It's all about balance...

What I do (professionally) is important, but it's not important enough to be all that I do. That is something that took me awhile to learn. And, this weekend felt like a regression.

K had an enjoyable time at ACL on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I was supposed to be there enjoying the experience with him and, well, just enjoying being with him. But, that didn't happen. Pretty early in the week I realized that there was no way that I was going to be able to go with my running schedule and teaching demands. So, we ended up selling my ticket. And, here's how the weekend went down...

K and I barely spent a handful of hours together this weekend. He was already gone to the festival by the time I got home from work on Friday, so it was a night at home alone eating my pre-long run dinner of pasta, preparing for my class, and catching up on some shows from the DVR. Then, it was up at 5:30am on Saturday to head out to Bastrop where I was meeting up with a few others who weren't able to go to Bandera for the scheduled long run. I was the first one there so I went ahead and got started. I ran alone, for 22.5 miles. Overall, I had a good run (but had some GI issues during my second loop). I was relieved at how well it went considering my last "long" run was the 17-miler on the day before the wedding three weeks ago. It was lunchtime by the time I made it back home, and K was still home watching football so he made me his famous K burgers. After a pretty short "nap," I went to get a massage while K headed out to the festival. I got home about 5 and had dinner (I was STARVING) then settled in for some more couch time to watch tv last night. Since running dominated my day yesterday, I had to place more priority on teaching stuff today (and that meant not running today). I spent the day/evening working on stuff for my class and taking care of some household stuff (laundry, groceries). And, the thing is that there is still so much more to do.

So, back to my point. I'm worried that I took on too much with this teaching gig. I know it's only 1 class and in some ways I'm playing catch up from the 2 weeks that I was out for the honeymoon. But, I'm concerned because I don't necessarily see this weekend as an anomaly either. My students will be turning in their first (of three) major projects to me this week (which means making time to watch 13 20-minute videos of a mock counseling session and grading their papers) and then they have their midterm exam next week (which means putting the exam together and grading it). So, essentially, I'm worried that all of this will be taking my time away from the non-work things that are really important to me - obviously spending time with K and my friends. Not to mention that our house is a disaster, I have a million thank-you cards to write, and I have lots of miles to run, etc.

The positives though - I really, really do enjoy teaching. I have a great bunch of students, and each week I think that we're going to get out of class early, but we end up staying for the full three hours because we're having such a good discussion. And, even though I haven't gotten my first paycheck yet, the extra income will certainly be nice - mainly, I won't have to stress about money quite so much and it will allow me to do more of the extra things that I/we want to do.

But, I already have a full-time job. And, as much as I gripe about my job, I really do a good job of not bringing work home with me (literally and figuratively) and having a good separation of my personal and professional lives. It's only been in the past couple of years that I've finally been able to achieve that balance, and I guess I'm just worried about losing it.

Pictures...

Honeymoon pics are up!

http://drmelissalong.shutterfly.com/

We're working on the wedding pictures next.

Home and already overwhelmed....

It's 5:30am and I can't go back to sleep. Partly jet lag? Maybe. Mostly stress? Definitely. We got home yesterday shortly before noon, and this is what we walked into:
It was not quite that bad before we left on our trip two weeks ago. We had put a hold on our mail while we were away, but thankfully K also realized that we should have someone come by the house to check for any packages that may still arrive via UPS or FedEx. And, boy, did they arrive apparently. The first plan of attack was to quickly open all of the wedding gifts to catalog them in order to write thank-you cards in the upcoming weeks then we moved all the gifts to the spare bedroom so that we could actually have a livable living room again. It was the first time in months that our living room didn't look like "Wedding Central." That was an accomplishment.

After a lunch break to Rudy's (our last meal before we left on our honeymoon and our first meal back!), it was back home to unpack, wash/fold/put away 4 loads of laundry, catch up on email/blogs and make plans for some of our upcoming race trips, and just try to get our lives reorganized. K also had to watch the OSU-USC football game that he had recorded from last weekend.

