Bucket List Adventures #1- That Time I Got My Belly Button Pierced At That Super Sketch Place In Venice Beach

Hello, darling friends!

I don't know if you remember but I posted my bucket list a while back and mentioned that I had already marked some of the items off the list (and of course hope to mark way more off!) and that I would slowly but surely get around to sharing those experiences with you- and here we go! I finally got around to it. Actually I have 2 whole weeks of blog posts planned out (wait, me? a planner? Noooooo...) and I'm excited to get to it!

This is was actually #1 on my bucket list when I typed it (I tried to stick in order of things I had already marked off first- for organization purposes, you know!) Anyways-

I know this sounds really silly but I have wanted my belly button pierced since junior high. All my friends were doing it but my parents had a very strict "no piercing" policy and wouldn't sign off for me. Darn those parents of mine! But they had a point- a lot of things I wanted back then, I eventually out grew wanting. My belly button ring wasn't one them. It also wasn't top of the list-

So when I turned 18, I decided to get a piercing- but I chose to get my nose done instead. Being my first piercing, I sat down with my parents and discussed what I wanted. They knew they couldn't really have stopped me (I'm completely stubborn when I've made my mind up) but they were actually really supportive. This was long after the "mom... I'm a rock star" talk so I think they had started to come around. In fact, my dad took me to get it done and laughed at my "pain" face when the needle went through. Thanks, Dad.

And thus, the piercings had begun.

The next I got was my monroe (which I loved for about 2 weeks, kept on principle for a few months, then it fell out, grew closed, and I didn't event bother getting it redone).

My next adventure in rockstar-i-zation was my tattoo. I didn't tell my parents before I went, I just went. I posted it on Facebook. I had learned by now that my mom really just didn't want to know some things and this was one of them- I started clueing her in after to save her the worry.

But, I still wanted my belly button done. I don't know why. It seems so junior high now.

So I went to California this past summer to visit my family and I put it on the list of things I wanted to do while I was there. I figured going with my aunt and cousin would make it a fun memory.

My aunt got her piercing done in Venice Beach and so I said what the heck and agreed to do it there.

Only- HAVE YOU BEEN TO VENICE BEACH? It's both the most fascinating and absolutely terrifying place ever. The streets are lined with performers and art vendors and it's seriously just amazing. It's also not the most sanitary place in the entire world. So, I started to chicken out.

That's right. Me. After 3 other piercings (I'm including my ears) and a tattoo, I chickened out of getting my belly button done. Fears can be so illogical sometimes!

I have this weird thing though where I really start to get disappointed with myself if I let fear stop me from doing things. I wasn't always this way but as I've gotten older I've started to get more stubborn, I think. Like I said, once my mind is made up- it's made up and usually NOTHING stands in the way of that-

So, we went shopping around for a bit and I basically had a little talk with myself that went something like this- "Homegirl, how are you going to feel if you go home without this? Will you be disappointed? Yes. Then suck it up, put on your big girl panties, and get on that table!"

I promptly left that dressing room, marched my little behind right up to my aunt, said "Nope, I want to do it" and marched right down the street to a very sketch looking building filled with boys covered in tattoos with very wholey faces.Which, in all honesty, was right up my alley. That's right, folks! I walk on the wild side! I'm edgy! I'm cool! Haha... ugh....

Pre-piercing. Photo courtesy of my gorgeous cousin, Tess. This is the face of completely calm. 

So, this place is mainly just doors, so they can open it and you can see inside- we basically walked around a corner to the "piercing area" which was basically a fold out chair, a table with a giant needle (it was wrapped- don't worry folks!), concrete floors, and a very awkward table-ish thing that I had to lay on. He clamped my belly button (which was not pleasant) ... and then....

Now, really, I consider myself to be pretty pro with pain. My tattoo was a breeze, my monroe was a breeze, my nose piercing was a cinch- but let me tell you- MY BELLY BUTTON PIERCING HURT! Ugh. People lie. It was so slow! I must have made the worst face ever too because the guy even apologized. You know what you don't want to hear when getting a piercing- "SORRY!"- I thought he messed up!

But good news is, months later- it has healed nicely, it is completely gorgeous, and when I left I felt like a total bad @$$ (because you know, I finally did something most girls did when they were 14).

Sorry, Mom.