our tattoo adventure

Happy Wednesday friends!

If you are following along you know that on Monday we shared all about why we got tattoos, and today I am going to share the entertaining story of how we got them.

Like I mentioned before Ben and I had always talked about wanting to get tattoos together, but as a complete needle-phobic basket case I never really took our talks too seriously. I mean, I loved the meaning and commitment of the whole thing, but was wimply ol’ me ever really considering the reality of voluntarily having someone dig a needle into my arm for 30 minutes? Not really. But somewhere along the lines, something changed. I don’t know if I’m finally just getting older and seeing all of these life things as much less scary and daunting than they once seemed, or if the why of the words I wanted on my arm suddenly outweighed the worry of pain. Whatever changed, I suddenly found myself in the car on my way to a tattoo parlor on a Wednesday evening. Still beyond nervous, but determined to not wimp out.

Traffic was unusually bad that night, and Ben got to be stuck in the car with the full on crazy nervous version of me for about an hour and a half. Every five minutes I would utter something random like “my feet are sweaty…is that a thing?” or “does it hurt worse than this?” – at which time I would pinch him). But my super patient husband would just smile and laugh a little, finding my insanity amusing rather than the most annoying thing in the world (this man is a saint FOR REALSIES). We got to the the tattoo parlor, filled out some paperwork, and after a few decisions about placement and size I found myself in the chair, facedown, ready to get started.

At this point, things got real. My super awesome (and also very patient) artist Charlie started the hum of his tattoo gun, and told me that breathing helped to manage the pain (which I took to mean I needed to launch into full on lamaze breathing ala TLC’s “A Baby Story”). So there we were, Charlie calmly tracing the words he had stenciled on my arm, and me breathing as steadily and loudly as if I was having open heart surgery sans anesthesia. Throughout the process Ben took some random pictures, and because I have absolutely no shame I am going to share them below.

Before I knew it we were done and I was giddily checking out my new ink (yes, when you’re tough and have tattoos you can say ink), and it was Ben’s turn. Of course he super manly and toughly sauntered up to the freshly cleaned chair, and laid down for his tattoo as if he was ready for a one hour massage. He didn’t grimace nearly as bad (or even make a peep) throughout the process, but I told him that’s because his was waaaay easier than mine and thus required less toughness.

And then, after about 10 minutes, he was done! We left with arms covered in plastic wrap, and went home to continue life as normal. Just a little tougher, and with far more street cred ; )

So without further ado, our tattoo adventure through the lens of an iPhone:

I filled the ever-so-long drive with terrified car selfies….

And pictures of our arms before they changed forever.

 

This is the face of a girl about to have her arm shaved

(I think THIS was the first point I realized this was really going to happen.)

 

Putting on a brave face after we figured out the placement.

You can ALMOST pretend I’m not terrified here.

Getting in position. . . .

And then it began.

Honestly, I can’t even take myself seriously here.

This face?!

But before I knew it we were done, and I felt infinitely more awesome . . .

As you can tell by the fact I made myself at home at the check-in desk and couldn’t stop showing it off .. . .

And then it was Ben’s turn! First up he had to shave his arm . . .

And then he found himself on the table. He has far fewer pictures because he really looked completely normal.

Except in this one, where he made an “ouch” face just to make me feel better.

All done!

Back at home with our new tattoos!

For anyone considering getting a tattoo, I will let you know to most definitely not be as nervous as I was. Yes it is uncomfortable, but (if it is truly something you have your heart set on) the outcome far outweighs the temporary pain!

AND if you are looking for a place to get them one done, check out Amulet Tatoos in St. Pete : )

Love + Laughs,

Sarah