Kathy's journey

[LizK]

Wow what a week end....Great win and I agree a win is a win. I love the photo.

"That explains the voice"... at least you know everything else works really well ....silver lining? Sounds like from what you have said that being out has certainly made you happy. it great that it has worked out so well


The best lind of the whole post imho

" I am 'out' to just about everyone, and am totally accepted.  In fact, more than accepted, I feel supported, respected, and even liked."


Brilliant what more can a gilr ask for!!


Take care


Liz

[KathyLauren]

Yesterday, my wife and I put the hound into daycare and drove to Kejimkujik National Park.  (The name is pronounced exactly as it is spelled: four syllables, with equal accents on the first and third.)  Neither of us had ever been there before.  We didn't have a whole lot of time there, but we did hike a 5 km forest trail through some old-growth stands of pine and hemlock trees.

We had a late lunch of pasta in historic Annapolis Royal, and then stopped on the way home for some chocolate mousse.  Mmm!  We were addressed as "ladies".  It never gets old!

Looking around the restaurant at lunch, there were lots of tourist families.  I found that I could relate to the women, but not to the men.  It was like the women were "my people" and the men were aliens.  While the awareness of this is new since I transitioned, I realize that the feeling was always there.  It kind of boggles my mind that I ever tried to be one of them.

Pics or it didn't happen.  I am the one in the purple top.  (No one told me that my collar was turned out!)

[Northern Star Girl]

Yesterday, my wife and I put the hound into daycare and drove to Kejimkujik National Park.  (The name is pronounced exactly as it is spelled: four syllables, with equal accents on the first and third.)  Neither of us had ever been there before.  We didn't have a whole lot of time there, but we did hike a 5 km forest trail through some old-growth stands of pine and hemlock trees.

We had a late lunch of pasta in historic Annapolis Royal, and then stopped on the way home for some chocolate mousse.  Mmm!  We were addressed as "ladies".  It never gets old!

Looking around the restaurant at lunch, there were lots of tourist families.  I found that I could relate to the women, but not to the men.  It was like the women were "my people" and the men were aliens.  While the awareness of this is new since I transitioned, I realize that the feeling was always there.  It kind of boggles my mind that I ever tried to be one of them.

Pics or it didn't happen. I am the one in the purple top.  (No one told me that my collar was turned out!)

@KathyLauren
Dear Kathy:
Thank you for your lovely posting, the pictures are terrific...
I had to chuckle when you stated that you are "the one in the purple top" ......   there is no one else pictured in the 3 photos that you posted in the above thread except for the cute little chipmunk so I knew that the 3rd photo was not you.

I agree with your thoughts about being in a room of men and women..... I naturally gravitate toward the women and will start casual conversations with them, I find that I have so much in common with other women, we talk about things that are not normal subjects with conversing with men.    I will be friendly with the men but in a much more guarded and brief way, after all if their wives are in the room I don't want to be seen as flirting with their husbands.

Ahhhh.... to be addressed as one of the ladies......  a wonderful feeling for sure.
Thank you for your uplifting photos.....  it looked like a wonderful day at a beautiful park... you stated that you and your wife had not been there previously.... is it anywhere near where you live or somewhat far away???.

Hugs,
Danielle

[KathyLauren]

I had to chuckle when you stated that you are "the one in the purple top"

If it gave you a chuckle, then mission accomplished. 

is it anywhere near where you live or somewhat far away???.

It is about a two and a half hour drive.

[JudiBlueEyes]

Nice photos!  It looks like a nice park with the boardwalked trail. 

[steph2.0]

If it gave you a chuckle, then mission accomplished. 
It is about a two and a half hour drive.

If it hadn't been you in the purple top, I would have recommended you have a talk with your electrocutioner.


Stephanie

[Karen]

Hi Kathy.

What a beautiful day.   You look amazing and wilderness looks so calming.   

