Here are the features of the winners of what has been by far my favorite contest! I just want to thank everyone for all their entries, votes and support. Congrats my winners! Thanks to everyone who supplied subscriptions, features and prints! It was so nice to have so much help this time.

1st place person winner: =thermalraven




1st place animal winner: =evalovinlucy




2nd place person winner: =FEROCELLO




2nd place animal winner: =robyn-HOOD




3rd place person winner: *elementik




3rd place animal winner: *GramMoo




I've always had this belief that a person's smile is one of the most beautiful things they can give someone in the world. I was at a fast food restaurant one day and I walked up to the counter and the guy looked up and gave me the most genuine smile I have ever seen in my life. He was a young guy, a little goofy looking with a chipped tooth, but that seriously had to be the most beautiful smile I had encountered so randomly. That happened many years ago and to this day, I can still picture his face. That guy changed my attitude from that moment on. I decided that when I'm out and about and I smile at someone or someone smiles at me, I will make sure to give them the most genuine smile I can. I have no clue what this guy's name is, where he's from or anything, but this chance encounter with a stranger, forever changed my view. Never doubt your ability to influence someone with a good random deed, or like in my case, with just a simple smile.

Of course, all my friends and watchers know that its been a week since I put my darling Jade to sleep. I can't believe its been a week. I still haven't stopped crying for her and I won't for awhile. Anyways, who could have known this contest would be happening right now. Seeing all these wonderful animals so happy in my journal everyday has been great. Your lovely comments and notes are helping a lot too. My one regret is that I don't have more pictures of my Jade. She was never a fan of the camera, but there are a few. Unfortunately they are all in my brother's gallery, not mine. So I will be doing a little feature of my baby. Some background on her though..... Jade and Jojo (Joey) came home from the Humane Society together May 31, 2002. We went to look for dogs several times but never found one till we found those two little gems. Since that day, they only ever spent 2 nights apart aside from this illness. You couldn't have 2 dogs with personalities that differ as much as those two. She was always my problem dog. She could find a way out of my yard no matter what we did to try to keep her in. We used extra fence, tires, cinder blocks, logs, cement - everything to make sure she couldn't get out of the fence, but she would move everything. She was a wild woman who refused to be tamed. (Like her momma) I've never in my life seen a dog who would actually strut. She would shake her butt like she was trying to make money. And if she liked you, as soon as you would come near her, she would throw herself on her back and have you rub her stomache. I taught her both of those moves too. If she wanted your attention, she would jump on the door and bark. If you were yelling at her to be quiet, she would bark one last time cuz she had to have the last word no matter what. I couldn't keep a collar on my boy dog cause as soon as I put it on him, she would drag him all over the yard, trying to rip it off of him. And she always would eventually get it off of him. Bath time - forget it. We would have to hold her and as soon as we were done, she would run straight to the dirt and roll all over it and give us a dirty look. She would look at us like we had some nerve violating her that way. Then she wouldn't talk to us for the rest of the day. She was always so full of life. I guess thats why its so hard to imagine her gone. Anyways, here's to my baby. Love you Jade......