Dog Juggling

Anybody in need of some free dogs? Mine drove me crazy last night and this morning.

It's always bad when it's storming. Mercy is terrified of storms and Butter is just Butter---excelling at mischief.

So Mercy sat up in bed all night and shook. I don't think she slept for 10 minutes last night. Occasionally she would lay on me, but I'm pretty sure she stayed awake. Butter decided it was time to make a break from her crate at midnight, so she started howling and whining and squeaking (it really does sound like squeaking...it's very shrill). So I got up to let her outside and she didn't want to go outside, she wanted to play. She got tossed outside anyway.

This morning, I had the challenge of attempting to get Mercy to go outside just long enough to potty while keeping Butter outside. That took about 20 minutes...just to get them both outside. And that was after some cursing and spanking and general dirty looks. They wear me out on rainy days. Then the next challenge is letting Mercy back inside after she's finished doing her business and keeping Butter out. It's much like juggling. They both run in the house, you throw one out, it runs back in, you throw it out...I'd love for Butter to be able to stay inside too, but she's just crazy. She tears stuff up and has no bathroom manners, climbs on tables (still haven't figured out why!). She's only a foot tall, you wouldn't think she'd be that much trouble.

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Ladies Banquet last night was good. I missed having Alias, but the guys told us they wouldn't watch Alias last night either so we wouldn't be behind. We had chicken of some sort and a baked potato and some other stuff I didn't eat. It was good though. I like the way they did their banquet. My other church is also having a banquet, but they're calling it a Mother's Day Banquet. Well, not everyone is a mother and not everyone has a mother anywhere nearby. So I'm confused about that banquet and don't feel welcome to go. Which is sad because I really like the lady who is speaking at it. She's one of my favorite people. The banquet I went to was just called the Annual Ladies Banquet, which apparently always coincides with mother's day, but they don't term it that so more people will feel included. Their pastor is a good photographer, so they had a little area for everyone to get their picture taken by him (with their moms/daughters/family members) and he takes the film to Wal-Mart and gets it developed and hands out the pictures at the end of the banquet every year. I didn't get my picture taken because I thought it would kind of be idiotic to get my picture taken by myself. I kind of felt like the only one there who didn't have some kind of family with them.

One of the ladies at my table asked me where home was. I told her and she asked if I went home often. I told her I hadn't been home since Christmas and she said, "Oh, I bet your mom calls and asks when you're coming home again!" And I said, "No. That never really happens." But her family structure is totally different from mine. Her daughter is in my Sunday School class (probably about my age or a little younger) and still lives at home. I can't imagine that. I'd really like to have a different relationship with my family, but my independent attitude is so ingrained in me now that there will always be some distance there.

The lady who spoke at the banquet last night shared her life story about how she was abused terribly by her mother, grew up hating her mom for what she had done to her, and then later came to forgive her mom after she (the daughter) developed a personal relationship with Christ.

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My sister is in Hawaii. Last night she called me and told me to go look at a live webcam on Waikiki Beach. I did and she stood there and waved at me. It was pretty cool. She said she's seen some really breathtaking stuff and is having a good time.

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I still haven't run since my race. I hope to go tonight. I'm kind of missing it. Perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment.