As the topic of flying enfemme comes up a lot, I have posted my travel experience on this trip under a different thread in this section in case anyone has any specific questions. It also includes my preparation and research leading up to what was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. You can check it out here: http://crossdressers-forum.com/forums/v ... hp?t=11359
ESPRIT 2009 - May 10-17th, 2009, Port Angeles, Washington, USA
If you've been to Esprit before, I hope this brings back some nice memories. If you haven't, perhaps I'll see you there next year. Either way, I hope you enjoy my story...... (yes, it's a long one)
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Being there is worth a million! So it was with Esprit 2009, the annual TG convention in Port Angeles, Washington, jointly hosted by the Cornbury Society of Vancouver, BC; NWGA (NorthWest Gender Alliance) of Portland, Oregon and the Emerald City Social Club of Seattle, Washington.
Esprit’s website calls it “a week of fun, freedom and friendships” and “a combination of college, sorority, shopping and sightseeing tourist fling, high society parties, and slumber party all rolled into one”. Boy, was it ever!
This was the 20th anniversary of Esprit and seemed like an appropriate venue for my first ever TG convention. Attending an event like this was something I’d wanted to do for a few years and thanks to a friend who went last year, she managed to talk me into going with her again this year, as well as casually dropping the suggestion that maybe we travel enfemme including the flight. (Hmmm
) She ended up having to drop out but I was able to find another gal to go with (another Stephanie), so when the day finally arrived, a mutual friend drove us to the airport despite having to brave a white knuckle drive through a violent rainstorm. We made it. Aside from some trepidation of the day ahead, my other concern was the two huge suitcases of clothes I had packed for the trip. With a variety of events to look forward to, I wanted to make sure I had enough outfits and options on hand, and in doing so, left myself very little wiggle room for souvenirs. I figured I wouldn’t worry about that until it was time to come home.
After our flight from Toronto, we stayed overnight in Victoria and caught the Coho ferry across to Port Angeles the next morning, enjoying the beauty of Puget Sound as we crossed from the B.C coast towards the breathtaking view of the Olympic Mountains shadowing the town of Port Angeles.
After a short walk from the ferry terminal, we checked in and headed to the hotel bar overlooking the water, where we met our bartender Melanie who made us feel at home right away. She kept us company for a couple of hours as I quietly reflected on our wonderful experience getting here as well as the thought of a full week of femme fun ahead of us.
By the time we got our room and unpacked, it was time to meet up with our fellow early arrivals for the icebreaker cocktail hour in the main banquet room. After cocktails, we took a walk around the hotel to get orientated. Among the hotel rooms, the Esprit organizers had set up a mini-mall consisting of hair, wig, makeup and various salon services, jewelry, accessories, glamour photo studio and a boutique clothing exchange. A convenient one-stop shopping experience which was pretty cool! The clothing exchange was like a mini consignment store set up with neatly organized racks of clothing anyone of us could help ourselves to. Can’t beat that price! All clothes were donated and new items were arriving each day. Any clothes left at the end of the week would simply be donated to used clothing stores. I managed to find a cute little black dress and a nice pleated skirt to add to the weight of what I’d be taking home with me.
One of the great Esprit initiatives is the Big Sister Program which pairs up experienced gals with first timers. Regardless of your comfort level being out dressed or not, it is recommended that you sign up for one anyway as they can offer valuable advice and assistance if you need it. As this was new to me, I had no hesitation and was assigned a wonderful gal named Susan Lalone. She was so nice and along with her busy Esprit duties all week, was willing to take me wherever I wanted which was great. She would also be an important part of my Graduation later that week.
MONDAY - The next morning, after a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant, we settled into what would be our morning ritual of attending the Coffee Klatch. This was a relaxed and informal get together that first timers were encouraged to attend and which was essentially an opportunity to reflect on our experiences each day. Carma was our officiator who led the meetings with a matronly air, albeit with a warm and sensitive demeanor towards encouraging the first timers to “push the envelope” as she affectionately liked to call it. This was a great way to get to know others and make new friends. It was also nice to hear of others experiences and share in each others “firsts”. Definitely a great bonding experience!
Between stories of getting to wear a coat for the first time as this was one gal’s first time out of the house, to positive and negative experiences out in public, to how to deal with various situations and dressing to fit in, to tales of traveling femme for the first time, it was a week of discovery and support for each other. Sometimes there were tears, many times there was laughter and everything in between as I sensed the knowing feeling we all had as we listened to those stories. It was truly something very special that I would recommend everyone share in if they can.
