Still Kickin'

Wow its been two weeks since my last post! Who knew?

There hasn't been much news to share. Lots of time to reflect on farm goals, cattle goals, sheep goals, life goals. What exactly do I want to be doing? If you've followed my blog for several years, you'll realize I go through 'this phase' every winter when I have a lot of time to reflect. hopefully it passes soon.

I've spent a lot of time out WITH the animals. Yes even though we've had a huge terrible cold spell for the last three weeks. I've been playing with my first litter of puppies. You can follow them on my dog blog at ebonwald.blogspot.com

I've not looked at my sheep spreadsheets, pedigrees, micron tests or ear tag #s. I've been totally devoted to the sheep. Their care. Their well being. They seem happy. I'm happy. Its always wonderful to nuzzle them or bury your face in their soft wool. I'm remembering why I have the sheep. Their fun personalities and their wool. Their easy keeping, hardiness and individual antics.

I'm going to shear two months early this year. Let's hope that March is snowless and warm (ya right...HERE?) and lambing starts March 1st here. We clean the barn this weekend and will prepare the lambing jugs so they are ready to go when the lambs come. If I don't do it now it will be last minute racing to find where I used the panels for the lambing jugs when there are wet lambs wandering the barn.

I've started seeing someone casually and this also makes me happy. Now if it would snow more, I might be able to pay my bills this month :) Other than that, live is good.....time to go snuggle with the dogs on the couch and watch my Netflix movie!

Enjoy the weekend! Wine and good company (dogs). I doesn't get much better :)

Just a few weeks...

...until my sister and her family move into their new home just 1/2 a mile through the fields from my sheep pasture. With them will be their dogs.

I encourage everyone to check my archives on this horrendous act of killing my goats.

http://ramsayfarms.blogspot.com/2007/06/rip-rufus.html

http://ramsayfarms.blogspot.com/2008/09/theyre-baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.html

And for a better story yet, please read this in its entirety.

http://www.klaskanine.com/mysite3/SHEEPKILL.htm

Sadie's News from the National

Sadie received three Q's (qualifying runs) out of six tries. We entered 2 runs for Rally Novice, 2 runs for Novice Standard (agility), 2 runs for Open Jumpers with weaves. Sadie earned both her legs for Rally Novice. One was a 2nd place with a 95 point out of 100. Sadie on her second day in Novice Standard made it OVER the teeter and got a 2nd place with a score of 95 points out of 100.
More when I come back.....I need to go check lambs again!

Ready or not!

Well the expedition is loaded to the gills! I think I'm forgetting something I'm sure of it, but time will tell. The mandatory check list for each dog show has been checked off and anything 'extra' for the week+ of living out of a suitcase should be interesting :)

I will try and find a computer to update you all, but i DO have facebook on my phone so I can update those who are fellow facebookers as to what is going on!

If you haven't heard from me by April 22nd something has happened to me! :)

Mitcham is already at 'Grandma' Mary's house and he absolutely loves her hubby Tim. He wants to play with the GSPs but he just doesn't know how to play with BIG dogs......as with the Cardis he just trips them and then sits on them. I miss the big galoot!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOE!

My blue merle girl, Zoe aka Bendi Ebonwald Smthing 2 Prove turned two years old today. Ice cream for all fur kids (and their dad) and a Happy Birthday song sung by the people at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Zoe is not only beautiful on the outside (12 points with a 4 point major) but also on the inside. PRA Clear, Thyroid Normal, Patella Normal, Cardiac Normal, CERF Normal and DM carrier. Dad just needs to keep saving to do her hips/elbows and then we will be good to go!

If Zoe's hips pass, we will be doing a really exciting litter this fall with our chosen boy who has been tested clear/normal/passing for all known Cardigan tests! Its a linebreeding but not so much that its really a 'true' linebreeding. More info when we know her hips have passed and when she is bred!

