# Do you have any tattoos?



## DaveNV (Sep 1, 2014)

Another thread about collecting things from Hawaii got me to pondering (again) the idea of getting a Hawaiian-themed tattoo when I'm next in the Islands. I don't have any tattoos now, despite spending 20 years in the Navy, but I've been thinking about it. Every time I visit Hawaii, I feel like I want to get something done to commemorate the trip. Nothing outrageous, just something simple, like maybe a Hawaiian petroglyph or something.

Do you have any tattoos you'd care to talk about?  Any pro or con opinions or pictures/comments you'd like to share about it, or tattoos in general?  

Dave


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## presley (Sep 1, 2014)

They take a while to heal, which is a pain.  I just got my second tattoo a week ago.  It's just a simple infinity on my ring finger.  It's really a major inconvenience to wash around it and not be able to swim, wash my dogs or wash dishes right now.  I only got it because I often don't wear my wedding ring for comfort reasons.  In hindsight, I wouldn't get it during swimming season.

My other tattoo will never be seen. Getting a tattoo in the bikini area hurts much less than a bikini wax.  Getting a tattoo on the finger (supposed to hurt a lot) doesn't hurt nearly as much as getting bit or scratched by one of my animals.  

I've thought about getting tattoos in Hawaii, too, but I wouldn't want to have to stay out of the ocean.  Heck, they even say keep them out of the sun for a the first 10 days or so.  That would take all the fun out of being in Hawaii for me.  

My suggestion, get tattooed when it is rainy or snowing outside.  If you enjoy the outdoors or swimming, getting a tattoo will interfere with your life for a few weeks.


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## SpikeMauler (Sep 1, 2014)

A friend of mine has visited Hawaii every year for 25 plus years. He's 51 and decided to get a tattoo to permanently show his love of the islands. He got a map of Hawaii tattooed on his right upper arm. He's obviously never heard the slang meaning of it and we don't have the heart to tell him, lol. My only advice to you would be don't get a map of Hawaii tattoo...


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## slip (Sep 1, 2014)

Dave, I've been thinking the same thing the last few years and have been 
Looking on the internet trying to get ideas but I haven't found anything I really
Like that much yet. I don't have any tattoos either. I was even thinking of trying
A Henna first to make sure I would like it.


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## DaveNV (Sep 1, 2014)

SpikeMauler said:


> A friend of mine has visited Hawaii every year for 25 plus years. He's 51 and decided to get a tattoo to permanently show his love of the islands. He got a map of Hawaii tattooed on his right upper arm. He's obviously never heard the slang meaning of it and we don't have the heart to tell him, lol. My only advice to you would be don't get a map of Hawaii tattoo...



Ok, now my curiosity is totally piqued. I've run through every nickname, slang name, derogatory term, and whatever else I can think of, and I'm coming up blank.  Can you share the term here, or is it better to PM it?  I am ALL ears.  And eyes, too, I guess.  LOL!

Dave


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## Passepartout (Sep 1, 2014)

I saw a woman in the store. She was no Spring chicken. I complemented her on the cabbage she had tattooed on her upper arm. She slapped me and told me it was a rose! 

Jim


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## DaveNV (Sep 1, 2014)

slip said:


> Dave, I've been thinking the same thing the last few years and have been
> Looking on the internet trying to get ideas but I haven't found anything I really
> Like that much yet. I don't have any tattoos either. I was even thinking of trying
> A Hena first to make sure I would like it.




Jeff, I also think henna would be a good idea. Do they do that sort of thing custom, or do you have to go with something off the shelf?  One reason I never got any tattoos in the Navy ws because I didn't ever find anything I liked well enough to have on my skin forever. But since then, Hawaii has grown on me enough that I find myself thinking of it several times a day, and not just when I'm getting ready to go there.

Something to investigate, for sure. Thanks!

Dave


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## Beaglemom3 (Sep 1, 2014)

Passepartout said:


> I saw a woman in the store. She was no Spring chicken. I complemented her on the cabbage she had tattooed on her upper arm. She slapped me and told me it was a rose!
> 
> Jim



:rofl:  Made me think of SNL's "Turlington's Lower Back Tattoo Remover"

https://screen.yahoo.com/turlingtons-lower-back-tattoo-remover-000000691.html


.


