Big things happened.

What a whirlwind my life has become! I guess it's always been a kind of whirlwind, but it's been so much more so in the last few months, and I haven't been able to talk about it. I don't know if you know me, or if you've ever spent more than 5 minutes in my presence, but not being able to talk about something is a pretty sure fire way to keep the issue in the forefront of my mind at all times.

So, here it is, the big news:

I formed an LLC with Jonathan and Katy and we bought the Black Drop. Now, when I say "bought" I mean that the founders, Teri and Alex, decided to "sell" us the shop with NO MONEY DOWN and payments payable to them every month for the next 8 years, so that they could see their shop continue with the passion and love they put into it, and finally be able to take home a paycheck after 8 years of not getting paid. This was a pretty amazing offer, and I dithered back and forth about it, even so. Many people I know that do not know Teri and Alex or the nature of my relationship with them told me that the deal was way too good to be true, and that there must be a catch. There wasn't. Seriously. I know, right? They could have sold it for a big chunk of money and all of us would have lost our jobs. They didn't want to do it that way, for love of the project they have put their blood and sweat and tears into. They wanted to make sure their baby was treated with the same love and respect for what we accomplish that they instilled.

So, we did it. And when I say "we" I mean mostly that Teri kept telling us what we'd have to do and when it would need to be done, and the partners would meet, and then I'd end up doing most of it, and would ask Teri for help when I needed it. It was a huge, stressful, complicated shit sandwich, and I think she and I both smoothed it out as well as we possibly could.

I couldn't talk about. I wasn't allowed to tell anyone under a non-disclosure form that I signed that would lead to very bad things for me if I didn't follow orders. It was for good reason: When word spreads that an owner is looking to sell a business, it automatically lowers the asking price that owner is able to garner. So, if it had gotten out that Teri and Alex were wanting to sell, and the deal fell through with us, it would keep them from being able to make the profit they deserve to make on this cafe they've put so much into.

The deal went through on Christmas Eve, papers were signed and closing fees paid, and the ownership of the Black Drop Coffeehouse officially went to Blizzard, Lawson & Oppelaar, LLC (or, as we shortened it to be, BLOPP.)

So, that's why I wasn't writing, or able to talk about why my life was a giant ball of stress. I was in the process of closing the deal, taking classes, and dealing with another John meltdown.

Christmas came and went, the deal closed, and we all started painting while we kept the shop closed. We've spent most of the days since Christmas not sleeping at night and getting up the next morning too early to go back and do it again.

We had a grand opening party last night, it was full of lovely people and friends visiting from out of town and my fantabulous and ever supportive in-laws. My family got sick and couldn't come. (My dad asked me to set up a web-cam so he could attend. I found that really sweet.)

And in the process of all of this, I have felt lost because I'm not talking to anyone about it outside my little everyday life.

I am hoping that now it's all done and out in the open, I'll feel less stymied. We'll see. It's rather like learning to walk again. One foot in front of the other with my hands out in front of me to catch me when I faceplant.