More Mitcham (and a few corgis)

Hey Look Sarah more Mitcham! I feel bad that he has to go to Auntie Mary's house while I'm gone away but he'll have a ton of fun with the Irish Setter, the GSP puppies and my surrogate GSP Rukkus :) Please God save his coat while he's gone !! :)

He is 'looking' through his hair at me...trying to act innocent. *note* the large pile of stuffing. That was NOT a toy but one of my couch pillows!!!!!!!!! Oh well, I needed to update :)

I had to reglue his ears as he is teething and I didn't want to have the cartiladge break in his ears....and since we aren't debuting him until the Fargo show.....that gives us about two months or so to get them up nice again.
A shot to show the beautiful tawny color coming in. I'm not sure if he'll have that gray overlay or not. His breeder says that Briards can change color from year to year so who knows what shade he will end up as.
Sadie and Zoe. My red eye button didn't seem to darker Zoe's one eye enough. She really isn't like that in person :)
Here this one is better. She always looks so sad....maybe she's looking for sympathy? More scratches? Without the camera she is chewing on her favorite indestructable toy ( although she has destroyed it now) as we speak so I think its just a ploy....

I thought I had more.........

.........crates!

When I met Lynn Stoltzman she had TWO dogs and had a garage literally piled high on one side with all kinds of crates...soft sided, wire, plastic, metal, small, big, short, long. I couldn't believe she needed so many crates!

Fast forward over four years and you will see my dilemma. I swear I buy two crates every time I am at Fleet Farm. I figured I had 20 crates. Surely that is enough? I don't have 20. I have 13. Two are Mitchams, one is at the FMKC Canine Academy and that leaves me with 10 crates. 10 crates for 6 dogs to travel to Topeka and back. So 6 crates for the grooming area. Check. FOUR crates for the hotel? I'm borrowing a crate from my sister too so I have 5 in the hotel. Ell and Zoe can sleep together....well...they won't be IN the crates very long and they will be sleeping on the bed with me, but STILL? I've never take ALL my corgis to something. Granted St Paul in Jauary I had Mitcham instead of Sadie, but still...I need more crates! Maybe some will have to stay in the grooming area.....

Most of the shows or trials I have gone to typically require only two crates for the back of the car, two for the hotel, two for the grooming area. And I don't trust the soft sided crates at all after watching a Brussels Griffon use his like a hamster ball.....so I have the metal collapsible crates that are wonderful for stacking, but a pain to carry around (hence the purchase of a cart a year ago). I just can't believe I don't have enough crates! What is wrong with me?! I figured I had plenty of crates for at home, the car, the Canine Academy, the expedition and the hotel.

What brought this all on? Well I have NATIONAL fever :) JoAnne has been packed for what seems like weeks so I figured I would pack the crates, the dolly, the chairs, the table and my suitcase and show clothes (it is only 9 days away until I leave) and leave my grooming supplies and totes packed for the most part and ready to pack onto the cargo carrier right before I leave. I better pack and be ready because something could happen in the mean time and I could not have time and then be rushed to leave and be late for something. Heaven forbid I'm late!

Maybe they have a fleet farm along the way I can get a few more crates LOL.....

Getting ready for the National!

I've been quite busy talking sheep the last month or so, so for my dog friends, here is another post for you :)

I've been talking to JoAnne Beashau about our trip to the National. I'm bunking with her and Ferris again and we have LISTS of things to bring. She is already mostly packed. I think if there was a fire in her house, only the dog related stuff would survive as its already in the truck :)

My grooming spot is already planned out with quite a few people. We've got people from Ontario, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, New Mexico and Minnesota grooming together....oh and Louisiana I believe. Talk about a wild and crazy bunch! I can't wait for the wine....mmmmmm

I am NOT taking Mitcham (sorry Sarah!) as there is just no room. I'm taking five dogs down, and bringing six dogs back, and add to that all the extra crates, dolly, crate pads, grooming supplies/totes, dog food and water and then MY stuff like suitcase, bedding (they are making us bring our own comforters for the beds) and a cooler for food and adult beverage....i will definitely need to take the Expedition. I've even purchased a Cargo Carrier for the hitchplug as I don't think I'll have enough room.

I've entered Sadie in the most things: Open Jumpers, Novice Standard, Rally Novice. Oliver is in Rally Advanced but I don't think with all the practice we are doing, he will ever settle down enough to do it off leash. He's just so super excited to be doing rally with his daddy that he can hardly concentrate on sitting and instead runs circles around me several times at each station. Silly goof! Justice is entered in breed mostly for the experience. It'll be his first time in the ring...just like big sister Ell's was last year. Ell is maturing so we are not showing her and Zoe is not something that Jon would like. He told me so last year at the National, so why would I enter him now? :) I have Zoe, Ell and another dog getting their CERF at the National and then I am attending the DM seminar. Justice, Ell and Zoe are entered for the Three Trails CWC Club Specialty on the Sunday following BOB.

