When Jesse Whitmeyer booked a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas with his fiancée, Kristin Marie Ciotti, he had no plans for late-night gambling or wild bachelor antics. What he walked away with instead was something far more permanent: a tattoo — and not just any tattoo, but Ciotti’s original AOL email address, inked on his ankle.
The idea may raise eyebrows in the age of Gmail and instant messaging apps, but for Whitmeyer and Ciotti, the quirky tattoo is a deeply personal symbol — one that captures their humor, their history, and a shared sense of nostalgia.
A Love Story Written in Ink (and Dial-Up)
The couple’s story began four years ago, when a mutual friend introduced them after noticing an uncanny similarity: both owned identical Great Danes — large, white dogs speckled with black spots. Sparks flew, despite a notable age gap — Ciotti is 14 years older than Whitmeyer — and their bond has only deepened since.
Now engaged and planning a wedding for this summer, the two took advantage of a rare kid-free weekend — Whitmeyer has three daughters, Ciotti has a son — to escape to Las Vegas for a quiet getaway. Amidst the neon lights and desert calm, Whitmeyer, a heavily tattooed utility lineman, proposed a spontaneous idea.
“I already have a million tattoos,” he said. “So I thought, why not get one for Kristin?”
Initially, Whitmeyer considered getting Ciotti’s initials, KMC, inked. But as the couple joked around at a tattoo parlor, inspiration struck from a long-running inside joke: Ciotti’s original — and still active — AOL email address.
“That Would Be So Funny!”
“When I suggested her email, she immediately lit up,” Whitmeyer recalled. “She said, ‘That would be so funny! Oh, my girlfriends are going to love this!’”
And so, on that impromptu day in Vegas, Whitmeyer sat down for the quick but painful procedure, choosing his left ankle as the location. The tattoo, despite its sentimental simplicity, stung more than expected.
“It was irritating but not awful,” he said. “The ankle is a tough spot, but since the tattoo was just plain text with no shading, it only took one needle.”
The AOL reference is more than a punchline. Ciotti’s email — her first ever — is a small but enduring artifact from the early internet era. And while Whitmeyer, born in the mid-1990s, never had an AOL address himself, the nostalgia runs deep.
“I remember the dial-up sound, AOL Instant Messenger, getting yelled at for tying up the phone line,” he said, laughing. “It was a simpler time. Compared to now, I think the older internet era was better.”
More Than a Tattoo, a Symbol of Connection
Whitmeyer’s tattoo draws attention, especially when he wears shorts. Friends and strangers alike often ask the same question: Why would someone get a tattoo of an AOL email?
His response is as grounded as it is heartfelt: “You don’t have to get it.”
For Whitmeyer, the tattoo isn’t about making sense to others — it’s a deeply personal reminder of their relationship, their shared jokes, and a love story rooted in both affection and laughter.
“It reminds me of the good laughs we’ve had together,” he said. “I look at it the same way I’d look at her initials. It’s a symbol of her, of us.”
In practical terms, the email address still serves a purpose, too. When Whitmeyer’s phone dies during long shifts — he often works 18-hour days — he turns to his tablet to contact Ciotti the old-fashioned way.
“I’ll just email her at the AOL address,” he said. “It’s still the only one I remember.”
A Tattoo with a Backstory
The story behind the tattoo — and the couple’s shared humor — underscores what makes their relationship special. While others might see an outdated domain, Whitmeyer sees the foundation of something lasting.
In a world increasingly defined by fleeting trends and digital overload, Whitmeyer’s tattoo is a rare, analog love letter — inked in skin, stamped with sincerity, and signed with an email from the past.
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