We enjoyed out first visit so much that we just had to go back to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for a second visit before butterfly jungle fluttered away until next year.
I wouldn’t say our second visit was better or worse than the first, but rather different.
A whole new experience – with some new butterflies not seen before.
More butterfly pictures from our second visit are in my Butterfly Jungle Flickr album.
Some of life’s big events we are prepared for, while others take us by surprise. Not surprised like you didn’t know it was going to happen, but surprised by how the event effected you. I have known that my parents were selling their house for over a year now. This was something that had been talked about over and over.
The house was on the market for almost a year with nothing. Then there was an offer – and the next words that took over the conversations were “in escrow”. Everything seemed to be moving along, yet nothing had really changed. Sure, we had a few garage sales and my mom started cleaning out some closets, but the house still looked and felt the same.
The house where I grew up. Where my tree was planted. Where I was picked up for my first date. Where I spent so many holidays with family.
Anniversary parties, wedding receptions, bridal showers, baby showers, and my son’s 1st birthday were all at this house.
This was the home where I lived when my son was born, the home he came home to from the hospital. The home where he learned to crawl and walk.
Grandma and Grandpa’s house.
So many memories – 30 years worth – were suddenly being packed into boxes. One closet at a time. One room at a time. It was all disappearing before my eyes.
The last week of packing was like a whirlwind. So much to do and so little time. I don’t think it really sank in until the final days when the moving trucks arrived.
On the final day we had one last family dinner together and reminisced about growing up in the house. So many of my favorite sunset pictures were taken from the balcony off my parents bedroom that I had to get a few more pictures.
Looking around at the empty rooms and the boxes was unreal to me. Was this really happening? I felt like I was walking in a dream. In fact, I have felt that way for about a week now. Slowly, day by day, it is sinking in that my childhood home is gone. I drive by it and nobody is there. It’s just an empty house. I won’t be walking through the front doors any more yelling “Hello, I’m here … Mom, where are you?”
So here it is. My last sunset picture from the balcony of my childhood home.
I think it is ironic that the final sunset was filled with dark clouds signifying the end of something. Sadness and emptiness. So many memories in that house. So many memories.
A chapter in my life has closed and it is time to start a new chapter. New schedules, new routines, and new responsibilities. Who knows, maybe it was time for a change … I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the familiar life I had known for so many years.
In honor of Lion Week …
#LionWeek is a hashtag on G+ and Twitter to spread awareness for protection of Lions in Africa.
You know spring has arrived when the days are a little brighter, the flowers begin to bloom, and the butterflies arrive at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Imagine being Alice when she first enters Wonderland – this is what you feel like when walking through the doors to Butterfly Jungle.
Suddenly everything around you is alive with beauty and vibrant color.
It is the best kind of sensory overload you can have. The sound of birds overhead, the warm feeling of tropical humidity, the smell of sweet nectar from the flowers, and the abundance of little wings fluttering all around you.
It is truly a magical experience. One that must be experienced again and again.
Aside from the breathtaking beauty, Butterfly Jungle also helps bring awareness to the endangered status of the many species of butterflies.
During our first visit to Butterfly Jungle last week, there were over 30 species of butterflies flittering around the exhibit from four parts of the world; Africa, Asia and Central and South America.
 |
| Leopard Lacewing Butterfly |
These delicate creatures have a great conservation message. The butterflies come to the Safari Park in the pupa stage via Federal Express overnight delivery from countries like El Salvador, Costa Rica and Columbia.
 |
| Emerging Box |
The pupae are shipped in small cotton trays, carefully unpacked, and then immediately hung in the emerging boxes where they will emerge within a few days to one week. Since the butterflies are endangered and from outside of the United States, the Safari Park is required to have a special USDA permit allowing them to house the butterflies.
While attending a special social media tweetup, we had the opportunity to learn some fascinating things from butterfly keeper Sara Schmitt. We learned that butterfly farming is a sustainable use of the rain forest in countries like Costa Rica, where the first shipment of 500 butterfly pupae came from. By importing thousands of butterfly pupae every spring, the Safari Park is promoting conservation of rain forest habitat in these countries. Butterfly farming allows farmers to leave their land in its pristine natural form and harvest butterflies as a sustainable occupation.