While K went to buy groceries last night, I went out for a 4-mile run to remind myself that I'm still a runner. A runner who is going to run 31 miles in less than a month nonetheless. Unfortunately, we didn't run as much as I had hoped while we were gone (too many other things going on or not good running conditions - very hilly, winding roads with barely enough room for cars in Mykonos). This week and next week are our final two intense weeks before a short taper then the race, so I'll be busy getting my mileage in this week/weekend. In fact, I'm considering going for a 7-mile run right now - I don't think I'm going to be able to go back to sleep.

Then, there's the teaching thing. Since my class didn't meet while I was away, I have to catch up on several chapters of reading that were assigned and prepare lecture notes for the next two weeks before their exam the following week. It's Monday, and class is on Wednesday. I have my trail running group workout tomorrow night. So, it's hard to see where I'm going to have the time to get prepared.

Which brings me to this weekend...ACL is this weekend. But, I am also scheduled to run 22 miles on Saturday and 15 miles on Sunday. Out at Bandera and Lost Maples no less. AND, as I said, catch up on 7 chapters of reading and prepare lecture notes. How it's all going to happen is beyond me. The reality that I am slowly accepting is that ACL just might not happen for me this year. :(

And, this doesn't even count what's in store for me at work in a few hours...

Nothing like a dose of reality to start the day.

Big K's recap of Crete

We arrived late Tuesday night into Heraklion, a major Greek city and the "capital" of Crete. It was a short boat ride but the boat was already late and we were tired. The sun was down and it was dark outside, but unfortunately not on the boat. My hat came in handy again as I put it over my face and closed my eyes, allowing me to get a little rest. As soon as we got to the port and off the boat, Mel quickly hailed a cab amongst the rush of people and cars, and we were lucky enough to share the ride with a couple going to the same hotel. After about 5 minutes, we arrived at the hotel and were immediately pleased. This hotel looked pretty nice. It was recently renovated and has a very clean, modern feel. And even better, they have free internet (thus the length of these last posts). We got to our (sufficiently larger and nicer) room and cleaned up, feeling good about the whole experience, and quickly went to sleep.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel buffet, which was more comparable to the one in Mykonos than in Santorini, a good thing. We were ready to start a day of sightseeing and figuring out the plans for the rest of the trip, but when we got back to the room, the key didn't work. Neither did another one I had obtained, and when I went back to the front desk, they sent the bellman along to try, and that didn't work either. So that was a problem. They ended up telling us to pack our stuff and go to a different room. That room smelled fiercely like smoke, so we requested another and ended up in a real king-size bed (other doubles were two beds pushed together) and a view of the pool area instead of the street. Not too bad. We finally did get out of the hotel and took a short walk to the center, tourist part of town. Heraklion is very much a functional city and not a tourist one, so this was really the only place we saw tourists en masse within the city. We found the state tourism office and asked about getting to/from Samaria Gorge, and the lady there recommended that for simplicity's sake, we use a travel agency rather than try to negotiate the trip on public buses. More on the gorge later, but the important point is it is more than three hours away and there are no direct public buses from Heraklion. So we took her advice and found a place right around the corner to set up the tour for the following day.

After this, we walked around the tourist district some more, window shopping at some of the many mall-variety shops and a few unique ones, getting some pictures at the Morosini Fountain and the Agios Titios church, and taking a stroll down to the old Venetian harbor. We had lunch back by the church and then found our way to the Archaeological Museum. This was one of the things I really wanted to see, but Mel had no interest at that point. So I went inside while she went back to hit the hotel pool. The museum has been under renovation for a couple years and the full site is closed, but they did have a two-room display of some of the collection's best pieces. Most had been excavated from nearby Knossos and other Minoan palaces all over Crete. The collection spanned the entire time of the Minoans and some of the Greek and Roman periods as well, from 3000 B.C. to around 500 B.C. It was quite impressive and the pieces were in great condition given their age. There were many jars and drinking vessels adorned with drawings, wall frescoes, jewelry of gold and other precious metals, a sarcophagus, weapons, and statues. I took pictures of just about every case and was proud to show them off to Mel. After leaving the museum, it was a hot walk back to the hotel, and I changed and met her down at the pool. We caught a few remaining rays of sunlight and then went looking for a place to eat dinner. We wandered for a few blocks and didn't find anything appetizing in one direction, so we came back and checked out the place our taxi driver had recommended the night before. I will refer to the place as "Meat Heaven" :) They had many varieties of meat that you could order in a pita with tzatziki, tomatoes and fries, by itself, or on a dinner platter. We both had pitas with different fillings, and they were delicious! The place was a sight as well: a big gyro cone rotating next to one of the windows, a rotissierie full of chicken and ribs further back, and a flat grill with pork and chicken souvlaki (shish kebabs) in between. Like I said, Meat Heaven. This place would give Rudy's a run for its money. We then had some ice cream and walked to a market to pick up some food and drink for the next morning.

