Below you will find journal images along with text describing milestones, big events, happy moments, or just notes I wanted to highlight while checking in from time to time during my life. For my more complete and weekly blog entries, navigate on the menu above to “Full Timeline” or click this link. The full timeline consists of both blog entries from this website and also my social media entries which have been magically cross-posted to this website đ
Flying to Birmingham, AL for a work trip
June 12, 2017

On my way to Birmingham, AL for two all day meetings. The last time I went on a trip to my home office, I felt a ton of anxiety, but this time I am just kind of looking forward to it now that I am all packed and ready đ Things started on a very positive note. My team and I went to Chilis in the terminal. The bartender was a sweet guy who at one point said to me âhere you go, young lady.â I wasnât the one running the tab either so he was not just angling for a good tip. He is now my favorite new bartender đ Thanks Mike the Bartender, that made my day! Delayed flight due to maintenance đ…
Read moreA Pre-Work Trip Salon Visit
June 11, 2017

I got a blow out for my work trip and now I donât want to step out of the car into the humidity and wind. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Good news!! âŚâŚâŚ. I made it out of the car, and I am happily relaxing! đ tee hee! -Ari
Read moreAri is back in the office!
May 9, 2017

Ari is back in the office! After nearly four years of working from home in Illinois everyday with a team based in Birmingham, Alabama. I have been transferred back to my original, local software development team within this company. This means that Ari is going back to face working with MANY people who last saw her as her pre-transitioned self. They are all used to the person I tried to be and not the person I have actually always been. This presents some challenges of course. I am a very different person now then the concoction of a person that they remember. I am different in appearance, confidence, happiness, beliefs, and even in tastes. I hope they look at me and try to treat me…
Read moreAri in a Sari?
May 7, 2017

I wanted to post pictures from the unforgettable weekend I had attending my friendâs sisterâs wedding. I will write up more about the experience later in the week. I am actually starting to work in the office again tomorrow! I have been working from home for the past few years so now I have a lot to prepare for my first week including putting together some killer office outfits đ I promise to upload more pictures from the wedding including my day two outfit. This weekend was so much fun! Like the colors of a certain flag in my Sari? -Ari
Read moreSunny Day and 80 degrees = Time for my favorite Sun Dress!
April 16, 2017

The weather today is amazing (compared to how not-so-great it has been). I threw on my favorite sun dress to enjoy the weather. My kids are with me, which is always a good thing. I was especially grateful though, because it was far more windy then I ever imagined. I had to constantly hold the material to my side so I would not flash anyone. They carried the the shopping bags for me and my daughter took care of the cart so I could hastily get back in the car đ If you canât tell from the pictures.. I feel down right amazing in this dress. I feel like it is because the colors seem to work well with my complexion, more so than almost…
Read moreAri is 1 year old! It has been one year since I forever said goodbye to ‘boy’ mode.
March 28, 2017

One year ago today, my kids said that I could pick them up ‘as myself’ and I finally was able to ditch attempting to present as a male to the world. I had actually been living most of the time as myself (Ariana) since August of 2015, unless I was spending time with my kids or with my parents. During those times, I would switch back to ‘boy mode.’ It was exhausting and very difficult but from August of 2015 to March 28th of 2015 I was having to live life in two genders. I did so willingly because I was trying to give my kids, parents, siblings and even my estranged spouse some time to adjust to the idea of me transitioning. That period of…
Read moreNew season, New hair!
March 25, 2017

New season (yay spring!) New hair! Ari gets and upgrade đ I had been wanting to try highlights in my hair for many months and I finally got the chance this weekend. I love the results and I am grateful to my color specialist Brittany and my Stylist Julie đ It is such an odd experience catching a glimpse of myself in mirrors because I am still not used to it! -Ari Here are some more shots: Â I even got a quick selfie with my specialist Brittany đ she is great!
Read moreMaiden Ariana Gets the First Rose
January 13, 2017

