Halloween...and Koda update, of course

Halloween is probably our favorite holiday.  Dressing up, eating candy, watching scary movies...what's not to love? Friday night we carved a pumpkin and chose a pretty intense face as you will see. Koda wasn't too sure about the whole pumpkin situation. Like last year, we hosted a party at our house and yes, there were costumes. We had a great time visiting with friends and laughing at each other's choice of wardrobe.

Not too sure about this...

Deb (from Napolean Dynamite), a zombie and Strawberry Shortcake

'I'gor, he was such a good sport about his homemade costume, you can barely make out the hump on his back

If you haven't seen "Young Frankenstein" you need to.

Dan as Sweeney Todd (another great movie)

our beautiful decor

Halloween just happens to be Koda's birthday, yet another reason for us to love this day...Koda turned 1 today. We bought him a doggy cupcake at Gourmutt's here in Raleigh. It's a great little shop that sells homemade dog treats, bones, food, toys, etc.  

Koda and JoJo

Our friend Dan recently adopted a American Staffordshire mix from the SPCA named JoJo. She is about 2 years old and was rescued after getting hit by a motorcycle. JoJo no longer has the use of her right paw, but she is still very active and one of the sweetest dogs you'll ever meet. Dan brought her over to our place to meet Koda who immediately wanted to be her best friend! They played pretty well together even though she had to warn Koda a few times that he was being too rough. Here are some pictures from their afternoon together.

Grammy and Poppy

A couple of weekends ago, I drove to Wilmington to visit my grandparents.  My parents were also staying for the weekend and I was able to enjoy visiting with them all at once.  I LOVE visiting my grandparents, my Poppy is one of the funniest people I know and my Grammy is the best hostess - I strive to copy her skills in cooking and hosting parties.  Whenever I leave their house, I feel as if I've gained 10 pounds...yes, my Grammy is a fabulous cook.  Most of the weekend we just sat around and talked, reminiscing and telling stories.  My dad drove us to downtown Wilmington for breakfast on Sunday at Dixie's (a great little place if you're ever in Wilmington) and then we walked around downtown enjoying the weather and being near the water.  It was a great visit, I'm hoping to go back soon!

this little guy was hanging out in my grandparent's backyard

On the way to Wilmington, my parents stopped in to spend some time with Carter, Koda and I.  Koda fell in love with my dad and would not leave him alone...Koda sat on the ottoman as if he was having a chat with my dad, then Koda decided to sprawl out on the couch next to him.  What a dog!

North Carolina Zoo

Yesterday, Carter and I took a trip to the NC Zoo.  Neither one of us have been since we were in our single digits.  We drove the relatively short distance to Asheboro and spent the day at the zoo.  It turned out to be a beautiful day for our trip, we enjoyed the drive, walking around the 5 miles of paved pathways, and eating a picnic lunch.  One of the highlights for me was getting to feed the giraffes. The only disappointment for both of us was the lion...we went to see him twice and both times he was laying at the far corner of his fence with his back to us.  So sad.  Here are some pictures from the day...

So handsome.

A white alligator - apparently revolves around a legend of good luck.

Is it me, or is this sign somewhat alarming?

I have never seen a snake this big.  It is a diamondback rattlesnake, and yes, I had nightmares last night thanks to these guys.

One of my favorite animals.  Unfortunately, they only had one owl at the zoo.

This was Carter's favorite.  This guy was massive!

Unfortunately dogs are not allowed at the zoo, luckily Koda's former foster family was kind enough to keep him for us.  He apparently had a great time because this is what he looked like from 7:30pm on...

Passed out from a full day of fun.  He got to visit with Anne, Dave, Panda and Nico!  Koda also joined in on an obedience class with them...check out his new skill. (Picture courtesy of Anne :) )

Love it!