A Special Piece of Art

Ok, so I was conflicted on whether or not I should post this on the blog.....but then I thought, "I post about everything else" so here we go. In all my years as a legal adult I had always wanted a tattoo. I had bounced back and forth with ideas and eventually I just said forget it. If I changed my mind that much about it then I would regret having something permanently on my body.....FOREVER. So I waited. Until 2011, when my dad passed and the thought was re-ignited in my body. I knew that I wanted something for him and it would have to do with music....but really didn't want your typical run of the mill tattoo. So I waited some more. Batting ideas back and forth. Bouncing them off the hubby who gave me his input on every one. He encouraged me from day one! In 2012 I was perusing the internet and I saw a sketch of a songbird, but the body was made up of music notes and the stave. It immediately stole my heart. I knew I wanted to include some words in it, but really didn't want to take away from the tattoo, so I stewed some more. People this was a process.....I didn't just want to jump into it. So, about 6 weeks ago, I sent the sketch and all my ideas to the artist. 30 minutes later I had an email and a revised sketch of the art, and I burst into tears. It was perfect.....now to incorporate colors. I wanted it to be feminine and not solidly filled in. So I printed out the sketch, took my colored pencils and played with shading and coloring until I came up with a scheme that I loved. With the appointment looming, I started to get super nervous about the pain......how bad was it going to be?

The day of the appointment I was completely panicked! I was so afraid of the pain, and it didn't help that I was asking EVERYONE I knew about it. Everyone I have talked to (after the fact) said that I picked one of the worst places to put a tattoo. On my ribcage. An area that rarely sees light, or rubbing. Nadda. I guess that means its the best place for longevity too! I arrive after dinner with the hubby in tote. He was so excited, smiling, asking me if I was excited!! NO! I was a wreck! The artist was really nice, and saw how nervous I was so he just kept cracking jokes. He put on the transfer, got his equipment ready and I lied down in preparation. I grabbed my hubby's hand and squeezed it the entire time, the whole 30 minutes it took to do the piece. I'm not gonna lie, it was painful, but not unbearable. Not bad enough to warrant crying or screaming, but beforehand I did ask D to talk to me during to keep my mind occupied, but once underway he asked me a question while the artist was going on a pass, and I just asked him to not talk to me, just talk to those in the studio. In between I was fine, but with the needle to the skin, I was channeling my inner ohm and maintaining my calm. It was worse when he was going directly over my ribcage, but honestly....the pain was totally worth it! I love it so much and am glad I picked what I did. It's something I know that I won't ever tire of or regret because it's a memorial tattoo. It got several meanings to me. #1 the bird signifies the souls release into the spirit world and the freedom to be anywhere, anytime....the bird also signifies love in the tattoo world. #2 the music notes are something that he and I shared a passion for, we both love music. #3 His initials at the base of the body, near the feet. #4 "I love you to bits" is a family saying, something that we always say to one another. Also, I can add to it, with other initials or other things because its open ended! #5 the location is on my left ribcage, closest to my heart.

I know that there is still a stigma on tattoos, but honestly I think they are beautiful. It's a perfect way to showcase your love, and keep it with you forever. A quote has been circulating around Facebook and my inner circle "Tattoos have a power and magic all their own. They decorate the body, but they also enhance the soul." Do you have any tattoos that have special meaning to you? If you don't have any do you have thoughts of getting any?

Beach Bums, Missions and Lots of Chalk

Ok, this post is a month behind. I know I know. It's been a crazy month! So on Memorial Day we checked off a couple of items from our Bucket List. We went into Santa Barbara for the afternoon with our good friend Mr. P. We hit up the Sandbar Restaurant when we made it into town and had a great Mexican lunch. Then we hit the road up to the Santa Barbara Mission. I had been as a child when we would camp at Carpinteria state beach, but D and Mr. P had never been inside the museum. We wandered around the mission and took in all the history there was, and of course I clicked away at my shutter. We all enjoyed the cemetery and spent loads of time trying to figure out what the headstones meant. Mr. P wanted a photo with the old tree, but there were many signs telling people to stay off....so we obeyed. We made our way into the church and continued through the chapels and finally into the artifact area where we could see how the monks lived when the Mission first opened. Very informative and lots of cool things to look at.

When we finished the tour we went outside to where there was a big Memorial Day event taking place. Hundred's of artists were in front of the mission drawing up some incredible things with chalk. We wandered around and took some more photos. We then wandered around and took a little hike trying to find something else that was interesting, but realized after a 30 minute hike that we went the wrong way. We treked our way back to the truck and then back over to the restaurant to see if Mr. P left his phone, they had it. We hopped in the truck and made our way over to the beach where we wandered past the biggest home I had ever seen. We walked up and down, taking more photos and taking in the scenery. We saw a pod of dolphins just off shore and a lot of birds. We took in the salty air and just chilled in the sand before we made our way back home. It was a great day!