Tattoo queen?

Its no secret that I have tattoos....much to the dismay of my Mom, Dad and husband. If my in laws knew about my tattoos, Im sure that after they recovered from their strokes, they would probably question whether they really wanted me to be married to their son. But in my defense, I had tatoos before I married their son.
Let me share my story about tattoo ART. I get asked all the time WHY?????
I can distinctly remember sitting in the back seat of my parents Gran Torino (burnt orange/brown in color with a white top) out in the parking lot while they ran into a store. Back in the 70's, as long as you put the windows down, it was perfectly ok and acceptable to leave your small kids alone in the car while you ran into the grocery store. At any rate, I remember sitting there in the Florida sun, staring out at a biker gang that had ridden up near by. All of the members had multiple tattoos. All of them road really cool bikes. I knew then that some day I too would have tattoos and maybe even ride a motorcycle. HOWEVER, after having worked in the ER and seeing gray matter coming out of a mans nose and ears.....I changed my mind quickly about motorcycles.
So when I turned 18, I started out my rebellious venture with a tattoo of a gecko on the sole of my left foot. As painful as it was, I was quite pleased with myself. I was hooked. But broke people can only be so hooked....it would be nearly a decade before I would get my second tattoo. The second one being another gecko on my lower back with a floral print for skin. For me it expressed my fondness of lizards (that I spent hours chasing and catching as a small child) and it was still kind of feminine since it was covered in a floral print. Not long after that, I added my maiden name in Kanji (Japanese...I did take it in college so I know what it really says).
For my 37th birthday, I had decided that I wanted to have a cross added to my back. Truth be told, I thought that I might try to get that large gecko covered with a cross. In my mind, I was concerned that people might think that I am some kind of fruity pagan lizard worshiper...which is absolutely silly BUT. At any rate, Luke the tattoo artist let me know that if I wanted to cover it, it would take almost a full lower back piece and he could not quarantee that it would work. I mulled it all over in my mind.
When I finally went in to have my work done, I decided that I would get my back gecko touched up. Luke made all of the flowers in my gecko POP out! He did a great job! After 12 years they had really faded and looked like blobs. He said that the new inks he used will last longer and remain brighter. THEN I did the last thing that anyone in my family would have liked, I got a cross tattooed on my left side. Its about 4 inches tall and 3 inches wide.
When my mom saw my latest tattoo she said,"That's ugly. I dont like it." Ok Mom. Pete wasn't thrilled. Both expressed concern that I would some day be completely covered in tattoos. I'm sure I wont be. But the point of having tattoos is a form of expression and art to me. It doesnt have anything in the world to do with pleasing or not pleasing anyone. I like them. Will I ever get one in a location that anyone will ever be able to see? NO.
But here is the thing. When my 3 year old Lyndi saw that cross on my side, she asked me what it was a tattoo of? I explained that it was a cross. I got it on my side to remind me that Jesus died on the cross for me and all people that believe in HIM so that we could all go to Heaven. She said," So he died on the cross for you and ME and Daddy and Lila to go to Heaven? What about Sherrie and Lyle (our neighbor friends)." I told her that he died for all of us so that we could ALL go to Heaven if we believed in HIM. The look on her face was one of wonder and excitement. She was so happy that she just grabbed me around the neck and hugged me tight. She was so glad that she would one day be going to Heaven because of Jesus. I wish I had had a video of that moment. Tears welled up in my eyes. I told Lyndi that all I have to do is see that cross and be reminded. She got it. She may be 3 years old but she got it and had to tell Daddy about it.
If the tattoos that I have offend others, I'm sorry. I decided to get a tattoo of a cross so that all people will know where I stand in my beliefs. I am HIS. And if anyone should happen to see it and want to ask me about it, it is a good opportunity for me to share my beliefs. But if Lyndi is the only little human being that ever sees the cross and gets excited when I tell her that it is a reminder of our salvation....then I feel like having that tattoo goes beyond just being beautiful art work, but into a chance for me to share my love for Christ.

