The Tattoo!

yesterday was the big day! my super great friend and i got our tattoos!

before i say anything else...it hurt like a MOTHER! @#$%!!!!!

but it was so worth it for me...totally no regrets!

here we are waiting VERY nervously...















jody went first, which was good on one hand because she seemed to show that it was totally pain-free! made my anxiety drop dramatically...until it was my turn! hah! i mean, it's totally cool that she has that 'mother instinct' that says to grin and bear it so that you don't freak out the masses...but...wow, jody is a MACHINE! she held that in!!! i'm forming a club in her honor...















here's me right before. i had to bring out the knuckle to sooth myself...hehe. haven't had to do that for a while now. :)















here we go! this is brian...he designed it for me too! i was really nervous about it because the idea has a ton of meaning for me...so i wanted it to be just right. but when he brought out what his ideas were...i just knew it was right. i got all emotional and squeezed his arm...yes, i believe i freaked him out...but we all need a little freaky from time to time. :)

i should also mention that jody held my hand...THE ENTIRE TIME...

and rach did an awesome job of encouraging and...photographing EVERY bloody detail. :)















this was THE most painful part...the outline. holy mother of all that is holy!!!















coloring it in...just burns...oh...except when he's remotely near a bone...i.e. MY SHOULDER BLADE. :)















almost done... praise jesus!















and there she is...the terrorized skin and blood goop kinda distract...and of course, i'll have massive itchiness, flaking skin (eww!) and some pain...but in a few weeks she'll be beautiful.

this was so emotional for me. what the thing represents...i can't even put into words how my heart feels about those things. it has hurt a TON just to get to the point where my heart believes it...the blooming rose, imago dei and name. the rest just comes out in tears. god is so good and will continue to be.

i actually felt a little lonely last night...i suspect i wanted to share it with someone i miss...but me and god were cool with it. and today i get to go be with my mom and dad...which is the perfect spot to be all messy...and of course, they expect that. hehe...