Embrace the pain and release your fear..

I’ve always been fascinated by tattoos.. Why people get them?  What do they mean? Do they regret them? I usually have so many questions. To permanently alter your skin.. It’s a huge choice. Why would someone go through all that pain?

I’ve never personally been anti-tattoo. I’ve always been very against poorly done tattoos though. It’s for life, people!! Spend an extra hundred or so to make sure it’s perfect!!!

When thinking about something being permanently placed on your body, you want to make sure it’s something you won’t regret. I never had anything I would actually want branded on me for all eternity…  until a month ago.

It hit me very suddenly. A culmination of ideas and meaningful things, a phrase, a picture.. and suddenly my mind was set. I was getting a tattoo.  Unfortunately, the only place I have ever wanted a tattoo is on my ribs. Which is one of the most painful places you can get a tattoo. All my friends were warning me.. but when your mind is set, there’s nothing you can do to change it.  Ribs it was. Bring the pain.

I found my tattoo artist by chance. A friend of a friend mentioned his name even though I was sure I would have to travel to Austin or Dallas for quality work.  I checked out his social media page and fell in love. Watercolor tattoos… I never knew such a beautiful thing existed. A dreamy, whimsical, colorful piece of art.  It had to be.

So I had the tattoo, I had the place, I had the artist… After a few emails and a month long wait for an appointment I was ready.

Three hours. THREE HOURS. No breaks, no coming up for air. The pain wasn’t horrible until the last hour. The skin was raw and tender and the tattoo gun was so unforgiving. I chose not to see the work until it was completely done, putting full faith in my tattoo artist. Finally… It was complete.

Early that day, so many things went through my mind. Is this the right thing for me? Will my mom and family think less of me? What if I’m allergic to the ink and die?  What if the pain is too much and I sob embarrassingly in the tattoo parlor and beg for a cease fire??

In the end, I was determined and decided. I went for it. And I have never been so pleased in my life. This was something so special and so personal. I thought I would look at it in the mirror and have that feeling of ‘ahhh! what is that on my body?? Intruder alert!!’ But I look at it.. and it’s like its always been there. It was especially made just for me and I will forever hold it close to my heart. No regrets. Worth every last wince and sharp intake of breath.

Technology gets uppidy…

Photo video story about the rotten apple gang getting served….

30 year old rebellion

I have never done anything in a conventional way. I went through rebellions way later than most. I am a 30 year old senior in college set to obtain my bachelors degree in December. I didn’t drink until I was 21. I STILL have no idea what I want to do when I “grow up” I went through the piercing faze with the rest of the kids of the year 2000 and disappointed mom with a nose and belly button ring. I think I’m finally ready to take the ultimate plunge. That’s right kids… I think it’s time for a tattoo. I’ve been experiencing some monumental changes. I’m trying to be a functional adult that will eventually marry and have children when all I really want to do is sit around and watch Netflix while eating ramen noodles. I’m going to eventually have to decide what I want to do as far as a career goes. I am finally crossing the finish line of the marathon that was me getting a college education and I want to do something life altering.. and physically altering. It’s got to be placed somewhere that mom won’t see it.. the piercings almost sent her over the edge. I just feel like I am waiting on a change. I’m waiting to transform. Maybe a little window-dressing on the bod can help spur that process along.  Cheers to being the tattoo’d lady at the nursing home. I really don’t want to live to be that old anyway, so if I do.. I’m doing it in the most colorful way possible. Sorry, Mom. Your little sunshine is getting some ink.

Don’t drink the kool-aid, kids!!!

Mount Vernon ISD responds to allegations of religious endorsemen – KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News.

Wow, I saw something last night that was both disturbing and disappointing. My Facebook timeline was littered with people I went to high school with in Mount Vernon, Texas.  The folks at Mount Vernon have finally made the news. They are being publicly investigated for things going on in their public schools. Apparently, they have painted the walls with quotes referencing the strength men find in the bible.  Teachers have bible verses displayed all over their room.  Christian crosses litter desks where apples were once displayed.  I’m going to go ahead and put this out there. I am a Christian and despite the cultish influence from the First Baptist church of Mount Vernon, I formed my own beliefs that centered around Christ and light and love.  I remember being in 5th or 6th grade and having my Sunday school teacher go around the room asking each of us what we wanted to be when we grew up. Some girls wanted to be a dentist like their father. Some girls were praised on high for wanting to be housewives like their mothers. When it came to be my turn I proudly stated I wanted to be a Psychologist so that I could help people. My Sunday school teacher visibly flinched. Composed herself. Then replied… “Haley.. now we should only look to God to solve our problems. Psychology is the devil’s work.” How dare anyone say that to a child? How dare you put someone in a position of mentorship that tells a child that the profession they seek is the work of the devil, and do it in front of their peers?  This is just one example of the scathing overdose of ‘christian goodwill’ I was served in my time at Mount Vernon spent both at the school and the local church.

I was sickened to see that my fellow classmates were proud of the fact that their religion had infiltrated their schools. We have the constitution and the Establishment Clause for a reason. The religion being shoved down people’s throats was too extreme for me as a middle schooler and the same is true today. Shame on you, Mount Vernon.

The frustrations of being a female

Sometimes being a girl has it’s perks.  We get our dinner paid for, we get the tab picked up quite frequently.. However when purchasing a car or having any experience with cars or anything mechanical, we are treated like our little female brains are just too small to process information… Side note. I am very car savvy. I enjoy cars. I am very well versed in car terminology and understanding how to translate that into value and a fair purchase price. That being said.. I am currently not having a great experience. I am intent on buying my first BMW. I have done all my research, I know what features and packages I want. I have the perfect exterior and interior color combinations all picked out. And so a week ago it happened.. I found the car that aligned perfectly with what I wanted. I stared at it for hours on end.. I deep sighed as I perused the virtual video tour. I visualized my hair blowing in the wind brought into the vehicle through the panoramic moonroof…. As any suave car buyer would do, I got pre-approved through a credit union for a low interest rate just in case the dealership decided to try and give me any flack. Then it was time.. Make the call, and get the information on that bottom dollar on the purchase price. This is usually my least favorite part of the process. The sales people always talk in circles and never want to give you a straight answer. You almost have to nail them down and be ugly to them to get the best offer they have. I almost wish I could be face to face with these salesmen when my female voice starts spouting specifications and average bottom dollar quotes on similar vehicles. I can tell by the stammering and long pauses that things are not going as they first anticipated when thinking about dealing with a lady.

All in all, nine times out of ten I can never buy a car from the first dealership that I interact with. I honestly believe when speaking to a female that understands value and wants to get a good deal on a vehicle purchase they are so in awe that they just say no to my offer and hang up the phone and forget to even try to sell me a car. I say this because it just happened an hour prior to this blog post. The salesman is either going to quit his job in retail and begin a life of farming and living off the land where his little woman can cook him a warm dinner by 6pm and stay home and take care of the kids and not trouble herself with life experiences like car purchases that can only be comparable to quantum physics or have an epiphany to the fact that some women actually do understand value and vehicle fair purchasing price and cannot be railroaded or pushed around.

Let the car shopping proceed… Keep your fingers crossed for me. It’s a jungle out there..

Follow the light

Effects of different lighting on flowers. Shot with a flash, natural light, and artificial light. 

My favorite was the last picture with all natural lighting. It looked the most vibrant and beautiful.