My Tattoo. My heritage

I have to start my story by giving the Artist Nick H. at Electric Chair the credit for designing my amazing tattoo. I have an artist's heart, but not an artist's vision. He brought this to life. Without him my story couldn't be told as well as I would hope.

From a very early age I knew my maternal Grandpa Scotty had tattoos on his arms. I never grew up thinking they were taboo. If he had them and he was a great person, well they couldn't be too bad. As I got older and braver I started decorating my body. Each tattoo has meaning. My son's handwriting and art decorate my right arm. A scarab beetle my lower left back. My beloved Boston terrrier's pawprint my inner left wrist. Each tattoo planned out with love and thought. None there by happenstance. With each tattoo I got a little braver. I knew the pain was temporary, but the memory everlasting. I knew I needed one tattoo to honor four of the most important people in my life. My grandparents. They with my parents helped me form my identity. They gave me love and life. This tattoo is their story. Each piece chosen for something they loved. Something that formed them. The anchor is for my maternal Grandpa. He spent time in the military. It was during his time in the military that he became a U.S. citizen. He often talks about the day he raised his right hand and became a citizen. He served our country proudly. He had an anchor on his forearm. It was his badge if honor. The flowers at it's base are gladiolas. My maternal Grandma loved gladiolas. And I loved making sure she had a fresh bouquet every week during the summer. I pestered my mom from the moment we walked into the farmer's market up until I had those flowers safely in my hands. The boxing gloves are for my paternal Papa. He though small in stature was mighty of foot and hand. He earned a place at the national golden glove boxing championship in the late 30's. He brought back a small golden glove charm for my Grammy that she wore proudly on a necklace everyday. I wore it close to my heart pinned on the inside of my wedding dress the day I married. He may not of been with us in person, but I carried something he cherished with me down the aisle. The seagulls flying above are for my paternal Grammy. She loved four things dearly. My Papa, her family, the straits of Mackinac, and seagulls. To her seagulls were the happiest of all God's creations. She loved watching them soar over the straits while she vacationed with family every summer. I grew to enjoy the beach house and the memories created there. When my son was old enough to cherish the same wonderful memories I took him back to my favorite childhood spot on the straits of Mackinac. We watched the seagulls and I told him the story of his great grandparents. Each of them so special to me in their own unique and loving way. So as you can see this tattoo embodies a little piece of each of my grandparents. They are loved. And they are my heritage.