Add to that a night in Kansas City with some of my buddies from college for a night out on the town, a stop on the way back at a well educated friends house to go over Cardigans and many nights of wine and commodore at the National each night.

I ran out of money to do anything in the Herding Trials. I wanted to do the Herding Instinct Test but Dina told me they were not sanctioned by the AKC and I could think of other things to spend my $35/dog on. she told me to enter Sadie and Oliver in the herding trial but they have no professional training and i wouldn't know what to do with them if I tried. Sure make them go through some cones....it SOUNDS easy enough. If only Suzanne in Alaska would take a long week to come visit me and train my dogs with me :) I can't fly with Sadie....she has too much metal in her body to pass through the metal detectors :)

Next year's national is a hike and a half for me but I plan on attending, even if for a few days. Way out in Gettysburg, PA! Lord knows what I will have to show any way, and I wanted to get out there to see Kathy Davidson's BFLs and Shetlands in PA and she has volunteered to take me to Baltimore and D.C. to sight see. I've never been to the NE or mid-Atlantic states before so that should also be very exciting.

In it to win it

Dog showing is a sport. It is loved by thousands of people all over world and followed by more. As any sport, there will always be competition (its in our humans minds to do so) and there will always be a 'winner' and a 'loser', a bad team and a good team (which team you are on is typically the good, while the other is the bad), a good sport who wins and a poor sport that loses.

From my very first dog show experiences to my very recent ones, I keep learning for everyone ELSE is that in the end, its really only matters who wins, as long as its you. I've told people I'm not that competitive I just enjoy showing. Sure I like to win but I'm not going to stomp the winners down behind their back, talk crap about their dogs or fault judge. My mentor tells me to virtue judge everyone's dogs...even if there isn't much nice to say.....if you can't say something nice, don't say it all.

There has always been a concerted effort by most to join in on chat groups in regards to who is showing where, to build a major that everyone is searching for, which shows or judges to avoid etc. As with anything, there is always two sides. One that tells you to come and show and what great judges, the other saying they won't show to that judge (or don't respond at all). Being a kind hearted person I tend to assume that those who do not respond are more than likely not going and have no ulterior motive. And if someone else's dogs win, then I was told to politely congratulate them, even if I didn't think they deserved it.

Quite honestly I'm happy if anyone wins. The look on that person's face is priceless as most are overjoyed, or shocked or both! Deep down I may be bummed about not winning but I don't stew over it and try to make excuses for my own dogs. " Oh she's just got to grow up yet" or "oh she's blowing coat" or "the judge doesn't like blacks" or something random. Does it really make me feel better? Not really. And I'm sure the people listening are thinking to themselves that I'm full of crap. So I don't do it. I wish others would stop as well.

Each dog needs to be groomed according to its needs. Some may need to blown out to look fuller, some need to be thinned out to make the curls on the butt lay down or something. I am so amazed at the amount of time people spend in grooming their own dogs, yet seem reluctant to help show me a helpful hint or a tip of advice on how to do something....unless they don't have a dog/bitch entered to compete against mine, then they seem to offer more assistance.

I also laugh over the part where people encourage me to show somewhere and then find out later it was really only in hopes of getting their dog the points and they had a scheme all worked out and planned ahead of time without my knowledge. Makes a person feel a bit used eh?

While I'm never one to enter just for point fodder (who can afford to do that?) I do still hold out that this only happens in my area and not to the greater extent of all CWC exhibitors? I have found the Briard people all over, and Cardi people from other areas to be most welcoming, offer advice freely (if i choose to take it or not is another thing) and welcome me to bunk with them, set up grooming with them, go out for supper etc.

When I went to college at NDSU I had many friends that went to UND our huge rival 70 miles to the north in Grand Forks. During the game we'd jokingly make fun of each other and cheer extra loud when our team would score over our friends, but at the end of the day we didn't back stab, lie, cover things up or persuade our friends to do something. After the game we'd go out for a beer and supper and talk about all the finer points of the game and those that were ridiculous calls or shots or something. Why can't dog showing be like that too? And why try to make our team look better even though they may not have one? I'm not buying it if my friend tries to tell me otherwise. Nor do I do it when they talk about their dogs that way.

