new paws, old soul tattoos by jeff croci.

in 1994, james and rin hooked up. take that how you will, but we really got together...from the first night we stayed up talking until the sun came up, we were connected. it sounds cheesey, but if you go back and read our journals and letters at the time...it's true! so there you go. two star-crossed lovers. and at the time, james designed an awesome thing that rin immediately said "we've got to get that tattoo." it was three dragons, chasing each other. her dad said "but what if it doesn't work out with this guy. you'll have that tattoo forever!" and tho she still values her dad's advice (good advice, all you 19 year-olds out there), she is happy to report that he was wrong.

strangely, opposed to marriage as a legitimate form of social commitment, rin proposed to james sometime in early 1996. she figured, what the heck, they'd be together forever (obviously), may as well make it formal. and they did! june 1996, officiated by rin's great aunt. it was a fantastic ceremony, by a river, somewhere in illinois, and afterwards many made merry by mead, made by rin and james in their minneapolis apartment. ah...life. and all along they had grim. and grim was the fiesty cat, who bit whenever he felt like it (rin has a terrific scar on her elbow from such biting) and enjoyed life to the fullest. he fought and...well...you know...did whatever he wanted. over 15 years of that, and most critically, during the entirety of our relationship. so when we went to commemorate our 10th wedding anniversary together...well...grim's 10 fingered paws came to mind. grim had thumbs, like some kind of lost hemingway cat...and that was good enough for us.

so laugh if you will and enjoy our silliness if you must, but we started this relationship out with a tattoo (dragonsthree) and apparently we are doomed to remember it by the same means.