My Little Bella Girl!!!

I know that you have all been waiting, on the edge of your seats, to meet my little Bella Girl...well, here she is!!!


The story behind getting my cute, little, 'cow'-girl doesn't seem nearly as complicated as the story that brought me Juno! But, nonetheless, it is just as important!

I had always wanted to get Juno a little sister...but where on Earth was I going to find her one? That was the burning question for months on end...until, one day...

I happened to be at the library (my internet wasn't working at home), checking my email and such things! Well, I just so happened to look at The Cape Breton Post online and came across an advertisement that said something about 'free kittens to a good home'. I put the # in my cell, planning to 'maybe' call it later that afternoon.

I had an Eye Dr.'s appt. a bit later and, while sitting in the waiting room, I decided to give the 'free kitten #' a try! The lady seemed very nice and told me all about the 2 kittens that she had there. Their Mommy had died, somehow, so little Bella and her brother were nursed with a bottle by this woman. I told the woman that I'd like to come out and see the kittens, perhaps the next day. But, it was a long way to go, just to see them - about an hr bus ride. I thought about it and tried to figure out...if I fell in love with the kitten, how on Earth would I get her back to my place? I wasn't quite sure if kittens were allowed on the bus, even in a carrier. And I was nervous that the poor, little kitty would be terrified...being brought on the bus for an hr...it would be so loud!

Well, the more I thought about it, the more I convinced myself that I would want the kitty...regardless! So, after my appt., I called the lady back and asked her if she'd be willing to drive the kitten into Sydney. She agreed to bring the kitty in that evening. I was so excited!!! But...little did I know...

You see, I kinda thought that Juno would be absolutely ELATED to have a little sister! Well, I was in for quite the surprise! I guess I, probably, shouldn't have assumed the best, but I did! Well, when I brought little Bella home, Juno was FURIOUS!!! She wouldn't even 'talk' to me for the next 24 hrs! And she would hiss and growl at poor, little Bella! This made me fear I'd done something horrible! But, alas, in less than a week, Juno and Bella were inseparable! And have been ever since! What a great story, eh?!

So, here are some pictures of my new, little Bella Girl!

This picture was taken the first night that she was with Me, her new Mommy! She's so snuggly!!! You probably can't really tell from this picture, but she's leaning against me...what a cutie!

Look at that face!!!

She's so tiny! And look at that little 'rat-tail'...I love it!

Here she is, peaking up at me from behind the couch...I just can't get over how cute she is!

Chillin' at the kitchen table!

So sweet!!!

One fateful morning, while Mommy was bathing in the tub...someone fell in!!! Poor little Bella...she was so scared! But, not to worry, Big Sister Juno was right there to help her!

'Mommy, you woke me up to take my picture??? Oh brother!'

I would have to say that this is one of the cutest things about my little Bella Girl...this is how she sleeps!!! Could she even get any cuter?!?!?!?

Well, that's the story behind my little 'cow'-girl Bella! Stay tuned for more playful adventures of my Girls!

5 Positive things!

Today was a GREAT day!!! There isn't really anything that happened that was totally out of the ordinary or, necessarily, seemingly exciting...but it was just a good day! Here are some of the reasons why:

1. I went for a drive with Holly and Timmy!!! We didn't really go anywhere special, but it was fun to be with them! Yay for going on a drive!!!

2. Holly was kind enough to stop at Sobey's for me...meaning that I didn't have to carry or pull (in my backpack on wheels!) any groceries home! WOOHOO!!! This made it possible for me to get not 1, but 2 liters of milk, a bag of kitty food, 12 AWESOME cans of Coke!, Dill Pickle Chips, and a small amount of one of my fave ice creams! - Double Chocolate something or other!!! Who could ask for anything more?!

3. I had this for dinner:Yup! That's right...Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper! It may not be the healthiest thing for me, however, I haven't had it in what seems like forever, so it was a nice treat! AND, it's super easy to make!