Maiden Ariana Gets The First Rose – 20170113 This past Friday, I went to Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament with my womenâs group. We had a row of 13 women cheering on the Yellow Knight. When he first came out with a rose after being introduced, he pointed directly at me, then threw the rose right to me and I caught it. I blame it on the red dress đ I was wearing the dress I wore to the Renaissance Faire this past summer. Needless to say, the girls all cheered happily around me after I caught the rose and my faced turned as red as the rose and my dress. 0.o I wore it in my hair for the rest of the night. After…
Read moreJanuary 1, 2017

Happy New Year! The Year of Ari comes to a close! I will do my best to try and express how amazingly happy I feel right now. Last night, I hosted some friends at my place and we also went out to see an 80â˛s cover band to ring in the New Year. This past year truly was the Year of Ari. I first used that phrase one year ago on Dec. 31st 2015 anticipating somehow finally being able to live as my true self in all aspects of my life and for the rest of my life. IT HAS HAPPENED! I started 2016 living on my own and ringing in that new year all by myself in a little one bedroom apartment. My spouse…
Read moreShowing Skin? HRT Update
October 8, 2016

News Flash: 42 Year old transgender woman goes on a bike ride, startles unknown male neighbor who smiles and waves like, âHey, Girl!â Heehee đ I did round the corner a little too quick and the guy was just turning around to walk back from tossing his trash in the dumpster. He went from a startled half-jump to his best attempt at a Joey Tribbiani âHow you doinââ smile in about a micro-second. I did smile back real quick as I blew past him. It has been about a year since I posted pictures that were this revealing. That is NOT what this blog is about. This is for all of those wonderful transgender women who are around my age. You all have been coming out…
Read moreManicure = Stress Relief
October 7, 2016

One of the joys of living openly being the transgender woman that I am.. is that I take advantage of the wonderful services at my favorite beauty salons (I love a good Groupon beauty offer!). Even something as simple as a manicure can be so relaxing. At a good salon, a manicure involves a hand massage and it feels like the beautician is pulling the stress right out of your fingers. I needed a break and was able to fit in an appointment today. I was in such a good mood when I got home. Taking care of your digits is fun! -Ari Dropping off dry-cleaning on the way… A tall mirror, for a tall girl! Finally Relaxed!
Read moreNot Your Grandma’s Bingo Night
September 29, 2016

I have mentioned elsewhere that I am part of a Women’s Meetup group. It has become one of the best catalysts for me as far as making friends goes. I started this year without any friends in the area that I had moved to. Through Meetup groups, my pool of friends has started to grow and I only see it expanding in the future. I have become much more confident simply just being myself and letting people get to know me. Tonight was a Bingo night. Sounds like a mediocre event right? Wrong! Not with this group of ladies đ Ready for a fun night! Time to go! It was such a blast. The Bingo night was hosted at a local pub. I did…
Read moreAri Loves Retro Gear
September 26, 2016

Posting something a little different tonight.. So, I like to geek out working on computers once in a while. I have built all of my own PCs ever since the day of 486â˛s đ A few nights ago, after working 2 very long work days in a row (development deadlines, and working with vendor support – i was literally pulling my hair out and it looks it!), I finally brought back to life one of my first loves in computing (not my first mind you – that was the Commodore Vic-20). My Dad brought home an Atari 800XL in 1983 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_8-bit_family). I had already learned some BASIC (an acronym for Beginnerâs All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) programming on the Vic-20 so I continued to mess with…
Read moreCome on already autumn!
September 19, 2016

I am attempting to bring about the fall season with my outfit and my purchases today. I love the fall. Less buggy, less humid, still nice weather, and boot season! Let’s get this S%!T started! -Ari
Read moreFocusing on Self-Care
September 17, 2016

Healthy Days – I am dealing with a lot these days. Work is incredibly busy, and I am having to find time to meet with my lawyer to go over divorce documents, which brings stress, aggravation, and lots of various feelings. It is very important that I don’t slip in my own self-care though. I have been able to get out and exercise some recently. My biggest secret though is my diet of no junk food, no fast food, no dairy, and no gluten. I have been able to take much better care of myself since beginning to transition. It is amazing what being true to yourself can do for your overall health. That should come as no surprise, when you think about it. What…
Read moreTime to Party: Ari Howls at the Moon
September 9, 2016

