The arrival of the Three Kings and the beautiful Christmas

chickadees.

To have the Kings arrive with their gifts must have been incredibly overwhelming. To have men of such high status rush to be at the birth of Jesus could only indicate how important this birth was. But it was even more amazing that shepherds as well visited the babe. The leaders of the world turned to the child for guidance just as much as the shepherds. This truly was a special moment.

When our little girl was born I was overwhelmed. The love and affection came from everywhere. Our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles....friends....and even complete strangers. Phone calls, emails, visits, people stopping us on the street to see our beautiful baby girl...It was amazing.

When a new life is brought into the world it seems that all around rejoice with every breath of the new born. It truly brings the community together.

I believe we need to remember these moments forever. Not just to treasure them for that special moment but so that we continue to gather around others when they need support and love. Its easy because babies are cute and lovable and so helpless looking. But truth is there are so many times in our lives when we all need that love and support even when there are no cute babies around.

I know it will be my goal now to remember this. When we are in times of trouble we are all much like newborns. We are very weak and helpless and we need love, nurturing and guidance to grow. If we see someone in pain or in need we should view them as newborns. Sometimes they need us to gather the community together and bring love and support to help them get back on their feet again. Look into their eyes and look at them as a child who needs love.

The world has hurt and has many who feel weak and helpless. When you feel strong reach out...even when you feel weak you may gain strength by reaching out to someone who may be even weaker.

Jesus loves the little children....all the little children of the world. They are precious in his sight. We are always children in the eyes of God so lets always look out for each other and treasure all the children around us of all ages.

See the mural almost complete here http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html

The Child is Born!! Alleluia Alleluia!!

Once Jesus was born the world celebrated and the Angels spread the news. Shepherds, Kings and all God's creatures rejoiced.

Mary and Joseph I am sure were so thrilled with the birth of Jesus. It must have been even more overhwhelming the love and adoration that poured into their lives.

When our little baby girl Adelaine was born I know that without the love and support of all our Kings and Shepherds we would have had a hard time to coping. Amy's mom was there the whole time for us helping through the process and after, my sister and her husband and three children helped me through a tough time when our little girl was first born. Then when my Mom and Dad, my brother and his family and all the rest of our friends and family began to hear the news and rally around. It was incredible how powerful an experience that was.

Words of congrats, and well wishes and most of all words of support came from all directions. Bringing a new life into the world brings so many people around you. It is unbelievable how a new life brings new life to so many others.

We will always be forever thankful to all our friends and family for what they did for us through their words and their actions.

I know not everyone has the love and support we have. I pray for those who do not have the support that we had to have strength and to be able to turn to God for guidance and be open to the warmth of those who may not know them too well but who would be willing to help. Angels are around us at all times. Sometimes we are just looking in the wrong places.

See the mural here-http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html

The Angels Celebrate.

I always loved reading about the birth of Jesus growing up. Even when I was quite young it always moved me, yet I was just a child myself so why did it affect me so? I certainly did not understand what bringing a life into this world was about. What I did know was that the birth of this little child made the world happy. So with this as a reference new babies always seemed to me to be an incredible source of joy. Little did I know how much joy they are.

My first child was just born 4 and a half months ago. In the last few moments before she came into the world I have never felt such emotion. I was in the delivery room with my wife, her mother and a room full of Dr.s and nurses. My wife was running a fever and the Dr.s had to make a move to bring our child out quicker then she was willing. Her little heart beat was going too fast and there were a few things that were not quite right.

As I counted the time between contractions I looked into my wife's eyes and began to tear up. I was terrified and helpless. I didn't know what I would do if anything happened to my wife or my little girl coming into this world. I was suddenly living outside my body. I was living now in two lives outside of my own where i could feel all their pain and struggle but I could do nothing. The room became a blur and I began to pray and just hold Amy tight. The babies heart beat fast on the monitor and I felt mine beat fast in time. I had heard that the birth of a child was a beautiful thing...yet all I felt was scared, helpless and lost. I held tighter and prayed harder.

