And the verdict is...

Since it is MY BLOG and all, I thought I'd share MY perspective on this Netherlands pitch before giving you the verdict. No cheating! Do not scroll to the bottom of this post to find the answer. You'll get there soon enough.

My mom was here for the week before and during the pitch, and rather than having an extra pair of hands for the week, my mom just replaced Tim around the house and with the kids for the week, since he was working until the wee hours of morning on this pitch and then was gone for two nights to actually do the pitch. The girls and I sacrificed hours with Daddy to do our part for the elliottyoung empire, and so we (well, I) were more than a little anxious about the outcome. If we won, would that make the hours of single-parenting worth the effort. Would our kids benefit more from us winning than from having their daddy around for those evenings he was at the office? For the last two and a half years we have been making these sacrifices in an effort to grow a business that we hope will support us until we decide to retire, and periodically we reassess and ask if it's all worth it. Would it be better to settle for a lower income in exchange for more time with the kids and with each other? Then the sacrifices would be fewer trips to the States and holidays closer to home, and no meals out ever, and a smaller house, and less flexible time working from home. But would those be better than sacrificing time with family? We seem to ask these questions every few months, or every time the work load demands longer hours than normal, and each time we decide to give it a bit longer and see if things level out. For now our kids seem happy with the amount of time they get from Disco Daddy, and Macy did say "dada" before she said "mama" so she must be seeing more of him than it seems, and I am capable of doing dinner and bedtime by myself a couple times a week as long as I get my date with my husband on a Thursday, so we're sailing through, for now.

And things are getting exciting. I've watched my husband grow from a guy who decided to try running his own business with a mate, when he thought he'd give this a try and then perhaps dabble in some other things, like limo hire and a coffee shop, to the director of a well-respected marketing firm with prospects of venturing into publishing and marketing consultancy. His business sense and God's provision have grown the company from a team of two part-timers to two directors with four full-time staff, a free-lance artworker and a part-time accountant. Clients include the largest pharmaceutical supplier to the NHS (the national health care system) and the largest exhibition company in the world. At the pitch they made Ogilvy look like amateurs. And they won the biggest client they've ever had. That's right, they won!!!!

I am so proud. I would have been proud, regardless, because I know Tim and Dan worked hard and did their best, but the sweet taste of victory is fresh in my mouth, and my heart is swollen with admiration for this man who started with a couple of little jobs and a vision and turned it into a successful business that is supporting his family. Well done, baby.