4. This next one may seem like it's not so exciting, but I think it is! And, it is my blog, and my positive account of my own day...so, here it is - I ran into Diane MacKinnon when checking out at the grocery store! This NEVER happens! And she even offered me a ride home, but Holly was waiting for me. So, I was thinking, 'Dear Di, Could you please arrange to be at Sobey's the next time I go and need a ride home?! This would be most appreciated! Thank you for your time!' Usually, I don't even have 1 ride, but, on this particular day, I was offered 2!!! Man, I feel the love!

5. I finally folded and put away some towels that have been sitting on my couch, put some plastic storage boxes back to where they used to be (behind my couch and out of the way!), and am now enjoying a more clutter-free apt! Go Me!!!

And so my Friday comes to a close! See you tomorrow!

5 Positive Things!!!

Yesterday night I stayed up SOOOOOO LATE!!! So, most of today was spent sleeping, however, I most definitely have 5 positive things to report!

1. I went to the Drive-In with Troll; it looked something like this:

The first movie we saw was 'Gran Torino', with Clint Eastwood. It was awesome! Then, out Jason for a visit...'Friday the 13th'!!! Oh yea! And, I was scared to death! Imagine watching that movie and sitting in a car in the middle of a half-vacant field in the middle of nowhere...yea, not scary AT ALL!!! Whatever!!!

2. Although I spent much of today sleeping, I was able to go on a short walk and, thoroughly, enjoy the BEAUTIFUL, WARM weather! I CANNOT wait for summer!!!

3. I devoured a whole box of some of the yummiest candy on Planet Earth - JUNIOR MINTS!!!

And, man, were they ever good!!!!

4. Milk was only $2 at Shopper's!!! Much better than the price at Lawton's Drugs!!! What a bargain!

5. I am, currently, listening to the song, 'Winter Song', by Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson...on repeat! I LOVE this song! Sometimes the littlest things can make me so happy! :)

5 Positive Things!

K, I almost didn't get this done today because I have world's worst tummy ache...EVER!!! You see, I went to Dairy Queen with 'Troll' and ordered from the following menu:

I got 4 things!!! - 1 Cheeseburger, 1 Order of Onion Rings, 1 Medium Drink, and 1 Hot Fudge Sundae!!! It really seemed to hit the spot, at the time, but, afterwards...WOOOOWEEEEEE!!!!! Darn stomach!!!

Anyway, here are my positive 5 for the day:

1. I went on a GLORIOUS walk with Troll on the Boardwalk, down at the Sydney Harbor! We enjoyed a most wonderful conversation, watched some sailboats racing in the wind, and saw a pretty peculiarly large Loon...oh, and I didn't die!!!

2. I didn't have to make myself dinner...always a plus!

3. I enjoyed some serious dancing on the Telly tonight - 'So You Think You Can Dance' RULES!!!

4. I am, right now, listening to the sweet sound of John Mayer's melodious voice, serenading me! It's been too long!

5. I realized, with the help of another, that I am truly blessed to live in a Country where I am free to practice life as I choose...that includes religion, speech, what food I eat, etc...I think you get the point!

K, have a great Thursday everyone!

The Start of '5 Positive Things'

So, at the end of every day, I used to write down 5 positive things that happened that day. Whether small and seemingly insignificant or huge and unbelievable, if it made me happy or helped me smile...it was noteworthy. So, I plan to do this on my blog at the end of every day...that way, I have it on record, so to speak. And, maybe, just maybe, it will encourage one of my readers to do the same! It really helps with the whole 'positive attitude' thing.

So, here are my first 5...

1. I had some really great conversations with some pretty great people! Let's see...Joey the Ghoul (yup...see, I told you I'd mention you in my Blog!), Batman (and you know who you are!), Troll (or should I say, friend of P.O.C.!!!), The Ugly Twin (you know which one you are!), and The One and Only (there's only one of you out there!)! Busy day on that awesome thing we call a Cell Phone!!!

2. I re-organized one of my cupboards...something I've been meaning to do the past few days!

3. Started uploading a whole bunch of old CD's onto my iTunes...also something that I've been meaning to do, but for longer than the cupboard! I've had this pile of CD's staring at me day after day after day and I FINALLY started to do something with them! I love my music!

