Ink

I got my first tattoo last year.  I started a little late, but just like everyone said it would be, getting tattooed is addicting.  I went to Lucky Monkey in Ann Arbor, MI.  After a lot of thought about what my first tattoo would be, I decided to get quite a large piece.

 A peacock on my side.

I walked into the tattoo parlour on a Friday afternoon to an artist about drawing something up for me.  I talked to an guy named Jesse Stark and told him that I wanted a peacock that looks like something like what you might find on a grandmothers wallpaper.  He said to come back next week and he would have something for me.  I came back the following week and he had two options for me.  Both were amazing! I could hardly decide.  I chose this design because it was a big more intricate.  After I saw how beautiful the drawings alone were, I felt totally confident.   It took two sessions, each about an hour and a half.  I was warned that this is the most sensitive area to have tattooed and to be honest, I'm glad I didn't have a previous reference to compare the pain to because I probably wouldn't have lasted.  Jesse gave me the option to take as many breaks as I wanted, but I just wanted to get through it and enjoy the finished product.   And to be honest, I absolutely love it.  It's exactly what I wanted.

This was not the first tattoo I planned to get but I'm so glad I did.  It turned out amazing and I get tons of compliments.  I've spent the last year wanting more and more.  Last week, I went back in to get my second tattoo.  This was my original plan for a first tattoo.

It seems more appropriate for a small amount of script on my forearm, as a first tattoo, but the peacock was just too beautiful to wait on.  This has been my favorite quote for years.  It's a line from the song by The Doors called "Soul Kitchen".  There is something about those lyrics that just struck a chord with me.  It's just so true.  I always thought that when people said that they could forgive but never forget that they were insane.  You can't forgive if you can't forget and move past the situation, whatever it may be.  

"Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen, Warm my mind near your gentle stove"  The Doors