Relish

ORANJE

2008-08-15T12:01:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone!! Just wanted to let you know that there are some exciting things coming up for the month of September. The biggest and coolest thing is that I will be participating in ORANJE, an interactive art and music experience, downtown Indy. I will be showing my work and hopefully selling some art and making new connections. So if you have time and want to check out some art mark September 20th down... and sorry for those of you with kids, it is a 21 and over event. So like Maya and I you will need to find a babysitter.

Cheers. Have a great weekend!!

Maya Laurent Photography

2008-07-31T12:43:00.002-04:00

Congrats honey!!! Here is a link to Maya's new photography blog. Go and check it out.

Latest painting...

2008-06-23T13:48:00.003-04:00

Here is my latest painting. Just finished it over the weekend. Inspired by our trip to London.

The Greatest Band is Back...

2008-06-11T15:00:00.003-04:00

As most of you know I am a huge Coldplay fan. Their new album is out next week on the 17th. I can't wait, I have listened to most of it and they are branching out with their sound.

Here's to music that moves you.

Cheers.

Where have I been?

2008-06-11T12:25:00.002-04:00

Hey all, if anyone really stills visits this blog.

Life with me and the family has been quite nuts. Keeping up with Zane, Maya starting her own business and me balancing work and painting has us basically just floating these past few weeks. The weeks have been flying by but they have been fun and exciting as well.

Zane is getting huge and is basically running now and his personality is showing up little by little each day. It is the coolest thing to watch. I love being a dad.

Like I said Maya is starting her own photography business. I am so proud of her and I can't wait to see how it evolves. She is beginning to make some contacts and get her name out there. I guess the only thing that would help that would be a new logo, guess who gets to do that and of course she needs it yesterday. Ha.

As for me work is good. It's really starting to challenge me which is cool. So we shall see how that progresses. On the painting side I am almost done with a new one. At the end of the month I am going to submit my work to a show, so hopefully that will work out. I'm just ready for people to see my work. Its been sitting too long in my house. I want people to enjoy it.

Finally, the video at the top is from the artist Justin Nozuka. Maya and I watched his set from SXSW when it was on TV. He has an amazing voice and his music just cuts right threw you. I hope you enjoy.

Here's to staying consistent with the blog thing.

Cheers.

Relax and fun.

2008-04-04T13:35:00.002-04:00

As most of you have probably already read, Maya and I had a wonderful night last night. We just sat on the couch and drank some wine and talked. It was great and reminded me alot of when we first started dating and just hung out at Ball State. We had a ton of things to do but we both decided to just sit and devote time to each other. Brilliant night and I hope we have more of them.

On another note here is a pic of a tshirt design I did last week. At work we took a few hours and just played to be creative. It was very refreshing and helped keep our energy up.

Is spring here yet?

Cheers.

Mini Update: We have a month to go and we are up to 11 miles in one run. Yikes. Because of all this running I have lost 14 pounds so far. That is a nice bonus other than my main focus of getting healthy for the family.

Wheels on the Bus.

2008-03-25T09:16:00.004-04:00

Well as most of you know now Maya has taken a new job. Because of the move we are now not able to drive together downtown. So I am all by myself. But a very cool thing just started a couple of weeks ago that they are now having a bus service from carmel to downtown.

Perfect.

Well this morning was first experience with it and it was great. I didn't have to worry about traffic or any other craziness on the road. I just put my headphones on and listened to one of my favorite podcasts. After getting downtown I have a 20 minute walk to my office. It really wasn't that bad and as most of you know I really like observing things and this short walk was great for that. From walking through the park and crossing many streets there was plenty to watch. Plus, we are saving on gas.

Here's to public transportation.
Cheers.

Newest Addition

2008-03-23T20:02:00.002-04:00

So here is my latest creation. The inspiration came from a photo I took in London while riding the tube. After doing this piece I have decided to do a series from our trip to London and a series from Paris. So be on the lookout for more new paintings. Hope you like it.

Cheers.

Happy Birthday Beauty!

2008-03-18T12:52:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday babe. You are now older today but like you keep telling me I will always be older. Ha.

Well what can I say. You are such an amazing person. This last year and a half has been just amazing to be by your side. I'm so pumped for you and things that are aligning for your future. You have the biggest heart for everyone and that is just telling of the type of person you are. You are an wonderful mom. I love seeing you with Zane and the way he just lights up when he sees you. Thanks for being our family's rock.

I love you so much that that phrase doesn't seem to say it all. I know that is cheesy but you know what I mean. I hope that you have such a great day and Zane and I can't wait to go to the zoo or the art museum this weekend.

I love this picture of you. It says so many things, like the vision you have, the thought you put into everything and the love you have for the world around us.

You're the bestest. love you.

Alphabeat "Fascination" or Duck Tales Theme

2008-02-28T11:13:00.001-05:00

Once again I have been drawn towards youtube. This is a pop song being played over in the UK and its also getting stuck in my head. Although I keeping thinking of the Duck Tales theme song when I hear this. Happy Thursday.

Cheers.

Space Pirates Ghostbusters Remix

2008-02-26T11:42:00.001-05:00

Check out this tune. Maya and I always listen to this radio show in London and this has been something they played recently and i can't get it out of my head. Space Pirates is a kids show on the BBC and you should know the other song its mixed with. Enjoy some tuesday fun.

Happy Birthday Zane!!!!

2008-02-07T08:45:00.000-05:00

Zane,
Happy 1st birthday buddy. The first year of your life has been truly amazing to watch and be a part of. Your mom and I can't express enough how much we love you and how in awe we are of you each and every day. Thanks so much for filling our hearts with pure joy every time we hold you, even when you are screaming at the top of your lungs at 3am. I can't wait to see what amazing things God has in store for your life and I feel so blessed that your mom and I get to be a part of all of it. Your are definitely and inspiration to your parents.

Love you so much Egor... have a great first birthday.

Daddy

Happy LOST Day

2008-01-31T12:56:00.001-05:00

Here is a quick synopsis for all of those who have never seen this amazing show.

For the Lake.

2008-01-21T09:13:00.000-05:00

This christmas I wanted to give my parents a painting for their lake house. I had all intentions of finishing it for christmas but that didn't happen. So instead of being able to give them the painting on the 25th I gave them a printed out picture of it instead. I think they were a bit confused when they got it but they figured it out. Well I am happy to say that I finished it this past week and was able to get it to them this weekend when they came down to see Zane. They are so excited to take it to the lake house and display it. I think I will eventually put a frame on it but for now I wanted them to be able to enjoy it.

Here's to fun weekends at the lake.

Cheers.

Sunburnt, but not complaining.

2008-01-17T13:40:00.000-05:00

Just got back from Naples, Florida on a photo shoot. Torrey and I went down there to get some shots done for an annual report that we will be working on soon. We also needed to take some additional photos for other marketing materials for our client. We had a really good time but they were full of long days of shooting. It was very surreal getting off the plane and feeling humidity but we weren't complaining. We are now back in the office but my face is now pealing from the sunburn I got. Poor me, right. Above is a photo I took during one of the shoots that we had. I was just playing around.

Man I can't wait for warm weather and some green trees.

Cheers.

Total Miles Run from Training: 11 miles
Total Weight Lost: 2 pounds

The Mini.

2008-01-07T08:05:00.000-05:00

So in my last post I told you I had some fun things on the horizon for 08. Here is one of them. In May my friend Marcus and I will be running the 500 Festival Mini Marathon. This past weekend was the start of my training. Never in a million years would I ever have thought I would be running a marathon. I would have thought you were crazy. But I stand corrected and so here we go. I am pumped about it but also not sure how I am going to be able to run that far all at one time. Hopefully with a lot of hard work and some fun it will happen. My world has changed since Zane has entered into our lives and I just want to set a good example for him and obviously taking care of myself is one of them.

Here's to running a long way for fun. ( What am I thinking.)
Cheers.

Total Mileage during training: 2 miles

Some Photos

2008-01-03T09:46:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!! I hope that everyone had a great holiday. We had a great one and spent alot of time together as a family which was amazing. I've got some cool things to talk about for 08 but that will have to wait for another post. Anyways, before the holiday Torrey and I went and took a tour of a new building in Indy that is being renovated to become an office/residential building much like the Stutz community. It was freakin cold and we had to use flashlights to get around but it was a blast. The building use to be an old car factory. It is definitely a hidden gem. I can't wait to watch and see how things go with it. Here are some photos that I took on the tour. The sink shot is my favorite.

Cheers to 2008.

Christmas Theme Song

2007-12-19T08:44:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone if you even still look at this blog. This morning while I was painting (Yes I said this morning) I heard this song on a radio station I was listening to. I have heard this song before but I heard it in a different light this morning.