Butterfly Jungle opened March 16th and runs through April 7th. If you havenot had the chance to go, I highly recommend you plan a visit over Spring Break. Be sure to check out the Safari Park’s Butterfly Jungle web page before you go – there are a variety of activities, butterfly I.D. guide, and contests too! My favorite is the Instagram contest. Just tag your Instagram photos with #ButterflyJungle and you are automatically entered.
 |
| Zebra Longwing |
We enjoyed Butterfly Jungle so much that we are going back this weekend for one more visit before the exhibit closes on April 7, 2013.
… And this time I won’t forget to buy my butterfly coffee mug 😉
To see more pictures from Butterfly Jungle you can view my album on Flickr.
Have you ever gone in a store with one specific item in mind and walked out with something entirely different? You have? Great, then you will understand exactly what happened to me the other day.
You see, a friend at work told me about a store that had shoes for Dylan, so I ran over there on my lunch break to buy a pair. Well, they didn’t have any in his size. I figured I was already there so I would wander the aisles for a few minutes. As I turned the corner, I saw it.
There it was. Just sitting there.
Staring back at me with those eyes.
Those eyes that said take me home.
Dylan would love this! He has been working so hard over the past few months with his Reading for Wildlife and Cans for Critters fundraisers that I thought this would be the perfect gift. The perfect way to show him how proud I am of him.
The only problem was the size – 5 feet wide and 40 inches tall. I drive a Prius. Will this fit in my car?
If I wait, I just know that someone else will buy it.
The canvas was only $40.
Decisions to make. Justifications to make.
Was it in the budget?
No.
Did it fit in my car?
Barely.
Was it worth it to see the look on his face?
Absolutely!
After a little thought and some rearranging to do this weekend, we have found the perfect wall for our new friend. I think it is only fitting that after our tiger encounter last month, we call her Mek – in honor of our friend who moved to the Fresno Zoo.
This number may shock you or seem too high, but it is accurate. We may read more about the bigger, more popular animals, like the rhinos and tigers and elephants, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. So may species are endangered and need our help. From the smallest butterflies who are dying from pesticides to the large polar bears whose home is melting away and everyone in between.
So often I hear people say that they don’t know how to help or they don’t have the time to do a big fundraiser. They say the small amount they have to give wouldn’t make a difference, so why bother. Well, this is where I usually get on my soapbox and start talking about how one person can make a difference and that you don’t need to give thousands of dollars to help save endangered wildlife or the habitats they live in.
My family is by no means wealthy. In fact, for many years we lived paycheck to paycheck – just barely getting by. However, I always managed to do something to make a difference, even if it was only recycling the cans and water bottles we used. It was better than them ending up in a landfill right? As I learned to stick to a budget, I was able to give more monetarily. Still not a lot, but something. It felt good to give and know that I was making a difference and helping to save an endangered animal. I taught these values to my son and as you may know, he has become quite the little philanthropist.
Making a difference in the world can be fun too – Just get creative!
Dylan currently has three different San Diego Zoo Global fundraisers going on and I was getting very confused with what money went where, so we grabbed some jars (re-purposed from our kitchen), some mailing labels and our Sharpie pens. Not only do the jars make it easier to keep the money separated, but they make us smile and look pretty darn cool on the counter!
Cans for Critters is a recycling fundraiser that will help Dylan meet his conservation requirement for Cub Scouts. All the money he gets from recycling gets put in this jar for the critters.
Animal Care Wish List is a monthly list of wishes from the keepers at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park for the animals. Sometimes it’s feeding the animals, buying special toys for animal enrichment, or helping the conservation projects around the world. This jar collects all of our spare change and pays for monthly items on the wish list.
I Read for Wildlife is the latest and greatest fundraiser where Dylan has promised to read 1500 pages of fascinating animal facts in 100 days. Money from his sponsors or that he has raised gets put in this jar.
Now that you see how easy (and fun) it can be to help endangered species, what will you do to make a difference? Will you start a fundraising jar?
Remember, there is no time limit and no rule that says you need to raise thousands of dollars. Find something that you are passionate about and start saving your spare change. Coins add up quickly and many items on the Animal Care Wish List cost less than $10.
EVERYONE can make a difference – YOU just need to pick a day to start – Why not TODAY?
Sometimes it’s not the golden hour that makes a sunset so memorable, but the short magic moment when the sky appears to be glowing and everything else becomes a silhouette That moment just before the sun fades away – the magic moment between day and night.
Have a fantastic week and don’t forget to take time to watch the sunsets.
Hard to believe it has already been a year since these two adorable tiger cubs pounced their way into our hearts … Happy 1st Birthday Conrad and Thomas!
+and+Thomas+by+her+feet.jpg)
Life with Dylan 