If I have learned one thing...Its that you have to go with the flow!

I can't believe Daniel is approaching his 2 year mark of traveling! Wow how time flies! It seems just like yesterday I was blogging for the first time!
Traveling over the past two years I have learned many a life lessons. Here are a few of the essentials HA!:
- Daniel is an amazing funny, loving,` and giving husband
- Family and friends (even if they are miles and miles away) are so important in
your daily life and you cherish the time you have with them so much more
- Organizing and hiding stuff is an art and takes creativity
- Pledge Multi Surface and Mr Clean Magic Erasers are essentials
- Cooking with propane and in mini size pans (Child size bake ware) is a challenge
- Stylish Muck Boots are a must! (Thanks Mama and Daddy)
- How to cook in high altitude (thanks Melody)
- You have to be a strong confident woman
- Not to sweat the small stuff or you will never be happy
- Finally you can live with 2 labs (one very hyper) in less than 400 square feet! HA!

I have also learned when you travel full time you really do have to just go with the flow! I am not going to say in the least I am a hard core planner but I do find myself trying to put events into some sort of order. I think if I didn't do this I would go a little stir crazy - read back to the top about the 2 dogs! ;) However, if traveling has taught us anything over and over again its to be flexible. Since my last post we have flooded the inside of the 5ht wheel twice! More about that later!

We spent our last full weekend in El Paso doing the things we had been meaning to do for weeks! We started off the weekend by flooding the kitchen on Friday morning it was joyous! HA! We were trying to prevent the water lines from freezing however, instead we flooded the kitchen as one of the holding tanks wasn't open. I spent most of Friday cleaning however, by the evening all that was left was the fans drying out the mess. Friday night we had dinner with Regina and Dennis M. and played cards for a great beginning to a last weekend in town. Saturday we spent the day packing and visiting with our neighbors. Sunday we finally made it back to Cattleman's Steak House at Indian Cliffs in Faben's TX, to take the hay ride that tours the movie sets. The tour takes you around several set locations: Courage Under Fire, The Boarder, Resurrection, to name a few. We also saw the lake, a zoo, exotic animals, Old West memorabilia including an antique wagon collection, a western town, and an old working stable.

Andrea and Ashlynn - Your welcome!:
We had a great time and ended the fun afternoon with another great dinner.

The day before we left on Friday night our El Paso friends hosted a dinner party in our honor. I have to be quite honest and say I never thought you could pull off something so nice in a 5th wheel. We were impressed by Regina's skills! HA! Regina and Dennis dressed up their place and went above and beyond. We had an amazing dinner with great company. Melody and Rodney, Brenda and Dale, and Regina and Dennis we had a wonderful time, good laughs, shared great stories, and a farewell dinner we will not forget. We cherish our time in El Paso and our group made some great memories! We already miss you guys and hope to see you again soon.On Saturday morning we finished packing and headed to Santa Fe. It was overall one of the easiest "moves" we have made since traveling. NICE! We settled on a park about 25 miles from Daniel's work. It seems like the best park around based on what we checked out. Most of the parks are 55/65 and up resorts and obviously we do not fit into that category but so far so good at Road Runner!
The day after we arrived we were greeted with snow. It was a nice deep snow and the first of many.

We are staying in an area known as Pueblo of Pojaque and so far it has a lot to offer everything from arts, to a beautiful area known as Camel Rock, and a few casinos. HA!
Snowboarding has been and will continue to be a part of our week. We are absolutely ecstatic that we so close the resorts! Our first trip was to Ski Santa Fe and it was a blast! We spent the day on the slopes and loved every second! We can't forget about the babies and have been spending time letting them run crazy in the snow! We are always looking for ways to wear them out and having sleeping dogs for a few hours. Remember we have limited space! With all the snow we had to spend a day sledding! We headed into the mountains and to my surprise this was Daniel's first time EVER sledding! He loved it and we have no broken bones! SUCCESS!
We also found a new place for snowboarding that has the feel of a family owned resort. Sipapu has become our new favorite place...not that we won't be trying the other places around..don't think that for a second! HA! I am continuing to become even more confident on the lift..ha (Daniel will love that!) No seriously, I really am!

