Magnolia Ball Memories

-
In the initial discussions for the 2010 Carolinas Gender Odyssey, it was pretty quickly decided that the Saturday night formal event should include the return of the Magnolia Ball. For those that do not remember, the Magnolia Ball was held each May (usually in Charlotte) up until 2001. For many years in the 90's, it was the premier spring event in the Carolinas. I must admit that a smile and a tear came to my eye when we decided to include the Magnolia Ball in the inaugural CGO.

My first Magnolia Ball was in 1998 at the old Valentino's on Independence Blvd.I had bought a royal blue prom dress at a Goodwill store in Wilkesboro. It was a few years The dress became very special as I had always wanted to be the girl at the prom. Putting on that dress, seeing myself in the mirror, getting help with my makeup were all quite emotional. I even was a back-up lip-syncer in one of the acts. The late Dyana Lee Radke complimented us on our timing with the twirls.

I have been fortunate enough to go well beyond my original goals and dreams. However every time I put on a formal dress, I think back to that first dress and my first Magnolia Ball. It is a symbol of dreams coming true and more to come.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Step Forward Into the Past

-
Image
Update (March 29, 2009): I generally do not accept overly negative or anonymous comments. However I thought some of my readers may find the opposing viewpoint interesting. I will have a response of sorts to post soon. Oh, the name is Stephanie Marie :) Yesterday (March 21), I attended my first reenactment in female costume at the Battle of Bentonville . It was an experience to say the least. I knew it would be an education stepping out as a transgender woman into a mainstream and somewhat conservative environment. I was shown much kindness particularly by my fellow reenactors. Many of the site visitors weren’t quite sure how to approach me. However the staff was completely supportive of me and helped in so many ways. Much like my first Ghost Walk at Latta Plantation , I will learn from where I am lacking. I spent Friday night at a hotel in Smithfield, NC. Still needing some passable boots for a Civil War era civilian woman, I ventured to the outdoor outlet mall. Most of my outings ove
Read more

Imperfections

-
Image
As a transgender woman, I see imperfections in myself everyday. My photos often reflect those less than ideal looks and my insecurities concerning them. Over the years, I have become more comfortable in my own skin, and my photos show that. As my last short story alluded to, I still feel like a teenage girl sometimes. I am slowly growing out of that phase. However many of my girlfriends tell me the insecurities never go away. You just learn to deal with them better. The above photo represents many things to me. If you had shown this photo to me five years ago, I would have said that is impossible. Out in the open, my natural hair, a feminine dress... the look is so much of what I've been working towards in my presentation. Add what I know today with my love of contra dancing and twirly skirts, it should be a winner. It is after all me in my favorite dance dress taken in a beautiful setting off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock. It was the cap to a wonderful Easter week
Read more

She Found

-
 A young girl celebrated her 11th birthday by opening her closet door to peek outside. Her closet had grown considerably in her life, but she desperately wanted to see what was outside. She had heard and seen many things about the world outside. Her closet was a safe place and had many pretty outfits. The young girl would dress up and put on her make-up. It was fun, but it was time for something more. She put on her prettiest dress, fixed her hair, and stepped outside. This is what she found. She found that those in the world had a difficult time understanding her. She looked and spoke differently than the other girls. Everyone would tell her that she was a boy. "But I am a girl!" she exclaimed. People looked at her in a funny way. Most people, that is. Some were kind to her. One lady even said she looked pretty in her dress. On her next adventure outside the closet, the young girl happened upon a building with a loud wooden floor. People gathered around a lady wit
Read more