In High School, most people called me a “goody-goody”.
Not in a “she’s so sweet and good” kind of way, but more in a “Gahhh, why does she have to be such rule follower” kind of way.
I didn’t drink, smoke or do drugs. I rarely cussed. And I was absolutely always was home by curfew. Ha. I know, blah blah blah.
Oh my goodness, I missed curfew once by 90 seconds and my dad flipped a lid. Grounded for a month.
Trust me when I say I never did that again.
To most of my friends? It was annoying. They wanted me to have fun and “live a little”.
To which I always replied, “Who says I’m not having fun?”
Just because I’m not partying or getting crazy doesn’t mean that I’m not finding joy in my life, right?!
That’s easy to understand when you are in your 30’s.
Not so easy to understand in the teenage years.
One thing I am certain of is that people had pinned me as the type of girl who would NEVER get a tattoo.
Not because tattoos are bad or evil, but mostly because tattoos are something that free spirited, risk taking, FUN loving people do.
I don’t fit in the stereotypical box of a free spirited, risk taker, tattoo loving kind of chick.
Heck, I can admit, I never thought I’d get a tattoo either.
Mostly because I didn’t ever have anything to want and I knew that if I got permanent ink on my body it needed to be something that spoke to me.
Something with meaning.
I guess you could say I waited 33 years to decide what that meaningful thing was to me.
A rose.
Not just any rose, but a rose with six leaves. Four leaves to represent each of our children and two leaves on the opposite side to represent Jeff and I.
I probably don’t need to clarify why a rose was my choice, right? Haha.
I was concerned about telling my parents that I wanted a tattoo. Something in me felt like that same teenage girl who thought she might disappoint her parents. And I hate to disappoint my parents, even in my 30’s.
Surprisingly, when I told them? They were totally on board. I think my dad’s exact response was:
“You have proven to me over and over that you are a responsible adult and I trust your decisions.”
He even kind of loved the rose idea.
It’s been over six months now since I got my tattoo and I am loving it just like I did the day I got it.
I told all of my friends it would be the size of a quarter. Soooooo, when I showed up with something the size of small calculator…it took them a second to get used to it. Haha!
The detail that I wanted in the tattoo wouldn’t have been possible if it was the size of a quarter.
A FEW QUESTIONS ANSWERED:
1. Did it hurt?
Yes, it hurt. But not “OH MY GOSH I’M CRYING” kind of pain. It felt like someone was scratching me over and over and over.
The worst part was the position I had to lay in because my hand kept falling asleep.
Listen, I’ve birthed three babies. Ain’t nothing hurt worse than that.
2. How long did it take?
Two hours. I only took two small breaks (2-3 minutes each). Other than that, it was basically two straight hours of tattooing. 😉
3. Why did you choose the side of your wrist?
It just felt like “me”.
I thought about the ankle, but every time I envisioned my ankle it just didn’t feel like me. I almost did it on the inside of my wrist, but I love that it’s on the side.
I often forget I even have it because I can’t see it that well until I look at a picture of myself. LOL!
4. Where did you find the design?
My tattoo artist designed it.
This was the hardest part for me. I had no idea kind of rose I wanted. I searched Google and Pinterest for ideas. I tried to explain to my tattoo artist what I liked and what I didn’t like. I even brought him a few pictures I had found.
I was so nervous because I didn’t see his design until the morning of. But the second he sent me the picture? I loved it. He is truly talented.
If you asked me if I’d do it all over again?
In a heartbeat. I don’t mean that I want a second tattoo. I just mean that I am super happy about how this one turned out and I glad I made the decision to get it.
I’m thankful that a few of my close friends came to support me and I even more thankful we took some video of the whole experience. It’s just fun to look back on and remember the moment. My friend Kelly literally did not let go of my hand for the entire 120 minutes.
#brave
I love it. I love the leaves and what they symbolize. I want to get one. My daughter wants us to get a half of butterfly on our wrist each so that when we put it together it makes a whole butterfly. I want to just get, “Be Still “on my wrist. I love that scripture…Be still and know that I am God. We will see. I love the video. You have some great friends.
