What transitioning has done both to and for me in 2015

Family – my marriage is ending and at least one family member won’t speak to me, although my kids still love me unconditionally

Friendships – have not lost any yet (the few I had are still around), and gained some new ones

Weight – down about 35 lbs from the time of the “before” photos above (overall weight loss over 50 lbs since early 2014)

Cholesterol – from high and needing medication to perfect scores with no medication needed

Confidence in self – way.. way up

Being out in public as my true self – from never to nearly full time

Self Confidence – also way up!

Happiness – from the most painful year of my life to unending hope for the future

Breasts – from falsies to “Oh baby I have actual B cups!”

Strength – lost a lot of muscle, but I have NEVER been STRONGER!

Overall body shape – curves in many new places 😉

Age – I started HRT at age 40 on Halloween of 2014, I am now 41

It is never too late to figure out how to be your authentic self!!

Happy 2016 Everyone! I love my tumblr followers. Thank you so much for your messages of support. They have always come when needed most. This has been the most painful, most difficult, most stressful, happiest, and perhaps healthiest year of my life. I have made it through a lot but there are still many challenges ahead. Buckle Up for the Year of Ari 😉

-Ariana

EDIT 01/20/16: The last photo had some weird lighting so I posted a more recent pic

Holiday Shopping at the Mall

I have been working crazy hours this week and even though I needed to, I did not think I would be able to get out tonight to do some Holiday shopping at the mall. Thanks to Holiday hours however, I was able to arrive by 9pm and shop for a couple of hours. Walking around a mall as my true self is one thing I had yet to do since I began my transition. It was great! I got a lot of exercise walking the entire mall (both levels). I stopped at Macy’s to get some makeup brush cleaner, then I was off to BAM (Books a Million) to buy some Dr. Who related stocking stuffers 😉 My two goals for the trip completed, I was able to browse for myself. I did not end up buying anything for myself, but then I spotted Tardis earrings at Hot Topic and bought those for my daughter (she just got her ears pierced 😉

I was only asked to show my ID at Hot Topic, the young guy there took the time to do his job right and looked at the name. As I pulled my ID from my purse, I said in my sweetest voice, “I look a little different now.” He blushed and said “That’s no problem!” lmao

I hope you all have a great weekend 🙂 I needed a fun night like this after all of the stress I have been under.

-Ariana