She's gettin' a tattoo, yeah, she's gettin' ink done...

For a very long time I've been planning a second tattoo. I got my first one done at 18 1/2 years old. It was my best friends 18th birthday, and it was our random little act of rebellion. That one was very small and inconspicuous. I've been planning a more substantial one for almost 10 years. When I met my husband, he wasn't a big fan of tattoos in general. Since I really wasn't trying to impress anyone but him, I wasn't about to go and get a new tattoo without his approval. It comes down to a respect for his opinion, not a bending to his will. This year he decided that honoring my individuality was more important to him than his unease with tattoos, and this was his Christmas present to me:

Here's the piece by the original artist:

When I first saw this picture, it really moved me. I saw it and I thought to myself "look, that's me, and that's my husband, and we love each other, and we're trees!" The original artist is my friend Vanessa. You can see more of her gorgeous work here and here.

Not only did this piece speak to me about the love I have for my husband, but it spoke to me on an environmental, earthy level too. Although my spiritual beliefs do not center around a god, I do believe that everything is connected, we are all made of the same stuff, energy flows and everything we do affects everything else. And the thought that we are one with the trees really resonates with me.

I'm really happy with how this turned out. Merry Christmas to me!!