If you are 'in it to win it' and nothing else you will soon find yourself alone with few friends and nothing to do at the end of the day. If that is what you like, so be it, but I don't own dogs and/or breed dogs or buy dogs just for the sole purpose of winning. I like to have them with me to play with, learn with, love with and cuddle with. each of my dogs has a distinct duty or job that they do on the farm. Each one does something unique with me and has 1-on-1 time with me each day, whether to train or just lay around with. While I'm training I only want to see improvement in their day to day training and the excitement I see in their faces and the way their eyes sparkle gives me the most pleasure and satisfaction that I could imagine....even if we never qualify or get those last pesky points for our CH.

I guess having friends in other breeds is better for all parties involved. There is no competition with them as we show different breeds, there is no backstabbing, lying or persuading...its just folks that like dogs in general and are ready to talk about the show over supper and a couple of beers.....or wine.....whichever is colder ;)

My trip to Canada this summer will be SO MUCH FUN traveling with people that do not have the same breeds as I do. Why didn't I think of that before? And there is no drama, and I am surprised that even though I am one of the youngest by age that shows dogs that hasn't been a junior prior to it, I'm one of the most mature acting. Something to think about.

Wordless Wednesday!

PUPPIES!!

NO! They are NOT mine :)

I went to look at a Border Collie litter and a Maremma litter today. Ever since Buddy died this past summer from cancer I've been looking to replace him with another cattle dog of some sort. We've had Australian Cattle Dogs aka "Blue Heelers" around here, Border Collies and an English Shepherd. We had a litter of Blue Heelers when I was very young (like 4 or 5) and we kept back one of those pups after the mother died a day or so after birth. Traumatized was the word. I never want to go through that ordeal again so these dogs would be spayed/neutuered when the time comes!

There are two girls available in this litter with the others spoken for. One looks just like our last BC named Sammy. The one with the more white looks like Sammy's littermate Skippy that my Grandpa and Grandma on my Mother's side got the same time we got Sammy. (My dad got her as a 'Father's Day gift from his in-laws).The more white female above. The black/white female below in the next three photos:



So this would be my father's dog, one that would work the cattle and has the instinct and herding background (barents are ABCCA registered and only have herding parents and grandparents and greatgrandparents...so kinda proven ;) ). Its amazing what 2 people and a 4-wheeler CANNOT do!

Even though I did have Ell and Sadie working cattle yesterday due to a gate that was left open (not by me!) I feel we need a full time dog around to be able to let us know when the cows are out or move them when we need them or bring them up to use instead of us chasing them like fools yelling and screaming :)

Its up to my dad as I was just the messenger....... And the best thing is the parents are CERF'ed and OFA hips are both GOOD! Even though she will just be a 'pet' and not a 'brood' its still nice to know that this family cares enough for the health of the dogs to do minimal health tests.

Also of note: The family does fly ball with the border collies and some obedience and agility! Mostly UKC or NADAC as the dogs are not AKC registerable. She told me there is a HUGE battle for the breed between AKC and ABCCA. Seems like there is always fights in every breed or species LOL.

Above is a 'family' photo. The mother and father of the litter are in there as well as the 'pick' puppy out of the last two litters. Family Bonding it looks like to me!
Here is the family. The female daughter is Maggie I believe and on the left. Her mother is standing and I think her name is Ellie. The sire is Chase (or Chance) and he is a smooth coat. The son is the gorgeous red male on the right. I absolutely love his look and his personality (and all of them) were to die for! And they weren't WIRED like some of the BC that I have seen at the agility trials, but much more mellow, knew when work was needed and rarely barked. My kind of dog :)

Sheep Herding Dog

Thanks Barb Peterson for sending me this YouTube link :)

Read the title again before you watch the video. It helps if you have the speakers on :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tCbMFp7eUo

Its a good chuckle!

Mini Herding Trial

Today was Day 3 of "let's work outside all day because its nice" day.

