meet finley!

On Sunday, my boyfriend and I adopted the sweetest little 1-year-old chi! We'd been going to local adoption events and obsessively checking Petfinder.com for the past couple months, knowing we wanted to rescue a dog, but we wanted make sure we were doing it responsibly. Finally, this past weekend, we felt like we were ready. We stopped by an event to meet a dog we'd seen on Petfinder, but as soon as we got there, we saw Finley (then 'Bullet') and fell in love! The next day, his foster parents brought him over and he instantly made himself at home. The boys have had a ball playing together. Finley is the stereotypical annoying little brother and Kanye has done a pretty good job putting up with his antics. Angel, on the other hand, will have none of his bullshit. She puts him in his place, but when he's not being an irritating little puppy, she lets him cuddle up beside her, which is so darn sweet! I don't think we could've gotten a more perfect dog. He is so well behaved. He listens, knows how to 'sit,' is (mostly) potty-trained, and soooo cuddly! His tail is always wagging and his puppy energy is so fun. 

“Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. Each year, approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized (670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats). ”

— ASPCA.ORG

It's so tempting to stop by a pet shop with those little designer puppies scratching on the glass, waiting to be taken home, but just think of all the dogs and cats in shelters. Their lives depend on being adopted. Ask yourself... is the breed of your best friend really that important? If you do want a particular breed, you can search for it on Petfinder.com, and they almost always have the one you're looking for. Especially if you're patient and check back every couple weeks. Italian Greyhound, Frenchie, Dalmatian, Cockapoo. Hypoallergenic, too! They're all there! And sooo many puppies! Plus, the adoption fee is usually tax deductible. Finley's fee was just $300—neutered, microchipped, dewormed, vaccinated, and ready to go. There are so many positives of adopting a rescue. Dogs do not need to be bred in a world where there are so many in shelters waiting to be adopted, and thousands euthanized daily. There's nothing like a bond between a rescue and a rescuer. It is so rewarding.

Angel, my 12-year-old Yorkie, was adopted from a breeder for a whopping $1,000. I love her to pieces and I wouldn't change a thing because she has been there for me through thick and thin, but I will never adopt from a breeder again. For one, the breeder lied about her breed (she's not full Yorkie, but a mix of Yorkie and Silky... which makes the steep price even more unfair.) Two, $1,000 is just... insane. A quick Petfinder search brought up a puppy Yorkie for $400 (microchipped, neutered, vaccines, and deworming.) There's just so many reasons to #adoptdontshop!

Okay, rant over. Back to gushing over Fin. I am so in love with him. He sleeps under the covers with us in our bed, and gives so many kisses, and prances the entire time on our walks. He chases his tail. He follows me around everywhere (even into the bathroom.) He plays so hard with his toys that sometimes they go flying behind the couch and he has to crawl underneath to get it. I feel so lucky to be his mama and I can't wait to love him for the next (hopefully) 15+ years.

take care,

an introduction

I created my Tumblr on November 20, 2010. From that moment on, I have grown to love sharing bits and pieces of myself through the form of a blog. With the chaos of life, I let this little joy of mine slip away, but as I enter into a new chapter of my life―one in which I am passionately intentional about how I spend my time and energy―I have decided to pick it back up again. It may take some easing into, so I won't make any promises about a weekly schedule, but I will promise you that I will pour my heart out and be 100% real whenever I do take the time to write to you. 

I am so accustomed to spilling my guts online that I assume everyone has been with me from the start, and that we're like old, old friends who've known each other since our awkward stages. I forget that I'm a stranger to most of you. 

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Madisen, I am 21-years-old, and I'm a Pisces, INFP, and Enneagram Type 4. I love personality evaluations. I was born and raised in Virginia. I have two younger siblings who I adore more than anything. I have two dogs that I love equally as much. I am a writer.

Something that I always get asked about: I was a Christian up until a few years ago when I discovered that that lifestyle wasn't for me. I still consider myself a spiritual person and aim to connect with the world around me through love. 

I've never been stung by a bee. I have a tattoo. I have eight piercings. My parents are stoked about it. I am a vegetarian (aspiring vegan) who is allergic to tree nuts, which is both funny and annoying. Currently, I am in my third year of college studying studio + digital arts. I just moved to Los Angeles, California, kind of on a whim, where I live in a sweet little apartment with my boyfriend and our dogs. I love my apartment. It is light and cozy and feels like home. I love this city. It's beautiful and inspiring. 

I love yoga and self-help books and people with warm voices. My mother was born in Colombia. I struggle with an assortment of mental health issues, including anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. I like to be outspoken about my journey with these challenges because I know how alone it can feel, and I want to break the stigma that mental illness is something to be ashamed of.

Right now I am reading several books at once because I am a child who cannot decide what she wants for dessert, so she orders cake, pie, and ice cream. Self-help book: You Are A Badass; a book on mental health: The Happiness Hypothesis; Lifestyle: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up; Leisure: Tender is the Night. 

I could tell you more, but you'll get to know me further as I share these blog posts, as well as continue to document my life through photographs on Instagram, bestow intellectual revelations on Twitter (ha ha), and maybe make some YouTube videos? 

Thanks for letting me into a fragment of your day. I know it can be chaotic, annoying, and full of a lot of meaningless bullshit, but maybe this wasn't one of those things. I hope that we can be friends.

take care,