Sitting on G

It's always hard for me to think of a title for my blogs.  I do not have one right now as I am beginning, but once my fingers start flying as my thoughts pour out and I actually figure where all these ideas will stream into, I will have one.

My thoughtful, encouraging, inspiring friend, Heidi, sent me this link this morning that made me laugh and then really think.  This woman compared the personalities of her two dogs, one being a Siberian husky and the other a German shepherd.  They are pretty much the same as my Manning and Dolly.  Manning is always alert, anxious, awake, sitting on G waiting on O to play ball, walk, go for a car ride, go outside, go upstairs, whatever.  Where as Dolly is perfectly content sitting under a tree,chewing on some wood, lounging on her chaise, resting her head on the window sill, or wallering in the floor on her back (what she is doing as I type now).  They do play together a lot, but their personalities are night and day.  They actually somewhat reflect mine and Caleb's personalities.  I am always looking for something else to do, chores, laundry,cleaning, a new recipe online, organizing something, etc.  Caleb is very laid back and will get things done in his own time.  I am the over eager busy body German shepherd and Caleb is the relaxed, go with the flow bloodhound.  Caleb is very sweet just like Dolly too where as I have more of a temper like Manning. 

If you read further into this woman's post, she then forms the analogy of God's servants.  Are we ready to go and be used for Him at anytime or are we content/relaxed in our own little worlds?  Are we actively waiting for Him to tell us how we can be used for his service here on Earth, or are we too busy with our own lives that we are too worn out for what He could use us for?

I feel that I have been a mixture of both at times.  Sometimes I feel that I am so busy with worldly things and thoughts that I am too worn out to serve Him, who should be put first.   Others, I am finding I am just seeking Him on all occasions and even sometimes not paying attention to the world.  I am happy to say that lately I have been more of the latter.  Our new small group is making me more "busy" but in a good way.  In a great way.  Growing spiritually is never a bad thing.  I am learning to sacrifice things that I desire in order to make more time to attend small group, study, or pray.  I am turning down invitations for not so important social engagements because I really do not want to run around like a chicken with my head cut off.  I like having the time to just take a walk with Manning, manage my home & be caught up by the time Caleb gets home so I can hang out with him.  Putting God first really does somehow put everything in its proper place/order of priority.  It's not always easy though. 

The following 2 verses really sum it up:

Isaiah 6:8, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" (NIV)

Luke 12:35-36, "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him." (NIV)

If you have never heard of the website www.proverbs31.org, you should check it out!  They will send you a daily devotion via email and there are also categories to look through as well from past posts.  Big thanks to Heidi for telling me about them. 

P.S.  Manning is 2 weeks into his hard core "boot camp" training with me.  We have only missed 2 days of walking due to weather.  He seems more interested in me now during walks and less about where he wants to go or his surroundings.  He hardly pulls at all now.  Granted, he has on FOUR collars.  Yes four.  Tick collar, regular ID collar, pinch collar (for corrections) and hunting shock collar (for MAJOR corrections or if he gets off his leash).  He looks like he is Mr. T.  He actually walked past 2 kids and a poodle yesterday and barely looked at them!  When I tell him NO when another dog begins to bark at us, he actually puts his heckles down on his back and keeps going.  Is he perfect? Of course not.  But we are onto something.  And if I just keep it up, 2 miles every single walk almost daily, one day he may just listen to me in stressful situations (vet, strangers, etc).  I have learned to have patience with him during our walks and patience in the fact that he won't be perfectly the way I want him trained overnight.  I do think it has strengthened our relationship more as he listens better, sits before going in/out doors, getting food/treats etc, and respects me more.


Caleb is almost home, so I am going to wrap this up.  Thanks for reading my ramblings.  If you don't like it, then stop reading it! ;)

55 things about my dad

My mom is going to be jealous, but she will have to wait until November for her birthday I guess.  My dad turned 55 today.  The double nickel.  Sammy Hagar's I can't drive 55.  I have told him numerous times I could never ever repay him for all he has done for me. The list is too long to name. He really is always there for me, my car, my house, my dogs, my plumbing, etc.  My dad shows his love by doing for others.  He is not the sentimental type.  He is getting a little bit softer now in his grey hair years though.  Here are 55 reasons to proclaim what a great person and dad he is with a few memories in there too.

