My Intro

[Guest LauraJen]

Hi everyone. Just to make one thing clear, by pure coincidence, my name is also Laura. The Jen bit comes from the name I've taken for a middle name - I played around with the spelling a bit to come up with Jennifa. So that's it. I think Laura was thinking I was an admirer so I thought I had better say that, not that I'm not an admirer as well, I don't know, it's hard to explain.

I found this site because a member of another group I've been a part of for two years now (doesn't time move on?) mentioned it - at first I thought she was referring to something of mine, but no . So before I registered, I had a look around on the forum, and what really caught my attention was the No Judgement project in Texas. You guys are amazing! That's exactly the sort of thing I'd want to do - really make a difference to our community as a whole like that. Unfortunately:

1) Look at the flag to the left and you'll see I'm from the UK

2) I've got another year at college to go, then a gap year, then three years at Uni (don't know what the US equivalent of that is).

3) Half of my family lives around that area: about 70 miles southwest, you have Houston, where some of them live, then 200 miles North, you have Oklahoma, where some more of them live. I don't know how they will react when I am out to them. Not very well, I suspect.

Education does kind of worry me, as I've been dreading the possibility of the whole trans thing progressing to the point where I start underperforming. So far, for 12 years, that has not been the case but as I've been getting older (18 at the end of August) I've been getting more and more impatient to get out and do things - hence me starting transitioning last week because I thought "That's it. I've had enough of waiting". I do not have my Mum's (Mom's) support with this yet; I was out to her in the February of 2007 and it was an absolute nightmare. The second time she is told, which I don't know when, she'll realise this isn't a phase after all.

So there's my introduction. Feel free to call me Jennifa or Jen if Laura is too confusing. It probably will be. I just like the name too much to change it! It's OK though. It can't be helped having two people with the same name.

See you later

Laura/Jen

[MaryEllen]

Hello LauraJen,

Welcome to Laura's Playground. Thank you for sharing your story with us. If you have questions, ask away.

MaryEllen

[Guest LauraJen]

Thanks MaryEllen

Opps, I put southwest instead of southeast. Shows you how good my sense of direction is. I was referring to places I have family in in relation to Bryant Station where No Judgement is happening.

Laura/Jen

[Guest SharonKJ]

Welcome LauraJen!

I just discovered this place a few days ago myself. I'm so sorry to hear that coming out to your family was less than joyous.

I'm a 43-year old MTF currently in discovery / research phase of my transition. I have not come out to my wife yet and am trying to figure out the best time and way to do it.

My best thoughts for you in your progress!

Hugs,

Sharon

Thanks MaryEllen

Opps, I put southwest instead of southeast. Shows you how good my sense of direction is. I was referring to places I have family in in relation to Bryant Station where No Judgement is happening.

Laura/Jen

[Guest jantonio]

Hello Jennifa and welcome to the playground.

Glad to meet you.

Jose Antonio...

[Guest raydub]

Jennifa!

Welcome to Laura's Playground! Glad youve found us.. make yourself at home.

Ray

[Guest LauraJen]

Thanks everyone. Thank you too for having me in the first place!

I see most of you have taken to Jennifa (my middle name) as opposed to Laura (my first). Probably wise - I can imagine how confusing Laura would be.

[Guest LauraJen]

Something else I should add: (I'd avoid double posting but you don't seem to be able to edit your posts) I've been reading around some more and I think I misunderstood what an "admirer" is in the context it has appeared in elsewhere on this site. PLEASE NOTE THAT I'M NOT THAT KIND OF ADMIRER! What I meant was I admire the kind of work being done by the team behind this site, and the sort of people they all are (not just Laura, but all the rest too).

Jen (Laura)

[Guest silverpetals]

welcome to the forums laura, hope you enjoy it here too. we may have one very prominent laura on the site already, but we must have about a hundred jennifers ^.^

so um, do you mind if i just call you laura? unless you prefer jennifer

oh, um....do we know each other from somewhere (online at least)?

well, hi anyway

[MaryEllen]

I'd avoid double posting but you don't seem to be able to edit your posts

The ability to edit posts had to be removed because several EX members blatently abused the feature. They would make a post that was acceptable and once the post was approved, they would edit it with profanity, outright lies, verbal abuse toward other members and toward the site itself. As you might suspect, these HBS radicals are no longer with us.

MaryEllen

[Guest Drew]

hi LauraJen welcome to the forums. it's nice to have you here.

[Guest LauraJen]

welcome to the forums laura, hope you enjoy it here too. we may have one very prominent laura on the site already, but we must have about a hundred jennifers ^.^

so um, do you mind if i just call you laura? unless you prefer jennifer

oh, um....do we know each other from somewhere (online at least)?

well, hi anyway

I don't mind - just Jennifa (excuse the weird spelling ) is a second favourite with me which is why I'm using it as a middle name. People can call me that if they think they'll confuse me with Laura Amato. I'll respond to either . They shouldn't really, as we are two very different kinds of member!

As for knowing me already, there is a Yahoo group that I'm a member of (have read the rules from start to finish, but still not sure if I can say its name - typical newbie )

[Guest LauraJen]

welcome to the forums laura, hope you enjoy it here too. we may have one very prominent laura on the site already, but we must have about a hundred jennifers ^.^

so um, do you mind if i just call you laura? unless you prefer jennifer

oh, um....do we know each other from somewhere (online at least)?

well, hi anyway

silverpetals,

I sent you a PM but it doesn't appear in my Sent folder. Yes, I'm the Laura you know already. How's things?

(Sorry about this, just that the PM doesn't seem to have worked)

Laura

[MaryEllen]

I sent you a PM but it doesn't appear in my Sent folder.

Did you tick the box that says "Add a copy of this message to my sent items folder"?

[Guest LauraJen]

I don't even remember seeing one! Thanks for telling me that. Ah, I'm such a learner.

Laura / Jennifa