I have not transitioned, but have embraced my feelings and am so much more in tune with who I admire and related to.   Most men are alien to me too....not that I have issues...I just don't related to them and are far more in tune with the women I know and meet.

Always enjoy connecting with you.

Hugs

Karen.

[Jayne01]

If I remember correctly where your wife's family are from, you would be only a short drive (30 minutes, maybe) from Keji (Kejimkujik National Park), which has super-dark skies and was the first designated dark sky preserve in Canada.  It is a great place for stargazing.

Hi Kathy,

You are correct. My wife's family is not far from Keji. I have only ever been there once in our visits to her family. We hired a canoe and paddles around parts of the lake. Found a small deserted island in the lake to have a picnic just the two of us. The wind had picked up by the afternoon so it was a challenging and wet paddle back to the rental place. We didn't spend the night there. It would have been fun gazing at the night sky on a clear night.

The star photo was a total of 88 minutes of exposure time.  It is not a single photo, but 32 individual photos, from 2 minutes to 5 minutes in length, combined on the computer.  The photographic aperture was f/4.  The telescope mount tracks the sky at exactly the right rate to ensure there is no motion.  In addition, during each exposure, the computer is using a second camera to monitor the tracking and make tiny adjustments to keep each star within 1 pixel of where it should be.

Your description of taking the star photo sounds very similar to how my brother takes photos. One of these days I will have to get him to show me his setup in action.

Jayne

[Jayne01]

Hi Kathy,

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have only been to the main Keji National Park once. I have been to the Keji Seaside Adjunct  between Liverpool and Shelburne a few times. Both parts are different and equally scenic in their own way. The hike you did looks very pretty. Thank you for identifying yourself in the photos otherwise I would have had trouble picking you out. [emoji23]

I keep reading how being gendered correctly never gets old. I am looking forward to experiencing that "never gets old" feeling myself. Chocolate mousse sounds like an essential and worthwhile pit stop on the way home.

The feeling of relating to other women and thinking of them as "my people" compared to the "alien" men is a feeling I have recently become aware of myself. In hindsight, that feeling was always there but without any frame of reference. It was a feeling in isolation that I had no way to describe or understand. It is a mystery to me how I have made it 40+ years without having a clue I am trans. Oh well! 🤷‍♀️

Thanks for this update.

Hugs,
Jayne

Yesterday, my wife and I put the hound into daycare and drove to Kejimkujik National Park.  (The name is pronounced exactly as it is spelled: four syllables, with equal accents on the first and third.)  Neither of us had ever been there before.  We didn't have a whole lot of time there, but we did hike a 5 km forest trail through some old-growth stands of pine and hemlock trees.

We had a late lunch of pasta in historic Annapolis Royal, and then stopped on the way home for some chocolate mousse.  Mmm!  We were addressed as "ladies".  It never gets old!

Looking around the restaurant at lunch, there were lots of tourist families.  I found that I could relate to the women, but not to the men.  It was like the women were "my people" and the men were aliens.  While the awareness of this is new since I transitioned, I realize that the feeling was always there.  It kind of boggles my mind that I ever tried to be one of them.

Pics or it didn't happen.  I am the one in the purple top.  (No one told me that my collar was turned out!)

[LizK]

Yesterday, my wife and I put the hound into daycare and drove to Kejimkujik National Park.  (The name is pronounced exactly as it is spelled: four syllables, with equal accents on the first and third.)  Neither of us had ever been there before.  We didn't have a whole lot of time there, but we did hike a 5 km forest trail through some old-growth stands of pine and hemlock trees.

We had a late lunch of pasta in historic Annapolis Royal, and then stopped on the way home for some chocolate mousse.  Mmm!  We were addressed as "ladies".  It never gets old!

Looking around the restaurant at lunch, there were lots of tourist families.  I found that I could relate to the women, but not to the men.  It was like the women were "my people" and the men were aliens.  While the awareness of this is new since I transitioned, I realize that the feeling was always there.  It kind of boggles my mind that I ever tried to be one of them.