Carma then told us of the Harriet Stites Award which is an award named after a first timer some years ago who promoted the value of how inspirational new attendees can be to one another and help them to fit it, and/or provide guidance and support to those who needed it. The nice thing was that it was voted on by the first timers themselves which I thought was great. The award would be presented at the end of the week we were encouraged to think about that and get to know the names of as many people as we could.
After registration, it was time to check out all the week’s information and schedule of activities. As expected, lots of information to read and make note of. They had various sightseeing excursions planned all week to many local attractions and I was keen to take in a couple of them. There were also plenty of workshops going on all week with Crossdressing 101, Self Defence for Women, Make up and Wig care and Introduction to Ballroom Dancing kicking off the week. As the week wore on, the class schedule became more crowded making it even harder to choose which ones to go to. Such is the nature of Esprit. Aside form that, preparation for other events such as Friday’s fashion show (which I was keen to take part in) meant setting time aside for clothing fittings and all that good stuff. Add to that the time spent browsing the mini-mall services and you can quickly see how being at least semi organized becomes important.
Given the array of activities and events happening throughout the week, it simply isn’t possible to do everything the first time out, so figuring out a flexible game plan to hit all the highlights is good advice. I say ‘flexible’ because as it turned out, some of my chosen classes went on without me as I spent a good deal of time in town meeting and chatting to the local business owners and employees that we were encouraged to patronize. Lots of wonderful people who were so welcoming and always happy to see us!
There was actually another good reason to explore the town. If you’re a fan of the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer (yes, another Stephanie) and of course the recent Twilight movie, you will know that Port Angeles is featured in those stories. Unless you have teenage girls, you may wonder what I’m talking about. Anyway, my two daughters happen to be huge fans of both, so getting pictures of the various movie locations and some souvenirs for them was high on my agenda. It was also interesting to hear from some of the store owners on how the Twilight phenomenon has affected their businesses as fans from around the world have descended on this quiet North Western logging town to follow in the footsteps of Edward and Bella, the story’s two central characters.
As luck would have it, a new store had just opened up in town the week before we arrived, called “Dazzled by Twilight” which was a cool souvenir store run by Victoria and her staff. She also has a store in Forks, WA which is the epicenter of the story. Coincidently, the name Victoria happens to be the name of a vampire in the book and she (our store owner) even had a teenage daughter called Bella who we also got to meet. My kids got a kick out of that when I told them! Victoria would also show up again as a member of the local theatre group who would perform at the Playhouse Theatre later in the week as part of the Esprit events.
Later that evening, we headed over to Delaney’s Pool Bar for the annual Esprit pool tournament which I had signed up for. Even though I had limited experience playing pool, my ‘brother’ has shown me a few of his tricks which I hope I could channel if I made it past the first round. I had read on the Esprit website (which has a lot of great information by the way) that the Esprit gals tended to opt for their sexiest outfits which usually kept the local boys entertained. Not wanting to be out of place of course, I happened to have just the outfit with me and as the knockout competition got under way, miniskirts and high heels jostled for an edge as the gals, bent over the tables to line up their best shots, gave the locals plenty to talk about.
By the time the final championship game was set to go, it was Cassandra and yours truly who were the last two girls standing and would battle it out for the honor of Esprit Pool Champion 2009. Cassandra had me on the ropes for most of the game with only the black ball to go. I still had three balls plus the black. Pulling out everything my ‘bro’ had taught me, I managed to clear the table and win the game. Yea!! Wow, Stephanie, the pool hustler, who knew? It was a fun night and my $5.00 grand prize was worth every cent.
TUESDAY - That morning, my big sister Susan and a friend of hers took us out to a winery for some sampling and a tour. That was nice and a perfect opportunity to find some souvenirs to take home that my SO would enjoy.
By lunchtime, we were back in town for more shopping and meeting new folks. We stopped by Maurice’s, one of the local women’s clothing stores sponsoring the fashion show. The two wonderful ladies who helped us pick out some fashion show outfits were amazing. So nice and so warm and welcoming! I remember as I was trying on a few ‘new arrival’ items, in and out of the change room, one of them told me that other women were asking to try similar stuff on and sales were apparently doing quite well in the time we were there. Naturally, I offered to be a live model next time I was in town as playing dress up is always so much fun.
This store was amazing with so many beautiful outfits to choose from but not a good place to go if you’re trying to be careful with your spending! As we don’t have these stores in Canada, I'm not sure if that makes me lucky or not! I ended up with a couple of new outfits with no regard to the extra luggage weight I would have to consider later on. Too early to worry about that I thought, but at least I had one of my outfits for the fashion show.
