Inked

  So in May of 2012, I decided to get my first tattoo...and I thought long and hard before getting it...and then I thought long and hard about what I would get. I didn't want to get something I would ever regret. I wanted it to be meaningful and real...and now I have lots and lots. But people don't see most of them often so I thought I'd share...Also, most of my work has been done by Trever Collins, owner of Trever Collins Tattoo Company in Nixa, MO. Some have been done by his (now former) apprentice, Jess Holliday, I'll let ya know which ones she did.
Here's tat numero uno:

Why these words and why together you may ask...or you may not because I've learned that people just stare and never really ask (rude!). Let me just tell you :) Ephesians 2:10 is my most favorite verse and it says, "For we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works that were planned long ago." I picked the word fearless to go with this because this verse always reminds me that I never have to fear inadequacy because I am the MASTERPIECE of the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE...and that's pretty powerful stuff! And also that I shouldn't fear the future because God's already got good works lined up for me to do.

Tattoo numero dos:

This one has a couple of different meanings for me. Remember the LIVESTRONG bracelets that everyone and their mom used to wear? Well the livestrong foundation is dedicated to cancer research so this tattoo is partly for my grandparents as my grandmother is a cancer survivor and my grandpa spent 2 years battling brain and lung cancers which eventually took him from us. Also, this one is a daily reminder to give life all I've  got every day because things don't come easily in this world, life takes hard work and dedication.

Numero tres: 

I think this is pretty self explanatory :)

Numero cuatro:

So this is the big one and I spent lots of time figuring this one out for sure. I had a friend of mine draw it up and am so happy with how it turned out! So, this here is a lotus flower...the lotus flower grows up from the muddy depths of a river or pond or what-have-you and then blooms above the water surface. The symbolism here is both of a new beginning and also growing out of maybe not the best circumstances both of which were huge factors in my selection of the lotus flower. The words in the middle say, "Be the change" from the Gandhi quote, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." 

5:

Isaiah 6:8...I got this upon returning home from my first mission trip to Nicaragua...it was then that I was really sure that I want to go wherever God may have me go to share His love and keep growing the family of Christ.

6 and 7:

Captain America and Batman with the words 'Heroes Exist'...not only are these my favorite super heroes, they're awesome. Before Cap became a super soldier, he was just a regular guy who wanted to do good and help his country, nothing special or unusual...just a good guy who wanted to help. Batman, besides being filthy rich, also has no powers. He just wanted to get rid of all the bad guys so he trained and worked hard to make himself into a crime fighting machine. This tattoo not only reminds me about my real life heroes, who are just regular people, and how much they mean to me but it also reminds me that I can be someone's hero too. Just because I'm nothing special doesn't mean I can't do big things to help people in this world.

Number 8: This love one is so special to me! Each letter was drawn by a different person and has its own special significance. I got the idea based of To Write Love On Her Arms and then decided to make it literal by letting people who have figuratively written love on my arms do so literally. It's reminds me that even when I don't feel lovable, there are people who love me. Even when I try my best to push them away and even when I'm hard to love, they're right there next to me loving me through it. 

L: From the one who taught me that it doesn't matter what people think of you. If you love something, love it and be excited about it. 

O: From the one who has been there through so much and taught me to see the beauty in even the smallest things.

V: From the one who reminded me that I have a voice and I have a story and that people really do care.

E: From the one who taught me about being real with people. And showed me that I'm not always in alone in things I think people don't understand.

Number 9: My world map with the word allons-y across it :)

The map comes from my love of travelling and experiencing other cultures and meeting new people all over this world. Allons-y is my sneaky little geeky tribute to Doctor Who, as it's the 10th Doctor's catchphrase. But it happens to fit perfectly seeing as it means "Let's go" in French and I am so ready to go and explore the world!

10: 

Beauty and the Beast!! Right outer calf.

11: 

This beauty is a work in progress. We're 3 sessions and 13 hours in and nowhere near finished. Can't wait to see the finished product, which will cover my entire left thigh.

12: 

This one was done by Jess. I think it's fairly self explanatory. It's a good reminder to myself on my rougher days of battling mental illness. Left inner forearm where I can see it easily and often.

13. 

Another Jess tattoo. This is Elvish, like Lord of the Rings, Elvish. In Two Towers, Frodo asks Sam why they're still trying. Sam replies, "There's some good in the world, Mr. Frodo and it's worth fighting for." I got this from that statement and it says, "It's worth fighting for." Another good reminder for myself on rough days. Left outer forearm.

14 and 15. 

More tattoos by Jess! Love my watercolor deathly hallows. Harry Potter nerd for life! Perks of Being a Wallflower is my favorite book ever and the only one I've read over and over because it never gets old. Might add some more to this one soon.

16. 

We'll see you tomorrow was To Write Love on Her Arms' theme for World Suicide prevention day 2015. The idea of tomorrow and just holding on for one more day at a time when it gets hard to stay alive really resonates with me and my ongoing fight with my own brain.

17. 
I know we've already talked about this special piece, but it was made even more special when I added the semicolon. Semicolon project is the idea that the story isn't over. A writer could have chosen to end a sentence, but instead paused with a semicolon and then continued. Much like I have to remember to pause when I want my story to end and choose to keep going instead. Left inner arm, right above the "ditch"

18. 
I'm on the right. More Harry Potter here. Bestie is on the left. Back of my left shoulder.

19.

Here's some more work from Jess. It's a hobbit hole door, because I'm such a giant nerd. Jess did this piece while she was still an apprentice which I think is beyond amazing. I love the color in this one.Right inner forearm.

20.

Galaxy Peter Pan! This was the beginning of a much more intricate Disney piece. Wraps around outside of left calf.

21.

So, I took the Peter Pan piece and had Trever turn it into a Disney mash up, hopefully one day it will be a Disney leg sleeve. Represented here is Little Mermaid, Brave, and Tangled. This is an in progress shot, there's a bit more to it now, it's just super hard to take a picture of myself. lol Outside/ back of left calf.

Ok, that's the update for the moment, I have several more to add, but I need to snap a few pictures first.