A "Butterfly" is born!!!

Our Friend "Lady Butterfly"

I'm in awe... and even though this is something I did as a child... watching it through Mac and Madi's eyes... was amazing.

Lady Butterfly was born today... while we were gone.

At one point I was focusing my camera and wiping tears from my eyes at the same time.

I worried like any "good" mother would do all day today... I just knew she would hatch before we got home. And I wanted to watch it sooo bad (I'm secretly worse than my children).


But... maybe that is the way it was meant to be. Maybe it's supposed to remain part of the great mystery of nature. (though, we will try again next year... and I'm crossing my fingers with the Luna Moth)


I took the kids into the field to release the butterfly... but it seems she had an attachment issue. It just wouldn't let go... of any of us. We all traded her back and forth and finally I resorted to big arm gestures to get her to leave my finger. She flew for a bit... and then landed. I was worried that maybe she couldn't fly, but after a few shakes she flew off into the sunset. No, really... it was like out of a storybook. Right when she took off the sun broke through the clouds and we watched her fly until we couldn't see her anymore. Mac said a pray for her (which ended in his ever popular "O'Man" instead of Amen.)



Some of the pictures are blurry... I'm sure because of crying episode. (I'm such a sap!)


Here are the 'better' of the pictures... with the one Madi took of me NOT included. OMG, I need to *check* myself. I'm not sure if it's work (you know the whole 20 hours...), the country air, or my children... but I'm looking rugged. Scary. Just down right... NAS'TAY!


Okay... pictures! xoxo Thanks for following along with us!

Butterfly Alert!!!

The Monarch Chrysalis changed to a very dark color last night.

This morning it's clear and the butterfly's orange and black wings are visible through the skin of the chrysalis.

Mac has declared that THIS is reason enough NOT to go to school today. *sigh* I agree... but from what I read it could be a full 12 hours of this stage.

I wish I knew for sure... I'd love for Mac to see the chrysalis shake before the butterfly emerges (hatches).

Rain, Rain Go Away...

Ho Hum... I don't have the energy to do much of anything today.

But I wanted to log on and write about the sweetest thing ever....

Some nights Mac will try to argue "Reasons why Mac should not have to go to bed..." Sometimes, they are great reasons... some nights they are funny reasons, and some nights the reasons are just plain crazy.

One of my favorite reasons is "Because when I'm sleeping... I miss you, Mommy"...

I know... MELTS YOUR HEART doesn't it? I get chills thinking how sweet it sounds.

So last night around 3 am (guess that would be this morning and not last night) he woke up and yelled down to my room... that he "needed" me.

I went to see what he needed and he said...

"I love you, Mommy"... and then "See, I do MISS you when I'm sleeping!"

I kissed his whole face and sent him back into dream land.

Some day he'll be 18 and he won't need me. I'll miss the middle of the night wake ups. I need to remember to not be angry when he wakes me up... because he still does need me... and it's true, he MISSES ME WHEN HE IS SLEEPING!!

The J.O.B.

Today... I finally felt comfortable. So thanks for all the well wishes and office advice. I think I'm fitting in. I've learned that saying "Hello, this is Jodi" on the phone is quite powerful. (in fact I might start answering the house phone like that) and that little office girly chit chat is quite fun.

The hard lesson learned: When working in Adobe... if you don't hit save- you lose it all!

Sad Times...

To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own.
~Abraham Lincoln

The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected.
~Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

This hasn't been an easy blog to sit down and write... but I really felt it was necessary to do so, before I blogged about anything else.

This week we said Goodbye to a girl that was much too young to die. She was a daughter to one of my childhood friends. A granddaughter to one of my Mom's best friends. And as it seems by the lines of people at her viewing last night... she was a friend to many.

Growing up... I had not one... but many families. My Mom and Dad had several really close "couple" friends... and their children were some of our best friends (*our* being my sisters and brother). We all grew up together... their parent's treated us like we were their own... and our parents were the same way.

So hearing the news that Stephanie had died... crushed a little bit of my heart. She was young... much too young.

Seeing everyone at the viewing last night broke my heart.

Why do we wait until something like this happens to see each other. To hug each other and to tell everyone how much we love them???

