Tattoos

I have four tattoos, and I'm going to take this little moment in time to talk about them.

#1 * January 2002 (age 19). My then-friend and I went to Artrageous Ink in Green Bay to price a tattoo that I had designed. It's simple, 2-D, a plain cross with a crown of thorns wrapped around the juncture and a heart bisecting one of the long lines on the bottom portion. Just a simple black outline. I just wanted a price, but when the guy said, "I can do it right now for $50," and my friend chimed in that I should just do it, I bowed to the pressure. While I maybe wish I would have thought more and made the decision for myself, I don't regret it. This tattoo is on the top of my left foot, off to the left side, at a bit of a diagonal.

#2 * November 2004 (age 21). With four friends, I went to Tats by Zapp in Stillwater, MN. Another friend wanted a tattoo as well, a dolphin on her lower back. We didn't have an appointment, but since there were so many of us who had gone, we waited about four hours for a walk-in appointment. I wanted two pink stars on my right hand just below my thumb. I didn't want an outline at all; this tattoo was for me only. At first, the girl who was supposed to do mine said she wouldn't tattoo my hand. So instead of getting inked at the same time as my friend, I had to wait until her guy was done with her dolphin. He then kept the shop open late to do my tattoo since I'd been waiting so long. He explained that what I wanted needed the black outline, then he, the cute guy receptionist, and I talked through the whole process. Holding my hand still for that was really hard. I think this was my most painful experience with tattooing, but also ended up is my favorite end-product (though it could use a bit of touching up). The star closer to my thumb is just a little bit bigger than the other, and they are lined up off-kilter.

#3 * September 2005 (age 22). Shortly after #2, I decided that I wanted a tattoo of a word in English. I'd been thinking about a word in French for awhile, even though I don't speak the language, b/c I was supposed to spend a semester in France my senior year with a friend. The semester abroad fell through (which I don't regret), but the tattoo of a word stayed with me. I wanted to pick a word that really meant something to me but would also make a pretty picture above the arch of my right foot. So I took a friend along to Jaded Angel in Ames, and a guy with a handgun tattooed on each of his thighs tattooed the word "faithful" in black on on my foot. This one I wish I would have given some more thought to, but only because I want "believe" and "write" tattoos now as well. It would have been nice to coordinate them or something. Funny story about this tattoo: the artist, when I showed him what I wanted said "this is a really good first tattoo." I said, "what about third? Is it a really good third tattoo?"

#4 * August 2007 (age 24). I took a greeting card I got at Target to Jaded Angel in Ames, after collecting pictures and pictures of dandelions over the majority of the summer. I wanted a dandelion that you can blow the fluff from, with some wind and glitter floating away from the flower. What I got if perfect. The flower is purple and yellow and the fluff is bursts of color across the back of my left shoulder. I asked for a couple of hearts in with the rest of the fluff and a small "h" too. The artist decided on three tiny, bright red hearts (which I have decided are for my brother, sister, and me); and the "h" is in memory of my grandma.

#5 * soon soon soon, I hope! I had planned to get number five next week, but those plans have fallen through. I am going to eventually get this tattoo, though, so I'll include it. I found a really cool design of a shamrock (my mom's family is Irish) that makes really pronounced hearts out of each of the leaves. I want to get it on my abdomen, just below my breasts. Something along the lines of having good luck at my center. I want to go to Titletown Ink in Green Bay for it; but mostly because theirs is the only ad I found that offers the option of complete privacy. This tattoo is going to be almost exclusively for my eyes only b/c of its placement.

Other tattoos I want: something to do with writing (I have a cool little picture of two figures standing on a open book, jumping for the stars), something small to fit on the space on my neck behind my left ear, maybe the word R.A.D. as previously discussed with a certain friend?!

So long story short: tattoos are great. Run out and get some and take me with!