1.  He is SO funny.  He is a big cut up everywhere we go.  He used to give the name "Griswold, Clampett, Drysdale" at restaurants for our table waits.
2.  He used to tell me I could not date until I was 28.  I guess I can date as of now. 
3.  He has a value for classics.  Look in his garage. 
4.  He can bust a move.  From the Twist, Macarena, Cupid Shuffle, you name it.  I will never forget when he demonstrated the Cupid Shuffle to me in our kitchen at breakfast one morning.  I had no idea he knew it. Our father daughter dance to My Girl was also pretty entertaining.
5.  He makes to do lists.  And checks them off.  This is where I get my OCD from.
6.  His garage is labeled and the attic is alphabetized.
7. He wore sunglasses in my wedding to hide his emotions.
8. He loves to sing karaoke.  Also where I get this.  Song of choice: "Crazy" by Patsy Cline.  Dogs howl :)
9. He built my mom's dogs a "dog condo."  Heat, electricity, ceiling fans, the works. Who does that?
10. He can invent anything.
11. He can hang custom built 70 pound pinterest inspired window mirrors in no time.
12.  He is the only person I have ever witnessed to "spank the baby" on a diving board, all the while shaving the hair off the back of his thigh.
13.  You could eat off of his cars.
14.  You could eat off of his lawnmowers.  No really, he waxes them.
15.  He dives in the pool with his sunglasses on and they fall off every time.  I get to swim down and retrieve them.
16.  He is impatient.  Just like me.
17.  He hates clutter.  Just like me.
18.  He washed my car nearly every weekend when I came home from college.
19.  He has only missed changing my oil in my car once since I was 16.
20.  He uses his work vacation days to do projects like my tile at my house.
21.  He uses his work vacation days to remodel his mother's house.
22.  He used to drink sweet tea out of huge measuring cups at Sunday dinners at my Mamaw's house.
23.  He bought his dad a goat (Billy Tom Clinton) and a pot bellied pig (Maybelline) for Christmas presents. The pictures and videos are priceless.
24.  He once entered a woman less beauty contest for charity, donning fake nails, pantyhose and his mother's bra stuffed with half Nerf footballs. And he won.
25.  He has the neatest handwriting. 
26. He asked me every day after school "Did you learn anything or do you gotta go back tomorrow?"
27.  We saw the ocean together for the first time when I was 4 at Daytona.
28.  If you see him in Wal-mart, he may embarrass you over the loud speaker.  Or in a hospital even. He knows how to work them all.
29.  He wore the biggest smile on his face during both of my college graduations.
30.  He drove his precious 55' Chevy on a farm and it nearly got stuck all because I wanted him to drive me up to the aisle for my wedding.
31.  He made sure to wipe it off before getting me out to get a laugh out of everyone.
32.  He finds a new hobby every 5 years, adding to his old ones.
33.  He has a DJ business on the side and loves to have a microphone in his hand. 
34.  He really has never liked sports.  But he watches football with my mom because he is sweet.
35.  He once dressed up as a UT football player at the Bledsoe Dunlap game.  He made the news and the yearbook.
36.  He washed the paint off of his very first car because he washed it every single day.
37.  He knows everyone.  Literally he does.  "Oh, your Tom's daughter."
38.  My childhood memories consist of going to car shows almost every weekend with my mom and dad.
39.  His favorite color is chrome.
40.  His favorite Christmas song is "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" and he will sing it daily during the holiday season.
41.  He is the worst fisherman known to man.  His stories will have you crying from laughing.  Sunk a knife and a boat are a couple off the top of my head.
42.  He was my landlord for 7 years after buying me a house to live in while I was in college and grad school. He always mowed my grass. 
43.  He has no idea what rest, naps, or relax means.
44.  His favorite show is the Barrett Jackson car auction.
45.  He will never get a clean plate for dessert.  Just pile it on top of the remaining spaghetti sauce or chicken and dumplins.  "It all ends up in the same place."
46.  He has both fallen off and gotten stuck on top of our roof.
47.  The only time he has flown is to the Barrett Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. 
48.  He would help anyone he could out (unless they are a "foreigner" and even then he might would)
49.  He could have made millions in all the car repairs and borrowing of tools he has done for other people over the years.
50.  He can splice fiber optics, fix cars, and build almost anything.  But he cannot work a computer, iPod, TV, DVD player, or cell phone without IMMENSE education first.
51. He once bid on and won 3 big screen TV's on Ebay on accident.  That was fun to fix.
52.  Don't touch his car.  He may scream really loud and then blame it on a bee.
53.  He used to love to give me wet willies in my ear.  Once I stood and watch him come up behind a girl he thought was me.  She turned and gave him the weirdest look and I just waved at him.  Got him back for a change!
54.  He cares more for others needs than his own and stops at nothing until they are done.
55.  He is MY dad.  We may have our differences and scary similarities so we don't always get along but I would not trade him for any other. 