This was an Epic night out. I have wanted to write about it for far too long. It consisted of much celebrating, some adventure, some peril, and the building of another friendship. A group of the girls from my Meetup group were planning a special birthday outing for our friend Mariela. The destination.. Chicago.. the place.. Howl at the Moon Piano Bar. I volunteered to pick Mariela up because I was the closest in proximity to her and we didn’t want the birthday girl to have to be a designated driver. We met at a local parking lot and packed into two vehicles for the ride to Chicago. But first, the birthday girl needed her sash.. We parked in a public garage walked a couple…
Read moreRen Faire Final Day
September 3, 2016

Enjoyed a gorgeous day at the closing weekend of The Renaissance Faire yesterday with good friends đ Since I know I will be asked.. my dress was purchased at a mom and pop Costume and Magic shop in South Elgin, IL. My friend Megan and I went looking there together and the owner even performed some magic tricks for us before we left đ The owner was very nice and helpful. Though most of the dress was perfect as is, the sleeves and bottom of the dress had a less finished looking hem. Also, it ran just a little short at my ankles. My friend Colleen is a whiz with sewing so we went with Megan to Joanne Fabrics and enhanced the dress. The fancy…
Read moreDay Off & Beautiful Biking Weather
September 2, 2016

I am very lucky to be able to live so close to an amazing bike path and forest preserve. I had today off and decided to enjoy it fully by getting some sun and some exercise. Look at this glorious view right on the path: The sunshine and great weather boosted my mood even higher (although I was already feeling pretty great today) **Edit.. after crying out some stress that is!** I waved to every person I met along the path (some walking and some riding). The blue helmet may have clashed with my top, but I still felt cute in the outfit. I have decided I need more days like this one. Now if the weather will just cooperate! -Ari Addendum: It took reviewing…
Read more2 Milestones in One Day
September 1, 2016

New glasses that I am kind of in love with, so there will be many pictures in this post.. also I have hit my 22 month HRT mark! Those 22 months amount to over 44 incidents of me successfully injecting myself. Here is to another 40 to 50 years of doing the same! Oye! Anyway, back to the glasses. Here are some alternating shots to compare the old vs the new..   I really love my new glasses. I think it is obvious with how I could not stop grinning. By the way, my future’s so bright.. I gotta wear.. Shades! That’s right.. new shades too. I was feeling particularly upbeat and I think it showed because as I went back out later in the day…
Read moreStop, Collaborate, and Transition!
August 31, 2016

My Chipotle cup was very specific that this was the plan all along. I did not even read it at first until my kids and I sat down to eat. We all got a good laugh at that one đ We went out for some sorbet afterwards and the bathroom there was private and well lit so I snapped this bright pic:
Read moreSummer Dress Shopping!
August 26, 2016

See, my curls are back for anyone that was worried (whew!). Old Navy was having a mega sale on summer dresses. With the recent luck I had finding one I loved at the Goodwill store (featured picture above), I decided to see what else I could find. The following is a cornucopia of pictures of me trying to find which ones worked best for me. Some I bought, and some I didn’t đ I found this little number for only $5.99 at Goodwill! That’s about it.. what a fun day đ
Read moreRoad Trip – Milwaukee Irish Fest
August 21, 2016

Today, I was able to go to the Milwaukee Irish Fest with Colleen and Megan, two of the good friends IÂ have made since being intentional about trying to be more socially active. It was a blast. Also, we discovered the most amazing hard apple cider. It is called Strawberry Magic by CiderBoys. If you can find it near you, you should give it a try đ The food was excellent as expected. With my gluten and dairy free diet I had to hunt a little bit for something I could eat. For all I know, the potato dish I had may have had some dairy in it (even though they told me it didn’t). I felt fine though so no harm done after taking that…
Read moreKeratin Treatment Day Two
August 20, 2016

