Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays To All



Happy Holidays!


What a rollercoaster year. It has been tremendously busy, as it seems to have been for everyone. In January Laura finally completed her education and graduated from the Animation Mentor online program. It has been a great couple of years networking with eager animation students and learning from the experienced mentor professionals who currently work in all of the most recognizable studios. During these past couple years, Naveen had left Laura in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to pursue further education in Orlando, but now the time for his education was also coming to a close. He attended the Game Developers Conference in February and landed a job right on the career fair floor, allowing him to spend his last few months at Full Sail Real World Education completely focused on his final project, a game called Smashout, which earned a prized spot in the school’s arcade. Naveen graduated in late June as salutatorian. Laura’s main focus over the summer was wedding preparation, as well as apartment hunting.

In July Naveen and Laura moved from Florida to Chicago, where Naveen began working at WMS as a gaming software engineer, and Laura continued working remotely for CVC Communications as a contract graphic designer. Many weekends were spent driving back and forth to Milwaukee and Waukesha, Wisconsin, as the countdown progressed and their wedding drew nearer. Finally, on September 6, 2008, Naveen and Laura were married at St. William Catholic Church and enjoyed a fantastic reception at the Country Springs Hotel in Waukesha. It was a truly perfect wedding day.

Although they had been together six years and had looked forward to married life for a very long time, a very special opportunity came up for Laura that interrupted the newlyweds. Just a week after the wedding, Laura was contacted by a group called Speakeasy FX in Westfield, New Jersey, and was hired as a character animator to work on the 40th Anniversary Television Season of Sesame Street. It was a heartwrenching choice, but a thrilling chance to finally live out her dream to be an animator for children’s entertainment. And so the second week after their wedding, Laura moved to New Jersey to begin work, leaving Naveen in Chicago with their new kitty, Sully.

The following month, Laura returned so that the couple could celebrate a traditional South-Indian style Hindu wedding on October 11, 2008, in recognition of Naveen’s family heritage. Laura continues to fly back and forth every few weekends so the two can spend some time together, but it has been a very rough time to say the least. They have dealt with distance before, but now that they are married, it makes time apart much more difficult. Thankfully, Naveen and Laura are strong both individually and as a couple, and they are currently in search of opportunities for Naveen on the east coast so that they can finally truly begin their long-awaited married lifestyle. They recognize that they are very fortunate people who have a lot to look forward to in this coming year, and they are thankful for the thoughtful prayers and moral support of their family and friends.

We Wish You A Blessed And Healthy Holiday Season!
Love,
Laura & Naveen

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