Hi Kudzuvians, it’s me KUDZILLA again. Yes, I am quite spoiled for I was just on vacation in Vancouver, Canada with one of the Producers here at Kudzu.com. I had a wonderful time hiking, eating and sightseeing but really, I am quite happy to be back home and checking/eating reviews. In this picture, I am feeding a parking meter with what them Canadians call “Toonies”…hehe, they’re these silver and gold coins filled with chocolate that they use for money! I ate quite a few toonies while I was up there. Click on for my pictures! If you want to take me on vacation, email my manager here and she can mail me to you! I’d really like to go to Hawaii… …CONTINUE READING »

Just got back from a six day trip to beautiful British Columbia, Canada, my former flagship locale. My boyfriend and I flew up to Seattle from Atlanta, then took Amtrak (train) to Vancouver, BC.

Vancouver is a the la-la-land of the Pacific Northwest. Beaches, snow-capped mountains, and an industrious city of skyscrapers/grey condos all in one cherry blossom and tree-lined viewscape. One moment you are hiking up Grouse Mountain, the next you’ll find yourself shopping at the trendy boutiques in Yaletown. In downtown Vancouver there is a sushi bar on every corner, and Indian, Korean, and plenty of other cuisines all lined up next to each other. And of course, being on the West Coast, there’s no shortage of organic food markets and restaurants. And BC loves Starbucks. At Granville and Thurlow, there are TWO of them, one on either side of the street. So if you want to meet someone at the Starbucks, please indicate North or South!

If you plan on visiting Vancouver in the near future, and flying out of the south eastern United States, I highly recommend flying to Seattle and taking the train. This was my first trip ever on a REAL train — one with assigned seating, a snack car, and bathrooms. It was a great experience. The tracks flowed along the gray Pacific Ocean, with the waves on once side and coniferous trees on the other. The only annoying part was the highly inquisitive customs officer that greeted us at the Canadian border — and who proceeded to search and x-ray all our belongings. There was also a dog there, sniffing around for perpetrators. Apparently smugglers like to travel by train, so railway borders have to be extra careful.

Vancouver is the most laid-back city I’ve had the pleasure of living in. Stay tuned for pictures from Kudzilla, he took quite a few while we were there

We might be crazy.  We are embarking on a major kitchen remodel.  Like, tearing down walls, moving plumbing, buying all new appliances kind of crazy kitchen remodel.

Our kitchen is fine.  It functions pretty well for our current needs, but given our growing family, we could stand to spread out a little.  I envision this wonderful, bright, wide-open space where I can move freely and keep an eye on the kid(s) in the adjacent keeping room. 

Currently the room is outdated, kind of dark and cut off strangely in the middle by a wall that probably used to separate inside from outside, but then that area was at some point incorporated into the house without taking down the wall.  The result is that it has been a big waste of space ever since.  Remember those old ovens with the mechanical clocks whose numbers slowly roll up and whose timers start with an imperceptible buzz and grow to a fever pitch until someone mercifully races to turn them off?  No?  Did I mention my appliances are outdated?

Well the destruction began yesterday and we couldn’t be more excited!  We hired Raymac Remodeling who did a great job on our basement remodel a few years ago.  We looked at sites and magazines for inspiration - Kudzu has a good gallery to check out here.  We ended up going with cream cabinets, a stained island and a light multi-colored granite with lots of movement.  We’ll top it off with bright green walls and a few red accents.  I can’t wait to see the finished product!

Here is the before picture (with a garbage bag on the window as construction had just begun by the time I got around to taking this shot).  After picture to be posted, well…after, obviously.

Bring on the destruction!

My husband and I are dog people. Our two mutts are beloved members of the family who just happen to walk on all fours and drool a lot. In that way, perhaps we are well-trained to have a baby join the clan.

 

Emmy is a seven-year old bundle of energy and enthusiasm.  When I rescued her in 2003, she was a smart girl who knew how to look gentle and sweet in that cage and carried on the charade of shyness once we got her home by hiding under the dining room chair for 3 days. What a quiet  little angel, my then roommate and I thought. Little did we know.

 

Emmy blossomed soon after into her fabulous “look at me” personality and hasn’t switched into a lower gear since. She is a pouncing, licking, cuddling, top-of-her-lungs-howling, furniture-sitting, stuffed animal-tossing machine but we wouldn’t have it any other way. She has brought so much joy and laughter into our lives.

 

In 2004 when my husband and I were first dating, he decided to adopt a dog also. I went with him and seeing cage after cage of rambunctiously friendly dogs, we came across one pretty little black lab mix with light brown eyes who was scared to death, literally shaking in the back of her cage. I encouraged him to check her out and we took her outside to play with a ball.

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What a doll! She retrieved like a champ and was calm, sweet and happy once out of that confined space. Thus, he adopted Kahlua who is almost 7 now. Kahlua is many wonderful things - she is playful, affectionate, gentle but protective and often quite goofy, but you know what? From the moment we got her home, that dog would not retrieve to save her life. Again, the old bait and switch!

 

In a sense, it’s like having a child. We don’t know what he will be like at all - will he love basketball like his dad, or languages like his mom?  Or will his interests lie completely outside ours?   Will he embrace or reject the love for music that we both share? Will he be reserved or talkative?

 

Forrest Gump was right - you never know what you’re gonna get. But what Emmy and Kahlua have taught us is that whatever he is like, we will love him just as he is.  As long as he is a dog person, of course. 

Hi everyone it’s me Kudzilla again! I have the best life ever — every time one of the Kudzu peeps go on vacay, they let me tag along! Most recently I went to Florida, and here are some pictures! Next I’m going to Canada. Wanna take me on vacation with you? Let us know, I’m sure we could arrange it

This one is my favorite. I think i'll use it on my Facebook profile. Me at the beach!