They left me at home all alone this weekend. I didn't realize what was going on Friday night when Greg got home and they headed out the door with a few bags. At least, I didn't figure out that I was on my own that night until they didn't come back that evening. I played with mousie and ate some dinner and went to bed.

Saturdays are usually my big social day with the guys coming over to play games with Greg, but I didn't see anyone today, except outside my window. I watched some evil birdies teasing me in the morning. Then I curled up and slept some more cause it looked hot outside. I lost mousie under the closet door and someone tied the laundry doors shut so I couldn't get the duster from in there. I played with my yarn and slept some more. Where were Greg and Kendi? I didn't drink much or eat much that day cause I was worried about them.

Sunday, I woke up and stretched, played with my yarn, and gathered my toys in my basket. Then I watched out the window until I feel asleep. Then the light made me hot, so I left the window and curled up on the horse blankie that Kendi left on the couch. I worried about where Greg and Kendi. They should tell me where they are going to be. Then the noise started. A big, bad, loud storm started outside. It made everything quiet inside and everything loud outside. It started to get really warm inside and was still really quiet. All of a sudden the thunder stopped and the kitchen started beeping. When our kitchen beeps it's really, really loud. It beeped for 10 minutes. Then it beeped more quietly, but it was still beeping.

Finally Greg and Kendi got home. Greg made the beeping stop. I love Greg. He made the beeping stop and gave me cuddles. Kendi had yummy smelling food but she wasn't sharing. I got petted and cuddled, but I didn't want too many cuddles because I was still hot. They sat down to eat the yummy food and didn't share. Then they watched some video thing on Greg's laptop. I knew the guy in the pictures. In the middle of the video everything went dark accept the laptop. Kendi and Greg both moaned. Kendi got out fire sticks (she calls them candles) and set them up on the table so that they could see. They talked for a few minutes and then decided to go to bed. It got hot. I ate a little dinner. Then I went to look out my window. Kendi scared me by trying to pet me while my back was turned so I latched on. I let go as soon as I smelled it was her; but she scared me. Kendi had gotten mousie out of the closet for me, so I decided to bring mousie in by their bed and play. Then I went to sleep. I jumped awake when the kitchen started beeping again. It was really loud and it was bright all of a sudden. Greg made the beeping stop. Kendi made it dark again. I ate a midnight snack and curled up with them. I'm glad they're back. I hate the beeping.

As I walked through the hallways at work this morning, I heard a tune that always manages to catch in my head each time I hear it and that always manages to encourage and cheer me. The song is Standing on the Promises by Russell K. Carter. I remember singing it in church as a girl and hearing it many times at home and other places as well. The words speak plainly of a confidence that all Christians should have, all should strive for, and many often find themselves struggling to hold. And I love that the lyrics address that discouragement and struggle as well, in fact, it's quite possibly my favorite verse:

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

The image of storms bringing darkness and cloudiness, fear and doubt, is a powerful one to me. It's ironic in a sense as I love thunderstorms. However, as my mom reminded me a few weeks ago, I just might love them because I was fascinated by them and scared by them as a child, constantly asking why God needed to make such noise. My parents reply was simply to remind us that He's there. So maybe in the dark and in the cloudiness we can hear him the loudest. That would certainly make the next part of this verse shine even brighter in that only through the "Word of God" can we overcome such gloom. I love that the hymn doesn't neglect that we're flawed humans who struggle even to trust our Savior, but also remembers that we can overcome and trust in full even in the darkest and most trying hours.

So for those of you not humming it yet...

Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of Christ my Savior;
standing, standing,
I'm standing on the promises of God.

As promised, how Greg and I survive and actually enjoy long road trips. And as typical of an organizational nut, I'll put things in list form.

1) First and foremost, lots of snacks and drinks. Greg and I make sure always to have a drink for each of us in the car. We usually take some simple snacks with us as well, ranging from cookies to string cheese, depending on what coolers we have available.

2) Have directions ready before leaving. We find that we have a lot fewer arguments as to where we going if we have directions telling us exactly where we're going. Now, we're not afraid to stop for random attractions as time allows; however, it's much easier to get back on track with directions available as to where we need to be.

3) Music/Radio. Gives us a way to fill in gaps in conversation. We have satellite radio which is nice because we don't have to worry about running out of FM signal ranges and we have options such as various types of music as well as comedy channels. Borrowing my parents vehicle for our trip to FL, we took an envelope full of CD's so that we had plenty of music we liked no matter where we were.

4) Books. One thing that Greg and I tend to like for long trips is reading. To clarify, Greg is not reading while driving; rather, I'm reading out loud while he drives. That way we have something to do together while stuck in a small area for hours without having to created artificial conversation when we see each other every day. We've read primarily comedy, jokes, and you be the detective shorts. I highly recommend the last as it helps to keep us both alert when we're using our brains while traveling interstates for hours.

5) Something for passengers to do. Greg usually drives, which means that he's occupied; however, if my voice gets tired from reading, I don't want to be bothering the driver with an 'entertain me I'm bored from staring at the highway' attitude so I take crochet to work on in the car. Other folks I know, knit, read on their own, play hand-held video game consoles, and play travel games (especially with kids) just to name a few examples.

6) This next one should be unspoken, but I find that all too often it is not done: be aware of what you and your body might need when you stop or if you need to stop. In other words, if you need a bathroom or food break say something as an extra 10 minutes is nothing compared to the alternatives of some being sick, grouchy, etc. That said, if you stop for another person in your vehicle, don't try to be the he-man who doesn't use the potty just to have to stop 15 minutes later. It's better to combine things like bathroom breaks and stretching or lunch and getting gas when at all possible. Now obviously this is for adults, and younger children will depend on caregivers to watch for such needed stops.

