It was REALLY quiet in my house all weekend. I left work a bit early on Friday to get an oil change and stop at the grocery store. I made it home around the same time I would've had I left work like normal, but at least I got a few errands done. Saturday was a little more difficult. I rolled out of bed once Samson no longer would keep quite and we went for our morning walk. I waited around doing a bit of cleaning and organizing until noon, when I ventured out to get my pool pass and spend some time in the sun. I lasted two hours before the heat and the crowds dragged me back into the house. I texted with my mom, skyped with my dad and then decided to take a shower and celebrate my day the way I intended to... by getting a tattoo.
Before I get to that story... Saturday was alot better than I expected it to be. Sure, I cried a few times. I got texts from my sisters, my parents and my aunt MEM. I got a care packge of goodies from MEM and Terri and a nice plant from Lindy and the gang. It was nice to know that people had been thinking of me that day. I had managed pretty good up until I went to shower. On my way into the shower, I realized that I actually would've been at the church right then. That was probably the hardest point of the day.
So anyways, back to the tattoos. Why tattoos you ask? Well, this was not my first tattooing experience (how many of you knew that???). Back in January, when I was really struggling with the break up, I knew I needed to do something for myself. Something to solidify my "you are independent and strong" attitude. So after a month or so of debating, designing, checking, and hemming and hawwing, I finally had decided on a tattoo.... ok, I decided on two. The intent was to get these tattoos asap, as a celebration of myself.
Of course, one thing led to another and it kept getting put off...money, time, vacation, etc. Finally, I had decided this weekend was the weekend. What better way to celebrate my independence on my would-have-been-wedding-day than by getting a tattoo? So I showered and got on the road, driving out to Wheaton (MD) where the tattoo parlor was. Surprisingly, at 6pm on a Saturday during a holiday weekend, it was crowded. So I took the 10 mile - 40 minute drive down to the DC location, right in the heart of Adams Morgan. Sidenote, I've never been to Adams Morgan before 10pm.... it's different in the daylight. :)
Two hours later, I had both tattoos and was on my way home feeling empowered.
This is the tattoo that was the original idea. It is a gaelic*/Irish phrase meaning "inner strength". It is intentional that it is on my ribcage near my heart. Not surprising to many of you, it took me longer to determine what font I wanted it in than what I actually wanted it to say and where I wanted it done.
*Funny side note: While doing my research and cross-checking my translations to make sure I was really getting a tattoo that said "inner strength" and not a tattoo that meant "green grass" or something like that, I stumbled upon an Irish forum in which one gentleman went on a long tangent about using the word "gaelic". Did you know that most Irish NEVER use the word gaelic? They just say Irish. This gentleman compared using the phrase "gaelic" to an American saying that they speak American. Seems funny now that you think about it that way, doesn't it?
The second tattoo was one I had thought about getting for a long time and it just seemed appropriate now. It is a clover because everyone needs a little luck in their lives. There are many clover designs out there but I chose this one because it looked like watercolor brush strokes. The necessity of outlining for tattoo purposes sortof takes that away, but the separation is still there.
Sorry about the photos, I took then that night so the tattoos are VERY fresh. I'm sure plenty of people will think why.... why tattoos as a way to immortalize something you would rather forget. The answer for me is simple. I will never be able to forget. In one way or another, that has changed me... I am a different person.
And I live with that reminder every day.
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