what makes this lassie sassy

Yes, it is true. I am a self proclaimed tattoo whore. I love them! I LOVE how they look, I love them on other people and well, quite frankly, they are a bit of a turn on. For confirmation of this fact please check out this distinguished gentleman. HELLLLOOOO there!! If you have a tat you can probably relate to this next stream of thought. For me it is all about the anticipation. Come on... admit it. That little flutter in your stomach as you sit down in the parlor chair. The intensity of the feeling when you first hear the buzz of the needle - it is all coming back to me now....mmmm. Ok, sorry for that...... back to the nitty gritty. Wait!! One more thing!! I will also take this chance to put this little disclaimer out there - my pics do NOT do justice to my tats. I had to take them myself with one hand while swatting away the three year old with the other. So for their poor quality, I apologize.

I got my first tat in 1993. I went with my BFF after an all night road trip from Milwaukee to good ole small town Ohio. We were over tired and had talked about getting one together for quite some. It was on the drive home (Ohio) that we decided that today was the day. She would get hers on her thigh and I would get mine on my hip. The deal was done and I was the new owner of one black ankh with two Druid symbols on the sides. I hid it from the parents for a while but they eventually saw it on a family trip to Florida. They weren't mad, they knew I wanted one since I was a young teen. But my Mom did ask why I didn't get something cute like a butterfly or bumble bee. Sigh.....



The next one was in 1996. I was officially living in Milwaukee - all grown up and on my own. I had my own apartment, my own paycheck, my own life. I was officially free! I had been craving the needle for quite some time. I decided to add an Aztec sun around my first tattoo. I guess I can admit that this is the one I regret, or at least, would not pick if I had the choice to do it all over again. I do like it, don't get me wrong, but it definitely shows where I was at that stage in my life and I am just not there anymore.

Next came my Celtic Knot in 1997. You can read all about that one HERE. This tattoo was a joint effort and was when I recruited my hubby to the dark side. I actually gave him his as a birthday gift and got mine, well, because I wanted another one! He too has been bitten by the ink bug and has had trips back to the chair... moo ah ha ha! Soon I will infect everyone!! Did I mention I even infected my mother for her 60th birthday? Oh yes, now there is another post my friends!

I went to Siberia in 2004 to backpack through the Sayanne Mountain range. (This is definitely another post someday!!) The long and short of it is this - I went to Siberia, everyone there HATES Americans, I got spit on, we got lost in the mountains, we were rescues by a Russian Special Forces helicopter, luckily by the grace of God, I got back home to the States. Yeah, that's a mouthful. On one of my descents down one of the mountains I cranked my left ankle. It hurt like nobody's business but there was nothing, literally nothing, I could do about it. I had to keep going. There is so much tht happened on this trip - good, bad, ugly - that I needed something to recognize it. So I chose this frog.
The frog is to remind me to be Fully Reliant On God. The stars and the moon were what I looked at every night - knowing that Drake and hubby were looking at the same thing. The Russian word underneath the frog is the name of the valley in the middle of the mountain range where we were rescued - Schumak (shoemauck). A lot of info for a little tat isn't it?

And finally, at least as of today, is my most recent tattoo and the tat I entered in the party. As I have hinted, it is my favorite. I get lots of compliments and comments on it. I love, love, LUV this tattoo. You can read all about it here and of course here.

I think that just about does it, at least for me. There still is a lot of other ink in the family but that will have to be saved for another day. Be sure to go check out all the other inked and trendy people at Sunshine's party. I have to say it has been one hell of a party! Maybe she will make this an annual event.... now there is an idea!