Tattoos and Disappointments

I was so excited to learn there was a Derby hopeful named Square Eddie. Because of his name, I was going to root for him to win the derby and to capture the Triple Crown. Since working as Kerry Cauthen's secretary in the mid-90's, I've never wanted another horse to win the Triple Crown. Mainly because Kerry's older brother is Steve Cauthen, the last jockey to ride a Triple Crown winner. Kerry and I have remained friends and I still tease him that I taught him everything he knows about practicing law. Brand new attorneys have a lot to learn and I had the honor of teaching Kerry what he didn't learn in law school. Kerry and I are about the same age. While working together, he went with Paul and I one night to Tattoo Charlie's. At age 24, I decided I had never done anything I might regret and wanted to do something "bad". I opted for a tattoo - the "in" thing at that time. He and Paul helped me pick it out - and as it turns out - I should have chosen my own tattoo and not left the choice to those two. We waited in line forever (like 5 hours) before it was finally my turn. Emily was with us (age 2-3 yrs at the time) and she was good as gold. Paul finally took her somewhere to eat because she was hungry and I couldn't lose my place in line. While getting the tattoo, I started to black out from a combination of things - mainly the pain and lack of eating. Charlotte (of Tattoo Charlie's) talked me through the blackout explaining everything that was going to happen. In the meantime, she sent for Orange Juice and Oreo's in the back to help me recover. Do I regret the tattoo? Not really - I don't ever have to look at it. It's on my left outside ankle. I made the choice to place it there so that if I ever drove a UPS truck or a Jeep, I could take the doors off and people could see my tattoo. Now that is what young logic is all about! And to think, by that time, I had been married about 6 years and had a small child. Scary...

Kerry and I both moved on from the law firm of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs. He is now the Managing Partner for Four Star Sales, a thoroughbred sales agency. I moved on, expanding my family, returning to college and ending up in the adoption field. Since I know the Cauthen family, I just wanted them to hold on to the title so to speak.

Anyway, back to my original story. Square Eddie had to drop out of the Kentucky Derby due to a shin injury. So, now I'll have to find another horse to be my favorite. It'll take more than the name this time around... and I probably will not be hoping for a Triple Crown winner this year either.

I may post a picture of my tattoo sometime - come to think of it - I don't even have a picture of my tattoo. Maybe I should take one...