Almost to Marshall, TX.

Wow...have we had fun!  This is so much more than I had ever thought it would be.  I have the best kids ever!  They have been so good about doing things, helping and supporting our every effort this past week.  Our time together has already been memorable. We are doing things together that we would not ever have done had we stayed in our home.  Yesterday we climbed on the monkey bars, and yes, I shocked them when I flipped right up and over and hung there. It was quite funny.  They had this huge tire swing with 6 tires and a large mud puddle, Drake gave us a great show...unfortunately my camera was dead or you would be seeing some very muddy pictures of our boy. 

Rye and I went up to Roswell and had a great Mother/Daughter day.  We visited the museum, gift shops, took pictures and ate lunch at a great rib restaurant named the Rib Cage.  We took a ton of pictures.

The Caverns were a great recommendation.  Our family was in awe of the enormity of some of the rooms.  Isabella was a trooper considering the amount of walking we had to do.  The caves were around 50 degrees and very dark, except for the small lights they had posted around the caves.

The drive today from Carlsbad into TX was short and sweet.  The humidity is outrageous!!  The kids are melting but I assured them they would soon get used to it.  Tomorrow we will be pulling into Marshall and Cory starts work on Monday.  We don't know for how long yet...a week or maybe 4 weeks...we shall see.

I have learned a few things along the way.  I found that it's not always the best policy to make reservations in advance.  The reasons for this are several.  First, we don't always know if we are up to the drive.  Our drive from Durango down to Carlsbad was 10 hours.  The kids about died.  But, I had the reservation already and did not want to cancel.  I am glad that we did not because the RV park was awesome!  The park was very kid friendly and it was a blast from the past.  I felt like I walked back into 1950.  The place was very nostalgic.  Secondly, we have not been disappointed with any place that we have stayed at YET...but we have come across some pretty scary ones and wonder if we should take our chances as we go.

Cory and I both cannot believe how comfortable we are with this life style already.  It feels as though we have been living this way for a while.  Each place that we stop at we have been pleasantly surprised at how nice everyone is.  The families and retired folks love what they are doing, even if it is for a short weekend or a long vacation. These people have spent thousands, if not millions, on their RV's.  The luxury that we have seen is amazing!!  I am sitting here looking at a 5th wheel that is probably 45 feet long and completely "Blinged"out...( I am not sure if that is a word, but I can't think of anything else)...WOW  With that said, I still feel really good about our small and practical travel trailer...I keep saying to myself "It's paid for".......thank goodnes!!!

We are having an amazing time.  Isabella keeps asking when we are going home and we explain to her that the trailer is her home for right now.  I am amazed at the severity of the small towns that we have drove through.  They are literally ghost towns, no people and no businesses.  I have been so isolated in the beautiful hills of Midway that the recession has seemed like a dream for our family, until we started the trek east.  It is scary.  Durango and Abilene have been two of the towns that seem to be alive, the rest were struggling to stay afloat.

I cannot express how lucky I feel being able to have this experience with my family.  I love the moment when you know what you have done is the right thing.  I must go because the as before mentioned motor home is our new neighbor...time to go be neighborly.