Saturday at home as Susan

Well it is the last Saturday of September and I get to spend the day as Susan. I got up around 8 and had breakfast. I was just getting ready to start my makeup and something came up and I had to postpone Susan for a couple hours. I got home a little before noon and started getting Susan ready for the day. Now today I took my time getting ready as it is just a day at home. I did take time on my eyes and went with a darker color for my eyebrows, they look good but probably to dark for the light color of my hair, the color is dark brown but really looks more black.

Now as I said I really have no plans today other then cleaning my house, yes years ago when I was to afraid to go out and I just dressed at home I would either watch TV or clean my house. I put on a casual dress today and a pair of low heels and started my day cleaning the house. I spent a couple hours cleaning my house, vacuuming, doing some laundry and getting my house ready for tomorrow. Now I did take some breaks when the sun came out, yes today we had some sun breaks in between rain showers and when the sun was out it was nice outside so I sat on my deck for a while working on my blog from Wednesday Zoom meeting. Now it was a weird day as I would go outside and in 15 to 30 minutes the sun went away and it would get cold and lightly rain or a couple times we had a heavy rain so I would go back inside and clean more. I think I went outside 4 or 5 times over a few hours. I did get some pictures for today. Once I got done cleaning I relaxed and watched some TV.

It was about 6 when I decided it was time for dinner, so I decided to go to Subway and get something to eat as I really wanted to get out of the house today. I probably should have gone to Starbucks for a while but didn’t. I got there and got a quick picture in my car before putting my mask on and going in. there were 3 people in lone ahead of me so I waited my turn. I ordered my sandwich and then it was back home for the rest of the evening. Will watch TV till 11 before washing away Susan and going to bed.

A pretty quiet Saturday.

Stay safe and happy with yourself and thanks for reading m blog and be sure and read my most recent blog to see what is new in my life.

More pictures below

Have a great day

Wednesday night zoom get together with my friends

Well it is Wednesday, and I get to spend the evening online with my friends in a video chat and I really look forward to this. I got home early so I had plenty of time which is nice as I really like taking my time getting. Yes, I still love doing my makeup as I transform myself, there is just something relaxing f not therapeutic about it and all is right in the world when I am doing my makeup. I once again too my times on my eyes and brows. I also wore my longest dangly earrings with 4 leaves on silver chains

I was all ready by 5:30 so I had plenty of time, so I decided to run and get dinner, yes just a trip to McDonalds drive through. I got home and ate and then got some pictures, it would be a good night. I called my mom and talked to her for a while and watched some TV till just before 7 when I logged on and started the meeting and girls were already waiting to join. We actually have pretty good turnout for these meeting between 8 and 14 each week and tonight would be no different. By a little after 7 we had 9 girls logged on. Now I have been taking a picture of the screen with my snipping tool so I can remember who all logged on and I did that tonight but I forgot to save it and shut down my computer and now a few days later I am writing this and will have to try and list them from Memory. Now we had Jennifer, Julie, Melissa, Nicole, Jan & Lynn, Jeanie, Karen, Robin, and me. It is so nice to spend a few hours with my friends even like this, but I do miss getting together in person for dinner.

We did talk a little about doing dinners again in small groups as Robin has been going out with a few of her friends, so we asked her how that was going. They try to go to outdoor restaurants, and it is more just a few girls calling each other instead of a group activity. This could work for our group but I wouldn’t want to leave anyone out so we would probably need to rotate turns. We talked for a while and I was kind of flashing my hands as I was looking at my nails and one of the girls noticed and asked me. Well when I had my acrylic nails removed and had them put a clear gel polish on them but with taking the top layer it gave my nails a whiter look and with the clear they look more of a clear cream color so I showed them my nails close up and Julie held hers up, hers are a little more pink cream color. I took a few pictures of my nails, but they don’t show the look really well plus I got a picture of my toes also.

Well we talked more about what was new in our lives and how we are all glad the smoke has gone away as the fires here have been really bad. It is nice to talk and catch up. Well it was time for Jennifer’s Wednesday night question. Her question tonight is what is the one thing you are focusing on when you are transforming yourself and we had a wide range as we have girls that are only part time to those who are or have transitioned and are living full time. some of the girls it was about what the hormones are doing, their hair as several are growing their own hair out. For some it is clothes or makeup or the whole look. For me it is my eyebrows. I seem to go in cycles as I watch different YouTube videos and then try to do what they do. I started off with my lips and practiced till I got that down then went on to my eye and the eye shadows and found what works for me, more browns and earthy tones and worked hard on blending it to make it look good. Then it was onto eye lining and then trying winged eye liner which I am still working on. I can kind of do them although I have a really hard time getting them the same, so I still have work to do.

Well I took a break from the winged eyeliner and started working on my eyebrows which is what I am focusing on right now. There are so many things that differentiate male from female but eyebrows are something that is very noticeable probably because they are so visible and something when you are talking to someone you generally are looking them in the eyes so they are right there to see. Many years ago, I cleaned up my eyebrows by plucking and slowly over a few years shaped them and thinned them out. It was gradual so no one really noticed or if they did, they never said anything. Well because of this my brows are sparse and as I keep then trimmed short so it is somewhat easy to shape my eyebrows and fill them in. I have tried several shapes, and thicknesses and I am leaning towards one shape and now working on how dark to make them to find the best look. I will try different darkness’s of my brows in the coming blogs so you can see.

We talked for a while longer and again about 9 girls started signing off. Soon it was Jennifer, Julie, Jan & Lynn and me and we got talking about heating systems yes Jan works in that field. Yes we talk about everyday stuff also, we really are no different then anyone else when we get together and we talk about the same things and yes we have girls that are far left and far right and every where in between just like any other group, the reason I try to keep politics out of it. I don’t care what side of politics you are on as long as you respect my views also, we don’t need to agree but we do need to respect each other. Soon it was just Jan, Lynn and me and we talked a little longer but it was now after 9:30 and I had to get up early tomorrow for work. It is always sad when the night comes to an end and I have to wash Susan away but I know it hast to happen but Saturday I get another day as Susan.

Now one of the reasons I write my blogs is to remember my times as Susan but also document my time out as Susan and this will be my 120^th blog of the year, my best year for going out was 2016 when I had 135 blogs (times out) I should easily beat that this year as I still have over 3 months to go till the end of the year.

