Just a Thursday night outing.... :)

Here are the pictures of our trip to Electric Voodoo tattoo shop last night!

Many thanks to Randy.....Dad and I are both very happy! :)

Mine just after he finished working on it - where the red is will be pink when it is healed.

What it looks like today....much better...still touchy though!

Dad during the tattoo, the outline, no color yet.

Here he is with it finished - black outline with red on the inside.

White Trash? nah!

As I mentioned, I have a couple of tattoos; a tree of life with faith, hope, and love in Gaelic on my back, a clover and a tribal sun on my hips, and I am itching for one more. Tattoos are addicting, I won't lie, I love 'em!

Several months ago my Dad and I started talking about getting a tattoo together, and we are finally going to do it! :)

Let me back up and tell you a little about the person my Dad is; he is eclectic. He is a rancher and contract pumper in the oil field. He does guided hunts on their ranch during hunting season. He is a very active volunteer with the prison ministry in Texas, and this is just one of his passions. He is on his motorcycle every chance he gets. He wears do-rags and has a long gray braid down his back and a full gray beard (picture Jerry Garcia and Willie Nelson's love child). If there is one thing I can say about him it is that he is passionate. He is passionate about his family, his heritage, his ranch, his prison ministry and his motorcycle aptly named 'Pearl'. Pearl is named after his two favorite women in his life, his grandmother, my great grandmother Pearl, who passed away in 2006 and his wife, my mother whose name is Sharena Pearl. Consequently these two women have big my biggest influences in my life, and are forever my heroes.

So, Thursday, my Dad and I are going to go get matching tattoos of the name 'Pearl'. Most people would consider this a little less than classy, but frankly, darling, I don't give a darn!

Dad and I haven't had the greatest relationship during my life, especially when I was a know it all teenager, but I am looking foward to this experience with my Dad. It is a bonding of sorts I guess. As an adult I have come to realize (with some help from therapy :) ) that my Dad has always done the best he could for his family, come thick or thin. Now, I wouldn't trade the sweet man I have come to know all over again for anything, he has become my spritual advisor, and one hell of a great Dad.

Thursday evening we are going to get the name Pearl tattooed on our bodies as a forever reminder of the women that have influenced our lives so strongly. For me it will also be a reminder of my Dad and his love for these two incredible women, and for me.

Short & Stumpy

Went shopping with a dear friend last Friday night and had a ball.  We went to the mall to make a pit stop at Bath & Body works (hellar! 20% email coupon, that could be used on items already on sale! I have enough body wash to last me until I am 30) and to buy him some gloves at Dillard's. Um....it was a Three Hour Tour for sure.

Bath & Body went off without a hitch, then we stopped in at Dillard's, only to discover that they are having the BEST SALE EVER! My friend ended up with a stunning suit, two pairs of fantastic shoes, and two very nice sweaters.....and he only spent $200!! Um...and he didn't get the gloves :) I ended up with a new Fiestaware place setting in "Lemongrass" at half price. We shopped victoriously, fo' sho'!

Things were going well until I started browsing the "Big and Tall" section while my shopping companion was in the dressing room. My husband is built like a NFL offensive lineman.....huge shoulders, 54" chest, 20" neck, 42X30 pants.....so he is a shortish NFL offensive lineman only coming in at 5'10".  The mega sale had some mega brand names marked down like  80%, dress shirts, pants, sweaters- you name it, it was on sale.....here is my problem:

Patrick does not fall into "BIG & TALL" or "REGULAR" men's clothing catagories. The biggest waist size I could find in the "regular" area was 40", granted they did have 2X shirts, but they had about three in the entire store that were circa 1992.  So when I moved on to the big and tall section I discovered plenty of 42" and 44" pants......with inseams only as short as 34".  Then I check out the shirts, dress shirts, fabulous dress shirts in a 2X......but they would have come down to his knees!!!! I wanted to curl into the fetal position and cry between the clothing racks.

Here is my solution:

Like the women's department, why is there not a Petite section for men?? Even in the women's plus size sections you can find Plus/Petite for us short, chubby girls. I mean, really, it is an oxymoron for sure; the whole plus sized but petite at the same time, but apparently if you have the waist size that I do,  you are expected to be 6'2",  which I am FAR from. Now, you also can not call a men's department Big & Petite, you wouldn't catch any men there.....EVER. So what are we left with?? Short & Stumpy?? Vertically Challenged & Stocky?? Husky & Close to the Ground?? My vote is for Short & Stumpy.