Over the years I've made no secret that our marriage has gone through some rough times. Next month N and I celebrate 5 years of marriage. We both say without reservation that our marriage feels stronger than it ever has. While we both realize it takes God and much work to keep our marriage at this place, we're confident that these last 5 years have been the foundation we needed for the long haul.
I'm not sure what has done it other than God working in us that has brought us both to this place at the same time, but I love it. N and I both have certain habits that aren't healthy for our marriage. As we both work through those issues and hold each other accountable, we thought we each needed a reminder.
N's first thought was to get his tongue pierced. His belief was that he'd always be aware to deal with his issue because every time he ate or talked, he'd have that reminder. While I want to encourage him to take whatever steps he feels necessary, the thought of kissing a guy with a tongue ring really didn't excite me. It totally freaked me out. I wanted to find something that would serve as a reminder for him that didn't freak me out. That's when I came across the Japanese calligraphy symbol for soul mates (tamashii no tomo). I thought it would be cool if we both got tattoos of this symbol.
N was all for it, thank the Lord. That means new ink, not new tongue ring. I actually shutter thinking about it. We went to the local All American tattoo parlor and the awesome Jeremy Youngman drew up some ideas. N wanted a phoenix to go along with his symbol because a phoenix means eternal. Plus he just really likes them and is basically a walking wikipedia when it comes to things like mythical creatures and comic characters.
The design for N was MUCH bigger than we thought, but he loved it and I loved it, so he got it. On his forearm. His entire forearm.
Within the symbol are our names in Japanese.
Mine without the huge, mythical bird. Not just because I'm a pain wuss. Okay, totally because I'm a pain wuss. I honestly didn't think I would have this excitement over it that I do. It was a fun bonding experience to get a permanent reminder of N put on my body. I realize it's not for everyone, but it really meant something to us.
When we got home and Zoe saw daddy's arm, she wanted a picture too. I got out my Sharpie marker and put an ichthus on her foot just like I have on mine.
Tonight we're going to play tattoo shop. I'll get out the paints and do my best to drawn a princess on her arm. I may just stop and pick up some temporary tattoos on my way home!
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