Happy Birthday, Daddy.

Love your little girl,

April

Who's training who?

Since we got Manning (exactly one year ago this weekend), I have seen similarities in how it would be like raising a child as puppies are quite needy and require a lot of attention/care.  So I can see how it would somewhat prepare a couple for a baby.  A German Shepherd like mine however, is preparing me for the worst behaved child imaginable.  Imagine taking your child to the doctor, and he kicks and yells at every person he sees, trying to show them he is boss.  Imagine him nearly pouncing on every new guest you have at your home.  Imagine your embarrassment.  You feeling like a bad parent. Welcome to my world.  Don't get me wrong.  I love him.  He is photogenic, he is handsome.  He lays in my lap and gives me kisses.  He loves to play ball.  He is a perfect angel at home with just us and Dolly.  Public or with visitors, not so much.  I kept blaming his "puppy-ness" but we are a little too past that now.  This has to be fixed.  ASAP. 

Manning is testing me daily.  He is that kid that says, "what happens if I do this?  and this... and this?" pushing me a little more and more.  He has literally tried and almost succeeded at controlling me.  Well, we can't let that happen so off to one on one specialty behavioral training we go.

Training day one at home:

Manning sat, looked at me and laid down for turkey pepperonis just perfectly in our driveway prior to our walk. I thought, "This is going well just like last night at training class." Loose leash walking?  Forget that.  My dog is the most hyper active busy dog in the world.  "Who is that? What is that? Where are they going? What's that car doing?  That dog think he can bark at ME? I will show him!"  It never stops.  Our normal 15 minute one mile walk took us an hour tonight as I was TRYING (emphasis trying) to make him mind me and be mannerly the entire time while keeping slack in his leash.  Talk about an arm workout. My neighbors throughout our subdivision were chuckling at all the correcting, "sit, down, NO, good boys" and Manning yelping from his pinch collar corrections.  All I could think was "CHILDREN CANNOT BE THIS HARD TO TRAIN."  I mean, at least I am bigger than them for the first 8 years or so.  At least I can warn them that they will get grounded and they will understand.  At least I can hope they get my genes and are well behaved and listen most of the time. This 70 pound dog can pull me around like it's nothing and I can't threaten to ground him or take way his toys or TV time.  Either God is preparing me for the most misbehaved rebellious children in the world or just laughing in spite of himself. 

The concept that good ole Freud developed seems so simple. Task complete, give treat. If you have 1,000 repetitions in which to do it. (uh, full time job, direct sales, husband, social life, family, working out, cooking, class reunion planning, church activities, cleaning...need I say more?)  Needless to say, I have my hands full. 

Don't worry, I won't be doing daily training blogs on his progress.  I am mostly just marking this day down in hopes that in two or three weeks I can come back and compare and he has shown improvement.  I know he has potential to be trained, but do I? I feel like I am the failure here.  I can't train my dog to behave correctly, so how could I be a good mother? Frustrating to say the least.  I just keep trying to tell myself that God has His reasoning.  God is training me.  He is using this experience with Manning to train me to have more patience.  To be more diligent, compassionate and understanding.  To love and be love.  To trust and learn to be trusted.  None of us sinners get it right the first time.  We often repeat our mistakes.  God still loves us.  He gives us extra chances to get it right. If God can be patient with me, I can be patient with Manning.  If I can get through this training, I may feel as if I can conquer the world.

I urge you, friends to take a look at whatever may be frustrating in your lives.  Something that seems to test you.  Something you lose patience with.  It's that way for a reason.  You feel that for a purpose.  God would never give us anything we can't handle, as long as we trust and confide in Him.  I feel he gives us trials so we lean on Him more.  So we learn to trust Him and have more faith. 

I am being trained just as much as Manning is.  God always has a plan that trumps mine tenfold.

Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.