5:30 A.M. WAKE UP CALL

Our morning routine has never changed ... not in 7 1/2 years ... Sadie and I haven't strayed one inch from our routine (other than changes in venue through the years). It goes something like this:

Alarm goes off ... I grumble ... Sadie sits up and begins wagging her tail ... I roll over, grumble some more ... Sadie stretches, rolls, stretches some more -- tail still wagging ... I roll back over to the other side and groan loudly ... Sadie comes over to the bed, breathes nasty doggy morning breath in my face, tail wagging, letting me know she's really got to use the doggy facilities (in otherwords, "Hey Lady! Get out of bed. I gotta pee!") ... I stumble out of bed and head to the bathroom ... Sadie does potty dance in the hallway while I try not to fall asleep in the bathroom ... Sadie leads the way to the back door while I try not to trip over cat standing in the way ... I let Sadie out, she does her business, and sniffs around the yard ...

EXCEPT FOR THIS MORNING!!!

This morning, Sadie heads outside, sits on the edge of the patio and barks for 6 straight minutes. Oh yeah! The neighbors not already awake, were when I finally dragged Sadie in! I am soooo popular this morning!