Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, Kids?

Kids, mind your table manners and keep your rooms clean. President Clinton is coming to dinner and you wouldn't want him to see that mess and ask, "Is this your room?"

That's the line Laurie McDonald Jonsson has been handing her three children, Jonas, 10, Marcus, 8, and Jenny, 7. And it works. Jonsson says the three Medina Elementary School children have been remarkably well behaved all week.

And it's a good thing.

It was only "a couple of weeks ago" when Jonsson, a travel-business executive, was asked to host a fund-raising dinner for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.

"Patty asked me, and I'm a very strong supporter of hers so, of course, I said yes," Jonsson says.

A native Puget Sounder and University of Washington grad, Jonsson is relatively new to political life. She has been busy building travel businesses, starting with Sundance and Admiral Cruises, then opening Stellar Travel.

About two years ago, she says she became impressed with what Clinton was doing in appointing women to work on important issues.

"I was urging other women to become involved, and I knew I had to do it, too," she says. Jonsson has been serving on a women's council advising the governor on issues of importance to women.

When Jonsson said yes to Murray's request, she was aware Clinton would be a special guest at Saturday's dinner.

What happens when the president is coming to dinner? Well, you can't just put on an extra plate. In fact, it turns out you'll need 100 extra plates for guests who will be contributing $5,000 per person to attend.

It all takes some doing. Particularly if you're facing the hurdles Lars and Laurie Jonsson have encountered in getting their waterfront home ready.

"We were in the middle of a remodel," Laurie explains. "We originally had planned to add an extra family room. But then we decided there should be another bathroom as well."

Work had been progressing at a slug's pace.

"It is amazing," Laurie says. "As soon as I told the workmen the president of the United States was coming, they speeded up. No one wants to be the bad guy. I feel everything will be ready in time."

The Jonssons are adding a fire pit to the yard where they plan to have king salmon barbecued. Four Seasons Olympic Hotel chef Kerry Sear is handling the menu, which will include Northwest oysters, mushrooms, cheeses and other specialties.

Laurie wants the dinner to have a family atmosphere. Her own kids are attending, and she has invited Gov. Gary and Mona Locke to bring Emily.

As Laurie spoke yesterday, workmen were pitching a large tent in the yard, and security preparations were under way.

"Twenty very big guys - White House security - arrived Monday," Laurie says. "My husband Lars was home in bed with a cold. The security men were considerate. But there they were, peeking at him through the bedroom window."

Yesterday "the phone," the one that connects the president to the White House in an emergency, was installed.

The phone impressed the Jonsson children. Laurie says, "They've been wanting to pick it up. They said, `Mom when he leaves can we keep the line?' "

Jean Godden's column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the Local News section of The Times. Her phone message number is 206-464-8300. Her e-mail address is: jgod-new@seatimes.com