Honeymoon in Greece

As most of you may know, David and I flew over to Greece for our honeymoon from May 21-30 of this year. It was a GREAT and much-needed getaway! We flew out of KC early Saturday morning (May 22), had a connecting flight in Philadelphia, and arrived in Athens around 9 am Sunday morning (Athens time). We tried our first Greek coffee and the airport and it was phenomenal! We finally flew to Santorini island with a 4:15 arrival, where we were swiftly picked up by our hotel transfer service and driven to Oia, on the northernmost tip of the island. The drive was rather interesting with our driver's commentary on the island and things as we went by, not to mention the roads that were only wide enough for one car, but somehow two always managed to squeeze through!

That night, we enjoyed dinner near our "cave house" and watched the amazing sunset. We accidentally ordered straight tequila ("grappos") off the menu there, thinking it was wine! The bartenders had a good chuckle when we requested something to mix it with, as it is meant to be sipped straight. I had my first "Santorini salad" complete with tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, olives, capers, caper leaves, and croutons native to the island. Oh, and nearly raw cod fish on top! It was yummy and so was the sunset! Then straight to bed.

Monday and Tuesday were spent mostly wandering the streets of Oia, shopping, eating A LOT, and sipping on wine native to the island. The vineyards there are somewhat unique, as the vines are low to the ground and form a basket around the grapes to somewhat protect them from the volcanic soil and winds. It is rather tasty though!

Wednesday we took a boat tour over to the Volcano (which is still active), where we made the 45 minute HOT hike to the top where we were rewarded with amazing views of the island. Santorini used to be a circular ring of an island, until the volcano eruption separated it from what is now called Thirassia. From the volcano, we sailed over to and swam in the natural hot springs. The boat couldn't pull up to the springs so everyone had to cannonball overboard into the freezing water and swim to the hot springs. It was more like "warm springs" and it stunk because of the sulfur, but oh well. It was still crazy to swim in the Aegean sea. Plus, all around the springs were mountain goats just looking at all of us crazies and probably rolling their eyes! From there, we docked at the little fishing port on Thirassia island, across from Oia, where we enjoyed lunch (swordfish and beer). We also tried our very hardest to find my dad an old fishing lure, to no avail.

Thursday, we bussed it on down to Perissa beach, a popular beach on the southmost tip of the island of Santorini. It is famous for its black sand, and was spectacular (except for the public transportation there and back!). We had lunch, walked up and down the beach, and settled for a couple of chairs on the beach where we lounged and were served a lot of Mythos! It is worth noting here that tops are definitely optional for women on Grecian soil!

Friday morning we did a little more shopping and grabbed our last bite of food on Santorini island, before catching our ferry back to the mainland (Athens). The ferry ride took 7 hours, but it was a very unique experience that we are glad to have had. We met some new friends from the UK and drank some Carib. We got to see Paros and Naxos, 2 popular islands, and do a lot of reading! We finally arrived at the Port of Piraeus in Athens around 11 pm, where we got a ride to our hotel in a pretty yellow Benz, and went right to bed!

Saturday morning, we awoke and enjoyed the wonderful breakfast buffet at the hotel, then hoofed it a few blocks to the Acropolis and nearby shopping and dining district, Plaka. We toured the Acropolis first, and got a few pictures in before my camera decided to die. After recharging at the hotel (both us and the camera!), we had lunch at a little cafe before visiting the new Acropolis Museum, which was very informative. I kind of wished we had done that before seeing the real thing. We did a little shopping and strolling the streets after that, taking lots of pictures of course! By this time, we were famished and ready to freshen up and dress up for our fabulous dinner on the roof of our hotel, with a great view of the Parthenon all lit up for the night! It was lovely, and I savored the best salmon in the history of the world!

Sunday morning, we got up early and half ran to the old Olympic stadium. We were the first people there when it opened and had the stadium entirely to ourselves (aside from the crew setting up for a concert in the middle, but we ignored them and they, us). Completely made out of marble, the stadium was the site for the first Olympic games in 1896. It was also where the very first marathon ended.

---->On a side note, the first "marathon" (in 490 BC) was a Greek messenger running from Marathon, Greece to Athens, Greece, which was more like 23 miles vs. 26. It was an olympic event at the first Olympics (in 1896), when the distance became 24.8 miles. The marathon distance was increased at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, with 2.2 miles being added on so the race could end in front of the royal viewing box. This is the origin of the Marathon tradition of shouting "God save the Queen!" after passing the 24 mile marker.

We then made the somber trip back to the Athens Airport, to board our 10 hour flight back to the states. The memories we made will treasure forever!

New House!

Wow, I can't believe I am already announcing the fact that we bought another house--so soon after we sold the one in Wamego! However, since our lease was going to be up at the end of July, we thought it would be good to get in a house rather than re-sign a lease. It is a 3-bed, 2.5 bath mid-century ranch home in NW Emporia. It is not too far from our rental house actually. We close June 30, which will be quickly approaching after we return from Greece! Our new address will be:

1330 Garfield

Emporia, KS 66801

It has been a whirlwind, but I am SO excited to have a place to call "home" and somewhere for us to stay put for the next few years at least. No more moving once a year! My favorite part about the house is the 3-season porch off the back and the huge yard--these things are essential for a certain Great Dane of ours. Well, essential for my sanity at least! We will finally have somewhere to welcome guests, and all of you will be welcome to come check it out and visit us in Emporia! A couple of pictures below...