Then the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced occurred. The Dr. yelled out "Here she comes!!"and my heart stopped and I could not breath.The most beautiful person I had ever seen emerged. Then the voice of an angel announced the arrival through a babies cry...and I melted into my wife as we both burst into tears of joy. Our little girl was here.As they placed her gently into my wife's arms the three of us cried together in the most amazing circle of love I have ever experienced. Amy's mom leaned in and extended the circle and all within the room trumpeted the good news that all was well and our little girl was welcomed into the world. I could not control my happiness that Amy was going to be OK and that there was now a beautiful little girl in our lives. An entire new world had awakened to me.

The angels in the room rejoiced. Amy's mom, the nurses, the Dr.s....
They were our angels in the room - and there were so many more praying for us...my mom and dad, Amy's dad...my sis and bro, our extended family and friends....Now it was time to share the news and off the Angels went.

Oh Mary and Joseph....I can only imagine the joy that was in your hearts on that special day. My imagination will certainly be enhanced now by my reality. As a child I loved hearing about your little baby Jesus...now I believe I can feel what you experienced. See the mural at http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html

Mary and Joseph find room in the stable. What a relief it must have been to finally find a place to rest and prepare for the delivery of the baby Jesus. Although it was not the perfect setting it was probably such an incredible blessing for them to find even a stable.

After a few hours of waiting to move into the delivery room with Amy I was more then ready to finally reach a more comfortable setting. It was definitely more comfortable but...now it was all too real. I will never forget the incredible emotions of that time. I remember it all quite clearly yet what was a long period of time now seems like was so short.

As Amy lay there and the contractions began to occur it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to watch. To see your wife in so much pain was hard to take. Poor Joseph would have had nothing to offer other then his hand and words of support. I too did that but we also had the support of Amy's mom and a wonderful nurse and modern medicine. It still did not take away Amy's pain or mine for that matter watching her suffer. Time progressed...and more time. I watched every contraction on the graph come and go, i watched the heart rate of our child rise and fall. A life was so near to entering the world. Why couldn;t it just happen quick and easy? Why did there have to be such pain and take so much time? I held Amy's hand and whispered I loved her as she continued to work at the delivery.

It was then that the nurse noticed something was not right. Amy was developing a fever and the child inside her was becoming distressed. Every beep from the machines that I heard in the room was like a siren going off in my head.The numbers on the digital screen showing the heart rate rising and going faster and faster as our unborn child began to struggle made my heart pump so hard i could barely breath. Is this supposed to be happening?? I could see the fear on Amy's face as well. Amy's mom helped with her support and prayers and we all just held tight and prayed all was going to be ok.

Things were not improving so it was time to make a move. Suddenly there was a room full of Dr.s and nurses. I felt completely lost, confused and helpless. Why did they need so many people in the room? What could be happening here?? I wasn;t sure if I could handle the thought of anything happening to Amy or our child. I held tighter to Amy and did all I could to be strong and did my best to convince myself everything was going to be fine.

I would look at Amy working so hard, I would look at the monitors, I would look up to the ceiling and do my best to keep my eyes dry and not to worry. Then to add to the problems, our unborn child was not positioned right. I took a deep breath and just listened to the words of the Dr. carefully. She was so calm and instructed Amy so wonderfully. They asked me to count to ten for Amy to push. This helped keep my mind from going crazy. It was funny though as I could not count past 6 as the last four numbers came out as barely audible tearful crackles or I would forget a number...

I just wanted to hear something was going good. I was wanting our little child to be in the room in our arms....my heart was exploding with excitement and pounding in fear all at once. And then it happened....

I am so in awe of Joseph. What courage he must have had to watch helplessly as Mary had to give birth to Jesus without any Dr.s or anyone at all to help. How helpless he must have felt. And of course Mary....there was a reason God chose her. What courage and strength she must have had. Can you imagine a young lady giving birth to her first child with no one with any experience around to talk her through the delivery. Can you believe that this still happens in so many places around the world...and in some cases the woman is entirely alone???

I know how hard it was to experience the challenge of birth in a loving room with plenty of help. I pray for all those who do not have such support that they find strength and that angels will watch over them in their time of need.

