Tuesday night and I get to have dinner with Julie and Cassandra

It is Tuesday, the day after Christmas and I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, it is this time of year where we think about Family and friends. This year Cassandra is in town for a few days and staying with Julie so Julie, Cassandra and I are going to have dinner at Amaro’s table downtown Vancouver. Julie made reservations for us at 7pm and I was looking forward t it as they really are part of my family, they both know more about me and my life then anyone else. I am going to pick them up so we can ride together as it gives us more time together, I told them I would be at Julies at 6pm even though we don’t have to leave till probably 6:40 but it will be nice to sit and talk with them. I took my time getting ready especially doing my makeup which I still love doing. I was ready by 5:30pm and took a few pictures before leaving. I got to Julie’s right at 6pm.

Both Julie and Cassandra were ready and looking beautiful as always. We sat and talked and caught up. Cassandra and her wife retired and moved to Las Vegas over 2 years ago so I really only see them when I go there for Diva Las Vegas which is different as for years I was seeing Cassandra at least twice a week for our dinners and going out on Saturday night. We talked a little about our Christmas and had a wonderful time. we left and drove to Amaro’s table which really only took about 10 minutes so we were a little early. They had our table reserved so we were seated, Amaro’s table is kind of small as they are all 4 person tables except for 1 long one that seats 8 so this really is more of a place for a smaller group. Our group has come here a few times over the years bit mostly for nights just a few or two of us want to get together.

Our waiter came and took our order and yes I got their chicken fried chicken which is really good. I would say they were busy but really it was probably just because it is a smaller place, maybe 15 tables. Cassandra is in town till Thursday so she will be going to our Wednesday night dinner at Outback Steak house but we will have 1 that night so it will be harder to talk with everyone and a few of the girls are coming out that night to See Cassandra. A few od us saw her at Diva Las Vegas but a few have not seen here in almost 3 years.

Our food came and we had a nice dinner and great conversation, I really do like just relaxing and talking with people when I am Susan. It is funny as my male self is not big on just sitting and talking which really doesn’t make sense as when we are out like tonight I am really not thinking about how I am presenting or how my friends are presenting, we are just 3 friends out for an evening. I think it is because being Susan relaxes me so and lets me step outside my daily life as my male self. I don’t really have to be thinking about it.

We finished our dinner and sat and talked for a while. It was nice to hear about some of the things Cassandra and Peggy are doing and planning as they enjoy their retirement, yes I am the only one still working but hopefully in a year or so I will retire. I am actually pretty close as I could retire right now and maintain my level of living, it really is about what I want to do in retirement. My works with commute time figured in is about 2,500 hours a year and I don’t want to just sit around the house. Yes in retirement I will spend more time as Susan but not full time. It is a little harder to plan retirement when you are single though. Cassandra says I should just do it and I will figure it out which is probably true. She says here retiring early was the best thing for her. We had a wonderful time and it was about 9pm when we paid our bills.

We left and drove back to Julie’s, Cassandra asked if I was going to come in for a while and I really wanted to but I have to get up early in the morning for work so I didn’t but it would have been great to spend a little more time with them after all Julie will be heading back down to Palm Springs in a few weeks also. It is sad when the night comes to an end but I will see them tomorrow for dinner with the group. The one and thing tonight is we forgot to get a picture of us together.

I got home about 10pm and washed away my makeup and went to bed but it was nice to get an extra day out this week.

Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

Saturday and a fun day spent with Julie and Trixie.

It is Saturday and my plan for later today is picking Julie and Trixie up at the airport at 2pm as they come home for a month which is awesome. Now I have been thinking a lot about my next nail appointment next Saturday which is the day of our Christmas dinner. Last year I had a snowflake on my ring finger which I got on New Year’s Eve and it was cute as you can see from my blog, and I am want to do the same this year but as it will be before Christmas I am thinking a little more Christmasy for the snowflake. I was thinking of maybe a red snowflake or actually more like this picture here with a white snowflake but with red on the tip of my nail like this picture above. I don’t think work will be an issue and as I am not going to my brother’s I don’t have to worry about family. Anyways last night to see how the red would look I painted the end of my ring finger red and then did all my fingers and they looked cute although they stand out a lot more. I got up and went to the gym as always with the red tip on my nails and yes I did have a little mascara on. I spent an hour at the gym, after the gym I stopped by COSTCO to get gas and pick up a few things. Now I always go through the self-checkout as t is faster and the last few tines there have been 2 women working them, one checking your picture on the card and the other marking your receipt and both have beautiful nails and yes I have complimented them before. Well I bring this up as the one checking my card when I handed it t her she usually just looks at it and says thank you but today she actually asked me if I go by my male name or something else which caught me off guard. I just said my male name which is true when I am my male self but got thinking afterwards I should have followed what Jennifer does and said sometime and others I go by Susan and then showed her some pictures from my phone. Next time I will be ready if asked that.

