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I'm a 32 year old mother of 2 fantastic little boys, ages 5 and 10. I'm a retail lackey who dreams of running away to San Francisco where I'll live on my trust fund and take photographs of the city all day.

Currently Reading

  • Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Movies You Should Check Out

  • Little Miss Sunshine
  • The Good Shepherd

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  • Eminem
  • Hinder
  • The Fray

Categorically Speaking...

Friday, September 23, 2005

Welcome to Your New Addiction...


"Welcome to Your New Addiction" - That's what the sign on the wall says at Tattoo Art in Billings, MT. On my first visit into the shop I didn't really think too much of it at the time. I was busy making sure that my template was coming out okay, filling out consent forms, and reading the health warnings. However, I'm learning that it's not just a catchy slogan! I first went to the great guys at Buz Bailey's Tattoo Art in September of 2004 to get my very first tattoo. This was a big deal for me. The design I was getting was one that I had been drawing out for over 8 years and I would be the first person in my family to set foot within 100 yards of a tattoo parlor without being lost. The guy that greeted me when I walked through the door was Adam. To some, he might be intimidating with his wide assortment of piercings and tattoos, but he is really a gentle giant and a total sweetheart. He made me feel right at home and wasn't a bit put out by the fact that I didn't have my tattoo already drawn out to make the template from. He helped me put it together and make some design changes to make it even better. I got the glyph for the zodiac sign of Cancer with stars at the cardinal points on my lower back. During the procedure, he made plenty of conversation with me and was constantly checking to make sure that I was doing okay. Adam explained everything that he was doing and made sure that all my questions were being answered. It only took us about 40 minutes to get everything taken care of. I loved it! I walked out the door already planning what I wanted to get for my next tattoo. I was tempted to turn around and walk right back into the store and say "I want more!" But I didn't.

The wheels of my mind were turning, though. I knew I wanted to get something that would represent my baby. I thought about incorporating his name into my design, but if I ever had another child then it would be in two different handwritings, and what if that second one turned out to be twins?? I decided on getting the Chinese symbols for "mother's love" on my right shoulder blade. It took me all the way until May 2005 to get back to Billings for the purpose of getting a tattoo. Adam was out of town that day, but another of the incredibly nice artists took care of me. Since this one was a little smaller, it only took about 15 minutes from start to finish. Again, I totally loved it! And, again, I walked out of the shop ready to walk right back in to get another. I just had to decide what I wanted to get.

I have always wanted to get a tribal dragon wrapped around my ankle, but I have yet to find a design that has struck me as "The One". The more I thought about it, though, I realized that I spotted my first tattoo a little high on my lower back. If my shirt rode up, you couldn't even see it. I realized that the pants I wore the day I got the tattoo are higher waisted than every other pair of pants I owned! So, I decided to remedy the situation. I found a photo of an awesome tribal that someone had, and I emailed it over to Adam to see if he would be able to make a template from it. And he could! He said that he would also touch up the original tattoo since it was fading a bit in the center. So, in September of 2005 I trekked to Billings to touch up tattoo number one and embark on tattoo number three. Again, Adam was awesome! I just totally love this guy. It took us just about an hour this time. Adam says he wishes everyone sat as well as me! What can I say, I aim to please! LOL This time, I looked through all the flash books and portfolios when I was done - and picked out tattoo number four! It's a neat tribal with purple flowers over it. I want to get the flowers done with UV ink, which means that it will glow in black lights! My friend Hayley & I will be going back in a couple of weeks to get our tattoos - and possibly even some piercings! I'm contemplating an eyebrow ring. I've wanted on since high school, but they were just too trendy. I didn't want to get one and have people think I was doing it to be trendy. I figure that they aren't as trendy anymore, so now's as good a time as any!

The sign didn't lie - Welcome to Your New Addiction!

3 comments:

Dawn said...

Oh awesome Jen! I want to get a tattoo now. LOL Yours looks so good. :)

Michele said...

your tats RAWK!!....love the glyph...

Unknown said...

very cool tat Jen! love it.. oh yeah.. addiction.. I haved 8 right now and another few planned.. :)