See the mural pieces as they fit here

http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html

Mary and Joseph enter Bethlehem to find there is no room for them anywhere.
I could not imagine after such a long journey to discover that you are faced with no room. I am sure that Joseph must have been beside himself wondering what he could do to help make the situation as comfortable for Mary as possible. I am sure he would have done just about anything he could.
When we walked over to the hospital we were admitted immediately. But we too had to wait for a delivery room. We sat for hours in an uncomfortable room with just a curtain around Amy. Amy did her best to rest and not worry too much and I did my best to watch over her. I remember constantly checking the time and waiting for us to get into an actual delivery room. Praying and hoping it would be soon. I also remember how it all started to become a blur. Watching the monitors that they had Amy hooked up to monitoring the contractions, her heart rate, the babies heart rate...you really start to realize that another person is almost here.
I found lumps crawling up into my throat that I would have to choke down. I would always be looking at Amy as we waited. I just wanted this to be over and know that Amy would be alright and that our little child would be born into this world and be happy and healthy. Instead I was going back and forth from joyous excitement to the fear of something happening to my beautiful girls. It’s a helpless feeling for sure as there is nothing more that I could do except just do anything possible to make Amy comfortable.

There is never any guarantee`s in life so faith is always needed to carry you through. I swear though that as I waited, my heart beat was louder than the monitor in the room counting Amy`s heart beat and the baby`s. I still get emotional thinking of that helplessness. So there we waited and waited as the clock ticked...I knew she was in good hands though.
Poor Joseph not knowing where he would go with Mary...what faith he must have had. Not a room in sight anywhere`s and his wife and child counting on him to get them to a safe place. No Doctors, no room...just faith and love.

I pray for those who have no place to go, no doctors, no family, no one to turn to...just faith that all will be ok. I pray for their strength when there seems to be little hope.

The Star Over Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph arrive.

It is time for the child to be born. The long Journey Mary and Joseph have traveled has led them to Bethlehem. They now know that the moment has arrived. All the anticipation and fears will reach a crescendo in a short time now.

When the day arrived for Amy and I, our star over Bethlehem, words could not describe what I felt. On that special day we walked 5 blocks from our home to the hospital- as we lived close. Our Journey had been extended by 10 days as Amy was overdue. So we walked over to the hospital uncertain of whether it would be our time yet or not. As we walked we smiled and joked nervously and I did my best to keep strong. Yet inside I felt numb. Everything seemed surreal. I kept thinking that in a matter of hours I would be now looked at as a Daddy. There would be a little child who would be looking to me for guidance, for love. A child who would need me to be a rock for them when times get tough. My life was about to change in an unbelievable way. I realized that suddenly I would be living a life outside my own body. A helpless existence where all i can do is my best to love, teach and guide and then watch as this child will make decisions that i will feel the results of and have no control over other then to pledge to be there to pick her up when she falls and be her biggest fan when she succeds. It was true and it was hours away.

As we walked I also thought of the beautiful lady who walked next to me. She had done so much to get to this day. She had already loved this child more then I thought possible and they had never even seen each other yet. Every step we took I knew it was a another step along our journey together into this wonderful new world. I reached out for her hand and willed all the strength I had into her as I knew that as scared and excited as I was....she was 10 times more. She knew that the journey's conclusion would not be an easy one. I could see it in her eyes. It was time to enter Bethlehem for us.

I am sure Mary and Joseph had their own fears as well. I wonder if Joseph was the same as me in his thoughts. I want to write more but as I write my little girl has awoken from her sleep...and my job as Daddy takes over now from my hobby of writing. I love what that journey has brought into my life :-)...gotta run as someone wants to say good morning.