Stay safe and thanks for reading my blog and be sure and read my most recent blog t see what is new in my life.

Tuesday and day 14 of my stay at home vacation as I say goodbye to my pretty nails

Well it is Tuesday day 14 or the last day of my stay at home vacation. I had planned to get up early and go to Starbucks’ to get as much time, but it was almost 6 when I got up. I got ready although I did rush a little today as I only have the morning and maybe early afternoon to be Susan as I have to get my nails removed and then unless something changes again I will get to go see my mom later today. I was ready buy about 7:15 which is the earliest Susan has been out in a long time. I got a few pictures and yes, I got my nails in some of them. I grabbed my purse and was out the door. Now early on in my vacation I was parking my car in the drive and not the garage to keep the smoke out of my garage and even though the smoke is gone I have kept parking in my driveway so I would have to walk out the front door to get to my car. With my computer and purse, I was on my way. I got to Starbucks just before 8 and went in, a couple of the employees greeted me by name as I walked in which I love. I did try a different look for my lipstick well actually my lip shape, a little fuller and rounder, I was happy with the look.

I went up to order and the lady said she would be right with me but the other lady who makes the drinks said, Hi Susan are you getting your usual Grande hot chocolate which I was so they were already making my drink when I ordered it. I have gone to many Starbucks and have always been treated wonderful at all of them. I got my drink and sat down with my computer to check the news and see what was new in the world although I did try to avoid the political stuff. Yes, on Facebook for the next Month I am going to snooze anyone who posts negative or political attacks. Not if they express their views but if they are attacking the other side, I don’t want to see it as we need to bring this country together not divide it further. It was relaxing even though it was short as shortly after 9 I left as I wanted to go get breakfast.

I drove to IHOP by Cascade station and went in, I was surprised as they were fairly busy for a Tuesday morning I thought. I got a table and ordered breakfast and yes, I did get pancakes. Evan though they were busy they do space people out, so you really aren’t sitting next to anyone. I had a nice breakfast and it was about 10 when paid my bill and left. My next stop is Costco as again I need to pick some stuff up for my mom. It is really hard as I can’t go into her room and see what she needs so it is usually one of the care givers who tells me, and it is usually when she runs out. They had called while I was eating to tell me what she needed, and I confirmed I can go see her this evening.

I got to Costco and got gas first before parking and going in. now I really hadn’t planned on walking much so I wore my 3″ heel ankle boots, jeggings and a sweater top, the jeggings look awesome with my hip pads. I walked around for a little bit before getting the items I needed and paying for them. It was after 10:30 now and my day was going by fast. I have been trying to decide how I get my nails removed today, as Susan or my male self. Well I have decided as of now I will go back to Julie’s nails as my male self and get them removed as when I was dressing I noticed a couple chips on my toenails and realized it has been about 2 months since I got my last pedicure and I really love the way they do them here. So that is my plan get a pedicure and then have my nails removed. That being said I wanted to get close to home, so I decided to go to the Starbucks right by my house for a while.

I got there about 11 and went in and ordered a drink. This one only has 4 tables inside and 2 were taken so I got the one by the door right by the counter you pick your drink up at. Now tis one gets a lot of foot traffic as it does not have a drive through so again great for people watching. I got out my computer and started working on my blog for today. I had been here about 20 minutes when I noticed to men standing about 5 feet from me waiting for their drinks and both of them, I use to work with not long ago and yes they have no idea about Susan. Well I just kept my head down looking at my computer and just kept working as they stood there, it was only a couple minutes before they got their drink and were on their way. I stayed here for a little over an hour before I went home to clean up as I want to get to the nail salon no later than 2 as I will need tie for the polish to dry on my toes before I put shoes and socks on to go see my mom around 5:30. It really will be sad to have my nails removed today, not only will I not have pretty nails but I will have weak brittle nails till they grow out which for me takes about 3 months. Even so it was wonderful to have them for the past 2 weeks.

I got home about 12:15 and quickly took a shower and washed off my makeup although I left my lipstick on as I have to wear a face mask at the salon. I got there at 1:15 and went in, I was the only one there so I told them I wanted a pedicure and then my nails removed, well they started with my nails, They tried to talk me into just shortening them and keeping them which I really wanted to do I just couldn’t. They trimmed them, grinded them down till they were thin and then put cotton balls with acetone and wrapped them in foil and then it was time to start my pedicure. Now I picked a bright red for my toes and I so love getting a pedicure, I got the tropical pedicure, so relaxing and it took abut an hour. 3 other ladies came in, 2 got pedicures and the other her nails. Once my pedicure was don it was time to stare on my fingers. She took the foil off and scraped the remaining acrylic of. By the way of you have acrylic nails and want them removed this s how it should be done. She then trimmed them down and shaped them yes, I went with square shape. Now I had told her I wanted a clear gel polish t ad a little strength as when you remove acrylics you lose the hard-top layer of your nail. She put a base coat n and then again asked me if I wanted a cream color or maybe a pale pink as they said they would look nice and not be that noticeable and I thought about it but just went with a clear top coat. My nails are short but very nicely manicured and the funny thing is with just the clear coat my nails do have a slight cream color. I spent about 2 hours here and it was wonderful.

I left the nail salon and stopped by the Toyota dealer to get my new license plates for my car which came in of course I had to walk in with my flip flops on and my pretty red toes. I got home just before 4 and ate and went over at 5:30 to see my mom after more then 2 weeks. It was nice to see her again. I got home for the night about 7 and then finished my blog for the day. I am actually having a harder time typing with my short nails then when I got my long nails. It will be interesting to see if I adjust to short nails as quickly as I did the long nails.

Stay safe and happy with yourself and thanks for reading m blog and be sure and read my most recent blog to see what is new in my life.