Pics or it didn't happen.  I am the one in the purple top.  (No one told me that my collar was turned out!)

Hi Kathy

Two things about this post stuck out to me, the first is your use of the word transitioned...do you feel like you have finished your transition and can now move on to returning your life to some semblance of normality? I loved your comment about being called "ladies" never getting old. I can't help myself, it always makes me smile when I hear it said to me. When I read your posts I really get the impression that you have your life back and it is not so 'Transition focused" anymore. I find that refreshing and something I am striving for.

Thanks for sharing

Liz

[Katie Jade]

Kathy
First hugz for having shared such a nice time and another Hug cos you are sharing your experiences with us. For myself  I may never get to the US or Canada, but everyone's descriptions of its wonderous landscapes and diversity make me wonder if the UK isn't as good any more, even to me. So keep on posting pictures of lovely landscapes and sun-downs, maybe I've just have a touch of 'the grass is greener, on the other side of the fence' stuff.
love it all, Gogogo Kathy

Luv n Hugz
Katie

[KathyLauren]

Hi Kathy

Two things about this post stuck out to me, the first is your use of the word transitioned...do you feel like you have finished your transition and can now move on to returning your life to some semblance of normality? I loved your comment about being called "ladies" never getting old. I can't help myself, it always makes me smile when I hear it said to me. When I read your posts I really get the impression that you have your life back and it is not so 'Transition focused" anymore. I find that refreshing and something I am striving for.

Thanks for sharing

Liz

Hi, Liz. 

When I say "transitioned", I mean going full-time.  For me, social dysphoria was the biggest thing, so the social change is (and probably eventually will still be in hindsight) the biggest part of my transition. 

I am not done yet, though.  I am in the queue for GRS.  It is a long, long queue.  I have been waiting 11 months to get in to see a shrink for my second referral letter.  In another month, I will give them another call to make sure I am still on the waiting list.  And that's just a wait to get an appointment date.  Then, there will be a wait for the appointment itself.  Followed by who-knows-how-many sessions that will be necessary to satisfy the Montreal clinic.  Followed by getting into the clinic's system and waiting for a surgery date.

All that is such a slow process that I don't even think about it.  GRS will take care of the last remaining dysphoria, and I will be happy when I get there.  But when I look back once it is all done, the most significant part of my transition will still be going full-time.

So, right now, I am enjoying life.  I get to be myself; I am respected for who I am; I like myself, even if I am not yet finished.  I can't say I "have my life back", because what I have now is so much better than what I had before.  I have a life now.

[KathyLauren]

I saw somewhere that today was Transgender Flag Day.  Aug 19th is the day, back in 1999, when the blue, pink and white transgender flag day was designed. 

So I flew my flag on the house.  Okay, we live in the woods and have few visitors, so no one actually saw it except me and my wife, but at least it was flying.  Not being satisfied with that, I also wore a heart-shaped pin with the trans flag colours when we went into town to do some furniture shopping.  We talked to several sales people, one of whom liked my skirt, but no one commented on the pin.

[KathyLauren]

The people at my pharmacy may be smarter than they appear.  My current prescription runs for a year, with four quarterly refills.  But a "month" of spiro pills is 30 days, while a "month" of E patches lasts 28 days.  The difference means that, by the end of the year, I would run out of E a month before I would run out of S.

When I went in today to get another quarteryl refill, they gave me four boxes of patches instead of the three I was expecting.  So, all things being equal, I should run out of both together after all.  Someone was using their head.

In other news, all is quiet.  My facial hair is light enough and sparse enough that I was able to go into town shopping with two days of growth (electrolysis tomorrow) and minimal makeup and not draw undue attention.  In such situations, I do tend to dress up a bit more to reduce any ambiguity in my appearance.  It seems to work.  Today, I wore a swishy purple skirt and an off-white T-shirt for a casual but unmistakeably feminine look.