I got home and started getting ready as I planned to be Susan for the day and yes I would pick Julie and Trixie up that way. I figured I could go to Starbucks at Cascade Station as that is only about 5 minutes from the airport and wait for their flight to get in. I took my time getting ready and was on my way by 12:30pm. I got to Cascade Station and they were packed including the parking lot as I forgot about it being a few weeks before Christmas and parking was full so I decided to go to the Starbucks just down Airport way which is only a few minutes further. I got there just before 1pm and got a drink and sat down to write my blog from last Sunday. I had texted Juie to text me when they head for the baggage pickup. I finished my bog and posted it and then just surfed the internet till Julie texted me just after 2pm. This is the prefect place to wait as I was just moving through the traffic at the airport when Julie texted me they were outside and I could see them from where I was so I was close. I picked them up and it was great to see them again. We talked all the way back to Julie’s house.

I helped them get their stuff inside and they asked if I wanted to stay for dinner as they were going to get a pizza and of course I said yes as I was happy they were back. We talked for a few minutes and figured out what we would do. The plane was to take Trixie home so she could get her car and then come back to Julie’s and on the way we would stop and pick up some groceries they needed and then stop at Papa Murphy’s and get a pizza and I road along, I really missed them. I think I met Julie around 2009 to 2010 so I have known her for 13 years and she is more like family. Cassandra is the longest friend and then it is Julie, Jan, Lynn, & Barb all of whom I met probably late 2009 or early 2010. We talked all the way to Trixie’s and back and even when we were shopping and getting the pizza. We got back to Julies about 5:20pm and Trixie was there waiting for us. Trixie put the pizza in and we sat dawn and talked.

We had a wonderful dinner and sat and talked and yes Julie did have some ice cream for desert. It was amazing how fast the time went by; it was an awesome day through. Soon it was almost 8pm and I called it a night which was sad as it was so good to see Julie again. Julie will be in town till mid-January though so I will see her again. She doesn’t think she will make this weeks Wednesday night dinner but she will be at next Saturday’s Christmas dinner and I am planning on picking them up so we can ride together. The next month will be so much fun. It was just a great day all around. I got home abut 8:20pm and watched a little TV before going to bed.

Now I am looking forward to tomorrow and a few hours at my Sunday Starbucks before going back to work on Monday.

Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

Fun Sunday going to the movies with Julie and Trixie

It is the last Sunday of August and I was looking forward to my normal Sunday time at Starbucks this afternoon. Julie called me about 11:30am and said she and Trixie were going to see the Barbie movie at 1:30pm at Cascade Park regal cinemas and want to know I wanted to join them. Well of course you know the answer was yes. Julie said she had an extra ticket and it was reserved tickets so our seats were assigned next to each other, yes I am sure when she bought them she knew my answer would be yes. I do enjoy my time at Starbucks but getting together with friends is better and being able to spend time with Julie and Trixie is the best as they really are more like family. Julie knows more about me than anyone including my family. I can totally be myself around her in male or female mode. There are a few girls in the group that I am comfortable sharing everything about me with. Now of course I would have to rush a little as I was at COSCO by the airport when she called so it would be a little after noon when I got home and would take me 25inutes to get to the movie theater so I would have about 45 minutes to get ready, kind of like a Wednesday night but it would be so worth it. I got home just after noon and started getting ready,

I did a reddish pink lipstick and my rose-colored eye shadow; it took me about 25 minutes to do my makeup and now it was time to get dressed. Now I know Julie and Trixie are wearing pink as it is a Barbie movie but I really don’t have a pink dress. I do have a Salmon colored lacy dress that is cute but as far as pink I just have a top that is close to pink so I decided to wear that and then I wore black leggings and a short black skirt. It was a cute look but I will have to think about getting a pink dress. I was all ready by 12:45 and on my way. Now I have gone to the movies before as Susan, a few times by myself and once with the group. Actually, going to the movies is kind of a great first time outing for someone new to the transgender life. You can buy your tickets online and once you get into the theater you are sitting down in a dimly lit room and once the movie starts it is dark so your real only exposer is walking in and the lobby.

I got there about 1:15 and walked in, Julie and Trixie had not arrived so I had to wait about 15 minutes and I just stood in the lobby like it was perfectly normal and watched the people come and go and yes I did wonder if I would see anyone I knew here. It was just after 1:330 when Julie and Trixie arrived and we got snacks before going into the theater so you would think we were late but no. the movie actually started at 1:25 but by the time they played all the advertisements and movie previews it was 1:50 when the actual movie started. Now I haven’t been to an actual movie at a theater in probably 4 or 5 years so this was fun and I will admit going to see Barbie would probably not have been a movie I chose to go to. That being said the movie was really good. The beginning I didn’t really care for, but once I got past that the movie was good and yes I would recommend it especially if you grew up with Barbie’s or just want an excuse to wear something pink and cute. It was a really fun time and yes made extra special with Julie and Trixie there. After the movie Julie and Trixie invited me over for a BBQ at Julies house which in reality was way better and more fun. There is just something about spending time as Susan with my friends and doing normal everyday things. For years my female side was hid in my house or late-night drives.

It was a little after 4pm when we got to Julies. The plan was to eat about 5:30 so this gave us all a chance to sit and talk, which is always fun, yes as Susan I enjoy talking and having a good conversation. Julie and I did get a picture of us but Trixie had already changed out of her pink dress. Julie did a pink lipstick today and yes blonde hair so she did look different but really cute, we look almost like sisters. it was about 5pm when Julie started getting dinner ready, Trixie made the salad while Julie BBQ the baked potato and chicken breast and I helped set the tables up on her deck. I do wonder if he neighbors ever look out as they have a bedroom that does look over the hedges and can see the deck plus you can look down on her neighborhood road from her deck. Either way it was really relaxing to be out enjoying a nice summer day on her deck.

