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Tuesday, May 7, 2013

The Stories of My Tattoos

So I think tattoos can go many different ways.
I think they can wind up being terrible and trashy and you regret them 5 years from now.
I think you can have glaring errors and regret them immediately.
Now I'm not judging tattoos here but I think we can all agree that spelling mistakes are a no go for tattoos. 
I think you can have classy ones with meaning that you look at fondly
I think you can have tattoos that look like works of art

I think they can be put in classy places

And I think we can all agree this tattoo on Chris Brown is terrible


I'm going to tell the stories of my tattoos and why I got them. 

When you turn 18 you kind of want to do something adult. I don't smoke so buying cigarettes was not a realistic option.  I'm not really into going to a strip club, so tattoo it was. 

My first tattoo I got in high school with one of my best high school friends.  We both wanted to commemorate a big moment in our lives and our faith.  Now, I wanted to make sure I got a tattoo somewhere you can't see in a wedding dress. That's a thing for me. If I have a tattoo I want to be able to cover it when I want to look super classy. I also have family members who aren't super tattoo supportive. 
Anyway, at this point in my life, I had gone through a big religious moment. I don't like to get preachy here, but this was a big moment in my life that really shaped who I am today and decisions I would make for the rest of my life. 

ignore my lack of pedicure and chipping toe nail polish

I got a tattoo of am ichthys or a "Jesus fish" as some people would say with the word agape (ἀγάπη) written inside in Greek.  Agape is a word used in the Bible to mean unconditional love: divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful love. Different from philia which usually relates to friendship, brotherhood or generally non-sexual affection and different from eros, meaning sexual affection. To me this was important because it's not the love that people let go of, it is love that fills your life regardless of what you do and why you do it. You always have a heart to come back to and a home.  I knew no matter if my beliefs changed or were challenged through my life, I could look at this and remember the type of love that changed me from making some terrible decisions and the kind of love that we should be displaying to one another in life.  I truly believe that if the world had more love, it'd be a more beautiful place, regardless of religious beliefs.

My second tattoo I got when I was about 21 years old. How appropriate.  I wanted a tattoo to connect some really important parts of my life when I was in college. I am a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha and ladybugs are our thing. So I wanted a tattoo of a ladybug to show off my Alpha love and to be a symbol of the group I am so proud to be a part of.
 
Inside the ladybug, though, I had music notes instead of dots.  Music has always been a part of my life. I love singing. My first two years of college I was in my undergraduate choir. That was an amazing experience for me and I made a lot of good friends through being a part of it.  My junior and senior year I was in our all female A'Cappella group, Mainstreet.  This meant a lot to me and I developed even better friendships here and made some amazing memories with outstanding women. I can't tell you how special it is to me and how amazing it is to make amazing music with a talented group of women and to work so hard on something and hear it all come together into one great sound. This was my way to bring together some important pieces of this part of my life into one tattoo.

Now a lot of people will say "Can't you have the memories without putting it on your body?" 
Yeah, you can! 
I think some people are tattoo people and some people are not. 
I'm a moderate tattoo person.
I can't tell you how many people ask about  my tattoos and it becomes an ice breaker. I like representing important parts of my life this way. I might get one or two more, that's all. 

Also, I won't lie, it does hurt.  The worst is if you get anything that needs to be colored in. 
I'm impressed with people with face tattoos. Not that I want one, but that has to hurt like woah.

I know people have strong feelings about tattoos for different reasons, but I love mine, and I don't regret either of them.  Maybe one day I will, but I try not to regret any of my decisions, instead treat them as learning opportunities.

Will I get another tattoo? Yep - I have plans for at least one more, and I love it but I'll always keep mine what I consider to be classy, although I will always envy edgy people who get away with some kick ass tattoos.


ALSO - Don't forget to enter the GIVE AWAY I'm doing!



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5 comments:

  1. Coming over from the giveaway. Such an interesting post! I don't have any tattoos but my hubby has a bunch. :)

    -Sharon
    The Tiny Heart
    $50 PayPal Giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  2. stopping by from the giveaway! I am really iffy about tattoos. some people look great with them, some I think will regret it in a couple years and personally I don't think i'll ever get one. I'm too scared of the permanency AND the pain, ahha!

    Olive & Ivy

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  3. Stopping by from the giveaway :) Your tattoos look great. I'm not sure if I'll ever get one, but I have contemplated it several times!

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  4. Wanted to say hello from the giveaway! Your blog is cute and some of these tattoos had me thinking. I love the one I have and really would like a few more. They hurt like hell though, but I think I can handle it again. :)

    -Cheltee
    http://somethingaboutyounme.blogspot.com/

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  5. those are cute tattoos.

    i'm a new follower.

    ReplyDelete