Stuff

Well, a week passed, and we have been getting prepared for our upcoming season in Alaska. I can't believe we only have 5 more weeks in Mexico, and then we'll start the month-long journey back up North. This last week we were focused, and managed to get 34 orders done and submitted to our various vendors. We only have about 48 orders to go (from our past-year vendors) and perhaps 30 new lines to add to our store (as well as our additional store...did I mention we're opening a second location? Call us nuts...). So, I think we have approximately 78 orders to go.

Oh...I can't wait until this is done! I'm feeling good about being very thorough with the orders...getting them entered into my POS system before the start of the season begins (investing time now, when I still have it...and not later, when we typically pull too late of hours at the store with unhappy kids).

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten anywhere with the accounting which I put on hold. Every year I wonder why I don't get it done before December (or at least up to date), and then every February/March I'm cramming to get it done.

Anyways...I'm just blabbering, and can't believe people actually might read this blog. Actually, if it weren't for my FeedJit box on the lower right hand side, I'd probably assume that only 4 people ever visited my blog (thanks, you 4 for commenting). I guess I can see why bloggers do "giveaways" and "contests" on their blogs...they just want to hear feedback from people! I used to think people were crazy for blogging...I just assumed it was posting an online journal--which it is--but I totally underestimated its ability to keep people connected. To date, I follow 56 blogs. Thanks to bloglines.com, it is very easy to follow all of these (even though I'm currently a week out of date, due to the all-encompassing work this past week). Anyways, I just love reading blogs, and feeling like I can "know" people, even though I am thousands of miles away.

Back to what I really intended to post tonight...

This is not a typical Alisa post. It was almost going to be...because I do have another crazy business owner to rant and rave about. No, not a Skagwegian Alaskan-pride person, but someone else who I have recently come in contact with, and feel is completely dishonest, without principles, and just plain rude.

BUT...today at church I was asked to give a talk about "Love." You know...Valentine's Day is coming up, and yes, Mexicans celebrate it, too. I didn't talk about romantic love, spousal love (is that a word?), or love within a family unit. My talk referenced the two greatest commandments ever given. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” And “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

I talked about keeping the commandments, and ways in which we can be encompassed in God's love, and therefore show our love to him. It reminds me of (not part of my talk) when I chose to ditch my performing aspirations, and I chose a different path in life. I loved performing, and I think I still would...but I had some crossroads experiences that made me realize that the Lord comes first with me. I didn't want to be around the atmosphere that dominates the world of performance (I'm talking about the behind-the-scenes moments), and I knew I didn't want that for my future family. Anyways...just ramblings...with no exact point...

Secondly, I talked about loving our neighbors. I don't know about you...but I don't actually know my neighbors. (Okay, so I met our neighbor once, and she invited us to a Christmas Eve party starting at 10pm, and we didn't attend. We saw her a week or so later, and she seemed really ticked off that we didn't come...but I digress...) Anyhow, 3 Nephi came up in my talk, specifically:

“For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another."

I delivered the message, "Yada yada yada," but then I came home from church to receive a nasty email from this said mean business owner who is completely rude (well...I deserved it, I sent him a nasty one first), not to mention I have recently received some correspondances from the other Skagwegian (previously mentioned) but has never ever once said "sorry" for the insulting and horrific experience that she inflicted on us last year. These silly little things have just been eating at me, making me FUME inside, and it is hard to get them out of me.

Then, later today I read in the BYU Magazine (Spring 2008...I'm just now finding time to read it when I have extended potty time...hahaa) about a guy visiting a Muslim prayer meeting in the far land of Tajikistani. The spiritual leader, or caliph, taught that "if we will unconditionally love our enemies, then eventually our love will turn their hate to respect and then love in return."

And finally it hit me. It was a rebuke. So here I am, biting my tongue, wanting to share some tidbits of my recent (frustrating) experiences just so that I can have some feedback and feel justified in my anger...but I have been told and reminded countless times (just in the last few days and hours!) that contention is not of God. And I want to be better. I really do. And I hope that I can love, and forgive and forget. But I'm soooooooo nowhere near to being perfect.

So...that's my rant for tonight. And perhaps my one and only rant for this year. Perhaps.

Oh, and when I gave my talk in church today it was translated into Spanish, one sentence at a time (1 sentence English, 1 sentence Spanish). My Mom pointed out "Oh, you only have to prepare half as much!" True...so true.