Infinity and beyond

All these year's I've sworn off tattoos.  I'm totally chicken shit.  That's the honest to goodness truth.  Part of me doesn't want to "infinitely" leave a mark on my body and part of me is terrified of needles.

Thanks to the summer of 2012 the part of me that was afraid of needles has long since left the building and quite honestly, nothing is a worse "mark" than the pink dots on my sides where my drains came out or the scars in my armpits from the lymph node removal.  So I want a PRETTY scar to remember my strength.

So you know what?  I'm gonna do something I said I'd never do.  I'm going to get a tattoo.  I'm not one of those judge-y non-tattoo people taking a walk on the wild side either.  No, I never think twice about someone's ink.  It just wasn't for me.

But now I've got all KINDS of grand plans for a tattoo, but the problem is, ahem, I don't really know where to go.  I've had a couple recommendations for some good places in Portland, but of course they are booked out for FOR-EV-ER.  Hoping to call in a favor, but gotta find someone who knows someone who knows someone.

In the meantime, the extent of my artistic abilities is drawing really awesome stick figures (just ask my kids!).  I wow them daily with my amazing and detailed figurines.  I'm that awesome.

So conceptually I know what I want, or at least like a child I waffle back and forth between TWO things, neither of which I can appropriately articulate, and I stamp my foot in vein when no one gets me.

I'm toying with an infinity symbol that has the pink ribbon for 3/4 of the design and the rest of the symbol is 7.12.12 which is my mastectomy date.

The other option is a straight up pink ribbon with Survivor in script on one ribbon and the date of my surgery on the other.

For folks who know me, this probably comes as QUITE A SHOCK.  Rest assured it isn't something I take lightly (even if I do jest) and I feel like this is one of those times in my life where it's OK to make an exception to a personal rule.

Hell, I broke the "no drinking in college" rule on Day 3 (please tell me my mother isn't reading this) followed by the "no drinking during the week" rule on about day 10. Several other rules followed, mostly having to do with never missing class, then never missing on a Monday, then never missing on the first day because you're too hungover.....but I digress.

This rule, in my playbook is totally worth breaking.  I just need two things: some divine intervention to give me some artistic gifts and a good connection to a tattoo place that is willing to squeeze in a BC survivor.  Probably in time for her 40th birthday.  Coming up in like 3 1/2 weeks.  And her BFF.  Who wants to get one at the same time.  Anyone?  ANYONE?