I am happy to announce that I have a new tattoo.
Now, normally I wouldn't brag about getting a tattoo. I'll brag about other things, but bragging about getting a tattoo is not one of them. I don't know why? I guess I like that look of surprise on people's faces when they spot ink on my skin. For some reason people don't expect it on me. It could be that my skin is whiter than white and I tend to blend in with most walls around me.......hence the red lipstick. So people don't assume such a fair and delicate flower like me would have "scribbles" on her body.
Just the other day I was chatting with a guy who suddenly grabbed my arm and said "You have a tattoo??". It was flattering to see how much he liked it. Of course he asked if I had more, which I do.....but I wasn't prepared to show him just then. I'm a LADY for heaven's sake ;)
So back to the tattoo. This was not a brand new tattoo but rather a cover-up. I finally covered up my ex-husband's name.
For the past year and a half, I have been bombarded with people grabbing my arm and pointing to my wrist, saying "When are you covering this shit up??"
I'd laugh....as I always do....and answer, "I will. But it needs to be the right time and the right tattoo".
I'll never forget the first time my cousin saw my tattoo.
"You know that's the kiss of death right??" she said in her very low, sarcastic voice, while sipping a Vodka martini. "What are you gonna do when you guys break up?"
I laughed. We were NEVER gonna break up.
Aaaaaaaand here we are. 12 years later. We broke up.
Anyway, so for the past year, almost every night before bed, I'd go through hundreds and hundreds of pictures, trying to find the perfect replacement for what I once thought was the perfect tattoo. Some of the tattoos were beautiful. Small, dainty..... very tasteful. And then some of them were just God-awful. Skulls, knives, blood......those ones almost had me puking one night. And then others were just boring and predictable.
But even the small pretty ones weren't what I was looking for. I didn't want to slap a flower or koi fish on my wrist......because I would always remember what was underneath. It needed to be a tattoo that would completely erase what was there before.
On my last birthday, my BFF handed me a card. Inside the card was a message from her, "When you're ready.....", along with a business card from a local tattoo shop. I looked at her with a pout. I knew it was time.
I had an idea of what I wanted, so one afternoon, I went to the tattoo parlour by myself. No pictures in my hand, no google images, just me and my disfigured wrist.
A cute, young guy covered head to toe with tattoos and spacers in his ears asked me how he could help. I explained my tattoo and gave him an idea of what I wanted to do with it. He asked if he could sketch with a pen directly on my wrist? I was very excited at the prospect of this big change, so I said yes. Away he went.....sketching, drawing and modifying.
He stopped sketching to ask me a question "You wanna do this now? I have time...."
"Ummmm....." I was nervous. Should I do it? Was I finally ready?
I called my BFF for advice.
"Babe!!! Yes!!! You NEED to do this! I'm working around the corner, I'll be there in 5! Wait for me!"
Within 10 minutes, we were sitting in the cute tattoo guy's room. He held the gun in his hand and looked at me.
"You ready?"
I looked at him and smiled. Then I looked at my BFF. She smiled and grabbed my other hand for support.
You'd think that at this very poignant and beautiful moment in my life, that there would be some beautiful and inspiring music playing in the background. But no.....we were doing this all with the inspiring yelling and screaming of MegaDeath blaring through the speakers.
"I'M SOOOO PROUD OF YOU BABE!!" my BFF yelled over the drum solo.
"WHAT?????" I yelled back.
"WHAT THE F IS WITH THIS MUSIC??? IT'S UNHEALTHY!!! IT DOES SOMETHING TO ME. THIS CRAP IS GETTING INTO MY SOUL!!!"
"WHAT???????"
After 20 mins of sheer pain (I totally forgot how Goddam painful it is to get a tattoo), and the most horrific, blood-curdling music ever, the product was finally complete!
I looked down and just smiled. It was perfect.
My tattoo artist had miraculously managed to change my ex's name to the initials L + M.
A beautiful little tribute to the 2 angels that I live for everyday, my gorgeous little girls, Lola and Molly. And it is also a beautiful coincidence that my sister and I share the same initials as well :)
I sighed a huge breath of relief. It was done. Over. Finally!
Something that had been bugging me and haunting for so long had finally been put to rest.
A previous tattoo that held such bittersweet memories for me for the past year, had now suddenly been transformed to a tattoo that held a whole new beautiful future. A future that I could embark on with my 2 little buddies.
I couldn't have been happier!
