Also a Newbie
I received my CCW last month here in Texas. I had read a lot on this forum and talked to other people who carry, and they all said the same thing: no one is watching. I remember when I first started carrying a wallet (with my junior high school ID and nothing else) - it felt like a ton in my back pocket! Then I remember starting to carry a pocket knife - I must be a redneck or something! And when I started carrying a key chain, man, I wondered how anyone did it all the time! But we all get used to it, and now I feel strange without my keys, knife, and wallet!
The first time I carried my pistol was to Wal-Mart, and I felt like everyone knew what I was doing. And I was carrying a Sig Pro 2340, a 4" gun, so it felt like a ton of bricks. But I carried IWB at 5 o'clock, and no one said anything. Since then, I have carried my .40 a lot of places, including eating out at several places. I am 6'-2" and 165 lbs., so most of my clothes fit pretty loose anyway. I usually wear 32" waist blue jeans with a pair of slick basketball shorts underneath. I tuck a t-shirt into the shorts, which keeps the t-shirt down around my waist. Then I tuck the gun and holster between my jeans and the shorts and t-shirt. Today I wore the .40 for nearly 8 hours, including going to Sams, eating with my family at Wendy's, and playing chase with my 4 year old daughter through a playground in a park! That included driving for nearly two hours as we ran errands. I really think the shorts/t-shirt combo really makes a difference in comfort.
But there are times that I cannot wear jeans or carry a large pistol. For those times, I carry my Kel-Tec P-3AT in a pocket holster. Three weeks ago I carried it in a suit pocket to a funeral (the funeral was 50 miles away). Then I tried carrying it while leading our Wednesday night Bible study. No one said a thing. Then a couple of weeks ago I carried it in my front pocket while I preached! I am a preacher of a small church and decided to see if anyone would notice. No one noticed a thing! A lady in the church received a new Colt Mustang .380 from her husband for Christmas, and she was carrying it and no one noticed. Her husband sometimes carries his .45 Colt under his vest.
At first I felt like I was wearing a sign - "I am Packing!" But I stuck it out (for me, about three weeks) and now it is getting pretty easy. Find a system that works, and trust that no one will notice. But don't quit and leave your gun at home! Stick to it and it really will begin to feel like carrying your wallet, keys, or pocket knife.
Jim