The next day promised to be a long one. We were to be picked up from the hotel at 6am and driven about 3-4 hours to the entrance of the gorge in Omalos. Then we would walk/run 18km through the gorge to the south coast in the town of Agia Roumeli. After that was a boat ride to the nearest town with a road, then it was back on the bus for the return trip to our hotel. The travel agent estimated we would return about 10pm. So knowing this, thankfully we were prepared for the inevitable deviations from the plan that made it even longer. We were waiting outside the hotel at 6 but we ended up not getting picked up until 6:30. The bus was a double-decker and already almost completely full when it arrived. Most of the tourists had probably come from the beach towns 50-100km east of the city. Nevertheless, the bus made a couple more stops along the way as we drove along the coast and through the mountains to the west. Finally the bus was entirely full, and we made a quick stop shortly thereafter for a snack and restroom break. Then on we went, past the cities of Rethymnon and Hania until we turned off the highway (really the only one on Crete) onto a winding route up through more mountains. This was about a 30km distance, but it took nearly an hour to negotiate the many switchbacks and out-of-the-way curves on the road to Omalos.

Samaria Gorge is the longest in Europe and drops from around 4000 feet at the top to sea level over the 18km, most of it in a winding downward path through the first 3km. At the narrowest point the "Iron Gates", the gorge walls are only about 9 feet apart while rising about 1000 feet. Our plan was to run as much of it as possible as a real trail workout, which we have sorely needed on this trip. So we packed up Mel's Camelbak, dressed in our running clothes and trail shoes, and took only necessary items. Most of the tourists were in regular clothes and tennis shoes and had packed like they were going for a short nature hike, so we really stood out. Especially when we started darting around them, going down the path like it was flat, while they were carefully stepping around and between the rocks! That was a lot of fun, seeing the confused and amazed look on people's faces. The trail shoes really made it look easy, and for the most part it wasn't really difficult, except for getting around all the tourists. I spent a lot of the time jumping down the rocks and around people rather than running, so much so that someone commented to Mel: "Your husband is like a goat, jumping around everywhere." We both got a kick out of that, but she was a bit offended because he had assumed she was with me! Wonder why he did so, seeing how she was the only other one dressed that way and trying to run a little :) I also passed someone else on a turn, and she called me "Kri-kri," which was the name given to the Cretan mountain goats that inhabit the higher reaches of the gorge. High praise indeed! So like I said, the plan was to run most of the way, but with the amount of people on the narrow trail this proved difficult. And in true trail running fashion, Mel also fell on the rocks and scraped and bruised her arms and legs (which had just healed from her last fall the day before the wedding!) so she wasn't much for running after that. We ended up walking the rest of the way, still easier and faster than most of the crowd, but with only a bit of jumping down a few hills for good measure. Once we got down to the bottom, the sun was very warm and bright and virtually inescapable. So we were happy to finish the hike as quickly as we could and get something to eat and find some shade. We had a late, big lunch (I had pizza and a fish entree and Mel had a salad, entree, and dessert) and waited around for our meeting with the guide several hours later followed by the ferry. I took advantage of the break to go for a swim in the beautiful waters of the Libyan Sea, clothes, shoes and all. Now I felt like a true trail runner!

