Am I boring…which would you prefer?

[Dermotissuchafidget]

This Saturday…friends birthday lunch..lots of girls only, beautiful place by the beach, lovely food, drinks, entertainment, quite fancy and you need to get dressed up..2-3 hours long.

My original plan for Saturday (before she planned it)

Drive to a beautiful nature place with trees, stream, picnic tables..take Dd, 5 and Ddog, with Dh, pack a picnic, Dd to wear wellies and take a net in the stream
walk for a couple of hours

Which would you prefer?

For context, I’m 45

Getting dressed up for the beach?!

Given that it's currently below zero I'd go for the indoor option!

Both sound lovely but given chances to do the trip with friends are probably harder to come by I would do that if possible

What part of the world are you in? Beach is absolutely freezing! And woods/forest/picnic in below zero temperatures doesnt seem like a dream either.

Please tell me you're somewhere fantastic and warm

both lovely

aside from WTF a picnic in Jan (presuming in UK)

My original plan for Saturday (before she planned it)

who is “she”

who’s birthday?

confused

Oooh friends birthday lunch - you can do the family thing every day

I would prefer the nature walk.

Neither - both sound boring, hard-work and fucking Baltic.

I'd stay at home, do something productive in the morning then spend the afternoon under a blanket on the sofa with a book and a brew.

Not boring, just different outlooks on life.

You wanted a nice family day to celebrate your birthday. One of my highlights this Christmas was a whole family walk with the dog, rather than one or two family members.

The party by the beach sounds nice, but not how you want to spend your birthday. Did you ask her to plan your birthday celebration or did she ambush you? If not asked, I wouldn’t like someone organising something when I already had plans. That would be more annoying then the actual event.

Imo be grateful you have lots of mates to go out with and make the effort for them.
Film and popcorn with dh and dc when you get back.

Where do you live? I'm guessing Australia?
It sounds as if you want a family day.

Sorry, in a different country to U.K. but still winter, but not freezing

1 - It’s too cold and wet here for outside!

Both sound nice. Could do the thing with Dh and DD on the Sunday if no other plans

I'd do both, move the nature walk to Sunday.

@MereDintofPandiculation ? Yes, a restaurant by the beach?

i’m confused. who is who and who wants to do what

and basically… are you pissed off about something?

The beach with the girls. Absolutely that.

Currently minus 5C here... in the sunshine nearly 11am. Due to be warmer but wet this Saturday
So, here in the West country, I'd prefer indoors at this time of year.

Both sound wonderful to me at the moment but that's because I'm constantly trapped under a baby at the moment.

I understand why you'd prefer the second option though. I think a lot would depend on the company in the first option.

I’m assuming from your title that you want to do the family picnic rather than the friends’ brunch, and you are wondering if that’s ‘boring’? This is Mn, OP. Social invitations are viewed with horror by a disproportionate number of posters, who would be actively angry about being ‘forced’ out to an occasion because ‘weekends are family time’ and ‘Friends are too much drama’ and ‘I don’t answer the door, why would I go out to have brunch?’

For me, it’s not an either/or. I like my friends, so am always glad to see them. I would do the family picnic later or on Sunday.

Why does it have to be one or the other? Can you not celebrate on one day with friends, and on another (probably your actual birthday) with your family?

If I had to choose, I'd go for the first one, but without the dressing up or entertainment (although without knowing what the entertainment is, that's more difficult!)

However, if any of your family/friends is criticising you for being boring (presumably for choosing the second option) then they're not really your friend, are they?

I'd jump at the chance with a lunch with friends as I'm always doing walks in the woods etc., I walk every day usually. And, sorry to mention the pandemic, but I missed out in so much then in terms of going out and never really made up for it.

Both sound lovely, assuming the first one is a rarer occasion and you have lots of opportunity to do the second one I'd go for the first.