the peak & the pit

The Peak:

I'm in America. Upon landing I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Casual conversation in English makes me happy, fulfilled, and leaves me feeling kinder.
My flights were good. I splurged for the 'first class' version of Spirit Airlines. Which basically translates to a first class seat without all the perks of hot towels and champagne. The seats alone were great with plenty of room, but by far the best part was the location of the seats. Being the first off the plane and going straight into customs & immigration, while entirely avoiding that horrendous happens in the aisle of the plane. Sign me up.
When I left Cartagena I spoke some English with the bilingual flight attendant, who mentioned me being sad.
"Sad, why?"
"Well, you have to leave Cartagena. You must be sad."
All I could do was smirk and respond, "Yeah, something like that."
When I finally reached Atlanta where my mom was waiting for me, it was close to midnight, but I had a resurgence of energy to be at my American destination. My resurgence may have had something to do with the cold slapping me in my unprepared face.
Ouch.

The Pit:

My mom and I left Atlanta a little earlier than we had originally planned. Lola, my parents Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier, came down with an eye infection that she just couldn't kick. After some blood tests that came back irregular and a noticeable amount of weight loss, it was time to see the specialist.  So Ann and I trekked back from Atlanta to get Lola to her afternoon appointment.  After reviewing the results, the doctor stated that they noticed a mass in her lungs and wanted to proceed with an ultrasound on both her abdomen and chest and take a sample from the mass to test for cancer.
Here comes the real pit.

Little Lolita has cancer.
Bladder, stomach lining, and lungs.
There's not a lot to be done as surgery isn't an option. There's an appointment with an oncologist to discuss chemo on Monday, so some difficult decisions lay ahead.
Right now she's enjoying lots of love and attention, rest, and treats... including pizza.
{If you know Bella, you can imagine how she feels about sharing the love and attention}.


The Peak of the Pit:
That I ended up home earlier than expected to give her some of that extra love...