oh no she didn't...!

yes. yes i did. i got my tattoo.

bethany, joshulyn and kristy accompanied me for moral support as i experienced this milestone in my life. it. was. awesome.

and for those of you who wanted to be there (i wish you could have been!), here is the extensive documentation:

when we first walked in, i gave my camera to joshulyn and my iphone to bethany. erik (the tattoo artist) was very confused by us.

joshulyn begins clicking photos of me...as soon as we walked in the door.

erik: "what's with the camera? is she going to be doing that... the whole time?"

me: "probably. as if the tattoo isn't proof enough that i actually got one, we need to document the experience just to be thorough."

here i am in the big chair! notice that i am smiling...it didn't hurt HALF as bad as i thought it would. honestly, the anticipation was the worst part. the tattoo took a little over 30 minutes, but it was a breeze. i'm usually a big wimp...but it was NOT painful. now, on the top of your foot or your wrist, i can see why that would be not so comfortable.

totally pumped.

i knew i've always wanted a lily as my tattoo, ever since i went off to college. as stated before, i love how lilies are used in the bible to describe beauty and illustrate how the Lord always provides. i found a few images of lilies online that i used for inspiration and then sketched this little 3-flower cluster design, which erik then spruced up just a bit. i'm so happy with it.

here is the tat happening in real life.

(gotta love that new iphone 3GS).

the final product...

this is me the next morning at work. doesn't it look totally normal? i mean, there was no skin irritation, it wasn't at all gross the next day and it was only a little sore. it felt like a sunburn on top of a bruise. now, it's healed beautifully :) and to be honest, it's in the perfect location for me. it's completely visible when i want it to be and when i need to cover it up, i just wear...clothes. my mom is kind of (really) pissed about how i'll look in a dress on my wedding day...but i'm kind of (really) stoked about it.

oh yea...and for the record, my dad had his (minor) heart attack before he found out about it. my parents are at peace with it because they are amazing and love me (for some crazy reason). that is also why i waited to post about it until i told them. my dad came home from the 'pital this morning and he's doing great, just tired. he hasn't gotten a good night's sleep in a few days. being in the ICU is like trying to sleep in a vegas casino...so much beeping. he's more or less back to normal now! seriously, God is good. so good.

so that's it!

love/miss/namaste.