Two weeks ago, my little brother came out and spent the night. It was his first time visiting the apartment and we stayed up watching Comedy Bang Bang and catching up. The next day, we hung out at the apartment for a little while, then went to the nearby Brunswick Zone for bowling and arcade games. We had such a fun time! Bowling for an hour, skeeball in the arcade (where I won a bunch of tickets and gave them to two little girls who thought they had won the lottery) and pizza for lunch made for a wonderful afternoon. I was sad to see J. leave, but so very happy that we were able to spend some time together
Right now, I'm in the midst of another midweek weekend... the tattoo is healing up nicely although it has definitely entered the itchy phase. Yesterday, I got lunch in the city with an old friend and it was wonderful to be able to spend time with her. T. and I finally finished Orange is the New Black season 2, which means it's time for us to start watching it all over again. I'm looking forward to the end of the week... I work Thursday-Saturday, and then my four day weekend begins! Should be an exciting few days, and I can't wait to see what adventures lie ahead. (June, you've been a pretty okay month. Hope you can keep it up and finish strong.)
The week after that, I was finally able to connect with my sister, A. We had not seen one another since September '13 (our plans to hang out over Christmas were foiled due to a snowstorm) so hanging out was long overdue! She was in town from Missouri for a pharmacy school rotation--did I mention she's also a rock star?--so before she headed back home we made plans to hang out. On Tuesday, she came out here to see our apartment and spend the night. We drove up to Woodfield on a successful dress shopping mission, then came back and enjoyed the evening at the apartment. So fun! In the morning, we drove out to the Greater Rockford Area. We first got lunch at Beef-a-Roo and went to the mall for party dress accessories and books (of course!).
After leaving the mall, we relaxed at the house for a few hours. Around quarter to 5, we hopped in my Sentra and went into town. We had a plan, of course... what was our main reason for gathering together in such a familiar place? Tattoos! That's right... my sister, mom, and I drove to Sacred Art Tattoo for a session with T., an apprentice at the shop and, interestingly enough, an acquaintance of my little brother's.
We had been intrigued by the idea of mother/daughter tattoos for a while, but had yet to all be in the same place at once and have the time to go to a parlor and get them done. All of us have ink; personally, I have three other tattoos. But this was my first one in six or seven years, so I was admittedly a little nervous. A few days in advance of our visit, they went to the shop and gave T. an idea of what we were thinking--keys for A. and me, and a lock for Mom. He came up with an idea that was elegant, beautiful, and meaningful to us. Before long, it was time for the tattooing to begin! Mom went first; she would be getting a pretty heart shaped lock on her shoulder. Then... it was my turn.
The finished products! I really love it. It is beautiful and I'm excited to have a pretty piece of art to add to the collection. My sister went after me; she also got the key, but put it on her shoulder. My dad even came along, and he ended up getting a new tattoo as well--"It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" and a martini glass inked on his shoulder blade... such a fun one! We had a fantastic bonding experience and I am so glad that we were finally able to make it happen. We finished out the night with a few drinks at the bar, and after that, A. and I watched Safe Haven (oh, Nicholas Sparks!). We stayed up late talking and gossiping and discussing life, just like we used to do when we were younger. It was a perfect weekend.
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