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## DaveNV (Sep 1, 2014)

presley said:


> They take a while to heal, which is a pain.  I just got my second tattoo a week ago.  It's just a simple infinity on my ring finger.  It's really a major inconvenience to wash around it and not be able to swim, wash my dogs or wash dishes right now.  I only got it because I often don't wear my wedding ring for comfort reasons.  In hindsight, I wouldn't get it during swimming season.
> 
> My other tattoo will never be seen. Getting a tattoo in the bikini area hurts much less than a bikini wax.  Getting a tattoo on the finger (supposed to hurt a lot) doesn't hurt nearly as much as getting bit or scratched by one of my animals.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the tips.  Your infinity tattoo sounds really neat. However did you come up with the idea?

I figured if I do this, I'll do it on the last day of my trip, so the no-sun or no-getting-it-wet won't be an issue. But what if it needs to be touched up?  A coworker said I should get one done by a local shop here at home, but the idea is to have it done IN the Islands, by someone who has a connection to the place.

Not as simple a thing as I'd first imagined. 

Dave


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## Passepartout (Sep 1, 2014)

BMWguynw said:


> Jeff, I also think henna would be a good idea. Do they do that sort of thing custom, or do you have to go with something off the shelf?



Henna is just painted on. It can be any pattern the artist (and wearer) can conceive of. We got henna tattoos in Morocco. They lasted 10 days-2 weeks. Longer if you don't scrub off that top skin layer.


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## DaveNV (Sep 1, 2014)

Passepartout said:


> I saw a woman in the store. She was no Spring chicken. I complemented her on the cabbage she had tattooed on her upper arm. She slapped me and told me it was a rose!
> 
> Jim




You're a funny man. 

And yes, that thought had occurred to me as well.  Which is why I figured I'd do something simple, with deliberately rough edges (like a petroglyph) so if it "ages" with me, we'll both look ok. 

Dave


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## slip (Sep 1, 2014)

I remember seeing a henna place in Kihei and I think there is one in Kapaa.
I never asked but I suppose it would depend on the place if they can do 
Something custom. I was thinking an outline of or the island of Kauai but now
I'm afraid there might be a secret meaning of that, that I don't know about.


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## DaveNV (Sep 1, 2014)

Beaglemom3 said:


> :rofl:  Made me think of SNL's "Turlington's Lower Back Tattoo Remover"
> 
> https://screen.yahoo.com/turlingtons-lower-back-tattoo-remover-000000691.html
> 
> ...




That's hilarious! 

Dave


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## csxjohn (Sep 1, 2014)

I don't have any, never had a desire for one and I'm pretty sure I never will.

I don't understand the young folks who have a lot of them all over.  I might understand it if it was ones own art but someone else's art on your body is strange to me.

I'm not making any judgments or anything like that but I just don't understand the desire.

And I have to wonder, how did we ever identify the tramps before they started wearing their "tramp stamps."


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## Luanne (Sep 1, 2014)

Sometime last year we went to listen to a visiting scholar here in Santa Fe.  The woman was an artist from Hawaii, and I think she is head of the art department at the University.  Anyway, she had some very beautiful tattoos.  Very Hawaiian in feel. Someone asked her about them and she said she went in every so often to get a new one. She said she never went in with a particular design in mind, she let the tattoo artist do whatever "spoke" to him.  It seemed to work well for her.


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## csxjohn (Sep 1, 2014)

BMWguynw said:


> Ok, now my curiosity is totally piqued. I've run through every nickname, slang name, derogatory term, and whatever else I can think of, and I'm coming up blank.  Can you share the term here, or is it better to PM it?  I am ALL ears.  And eyes, too, I guess.  LOL!
> 
> Dave



Similar to a pearl necklace if you know what that means.


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## billymach4 (Sep 1, 2014)

csxjohn said:


> Similar to a pearl necklace if you know what that means.



Can you image if BJ's had a tattoo department?


csxjohn said:


> I don't have any, never had a desire for one and I'm pretty sure I never will.
> 
> I don't understand the young folks who have a lot of them all over.  I might understand it if it was ones own art but someone else's art on your body is strange to me.
> 
> ...



