"Tic, tic, tic, tic ..." goes the clock in the upstairs bathroom at Hillary's parent's home, located just outside Tahoe City, California. Her parents were very generous to throw an engagement party for Hillary and me the first weekend in August, in celebration of our upcoming September wedding.
Jim and Sandy, Hillary's parents, purchased a small cabin in the late 70's and overtime, transformed that "crash pad" into a home suitable to raise a family. Hillary and her older sister, Emily, and younger sister, Meghan grew up in that home and were very fortunate to have immediate access to the mountains, water, and forest that most people could only dream. Hillary and I visit Tahoe as much as we can but it never feels like enough. The place revives the soul and was the perfect setting to welcome family and friends as a precursor to our marriage.
This morning the family was rustling and bustling in preparation for the big event. With an expected guest list of eighty-five people, there was still lots to do. The tables and chairs were scheduled to show up at eleven, with the caterer scheduled to show up at noon. Beer and accompanying non-alcoholic drinks went into the canoe, which was already filled with ice and set up on the lawn. Appetizers and other snacks were formulating in the kitchen. The morning started early. Me, I was upstairs waiting for my weekly phone call with Darin and Maral to discuss the current status and recent progress on our shoe line development.
"Tic, tic, tic, tic," - 10:30am reads the clock. Waiting. I know I should be downstairs making an appearance and helping.
My sister, Katie, and her husband of two years, Scott, also came to be a part of the engagement party festivity. I was fortunate that Katie had brought her laptop with her that was all set up with Skype. The cell service at Hillary's parent's home can be spotty and fluctuate at any given moment. And since the engagement party preparations were dominating the morning hours, the last thing I wanted to do was tie up the land-line.
Navigating through Katie's computer, I logged into Skype and pulled up my email, expecting to see a note from Maral. And there it was - an email from Maral, as expected. And what an email it was. Loaded with twenty-plus attachments, it further defined where our shoe line was going.
And where would that be? Further toward success.