I am still not sure I like my hair being this straight, I am told my curls will bounce back the moment I wash it though (and be less frizzy). Only time will tell! Â Â
Read moreBuilding Ikea Furniture is Fun
August 19, 2016

I finally got around to building the Ikea shelving unit I purchased earlier in the week. I took a while, but it was kind of fun. Ikea of course uses no words in their instructions, just pictures so it can sometimes be a little confusing. I think I did a good job though đ In other news, I tried a keratin treatment on my hair to see how I liked it. It should help me straighten my hair with less frizz when I want to go without my signature curls. It is too razor straight in this pic I think, I like it with more body like it usually is.
Read moreQuick Night Out
August 18, 2016

I was venting to a good friend about how I was feeling stressed so she offered to meet me at a local Gelato and Sorbet place. It was a perfect quick night out. I decided to wear a top that I fell in love with at Kohl’s a while back but had not really had a chance to wear. We walked around town a little too. I was feeling very happy with my outfit and confident with my look. At this point it really does not matter much to me if people “read” me as transgender, but I do prefer to “pass” in general to most people that are passing by me. I just think it decreases the odds of me running into someone who…
Read moreTrip to Ikea
August 17, 2016

It was time to go to Ikea to get a shelving unit for my dining room. I needed a place to store the plethora of board games that my kids and I wanted to keep handy. It was a lot of work with something like 11 pieces to it all scattered throughout the warehouse floor of Ikea. A few of them I really should not have been carrying by myself, but I was able to make it work using some leverage and strategic positioning of the push cart đ When I got home one of my neighbors saw me hauling all of the boxes in and she offered to help. This particular neighbor is the one I have spoken to the most here so far….
Read moreRough Day Among Many Good Days
August 10, 2016

I just want to drop a quick note for anyone that has noticed my lack of posts or has been waiting for a response to a question they sent, etc. I have had an incredibly busy summer with moving, spending more time with my kids, and being much more active socially. Today I finally caught my breath a little and had a chance to go out for a bike ride. I then took it easy tonight and watched the movie Tallulah (it was good). I kind of felt this coming on all day.. I just cried for about 40 minutes. I have been working so incredibly hard on a million things and staying so active that there was just a ton of exhaustion, frustration, stress…
Read moreI met an Ewok and an incredibly kind stranger
August 7, 2016

So I met an Ewok.. and a bunch of other women. I went to another Meetup outing with my women’s group. I mentioned earlier in the year that I was intentionally taking steps to be more social. It has been an amazing ride. I keep making new friends and most of them end up being people that I hang out with even outside of the Meetup events. This particular event was a private screening of the movie Bad Moms. It was a hilarious movie and we all had a great time. The theater was filled with movie collectibles. I snapped the picture with my new Ewok friend as I was exiting the theater. Here is a photo of some of us at the event: After…
Read moreA Vacation Day to Remember
August 5, 2016

I took a vacation day today and made the most of it. I skipped out on my unpacking/new place setup. Instead, I got up early and headed to the salon where I actually had my legs waxed for the first time. I read that flowy clothes are best for your skin after that, so I decided to wear one of the few dresses that I own. After my leg waxing, I had my nails done and a morrocan oil blowout đ I then had a little mini-photo-shoot in the salon bathroom before I ruined my blowout in the humidity outside. I met my friend Krystyna at the Riverwalk Cafe which is also a major Pokemon Go spot (reached level 15 today). It was a little…
Read moreMoving Time!
July 13, 2016

Guess what I am doing.. It is moving time! I am buying a new place and moving this weekend. I will write more later on the myriad of emotions that this move is bringing up in me. It is rather complex to explain. For now though, there is much to do so I need to go after one quick funny note. Does that stand for âTwo Men and Truckâ Movers or.. maybe it stands for âTâ-Women movers!! đ Well, it is true in my case. I am happy with this company so far, I will let you all know how the move goes. The Year of Ari marches on!
Read moreItâs Maiden Ariana đ
July 9, 2016