I would not get a permanent image on my body either. I also don't get those donut hole earrings and other body piercings.


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## DaveNV (Sep 1, 2014)

csxjohn said:


> Similar to a pearl necklace if you know what that means.



Yep, got it.

Dave


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## GrayFal (Sep 1, 2014)

No


 :ignore:m

No


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## Timeshare Von (Sep 1, 2014)

I have two.  The first was done on a bit of a lark while vacationing in Ft. Myers.  My sister and I went to Key West and got them done, both roses.  Hers is on her shoulder, mine on my chest (not technically my boob).  That was in 1996; I was 38 at the time.

In 2000, I had another one done, a hot air balloon on my left shoulder.

If you do get one done in Hawaii, be sure to get it done the last day you're there so that it won't keep you out of the sun or water.  My 2000 tattoo was done while I was summering in Ft Myers and I did it that way so that I could still enjoy the beach and pool right up until my return home.


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## BevL (Sep 1, 2014)

csxjohn said:


> Similar to a pearl necklace if you know what that means.



Oh good grief, that's two gross-outs on TUG in a week - I am definitely getting really OLD - LOL.


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## Kal (Sep 1, 2014)

Beaglemom3 said:


> :rofl: Made me think of SNL's "Turlington's Lower Back Tattoo Remover"
> 
> https://screen.yahoo.com/turlingtons-lower-back-tattoo-remover-000000691.html
> 
> ...


 Beags - when you meet my wife in January, ask her to show you her little dragon fly.


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## cotraveller (Sep 2, 2014)

Just found out there is a 10 character minimum for a post.  So I will preface my question about tattoos.

Why?


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## presley (Sep 2, 2014)

BMWguynw said:


> Thanks for the tips.  Your infinity tattoo sounds really neat. However did you come up with the idea?
> 
> I figured if I do this, I'll do it on the last day of my trip, so the no-sun or no-getting-it-wet won't be an issue. But what if it needs to be touched up?  A coworker said I should get one done by a local shop here at home, but the idea is to have it done IN the Islands, by someone who has a connection to the place.



The infinity design was suggested by the artist.  I had been wanting to get a "ring" done for a couple years, but never saw an open shop that I thought looked clean, etc. and didn't have a referral for a good one.  I finally saw one that looked okay and went in.  I said I wanted a ring and at first, the artist tried to talk me out of it.  I guess tattoos on fingers don't last and since hands are washed so often and in the sun so much, the tattoos can bleed, crack, peel, fade, you name it.  After he could tell that I didn't care about a long lasting thing, he drew a couple simple designs and I thought the infinity was a good idea.

You could get yours done in Hawaii and still get it touched up locally if you ever need it.  If you visit Hawaii often, you could also just get it touched up on a future trip.  The Hawaii designs are really nice.  You can google Hawaii tattoos and print out something from the internet and take into a shop.  My husband had a coyote done on his back by taking a small coyote figurine into a shop and saying he wanted that with a moon.  It's really cool, but he can't see it since it is on his back.  I think its nice to get in your own line of vision.


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## LAX Mom (Sep 2, 2014)

I thought a library card from Hawaii would make a good souvenir! It was pretty cool looking....red with a yellow hibiscus. 

Never been tempted to get a tattoo.


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## csxjohn (Sep 2, 2014)

billymach4 said:


> Can you image if BJ's had a tattoo department?
> 
> 
> ...



