Open, Open, Open

Do any of you remember that commercial for Mervyn's where the lady stood outside of the front door to the department store in the dark and flashed her hands open and shut and said, "OPEN, OPEN, OPEN!"  because she couldn't wait to get inside?

Well, Magpies Gifts in Cypress opens tomorrow!  And I feel like shouting...

 OPEN!  OPEN!  OPEN!

It has been the longest two weeks for me....I can't imagine what it must feel like for the 5 owners, their families, and the other employees.  The space has been totally transformed and a brand new store has been born. If you are in the area this week, you should definitely try to get there. 

The last 48 hours have been intense.

The push was on to get it all done.


All hands were on deck.


Pricing things, dusting things, vacuuming things, arranging things, spray painting things, moving things. A very large shelving unit had been ordered for the Brighton things and it was due on Thursday....so of course, it arrived after dark on Friday.  The husbands came bearing their tool belts on Saturday to put the huge thing up on the wall.  About an hour into the process, water started coming out on to the floor from the baseboard. 

Whoops.

Four men, many large holes cut into the sheet rock looking for the leak and an hour later, a plumber was called.  Two hours later the plumber arrived.  More sheet rock was cut out of the newly painted showroom wall.  Clouds of sheet rock dust floated like glitter and landed on all of the previously dusted items in the entire store.  Right before Mr. Maggie was taken to the ER, the plumber found the nail hole in the copper water pipe.

What?  Mr. Maggie was taken to the ER? 

Yes. 

But only after the whole work crowd enjoyed some delicious and fresh pizza from a local Mom and Pop pizza place that I had highly recommended.  In fact, they called it in and I went to pick it up....as it's very near my house. 

Most of us stopped to eat the pizza as soon as it arrived and then got back to our work.  Mr. Maggie didn't eat his pizza right away.  But when he did, he ate the one with mushrooms.  Mr. Maggie is severely allergic to mushrooms...a new affliction as of just a few months ago, when he went in to anaphylactic shock after consuming some on a piece of pizza. 

Mr. Maggie started feeling a little strange and mentioned that maybe he would just head home.  But within minutes, it was clear he was having another bad reaction and his daughter got him in the car and headed right down the road to the pharmacy in a grocery store in search for an epipen. 

The pharmacist was very, very nonreactive....as in NO HELP AT ALL...other than to point in the direction of the Benadryl when they asked for an epipen.  The daughter grabbed some Benadryl off the shelf....started shoving it down Mr. Maggie....while 911 was called. 

No time for that.......Mr. Maggie was shoved back in to the car and taken to a hospital 2 exits down the freeway.  The daughter saw her husband, pulled over, let him take over and she came back to the store crying.  There is way more to this story but it all happened so fast and there was a lot of screaming and crying and stunned onlooking involved.  I got the daughter in my car and headed to the ER to meet up with Mr. Maggie and Mr. Daughter's Husband.  Cars went 120 mph and Mr. Maggie was placed in to the good hands of the ER.  One big epipen later....and 2 hours of observation, he is all good. 

Thank you God.

It was at this point, that it seemed a little like God may be sending a clear signal (Two Disasters in Two Hours) that Monday was not to be the opening day.  Discussions were had.  Opinions were given.  Tired people looked at each other. 


And then.....


just like professionals.......


they got back in the store today.....


and finished what they started two weeks ago.


It's opening tomorrow.  And I can gladly report the Brighton wall has been installed.  The holes in the sheet rock are covered up.  And Mr. Maggie was fine and dandy today.


I was given permission to post about this...by Mrs. Maggie herself.  I feel sure there is an epipen on Mr. Maggie now.  At least I hope there is. 

Adrenaline rush for all.