I picked a tattoo salon I liked very much. It was clean, a bit funky and run by women.

I met the tattoo artist named Mallory. She was young, very sweet and interested in my ideas for a tattoo.

I made an appointment, paid my deposit and waited the next two months.

The designated Friday finally came. I was so excited! I prepared for my session by eating a good meal, drinking plenty of water and taking Tylenol.

My daughter picked me up and off we went to meet Mallory. She was waiting for us as we arrived, smiling and eager to hear what we had in mind.

As my daughter was getting a tattoo with me, we discussed our ideas with Mallory. She made several drawings until we both agreed they were what we wanted. Mallory is a true artist and worked hard to fine tune the drawings. I wanted a thread spool with a needle and a thimble next to it. A thread from my spool would go to my daughter’s arm and make a cross stitch heart for her.

We talked about size, color, shading and placement. No detail was too small or unimportant. Mallory gave us her full attention and was eager to see that we got the designs we hoped for, which we did.

Next came the shaving of my arm and application of the design stencil. This was really going to happen!

Mallory began tattooing slowly but with confidence and mastery. I would not say it was painful – more like a bug bite. It was sort of annoying after awhile but certainly I would not say it hurt.

The spool with needle and thimble emerged in beautiful detail and color on my arm within mere minutes. I was amazed! I was pleased! I was thrilled!

Who wouldn’t be with Mallory at the helm?!

Next my daughter had her tattoo done in record time. In a total of two hours from start to finish we both got the best tattoos from the best artist ever.

The best questions I’ve been asked:

Have you lost your mind?

Will it be permanent?

How much did it hurt?

When is your next one planned?

I can honestly say it was a wonderful experience to share with my daughter. I love both our tattoos and I appreciate Mallory beyond measure.

Here’s a photo of my tat- and no, I don’t have any plans for another.