Well, it’s an awesome day on many levels. It’s Halloween for one, most importantly, this is the day way back 14 years ago that I adopted my twin daughters, Olivia and Alicia, and it’s also Greg Jein’s Birthday!!
I was a foster parent way back and the first children that I got to foster parent for were two little twin girls just a few days old. The girls’ birth mom vanished after a couple of visits in the early days and after a year or so the court gave the option to adopt, and it was a great day to get this long awaited news…just a few days before the girls turned three (Halloween Day). We went to court and so happily made Olivia and Alicia a permanent part of our family…I have been truly blessed with these two wonderful daughters, and they bring a special joy to every day of my life!
Another way back story to the late 1970′s, as a little kid in Arizona, was the day Close Encounters of the Third Kind came out and I learned about a man named Greg Jein!!! Within the next couple of years, special effects mags like Starlog and Cinefex would do special articles on Greg, and from the first day I read about him, I was a fan!!! In 1984, I got a hold of his # and worked up the courage to give him a call, and he invited me over to his shop to say hey. I was in town doing my bi-monthly turn in a new portfolio and resume to all the VFX houses hoping to one day get a job, and Greg’s shop was right behind Boss Films!! It was a quick visit, and Greg had his hands in some black, gooey, brushable resin he was smearing into a laser blaster mold…I didn’t have a lot to show him, but I left with one big ear to ear grin after meeting my hero!!! A few years later I managed to break in to the VFX world, and Greg Jein came to the shop I was working at to lend a hand on some models we were making. We kept in touch, and soon I was working with Greg at his shop on Star Trek V; it’s funny to look back on those times and have a new outlook on someone who was once someone I only new from books and the big screen to now calling Greg my friend!!! To this day, it is still one great honor!!
Happy Birthday, GREG!!! and Happy adopted day, Olivia ‘n Alicia!! and Happy Halloween to all.
Alicia and Olivia
Greg and I at his shop
Greg and I at Comicon
Greg and Ed (big daddy) Roth both loved to work their magic with bondo by hand!!
Congratulations everybody!
John, with so many wonderful young ladies in your family it´s hard to imagine just how you manage to tear yourself away from home for more than a few hours.
That’s a double-whammy of a great story, dude! Actually a triple-whammy, what with the girls being twins and all!
Happy Adopted Day Eaves Family!
And Happy B’Day, Greg!
And BOO! Happy Halloween all!
I sent you a Trek Halloween pic in email, John.
LLP,
deg
Love the Halloween pic! Meeoowwww!!
Wishing you a great day of fun and celebration on Adoption Day! Does that mean they get presents today and again in three days?
Happy B-Day Greg!! I bet you always had fun on your birthday growing up because you’d get a spooky party and then trick-or-treating. Nice!
Nice pics, there, buddy boy. I think it is just the bees knees that you have always had your camera handy and have pics of everything and everyone you’ve enjoyed. I want to go to Comicon with you next time! Except Nelson would probably not like sharing, eh?
Have a Ghoul time tonight, everybody!!
you are truly a blessed man.
I am so and don’t deserve it!!! Thanks
Happy Halloween!!
Those are terrific stories, John…
Greg is one of my heroes too, and I’m very privileged to know him… he’s a great artist, and a great guy.
Happy Birthday, Greg!
drd
Hey there D!!!! thanks and have a great Party tonight!!!! I so wish I could be there
That is a wonderful story John – congratulations to you and your beautiful daughters. You are a lucky man and a great human being.
All the bests,
Richard
PS: I almost forgot – Happy Halloween!
Thanks Richard< your always so kind and big hearted!!!
You’re one lucky family to have found each other. Great story.
Besides being one of the best starship designers in the business you sir are a human being of worthy admiration. Its funny to find out they’re adopted since I do see a family resemblance. Best wishes.
Check out the GUNS on John in that pic with Greg….;)
Great story, and Happy Adoption Day to your girls.
Happy Birthday Greg Jein, thanks for all your wonderful work.
Happy Halloween from Down Under !!
Cheers
Mark
How is the “Jein” in Greg Jein pronounced?
Jein like blue jeans
Late as usual but I hope everybody had a swell and spooky Halloween, and belated congrats to the illustrious Mr. Jein and to the Family Eaves, living proof that love and family are concepts much bigger and more meaningful than mere words.
You are a indeed a very lucky man, John. Happy Celebrations to all!
You took in two baby girls and brought them up as your own….just look how happy they are in that picture
You truly have a big heart and obviously very loving 
It makes me happy that there are people like you in this world. Olivia and Alicia are extremely beautiful 
Very lucky 
Sam
Wow John what a great thing to do
Being a foster parent is hard, and then choosing to adopt is a big decision too.
Hope you all had a fun Halloween and happy b-day to one of the best film and TV model makers out there Mr Jein!
Very nice post, just the feel good story that makes my day, my older brother is in the middle of adopting twin girls. They are three as well and have been with my brother’s family for the last two years, my brother and sister-in-law are the only parents they have known.
Terry
Hey, who’s that man with hair beside Greg Jein?
LOL!!! Just kidding, John. Great looking family and great Greg pics!
John, I couldn’t think of a nicer guy to have this happen to. Thanks for sharing these great stories with us. You have a wonderful family and I am grateful that we get to share some time with you and learn more about them through you. Family is really the most important thing!
Greg Jein…wow! That would have been a dream come true! Too cool!
this is not evan scary for halloween and i wuold like you to change it or i will get my dad in and he is a police officer.
Whoa! You were stacked back then! Nice guns.
Also, great story too.