 

It was about 5:40 when the food was ready and we all sat down to have a wonderful dinner on her deck and talk. The food was awesome as always as Julie is a really good cook. This was such a fun and relaxing day and yes I don’t really like to get dressed up and just sit at my home. I prefer to go someplace, even just Starbucks but being Susan and spending the day at someone else’s house is awesome. I think it is the same thing as being able to express myself and live my life and going someplace while I am my female self is living my life. We had a wonderful dinner and then just sat and talked and yes we did talk about the movie and we all enjoyed it, but then everything is better when you do it as a female.

After a while it was time for desert, yes Julie has a freezer full of ice cream, I had a couple scoops of 2 different flavors, and of course we ate that out on the deck. It was a beautiful day and soon it started getting dark which is happening earlier now as summer is coming to an end, next weekend is Labor Day weekend. It was amazing how fast the day went by but it was so much fun. Thanks Julie and Trixie for inviting me to go to the movies and spend the day with you. It was after 9pm when I finally had to call it a night but I did help Julie clean up and bring things in. it is always sad to see the evening come to an end and have to go back to my male self. Now again I am not talking about transitioning or going full time, but it is just for so much of my life Susan was hid and didn’t get to really express herself that much. Now yes when I do retire I think I will live more of my life as Susan then my male self but not completely as I do need my male side also. Probably 60/40 or maybe 70/30 but my male side will never go away and always be a part of who I am. I said goodbye to Julie and Trixie and thanked them for a wonderful day and then I was on my way hone but new I would See Julie again on Wednesday night when we go to dinner at Olive Garden.

Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

Sunday Susan time at my favorite Starbucks

It is Sunday June 11^th and I plan on going to my normal Sunday Starbucks for a few hours to catch up on my blogs and some work. Sending time as Susan, even just going to Starbucks make me happy and I have said many times it can brighten my day even when things go wrong. Now I am not saying things are wrong but today I the 2-year anniversary of my mom’s passing which was June 11^th, 2021, it is hard to believe it has been 2 years already. There are always certain days that are harder but the important thing is to remember they are in a better place even if our lives are a little emptier. My dad has been gone for 4 1/2 years as he passed away on September 20^th, 2018. They both served in the Navy so they are buried side by side at Willamette National Cemetery. Any way my plans for today is a little time at Starbucks and then I am going to pick up a pizza (Canadian bacon and pineapple) from Little Caesars for dinner as I like this pizza but it was also my mom’s favorite and we use to have it for Sunday dinner every once in a while.

I got home today about 12:30pm and started getting ready. I did take my time doing my makeup and transforming myself makes me happy and feel good, there really is something relaxing about it even though I can’t explain why. There are things in life that just make you feel good and makeup is the biggest one for me. I was already by 1:40pm and took a few pictures before I left. It only took a few minutes to get to Starbucks and they were not that busy today, maybe 5 people inside. It is a beautiful day out, upper 70’s so it would be a perfect day to sit outside but it is a little too windy. I got my drink and sat down along the window to catch up on work and my blogs. It is a relaxing time sitting here as I can do work and people watch. I finished my blog, from yesterday, Saturday going to Dream Nails for my fill and the Escape which I will post later tonight. Now it was a good thing I sat inside as a little after 3pm there were some strung wind gusts and they actually had to put the shade umbrellas down outside and the couple that was sitting outside, moved inside, it is fun to watch though. Next to watching snow come down, campfire, or a heavy rain, watching the wind blow the trees is the next best thing. It was a relaxing afternoon. I stayed here till a little after 5pm before leaving. I got in my car and called an order in for Little Caesars so it would be ready when I got there.

I got to Little Caesars about 5:30 and went in and paid for my pizza, I only had to wait a couple minutes for my pizza. I got home just before 6pm, it as a good day. I went in and turned-on Hallmark channel and watched the movie that was starting at 6pm as I ate my pizza. Now I will admit the pizza was not as good as I remembered but still good and at least they don’t overcharge me like the other pizza place I was going. It was a good day and nice and relaxing. Now I am looking forward to the week ahead and dinner with my friends and of course next weekend which Sunday will be the only day I get Susan time but hopefully will be able to go to Willamette National Cemetery and put flowers on my parents grave as next Sunday is Father’s Day.

Thanks for reading my bog and sharing this part of my life with me.

Friday night dinner with Julie at Wildfin on the Vancouver waterfront

It is Friday and I have been looking forward to today as I get to have dinner with Julie tonight, but first a quick update. I have had my pink nails for 2 weeks now and today I got my 3^rd comment on my nails. If you read my blog from Last Sunday you know on Saturday 2 co-workers noticed my nails and it was fine. Well today another lady noticed them, she normally just has on a clear polish but as I was hanging some things near her she held out her hand and said, “look we have the same color nails”. I looked at her hand and put mine up next to hers and said why yes we do. I asked her if it was a polish and she said she got a tinted dipping powder, I just looked at her and said mine was a tinted acrylic powder and off I went abut my work so 10 days at work and only 3 people said anything and I really think they look more pink now than when I got them. well back to tonight’s blog.