Being together as a family this holiday season has been the goal for our family. We have been doing some fun things together because of the advent calender that we came up with. I'm sure most of you have read Maya's blog about it but for those of you who haven't, we have been doing little activities as a family instead of having the traditional present for each day of the month of december. It has been a blast. I know for a fact that we will continue to do this every year and hopefully improve on it.

I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday and you have some good quality time with family and friends.

Here's to being together.
Cheers.

debut

2007-11-02T09:33:00.001-04:00

Last night I went to the Melody Inn downtown Indy to see some of my friends play in there first show together. They didn't go on stage until 11:00 pm, so I was able to help Maya put Zane to bed. The band is called Training Wheel Fire and is made up of alot of guys that I volunteer with. It was great to see them in their element and doing what they love. They did an amazing job and their original music was great. I can't wait to hear more stuff from them. One thing that was really cool was that the dad of one of the band members was there. It was so cool because I would glance over at him and he seemed so proud of his son while he was up on stage. I can't wait to see Zane fulfilling his dreams and seeing what he is interested in. Its amazing how my thoughts and experiences revolved back to Zane and how I see things more as a parent now.

Here's to great live music.

Cheers.

sneak peek

2007-10-30T09:33:00.000-04:00

This past sunday we went downtown Carmel and took some shots of the family. It was alot of fun and we got some cool stuff. I'm sure Maya will post more of them later. I also did a little photoshoping with the color and some drool from Zane.

Cheers.

Poison

2007-10-25T11:52:00.001-04:00

Just a little Thursday Fun. In honor of Scrubs premiering for its final season tonight. This show is so underated.

Cheers.

Identity

2007-10-24T12:45:00.000-04:00

So this morning after gathering Zane’s things and making my PopTart I headed out to drop Zane off and get to work. Since I was so all over the place this morning I forgot my key to the office. Crap. So now I am waiting for Torrey to get to work so that I can get into the office. So while I was waiting I picked up a book out of my bag that I frequently read all the time to energize me. As I was reading something hit me this morning pretty hard. Ouch. Here is the statement:

“Talk less about your identity and do more to define, live and believe it.”

This statement hit me because I always have a hard time explaining to people what I do. I normally tell people that I am a designer and an artist. Since I got my new job I truly believe that I am living up to that statement on the design end. My work environment is amazing and is truly focused on doing rather than talking about it. Although sometimes clients get in the way. Now for the artist part. I really don’t feel like I am living up to that part of my identity. I have in the past I think but lately I have really neglected the artist side. I need to stop talking and do...

Is there a part of your identity that you talk about more than you really are doing?

Here’s to doing rather than talking.

Cheers.

Brain Warm-Up

2007-10-17T09:38:00.000-04:00

This morning I decided to do a little googling and learn something new about photoshop. A couple of weeks ago I went to a seminar and they taught us what was new with the CS3 Adobe Creative Suite. I really got alot out of the photoshop new stuff. One of the cool things that I learned was about a new tool where you can merge photos together to create a panoramic image and the program will do it for you. Anyways, here is my first attempt at it. I am really pumped about it because we have some fun pics from our trip to London and Paris that this will work perfectly for.

Cheers.

That's a Big Crack.

2007-10-10T12:52:00.000-04:00

In London at the Tate Modern a new sculpture was unveiled. It was done by a Columbian artist. It is basically a huge crack down the middle of the museum. It symbolizes the racial hatred and division in society. I personally think it is such a simple and impactful idea. As an artist and designer I always strive for telling the story in the most simple way, so that is why I really like this piece of artwork. Now as an artist I want to know how it was done. The artist basically said there are no illusions and that infact it is a real crack. How do you create a crack of that size and not test the structural integrity of the building. Very interesting to me.

Cheers.

Photo of Day

2007-10-10T10:13:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to a football game where my cousin Ben was the starting quarterback for his freshmen team. We got up there alittle late but in the end Ben's team in the very closing minutes of the game won when their running back broke away from the pack and scored. It was cool because it was their high school rival. Here is a photo for the day. My cousin is number 10. Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Crazy days in the Laurent household lately. Also, Maya is so much better at keeping up with this stuff than I am.

Here's to football season.
Cheers.

IF: Wedding

2007-09-14T08:55:00.001-04:00

It's been to long since I have last participated in Illustration Friday. It was great to see that this weeks topic was wedding because I had done this painting not to long ago as a wedding present for the couple getting married. I hope you enjoy and that this will start the trend back to being a regular on IF.

Cheers.

Recent Work.

2007-09-12T09:50:00.000-04:00

As promised here is one of my recent projects I worked on at work. It is a large illustration on some construction fencing across the street from the University of Notre Dame. It was a blast to work on and I am very proud of it. I hope that you like it.

Catch Up.

2007-09-11T11:40:00.001-04:00

This past week has been crazy but fun. On the 31st of August Kevin, a great life long friend from PA, came to visit the Laurent household. The week started out at the lake house. We had to show Kevin where we spend most of the summer at. It was great, we took a couple boat rides, watched college football and ate some good food. Then on Monday and Tuesday we went to see my parents and play some golf at my dad's golf course. We had a fun time and Kevin has greatly improved his game since we last played probably in college or quite possibly in high school. I was nervous because it was my first time out this year to play. Some how I managed to shoot 77 on Tuesday. Not to bad. After that we came home and basically relaxed Wednesday and then on Thursday we went to THE GAME!! Yes, Kevin was nice enough to ask me to go with him to the Colts vs. Saints game. It was so much fun. I think I lost my voice after the first defensive series. Before the game we hung out with Matt and Jenny. It was great to see them. On Friday Kevin went out with another friend for the evening so Maya and I decided to go gallery hopping downtown. It was so much fun. We took Zane to his first art experience. I am pretty sure he had a blast. He crashed on the way home. Very cute. Saturday we took Kevin to Braydon's birthday party. Happy birthday buddy!!! It was great to see family and friends. After that it was off to home for some football and naps on the couch. Sunday Kevin left. We had so much fun with him and it was great to catch up and dive into each others lives. And it was great for Kevin to meet Zane. Oh yeah, through all the craziness of the week Zane turned 7 months old. Holy crap time is flying by.

Here's to friendships that always seem to pick up where they left off no matter how much time has past.

Cheers.

Photoshop Fun

2007-08-30T12:17:00.000-04:00

This morning Maya sent me a link about Tilt_Shift Photography. It is basically photography that makes the image look like a miniature. It is really cool. Anyways, here is my first attempt. This is a photo we took in New York City at the MOMA. I can't wait to do this to some of the photos we took on our european vacation.

Here's to photoshoping.

Cheers.

I'm Back.

2007-08-21T16:42:00.001-04:00

Well its been way too long since my last post. Sorry about that. Things have been going really great lately for the Laurent's. I'm sure most of you have been reading Maya's blog so explanation from me really isn't needed on family things. Other than that things with work have been going really good. I just recently finished a illustration for work that was 120 feet wide by 8 feet tall. It is a graphic element used to promote a development in South Bend, Indiana. It's right across the street from the stadium up at Notre Dame. I'm really proud of it and I will be posting images of it soon. Other than that we have been cranking on alot of cool stuff and I am starting to feel very comfortable at work.

Thanks to Maya I have entered the world of iGoogle. It is very addicting. For those of you who didn't read Maya's blog about this it basically is a place where you can store all of the blogs that you read on a daily basis all in one place. Very cool.

Well to make a long story short I ran into a entry from one of them talking about toys and the amount of them we buy for our kids and the kids around us. Now don't take this the wrong way because I love toys and I will always be a kid at heart. But dang this article is so right. My house is filling up with toys. Why are we sitting our kids in front of stuff rather than taking them to the park and pushing them on the swing or watching them go down the slide. Or better yet why don't we take that money that we would spend on the toy that might be interesting for a month or so and put it towards his/her college fund. I think they would thank us later if they realize they don't have school loans to pay off after college.

I'm not really sure what I am trying to say but I know that Maya and I talk about it all the time. We would rather Zane have experiences in life rather than stuff. So I am already apologizing to you now buddy. You might not have the coolest stuff but you will have experiences that hopefully you won't forget. And I almost forgot, you will always have pencil and paper to be creative with.

Here's to imagination.
Cheers.

A Rhino Weekend.

2007-07-03T13:00:00.000-04:00

Well, after my sketches I did last Friday I did a quick painting that night. I had a lot of fun with it and hope to do more and continue to improve on them. I hope you enjoy.

Here's to creative evenings.

Cheers.