The End Of The Journey.
Mary and Joseph arrive finally to their destination.
When you reach the end of the journey - the journey through a pregnancy- there are so many emotions that come into play. Mary and Joseph must have been exhausted but in some ways must have been relieved that their journey was coming to an end- or in other ways to a beginning.
I am sure Joseph was most relieved that Mary had made it through the travelling portion of the journey safely and now she can begin preparing for the journey of the birth.
When my wife and I reached the last few days of our "journey" I know there were so many emotions that we had to deal with. I found myself needing to keep busy to keep my mind from going crazy. I had so much excitement and so many fears. I could not control my anticipation of the new born child coming into the world. We had no idea whether it would be a boy or a girl so there was so much to look forward to that way. But then you also always have the fears of something possibly going wrong. That is where faith comes into play.
I would often look at Amy and the life growing inside her and simply be in awe of her. What an incredibly beautiful thing to behold. Then I would look at her again and see in her eyes the discomfort she felt in the last few days and the fears as well. This was her first child - just like Mary - and the last few steps in the journey would be the toughest. When she looked back at me I know she wished that she could be free of this burden and just be able to enjoy our child. But there was more yet to go.
I wished i could take over and alleviate the discomfort that she was going through and ease her fears but of course that was impossible. So I had too find a way to make a difference. This is where love can make a difference. I could not take away the pains and discomfort but i could make sure that the road she is going down - she will not be travelling alone. There will be someone who loves her and adores her right beside her the whole way. Reassuring her that it will all be ok and that no matter what happens she is not alone. She will have a hand to hold, arms that will embrace her, and a place to rest all her thoughts and fears.
Joseph was all of that to Mary...and then some. It is that extra that is needed in times like this. Husbands love your wives...be there for them. Thats what they need and its what you need too. It feels good.

God bless the families who are there to support each other in times when that little extra is needed.
Pray for those who travel the journey alone. We should always be aware of those around us who need that reassuring hand. Reach out...

See how this painting fits into the mural here http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html

PAINTING # 9

The Three Wise Men begin their journey to see Jesus.

What an incredible act of faith to travel so far following a star in the hopes that they would meet a new born child that would be the messiah.

The star in the sky would be comparable in some ways to the due date of a child. When Amy and i shared the due date with our close family everyone began planning their various journey's. Our "wise men" were our moms, dads and siblings specifically. They began planning their trips from their various parts of North America to come see our little girl around the time when she was to be born. They began planning months in advance much like the three wise men. There was no guarantees when our little girl would be born but they all planned on faith that she would be born around the estimated due date.

So not only were we preparing for our child so were our "wise families". Everyone began preparing to welcome our little girl and also preparing to give us a s much support and love as possible. Not to mention, much like the wise men, they came bearing loving and special gifts.

The creation of a child is a journey for so many. God bless the symbolic "wise men" in our lives who take the long journey with us and provide us the support we so often need.

Pray for those who need more "wise men" in their lives to help them through the challenging times.

See the mural come to life here http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html

As Mary and Joseph continued their journey I am sure this was a time where they got to know each other even better. Do you ever wonder what they talked about? This was their first child together. They were not only giving birth to the Messiah but they had to be parents as well. I am quite certain the journey would have had many of the same chats that most couples have.

Joseph must have had to reassure Mary that when they get to their destination that there would be a good hospital for her to have her baby and that an epidural would be an option. Hmm..or maybe they would just have to ask the sheep to move over so Mary would have a nice pile of hay to lie in.

Ok- maybe no epidural discussion...But I am sure they would have shared their hopes and fears for Jesus. I bet they wondered what he would be like as a little baby. Would he sleep through the night? Would he become a woodworker, a fisherman...would he be popular with the other kids or would he have a tough time fitting in. Maybe they discussed where they were going to live? Maybe Joseph was planning with Mary where he was going to work to support the child and the family. I am sure they went through all that don;t you think???

I also wonder if women would come up to Mary and tell them their pregnancy stories...and if they started to notice that couples all around them that had children talked non stop about their babies poops.

Mary and Joseph were human after all and i am starting to realize that more and more as i do this blog. They gave birth to Jesus but they still had to raise a baby to adulthood, they still had to go through all the trials and tribulations of a parent. Its hard to think that way but I have never read of God sending down the Holy "nanny" to help out.

As a dad now I can;t help but think more and more about Joseph and how he was really an amazing man (Mary was pretty amazing too of course ;-)). Joseph really took control of the situation though and made sure that Mary was taken care of and made it a priority to love and protect his family.

As a Dad Joseph is a great role model in all ways. I only wish there would have been more written about when Jesus was a baby so maybe he could have given me some extra parenting tips from the fathers perspective. I bet he had some good ones.

See the mural come to life here- http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html The Beginning of the Journey to Bethlehem.

Everyone when they go through the birth of a child has their own journey to Bethlehem. After you get accustomed to the idea of the thought of a child coming into your life the journey to the birth day begins. The beginning of the journey would probably be best compared to the first tri-mester. Just like Mary and Joseph as they packed and began their long journey, couples begin the long journey together by changing their lifestyle, planning differently financially and thinking more about the best environment for the future child to be raised in.