When I first saw the current thread about that store I thought we were in for some spicy reading.:hysterical:


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## Phydeaux (Sep 2, 2014)

_Permanent reminder, of a temporary feeling.._

Jimmy Buffet


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## kalima (Sep 2, 2014)

*Yes!*



BMWguynw said:


> Another thread about collecting things from Hawaii got me to pondering (again) the idea of getting a Hawaiian-themed tattoo when I'm next in the Islands. I don't have any tattoos now, despite spending 20 years in the Navy, but I've been thinking about it. Every time I visit Hawaii, I feel like I want to get something done to commemorate the trip. Nothing outrageous, just something simple, like maybe a Hawaiian petroglyph or something.
> 
> Do you have any tattoos you'd care to talk about?  Any pro or con opinions or pictures/comments you'd like to share about it, or tattoos in general?
> 
> Dave



I have 3 discreet tattoos so not visible when at work. I really really want another with 2 little turtles (my Maui turtles in my mind)...with a written caption that means a lot to me...I like tattoos but for me it is important to display them when I want but very important as I do not want to display them at work...I would say to start small, discreet for sure, no names of partners lol, I personally wouldn't have it done in Hawaii as I do not know their regulations for cleanliness etc for tattooing...also if you have it done there you will have to keep it covered and clean etc...it will be A PAIN!....have it done when you get back..take a picture of anything that inspires you & show your tattoo artist when you get home.


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## kalima (Sep 2, 2014)

*Me too!*



presley said:


> They take a while to heal, which is a pain.  I just got my second tattoo a week ago.  It's just a simple infinity on my ring finger.  It's really a major inconvenience to wash around it and not be able to swim, wash my dogs or wash dishes right now.  I only got it because I often don't wear my wedding ring for comfort reasons.  In hindsight, I wouldn't get it during swimming season.
> 
> My other tattoo will never be seen. Getting a tattoo in the bikini area hurts much less than a bikini wax.  Getting a tattoo on the finger (supposed to hurt a lot) doesn't hurt nearly as much as getting bit or scratched by one of my animals.
> 
> ...



I also have a wedding ring tattoo! I love it!...I don't want to take any jewellery when I travel, not of any value anyhow, and that's why I got it.


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## SueDonJ (Sep 2, 2014)

BevL said:


> Oh good grief, that's two gross-outs on TUG in a week - I am definitely getting really OLD - LOL.



HAHAHAHA!!!

I swear, not laughing at you, Bev, but I can just hear the exasperation in your, "oh good grief!"


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## GregT (Sep 2, 2014)

csxjohn said:


> When I first saw the current thread about that store I thought we were in for some spicy reading.:hysterical:



Me too -- especially as HGVC forum had a thread on FFM going at the same time (google it).


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## laurac260 (Sep 2, 2014)

I got a tattoo downtown once.


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## SueDonJ (Sep 2, 2014)

I don't have any, don't want any, but have seen a few that were tastefully done.  To me it's not attractive at all to be covered with a whole slew of 'em but to each his own ...

What about visiting a henna artist in Hawaii to get the image and then letting a trusted artist here at home do the tat from the temporary henna?  I think that's what I'd do to preserve the island authenticity but also make sure that the tat is done correctly and can be looked at by the same artist if there's a problem.


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## artringwald (Sep 2, 2014)

Beaglemom3 said:


> :rofl:  Made me think of SNL's "Turlington's Lower Back Tattoo Remover"
> 
> https://screen.yahoo.com/turlingtons-lower-back-tattoo-remover-000000691.html
> 
> ...



My SIL would never get a tattoo because she used to work in a nursing home and saw what they can turn into. It makes me start humming Christine Lavin's song "What Was I Thinking".


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## JM48 (Sep 2, 2014)

In my earlier days I used to build custom Harley's.   One of the guys I worked with came in one morning with a rather " UNUSUAL" tattoo.
 He got wasted one weekend & a lady friend who was a tattoo artist thought she would give him something to remember her by.

She put a tat  on his backside it was the waistband of a pair of BVD skives complete with the BVD tag, and at the "crack" was old "Killroy" looking over the waistband  his fingers holding on and his nose hanging over the side!

 This guy's backside was seen by most everyone who came into the shop for weeks to come.

I never got any tattoo's , had the chance but never could decide what to put & where.

JM


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## DaveNV (Sep 2, 2014)

JM48 said:


> In my earlier days I used to build custom Harley's.   One of the guys I worked with came in one morning with a rather " UNUSUAL" tattoo.
> He got wasted one weekend & a lady friend who was a tattoo artist thought she would give him something to remember her by.
> 
> She put a tat  on his backside it was the waistband of a pair of BVD skives complete with the BVD tag, and at the "crack" was old "Killroy" looking over the waistband  his fingers holding on and his nose hanging over the side!
> ...




