New Years Eve - 2016

Happy New Years Eve,

We just returned home from visiting my 93 (soon to be 94) year old mother whom we love deeply. We are so thankful that we had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with her, and share a bit of New Years cheer, even if it was 4:00 in the afternoon... champagne is good at virtually any time of the day with the one's that you love.

So here we are, just hours away from the New Year, where did 2015 go?   It seems like just yesterday that I was giving my notice to JP Morgan, but yet it was almost 2 years ago now.  Like everyone, we've had our ups and downs over the past year, but on balance we wouldn't trade it for the world. 

We'd just like to take a moment and pause, in a world that seems somewhat out of control and broken in many respects to thank each and every one of you that has supported us over the past year.  Sales aside, your friendships and words of support and encouragement are worth far more than the almighty dollar could ever provide.

For those of you that I have managed to offend over the past year or two, or five, or eight.... please accept my sincerest apologies.  I wish that I could find a way to simply click the reset button, but sadly there aren't a great deal of those types of reset buttons in real life, so all I can do is say I'm sorry and I'll try to do better.

So what does 2016 hold?  I have absolutely no idea, I wish I did.  There are however a few things that I've learned, and intend to fully incorporate into 2016, the 1st of which is...

Words matter.  Especially when attempting to communicate through email or conversations.  I'm notorious for wearing my shirt on my sleeve, both good and bad.  If I enjoy your company, I'll be the first to say I love you.  Alternatively, and I'll admit it, I'm not very good at communicating when times are tough... call this improved communication effort,  my 2016 New Years resolution. 

So, lets talk a little about custom orders,  I'm not quite sure how it will all work from a practical standpoint, but here's what I'm thinking this 12/31/15.  Every stick that I make requires "X" number of hours to make.  Friday Night Sales are fun, and everyone loves a sale, myself included.  That said however, it still took me "X" number of hours to make the given stick.  I'm thinking my focus this New Year may be more on the custom side, as me guessing what you want has proven to be "iffy" at best. The list has in the past gotten rather long, but I think I'm at a point (or am hopeful that I can be at that point) where I can actually manage a custom list with a reasonable turn around time.  In the meantime, here's wishing you a safe and Happy New Year,

We Love you,

Doug & Erin