it ALWAYS comes around...

we have had a tough few weeks! working around the clock, we have spent hundreds of hours preparing for the second biggest season of the year--Father's Day. we're at the beach, but we mostly see it as we drive by, or falling off of peoples' flipflops on their way through the store. besides starting up a whole new region while still managing our other 5 states, we have faced major unanticipated challenges in miami.

the most obvious one is that english is a second language here. not even our housekeeper understands us when we ask for extra coffee pods. i knew there was a reason i should have paid attention while i was listening to spanish tapes for 6 (8?) years. got a lot of novels read, though.

así que ahora estoy en la pista rápida para convertirse en un experto español .

the other glaring issue is that...miami people...are ugly.

not like that. they are (and i generalize) rude, mean and snobby. i've never seen so many people living in paradise and hating it.

but they have great style.

i digress. it has not been an easy season. 3 hour naps at night have been common. coffee has been my bff. people we counted on have come and gone. life has been a moment-to-moment survival.

and it all...paid...off. our stats came in this morning and our sales for the past week were 125% of a normal weeks' revenue (our normal week is already 400% higher than last year). one of our new miami stores, working with a skeleton crew AGAINST store management who had less than no respect for us (before this week), came in 3rd in the country for sales of our fabulous exotic fragrance.

we are blessed blessed blessed!

and my african-american co-workers are planning to dump me at the beach tomorrow because they are sick of wearing sunglasses just to look at my pale face.

no love.