bob

gingerninja: yeah that makes sense. i just wanted to make sure. it didn't feel right either, but i thought i'd make sure. thanks for the recommendations!

devious6, thank you again. and thank you for sharing such a personal story. i understand the intent of the story and how it relates to me and my choice. i initially intended to get a tattoo on her birthday in June this year, but i will not rush the process just to make that date. i think maybe i'll look around and find a local artist and see if they can help inspire me and help me decide on a tattoo that will honor my wife and the love i will always have for her. something i will be proud to have and remind me of her. dan, thanks for sharing that article. it was a very interesting read. question to all: is it rude, inappropriate or poor etiquette to discuss ideas with a tattooist but end up not getting a tattoo with that person? also, i'm in the san francisco bay area, specifically santa cruz. anyone have any recommendations?

thank you all for your input and honesty. and your condolences. it's been 6 months 9 days since i lost her. personally, i have no issues with a signature. i agree with devious6 that any future relationship i may have should accept that my wife was (and is) a part of my life. however, i am conflicted. i love seeing her signature there but i think i also think that a symbol would be better. unfortunately, i'm not very creative and i can't really think of any symbol that would represent her or us, or that would remind me of her. in terms of location, i do want something that i can see everyday and don't mind it being prominent. i work in a business environment so am always wearing a long sleeve shirt. so i don't think that's an issue. initially i liked the idea of the birds, but after getting this fake tattoo, i started having second thoughts about how it looked. one of the reasons i thought i'd ask a knowledgeable forum for opinions. i am looking at this tattoo as permanent and the fact that i have second thoughts makes me feel like i need to put more thought into it. devious6, thank you so much for your detailed response. you summarized very clearly what took me days (and weeks) of reading various articles online. i do intend to seek out a good artist that can help me with design. i believe it may help if i start off with an idea so he/she will have something to work with. so that's what i'm working on. another thought i had was to start with a smaller tattoo. we were together for 13 years (more if you count dating), so for more than half the time, she never signed any notes with her name. just "xox" or "me". i was thinking of getting a tattoo of that in her handwriting. however it's so small that i wonder where to put it that i can always see. initially i thought about somewhere on my hand/fingers but i'm a bit concerned that it's a location that can never be hidden. thoughts or opinions on that?

guess i can't post on other forum headings, so i'll post here. hopefully someone will see and reply. my wife of 13 years passed away recently. i am thinking of getting her signature on my wrist. i was also thinking of having a tattoo of birds flying away from her signature, 13 of them to be exact. meaning: for her signature, it just makes me feel better seeing her name on my wrist every day. as for the birds, 13, obviously for the number of years we've been together. but also birds flying away because i believe that she is now free from all the pain that she suffered in this life and is now in a better place. questions: 1. she was the love of my life. but i'm only 37, so will having a tattoo of my late wife's name cause issues with future relationships? 2. do bird tattoos have any other hidden meaning that i don't know about? also are birds too feminine? any suggestions to make it more masculine? 3. any thoughts or opinions on location? the picture shows the fake tattoo i got in las vegas to see what it would look like, but i'm thinking i want the birds to be towards the outer arm so that's it's visible to others, but i fear i won't be able to see it. thoughts? 4. any other tips or advice for first time tattoo? thanks everyone!

hi all looking to get my first tattoo and looking for some advice, tips and opinions. thanks!