4. I accomplished my small goal of posting my story about Juno on here...it actually took me quite a long time, you know...uploading all those pictures, typing it all out, blah, blah, blah! But I wanted to finish it today and post it, and I did! Yay! Go Me!!!

5. This last one happens every day, but I have to write it anyway! I found great amusement in watching Bella and Juno play! They're the cutest EVER!!! Especially when they chase each other all around my rather small apt! They just make me happy!!! And, often, cause me to laugh out loud, even when I'm all by myself! Good times!

K, done with Day 1 of '5 Positive Things'...it'll get harder, but better, each day because I don't do repeats...if you know what I mean! :)

And, now...I'm off to read about these people, or should I say 'Vampires' and such!!!

The story that brought me Juno!!!

As I mentioned in a previous Post, I would, now, like to tell you all about my friendly, furry companion, named Juno!!! Before I go into long detail of our uniting, I would like to share a picture of her...I imagine you will fall in love with her, just as I did!!!


Well, I decided to go on a little trek with Diane, Carl, and Bethany MacKinnon - they were on their way up to Halifax so that Di and Carlos could go and see Elton John in concert and Bethany was going along for the ride...and to see her sister, of course! Oh, and to spend time with a family friend!

Anyway, they seemed happy enough to have me along for the ride, as well, so...off we went! We arrived at my Parent's house on Saturday afternoon! And, so, the adventure begins...

My Mom had it all planned out...we were going over to cousin Alice's for dinner! I remember my Mom telling me that Alice's cat had recently had a litter of kittens and I was pretty excited to be able to see and play with them! Although, when I asked Mom if she still had the kittens, my Mom replied, "Um, I'm not really sure...she may have a few left." Good job, Mom!!! Perfect set-up!!!

So, off we went to Alice's! As soon as we got there, I asked about the kittens and was happily surprised to find that all of them were still there! How exciting! They kept me busy until dinner time...they were so cute and playful! We ate dinner, which was so good!!!, and, back to the kittens I went.

I had been playing with them for a while, when, totally out of the blue, Mom said, "Shawna, would you like to get an early birthday present now?" This seemed to be totally out of character for my Mom...I mean, come on!...we were at Alice's for dinner and my birthday wasn't for another 6 months, at least! So, with a puzzled look on my face, I said, "Huh? Now? Why?"

And the surprise came...

"Well, with winter coming soon, your Father and I thought that it would be a good idea for you to have some company." - Mom

"Huh?" - Shawna, totally confused and oblivious!!!

"Dad and I want to give you one of Alice's kittens as an early birthday present, so that you'll have some company during the winter months." - Mom

"WHAT?!?!? NO WAY!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Which one can I have? Can I take him/her home to Sydney with me when I leave tomorrow? OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! Thank you Alice, thank you Alice!!!!!!!" - a very happy, but surprised Shawna

So, I nearly scared all the kittens away with all my excitement! It wa s alittle bit of a chore to find the 2 that hadn't been spoken for yet. One was out playing...he was all orange and SO CUTE!!! I used to have a cat, named Leo, that was all orange..so, I was a bit partial to this little one. I played with him for a bit and was almost set in getting him...BUT THEN...

Alice told me that I had a choice between the little boy or another little one, a little girl. I was pretty sure that I wouldn't change my mind, but, I figured, I'd better just see the other one...just in case. Well, she was buried in the couch...she loves to cuddle in tight spaces! But Alice dug her out and, as soon as I laid eyes on her, I fell instantly in love! I knew she was the kitty for me! She had such unique and beautiful coloring...there was no way that I could say no.

So, long story short, I got to take her home that day and brought her back to Sydney with me, the next day.

