New Mexico Literally Rocks

Tuesday we arrived in New Mexico and boy were we surprised with the flatness and nothingness. At first it concerned me but as we went over a small hill in the road and saw the only thing in sight, our campground, it excited me a bit. It is serene, the sunsets are breathtaking, and so amazingly different from NJ.

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Ok so I know my last post mentioned that going to Magnolia was what I was most looking forward to and the best part of this journey for me so far. However, Wednesday’s adventure kicked Magnolia’s bum. On Wednesday we went to our very first National Park, Carlsbad Caverns. I can say that Shaun, the girls and I were excited, especially the girls to earn their first Jr Ranger badge, but we had little expectations for it.

After getting our portable radios (you punch the #s on the informational signs in as you go and it gives you detailed information on that location, sight, etc.), getting on line for the elevator, me hesitantly getting on the glass elevator, we plummeted over 750 feet into the caverns.

Most people don’t know this about me but as of late, I have been developing a fear of being in places that I can not get out of when I want to. Not claustrophobia but a form of agoraphobia. Totally laughable example, but I had an episode on The Mine Train in Disney World and my BFF Danielle had to talk me out of climbing off and exiting via the staff ladders (dead serious). Being in the small space of the elevator at Carlsbad Cavern did not bother me but the fact that I couldn’t get out of it when/if I wanted after it started. Then when we got into the cave and were told that the elevator wait was over an hour and half back up or you could make the hike out, I had to do more deep breathing because there was no quick escape option.

A few times during the experience I had to take a moment to breathe and remember how amazing it all is. And AMAZING it was! This place blew our minds, crushed our expectations and kept our mouths agape almost the whole time. The cavern was so massive, breathtaking, intricately detailed, filled with various makeups, and brimming with God’s beauty. Shaun and I took so many pictures and we all learned so much.

As I mentioned, we took the elevator down into the cavern but the line was so extensive to get up and we wanted to hike out and see more along the way. Little did we really process that you have to hike up out of 750+ feet over only one and a quarter miles…wow workout! This is how happy were when we finished climbing out, the girls earning their FIRST Jr Ranger badge, and the view from the exit.

I can’t say enough how I feel that every person that can, visits Carlsbad Caverns!

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Wednesday, we ventured to the Friends of the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Carlsbad. Probably the friendliest staff I have ever met anywhere. We got our map and off we went. Taking the mile plus hike we visited a lot of local animal life. Some were rehabilitating and some lived there. We saw a road runner, lots of desert snakes (I’d rather not see those in real life!), a cute prairie dog village, succulents of the world greenhouse, and so much more. The weather was perfect, we were outdoors in the fresh air, there was lots of learning happening and we all enjoyed our time there.

That night we met some great friends at the campground, had a huge fire, the kids and thier new friend had s’mores, and everyone enjoyed a great desert night! Thursday we ventured on out of the Carlsbad area but are stayed in New Mexico a bit longer.

***Here I was supposed to post but we were having too much fun so one big bout it is***

A quick, 4 hour, which is quick in our books these days, trip to the White Sands National Monument. So my full-timers will probably laugh at this but I thought there was actually a monument at the White Sands since it is a national monument. The learning curve is great! In case you’re wondering, there is not a monument, the place itself is considered a monument. Not quite sure the difference between National Parks, National Monuments, etc…

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The girls were so looking forward to this stop. We stayed at the Algamordo/White Sands KOA whom lent out sleds for free to their campers which was great and on Friday hit the sands. We drove into it more excited for the kids than anything. We peaked over a small hill in the road and saw the bright white dunes at the bottom of a beautiful mountain range, just lovely. We had so much fun playing, sledding, and exhausting ourselves climbing those giant sand dunes over and over again!

After we wiped ourselves out sledding (the sand is like climbing a landslide of quicksand, but totally worth it) we had a picnic lunch at the main building. Shaun then had to take a call in the truck. The girls and I went to work on their Jr Ranger badge workbooks. We watched a movie about the White Sands, toured the outdoor garden area, read all of the signage in the museum, perused the gift shop and more. All I can say here is that I learned more than I ever learned in school about any one place and it was exhilarating watching the girls sponge in the information also! They earned their badges, we purchased our magnet, and back to the campground for some dinner and needed R&R.

Saturday we visited McGins Pistachio Ranch. They have the world’s largest pistachio (love a good fun photo op!), we took a tour of the fields and the driver/tour guide taught us so much about pistachio farming that was way more interesting than you’d think, and we tasted over 20 different flavored pistachios. Early evening we returned to the White Sands for some more super fun sledding. Around 6pm we met with a ranger for a sunset hike. She taught us a lot of what we learned from the video and museum but it was beautiful to see it all in nature and with the gorgeous views.