This evening’s scheduled activity was a “Night at the Races” in the hotel’s Grand Ballroom. Having somehow acquired a cute black and white strapless dress from our earlier visit to a salon in town after chatting it up with the girls there, I had my outfit ready. Along with an ascot hat which we got to pick from a day earlier, I was ready for some equine fun. I got to meet many more lovely gals. Our hostess for the evening was Karen Wood, a fellow English ex-pat who did a fine job of moderating the fun and bets over the six televised races.
WEDNESDAY – My big sister Susan took me out to a bridal store called Just ‘N’ Love which had been advertising their dresses in the registration area. They were actually closing down and had all their bridal dresses on sale for $50.00 or $75.00 each. With 90% discounts on everything, who could resist that kind of deal? I was thinking that if I could find something that fit me, I could wear it for the fashion show or maybe even my graduation. As the store got busier with more of our Esprit gals dropping by, Susan remained very patient as I had a blast trying on those beautiful wedding gowns. There’s something special about a wedding gown when you’re standing there looking and feeling so pretty. I’m sure it’s something only a girl can really appreciate. Awesome!
The weather for much of the week had been ok with mostly a mix of cloudy and sunny days. The temperature was a little cooler than I expected, but we had avoided any real rain so far. Today we were not so lucky, but it certainly didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for the fun I was having. A day didn’t pass where I didn’t forget I was essentially living full time as Stephanie, 24/7 and it was awesome.
In the afternoon, it was time for some workshops and then back to the room to get ready for the first timer’s wine and cheese reception. Esprit certainly has us well looked after here with another fine opportunity to mingle and get to know more of the gals. With the numbers for this conference usually limited to about 180, Esprit definitely has a more intimate feel than the larger events such as Southern Comfort or Chicago’s Be-All. Add to that the great week-long SO program and you have quite the all round event.
Today was one of those days where having a varied wardrobe with plenty of outfits would come in handy. Another change of outfit later and we were ready for the evening trip out to the Port Angeles Community Playhouse Theatre. This was a quaint, little old wooden theatre adorned with pictures of its proud history. The “Story Theatre” performance was by the Community Theatre Players who gave us plenty of laughs with various characters and funny costumes and some improv during presentations of various fables. Our group was invited to join the cast for an after party get together which gave us another chance to chat with our (Twilight) friend Victoria and meet some of her fellow cast members. A nice end to another busy, fun day!
THURSDAY - The next morning, we joined Michelle Murray, our fashion show organizer and a couple of other gals for a ride out to the Black Diamond Bridal store. This was another of the event’s sponsors and Belva the owner was a sweetheart as she welcomed us to her beautiful little store out in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. She had racks of beautiful gowns in a variety of styles and colours to satisfy any girl’s inner princess. As soon as I entered, my eye caught this gorgeous royal blue Cinderella style gown which I just had to try. While it didn’t quite fit perfectly, it did have a lace-up back to it and came with a matching chiffon wrap that would cover the ‘almost-there’ zipper. Once Belva had me zipped and strapped up, she then suggested some jewelry I might like. That part was easy as I picked out a diamond tiara and matching diamond earrings, necklace and a bracelet.
I stood there looking at the girl in the mirror and thinking how beautiful the dress looked and how I felt wearing it. The only thing missing were my glass slippers. Along with the bonus of some nice compliments, I knew I had found my evening wear fashion show outfit.
Back at the hotel, the afternoon sessions I took in were NY photographer Mariette Allen’s Photo techniques for taking pictures of yourself and others. Following that was a really fun workshop with feminine voice coach and singer, Lynn Skinner who took us all through an interactive voice lesson which you had to be there to really appreciate.
Later, it was back to my room for another change before heading out to see one of the must-see events of the week - The Nasty Habits. They are a TG 80’s rock cover band with their Debbie Harry sound-alike lead singer Jackie. The band was great and from the packed crowd there, it was obviously the place to be with lots of cute GG’s there (many with boyfriends) who were obviously fascinated with us, sharing in our fun. Their boyfriends seemed to be comforting each other from the sidelines, not quite sure what to make of us. One gg said to one of our group that she wished her boyfriend was TG because you guys are so cool! What a lovely compliment that was! It was a really fun night that we would repeat two more times that week.