I am looking forward to Tia @Anne Blake and @Debi coming to visit next week on their transcontinental honeymoon.  It will be exciting to finally meet other denizens of Susan's!

[Northern Star Girl]

@KathyLauren
Dear Kathy:
Thank you for posting your several latest updates.  All of that sure sounded like happy and good news.

Of course when Tia and Debi come to visit you .... pictures or it didn't happen!!!

It is always my pleasure to follow your postings around the Forums on the various threads and I am always looking forward to catching up with you on your thread.

Thanks for posting your updates... your followers are a curious bunch!   
Hugs,
Danielle

[Jayne01]

The people at my pharmacy may be smarter than they appear.  My current prescription runs for a year, with four quarterly refills.  But a "month" of spiro pills is 30 days, while a "month" of E patches lasts 28 days.  The difference means that, by the end of the year, I would run out of E a month before I would run out of S.

When I went in today to get another quarteryl refill, they gave me four boxes of patches instead of the three I was expecting.  So, all things being equal, I should run out of both together after all.  Someone was using their head.

In other news, all is quiet.  My facial hair is light enough and sparse enough that I was able to go into town shopping with two days of growth (electrolysis tomorrow) and minimal makeup and not draw undue attention.  In such situations, I do tend to dress up a bit more to reduce any ambiguity in my appearance.  It seems to work.  Today, I wore a swishy purple skirt and an off-white T-shirt for a casual but unmistakeably feminine look.

I am looking forward to Tia @Anne Blake and @Debi coming to visit next week on their transcontinental honeymoon.  It will be exciting to finally meet other denizens of Susan's!

Kathy, it's nice that the pharmacy staff had the foresight to figure out your prescriptions so that they run out at the same time.

I can't wait for my facial hair to vanish. It's all black, so very visible, even after shaving. Good news is electrolysis is working well and there is an end in sight. I hope you are getting close to your electrolysis treatment so that you no longer have to worry about shaving or any growth.

Have fun with your newly re-wed guests next week.

Hugs,
Jayne

[TonyaW]

The people at my pharmacy may be smarter than they appear.  My current prescription runs for a year, with four quarterly refills.  But a "month" of spiro pills is 30 days, while a "month" of E patches lasts 28 days.  The difference means that, by the end of the year, I would run out of E a month before I would run out of S.

When I went in today to get another quarteryl refill, they gave me four boxes of patches instead of the three I was expecting.  So, all things being equal, I should run out of both together after all.  Someone was using their head.

I know the news on here is usually when one of us doesn't act like it,  but pharmacists are pretty smart folk.

Must be a Canadian thing with being able to sync up your refills like that.  In the states we are usually limited by insurance companies as to when and how much we  an supply at one time.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[KathyLauren]

Must be a Canadian thing with being able to sync up your refills like that.  In the states we are usually limited by insurance companies as to when and how much we  an supply at one time.

Insurance isn't an issue for prescriptions here.  The doctor prescribes whatever she prescribes.  I buy the stuff and send in my receipts.  Insurance sends me whatever portion they are willing to pay.

Today, I went to my weekly electrocution torture.  I am getting better at retreating into the music in my headphones, which helps a lot with pain management.

Lately, we have been working on my upper lip.  I started out needing a dental block before she could even touch that area.  The last few sessions, the hairs have all been young and wimpy, and she has been able to zap them with only a ton of Emla.  Today, she informed me that my upper lip is basically done.  If I find new hairs sprouting, she'll get 'em, but she doesn't expect to have to devote a lot more time to my upper lip.  YAY!!

[Anne Blake]

Kathy,

That is such great news, wow, top lip done! I am a bit jealous. You are making good progress.

Tia Anne

[GingerVicki]

I am at the point where laser zapping isn't working much anymore and I am dreading the electrocution torture. Some of the hair didn't die and just turned silver and white.