The sunsets in Texas and New Mexico have astonished me every single night we have been in these states. I try to take pictures but they just don’t do the colors and majesty justice. We are in Phoenix now and road schooled on the way. En route I saw my first Border Patrol and Shaun laughed at how cool I thought it was (picture below). It’s warm, quiet, and there’s a great pool so we are happy! We are hoping to get to a national monument while we are here and are SUPER excited for our next stop…stay tuned!

One Month In

Last Thursday when I posted I hadn’t realized it but it was exactly one month since we left and started this journey. Time flies when you’re having fun! I think one of the biggest challenges, personally, is getting “me” time. In our sticks and bricks (that what full-timers call grounded homes) the girls would occasionally go off and do their thing, Shaun would go to the office or make a mess in the garage, and I would get some time to myself. Even if I was running errands, just being in the car by myself was time to gather my own thoughts.

Don’t get me wrong, I would not change a thing right now. It’s just a big adjustment. We are so used to in our daily suburban/Pleasantville like life having some time to do you. Shaun tells at me to get sleep but when I wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes I’m wide awake and I’ll read, Pinterest, look for a condo in Florida, etc… It’s kind of like when you have a newborn and don’t know whether to nap, eat, shower, or watch tv. Eventually the not sleeping through the night thing will catch up on me but for now it’s slightly rejuvenating to my soul.

This weekend we spent Sunday and Monday in New Orleans. A lot of people tried to poo-poo on the fact that we were bringing the kids there but people also did the same when we took them to Las Vegas and that was a stellar vacation for all four of us. Neither Shaun or myself had ever been to New Orleans and didn’t really know what to expect but we figured if it’s not appropriate or really for the kids we’ll just get in the car and head back to the campground easy peasy.

After extensive research I learned that Jackson Square in the French Quarter during late morning was the place for a family. All I can say is WOW! We had such a freaking blast! All of Saturday was well spent in Jackson Square and we never left. The cheesy chochkey shops, talented street performers, musicians, magicians, and live artists kept us busy and engaged all day, well until early evening. Both girls were part of live performances too.

Don’t get me wrong, it helped that you could get adult drinks to-go along the streets, fresh pralines, fresh beignets and hot chicory coffee everywhere also. One of the best parts was checking out some historic statues and reading up on them since people are actively trying to have these bits of history taken down and I wanted us and the girls to soak it up in case the naysayers get their way. Then we walked into a historic church, strolled along the waterway, and bought some mementos, including our commemorative magnet. As an executive family decision we decided to collect magnets from each place and/or memorable stop along the trip. Our refrigerator is starting to look lovely and makes us smile. When it gets a little more festive I’ll take a pic and share.

Monday was President’s Day so Shaun had off from work and we went back to New Orleans to see some more of what we missed and just enjoy another day in the city. We parked by Lafayette Cemetary #1 because I really wanted to check out a cemetery since they’re so famous. A tour had just started when we arrived so we had to wait for the next one in an hour and half because you are now only allowed to tour that specific cemetary with a certified guide. We decided since it was 10am to see a bit of Bourbon Street if it was appropriate.

Bourbon Street was a complete fail, let down and disappointment. I do realize that going at night without kids would have a totally different feel but when we were there it was just delivery trucks up and down the street and there was nothing special about it at all. One block up towards Jackson Square was Royal Street and the shops, galleries, and restaurants were amazing and so much more fun. We shopped a bit, yes again, and then headed toward Cafe De Monde to savor some more beignets and chicory coffee. After a family powdered sugar fight (it legit happend and the boring people next to us were not amused which made us laugh harder) we putzed the Flea Market along the river and bought some killer hot sauces and spices. Then we headed back to the car too tired to see a cemetery. I’m hoping we have time to see one of the plantations, dual purposing a road schooling lesson and see a few things a bit closer to our campground before we leave. New Orleans is about an hour and twenty minutes away so I think I’ll save anything we missed for another trip.

As our country knows and is heartbroken by, there was a tragedy this past week. While we are really enjoying our time together as a family and gathering these priceless moments it is so sad that other parents won’t have any more moments with their children or family member in the wake of a mentally unstable teen who really needed someone to hear his cries. My prayers have been plentiful this week with thanks that my babies are with me and safe. After Sandy Hook I remember dropping Natalie off to her preschool and telling her aide through tears how hard it was to leave my baby in hands that weren’t mine. I knew the women in that room would do anything for my daughter but still no one protects a child their momma.

img_9083This time homeschooling my girls is even more of a blessing right now because although I know anything can happen at any time and it’s all in God’s hands and I don’t doubt that one bit, I know that they’re safe from being at risk for a school shooting situation. I’m in no way saying that homeschooling is the answer or that it is right for everyone or that we should all jump on this bandwagon but without a doubt it puts some of my crazy mom brain to a bit of ease. Who would have thought that when these beautiful babies of mine were born that a level of crazy worry and insanity would come with their birth?!