The ferry was supposed to arrive at 6pm so we would be back to the bus by 7 and on our way. But as we have learned, Greek ferries do not run on time, or at all sometimes. We finally spotted the boat (a long way out) around 6 and it pulled up to the dock at 6:30. The boat let off passengers and a few vehicles, and some people got on board, but meanwhile the waves had been periodically rising up over the dock and came in really strong while the boat was docked. Eventually the crew wouldn't let anyone on and pulled up the bridge. The crowd of several hundred then started hurrying over toward the beach, so we followed a little bit unsure what was going to happen. The boat backed away from the dock and made its way over, pulling up right on the beach. Well then. It was quite a spectacle, from the people on the dock getting splashed every now and then by the waves, to the mad rush for the boat once it docked, to the scramble to meet the boat over on the beach. We made it on board and set off to the east. The sun was getting low and had disappeared behind a mountain while we were on land, but once we got out in the water a bit, it reappeared and made for some beautiful views. There were a few capes sticking out into the water toward the west, some green and white hills to the north, and the perfect blue waters between us and the shore and as far as the eye could see to the south. It was breathtaking, and I took quite a few pictures, especially as the sun began to set behind the coastline. We made a quick stop in another little seaside town that had no road access, and finally got to our destination a while later just as darkness was falling. We quickly boarded the bus and set off, only about an hour behind schedule. But, it was a good thing it was dark when we left, because we had many more switchbacks back up the mountains and even a trip through some sort of construction zone where there really wasn't much of a road at all. Thankfully Mel was asleep and missed all of this, while I only could see and hear part of what was going on. I do know that the bus was moving very slowly and it was bumpy. We made it back to the city and instead of being dropped at our hotel, we were told to get in a taxi which proved to be quite a ride. I reassured Mel that we were only going about 120-130km/hr (about 70-75 mph) even though I'm sure it felt much faster! We did make it back alive and concluded the day at 11pm. Whew.

Today was a bit shorter and much less active after yesterday's adventure. Tired and sore, we slept in until after 9 and would have slept later except for breakfast ending at 10. We then went back to the room for a nap and to pack as much as we could manage for now. After two weeks of Greek food, we were happy to notice a Domino's right down from our hotel, so we had a pretty American pizza for lunch which we enjoyed outside by the pool. After another nap (notice a trend here?) we finally ventured out for the last major item on the tourist agenda, a visit to the ancient Minoan palace of Knossos. It took a little while to figure out where to board the city bus, but we made it on one and ten minutes later got off at the site. We spent about two hours exploring the large, elaborate ruins. It really must have been quite a place in its heyday. This was the palace that in Greek mythology contained the labyrinth and the Minotaur. It was partially reconstructed by an imaginative archeologist named Arthur Evans in the early 1900's, and some of his structural reconstruction and names and purposes for rooms are probably wildly inaccurate, but it still maintained most of the ancient look and feel. After our visit and an impulsive purchase of a historical guide in the gift shop, it was time for another trip to Meat Heaven for dinner. I thought I could manage two pitas this time, and I didn't disappoint :) nor did the food once again.

So now we're packed up and ready to head home. Hopefully our travel back will go as smoothly as the rest of the trip and we'll be back in Austin Sunday afternoon. Then I'll turn the blog back over to Melissa :)

We've taken a lot of great pictures, some cool souvenirs, and lots of memories from our trip here (and maybe a few extra pounds in our bellies). It was an unforgettable experience. The real world is going to seem strange for a while I'm sure. A lot has happened in the US since we've left, and I'm interested to see what the immediate future brings for some of the major news items. At the same time, the global perspective was definitely lacking in what I was seeing and hearing at home. I hope to be able to stay in touch with what is really happening in the rest of the world, not just hearing the limited focus of news and Americanized version of events given to us by the media. And I hope we can make another trip abroad as soon as Mel has enough vacation time!
Singapore in summer 2009, here we come!