7) Finally, be a boy scout, in other words, be prepared for anything. We usually pack some BandAids and Neosporin, Advil, sunblock, and insect repellent. I also pack a light jacket because Greg prefers a cooler temperature than I do in the car. Now we also pack a speaker phone and charger to use with our cell phones. These things are in addition to the general road travel items we keep in our trunk which include a small tool box for minor tweaks if needed, spare tire and jack, paper towels which come in handy more than we care to admit, and a road atlas. That last one people often comment to me that it's not needed if you have a GPS, but Greg and I tend to agree that with worst case scenario variables like dead batteries and poor satellite connectivity it's best to have a back-up. Besides, sometimes it's nice to have a map to consult for alternative routes rather than simply relying on the way the GPS wants to take you. After all, the GPS is yet another tool and not a trip planner in and of itself.

So that's how we do the road trip thing and tend to enjoy it. Anyone else have tips for road travel? We'd love to hear them, so feel free to share via comments.

So Greg and Kendi sent me off to Paul and Lanie's house a few weeks ago. While there Paul and Lanie took me to stay overnight at the vets house. The vet woke me up early in the morning and gave me a shot which made me very sleepy. I woke up later with my belly shaved and stitches, and a tender spot where he gave me more shots. When Paul and Laine came to pick me up from the vet, he had to shake me out of the little cage cause I certainly was not facing anything else he might do, especially not when my belly hurt so much from what he did that morning. He wanted to look at my belly again before I left, but I wasn't falling for that, so I defended myself well. So well that the vet called me 'feisty.' I take that as a compliment. He then grabbed me by the base of the tail to lift up my hind end and look at my newly acquired stitches. So embarrassing. They must have been okay, because he let me go back to Paul and Laine's house, but not before he mixed up some evil pink liquid and gave it to them. Well, after all that, I certainly wasn't putting up with puppy breath or puppy play, so I hid in Kendi's old closet for a whole day after I got home. I slept most of it, coming out only to eat and use the littler box. After all, my tummy hurt, and I didn't feel good, and there was a dog out there.

When I finally came out, Paul and Laine made me take some of the icky pink stuff and gave me treats and yummy food, took good care of me. I even came to an understanding with their dog, Bridget aka Bridgie. She wasn't so bad once I realized that she was scared of me and just wanted to play. One growl and she knows where she stands.

After a few days, Paul and Laine packed me up in my car and we took another long drive. They took me back home where Greg and Kendi were with their green suitcase on the floor. I really don't like the green suitcase, I just wonder why I didn't see it before I went to Paul and Laine's house. I usually know something is up when that suitcase is out. This time the suitcase stayed put and I was home. I checked out my litter box, and my fountain, and my food bowl, and my balcony, and my couch, and everything seemed to be in it's place. SO I got cuddles from Kendi and lots of cuddles from Greg, and then I went to my hidey hole behind the DVD player to sleep. Paul and Laine and Kendi and Greg disappeared after a bit and came back for Paul and Laine to say goodbye before they headed home again. I said good bye and had my belly looked at again. Then Greg and Kendi made me take the icky pink stuff. Then I curled up and slept some more.

Then after 2 weeks, Kendi comes home from work early one day, is home the next day, and then packs me up in the car to go get Greg. At least, that's what she told me we were doing, going to get Greg. She didn't tell me that after getting Greg we were driving for 3 hours to go to Paul and Laine's house again. I love Paul and Laine, but there's the dog and I have to share things and it's a long time in my carrier, and well, it happened anyway.

That Saturday morning they held me down and cut at my stitches to try to get them out, and I fought with all that I had. Later that day they took me outside. I loved the tree and the grass and the shade. I didn't love the Bridgie wouldn't leave me alone. At one point she and Jay had me so worked up I actually bit at Kendi and scratched her thumb. I knew I was in trouble when she picked me up by my harness and carried me inside. I hid for a while that afternoon. The rest of the weekend I stalked Bridgie around the house working on my hunting skills, which are obviously vastly superior to a dog's, but Patches didn't want to play...something about being too old for that...Anyway, it was good. Well, except for having to get a bath Sunday night because of supervising the guys while they worked. Then we came home the next morning, but my fountain got left at Paul and Laine's for Patches so I'm drinking out of my cup and bowl for a while.

It was good to be home. So good in fact, I wanted to make sure the Greg and Kendi didn't leave again, so that after they came back from grabbing dinner to go and unloading more stuff from the car I ran out the front door at them. I've never done that before and they yelled at me. Greg smacked my behind for running out at them without my harness or my leash, but I didn't know where they were. I didn't know that they went to get dinner. I wanted to make sure that they weren't leaving again.

After they got settled with dinner and a movie to relax, I made sure that I could get some sleep so I crawled up into one of the drawers on the coffee table. I woke up when Greg pulled me out of it to tell me that they were worried about me. Apparently they had been looking for me for 20 minutes and were starting to think that I had fallen off the balcony after helping Kendi to water the plants. After some extra hard cuddling and a good talking to by Greg, I just wanted to sleep some more; so, I crawled up in the drawer again. Greg must be pretty smart to warn me about sleeping in the table drawers because all of a sudden the entire table shook. I got out and ran as fast as I could. I didn't go back there. I curled up on Kendi's lap instead and slept the rest of the evening.

so that's what I've been doing. I've been nursing a very sore belly, which is thankfully getting better, and traveling. I've told Greg and Kendi that I don't want to travel for at least another 2 weeks. Now if I just can figure out how to dump the rest of the icky pink stuff down the drain I'll be set.