Going to the dogs (and coming out on top)

Dog show this past weekend.  A chance to hang with the big dogs.  Time again for the Annual World Series of Dog Shows at NRG Center this past weekend.  As usual, lots of toys/treats/stuff to buy for your furry children.  Lots of interesting dogs/exhibitions.  Our booth was, as usual, staffed by some enthusiastic volunteers (some even two footed).  From the time we set foot (or paw) in the hall, my two kids were really in the zone - shamelessly working the crowd.  When it comes to Goldens, Grayson is a pretty good attention getter, but he pales in comparison to Ms Claire.  She owns the floor (Literally).  She can win over almost anyone.  

My brother who was in town for the week came down to the show and was amazed on how well all of the dogs behaved - no fights, no humping (well, not serious anyway).  He was amazed by the sheer size of the event and the number of dogs and breed in attendance.  The booth across the isle from us was the Border Collie rescue group and he was seriously tempted to adopt one since one of the dogs he had years ago was a Border Collie named Bosefina.  Beautiful, energetic, and incredibly smart dog.  

No, she's not enjoying this at all....

Some people will do anything for attention

The show was a good distraction on the weekend when we were wrapped up my dad's pending surgery.  The weekend was more of a gathering in advance of my dad's surgery today.  Brother from Seattle had flown in to be here (in case things did not turn out well), and I spend some extra time across town with my parents just because.  My dad was undergoing a similar procedure (not cancer) that I did 7 years ago and, honestly, I was more than a bit concerned.  I walked this same path when I was 50 and came out OK, but my dad has 40 years on me and I worried anytime they do that kind of plumbing work on a structure that old.  I took off today to be with him and mom just to keep a eye on things. I did the same thing when my mom when it for her heart valve replacement surgery 10 years ago.  Things don't always work out as planned and I was really fearing the worst.      

Despite my fears, my dad came out just fine.  He went in for surgery around 10 and by noon, the doc told us there weren't any problems or surprises.  Everything went as planned.  He is in his own room awake and alert but in a fair amount of pain.  Still even has his sense of humor throughout the ordeal.  The hard part is over, now the slow road to recovery.  For now, I am just grateful he is able to move past this.