Monday and day 13 of my Stay at home vacation

Well it is Monday and day 13 of my stay at home vacation. With everything going on and not being able to do much the 2 weeks really have gone by fast. Now today I get to have lunch with Melissa and pass off the bags of clothes I got from Jennifer to her, so I was looking forward to that. My plane was to get up early and go to the Starbucks I have been going to in the mornings and then go meet Melissa for lunch. We decided to meet at Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant in Beaverton at 11:30 for lunch. Well I got up a little later then planned and took a little longer getting ready, so it was almost 10 when I was finally ready. Now I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get there as this week they are doing work on the I-5 bridge and the northbound span is closed so they have traffic going both ways on the southbound span. They were supposed to do this last week reason I took vacation but because of the smoke from the wildfires they postponed till this week. Because of this I figured I better head over that way and then find a Starbucks over there if I had time. well I think a lot of people stayed home this week as traffic was not bad and I was able to get there by 10:30 and found the restaurant. There is a Starbuck’s a ¼ mile away so I went there but they did not have any tables inside that were open and none outside so I drove down the street to Fred Meyers as they have one on the side of their building and same thing so I googled Starbucks in the area and there were 4 but all 4 said takeout only so I wonder if the restrictions in Beaverton are different. Needless to say, I wouldn’t be able to go to a Starbuck’s.

Well since I was at Fred Meyers I decided to go inside and look at some clothes. I spent abut a half hour here browsing and found a few cute things but not in my size. Jennifer and I talked about this shopping the other day all the really cute stuff is size 12 or smaller plus some of the really cute stuff just wouldn’t look the same in a bigger size. It was about 11:15 when I left, and I got to the restaurant about 5 minutes later and parked and texted Melissa I was there. It was only a couple minutes later, and Melissa showed up. It was so nice to see her again. I haven’t seen Melissa in person since we went to Southland Whiskey Kitchen back on March 11^th more then 6 months ago, actually that was the last to e I had seen Jennifer in person also. Hard to believe after going out with friends every Wednesday and Saturday then to go 6 months without getting together in person.

Melissa and I went in and got a small booth, this is a small restaurant but genuinely nice with a family feel. Our waitress was very pleasant and took our order. They have a really nice lunch menu prices between $8 & $10, I ordered their Chicken Parmigiana which is a single serving and came with a salad for $8.95. Melissa and I sat and talked and caught on what was new in our lives. Yes, the zoom meetings allow some of this but to be able to get together one on one and talk is awesome. Our food came and it was wonderful this was a great pick Melissa. For a lunch out with 2 to 4 people this place is great. We had a wonderful lunch and t was about 12:30 when we were all done and had to leave. Yes, Melissa is working today but from home, so she was able to meet me for lunch. Now we had to move the 9 bags of clothes from my trunk to her SUV. Now I will admit with my nails I could only move one bag at a time. The bags are all plastic trash bags and I just couldn’t grip tight enough with my long nails so I had to use 2 hands plus I was worried I would poke a hole in one of the bags. As I have said there are things that nails make harder, but you just learn to do them differently, you can still do them. It was sad to see lunch come to an end.

We said goodbye and left but I decided to make a quick stop at Kohl’s as it was on my way home and look around. I only spent about 20 minutes here before heading for home or at least closer to home to beet the afternoon traffic. It was about 2:20 when I got back across the bridge and decided to go to the Starbuck’s by Vancouver mall for a while to start this blog. I have gone here a few times the past week as my male self and maybe as Susan, I don’t remember as I have gone to a lot of Starbucks over the last 2 weeks. I went in and got my drink and sat down at a table. There were 3 other groups of 2 here at tables all younger than me. I do like the Starbuck without drive through as you have a steady stream of people coming in to get things and leaving so it is wonderful people watching. I stayed here till about 3:30 before going home as I wanted to freshen up my makeup before going out for the evening, yes this is my last full day and it will all be Susan even if I just go to other Starbuck’s.

I got home and freshened up my makeup and watched a little TV till bout 5 and then I wanted to go out again as this is my last full day plus tomorrow I have to get rid of my nails. I decided to go to the Starbuck’s near my house as they are open till 7:30. I got there and ordered my drink. I decided to sit outside as it was in the low 70’s plus there were a few others sitting out there. I actually like sitting outside in the fresh air plus it puts me out where I am totally visible plus I know the colder weather is coming and I will have to be inside. I stayed here till almost 7 but then it got a little cool so it was time to leave. I wasn’t really hungry as I had a wonderful lunch with Melissa but I knew I needed something so I went through McDonalds Drive through and then went home for the night.

Now tomorrow I plan on getting up early and going to Starbucks for a couple hours, then go to IHOP for breakfast, then I need to make a quick stop at Costco and then probably another Starbuck’s and then in the afternoon get my nails removed. The only question is where I go and if I go as Susan which is what I am leaning towards.

Stay safe and happy with yourself and thanks for reading m blog and be sure and read my most recent blog to see what is new in my life.

Sunday and day 12 of my stay at home vacation

Well it is Sunday and day 12 of my stay at home vacation and it is hard to believe how fast this has gone by considering I really haven’t done much. Now again I really had no plans although I did want to go see what traffic is like at the I-5 bridge as that was the reason I took last week off and then they changed the shutdown till this week because of the smoke so I will have to fight the traffic the end of the week. I got up at 7:30 as my hope was to be to Starbucks by 9:30. Well I took my time and yes, I wanted to try my new false eyelashes so I knew that would take a little extra time. I was getting good at them, but it has been a while since I did them and I wanted to make sure they were perfect. I had finished my makeup by 9 and I liked the way it turned out and yes the eyelashes looked awesome although the left eye might just be a little further out, I have trouble with this eye as I am right handed and have to reach across with is a little awkward. I tried to get a closeup but that is hard to do as a selfie, but this was the best of my eyes.

I was just getting ready to get dressed when my mom called, she is really having trouble with the isolation, I am hoping to go see her soon maybe Tuesday but most likely Thursday. Well we talked for almost 50 minutes so by the time I got dressed it was after 10. Today being Sunday I went with my black skirt, marron top, black nylons and my ankle boots. Kind of a dressy casual and what I was hoping that people would think I was on my way home from church. I got a few pictures and then was on my way.

I got to the Starbucks I have been going to in the mornings and there were a few people inside, but my table was open. Again, I walked in a heard a couple people say morning Susan, I so love that. I ordered my hot chocolate and sat down and broke out my computer. I caught up on some e-mails and did a little online training, it was a relaxing morning. It was after noon and I was still trying to figure out what to do with the day and I decided I would go put flowers on my dad’s grave, it seemed more important today as today is the 2 year anniversary of his passing, it really is hard to believe he has been gone for 2 years.