Julie had texted me we had reservations at the Wildfin restaurant on the Vancouver waterfront at 7:45pm. Now I have been down here a couple times during the day on weekdays to walk on the waterfront but this will be my first time going to one of the restaurants here. Vancouver has done a wonderful job down here and turned it into a nice destination and yes there are a lot of restaurants here now. I got home and started getting ready and yes I took my time as I wanted to look good, I seem to care a lot more how I look as Susan than as my male self. I did a rose colored smokey eye look and my brick red lipstick. I wore my blue dress with the tapered hemline which is longer in the back. I was all ready by a little after 6 and on my way to Julie’s. it was just after 6pm when I left home, as I drove down my street at the far end were 2 women and 1 man standing by the road, the man had his back to me but the 2 women looked right at me and waved as I drove by so I just waved back.

I got to Julies just after 6:30 and she was all dressed also and had on a cute dress, her hem line is a little longer on the left side so I guess we kind of had the same thought. We sat and talked till almost 7 before we left. The drive was short only about 10 minutes and on the way Julie told me she was paying tonight which again I told her wasn’t necessary but she insisted so thanks again Julie. We got downtown and there were so many people here, the first parking lot we checked was completely full and the second one didn’t look any better as there were several cars driving around but as I was driving down the row I saw a lady get into a car so I stopped and waited and sure enough she was leaving, it was still about 3 blocks away from Wildfin. This area really is busy on a Friday night as there were people walking everywhere, kind of like Portland was a few years back before COVID and the Homeless took over. There are also probably a dozen or more restaurants down here in an 8 block radius most with views of the river, a wonderful place to come for dinner.

We got to Wildfin about 7:35 and there were a few people waiting and a few who didn’t have reservations and couldn’t get in, if you want to have dinner down her make a reservation. This would be a good place for the group to come but I think if we had more than 6 people we would have to have reservations by at least Monday night so that might be hard as most of the time we don’t have a final count to late Tuesday night and sometime on Wednesday. Julie and I got a table right by the window looking out on the river but being dark you really couldn’t see to much. Our waiter came and took our drink order and I will admit the one bad thing about this place is they don’t have Pepsi or Coke, they have Mr. Pibb which is not the same so I had a root beer. I ordered there fish and chips which comes with a bowl of clam chowder.

Julie and I talked and had a great time, we talked a little about our Wednesday night dinners, next week both Julie and I will make but the following week Julie will be out of town and the week after that I will be in Las Vegas and the week after that Julie goes down south for the winter. The last week of the month Wednesday nights dinner could be small as Julie or Barb will have to arrange. The girls who are the most consistent for going out on Wednesday nights are Jennifer, Claire, Trish, Julie, Barb, Alana and me and that week Jennifer, Claire, Trisha and I will all be in Las Vegas so it could be a small group.

Our food came and it was really good, one of the other waitresses stopped by to see how we were doing and told us she loved the fish and chips and it was really good. It was such a wonderful dinner, Thanks so much Julie. After we finished dinner we sat and talked and Julie took a selfie of us together and texted it to her daughter. Julie came out to her daughter a while back and she is fine with it although she hasn’t met Julie in person she has seen many pictures. Now this is not that far from where I live and as I said there were lots and lots of people down here so I am sure there were people I know but I really wasn’t even paying attention to those around us as it just seemed so natural to be here tonight.

Julie asked me if I knew about a place called the Underbar which I actually do as I had dinner there with Greer a few weeks back. She asked me what it was like, now I am not a big bar person but it is a nice little place very friendly but small. The best way to describe it would be like Cheers on TV as it is a basement bar, from the street you go downstairs under the other businesses, almost like the old speakeasy type of place. Well we decided to go there and see if they had dessert we could have. We left and walked back to the car with all the other people out on the street. It only took about 5 minutes to drive to the Underbar and we went in.

There were probably 5 small groups at tables and a few people at the bar so Julie and I decided to sit at the bar. The staff here is great and very welcoming but then it is a bar that caters to the LGBT community. We both ordered a drink; I got my usual coke but I bet it was a 20 oz glass at least. We found the dessert we wanted it was a chocolate chip supreme so Julie ordered one. When it came out it is a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie about 6″ in a little skillet, they then put caramel sauce on it, cover it with whip cream and drizzle chocolate syrup on the top. Oh my god it is so good but incredibly rich and sweet, you definitely want to share it with someone.

There was also a man sitting next to me who talked with me a couple times, he even introduced himself by name to us. He seemed really nice and I got the feeling he liked transgendered women but that is okay. The one bar tender was really friendly and she talked to us several times and I even got her to take a couple pictures of Julie and me, you can kind of see what it looks like inside behind us. It was interesting sitting at the bar as we could watch her make drinks and as I don’t drink I really don’t know much about them so it was interesting to watch. The other bar tender seemed nice to although we really didn’t have much interaction with her although there is a funny thing I noticed about her bartending but I will share that in a later blog. Julie and I talked a little about the fact she was leaving and I really think I am going to go visit her and Trixie after the 1^st of the year, probably in February. Julie and I sat here and just talked for a while it was the perfect way to end the evening. As I said I am not a big bar person and going to a bar by myself is not something I would do but this place I think I would feel fine going by myself.

