iowagirl

Ah, gotcha. I think some that would get something that could be construed as offensive, like say a big ole swastika or Hitler is King or something, would be more apt (pupil get it hahaha) to put it someplace visible for that exact reason-they're not going to be the ones that think about it. I'm not easily offended, so now I'm really interested (nosy, my husband says) to know what you're thinking about getting!

My husband and I have actually discussed ways to embarrass them...our son is a little too young right now but our daughter is about the age where stuff starts to matter more...so I'm thinking if she and her friends saw me being silly at my preschool, making the kids laugh by hopping from foot to foot, scratching my armpits and hooting like a monkey she's going to be quite unthrilled with me. I'm the most heavily tattooed in our district, and most of those kids have seen me since she was in Kindergarten, so they're used to my tattoos..and really, you'd think they'd be used to me enough to remember that I hopped and hooted around for them too. As far as tattoos in family portraits or at social/family events...they're a part of *me*, I dig tattoos, I dig tattooed guys. I find it sexy to see tattoos poking out of shirt sleeves or just clothes in general. We're a tattooed family, so tattoos showing in photos goes with the territory. If JD is walking London down the aisle when she gets married and she's super casual so it's short sleeved dress shirts, the tattoos on her daddy's arm will show, and there's no reason to be embarrassed by that, and if she's super against tattoos when she gets older, then that's something *she* would need to deal with. It's not up to me to make everything about myself un offensive for everyone else. Beside the fact that it's impossible.

Text is hard for me to see as a bad tattoo idea I guess. Words can be so descriptive, and can bring a different..I don't know how to put it exactly, a different vibe, maybe, to what you're trying to express? If I wanted to have something to represent my husband and myself, I could have a heart w/JD in it, or I could use text "they loved with a love that was more than love"-which is how I see us. I'd do the lyrics of Rainbow Connection instead of a tattoo of Kermit, just b/c to me, I can hear the banjo immediately in my head, I can see Kermit singing, and I feel bittersweet over my intense love of all things muppet and Jim Henson's brilliance. I had text added to the inside of my engagement ring (As you wish-b/c he is my Westley) and to my wedding band (mawage is wot bwings us togevah today) b/c when I see it, I feel good.

It's a great feeling of accomplishment when you are able to do something you couldn't before. The first time I did the 25 minute practice dvd, I was sweating buckets and falling all over, and kind of irritated that I used to be in great shape and at that time couldn't do a lot of things b/c my stomach was in the way, or my legs were so big I couldn't cross them. But it doesn't matter-every time you practice, you're getting better at it w/out even realizing it. It does wonders releasing endorphins and making you feel good about yourself. Another nice thing about it is, as mentioned above, shape/size/age-none of it matters. You can have 20 different people doing the same position and have twenty different levels. And the splits, Delicious? Holy buckets I've never been able to do them!

I'm not much of a heart person, but I like a valentines heart more than an organ-heart. I swear I saw one the other day that was black and looked like it had been done w/a paint brush, you could see the strokes..it was neat. Now I can't find it tho, so who knows what I saw. I like some of the abstract-ish hearts. - - - Updated - - - Can I link from the gallery? http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/gallery/heart-tattoos/6487-bird-heart.html this is one of the kinds I like And the more traditional ones w/the flowers on the sides too.

You have pretty arms. Not just the tattoos, which are lovely, but the shape of them as well.

I never thought about bringing treats for the shop, that's a good idea. I worked at a Dr.'s office for 8 years and boy did we give preferential treatment to the patients bearing treats.

Did find one of my dragon and rose. Tigger's on the other side of the rose so you can't see him.

ME TOO! I never really thought about it much when I had just my frog and the flower circlet. When I was in shape (in the b.c. before children days, sigh), I wore sleeveless tops as much as possible, and the thinner the straps the better. Didn't matter what was on the shirts. Now tho, I have all those blossoms, and plan on getting so much more from one side to the other, I prefer solid color tops or ones that have something on the front but not the back so it's plain there. I'm huge into jewelry, and find that I don't wear necklaces if I'm wearing something that exposes my upper body tattoos b/c I feel it's just too "much". Same reason for earrings. Thank god my hands are safe b/c I'd never give up my rings! Now that I have my feet all fancy, I find that I just want plain black flip flops so colors aren't detracting from the tattoos. My husband oughta like some of this newfound simplicity..should save some money! - - - Updated - - - I don't have any pictures of my ankles on the laptop. I might have some random ones on the pc. Tigger on the outside of my left ankle, a rose on the inside, and a dragon on the outside of my right ankle. I want to go from the bottom of the cherry blossoms, around my arm, up across the top of my back and down to the band on the right arm...maybe a little lower there so it matches up w/the blossom side. Not sure how in the world it will all work out, but somehow..

congratulations!