My friend Chrissy (she was Stephanie's Aunt) hugged me and cried into my shoulder and said "I've missed you, Jodi"

I know that as normal people... we grow up. We have families, careers, etc and it makes it hard to see each other. It's hard to stay in touch. But it hurts. It hurts to know that we let friendships slide, or that we let people take backseats in our life until maybe it's too late.

Call an old friend... write them a note... reach out. Don't let it be sadness that reconnects you.

In honor of Stephanie, I will post her memorial.
Stephanie Mullen, 22, from Athens, Pa., was taken to her grandfather’s awaiting arms on Sept. 21, 2008.

She was born Aug. 12, 1986 at the Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pa. the daughter of Brian and Melissa Larrabee Mullen.

She attended Athens Area High School graduating in 2004.

Stephanie loved to be outside hiking and playing softball. She enjoyed getting tattoos. She loved spending time with her family and friends. To be in her presence was to feel love and kindness. She was a small woman who loved big and made you smile just by walking in the room.

Steph’s big heart led her in many directions. It led her to defend people who could not defend themselves, to comfort those in pain, to love those who are hard to love and to try to fix everyone’s problems. Her spirit will live on through all she touched.

She is predeceased by her grandfathers’, Harmon Larrabee, Jr. and Harold Mullen; her great-grandparents, Harmon and Hannah Larrabee and Louie and Marcella Packard.Stephanie is survived by her parents, Brian and Missy Mullen; her sister, Jennifer Mullen; her grandmothers’, Sue Larrabee and Shirley Mullen; her aunts and uncles, Crissy and Wendell Galasso, Harmon and Cathy Larrabee, Gary and Ricki Mullen, Karen Forbes, Laura and Bill Sargaent, Jimmy and Tammy Mullen; several cousins and many friends.

Steph was surrounded by many special people, some of which she shared a special bond, her boyfriend, Jessie Clark; her best friend, Vito Gronazio; and her special children (cousins), Lauren “T” Galasso, “David Joe” Galasso, Lilly “Tiny” Galasso and Harmon “Midge” Larrabee. They will remember her for her big kid attitude, her love of them and everything they do.

Friends and family may call on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Jay E. Lowery Funeral Home, Inc., 225 South Main Street, Athens, Pa. Funeral services will be held Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 at 11 a.m. with Tammy Salsman officiating.

Job Update # 1474

"The wise man can pick up a grain of sand and envision a whole universe. But the stupid man will just lie down on some seaweed and roll around until he's completely draped in it. Then he'll stand up and go, 'Hey, I'm Vine Man.'"
~ Jack Handey
(I love Jack Handey quotes)


"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I feel STUPID today... and I know it's only my first REAL day, but YOWZA! I'm almost to the point where I truly believe playing the part of James from Thomas the Train, being the Bulldozer while playing Match Box Cars, and fixing toast with butter AND Pnut butter are my true talents.

Basic computer skills left me in a fog today. I'm so lucky that the girl training me was helpful and understanding. She smiled a lot... and I'm not sure if it was a true "you're doing okay smile" or a "WOW, this girl has NO talent" smile. I'm sure it's the first... because she seems really sweet.

That... and she's pregnant with her first child. So we all know that it's a genuine sweet smile... you really don't learn those "fake" smiles until after you've had children and you are gritting your teeth, smiling, and talking through your teeth all at the same time.

So... I made it through... 9-11:30 today! HA! Does that even constitute as working??



"A word to the wise ain't necessary -- it's the stupid ones that need the advice."
~ Bill Cosby

*Update on previous mentioned Name Badge*

I think because of HIPAA laws... I am not allowed to show a picture of my badge. I will ask first and then if it's okay... I will post it. It was probably mentioned in one of the Orientation Videos we watched... but if it was, I didn't pay attention at that point. *ugh* I'm such a slacker.

ANYWAYS.... what they don't mention is when they print off your picture to place within the badge... they ZOOM your face right in so you look like this huge version of yourself. The picture is cropped literally right up to my head. It's frightening.

I did however think it looked okay... well kind of, minus the frizzed out hair. Then Mac took it and studied it for a little bit and said... "Mommy, your smile is too big and you have too many teeth!"

Um, thanks Mac... thank you for your vote of confidence. Jeez... I can't even impress my son... who told me once that he loves me more than his "LOVEY"!