Over the night time water was somehow finding a way into the barn UNDER the huge piles of snow that are on all sides of the barn (like 6-8 ft of snow that fell off the roof). My gorgeous, clean, swept then limed, bedded with straw and moved sheep around floors were full of dirty icky nasty spring cattle yard water (if you don't know what this is, please inquire I'll be glad to discuss it with you! )

So I enlisted my dad with the loader tractor to help move the snow as my snow blower was just not getting through it fast enough. But before I could do this on the west side of the barn I had to lock the girls IN the barn. This was easier said than done. My Sommarang girls think that they are wild mountainous big horn sheep (minus the big horns) and jump straight up in the air and refuse to go in the barn. I only have to turn around to chase them back in and the other 24 ewes in that pen come crashing back out through the door wide enough for one ewe at a time :)

"this is ridiculous" I think to myself as I'm too winded to speak at this point. I run with what is left of my energy back to the house and enlist veteran herders Oliver and Sadie and 'freshmen' Zoe. I always wish I had my camera during these times!!

Shetlands as you know are a non flocking breed, so they tend to scatter and quite easily. I thought I'd have enough help with one or two but three was really too much for me to watch....and so instead of concentrating on the sheep, I was too busy watching the dogs in action. Oliver at times can be a little rough with the sheep (I think he's just over excited) but all three new the word "wait" and didn't go 'in' to the flock unless I told them they could. The smiles on their faces were quite evident and the mud and manure on their bellies was going to have to come off later!

With some of the sheep only used to Livestock Guardian Dogs and not herding dogs, I didn't want to freak the sheep out either as they SHOULD be about 2-3 months pregnant by now. After a few 'practice' go arounds, The dogs eventually figured out where I was wanting the sheep and that it wasn't a 'free for all' for the dogs. The sheep also realized that they could not escape me and three short barking, dodging dogs and eventually got all but one of the 'feral' Sommarang sheep in the barn. When those dogs saw that one sheep had 'gotten past' them they all without asking went after the remaining ewe and brought her up along the barn to where I was standingin front of the door and i moved the gate slightly and the dogs brought her in. And for good measure Oliver went into the pen inside and barked. I'm thinking probably he said "AND STAY THERE!"

I was so proud of my babes that we ran and jumped all the way back to the backyard where they could 'wash' off a bit until I could get the rest of the snow moved. After the snow was moved I let the sheep back out and they were most forgiving, running right up to me probably to ask what the heck those things were (remember not many of this group had been worked with herding dogs before). The dogs the had to get a bath which they hated but they LOVED the after bath roll on the ground, couch, bed, chair, carpet, rug or whatever would hold still long enough to rub.

I'm sure I"ve completely ruined any chance of them being trained PROPERLY for herding but they still managed to get the job done and that is what I needed. Thanks kids!

Cardigan Magnet

Oliver has taken a liking to my friend Jamie. For some reason a few months ago on one of her visits, he decided he really liked her. And he sits on her lap when she comes to visit. The entire time. What a traitor! Last night Libby and Jamie came over and Oliver sat on both of their laps and I think he finally felt sorry for me so he sat on mine briefly.

Anyway when Jamie and Libby first got there I was checking my blogs (yet!) so they sat on the couches...See what happened below:
Jamie had all the girls lined up on the couch Zoe, Sadie and Ell. I had to race to find my camera without disturbing them.
Jamie then lifted Justice onto the couch and Oliver got jealous! My mom had to try and find where I left the camera without them getting up!
In a matter of seconds my mom took 5 or 6 photos of them before Justice got bored and squirmed off! Its rare that they sit with me as they are usually all playing. Apparently they are just content to sit with her. Interesting......

What have I done!

I just entered Sadie in Rally Novice at the National. This ought to be fun! LOL

So Sadie is entered in six 'classes', Oliver in two, Justice in two and I am getting Zoe and Ell CERF'ed again while down there. I haven't even entered any of them in the herding trials yet, and I still have until April 2nd to enter the Three Trails Specialty the Sunday after the National. I also ordered a catalog, a microfiber bag with goodies, an Annual Banquet Dinner Ticket and that's all this body can afford right now! Spending so much at one time is mind boggling. I like it when its every weekend.....I tend to forget how much I really spend on these buggers :)

Oh but its worth it!

We are going to have FUN!

