Yesterday I drove with my family to a little town in Minnesota and got my new best friend. She is a 7.5 weeks old cocker spaniel puppy and her name is Willow.

The months between my previous dog's death and yesterday were very long and hard. I'd never been without a dog for that long before, and it was weird and I couldn't stand it.

Getting this new dog is something that makes me very happy but also a bit sad. I'm sure some of you think that I'm pretty silly, but I'm far from over my previous dog's death. I dwell on it a lot and can't seem to move past it. Burying her a couple of weeks ago once the ground finally thawed was one of the absolute hardest things I'd ever done.

I should probably focus on the positives though. I'm done with school, my final exams went well, my grades were good despite my poor attendance and general lack of motivation this semester, and I have a new little friend to focus on.

As I type this, my new little friend is curled up and snoring next to me. :3