Margaritas and Tattoos :)

(I had to take the picture lol)

It was a time of celebration! One of my best friends was getting married so all of us girls got together and went out for margaritas that night. We were having a great time talking about life and the future. One of our friends had recently separated from her husband and was learning to become independent again. My friend who was getting married was embarking on a new journey with her future husband. Each of them wanted to do something to commemorate these events forever. They decided to get tattoos, one wanted to represent freedom and the other unity.

Therefore, the quest to find the best tattoo parlor in Pensacola Florida was on. I was so excited because I do not have any tattoos, never seen anyone get one much less ever been in a tattoo parlor. This was an entirely new experience for me and I was not sure what to expect. I figured it would be like you seen in the movies where a big, mean, tattooed, pierced man comes out ready to inflict pain. I thought the place would be small and run down and maybe even unsanitary. I was really hoping this was not what we would find and I am glad I was wrong! The place that we went to was very classy, clean, friendly and most importantly, it was sanitary! However, a big, tattooed, pierced man ready to inflict pain did come out. He was not mean though, he just truly enjoyed his job of tattooing and piercing. He made the girls he was tattooing feel very comfortable and even us who were not getting tattoos were having a great time. He gave us a tour of his shop and then he started telling us about work that he has done and where all he has gone to continue learning the new and current techniques to make the best tattoos possible. In the middle of our conversation, a wild-eyed little boy came stumbling into the room. He had been awaken from our loud laughter (must have been from the margaritas) and asked us to keep it down just a little because he was trying to sleep. I was very shocked to see a child in the tattoo parlor because I would never dream of having my daughter there. However, it was interesting to learn that the tattoo artist was a single father and he had to do whatever he could to provide a good life for his son. Even if that meant building a room in his tattoo shop where he could sleep while he worked late nights to make a little more money. I think it was at this moment that we realized that we were all the same, that he was not just the tattoo guy anymore, but also a single, hard-working father just trying to do the best for him and his son.

Well the tattoos started and he began with my friend Kelly, the one getting married. She was about to become Kelly Young and wanted to get “young” put on her body somewhere to represent her new life with her husband. At the same time, she was a little afraid of tattooing a name on her in case anything was to happen. Therefore, she decided to put “Forever Young” to represent the phrase, being young and youthful forever, and meaning she was going to be a Young forever as well. She surprised her future husband by sending him a picture of it and he loved it. Both felt that this was a show of their commitment to each other and their marriage. He later got the same tattoo so it became their act of a “forever” love between them.

My friend Jessica was the next to go. She is the one that had recently left her husband after a long marriage of pain and infidelity. She was ready to become closer to her family, friends and God. She wanted a tattoo that she could always look at that would remind her of the strength she showed when she finally walked away from him. She could not decide whether she wanted to get a tattoo on her wrist (where she originally wanted) or on her inside ankle. The reason she was going back and forth was because of she was thinking about the future and was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get a regular job with a tattoo on her wrist but then she finally decided to follow her heart and decided to throw caution to the wind for once and do what she wanted. Therefore, she got a beautiful cross on the inside of her left wrist that was full of beautiful green and pink colors.

When he finished the tattoos, both of the girls were very happy with their accomplishments. These tattoos were an example of a rite of passage in each of their lives. Even though it was not a formal ceremony, they marked a change in each of their social statuses and it recognizes a new set of social relationships that have been produced.  I was excited to have been a part of an event in their lives that would be with them forever. I do not know if I would ever get a tattoo, but it was great to see the importance that these artistic expressions meant to each of these girls.

 

Me and Jess :)

Me and Kelly. I was trying to make her laugh lol :)