Got it

Before:

The design.  This was placed on my arm (like a stamp) and served as a general guide for the inking process.

The draft.

During:

It actually didn't hurt that bad.  It doesn't feel like a needle.  It feels more like someone is dragging a very hot blade over your skin.  But they take breaks very frequently, which cuts the pain.

The actual tattoo process only took about 5 minutes.

After:

I'm like, so hard core.

A day later - no pain at all!

Some fun facts about my tattoo experience:

**The needle hits your skin 130 times per second.  Um, that's a lot.  Which explains why it feels constant, not like a bunch of pin pricking, but more like a searing.  Attractive, no?

**Although I was going for a very simple tattoo, when I saw his drawing of my design, I thought it was too simple.  He told me that it was just a guideline and I specified a couple of things that I wanted, and he did exactly that.  I'm very pleased that he listened to me (between smoke breaks) and did what I wanted.

**It took him about 20 minutes to set everything up for the tattoo - exponentially longer than actually giving it to me.  All of the devices that are single-use were taken out of their sterile packages right in front of me (gloves, needles, alcohol wipes, vitamin A&D ointment).  He disinfected and wrapped the arm of the chair before we started as well.  I felt very comfortable.

**I was never nervous.  Never.  But put me on a plane?  Heart rate goes up!  The PleaseGods start.  This makes no sense.  I readily admit that.

**I'm really glad I did it.  No regrets - which validates the experience for me.  As long as I've been hemming and hawing about this, it's a relief, and sort of a thrill, to look at it and be genuinely pleased with it.

**That said, I will soooooo be covering it up any time I visit my family.  My Gama would die a thousand deaths if she knew - not so much about me getting a tattoo, but more that I went to a place called "Dr. Sin's" to do it.  If she saw these pictures, she would die.  Literally.  My mom would think I'd lost my mind and was on the fast track to hell.  So we'll just keep this a secret.  You know, here on the internet.

**As he was setting up and I was getting settled in the chair, a grandmotherly woman emerged from the other room and I could see her paying.  I was like, ????????  I couldn't help myself, so I called out to her, "Ma'am?  Did you get a tattoo?"  Guys - she looked like a Sunday School teacher.  If I'm lyin' I'm dyin'.  She grinned at me and walked into the room and lifted up her khaki capri pants and low and behold she had flowers and vines wrapping up her leg, from her ankle to about mid-calf.  It took like 7 hours to do.  All of a sudden I didn't feel so bad@ss about my itty bitty bird.  :)  She was way cool, though!