Day Two: Most of these were BEFORE I lived in Berkeley.

Posting two days in a row? Me?!

Boo-yah. I'm back!

Truth be told it's only because I'm supposed to discuss my tattoos and piercings today, which means I'll have a lot to talk about. Because I have a lot of tattoos and piercings. At a family reunion a few summers back, my father referred to me as "his daughter with a tackle box in her ear." Apparently he thought my earrings resembled fishing lures. I thought his use of metaphor was impressive! Or would that be a simile? I can never keep the two straight.

Anyway.

I first got my ears pierced for my 8th birthday. Mom took me up to the Piercing Pagoda in the Rogue Valley Mall and bam! I was officially one of the cool kids. By the time I was 13, I had 3 piercings in each ear and I think my mom realized she had released a monster. Suddenly, I wanted everything pierced (well maybe not EVERYTHING). And I wanted tattoos. Lots of tattoos. She kept telling me it was just a phase and someday when I was older I wouldn't want them anymore and then I'd feel silly walking around with this picture permanently etched into my skin. I respectfully disagreed. And I didn't get anymore piercings until I was out of my teens. Well, if you don't count the upper cartilage on my ear. That happened when I was 18 and didn't need a parent signature anymore.

Fast-forward to now 23 years old, the age at which I got my last tattoo and piercing: I had 8 piercings in one ear, 5 in the other, a nose ring, and a belly button ring. I had a tattoo on my right ankle, my left foot, my right wrist, and my left side (please note the symmetry of those locations). I'm 26 now, or close enough to it, and there isn't a single one of those that I regret. I was very careful to choose a tattoo that actually meant something to me, and I got each of them done in an easily hide-able location on my body. That was my first criteria for all of my tattoos...can I hide it?

And here they are (no photos, because I don't want to share that much of myself on the internet).

1. I have a brightly colored 4 leaf clover on my right ankle. This is probably the least hide-able one, but means the most to me because I got it around my 20th birthday as a gift from my older brother, Jess. And let's just say Mom and Dad were NOT happy about it...but I think they're getting used to them now.
2. My second tattoo was a set of stars on the top of my left foot. I strategically placed these along a flip-flop strap line (wore them into the tattoo shop and made the artist outline the straps and fit the tattoo within them) so I could hide it even in the summer. This one was meaningful because one of my best friends at the time, Anna, got a "matching" one of snowflakes on her forearm. It's not too matchy-matchy, snowflakes vs. stars, but the colors are the same...and I guess that's pretty much where the matching part ends.
3. My third one was a dragonfly on my right wrist. I am all about all things dragonfly, and that was actually the first tattoo that I wanted, but I couldn't find an image worthy enough of being permanently etched into my body. After years of searching, I finally found a little stencil/stamp image of a dragonfly that was extra-tiny and super cute. One a fantastic trip down to Newport Beach to visit the aforementioned Anna, I had this one tattooed on my wrist. It serves as a very useful reminder of a good place I was at in my life, both mentally and physically.
4. My fourth and final one is of linking horseshoes, located on my left side. For good luck, of course! I had this one done about 3 years ago in Newport Beach with Anna on her birthday. It fits perfectly within the sides of a bra, and people rarely know I have this one. In fact, I kept it hidden from my mom (who I was sure was going to disown me for this one) until last summer, when we went wedding dress shopping. Who knew you had to get naked to shop for a wedding dress? I sure didn't! Surprisingly though, and much to her credit, Mom only somewhat guilted me about having the tattoo and pretty much told me I was Clint's responsibility now anyhow. Ha! Love that woman.

So there you have it. My tattoos and piercings, in more detail than you probably ever wanted to know. I'm convinced that I will never regret any of them because there is a good story surrounding each one, and a good memory to go with the story. I do realize that I won't have a leg to stand on when MY kids become teenagers and want tattoos...but I'll just make them wait until they're 18 and then they can destroy their bodies as they see fit.

After all, if my parents could handle it, I'm sure I'll be just fine :)