You're Wild Colorado.....

Before I get into the Colorado trip I have a confession to make....I just ate two full lunches! What the heck is that about?!?! I guess I was hungry! And the sad thing is that I am not even painfully full! Looks like yours truly is working out tomorrow morning!! Glad I got that off my chest!

Ok back to the task at hand......DENVER!!!!!!

Denver was a week filled with LOTS AND LOTS of super rad family time which is exactly what I needed after such a wacky few months here in Boston. A lot of people think I am crazy in that good way or at least I tell myself that. There's just something super special about being with 30 or so people who are equally as crazy as I am and that really make me just normal.

*My favorite person on this planet!

*cousins

*My other favorite people on this planet.

*Cousins!!!!

*tapping the rockies!

What a trip! I am back, in one piece and looking even more fabulous then when I left. My hair is now honey bronde (yep that's a not a real word but it's like if blonde and brown had a baby....) I basically look like Jenny from the Block. Holla at your girl!

ANNNNNNNNND, much to my mothers dismay, I got my first (and.....mom ear muffs....I know not my last) tattoo! I'm sorry mama! I can feel your disappointment oozing through the computer as I type this.

There is NOTHING that can prepare you for your first tattoo. I mean NOTHING. I must have asked every single person I saw for months what it felt like. Some people said it didn't hurt at all....well those assholes lied. Others said it felt like someone scratching a sun burn. No one in my life was EVER mean enough to do that to me so I couldn't imagine what that felt like but I don't think it was that either. To be honest I cried when I got my flu shot this year so I knew this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. I also knew that I REALLLLLLLLLY wanted it so I had to man up. There was no one else in this world I trusted to do this (and by trusted I mean would put up with me and my squealing) than my cousin-in-law, Dean. He's calm, patient and VERY talented.

Everyone meet Dean! :) He's the one in the white. Dean meet everyone!

I did all the right things you are suppose to do before getting ink (yeah I am so hardcore now...I have the lingo down!). Don't drink any booze (check), don't take anything that will thin your blood (check), eat before you go (CHECK CHECK, like this was ever going to be a problem) and drink a lot of water (check). I did forget to bring snacks (fail) but thank god for my cousin because he did (which I am guessing was his lunch) and let me snack away on everything like it was my last meal on earth. He's a SAINT. A GOD DAMN SAINT!

As my brother is dropping me off at his shop in downtown Denver (http://www.allheartindustry.com) He goes, "So Mom wanted me to talk you out of this and thinks you're going to pass out. But I think it's pretty bad ass" God I love my brother! 

15 mins later at the shop.....

Dean puts the stencil on and goes (in his ADORABLE British accent) "Alright are you ready?" 

Me, "Oh sure!" 

****buuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzzzz

Me "YEEEEEEEEWWWWWWOOOOOOO! OH GOOD GOD! THAT DOESN'T TICKLE"

*Dean stops after doing a single tiny tiny line

Deano, "You ok?"

Me "Yeah I think so"

****buuuuuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Me "OH GOD! I think I'm going to pass out!"

*shit my mom WAS right

Saint Dean, "You know let's take a break. I can go as slow as you want" 

Me "It's going to be like this the whole time uh?" 

Saint Dean, "Well....ummmmm...."

Me "Ok let's try again...."

The Saint "Ok...."

***buuuuuuuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

10 seconds later.......

I guess this is the moment all of the color drained from my face and I looked like I really was going to pass out so the other dudes in the shop brought out a big industrial fan and put it right on me. Then got me a few bottles of cold water, a cold rag for my neck and a lollipop to get my blood sugar back up. All I could think was, "Shit! It's going to be a long afternoon! 

*This start/stop pace continued for the entire outline WHICH WAS DONE IN WATER because this piece (again so hardcore with the lingo) was going to look as much like a water color as humanly possible! So after about an hour and a half (which my guess for any normal person would've only taken about a half hour but because I stopped every two seconds I dragged it out a little more) of pure pain I looked down and saw nothing because again he's outlining me in WATER! So sad. But so necessary so he can see the stencil once he starts filling in the color. 

Let me just say again.....The outline killed. I mean KILLED. I still don't know how I got through it. Saint Deano was SO SWEET and as gentle as possible. We look a lot of breaks and he even did yoga breathing with me at one point (this part may or may not be true...I was fading in out a tiny bit) 

Once we got to the color part of this bad boy it did go much faster and wasn't NEARLY as painful.  I eventually manned up a little bit more once my cousin Kevin got there. I knew with him and his NEW WIFE V, welcome to the family sister, I couldn't wimp out. MAN UP! 

Dean did/does SUCH beautiful work and I can't wait to get more pieces by him. My whole left arm is yours my love! If you in the Denver area and want to get a tattoo please go see him, http://www.allheartindustry.com. He's such WONDERFUL artist! Love you Deano! 

So that was Denver in a nut shell. Smoothies in the am, family, tattoos, yoga boot camp from hell and a lot of laughs.  I'll be back in September for more family fun....and maybe another tattoo. Sorry mom! :)