I left and drove to the Fred Meyers on Johnson creek and 82^nd Ave to get flowers and traffic was bad I think from people avoiding I-5. I parked and went in, now I may have been a little over dressed but I did see a couple of other women in dresses so not 2 bad. There were several people looking at the flowers, so it took a little while to find what I wanted as I had to wait to get to some of the bouquets. I paid for my flowers and headed for the cemetery. I got to the cemetery and there were several cars parked but only 1 person near my dad’s grave. I walked down the path passing several people and yes here I was over dressed probably because of my heeled ankle boots but then I had not decided to do this till I was already out. I put the flowers on the grave it was actually harder today being the 2-year anniversary. I stayed here for about 40 minutes, I think I will try and get my mom up here next week. Yes, I did get a couple pictures. It was almost 2 when I left here.

I was really curious what traffic would look like on I-5 so I decided to take SR14 to downtown Vancouver and see the freeway and then stop at the little Starbucks downtown I went to on Labor Day as they have a nice seating area on the sidewalk in the shade. I got downtown and they had a few blocks shut down and had something going on at the park. As I got close, I could see all the tables were taken outside and there were lots of people standing around and as I wanted to sit outside, I kept going. After all the Starbucks right by my house has 5 tables out front and usually is not that busy. I got on the freeway headed north and the southbound traffic was almost at a stop as 3 lanes have to merge into 1 lane at the bridge. The backup went almost 6 miles from the bridge. Traffic this week will be horrible.

I got to the Starbucks by my house about 2:40 and 3 of the 5 tables outside were taken. I had to park out a way and went in with my computer and there were a few people sitting inside. I got my drink and looked out, there was still one table open outside and that was what I wanted as this Starbucks closes at 3:30 now. I went out and set up my computer as this way when they close, I can still sit here if I want. Now this Starbucks is only ¼ mile from my house and right by the grocery store I always shop at so I always see people here I know plus I am sitting right out front by the parking lot, very visible spot.

I started working on my blog from today, I much more enjoy writing about Susan when I am out as Susan.it just seems more real somehow. I did see a couple people I know not real well go in plus some I know drove by. By a little after 3 it was just me, a man and his daughter and 2 girls probably about 10 sitting at the tables out front, the weather was perfect about 75 with no wind or smoke just a relaxing day outside. At 3:30 they locked up and it is funny as for the last 10 minutes I have not seen anyone go in but just as they were locking the door 4 groups of people came up, if they had only been here 5 minutes earlier. The lady locking up asked how I was doing and said it had been a while since she had seen me. I actually use to come to this one at least once a week, but they started closing to early, so I went to the other one about a ½ mile away. This Starbucks’s doesn’t have a drive through and a few months back they opened a Dutch Brothers drive through about 400 feet away in the next parking lot, I hope this one survives.

As I sat here I got thinking about my nails and how I will have to remove the on Tuesday and what I should do, should I go as my male self, back to Julie’s where I got them done? I could go back to Dream nails as Susan, I haven’t been there for well over a year. Should I try a new place as Susan. Should I just get them removed or try to keep a little acrylic on them? So many things to think about. I am not sure what I will do but I know I will miss my pretty nails. I planned to stay here till about 4:30 but my mom called me about 4:15 so I sat here and talked with her till almost 5, there were a couple other people sitting at the tables talking even though Starbucks close at 3:30 when I left there at 5:30 there were still 2 woman probably just a little older then me at he next table. Now being late I drove down to Panda Express and got some food to take home. It was a nice day out. For the rest of the night I just sat at home and watched movies, Independence Day. By the way I love my new eye lashes they look natural and I really can’t even tell I have them on as they have such a thin band and feel so light, I would highly recommend them Ardell lash demi wispies.

Stay safe and happy with yourself and thanks for reading m blog and be sure and read my most recent blog to see what is new in my life.

Saturday and day 11 of my stay at home vacation and the end of my acrylic nails

Well it is Saturday and day 11 of my stay at home vacation and the end of my pretty acrylic nails. I get to brin my mom over to my house tomorrow and that is something she really needs as she has been feeling so isolated, I think the isolation is more dangerous to the elderly then the virus. Now yesterday I had lunch with Jennifer and one of the topics we talked about was living as our female selves specifically if money was no object, didn’t have to work or worry about family how much time would we spend as our female selves. Well if being honest right now I would say most of my life, now I am not talking about transitioning just living as Susan. And yes, I would have my acrylic nails. Now that being said being Susan does take a lot of work which I enjoy but there are times such as working in the yard, home repairs or every once in a while I just need a break and thinking of that maybe just maybe if I had long acrylic nails all the time maybe I would need a break from that, well maybe not. That being said today is kind of a break from Susan.

Well today as I said I have to get my nails removed and the nail salon I have been going to only knows me as my male self so if I go here I need to go as my male self. Now this morning at 9 I have a zoom meeting for work that will last a couple hours s no Starbucks and then with going to the nail salon as my male self I decided to take a break today kind of. I got up at 8 and took my shower and I decided to do a very light makeup today and see what it looked like, if it would look natural or made up. I do have a sheerer foundation that really covers nothing but evens out your skin tone so not really noticeable if put on lightly so I used a cosmetic sponge and it actually did a nice job and looking at it closely you could tell but from maybe 10 feet away I don’t think you would notice anything. I did do some mascara and some subtle brown eye shadow that is probably mor noticeable, of course I used a brick red lipstick but I will be wearing a face mask any place I go today so that is not an issues. Yes, I will wash all my makeup off but the lipstick before I go and get my nails removed.

I logged on to my meeting but kept my video off for the meeting. I always wonder what they would think especially if they saw my nails. It was a little after 11 when we got done. I did take time to go through all those bags of clothes Jennifer gave me and I did find a couple things but most of it was all too small for me. It was about 1 and it wasn’t raining, and the smoke was clear, so I decided to go take a walk along the waterfront. Now there weren’t a lot of people down here and yes as they came close I put my mask on as the lipstick did stand out although the foundation was more noticeable in natural light especially when the sun came out but I figured the red nails would catch their attention first. Really, I didn’t come in close contact with very many people as I would turn and look at the river as they walked by as I said the foundation is more noticeable in the natural light.

