Yes, I have ink

For some reason I thought this link-up was on Thursday, so I didn't get my post made in advance like I was

planning on... oops!

Anyways, linking up a bit past midnight (but it's still Tuesday somewhere, right?) since I can't get on during the day...

Recently Raven showed off some her tats and decided it would be fun to do a link-up for everyone to show of theirs!

I personally have never had anything against tats and as far as religious reasoning for not getting them... well, as most people cite the verse in Leviticus, they often leave out that it also says in the same passage that men shouldn't shave their faces or women braid their hair... can't pick and choose people! I'm of the belief that as Christians, when Jesus came and died for us and rose again, he created the New Covenant which kind of made a lot of the old Jewish laws/rules in the Old Testament null and void.

Not to mention I know plenty of Christians - some very involved in their churches even - who have them and love them.

I even recall once reading in one of my dad's Christtian men's health magazines about a Christian surfer who had a really neat and elaborate crucifixion scene tattooed on his back. Given him being active in a surfer crowd, his shirt was off a lot and his back exposed and his tattoo was a great discussion piece and witnessing tool to his non-Christian surfer friends. Because of his tat, he shared his faith with many of them and some even came to believe as well. I thought that was pretty cool.

My parents, being very traditional and conservative, would not allow it and so as long as they paid my college tuition I had to abide by what few rules they still had for me. Hubby's not crazy about them and doesn't see the point, but for my 24th birthday he presented me with a gift certificate to one of the top tattoo shops here in town with the only stipulation that I had a few weeks, until after our wedding, to get it done. Being nervous about getting one, I put it off for like a month til we had a free afternoon and he took me.

And that was when I realized Metallica's "The Day That Never Comes" is a REALLY long song that seems to go on forever (or at least it made getting my tat feel like it was taking forever as it was playing on the radio when I was getting it done, lol...).

So I got my 1st tat back in October 2008 - it's a blue butterfly with black trim and details on the back of my right shoulder. I felt at the time it signified the "new" adult me, as I had just finished college the year before, bought my 1st car by myself, took on a "real" job, got married and we were supporting ourselves. My new, "adult" life.

And a little fun fact - the guy that did my ink - he broke the Guiness World Record for longest tattoo session a few years back. So I guess I have that little claim to fame!

Honestly, I think people who get them without thinking them through are dumb (no offense!) - for example, my youngest brother-in-law, being the rebel that he tries to be, went and got himself 2 tats recently - the one on his arm is a Celtic-looking cross (which okay, Celtic stuff looks kinda cool, and it's a cross... not too bad, I'll admit), but the 2nd... he has an Irish flag on the left side of his chest. My husband's family is like .0000000000001% Irish - if anything, their predominantly Swedish, German and Jewish. Not Irish. He said he was "representing" his Irish heritage, yet, the punchline of "I thought you were Irish?" comes up often when you ask him anything that's common knowledge Irish and he has no idea what you're talking about! And no, he wasn't drunk when he got it - we made sure to ask that, looking for some excuse for such an absurd tattoo! Seriously people - tattoos are pretty permanent (unless you have a lot of money to get them lasered off), so it's wise to think a bit before getting one done and ask yourself if what you get is going to look really stupid when you're old and be something you too think is stupid and regret when you're older and your tastes change. That's why I choose the butterfly - black and blue are my favorite colors and well, butterflies represent change and new beginnings, a meaning and symbol that's timeless really.

And another thought, think hard about where you're getting your tat - again, they're permanent. Do you really want a tacky tramp stamp the rest of your life? Or do you plan on ever having kids? Who knows, you probably will gain weight at some point in your life... so make sure that where you're getting that tat is somewhere that isn't going to stretch much if your body does get bigger. Also, if you might ever have to work a professional job, be sure that normal clothing can cover your tat as many jobs don't allow visible tats as part of their dress code. I went with the back of my shoulder as well, how often in your adult life does the skin on your shoulders stretch? Not often. Plus it can be covered for jobs if need be, but it's there and visible other times. I've thought about getting an ankle band but I'm not 100% on that one just yet - not so sure about what type of band I want, nor am I 100% sure I want an ankle band for the rest of my life.

I also decided that for each kid we have, I'd like to get a smaller, different colored butterfly to go with my "mama" butterfly to represent each one of my babies.

I  haven't gotten Jay's yet, however I'm thinking maybe this weekend since I'll have time to go after work without having to worry about who's watching Jay. I plan on his being just like mine, only with an orange/red butterfly with the black trim. I also want to get mine touched up, as the color isn't nearly as vibrant as it originally was and since I'm adding to it, I kinda want the colors to be the same vibrancy.

I hear a lot of people ask if tats hurt - honestly, I believe it depends on where you get it done and what exactly you're having done.

Like I hear foot tats are pretty painful as your foot is pretty much all bone and having a needle hit your bone like that can be pretty painful! Only part of my butterfly is over my shoulderbone, so I did get to experience that a little, however, for me, the outlining part didn't hurt so much - the shading... that stung a bit and I made sure to grip onto hubby's hand or the back of the chair for that part!

Hopefully I'll have Jay's butterfly on me this weekend if I don't chicken out (for some reason I'm nervous, but not really sure why!) I think it's just the anticipation of it, even though I've known for awhile that I AM getting it done eventually, so since I have the money now, why not?