Big K's recap of Santorini

So, we left off trying to solidify our hotel arrangements for when we arrived in Santorini. Well, it turns out that the tour company I went through had a description of one hotel but booked another one under a similar name (and there's actually a third hotel with that name on the island. Really, can't you be more original? I know there's only so many gods and goddesses, but come on.) So we ended up getting in touch with the right hotel just as we were leaving Mykonos and they said we would be on our own for transport. OK, whatever. We got to Mykonos port with lots of other travelers well ahead of time but I was still worried our boat might be in the other port. Especially when it was about an hour late. But many others were going on the same trip, and the bus driver assured us it was coming there. And it did. A smaller, faster ferry dubbed the "Flying Cat" came in and people streamed off. It's amazing how many people they can fit in one of those, especially when most are loaded up with luggage. More than the largest airplane, even though the boat has to be smaller. And it's really quite fast! We breezed into Santorini after a couple stops at about 6pm. Clouds were obscuring the towns on top of the cliffs, but it was still an amazing sight.

For those of you who don't know about Santorini, it's a hotbed of volcanic activity and earthquakes that has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times, most recently in the 1950's. It used to be a ring island until a couple thousand years ago, when possibly the most massive earthquake/eruption in history destroyed parts of the ring, sinking most of the center and causing parts of what was left to be shorn off into the water, leaving steep cliffs around a deep caldera. The route to/from the port traversed these cliffs with several switchbacks, going all the way up until you can see where you started about a thousand feet below. Quite a nail-biting trip up and down, especially in one of the full-size tour buses! We were fortunate to experience that several times in the coming days. Mel held on to me as tightly as she could around some of the turns, while the bus used every available inch of pavement and cleared space above the road.

For this trip, we tried to hail a taxi, who pointed us in the direction of a smaller bus. We told him where we were headed, and he had to ask where exactly the hotel was. Not a huge vote of confidence. But we loaded up, went up those cliffs and found our way to the beach of Kamari, and right in front of our hotel! So that worked out OK. After settling in at our less-than-fabulous hotel, we wandered down the street for dinner and ended up in the company of a man named Alexander. Now, he was like most of the restaurant proprietors in that he stood outside, coaxing passersby into sitting down for a meal, but this man had it down to an art form. I just sat there during our meal, watching him operate. A few puffs on his cigarette, some pacing, a sip of coffee, here comes someone, he gets them to come in, then he walks around a little checking out the business, seeming very relaxed and satisfied (but why the smokes and coffee then?). I figured he had it pretty good. Before long, he had a full house and was telling them to wait a few minutes. Watching Alexander was good entertainment and it went well with a very good meal. I'd been craving lamb for most of the trip and I finally got some lamb chops at a good price. They were excellent! Mel's chicken in Metaxa sauce (local brandy) was also great. So, that was it for the night, a good start to our time in Santorini. I enjoyed an evening view of the water from our hotel balcony, although many of our hotel neighbors were out doing the same.

Next morning we went out for a little run and got a good sense of the town we were in. No cliffs on this side of the island. but there was a long black beach with shops and restaurants along the way and a mountain at one end that dropped straight into the sea. Further inland was a zigzagging path up the mountain to an ancient site. I told Mel I would run up the mountain one of the mornings. She didn't think so. After our run, we spent the morning on the "beach" which more resembled gravel than sand. Thankfully, the water was at least decently warm. We stayed until the beach got pretty crowded around noon. We had lunch nearby just off the beach and found ourselves at one of the tourist offices to check out what we could see or do during our stay. Earlier, we saw a dive shop and Mel decided we would spend one day snorkeling. So that left the rest of the current day and the day we were leaving free for other stuff. We decided to hastily book a beach exploration tour that left in about 15 minutes and hurried up the street to meet the bus. Then it was back to the port, this time on the big bus, and after surviving that we got onto an old tourist boat. It was designed to carry quite a few passengers, and it was SLOOOOW. We got some great views on the way out around the point of the island, but it took two hours, limiting our actual beach time. Once we finally arrived at the first beach, the guide recommended that we not stop there and continue on. OK. So we came all this way to the beaches, then skipped one. But the other two were definitely the more interesting ones, so it was the right move, but still. That's what two hours getting there does. Anyway, the first beach we stopped at was called the "White Beach" because the cliffs above it were all white, though the actual sand was black. Very picturesque. It was in a little cove and no one else was there. It looked like there was a footpath up the cliff for walking to the beach, but I imagine most visitors came by boat. We were in for another surprise when the boat parked about 50 meters offshore and the guide told us we would have to swim the rest of the way! Not at all what we were prepared for. This also meant no pictures from shore. Mel decided to stay on the boat and take pictures of me while I swam to shore. It seemed like a long swim, but I made it. I was a little worried about the trip back though. While we were there, a yacht pulled up nearby and a bunch of people got out, apparently to do the same thing. I did make it back and the boat left for the Red Beach. This one actually did have red (and black) sand with red cliffs above, and it was also an easier spot to get to on land. So it had a few people on it. Mel came with me on this swim too, and we enjoyed a little time on this unique spot before heading off on the boat again. Thankfully, the boat didn't make the trek back to the port but instead went to a harbor much closer by. We had dinner and went back to the dive center to make reservations for tomorrow morning's snorkeling excursion.

