10 Days

Jon and I are just finishing up 10 days apart.  

It all started with what was supposed to be a family trip, but turned into a Girls only trip back to Leipzig to visit some friends and see the Christmas Markets.  

Alessandra and Sophia Enjoying the "Classic Car Carousel" in the Leipzig Hauptbahnhof

Jon had to cancel due to some last minute business trip changes.  But the good news from Jon not being with us was that he was able to add a quick trip to Colorado where he was able to see his family and drop Ripley off with Stan and Mary Kay.  

If you have been keeping up with my blog at all, or have talked to me in the last two years you probably heard me mention that Ripley hasn't been doing well.  She wasn't able to settle into city life.  She was always stressed, at first her stress was coming across as barking, panting, and pacing but in the past six months that stress was starting to turn a bit more aggressive.  We needed to get her out of the city, so that all of us could be a little less stressed.  Well, it happened.  Jon stopped by Colorado for a quick visit with his family and to get Ripley to her new/old home back on the Ranch with Grandpa, Oma, and the horses.  I am happy to report that Ripley seems to be settling in quite nicely and Dotty has only had one setback in the form of an "accident" on Alessandra's pillows.  Dotty has been quite clingy but I have to say the stress level in the house has gone down considerably.  

Okay, back to our Leipzig trip.  

It started out and ended a bit bumpy but all in all it was so relaxing.  We had some plans fall through with one of our friends but it ended up working out perfectly because it gave us an entire day to sleep in, enjoy an awesome breakfast, get into town, wander around the city center which is essentially one big Christmas Market.  Then we went to check out the new mall, and then one more quick trip through the train station and then back home.  Saturday we spent the entire day with The GKS's.  And Sunday we traveled back home.  

The beginning of the week was slow enough, I purposely cancelled our usual routine so we could be home with Dot.  So that translated to all of us going over to My-tilda's house on Monday afternoon, and My-tilda and her mum Alice coming over to our house on Tuesday afternoon.  But then it all turned - and quite suddenly too.  Alessandra got really sick, and really quickly.  In the matter of a few hours she went from this...

 to this... 

it was horrible.  And it has only been in the last half of today that I would say she's back to normal.  And when I say that please read, asking for ice cream for every meal.  :o)  

Well, luckily for us, or maybe just me, Jon will be back home tomorrow.  And I will have another person to take care of.  No just kidding.  I will have another person to help take care of everything.

Charmian