Tattoos
I absolutely love tattoos. For years I was afraid of needles, and getting my first one pretty much cured me of that. People ask me all the time if it hurt. I’d be lying if I said no. It does hurt, to an extent, but a lot of it depends on your pain tolerance, where the tattoo is located, and the person doing the work. A different artist did each one of mine. Each one is an extension of myself.
Current Tattoos
I know what you’re thinking, she’s crazy. Honestly I am, and happy about it. When I was eighteen I went to Palm Springs for spring break with the intent of getting this tattoo. I was pretty nervous, and extremely excited of the prospect of getting a tattoo. So I’m sure you’re wondering why this tattoo. When I was around fifteen I made the statement if I ever got over my fear of needles I’d get this tattoo. My reasoning was I heard people say all the time that they should get that tattoo, but I never met anyone that had the guts to go through with it. So I did, six years later I still love it. The guy who did my ink didn’t take me seriously at first when I told him that’s what I wanted. I didn’t think he was going to be able to do it because he was laughing so hard. It makes a great conversation piece.
One day I was surfing the internet and came across this picture. I immediately fell in love with the design. At the time I had no clue that the tribal was on Godsmack’s CD’s. I just thought it looked cool. Of course the image in the center is that of a lion, which is my horoscope sign (LEO). I printed out the picture and carried it around in my car for about two years before I was able to get it inked. My mom actually paid for me to get this tattoo as a 22nd birthday gift. She told me about a tattoo convention that was going. She said it was possible I might be able to get a tattoo for free because there might be some people doing apprentices. I didn’t actually have that luck, and paid way more than it was worth, but what can you do. It was an interesting process this time due to the heavy traffic of people. I made sure to wear a backless shirt so I wouldn’t have to sit in front of hundreds of people in just a bra lol.
My third tattoo was actually an impulse buy. I was craving another one but couldn’t think of what I wanted. I started thinking of all the things I liked, or that had importance meaning to me. Jiminy Cricket is what I came up with. When I was younger I always said that I had my cricket with me, he was my conscious, and would help me tell right from wrong. I was roughly twenty-three when I got this tattoo. Now I can always say I have my conscious with me. He’s wherever I go. If you look closely at the script beneath the picture you’ll notice that it says Jimenez not Jiminy. I gave my husband the nickname Jimenez Cricket (which is another story). I say Jiminy reminds me so much of him because my husband is always trying to do the right thing, and constantly reminding me to be more polite. He says thank you when I forgot, always remembers to say Sir, and Ma’am, even opens doors for everyone. He has such a wonderful soul.
When our cat Scout passed away I knew immediately I wanted to get a tattoo for him. The idea came to me fairly quickly, and Jimbo, wanted to get one as well. Normally I wouldn’t get a something like this for a pet, but as we’ve decided not to have children, when Scout passed away it was like one of our kids passed away. Will did another wonderful job, and I absolutely love this tattoo. It’s located on my right calf. It starts right below the bend of the knee. So far it’s been the most painful, but completely worth it. Initially I was going to do blue and purple wings, but in the end gave my tattooist free reign on what colors to use where. He never ceases to amaze me.
Pending Tattoos
I have several tattoos that I would like to get, at least four that I have in mind. Some will be coming from searches on the internet, but I have a few custom pieces being designed. My biological Dad is a wonderful artist and designed several for him and for others. I have two that he’s working on for me, and one of which I plan on having him tattoo on me himself. My dad is designing a dream catcher, and dolphin/unicorn combination. Both of these pieces will be of medium size. My best friend Justin who is also a talented artist is designing two small pieces for me. One is a triquetra, and a four-leaf clover.
Isn’t this absolutely beautiful. It’s another LEO tattoo that I’ve been drooling over for several months now. This one is also dedicated to my adopted mom. Titled Hawaiian Lion, it combines hibiscus flowers (which is where I’m paying homage to my mom), and this wonderful lion. My mom is addicted to all things Hawaiian so it’s for her that I’m getting this tattoo. I also love the beautiful blues used for the shading on the lion as well as some small stars that are placed in the mane. My mom always told me the sky was the limit, so I’m reaching for the stars with this one as well. My plan is to have this done by the same artist that did my Jiminy Cricket. The same guy that has done several tattoos for quite a few friends as well as my mom.
Other Tattoos
When our cat Scout passed away it didn’t take long for me to decide getting a tattoo. For Jimbo however it was a bit different, because he has a skin condition (psoriasis). For us, it was like losing a child. It was even harder on him because he had never had a pet/child pass away. The tattoo is located on Jimbo’s left arm. We thought about adding color to his, but once it was all said and done, it was agreed that color would take away from it. I’m sure this will be one of many for Jimbo, and we’re both thrilled with the work Will did. It’s hard for us to imagine life without Scout, but he’ll always be with us now.
For my mom’s 60th birthday she decided that it was about time she faced her fear. When she told me, I was absolutely giddy. I knew that I wanted to buy this for her as a birthday gift, and this is the end result of that gift. When we got there mom almost backed out. She asked if I would be mad, and I said I wouldn’t, but that if she backed out I would take her slot. Only problem with that was, my tattoo was more expensive, and I would have shorted her on rent. Obviously she got the tat. She did great. There were touch and go moments, but she’s thrilled with the end product. She even plans on getting another one. I hope I’ve created a monster!