So, on full-timing notes, my awesome husband made us a bike rack out of PVC pipe so it can be taken down and put together easily. I concocted window darkening covers out of a 6 ft roll of thick drawer liners from Target and double-sided velcro (pray Natalie will sleep in a bit please). We figured out how to use the shower in the RV. Don’t think we stank like hippies or anything but have only stayed at legit campgrounds that have clean shower facilities. Also, they have laundry facilities in case you were wondering if we are wearing dirty clothes. We are using our stove more and getting a grip on our eating out habits.

In our defense of eating out a lot, everywhere we’ve gone has had amazing food. Tennessee had down home Southern food, Tampa had fresh seafood, Crystal River had Grouper on every single menu which is my favorite fish in the world, and now here in New Orleans is crawfish and more seafood. It’s hard when you’re surrounded by food that you can’t get at home and is amazing to control yourself. Tuesday I vowed to get back on my game…so far so good!

We are here in Louisiana for a few more days and then taking the trek to Texas. I have so much on my list of things to see and do in Texas that I can’t even contain myself. We are hitting all of the major cities because Texas is a huge hub of manufactured housing and Shaun will be representing eLend all over the place. He is so committed and such a great speaker that I think Texas won’t know what hit them lol.

Giddy up for the next stop!

 

Only Two Freaking Weeks and One Day

I know that this post will sound a lot like the last but my life is a repetitive reel right now. Wake up, caffeinate, get kids off to school, caffeinate, pack, eat, pick kids up, homework, pack, eat, try and chill out, sleep and do it all over again. The new news this week is that Natalie, my oldest, is turning TEN YEARS OLD!!! How the heck did that happen?!?!

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Baby Natalie

This baby pictured above had her 10th birthday party today, she will have her first sleepover tomorrow (because I required her to be ten years old before she could have one), and Monday, her actual birthday, we are playing hookie and going to have a day of fun. A true Hamman girl birthday celebration lasts for days, revolves completely about her, and is awesome! Her birthday party was at this great little creative place called the Culture Cabin in Boonton, NJ. Erika Domanico is the owner and hosted the party where the girls made super cool dream catchers. After crafting up a storm, they had pizza and cake, then went outside to the fun outdoor space. Their is ring toss with fun colored antlers, corn hole, a little play house, hoola hoops, and so much more! I can not say enough great things about this place and highly recommend it for birthday parties, girl scout troops, ladies nights (you can bring snacks and libations), there’s a store downstairs you can go and shop for great gifts, and more! (No I am not getting paid for this plug. It’s just a cool place with a great owner!)

Also, this week I substituted for a day with my favorite class at our school, the Preschool. They hold a soft spot in my heart because Natalie was in the class for two years, the teachers are ridiculously amazing, and I worked in the classroom full-time for an extended time. The school knows I can’t say no to helping out in that classroom…I’m a sucker lol. However, the one day I subbed this year there was a bomb scare. The first ever since we’ve lived here. I was really happy I was there to help with the class that knows me and I can be a help to comfort, especially since the ages are from 3 to 5 years old. It was a bit scary as a parent of two kids in the school but reassuring because both of my girls were within 10 feet of where I was standing. My husband was my knight in shining armor because I text him to pick up our girls so I knew for a matter of a fact that they were safe and he immediately left work. All in all the school, police, and RVS staff did a stellar job during the whole evacuation and some of the staff without knowing what was happening. It actually makes it harder leaving because I now know without a matter of doubt that my children, at their school, are as safe as they can be in other people’s hands.

Onto home life, I can not stress enough how much packing is happening and still needs to be done. This even after I purged all summer long and continue to sell and throw things away. I wish I had a fairy wand to just make stuff disappear. Our garbage men must be completely sick of us by now and think that what we pay for our service is not near enough. It’s also amazing to me how you’re supposed to pack/prepare for moving your entire life and still maintain cleaning, laundry, cooking, school, activities, etc… The purging has been super therapeutic though and like a security blanket for my emotions.

Shaun may not agree with the emotional part. He gets the Heather who cries, hysterically at times, over stupid commercials, taking pictures off of the walls, finding mementos, remembering certain milestones in parts of the house and realizing I won’t be able to relive it there again and the list goes on and on and on. Last Monday was the last Spirit Day the girls will ever attend at their school, this Tuesday is the last birthday celebration they’ll ever have there, soon the Halloween celebrations will be over, we’ll be moving on and it won’t be our home, hometown, neighborhood, etc… anymore.

I’m positive that there will be things, moments, celebrations that I won’t be able to imagine living without in a year from now in our new home, hometown, neighborhood, etc… However, for now, I can not imagine replacing all of these things I am so fond of with new. In short, I’m a highly caffeinated hot mess and not afraid to admit it!