Sketching Kick

2007-06-29T13:19:00.000-04:00

Lately I have been on this sketching kick. I am really trying to atleast sketch for 15 minutes a day. That doesn't seem to hard but it is for some odd reason. Lately it has been easy because at work we are working on concepting this huge illustration mural. It will be really cool if we get to do it. So keep your fingers crossed.

This morning Maya sent me a link to a site that is starting to spotlight artists that do modern kids oriented art. So she thinks that I should submit some of my work and see what happens. So today I started to sketch out some ideas for some little paintings for a kids room. We will be home this weekend from the lake so I think I am going to try and crank some of them out. We shall see. Hopefully on Monday I will be able to post some cool stuff up here.

In the meantime here is to using a pencil and paper rather than a mouse.

Cheers.

A Wedding Present.... I mean Anniversary Present.

2007-06-21T08:53:00.000-04:00

Well its almost been a year since we went to Marc and Heather's wedding in Carmel, NY. I had written a note to them in a card that we gave them along with their wedding present that said I was going to paint them a picture from their wedding. Well as most of you know life has changed alot for me lately with the arrival of Zane. I had put a few things to the side while Maya and I got use to being parents. Now that we are getting into a routine I am trying to fit in a couple of hours of painting after Zane goes to bed at night. Well last night I finished this painting.

I hope that Marc and Heather can forgive me for the late arrival of this painting as well as seeing this for the first time here (assuming that you check this from time to time). It will be on its way to New York hopefully before you are off the the UK. It was such an honor to be a part of this wedding. We had such a great time.

Here's to "Better late than never."

Cheers.

Unexpected Suburbia

2007-06-20T08:11:00.000-04:00

As we were driving home from work the other day I had noticed something unusual in the land of suburbia. Across the street in an undeveloped section of land was about 10 hay "circles." It looked like something you would see out in the country not right across the street from neighborhoods and the grocery store. Seeing these forms of hay always reminds me of the master painters that I studied in college. Don't ask me why but they just do. So this morning as the sun was coming up I walked over to the field and took some pics. Above is one of them. As I was walking out to take these photographs I notice a woman near the parking lot next to this field. She was painting the scene. That is what I should be doing and not just taking photographs of it. Well, Maya and I have been talking alot about our routine and how we need to make some changes. Not only does working out need to fit into this new routine but having creative time must be a definite addition to this routine.

Here's to new commitments.

Cheers.

Family Photo Shoot

2007-06-13T13:44:00.001-04:00

On sunday Maya's mom took some pretty cool family photos. I love these two. Sorry for my extremely white feet.

Here are more of them.

Cheers.

I got to see one.

2007-06-12T12:48:00.000-04:00

So this weekend we were home and taking a break from the lake. During the morning on saturday I think Maya suggested we go on a picnic. So we went out and ran a few errands and then stopped by Jimmy Johns for some food for mommy and daddy and then off to Cool Creek park. It was so nice just to be outside and relax as a family. I think our last couple weekends have been filled with work up at the lake, but it has been totally worth it. The lake looks so great. After lounging around and enjoying the weather we decided to go on a quick walk on one of the trails. It was very peaceful and Zane seemed to love it. I think that hike that we took in upstate new york before zane was born rubbed off on him. He was just looking everywhere and taking in all of the new sounds. I don't think maya and I would classify each other as outdoorsy but we love a good hike. I hope we do it more often and maybe next time Truman can come. Needless to say the day was perfect and I think maya and I realized we need to do more of taking in the moment with Zane instead of worrying about the next feeding time.

So back to the title of this blog. On saturday we were doing some work around the house and I took a break from what I was doing to chill with Zane. We had put him on his stomach for some tummy time and to my amazement he rolled over to his back. I screamed to maya hurry up he just rolled over. She was disappointed that she didn't see it but she did hear the first laugh. Ha. We are even.

Cheers.

Truman Day 2

2007-06-07T15:07:00.000-04:00

Trying my best to stick with this photo of the day thing. Here is another photo that I took of Truman last night. We are still trying to figure out this camera and all that it can do. So hopefully you can handle pics of Truman and Zane.

Also, a little update after the crazy night of terror from Zane. Last night Zane and I had guys night. We had a pretty good evening and story time was pretty funny. I think Zane wants to hang out with Thing One and Thing Two. Although once mommy got home he for some reason woke up and was fussy. Oh well, I think he just wanted to see his mom.

Cheers.

Switching Places

2007-06-06T12:52:00.000-04:00

Well if any of you read Maya's most recent blog last night was not very fun. Zane fought us until a little after midnight. That is when we finally gave up and put him in the swing. I slept on the couch and woke up at 3 AM and put him back into his crib very carefully. Then I tip toed out of his room hoping that my bad knees wouldn't crack and wake him up. Well after a night of brief intervals of sleep we woke up to get ready for work. Boy, that was extremely hard today. Snooze was our friend this morning.

As Maya and I get ready in the morning Truman lays on the bed and just watches us the whole time. I always ask him if he wants to trade places for the day and he go to work for me. After last night I was hoping that Truman would have finally said yes.

Cheers.

Headlight

2007-06-04T12:54:00.000-04:00

Here is my photo of the day. Last week during lunch I took a walk. One really cool thing about where my new office is that we are a block from the canal downtown Indy. So walks during lunch are very nice. This picture was taken while on one of those walks. There was a beat up Cadillac parked on the side of the street and I just love the old curves and structure of old cars. Hope you enjoy.

Cheers.

Business Trip

2007-05-23T12:45:00.000-04:00

Well, as most of you know I went on my first business trip with my new job. My boss and I went to Las Vegas to see some work that we had created for a tradeshow booth. We flew out on Monday and got back on Tuesday night. The trip seemed so fast that I was afraid to blink. We had a great time and got to relax a little bit as well. But more importantly this was my first time away from my new family. Every time we would see a little kid in a stroller I thought of Zane and Maya. I was also confused about the idea that anyone would ever take a family vacation to Vegas. The word FAMILY and VEGAS just doesn't mix in my mind. It was really hard to be away from my family and I am not sure how Maya and I are going to do it in July for our vacation. And when I got home last night I went in to see how Zane was doing and I swear that he had grown a ton in just a day. He is growing up so fast.

Cheers.

He's All Growns Up.

2007-05-15T11:52:00.001-04:00

Congratulations Marc on speaking at NYU's graduation. You have come along way from getting me out of homework assignments that I forgot to do or getting me a better grade on something that wasn't complete. I love hearing about all of your adventures whether it be half way across the world or here in the good old states. I can't wait to see the great things you do at Oxford. In the words from our mentor, NICE SHOES.

Congrats.

Cheers.

I've Joined The Club

2007-05-14T16:40:00.000-04:00

As most of you know this past sunday was mother's day. This was my first one as a father and making sure that Zane and I did something for Maya. I wanted to make Maya breakfast in bed so I went out in the morning to the grocery to get some food. There were a few cars in the parking lot but not too many. As I got out of the car I started to notice something that usually you don't see at the grocery. There were all men getting out of their cars to go into the store. As I walked up men began to walk out with flowers and food. As I noticed this I realized and started to laugh at myself because I had joined the Dads club. It was a cool feeling.

Also here is my pic for the day. These are some of my brushes on my desk. I hope to get back to painting this week. We shall see.

Cheers.

Happy Mother's Day.

2007-05-13T16:57:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day. To my mom, thanks for everything and the love and support you have always given me and continue to show. Everything thing that I am is because of you and dad. I love you so much. For my mother-in-law. Thanks so much for all that you have done for me. Even when I was living in Indy by myself you always had an open invitation for dinner.

To my wife, thanks for being you. Zane and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. Thanks for being our rock. You are the bestest.

Cheers and love you always.
Zane and Daddy

Horse

2007-05-12T09:25:00.000-04:00

Here is my second installment to photo of the day. This morning I took a picture of a horse that is on Zane's exer-saucer. Enjoy and have a great Saturday.

Cheers.

Photo of the Day

2007-05-11T22:03:00.000-04:00

So Maya and I have been thinking alot about our blogs lately and she told me that I should try and take a photo each day and post it up here. This should be an interesting experiment. I hope that you enjoy.

Here is my first photo. I took this photo in the building that I work in. For those of you who don't know I work in the Stutz building downtown indy. It is full of different kinds of businesses and artists. It is an amazing place to work. Its very inspiring. The photo is of the elevator buttons in the building.

Cheers.

Three Days.

