Mia, my new pet rabbit.

Most of you may know I have beautiful male rabbit named Kikko. We adopted him over 3 years ago and have been very happy with him. But recently with the loss of Priscilla my pet rat we all felt like it was time to find another female pet and why not a bunny so Kikko could finally have a friend. We decided to check out our nearest animal shelter and see if they had any pet bunnies that would get along well with Kikko. My local animal shelter actually had 3 bunnies. Unfortunately one of them was a male rabbit which would be a problem because two male bunnies normally tend to attack each other. Luckily there were two female rabbits that were both very sweet and loving. We set up what my animal shelter likes to call a “meet and great” which consisted of us bringing in Kikko to meet with the two other female rabbits and see which one he would get along with the best. He ended up liking a rabbit called Strikes the most so we quickly filled adoption papers and waited to see if they would release her to us. The process toke about a couple of days and she was finally released to us on Wednesday of this week. It has been really exciting to have a new member of the family. We changed her name from Streaks to Mia because we felt it would flow better with Kikko’s name. Mia is white with a couple of black accents and Kikko is all black.

If you are ever looking to adopt a pet please check out your animal shelter first. They have such a huge variety of pets that I am almost certain you will find one that captures you heart. And if you’re local animal shelter doesn’t than check other nearby shelters. These animals want nothing more than to have a home and to share unconditional love with someone. The next time you are interested in buying any pet weather it’s a cat, bird, or dogs check out your shelter first you might be very surprised with what you find.

I hope you enjoy the pets in your life,
Angela

Graduation Memories

I was looking through an old year book from my middle school and it surprised me quite a bit. Picture after picture, row after row of boys and girls in whine colored gowns I realized we all had a lot more in common than we thought. Once we were all taken away from our circle of friends, our personal style and our attitudes we all were all the same. We were all slightly awkward; girls with our un plucked eyebrows or our failed attempts at putting on makeup and little boys trying to pretend they were way cooler than they really were. We were all clueless and would remain that way for quite a while, who knows maybe we still are. But looking back at all these people, boys who I wished would notice me and girls I wish I looked like, none of them were quite as great as I remembered them to be. Maybe it’s because anyone looks absolutely ridiculous in a cap and gown or maybe the fact that we all had to smile awkwardly into a camera that was held by a person we didn’t even know. But it was probably just uncertainty that registered across all of our faces that day. Wondering what we would all become. I remember thinking how strange it was that I had to take graduation pictures in February way before even knowing if I would graduate or not. It just seemed cruel for everyone to get suited up in caps and gowns but knowing that not all of us would be standing next to one another on graduation day. It was like a tiny taste of what everyone else would experience. I guess it was meant to motivate those who were falling behind but all it did to me so terrify me. I honestly believe we were all thinking such things that morning when the camera man captured our faces and fake smiles.

-Angela Garcia

4 Amazing Questions

I originally saw these 4 questions on a YouTube video and tried to make my own video answering these questions. Needless to say it was a total fail. So I decided I would blog about them instead and in the comments you guys should answer them too, there amazing questions that I think matter.

1. Who is one stranger that changed your life and what did they do for you?
The stranger that changed my life would have to be this girl I saw at my local coffee shop. She walked with her dad and I immediately noticed that she was wearing the same turquoise earrings as I and she noticed as well. She turned to her dad and pointed at me and we both smiled. We didn’t say any anything to each other but we shared a moment. This meant so much to me because girls are known for being very competitive and stuck up when two people are wearing the same thing. But there was none of that here she was sweet and seems very laid back.

2. If you could freeze one moment in your life, what would it be?
This question was the hardest one for me to answer because I have so many moments I wish I would freeze because the most beautiful of moments always tend to be the most fleeting. So I couldn’t possible pick just one moment but any moment that has ever involved someone I love.

3. If you could contribute one thing to the world, what would it be?
HAPPINESS! The world needs so much happiness, love, and truth but if I could contribute one thing it would be happiness. The definition of happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by content, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. If we all felt a little happier and a little more confident the world would be very different. And that’s a huge reason why I started Our Beauty Struggles.

4. Pick one personality trait you love about yourself and explain why.
Everyone should answer this question even if it isn’t in the comment section of this blog. We are always so willing to point our flaws, weaknesses, and faults but were never so willing to admit our achievements and show our beauty for fear of being thought of as conceded. But if we all looked at our very own achievements more often eating disorders wouldn’t be rising as quickly as they are. With that said the thing I love most about me is how easily I can connect with people. It’s a personal trait that has been most helped Our Beauty Struggles become as successful as it has.

-Angela Garcia

http://www.ourbeautystruggles.com/index.html

Perfection Isn't Real!!!

I am a huge foodie and I am constantly watching the Food Network. Ironically enough I don’t cook very often. So I have started doing much more and my first meal was one I know like the back of my hand. I decided to make angel pasta with white sauce served next to chicken, mushrooms and onions. The chicken and vegetables tasted great and the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente but I somehow let the white sauce bowl more than it should have and it got very thick and chunky looking. Without thinking I poured the sauce onto the pasta anyway, needless to say it was a mess that ended with me eating my dinner in the basement away from my family crying.

I hate that I reacted so strongly to a tiny little mistake like this one but that’s the way I act whenever I make a mistake. I still get so wrapped up in trying to reach this notion of perfection that I tend to miss the greater picture the important parts of life. I wasn't able to enjoy a meal with my family because I was so embarrassed. I know that perfection is this unattainable concept and if I attempt to reach for it I am setting myself up to fail because nothing I do will ever reach perfection.

I can happily say that I didn’t let that small disaster stop from cooking other dinners. The week after that I made a pizza that I was really proud of. I made my own dough topped with my mother’s amazing homemade pasta sauce, garlic chicken, red peppers, and one red onion. I can’t wait to continue cooking different foods. Cooking for me makes me feel the same way painting does because I put so much of myself into my work that when it doesn’t come out the way I like I feel as though its personal. I now appreciate my mom’s hard work so much more than I ever realized because cooking for my family is not an easy thing!

"The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself." -Anna Quindlen

"A beautiful thing is never perfect." -Proverb

Check out my web site for another blog about struggling with perfection.

http://www.ourbeautystruggles.com/1/post/2010/01/the-ugly-truth-about-perfection.html

-Angela