As the journey began for Joseph and Mary, Joseph could only do his best to take care of Mary by providing food, protection and safe travels for them. He also would do everything possible for Mary to provide her comfort as best he could. Unfortunately there is only so much he could do as the trip for Mary would be one without much comfort other then the love of her husband and the expectation of the beautiful child.

Like a pregnancy- Joseph and Mary's first leg of the trip to Bethlehem probably was filled with nervous excitement. They would have hopes for great things and were unsure of what lay ahead for them. The first three months when my wife and i began our journey we both felt that nervous excitement. Her body slowly began to change as the child began to grow and I began planning in my mind the best ways to be supportive to Amy and the best strategy to prepare for the journey's destination. It all seems kind of surreal. But the journey had begun...and the road ahead would provide many adventures...

Mary is pregnant.

After the challenges of accepting her news and sharing the news with Joseph Mary is finally able to just absorb the fact that she is with child and with the support of Joseph will bring this child into the world.

I remember when my wife was pregnant with our little girl. It was an amazing time.I would often catch myself looking at my wife in awe. To know that another life was growing within her was hard to fathom at times. What an amazing miracle to behold.

There is a certain helplessness that i felt as well. Although I was in awe of what was happening I was also sometimes frustrated at that I could not do more to help. As beautiful as the creation of life is, it is not easy. So many times I wished i could just take the unborn baby for her so she could have a break. Especially closer to the due date.

So I just did what i could to support her and make her as comfortable as I could. Those moments were some of the greatets moments to treasure too. Although i could not take away much of her discomfort my efforts created an even greater bond between the two of us and without even being able to see our child yet we were already becoming parents.

I have to post a picture here of our little girl...as any parent will know...with all the ups and downs of creating a life and being a parent to see the smile of your child makes everything sooo worthwhile.

SEE THE FULL MURAL COMING TOGETHER HERE- http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html

After hearing the news from Mary, Joseph was uncertain as to what he should do. It was at this point that the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him to not be afraid and reassured him that this was meant to be.
Many times in this world a child is conceived unplanned and to unmarried couples on top of everything else who are not even certain of what their relationship status is. I am certain that many men and women have lay in bed at night in deep thought pondering their situation for guidance.
So many thoughts can go through your head. You can spin in circles in your mind wondering about finances, your work, your ability to be a parent, how to share the news with others, how to prepare for possible problems that may arise with the child, will it be healthy...
We all pray for that angel to come to us and give us that guidance and reassurance.

When my wife told me that we were to have a child, neither one of us were prepared. Our angels were each other. We shared our love for each other and our love for the road we were about to travel down together. We reached out to our friends and family and more angels came our way. It was then that there was an incredible bliss to the moment.
Committment- we committed our lives to this unborn child...and to each other and by doing so we became angels to each other and to our child. Looking into my wife's eyes knowing her committment to me and to our child was the greatest experience of my life. An Angel indeed.
What a peaceful and joyous experience.

I am so thankful for my angels and will always pray for those who feel lost and alone and are in need of angels.

The fourth picture in the mural (see the mural here http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html )is when Mary told Joseph the news. Joseph was a very righteous man and a great example of earthly integrity. Although

knowing he was not the father and was faced with a situation that in his time could cause him great shame and public ridicule he stood by Mary who already was faced with public ridicule making him an excellent choice for the Messiah's father. Because Joseph was not yet married to Mary his decision to stay with Mary was very challenging and he was very confused.

There are so many times when a life is to be brought into the world in less then ideal circumstances. It is a miracle to behold when a man and a woman can overlook the challenges they are facing. By just opening their hearts to love each other more rather then turn away from each other obstacles can be turned away and beautiful things can occur.

My sister and her husband unexpectedly were told they were to have twins after already having a two year old to raise. The thought of the new additions coming along at this time in their life was not only a surprise but was a hard thing to comprehend as they were not sure how they would cope. But to watch how my sisters husband poured more of his love and strength into the relationship and how that energy gave strength to my sister turned a situation with many challenges into a wonderfully beautiful family. The love they had for each other combined with their faith radiated unbelievable beauty and enlightened all around them. To this day their children continue to pour out love to all who come near them.