It was just after 11pm when we left and drove back to Julie’s to drop her off for the night, what a wonderful night with such a wonderful friend. It is always sad to see the night come to an end and I think about that on my drive home. it was about 11:30 when I got home and washed Susan away for the night. now I am looking forward to a little Susan time Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Find what make you happy and more important is find friend you can share it with. Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

Saturday and going to dinner with friends

Today I got the chance to go to dinner with friends. I got up today and started my day. This week I had my monthly work zoom meeting. I got done with my meeting about 10:30 and headed for the gym, yes still going. I spent about 2hours at the gym so it was almost 1pm when I got home and made lunch. Now it was tine for Susan and my plan was going to Starbucks and maybe the Escape as Cassandra said she might go there tonight. I started getting ready and Julie texted me, she had been talking to Cassandra and they wanted to go to dinner tonight instead and wanted to know if I wanted to go and of course the answer was yes. they had made reservations for 6:30 at Mothers Bistro so I told her I would be there about 5:45 and they could ride with me. I was just getting ready to start my makeup and my brother called so we talked for a while so this put me behind so it was after 4pm when I finished getting ready.

Now it was late so I really didn’t think I had time to go to Starbucks and come home and change so I had to choses something to wear for both and yes I went with a dress, the white one I bought a couple months ago. It was probably a little much for Starbucks but I didn’t’ care. I got a few pictures, it was about 4:15 when I left home. I figured I could go to the Starbucks in Orchards as that was about ½ way to Julie’s house. I got to Starbucks a little after 4:30 so I had less then an hour. I went in and ordered my drink and sat down to work on my blog. there was one man sitting at a table with a tablet but that was it today. I worked on my blog from last Sunday and posted it and then it was time to head to Julie’s house.

I got to Julie’s at 5:45 and they were all ready. It will be Julie, Trixie, Cassandra, and me going to dinner tonight. Now over the years I have met a lot of wonderful people and have a lot of really good friends but Julie and Cassandra really are more like family. We talked for a few minutes, it was so awesome to see Cassandra again as I did not expect her to come back so soon after moving. Now being a Saturday night I wondered what parking would be like but my luck held out and I found a spot just around the corner. Now we have been going to Mothers Bistro for many years even before they moved to their new location but with the pandemic they have been closed Monday through Wednesday so we have not been here in over 2 years so we were all looking forward to it.

We got a table by the window and Cassandra and I were on the side facing the window so we could watch the people walking by which was very entertaining as it is Pride weekend and there were a lot of people out and very colorful outfits. It was also really busy inside. Our waiter came and took our order and he was wonderful, I ordered their Chicken fried chicken which is really good. We had a wonderful dinner and time and so much fun just sitting and talking. I really do like going out to dinner with my friends but tonight was awesome and I will explain. We do a Wednesday night dinner every week. I usually post on Sunday and encourage girls to come. It really is planned out but tonight was just a spur of the moment between friends, hey let go here for dinner, what could be more normal than that. We stayed here till about 9:30 before paying our bills and leaving.

We drove back to Julie’s house; Cassandra is staying with her while in town. Julie invited me in so we all went in and sat and talked more, of course Julie had ice cream for us for dessert. Julie, Cassandra, and I sat in the kitchen and talked and just had a wonderful time. We sat there till a little after 11 before I said I had to go, I think we all lost track of time as we were having such a fun time. Thanks Julie and Cassandra for setting this up tonight.

Now I am looking forward to Sunday as several of us are going to the Pride parade in Portland. Thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

A beautiful Sunday and some Susan time

It is Sunday May 22^nd and another beautiful spring day, sun is out and it s about 73 degrees out and I was looking forward to a little Susan time, I have several blogs to write and decided what better place to do that then at Starbucks. Now I had things to do so I didn’t tart getting ready till about 1pm so I figured I would go to the Starbucks by my house so I could sit outside as there tables are on the east side of the building. I did a more casual makeup today as I figured I would stay at Starbucks till 5:30 or so and then go home and have dinner. Now being a nice day and sitting outside I wanted to wear one of my casual dresses so I did wear the same dress I wore yesterday. I was all ready a about 2:45 and got a few pictures and was off to Starbucks.

I got to Starbucks just before 3 and went in. I was surprised as there were a few people sitting inside but all the tables outside were open so I got my drink and went outside and took the table on the corner right next to the door. Now I had only been sitting here a couple minutes and 2 other couples sat down at tables outside also. It is nice as you can really see who comes and goes. I caught up on some emails and then started working on my blogs. The other people outside didn’t stay long so I was pretty much by myself. It was at 3:30 they started locking up to close, I asked the lady and she said it was because they were short staffed, you just can’t get people to work these days. Well she stood and talked to me for a few minutes and said your name is Susan right and I said yes to which she said her name was Elana. Well she said I was welcome to sit here as long as I wanted and then she locked up the door.

