Getting Inked

Carnivale Tattoo Studio

August 21, 2014 marks the date that I lost my virginity – my tattoo virginity, that is. After years of talking about getting a tattoo, and deciding what design I would get, I finally took the plunge and actually got one!

Right before going out-of-town for a work-related class I had an epiphany – I had some disposable income and would be in a place where no one knew me. A potentially dangerous combination for sure, lol! I texted my unsuspecting husband and announced “I’m planning to get a tattoo while we are gone!” This pronouncement was not met with the amount of shock and awe that I expected. I was somewhat disappointed.

Disappointment aside, the class kept me so busy that I really didn’t give the tattoo anymore thought. Deep down inside, I figured that I would find a reason to back out. After all, I’ve had plenty of time to get a tattoo and plenty of excuses for not doing so. Little did I know that my hubby was not going to let me back out again.

After my final exam (which I passed with flying colors, woot!), and a celebratory meal of pizza and ice cream, my hubby announced that due to the fact that we had some free time, we should find a tattoo parlor and get my tatt done. Surely he was kidding, right? He was not. A Yelp search revealed a few contenders and I narrowed it down to one – Carnivale Tattoo. I liked the atmosphere of Carnivale and both the facility and the artists got rave reviews. However, we decided to go to see a movie, so I had a little time to mull things over. As we entered the theater I was convinced that I was going to go for it, by the time we left, I had changed my mind. I would wait until we got home. (Yeah, right.)

You see, home or away really didn’t matter. For me, the hardest part of getting a tattoo has been bringing myself to actually walk into a shop. I’m introverted and shy and walking into a tattoo shop is way outside of my comfort zone. My hubby convinced me to at least try. “It will be okay and I will be with you. All you have to do is walk in. If you decide not to go through with it, you will have still walked in and sometimes that is the hardest part.” Is it any reason that I love this man? He’s definitely a keeper!

So, we went in. Once I was through the door I was fine. I told them what I wanted, an artist was selected, we worked out the design and the tattoo was applied. Within the course of two and a half hours I went from tattoo virgin to inked!

One half of my tattoo

I love my tattoo and am super proud of myself for getting it. Most of all, I am proud of my hubby for loving me enough to know what is important to me and for helping me find the strength to achieve it, even when I’m not sure that I can.

What do you need someone to push you to do?

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