Inked
On Thursday afternoon I got a tattoo:
I'm sure I've posted about it before (I never remember what I post about and am too lazy to reread previous posts), but I finally went and did it and I think it's gorgeous. I had been thinking about getting one for a few months and decided on the cherry blossoms because they have a lot of personal significance. Growing up in the DC area, I have seen them bloom every year. The street to my elementary school is lined with them and all you can see when driving down is a canopy of pink in the spring. I went through my very intense first love and first incredibly painful breakup, which I'm still struggling with a tiny bit but am mostly recovered from, and as a direct result of that, I decided to do something big for myself and go on a trip to Japan. My timing was perfect and the country was at its most picturesque, covered in blossoming cherry trees. The trip was incredible and this year I have really come to identify with the Japanese significance of the cherry blossoms: they represent the transience of life, beautiful while they last but only there for a short time. I lost my great-grandma in January 2007, my uncle in July, and my grandma this past February. I learned that a friend of mine, a wonderful, intelligent, caring and beautiful person, was fighting against an intense cancer. About 2 weeks ago she lost her battle, leaving behind her husband of two and a half years and her infant son Matthew, a true miracle child who survived being born 4 months early and who is now home, healthy and thriving. The day I learned of her passing, I went home incredibly upset and finally made the phone call to the tattoo shop I had settled upon to do my tattoo. I had done my research online, found an idea I loved and an artist whose work was incredible and exactly what I was looking for. The following Friday I had my consult, and even though it is usually an 8-week wait to get her to do the tattoo, she had a cancellation for the following week. Two weeks to the day that Jess died, I got my tattoo. It came out better than I imagined: elegant, colorful and beautiful. I requested that she add in a ladybug since when I was in 4th grade I thought that if I got a tattoo I'd get a ladybug on my ankle, so I had her incorporate the ladybug in this one and it's my favorite part. I had brought in a picture of a cherry blossom branch that I had found and a picture of one of the tattoos Susan had done and let her do her professional artist thing and come up with a design. The main parts I wanted were the cherry blossoms, a few falling petals and the ladybug, and she did a beautiful job. I'm extremely happy with it. My dad looks at it like he's afraid of it, but I love it. And that's what matters.
I'm sure I've posted about it before (I never remember what I post about and am too lazy to reread previous posts), but I finally went and did it and I think it's gorgeous. I had been thinking about getting one for a few months and decided on the cherry blossoms because they have a lot of personal significance. Growing up in the DC area, I have seen them bloom every year. The street to my elementary school is lined with them and all you can see when driving down is a canopy of pink in the spring. I went through my very intense first love and first incredibly painful breakup, which I'm still struggling with a tiny bit but am mostly recovered from, and as a direct result of that, I decided to do something big for myself and go on a trip to Japan. My timing was perfect and the country was at its most picturesque, covered in blossoming cherry trees. The trip was incredible and this year I have really come to identify with the Japanese significance of the cherry blossoms: they represent the transience of life, beautiful while they last but only there for a short time. I lost my great-grandma in January 2007, my uncle in July, and my grandma this past February. I learned that a friend of mine, a wonderful, intelligent, caring and beautiful person, was fighting against an intense cancer. About 2 weeks ago she lost her battle, leaving behind her husband of two and a half years and her infant son Matthew, a true miracle child who survived being born 4 months early and who is now home, healthy and thriving. The day I learned of her passing, I went home incredibly upset and finally made the phone call to the tattoo shop I had settled upon to do my tattoo. I had done my research online, found an idea I loved and an artist whose work was incredible and exactly what I was looking for. The following Friday I had my consult, and even though it is usually an 8-week wait to get her to do the tattoo, she had a cancellation for the following week. Two weeks to the day that Jess died, I got my tattoo. It came out better than I imagined: elegant, colorful and beautiful. I requested that she add in a ladybug since when I was in 4th grade I thought that if I got a tattoo I'd get a ladybug on my ankle, so I had her incorporate the ladybug in this one and it's my favorite part. I had brought in a picture of a cherry blossom branch that I had found and a picture of one of the tattoos Susan had done and let her do her professional artist thing and come up with a design. The main parts I wanted were the cherry blossoms, a few falling petals and the ladybug, and she did a beautiful job. I'm extremely happy with it. My dad looks at it like he's afraid of it, but I love it. And that's what matters.