Tattoos...Yes They Are Forever

Monday, December 3, 2012


Forrrreverrr.  Say that word like they do in the movie The Sandlot and it will make so much more sense.   Do you know what I am talking about?  If not go rent that movie it's a classic!  I can still hear my Dad reminding my sister and I growing up that, "Tattoos are forever.  What you like now, you may not like when you're a Grandma."  This is probably true, but do people really think about that when they are getting a tattoo?   I'm sure that dude with a half naked chick on his forearm probably did not care what his 80 year old grandpa self would think. 

Well I must have forgotten all about my Dad's words of wisdom when I was walked into a Newport Beach tattoo shop on my 18th birthday and got my very first tattoo. It was a dragonfly and it is on the lower part of my hip.  At the time it had no special meaning.  My best friend and I just wanted to get a tattoo because we were 18...and we could.  Thank God is has not morphed over the years, with two pregnancies into a giant deformed bat.  Whew I really lucked out on that one!  Do I regret it now?  Ya know, I don't.  That little dragonfly represents a time of my life where I was going through a lot and when I see it today it reminds me how far I have come.

Since becoming a Mom I have developed all these weird and irrational fears.  I talked about one of them here.  I am a strong person but sometimes my thoughts can really take over my mind.  I wanted to have a reminder (some place I could see) that I just need to have faith.  Faith in myself as a Mother, faith in God and faith that I can do anything that I set my mind to, big or small. 

I have wanted this tattoo for the longest time and I finally set up a spontaneous tattoo date with my husband and did it.  I love it and whenever I start to doubt myself I take a quick look and I am reminded to have faith.
 
Do you have any tattoos?  Do they have a special meaning or a story behind it? 

36 comments:

isabelle said...

I have three little birds flying up and over my shoudler. They symbolise my freedom, from 1. aniexty, 2. my eating disorder and 3. my unbelief and they represent the things that helped me fly and gave me wings 1. my family 2. my friends and 3. my faith!!!

Tattoos are wonderful, I've always loved them and with mine being on my shoulder I don't see it often, but when I get a glimpse of it when I step out the shower for example I get this big wave of strength and courage from what it means to me!

Stay strong xxx

LacyLouise said...

I have the same tattoo on the same wrist I have had it for 6 years now and have not regretted it once! Very classic and has great meaning

Teressa Mackey said...

I have the word grace on the inside of my finger.

I got it when I was still in college, because I was and am a firm believer that it is by God's divide grace that I am what I am.

1 Cor 15:10

Teressa @ newbornmama.blogspot.com

Ruthie Hart said...

I have three!!! Got them all in college and I do love 2 of them...I love the 3rd but it is WAY bigger than I wanted. I think its funny when people tell you tattoos are forever and you're like um yes I know that and I knew that before I got it! haha! My hubby doesn't have any and I like that, very odd!

SHUG IN BOOTS {Beth} said...

love that the font is so dainty and delicate. my friend has a tattoo very similar just above the heel of her foot.
i'm with you, not a mom {yet} ... but though i feel pretty grounded, my thoughts can highjack my brain in no time if i allow it.

Amy said...

It is beautiful! {loving the font!} What a great daily reminder to stop, calm down, and refocus on what is important!
I have a tattoo on the top of my left foot, it is the word "delight" in Hebrew. It reminds me to find my delight in God, to put my trust and everything within me in Him. :)
Did your wrist tattoo hurt at all? I know my foot tattoo KILLED. ha!

Becky Goerend said...

I got my first one last August. It's a tree I designed made of circles on my left. The three bottom circles represent the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The pink circle is me, orange is my husband, and green is my son. We plan to have more children (expecting one in April), so I won't get circles for those kids until we are sure our family is complete.

(see the picture below)

http://mrsbmg.posterous.com/224365-i-did-it

Hanna said...

You know, I have mixed feelings. I have 5. I have the stereotypical dragon on my lower abdomen that I got at 18 and is now stretched out and horrible but I think I might regret most of mine. But not enough to remove them

Bea L L said...

I dont have a tatto but who knows I might get one some day...for long i wanted one in my hip but i couldnt figure out the design.

Bea =)
dailylivingingeneva.blogspot.com

Jenna Lee said...

I have a few and I love each one. I keep saying I'm done but I think I want a lot more as life goes on.

Nicole said...

I love it! I love wrist tattoos with meaning because you see them all the time. Last year I got three antique skeleton keys all unique and different for my husband and boys. I love it every time I see it.

Emily said...

My mom always said "Tattoos are a permanent reminder of temporary insanity." HA!

