The reason I finally went for it? Well I think there are two triggers.
First of all, Liz started talking about getting a tattoo. She got her ears pierced before me and I didn't want her to get a tattoo before me, given the fact that I've been thinking about it for so long. So she (unknowingly) lit the fire.
Secondly, and I came up with this yesterday as I was thinking of hashtags for my Instagram post of my tattoo, I've decided 2016 is going to be "My year of me". That sounds so corny (and I didn't use it as a hasthag) but it is the truth. In January, I ended up at the hospital ED thinking I had an appendicitis (I didn't). In February, a 16-year-old backed into my car and crushed my passenger side door. In March, my dad passed out at work and also ended up at the ED (he's fine, they think it was an allergic reaction). I've had 3 instances in the past 3 months that made me think about life and what I'm doing with it. So in April, I've let loose a bit and had a little unexpected fun and finally got the tattoo I've been thinking about for ages.
This is the design I brought to my tattoo artist (whom I picked from a shop that I found from reviews on Yelp).
The meaning? You should know about my love for birds of prey. Bald eagles fascinate me and whenever I see a hawk, I think about my Poppa (grandpa on my mom's side). I don't know how that started but I really feel like whenever a hawk is around, I feel his presence. The cloud reminds me of the time I went skydiving (again, after years of thinking about it) and fell through a cloud. So the meaning of the tattoo is to remind me to take chances and risks and be adventurous and strong. It is how I intend to continue living my life.
This picture was taken right after Jacoba finished tattooing my leg yesterday. It is on the back of my left calf.
She told me 3 months ago at my consultation to make sure and moisturize leading up to the big day, to hydrate and eat protein before coming. Luckily, I recently started Herbalife where all I do is drink water and eat protein! Jacoba (and another artist at the shop) were really impressed by my awesome skin (perfect for tattoos, they said) so that was pleasing to hear. At my consultation when I showed her the inspiration for my tattoo she was really excited about it and asked if she could make it more abstract or add color. I told her to go for it as that's what I liked about her portfolio.
Tattoos hurt. Not necessarily as much as I once thought. I read online this weekend that it would feel like an electric cat scratch and that was such a good baseline for what I was going to feel considering how my cats scratch me all the time. It was like an electric cat scratch but worse in parts. Also getting the color added at the end hurt the most but I'm not sure if it was because of a different needle or if it was just because my leg was tired. But I managed to sit still, didn't cry once and didn't throw up. Yay for mindful breathing.
I could not be happier with how this turned out. It is my first tattoo and not my last after the wonderful experience I had yesterday. The shop is clean and fun (it is called Jackalope Tattoo so there are jackalopes in the waiting area and paintings of unicorns and dinosaurs). They were playing the latest Cake album (who I saw in concert almost exactly 9 years ago which just added to my knowing I was at exactly the right place) and other awesome music that put me at ease. The shop is also run and staffed by only female tattoo artists which is why I was originally interested in it (girl power and all). Seriously, it could not have been a better experience.
So now I have ink on my leg. It is swollen today and hurts a little only because I've been sitting all day and need to get up and move more. I got it yesterday evening and it was wrapped until this morning- Jacoba told me it would be gross this morning when I unwrapped it to take a shower but it wasn't (Liz was disappointed in the lack of grossness- she told me to send her a picture). All in all, I'm happy and amazed that I finally did it and know what I'm doing next (much smaller but potentially in a place that hurts more). Of course I can't work out for 2 weeks now (right when I'm starting a weight loss challenge and I'm in the middle of a training program with a student at St. Kate's- my bad) but I'd rather not workout for 2 weeks than contract some horrible disease from all the gross crap that lives at the gym. I'll try and do arms for the next 2 weeks...
Seriously though, how badass is this? I was on such a high yesterday after leaving. I told Liz I was invincible and I honestly felt like it. Now I understand how people end up with more than 1 tattoo. I'm feeling very accomplished like I can take on the world and that's exactly what I needed after the past few months of weirdness.