Well I figured I would sit here and work on my blogs. Now this actually turned out to be a really fun afternoon. People would walk up to the door only to find them closed. The first women who came up and tried the door looked at me and I just said they had closed early do to staffing issues. Well to my surprise she asked if there was another Starbuck near by which there was so I told her where it was and she thanked me, it was a nice little exchange. Well as people would walk up now I started telling them they had closed early before they got to the door and at the very least I got a thank you but what I found was most people would talk to me at least briefly. One lady from the little Thai restaurant just a few doors down came over and was trying to order on her mobile app and it would work. Well she must have stood there and talked with me for 20 minutes it was really nice. The bad part was I wasn’t getting a lot done on my blogs but it was probably one of the most fun days I have had at Starbuck. I probably talked briefly to 20 people or more as I sat here. I stayed here till 5:30 before packing up to leave.

I was in my car debating about going home and making dinner or running to Panda Express when my phone rang, it was Julie. Turns out she had texted me about an hour earlier to see what I was doing tonight but I was probably talking with someone at that point and didn’t hear the text come in. Well Julie invite me over for a BBQ tonight and of course I couldn’t turn down spending time with Julie so I told her I would be right over. I did take time to stop at my house real quick and changed to my black summer dress as Julie had seen me in the dress I was wearing last night at the Escape.

I got to Julie’s a little after 6, Julie was her male self but still awesome to see her. We stood and talk for a few minutes and then Julie started getting dinner ready, She is BBQing steaks on the grill with baked potato and a salad. We had a lovely time preparing dinner well Julie did most of it I just kind of helped a little. Well while the steaks cooked on the grill Julie and I sat on the deck and talked enjoying the nice spring evening. It was probably 7pm or aa little after when dinner was ready, Julie out did herself as the steaks were perfect. We sat on the deck and had a wonderful dinner.

After dinner Julie got out her little gas fire pit and we sat on the deck and had ice cream and watched the fire as we talked. It was such a wonderful evening just enjoying talking a relaxing. Julie was a wonderful hostess we had a wonderful time. what a wonderful way to end a weekend. We sat and enjoyed the fire till almost 10pm before I had to leave which was sad as I hate when these evenings have to come to an end. I helped Julie clen up and then had to say my good bye and head home. Thank you, Julie, for such a wonderful evening.

Now I look forward to Monday nights zoom meeting and Wednesday nights dinner, thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

Saturday and some Susan time

Now today is Saturday and a beautiful day out, mostly sunny and going to be in the low 50’s. now with that I needed to do some yardwork this morning. I have 8 grape vines I planted along my deck for privacy years ago so I could be out on my deck as Susan in the summer. Well I need to prune them back and if you have grape plants, you know they grow like weeds so that was my morning plan. It took a few hours and I finished about noon, tomorrow I will go out and pick up some of the clippings and put them in my recycling bin I say some as it will take a few bins to get rid of all of the clippings so it will take a few weeks. I had a quick lunch and then started getting ready for my day as Susan.

Now the other day when I was at Fred Meyers I bought some cover girl foundation, just their normal one not full coverage as I just wanted to see how it would work to have a lighter more sheer foundation, yes, I did go a little darker because of the sheerness. I got all cleaned up and did my makeup and was pretty happy with the look although the test will be after a few hours. I got a few pictures as right now the makeup looks good.

I decided to run down to Clackamas Town Center as I need some more eyelash glue and wanted to pick it up at ULTA. It was about 2:20 when I got there and parked by JC Pennies and went in. I wanted to look at dresses and shoes. I looked around and they did have some cute dresses but just a little to small for me so I headed out into the mall to do some window shopping. I walked by the little MAC store to see if Tracy (Sherri’s friend was working but didn’t see her so I continued on down the mall. It really is more about just being out with other people as Susan. I did walk through Macys and look at their dresses also but didn’t see anything in my size. Now as I walked the mall I got thinking, it is a nice sunny day so it would be a good day to go and put flowers on my parents grave as it is not far from here. I try to do this as Susan and certain days seem more important as they are more family type days and those are the days that are the hardest, holidays, their anniversary, and birthday, yes, I have one coming up and it will be different this year without them so I decided to go do that. I left the mall and of course I had to stop at Fred Meyers at Johnson Creek and get flowers.

Fred Meyers was not that busy and I was surprised as I went in there were to security guards standing by the door. Now I know the store has security but usually you don’t see them. I went and got my flowers and came back to the checkout by the door and they were still standing there, I really didn’t pay attention. I paid for my flowers and left and as I drove around to the other side to leave, I saw another one standing outside that entrance and I looked a little closer and this one had a gun so now I was wondering if maybe these were police officers or if they have a bigger problem here, anyway I was leaving and on my way to the cemetery which is only a couple miles away. Now if you paid attention you realized what I did at this point, the reason for my trip to Clackamas Town Center was to go to ULTA for eyelash glue and I forgot to do that.

I got to the cemetery and parked, now I am thinking a lot of people looked at the weather today and had the same idea I did as there were a lot of cars here and yes 2 groups in the section, I would be in. I really didn’t think of it and just got out and put my flowers in the little grave side holders and went and put them on my parents grave. I spent about 30 minutes here, it is strange as it seems I always come here as Susan when by myself even though I never told them about this side of me. I wonder what they would have thought if I told them. Now I am sure they would have still loved me but I am not sure if they would have understood why I need to do this. As I walked back to the car in the sun light I could see my pretty toes and got a picture of them as they still look great which I was surprised as it was December 4^th when I got my last pedicure so it has been 7 weeks and they still look great. It was almost 4:30 when I left here.

