Merry Christmas Everyone!

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season! May you be blessed by time with friends and family, safe travels, and the warmth of the season!
Merry Christmas and Much Love-
Daniel and Melissa

Enough already....

Get ready for my most spastic post ever! I am eventually going to turn our blog into a scrap book of our travels and my transition between events this time is very sporadic...so hang on for the ride of the past few months! So much to tell you about...Halloween, our anniversary, another win for Hershey, Thanksgiving, and snow!

Daniel asks me every day if I have made a new post for the blog. My response is always why don't you do a post..and obviously that is not going to happen! ;)

We have been so incredibly busy since the last update about our not so short stay in a hotel. In all we called it home for a month! We made the best of it and spent Halloween day at a Corn Maze in La Union, NM. It was quite different from the corn maze of Omaha but still a lot of fun to see the NM take on a pumpkin patch.
We spent Halloween night along with our neighbors with pizza and stories around the fire pit. Halloween is on another level in El Paso and to be honest and we didn't want to venture out amongst the locals. On Sunday we all headed to Cloudcroft, NM, to see the snow as well as have some fun in the mountains. The area was gorgeous, the hiking and views were amazing, and all the animals were out to greet us. We had dinner in the cutest little restaurant in the village before heading back over the mountains. What a relaxing way to spend a Sunday!
We celebrated our 2nd anniversary by having dinner at a great Italian restaurant. We stayed with the traditional anniversary gift of the second year of marriage of Cotton. We both came up with thoughtful gifts and I am very excited to use the hand knitted scarf and hat by one of Daniel's patients! ;) I love you Daniel and can't wait to see what this year holds!
As I said earlier we finally got the 5th wheel back (from the hail repairs) after a long awaited reunion! ha It was so nice to be back "home" after being in a hotel for a month! Ahh the joys of the little things in life. The same weekend we left for Scottsdale, AZ, so Hershey could compete in the 2009 Splash Dogs Cynosport World Championships. Hershey did great and won 1st place in her division with a jump in excess of 13 ft! Don't worry Chance got just as much attention as Hershey! We had so much fun watching all the dogs jump as well as all the other sporting events.
Cynosport is the Olympics of dog events and dogs from all over the world competed! It was an amazing experience and hopefully we will go back next year! Thank you Stephanie for all of the ideas on things to do in the area! We really appreciated the time you took to send us the information. Daniel and I can't wait to go back and explore more Scottsdale!
On Sunday we decided to stop by Tombstone,AZ, on the way back to El Paso. Daniel has always wanted to go and I was excited to see an old western town. The town was preserved well and we had so much fun going in and out of shops. We visited the Birdcage Theater, Graveyard, OK Corral, and Courthouse and learned some new information while touring each. We ended the day with dinner at Big Nose Kate's Saloon and it was a hoot and worth the memories! Its well worth the trip if ever in the area!