Oh, I guess I should tell you how I came up with her name, eh?! My Parents and I went straight to Walmart from Alice's to buy all the necessary things for a new kitten - carrier, food dishes, food, litter box, toys, etc! Well, everyone in Walmart wanted to see her and thought she was just the cutest little thing! But I hadn't named her yet! So, I asked a few people throughout my strolling in Walmart if they had any ideas as to what to name her and, a totally random lady said, "How about Juno?" I thought about it for about 2.5 seconds and realized that was the PERFECT name for my new, little baby girl! It has a deeper meaning, of course! My bestest girlfriend, Kristie, and I had a favorite song from the movie, 'Juno' called 'Anyone Else But You'. Well, I, obviously, couldn't name my kitten the name of the song, so naming her 'Juno' seemed just perfect! So, thank you to the random lady in Walmart for suggesting this name!

I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed having Juno!!! She's so much fun and a bit of a troublemaker, but I love her just the same! She's great company and a really good snuggler!!!

Here are some pictures of her when she was just a little, itty, bitty kitten!

Here we are, snugglin' on Georgie's couch!

I was in Hospital for a bit, so Georgie took care of her for me. This is one night when Georgie was AWESOME and brought my little baby to visit me! Look at that cute, little face!!!

It always seems to be, that when Mommy is on the computer, Juno comes over and INSISTS on being held...especially when she was small like this! What a cutie, though! How could I resist?

This is the usual!

Tunney really loves my little baby girl! Look how small she is! She grew up so fast!!!

Georgie said she had a bit of a rough time when it came to Juno and the Christmas Tree...here's the evidence! Look at that devilish look on her face!

Well, my baby girl grew pretty fast! Here she is doing one of her favorite thing! - drinking out of my bathroom sink! Better than the toilet, don't you think?!

Sometimes Juno finds herself up in high places...such as, on top of my kitchen cupboards! There's no way that I can reach her up there, so it's up to her to find her own way down! Sometimes that turns into quite the challenge!

Here she is at her usual perch...on top of my nice, warm monitor! She loves to chase around the mouse from up there! I'm glad it keeps her entertained!

This often happens when Mommy spends too much time on the computer and isn't paying any attention to poor, little Juno. She really has a way of speaking her mind through her actions!

Juno sometimes finds the strangest places to hide out! One day, she had opened my top drawer (and, yes, it's my sock and underwear drawer, of course!) and I found her comfortably laying like so! Cats are so silly!

Juno LOVES to lay on my radiators!

Look at that gorgeous body!!! Pretty colors!!!

If I leave my closet door opened, for any amount of time, this is the outcome. I kept on calling for her one day and couldn't find her for the life of me! Well, go figure, she was up on my highest shelf in my closet!

I try to leave this window open for Juno! She loves to hear what's going on down below!

Well, there you have it! That's my baby girl! And, stay tuned, I'll tell you all about Bella soon enough!

First Things First!

So, I emailed everyone and asked for suggestions as to what the heck to write about on here. I got lots of great suggestions from everyone! Thank you!!!

Well, I came to the realization that many of you are way behind on the life and adventures of Shawna Rae! So, I'm going to begin with where I'm living! I thought that sounded like a good plan!

For those of you that didn't know, my Dad got a job in Halifax just over a year or so ago. I had been living out in Oakville, ON, but when I heard the news that my Parents were moving back East, I decided that it would be in my best interest to follow suit. So, out to Cape Breton Island I came! I actually used to live here years ago...back in 1997-98, to be exact. And, I've been coming out to this part of Canada since I was little..every summer! So, it kinda just felt like I was moving home.

For those of you that aren't too sure of where Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia is, I looked up some maps on Google!

First, here's North America...I'm in Nova Scotia, which is as far East as you can go in Canada!
Next, here's a map of Nova Scotia! Cape Breton is the Island all the way to the right!
And, last, but definitely not least!, is a map of the BEAUTIFUL Cape Breton Island!
I live in Sydney! Not North Sydney or Sydney Mines...just, plain, Sydney! And I love it here! Of course, I do miss a lot of people from where I've lived before, but I'm pretty good at keeping in touch, so it all seems do-able!

So, on June 15, 2008, I moved into my very own Bachelorette (as I call it!) apt! Yes, I've almost been here for a whole year! Now, if anyone had told me that I'd be living on my own, completely independent, cooking for myself, cleaning up after myself, I don't think I would have ever believed them. I guess I lacked a bit of courage and self esteem! But, it's been almost 1 year and I DID IT!!! Woohoo for me!!!!

