Update 2

Zoe came home on Friday afternoon, and I spent the whole weekend taking care of her. I really felt overwhelmed at times, but I prayed a lot. She stays in her crate all the time. Because she can't move her back legs, I carry her to the bathroom where she does her business in the tub. I actually have to squeeze her abdomen to make her go.

I tried to work out a schedule for school. I left her on a table in the kitchen this morning on her crate so that she could see out the window. I came back at about 10:45, and she had fallen off the table, out of her crate, and scooted her way into the living room. Then, when I picked her up, she peed on me. I was beside myself.

Then, this afternoon, I came home around 3:00 to take her back to the vet to meet the physical therapist. Thank goodness, Zoe was in her crate! Then, even better, the physical therapist was optimistic about her prognosis!! Hallelujah!! I think the Lord knew that I really needed to hear some good news.

Thanks for your prayers!

Update

Zoe came through the surgery pretty well. I just got word about an hour ago that she has gone to the bathroom. I still don't know if she actually has control over those functions, but she is making some progress.

Here are some things to pray for

That she regains the use of her legs. She is paralyzed in her back legs right now and could be for several weeks or even forever.

That she has control over her bathroon functions.

And, that I can deal with having to care for a seriously ill dachshund by myself. I might have to take her to school or leave school often to check on her. My emotions were not so out of control today, but it's just hard to not have her here when I got home.

I will call the vet tomorrow to see if I can take her home. Thanks for your prayers. It means a lot to know that I have such caring friends.

Struggles

These past two weeks have been really difficult for me, and I would appreciate your prayers. While the trip to Paris was nice, there were some not so nice parts too.

Then I got home and Zoe was not well, her back again. She had a crisis last night and lost all ability to move her back legs. I really thought that she might not make it through the night. She is having emergency surgery today on a herniated disk in her spinal column. This surgery will be upwards of 1200 Euros, not counting the extra days at the vet's and the physical therapy. She might not even regain the use of her legs.

Combine this with cold, rainy/snowy weather. Plus, I have to make a very tough decision soon about whether to stay a third year or not. I know that God is with me and that He will guide me, but it's sometimes hard to control my emotions.

Paris Pics Part I

The Eiffel Tower at Night
Me at the Louvre

Arc de Triomphe

Sacre Couer

The Seine

The Eiffel Tower

Paris

After much tribulation due to the Metro strike in Paris, I have arrived back in Dresden. I found Paris to be really great. I don't know how it got such a bad reputation, but I thought that the people in Paris were so nice and friendly. The crepes were delicious. My favorite was banana-nutella -- oh so yummy. The museums were great. I got to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and lots of Impressionists at the Musee d'Orsay. One of the best things was just walking through Paris and going into all the fun shops. The churches were great too. I was at Notre Dame for a Vespers service. I would definitely love to go back to Paris. I would rank it with Florence and Venice as my favorite European cities. I will post pictures very soon (tomorrow, I hope).

P.S. Please be praying for Zoe. She is in pain. The dog boarder said that she had been sick all week. I'm not sure if it is her back or her tummy.

Fall break

One of the things I like best about the schedule at my school is the way breaks are spread out. We have a week in Octobers, two weeks at Christmas, one in February, and one at Easter. It's really nice because I have been needing a break from school. Last year for fall break, I went to Tuscany for seven days that was the best vacation ever. We stayed in a farmhouse near Volterra and went to Florence, San Gimignano, Siena, and Pisa. I ate gelatto at least once a day. We ate at really superb restaurants. Plus, the lady who owned the farmhouse gave us homemade fig preserves, tomato sauce, and fresh fruits and veggies. It was heaven. Here are some pics.

These are views from the farmhouse.

Finally this is San Gimignano. I loved this city. Plus, it has the World Champion gelatto place there. Yummy.

I hope this year's trip will be just a fun. I'm headed to Paris. I've never been, so there's much to see: Sacre Coeur, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Montmartre, Musee d'Orsay. I'm also looking forward to the food. I'll be sure to post lots of pictures when I get back.