About

Hello, I’m Melissa Salazar.  I married my husband Gabe in January 2012.  That day, we became a blended family that includes our two amazingly beautiful girls Kayla and Madison.  A year and a half later we added our son Levi.

It’s slightly crazy at our house.  The laundry is never finished, I hate to go to the grocery store, I’m just now learning to cook and, surprise, my house is never clean.  On top of being a collided… I mean blended family, there were a few other things that didn’t go exactly as planned.

In October 2013, my precious little girl was diagnosed with autism.  That knocked the breath out of me mostly because at the time I didn’t really understand what that meant.  After learning a bit more, I realized just how much awareness and acceptance is needed.  I decided to run for Mrs. New Mexico United States in 2014 with Autism Awareness and Acceptance as my platform.  Somehow, by the grace of God, I won.  I still can’t believe it.

That experience has totally changed by life and my perspective.  I realize how easy it is to invest your time into community service and how much it can make a difference.

During that process I did the Body by Vi Challenge losing all the baby weight I had gained from having Levi.  I entered to win and became the 2014 National Female Active/Fitness Champion! Fitness and nutrition has become an important part of my life for my own health and for my family.

My most recent title to hold is my favorite.  Teacher.  I started homeschooling Layla midway through kindergarten.  I never thought I would end up being a homeschooling stay at home mom learning to cook, but here I am.  I love it.  I love seeing her excelling and learning.  I love seeing how she thinks.  Yes, having an autistic child is challenging, but it’s the most rewarding experience I’ve had.