2007-04-25T19:56:00.000-04:00

This week I started my new job. So far it has been great. I was set up with a new computer with a huge screen and all the software I need. I feel pretty lucky to have gotten all of that. It has been an adjustment though. Going from 20 people to 1 person to talk to during the day is different. Although I rarely ventured out to mingle that often but not to have that option is weird. My boss and I are definitely figuring each other out which has been pretty cool. We are cranking on a lot of projects that have tight deadlines right now and it feels really good especially for it being my third day that he is trusting me with so much. I am currently working on a brand that has already been designed which is cool, but I am excited to spread my wings on work that I can come into on the ground floor.

Other than the new job Zane is sleeping really great. Although I say that now and tonight he will be up crying all night. Ha. He is getting really big and is growing out of things way too fast. Being a dad is so cool.

Cheers.

Moving On.

2007-04-10T22:20:00.000-04:00

Well today was the day. I put my two weeks in at my current job. I have been working there for over 3 and a half years. I worked with great people and made some very close friendships. The decision was very hard and it was definitely a family decision. But after many rounds of discussion the time had come. I had a lot of great opportunities and worked on some pretty cool projects which I am very thankful for.

About two weeks ago I had started exploring new opportunities. I was thankful enough to have several interviews and met some really great people. There are some really cool things happening in this town. Only by a fluke did I get a name to contact. His name was Torrey Dawley. I contacted him and we decided to meet for coffee on Monday night. We really hit it off ( I thought) and it was great to hear such passion for what he was trying to do at his company. As the conversation continued I found out it was his company and just him. Wow. To make a long story short I continued to talk to Torrey and he offered me a job. After many discussions with Maya we decided this was a great opportunity for me.

The opportunity was to become a member of sandpaper studios. Torrey has some amazing things on the horizon and is currently under water with work. I can tell you about what else is going in person. I am just really excited to be on the ground floor of some amazing things. I look forward to the challenges ahead.

Cheers.

Where does the time go?

2007-04-01T22:35:00.000-04:00

Well it has been a very long time since my last post. Sorry about that. Things have been in fast forward lately. Things have been going pretty good here in Laurentville. We have been busy with work and trying to have everyone on a schedule. Everyone with kids is now laughing because we have realized the word schedule really doesn't apply anymore. The balance between work and being dad sucks sometimes. By the time we get home it is time to feed him, hopefully he then goes down for a nap, then up again for a feeding and the bed time routine of either a bath and reading or just reading and then up again for another feeding and we do it all over again the next day. I think we probably have a total of two hours with him awake at night. That is not alot of time for bonding but we try and make it work. Zane is pretty amazing, he is smiling alot and on the verge of the giggle. He loves bath time and he loves his safari gym. I think when he gets older he will love the big ship rides at the amusement parks. He is obsessed with his swing. I have been painting alittle when I have time in between feedings. It is a nice change of pace sometimes when I do paint but most of the time its just relaxing on the couch with Maya and trying to catch our breath. That is it for now.

Cheers.

Thoughts on Being A Dad.

2007-02-28T12:45:00.000-05:00

Well Zane is 3 weeks old today. I can't believe how much he has grown and changed. He has gone from being this little baby to looking like a little person. As fast as he is changing Maya and I are changing as well. Its amazing what having a child can do in your life. I remember not really sure how I was going to feel when we first saw him but after I did it was instant unconditional love. I would do anything for him and I had only been with him a few minutes. It is so cool how that happens. These first few weeks have been full of alot of learning experiences which I'm for certain never really stop. I was so nevervous about the whole diaper thing but in just a few short weeks I have overcome my fear and now its cake. Maya and I have also learned how to function on very little sleep. I'm really not sure how the body adjusts to it but it just does. I now also understand why my dad was always taking naps. It definitely makes sense now. We have learned that even if Zane is absolutely screaming that if you turn on the water faucet he will stop screaming and just listen. It is so funny. I have also started to feed Zane which is great in so many levels. For one it gives Maya a break for a little bit and second I get to start and have bonding time. Zane is a really bad burper so that is always a process when its time to do that. One of my many favorite things is when Zane falls asleep in my arms all curled up and his neck is pretty much limp. He has this funny snort he does when he is getting upset. I could go on forever.

This fatherhood thing is the coolest thing ever. I also love seeing my dad being a grandpa. It just reminds me of all the great times I had with him.

Zane you are amazing in so many ways and I will always be here for you no matter what.

Thanks to everyone for their support and suggestions.

Cheers.

Zane Pictures

2007-02-12T16:54:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pics of Zane for all to enjoy.

Zane Pics

Cheers.

Introducing....

2007-02-10T16:34:00.000-05:00

Everyone this is Zane. Zane this is everyone.

Like I said he was 8 lbs. 4 oz. and 21.5 in. long.

More pics on the way. He is anxious to meet you all.

We Are Parents

2007-02-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

At 2:15 AM this morning Maya and I became parents. Zane is here. I can't wait for all of you to meet him. He was 8 lbs 4 oz and measured 21.5 inches long. He also has enormous feet too. Maya is doing great. She didn't have to be induced because she was dialated enough to do it naturally. She was a trooper and made it pretty far but then had to have the epideral. Of course he comes in the worst snow storm of the year. It is amazing how instinct takes over and you can do it all. I didn't pass out and I actually cut the cord. I can wait to put some pics up here to show him off. He is so beautiful, I mean handsome.

Thanks so much to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. Zane is already so blessed to have all of you in his life.

Cheers.

About to Meet You

2007-02-07T00:37:00.000-05:00

Zane,
Your mom and I are in the hospital right now and you are about to come into this world. Believe it or not we can't wait to meet you. It is 12:45 and we have been here since 6:00. It has been a long day for your mom. She has been having contractions all day and of course you decided to come when we have the biggest snow storm of the year. It took your grandma and grandpa L 6 and a half hours to get here. So far all of your family has been here and are waiting your arrival. Well I better get back to taking care of your mom and hopefully getting some sort of rest before you get here.

See you soon.

Champions.

2007-02-05T10:19:00.000-05:00

The Indianapolis Colts are super bowl champions. How sweet does that sound. This week has begun on such a high and will continue to get even better. Yesterday I had a conversation with Zane and told him either before the game or after it. That was when he was aloud to come into this world. I'm not sure if he listened or not but he is still not here. I really thought we would be in the hospital for the game. All this waiting has been so hard for me. I can't even imagine how Maya is physically feeling. I feel so bad for her and I am not looking forward to seeing her in pain. I don't do well with seeing loved ones in pain.

Maya, you have been simply amazing through this whole process and to see you work all the way up until your due date and not falter is pretty amazing. You have never had the waddle and you have truely only been all stomach. I know you don't believe me but you have had an amazing glow about you the last couple of months and I am so proud of you. You are definitely my rock. You are my champion on this glorious monday. I can't believe that tomorrow we will be going to the hospital and coming home with our son. That is so cool. I love you.

Cheers. Go Colts!!!!

We have a deadline

2007-01-30T20:29:00.000-05:00

Well today I went with Maya to her last doctors appointment before Zane is born. Yes I did say last doctors appointment. Basically the scoop is Zane is as stubborn as his parents and is very comfy and would rather stay where he is at. Maya is slightly dialated but not enough. So next Tuesday we are scheduled to got to the hospital and begin the induction process if he doesn't arrive this weekend or when Adam Vinaterri is lining up for a game winning field goal in the super bowl. Hopefully it doesn't come down to a field goal. Anyways, for those of you who know the waiting that happens towards the very end of a pregnancy can be tough. It has been for both Maya and I. We have been so excited to see our little man. Although we have been taking this time to relax as much as we can and just be us. It has been great. I can't believe that next week I will be a dad. That is so crazy to say.

Also, I wanted to show you Maya and I's craft project from this weekend. We made Zane's mobile. We continued with the gears theme.

Thanks so much to everyone that has been thinking about us lately. Your thoughts and prayers have been felt.

Cheers.

A Long Time Coming

2007-01-28T19:56:00.000-05:00

Well it is finally official. After many false starts and many designs later I finally have a website. You can check out my paintings and some of my design work. Thanks so much to everyone that has helped my out and showed me the way with dreamweaver and pointing me to the right hosting company. Here you go, check it out:

www.patrickrlaurent.com

Cheers.

Not Sure That I Will Make It

2007-01-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

Well this past Friday things really started to sink in. Maya was having some pretty serious contractions and they were pretty close together for a while. As the night progressed they slowly went away but I think both Maya and I really thought this was it. We were finally going to get to meet our son. It was very scary and exciting all in one. As the weekend progress Maya continued to have little contraction but nothing like Friday. Then finally came sunday. The big game, Colts versus the Patriots. I was so nervous about the game. You would think I was playing or something. After the first half I was ready to pack it in and place my jersey on the designated hanger for the off season. Then it happened, somehow they came back and I could barely believe it. The Colts are going to the freakin Super Bowl. Wait you mean the defense held up and Tom Brady didn't bring the Patriots back and break our hearts again. Holy crap the Colts are in the Super Bowl.