Getting ready for the Nationals

Yup. it will be here before you know it! And i'm definitely crazy bringing all 5 Cardigans! :)

Let's see: Sunday we are doing the Herding Instinct Tests. I've talked to Dina Delsman and she thinks I should just enter the Herding Trial but they have no professional training......and I know Sadie and Oliver would 'hold' if I asked them to 'wait' but Ell, Zoe and Justice ....well...not so much :)

Monday and Tuesday I have Sadie entered in Open Jumpers with Weaves (she loves to RUN fast!) and Novice B Standard (she has one leg already). We have a 3 day trial in Fargo that closes March 2nd (hint hint Dawn!) so we may have a 'move up' sheet to fill up, but with my "handler errors" I won't get ahead of myself :)

Oliver is entered in Rally Advanced Novice A but I have no hopes for us....he does well on lead, but off lead....well we have six weeks to practice...and a rally trial in Fargo before that (if memory serves me right!) So who knows what will happen! The important thing is that we are doing something together whether we qualify or not...and it'll be fun to get in the ring with him again.

Justice will be entered in the breed classes and my mentors (Barb and JoAnne) and I have decided to not enter Ell or Zoe in the breed classes as Ell is maturing and Zoe just needs a major, which I know we will not get at the National! :) They will be along for breeders to go over and critique. There is no better way to learn different views of opinions than have other Cardi people go over my dogs!

Mitcham is supposed to come along per Sarah's demands, but I don't think there will be enough room in the vehicle! I swear I'll try to bring him!

Add into that all the grooming needs (crates, tables, totes) and xpens, hotel necessities, coolers, suitcases, blankets, pillow.....*sigh* i'm tired just thinking about it all. I think I need a huge commercial VAN now...I didn't say that three letter word did I? Gross....me in a v**. What has the world come to?

A Normal and Mild day ;)

Oliver had his results come back last Friday from OFA for his hips and elbows. First let me show you what his report of his Preliminary Hip Exam was.


Now here is his Official report. He was still MILD for HD in his hips. Notice this time there is no shallow acetabula this time around. How could that just go away?

I also did his elbows just to see what would happen and his were "Normal"

I originally wanted to review his hips at 2 years of age to see if they were truly getting worse or staying the same. This obviously shows that there was not much difference in OFA's decision to call him MILD, and I'm OK with that. It just surprised me that Oliver's Chiropractic/Acupuncture vet said his hips didn't appear to be abnormal for Cardigans when he xrayed his spine, but also realize he did not have his hips stretched in the OFA manner either. It doesn't change my thoughts on Oliver but am glad to see that he more than likely will not get 'worse'. There also was no 'flattening' of the femur head in his xrays, which was there in his preliminary xrays.

Doggie Health Update!

I had Zoe and Ell have their Cardiac exams, as well as their exams for Patellas. I'm happy to report that both girls were normal in both instances!! OFA registrations have been sent in as well!

To recap:

Bendi Ebonwald Smthing 2 Prove "Zoe" is now:
CERF Normal
PRA Clear
Patellas Normal
Thyroid Normal
DM Carrier
Cardiac Normal

We didn't do her prelims for Hips/Elbows as I didn't think of it at the time, so we'll just wait two more months until she's two. It will be here before you know it!

Merrymoon Ebonwald I'm a Q T "Ell" is now:
CERF Normal
PRA Clear
Patellas Normal
Thyroid Normal
DM Carrier
Cardiac Normal
Prelim Hips - Good
Prelim Elbows - Normal

I believe these are the tests that are available for Cardigans. If anyone knows of others do let me know! Many thanks to those on the 'list' for pooling our combined knowledge and teaching each other what we didn't know, to come up with what we feel as a group is important for breed improvement and preservation.

For those that SAY they test their dogs for all known issues or say they have all their health clearances; I just SHOWED you I did. The old saying goes "Actions speak louder than words" fits here. And I will be testing my spayed/neutered dogs for these as well. Some may think its wasting money to test your 'pet' dogs but these diseases/issues will affect them the same as those that are intact and may be used for breeding. Its also great for pedigree research when looking at health issues in a pedigree line. Vertical pedigrees give you a much different picture than a standard one! You can only learn from what you are willing to do/try/read/see/hear.

Worldess Wednesday

a "GOOD" day

*as always click photo to biggify*

I was almost frozen solid when I went to the mailbox today and saw THROUGH the OFA envelope that there was a letter, not a certificate. My heart stopped and tears welled up in the corners of my eye. I ripped it open and read it and re-read it several times before I realized that she PASSED. Those silly preliminary reports!! :) So instead of in pain or fear, I was now shedding water for happiness and relief. You have no idea how paranoid I've been LOL. And all for nothing!

We are still waiting for Oliver's results.