The story of what I hope will be my final tattoo

I knew when I got my tattoo in Minneapolis last August that it would not be my last. Almost as soon as I arrived in Albania I began contemplating what the next one would be. While me and Scott joked about each getting half of the double heading eagle on opposing but cheeks so we could put them together, I knew I’d be getting something with meaning behind it. This has been an unforgettable and life changing year.

The Birds: Unfortunately I don’t love Albania enough to get their flag tattooed on me, but, since I decided to start on this journey (teaching abroad) I’ve been obsessed with the idea of birds and the freedom they symbolize. Originally the plan was to get one bird for each country I ended up teaching in. However living with a partially completed tattoo, and the issue of constantly having to take care of new tattoos didn’t seem appealing. Plus I figured it would look disconnected and strange. So in the end I opted to get whatever looked best. Originally the birds I drew were those at the top of this blog, however my tattoo artist found some other ones that looked even better. The bird represent me flying away from the tree (home) into my future.

The Tree: The tree=Home. The idea for the tree was constructed sometime in the first few weeks of school when I made family trees with my students. When I made my own as an example, I “carved” a heart into the trunk with a letter C (for my last name) in the center. Also I desperately miss trees, camping, and the woods. I found a tree I loved online, and drew it up really badly, luckily my tattoo artist found a better one with all the same requirements. Mostly I wanted 3 main parts coming from the trunk to represent my main family members. One for my mom and dad, and one for each brother. Why not 4 you ask? Good question. My mom and dad are, of course, very special and very different people, but they will always be together, and I wanted to remind myself of how lucky I am to have parents who have stayed together. I decided that I wanted to swap the heart and letter c for something more original and dear to my heart. The state of Wisconsin, to represent where I’ve come from. I’ve always wanted to get a Green Bay Packer tattoo, and I hope this will satisfy that need.

The lyrics: “Oh my sweet disposition…..” These are lyrics from a song by one of my favorite artists. Since arriving in Albania I have listened to the song “Oh My Sweet Carolina” by Ryan Adams hundreds of times. Basically the song is all about a man who goes out looking for himself and he doesn’t understand why he ever wanted to leave home in the first place, but he just can’t seem to return home. 

So there you have it. After spending 4 hours of a gorgeous day bent over in a tattoo parlor, I think it is safe to say that this is my final tattoo. Although my tattoo artist did say that I have the perfect skin for tattoos, and that I was a very strong woman. They kept telling me it was okay if I screamed, but only one small scream escaped out of my mouth. Right when they were right on my vertebrae. My spine will never forgive me for the pain. Also, I ate pizza while I got it, because why not?