<p>sylvan8798
Thats grounds for justifiable homicide! Grrr!! Did that old gf watch his parents ’ dog when you and he married?!?!?!</p>
<p>And sorry, I don’t find cobrats story funny.At.All.</p>
<p>When DH was little he used to crash weddings on Columbia campus. He and his buddy would put on white shirts and black pants and sneak in for food. I am mortified, but I think it was pretty creative for 3rd graders. He said they never got caught and made a point to try and get in pictures. His mother never knew until he told her that story this year.</p>
<p>So this was to be about outrageous requests–but we have digressed–and so I will share the latest outrage I have had with some friends. They were invited for brunch about a week ahead of the date to see S and his new family. S had worked for the the man of this couple just prior to this event. He was now just visiting with his new wife and son. They were to arrive at 11. They did not call or arrive and it was 12:10. I had food that needed to be cooked but did know enough about them to wait until they were “on their way”. Finally, they called and were leaving the house. I put the food in the oven. One hour later–no people. H calls (after I was storming–the food completly overdone–they live 20 minutes away and this dish needed 40). They would be there soon…stopped to buy the wife’s sister a birthday gift and walked the dog…showed up over 2 hours after the invite. No shame.
They can be super fun and they may very well be my D’s inlaws. So now I hesitate to invite them anywhere (many more stories like this–1st time with them 30 minutes late to a restaurant) and always know that it may or may not happen. They cancel often at the last minute–even after having starting cooking.
Just today I was emailing an invite to go on our favorite hike in the morning. Then realize I was setting my self up for issues and just deleted.
OH but–then one time they were to come at 6 and so not expecting them H went to do errands and I did about nothing (not even dressed) and they rang the doorbell at 6.</p>
<p>Lets see…</p>
<p>Myaunt once snipped about how we didnt leave them a room for when they visit. Several weeks later we just set them up in the furnished basement (growled about that too even though we had reccord setting heat and that was the coolest). Same visitor also told us thatwe had tolock our 14year old toy poodle in a room for the entire week becausee she was so sure that said dog would bite her. Also called said dog psyco dog the entire time even though the pup only wanted to be friends…</p>
<p>I’ve been to my fair share of weddings in my short life and I’ve only been allowed to attend the ‘fancy’ ones since I was about 15. Quincea</p>
<p>Cobrat, I think it’s funny too. 
That’s what wedding crashers do, right? Eat the food and talk to the other guests.</p>
<p>This may not fit the Outrageous Guest req’t, but here goes.</p>
<p>When we lived in Calif, my H’s siblings decided to have a family dinner at a local restaurant for their parents’ Anniversary. H and I took off work, flew to H’s hometown, only to learn that the party wasn’t going to happen because:</p>
<p>1) older brother got tickets to the Notre Dame/Purdue football game.<br>
2) younger sister decided that she wasn’t hungry enough for a big dinner. </p>
<p>Oh, and when they came to Calif for our wedding, none of the brothers brought appropriate wedding clothes (We’re all Catholic, they KNOW what men are supposed to wear to a Catholic wedding Mass…ugh!). </p>
<p>So, they had to raid my H’s closet. My H is the tallest brother, so in our wedding pics, his brothers are all wearing suits that are waaaayyyy too big for them. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>(Of course, one BIL insisted on wearing a Three Stooges T-shirt at his own church wedding (ugh!)…oh, and his portrait at his law school? He’s wearing a monster mask. )</p>
<p>Oh…and when we flew out for a Family Portrait…We were all gathered at the parents’ home, the photographer arrived, then some friends of a few of the nieces and nephews stopped by (they saw all the cars), and a few of the nieces and nephews jumped in the friends’ cars and left…and weren’t in the pics! </p>
<p>I may not have outrageous guest requests, but I’ve seen some outrageous behaviors amongst my in-laws.</p>
<p>This is my sister’s story, but she had us on the floor.</p>
<p>Last year she got an email from a college classmate whom she hadn’t seen since graduation. The family was going to be in the area for a wedding then going to spend some time around there for their vacation. My sister invited them to stay over night because she had a big house and it wasn’t going to be a big deal. The guests stayed there for a week.</p>