Ok, that's funny. 

I'm still not certain I'll get one.  I've gone this long without one, but lately the urge is getting stronger. And I'm not talking something the size of a battleship, or one of those arm-wrapping things that runs from wrist to shoulder. I'm talking about a small tattoo, maybe 3 inches square or less, maybe of a Hawaiian petroglyph. Rough edges, one color, simple design. (And no Hawaiian maps. LOL!)

Does anyone know and understand what an aumakua is? That is what this is all about. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aumakua

Dave


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## Wonka (Sep 3, 2014)

SpikeMauler said:


> A friend of mine has visited Hawaii every year for 25 plus years. He's 51 and decided to get a tattoo to permanently show his love of the islands. He got a map of Hawaii tattooed on his right upper arm. He's obviously never heard the slang meaning of it and we don't have the heart to tell him, lol. My only advice to you would be don't get a map of Hawaii tattoo...



??? Please explain the slang meeting (if permitted here)


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## csxjohn (Sep 3, 2014)

Wonka said:


> ??? Please explain the slang meeting (if permitted here)



An explanation would not be appropriate or permitted here.  It's NSW, and is explicit sexual content.

You could do a Google search of "Hawaii Island Map slang" if you're up to it.

Warning - very explicit definitions will be found.


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## Passepartout (Sep 3, 2014)

I didn't realize I'd led such a sheltered life. TUG is SO educational!

OK, now back to the subject at hand...
After a trip to Australia and particularly New Zealand, where we'd seen a lot of Maori people decked out in elaborate tattoos, I toyed with the idea of 'maybe something small and tasteful- easily covered with street clothes'. But then realized that that defeated the purpose. If one is going to be thusly adorned, one needs to be of a mindset to show it off. For better or worse. 

I'm not ready to make that commitment. Soooo, no tat's for me. Not now. Probably not ever. Can't say I'm into self-inflicted pain and loss of blood either, so that makes the decision a little easier too. 

Jim


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## Ron98GT (Sep 3, 2014)

csxjohn said:


> An explanation would not be appropriate or permitted here.  It's NSW, and is explicit sexual content.
> 
> You could do a Google search of "Hawaii Island Map slang" if you're up to it.
> 
> Warning - very explicit definitions will be found.



So I wonder what moron started this crap, which seems very offense to Hawaiians.  We have a very large Hawaiian population here in Las Vegas and it's not uncommon to see a decal of the Hawaiian Islands on the rear window of their vehicle (for pride, not sexual slang), along with other Hawaiian decals, like the Honu. I work with a number of Hawaiians and I'd never dream of discussing this with them and offending their heritage.

It's not uncommon to see an inlay of the Hawaiian Islands on (expensive) guitars and ukuleles made in Hawaii.  I'm sure it's not there for sexual slang.

http://www.theukulelesite.com/kanilea-tenor-premium-koa-hawaiian-islands-inlay-1137.html

http://www.hawaiianukuleleonline.com/kanilea-island-tenor-koa-inlay-hawaiian-handmade

http://www.hawaiianukuleleonline.com/anaole-sand-inlay-hawaiian-islands

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...qpvt=ukulele+hawaiian+islands+inlay&FORM=IGRE


Or what about the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), does some one tell them to stop putting the Hawaiian Islands on their web site, because the islands are sexual slang for ej**********?

http://www.hvcb.org/


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## LannyPC (Sep 3, 2014)

BMWguynw said:


> Do you have any tattoos?



No! (I had to add 7 more characters to "No!")


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## SpikeMauler (Sep 3, 2014)

Some of the black ink sea turtle tattoos I've seen look pretty cool
http://s2.hubimg.com/u/7312977_f260.jpg
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/9b/be/45/9bbe45182d37bce0429f79c9f5df3b2f.jpg
http://www.alternativelooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/turtletattooflash1.jpg


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## Elli (Sep 3, 2014)

csxjohn said:


> An explanation would not be appropriate or permitted here.  It's NSW, and is explicit sexual content.
> 
> You could do a Google search of "Hawaii Island Map slang" if you're up to it.
> 
> Warning - very explicit definitions will be found.