Wait, did I just say that the Colts are in the Super Bowl. And what day is that on? February 4th. And Zane's due date is the 2nd. My son could be born on the day the Colts win the Super Bowl. Wow, how am I going to stay calm. I'm not sure how I'm going to make it. Maybe we will have to add the name Peyton or Freeney to his name some how. Ha.

You stay classy Indianapolis, GO COLTS!!!!
Cheers.

PS. Thanks so much to the best wife in the world. She found the beer we drank in London that was so good. You're the bestest.

Date Night

2007-01-19T14:16:00.000-05:00

Last night Maya and I went on what could possibly be our last date night out that we will not have to find a babysitter. Although I guess that isn't entirely true, sorry Truman. Anyways we had a nice dinner at one of Maya's favorite places and then walked around Circle Center. Of course we couldn't go to the mall and look for clothes for us, we looked for stuff for Zane or Lil Z. We saw some pretty cool stuff but didn't get anything because who knows how big he is and it might be a waste to get him stuff that doesn't fit. After the walk around the mall we went for a walk around downtown. It was so cool to see the blue lights everywhere for the Colts game this weekend. One of my favorite things to do with Maya is walk around a city at night and just take things in and talk. I love it. After that we went over to a new little coffee house downtown to watch one of Maya's friends play and sing. It was great, we got our drinks and took in some great music. Lacey you did a great job and I can't wait for your first CD. Put me on the preorder list. Finally we got home and just crashed. It was a great night with my wife.

Beauty, thanks for a fun night last night. You have truely amazed me these past 9 months. I can't believe our TEAM is growing. I hope I have given you all that you have needed because you are about to give me one of the greatest gifts of all. You have been such a blessing in my life ever since we have met. You showed up in my life after going through such a rough one and I know God placed you there. The journey up til now has been so amazing and I can't even imagine the adventure that awaits us. I'm glad you're beside me. You're the bestest.

(Sorry for the yucky sappy stuff.)

Very Very Nervous, Yet Calm

2007-01-17T13:00:00.000-05:00

Well we are just two and a half weeks away from Zane's due date. I still can't believe that its actually happening. Me becoming a dad. That is still very strange to say but it is also very cool to think about. I guess though that there is no going back. Ha. I have been pretty calm about Zane coming into this world but have been really worried about Maya. Just worried about the whole process and how this will effect her after he is born. Because I have been so focused on that I really have forgotten about the issues that could be wrong with Zane. They have started to creep into my head. I just have to stay strong with my faith that everything is going to be the way its suppose to. I know it is stupid for me to think about the bad things that could happen but I guess that is just my parenting skills starting to kick in. That is still hard to say, parent.

On the otherhand I am so pumped to be a father. I can't wait to do all the father and son things together. Play catch in the backyard, teach him how to paint, play him good music, I could go on and on. The most exciting thing that I am looking forward to is seeing what Zane's gifts are and what really motivates him. I can't wait to be by his side and help him along his journey of life. Much like this picture I took in Paris. This reminds me of how I would love our relationship to be as father and son. With the colorful sail is our humor and the strong wooden base would be our faith and us sailing side by side always there for each other.

Zane, I can't wait to meet you.

2006-12-14T08:58:00.000-05:00

It's Been a While

Well as you can imagine life has continued to become crazy now that we are coming down to the final stretch with Zane and of course the holidays. If you have been reading Maya's blog we had a very interesting thanksgiving full of killed rabbits, burnt walls and trips to the vet. After that we had our full day of birthing class. That was great and I didn't pass out after seeing the videos. I might need a chair during the birth though, ha. Also, this past week we had another class for breast feeding. That was interesting because the ladies where very demanding and our way is the only way. I'm not really sure how this kind of attitude helps new mothers that are already worried about so much other stuff. The best was towards the end the lady threw this comment in at the very end especially for the guys that Michael Jordan breast feed til he was two and Pele the soccer great breast feed til he was 4. I'm sorry but that just creeps me out. Other than that work has been crazy. A very huge project is going on and the deadline is just after the holidays so work is nuts.

Anyways, as the holidays are approaching and really thinking about the reason for the season I was thinking about this video we saw in church a while back. It really hit me the day we saw it. After that day I was on a manhunt to find that video. I couldn't find it anywhere. Then last night I thought YouTube has everything, I bet its up there. Anyways, I can totally see myself as this guy in the video. I always enjoy putting on my headphones and just zoning out getting into the words of a song and the meaning of them. This song is always relevant in my life but I thought especially now with Christmas coming up.

I hope you enjoy it and bless you all over the holiday season. Maya and I are very thankful for all of our family and friends.

Cheers.

Our Son's Room

2006-11-22T07:26:00.000-05:00

Well today is the day. Maya and I have finally finished our son's room. Other than some minor details the room is pretty much ready for him. I can't believe that Maya and I revamped 2 rooms in our house in the last couple of months. Both rooms look great and we love them but I have to say that this room makes me so excited. Just two and a half months until this room will be filled with screams, giggles and memories. Wow it will be here before we now it. Well I hope you enjoy the pics. I know a bunch of you wanted to help paint some of the gears on the walls but I couldn't help myself so I got them done in two nights.

Cheers.

Toy Heaven

2006-11-08T09:22:00.000-05:00

Last night after my much needed haircut I had some time to kill before Maya was going to pick me up. I took a stroll down to this toy store that was a few stores down. Now I know that my son will probably not be able to play with more than half of what is in the store but I get so excited just thinking about all the cool toys that he might have. So as I was walking around I started to notice some toys that I had when I was little. They had Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys and the old wooden blocks that I use to play with all the time. I was starting to get overwhelmed with all the cool toys that I want to get my son when it happened. As I turned the corner to go to the next aisle and there it was, a large glass case. In this case was the mother load, it was all the vintage toy robots that I have wanted for my son's room. It was amazing and the coolest thing was that the price was the same as what I was seeing on the internet and I didn't have to wait for them to come in the mail and I wasn't going to pay any shipping and handling. So there it is. Maya and I are so pumped and they actually had some robots that we haven't even seen that we really liked.

This weekend my dad and I are going to be painting the nursery. I can't wait and with this new found knowledge of the robots hopefully I will get some pics up of my boy's room.

Cheers.

Illustration Friday: Smoke

2006-11-06T08:58:00.000-05:00

Finally I am back. Here is an oldy but a goody. I would love to hear what you think. Inspiration came from a 60s ad for a pack of cigs.

Cheers.

Next Step: The Nursery

2006-10-30T22:19:00.000-05:00

Well it's official. With the help of Marcus, Maya and I have finished the new studio/office/bedroom. I can't believe that we fit all that we did in this room. Maya had some amazing ideas on how to organize the room. It also took alot of throwing away of stuff. Things I had had from college and was completely holding on to. It is a really great feeling to have this done. The coolest part is that I can now start on the most important room, my little boys' room. As most of you know we are doing a vintage robot theme for his room. I hope it turns out the way I want it to. Well I better get back to it.

Cheers.

Before and After

2006-10-25T08:46:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of blog entries lately. Things have been slightly busy. Things are continuing to go great with Maya and the baby. I can't believe in about 3 months we will be parents. It is going to be so awesome. We have been busy with trips to IKEA and just figuring out how the heck we are going to fit all of our son's stuff in our house along with all of our stuff. Right now we have started the transformation of the studio and 2nd bedroom. The 2nd bedroom will eventually become the nursery but in order to even work on the nursery we have to clear it out. Which leads us to having to rearrange the studio room. Its a little depressing about losing some studio space but we will make it work. We just need to get creative. Anyways, the first step in the studio was to put in the laminate floors. This past weekend my buddy Marcus came over and after some preparation and demolition we put the floor down in 4 hours. It looks really good and I can't thank Marcus enough. After the floors were in we needed to put a new coat of paint on the walls and put some quarter round down. All of this is pretty much done now we just need to put a fresh coat of paint on the base boards and we are set to start moving stuff in. It is a great feeling to get these projects moving. I'm sure we will begin to get things for our son and at the moment we really don't have the space, so it feels good to start preparing for that. It also is exciting because we are working on the rooms which means he is almost here. I can't wait to meet him. I hope he is just like his daddy, although I don't think mommy could handle that. Ha.

Cheers.

