ChattyCathy wrote:

> Puester wrote:
>
>>
>>On the other hand, my husband always wants to arrive at a
>>party, dinner, etc.
>>at the exact time stated on the invitation. We had friends
>>who were always late
>>coming to our house. When we arrived "on time" at their
>>gatherings, we'd often
>>find them in the shower or not even that far along yet.
>>She'd look down her nose
>>and say "Oh, yeah. You guys are always on time."
>
>
> Good grief. With friends like that, who needs enemies?
>
>
>>It's hard to know what to do about that. Do you arrive on
>>time but 1/2 hour ahead of
>>all the other guests, or do you arrive 15 minutes "late"
>>when everyone else is getting there.
>>Either choice can give a host the fits.
>
>
> FWIW, I won't look down my nose at you if you arrive on time at my
> house ;-)
>

When i was pregnant with my duaghter my family decided to spare me the
whole "surprise" baby shower thing, probably for fear the baby might
turn up as an extra guest, so I went over early to visit with my sister,
who'd flown in from Phoenix for the ocaasion, and to help with setting up.

My uncle's skank du jour, and her mother, showed up *an hour and a half*
early and sat on their asses, drinking my dad's beer that they helped
themselves to out of the fridge.

Dumbfounded? Flabbergasted? Abso****inglutely floored? Pick a word
and any of them would have described my mother's, sister's and aunts'
reactions. AND they were the last ones to leave.