My parents always told me I had to wait until I was 21-years-old to get my first tattoo. I think they didn't want me to get something silly or meaningless. Plus, with the job field I have chosen and fallen in love with, you don't see anyone with tattoos. Of course, the college student I was, I didn't listen. After getting tired of piercings, I decided to get my first tattoo when I was 19-years-old.

Instead of getting something I thought was cute or something I liked on someone else, I got a tattoo of something that meant something to me.

I got the outline of a 0.357 magnum handgun. The meaning behind this tattoo was I've gone hunting with my dad for as long as I can remember. This is something we've always bonded over and look forward to every year. After taking multiple guns hunting, the 0.357 is the one that's become my favorite. If I'm in the woods, you can best bet that this gun is on my hip. Now, when I look at this tattoo, I think of all of the memories I've created with this gun. From killing my first deer, to laughing in the woods with my dad, to having competitions while targeting shooting. I got this tattoo very spontaneously after class at Kent State Univerity with my friends, and it just so happens that Rihanna has a gun in the exact same place.

I got my second tattoo around my 20th birthday (February of this year). I was at school in Kentucky, and I was in a really dark place. I just wanted to be home, I didn't look forward to anything, I hated being in school, I was going through a rough breakup, and the list goes on and on. I wanted to get something that would stick with me every day. My dad has always said to me if you tell yourself you're happy, healthy, wealthy (in love) and wise every day, then you can do anything you set your mind to.

Whenever I'm not feeling like myself, he says this often. This tattoo reminds me that I am so much stronger than I give myself credit for and I'm capable of so much more.

My third and last tattoo is one I got two weeks ago. It's the pronunciation of "no hesitation" which is "noh hez-i-tey-shuhn." Ironically enough, you hesitate to read it, but in life, we hesitate over a lot of things. Whether it's being vulnerable, going for our dream job, or trying new things, fear stops us from being ourselves to the fullest. Whenever I feel myself backing off because I'm scared I might get hurt or I might not get what I want, I tell myself not to hesitate and I do it anyways. I very randomly got this tattoo with my friends after having Olive Garden one night. What makes it great is I didn't hesitate to get it.

My tattoos have a lot of meaning to me. They remind me of who I am and where I came from every day.

You can think they look trashy or that they're pointless, but you only live once. So, I'm going to continue making great memories and marking them on my body to hold with me forever.