God bless the husband who stands by his wife and loves his family. I have seen this in my loving mom and dad, I have witnessed this through my brother and his wife and my sister and her husband. I know that in my life with my wife and our little child that when life throws us unexpected challenges that it is in that time we must come closer to each other.

God bless good friends and family. When a life begins to grow inside a woman, especially when it is unexpected like Mary had to go through, it can turn a beautiful moment into one of uncertainty. To know you have to share the unplanned news with your spouse, to know that you may not be ready for this unexpected treasure, to have so many questions you don;t know the answers to, can cause one to doubt that its even possible. Mary was scared and uncertain.

So many women go through this challenge. Friends and family can help so much in providing comfort. Mary visited Elizabeth to share the news and in doing so gained strength and comfort.

We all need friends and family to turn to in moments where we are uncertain. I believe God works miracles sometimes through the people he places in our lives whose words can make all the difference. They can strengthen our faith that all will be well and will also provide the support in times of difficulty.

I know I have been so blessed with beautiful friends and beautiful family. This is no coincidence. I know that they have been placed in my life for a reason and my life is beautiful because of it. With that in mind we should all do our best to be that person that others so desperately need in times of trouble. We need to give our love as much as we need to receive others love.

See the mural piece added to the big picture here http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html

The second painting in the mural-
When the angel was speaking to Mary I could just imagine her disbelief. How is this all possible? How could she be having a child? Then at the same time when she began to realize what was upon her she must have had incredible excitement within.
I know as an expectant parent once you discover the news its amazing where your mind can go. You instantly envision the future...will it be a boy or a girl. Will you be doing all sorts of exciting things together. What will he or she be like? Soooo many exciting thoughts. But then you also have those fears. Yes those fears that come at you from all angles as well. I know I said it in my last blog as well but you fear problems, you fear your own self- can I even be a good parent? I don;t know if i have the ability? This could be so overwhelming....Can i deal with it all?

You almost need a place for your mind to rest with all that you process. I would pray.
That helped me to relax and to have a place to rest my thoughts. I would also talk to my wife a lot and we would share our thoughts. It was so amazing to hear she felt so many things that i did. But together we were able to eliminate many fears and we began to enjoy each other that much more and looked forward to the road ahead... see the mural come to life here http://www.muralmosaic.com/nativity.html

Today I start my journey through the newest mural created by Lewis Lavoie. It is called the Nativity. It will be a mural that takes people on the journey through the advent calendar to Christmas Day. i am starting early as Lewis is creating the pictures daily and I want to blog my own relation to this project. Having just had a child of my own this is a very special mural to me as I can really understand the joy and fears that Mary and Joseph would have experienced not knowing what to expect becoming new parents. I always hoped someday to be the father to a child. To think that it would happend when I was 42 years old was such a shock and a blessing.

Much like when the angel appeared to Mary- i am sure she felt shocked and blessed at the same time. So once the news of the child was put upon us- the world opened up in an entirely new way. Fears, joys, hopes, excitement and so many uncertainty's. All i could do was pray for a healthy child and have faith that Amy and the baby would be taken care of through the process and i would be able to provide the strength for them to lean on when they needed it most.

So step one in the Nativity mural is Mary is approched by the angel... watch the mural come to life at this web address http://www.muralmosaic.com/Nativity/panels/dec01.html

THE OLYMPICS!
We did it and it was fantastic! Hard to believe that its all over already. Vancouver did an incredible job with the Olympics and to finish it off with Sid the Kid scoring the winning goal in overtime for Team Canada`s hockey victory united the country of canada like never before.

An incfedible show of Unity- thats what it was. And so was our mural. What a fantastic collaborative effort. 231 paintings all from the heart of individuals from various backgrounds, ages and artistic skill level combining to make one unified image. Pretty darn emotional. No matter how many times we do these murals nothing compares to the feeling of when artists gather together to meet for the first time and realize that through their creativity they have united with others to make a stunning art piece without ever knowing what each other was doing or what the big picture would be.

Ahhh...the thrill of it all....