<p>Every morning they came down before my sister was going off to work to see what was for breakfast. During the day they would do their sightseeing and lounging at the poor, and they would call my sister to see what they were doing for dinner. As a working woman, she opted to go out during the week. They would tell my sister what kind of food the girls wouldn’t eat, so they would have to go to a restaurant which was kids friendly. The kids would order different food until they found something they liked. When the bill came, they expected my sister and BIL to pick it up. My sister and BIL have done well and they lived in a nice home with a maid. This family just figured it was their rights to share the wealth. My BIL, a nicest person, asked my sister who those people were, and why he was paying for everything. </p>
<p>The family decided to move on to their original plan and my sister breathed a sigh of relieve. That afternoon, they called to say they were coming back because the kids didn’t like the hotel they were at and they were more comfortable at my sister’s house. Even after my sister told them that they had plans, the family insisted on it would be fine, that they could look after themselves (and eat my sister’s food).</p>
<p>The day they finally left, they made sandwiches and packed drinks for the road. The whole time they were there they didn’t offer to pay or help out around the house. My sister said they were the never ending guests, just kept on coming back.</p>
<p>I am not a fan of other people’s kids either. My kids were adorable and that why they got to live to 18, but other people’s kids, not so much. When my kids were little and my friends’s kids were about the same age, I didn’t always invite their kids. More often than not, evening dinners were for adults only. I had many friends who felt when they were guests, it meant their kids were also the host’s responsibility. They would sit there eating and drinking while their kids were running wild. One woman actually asked me to hold her baby for a while because she was tired. She was looking forward to our barbecue because she thought others coud help her with the baby. Ah, no, not with my ironed sundress, no holding baby.</p>
<p>Have also had friends bring their wild kids to our home (invited, as it was a holiday dinner) but expected my slightly older kids to babysit/watch their wild kids so they could relax and drink. </p>
<p>The same family members who wanted me to get them baseball tix so they could blow off our Fri night pre-Bar Mitzvah dinner or Sunday brunch called me with some friend of hers on the phone who apparently used to live in our city many years ago. I didn’t know this lady from Adam’s housecat, but she proceeds to tell me how she missed the local city magazine and could I go around and find several months editions and buy them for her to give to the family member to bring back for her? Um NO. Like I had notheing better to do in the week leading up to the Bar Mitzvah to run around and hunt down magazines for a total stranger? I told the relative that the hotel’s gift shop would probably have the magazine in stock, and surely she could pick one up for her friend there. Also, the hotel wa adjacent to a mall and she could walk over to the mall as well. </p>
<p>My BIL had done so many boorish, selfish, obnoxious, tactless and rude things, I don’t even know where to start. It makes my blood boil just to think about them, and its too early in the morning for that.</p>
<p>Love typing on iPad with auto correct. Ugh</p>
<p>I was the outrageous guest.</p>
<p>Someone mentioned a Quninceanera. Probably 10years ago, I drove the worm and a friend to one, held at the best private school in our area. It’s an hour drive, so I went prepared with a book to read in the car. The worm and the girl’s sister came to the car and said absolutely must come and watch the girl’s performance. She learned traditional Indian dances, and performed alone and with friends for an hour. I’m wearing jeans. They insisted I stay for the dinner. 200 guests, all in formal gowns and saris, wearing more jewelry than I’ve ever seen. The waiters were dressed far better than I . It was the best food I’ve ever had at any affair (Indian & Spanish). I’m still embarrassed, but what wonderful hosts!</p>
<p>Ok, now back to the theme of outrageous guests…</p>
<p>The flower arrangement discussion on the wedding thread reminded me of another outrageous “guest” story. </p>
<p>The summer of the 4 weddings (my niece and 3 first cousin’s daughters) there was also 4 bridal showers which we were all hostesses for at least two of them. Before any of the planning started we decided the budget for each would be the same - $2000 split 4 ways for each shower. I was the lead hostess for my nieces and since the only one not planning a wedding, too, I didn’t bother the other hostesses with too many details. With my sister’s approval I picked a lovely country club in her town but other than that she had no input. </p>
