inked

i got my first and only tattoo when i was freshly turned 21 (and also very newly single after a 3-almost-4 year relationship) and it was somewhat on a whim...like one of those things that you think about, but not ever sure that you would get it. i remember i had a couple of my kids with me, in fact, one of them was getting one and i said...why the hell not? so, about 30-40 minutes of a pain that felt like a warm needle scratching a bruise...there it was. my tiny little butterfly on the left side of my lower back. it was very subtle and to this day, i love it and don't regret getting it (in fact, sometimes i forget i have it LOL). still, the pain was so sweet and addicting that i promised myself that one day i would get another one, the caveat being that i would have to find the perfect symbolic sign like i did with the butterfly...and today, i stumbled on this:

well, to be fair...i did google "honu with plumeria" and this was the first site i found. in case you are wondering about the symbolism, turtles generally represent fertility. the plumeria was added because a very good friend of my sister lost her battle to lung cancer a little over 2 years ago and she has been our families unofficial guardian angel. her favorite flower was a plumeria and we crazy smelled it at her wake, funeral and the days after. even to this day my sister will catch a whiff and the flower is nowhere to be seen. it's crazy how things transpire over the past couple of years and i just want to pay homage to it. maybe my sister will get the same on with me...