and the wonderful feeling of the clothes...) and I think we all remember that first time. (I still get a rush when I am "ma'amed".) Those of us who haven't taken that big step can feel vicariously what that feels like. I think you will find that those "rough male edges" get smoothed out the more you are out.

And yes, how wonderful of your big sis....

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Julie, It sounds like you are living the dream now.

[stephNE]

Julie, I'm so happy for you! I know there are lots more good things ahead for you! It just keeps getting better and better. S.

[PaulaQ]

Congratulations Julie, I'm so happy you got to experience being out! Amy is the best, isn't she?

[Carmen]

Julie thank you for sharing your inaugural first flight.
Yes it does become very real when you first step into the public light.
Amy sounds like a blessing to have for a friend.

[Saikotsu]

Congratulations, Julie! As someone who also just took their inaugural first outing (coincidentally starting at the GIC as well) I know all too well the euphoria you're feeling. I'm still reeling from it almost a week later. I hope you're enjoying your time here in Denver, and that your next outing is as enjoyable. Feel free to send me a note if you'd like to chat and compare experiences.
Also, Amy, you rock. Supportive sisters such as yourself make outings like this so much easier. Congrats to you both for a night well spent!

[AmyGaleRT]

There have been several other girls that I've taken out for either their first time out dressed, or their first time out dressed in this area. Julie is the most recent as of right now, but will always hold a special place in my heart.

I'm not sure how I've evolved myself into a person that can do these kinds of things. Obviously, I present well (better than I ever thought I would!), and my own fears of being out in the world as a woman are long since gone. My Amy-side seems to have gotten all the sociability that my male side lacks, and that, along with my native intelligence and empathy, has given me the ability to work well with the Meetup group and help my sisters. And I enjoy it; it's so good to see a lady emerge from her shell, and begin fitting in with everyone else as if she'd been going out for months, rather than it being her first time. I've seen it in other friends, and I've now seen it in Julie.

My goals are being fulfilled. Serving my sisters in this way as Amy is most certainly helping make me a better person.

Addendum: The evening also brought home how very, very fortunate I am. Julie told me that the only bit of feminizing she had been able to do for herself was to grow out her eyelashes. First, I didn't know you could do that. Second, here I am, sitting in front of her, with my long, feminine-styled hair, my pierced ears, my painted toenails, my freshly-shaved chest and freshly-epilated arms and legs...I depend a lot on the acceptance of my fiancee Sabrina to make Amy all that she can be. I hope that, someday, Julie can find acceptance like that too, as remote as it may seem.

- Amy

[Michelle789]

Julie, congrats on your first outing. Doesn't it feel free and liberating to step outside the house? I've been out as late as 2-3 am a few times.

[Sometimes Steffi]

Julie

Congratulations. It makes me rember my first time out at Freddies in DC.

It also reminds me of my trip to Denver, where AKAMichelle picked me up at my hotel for dinner out with the girls and then a private shopping excursion with the girls at Maurice's.

[Barbara Ella]

Can't believe I missed this! Grats Julie, that first outing is such an opening up event for the psyche. And such a great place and person in Amy. So glad for you. Now you can begin organizing the next several outings...lol, because they are coming, i am sure.

Hugs,

Barbara

[paulaprimo]

i'm with barbara on this one...can't believe i missed it also! sorry for being soooo late!!

julie, congrats to you girl on such a fantastic first outing...
and i applaud amy for her support and taking you under her wing.
its a great feeling to get out, but a much greater feeling when you are part
of a group. seems there is strength in numbers and for me at least i display
much more confidence. that first time out is always the most nerve wracking...
it only gets easier now, so get out, have fun and enjoy!!

[nikinylons]

Congratulations! I've been out twice, once in San Francisco and the other close to where we live. Both times were exhilarating and certainly memorable. It doesn't take long to experience what GG's go through everytime they step outside. Savor the moment and keep surrounding yourself with people who mutually admire each other