Faster than a speeding bullet

What a weekend! I woke up to beautiful blue California skies (never get tired of that). I shook off the morning sleepies, headed downstairs for a light breakfast in anticipation of an afternoon hike, or trip to the gym. It was 8am, and I had all the time in the world. I didn't plan on doing much more than a short shopping trip for a TV stand. The new Sharp 52" LCD arrived, and was sitting in a box, waiting for our old rear-projection to move out of the way. But I digress. I decided to wake my wife around 9:30, and we spent a few minutes talking about work/life/plans...the usual. The phone rang a short while later, and it was my photographer friend Lisa Leigh . She was upbeat and cheery, but very intent on letting me know that this was going to be a most unusual phone call. I told her that strange requests are a daily routine, and if hers was the oddest, there was a Peet's Coffee gift card waiting for her.

Lisa: "Are you available for a wedding today at 2pm?"
Me: "Well, I guess so, I didn't have anything scheduled"
Lisa:"Great, its in Tahoe, can you leave now?"
Me:"Well, it would be a real stretch, seeing as how I'm 4 hours away"
Lisa:"Can you do it for $1200"
Me:"Ummm....no, I'm sorry. I think the gas alone would cost me that much."(have you seen the prices in the Tahoe area?)
Lisa:"Okay, I'll talk to the parents...let me get right back to you."

So the time is now 10am, and I'm guessing that this won't go through....but just in case, I start assembling my gear and getting dressed. I do a quick Mapquest check and see that their location will take me a shade under 4 hours. Quick math: 10am+4 hours+traffic?+setup time=missed ceremony, angry couple, distressed videographer. I call back Lisa and leave a message saying that I don't think its going to work (no matter the price). Unless the ceremony started at 2:30pm. No answer, minutes go by, I get worried (they are probably expecting me already). So I jet to the car, gear in tow, buckle up for a speedy ride and pray that there are no slowdowns. The handy GPS on the dash gives me an ETA of 2:14pm. Eeek! Still no word from Lisa and more minutes tick by while I cruise up Hwy 680.
Lisa:"They'll delay the ceremony until you arrive".
Me: {gulp}"I'll do my best to get there ASAP

To wrap it up, the gods must have been with me! I made it by 1:45pm, with enough time to tuck in my shirt, park illegally, and setup my gear. ITS ON BABY!

For the sake of my sanity, I surely hope that this isn't going to be a habit.

Many thanks to Stephanie Anderson the wonderful coordinator at PlumpJack for filling me in when I arrived and getting me up to speed. Don't forget to try their wonderful food (I had the Reuben, and it was delicious!)

This just in: the highlights have been completed and uploaded for you viewing pleasure.