Summer is supposed to be busy for me but in all my years here in Alaska Ive never been this swamped. I guess it comes from being ingrained the community for so long (15+ years now) and having the option of saying yes or no to just about every opportunity that Ive ever wanted.My problem is that I have trouble saying no and that every opportunity that has come up has been so exciting that I would kick myself if I turned it down. Some of these things could be once in a life time chances... and who can say no to that?
So as the good fortune rolls in, and I put in far too many hours to count, I remain with my head held high and feeling higher on life than I ever have before... occasionally being tired isn't all that bad when I look at all the positives going on right now! :)
Through all of this I have learned to delegate, to accept help and to realize that help of any kind doesn't have to come from a single source all the time. I have learned that people have all kinds of strengths, all kinds of weaknesses and that to make everyone successful they have to be given the opportunity to succeed where they are strong and direct them away from the areas they are weak.
I guess what I'm learning here is management and even though I don't consider myself fluent in all this just yet, I am far closer to that fluidity than I was six months ago.
And probably the biggest lesson Ive learned is that putting my own hours into things really pays off in the long run. I have thought about taking out loans to get ahead, taking the easy way out, but in the end with a little patience I can look back on all of this and see the rewards free and clear. I took out loans for school many years ago and I am still paying for that decision wishing I would have taken life in my own hands instead of depending on someone else to do it for me.
The ultimate best lesson of all though is that nothing can stop someone who has rock solid determination. That has been the best talent I have ever possessed...
Without James none of this could have ever been possible. He has trusted me 100% from our very first discussion of how I wanted to quit college and venture out on my own. I still remember that talk we had over lunch, its one I am likely never to forget. He was so patient, so willing and so open to my crazy idea... what a rare person he is to be so trusting of this starry eyed bride...
And so I continue down this crazy road so grateful to all who have helped along the way, all the adopters who have given our foster dogs a chance, all the volunteers who have put in so many hours (especially James Langston who lately has been such a huge help!) and all those still to come who will continue to make this crazy dream of mine a solid reality.
Highlights of June have been the wonderful ice cream party Jamiell put on for the dogs and I at the Quest show. Our two brother huskies, Luigi and Thunder, who were just adopted out a few days ago and are waiting for their flight down to the states. Lilly who will be adopted after the holidays so we can speed along her journey to the lower 48 to meet up with Joan and her other two shelter rescues (also fostered here) Jasmine and Velvet. And all seven foster babies that grew up with us during the first weeks of the Quest show who have now all been adopted.
I'm sure I am forgetting a few key moments of this past month, its been hard to keep all these wonderful things straight. But I did get a nice surprise thank you gift for my help with the Caledonia Classic Sled Dog Race, a t-shirt, two patches and a nice thank you photo of one of the racers. You might recognize the design they used from our website. It was my pleasure to give them permission to use it for this year and I am looking forward to working with them the next.
Currently there are plans for the Yukon Quest t-shirt in the works and possibly a bit more this year. I cant go into details right now but I have been so thrilled they are keeping me so busy!
Our retail stock at Riverboat was moving very slow until last week so we were in kind of a bind there. Not sure what happened but they must have gotten packed the last few weeks of June and we are hoping that will continue into July to get us financially up to speed. This year they are showcasing more of my art and that is selling far better than I ever imagined. New prints just went in yesterday so we will see how those move as I get the Quest up to speed this week with the same variety of art work.
Its been hard to work in retail orders on top of everything else but we are managing well. A huge thanks to Ben for being my errand boy these past few days. He has saved me a TON of time doing things in town while I continue to work at home.
Ah, I hear thunder rolling in... I hope the rain is close behind and we get some cool breezes to bring the temperature down in my office. I have more hours to spend up here, the cooler the better...
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