Have you ever had something you've wanted to do, but talked yourself out of it? That was me, for the past 15 years. A conversation with my husband last week finally changed that "something". 

I had been noticing girls with nose piercings for years. It was something that I'd be aware of every once in a while, and wish I was brave enough to try it myself. My thoughts would always have the explanation of, "That girl looks good with a nose piercing because she has nicely rounded nostrils." Or, "Her high cheekbones really set off the diamond in her nose." Or even, "You just need a certain "look" to pull off a nose piercing, and I don't have that."

It wasn't something that I ever seriously considered, to be honest. I admired the girls that had a nose piercing, but didn't think it was something that was for me. Every once in a while, I'd comment about about it, or point it out to Nick. And last week, I don't even remember what I said, or how the subject came up, but Nick said, "You should go for it."

That got my wheels turning, and I immediately started listing off the reasons why I shouldn't. I mean, I'm a 30 year old woman with three kids, and what would people think of me?! My life is nicely settled, and I'm a responsible adult who is content with my life. For some reason, though I don't judge people who have a taseful nose piercing, I thought that getting a piercing at this point in my life would raise eyebrows, and make people who know me have thoughts that I'm looking for some sort of adrenaline rush or like I needed something exciting to spice up my life as if I've hit some sort of pre-mid life crisis.

The fact is, I have plenty of excitement in my life. I mean, shoot, I've got three handsome boys under the age of 2 1/2, a successful home business, and a guy that loves me to the moon and back. My life is more fabulous than I ever imagined it would be.

So why now? It struck me, that I finally asked myself "why not now?" If people are going to judge me, fine, let them think what they will. You can't stop people from judging you. 

I talked to a few older women that I look up to and trust, and a few of them mentioned that they'd have liked to get some piercings as well, but never did. Hearing that strengthened my resolve, because I didn't want to get to a point later in life where I would regret not trying it. 

Nick told me I had a nose that would look great with a piercing, and since I'd given it plenty of thought,  and I obviously wanted to know how it would look on me, he was totally supportive. I really appreciated his honesty, and liked hearing him tell me I was already beautiful, with or without the piercing. He's good like that. 

It helped too, that I had company for the past two weeks, my "little sis" from Wisconsin, and she was interested in getting a nose piercing as well. Somehow having someone to go with me and get a piercing at the same time as me, was a comfort. 

We went to a local tattoo and piercing parlor to get information. It must have been a slightly hilarious sight. Three adults (me, Nick, and our "little sis"), each carrying a small child, looking completely out of place with our "virgin" skin and only earrings for piercings, showing up in a shop full of guys, each with several tattoos and mulitple piercings. The place itself was surprisingly comfortable, well lit, and tastefully decorated. I'd always thought of this particular establishment as being somewhat run down and questionable from the outside, but once you stepped inside, it was a very pleasant place. Lesson learned, don't judge from the outside! 

We looked at the jewlery, asked about pricing, and talked about nose piercings. I was told that the piercing would cause one tear to drop from the eye on the side of the body the piercing was placed on. Also, if you didn't like the piercing, you could simply take out the diamond and the hole would close within 20 minutes. It seemed like an easy thing, but I wasn't ready to do it yet, so we left the shop.

In the next two days, my "little sis" and I watched You Tube videos of people who'd gotten their nose piercings. Some people made it look like it hurt quite a bit, and that scared me. Other people said they barely felt it. Plus, there were different techniques used. I watched one vlog in particular that talked about the care of a nose piercing and the experience of getting it done, and that helped me a lot. 

Finally, the time came to make the decision. Go for it? Or no? My "little sis" was going to be getting on a plane to return home the next morning, so if I wanted a buddy to do it with, it was now or never. With a few butterflies in our stomachs, we decided to go for it.

We got to the tattoo and piercing shop, filled out a form, showed our ID's and paid for the deed to be done. Then we were given instructions for taking care of the piercing once it was done, as well as the name of the person who would do the piercing. Next we had to decide who would go first. My "little sis" decided she wanted to go first. I wasn't sure if that made me more nervous having to wait my turn, or if it was a good thing. The door to the piercing room was left open, so I was able to see the process done. My "little sis" did great, and told me it wasn't bad at all. I could tell from the way she looked during the piercing and afterward, that what she said was true. She didn't even flinch.

Next it was my turn. I'd been holding Baby E. while I was waiting, and it was comforting to snuggle his warm little body while rocking back and forth waiting. The other boys were having fun finding their own ways to stay occupied, and were behaving nicely. It helped to take my mind off of what I was about to do.

I handed the baby over to my "little sis" and sat down in the chair in the piercing room. My first thought was, "I hope this is what I really want!" The guy doing the piercings was professional, and extremely gentle. He explained each part of the process of what he was doing to me, from swabbing my nose with alcohol, putting the dot on the spot the piercing would be, and then proceeding with the piercing itself. He told me to take a deep breath and exhale. While I was exhaling was when he pierced my nose, and it surprised me how little I felt it. It wasn't any worse than when I've had my finger pricked to give a blood sample. Certainly wasn't worth all the anxiety I put myself through before it was done.

I was handed a tissue, to catch the tear that my eye produced. It is so weird that the body does that. Literally, only one tear. It's not because it was a painful experience and you are trying to hold back from crying. I cannot stress how little pain there was. After the piercing, it didn't continue hurting either. There was no pain whatsoever.

It was over so quickly. And I really liked it. We got home, and took these pictures. Nick took pictures before, during, and after the whole process for both my "little sis" and myself. He even got this video of it while I had my turn in the piercing chair.

It wasn't until we got home that Nick said he'd always liked seeing girls with a nose piercing. He thinks it looks attractive, and was glad when I said I wanted to get one. He didn't tell me sooner, because he didn't want to sway my decision. He really liked seeing my nose piercing. I really like seeing my nose piercing. Maybe the word "like" is an understatement. We both love it, and it makes us both smile. 

A few tips for you, if you are curious or interested in getting a nose piercing:

• Don't get a pink stone stud. I've been warned it can look like a large pimple.
• Visit the piercing shop before walking in to get the piercing done. We did this for the sake of gleaning information, but it also helped me see how clean the establishment was, and it made me comfortable to come back when I was ready to carry through with the piercing.
• Watch You Tube videos. It can really help you know what to expect. There are different methods, and some look scarier than others. Some videos also tell you how to care for the piercing.
• Tip your piercer. My piercer did such an excellent job to make me feel calm and like it was no big deal, as well as being very gentle. He deserved a little money for his expertise.

In the 24 hours since my piercing was done, I have experienced very little pain. I'm talking a 1 on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most painful. And, even with being around my little men, it took them 24 hours to even notice it. So, even though I worried that the kids would want to touch it and bump it when they were on my lap, it hasn't happened. If it's natural enough to pass my toddlers' observation, it'll pass the scrutiny of the general population, I figure.

All in all, I'm glad I made the decision to do it.

So tell me, what are your thoughts when you see a nose piercing? Do you have a secret desire to get one?