I got my first tattoo about 5 years ago, the word joy written in Hebrew on my right foot. I wanted something that looked cool, but also had meaning. Joy is how I want to live my life and with ever STEP, I take - thus the reason for it on the top of my foot! I still love it - and a bonus is, I won't have to worry about a pregnant belly messing it up! :)

Analisa said...

I have five! My best friend and I have two matching tattoos. I know this may sound cheesy but we have been friends for twenty years (longer than most marriages) and decided those tattoos will always remind us of the good times and the bad. One is a cross, it represents our faith. The other is a vine, we call it our friendship vine. When I was eighteen I got dolphins and haven't regretted it. The last one is the most special. I lost a son about a year and a half ago and got the ribbon for Pregnancy and Infant loss awareness with angel wings! I think that no matter what you get tattooed it always represents a certain time of your life and you can choose to regret it or embrace it:)

Love your tattoo!!

Alexa said...

I don't have any tattoos...but after reading your post I'm tempted! So well written. I especially loved the part about the giant deformed bat! Haha. Thank goodness it's still a dragonfly!

Ash said...

at one point, i had a total of 11 small tattoos- not like, huge arm pieces, just little guys here and there... and i got them ALL between 18-21, when i was going through a ROUGH phase in life.. long story short, my sweet mother is currently paying for me to get several removed.. im in the middle of getting my second and third tattoo removed /:

they really shouldnt let you get tattoos until you are thirty... or, like my mom said, invent ink that disappears in five years... aye..

Stephanie said...

I love tattoos...I've wanted one since I was a teenager. But for some reason I've never gone through with it. Someday.

Crystal Coco said...

I have two tattoos. I got the first one when I was 18, it’s a star on the back of my neck- after which my father didn’t speak to me for 4 days (he thought tattoos were trashy- but got over it) my other tattoo is the entire top of my foot when I was 21. I don’t regret either of them, in fact I would like to get more.. Thankfully I thought about them for a long time before actually getting under the needle and made sure they were placed where they could easily be hidden and unlikely to distort.

Unknown said...

I have the tiniest star on my right ankle. It has no meaning except as a reminder of a very boring day at work ten years ago when I called my sister and we got our very first tattoos to kill the boredom. I stopped there but she has added 10 more!

Unknown said...

I have the tiniest star on my right ankle. It has no meaning except as a reminder of a very boring day at work ten years ago when I called my sister and we got our very first tattoos to kill the boredom. I stopped there but she has added 10 more!

Bethany said...

I was wondering what kind of ink was in a tattoo and if it is really healthy for the skin to inject it with that? I know tattoo's aren't regulated. They scare me because my mom used to tell me that it was dangerous to get stuck with a pen or a pencil.

Amalia Athanaeleas said...

I love this! Beautiful reminder, Lindsay.
xx
Lia
Smart n Snazzy

Judith said...

I have 2 tattoo's! A little star on my right wrist, it stands for my husband who is my shining star. And last month I got my second one, four triangles. One pointing upwards and three pointing down. These stand for my family: My husband, me and our two daughters. It's in my waist on the left side, close to my hart. I am totally in love with both!

Luscious Lea said...

I have a large and meaningful piece (as well as a couple of crappy, done when I was a teen pieces, which I don't regret as they are a part of my story, but hope to improve them one day). Here's some pictures of my tattoo and the story behind it.
http://livinglusciouslea.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/my-breastfeeding-goddess-back-piece.html

sherri lynn said...

I love your new tattoo! I don't have any, but if I were to get one it would be a couple of Chinese characters that have special meaning to me. And I would want them on my wrist :)

Lindsay said...

I think it looks great Linds! Can't think of a better reminder every single day!

Gina said...

Just curious, if you care to share :). If your husband got one, what was his?

Mindy said...

I've wanted a tattoo FOREVER. Well, 20 years at least. Just haven't come up with the "that's it!" idea. Plus, if I stay true to form, I'd become addicted and want a new one every month. Ha! I think it's awesome. And I'm jealous.

Anonymous said...

I have a star the size of a dime on my foot that my childhood best friend and I got on my 18th birthday (she is two weeks older so she waited for me) and I have a dove on my ribcage which I got in college that is pretty dang big. Sometimes I regret it, especially now that I am a mom but then I remember that I got it for my Papa who passed away almost 15 years ago. It's the dove that is on his grave so it always reminds me of him.

It is pretty funny when my husband see's it he likes to yell kaaakaa like a bird, it's always good for a laugh.

Britney

Victoria said...