Here is a video celebrating the mural. Onward and upward and thanks to all!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAZqYIVv0Gg

Blogging is hard work!! Ha! I missed a day so don't shoot me. But I needed one day to visit a close friend of mine and his fiance and had no internet. Am I forgiven?

So today we got up early and I spent the morning in West vancouver in coffee shops chatting about the mural at the games. Lost of interesting chatter about it. Then we went off to the venue and found the mural room packed with large groups of students who were being shown the mural and then going through workshops in front of the mural. The instructors did a rap/poetry session which was done as a collaborative with the students and they used the mural as a symbol of how to collaborate. Unity through Diversity. Too cool...

Then we went off to see the Olympic Flame, meet up with CTV and the Vancouver Sun. Media is starting to line up. Its exciting!!

Must admit Vancouver is alive and it feels very friendly and spirited. I se only the good. When I can see so many people from around the world gather together in such a positive way it truly is wonderful thing to experience. Reminds me of the night of the unveiling as so many of the artists came from so many regions and from so many varied backgrounds and had such a great time through one unifying event. The world needs more of this...

Oh Yeah----http://www.muralmosaic.com

WE DID IT! The unveiling went off without a hitch today! It started with a lot of preparation getting ready for the big crowd expected and sure enough it arrived. The mayor of West Vancouver made the official welcoming on behalf of the Olympics and the city and thanked all the artists for their contirbution to the true Olympic spirit. The artists , VIP guests and friends and family watched as the mural was unveiled to gasps and cheers!

I have posted only a few images tonight as I am exhausted and my video below has a sampling of the day. More images will follow but I am thrilled to say- KUNAMOKST is now unveiled!!!!!

We worked our butts off from sun up to sun down and got the mural hung!! All is set to go and we are very excited. There is a buzz in the venue and already they are saying this is their number 1 feature. Pretty wonderful to hear all the positive comments today.

Things went smoothly although the load in was hard and I must have nicked my hands five times and felt like everytime I stopped bleeding I'd nick my hand again. Luckily my life of a million injuries has trained my body to heal quickly so as fast as I cut myself just as quickly I healed.

Paul and I slugged away with some help from the Centre's staff. We hauled the mural up two flights of stairs, built a wall, then carefully placed all 231 paintings into place. The mural looks AMAZING!!!

We were incredibly excited about how the day was going until I spoke with the media consultant and she shared with me the news of the tragedy on the luge with the athlete dying. It was quite a shock to be in an environment of so much excitement and positive energy and then to learn of a young man losing his life in such a horrible way. I send my prayers out to his family. I can;t imagine the loss.

On other notes I watched the opening ceremonies!!!!!....from my parents home ;-). They were amazing!! Except for the unfortunate technical difficulties and poor Wayne Gretzky having to hitch hike a ride on a truck for 100 km's to light the outdoor flame. Let the games begin!!

...and tomorrow...let the mural be unveiled! I can not wait to see all the artists celebrate over a year and a half of artistic creativity and hard work combined into one beautiful mural! I am so proud of all that contributed and all that have been so supportive since day 1! It is going to be a great day! SEE YOU THERE!~~ 3:00 p.m. -Spirit Square- West Vancouver BC info at http://www.muralmosaic.com/

We MADE IT!! Today we arrived at the Vancouver mural site safe and sound! It was another long day but we pulled it off without a hitch. Glenn Madsen with the West Vancouver Centre greeted us and we were made to feel very welcome and they are VERY excited to have the mural as part of their Olympic venue. We spent the afternoon going over the venue and planning the set up for Friday. We will begin the set up at 8 a.m.. Both Paul and I have to stay at our families homes which are in Port Coquitlam and Abbotsford so we have a bit of a hike in the a.m. So tomorrow we leave our temporary homes at 6 a.m. and spend the day getting ready. The coffee will be an absolute delight tomorrow morning thats for sure.

So tomorrw we will give you step by step set up fun time photos! Looking forward to showing you the mural as it comes to life...but not the whole thing!! too bad for you hahahahaha ....you have to wait one more day!! The fun is now about to begin!