As I mentioned in my recent post about the swimming party, I am very grateful to have become a part of a group of women who are fast becoming good friends. Today we went to the opening weekend of the Bristol Renaissance Fair just across the Illinois/Wisconsin border. It was an incredible day! I borrowed the dress I am wearing above from one of my friends. The flower crown was something I picked up at Clairâs Boutique. Finally, my brown bag that I am clutching (I didnât mean to give a thumbs up in the fourth picture, I was just holding my bag), was made as a special order from a local girl that makes dice bags for table top gaming. I asked her if…
Read morePool Party!
July 3, 2016

I had an incredible day going to a pool party. When my friend Colleen invited me, I spent about 25 seconds thinking of many reasons to say âno thanksâ – but I am happy to report I squashed all of those thoughts and enthusiastically accepted her invitation. To clarify this was a pool party with about 12 cis girls along with yours truly. With the recent outing when I went swimming with my kids at the pool at my apartment complex, my confidence was high enough that I felt ready for this. In fact, when I shed my swim cover dress one of the girls made an appreciative noise and said âNicely done!â – referring to my black and yellow swim suit. *blush* I had…
Read moreHappy Independence Day!
July 1, 2016

Happy 4th (early) to those in the states. The weather was absolutely perfect today to enjoy the Ribfest out here. I scored a bunch of free stuff at the various tents and had a great time hanging out with two friends. I was able to hear 3 Doors Down do their sound check and heard several cover bands that sounded really good. I had some excellent spicy chipotle pulled pork and the girls and I grabbed some smoothies as well. The kettle corn above was called Fruity Fourth I think. It was good and is already in mah belly! I am behind on posting both here and at arianadanielle.com and have several things to catch up with on that over the holiday weekend. Part of…
Read morePublished in HuffPost
June 21, 2016

Exciting news – I have a blog post that has been featured on Huffington Post! My post is part of their âJourney Beyond the Binaryâ blog series. It was posted yesterday (June 20th 2016) and today it was selected as the âFeatured Postâ in the Transgender Voices section! I was given access to a blogger/contributor account and I am hoping this opportunity extends beyond this series. I am very excited to be starting to have a little bit stronger of a voice for the transgender community. If you wish to see more of my writing on Huffington Post, please visit the post (Â http://huff.to/29LO8w9) and my main blog page there (http://huff.to/29fZ3fU) and like/share etc. Also, if you are so inclined please message or tweet to the…
Read moreI skirted out for lunch đ
June 20, 2016

My amazing friend Krystyna and I met for lunch at Chipotle today. It was packed so we went back to her place to eat instead of eating in the restaurant. It was probably for the best as I am not at all used to wearing skirts yet and I forgot that the only seats available might be stools (lol!). Still, it was definitely a milestone outing for me and my pasty legs. It was definitely better than wearing skinny jeans in the heat!
Read moreAri’s Birthday
June 19, 2016

Thank you for the birthday wishes everyone! My amazingly supportive sister made me tear up on Friday from a wonderful birthday card. Also, thanks to the efforts of some awesome people I had a fun two days of celebrating my birthday đ Some highlights included dinner and drinks with friends with a very interesting live DJ (who made me feel old when I was one of the only people who knew who the Bee Gees were), a fun day of shopping in the NW suburbs of Chicago, consuming an amazing gluten free/dairy free birthday cupcake, finding some great buys at a consignment/resale shop and talking the owner into giving me a 10% birthday discount, a movie outing (Finding Dory), a quick stop for some sorbet, a walk along…
Read moreFinally went swimming again
June 17, 2016

Finally went swimming again đ Last weekend was my daughterâs birthday. She wanted to go swimming as a fun thing to do for âher day.â I have not been swimming in years. Mainly, it was because as my dysphoria grew I was simply uncomfortable being the âold me.â Then, there was the whole awkward period while beginning to transition, etc. For a while now, I have been at the point in my transition where I just donât really care if people figure things out as long as they still mind their own business. I donât necessarily care if I âpassâ or not, I just donât want confrontations in front of my kids or anything negative to happen in front of them. Their progress in accepting…
Read moreIt’s about all of us
June 13, 2016