I have... 8 tattoos? Honestly I don't count them. Some are bigger than others but one is down my entire left side. If you saw me today you'd never know that most of my torso is covered by tattoos. I'm not sure why, but that method of self expression has always appealed to me ever since I saw my mom's small tattoo on her hip when I was a kid. It was like, "yeah, why NOT decorate my skin?". To me they're a reminder of times in my life, things I love, lessons I want to remember, or even just something I find beautiful. Only time will really tell how they'll age and how I'll feel about them, but I don't feel like I'll ever regret them or dislike them. They're part of my story.
When people say things like "oh what about when your skin ages?" I have two answers. One is that ALL my skin will age, so what's the big deal? And secondly, I have even MORE of a reason to make sure my skin ages beautifully and gracefully!

Victoria

Mawiyah said...

I got two tats when I was 18 - DUMBEST THING EVER!!! What I got as a tattoo will remain a mystery - LOL I had laser surgery to remove them but did not complete the treatment so now they look very strange. NOW I want a tiny wrist tat like your your's with the word "love"

Anonymous said...

I have:
1.) angel wings w/ a halo and my sister name and the date of her death on my upper back towards the base of my spine.
2.) "Trust Your Journey" on my left wrist.
3.) a meditating figure with bright colors around her on my upper right back.
4.) "There is always a reason" with butterflies and the awareness ribbons as their bodies for endometriosis, PCOS and infertility on my right foot.
5.) The chinese symbol for "love" on my upper left back (my hubby has a matching tattoo)
6.) The only one I regret is my lower back tattoo and only b/c I hate the star the guy put next to the moon.
-Dani

Anonymous said...

I have the trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) symbol in the middle of my back between my shoulder blades. To always remind me of my faith. Who walks with me, who died for me and who sings over me. Whenever I lose my way or question my faith the tattoo reminds me of who loves me, who's with me and who's in control.
~ Brandi

jo said...

I have my husband's name, exactly as he wrote it on 2/14/11 - my last valentines day with him - on my inner right arm. He passed away 12 days later. I also have a dragonfly on my right shoulder. The dragonfly story was very meaningful to us as we were going through his illness. Do I regret them? Not for one second. I would like to get another that says "Feed the right wolf". An old Indian was sitting with his little grandson. He told the boy he didn't feel well. The boy asked, "Why?" The old grampa said he had two wolves fighting inside him. One was good; one was evil. The little boy asked, "Which one will win?" The old Indian looked at his little grandson and said, "The one that you feed." That story was told by my pastor after my husband passed away, and it changed my life. I always try to remember to feed the right wolf.

Unknown said...

I have quite a bit of tattoos...The first one I got is a heart with an eye and wings and a dagger going through it. It's right where my neck and upper back meet. I got that when I was 19, going through a transition of childhood into adulthood. I started my career and met my love at that time. Shortly after I got a skeleton mermaid that's about 12 inches length wise. I've always loved mermaids, and the reason why I wanted her as a skeleton because I was reading that when the mermaids would sing and the ships would crash, they would try and rescue the sailors, but would crush and kill the sailors with their tail. The third and fouth tattoos I got was a Key and lock on my left forearm and a red/blue rose on my right forearm. These two I got when I went to go visit my bestfriend in Florida, and the key and lock was for my sister, and the rose is for my bestfriend. The fith tattoo is on my chest (shoulder to shoulder) it's my bestfriend/husband to be name. I got his name because he is my other half. He has been my bestfriend and lover since we were 10, and he has been by my side through everything that I have gone through. I started working on my right arm sleeve...its all roses, each different colors and they represent someone who has affected my life in a positive way. I also forgot I got Calvin and Hobbes since they were my childhood favorite. And the last two editions are my nieces names (the two little girls I owe a lot to) and those are on my outer wrists. I have a lot more to go, but I reget none of my tattoos!

Polly Rogers said...

Yes tattoo is forever, that is why you have to think not just twice, but a hundred of times what design are you going to get inked in your skin. My friend got one big tattoo on his chest of the name of his girlfriend, or should I say ex-girlfriend. I guess you can already figure out where this story is going. He is now looking for a specialist to have it removed.

Unknown said...

I am a new reader, but thought I'd comment because I, too, love my tattoos. I have one in my foot of a dancer and Hebrew lettering saying, He turned my wailing into dancing. My wedding ring was next; after 7 years of marriage we traded out our gold for tattooed bands. And my most recent is a line from my favorite EE Cummings poem on my left forearm saying, nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands. Love yours too. And I appreciate your blog, and your leggings.

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