Next morning we had our meager breakfast at the hotel, went to the market to grab some lunch for later and headed for the dive center. We met up with an Australian couple who were scuba diving and a couple of guides. We were chatting with our snorkeling guide, named Nikos, who mentioned that he had an uncle who was a mechanic in Lubbock. He said he hoped to go visit him soon. We gave him our rather unfavorable impressions of Lubbock (even though we've never been there) and suggested he also check out some of East Texas if he had time. Then we loaded up in a big pickup and headed back to the harbor. There, apparently we had to wait on a last minute addition to the group, who turned out to be a cruise-ship musician from Tennessee who had the day off. Once we were all assembled, we got to the dock and I expected to board a large boat, but instead we loaded up into a little orange rubber raft. It was basically a lifeboat with a 200cc engine. And boy was it fast! We made virtually the same trip as the day before in about a quarter of the time. It was like tubing off a speedboat. We got to our first snorkel spot and jumped into the chilly water. The coral and water colors were gorgeous. We saw a few fish as well including lots of little black ones, and we also saw the scuba divers below. Wherever the water was deep enough for the divers, though, it was too cold for me, and there wasn't much to see right at the surface. Before long, I was freezing cold, and soon we got back into the boat. We went to the smallest island in the group to have lunch at a little deserted beach. Mel and I filled up on bread, salami, and feta. I felt that one in my stomach later! After lunch we hit another snorkeling spot near the island. Where our boat was, it was only a few meters deep, but not long into our snorkel we hit a wall that just dropped off into the abyss. Nikos said he had no idea how deep it was, but it was at least 250 meters. We saw lots of beautiful coral and a few brightly colored fish. The divers were directly below again, and their guide found an oyster, split it open, and fed some of the fish. Quite a sight. Once again, when we were over the shallow water the temp was fine, but when we went over the deep it was chilly. So after while I had enough and requested to go back to the shallow part. It was a great snorkeling trip altogther despite being cold, and, as I later found out, getting a good sunburn on my back. We had dinner on the beach again and then did a little shopping before heading in for the night. Mel ended up (finally) splurging on a Galliano little black dress after much hemming and hawing and first leaving the store. It was a good price, but her main argument was, "Where am I going to wear it?" Trust me, you get it and we'll find somewhere you can wear it. Eventually she did, and we will. I actually wasn't done for the night, because I left my newly purchased "Indiana Jones" hat at the restaurant. I ventured back out and retrieved it, and in the process, saw a different side of the town come out at night. There were lots of people milling about, all the tavernas and cafes were full, and it was much more of a party atmosphere (even though it was only really dinnertime for most of the people). The moon was also full and bright and beautiful over the beach.