Illustration Friday: Change

2006-09-27T15:57:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody. Here is my latest Illo Friday painting. Its only two weeks late. Oh well. The subject was change. My first reaction was thinking about the weather that is rapidly approaching us here in Indiana. Hope you enjoy.

He's gunna be a soccer playa....

2006-09-20T12:25:00.000-04:00

The coolest thing to happen for me with my soon to be born son was that I finally felt him kick. The other night before going to bed I was playing some Coldplay (suprise) to my son and Maya told me to put my hand on her belly. For a while there was nothing but just when I thought I wasn't ever going to feel him there it was. A faint little thump on my hand. It was so cool. I'm sure as the weeks continue to move on by I will feel him kick more and more. But feeling that for the first time was so cool. I can't wait to be a dad. I'm very nervous but pumped as well.

On the other hand I had a eureka moment the other day at work. With junior coming soon and getting excited to see what he is into and what he digs I thought how could I ever tell him to follow his dreams if I'm not striving for my own. That kind of lit a fire under my butt with my paintings. I have started a new one and have a sketch for another. We'll see what happens.

Cheers.

PS. The title is from Billy Madison. Ha.

Flickr Site

2006-09-08T16:26:00.000-04:00

Maya is up to her old tricks and created a flickr site so that we can have our photos online more organized. You can go and see are latest adventures in NYC and pics from Marc's wedding.

Cheers.

Maya&Pat Flickr

During a nap.

2006-08-29T20:37:00.000-04:00

This past weekend Maya decided to take a nap. I guess she deserves a nap once in a while since she is pregnant and all. While she was taking a nap I decided to go and paint for a while. I have a bunch of small canvas's so I thought what the heck. So here it is. I just started to lay color on top of color. This kind of style really isn't what I normally do but why not. I did this in about an hour and a half. I hope you enjoy. Cheers.

There was no question.

2006-08-23T13:00:00.000-04:00

Well today Maya and I went to the doctor and had an ultrasound done. We both have been waiting for this day. Mostly just to know that everything is going great with the baby and that it is developing correctly. Also we both were excited to find out what the sex was only because for the most part Maya and I have been holding off on buying any thing baby related because we didn't want to buy the wrong thing. Now I know that everyone tells you you really don't know until the baby comes out but during the ultrasound there was no question about it. Maya and I are going to have a SON. We are so pumped. One of the first things we said was its cool that we are having a boy first so then when we have girls they will have an older brother to look after them. Anyways I need to get back to work. Thank you to all that have been keeping us in your prayers and for all of your support.

Cheers.

The Calm before the Storm

2006-08-07T12:19:00.000-04:00

As most of you know because we tried to talk to everyone in some way, Maya and I are expecting our first. We are so pumped but also very nervous. But who isn't. We heard the heartbeat a little over a week ago and everything is going smoothly. Maya hasn't been feeling the best. Little things have been setting off the gag reflex. I feel so bad for her. She is already telling me I did this to her. I didn't think I would hear that phrase until the delivery process starts and I'm telling her to push. Ha. The due date is February 2nd. Yes, groundhog's day. Well that is it, there will be a little Laurent running around in a couple of months. We will hopefully find out the sex at the end of this month. I hope you all are doing well. Cheers.

Transmission

2006-07-16T13:43:00.000-04:00

Here is my latest painting. It was an old Illustration Friday subject. Let me know what you think.

Wishing we could go back.

2006-07-06T12:52:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, just sitting at my desk pluggin away at work and was just wishing that Maya and I could go back to London. Don't get me wrong I'm glad to be home but not glad to be back into the routine. When you are on vacation routines just don't exist. Thats what is so great about vacations, no obligations. Here is one of my favorite pics from our trip. There is a certain freeing feeling that we both have in this picture. Well I hope that all of you had a great fourth and aren't feeling the pain of your routine.

European Vacation Pics

2006-06-12T10:19:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone. We finally have the pictures from our trip so you can see them. Maya did a great job organizing them. Well I hope you enjoy them.

Take care.

London Photos

Paris Photos

A strole in the park and some natural history

2006-05-27T04:24:00.000-04:00

Well our trip to London is quickly coming to an end. Yesterday we took it easy after the mad dash all over Paris. Yesterday we took a strole through Hyde Park. It was very relaxing. About half way through it we stopped at a really cool place on the pond in the park and had some flatbread pizza and some wine. After that we decided to go to the Natural History Museum. It was pretty cool. They had a dinosaur exhibit that wasn't too bad. I think the coolest thing about the museum was that the building had so much history and it contained all of these artifacts from the worlds history. It was very cool. After the museum we went for a walk where alot of the shops are. We got there around 7:30 PM and all of them were closing. Oh well I'm sure Maya will want to go back and do some shopping. After that we decided to go see Kennsington Palace. It had some amazing gardens within it. Then we walked to on of the many ponds in Hyde park and grabbed a bench and sat for a while. We people watched for a long time. It was great. After that we went and jumped on the tube and got off near our flat. We went and found a pub called Shakespeare. It was great. We had some fish and chips and some really good beer. After a few beers we strolled on home and turned in for the night.

Cheers.

30 Hours in Paris

2006-05-26T05:58:00.000-04:00

Well we are back in London from our worldwind tour of Paris. I have to say I was a little worried about going there because of everyone telling us they the French not really liking Americans and also the whole idea of not knowing how to speak french.

We got off the EuroStar at about 10 AM Paris time. We at first where going to take the metro to our hotel and see where it was at but instead decided to go straight to sight seeing and the hotel can wait. So we took the metro to the Museu d' Orsay. This musuem was filled with so much stuff. Everything from Cezanne', Renior, Seurat, Degas, Klimt,and Monet. It was really cool. We also stopped for a bite to eat in one of the many cafe' inside the museum. After being there for about 2 hours we headed to Cathedrale de Notre Dame.

Notre Dame was really cool. The stain glass inside was amazing and I also was suprised that you could take pictures inside. So we walked around this for a while. We then continued to walk through some neighborhoods and just take in Paris. Buy this time is was around 4 PM. The bookbag that I had been carrying was starting to take a toll on me so we went to the hotel to check in. The hotel that we stayed at was amazing. They could speak english and were very nice. We went up to the room and relaxed for just a few moments. After that we talked to the man at the front desk and asked him for some suggestions for dinner. He told us about a cool place inside the Modern Art Museum so we were sold.

We left the hotel striaght for the Arc de Triomphe. This was very cool to see in person. I have only seen it in movies and pictures. It's huge. After walking around it for a while we went up to the top of it. Climbing the stairs was very tough. They seemed to never end. But finally we made it and boy was it worth it. A beautiful 360 view of Paris. You could see forever up there. We stayed up on top for a while and just took it all in. As we were up there Maya saw this place on top of a hill that she had read about. It was call Monte Mare. So well walked down the stairs of the Arc and we were of to Monte Mare.

We traveled to a certain point and got off the tube. We then had to walk to get to Monte Mare. Monte Mare is an area of the city that has very narrow streets that are very steep as well. So we painfully walked upwards towards Sacre' Coeur. It was a tough walk but much like the Arc once you got to the top it was amazing. Another beautiful view of Paris. We again sooked it up for a little while and rested our legs.

Next we went to Moulin Rouge. We got there and we both were a little disappointed. It really wasn't that great. But oh well we saw it.

After the Rouge we took the metro to the Effiel Tower. Wow it is something to see in person. We got there and it was still light outside so we walked around it for a little while and decided to got to the restaurant that the front desk guy suggested.

We got there and the restaurant was very hip and trendy. They atleast had a english speaking menu so that was good. Our waiter was very nice but I think he knew how to speak english but wasn't really implying that he did. Anyways we got through other than me spilling my glass of wine all over the table. I was so embarrassed, but it happened so fast that I don't think anyone knew it happened. Ha. We then finished dinner and took in the modern art at the musuem. It was a great break from the other museums that we had been into. We have been seeing only so very taditional art and know we were seeing rooms filled with newspaper and pieces that were more about the viewer being invloved with the piece rather than just looking at it.

By this time it was already 11 PM. So we went back to the Effiel Tower and spent some time there with it all lit up. That was so cool. Every hour they have a short light show with the tower. I think I remember when they installed it for the year 2000 celebration. It was really amazing and what was really funny is that we met a couple from Cinncinnati. Very small world. We finally had enough for the day and headed to the hotel. I think we got back there pretty close to 1 AM.

