It was finally the weekend in the year of 2014: happy days spent getting ice cream, hanging out with friends, and sleeping in. Usually, the weekends are something to look forward to. But for me, it was finally time to face the inevitable; reality.

For most people, getting your dream dog is something to be ecstatic about. Although I was extremely grateful, I was not completely excited. Truth be told, I was nervous. I was anxious about what could happen. Many questions clouded my head. Would he like me? Would I be a good owner? Did I bring everything he needs? What type of food does he like? Am I good enough to be an owner? I didn’t bother to pay attention to the view. I didn’t notice the vast fields of fresh green crops that swayed with the wind and the herds of sun-touched animals that slowly paced across empty fields. As we wandered from civilization, I didn’t realize that there were no buildings to be seen. I didn’t care about what was happening around me. I thought only of  him. His name was Peanut. And today I would finally get him.

We sped down the highway as fast as the speed of sound. As we drove, time flew by. The hours spent in the car only seemed as if they were seconds. The car sped down, and turned onto a side road. We left the busy freeway of hurried cars onto a peaceful empty road. The road was made of dirt, and was as dusty as a book on the highest shelf of a deserted library. Heading down the road, we were getting closer and closer to him. My stomach turned and my heart raced. Almost immediately, we turned into the skinny, dirt driveway that lead to an old, ranch-themed house. The house had faded rusty white paint and old  windows that creaked from the wind. The driveway lead to a brown door with a rusty screen barely attached to it.

I asked my Claire, my twin sister, “Is this the place? Did we get the wrong address?” We both were in a kerfuffle. The car stopped, and for a second, my heart did, too.

“I don’t know but I hope it is. We couldn’t have driven all this way for it to be the wrong place. I can’t wait to finally get him! We have waited forever for this. He is going to be the cutest little puppy ever!” she responded excitedly.

“I guess we'll find out right now!” I said as we hoped out the car, and onto the dirt.

We had finally arrived, to the place of so little that could bring so much. I started walking up to the door of the place that would give me everything. As I was walked, time froze. The fast-paced steps turned to the speed of a turtle. The fresh green crops turned brighter than ever. The fields of crops swaying to the wind seemed motionless. Suddenly, my Mom knocked on the door. When she knocked, the rusty screen barely stayed with the door and frantically wobbled. Almost immediately, the creaky door was opened up by a happy couple. The lady was old. She had a wrinkly face and pale blond hair. She was wearing a loose floral top, that was as bright as the sun. The vivid green, blue, pink and orange flowers made my head spin. The man was even wrinklier than the lady beside him. He had distinct used-to-be-brown hair. He was wearing a bland grey t-shirt. He wore ripped jeans that were as faded as his hair with dirty shoes.

   As my Mom and the couple talked, I finally started looking around. I was shocked to find what we drove all the way here for. There was a group of puppies.  The puppies were nothing I had ever seen before. They were so fluffy yet so cute, young, and absolutely adorable. They were bundles of sunshine in the form of puppies. One puppy’s stubby tail wagged as I acknowledged it. Another puppy twirled around in circles trying to chase its tail. Some puppies were playing and wrestling over a toy. There was a group of puppies that struggled to eat food with their newborn teeth.

After playing with the puppies, I realized there was still paperwork that had to be done. I looked across the room to see my mom sitting at a wooden table and filling out papers. The papers were endless and it seemed as if it was going to take forever.  I was bored so I wandered off searching Peanut once again. All of the puppies had left the room and I couldn’t find any of them. Until, I turned the corner of the hallway to find something disastrous.

There was a pile of puppies. All of the puppies were fighting to get to whatever was at the bottom. They were all stacked on top of each other like fruit at a grocery store. I wandered what was at the bottom. What had been toppled by the other puppies? I gently picked up the puppies one by one away from the pile, making sure they all got off of whatever was at the bottom. As soon as the pile was gone, I was shocked to see what was at the bottom.

Peanut was at the bottom, tired, scared and confused. I came to the conclusion that he was the runt of the liter. Out of all the puppies, he was the target.

Peanut had mainly black but also chestnut brown fur.  I found what I assumed to be him. Peanut was adorable! He had mainly black but also chestnut brown fur. His face had little grey streaks of fur shaping his forehead. His face had little grey streaks of fur shaping his forehead.

On the way home, I realized that today was the beginning of many happy days. Going home,  I did not care about the view or what was happening in the outside world. I only cared about Peanut. For most people, getting your dream dog is something to be happy about, but for me I was ecstatic and overjoyed!

It is now 2017, my family and I have had Peanut for 3 years now. Every day with him has been a happy day.  Instead of keeping the name Peanut, our family decided to change his name to Bentley. Bentley loves doing anything outside ranging from long walks to swimming! Bentley loves macaroni and cheese and steak.

As I look back on this experience, I realized that I should have never been nervous or anxious. The outcome of this trip was definitely worth my initial feelings. At first, my wanting for Peanut was debatable. I worried more about his reaction instead of thinking positively. I learned that no matter what, it is always best to look optimistically at situations. Don’t let judgmental thoughts cloud optimism and appreciation.