I headed to AR a few weeks ago to accompany my mother to a doctors appointment. Everything is fine its just always nice to have another set of ears at an appointment to ask questions. While in AR I got to make a quick impromptu trip to NWA to see Andrea and her new little one Jaxton. I was so excited to see her family and visit with them for a few hours. Jaxton is just as adorable as I expected. Andrea I am so glad I got to see your family and am ecstatic to see you so happy! I also promise next time to get some great family shots for you..oops! I also got an opportunity to meet Kerryanne and Shannon for dinner. We missed everyone who had plans but I completely understand! I had a great time catching up you ladies..it had been quite some time since I was in the area. I also had the time to meet with Alta while in Ozark. It was great to see you Alta and I hope someday Daniel and Ryan can meet!!! Its always so hard to fit in a visit with everyone while home so hopefully next time we can meet up if I missed you! FYI I have no idea when that will be! My dad went hunting while I was visiting so mama and I we were able to spend a little time Christmas shopping. I can't believe Christmas is coming up and I still have so much left to do! I don't feel too bad as it seems like everyone is behind this year!
I drove down to Austin with my parents to meet everyone for Thanksgiving. Daniel drove over with the puppies on the same day and surprised his mama by arriving a day early! Mary-he is getting good at that isn't he. Mama and I cooked for my parents, Daniel, Ben, and Ann, Ann's mom, and Ann's sister Tori. We had a great Thanksgiving and the food was amazing (if I do say so myself!) Mama said I cooked and she assisted!
That night Daniel and I headed over to the Shellenberg's house to watch the Texas game with the whole clan. It was great to see everyone and I am so glad we were able to meet up with you guys twice while in town! Friday we celebrated Thanksgiving with Daniel's side. We had a great time catching up with everyone as well have a surprise party for Daniels mom and Aunt Martha. Happy Birthday Mary and Martha. We hope you guys had fun on your special day. We can't wait see you all again at Christmas!
We had a great extended holiday and like always were not ready to leave. I finally got to meet my nephew Connor. He is absolutely adorable and of course makes my parents smitten! We all loved playing with him and making laugh out loud. Their really is nothing like a baby to make you smile!
We returned back to a snowy and cold El Paso! This weather has definitely made it feel like the holidays. We put up the mini Christmas tree and made a few changes this year to make it feel more like home. Last week we had 3 days of snow totaling 8 inches..who knew snow in El Paso! Last week was a busy one with Daniel's work Christmas party as well as a trip on Sunday to Ruidoso, NM to hit up the ski slopes.
We had an absolute blast snowboarding at Ski Apache! Daniel had been to this resort several times and enjoyed going on several of the harder runs. I stuck to the easy to moderate ones as I like to be in control! This time the snow was perfect and I was able to maneuver the board with confidence. I already know we are going to go several times this year!
So as you can see its been quite busy the past several weeks! During this time we also replaced my car from the hail storm loss with an early Christmas present (as I am thinking of it)! We decided we were playing with fire since we are at the mercy of job availability and can have to move at a moments notice. I love the Sequoia and all the room as we are on the go so much! Also, several of you have asked and my migraines have been ever present. I am going to start working on another plan of action to get better control of them. I am feeling good today! ;)
We are both really looking forward to Christmas and spending time with family and friends. We can't wait to see everyone! As far as an update on our next location, as of now, we are staying in El Paso until mid January. That changes almost on a daily basis and (to be quite honest) we are really hoping that works out so we are not in the same limbo as we were last January! As far as another location, Daniel is in contact with his recruiter and we have hopes of having a new contract signed before the holidays..so please keep your fingers crossed for us!

I love reading all of your blogs and just by the amount of time it has taken me to catch up over such a long period of time..I think I am going to try more frequent posts! ;) Christmas cards (ok more like holiday cards now that I look at the calendar) should be going out soon!
We miss you all! Please let us know how you are doing! PS can you believe we have almost hit Daniel's two year mark of traveling?
Love, Daniel and Melissa

Happy Anniversary!

Wow! I can't believe its been two years since that warm November day in the vineyard! I remember all the excitement I had about marrying the man of my dreams! I will never forget the love, laughter, and great memories made with our family and friends over the weekend.

Daniel, I love you more today than the day I married you! You are such a great loving person and even though you can't remember what I like on a pizza you give so much! ;) I love that we are content spending the day on the lake, hiking or biking in the mountains, or simply just watching Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory or Office marathons. Its the little things in life! ;)

Michael Buble says it well...
"And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, you make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything."

Every day you make a point to tell me how much I mean to you. Daniel, that simple act of love makes my entire day! I can not imagine life without you and can not wait for many more great years to come!
Happy Anniversary! I love you!

PS....Remember on pizza -Its NOT meat its the veggies that I like! ;)

Happy Birthday Cass!

Who would of thought asking for chapter notes would lead to so many memories? How many years ago did we live in the Hump Dump? Wait don't answer that!!!

Love ya girl! Hope you had a great birthday!