On my way home I decided to stop at the Starbucks at Cascade Station for a little wile and write my blog from Wednesday night’s dinner with Julie. Now they were not that busy so I was able to get a table along the window as I like to people watch as people walk by. I wrote my blog and did some other work on my computer and stayed here a couple hours, yes, it is all about being out with other people. It was a little after 7 when I left here and headed home for the night to watch TV and have a little dinner. I got home and checked my makeup and it held up well although only for a few hours. I am thinking for shorter outings this will work but longer I think my beard shadow will show more as it is not a full coverage.

I watched TV till about 11 before washing away my makeup and yes this washes away a lot easier but yes it didn’t hold up that well for this long. Now I am looking forward to a little Susan time Sunday afternoon and evening. Be happy with who you are and thanks for reading my blog and sharing this part of my life with me.

Sunday and some Susan time

Well it is the last Sunday of August, wow this year is flying by, and I get to spend the day as Susan. again no real plans other then a little Starbuck’s time. I was talking with one of the girls the other night and we could both remember dressing and being at home and I can do that but I really don’t like to. If I am going to be Susan I want to go someplace and I think that is from all the years when my only option was to be Susan at home. Yes, I go to Starbucks a lot but I look at it this way I can sit at home and work on my computer or I can do it from Starbucks and that is way better as I am out and can be seen but I can also people watch which is fun. I started getting ready at noon as I wanted to really enjoy my day. I was all ready by 1:30 and grabbed my computer and off I went. My plan was to go to the Starbucks in Orchards and I chose this one just in case I have time later tonight I can stop by the Starbucks by my house before going home, really don’t want to go to the same one twice in one day.

I parked and went in, there was one family in here at a table, 2 adults and 4 kids. I ordered my drink and set up my computer and worked on my blog from yesterday. Yes, my goal this week is to not get behind on my blogs. Now this Starbucks has a drive through but it still amazed me how many people come inside to order drinks to go, I think it is because it can be faster then going through the drive through, I do this sometimes at fast food places. Now as I sat here 3 young girls came in, guessing 14 to 16 years old and ordered drinks and sat at the table across from me, by the way one of them had really long red acrylic nails which caught my attention. They no more then got their drinks and a few more came in and they pulled tables together and before I knew it there were 9 young girls at the next table talking and none of them paid any attention to me. I finished my blog and just goofed of on my computer till about 3.

It was a nice day so I decided to go and put flowers on my mom and dad’s graves and that would mean a stop at Fred Meyers on the way. I drove to the Fred Meyers at Johnson Creek and went in and bought some flowers, they were not that busy today. From here it was just a short drive to the cemetery. It was a little before 4 when I got there and parked. There were a couple other cars here and people out putting flowers on graves. I walked out and placed the flowers yes; I seem to come here more as Susan then my male self and I think it is because I never got to share this side of myself with my parents when they were alive. A couple walked near me; I think they were looking for a grave but they seemed to pay no attention to me. I stayed here till almost 4:30 before getting a couple pictures and leaving. On the drive home I was thinking what I could do as I didn’t want to go home yet and I was kind of hungry as I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. I didn’t want fast food as I have been eating to much of that again. I decided to stop at IHOP by the mall. I have gone here several times as Susan but it is also where I use to take my mom to eat after I took her out to put flowers on my dad’s grave. My mom and dad use to come here a couple times a month for breakfast so there is a family connection of sorts.

I got to IHOP about 4:50 and there were only a few cars in the parking lot so they didn’t look busy. I parked and went in. inside a young lady came over and asked how many so I said just 1 and she said it would be about 10 minutes and asked for my name which I gave her. now I don’t know if they were short staffed or had closed down tables because of the mask mandate but I had to wait which was the first time I have had to do this. I sat down on the bench and a couple minutes later a family of 5 came in and put their name on the list, then an older couple, 2 young people, and I found myself sitting in the lobby waiting with a bunch of people and more were coming in. I guess I timed it just right, now I only waited about 10 minutes but by the tine my table was ready there were 6 groups behind me and some were standing outside, I kind of felt bad taking up a table all by myself. The waitress came over and I ordered my usual, yes, I tend to have favorites at the places we go and always seem to order the same thing. The funny thing is it was only a couple dollars more to have a sit-down meal here then to get fast food of course I have to tip here so that does make it more but a much better dinner and experience. It was 5:50 when I paid my bill and left.

Now the Starbucks by my house is open till 7:30 so I can have about 1 ½ hours there before going home for the night. I got to the Starbucks a little after 6 and went in, one of the ladies cleaning the tables greeted me by name which made me feel good. There were only a few people inside so I had no problem getting a table. I got my drink and started working on todays blog. I posted to our group about our Monday night Zoom meeting to remind them and e-mailed Julie, Jennifer and Melissa to see if they had any thoughts on where we can do Wednesday night dinner this week, I may just pick a place I like. I stayed here till 7:30 when they closed before going home for the night. It was a relaxing and fun day as Susan.