The last day was to be a busy one as well, as we had decided to go on a morning tour of the volcano and hot springs. It was on the same boat as the beach tour, so I knew we would be spending most of the time getting from one place to another. We took the big bus down to the port again and boarded up, this time heading for the small islands at the center of the caldera. On the way, we went close to the port for Fira and saw the path and tramway between the port and the town way up above. We also had good views of Ia, the northernmost town, and the large outer island of Thirasia. Finally, we arrived at the Hot Springs, which were hot in name only. Once again, we swam from the boat through the water to the yellow-brown sulfur springs. They were active, but not heavily so, judging by the temperature and color of the water. They were advertised as being therapeutic, but that must have been some other time. Then we stopped at the volcano and had a long hike up to the craters at the top of the formation. There, we felt a few hotspots where gases escaped and saw (and smelled) some rocks that had been colored green by sulfuric gases. No actual lava flows, but very interesting since I had never been to a real volcano. Our guide told us some of the facts of the volcano and the eruptions on the island. The two middle islands were first formed only 450 years ago and some parts were added as recently as the eruptions of the 1950's.

After getting back to the port, we went back to Kamari to get our luggage and some souvenirs from the market, and then we took a taxi right back to the port to catch the ferry to Crete (efficient, right?). As usual it was late, but we had some fresh salad, sandwich and pizza at the cafe to pass the time.

The story continues later in Crete...

Big K's recap of our first few days in Mykonos...

Hello again from Greece, this time from Mykonos.

So, we got a call in our hotel in Athens on Tuesday late afternoon saying that the ferry that we were scheduled to be on the next morning had been canceled. Apparently, that is a common occurence here. So, if you have critical plans that depend on a ferry ride (such as getting back to Athens for a flight home; we're on a plane thankfully we think), good luck. We ended up getting an upgrade to business class on an earlier ferry, but instead of the hydrofoil (flying dolphin) we were on the regular, slower (larger) multi-stop boat. We started out on the back deck for the first couple of hours and had a nice windy, scenic trip, but then mel wanted to go inside (when we thought we only had 30 minutes left on the trip, which instead turned out to be 2 stops and 2 1/2 hours to go). We're hoping the other trips are on the fast boats and not as long.

Once we got to Mykonos, we ended up at the big, new port a couple of miles out of town. We didn't really know what to do (mel wasn't happy about this). We thought we could easily get a taxi or at least a bus from there to town, but that proved rather difficult. Eventually, we did get on the bus to town and got a taxi from there to the hotel. On the way back we will arrange transport through the hotel.

Mykonos is basically a big pile of rocks. The beaches are very pretty, but windy and not that warm. Seriously, I wonder if any of these folks who say they're some of the best in the world have ever been to the Caribbean, Mexico, or Hawaii. We're staying at Elia Beach, which is on the other side of the island, a good 10-15km from town and less crowded than some of the closer beaches. Our hotel is quite luxurious (and expensive for meals). It is pretty white stone (like most of the buildings here) and we have a nice view of the sea from our room.

We've had lots of good food here, mainly pasta and some meats and a Greek salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives and a big block of Feta) with every meal. We also had a few helpings of fresh yogurt with honey. Our hotel on Mykonos has a huge tasty breakfast included, so we'll definitely fill up with every meal.

We're exploring the town of Mykonos today before maybe trying the beach and hotel pools again later this afternoon. It's full of tourists and little shops and restaraunts. Thankfully most of the town is pedestrianized, because the cars drive on anything wide enough to fit through, and motorbikes in any space wide enough to walk through. We're here until Saturday, then it's off to Santorini.

K

Big K's recap of our first few days in Athens...

Well, we made it to Greece after a long couple of flights with no major problems. We are 8 hours ahead of Central time. It's now Tuesday evening here. Athens is pretty hot and dry, and rather crowded. Much like other European cities I would imagine. Mel said it reminded her of Rome. After getting no sleep Sunday and adjusting to the time change Monday, we got up and did some sightseeing this morning. We saw the Parliament with guards in funny outfits (yes, even funnier than the British), the National Gardens, the Panathenaic Stadium (an important pilgrimage for marathoners -- too bad we don't have time to go to Marathon itself), and of course, all around the Acropolis. I really liked the ruins around the Acropolis, and we got to enjoy some of it before we met up with all the crowds. By about noon, we were tired and hot, so we had lunch and came back to the hotel for a nice long siesta. Tomorrow it's off on the ferry to Mykonos and the beach.