I had several friends check in on me yesterday to see how I was doing in relation to the horrible news of the day. At first when reading about Orlando, I was just numb and angry. Then, I started to click through some of the photos of the survivors and family members of victims. Thatâs when I began to cry and without really thinking about why, I snapped a picture. With my transition, I had been in the habit of capturing photos/selfies during times of strong emotion. Usually, that is for happy reasons. I did not want to post this yesterday because it almost seems like trying to make the tragedy about me. Well.. it is.. it is about all of us. It is about…
Read moreOfficially Official Name Change
May 18, 2016

It is officially official! I went to court this morning and got the certified court order for my name change. I then went to the social security office and changed my name and gender information there. I followed that up with my driver’s license. Then, I went to two financial institutions to update my info there. I also even updated my Costco membership. During lunch, I got a smoothie and updated my name with my local health foods store rewards program đ That was all done by 3:30 pm! Even though I had the day off, I then had to help a co-worker with something for a while, but now I can finally breath. I had many kind people helping me today. The overwhelming majority…
Read moreAriana Meets Her Dad
May 13, 2016

Today was a beautiful day. Thanks to my Mom meeting me for dinner a few weeks back, and to my Dad saying that he too was now ready to see me.. I was able to take my kids to my home town and see my parents, both of my sisters, and my nephew in person finally as my true self. I came out to my parents as transgender just over 11 months ago. Up until March 28th, I had been shifting back to guy mode to visit them and give them time to adjust. In the pictures above (in order) are my little nephew, his Mom (my younger sister) and my older sister. Everyone was warm and welcoming. My Dad hugged me hello, and maybe…
Read moreI Stand With Target
May 8, 2016

I met this little guy while shopping at Target, which is where I have been spending more of my money lately, because I Stand With Target!
Read moreAriana’s First Bike Ride
May 8, 2016

I was able to get in a quick bike ride today. This was my first time riding since last fall (due to electrolysis appointments I was in guy mode at the time). This is essentially Ariana’s very first bike ride! I made it 9.1 miles round trip. Not bad for my “first” đ I ran into several people on the trail and simply smiled and acknowledged their existence. They did the same and it was a very pleasant ride. I purchased a new helmet and a new seat as the old one was not comfortable at all. The guy at the bicycle shop was very helpful and he immediately directed me to the women’s seats and said “if you are using your original seat you…
Read moreHappy News!
May 7, 2016

My Dad is ready to meet the new and improved me. I will be going to a family gathering next week and I can’t even fully explain to you how happy I am right now. This has been an incredible week.
Read more18 Months!
May 5, 2016

I have been on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) for 18 months now. As I have described elsewhere on this website, being on HRT almost immediately defeated most of my gender dysphoria. My entire being was meant to be estrogen-fueled! I am beyond grateful to have made it through all of the events of the past few years. In other news, my name-change should finally be approved by a judge on May 18th. It is getting hard to wait!
Read moreSpecial Day
May 4, 2016

May the fourth be with you! If you don’t know what I am referring to, then you might want to google it.
Read moreAn Entire Month
April 27, 2016

An entire month with no more boy mode. My kids and I are doing all of the things we normally would do and we see each other more often now due to their Mom getting a part-time job and needing me to watch them even more each week. I have been sending emails to more of my extended family (that live in other parts of the country) and coming out to them as well. It is official. I am finally the real me without having to cross-dress as a guy anymore. Ari is here to stay! đ
Read moreWonderful News!
April 22, 2016