Watch for hourly updates at http://twitter.com/philalain

Once my cell phone is in range again that is!

http://www.muralmosaic.com

PHIL ALAIN and Mural Mosaic - Road to the Olympics

Wow...long day! from 8 a.m. Wednesday morning until 4 p.m. in the afternoon loading up the van then got on the road and drove as far as we could until 11 p.m.. We are becoming "tetrus" champs with our packing abilities when taking our show on the road. Who would have thought we could fit so much into a cargo van. Paul Lavoie and myself set off today to get the mural set up in vancouver for the unveiling before Saturday with Lewis Lavoie and his family coming on Friday and bringing anything we may have forgotten. Or should I say that we WILL have forgotten. It was a busy day dealing with media, the planning committee in Vancouver at the venue and pretty much everything else. The drive was pretty good. More or less uneventful except for a truck driver who was swerving everywhere. We thought he was drunk but when we passed him it turned out he was just busy doing some work on his 17 inch screen computer while he was driving. Silly us bothering him driving while he worked away. Ran into some snow but not too bad. Stopped in Clearwater for the night. Its great as the hotel LOVES Christmas. Decorated Reindeer , Christmas trees and choo choo trains adorn the hotel. No cell phone service but we have internet so I can blog for you! Tomorrow we take vancouver by storm!!! Keep sending the good vibes so we make the last half of the trip safely. Here is a video of our adventure today...

Kunamokst on the road to the Olympics

Today was a hectic day. It was the last day we could formally plan to make sure we had all that we need before the drive begins.

Our hope is to leave tomorrow and drive at least half way. There is snow and rain in the forecast for the mountains so we will make sure to take it easy. We want to make sure we get there in one piece. Also of course get the mural there in one piece as well...or should i say in 231 pieces. We made a little intro to the unveiling though for you to enjoy! Watch right to the very end of the clip!! Wish us good luck on our travels and we will see you all in Vancouver for the big unveiling!!!

Robert Bateman Rod Charlesworth
Charity Dakin Michelle Grant

Well its late and I am trying to get my blog in for the day. We have decided to leave one day earlier for Vancouver to be safe so the workload today was a bit heavier. I fully expect tomorrow to be even more so. We spent today making signage, making sure we had all the tools to build the mural wall, double check all the paintings and anything else we could think of...which seemed to be never ending. At the same time some media popped by and did some interviews as we packed. So needless to say it was a full day. We had full intentions of posting a video today but time just didn't allow it. Not to mention dealing with emails, making sure all our angles are covered when we arrive in Vancouver as far as accommodations and loading the mural in etc. Luckily so far all has fallen into place. We always wish we had an extra week (or two) but we don't. Just days now until the big day so no sense wishing for options we do not have. So rather then blogging too late tonight I better get to bed and put in a good shift tomorrow. Lots of people counting on us so rest is probably the wise move and get a fresh start in the a.m..

My goal is to show some good photos of us getting ready tomorrow. AND...a video.... :-).

Goodnight.

KUNAMOKST workshop from Red Letter Films on Vimeo.

Phil Alain- Kunamokst Mural Mosaic Road to the Olympics Day 6

Its Sunday....less then a week to the unveiling. I have decided this needs to be a day off as I will not have a day off now for almost three weeks. So its a great day to spend with my fiance relaxing and watching the super bowl. Yes...I am an artist who loves sports. So to have the mural at the Olympics this year is a double thrill for me. Tomorrow will be chaos at the studio though as we will only have two full days to get all the final details set. So on this day off I wanted to pick a handful of paintings from the mural to show some incredible diversity in the mural. These pictures posted here are only a small portion of the amazing art in the mural. Whats even more amazing is that all of these pictures can actually be combined together to make another even bigger unified image. WITH NO COMPUTER SPECIAL EFFECTS!! None of the artists knowing each other, none of the artists knowing what the big picture will be. All they know is their own style and their own voice will combine with others to make a powerful legacy to the west coast. Enjoy these few samples here then go to the website and randomly click on numbers. You can see every picture...without knowing what the big picture will be. Its amazing to enjoy each painting one at a time and truly appreciate each artists work. You can even adventure deeper as each artist has their web page listed by their paintings so you can see what they do when not working with us creating these murals. Enjoy....More Monday!!

http://www.muralmosaic.com/

April White

Ron Wilson Ray Martin Laura Levitsky Mark HobsonMichael Gerencser Mary ConleyDennis Weber Barry Tate