Thursday, July 15, 2010

Life is a highway....whew

To Everyone who has been waiting... ;)

***Sorry for the tiny pictures! I only have 2% of upload room left on Blogger! I need to order the blog in book form ASAP! Click on the pictures to make them viewable!***
W ell, life's like a road that you travel on
There's one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind.."

(Thanks Cass for the neat-o treat! I thought it added a nice little touch!)

Since my last post - as usual - we have been on the go. I have also been dealing with an increased number of migraines over the past several months. Which makes a girl sad..however with a new neurologist, complete new diet (as in all I can safely eat is organic chicken and spinach), and a new plan of action the intensity and frequency has decreased! Super happy face! Anyway, we have transitioned twice with the first in north Texas (kinda near Canton/Tyler) and now onto Burkburnett (near Wichita Falls, TX) in hopes to be close to the lake for the summer. We are at the mercy of open rotations and keeping our fingers crossed. Daniel is also going to back to school (MBA here he comes) and is doing great! I am so proud! We transitioned pretty quickly without much notice and spent the last few days in Santa Fe as always cramming places and things into our schedule. We watch the pilgrimage to Santuario de Chimayo, took a trip to Taos, NM, the mountains to play in the snow one last time, toured the historic district, played with the dogs, viewed Camel Rock, hit up the casinos, and said our goodbyes.
Taos, NM and town squareWhile in Taos we hit up the Earthship World Headquarters and all things outdoors! Earthship is a community that lives completely off the grid and and they build their homes out of recyclable materials! It was really neat!
Snowy Mountains!
Camel RockDog Park We left Santa Fe to make the endless drive to TX and as always had an eventful time. Thank you thieves for breaking into the Sequoia! Luckily nothing was stolen...a dog kennel can't fit through a window! HA! It was frustrating and I just do not understand vandalism or theft. We enjoyed so much dealing with the broken glass, covering up the window, and driving 9 hrs with high winds and rain..it made my weekend! We were able to stay with some great friends while we got things in order! Thanks R and R we appreciate it more thank you even know and our babies loved playing with yours! Reb-I have to apologize as I completely forgot to wish you a happy birthday on the blog and I forgot to take a picture at dinner! Well you know I love you!!

The north TX rotation was great. It was short assignment and we packed in as much as possible. Daniel and I were able to see several friends who honored us with a "Welcome the Basham's back to TX" dinner! Jill and Jay we had such a great time seeing you and really appreciated the dinner. It was so much fun!!

We were also able to get in some time with Daniel's family and had a fun night at a Rangers Game. We enjoyed being close enough to travel to the city, yet in the country to enjoy the lake and dirt track races. While in north TX Daniel and I went with our new friends for an experience I will not forget! Dirt track races!! Not sure how to explain them besides, loud, dirty, and quite entertaining! We had quite a bit of fun people watching! I was lucky enough to catch a shirt so I am a true fan now..ha!We even made a trip over to the stockyards in Fort Worth and ended up going to Billy Bobs. We had not been in several years and had a blast with our new friends Lisa and Ralph! That area is always a fun time! Daniel and I were so excited on Memorial weekend to meet up with family at PK lake! Calvin, Casey, and Glenn and family met us for a weekend of fun in the sun! Daniel and I have really enjoyed being close to family and friends for the summer!We had a great time and even ventured over to Hells Gate on Monday before heading home. In typical fashion we left talking about the next trip to the lake!

A few weekends ago we headed to Little Rock,AR, for Wendi and Nick's wedding reception. They recently got married on the beach in beautiful Maui and we were honored to be part of celebrating their marriage. Wendi we had a great time at your reception and you looked gorgeous! We are so happy to see you so in love! We were also able to visit and catch up with the Lipsey's, Smith's, Changon's, and the Curreri's. I am always amazed at how much the kids have grown! ;)Daniel and I had a great time and hope we can see you all again soon! > While in town we were able to meet up with my high school friend Stacy and her husband Chip as well as, see my daddy who was in Hot Springs for legal continuing education. We had a lot of fun catching up Stacy and Chip. Daddy we will see you soon!
Before leaving AR on Sunday I took Daniel to see the sites. It was so hot we actually cut the day a little short, but were able to see Little Rock Central High School, Capitol, downtown, and the River Walk. Daniel and I made a trip back to the ballpark to watch the Astros take on the Rangers. The Astro's are Daniel's favorite team and we were able to get amazing seats. I adore how we both have a complete love for all things sports and outdoors! I will say however, it was so hot that weekend we both thought we were going to melt! After the game we went to a Reckless Kelly concert and had a great time together! I love you Daniel and will go to a game anytime!!!Since my last post I celebrated another year in the dirty thirty era! I am now a plus one ;) Saturday Ben, Ann, Connor, and Ann's mom came up from Austin and we met them at my grandparents house. We enjoyed catching up and playing with Connor. He is about to be on the move! We had a yummy dinner at Babe's Chicken and oh my word - love it! HA! Daniel and I enjoyed visiting and can't wait to see you again! My actual birthday was shared with father's day and was spent swmming, lunching with my peeps at Chuy's, and relaxing! Daniel made the day special with cookies from Society Bakery that spelled out Happy Birthday Sissy (my parents nickname)! It was great to see Reb, Jill and Jay and have a little time to catch up. I got some great fun stuff! I am a very lucky girl to have amazing friends and family! Blessed! Oh and don't fear - so far the plus one year of the dirty thirties its bad or painful! HA!
As I am sure you guessed we headed back to the lake for the 4th of July! Casey and Calvin joined us and we had a blast!! We enjoyed the long weekend - grilling, swimming, watching fire works, and laughing. We headed to Hells Gate to watch the fireworks and spent the rest of the time relaxing in the sun! The fireworks were amazing and were some of the best I have seen!Hershey girl also got in several hours of good practice time! We can't wait to go back! Whew this is long! Daniel and I have also transitioned another time..to Wichita Falls. We knew it would be hard to leave north TX as we made some amazing friends. Typical for us we didn't leave without having a project! We decided to do a little Extreme Makeover 5th wheel style. We took out our dinnet area (table and chairs) and had cabinets installed! It went great and I am loving the extra space! Never underestimate what you can do in 400 square feet!!! HA!
This past Friday we went to dinner with our friends from north TX and said our goodbyes. We had some amazing seafood and spent the rest of the night hanging out. Our new location was a fairly short drive in comparison to some of the transitions in the past. We got on the road and shortly after had a blow out on the 5th wheel. We knew the tires blew out like semis but I just wish someone would have warned us the extensive damage that would occur.
Oh well I guess that is part of traveling. Life goes on and we didn't get hurt!

So far Wichita Falls is great! Daniel is really enjoying this rotation at an outpatient clinic and I am working at the gym teaching classes and training soon! So far so good! We are not completely satisfied with the current park in as the power will not stay on! Something about the current not being stable in our spot...Um..yea kinda important! Our plan is to either move spots or switch parks. Daniel and I are willing to do whatever it takes to stop sweating! ;)
We are excited to be close to spend time with friends and family for the summer! Get ready for some fun - grilling, pool time, and lake fun! I promise to be a better blogger as we finally have the laptop in our possession! We have a lot coming up and should be in this location for 3 months!
Hugs to all and we miss ya!
Daniel and Melissa