On my old blog, the pre-transition one, I used to enjoy doing end of the year posts so I figured why not continue the tradition here with a list of my favorite parts of 2013!
*Walt Disney World and the Goofy Challenge*
2013 started out much like the last four years did, with an awesome trip to Disney World with my wife! This year, we ran the Goofy Challenge (half marathon one day and a marathon the next) for the second year in a row and it was every bit as awesome and magical as it’s ever been. And besides the race, Disney World was as much of a blast as it always is, I’ll ever tire of that place. Oh, and not to be forgotten was finally getting to hang out with our awesome Twitter friend Krissy Murphy!
*Finally got my ass on hormone replacement therapy!*
I made my decision to transition all the way back in May of 2012, but things were slow moving for a while and I had some setbacks, but, on April 1, I finally started HRT and got my transition in gear. HRT has been arguably the biggest life-changing thing I’ve ever done. It’s helped me get myself together emotionally and finally start to feel like a real person.
*Dumbo Double Dare, Disneyland, and San Francisco*
To cap off a somewhat lackluster summer, my wife and I took an amazing trip out to California. We started it off with the Disney Dumbo Double Dare which featured the Disneyland 10k and Disneyland Half Marathon. These two races were great and actually turned out to be even more fun than the races we’ve done in Disney World. They spent more time in the parks and weren’t nearly as draining as the Goofy Challenge tends to be. This was our first time in Disneyland (well, I’d been when I was about three years old, but we’re not counting that) and, despite the ridiculous heat wave at the time, it was ridiculously fun! In a weird way, I kind of liked Disneyland better than Disney World, sort of.
Then after Disney, we took a quick flight up to San Francisco for some sightseeing and lots and lots of eating! And we ended the trip with a day in wine country with our friend Nikki!
As I type this, I realize that I still have not posted any photos from that trip so right after I finish up here, I’m going to work on that and schedule it for later this week! I kind of phoned it in on this trip, but there are a few good ones in there!
*Starting this blog!*
My writing has been a little sparse in the last few weeks, but starting a new blog has given me a place to write about some of the things that need more than just 140 characters to convey. I’ve been able to share so much about my transition with people and I think I’ve been able to help a lot of cisgender people start to understand what being transgender is like.
*Going live with Me 2.0!*
Without a doubt, this was the biggest “I can’t believe it’s actually real” moment of my life. After 30 years of hiding myself, I finally came out to friends and coworkers and started living my life as I should have been for a long time. I was amazed at how awesome everyone I knew was about it and how accepted I felt. When I walked into the women’s room at work to see that my coworkers had written “Welcome Amelia” on the mirror, I had to fight to hold back the tears.Living my life as myself and beginning to not only like myself but actually love myself has been something that’s beyond all words. I’ve been smiling nonstop!
*Rocking the Richmond Marathon!*
After having a totally awesome training season and breaking both my weekly and monthly personal distance records, I went out there and destroyed the Richmond Marathon in the rain. It was an amazing race and my first marathon since starting HRT. I nailed my goal for the race on a tough course in crappy weather, I really couldn’t have been happier with the day.
Joining an amazing community and getting to know some really amazing people!
I spent a lot of 2012 trying to connect with other trans people, but it felt like a giant fail. This year, I became very active on Twitter and got involved in the transgender community there. I’ve found some of the smartest and most amazing people out there and become a part of a community that’s been incredibly uplifting and taught me so much. Without the wonderful people I’ve connected with on Twitter, I don’t know where I’d be now.
Looking back at 2013, it’s been pretty damn monumental and life-changing. No complaints here!