Along with all the fun in the snow..we are touring the historic areas of the city, admiring all the neat authentic art, and having some great local food!
So far we really like Santa Fe. As you can tell we have spent a lot of time outdoors and touring the area. We are excited and trying to plan out trips for the next few weeks on Daniel's days off. He is enjoying the new hospital and the schedule of working four ten hour days and having more time to spend on adventures! Now if we can just keep from flooding the 5th wheel again I think things will be golden. We have been lucky both times and have caught the broken pipe and have prevented water damage! Its our luck! ;)
Happy Valentines Day weekend everyone! We hope you all spend the day with the ones you love! We miss you!

XOOXOXOXOXOXO
Daniel and Melissa

The not so good and the good

I realize now a lot has happened in since my last post. Here goes and I will try my hardest to make this flow....

Not So Good:
Since arriving in El Paso we have had some amazing Mexican food...as to be expected. For the past 2 years I had been hearing about Chicos Tacos from a client. She told me to order the tacos and that they would not disappoint. The restaurant was packed as we stood in line. After much confusion in our translation from English to Spanish we orderd "a single" and to my surprise it is recommended with french fries (yea I know). This is what arrived


Yep it was just as nasty as it looks!! The tacos were more like small fried meat substance filled chimi changas in a watered down tomato soup with a handful of a shredded cheese like product. We tasted it and waited for the other to comment. It was not comparable to anything I have ever eaten except for salt! Notice the school lunchroom style french fries..yes they were as tasty as the "tacos." We both left nauseous and disgusted from all the people enjoying their lunch and vowed never to return. When I questioned my client and Daniel questioned his work they said "oh its an acquired taste." I can't get over the fact that they are always packed!! I think acquired taste just like Casa Taco in Fayetteville! haha

The Good:
On a completely different note if ever in El Paso in the summer a must see/do is Viva El Paso! The outdoor amphitheater is nestled in the Franklin Mountains, providing a dramatic backdrop for the depiction of the unique history of this Southwestern region. Its an amazing musical show that has been around for 32 years!

I had no idea what to expect but it did not disappoint! The performance details 400 years through Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and Western American people (by story of a family and their ancestry) through traditional dance, original song, brilliant costumes, and special effects.




Another good:
My parents celebrated 36 years (WOW) of marital bliss in August! I have learned so much from them and could never begin to tell them how much they mean to me! Happy Anniversary Mama and Daddy! Daniel - Isn't this a great picture!

A Great!
Baby Connor came home from the NICU after a 2 week stay. He was having some trouble with his oxygen levels as well as regulating his body temperature but is now doing great and growing like crazy at home! My parents have both been in Austin to help Ben and Ann with the new arrival. My mom was able with them while Connor was in the hospital before school started and my dad when he came home. Mama and daddy have both told me he is the cutest thing ever and by the tone in their voices and pictures its obvious they think the first McKenzie grandchild is perfect! I know they are ready visit together so they can start spoiling him!! Connor we are so happy you are home!




A Wonderful
Our amazing friends Jason and Jill got engaged! We can't wait for your wedding! We are so happy for you both and do not think you could complete each other better!

The Fab...
Daniel and I have continued to say busy on the weekends. A few of the guys from Daniel's work have a band so we been listening to some local music. We took a trip to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico and spent the entire day in the cool cave and learning about the area. We hiked down from the natural entrance and it was amazing! The Big Room at the bottom of the cave was a 8.2 acre of excitement! At dusk we saw the flight of Mexican bats out of the cave. We both highly recommend this trip to anyone!
Carlsbad Caverns













Mexican Bat Flight



This past weekend we set out to go mountain biking and accomplished it as well as rock climbing, hiking, and caving. Finished the day a little sunburned having dinner at the World Renown Cattleman's Steakhouse with some new friends!















We didn't get to Cattleman's Steak House in Faben's TX, until later in the evening and are definitely going to make a trip back. We had no idea what the ranch entailed besides a few movie sets. It includes a lake, a zoo, exotic animals, a maze, along with Old West memorabilia including an antique wagon collection, a western town, and an old working stable. The food was outstanding and we can't wait to go again!

And More Good!
I am deep into training and fund raising for the Breast Cancer 3-Day in November. So far I have logged 315 training miles with many more to go!! I am really excited to continue this journey and anxious to walk 60 miles over the course of three days with thousands of other women and men in the Dallas –Fort Worth area. My hope is that one day there will be a cure and all the ones I love will be safe from this disease. To learn more please visit my personal page.

Well I guess that is about it. I am packing for the weekend and am ready for some fun on the lake! Daniel is excited to have Monday off and relax for a few days! We are still enjoying El Paso and you are all welcome anytime! Have a safe and great weekend!
Love
Daniel and Melissa