my tattoos.

I have always had a....strong liking to tattoos. When I was younger my grandmother would tell me they were tacky and to never get one, I would agree with her but in my own little mind I thought they were so bad ass. I kind of always wanted a tattoo. I kind of always wanted a lot of tattoos. No, not covered from eyebrows to toes, but maybe{definitely} a sleeve, and some other pieces here and there. Yes, I have meaning behind most of my tattoos you wanna hear?

Let me start by saying I have five. I know, its not that many! Two of these five are not, and will not be pictured. To follow that statement, lets say... at 14 & 16 I made stupid choices. Didn't we all? I'll tell you about them though!

1. When I was about 14 years old, almost 15 I was a freshman in high school, and I had this best friend named Bella. She probably wasn't the best influence on me, but I didn't let my parents know that. {I wish I knew then what I know now}. Well I spent almost every weekend at her house because we could sneak out all the time. Well we were sitting in her bedroom bored and couldn't think of anything to do when I got a text from my friend Anthony saying he was going to a friends house to get tattooed.{house and tattoo shouldn't be in the same sentence}. It was about midnight when I got the text, and he said he would come pick us up if we wanted to go. Needless to say, we went. When we got there his friend asked us if we wanted one as well. Of course we did. Bella got this huge thing on her back. It was a huge mixture of stars, swirls, and lines, she hates it now. And I got this little bitty swirly thing with like 3 tiny stars very low on my hip. The lines are pretty thick. It's not ugly, but it's not my favorite. I have considered getting it covered, but 1. Its in a very awkward place & 2. I kinda like it, being a reminder of how bad ass I was at 14, right?

2. Tattoo number two also took place in some guys house. This tattoo I will be getting covered for sure. In small thick cursive it says "If you knew better, you'd do better". Not even sure what I was thinking on this one... It's embarrassing. Again, it's not totally ugly, its just a stupid phrase. It wraps around my left side, so it will be easy for me to find something to cover it up with.

3.  Tattoo number 3 is my absolute favorite. It was a my 18th birthday present from mom & dad. They weren't happy that I was getting a tattoo, but that's all that I wanted. {the picture does my beautiful shoulder piece no justice at all}. It's a beautiful mix of roses and lilys, with my grandmothers name. I am so close to my grandma and when I was younger, and sometimes now I still, would have this dream where her and I would be walking through this huge garden of roses and lilys. The flowers grew on bushes and vines that were  much taller than us. They were beautiful and colorful. The garden was behind a gorgeous iron gate. I really wanted to get a tattoo that represents this dream of us, and something that honors this woman that has always been such a huge part of my life. 

4. I got this tattoo on my foot after something significant happened in my life. It says "Relentless". Nothing will make me give up, nothing can knock me down, and I wont stop until I get what I want, or where I want to be. I also think that if someone were to describe me, they would definitely say that I am a pretty relentless person. I don't give up & I like it that way.

-Just FYI the foot was the worse.

 

5. I got this tattoo last January the same day my Husband got his first tattoo. It was my Christmas present to us I guess.  It's the popular feather with birds flying out the end. I saw this tattoo as a drawing a long time ago, and I didn't think much of it, other than it was pretty. Then when I was thinking about what I wanted my next tattoo to be and what I wanted it to mean, I decided I wanted something girly, something earthy, and something to represent me letting go of my struggles. I have put my life into Gods hands. I believe that he was the one who led me to my awesome husband, and he was the one the guided me out of all my regrets and hard times. God is the one who keeps my family and I healthy, he watched over my husband when he got into his accident. I'd like to say that I am free, and whenever I do not feel free or I am stressed I know that sooner or later the stress will be lifted away. Explaining this to my husband he showed me the same drawing I had seen years earlier. My feather is unique, it looks more like a braid, and I really like that. I also placed it in a really odd position and place on my body, which I have never seen before. So although it may look like someone else's tattoo{and that's okay with me} its still different.

Do I love my tattoos? Most of them! Will I get more? Absolutely! Did they hurt? Not as bad as I thought, as I said above the foot was the worst {although I did pass out when I got my feather done}. If you have never gotten a tattoo, then I can promise the pain of a tattoo is much different than what your expecting! Do I think I am a cliche of today's generation? Probably, but hey.. I like what I like and I like tattoos. Do I think tattoos are truly addicting? Nope. My mom got one tattoo on her foot and that was it for her. I want and like tattoos because they are a piece of art that is all mine, and because I feel sexier because of them. Do I judge people who don't have tattoos? Of course not! I understand that it's not for a lot of people! I don't expect everyone to want to cover their beautiful skin with permanent ink! 

Lastly, I have psoriasis. I have known and lived with scars for my entire life. I never saw my body or skin as pure and beautiful until I got tattoos. I always felt ashamed and looked down upon because of the scars and rashes that psoriasis caused, but as I got older I realized its another story for people to be interested in. They aren't always judging. Now they are interested in the ink on my chest and back. They look at my foot before they see the scars on my shins. Its my confidence.