Hayden, yep, where the hip connects to the leg. There've been times in the movie theater that I have to stretch my legs (strange for me b/c I'm only 5 ft tall) b/c it will start hurting. One time in Menards my husband was being a smart ass, I was walking behind him, so I pulled my leg up and kicked him in the ass-and it made that catch, so then I couldn't move. Sometimes if I stretch it while I'm walking it will click back into place but that time it didn't. It was horrible. Limping along muttering omg omg omg and swearing under my breath, I know I looked like an idiot. I'll check out yogajournal.com, thanks for the tip! Delicious, when I first started, I could barely sit on the floor Indian Style...it's just about trying and getting your body moving and stretching. It feels amazing, seriously--when I first started I couldn't get over how good it felt, and how good *I* felt. It makes you stand up taller and feel better about yourself. Right now I have a couple Sarah Ivanhoe dvd's that have 6 20 minute workouts on them. Kathryn Buddig's Aim True, which has a 25 min. and a 45 min workout. I get a charge out of her, she's really about making it fun. I also have Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown, which isn't "real" yoga but it's fun. And the P90X yoga dvd...that one is hard to do b/c it's 90 minutes, so hard to find time to fit that in.

thanks beth!

I started practicing a couple years ago. There are no classes here, the town is too small, so I use dvd's. Don't have very many tho. I enjoy it-the time seems to go by so quickly, I suppose b/c I'm so caught up in trying to pay attention to what I'm doing, my brain can't wander off. I'm not overly flexible..my hips are tight and have this weirdness that I've never been able to figure out, it's like they "catch" when I'm doing certain things. Sometimes I can't work thru that catch and holy moly is it painful. Yoga makes me feel good. I get off track sometimes, if we've got stuff going on during my yoga time I don't practice for a week or so. I've lost about 20 pounds from when I first started practicing a couple years ago and can tell a difference in being able to do the movements easier/better. Are there yoga dvd's devoted specifically to the different practices, like a Bikram one or..what's another kind, Ashtanga? I wasn't in dance as a child, tho I wished I had been, maybe I wouldn't be so non-flexible and non-graceful.

hahahaha I do that to my husband all the time-"you wanna mess w/THIS?? Really?" One day during lunch, some of the little boys were flexing their arms and giggling when I'd touch and go oooo what big muscles! So then I flexed and they were giggling and then stopped..."Miss Missi, your arm feels funny" hahahaha

I don't do pictures very often. This was in February, right before we left to go get my cherry blossom tattoos. I'd been so-so eating better, so had lost some weight..which I've moo-latted and pasta'ed right back on. Oh shoot it didn't show. - - - Updated - - - maybe now?

I guess I figure, not every client matches w/every artist. They SO did not mesh. She struck me as a harpy..a bit of "lookit me on tv putting this guy in his place" like she was far superior and more knowledgeable than he. And it's kinda hard to demonstrate proficiency in something if the client doesn't want it. Can't really show that you can do say...praying hands, if the client says yeaaaah no, can you put mittens on them?

Woo hoo! LOVE the ST uniform!

I'm not balanced, but I think the asymmetry is cool/sexy. It won't stay that way for long, just b/c I want (need) more.

Pffft, thread jack away! It's the natural flow of conversations to move around. Are you thinking to add like one color, or to do all color in them?

I'm sucked in, every time.

Oooo now I want to get some paper out and start a smaller scale sketch of ideas! I get all giddy thinking about the planning stage!

dammit now I'm getting all antsy and excited! I'm glad I asked, or I'd be sitting here for the next couple months hemming and hawing, unsure.

Thanks-I figured that's how it would be, b/c of the gradients of black. I love color in general, but the b/g tattoos I've seen really are so incredibly striking to me that I think I just need to go for it! Might make my colored ones up there stand out even more too. Maybe one side of my upper back/shoulder/upper arm in color and the other side I b/g w/bits of color?

Been trying to decide what I want to do next, so have been browsing, looking for ideas that click with me. I've seen a lot of black and gray, sometimes w/red or dark red accents. I really love those-usually they're flowers, and that's what I want-more flowers. All of my other tattoos are color. Would it look funny to have some on my upper arms/back be color and some in black/gray? And could color be added down the road if they're done in b/g?

The dual reality thing w/the cat is Schrodinger's cat. Interesting theory, too. Nobody really asks me crazy things. Mostly they ask how long it takes, like w/my feet since I'm in flip flops for summer and they're kinda hard to miss. "4 hours" "Wow, didn't it hurt?" "Feck yeah it hurt" "Well..so..why did you do it?" Or they ask if I cried. No.