Tattoos

I think there's still a stigma associated with tattoos today. Once my mom found out I had tattoos she told me I was a disappointment, and no, I'm not kidding! At that time I only had two, and they were both hidden. The next one I got was one on my foot, which is easily hidden as well but once I started getting them on my arms I started to worry that people would notice my tattoos and judge before even knowing what they mean to me.

After explaining to my mom what my tattoos mean to me, she actually told me that she really liked the owl I got and is now considering getting one herself. For those who don't know her, it's kinda a big deal. She went from calling me a biker chick to now wanting to join the dark side!

One thing I struggle with is what the Bible says about tattoos. I think a lot of what the Bible says is up for interpretation and to prove my point, just look at how the different religions interpret the same story. I think this article really explained a lot to me and how I view my choice to get a tattoo.

Tattoo #1 - location - hip: For my first tattoo I just walked in and picked out something on the wall. A butterfly, and while it's just a plain black tattoo and not really all that fancy it now represents a time in my life when I was free. While I didn't give this tattoo as much though as the ones to follow I don't regret getting it. It still has meaning, and a memory tied to it.

Tattoo #2 - location - hip: A safety pin. I think this is the hardest for people to understand, and that's A-OK with me. However, since you can't see it I rarely ever have to explain myself on this one. I got this tattoo when things weren't very pretty in my life. To me, it's a constant reminder that I can hold myself together. All by myself. I don't need to rely on anyone else to make my life enjoyable, I do that all on my own. With my attitude and outlook on life I can always find something positive.

Tattoo #3 - location - foot:

You can't really see it very well but it's the best picture I have :(

I'm really not a fan of names/dates tattooed on me (and I must admit, on anyone else either :blush:), so coming up with a way to represent significant people in my life is sometimes challenging. One night, while Pat was in college I had him just start doodling on my stomach (which was much flatter back then LOL). He came up with this design that almost looks like crop circles, and we put his brand in the middle.

Tattoo #4 - location - wrist:

My penguin I got for Pat the Christmas before we got married. He also got the word 'penguin' tattooed underneath his wedding ring. The meaning here is pretty simple, penguins mate for life, we are each other's penguins and will be together forever :)

Tattoo #5 - location - forearm:

This tattoo is for Kimber. Once we started a night-time routine I would stick to it. We'd get ready for bed, have a bottle and then I'd rock her to sleep. Most nights we were rocking for 4-ish hours and I was only finally able to put her in bed around midnight. Thus, I started calling her my little night owl and since she's a little girl I got the feathers filled in with pink.

Tattoo #6 (coming soon): I'm getting the phrase 'you were born to be loved' tattooed in the below font:

I think I will be getting it on my other forearm because I am so in love with the font and the words, I kind of want them bigger. This tattoo will have a lot of meaning to me. It's a constant reminder to me, and really applies to everyone. I don't know why I find that phrase so meaningful but I do. To me, it has a huge impact and in a world where kids often get depressed/bullied/eating disorders etc I want to remind my children of this everyday. I love them, Pat loves them, and one day they will have a spouse that loves them too. We seriously were all born to be loved, we go out and look for it and spend the rest of our lives loving other people.

Even though I worry that some people may judge me for my tattoos it will never prevent me from getting more. Bottom line, my tattoos are for me and no one else. They all signify something important to me, or a time in my life and if someone were to judge me before even knowing what they mean then that makes me feel kind of sorry for them. I know they won't look great when I'm all old and wrinkly, but it doesn't really bother me. They represent my life, and I love being able to express certain moments or honor certain people through them.