I got home and did a quick load of laundry, yes, I probably should have stayed home and done that today but I can do it tomorrow night while we have our zoom meeting. I also watched TV till about 10pm before I went up and washed Susan away for the night and went to bed. Yes, I have been spending a little more time as Susan the last few months, Saturday and Sunday and Monday evening and Wednesday evening but I think it is a good balance

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

Friday lunch and shopping with Peggy

It is Friday and I am meeting Peggy for lunch and some shopping at Clackamas Town Center and I have been looking forward to this as it has been a long while since Peggy and I have gotten together. But let’s back up a little. Yesterday I bought some false eye lashes and I tried them last night and I actually did pretty good getting them on and they are way better then the ones given to me several years ago. The one I put on my right eye lid I really couldn’t even tell it was there but the one I my left eye lid was a little bothersome. Not sure what went wrong, any way I decided today was going to try them for my day out with Peggy. I was meeting Peggy at 10:30 so I got up at 7:30 to get ready. Yes, Susan does take longer especially when I want to enjoy it or try something new like the false eye lashes just incase something goes wrong. I got my makeup all done and started on my false eye lashes and the right one went on perfectly and just like last night I really could not tell I had it on but I had trouble with the left and had to take it off and try again. I got it on finally although I did notice it was on. I think I just had it to low on the outside corner. I am right-handed so it is easy to see and do the right eye but the left eye is more difficult as I have to reach across my face partially blocking my view. But I felt it was good enough and I must say they looked awesome and kind of make it look like you have eye liner on. I got dressed and was on my way by 9:30.

I got to Clackamas at 10 so I was early so I took a couple selfies in the car. We had decided to meet at Barns & Noble as I figure I could brows the books as I waited for Peggy. Well as I was taking my selfie’s Peggy texted me, she was at Barns & Noble so I texted he I just parked and was on my way in. it was great to see her again, I am not sure but the last time I saw her might have been after Diva Las Vegas last year. Peggy really is awesome she is the first non-trans person and we hit it off. She really does look at me as a friend just like any of her other friends which is awesome. We looked around Barns & Noble for a little while as she was looking for some books for her granddaughter. She bought a few books for her and we took them out to her car before hitting the mall. We walked around the mall just talking till Peggy got caught by one of the salesman selling the wrinkle cream and soon he was giving her a sample on her eyes and wanted me to tell if it looked better and all I could think about was in Las Vegas last year when this happened to Cassandra. The key is never sitting down as once you have a seat, they really put the pressure on to sell you something. It was probably 20 minutes here and I had a hard time not laughing as I could tell Peggy was trying to get away politely. Well we finally got away without buying anything and we were back just walking around. We did go into bath & Body works and Peggy picked up a few air fresheners refills and I just looked around but I did spray a tester of perfume in my hand, wow it was really strong and florally. Not something I would buy or wear.

We walked around a little more and then decided to get lunch. It was a little before noon so we walked across the parking lot to a restaurant called the Ram; Peggy had eaten there before but this was my first time there. It wasn’t really busy but then again neither was the mall. We got a booth and ordered lunch; our waitress was awesome. I had a burger and Peggy a Rubin sandwich. The food was really good, I would recommend them. We had a nice lunch and just sat and talked and caught up. after lunch I ordered a dessert, a chocolate peanut butter pie and Peggy and I split it, it was incredible. Then we just sat there and talked. It was just so much fun and we lost track of time. It was after 1:30 before we left and walked back to the mall.

We looked around a little more and then Peggy wanted to go into a store called Children’s place to look for more things for her granddaughter who is almost 5. Now I have never been in a store like this but there were so many cute little girls’ clothes her, I really missed out when I was young. We had fun looking around and Peggy found some really cute things for her granddaughter. We then walked over to Macy’s and looked around a little. It really was fun and having someone to share it with made it all the more fun. 15 years ago, I couldn’t imagine getting out of a car as Susan and now I am walking through the mall shopping with a friend as Susan it is a wonderful feeling. We even sat down a couple time and just talked. it was 3 pm now and Peggy had a nail appointment downtown Portland at 4 and I of course had to go all the way back to Vancouver and at this time of day traffic could be bad so we called it a day. I really do have to make more of an effort to get together with Peggy more. We said goodbye and went our separate ways.

Well I got on the freeway and expected traffic but there really was non. I was almost home by 3:35 so I decided to stop at the Starbucks right by my house. I use to go to this one till they started closing early but as it is the middle of the day it was perfect as I am only a couple minutes from home so I have a little more time as I don’t need to be home till 4:30, I have to be someplace at 5:30 and I need time to clean up and remove all traces of Susan.

I went in and got a large hot chocolate and set up my computer and started writing my blog from today. Now the funny thing is I had forgotten about my false eye lashes and really, I couldn’t even tell they were on including the left eye, I guess I just got use to it. It was a little after 4:30 when I drove the last ½ mile home to end my day but it was such a fun day and has been such a fun week. I am not sure if I will get out tomorrow to the Escape as I have someone coming to my house between 3 & 5 to do a little work and it will depend on if they get there closer to the 3 or the 5. But I am hopeful to get to Starbucks on Sunday for a little Susan time and to catch up on some work as I have been off work all week. I had a wonderful day.

Thanks for reading and be sure and read my most recent blog to see what is new in my life