Happenings

We closed on the house last Friday--such a blessing! In case you had never seen it, I posted a picture below. We sure enjoyed the serenity of the house and learned a lot from the experience, but are glad to be moving on. We took a trailer full of shop things out to David's parents' house in Cimarron last weekend after we closed, and David's mom made me a delicious angel food cake with fruit and whipped cream for my birthday. We also jogged over to Greensburg on Saturday night to see George Jones in concert. This weekend we were able to stay home for the first weekend in what feels like forever!

We have a couple of busy weeks coming up--well, at least I do. One day of class and 3 finals to get through this week and I am officially done with school for the semester. We will be back in Lindsborg next weekend for Cari Jean's high school graduation, then we will have a week to prepare for our 9-day honeymoon in GREECE!! I can't believe it is right around the corner.

Our travel plans:
We will head up to KC Friday evening (5-21) and stay the night, since our flight leaves early Saturday morning. The flight overseas is around 9 hours in duration, but we gain 8 hours during the trip as well. So, our time, we will arrive in Athens Sunday around 1 am, but it will be 9 am Athens time, so we will need to be ready for our day! We catch an early afternoon flight from Athens to the island of Santorini, and arrive there around 4 pm. We will spend 5 nights on the island, specifically in the village of Oia (pronounced ee-ya), at the Esperas resort.
http://www.esperas.com/
Friday afternoon we will catch a ferry back to the mainland (port of Pireus near Athens), which will take 7 hours. We will then crash for the night in our hotel room at the Athenian Callirhoe hotel, which is conveniently located very near the Acropolis and the Plaka district.
http://www.tac.gr/
We will have all day Saturday to go exploring in Athens, and will catch our flight home on Sunday morning (5-30). Because we will lose 8 hours, we will arrive home Sunday (late) as well, exhausted but rested all at the same time! I will be sure to provide you with plenty of pictures!

Love to all and Happy Mother's Day!

Switching Over

We finally made the leap and switched over from PC to Apple. My desktop crashed, so we decided to order the new iMac...our new baby should arrive in the next few days! I hope it is as easy to get used to as people say it is. Very excited!

House Sale

I'm sure all of you know that David's house in Wamego has been for sale for close to a year now. It has essentially been a drain on funds and energy for David since he bought it around 5 years ago. Unbeknownst to him when he bought it, the foundation on the old farmhouse was faulty, and he almost immediately had to make the decision to either fix the foundation to the standards at which it should have been when he purchased it (spending the money and not seeing an increase in value), or to dig and finish a basement so that the square footage and value might increase. He and a few friends have spent countless hours of intensive labor on the basement project over these last few years. It was on its way to completion when a certain girl unexpectedly showed up in David's life...that's me!

After our relationship became more serious, we realized that my plans to go to 3 years of graduate school in Wichita didn't really 'jive' with David continuing to live alone in the (now) 5 bedroom, 3 bath house near Manhattan. Coincidentally, at this same point in time, David's company (Mathis Rehab) had its sights set on opening a new clinic in Emporia, KS. David decided to assume the role of starting up the new clinic, as he would then be closer to me while I was in school in Wichita.

To make a very long story short, we have been working on completing the basement project and/or getting the house ready to sell ever since we began dating. Knowing that we will be selling it (and thus, not getting to "enjoy" all of our hard work), "the house" has been a huge weight on our shoulders. Most of you probably know that we spend many weekends making the drive to Wamego, and for a year now, have been paying a mortgage on an empty property, not to mention upkeep and utility costs. After having the house on the market for a year now, we have FINALLY gotten closer than ever to having it sold. It has passed all inspections and appraisal, and we are slated to close on it on April 30. It is hard to express the mix of feelings this brings for us. While the sale is a HUGE relief for both of us and is sure to make our lives easier, it is difficult for David to "let go" of his house in the country. The reality of the market at this point means that we are definitely not getting out of the house what we have put into it both monetarily and in sweat equity. It is hard to swallow, though we both know that leaving it behind is a positive thing in our lives.

I can only speak for myself of course, but I am looking forward to the future, including us purchasing our first home together at some point. It has been a long time since I have had a true "place to call home". Right now, we (finally) have our belongings in the same town, although some are in our rental house and some are in a storage unit. We are both eager to someday have it all in one place! The month of April has been and continues to be long and hard for us, as we concentrate on clearing out the house, finalizing paperwork, and all the while keeping up with work and school. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we go into the sale, and finally close this chapter in our lives, so that we may start another!

Blogging Fun!

Well, it seems like the cool thing to do these days is to start a blog. My biggest fear about starting one has been that I, as a self-proclaimed "Grammar Nazi", might make a grammar/spelling error that the whole world can see and call me out on! However, I have been thinking recently that giving you all a means of keeping up with our hectic lives might just be necessary. Because we are so busy, I don't find time to talk on the phone or in person to a lot of people who are important to me (and I'm sure David feels the same). Plus, we have a lot of family and friends located across the country who might just appreciate this "Crotts Tracker"! I know, I know...every blog has to have a cheesy name associated with it, or it just wouldn't be legit! So, this is our blog's cheesy name, but is also a good description of why it was created. Now, all of you can come here to get the latest scoop on our trials and tribulations and also our joys and celebrations! We look forward to keeping you mildly entertained.

Oh, and you might as well assume that it is Cassie talking to you here, unless otherwise noted. I know it says "David and Cassie" at the bottom, but as far as David creating a post--well, I just don't see that transpiring. But who knows...miracles do happen!

P.S. I like to use ellipses. And randomness. <---sentence fragment