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Sounds epic, Veronica And thanks! Christie, thanks it was a rather sudden and tragic start to my teen years but we all got through it alright In fact, the other night I had a very comforting dream about him and we talked about the transgender situation. It certainly made me feel much better, even if it was only a dream ^_^

The circle of life, you move away from the name and I move towards it! It was actually my middle name by birth, so it seemed a natural choice (it was my mother's maiden name) that is a great quote - it would make for a big tattoo :)

RenRen, I'm pretty new here and don't really know you, but I read your post and i'm really sorry that your going through such difficulties that seems totally useless to say, but I doubt there's anything I could say that would help much. It is encouraging to see that you have help and are trying things - and that you're able to maintain some humor through it! If the "thoughts you aren't proud of" are what i'm thinking, then I do know a little about that, i'be had them too, a couple of times just in the last few weeks. I do manage to remember when they happen that as long as i'm here I still have a chance to be happy. If i'm wrong about what you meant then disregard what I just said Xoxo Christie

Karen, Best of luck in your other ventures! I've enjoyed reading your posts and have learned a lot from you (and I plan to keep working backwards and reading more). xoxo Christie

Best wishes and happy travels, Karen. It's been a pleasure getting to know you too. Emma

Interesting - one of my wolf tattoos, on my leg, is a wolf drawn around the Cherokee word for wolf (My friend dre it). Sorry to hear about losing your father at such a young age, that has to be really difficult

I have a crow and wolf on my back, with a triqua in the center with "Abaachii k'eh" and "Eire go braugh" (apache way and ireland forever, i believe) and a wolf on my leg with wings that says "mathair m'aingael coimhdeachla" in gaelic. Meaning "my father, my guardian angel" for my father who passed away when I was 12

That sounds like a great idea for a tattoo! I have 4 tattoos already, I want another but i'm waiting until i'm done with laser hair removal. Mine are all wolf themed

Karen, Upgrades. You have my condolences! Best of luck! We'll leave a light on for ya ! Veronica.

My intentions were to get a hawthorne tree over my bicep, with just the end of the quote as wording beneath it. "Never regret anything that makes you smile"

I will not be gone for good but will need time to devote to my work as we are (here we go) transitioning to a different programming language at work. One of my things is to self-train and by visiting here (which I have been doing often) I get off track. I am going to first try only visiting here no more than once or twice a day to see how that goes.

First off, what cracks me up was my birth name was Kristy G. Just a tidbit that I found humorous On another note, you were correct. And I've recently found a quote from Mark Twain that I'd like to one day get tattooed upon my scarred bicep from self harm, that you might also enjoy. "Life is short. Break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably; and NEVER regret anything that makes you SMILE" Mark Twain

Veronica, he has known me for over ten years and he said many times my eyes were not happy which lead to his complement yesterday. Others have said the same thing before that so it must be true.

Karen, Sounds like a very full day. Glad it went well for you. Something you wrote struck a chord. "At the end of class the instructor said, in your photo on Facebook your eyes look extremely happy" That made me think of the photo you posted recently of you from back in the day. I get what he means about the eyes. Veronica.

Hi Christie, Have a great weekend, unplugged! I also have trouble letting go of my iPhone. My wife kindly reminds me, from time to time... :-) Mountains and valleys is a good metaphor for the journey. Sometimes it feels like a slog, and other times a stroll through a flowery meadow. I also don't know where I'll end up. But regardless, I also very much appreciate friends and compatriots like you. Hugs, Emma

What a wonderful story. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. And your photo! Wow, you're beautiful! Good for you. Like Christie said I hope we hear a lot more from you. Hugs, Emma

Oh Emma, you definitely need to find and watch Futurama! It's one of the greatest all-time animated series, and (in my opinion) Bender was the best part of it!

That's wonderful! Finding a good support group is a great thing, and to connect with someone from your past through it must be especially nice. So much of this can feel (and I say this as a "newbie," but I'm already getting the impression) like you're leaving so much behind, that to actually connect with someone from the past through it has to feel a little stabilizing (maybe a different adjective?). Like you I have a number of friends who know what I'm starting here, but none are transgender and I think that would be a great presence in my life right now. Best of luck! I look forward to hearing more about your journey :-) xoxo Christie

Dear Lisa, I can only imagine what you're going through, but it's so great and inspiring that you're carrying through! I've gone on the PATH train (a "subway" that links Jersey City and NYC) as a woman, so I do have some idea of how that is, but obviously in those cases I was just cross-dressing for the evening, it wasn't at all what you were doing, so congrats on taking that big step! Hopefully you'll find that each time you do it the anxiety level drops a little, or that through therapy and medication you can successfully address it. Christie

Unfortunately, the anxiety for me is high each time I leave the house. It feels like I am in crisis mode all of the time until my body gives up at the end of the day. This is a precarious time for me. This is something I need to address immediately.

Dear Lisa, I'm so happy to hear that things are going well for you. It's a long and winding road, with many detours, but you're finding your way. I can certainly understand your anxiety. I think it's only natural that you'd feel that way. A suggestion would be to try to take a deep breath, slow down, and try to focus only on the next hour, maybe the next day. Watch a sunset (or sunrise), have a coffee or tea, and bask in the knowledge that you are making steady and courageous progress. Hugs, Emma

LOL! I'll try to remember BMSMA (bite my shiny metal ass). That brings up some images that I'd better not share... I'd never even heard of Bender, but just looked him up. Thank goodness for Wikipedia. Looks like a cool robot. Man, I'm so OUT of it! Take care girls! Stay sweet! You all rock like CRAZY, you know? At least for me you do. Thanks so much for all your support and kind wishes. :-)

Bender does indeed rock! Benders always do ;-)

Some of my guy friends are surprised when I tell them that I talk about sex with my mother. I definitely agree that mothers and daughters talk more freely about it. My mother is my best friend too:)))

Reading the replies for one reason or another reminded me of a moment last year after I told my best female friend about transitioning she would not only talk about female parts but openly show them too me and this has nothing to do with her coming on to me. She was the one who took my first vagina picture and after complimenting on it said I don't need to see it again laugh out loud. And you know full well that men generally don't compare their penises, maybe say something like it's this long but don't pull it out while it appears from my experiences females are a little different.

I agree with Emma's comment on labels, they're helpful in communicating with each other and otherwise harmless until people start making broad and incorrect assumptions based on them.