Blessins and Lessins
I watched one of Steve Harvey's clips from his day time talk show. He said something that I have believed since I've heard it forever ago and that I really liked. And yes I've heard it time and time again in church and from our General Authorities but it's cool hearing it from a non-LDS. He said that in every trial there is a "blessin and a lessin" ('blessing and lesson' but you gotta say in your head with a Blaccent). It's usually not until after a trial that we see the blessing and the lessons learned. Throughout the past couple of months we have actively searched to find the lesson and recognize the blessings in the midst our trials.
I mostly blog about the kids and things that happen in our live's but I don't always talk about our business. I often get asked "how is the business?" and I often answer with a 'good' or a 'great' but I feel like there's so much more behind that single word. 'Good' is just the tip of the iceburg. It's a loaded single word response. 'Good' to other people may mean money and wealth, while to us it means progression, creativity, learning from mistakes and improving a process.
Aljay has been really busy with the business. Joe (married to Aljay's first cousin Mele) is now a part of the ROOCI business and he's that crucial missing piece of the puzzle and a perfect fit to the team. I don't know what all their exact titles are now, but he's over the accounts and is the contact person for Rooci now and he's been awesome in helping to push all their goals forward, contacting new customers and setting up accounts, and helping to bridge the ideas of the two creative artists.
They have experienced people flaking out and not being upfront, dishonest people stealing designs, people wanting free designs....basically just getting ripped off and people not understanding that ROOCI is a business. It's people's livelihood. It's how a family is going to eat. And it has been frustrating to say the least. At times things can be very stressful, but every experience has made us better, made us think about something we've never thought of before, challenged us, pushed us a little further outside of our comfort, and brought about improvement. Blessins and lessins. It's not always easy and it doesn't pay the bills yet, but it gets us closer to it. One day it will, and that day is coming soon.
In the mean time, we still worry about how the bills are going to be paid, how the kids are going to eat, how we'll afford things....but the good Lord always adds to our efforts and blesses us with just what we need, as long as we do what we're supposed to. And in our case we can't afford to not pay tithing, to not read our scriptures, or have FHE, or do our visit/home teach, serve others, all that good stuff. It's a must.
We've been blessed with side jobs that Aljay is able to pick up, and sometimes selling artwork. Our tax refund provided just enough cushion to get us through a few months. It's not easy but we're surviving. I sometimes start to worry and feel the weight of stress but I find great comfort in having Aljay by my side. He is a very hard working man that I have full faith and trust in. I know that he will do anything to make sure we are okay. I'm so grateful for him. Aljay and I are both thinking of finding work. Baby is now a little older so it might be easier for me to leave her and find something part time or full time. But we'll see what happens. We want to keep the momentum going with the business but we also gotta eat!
So although things have been rough financially, and we expect the next couple of months to be just as challenging, we welcome the challenge. We might be be broke but we are blessed. What is life if there aren't any obstacles right? It's stagnant that's what it is. Besides, it's only temporary. And when we focus on the positive, we see that in every obstacle that we've come across there has always been a 'lessin and a blessin'.
Blessings in our lives...
General conference, as usual, did not disappoint! Easter Sunday was a great lead into a week of prepping for general conference. We had a FHE lesson about Prophets and told the kids what General Conference was about. When the Saturday sessions started they were pretty good at just drawing and listening during the sessions. On Sunday I gave them their "conference basket" that included an activity packet that our ward primary presidency provided the week before (as well as some snacks, puzzles, drawing books, random sensory toy things) #lovedit The kids were so excited about it and were happily occupied while we watched the Sunday sessions. Nothing like good ol General Conference to uplift, inspire, comfort, and reassure this Mama. It was just was I needed.
We asked the kids what they learned and their responses were so honest and funny. Leila- "the Prophet and all the guys speaking can talk a long time", "pray and follow the Holy Ghost", "we have to be reverent during conference".....lol Sefa-- "you have to color quietly and be reverent" lol...love their honesty.
Naki Family Vacay
My cousin/little sister Teuila and her husband Bubu came with their gorgeous girls Naelah and Atalina for a week long visit to Utah! Of course while they were here, we tried to win them over in moving to Utah by pointing out all the fun family centered places and the cheap food hahaha. They loved it! They were such troopers and made the most of their stay! Going every where and doing everything! It was sooooo good to catch up! Miss their faces!
Aljay had to work during most of our excursions so me + 4 kids = no pics #buthowcomeicansnapchatfordays #struggles
Baby Eneleta
This little angel had me all up in my feelings!!!! Oh my goodness! It was soooo beautiful watching (through facebook and messenger lol) how this tiny little gorgeous human came into this world and brought so much joy and happiness to her parents and grandparents and all her family. There is something so special when a couple becomes parents! I couldn't help but remember how I felt when Leila was born. I was in major love (and still am) with Aljay but when I held her in my arms it was an entirely new kind of love. Like my heart just grew two more sizes. It was incredible. I felt God's love for me so deeply. Along with it came this great responsibility to nurture and care for this perfect little being and an even greater desire to be better in all aspects. And knowing that Ben and Nina, and even Nina's parent's as first time Grandparents, were going through this experience just made my heart melt! Baby Eneleta is perfect! And perfectly named! So happy for Ben and Nina, and the happy sets of Grandparents! and everyone else why not!
What's been happening with life (business, how are we surviving, etc)....
I mostly blog about the kids and things that happen in our live's but I don't always talk about our business. I often get asked "how is the business?" and I often answer with a 'good' or a 'great' but I feel like there's so much more behind that single word. 'Good' is just the tip of the iceburg. It's a loaded single word response. 'Good' to other people may mean money and wealth, while to us it means progression, creativity, learning from mistakes and improving a process.