We woke up around 9 and headed to our first stop the Louvre. The hot thing there right now is obviously the stuff with the Da Vinci Code. It was packed. Luckily on our way to Paris we bought a musuem pass so we got to go to the front of every line. Very good research done by Maya. We saw some great works of art and of course the Mona Lisa. It is very surreal to see that in person. It is incased in glass with just a mob of people around it. We walked around for a little bit and decided to sit down for some food. Once again we stopped and had some food in one of the many cafe' within the museum. I had a baggete and Maya had a great chocolate crossiant. After food we walked around some more and tried to see things we wanted to see because you could seriously spend 5 days in this place and not see it all. It was enormous.

Next after the Louvre we went to the Musee' de l'Orangerie. This musuem wasn't very big but it had Monet's WaterLillies. Those where so cool to see and be upclose to. We walked around there some more and saw some Picasso and some others.

After that we went to the Bastille. I was hoping for some cool stuff on the history side of things but other than a monument there was nothing else there. So we moved on from there pretty fast. We headed back to this street called Champs Elysees. We walked it for a while and headed back to one of our favorite parks that we had walked through to get to the Louvre. We got a chocolate crepes and headed to this amazing fountian area to relax for our last hour and a half in Paris. At this fountain kids could rent sail boats and put them in the fountain and watch them sail around. It was so much fun.

We finally got back on the EuroStar and headed back to London. We had an amazing time in Paris other than the language barrier. I'm glad we went.

Today we are going to take it easy I think. Take things a little bit slower. I think both Maya and I are feeling a bit rushed because we want to see so much. Til then.

Cheers.

Don't forget to read Maya's blog as well. www.laurentfiles.blogspot.com

Day 3

2006-05-23T16:40:00.000-04:00

Well another day in London town is over. We are headed to bed early because we have to catch the train to Paris tomorrow.

Today was another day full of walking and taking in the sites. We first went to Trafalgar Square. It was really cool. I love the fountains here. The bummer though much like St. Paul's is that the main monument part was under construction. They are all getting ready for the peak tourist time I guess. After hanging out around there we went to the National Gallery. It was really cool. The paintings dated all the way back to the 1200s I think. Alot of them I remembered from my Art History day. One cool thing that we saw in there was the sunflowers painting by Van Gogh. This is one of Maya's favorites so she was really excited. Also we saw alot of school field trips in there. Can you imagine growing up in a place with this type of history at your fingertips. Very cool.

After the gallery we went to the Covent Garden. It is basically a little market place with shops and stuff. Very cool stuff. We then went into the Theatre Museum. It was cool but not much to it. So far the disappointment of the trip. I'm sad for Maya cause she was really looking forward to that.

Next we took the tube to Piccidali Circus. I hope I spelled that right. This is basically the Times Square of London. It was very cool with lots of traffic and people. Then we took the tube to Russell Square. From there we went to the British Museum. Holy crap was that big. We are defintely going back there. We showed up there late in the day around 4 and it closed at 5:30. But we did see alot of cool stuff.

From the museum we went to the University of London. We walked around there for a while. Just basically taking it all in. After walking around there we decided that we should relax a little bit before we head back to the flat. We stoped off at a pub called The Two Brewers. We got a seat and we weren't sure what to do. So after some discussion I went up to the bar and ordered two beers. Not knowing what to order I asked the bartender for some recommendation and she picked out some good stuff. We finished our beers and headed back to the flat.

We got back to the flat and Maya made some dinner. It was some pasta and a salad. It was very good. Well off to bed and then to Paris. Wish us luck. I won't be writing until Thursday.

Cheers.

Pictures came to Life

2006-05-23T04:40:00.000-04:00

Morning everyone. It is officially day three and we have a full day ahead of us. But enough about that let me tell you about yesterday. What an amazing day. Getting out of bed was a little rough and it took longer that we had hoped but we woke up around 9 and headed to the tube station around 10:30. We got on the tube station at Notting Hill Gate and took that to the Westminster station. No problem.

Up til this moment everything still feeled pretty sureal to me. We are in London but it really didn't feel like it. So as we are getting of the tube we walk out of the station and there he is. BIG BEN. Wow, it all sunk in. We walked around Ben for awhile and headed to Westminster Abbey. We got in line and went into West. Abbey. It was amazing. Seeing all these tombs and barials of some old people. Ha. I think I stood on some guys grave that was from the 1400s. After we went through the Abbey we headed to Buckingham Palace. What a cool building. We didn't get to see the changing of the gaurds cause we slept in but of well. It was nice to because in both of these places were alot of tourists so I didn't feel out of place with my camera.

After seeing the palace we walked over and through Green park and then to St. James Park. We took a seat for a few moments and just took everything in. It was pretty cool. After that we headed to see the Horse Gaurds. That was pretty cool. You could walk right up to them. After this we headed back towards Big Ben and crossed the London Bridge. We walked along the Thames and saw the London Eye and headed onto the TATE Modern.

What can I say about the TATE Modern. We could have stayed there for alot longer but it was going to close. At the TATE Modern we got to see so many paintings and sculptures that I had studied in college. It was so cool to see the real thing. It was especially cool to see some of my favorite paintings upclose so I could see how they did certain techniques.

Then from the TATE we walked over to see Maya's heaven on earth the Globe Theatre. We didn't go in but just wanted to get our barrings of where it was at so that we know where to go when we go back and see a show. Across the Millineium Bridge we went. That was hard for Maya since she isn't a huge fan of hieghts. After we crossed we saw St. Paul's and of course like alot of things in the city, it was under construction. I hope we can still go in.

After we walked around St. Paul's we decided to head back towards the flat and grab a bite to eat. We got to Notting Hill and ate at this place called Harlem. Not like we were trying but it ended up being a restaurant based on American soul food. Oh well, it was good anyway. After that we headed back to the flat to get some rest.

Well that is definitely day two in a nutshell. All of these images of places and artwork that I have only seen in books came to life yesterday. I was completely in awe.

Hope everyone is doing well. Cheers.

London here we are.

2006-05-22T04:30:00.000-04:00

Well we finally made it to London. Yesterday seemed like it would never end. We left Indy at 5 and got into Detroit at 6. Then left from Detroit at 9 and finally landed in London at 10 am on sunday morning. The flight wasn't too bad but my legs are to long. After the long flight my knees hurt so bad. Then of course we stood in immegration for about an hour an a half. But then when we got to the desk to talk to the officer it took like two seconds. We got through all of that and then it was off to find the train to London.

We took the Southern train to Victoria Station. As we were looking for a train I asked one of the locals if this was the Southern train and it was but he said to hurry up mate because it was about to leave. Of course I jumped on and Maya wasn't as quick. As I was half way in the doors started to shut and Maya was still outside. Luckily my bag stoped the doors from shutting and Maya got on. That would have been fun to have Maya still at the airport and me in downtown London.

Once we got to Victoria station it was off to figure out the tube system to get to our place. At first it was confusing and it still is but we managed to find our way. We got to the flat and the people that we were renting from met us there. They were nice and showed us around the flat. They finally left and we both just took a big sigh and realized we were here.

It was raining outside so we decided to go and take a walk and figure out our surroundings. Everything is so old around here. I told Maya yesterday that it really reminds me off New York but with alot more history. We walked down to Hyde Park and as we were there it started to pour down. We decided that we should find a grocery store and then head back to the flat for a little while. We did that and upon getting back to the flat we felt the jet lag set in. So we forced our selves back out for another walk.

We went out for some dinner. We found this place called Gourmet Burger Kitchen. Of course the American thing to do is eat burger and of course we do that. Although it was like nothing I have ever had in America. It was really good and had burger chioces I had never heard of. After that we walked around some more and then went back to the flat.

So it has basically been raining the whole time we have been here. Last night though after dinner the sun came out for a little while. That was so nice. Its funny though because no one really even notices the rain here. Its like it always rains here. People had ponchos for there baby strollers. Ha.

We went to bed around 9 London time. We just couldn't go any longer. Today we are going to some museums and Westminster Abbey. Should be a good time.

Of yeah, like most of you know Maya and I like to listen to a certain radio station out of London and this morning we are listening to it live. So cool.

Talk to you all soon.

4 Hours

2006-05-20T12:56:00.000-04:00

Well it is finally here. I can't believe we are leaving for London in 4 hours. As most of you know this has been a dream of ours to do this. I can't wait to just soak everything up. Keep a close eye on our blogs this next week and a half. We have a computer in our flat so we will let you know how things our going.

Talk to you all very soon.

Pics from the Weekend

2006-05-09T11:05:00.000-04:00

Here are some pics from my weekend in 5 different states.

Weekend with the boys

Hey Cow!

2006-05-08T15:51:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I traveled to see one of my great friends from high school, Marc. Marc and I started our road to friendship one summer in 1992. We met at golf practice our freshmen year. Marc had just moved from Florida and didn't know anyone. From that first day of practice we got along great and our friendship began.

