Another Magical Sunday Morning

Sundays are magical days...and in a perfect world, my family would get up to a breakfast of homemade french toast, freshly brewed coffee, and if my husband is living right the newspaper is waiting at his spot at the table. After a leisurely breakfast and a quick perusal of the sports page, we all get ready for church and with time to spare...but wait a minute...we don't wake up to breakfast and brewing coffee; oh no...we wake up to DOGS... scratching, whining, sometimes barking; and most always it's around 6:15 am. My husband and I pretend to be in some deep sleep akin to a coma...and we wait out one another...yes, it is a game... to see who can feign quiet rhythmic breathing the longest. I have to say that I usually win round one and he gets up and makes the hike out to the mailbox to get the newspaper with at least one dog.
I always lose round two though...because upon entering the house, he happily goes to make coffee and enjoy his paper while the dogs stand outside our bedroom door and do whatever it takes to get me up; and I know that Rich is in the sun room loving this. Eventually I succumb...after all there is now possibly coffee in the kitchen (yes I can program my coffee maker to brew on a timer....no I never think to do it).
Round three begins at approximately 8:15 when I must go get in the shower and get ready for church ( which starts at 9:40). I have already made toast and shared it with the dogs, gone out on the back patio in yet another attempt to train Gabby about the benefits of going "potty" outside, had coffee, looked at email or the weather, played a game of fetch with Gabby, maybe looked at the sports page of the paper, broken up some skirmish between Wills and Gabby (most likely started by Wills walking into the sun room and simply looking at me), and attempted to wake sleeping teenagers.
Passing through the bedroom to our bath I see Rich all settled back in bed for a morning nap before getting ready for church...he might stay there until 9:00 because, after all, he is a guy and how long does it take to shower and throw on khaki pants and a button down shirt???? If he is awake he always smiles and says he has saved me a spot...Round three...I lose!
9:20 rolls around and we assemble in the car...Rich already has it pulled out of the garage and is sometimes weed picking in the front yard while waiting for us girls to get it together. I am always the last out of the house as I am usually trying to coax Wills into his sanctuary with a bone and Gabby into hers with a treat, a blanket, a stuffed animal, a ball...everything but a picture of the family. As we pull out of the driveway and head for church I am thinking to myself "dogs have it made...men have it made...women who shower at night and can get up and be ready to leave in 15 minutes have it made..." But as for me, I have a Sunday morning ritual that I can count on.