Where do I start???

Life has been a blur since August.... wondering how to put it all into words.

We had a great time at USPC Western Championships. The rental RV worked out great and Nat did a great job as both a member of a Quiz team and as Stable Manager for a Show Jumping Team. She made lots of new friends and had a fun time!

I had several interviews for part-time employment... and did not get any of the jobs. Thinking there was a reason for that. I think you will agree when you keep reading... although a pay check would be really nice about now.

Memo did not sell yet. The funny (?) part is that she has been AWESOME! We are thinking that giving her a break from showing this summer, lots of bareback work, and Natalie growing a ton has helped them both! They have had some amazing rides so we are just kind of going with it right now. We had to suck it up and buy a (very used!) horse trailer (lost our ride to PC meetings) so that should give us lots of freedom to get out and do some schooling shows and clinics. Looking forward to some fun horsey times this fall. And yes, I am learning how to drive the horse trailer and we all survived the inaugural voyage. Go me.

Natalie is now a FRESHMAN in high school! How did that happen?? She is at the same school... ACMA... and continues to love it. She is very buried in homework as she is taking three honors classes this semester.

And now onto the not-so-fun stuff....

My dear friend Shauna was admitted for a short stay in the hospital the beginning of September. On that same night, my dad went into cardiac arrest and was taken to the Salem Hospital. Crazy, crazy night. Short story: he went into cardiac arrest four times and they brought him back each time. Since he was not conscious, they tried a hypothermia-type treatment where they cooled his body off for 24 hours, then warmed him up gradually. It helps to prevent any swelling of the brain. It worked like a charm... he was awake and talking almost immediately after warming up. No signs of brain damage. They did discover a major blockage in his heart.

Fast forward a couple weeks more, Shauna was back in the hospital for two weeks. At the end of her stay, my dad went in for triple bypass surgery. Surgery was very scary with all of his risk factors, but he did very well and is now home and recovering.

Shauna is now home too, with a Palliative Care team in place. She is still doing aggressive chemo along with a hospice-type situation at home. Docs have basically shut down her digestive system and she is being nourished/hydrated intravenously by TPN. She has an NG (nasalgastro) tube in place to relieve pressure in her stomach and to get rid of the severe vomiting/nausea she was having. She is the strongest person I know... a true hero... to go through all that she has the past 3+ years. She is such a fighter, and is making the best of being tied down at home. Some days she has been up for visitors, and we even took a walk around the neighborhood last week. So good for us to have time together and get some fresh air :) I look forward to seeing her any chance I can... I really miss spending my days with her. Quite an adjustment for me as I got used to our walking, coffee dates and errands almost every day. I am so blessed to have her in my life, and look forward to having her back in action soon.

Life continues to be a roller coaster every day. I much prefer the high parts of the roller coaster to the upside down and downward spiral parts. Sometimes I get really, really down and find myself hiding out. I try so hard to be grateful for everyday and all of the blessings in my life... it is really the only way I have been able to (barely!) survive the chaos. Jim and Natalie are my rocks. I love them so very much.