Now I decided to go to the Starbucks at Cascade station as they have a lot of table outside and a few are kind of isolated so I figured it would be safe. I got a drink and went and found a table in the walkway between the buildings which really most people don’t use. I wanted to get on my blog for today even though not a Susan day still a little bit feminine. I only stayed here about 45 minutes and I wishing I was out as Susan. I left here it was almost 4 and I wanted to make a quick stop at Fred Meyers to pick up some food for dinner tomorrow but I was also thinking about the nail salon., I quickly got my groceries and was on my way home at 4:20 to wash off my makeup and go to the nail salon to get my nails removed when I got a call from where my mom is and it turns out she is still on lockdown and will be later in the week so I guess a can’t bring my mom to my house tomorrow and will be later in the week till I can see her. She also reminded me my mom still needed the items I picked up earlier in the week and I had put off because of my nails and figured I would take it over tomorrow when I picked her up. Now the choice it sucks I can’t see my mom but do I keep my nails or get them removed today and I am sure you all know what I am thinking but I do need to take the stuff over for my mom as she is out.

Well I cleaned off all my makeup and decided to take the stuff over and so I took a pair of surgical medical gloves it was about 5:40 when I left to take the stuff over to my mom’s. I got there and put the gloves on, and you could still kind of see the nails through the blue gloves. I took some of the stuff in and gave it to the lady and went back and got the diet coke as I took some of that also and gave it to the lady. Now as I got in the car, I notice one of my nails had poked through the finger but just barely so I doubt it was noticeable, but it gave me a little shock but I do get to keep my nails now till Tuesday. Now a side note as sad as it is, I can’t see my mom it actually worked out for the best. Had this not happened instead of taking things to my mom’s tonight I would have gone to the nail salon to get my nails removed. Well it turns out on Saturday they are only open till 6 not 7 like during the week. I would have gotten there after they closed.

No pictures from today

Stay safe and happy with yourself and thanks for reading m blog and be sure and read my most recent blog to see what is new in my life.

Friday and day 10 of my stay at home vacation

It is Friday and day 10 of my stay at home vacation. Now today will be fun as I am meeting Jennifer for lunch ay 1 and a little shopping after so it will be a long day, so I wanted to take extra time on my makeup. I got up at 7:30 to stary my day as yes, I wanted to go to Starbucks first. I spent extra time on my eyes as with a face mask it I your eyes that stand out ad everyone focuses on. I was all ready by 9:15. Now I wore my maroon sweater top, black leggings and my ankle boots, of course I wore my new hip pads and wow they really made my outfit pop. Jennifer had texted me what she was going to wear, black pants, burgundy sweater and low heel or boots. Looking at her picture we would look like sisters. I got a few pictures and was off to Starbuck’s.

I got to Starbuck’s about 9:30, now this is the one I went to for week ad my male self with my nails and yesterday for the first time as Susan. I walked in and there were 4 people waiting for their drinks and one at the counter ordering, so I walked over to put my computer on the table I have been sitting at. Well as I walked in the door, I heard at least 3 of the ladies here say ether morning Susan or hi Susan. It really made me feel good. I went up to order my drink and the lady t the counter asked if I would like my usually hot chocolate which is what I have gotten every morning but yesterday first time s Susan so they did make the connection between my male and female self. Now today it is raining and that has helped clear the smoke and I think that is why they were a little busier as there were people at 4 of the tables here. I stayed here till noon before leaving to go meet Jennifer for lunch, yes, I was a little early, but I didn’t want to be late.

I got to Clackamas Promenade at 12:30 so I had time, so I decided to go into Target and get some foundation as I am getting low on one that I use. I actually have 3 I like depending on what I am doing. For short outings I really like Revlon Color Stay. Its not a full coverage but very natural and as long as it is only a couple hours this one is great for longer use I like the MAC Studio fix which is a full coverage and lasts really well but cost about 3 times as much so this is more my special occasion foundation like when the group goes to dinner. My go to foundation is Maybelline Superstay which is a full coverage and works really well you just have to be carful not to put on too much. Now on this one I actually use 2 shades, 130 and 220, the lighter on the middle of my face and the darker on the outer parts and neck and blend them together. This one stands up to heat so with wearing face masks I find this the best right now. The lady at the register told me she loves this foundation, only one she uses for the same reason I just mentioned about the face mask.

I drove over to Olive Garden and went in; Jennifer had just got there and was waiting at the table for me. It was so wonderful to see her again. I really have missed getting together with friend. We talked for a while before we ordered lunch. Our waiter came and took our order and he was very nice. We had a wonderful lunch and spent about an hour here. It was so nice, and Jennifer had our waiter take a picture of us which she said I could use in my blog. We left here about 2 and went over and met at JC Penny’s and of course I had Jennifer get a quick picture of me outside before we went in.

We went in and Jennifer had to return an item at Penny’s and then we walked out into the mall to look around. Now I really wasn’t looking for anything it was more to just be out and able talk to Jennifer. Jennifer needed some items from Sephora so that was out first stop. I really do love makeup and looking at all the colors and options. Jennifer found what she needed, and we were back in the mall. We went to ULTA as Jennifer was looking for a foundation and the young lady who helped use was beautiful, she had the best eye makeup and lashes. She took Jennifer over to another lady to try and color match her for foundation and before she walked off, I had to ask her if her eye lashes were natural as they looked tat good but really long. She told me they were false lashes and showed me what she was wearing, they are called Ardell Wispies and they looked awesome on her and yes I bought a set. I am looking forward to trying them.

We also walked through Macy’s and looked at their markdown racks and they had a good selection, but we didn’t find anything, but we looked at a lot. We did take a break and get a few pictures in the mall. We then walked back down to Penny’s to look at their dress selection as they have a wonderful selection. We looked at their markdowns and I found a pretty peach colored lacy dress that was my size and below my knees and only $18.49 s I decided to buy it yes I bought more then I planned on today as it really was just to go out. Now Jennifer brought me 9 bags of clothes that Nicole gave her to go though and now I am going to take them home and go through they and see if there is anything I want before passing on to another girl so we loaded them in my car. It was now 4:15 and as much as we didn’t want the day to end, we knew it had to. I really miss spending time with my friends and today was so awesome.