Homeless Again...and New Happenings

Does time seem to be flying to anyone else? I feel like just the other day it was June! At the moment our lives are consumed with insurance, hail, and repairs.. Blah, blah,blah. So, let me just jump in. We are homeless yet again as of this past Monday. We hauled the 5th wheel into the shop and according to the dealership repairs might take until the END of November (yea you read that right)! I am not happy about this for obvious reasons and the fact that I only packed for a week. I guess that means I will have to go shopping. Sorry Daniel;) We found a nice place to call home after searching for several days! Everything is booked up insurance adjusters, roofers, etc.
Two weeks ago Daniel and I ran a 5k benefiting Greater El Paso PT District as well as the El Paso Spinal Cord Support Group. We really enjoyed running together as well with, Daniel's coworkers from the hospital! We decided to register for a 10K the next weekend as soon as we crossed the finish line. I know Andrea...we are crazy! ;)

A car combined with a motorcycle!


I spent most of last week trying to keep a migraine at bay however, it won. I started feeling better towards the end of the week and was able to get things packed and organized for the big repair trip. I was not thrilled about packing again in the middle of this rotation so I put if off as long as possible.
We did spend several evenings sitting around the fire catching up with our new friends. I love this time of year when the nights get cool and the fire is warm. It does make me miss the trees changing and Hog Football. Could someone bottle those for me? Ha ;)
Last Saturday we took the hunters education safety course. I took the course when I was much much younger and decided to retake it so Daniel wouldn't be by himself. I also remember the course being easy. This one was not and the teacher was strict. I was so nervous when I had to shoot I felt like a kid getting scolded. Anyway, we both passed and I told Daniel he owed me for subjecting myself to that torture!

Sunday I was feeling better and we decided to and run in the Spira Worlds Fastest 10K Run benefiting Million Koins For Kids and National Psoriasis Foundation. Oh my goodness was it ever fun and we both ran our personal bests! The race started at Smugglers Gap (the highest point of Trans-Mountain road)which is 5280 feet high and drops 3,000 ft during the race. It was so cold when we started and hot when we finished! I think we have many more races together in our future! I love doing them but Daniel has never wanted to enter. I now think he understands why I am always registering for runs and triathlons! ;)
Another new happening: Daniel is playing on a softball league with guys from the hospital. He is loving it and I enjoy watching him play! So far they are all having a great time! Now if we can just keep him injury free..haha if you know him, you know that is not possible!


On a completely random side note I wanted to pass long a favorite site Coupons.com Who doesn't like to save money on things you buy weekly? At the moment they also have several coupons for toys (like Mr Potato Head and the Sit n Spin) and they don’t expire until 1/15/10. I am excited as this year we have new nieces and nephews (3 additional ones with 8 total and 5 under 3) to shop for! I can't wait for all the new little ones at the holidays this year!
Speaking of little ones..
I received a request for the blog and I can't let down little A! Isn't she a cutie? Her family is awaiting the arrival of little brother! Excitement! In this picture A is putting on a puppet show for her mama while she rests. I think its just too cute and shows her adorable personality! A message to A: Hey A! I hope you are being good for your mommy and daddy! Have a great weekend! Hershey and Chance say hi! ;)
Well....both dogs and Daniel are snoozing and I am wondering why I have not changed the channel off of ESPN? I am realizing my eyes are closing as I type..so who knows what fun things I have forgotten to post.

I guess that is it for this week. We hope everyone has a great weekend! The flu is in full force in EP and I am trying my best to keep it away!
Love and Miss ya,
Daniel and Melissa

Where does time go and why yes we DO have an award winning dog ;)

Where does time go? I mean seriously!?! It seems just like yesterday we were on our way to Omaha and I was carving a pumpkin for Halloween. The scenery this year is nothing like corn stalks, scarecrows, and pumpkins of last year! ;) Get ready for lots of pictures! We have been keeping up our normal schedule of traveling. Sine the last post we have been to the lake house, white water rafting, Dock Diving, made it through a hail storm to name a few.