After graduation Marc and I went our separate ways. I went to college and Marc helped start a non-profit organization called Reach the World. Basically Marc sailed around the world and relayed his experiences to inner city kids in New York City. But even though we were so far apart we still kept in contact and continued our relationship.

To make a long story short Marc called me a couple of months ago and asked me to be a part of his wedding. I was so surprised and honored. Then not too long after that I got an email about a bachelor party from Marc's best man, Rush. I asked Maya if she thought that it would be possible if I could go. The reason why there was a discussion is because in a couple of weeks from now we are going to London so the funds are kind of tight. Well to my excitement we decided that I would go and enjoy a weekend with Marc.

So this past Friday I flew into La Guardia and meet Marc in New York City. I arrived in NYC at 8:00 PM and marc picked me up at the airport. We then traveled to his apartment on 82rd street and dropped my bags off. After that we went to dinner and Heather(Marc's future wife) joined us. We went to a diner called Jackson Hole. They had good hamburgers. We also had the best seat in the house, outside on the sidewalk where we can people watch. After dinner we went back to the apartment to pack up because we were going to Gypsy Trail north of the city to spend the night. We packed up and took the subway to the train and then got off the train in Brewster, New York where there was a car waiting for us. We took the car, up to Gypsy Trail. During this trip one of Marc's friends, Shawn, joined us in Gypsy. We got to Gypsy at 2:30 AM.

Saturday morning we woke up at 6:30 AM and started our journey to Burlington, Vermont for the B's & H's bachelor party. Our journey started with a stop off at Dunkin Dounuts for breakfast. It was so good to have Dunkin because in Indiana we don't have it. Our trip from Gypsy to Burlington was 5 and half hours. During those hours I really got to catch up with Marc and also get to know his buddy Shawn.

We finally got to Burlington around 12:30 and we had instructions to got to a Border's and look for a book called the "Best Man's Handbook." When we found the book we ran into another one of Marc's friends John. We all read the note inside the book and it told us to write our names on the name tags and head to a tavern down the road. So we took off towards the tavern while getting to know each other. As we are walking to the tavern Marc's bestman comes up behind us and suprises us and welcomes us to the beginning of the party.

We all head to get some lunch at a little place called the Red Onion. As we are eating it started to pour down rain. Bummer, or so we thought. We were going to go sailing but the rain changed that. So John, who lives in the area, made the suggestion that we should go to the Pizza Put. Pizza Put is a indoor gaming center with putt-putt, arcade, batting cages and much much more. It ended up being a blast. I think it turned out better for the grooup that we didn't go sailing because if we would have we would have been split up and with the putt-putt we all could be together.

After that we decided to go back downtown Burlington along the lake. It had stopped raining for a while so we thought we would go talk a strole along the lake. After the walk we went and had some apettizers and drinks at a local pub and had some great conversation. Then from there we went to a Mexican place to have some dinner. By the time dinner was over it was around 10:00 PM. We needed to head to our next destination for the evening, Sleepy Hollow Inn.

After a half hour drive we arrived at Sleepy Hollow. Once we got there it was pitch black with the stars above us and the light from our flashlights leading the way. We hiked about 20 minutes to our cabin. Once at the cabin we started the wood burning stove and sat around and talked. One by one we all started to fade and fall asleep in the cabin as the stove began to heat the cabin. Rush was the only one to sleep outside in a hamock that he always has with him it sounds like.

The morning came and we woke up to one of the most beautiful sites i have ever seen. It was surreal. We all continued to wake up one by one. At around 8:30 we began to gather our stuff together and walk down to the lodge for breakfast. When we arrived at the lodge it was so warm inside and they have the table all set and the food waiting for us. We had fresh fruit, bacon, Crepes and orange juice. Crepes are my new favorite breakfast food. They were so good. After breakfast we decided to go for a 45 minute hike before we all went home. It was a wonderful hike. After that we all went our separate ways around 12:30. The reason we did was that I needed to be back in New York for my flight and it was a 6 and a half hour drive.

This trip was amazing. It was so refreshing, but if I would have blinked I might have missed it. It was really cool how four guys who had never met but had a single connection could just have an amazing weekend together. It was like it was planned to be that way. Well, thanks to Rush, John, Shawn and Marc for a great weekend. I really enjoyed our conversations and the the car rides. Marc, that song game is still frustrating me.

The Road Ends Here.

2006-04-04T14:17:00.000-04:00

So last night was one of the coolest nights of my life. My great friend Marcus got tickets to the NCAA Championship game and asked me to go with him. At first I was so pumped then realized that I would have to tell Maya that I would be going to the game without her. If you know Maya you will understand her disappointment. Anyways to make a long story short Marcus ended up getting another set of tickets to the game and Maya was able to go with us. We had so much fun. We went out for pizza before the game. I really wasn't cheering for anyone in particular just really wanted to see a great game. Maybe even a last second shot. Needless to say there wasn't a remote chance of that. Florida SWAMPED UCLA. Here are some pics from the night. I took about 80 pics with the new camera. Still learning how to use it though. Maybe next year I will have someone to cheer for in the final game, GO CARDS.

Illustration Friday: Tea

2006-03-02T11:51:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile. Here is my entry in this weeks Illo Friday. This look is going back to my look of my most recent paintings. This is a rough sketch that I drew and then scanned it into the computer and added color to it. Enjoy!

Chasing Elvis Poster

2006-02-09T12:45:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody. I have a great friend, Jimmy, that is in a band called Chasing Elvis. They rock. Everyone should check them out (www.chasingelvis.com). Anyways, here is a poster design I did for him for fun. Jimmy loves the color orange and has this orange coat that he wears everywhere. Thats the inspiration. Enjoy.

Illustration Friday: Chair

2006-02-08T12:49:00.000-05:00

It's that time of the week again. Let me know what you think of this. I first painted the image on a piece of wood and then scanned it into the computer. Then I added the ornate images over top of the painting.

Illustration Friday: Glamour

2006-02-02T15:28:00.000-05:00

Here is my submission for this weeks Illo Friday. I think I will continue to work on it but I thought I would put it up and get some reactions.

Illustration Friday: Sea

2006-01-06T22:33:00.000-05:00

Here is my first submission to Illustration Friday. Let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

Illustrated Journaling

2006-01-05T12:11:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to all. After reading one of my favorite blogs just after the holidays I decided to get a book that was talked about in a post. The book is call "The Creative License" by Danny Gregory. In the book he talks about illustrated journaling. I'm not quite sure why I have never thought of doing this before but wow what a fun thing to do. Rather than write about your day, draw things from your day with a brief description. I've had alot of fun with this. It is also helped me get away from the computer and improve my hand skills to where they were in college and before I got sucked into the evil ways of the mouse. Here are a few of my entries into my first Illustrated Journal. I hope to post more as i continue to draw everyday. One thing that stuck with me from the book is that there are 144 10 minute increments in a day. Why not use one of those and draw something from your day. You still have 143 left.

It's Official.

2005-12-07T12:33:00.000-05:00

What can I say I suck at this. This was suppose to help me stay current with my painting but it hasn't. I have been so busy with work and some other stuff that I really haven't gotten to paint in a long time. Hopefully during christmas break I will be able to. Anyways, here are some illustrations that I did a while back. Enjoy.

My Favorite Pic

2005-10-26T10:03:00.000-05:00

Here is my favortie picture and the inspiration for my new painting. I promised I would put it up here so you could see it. Sorry for the slow updates, I have been working on a mural in my bedroom so the painting has taken a back seat. Enjoy.

More Work

2005-10-19T13:13:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of my other paintings that I have done. This should give you a better indication of the end result and where I am going with the current painting. Enjoy!

The First Attempt

2005-10-19T09:50:00.001-05:00

So here goes. My first attempt at this whole blogging experience. My thoughts on this are basically to help me stay consistent with some of my paintings. I'm hoping by updating my progress on here it might keep me a little more focused.

So here is the story about this painting. On a winter break from college when my family was living in Bethlehem, PA my mom took Maya and I to New York City for the day. We walked around the city going to the usual spots like Times Square and Rockefeller Center. As we walked along the streets of NYC I had my camera. I took alot photos that day, but one that has always stuck out is the one I took of a man talking on a pay phone. It's definitely a moment in time that was captured. With the shot I did one of those focus on something off to the side of him and then slowly move the camera over and get him in the shot. Hoping then he wouldn't notice that he was the subject of my photo. I will definitely post the actual picture in a future posting so be looking for that. I cropped the original image significantly for the painting. For some reason I like to crop most of the subjects head out of my compositions.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this. I have never been good at grammar so I'm sorry for that.