May 1998 was the best month of my life. Hands down. No question about it.
That's probably sacrilegious to say. I mean, I should say that the best time in my life was when I got married or when we adopted. That would be the PC thing to say. But that month was particularly cool and life-changing for a myriad of other reasons. I didn't win the lottery or find Jesus or anything like that. But it was still the BEST month of my life.
And I have the tattoo to prove it. (I'll get back to that in a minute...)
May 1998 was a month that I spent traveling in Europe with a bunch of other college students (and one prof.). We went to Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic. We saw about 500 cathedrals and churches, stayed with host families and in charming hotels, drank German beer, walked EVERYWHERE, saw stunning castles, rode on trains through gorgeous mountain passes, ate weird things like boar, saw a ballet in Vienna, visited fabulous museums, learned more history that can fit in my brain ... and on and on and on. It was the most amazing 4 weeks of my life.
This was not my first trip to Europe. In fact, it was my third. I had gone with my family when I was 9 and again when I was 16. I have done a lot of traveling so that wasn't a big deal. There was just something so magical about that month. I was free. I was away. I truly felt like an adult for probably the first time in my life. This, coming from the girl who cried when she went away to summer camps and had to wait an extra year after high school to go away to college because I just.couldn't.leave.home. This month was a turning point in my life as I went from Anne the girl to Anne the woman. No, not in THAT way ;) But in many other ways.
I felt like a butterfly that month, just opening my wings and learning how to fly.
ENTER: PRAGUE
If you have never been to Prague you must go before you die. Put it on your Someday List right now. Prague is my favorite city in the world, and I can say that after seeing many, many cities of the world. Paris is great, Copenhagen is wonderful, Budapest is incredible. But there is something out-of-this-world awesome about Prague. It's mysterious in a non-creepy way. I fell in love with it instantly. I will get back there someday. Mark my words.
And I have the best, most everlasting souvenir of my favorite city in the world that makes me smile every time I see it.
[teaser: you will have to come back to the blog tomorrow to see a pic of my tatt. I will wait for you to put that in your planner................okay, now we can continue]
This tattoo came after a couple of glasses of wine and a lot of prodding from my friend Megan, who was a tattoo veteran. We had seen a tattoo shop that was very busy as we were walking earlier that morning, and we just couldn't get the idea of leaving Prague with a tattoo out of our heads. Why not?
So we did it. And it hurt like bloody hell.
Thinking back (and frankly the memory is a little blurry ... wine and all, you know...), I can't remember why I chose a butterfly or why I chose my ankle. (My friend Megan got a lizard on her ankle, BTW.) But now when I look at the butterfly on my ankle I think 2 things: 1) OMG, how cliche to have a butterfly tattoo on your ankle, and 2) The butterfly symbolizes the incredible month I had 'flying' around Europe, spreading my new wings and making my transformation into who I was going to become.
There are, of course, religious overtones to a butterfly that also fit in perfectly with who I have become. But overall the butterfly was the perfect choice for me. I have never and will never regret it.
To my one reader who was with me on that trip...it was an amazing month, wasn't it???
My mom's reaction to my tattoo was classic. When she saw it she licked her finger and tried to rub it off, like it was a fake one!!! LOL!!! I think she had a heart attack right there and then. It was awesome.
And I am planning my next tattoo as we speak. I was thinking of something like this:
Yeah, right. ;)
What tattoos do you have or want to have? What would you think if your sweet little daughter came home from Europe with a tattoo?? Discuss.
Ah, tattoo memories. I think I got mine in 2000. And it hurt like hell. Like he had to stop twice becuase I looked like i was going to pass out. Those lower back tattoos are killer and getting one there means I will never get another! My mom first saw mine when I was in recovery after having a lumbar puncture something or other. Good thing she wasn't allowed to touch me and that I was coming out of sedation!
ReplyDeleteHow come we don't have a mardi gras mask on our shoulders? missed opportunities I guess!
ReplyDeleteI have four tattoos, and I love every one of them. I'm always thinking of what I'll do next :)
ReplyDeleteI have one on my wrist in Hangeul that says "eomma" (mother), one encircling my left forearm in Hangeul that says our daughter's name. I also have a henna-style one on my upper right arm (a band that wraps around). And I have an elaborate orchid between my shoulder blades with tendrils that reach up the back of my neck and down my back. That one hurt the most. It's the biggest, and the back of your neck has NO FAT to cushion the pain. But would I do it again? In a heartbeat.
I would be perfectly fine with O coming home with a tattoo as long as it wasn't something stupid, like a boy's name that she breaks up with three weeks later. We've talked at length about the age she'll be when we allow her to have a tattoo, but we've never come to a conclusion... I think we'll just know when the time is right.
I got a tattoo when I was 18. We were in Disneyworld on a big family trip. I wanted to do something "crazy"... something naughty... something so not me. So I got a tattoo. My mom freaked out. She was not impressed. I think she cried. I had told her on the plane that I was going to get it, but apparently she didn't believe me. But I wasn't joking. It's a tribal-looking sun on the lower-right side of my back (I have since gotten a small star near it). I sometimes forget it's there. But I do like it. It serves as a reminder that I can step out of my "box" sometimes... I'm not always perfect.
ReplyDeleteI met my husband in Prague ;) It's an amazing city, yes.
ReplyDeleteI got a tattoo on my 30th birthday after thinking it over for years. It's my design and I don't regret it for a second. Hurt like crazy (sternum!) but I love it. Flaming Guadalupe heart and flowers.
The only tattoo I would ever get would be on the top of my foot, along the sandal line, and would be a Honu (Hawaiian Sea Turtle) and the chain of the Hawaiian Islands.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it'd only make sense to get if I was living in Hawaii when I got it...
But I'll never do it.
I'll tell my neighbors how much you LOVE Prague, it's their hometown. I could listen to them speak for hours in their gorgeous accents.
And can I just say, your profile picture makes you look so innocent and angelic... I NEVER would have pegged you for the wild type ;) Seriously, the time you made a sexual comment on my blog I about died. It caught me by surprise and I LOVED it! I kinda love you ;)
Fun - love the story and the tatt sounds perfect given the story! None on my end - thought about doing something for a while but never did, if I were to get anything at this point it'd probably have to do with my girl, but I'm doubtful I'd ever do it.
ReplyDeleteI've got four, and I'm working on finding a design for number five. I still love all of them, though I am getting one recolored and redesigned a bit this summer. It was the first one I got and I didn't know enough about tattoos to do good research on my artist. My daughter is 16, and I've told her she has to wait until she's 18 to get her first one...but get one she will I have no doubt. Maybe I'll get number 6 while she gets her first!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are back!! this is an awesome story!!
ReplyDelete