because we're "outside people."

Claire and I met up with friends at the park yesterday, and it was SO MUDDY. Tennessee got approximately 3 inches of snow last week (which led to all schools being cancelled from Monday through Friday - go ahead and scoff, Massachusetts friends, it is what I do every time this happens!) and when it melted, it created this slushy, slippery, muddy mess at the park. Unlike my friends, I did not have towels in the trunk to deal with a muddy dog after our afternoon of playtime, so I just figured that I'd deal with the paw prints in the car at a later date. You know, like three months from now before my mom comes to visit (Mom, I'm kidding!) Within five minutes of arriving at the park yesterday, I had been jumped on, slobbered on, run into, and knocked down. My shoes were caked with dirt, my jeans had turned into camouflage pants, and my jacket was streaked with mud. (It sounds attractive, yes?) I couldn't have been more of a mess if I had just laid down in the dirt and rolled around in it.

Now, most dog owners know that when you go to a park, regardless of what the weather has been like, you always wear your Dog Park Clothes. Dog Park Clothes consist of those articles of clothing that you just don't care if they get dirty. Either that, or you have a weekly appointment with the local drycleaner, so it doesn't matter that much. Now, every so often when I'm at the park, I see someone who defies all logic and wears something that is more appropriate for, say, a dinner date with the president.

Darren had just finished a story about a time when his 5-year-old nephew, Britton, asked to go to the park one afternoon. Darren said, "And why do we go to the dog park?" Britton replied, "Because we're 'outside people!'" (Seriously, this kid is the cutest thing I've ever seen). Soon after Darren finished telling us this story, we heard some variation of, "Wow, guys, it's a disaster out here! I'm going to be all gross when I leave!" I looked at this nice woman who had just entered the park and decided to follow Britton's lead: "It is pretty muddy, but most of us are outside people, so we don't care too much!" She replied, "Well, I'm an outside person too, but this is just a mess!" She was wearing a designer jacket, a skirt, leggings, and nice leather stiletto boots. For the rest of her time there, I looked on as she tried to keep dogs from jumping on her and getting her outfit dirty. We saw another girl there in a similar outfit, but she had a white jacket on. She was getting mad at other people when their dogs would jump up on her! Fact: that is what happens at a dog park!

Sometimes I think I should train Claire to jump on people when I give her a special signal. Maybe I'll work on that this week. So if you go to the park next weekend, leave your white coats and stiletto heels at home. Consider this your warning ;)