I left and drove home it was a little after 5 as I got close to home and I really wasn’t that hungry but new I needed something so I decided to stop at Albertsons by house and get something from the deli. Now I have shopped here for almost 30 years as my male self but have only been going here the last few weeks as Susan as I wear a face mask and I figure no one would recognize me. Now the last time I was here the lady at the Deli who has been here for a long time talked to me for a while and asked a lot of questions and I wondered if she recognized me. Well she was working today but they were busy, so she didn’t have the time to really talk to me. Now as I got my food we were talking about the rain and the smoke s clearing and as she handed me my food she said well its my Monday but your Friday, have a good weekend. Now this made me wonder if she just said that as today is Friday or I it she recognized me as she does know my male self, works a Monday through Friday.

Stay safe and happy with yourself and thanks for reading my blog and be sure and read my most recent blog to see what is new in my life.

Thursday and day 9 of my stay at home vacation

Well it is Thursday and I am more then half way though my vacation and I still have my nails so I made the right choice getting acrylic nails as it looks like it will be Sunday before I can see my mom as we still have the smoke and bad air quality, this has been really hard on my mother. I got up a little after 8 and started getting ready as I am going to spend all day as Susan. I took my shower and was just ready to start my makeup when my mom called so I talked with her for a while as I said she is having a hard tine with the isolation. Now I do have a problem as my mom needs a few things so I will be going shopping today for her which is not a problem as I shop for her all the time as Susan. The problem will come tomorrow morning when I drop the stuff off for her with my long red acrylic nails. Now I always drop stuff off wearing a mask, but I am wondering what they would think if tomorrow I was wearing gloves as I have never done that before or what else I could do.

By the way my political statement for the day, please feel free to skip over this paragraph if you like, today is Constitution Day September 17^th, 1787 it is the day the delegates at the constitutional convention adopted and signed our constitution this is something I had to read and lean when I was in school and I would encourage everyone to read it again as it is the foundation of our country.

I was all ready by 9:30 and got a few pictures. Today is casual my jeggings, (they are a cross between skinny jeans and leggings) and a grey top and my 3″ ankle boots, of course I have my new hip pads on that look awesome in my jeggings, it really is a cute look. Now my plan is to go to the Starbucks I have been going to almost every morning for the last week as my male self with my nails and see what happens. Now remember even as my male self I have worn light eye makeup and some light lipstick along with my nails and I used my phone app which pulls up Susan as the name on my order. Now I usually get there between 9 & 9:30 so I will be a little later but that will be the only difference. I got my computer, purse and my blueberry muffin and walked out the door. My new neighbor across the street was working in his garage as I walked out and the lady next door to him the one who came over and talked to me for the first time was walking to her car at the same time. I don’t know if either even saw me, but I was aware of them.

I got to Starbucks and went in. I did everything the same I have done for the last week, set my computer and muffin on the same table I sit at and then walked up and ordered a hot chocolate and paid for with my app. The lady at the counter was really nice and greeted me and said they would have my drink in a moment and called me by Susan of course tat comes up with my app on my phone. Now the young man who has been working the counter most days was on the drive through window and he was the one who I really wondered about. I sat down and started doing some work and eating my muffin pretty much what I have done the last 7 days here but today I was Susan. Now a few people came in and sat down at other tables, but none seemed to pay any attention to me. I had been there about 40 minutes when one of the workers walked by and asked how I was doing which is not new as they have done this other days, but today, she addressed me by my name Susan. Now this Starbucks is all women except for the one young man. Now he took some stuff out to a car for a curbside pickup and when he came back in he looked over at me and said Hi Susan how are you today so I am thinking they know which I kind of figured would happen. I said good and asked him how his day was, and he said fine and went back to work. I stayed here till about 11:45 before leaving and as I left, I think all 5 of the workers either said by Susan or have a nice day Susan and all used my name which was awesome. I usually don’t go to the same places as both my male and female selves, so this was fun.

I drove over to Costco and went and picked up what my mom needed and again with the mask on who I doubt many paid attentions to me. From here I stopped by Home Depot again as I needed new filters for my heating system as I want to change them out once the smoke clears just to be safe. I then went over to Cascade Station and went into Ross Dress for less to look around but didn’t find anything in my size. I then walked own to DSW and checked out some shoes. I also went into ULTA and looked around; I did pick up some face powder. They really do have the best selection of drug store makeup although they are a little higher priced then Walmart or Fred Meyers, but they have a better selection. I like Cascade station as it is an outdoor mall so as I walk between stores, I can take my face mask off briefly as with the makeup on my face it gets hot really easy. I then drove down to Best Buy and went in and looked around, really didn’t need anything here it was more jus to be out. They were all short trips but fun.

It was about 2 when I was done, and I decided to head for home for a little while, but I decided to stop at the Starbuck’s by Vancouver mall I went to yesterday as my male self. I got there and went in, there were only 4 ladies working here and only one was here yesterday, she took my order yesterday and today. Now here yesterday I paid with cash mainly so she could see my nails, so I did the same thing today. Now I am not sure if she put it together from my nails but she was very nice and talked with me briefly about the smoke which yesterday I had asked her how the smoke was effecting their business so I am thinking she knew. I sat don and started todays blog, I only stayed here about an hour before heading for home.

I watched TV at home for about an hour before freshening up my makeup to head out again for the evening. Now it was almost 5 and I wasn’t sure how late Starbucks by my house would be open as the other night they closed at 5:30 so I decided to start there. Just in case they closed early. I got there a little after 5 and went in 3 of the 5 tables they have were taken. Looked like 2 high school girls, one man and then 2 women probably close to my age. I set my computer on the one table closest to the 2 women my age and then went and ordered my drink, a sweetened green iced tea. I asked if they were closing early and they said no they were open till 7:30 tonight. The young man who took my order has been here for a while and always talks to me, so we briefly discussed what is going on right now. The young lady who made my drink told me she loved my nails, I never get tired of hearing that, so I thanked her. The lady working the drive through called my name as I was walking away and asked if I wanted the drink she had, evidently the person who ordered it didn’t want it or something and she said I could have it for free so I took it also. I figured I could try it without having to pay for it. Well it was an iced Kiwi Starfruit drink and it was really good; I might have found a new drink here. I finally took time to go through a few member request for our group, 1 I approved, and I sent e-mails to the other 4 as the picture they submitted didn’t meet the groups policy, we do require a face picture just to make sure who we are letting into the group, it is for the safety of our members. 1 of them I left in as the picture was close the other 3, I deleted as from the picture, name and info I really don’t think they are real.

