Guest Post- Fit Fierce & Fabulous

Hi Friends! My name is Cait and I blog over at Fit Fierce and Fabulous. I'm so excited to be guest posting for Michelle! Isn't her blog just the cutest?! When Michelle said I could do a guest post I wasn't exactly sure what to write but I noticed that she loves tattoos (who would have thought huh?!) and I decided to actually talk about my tattoo that I got almost 3 years ago.

When I was a teenager I used to HATE people with tattoos walking around thinking they owned the place and acting so BA. Although when a lot of my friends turned 18, what did they want to go on their birthday..get a tattoo.

I never ever though I would be interested in getting my own because 1. I HATE needles. No really, I cringe just looking at one thinking of piercing my body. ouch! and 2. I never knew what I wanted to get. Clearly getting something like a tattoo should be thought about carefully..such as a certain symbol or image that is meaningful to you. What was really significant to me? What was going to be unique that would make people want to say "Woah, what is your tattoo about?"

So, I sat down and really thought about what would I do if I wanted to get one. I literally wrote down a long list of what was important to me in life and contemplated for 2 years. Finally, my junior year of college, I realized exactly what I wanted. I drew something up, showed a few of my friends, and made an appointment.

I was so nervous when this was picture taken..and I HAD to have my iPod so I could focus on something other then a needle injected ink into my skin!!

But the end result looked a little something like this..

I know it's not the best picture to see it.. but I'll explain it to you. First off, the word "Survivor" is on the top because I was a premie (14 weeks or 3 1/2 months early to be exact- I was born in July and was supposed to be a November baby) weighing 2lbs 2oz, and only have a 10% chance to live. Clearly, the odds were way against me even attempting to make it my 5th day of life. I was given my last rights by a priest while my parents prepared for the worst. The next day, the doctors were stunned to learn that I had pulled through and was ok. Long story short, after about 3 months in the hospital, I was able to come home weighing a hefty 4 lbs ;) .

Clearly, I owe the doctors, nurses, friends and family, and of course the grace of God for allowing me to live. I count my blessings on a daily basis, with every breathe I  take. I also decided that I wanted other words to mean something so I have "Courage, Hope, Strength, Love, Life" because all of these symbolize who I am as a person and what I strive to do every day. I wanted the words to form an awareness ribbon and outlined with a light purple because this is an awareness ribbon for premies. I have a huge obsession with hearts, and while researching about premature babies, I came across this particular heart that was called "the badge of courage". For babies that are born early, this heart is shaded purple and has a small tear drop at the end for all the babies who have lost their life from being born too small.

So there you have it. My amazing tattoo. I'm debating if I want to get another one, but nothing thus far will ever amount to how much I adore this tattoo and how I love discussing it to anyone who asks. After all, I now LOVE having this tattoo.

Do you love or hate tattoos? Are you thinking about getting a tattoo? If you already have one, do you want another one? Thanks for listening and please feel free to stop by my blog :) I'm always loving new followers and friends!  

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Yes, it's true... I love tattoos. 

Thanks Cait! Y'all be sure to check out her blog! 

xoxo.