FRIDAY - By now, the pace of the week had stepped up considerably. That morning, we had an early practice scheduled for the upcoming fashion show. While this is always a good thing to calm any nerves that one might have for the big event and meet your fellow models, it didn’t help that the dining room layout would be totally different come show time. Oh well, we do the best we can. We scooted back to our rooms to freshen up and get into our first outfit before the scheduled noon kick-off time. The order of models had my room mate leading us out and me right behind her with the other eighteen or so gals following us. Official photographer Stephanie was set up taking pics of the girls just before we hit the carpet runway.
When my name was called, I entered the room to see over a packed room full of people all eagerly waiting to see us strutting that catwalk which somehow appeared to have melted into the surroundings as the table set up was nothing like I had practiced around earlier. Losing sight of my room mate, I nervously tried to find my way through the enthusiastic crowd as our hostess Michele described my outfit. I was wearing a tiered little black dress accessorized by a scarf of blue with silver accents and matching jewelry. Despite my nerves, I made it to the stage where each of us would stand in front of everyone for a final twirl amid the paparazzi-like atmosphere.
After a few impromptu photo ops on my way out, I had about 10 minutes to change into my next outfit. This would be a challenge as the Ladies washroom was barely twice the size of my gown which Belva was on hand to help me into. With a few others soon joining us in there, it got pretty crowded. Once I was ready, I stepped out and waited until it was time for us to go again. Lots more wonderful compliments on my outfit kept me glowing as I waited my turn again. Another photo by our photographer and off I went. Instead of the usual model swagger that nerves prevented me from mastering the last time, I opted for a more regal entrance befitting the beautiful gown I was wearing. The looks and comments from everyone said it all. I think it was one of the favourites as so many compliments came my way. Again, such a lovely feeling and I felt every inch a Princess. What a priceless moment that was!
When the show was over, it was time for a final group shot for the Yearbook and we were off to change again. I should mention the Esprit yearbook is a souvenir that the Esprit organizers put together each year full of photos, comments and other memories as a lasting reminder for each of the attendees. Encouraging people to submit photos and anything else they would like to remember Esprit by, the yearbook is usually sent out in January. A great idea that's included in the registration fee.
After the excitement of the fashion show, I opted for the quiet of some afternoon workshops including an interesting panel discussion on alternative relationships with two couples, one a F2M and his lesbian partner, the other a TG and his wife who also happens to be into the BDSM lifestyle. Following that, I sat in on another of Mariette Allen’s presentations, this one a photo essay on transgender people through the years. This was an interesting historical portrait of TG images from Christine Jorgensen to more recent images of today, many taken from her published books.
The evening event was the Friday Night Dinner Buffet at the Elks lodge a few blocks from the hotel. This preceded the annual Esprit Talent Show which was always a hit with the locals, who paid their $5.00 and showed up in droves to see the girls in action and join in the dancing. The monies collected are all donated to a local hospice which is another great cause which makes Esprit what it is.
The talent was great with various solo musical numbers, lip sync, skits and a group finale of Michele, Karen and Margot doing their Mamma Mia dance (as seen at the end of the movie). After the show, entertainment and dancing continued with a live Cajun band called The Delta Queens. What a great evening it was. Later, some of us headed out to catch the Nasty Habits once again before calling it a night.
SATURDAY – Today I knew this would be the last full day of activities and the finale of an amazing week of fun, emotion and personal discovery. The week seemed to go by in almost a blur and the highs of the past several days were now facing down the inevitable lows associated with returning to drab in a few days time. But they were still a few days away and there was way too much fun still to be had worrying about that.
After breakfast, we headed over to our last Coffee Klatch to listen to Carma’s final words of wisdom. It became a very emotional gathering with everyone contemplating their individual experiences during this incredible week. Sharing those with each other made us realize we were indeed part of something special. My only sad moment of the week was being away from my kids on their birthday.
With that, Carma then said it was time to vote for our most inspirational newcomer who would become this year’s Harriett Stites Award winner. Esprit organizer Suzanne Adams collected the votes and went away to count them. While she was doing that, Carma reiterated the wonderful progress everyone had made this week and how we should always encourage ourselves to continue pushing that envelope. Good advice for anyone. Returning with the result, Suzanne handed it to Carma who declared the winner which was my room mate and traveling companion who was presented with a beautiful ornate butterfly as this year’s award winner. Well done sis!
After a final look through the mini-mall and clothing boutique for anything I may have missed, it was time to get ready for the Awards luncheon. With people arriving on different days, the numbers had steadily increased over the course of the week and the banquet room was packed as the Esprit organizers handed out awards to those who had help make Esprit 2009 the event it was. After lunch, Mariette Allen gave us a slide presentation similar to that I had seen earlier in the week. She was recognized for her important work in bringing these images together as part of our trans history. This would also be a quieter opportunity for photos and exchange of contact information before the fun of the gala and dancing later that evening.