I just had dinner with my Mom. Out of the blue this week, she invited me to dinner, knowing that I had already told her that ‘boy mode’ was a thing of the past. She said she just wants to meet the new and improved me in person, rather than see photos first. She got her wish and so did I! During dinner she offered me her full support going forward and even said that if/when I have surgery she wants to be there as an advocate for me in the hospital. She was a medical assistant until retirement so the nurses will have to watch out for her đ
Read moreJust a Good Day
April 14, 2016

Just a picture from a really good day. I just dropped my kids off and did some quick shopping on the way home. This is also after several days of being on conference calls with people at work and hearing them refer to me as Ariana or Ari. A few people are making mistakes, but they correct themselves right away and there has been no negativity that I have witnessed from co-workers since coming out.
Read moreCame out at work!
April 11, 2016

IT IS DONE! I came out at work to pretty much everyone today. I received a slew of emails and instant messages offering congrats and some incredibly sweet personal notes from people too. From here on out people will be doing their best to remember to refer to me as Ariana or Ari and to use the proper feminine pronouns. It was an incredible moment to upload my photo to the company directory and to see my name change there as well!
Read moreMy Kids and Me!
March 28, 2016
An amazing thing happened today… For the past many months, I have been flipping from the real me back to an attempt at ‘boy mode’ in order to give my kids and parents time to adjust (otherwise I am full time just being myself). I had shown the kids pictures of the new and improved me a couple of weeks ago since they said they were ready to see them. Today felt like a good time to ask if it was okay if I picked them up just being myself. They agreed. The first thing my daughter said was, “You look nice!” – while my son said “Yeah, and it’s not that much different!” As we drove, I asked if they were freaking out yet or not…
Read moreVoted Today
March 15, 2016

It was time to vote in my state today (primary). Yes, my political views have definitely changed as I have transitioned.
Read moreSushi Outing
March 6, 2016

Went to a Japanese market with two other transgender women that I have become friends with. Great food and great conversation!
Read moreMovie Outing with a Meetup Group
March 4, 2016

Still trying to be more social.. I went to an LGBT Meetup Group movie outing tonight. I met a new friend and messaged back and forth with her already đ
Read moreSalon Visit
February 29, 2016

I had my hair straightened at the salon so she could cut it more evenly. I do like to have it this way from time to time.
Read moreGender Neutral Restroom
February 25, 2016

Thankfully one of my favorite grocery stores has gender neutral restrooms. It removes the stress and fear of just needing to pee. Please protect transgender people by simply letting them use the bathroom that MAKES PERFECT SENSE for them to use.
Read moreNo Makeup Outing
February 9, 2016

I went to my third laser hair removal session. I have to go with no makeup so I had gone in âboy modeâ for the previous two appointments. This time I just said âscrew it, I want to just be myself!â So, I stepped into my flattering jeans, black boots and grabbed my purse! All-in-All, it was a very validating day for this girl!
Read moreJoined a D&D Group
February 3, 2016

Today, I joined a weekly Dungeons and Dragons group in an effort to finally make some new friends that actually live nearby me. The location was a computer gaming store and it was packed to the gills with teenage and twenty-something League of Legends players doing team battles. I was not expecting that as I entered while proudly displaying my transgender symbol necklace! I took a deep breath and walked to the back to find the D&D group. The group was great. They were using feminine pronouns for me right off the bat (without me even asking) as they helped me build my character sheet for the game. I am so glad I decided to do this.
Read moreCame out to my Manager
January 29, 2016

I had been planning this with my awesome HR rep. I sent her some photos of me so she could share them with my manager as she told him the news. I believed it would help prevent him from simply picturing the âold meâ in a dress. One of the photos he saw is above, the other was in the timeline post entitled, “That One Great Picture”. Our meeting went amazingly well. We will be working on a plan for publicly transitioning at work when the time feels right!
Read moreThat one great picture..
January 14, 2016

I took a photo today that really blew me away. The lighting was just right.. I think I have a new profile pic that I can eventually use even at work (in the company directory).
Read moreThe Year of Ari
December 31, 2015

2015 was 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. I am taking on this year with greater determination then I have ever had in my life. Buckle up for the Year of Ari!
Read more