Aljay has been really busy with the business. Joe (married to Aljay's first cousin Mele) is now a part of the ROOCI business and he's that crucial missing piece of the puzzle and a perfect fit to the team. I don't know what all their exact titles are now, but he's over the accounts and is the contact person for Rooci now and he's been awesome in helping to push all their goals forward, contacting new customers and setting up accounts, and helping to bridge the ideas of the two creative artists.
They have experienced people flaking out and not being upfront, dishonest people stealing designs, people wanting free designs....basically just getting ripped off and people not understanding that ROOCI is a business. It's people's livelihood. It's how a family is going to eat. And it has been frustrating to say the least. At times things can be very stressful, but every experience has made us better, made us think about something we've never thought of before, challenged us, pushed us a little further outside of our comfort, and brought about improvement. Blessins and lessins. It's not always easy and it doesn't pay the bills yet, but it gets us closer to it. One day it will, and that day is coming soon.
In the mean time, we still worry about how the bills are going to be paid, how the kids are going to eat, how we'll afford things....but the good Lord always adds to our efforts and blesses us with just what we need, as long as we do what we're supposed to. And in our case we can't afford to not pay tithing, to not read our scriptures, or have FHE, or do our visit/home teach, serve others, all that good stuff. It's a must.
We've been blessed with side jobs that Aljay is able to pick up, and sometimes selling artwork. Our tax refund provided just enough cushion to get us through a few months. It's not easy but we're surviving. I sometimes start to worry and feel the weight of stress but I find great comfort in having Aljay by my side. He is a very hard working man that I have full faith and trust in. I know that he will do anything to make sure we are okay. I'm so grateful for him. Aljay and I are both thinking of finding work. Baby is now a little older so it might be easier for me to leave her and find something part time or full time. But we'll see what happens. We want to keep the momentum going with the business but we also gotta eat!
So although things have been rough financially, and we expect the next couple of months to be just as challenging, we welcome the challenge. We might be be broke but we are blessed. What is life if there aren't any obstacles right? It's stagnant that's what it is. Besides, it's only temporary. And when we focus on the positive, we see that in every obstacle that we've come across there has always been a 'lessin and a blessin'.
Blessings in our lives...
Easter
Easter Week was a tiring one. It was around this week that all the kids decided to get one last round of sickness. Leila had double ear infection, Viiga had a cold, Baby Saleima was starting to get sick, and Sefa was fine until he spent one night throwing up because the lil turd had eaten too much popcorn. Yay for stale popcorn barf alllllll night and early morning long.
As usual, I wanted to do fun little Easter activities for the kids to help them learn about Easter, but then the plans were trumped. Not a surprise. Just when I was feeling all blah from a long week, we received a picture from Sui and Chu of Talmage and Zion washing each other's feet. What a sweet photo to remind us of the Lord's ultimate service that he provided for us. I took a second to think about the service that we rendered to others and to our children throughout the week and decided to use it as a lesson for our children Saturday night. But then we ended up having a last minute egg hunt with some of our friends at our house on yesss Saturday night. Plans trumped again lol. But the kids had fun and I just saved the lesson for Sunday. On Sunday we talked about why we give eggs and I shared with them the story of Jesus Christ's Atonement (well as kid friendly as I could). It was a good end to a hectic week and a blessing to feel of His love, feel gratitude for His sacrifice, and to share it with our children.
General Conference
We asked the kids what they learned and their responses were so honest and funny. Leila- "the Prophet and all the guys speaking can talk a long time", "pray and follow the Holy Ghost", "we have to be reverent during conference".....lol Sefa-- "you have to color quietly and be reverent" lol...love their honesty.
Naki Family Vacay
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| Celebrating Atalina's 2nd Birthday |
My cousin/little sister Teuila and her husband Bubu came with their gorgeous girls Naelah and Atalina for a week long visit to Utah! Of course while they were here, we tried to win them over in moving to Utah by pointing out all the fun family centered places and the cheap food hahaha. They loved it! They were such troopers and made the most of their stay! Going every where and doing everything! It was sooooo good to catch up! Miss their faces!
Aljay had to work during most of our excursions so me + 4 kids = no pics #buthowcomeicansnapchatfordays #struggles
Baby Eneleta
This little angel had me all up in my feelings!!!! Oh my goodness! It was soooo beautiful watching (through facebook and messenger lol) how this tiny little gorgeous human came into this world and brought so much joy and happiness to her parents and grandparents and all her family. There is something so special when a couple becomes parents! I couldn't help but remember how I felt when Leila was born. I was in major love (and still am) with Aljay but when I held her in my arms it was an entirely new kind of love. Like my heart just grew two more sizes. It was incredible. I felt God's love for me so deeply. Along with it came this great responsibility to nurture and care for this perfect little being and an even greater desire to be better in all aspects. And knowing that Ben and Nina, and even Nina's parent's as first time Grandparents, were going through this experience just made my heart melt! Baby Eneleta is perfect! And perfectly named! So happy for Ben and Nina, and the happy sets of Grandparents! and everyone else why not!Baby Eve
The baby excitement did not let up one bit! It carried on as I waited patiently for the arrival of Candace and Jay's third baby, Eve. Candace had a scheduled C-section so I knew when she would be born but when the day came I felt like I was waiting anxiously alllll day for a text or a fb post or something! I was sooooo happy once I got Jay's text, but then I had to wait for them to announce her name/weight/height...etc. So many good feelings going on I had such a hard time containing myself. I'm so happy for Candace and Jay and especially big brother Uati and big sister Neima. Love these precious babies! So fresh and so pure!
Aaahhh so many blessing! God is good. So grateful for the Lord's tender mercies and subtle reminders, especially when we are going through trials. He's always carrying us through. Looking forward to spring and summer and what 'blessins and lessins' await us.
May and June....we coming.
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