Happy Spring! Finally, it seems that the early April showers have taken a break and we can all dry out and soak in some sunshine. Last week I posted a very late, "I'm not here this week" message and I let you all know I had some good news. On Tuesday I had a conference call with our patent attorney and the examiner at the patent office. The call came right on time as my attorney advised me to expect a denial of our application in the spring of 2011 at which point we would address the points denied. We went over them and when it was time for the call, I was expecting plenty of stops and road-blocks. Not so! The woman examining our application was very helpful and even went as far as to say, "Change this wording to something like this..." and "Be sure this area reads like this..." She wanted to know how we came up with the idea and all in all was very patient and attentive. She ended the call with, "Okay, get me these changes and I will go back over the application and let's get you on your way." or something to that effect -- very positive! Now we are addressing some of the minutia of the application and deciding how specific or broad we can go. If all goes well, we could have our patent issued this summer! Isn't that exciting?
Other than this big news, our weather has been noteworthy. So wild, the Weather Channel was in Truckee this weekend reporting from Old Town and Squaw Valley. Thursday Hwy 80 was closed for a full 24 hours and upon my initial research (very unofficial), this is the longest closure of Hwy 80 ever. The last time it came close was in the 1980s. We were snuggled up watching the spectacular show of snow and wind while enjoying hot beverages and movies. Funny thing, we often think that more snow is better, but there is so much snow, it was even hard to play in it! Oh, we found a way, but it took some creativity. We missed our usual company for this Truckee weekend, but then again, it was really nice just being together as a family.
I kept thinking about this as I watched the snow fall. I noticed how most of the snowflakes were so tiny, yet one by one, they made hundreds of square feet of snow! In light of my progress report on our pending patent, take note how long we've been on this journey (Since January 2008) and imagine how many single phone calls, hours (sometimes minutes) of Internet research, hundreds of other "things to do," and even days and weeks of nothing to do add up to where we are today. In essence, time passes at the same rate for all of us, start whatever it is you want to accomplish so you can be basking in your success, too! Every little task completed is one step closer to that victory!
With that, we not only have another opportunity to make this week great, but we have sunshine in the forecast! Later this week and next weekend we are supposed to see temps in the high 70s! If that won't make you smile, nothing will!
Happy Spring! Finally, it seems that the early April showers have taken a break and we can all dry out and soak in some sunshine. Last week I posted a very late, "I'm not here this week" message and I let you all know I had some good news. On Tuesday I had a conference call with our patent attorney and the examiner at the patent office. The call came right on time as my attorney advised me to expect a denial of our application in the spring of 2011 at which point we would address the points denied. We went over them and when it was time for the call, I was expecting plenty of stops and road-blocks. Not so! The woman examining our application was very helpful and even went as far as to say, "Change this wording to something like this..." and "Be sure this area reads like this..." She wanted to know how we came up with the idea and all in all was very patient and attentive. She ended the call with, "Okay, get me these changes and I will go back over the application and let's get you on your way." or something to that effect -- very positive! Now we are addressing some of the minutia of the application and deciding how specific or broad we can go. If all goes well, we could have our patent issued this summer! Isn't that exciting? 
Other than this big news, our weather has been noteworthy. So wild, the Weather Channel was in Truckee this weekend reporting from Old Town and Squaw Valley. Thursday Hwy 80 was closed for a full 24 hours and upon my initial research (very unofficial), this is the longest closure of Hwy 80 ever. The last time it came close was in the 1980s. We were snuggled up watching the spectacular show of snow and wind while enjoying hot beverages and movies. Funny thing, we often think that more snow is better, but there is so much snow, it was even hard to play in it! Oh, we found a way, but it took some creativity. We missed our usual company for this Truckee weekend, but then again, it was really nice just being together as a family. 
I kept thinking about this as I watched the snow fall. I noticed how most of the snowflakes were so tiny, yet one by one, they made hundreds of square feet of snow! In light of my progress report on our pending patent, take note how long we've been on this journey (Since January 2008) and imagine how many single phone calls, hours (sometimes minutes) of Internet research, hundreds of other "things to do," and even days and weeks of nothing to do add up to where we are today. In essence, time passes at the same rate for all of us, start whatever it is you want to accomplish so you can be basking in your success, too! Every little task completed is one step closer to that victory! 
With that, we not only have another opportunity to make this week great, but we have sunshine in the forecast! Later this week and next weekend we are supposed to see temps in the high 70s! If that won't make you smile, nothing will!