I just did a Google search and there already was link to TUG and your post.


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## suzanne (Sep 3, 2014)

I have 2. A small dolphin on my right rear shoulder. It was to celebrate earning my open water dive certification. Couple of years later I had a small fish on my right ankle to celebrate earning my advanced open water certificate. Both are small in size and I have never regretted getting either of them. My husband has a small mermaid on his chest to celebrate his earning his Open Water Instructors license. If you do decide to get one be sure that its of something that has special meaning to you personally that way you will never regret getting it.

Suzanne


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## DaveNV (Sep 3, 2014)

suzanne said:


> I have 2. A small dolphin on my right rear shoulder. It was to celebrate earning my open water dive certification. Couple of years later I had a small fish on my right ankle to celebrate earning my advanced open water certificate. Both are small in size and I have never regretted getting either of them. My husband has a small mermaid on his chest to celebrate his earning his Open Water Instructors license. If you do decide to get one be sure that its of something that has special meaning to you personally that way you will never regret getting it.
> 
> Suzanne




Thanks, Suzanne.  That is just the sort of thing I'm referring to.  I lived in Hawaii for several years when i was a teenager.  I felt then (and still feel) like I am "from" the Islands, even though I wasn't born there.  I've been back to visit dozens of times over the years since I moved away, (I only left because I joined the Navy), and every time I set foot on the land there I feel absolutely embraced by the sense of coming home. It's more than the combination of sights and smells and feelings of the environment there - it's an intangible sense of being welcomed by the land.  It can be nearly overwhelming sometimes.

I don't know if I believe in reincarnation, but whenever I tour the Bishop Museum on Oahu, and see the extensive Hawaiiana exhibits, it feels like it's "my" history I'm seeing.  I can't explain it in any rational sense, but I've been literally around the world, to dozens of countries and more than 40 U.S. states, and I have never, ever felt so absorbed by a place as I feel when I'm in Hawaii.

When it comes my time to die, my family knows I want to be cremated, and have my ashes spread in three places:  Into the sea off the Na Pali coast of Kauai, into the wind from the cliffs above the Pali Lookout on Oahu, and the rest into flowing lava on the Big Island.

Dave


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## suzanne (Sep 4, 2014)

Your very welcome. Ironically my dolphin tattoo was done by a Hawaiian Tattoo Artist in Eugene, Oregon. The State of Oregon judged other shops by hers for clean, sanitary, sterile conditions for licensing purposes. I hope you find the design that speaks to you and go ahead and get the tattoo. It sounds like you need to find a reputable artists to design a tattoo for you using the 3 places you listed as where you want your ashes strewn. My DH knows that my  ashes are to be spread at sea as that's where I feel most at home.

Suzanne



BMWguynw said:


> Thanks, Suzanne.  That is just the sort of thing I'm referring to.  I lived in Hawaii for several years when i was a teenager.  I felt then (and still feel) like I am "from" the Islands, even though I wasn't born there.  I've been back to visit dozens of times over the years since I moved away, (I only left because I joined the Navy), and every time I set foot on the land there I feel absolutely embraced by the sense of coming home. It's more than the combination of sights and smells and feelings of the environment there - it's an intangible sense of being welcomed by the land.  It can be nearly overwhelming sometimes.
> 
> I don't know if I believe in reincarnation, but whenever I tour the Bishop Museum on Oahu, and see the extensive Hawaiiana exhibits, it feels like it's "my" history I'm seeing.  I can't explain it in any rational sense, but I've been literally around the world, to dozens of countries and more than 40 U.S. states, and I have never, ever felt so absorbed by a place as I feel when I'm in Hawaii.
> 
> ...


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## CarolF (Sep 4, 2014)

suzanne said:


> If you do decide to get one be sure that its of something that has special meaning to you personally that way you will never regret getting it.



I think you have made an important point.  A friend celebrated her 50th birthday by doing the Camino de Santiago.  She walked 1000 km and now has a tiny tattoo of 'the shell' on her ankle to celebrate her achievement.  Like many on the walk, she is not religious but she said the journey changed her life.


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