The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.

- Miguel De Cervantes

Isn't that a sick quote? All aspects of a phoenix resonate with my being and my experience. Desert. Ashes. Spite. Defy. Revive. Rise. Wing. Hope. Fire. Rebirth. Life.
Eternal life...second chances and the gift of starting anew.
Definition of the Christian life...definition of MY Christian life.

Pooch told me that tattoo placement should be in the middle of my back. As much as I love shoulder ones, I've tried to view them on myself and it doesn't work in my mind. Why not put it somewhere I can see it all the time? One is workplace. I don't want to work to hide my first tattoo, and even though this one is kinda big it is easily covered up at work. Two is it's just a symbol of me and what my life has been...it'll remind me of what I can get through and what God has given me when I think of it, but I worry that it will lose it's meaning if it's a common part of my daily life I guess. And on my back is a good way to hold shock value and show people that there's more than meets the eye, two things that also are important to me.

The only big thing left is color. I really don't know what to do with that. Black tattoos are seen as simple and boring, but I use black so often when I'm creating art...it's definitive and it enhances everything around it. Color would be sweet, it would give energy and passion too but colors in tattoos fade over time, and I don't want to be flashy either. There are so many phoenix tattoos that are super colorful, almost like a peacock. Don't really want that. But red and orange...such awesome colors.

I keep looking at other phoenix tattoos. And when I do, I think - maybe I'm NOT ready. There's so much awesome! How do I decide. But then I look at the one I made, and that is MINE. That's it.

Timing. I've said before that this year has been a hell of a year - ups and downs, achievements and regrets and mistakes. I want to get this tattoo before I head out again this summer.

And I also know that some tattoo artists like to do their own designs and make changes and have their input...not sure about that either.

Interesting side effect...I've gotten comments from a few males who said it was pretty attractive. Wasn't expecting that and I definitely don't want to let that become part of the reason why I get it, but just noting that here...

Also I am sucking at life at the photo-a-day thing. I do actually want to get on that.