After losing my two German Shepherds - Sam and then Brandy I swore I would never ever go through that pain again. Pets are not "pets" they are family....if anything they own us. Both lived long happy lives and knew that they were loved beyond measure. Sam went first at 14 and the following year just a few weeks shy of her 14th birthday Brandy followed. That heart crushing soul deep mourning was rough.

Last year I thought...life is short why would you not want something so wonderful to be a part of your life? So....I started looking and call it being in the right place at the right time...As I was looking on a local site an ad was posted....I saw this adorable litter and immediately reached out to the owner. He said that I would have first choice...and I told him they are all beautiful but that little red one....they were just 4 weeks old so we arranged a time and off I went. When I saw them I told them yep that is the ONE! He said every one was asking about her and I told him well she is mine.

Four weeks later she was ready to go home with me and it was perfect timing. On my last day of school I went and picked her up. She was 15 pounds when I brought her home. She will be 9 months old on the 30th and is close to 75 pounds now. She is smart as a whip, a great watch dog and tons of fun. She has made life a joy.

She loves to run and play and go to doggie day care. It is really funny when we are watching the local news and every time the newscaster/sportscaster or weatherman says "Houston" she raises her head and stares at the tv. She loves to jump and catch balls and her jam is that Zillow commercial song "Love You". She drops everything and runs in to the room every time it comes on turning her head watching and listening to it. Blew her mind when I played it on the computer.

A girl named Houston brought happy into my life in amazing ways. I am thankful. I am blessed. She is my happy.

Happiness was when my mother and grandmother and GreatGrandmother all would sit out on the front porch in the afternoon while I sat on the ground in front of them and tended the flowerbeds I planted for their enjoyment. We all visited about kids, and everyday things, had wonderful conversations! Everything with love.

Happiness is the smell of a horse, saddle leather, the closeness of a being who could hurt you, but chooses to love you and wants to be right where you are.

Happiness is knowing that when I’m in the pasture with horses, I feel no pain or cold and I can breathe normally and my friends, horses, love me still the same.

I always dreamed about you, somehow. I think I've been waiting years for you. I saw those twins with Down Syndrome one day and I longed to hold their hands like their mum did, even though they were grown up, and I wanted to help, I wanted to love them.

And just like magic, you appeared. To think you've been in the world for five whole years and I've only recently met you. What was I doing without you all that time? The way your hair shines copper in the sunlight and falls down your forehead as you look up with blue eyes - I was missing out on that. The way I call your name and you turn around and catch your breath. The way you, the best loved five year old I know, the one who dances in front of anyone and receives ten thousand hugs in a day, can come and wrap your arms around me with a gentleness no other little boy ever possessed. The way you make jokes that no one understands, and your laugh is the loudest. You laugh like crazy. Till your face is red and everyone else is laughing with you. And you believe that they're laughing at your comedic wit, but they're not. They're laughing because your laugh is contagious. Because you're beautiful. I know you'll never kick a ball with the same strength the other boys do, I know you struggle to speak simple words and keep up with the big brother who is ever on your mind. You're not the same, but you wouldn't want to be; people don't smile much anymore, and they're focused on things you wouldn't understand. And you have a gift they don't have.

Your teachers call you back to the classroom as you wander out to visit me in the big kids' room. "Have you fallen in love with Helena?" they ask you. You smile. A big smile. Resting a friendly hand on my shoulder, you say my name for the first time: "Hey, Helena."

I dreamed about you, before I met you, before you were born, and yet I never truly believed there could be anyone as perfect as you in my world; a smiling, copper haired boy God sent to make us laugh.

The winter sun, as cold as it is, brings warmth and joy into my heart.

Raised on the skiing slopes and frozen forests, the cold, sharp winter sun overlooks the peaks of frozen mountains and sleeping trees. As hostile as the frozen waters and ice reflections might seem, the air feels free and the silence brings peace. The sun graces us with its presence and watches over us for fleeting hours of the winter days. It reminds us that there is still light in these dark days and lights up the snowy trees with an unnatural air of magic. It is in moments such as those that I feel so lost in the awe of nature's beauty that I forget all the bad in the world. Because, how could evil exist in this world when nature can look like this? When every step you take feels magical and when the snow on your fingertips feels unreal?

And I know that this might not be a shared experience, but the freedom and peace that comes with the frozen world, the snowflakes falling, the skis and ski poles, as well as the reassurance of the piercing winter sun truly makes everything worth it .

The smell of fresh pastries wafting towards me,

Good hair days and climbing a tree,

Meditating in a garden while shooing a bee,

These are the things that make me happy.

A kitten wrapped around my leg,

Scrambling a newly cracked egg,

Receiving without having to beg,

These are the things that make me happy.

The smiling faces of those I love,

All the blessings that come from above,

To love and so be beloved,

These are the things that make me happy.

I love to explore the city in which I live via running. Because of this activity, I have found nooks of woods right next to busy interstates. I have brought life to graveyards and seen the sun rise and set. Although I never really feel like going running, and most days it feels like a chore, I always feel happier having gone outside and being around other people while bettering myself.

Some days are better than others of course. Today, for instance, was a lovely temperate day, rare for January. However I have been in 35 degree weather in nothing but a thin vest, T-shirt and shorts. I have run in 95 degree weather wearing the same outfit, minus the vest. To know that I will be fine regardless of weather is a heartening thing.

To be sure, I am not objectively that good at running. However, I have improved so much over the past two years. Now I can run a 5K at a sub-30 pace without stopping for a walk, whereas then I couldn't even run half a mile without panting and doubling over. The self-improvement that I've seen in myself coupled with the excuse to go outside for about 30 minutes a day makes running, to me, well worth the effort.