Right now is such an exciting period! We have our first retail store opening up a week from Monday. It's the culmination of an insane amount of hard work by a lot of us to get it going. It's been so fun getting to design for new mediums such as product displays and exterior signage. I simply cannot wait for the doors to finally open! Then on the 14th of September we're throwing a HUGE grand opening party at Metro. I've never put together a show in my life, much less a giant party which is actually 2 shows with 6 bands, 2 DJ, and one amazing juggler. I don't know how people do this for a living. It's so stressful!

About a week after the grand opening of our store, I begin my scheduled 24-hours-over-3-months of tattoo appointments to get my arms finally finished. It's been almost 6 months since I've last had time with Tim. It's the double-edged sword of getting work done by someone so talented and in demand... you end up with amazing pieces, but they're always so booked up! I have two appointments in September, two in October and two in November. When it's all done I'll have both arms full-sleeved in full color. I'm so excited to move into color tattoos. I always thought I'd only want black and gray because as a designer, my color preferences change so frequently. In the last year or so, I have become newly obsessed with color... and LOTS OF IT. I can't wait!

Then, come early October, Jen is coming on a business trip to San Francisco with me. It's going to be so great. Traveling for work is yet another double-edged sword. I get to go to all these great places, meet all these great people, stay at these great hotels and eat great meals; but the whole time I wish I could be sharing the experiences with her. I'm so excited she'll be there for this one!