Growing up, my parents pounded into me how beautiful my body was and how I should never destroy it with tattoos. This being said, the minute I was officially on my own I immediately went and got some ink. After that first tat, the addiction started...and here's the list.
1st Tattoo: Dolphin Location: Ankle Year: Summer of '96
I believe it seriously was a week that I was officially moved out of my parents house and living on my own when I ended up in U. City on a warm spring day. Warm days always make me think, "What a perfect day for a tattoo." Iron Age, back then, was in a two story building on the second level over looking the main drag. There were 3 tat artists and 1 piercer. I went in knowing I wanted a dolphin on my ankle. It represented the summer after I graduated high school when I trained dolphins in the Florida Keys at the Dolphin Research Center. To this day, I still love that tattoo.
2nd Tattoo: Sliding Frog Location: Back Year: Fall of '99
When I was young, I was married for a short period of time. When that husband chose to leave me for someone else, it wrecked me. It came out of nowhere a year after my son was born. I went through the grieving process. The anger process. All of the emotions a person could possess, I went through. The frog represents F-fully, R-Relying O-On, G-God. When you look at him he is sliding down my back with streak marks. He's barely hanging on. And that's how I felt as a 24 year old single mom.
3rd Tattoo: Asian Tranquility Symbol Location: Lower Back. (I fully accept and love my tramp stamp.) Year: 2000
About a year after the 2nd tat, I was fully healed physically as well as emotionally. The symbol represents the peace I felt after going through the heaviest storm of my life. I realize it's location soon earned the name, "Tramp Stamp", but whatever...I still love what that symbol represents.
4th Tattoo: Beauty Captured Location: Stomach Year: 2004
4 long years passed and I was craving some more ink. I actually knew I wanted a tattoo that I could actually see, since ankle, back, and lower back are just really hard to stare at. (or casually look without looking like a freak.) I was a several months into my 2nd marriage and I felt uneasy about myself. My self esteem has not always been the highest and at that point in time I was severally struggling with how I perceived myself. A moment struck me one day after finding out I was losing a job that I had grown to love and adore....and I decided to head to the tattoo shop. I met with Jeremy who would draw up my most favorite of tattoos to this day. It was a butterfly and eyes - both representing a vision of beauty. I wanted words too. I wanted them to read "Beauty Captured My Soul". He saw my vision and created an amazing piece of art for my stomach that I admire every single day.
5th Tattoo: 5 Stars Location: Foot Year: 2009
I think these really were a day that I said - hey, haven't had a tattoo in a while. I had just gone through my 2nd divorce and thought...what the hell, why not!! I love them so much! Perfect location.
6th Tattoo: Lotus Flowers around Beauty Captured Tat Year: 2009
I went with my bestie girlfriend Shannon to All Star so she could get her Anchor tat. The artist that did my stars was like, "What are you getting today?" I had no idea and asked him for suggestions. If I enter a tattoo shop for any reason, I don't think there would be anyway that I would leave without having something done there. I still am not convinced that it was a good idea to get more ink around my "Beauty", but I think it completed the placement and location of the initial piece.
So there we have it and there we are....I don't think my tattoo stories will ever be complete. My parents still to this day say, "You're body was so beautiful when you were born." And my response now is, "It still is damn it....I've just added my own expression to it."
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