We miss being close to the water so we headed to the lake house for Labor Day weekend. Jill and Jason were able to meet us and we loved being able to catch up with them! We don't get to see our friends often so when we do we treasure our time! We had an absolute blast, visited with the neightbors, played in the lake, and are so glad we made the dirve! J and J we miss you guys already!
The next weekend we stayed in EP and as always kept busy. One night we went to a local hang out to listen to Daniels co-workers band and they continued to impress. That same weekend Hershey became our award winning Dock Diving Dog! She was the 2nd place winner at the 2009 El Paso Dog Swim Splash Dog Jumping Contest. Yes folks it was a proud moment with her 12 foot jump! ;)
The next week was Daniel's birthday. On his actual birthday I made breakfast, healthy "cupcakes" and we went to dinner at his favorite-Texas Roadhouse. He got a lot of Longhorn Burnt Orange (my eyes, my eyes) and had a great birthday! I love you Daniel!
The next weekend I surprised Daniel (for his birthday) with a whitewater rafting trip in NM on the Rio Grande River. I had been whitewater rafting before but this was Daniel's first time. It was so much fun and a definite must for anyone in the area! Our amazing friends Laura, Anthony, and little Babs invited us to stay with them. They have a beautiful house in Albuquerque and were amazing hosts. We can't wait to come back!


Saturday after whitewater rafting we headed back to Albuquerque along the way we stopped at a winery to get Laura a special treat of handmade chocolates. The four of us had dinner at a local yummy restaurant and then ended the night watching the AR (what is the deal with our HOGS?) and TX games at the lively restaurant Saggios. Our doggies had a great time with Babs!! I still can't get over how much Chance and Babs look alike!


As luck would have it the New Mexico State Fair was hosting Dock Dogs this year. We decided early in the week to enter Hershey on Sunday. We were pretty confident due to her performance the weekend before in EP and we had spent the entire Labor Day weekend and all summer watching her jump off the dock! She didn't disappoint although this particular dock made her hesitate a little. We are working on a new technique in hope that she will continue to increase in distance off the dock. Drumroll..Hershey did it again! Second place Big Air, Dock Dogs in her division at the New Mexico Sate Fair! We were so proud of her. I am sure you can't tell by all the pictures!





Actual jump

We walked around the fair and rode a crazy ride that almost made Daniel well you know ;) We saw the farm animals, cars, tigers, and everything that happens at a state fair. I realized very quickly I had not been to a fair in several years.





Before leaving we had dinner at an amazing steak house and then hit the road. Laura and Anthony, thank you guys so much we had a wonderful time!!We can't wait to come back and hang out again! Get ready for the winter!

Last night we meet Freddy (who was in Livingston with us) for dinner while he is traveling through to his next location. We had a great time seeing you Freddy and hope we can catch up again soon!

Over the past few weeks I have decided at times I like being an adult and then other times I do not. Last week we experienced a major hail storm (70mph winds combined with golf ball size and larger) and found ourselves with both vehicles un-drivable as the front windows were completely busted out. This was not the first time I have endured hail damage this is just the first time it has affected everything in our lives. Our fifth wheel even has extensive damage with skylights busted through, all the exterior lights missing, etc. My vehicle was declared a complete loss so we are going to try the one car family for a few months. Apparently the hail was so bad the body shops are saying the cars look like they have been hit with machine guns. We are waiting to get our truck back and then in few weeks our 5th wheel goes in for repairs. Another hotel for us!

During all the hail excitement Daniel's rotation got extended until Jan! We are so excited to be here through the holidays as the thought of looking for a new location with a fifth wheel in the shop is stress we don't need!
Through all of the hail adventure I took a few days off of training for the 3 Day Walk but I am now back on schedule and can't believe it is coming up soon!

We miss all of you and hope things are going great with each of you!
Love Daniel and Melissa

PS I am dealing with a bad headache today so please disregard horrific grammar usage or misspellings. ;(

Happy Birthday Andrea!

I know you are at home and checking in on the blog...so I wanted to wish you a very happy birthday!


A Friend is a Treasure
A friend is someone we turn to,
when our spirits need a lift.
A friend is someone we treasure,
for our friendship is a gift.
A friend is someone who fills our lives,
with beauty, joy and grace.
And make the world we live in,
a better and happier place.

A treat for you!:)




Remember: Birthdays are nature's way of telling us to eat more cake.
We love you and hope you have had a great birthday!
Daniel and Melissa

Happy Birthday Daniel!

Happy Birthday to the love of my life! I am so thankful that we are able to travel with our jobs at such a young age. Daniel you are such a loving, caring, and giving husband and you make me the happiest woman in the world. I fall in love with you more and more each day. I am honored to call myself your wife!

I love you!