Currently (2020): Update on my last post about the box swaps. You are going to love this.

The person in my second scenario who asked for a box swap, I requested one candy bar from a particular company, she told me that she had been in contact with that company, but did not include one of their candy bars in by box -this is the person I am updating on.

She has now sent me two messages on Instagram, “we need you to give this post some love”. In other words, go to her IG picture and “like” it. I ignored the first message. I mean, who ASKS for likes anyway? When she sent me the second message, I went to her account to see what the picture was of that she wanted me to like. Guess what it was.

Yep. It was a candy bar from the company I had requested she send me. I’m sure after contacting them, they mailed her one. I don’t think it ever occurred to her to actually pay for one and mail it to me. I just had to mention that because I almost laughed. It was like I was being punked to get my reaction. Ha! Ha!

From The Past: January 20, 2004

Okay listen up! I’m getting on my soapbox now and I don’t know how long I’m going to be here.

I was brought up to believe that you “call before you come”. Meaning: give me some warning before you come to visit. I don’t believe that this applies to close family members though. My parents are welcome to come over whenever they please.

It may seem as if I’m being overly sensitive, but checking with my copy of Amy Vanderbilt’s Etiquette, I see that I am not. Mrs. Vanderbilt says, “It is a considerate thing to phone any newcomer on whom you plan to call to ask when it will be convenient for her to see you. Choose the afternoon between three and five or, if it’s an informal home and an informal neighborhood, in the early evening after dinner, first making sure you are welcome.” I couldn’t agree with this more.

For the past two Sunday’s we have attended a new church. They strongly suggest that you fill out a visitor card and drop it in the offering plate. They also have a guest book that you can sign when entering or leaving the building. Kevin and I never fill out these visitor cards. We know that once you fill them out, someone is bound to “come calling” on you and they never call first. I have no idea why churches think that they are exempt from this rule. It would be lovely to be asked so that I might have time to straighten things up a bit, burn a candle, put on a bra, etc.

Okay, so I have established that Kevin and I never fill out these cards. Skip to us on the way home from church this Sunday. Ashley is in the back seat telling us how everything went: the games they played, how they talked about Baptism, how she filled out a visitor card, how they sang. “Back up! What was that? Did you say you filled out a visitor card?” I asked. “Yes, he said it was very important and he wants to meet you.” She replied. Okay, I thought to myself, we’ll meet him next Sunday morning. “Did you give our address?” I asked. “Yes and he said that he lives just a few streets over from us!”

I knew. I knew right then we would be having company; company that was not invited and that definitely had not called to see when it would be convenient for us. Some people say, “Well if you know when they’re coming, you’ll make sure you’re not at home.” Hmmmm. Let’s just think about that statement. Might that mean that they don’t want to be bothered?

Tonight, we ate dinner a little early. Normally we’re sitting down to eat at 6, but tonight it was 5:45. By 6:10 I had finished the dishes, but I knew that it smelled pretty funky in there. We had eaten fish and it keeps the kitchen good and smelly for at least two hours afterwards and that’s with the help of an incense stick. The garbage was piled high, but I had planned to wait until dinner was over because I knew plates would need to be scraped and then the fish smell would be in the garbage. (There is reasoning behind my madness). Ashley’s Polly Pockets were all over the living room and the TV was blaring Clean Sweep when the doorbell rang. It was 6:15.

Once again, I knew. I knew that it would be someone from church because they never call first. I hadn’t even lit an incense stick; I hadn’t had time to get to it just yet so the house was good and ripe. If I hadn’t cooked an early dinner, we would have still been eating.

Now how rude is that? I quickly begged Kevin to please get the door and I ran to the bedroom. It was Ashley’s Sunday School teacher. I guess he couldn’t wait until next Sunday to meet us; although I stayed in the bedroom the entire time.

After he left, I asked Kevin how it went. He told me that he kept him right next to the door, so he probably hadn’t seen the pile of garbage or the toys all over the floor. But he will probably forever associate that fish smell with us whenever he sees us. Oh, well, I’m sure he is a very nice person, but he should have called! That goes for anyone outside the family. No one likes to be caught with their pants down (or their fish breath).