I've done very little writing on my weblog, except for some brief PDC promotional fodder. I've had very lttle time as I've been one of the guys driving logistics around the PDC, specifically around community. With a week to the event, we're in crunch mode.
During these times one thing that never ceases to amaze me is my wife's attitude. There's never a complaint about my crazy hours and she makes sure that I can focus by just making sure that things get done at home. Heck, I am still uncertain as to how she puts up with my fascination with having to have the latest gadgets, let alone my nutso schedule. But she just does it! Working at Microsoft has changed my life for the better in so many ways. To be honest though there is no way I could do the things that I do or be where I am wtihout my wife.
For her birthday this year I got her something special. We have a blank wall in our dining room that is very bland. Lauri wanted to spice it up and give it a bit of funk. Maybe with some sort of painting. We've always been a fan of Italian scenes and artwork so that is where we started.
Last summer by chance we met a chalk artist drawing a very cool Italian scene on the sidewalk out in front of Bellevue Square. We began to chat, exchanged contact information and my wife's birthday present began to take shape.
What would it be like if we brought that chalk drawing from that day into a painted mural for our dining room?
Here's the wall we're changing...
(The cutie posing above is Josie. My wife calls here Jeff in a dress)
To give the mural depth and perspective we'll be wrapping it around our stairs.
That's giggles the bear and also our daughter's pretend Pocket PC (Shh.. Don't tell her its a gameboy she uses it to plan her day just like Dad).
The artist started yesterday. This is her first major commercial project, it is exciting to watch someone start a business. You can see the excitement in her and she works out every detail and the passion behind her. Now this is why I love small busineses :-) Watching people with entrepreneurial spirit building a something out of nothing just by using their skills and passions. That's America baby!
Yesterday Jodie (the artist) brought over her sketches of what the wall will look like, so I scanned them in. The first is the main wall.
The tall rectangular white spot is the entry to the hallway and the one at the top left are the ledges next to our stairwell. The mural will wrap around the wall and rise along the stairs.
This picture shows the wall to the right of the stairwell and how it will be incorporated into the ledges.
Yesterday Jodie got most of the pencil work done and will return today to begin painting. I'm trying to think of some easter eggs that we can have Jodie sneak into the finer details of the drawing (hidden items on the shelves, that relate to family experiences.) but am at a loss for what to do.
This is just a bit of what's happenign in my personal life. I need to build up some BlogKharma after this Blog was starting to resemble a PDC Promotional Toy.
I promise that once the PDC is over more of these types of posts will continue.
Happy Birthday Lauri :-)
-Jeff
12:13:20 PM 
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