<p>Several days before the shower the event person at the club called me to confirm the details for the last time and asked if we would need valet parking. Of course this was extra $$ so being from out of town I called my sister to see if it was necessary. She told me it was as there was a small hill guests would have to walk up to get to the club. I suggested that since it was going to cost more and I really wanted to keep the costs down for everyone (the other MOB were spending $$$$ on weddings, plus the other showers, etc., ) that possibly walking up a wee hill wouldn’t be so bad. She started screaming at me and so I just hung up the phone. A while later she called back but I wasn’t in the mood to talk so let the answering machine pick up. She began by screaming that she had talked to one of my other cousins and laid into me how I wasn’t doing anything for the shower, that she had found out I was planning on geraniums in pots as centerpieces instead of cut flowers (the bride is v green so I thought she would like that idea) and that I wasn’t having mini cupcakes and all the other showers were having them (I had chosen raspberry sorbet with fresh blueberries served in champagne glasses.) She accused me of being cheap, that my niece was getting shafted and that she knew for a fact the other showers were costing more then her daughters! </p>
<p>Frantic phone calls and emails to my other cousins (who know very well my sister’s personality) who agree to spend extra for valet parking and the cousin who picked up the geraniums ran to a store, bought beautiful, but very inexpensive glass vases and cut tulips. </p>
<p>Cut to shower and my sister had egg all over hew face and had to apologize profusely. It was beautiful. We had Bloody Mary’s and Mimosa’s handed out as soon as people walked in, along with a beautiful table with fresh fruit, veggies and cheeses, a lovely salad for the main course, and the simple, yet elegant dessert I had picked. It was the nicest of all the 4 showers. </p>
<p>I saved the answering machine tirade for a long time and played it for friends who came over. :)</p>
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<p>Which is why I’m no longer a teacher.</p>
<p>^ oldfort, that one about your kids made me lol.</p>
<p>We didn’t host the rehearsal dinner for my d1’s wedding, so here I’m a guest crabbing about another guest. The MIL put on a lovely affair. I spent most of it with smoke coming out of my ears because my MIL, always difficult but lately much more so, kept trying to pick a fight with my husband. She’s angry at him for living 5 hours away and not wanting to spend weeks at a time on her living room couch. As we were seated, she announced that he had done a lousy job of replacing their kitchen faucet 5 years ago. After a drink or two, she saluted her daughter’s husband for being a better son to her than my husband is. Finally working up to her big announcement, that my husband is a lousy son but she loves him anyway. I so wanted to throw a drink at her but was afraid that might ruin the weekend for my daughter… Finally her daughter pulled her aside and calmed her down for the evening. Though she has a miserable expression on her face for most of the wedding photos, until that point in the reception where the alcohol took effect.</p>
<p>These stories are amazing! Horrifying, but amazing.</p>
<p>I was a teenager still living at home when my sister and her husband headed off on vacation, leaving their three kids at my mom’s house. Well, my mom is all grandma, so she was thrilled about this . . . at first.</p>
<p>The first inkling that there would be trouble was when our labrador-mix walked into the room and the two older kids screamed like they were being torn apart limb from limb. My mom stared at them. I stared at them. The dog stared at them. She wagged her tail tentatively because she was a friendly dog. This prompted the kids to try to clamber up my mom as though she were a tree and they were hikers trying to escape a grizzly bear. Oh, did I mention my mother had just been through surgery and wasn’t supposed to lift anything that weighed more than ten pounds?</p>
<p>Then they saw our antisocial cat, who loathed all strangers, and particularly kids. She took one look at these invaders and started hissing and spitting. The kids thought this was great. They were continually chasing the cat around, trying to corner her. The next two weeks consisted of the kids fleeing in terror from the friendly dog and doing their best to get mauled by an angry cat. </p>
<p>But wait. I haven’t got to the best part yet. The best part was in the evening when my mother gave the kids a bath. Apparently, my sister did not give them baths. Ever. My mom, on the other hand, firmly believed that kids who play outside all day in hot weather need baths, so into the tub they went. From the sounds, you would’ve thought they were being skinned alive. They were literally, literally, screaming and crying at the top of their lungs. Thank God we were in a house rather than an apartment, as I’m sure someone would’ve called the police if they’d heard this racket.</p>
<p>Naturally, your mom sounds like a saint! I’m sure those two weeks felt like an eternity for her!</p>
<p>Apparently, my sister did not give them baths. Ever</p>
<p>??</p>
<p>Are you kidding? </p>
<p>How can any decent parent not bathe their young children regularly (until they’re old enough to bathe themselves)?? Wouldn’t that be neglect??</p>
<p>Maybe they had a pool?</p>
<p>Sponge baths maybe? Not that that’s really the same thing…</p>