But what I was probably most excited about.......was being able to FINALLY wear short sleeves again :)
Now, normally I wouldn't brag about getting a tattoo. I'll brag about other things, but bragging about getting a tattoo is not one of them. I don't know why? I guess I like that look of surprise on people's faces when they spot ink on my skin. For some reason people don't expect it on me. It could be that my skin is whiter than white and I tend to blend in with most walls around me.......hence the red lipstick. So people don't assume such a fair and delicate flower like me would have "scribbles" on her body.
Just the other day I was chatting with a guy who suddenly grabbed my arm and said "You have a tattoo??". It was flattering to see how much he liked it. Of course he asked if I had more, which I do.....but I wasn't prepared to show him just then. I'm a LADY for heaven's sake ;)
So back to the tattoo. This was not a brand new tattoo but rather a cover-up. I finally covered up my ex-husband's name.
For the past year and a half, I have been bombarded with people grabbing my arm and pointing to my wrist, saying "When are you covering this shit up??"
I'd laugh....as I always do....and answer, "I will. But it needs to be the right time and the right tattoo".
I'll never forget the first time my cousin saw my tattoo.
"You know that's the kiss of death right??" she said in her very low, sarcastic voice, while sipping a Vodka martini. "What are you gonna do when you guys break up?"
I laughed. We were NEVER gonna break up.
Aaaaaaaand here we are. 12 years later. We broke up.
Anyway, so for the past year, almost every night before bed, I'd go through hundreds and hundreds of pictures, trying to find the perfect replacement for what I once thought was the perfect tattoo. Some of the tattoos were beautiful. Small, dainty..... very tasteful. And then some of them were just God-awful. Skulls, knives, blood......those ones almost had me puking one night. And then others were just boring and predictable.
But even the small pretty ones weren't what I was looking for. I didn't want to slap a flower or koi fish on my wrist......because I would always remember what was underneath. It needed to be a tattoo that would completely erase what was there before.
On my last birthday, my BFF handed me a card. Inside the card was a message from her, "When you're ready.....", along with a business card from a local tattoo shop. I looked at her with a pout. I knew it was time.
I had an idea of what I wanted, so one afternoon, I went to the tattoo parlour by myself. No pictures in my hand, no google images, just me and my disfigured wrist.
A cute, young guy covered head to toe with tattoos and spacers in his ears asked me how he could help. I explained my tattoo and gave him an idea of what I wanted to do with it. He asked if he could sketch with a pen directly on my wrist? I was very excited at the prospect of this big change, so I said yes. Away he went.....sketching, drawing and modifying.
He stopped sketching to ask me a question "You wanna do this now? I have time...."
"Ummmm....." I was nervous. Should I do it? Was I finally ready?
I called my BFF for advice.
"Babe!!! Yes!!! You NEED to do this! I'm working around the corner, I'll be there in 5! Wait for me!"
Within 10 minutes, we were sitting in the cute tattoo guy's room. He held the gun in his hand and looked at me.
"You ready?"
I looked at him and smiled. Then I looked at my BFF. She smiled and grabbed my other hand for support.
You'd think that at this very poignant and beautiful moment in my life, that there would be some beautiful and inspiring music playing in the background. But no.....we were doing this all with the inspiring yelling and screaming of MegaDeath blaring through the speakers.
"I'M SOOOO PROUD OF YOU BABE!!" my BFF yelled over the drum solo.
"WHAT?????" I yelled back.
"WHAT THE F IS WITH THIS MUSIC??? IT'S UNHEALTHY!!! IT DOES SOMETHING TO ME. THIS CRAP IS GETTING INTO MY SOUL!!!"
"WHAT???????"
After 20 mins of sheer pain (I totally forgot how Goddam painful it is to get a tattoo), and the most horrific, blood-curdling music ever, the product was finally complete!
I looked down and just smiled. It was perfect.
My tattoo artist had miraculously managed to change my ex's name to the initials L + M.
A beautiful little tribute to the 2 angels that I live for everyday, my gorgeous little girls, Lola and Molly. And it is also a beautiful coincidence that my sister and I share the same initials as well :)
I sighed a huge breath of relief. It was done. Over. Finally!
Something that had been bugging me and haunting for so long had finally been put to rest.
A previous tattoo that held such bittersweet memories for me for the past year, had now suddenly been transformed to a tattoo that held a whole new beautiful future. A future that I could embark on with my 2 little buddies.
I couldn't have been happier!
But what I was probably most excited about.......was being able to FINALLY wear short sleeves again :)
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