Ever since I was just a little gal, I have been in love with tattoos. I'm not really sure where this love came from- maybe it started with my pretty Disney stick on tattoos or because I just really liked pretty pictures- but I know it's always been present. However, thanks to the invention of picture-based social media websites such as tumblr and pinterest my tattoo obsession has definitely increased. I now find myself spending hours scrolling through pictures of tattoos. 

What started off as a love for a few pretty "girly" tattoos on the typical "girly" places (tramp stamps, ribs, feet or wrists), has now turned into a love for pretty much any tattoo placed anywhere. Where I used to think too many tattoos or certain places of the body (such as a sleeve) were "unfeminine", I now find myself staring in awe at girls covered head to toe in tattoos. In this case, less is definitely not more.

 However, I do think every tattoo should be meaningful. Sure, a lot of tattoos look beautiful, but if they don't have a meaning behind them, how can you know for sure that you won't regret them when you're older? I know this is a question a lot of anti-tattoo people ask: what about when you're old and wrinkly? The way I see it, is that if every tattoo you have has a story behind it, by the time you're older, you can always look at your tattoos and reminisce times in your life that were obviously special to you. It's almost as if your body is the book telling the story of your life. If you think about it this way, there's really not going to be a reason for you to regret any of your tattoos, regardless of whether you have just one or a hundred.  (This being said, you should probably get tattoos of things that you know will make you smile when you look back at them. So if you're having an amazing night in Vegas with your best friends and you want to do something to keep an amazing memory on you for the rest of your life, go for it. But if you've been dating a really cute guy for two weeks, you might want to reconsidered getting his name tattooed on your bum. Just saying.)

My mom is also a total tattoo fanatic. My dad, however, hates them. Luckily my parents have always trusted me and found me responsible enough to make my own decisions. Which I am, seeing as I've been wanting a ton of different tattoos since I was about fifteen, but I've waited to actually get one until I was at least eighteen and found something that really meant something to me.

Over winter break I went home to Amsterdam, and as a Christmas present from my uncle, he took me to get my first tattoo about two days after I'd come back. A friend of his is actually an amazing tattoo artist, and even opened his shop up after hours just so I could have a chill first tattooing experience. My mom was there too and so was Sander's (the tattoo artist) girlfriend Thyrza, who is a long time family friend of ours and quite frankly, totally my girlcrush (seriously, she's freaking gorgeous and she is pretty much the most awesome person I've ever met. Plus, she has a ton of badass tattoos which obviously makes her that much cooler). 

The tattoo I got was of two angel wings on my left wrist. At first I wanted to get the ashes of my grandparents mixed into my ink, but many people said that didn't really work so I just opted for a symbolic representation in stead. There are a lot of people in my life very dear to me that have passed away. I know some people are lucky and barely ever encounter deaths until they're older, but unfortunately this wasn't the case for me. However, I really do believe that the people who pass away go on to "a better place" and still watch over us. I am extremely blessed in my life and have been so lucky in so many ways, and I really do feel like this is thanks to my guardian angels. That's why I chose the wings, that way I can always remember I have the people I love looking over me and I can have them with me wherever I go!

What do you guys think? Do you love tattoos or do you hate them? Do you have any tattoos of your own? Let me know!

Hugs and Kisses!