Well, I just spent one of the most miserable weeks of my life. I went with my husband and dog to visit my brother-in-law and his "partner" – who is a woman, by the way, but that's a story for another day. I was so nervous about the trip because of my OCD and sharing the bathroom, etc. I never knew I was about to be treated so rudely! Debbie, the "legal domestic partner" (they don't believe in marriage), was just downright despicable. I hadn't counted on that. I knew she was blunt and had no tact, but it had never been aimed at me with such a vengeance.

Try to stay calm and not retort when attacked for three days and see how long you last! I am generally a quiet, gentle person, who watches what they say any time I'm talking to people in order not to hurt their feelings, but I do have the capability of getting angry when my husband comes under attack by her big vicious mouth! It was all I could do, and I did it for peace in the family, not to smack her around! For those of you who know me, you know that that is an extreme statement.

I am trying my best to put it behind me and chalk it up to bad manners extraordinaire on her part, but it is hard. I have been obsessing over it ever since we got home. As soon as we got home, my husband took our dog to the vet and we found out he has an enlarged heart and a bad heart murmur. We were concerned because he started coughing really hard, but nothing came up, and panting heavily. Sure enough, his enlarged heart has started pressing on his trachea, which makes him cough and not be able to breathe properly. He's on medication and the symptoms seem to have gotten somewhat better. Because he is overweight, Debbie claims that if he were a child, we would be charged with child abuse, because my husband feeds him from the table. The tension was so high you could have cut it with a knife. My husband in particular, adores our dog and would never intentionally do anything to hurt him, quite the opposite. I know you aren't supposed to feed dogs from the table, but Sunny has always been fed from the table by my husband. Phillip just can't resist his big brown eyes and pleading by Sunny when Phillip is eating. Sunny has a thyroid condition that he has had since he was a puppy, which contributes to his weight problem. Debbie doesn't know that because I held my tongue to keep from saying a whole lot more than that. I know I'm running on and on, but I'm extremely concerned about my dog and my feelings are crushed by Debbie's rude and obnoxious behavior the entire time we were there. Her comment about Sunny was just one of many very hurtful things she said and did. She made sure to say it out of hearing of my brother-in-law, though, she knew exactly what she was doing.

What I can't figure out is why? We are nice people and we were invited down. I hid my OCD as best I could and was a pleasant, quiet and considerate guest. My husband and his brother visited and enjoyed themselves. I have tried to tell myself that anyone who complained bitterly about her best friend's sloppy living habits while she was undergoing chemotherapy and who would comment that she hoped my sister-in-law and my sister-in-law's son weren't having an affair was a little on the sick side.

I will stop going on and on about it now. I will try to let it die for the sake of my husband's family. It will be very hard.