Wandering Aunt, Ink.

*Warning* this post contains material that may not be approved by all (sorry, parents). 

I recently joined a new club. One that will mark me forever. It's something I decided for myself, and I'm so beyond thrilled with the outcome. Yes, you guessed it. I got a tattoo. 

I've always liked the idea of getting a tattoo but knew it would have to be something meaningful since I would have it forever. And if you know me, you know I have a hard time making commitments; I do change my hair color every 8 weeks after all! But this decision felt right. 

In April 2016, I lost my last living grandparent. My Grandma Charlotte was so special to me. I lived with her during my junior and senior years in high school and during the summers away from college. She was a true gem and had such an appreciation and childlike wonder for life. You can read more about her in a previous post I wrote last year.   One of her favorites things was her yard. She always had the most beautiful flowers impeccably displayed, many of which included her favorite flower, the iris. 

As the one year mark of her passing approached, I wanted to do something to remember her. The irony behind this decision is that Grandma may not have approved; but she would have appreciated the meaning and artwork of my tattoo. She was a very elegant lady. So tattoos weren't really in her realm. 

I knew I wanted to do an iris to remember her and also incorporate a word that embodied her. I asked several people for one word that described Grandma - lovely, classy, elegant, godly, appreciative...were some of the words mentioned. And then my sister sent me the definition of the word "wonder", and I knew that was it. 

Wonder: noun; a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.

Wonder is something meaningful to me as well, and now I get to carry it with me on my journey through life. My vision for my first tattoo was coming to fruition. I asked around and researched a lot of tattoo shops in Dallas and landed on Anomaly Lifestyle Art & Tattoo. I visited with Rodney, the owner, for a consultation and told him of my vision and the story behind it. We scheduled the follow up appointment for artwork and it was spot-on. Rodney had completely captured everything I wanted and raised it a notch. He is a true artist and master of his trade. I highly recommend Anomaly to those in Dallas and beyond for your first or next tattoo. 

So here it is. My new mark. I am so in love with it and feel as if it has always been a part of me.