April 26th 2002.
A date that I will never forget. This was the day that I first met the wonderful Jodie Lynn. It was my first trip to the Boudoir, and a revelation to me in many ways.

Before I start telling you what happened you should know that I am a shy girl. In fact if shyness was a kingdom, I'd be its' queen! It is only in the last couple of years, and my discovery of the internet, that I have come into contact with other transgendered girls, and made some truly wonderful friends. Of course I have also met some truly weird people, but that is a completely different story.

It is through knowing these friends, and by joining selected mailing lists, and more specifically the UK Angels, that I learnt of the Boudoir. I had always been astonished at the makeovers that Jodie had performed. The girls on her site are so pretty, and I dreamt of being half as feminine and pretty as them. However little miss shy (that's me by the way) was convinced that this was impossible. I would go there and would be laughed at, or look like Brian Blessed in a frock.

So it was sometime before I had the courage to phone the Boudoir. After gentle encouragement from some good friends (you know who you are) I eventually phoned Jodie during a lunch hour at work. Well, maybe it wasn't that simple. Several times I picked up the phone, only to hurriedly put it down before it could be answered. Those nerves just kept getting in the way! However there came a point when I couldn't stand being trapped anymore. I know that it sounds like a cliché, but that is the only way that I can express it. I had to see if there was any way that I could escape. So it was a choice. Let the situation stay as it was, and become increasingly miserable and depressed, or take a chance. It should come as no surprise that I took option B.

Anyways I digress. Eventually I made an appointment. I remember physically shaking after I made that phone call. Sounds silly doesn't it? But to me it was a big step. The day before the appointment I needed to phone to confirm that I was going to turn up. I left it until very late in the evening, and I don't know what Jodie must have thought when I eventually did ring. Nevertheless ring I did, and after being given instructions on how to get to the Boudoir's location I was all prepared for my trip.

My appointment was for midday, and I was travelling by train from my home city. Of course I had to make sure that there was enough time to get there. As every girl does I made sure that I made allowances for delays to my journey. You know the usual things, volcanoes, earthquakes, alien invasions. So there I was getting the train at 7.30 am. I had no idea how long it would take to get to the Boudoir from the station, and didn't want to take any chances. Of course I left far too much time, and was there far too early. This was bad, as it gave me plenty of time to start to wander about outside, and consider turning around and going back home. I must have walked for over an hour before I eventually (and I don't know how I managed it) got to the Boudoir.

From the outside it looked like an empty shop. What a clever disguise I thought. No one will know what I am really here for. I knocked on the door. No reply. Odd I thought. Tried the door. It was locked securely. There was a number on the outside. Nervously I rang it. No reply. Maybe I should just go home. Still I rang the Boudoir's number on my mobile. Jodie answered. "Eek!" I thought to myself, "There's no going back now." Okay, so why was the door locked, and no one answered it when I knocked? You want to talk embarrassment? I was outside the wrong shop!!!!

Okay okay, stop laughing will you?! I walked across the street and opened the door to the Boudoir. There was this tall (well at least from my perspective!), thin, and very beautiful girl Miss Jodie Lynn. After having a very nice cup of tea, Jodie sat me down in the chair and started to perform her magic. I left everything up to her. So she decided to go for a glamorous look. I won't go into description of how she did all this, but the whole experience of being pampered was so relaxing. I chose a short little dress, and Jodie did my hair (with my eyes closed, so the final look would be a surprise).

Eventually Jodie told me to open my eyes and look in the mirror. Now this where words fail me. I don't know how other girls feel about their situation, and about how they feel about their female side of themselves, but one of the things that I constantly experience is looking in the mirror and not recognising the person that I see. I know that this may sound overtly dramatic, but this is genuinely how I feel. So do you know how it felt to look in the mirror and recognise one's self after years of not doing that? I really can't find the words to describe what it meant to me. It was just such a deep and profound moment.

The whole experience was so wonderful. The thing that struck me was how natural it felt. Again I can't really find the words to describe what it meant to me, but I never wanted it to end. I felt free, and happy. I felt like me. I really hated it when I had to change back

The rest of the appointment was spent chatting away to Jodie about a great many things. I won't go into what we spoke about, as some of it was very personal, but it was a wonderful, wonderful time. Jodie treated me as a friend. There was no judgement, no snickering. She just treated me as a completely normal girl. I am sure that this wasn't because I was so wonderful. She is like this to all her clients. So for those of you who are nervous about going don't be. You will have the time of your life. There are so many things about the whole Boudoir experience that are wonderful, the makeup, the clothes, but most of all it must be Jodie.

The photos of my first visit are in the gallery on the site. Let me know what you think. One interesting little fact is that the dress I was wearing turned out to be one that was donated by Siobhan Redmond after she went to fulltime transition. I had exchanged several emails with this lovely lady, and there I was wearing one of her dresses! What I didn't know then was that on my next visit to the Boudoir I would actually meet her…….

April 26th 2002

June 21st 2003