Im Not 12 Anymore

This morning, I had an interesting experience. My morning at work started off with a broke down doctor's toilet. Sherrie said it was my fault but truly...this time it wasn't. At any rate, she called the plumber to check things out.
On the way out, the plumber took a second to explain that it was a tank filling problem. While he was speaking, my mental roladex began turning. His face, although having a couple of decades of age on it that weren't there when I saw him last, was very familiar. I searched my mental files to remember where in the world I could have known him from. The first clue I had was that his name was Shannon. His uniform said as much. WOOHOOO Clue #1!!!
I asked him his last name. The name was very familiar. So began a barrage of questions that only a well seasoned fomer officer and daughter of Sue (who should have worked for the CIA with her 40 million questions) could have come up with. After just a couple of questions, I discovered that he was friends with my former neighbor in the neighborhood (the older brother of my playmate and former CRUSH) I grew up in. The craziest thing that came about was that once that connection was made, he said,"Are you Marci?"
WHY? HOW? WHAT? HOW did this guy remember my name? He was 6 years older than me. He didn't live in my neighborhood. He was friends with my neighbor who was 5 years older than me, was a football player, totally cool and incredibly hot (to me when I was a kid growing up). And suddenly I began to feel a little paranoid. Did he remember me as that goofy little kid next door that drooled and acted giddy everytime I was around my neighbor? Did they make fun of me...like "Hey _____ there's your girlfriend staring at you all coweyed!! AHAHAHHAHA" That would have been embarassing. When I was a kid and suffering through  my childish crush, I was nothing like the more sophisticated, glamour girls that my neighbor dated. I wore jeans and t-shirts practically every day of my life. I preferred to play touch football, war, soft ball, climb trees or play in the dirt to any other sort of girly activity. I didn't wear makeup...go figure! Pretty much, I haven't changed much in the last twenty something years.
As I stared at Shannon trying to recall exactly how he looked as a teenager, I told him that I remembered him as being so much taller than me. He said,"Well yea I seemed taller to you back when you were only 12!!!!" How funny! Of course he was taller than me back then! Now he is probably about 6 feet tall. Im right at 5' 8". Not only am I taller, I've had 2 kids, Ive got a few gray hairs, crows feet and boobs. None of which did I have back then. Shannon, had a few wrinkles, some gray hairs and lots of facial hair. I remember his hair being much more blonde back then too. Mine was too though...certainly not dark like it is now.
Suddenly when he began to recognize me, I felt some old feelings of insecurity that I used to feel when I was a kid and hanging around those older guys. I had to remind myself to hold it together...don't act goofy...talk like a grownup...don't be giddy.
I had to remind myself that I am a mature, smart, successful, HOT woman that has a great family and husband. No matter how goofy I was a kid....I was a great kid. I was still smart and cute. I was fun and just plain all right. As a woman, I am still the same...kind of goofy (some would argue, VERY GOOFY), smart, cute and all right (most of the time).
After Shannon left, I just had to laugh at myself. He told me that he was going to HAVE TO tell my old crush ( he didnt say OLD CRUSH) that he had run into me. He said that we should get together with all of the old neighbors (the crush, his younger sister and younger brother) and we could have a pillow fight. I told him that pillow fights take on a whole different meaning at our age. And I suppose that he is recalling a time when we did get into pillow fights. Maybe I vaguely remember that. I probably wouldn't have minded being tarred and feathered if my crush had been involved.
Did I disclose the fact that I had had a huge crush on my neighbor growing up? Not even the slightest little hint. Things like that being told to the grown objects of crushdom could make things very ackward. But I suspect that my crush probably had a pretty good clue that I was obsessed. Im sure he looked at me like I was just a silly child. The drool and goo goo eyes probably spoke volumes.

Natures Godly Beauty

Sheets of pollen fell all over the land today and blanketed it like snow...... As I was driving up hwy 29 to go visit the folks at Reddy Care, I passed through such a heavy fall of pollen that I had to hit the air re-circulate button just to keep the yellow green bits from flowing into my car.
So I mentioned that I had to go see the Reddy Care folks. I wish I could say that I was making a marketing visit. Alas, I was not. I have been having chest pains almost daily the last couple of weeks. Last night I had the mother of all chest pains. At the doctors office, I met a really nice Nurse Practioner named Sharon. Turns out that she and my friend Ali know eachother. Small world really. But back to me...
So I had the standard EKG to rule out heart attack. Although it felt like an MI, I was pretty sure it was not one. My thoughts were that I was more than likely having a bad case of reflux. Sharon shared the same thought. She said that she thought I might have some diverticulum brewing in my stomach. I told her that my grandmother (mom's mom) had that problem too. She informed me that it was passed down through women most often. Thanks Granny. Let's just add that to the list of aliments that I already suffer from. I'm already looking forward to hypertension, high cholesterol, hypothyroidism and a general case of being looney. Why can't I have the good genes like: pefect vision, rock hard abs, genius IQ, the opposite of the noassatall gene or generalized happiness. *sigh*  Oh and perfect, cavity free, no cracks, teeth. Oh and I'm beginning to lose my hearing. Have I mentioned that my birthday is on Monday? I realize that turning 37 is just one more step down hill in to the land of FALLING APART. Yippee!
So as not to sound like I am a miserable old crab, I have to share something that I think is just absolutely amazing. A nonbeliever who is also a botanist, might say,"Aww that's just a coincidence." I will remain in my own little God loving land and say that I think its a really amazing blessing.....
I have a flower bed full of Irises, Lilies, Cannas and Hostas. Of all of the plants that I have in my flower bed and of all the Lilies that I grow, the only ones that came out this past weekend (Easter in case you didnt know) were the WHITE Lilies. They are very beautiful and pure. After those bloom, perhaps the lavendar and yellows will burst forth. But for now, the pure white flowers are showing out in all of their Easter glory!