It's Been a Wild Ride

Thanks to all who emailed me privately expressing concern and care for my absence from the blog. It was all due to this precious tiny package in the picture here.
Welcome, Ella Marie Brison, the miracle baby. Long story short, she came very suddenly and I had exactly 1 hour to jump onto a plane and arrive at the hospital while my daughter was having an emergency C-section. Gretchen, the other terrified mom of my daughter's husband, hovered outside the surgery room with me. What happened was nothing short of a miracle. When the placenta was removed the large cyst burst. Had that happened inside my daughter & baby would have been at risk. Baby Ella was born and was able to breathe on her own. Daughter Kimberly is pictured here with the doctor who saved Ella's life. I cannot say enough how deeply I appreciate this man and how much I appreciate being able to post this picture of smiles and a healthy, albeit tiny baby.
Once all this was under control and healthy report after healthy report came, I received a phone call from my sister that brother in law Barry indeed had stage 4 cancer. After the surgery, Interferon treatment and radiation it had come back with a vengeance and continues to rapidly grow in his lymph nodes, chest wall and lungs. We've received a shred of hope that Barry is eligible for a clinical trial of this rare form of cancer. Again, we have to wait to see where and how he will receive this. Nothing is guaranteed but at least there is something we can cling to.
It's been quite the wild ride of emotions but I'm glad for the wonderful outlook for baby Ella and some hope for Barry. What a treat to sleep in my own bed and now the task begins to go through all the mail and catch up with my work duties. The Sheltie specialty is in 3 weeks and I hope to have the energy to resume my training schedule. Blitz looks very healthy and is obviously feeling great. Moto was all smiles at my return. I hope to capitalize on this eagerness and use it in my training regimen. And, I get to look at puppies this weekend. They are 4 weeks old and I'm eager to see their tiny personalities emerging. From the pictures I've received I see a mischevious look in some of the boy's eyes, while one appears very sweet and another thoughtful. We'll see if what I saw in the pics corresponds with their actual personas.
It's SO nice to come home.