Love (and My Newest Adventure)

Okay, so I did something a little crazy. Well, a lot crazy. And now that I've told my mom (a.k.a. one of my best friends) about it, I feel it is now okay to share it with the world. I got another tattoo. (Sorry, Dad, that I'm not sorry!)

Love.

Why 'love' you ask? So many reasons! I don't even know where to begin. But I'll give you the overall reason: it represents self-love and love of others. Throughout this journey that they call life, I have determined that I have essentially 1 goal in life: to love. To love myself, to love those that I have in my life, and to love what I do.

It was a great adventure heading into DC with three of my best friends (Thanks Whitney, Laura and Meredith!) for this momentous occasion. I went to DC Ink and followed my experience with milkshakes from Ben's Chili Bowl (Yes, I sat on the stool that Obama sat in). It was one of the best evenings I've had in a long time.

Did it hurt?

I can't say it didn't (See the look of pain on my face? The grip of death on Laura's hands?). Not to toot my own horn, but I actually took the pain like a champ and made it through. For me, the journey and the hard work I put into really finding out who I am and who I want to be over the last year or so really peaked at this moment. While it hurt physically, it also allowed me to really let go of a lot of pain and hurt I had been holding on to. So, yes, it hurt, but it was a really good feeling.

Having my friends there meant so much to me. To have three of my best friends whom have been there for me through so much and who knew what it really meant, really gave me  the support and encouragement I needed and I felt like I was on top of the world. After it was over, I thought like I could do anything! One of them even got a tattoo with me! (I'll never tell who). Just another item to add to our list of things we've been through together.

My artist was THE BEST. I went in with an idea of what I wanted, and he took it to a whole new level. He hand drew the script and it was better than anything I could have imagined. I couldn't have been happier with the way it turned out.

I had to wait a WHOLE WEEK before really telling anyone, because I wanted to tell my mom in person before announcing it to the world. Of course she was totally cool with it (because she's Donna, and the best mom ever). And this isn't my first tattoo rodeo. But of course it caused all kinds of chit-chat at the family dinner: 'it's forever. Imagine how it's gonna look in 20 years. Are you still going to like it?' I imagine that 50 years from now, when I have hands like my grandmother (Have you ever looked at your grandmother's hands? They have so many stories and have done so much. There is so much love there; they are a true gift.) mine will be  just as weathered. While the tattoo may be faded and my hands will have seen many adventures, I never want to forget my goals in life and where I have been.

'I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not in my nature.' Jane Austen