After lunch, there was the wine and cheese reception and the all important Graduation for all the first timers over at the Elks Lodge. I had contemplated wearing my new wedding dress, but as another gal was wearing hers, I opted for my less ornate Spanish style polka dot dress.
Back to the room to freshen up and getting my hair done, we were on our way, accompanied by our big sisters. As we took our seats either side of the stage in readiness for our graduation appearance, Esprit organizers Suzanne and Carma called each of us up one by one, along with our respective big sisters. This was such a surreal experience for me in that it didn’t seem like it was actually happening although I’m not sure why. It was a very gratifying feeling being recognized as an Esprit graduate for the Class of 2009, as we received our beautiful blue and white butterfly pin as a symbol of us emerging from our cocoon into the real world. For me, it meant more than that. In my short speech, I recounted my early TG life when I took my first steps out from that closet and my first experience going out for the first time after dark. From those dark days of fear and angst to the sunlight of where I am today, standing in front of all my fellow sisters on this special day, it's been an amazing journey. Taking it all in, it was truly an inspirational moment!
After the graduation, it was time for some quiet reflection before the gala evening kicked off with cocktails and some live music from our voice coach/singer Lynn Skinner at the piano singing and playing some cool jazz. She was great, keeping us entertained until dinner was served. After the meal, there was a raffle and auction of various items to raise money for the Esprit scholarship fund. (This worthwhile fund set up by Esprit helps towards the registration costs for less fortunate girls who wouldn’t normally be able to afford to go. Another fine initiative!)
Afterwards, the live band, The Walrus, got us off to a lively start with some Beatles cover tunes to get the dancing underway. It was a really fun night chatting it up with all our new friends, and in some cases, saying goodbye to those who were leaving first thing in the morning.
Later that evening, I joined a few adventurous gals to catch the Nasty Habits once again out at Steeles Bar. Another quick change later and we were dancing it up with a crowded bar full of what seemed like the entire young adult population of Port Angeles.
By the time we got back to the hotel, we just had time to catch the tail end of the Slumber Party going on in the Coffee lounge. Quickly slipping into my nightie and fluffy slippers, I grabbed my teddy bear and Stef and I joined the 30 or so gals in there. Lots of great snacks and some nice stories, although it was too bad we had arrived so late. See what I mean about wanting to do everything? About a half hour later, hostess Karen Williams wrapped things up, but it was definitely a fitting end to an incredible day!
SUNDAY - When I awoke Sunday morning, I felt a quiet resignation that this wonderful week was coming to an end. It was nice to know we had made some good friends and had some wonderful experiences and memories to look back on.
The farewell brunch was a nice affair and despite there being a number of notable absences from the day before, there was a good crowd of folks there, intent on squeezing every last drop out of their week. Once brunch was over, the Esprit organizers made a few presentations including a $2500 cheque to the local hospice. Esprit President Jacqueline Allen then offered the microphone to anyone who wanted to say something or to share their experiences. A number of gals, including some familiar looking guys in drab, did so, as well as thanking the various organizers and hotel staff. After lots of hugs, some tears and plenty of last minute photos, it was time to bid goodbye to everyone for the last time.
As our ferry pulled out of Port Angeles harbour, all I could think of was how much fun we had had, and how much I was looking forward to doing it all again next year.
In closing, my thanks to all the wonderful Esprit gals who did an amazing job in putting together such a great event! It has something for everyone. To those of you who might be looking for an event your spouses or SO’s may enjoy, this is it! Esprit has one of the best SO programs out there.
Lastly, my thanks to my girlfriend Samantha who talked me into going in the first place and to all the folks I met who made this such a wonderful experience.
Stephanie
EPILOGUE - As one might expect, after eleven continuous days living as Stephanie, it took quite a while to re-adjust to drab life once again after I returned home. This was definitely a life-changing experience for me and naturally had me re-evaluating once again, where I am on my gender journey. My desire to get out more is definitely greater, but more importantly, so is my confidence. I'm not yet out to most of my family, my friends or co-workers, but this experience has me feeling more empowered to face that if/or when the time comes.
A very good read. You write extremely well, girl. Looks like you had a ball, eh?
at least when I was there too. I think I missed Tuesday as I did the Victoria High Tea trip, which left early that morning. I think I'll go to Victoria on Tuesday next year, but I'll visit the Butchart Gardens instead, as CJ suggested in the other thread. This might be the way to do it if you can't extend your trip the extra day.