to throw an annual Christmas party? Well...judging by last night, it takes about a house full. The Hub and I were invited to a Christmas party for a fellow office in his company. His office and this office are sort of connected, being the only two for his company located in Arlington. So, generously, the manager invited him.
It was an adventure finding the place. Driving through winding streets in Arlington is no easy feat. I know Sandra Bullock is from these parts, but outside of that, I don't know how anyone finds anything...or anyone...in Arlington. We passed increasingly higher priced homes until we reached our destination. A contemporary house with very interesting architecture.
Friends, I didn't know what to expect. I can say I wasn't expecting to walk into the home and be elbow to elbow with an over 60 crowd. Like way over. Maybe not what I expected but definitely what this party was made of. Who knew? That office apparently is almost entirely senior citizens. How in the world was I going to mix myself in here?
The Hub and I pushed our way through frail elbows and stuffy suits to get to the sodas. Somehow we found ourselves out on the backporch looking an unbelievable backyard landscape. Think thousands of dollars worth of work. It was beautiful. We mingled a bit and I sat down on a couch next to a lovely lady. Deciding to stretch my self, I engaged her in conversation. Parties don't tend to be my thing. For a lot of people, it's not exactly easy to go to a dinner party where you know no one and mingle in easily. Please add to that task the fact that these people were all full of white hair and slow-paced walks. Sigh...
But my couch friend and I managed to chat about her dogs (seriously), a house she had listed a few months ago, and grocery stores. And yes, I felt like I was talking to my grandmother. The waitstaff (yes, waitstaff) announced dinner was ready so we headed to the dining room. The Hub and I grabbed a plate and headed to the back of the growing food line. The food was placed around a circle table, and seemed clear enough to me, that we were to wait for our turn in line, step up to the table and circle around. The Hub and I seemed to be standing still for 5 minutes.
Wondering why the line wasn't moving, we chuckled a bit, but kept waiting. As we inched closer to the brim of the table, a lovely lady told me were in the wrong place. Huh? She tells me she hasn't gotten around to the other side of the table yet to dip from those dishes. Okay, I tell her, the line formed here, and I gestured to her so she could see the loooonnng line. Yea, she said impatiently to me, but she hadn't gotten to that other food, she tells me with less than a friendly tone. Oh, excusseeee me. Ha to the ha. Wow. I implored her, pleassssseeee go ahead of me. Help. Your. Self. If the food was that big of a deal, she for sure could go right in front of me. That lady was so serious about getting to that food.
Eventually she and her posse cleared out and we were able to circle the table. I can't report to you that the food was wonderful. It was a potluck on the shoulders of some of the agents I guess. Salt was obviously not an option. Should I be surprised? We took our plates, found seats and began discussing how much we thought this house costs. Trying to ask realtors this question is like sudden death. The figures ranged in the one point million something. With the number after the point being hugely debatable.
The Hub and I chatted some more, had some of the most incredible bread pudding and ducked out the door. Definitely not my crowd and surely strange to try to interject myself into their world. I don't know real estate like they do. I am not in my 60s, 70s or 80s as they were. I don't live in Arlington like they do. Eye-scanning the crowd when we arrived, I knew this would be tough. Friends, it was tough. I survived it, thinking these are the things we do for our spouse. Suffering for the good of the cause. Besides the lady who nearly chopped my nose off about my place in the dinner line, it was uneventful.
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