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I have looked forward to today for a while! Denise has gone to Perth to see the messiah which gave me a chance to do some Christmas shopping and meet Jessie for some girly clothes shopping and a light lunch which turned out to be a very enjoyable visit to Alforno and lunch with two of Jessie’s friends which was lovely, nice people who must be thinking “what is going on here” but didn’t say anything. Jessie mentioned that she had bought something for me and but wanted me to open it at home with her so we arranged to meet at ours a little later and she gave me the most beautiful dress, sadly it was a 14 and didn’t fit but it was amazing, reds purples, black and white, quite floral and a lovely cut so I look forward to trying the 16 on sometime this week, can’t wait!. Jessie and I had a real heart to heart, she talked about Nick and how she is hurting but knows it’s the right decision to stay parted, we talked about my feelings about my parents and how if I’m not careful it will turn to a bitterness which will not be good for me. Considering there is over 30 years between us we have a real connection and both bared our hearts today, I love her dearly in a sort of protective way, she is so tactile and generous with her love for me, it’s very special!

Today started early with a trip to Bunbury for an MRI on Denise’s right knee at the hospital then a visit to maccas for a coffee and muffin, I can’t tell you how much I am pleased that they have reintroduced mud muffins, they are just the best! We also had a conversation with the plumber, now I really want to do the shower my way, on my own and in my own time but I think it’s going to be a tough call and I’m not looking forward to it, I have in my own mind what I think will work but want to do it at my leisure. Anyway at least we have got a days delay out of them as Nannup is having a power outage on Tuesday, not that I actually need power so I will get done what I need to in peace!. I dressed for dinner and we ate on the patio, I so want to go out in public in a dress, I just love wearing them and heels etc !

The plan for today was to head to Nannup and work along side Hamish and Luke but it didn’t work quite like that! In reality I was probably slowing them down so after a few hours I decided to head home and do some jobs around the house, I think they were probably pleased that I left as somehow it was awkward being there, like a third pair of hands on a job which only needed two pairs!. Once home I did a few jobs, did some shopping and waited for Denise to get home from work, an uneventful day really, I would have liked to have been more use at the shed but felt better once I got home. Dinner tonight was at the Empire retreat Christmas party, it was good to catch up with Cam and a few of the staff which I know from working there, hopefully there will be some more jobs there next year. The best thing was watching all the ladies present, it was good to observe what to wear and what definitely not to wear for this sort of occasion and also do some gesture watching, all good for the future!

Believe it or not, the highlight of my day today was a visit to the physiotherapist, She is  just lovely and I couldn’t wait to tell her that the letter has been approved we talked and talked, she spent much longer than she should with me as always, we talked about going to op shops to buy clothes and I like the idea!! She is very funny and I really like her, it’s worth the $70 just to have a chat never mind the benefit of her treatment. The rest of the day was uneventful until 10 pm when we decided to call the surgeon in Philadelphia, it was a long drawn out affair as the office was unattended but eventually we made contact and a Skype consultation has been booked for 9 am their time on the 9th of December, I so want to get things booked so we can plan our year and the rest of my life as Stephanie Vaughan!