So, you ask?, what does this said apt look like?! Well, I came prepared! I have more pictures!!!

Oh, did I happen to mention that I live on the 3rd floor?! Yea, maybe not the smartest idea for someone that hates stairs as much as I do, but I've, pretty much, gotten used to it. I actually like being up so high because I feel safer...I mean, who in their right mind, would climb 3 flights of stairs to steal something that they'd only have to carry all the way down again? So, here is a picture of just the inside stairs..and that's not even all of them! I sure get my exercise living here! As you can see, this is also where I keep all my coats, jackets, scarves, and a little kitty thing for Juno and Bella to play on. Who are Juno and Bella??? Stay tuned, you'll find out in, most likely, the next post!

This is my wonderful computer desk! I spend much of my time here, whether it's spent online or watching movies...I just wish I had a nice, big, comfy desk chair to go with it all. But, it's all good, I make do with what I've got!

This is one of my favorite posters!!! World's Great Troublemaker - ME?!?!? Who woulda thought?!

Here's my closet door...yes, my one and only closet in the apt! I would have taken a picture of the inside, but it's just full of 'stuff'...you know! Typical closet! And, yes, that is DEFINITELY a calendar of Grey's Anatomy! BEST show EVER!!!

This is what I like to call my 'sitting area'/bedroom! I think I have my apt perfectly arranged!!! You see, I can lay in bed and watch TV or, this is so exciting!, I can swivel the TV around and sit on my very comfy couch! I know, I know, life doesn't get much more exciting than that! And, yes, that is SpongeBob!!! He rules! Oh, and the Party sign!!! It's a must in my apt! :)

This would be a picture of one of the hottest guys out there...you guessed it!!! JOHNNY DEPP!!! Oh, and my un-made bed. Don't tell my Grandma!

This is what I like to call, my 'Party Wall'!!! I've had one everywhere I've lived!

Oh dear...I just realized that my dirty laundry is in this picture!!! Just don't look at it, k?! This is my other, 'not-so-comfortable' couch and 'not-so-comfortable' chair that goes with it. And, just so you know, the chair isn't there anymore...it got moved to the storage area in the basement...it was just taking up space!

Here's my bookshelf that doesn't even hold 1/3 of the books that I own! I LOVE READING!!! And I love Tweety Bird, too!

This is my lovely kitchen area! I have a stove-top with 2 burners, a small-ish sink, 2 cupboard areas to fit all my dishes and food in, a Toaster Over (I never had one of those before here!), and 2 fridges! - there's one hiding under my stove-top!

These are my favorite mugs that I drank home-made hot chocolate out of all winter long! The one on the far left is what I call 'My Special Mug' - Kristie gave it to me right before I moved here...almost all the important people in my life from Oakville signed it! I LOVE IT!!! The next mug says, 'Forget Love, I'd Rather Fall For Chocolate' - this was from Teresita...a house-warming gift! I got the 3rd mug from a swap that we had at church one night in Oakville! It says 'Budda Boom Budda Bing'...and it's from East Side Mario's! I think that makes me cool for having it, right?! The last one in the row is my heart mug from Laura! There are only a few of these in existence, (well, that I know of, anyway) and Laura loved me enough to give me one when I left Oakville! I feel the love whenever I look at these mugs!!!

Oh, this is just getting better and better by the minute, eh?! Yes, I said 'Eh'!!! This would be my bathroom...and, yes, that's a litterbox...I share the bathroom with my little roommates!

I love this poster of the Lighthouse!

My gleaming, white tub!!! Oh, and Juno, but you'll hear all about her in another post! I LOVE my tub!!! I don't have a shower because the ceiling is slanted...I didn't think I'd like it too much, having to get used to taking only baths, but I LOVE IT!!!

Well, there you have it! Now you know where I am! I'll fill you in on my Roommies in a soon-to- come post! But, for now, that's it for this one! Hope you enjoyed it!