Last summer Steve got to come and stay with me for a whole 7 weeks. We spent the first 5 week loving that we had time and space to just be best friends together. At the end of the 5th I woke up on a Friday morning to Steve telling me he had a whole adventure day planned for us. I put on a bright red sun dress and latched my favorite golden elephant necklace around my neck.

Steve and I spent the most gorgeous day together chasing adventures and laughing. By the end of that day Steve asked me to marry him and I was over joyed to say yes.... In turn, I haven't taken that golden elephant necklace off sense.

I often find myself gently twisting that necklace back and forth as I remember all the times Steve and I have shared and also getting lost in the anticipation of what is to come (only 19 more days to go in America). That necklace has definitely been a part of my last two years.

One of my most favorite things to do is get a tattoo before I leave a place. It just is a way I have come to solidify my memories of the people and place during that part of my journey. I knew I wanted a tattoo before I left Seattle because this has been such a time of discovery, lessons learned, love grown, dreams born.

Today (well yesterday now), I got my Seattle memory. I had a few really good friends that joined me and we went down to a tattoo shop in pioneer square. (Don't worry we did our research and knew this artist was amazing).

My one friend sat first... and hour and a half later she was a proud owner of a Celtic heart symbol on her middle lower back. Then it was my turn. The artist had done an impressive job taking the inspiration of my golden elephant necklace and forming it into an impressive piece of art work. As she gently laid the stencil on the tops of both my feet, my insides were rushing with excitement.

My artist Heidi was so clever and amazingly talented! One of the best experience of this was how involved she let me be in the process. She let me give my opinion on the style and even let me pick out my favorite colors from her set of inks.

An hour later I was biting my lip in the worst pain I had ever felt! They were not crapping around when they said foot tattoos were intense. I knew it was bad because when the tattoo artist asked me about how I fell in love with Steve all I could muster was "I love him very much".

Two hours later we had one foot done and another stencil on my foot. With all the strength I could muster she started in on the second foot... now that WAS WORST! All I could do was think "breath... breath"...

But another hour and a half later my second foot was done. I could barely stand, as my leg muscles were shaking from clenching so hard for the last 3 and a half hours...

IT WAS THE BEST TIME EVER!

Actually, is was pretty bad, but the moment Heidi, my tattoo artist, said "Your all done"... and I looked down at the most beautiful bit of art work that now is as much a part of me as my journey has been, I knew that it was all worth it... that all that pain, and clenching, and whispering of prayers had formed a breath-taking and colorful work of art, ON MY FEET...

As we got home and made fantastic fruity drinks, the numb-pain feeling gradually absorbed into my feet. As I sat with my legs propped in the air loving and paining over what I had just done... I had to smile to myself a little at how much this tattoo really is a beautiful symbol of these last two years....

How some of the most painful times of these last two years has really shaped me as a person... I know my tattoo is mostly just a normal girl's funny idea of pretty, but in my tattoo moment, where pain and beautiful kissed so gently I thought... "This was so worth it".... and i really thought that... not just about my tattoo but about all that I have been through these last two years. All the airport good-byes, nights spent praying alone, confusion, dreams being changed, friends getting hurt, learning how to love more, thinking deeply, questioning more, writing endless papers, missing Steve until my heart felt like it was physically broking in two, crying because I missed another two Christmas' with my family.. all that pain that in the moment I thought was just down right ugly pain... it actually was the beautiful strokes of art being born... I couldn't see it so much then... and to be honest I think I have some more painful strokes before this art work is done... but I'm starting to see the picture... the colors... the art of what is happening...

Now to heal quickly so I can enjoy this beauty being born from pain... :D

can't wait to show you my Seattle Journey Tattoo!