Teresa Ruiz confesses that her mornings are rather pleasant, despite her hectic schedule. She walks into her home's beautiful front garden, sits in a glider, and tosses a ball to Louie, the black Labradoodle she helps care for, holding a book and a steaming cup of coffee. Her Santa Monica bungalow and its next-door neighbor share a lovely, shady garden that runs the length of both properties. The two houses are owned by a couple of acting coaches with whom Ruiz has shared an apartment for the past five years. Ruiz, 31, added, "They have become my family in Los Angeles." “It's quite difficult for a new artist to gain that backing, and I was fortunate to discover it rather quickly.”