Thanks! I love the Be Still tattoos! You should totally do that!
This is great! And you are SO ME. I AM STILL the rule follower, don’t drink, don’t smoke, want to make sure everything is ok with my parents..at 32. HA! But I have tattoo’s too…my first I got when I was 18….and I thought my dad would KILL ME but he actually was more upset that I hid it from him…rather, tried too…wearing socks in the summer. My oh my! LOL! Anyways…I LOVE IT! it looks great and HAS MEANING and that is so special!!!!!
Haha! We are long lost sisters! 🙂
sounds so much like my “tattoo story”! I knew if I got one it had to mean something! Unlike you though, I didn’t tell my parents until after I got it and I was so nervous! Love the placement and the design!
Even looking back to when I was in HS I can totally see you getting tattoos!! Brave, independent, fun. It’s fabulous, and I’m glad you found your inner rebel 😉 lol
You are brave, Mandy! What a beautiful video and tribute to friendship, love, and celebrating motherhood. Fun is taken to a whole new level when it is combined with meaning and adventure!
That’s so awesome. I love the meaning of the rose.
I have 4 tattoos. Over my heart is my husband’s name, first tattoo. Second is a tribal arm band for my native American heritage. Third & Fourth were done on Friday the 13th. My tattoo artist had a $13 special on selected designs. I got a Christian fish on my right wrist and a dove on my left wrist. It was Family Fun Day at the Tattoo Shop. Hubby got the Christian fish on his right wrist. My oldest son got his first tattoos… Spiderman logos on his forearms. He’s 22. His girlfriend came along and got a music symbol behind her ear. Our 20yr son got his second tattoo, the Jason mask from the movie.
We are either really bad parents or really AWESOME parents. I think we’re awesome. Next Friday the 13th special is in November. Our family will be there 🙂
…our 9yo daughter & puppy tagged along.
I was the same way growing up and got a meaningful tatoo when I tuned 30! I didn’t want to tell my parents either….but I needed babysitting. Lol. So funny.
I love this!!! And it was so sweet that your friends were there supporting you. <3
I love that you waited and got exactly what you wanted…I think that’s the key to tattoos. I got my first at 22 and still love it. I also have a trail of flowers going up my leg. The first is my wedding flower and then one for each kiddo. Each month has a flower so I have a different one for each kid. Like your leaves I love the symbolism that only I know. I head in Friday to get one for baby 5 who was just born 🙂
For years, I followed the rules and did everything I was supposed to. My one mistake was marrying the wrong person. When we got divorced, I got my first and only tattoo – a sunrise to mark new beginnings. It is over 15 years later and I still love my tattoo – no regrets. Way to go for getting yours!
I love my tattoos and can fully admit that if I could have a job where I could be all kind of tattooed, I would be!
I love your rose! I’m so happy you chose something that has meaning to you! It’s fitting and I think you made a wise choice!
I had a daisy put on my shoulder to show my “girly” side since I am a pretty hardcore tomboy. 18 years later they still look great too!
Sidenote: My husband is from Scotland, and I’m in Arkansas, so we’re trying to find a way to mesh an icon from each of those places into 1 tattoo! The design part is 75% of the fun!
I love it!!I got my tattoo when I was 33. I’d never really wanted one before that either. My stepdad had just recently passed away, and he was a tattoo guy…had several. I joked with my grandmother that we should all go get tattoos in honor of him…and she agreed!! So a group of us…including my 70 year old prim & proper grandmother got tattoos at the place my dad got most of his. I got a small heart on my wrist. People always ask me about it..and I love telling them the story behind it!
Oh, I really love the significance of the leaves, with you and your children. I’ve always wanted a family oriented tattoo, without writing names on my body in a font that I might hate in a year. And hopefully you and your husband will live happily ever after, but if not, you don’t have to get his name removed from your arm!