So today is the day! Up early as we have a busy day planned, the Amarok and trailer are all ready to go, the fire is to be delivered to Helen in Mandurah, then up to Nedlands for Denise’s appointment with the breast surgeon then lunch, drive to success, some shopping and my appointment then up to Murdoch to pick up Helen and back to Mandurah for dinner and home. First part went well apart from firstly Denise had a query about her referral to see the surgeon, now quite why you would wait till the day we are going to think about it is way beyond me but I guess some people are more organised than others! Then, as we can’t go anywhere without taking our coffee with us, and I am in full agreement with this, I see no point in having an excellent coffee machine and then buying one on route but unfortunately Denise managed to spill hers down her front!!! And a white top as well! Frantic cleaning with the drinking water followed and most came out! Then the problem of getting it dry! Anyway all was well in the end!. The traffic was dreadful and we were late to Denise s appointment but it didn’t seem to matter we were still dealt with fairly quickly and off to the cafe for some lunch then down to Cockburn for my appointment but before that as we had some time to spare, some shopping, in to target and to the ladies department, Denise, after saying “I’m not buying clothes in here managed to find a few things but I had a ball! 2 dresses, a top, a skirt, some shorts and some three quarter length white trousers, now I don’t yet have the confidence to go into the changing rooms to try them on but was quietly confident that most of my haul would fit me. Back to the car to get ready for my appointment, I needed to show my feminine side but respectfully and chose to keep my shirt on but wear the new shorts and my ladies sandals from Saturday allowing me to show off my painted toes, I felt happy with my look and headed to the appointment, got half way there and remembered I hadn’t put my lipstick on so went back to the car to retrieve it while Denise headed for suite 13, I went into the toilet to apply the lipstick and joined her. We were a little early but were met with a lovely smile from Purni the receptionist and waited patiently, there were a couple of people in the waiting room, I noticed a lady sitting about 4 meters away from us who gave me a careful looking over but didn’t say anything and I was happy with that. The psychiatrist came out and acknowledged us and said she wouldn’t be long, and she returned and beckoned my to join her. We sat down and she asked me about the essay she had asked me to complete, I thought for a moment that she hadn’t seen it but then found it on her pc and proceeded to read it out, nodding occasionally then asking some questions and also giving me advice about how to handle people after transitioning who don’t know how to be with me which I thought was both kind and helpful, she then announced that she was happy and would do the letter, I could hardly hide my excitement! It was going to happen at last!!! In fact I don’t think it sunk in until the following day fully! She did the basic outline of the letter, talked about my hormone treatment and we talked about options for surgery as in where and who, the letter in basic form was finished, she said she would edit it later and bid me good day, I couldn’t believe it and left the office without touching the ground I think, I spoke to Denise and proceeded to the reception to pay my dues, the lovely Purni looked after me as usual and I thanked her for all her help over the last few months and we left!.
Back at the car I quickly changed back into male clothing and we headed up to Murdoch to pick up Helen, arrived in plenty of time and waited in the car park, Helen arrived, we had a hug and set off for Mandurah, dinner at Murphys and home to Busselton, a long but very satisfying day. The drive home was uneventful, steady as we had the trailer on but not too bad and not much traffic, on arriving home I took Bella out, Denise called mum and then the fashion show with all our new clothes, I was amazed! Every thing fitted me well, in fact the black dress looks and feels amazing, I stood in front of the mirror and just couldn’t believe how good it looks, the only sad thing is I can’t wear it in public!

Today i am starting to fret about my appointment with the psychiatrist tomorrow, it’s the final stage hopefully in getting my letter of recommendation in order to transition in it means everything to me! Denise went into work in the afternoon I spent the morning detailing the Santa Fe and the afternoon doing the Amarok which of course I thoroughly enjoyed! We had an excellent dinner, just about my favourite thing at the moment, eye fillet with a ceaser salad, everything I like and nothing I don’t!, I don’t think I was very good company as by the time Denise came home I was stressed to death about seeing the psychiatrist, I can’t ever remember wanting anything so much in my whole life!

Today started with preparing breakfast for my favourite friends, David, Lynette and Jessie, it was a shame that Anna wasn’t able to come but breakfast was amazing, French toast with fresh fruit, maple syrup and clotted cream followed by a cooked breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausages and mushrooms, there would have been tomatoes as well but we forgot them!!. Then in the afternoon as Denise had work to do I took myself off to Nannup to move the caravan and check out the state of the place. About half way through moving the caravan the neighbors came across and we had a chat about progress etc I happened to mention that I had dropped my glasses in the water tank! Wassa was straight on to it, went home and came back with a home made contraption consisting of a length of plastic pipe with a piece of wire running through it and a loop at the end, he was determined to retrieve the said spectacles and sure enough about 15 minutes later there they were! I was so impressed! Emma then decided to head back and asked if I would like to come over for a beer, now I’m not much of a drinker but we owed them some cash for extra work they had done on the slabs and I thought it would be a nice way to get to know them so I finished with the caravan and headed over, 2 hours later, after non stop talking I pretty much knew most of their history, the good and the bad but I was honoured that they had shared it with me as they hardly know me but I just know they are going to be great friends and a lot of help in the future, quite how they will go when I tell them of my journey I don’t know, Emma will be fine I think as are most female friends, I think it might take a while for it Wassa to get round it but I’m sure we will get there.