So I did a thing.
I got a tattoo.
That is so crazy I just said that! I am still in shock :).
I got a lot of questions and love (thank you so much y’all) about my new ink (HA! I am so cool!) and I thought I would share the backstory behind it and all the deets.
So let’s go back to 18 year old RB. Actually it was my birthday weekend and Shane was coming back to NWA from college for his girl’s day. Since we did not have cell phones then, right before he left, he called me (using a calling card because it was long distant- O.M.G.) because he needed to tell me something.
In a very sexy southern drawl: “Rach, I need to tell you something before I come home. Don’t get mad, but I got a tattoo.”
I WAS SO FREAKING PISSED. I cried y’all. Legit cried. I was a senior in high school and I was bawling because how was I going to explain this to our future children one day that their daddy was tatted up.
DEAR LORD.
Needless to say, we all lived and I got over it. I still hated tattoos. PS – its a small one on the middle of his upper back – not a big deal.
Fast forward to recent years – I became fascinated with tattoos. I am not even sure why – I just love when I get to hear about them, the story behind them, and I actually think a man with a sleeve is pretty hot. Unfortunately, my sales career husband does not agree HA! I really wanted one. But I had absolutely no idea what or where.
I kept telling Shane that I wanted us to go together and get them but he told me I was not ready. I needed to be more set on and committed to it before he would let me do it. He has a point – I have cut my hair off before on a crazy urge and cried for days. I also will love a dress in the store dressing room and come home and HATE IT. Poor Shane LOL.
So I decided to think and wait on it and when it was the right time, it would come.
Now we are here with RB 2.0. So many wonderful changes in my life and I am in the happiest season of life I have been in a very long time, if ever. I knew that NOW was time. I wanted to commemorate this faith driven, GOD time for me, that I never wanted to forget. I didn’t want the future RB to ever go back to the unhappy one – I mean if I tattooed myself about it – I would have no choice HA!
But then again, what would I get??? I went back and forth on Jeremiah 29:11 in a pretty font, something about BOLD or BOLDED- but I was just not feeling it enough. I told Shane that I wanted a tattoo, like now, and we should do it for our anniversary. He was NOT sold because I was still not set on what I wanted. I started literally tattooing myself with sharpie on different parts of my arm to see what I liked and nothing was giving me heart eyes. I scoured Pinterest, I asked y’all on Instagram, and then one day I saw a really pretty roman numeral 2 on a wrist and LOVED it! Perfect for RB 2.0! I told Shane about it and he liked it too, but he challenged me to make it even more personal – he told me I wanted something that no one else would ever have. So smart, that Shane Brown. I was a little weird about this, but my family and Shane kept saying I should do RB 2.0 in some form. I was not sure how I felt about my initials being on me, but it was growing on me. Days before our anniversary, every day I would draw a new version of it on my arm and we would discuss it at night. One thing I wanted to do was to tie in BOLD as well because that is my motto in life (ummmm hello look where you are HA!) and I was struggling. The night before go time, we were sketching and I was starting to think I need to stop before I end up with something I hate, Shane had an idea. He told me to sign “RB” like I do when I sign things. I did and then he did the roman numeral 2 behind it – in bold for “bolded”. This was my signature that I would sign at my book signings one day.
RB II
My handwriting, and it would be one of the boldest things I have ever done, declaring my book signings one day. Every time I looked at my arm, I would be reminded of not only RB II and how far I have come with the Lord over the last year – a reminder that I can do ANYTHING I set my mind to, but also that I have committed to writing a book :). Its real easy to say “I want to write a book”, but is not exactly easy to write a book. I FEAR the even thought of it. That is why I know I need to do it. This BOLD move would be a huge step in challenging that fear.
The tattoo artist was amazing. I was not nervous at all. I was literally chomping at the bit to get it done. He took our sketch, made it better with my actual handwriting (insert heart eyes), and made my dream come true. I was not really nervous about the pain – I had Claire naturally, there is not much that scares me anymore. It hurt but not unbearable, and it only took like maybe 20 minutes. I held back tears and I probably have a permanent lump in my throat lately. I actually believe enough in myself to make it real – I know I can do this book thing…because RB 2.0 can do whatever the hell she wants!
I am not used to it. In fact I keep on thinking a bug is on my arm HA! But when I see it, I am so SO SOOOO happy. I have a daily, permanent reminder that there is nothing the Lord cannot do – HIS proof that He will never be finished with me :).
Love it!