I Don't Even Like Jello.

I am super excited to announce that today is the sort of day we have been waiting for since last October.  PJP Buttonwood was FULL OF ACTIVITY.  We had electricians and plumbers and floor sealing specialists and very important decisions to make about all sorts of things.  And this day...I have waited so long for this day.  It wouldn't take many clicks through the blog archive to find a day that showed the Buttonwood space full of Silent Stan's storage and me on an epic rant on leasing spaces "as-is".  After four months of lease negotiations and almost four months of preparing this space, well, you would think today would come with a ticker tape parade.  So why do I feel like this?

A little overwhelmed, a little unsure, and a little like someone has bet $20 bucks that we won't hold up for this process.  And if you are keeping track at home, this is approximately the 283rd time that I've been a little blown away by this process.  According to Forbes Magazine, approximately 543,000 new businesses start a month in the United States.  I take a little solace that approximately 542,998 other people feel like wiggly jello on a spoon along with Jeanne and I right now.  Are there other people debating the merits of monthly widow washing services?  How many of the 542,988 are giving themselves headaches by thinking about special transportation tax districts?  How many fed their family Jimmy John's for dinner and laid on the couch with their dog for 20 minutes because the dog is the only one without an opinion about anything?

The amount of work accomplished at PJP Buttonwood today was nothing short of astonishing.  We have lights and a framed out front counter and as I type this, our floors are drying from being stained and sealed.  In a day, the entire space went from a working construction site to this...

Tomorrow, the oven, refrigerator, freezer, and sink are installed.  We also have three eight-foot stainless steel work tables that will be assembled and put into their spaces.  It feels like our very own episode on HGTV where everything comes together at the last second...except none of this is edited.   And we don't have to be blindfolded for the big reveal.  Or take a drink anyone says "open concept" or "industrial chic"...though now that I think about it...