Before I knew it, it was almost 7 and I had been here for 2 hours and I was getting hungry as I realized I other then my Blueberry muffin this morning I had not eaten and I was hungry. I left Starbucks and as it was getting late, I just went through McDonalds drive through and got something to take home. Now I am looking forward to tomorrow as I am meeting Jennifer for lunch at 1 and then a little shopping plus, I will go to Starbucks in the morning again. I will have to remember to get a picture with Jennifer. It will be another full day.

Stay safe and happy with yourself and thanks for reading m blog and be sure and read my most recent blog to see what is new in my life.

Wednesday and day 8 of my stay at home vacation

Well it is Wednesday, and I woke up a little after 8 and yes, I still have my nails, 7 full days now and I am loving them. My plan for the day is pretty much the same, I will wait till the afternoon to become Susan, so I look good for my Zoom meeting with my friends. Now this morning I do need to run to Home Depot so I figured I would go to the Starbucks at Cascade Station as there is a Home Depot close to there. I got dressed and yes I put on some mascara and some light brown eye shadow just enough that if you were close you could see it and a light pinkish lipstick again just enough to give my lips some color and I was off. It was a little after 9 when I got to the Starbucks at Cascade station only to find them closed so I googled and there is one just the other side of Home Depot too so that was where I headed next. I got there and parked and went to go in, but the door was locked as they are just doing drive through, not having much luck. Well I went to Home Depot and went in and picked up a couple things I needed and went to the checkout, I actually picked a longer line as I wanted to go through the one with the female checker. I paid for my stuff and she didn’t say a word about my nails.

I left here and thought about going to the Starbucks I have gone to every morning but tomorrow I am thinking of going there as Susan so I decided to try the one by Vancouver Mall as I have gone there also. They were open and not busy, so I went in and ordered a drink and sat down at the table with my computer. Now this one does not have a drive through so there was a steady stream of people coming in but most just to pick up as I think a lot of people are using the mobile order now. I did some work on my computer and caught up one e-mails and then just played around online. I sat here till about noon before leaving for home. It was a pretty uneventful morning but good to be out. I watched TV till about 2 before starting to get ready for the rest of the day as Susan. Now someone asked me about my skin care routine in a comment and I really never thought of it as a routine. I will say I have used Oil of Olay complete moisturizer and have used it every day for almost 30 years. Other than that, I use dove soap and always rinse my face with cold water after washing my face. One new thing I have added in the last few months is a face scrub and I actually saw this online and tried it and it works really well. I mix a little olive oil with some white sugar and just a little cinnamon in a cup till it is almost a paste. I rub this on my face before I take my shower to exfoliate my fac and lips plus I find it softens my facial hair and skin and I get a smoother shave. The only bad part is you really need to wash your face well to get all the oil off before you do your makeup. The big key though is rinsing your face with cold water as that closes up your pores. Well this is what I do, and it works for me.

I was all ready a little after 4 so I decided to go to the Starbucks near me for a while just to get out as Susan for a bit. Earlier today it looked like the smoke was clearing out as I could see the sun, just and orange ball and it wasn’t a real strong smell of smoke outside but as I walked to my car you could tell the wind changed and blew the smoke back in. now I am assuming they are still closing at 5:30 so my plan is to stay here till a little after 5 ten go get something for dinner and head home for my Zoom meeting at 7. Now there were a couple young people sitting at a table outside without masks which surprised me with the smoke. I went in and there were 6 people waiting for their drinks but no one in line to order but there was only 1 tale open, so I set my computer on it and went and ordered. Now it was funny as all the people sitting at tables were young ladies, probably late teens to early 20’s and it looked like they were doing schoolwork. A group of 3 a group of 2 and then 2 by themselves. I got my drink and sat down and started this blog. I stayed here till 5:30 and it looks like they are not closing early tonight but I wanted to go get something to eat.

I stopped at Panda Express to get some food. They were not busy actually I was the only customer. The young man at the counter asked what I wanted and of course I ordered my usual and then he asked me my name and said I see you in here all the time and just can’t remember your name so I told him. I got my food and went home to eat before our meeting.

I started our zoom meeting at 7 and there were a couple girls waiting and with in a few minutes 9 of us online, tonight we had Jennifer, Nicole, Melissa, Dawnie, Karen, Patty, Robin, Jennie and me. Actually, later April joined Dawnie and also Jennifer’s wife joined her, Jeannie’s wife joined her and even Mellissa’s wife for a bit, it was a good turnout tonight. It really was great to see all my friends and be able to talk to them. We all talked for a while and of course part was about the fires and smoke in the area. We are all tired of the smoke and want it gone, actually we are all looking forward to when we can get out in person again for dinner although we know it will be a while.

Now we all talked and caught up on what is new in each other’s life. Now Jennifer asked me how I was ding with my nails and if I was having any troubles. Now I have had nails many times and I have seen the videos on YouTube where men get long nails and can’t do anything. Now I will admit there are things you have trouble with but almost all you can find ways around. Yes, getting the backs on my stud earrings is hard, it takes a lot of work, but I can do it, but I just found it easier to wear my little hoop earrings. Opening pop cans, I can do with my nails but afraid of breaking them, so I use a spoon. Paying for a parking spot with a credit card it is hard to get the card in and out quickly, but I carry tweezer in my purse. It is like anything you just learn a different way to do things, but I guess if you did a YouTube video like that you wouldn’t get many views. The other thing is the longer you have them the better you get with them, yes, those videos are fun to watch but they are just entertainment.

We kept talking and Robin is coming out t her boss tomorrow and is planning on going full time in early October, she has already legally changed her name and Melissa got her driver’s license with her female name, so happy for them. It was a wonderful night with my friends, it was about 8:40 when girls started signing off and by 9, I closed the meeting. Now I am looking forward to tomorrow. I am planning on getting dressed early and going to the Starbuck’s I have been going to as my male self for a while and then maybe out for lunch. I am not sure what else I will do but will probably spend the whole day as Susan,

Stay safe and happy and thanks for reading my blog and be sure and read my most recent blog to see what is new in my life.

