Blog Post #35

In this post, I wanted to tell the story about getting my tattoo.

It’s small and on my right foot, and says “SS.” I got this for my brother’s initials, my mom’s initials, and because my dad and I sail boats together- hence “SS” like a boat.

I also got my tattoo with two of my best friends, Katie and Carley, in Austin. We went to Austin City Limits in October, and after our last night at the festival we went to Sixth Street. Initially, Katie and I wanted to get piercings, however after scouring every shop on Sixth Street, we came to the conclusion that they were either closed or the piercers were already out for the night. Distraught, we took a break at Voodoo Donuts.

While at the donut shop, a wonderful idea popped into my head. I proposed my plan to Katie, and after a brief moment of thought, she was all for it. We were going to get tattoos instead! But not any tattoos, lip tattoos. We strolled into the tattoo parlor across the street and met up with some friends from SMU. After learning that lip tattoos were a whole $20 more expensive than regular tattoos, we changed our plan once again, and decided to get regular ones.

As seen in the video, we were nervous from the very beginning. It was a rushed decision, and neither of us had any clue what to get. After filling out paperwork and coming up with designs, it was time to go back on the chair. I was first up, and my original placement was low on my waist- causing me to momentarily panic. It was VERY unsettling to me to have the initials of my family members permanently there on my body, and my tattoo artist was less than thrilled to hear this. He obviously did not take us seriously as clients.

In a split decision, I changed the location to my foot. The tattoo itself took about 2 minutes, and really didn’t hurt at all to me (minus the idea of the needle, which happens to be one of my biggest fears).

Katie was up next, and took the pain like a champ as well as you can see.

I love my tattoo, and have never regretted getting it. Not only does it remind me of my family, it reminds me of my friends. That weekend in Austin has been one of the highlights of my time in Texas so far, and it’s where I became close with Katie and Carley. Since then our friendship has only grown stronger, and I can’t imagine spending all of my time, or getting a tattoo, with anyone else.