Saying Goodbye

Almost 20 years ago, this scrawny little thing appeared at our backdoor looking for a family. Her bones were poking out beneath her matted fur and she was freezing cold. I was 8 years old and had been begging my parents for a pet so when this tiny creature appeared on our doorstep I surely thought that my prayers had been answered. My mom instructed me not to feed it or it would stick around, so of course I quietly put my own blanket outside along with some lunch meat for this shivering critter. Night after night she continued to return to our backdoor and she eventually warmed her way into all of our hearts and our home.

Kitty-Kitty was so much more than just a pet, she became an important part of our family who was there for us in ways that are indescribable. When I left for college, she stayed behind to keep my parents company (a.k.a. boss them around). Kitty was diagnosed with kidney failure awhile back and my parents had been giving her an IV each morning to keep her hydrated. It was difficult seeing our family member get older and go through these changes but she still had her same sassy personality. More recently, she started having difficulty walking and began shivering uncontrollably. My parents had a difficult decision to make. Yesterday morning my mom fed Kitty-Kitty ice cream, a treat that she always went crazy over but we never allowed her to have, and my parents held her as she left us.

Words cannot express how much joy she brought into our lives and how much we'll miss her. We're very lucky and grateful that she picked us to become her family. Hug your pets a little tighter tonight because their time on earth goes by way too fast.

Johnny Coppola

We have a new addition to the Coppola family - a new furbaby addition that is! We totally fell in love with Johnny, a grey 3-month old maine coon. He is super laid back and beyond gorgeous, he was nicknamed the "calendar kitty" at the shelter.

Rich and I started volunteering at Blistered Whiskers animal shelter a few months ago and we told ourselves that we wouldn't get attached to any of the animals there. Oh boy were we wrong! Of course we know that this officially makes us life members of the crazy cat family club but Johnny is totally worth it lol!

We met Johnny when he first arrived at the shelter and even got to name him (does anyone know the "Where is Johnny" Bridezilla episode?...a little inside joke between us). Apparently Johnny and his siblings were discovered in an elderly woman's backyard looking for scraps. The lady contacted Blistered Whiskers and once helped arrived, they not only found Johnny but 32 other street cats/kittens living in the alley behind her house. All of the cats were rescued and Johnny is now a Coppola!

Thousand Birdies Giveaway

The fabulous Gisele is offering a blog revamp to one of her lucky readers. Gis updated my Designs by Vanessa blog not too long ago and was amazing to work with. While I would absolutely love for her to revamp Keeping Up With The Coppola's, I would love to win this giveaway even more for Blistered Whiskers. Blistered Whiskers is a non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and adoption of street kittens here in Arizona. I plan on volunteering with this organization. Keep your fingers crossed that I win this giveaway!

Because we know that you are all dying for a furbaby photo update...

Sparkles: "Why am I in this basket and how do I get out?"

Sparkles: "Yawwwn I'm bored with you."

Chyna: "You will not get me to look at the camera today."

Chyna: "Ugh fine I'll look in your direction."