the hostess with the mostess

This last Sunday we just barely got around to having our neighbors the Claysons over. We have almost lived here 2 years, and this was the first time. And, embarrassingly, we've lost track of all the times they've had us over for countless number of things.

Number one, I think this has to do with our schedule -- with D working 60-70+ hours a week 6 months of the year, I get very possessive of whatever time he is not working (and remember I come in 2nd after Elder's Quorum, too). So I hog his 10 hours free time a week most of the time. Plus I have family that lives within two miles of us that we do like to get together to see each other at least once a month . . .

The other reason is that . . . well, I'm just not the best hostess in the world. I never do those home hostess parties - just not my personality. But beyond that when we were in our college married ward & I was in RS pres & D in EQ pres we wanted to have people over all the time to get to know them better. So we did. My missteps during that time ranged from mentioning my dinner for the night was an old frozen dinner (still good though) and having no one end up eating anything . . . to forgetting to clean my bathroom for 2 months (hey I worked FT + our callings) and when someone asked to use the restroom . . . I asked if they could go use the one in the lounge. Seriously I don't know why I'm telling you this - these are some of my most embarassing moments!! I would rather have said that than her think that nast bathroom was how I live my life!! And then we move on to when we lived in Vegas . . . seriously I think I may have killed an LDS missionary from Brazil who is allergic to pork. Well, at least hospitalized. The first time we fed him was pork chops, and the dork didn't tell us he was allergic before that. The second time we signed up I was crazy busy working long hours at agassi so before work I just threw a ham in the crock pot, and added some cloves (except I used WAY too much cloves) so after the traffic jam ride home that night we get home with missionaries waiting for us on the front porch and a ham that has no recognizable food flavor and . . . I just made them eat it. We were halfway through the most disgusting dinner I've ever eaten when he asks, "is this pork?" and for some reason I don't think ham is pork, until that moment - and I just look at him and say, "nope." Not gonna deal with that.

Anyways, if you have had us over in the last two years we're working on having you over to our house, but please understand the two year wait -- the Schencks are next, and it's been 21 months we've been telling them it's coming. I can pencil you in now . . . for 2011!