Flowers for Family: Senior Honors Generations with Tattoo

Clara Ferreira Lopes

When senior Juli Epps originally came up with the tattoo idea, she envisioned the flowers separately, but after discussing what she wanted with her tattoo artist, he designed the flowers into a bouquet. “At first I was just thinking three separate flowers,” Epps said. “But he arranged them in a bouquet, and I liked that.”

Orange marigold for October, delicate daffodil for April, morning glory for February and the peaceful poppy for August all intertwine to form a bouquet of endearment. 

Senior Juli Epps, who turned 18 in September, wanted to get a first tattoo that represented three generations of her family. But deciding which tattoo to get was a difficult decision.

“I like all types of tattoos,” Epps said. “But I personally wanted a meaningful one, just so I can look back on it years from now and still remember the reason why it was so important to me or why I wanted to get it.”

While Epps originally wanted the tattoo over a year ago, her parents advised her to wait until she turned 18. While she waited, Epps spent months researching where she wanted to get her tattoo done and what style she liked best. 

The tattoo Epps chose was a bouquet of three birth month flowers – a violet, a morning glory and a daisy – which signify the birth months of her grandmother, her mother and herself. 

Before her appointment at Autumn Moon Tattoo Parlor the day after her birthday, Epps introduced the idea to her parents to make sure they were okay with her putting something so permanent on her body.

“My mom actually really loved the idea,” Epps said. “She went with me, and she was my support person in the chair when I was getting it.”

Although Epps does not get to see her grandmother often due to the distance, when she does visit, Epps, her mom and her grandmother love to go shopping together and enjoy a nice meal.

“My grandma actually lives in Chicago,” Epps said. “We had to move to California a little while ago, and it’s actually hard being away from them, which is why I feel like it makes it even more special. We’ve maintained that close relationship even though we live so far away from each other.”

In the end, the wait and discomfort was worth it for Epps, who now has a permanent reminder of the love she has for her family.

“I was really, really happy because I really loved it,” Epps said. “I thought it turned out super great. And it’s a nice reminder to see it and then think of my mom and grandma.”