Tuesday and day 7 of my stay at home vacation

Well it is Tuesday and before I start todays blog a brief not on yesterday. I took a break from Susan and drove to Seaside for a few hours to try and escape the smoke. Now I did have my nails and I went a little further as I put on some mascara, and light brown eye shadow and my wildberry lipstick. My plan was to get to the coast around 8 and sit at the local Starbucks till 10 when things opened. Well I got there, and the Starbucks was closed so I went down to the main part od Seaside as there was a coffee place open. Turns out they had no seating. I did get a hot chocolate and then walked around window shopping, of course I took my mask off outside and even though really nothing was open there were still quite a few people walking around, guessing people staying at the beach. Not one word was said about my nails and they had to be visible with the long red nails holding a white coffee cup. Later I went and walked around Fort Stevens and even checked out a couple small shops in Astoria on my way home it was a male day out with nails. I got home about 4 and just spent the rest of the day at home.

Tuesday, I got up around 8 and decided to go to Starbucks for a couple hours as my male self with my nails and yes, I did some mascara, light brown eye shadow and my WildBerry lipstick. Yes I still have my nails as with the poor air quality I still can’t go over and see my mom and it will be at least the weekend so I am glad I got the Acrylic nails for my vacation. I got there and went in and ordered my drink and sat down with my computer. Now there was a couple sitting across the shop from me in the corner but they probably couldn’t see my nails from where they were do to the screen but there was a lady who sat just a table to my side for a while but I never even noticed her look my way although I am sure she had to see me nails. I stayed here till a little after 11 as I want to wait till about 2 before I start becoming Susan for the rest of the day

I got home a little before noon, I was talking to my mom on the phone, so I got out of my car and decided to water my front yard while I talked with her. Now while I talked with my mom the neighbor across the street and 1 house to the left came out and was using a blower to blow off the front of her house. I really didn’t pay attention to her as she keeps to herself. She has lived there for at least 5 years and in all that time other then maybe a wave when I drive by, I have never met her. Well I got off the phone and kept watering my yard and wasn’t really paying attention but she was now at the front of her yard and I heard her taking to me, she was asking about watering the yard with all the smoke so I just told her I wanted to try and green up my yard before it gets hot again and to my surprise she walked across the street to the front edge of my yard and was standing probably 25 feet away talking to me and I am thinking can she see my long nails holding the hose so I was trying to be careful. She looked back at her house so I quickly turned the hose off and set it down noticing my red toenails so I took a few steps forward to get my toes right by the edge of the grass to try and hide them and got my hands in my pockets.

Well she kept talking to about the smoke and when it will clear hopefully in a couple days as it is better today then it has been for many days. She has a disabled son she takes care of and with the virus and now the smoke it has been hard to get help in. Know I know it is just her and her son who live there as I said they have been there for 5 years although her parents also help out, I found out. We kept talking as I didn’t want to move for fear, she would see my red toes and didn’t want to take my hands out of my pockets. We had been talking maybe 10 minutes now when she made the comment, you got your ears pierced, I just said yes it was something I had always wanted to do but I was very aware now of my earrings, yes I had my small 1″ silver hoops in but I also remembered I had on my WildBerry lipstick and wondered how visible that was from 25 feet away. Well she just said “the earring looked really pretty” her words but she kept talking to me. We probably talked for 15 minutes before she said she had to get back to work and wished me a nice day. 5 years and first time we have talked. Now I have always kept to myself with my neighbors because of this side of me, really the only neighbor I talk with is the one who I know knows about this part of my life. Will be interesting next time I see her, maybe I should strike up a conversation with her.

I also got my check from my insurance company for my car so I figured I would take it to the bank as I can go through the drive through they have an outer one where you put it in the little tube so I am not right by the window. Well I got to the bank and pulled around the bank to the drive through and only the one at the window was open, so I had no choice. I had to reach out wit my hands with my nails and put the check in the drawer as the teller looked on. She didn’t say a thing just processed my check and put my receipt in the drawer for me, so I reached in and got it and went back home. So far it has been an interesting day.

I started getting ready about 2:30 as I have no real plans. I was all ready by 4 and decided to go to Starbucks and start this blog and as I walked out of my house to get in my car a little part of me was hoping the neighbor I talked to earlier would be outside but she wasn’t. I got to the Starbucks by my house and they were actually busy, there were 8 people inside waiting for orders mostly mobile orders so there were only 2 in front of me to order. I put my order in and went and set up my computer at one of the tables and waited for them to call my name. it was a good thing I did this as several other people who came in ordered and sat down at tables. Well actually they only have 5 tables inside for seating right now, but they were all full now. I stared working on my blog for today as so many things have happened today.

It was about 5:15 and one of the workers came over to talk to me, they are closing at 5:30 now because of the fires. I guess business is down and some of their employees have been evacuated so employees are being shared to keep their stores open in the mornings which make sense as I am sure that is their busiest time. Although it was sad as there is not a lot of things you can do right now with everything going on, so I left at 5:30.

I decided it was time for dinner and as I didn’t want to go home yet I went to IHOP by the mall. I have gone here several times over the last few weeks. I got there about 5:45 and there were about 15 cars in front, so they looked busy s I put my mask on and went in. I was shown to a booth. A young man cam over to see what I wanted to drink so I ordered a Pepsi. Now I have not seen him before, so I was surprised when he brought my Pepsi and said, let me guess would you like the grilled Chicken, which is what I always get. Well it turns out the lady who has taken my order the last several times was here and told him what I normally get. I got my food and had a nice dinner. The waitress I normally have came over and talked to me briefly and the young man who waited on me was awesome. It was about 6:40 when I was done and on my way home for the night.

Now tomorrow I think I will go to the same Starbucks again in the morning as my male self and wait till the afternoon to become Susan as I have our Zoom meeting tomorrow night and I want to look good for that. The rest of the week I think I will start the day as Susan and go to the same Starbucks and see if they can figure it out. All the days going there with my long nails and my app which is under Susan’s name. I will watch TV till bedtime and finish this blog during the commercials.

Stay safe and thanks for reading my blog and be sure and read my most recent blog to see what is new in my life.