not so social saturday

Today was interesting. I was up and ready for the day with my chai tea by 745 am. 

I had one mug of tea before heading out to the store with the hubby. He was having his crew over for a cookout. So I helped shop and prep at home. But once people started arriving, I had to keep the dogs out of the way. His team has grown and our doggos (and I) don't know this group that came today. One of them brought his kids along, ranging from 2 years old to 12. Our dogs have limited exposure to kiddos and though we don't think any of them would cause an issue or be aggressive, they are not small dogs so they can alarm kiddos regardless of their intention. So to be on the safe side, I took the doggos outside the fence on the woods side, so they could see the people but be separated. 

It was fine for a bit, but essentially I could not be in the backyard with everyone and I could not be in the house either. Because if someone had to use the restroom, there was no good place for me to sequester away with the four of them. Eventually the husky snuck her way in with the crowd but she loves people and food so other than being a beggar, she was easily accepted. That allowed me to take the other 3 up to my room to try and have a moment to relax to myself. Of course that did not go as planned since they were anxious and couldn't see people but could hear them so they didn't know what they were missing. 

My veggie burgers didn't quite make it onto the grill this time, so I used chickpeas, celery, vegan mayo, and spinach to make myself a faux tuna salad sandwich on wheat bread.

After their anxiety and whining drove me slightly nuts, I took them back out to the woods. 

This round, they were not listening as well as my patience liked so we did end up right back inside and sequestered away. But it seems after the check in, they realized they were not missing much and were finally able to settle down for a bit. 

That thankfully lasted until the guests were gone.

It's always a little odd to me how we (my husband and I) socialize. I am a home body. I love being home with the pups. When his family comes, great - that's a normal enough event that the dogs are included, everything is fairly easy since they know where to find stuff, etc. But when it is his work peeps - the dogs don't know them well enough to be comfortable, and then I end up making sure everyone (dogs and guests) are at ease by keeping them separated, which means I am separated. So I feel like it makes me seem anti-social. Especially since my in-laws are gone for the weekend, so it was just me to wrangle fur monsters while the hubby hosted and socialized.

I thought about it a little today and realized when I choose to be social (ex. friends), I tend to go out to meet them somewhere. I rarely have my family or friends over because it is a bit more stressful with all the dogs and people's comfort level, etc. I'm grateful his family is here enough (and like dogs) so that their visits are less of an issue. 

Some people might find it odd that I pick home with my pups and their comfort over socializing / having people over but I really do prefer it this way. I love my dogs. And I'm happy to spend time with friends away from home as its own adventure when I don't feel like I have to have my head on a swivel and try to read comfort levels from both humans and pups. 

After everyone left, I set the doggos free and cleaned up, put the leftovers away. I then had a little snack for dinner. 

Then I went out to burn some boxes as the hubby cleaned out the garage a bit. 

To wrap up the evening, the plan was tea and relaxing.