Now that I’m a homeowner, I decided to have a housewarming party, for many reasons. First of all, it would give me the incentive to actually unpack. Second, this is a very close-knit community, and I really want to become a part of that. This would give my neighbors a chance to get to know me. And it would be a delightful mix of old friends and new, coming together to make my house a home. I really like that concept.
No, it wasn’t a cheap plea for gifts, although some people did bring some thoughtful and lovely ones. But it was a potluck, and I’ll be eating leftovers for at least a week. That’s nothing to sneeze at.
I am a classic introvert, and I haven’t thrown a party in at least a decade for good reason. The planning and preparation stressed me out. Who to invite? Who won’t show up? I need to clean x, y, and z. How will my dog Quagmire behave? I need plates, cups, chairs, condiments…
The party was to start at 6:30. No one showed up for the first 25 minutes. This gave me plenty of time to try not to freak out. “Nobody loooooves me!” It also gave me time to think about all the people that I invited who told me they weren’t coming. They love me enough to not stand me up, but not so much that they’d actually come. “Ouch! Stop that!”
In the end, 15 people came, and it was a wonderful time. Well… except for the Quagmire incident.
I needn’t have worried about how he would behave. He showed his ass from the very start. The first person who had the nerve to enter the house without his permission got attacked.
I was mortified. There was blood and peroxide and band aids and apologies. But the attack-ee was a lot more gracious than I would have been in similar circumstances.
Quagmire’s piss-poor behavior gave the party an awkward start. And he spent the rest of the evening in time out in the bedroom, barking his fool head off. (Had I known no one would see that room, I wouldn’t have bothered to clean it.)
But if you overlook the initial crisis in confidence and the canine violence, a lot of friends from various parts of my life came together and made new connections. The time flew by. The food was good. And apparently I’m not going to get sued. I’d consider that a success.
But introvert that I am, people suck the life out of me. So even though I had a great time, I was really glad when it was over. I slept for 10 hours straight that night.
So, that’s me done with the party obligations for at least another decade. Whew. There’s a load off.
Like this blog? Then you’ll LOVE this book! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
The View from a Drawbridge 
Oh how I wish I could have been there. Especially after looking at the Cookies. The framing of the little house is so cute. Looking closer they each seem to have lol as part of the decoration. Maybe not intentional, but so appropriate.
Oh, Carole! Do you think I’m that skilled at baking? Actually, I pulled that picture off the internet. 🙂 But I truly do wish you had been there, too.
I think it was worth it and I hope you are glad that you did it! Many people do close off their bedroom during an open house, so maybe Quaggie was just trying to help by giving you a reason to put him in there…..
Quag appreciates your spin on his horrid behavior! 🙂