Thanks again for coming out to the wedding and for all your help. If you have any wedding weekend pictures to send, please do.

Take care,
Kurt and Melissa

Big K's guest post!

Well, it's official. We are now Mr. and Mrs. Mohlman. And so Mel thought it would be appropriate that I write a post in honor of the occasion. We had a beautiful (and hot) Austin day yesterday. Our ceremony was set for 7, which as is turned out, meant the sun was perfectly in our faces as it came down! Oh well. Other than that, the ceremony was wonderful. We managed not to tear up, at least not much (that being Mel, me and my sister) throughout each of our parts. After that came the whirlwind of the reception. It went off with only a few hiccups, and I think, and hope, everyone had a good time. The food was excellent, the caterers and Chris the DJ did a great job keeping everything on schedule and we were really relieved that it went well. After all the time spent planning over the past weeks and months, I was really nervous and worried about everything working out, and I think it showed a little. Some people even said I looked like a deer caught in the headlights! And at times I certainly felt like one. Once dinner was underway and everyone was seated and relaxed, I started to calm down a bit. Well, other than almost dropping Mel at the end of our first dance. The dance lessons we took definitely paid off, and other than that near-disaster, I think we did OK. After that, my mother came up for a little impromptu "mother-son" dance to the Beatles' "Twist and Shout", which was a bit awkward (my mother and I do not dance together) and quite entertaining.

We had a majority of our guests coming from out of town, including my rather large family. I knew we would not have a lot of time to mingle, but we tried to do the best we could. If we missed anyone, we're sorry! I know one thing though: Both Mel and I had a smile on our faces all night that could not be removed. Neither of us slept well Friday night, and as it turned out, we didn't last night either. Hopefully we'll be able to relax on the long flight to Europe.

Well, that's it for me. We're packed and waiting to head to breakfast at Rudy's and then to the airport. Thanks everyone for your support and for helping us in every way possible. We couldn't have done it without you. We'll see y'all in two weeks!

Wedding Day!

It's finally here. Our wedding day. We are both excited while also relieved that the finish line is in sight. We'll be on the beach in Greece as husband and wife before we know it!

I am super proud of myself for getting my scheduled 10-mile run done this morning. I had another fantastic run too. I jumped on the trail at the end of our street (Riverside and I-35) - I usually head West, but today I started East since I figured that would make it easier for me to commit to doing the full 10 miles rather than bailing at 7 miles or even shorter. Training for the Austin marathon apparently started today, so I saw tons of folks out there. I was happy to see a particularly friendly face in Tara toward the end of my run so that I could share my excitement with someone because the whole time I was running I wanted to shout "I'm getting married today!" to everyone that I saw. I'm amazed at how great my legs and cardio felt throughout the run today. So, that makes 27 miles (more than a marathon!) in a span of 24 hours. I'm a rock star.

I just had a "working lunch" with my parents and matron of honor and her husband at Huts. It was nice to have some 1:1 time with them, and it also helped reduce my anxiety to pass off some tasks to them for tonight.

Now, it's time to get my nails done. And, try to fit in a nap before the big event tonight.

K is watching football right now. Ohio State is losing (to Ohio). This is exactly what I wanted to avoid - I don't need him all worked up if they do indeed lose.

Almost there...

We're definitely in the home stretch now. Today went better than I hoped.

Despite getting very minimal sleep due to having to deal with the repercussions of K's shenanigans last night (or technically early this morning), I got up this morning as planned and did a solo 17-mile run on the Greenbelt. Despite a fall around mile 10 (which thankfully only led to swollen knees), I had a fantastic run. I really tried to focus on running a comfortable pace, and I never felt like I was working too hard or that I wouldn't make it through the distance. I managed my hydration and nutrition needs well for a change, so I am happy about that as well. And, I'm just super proud of myself for getting that kind of mileage in the day before my wedding. After my fall, I am re-evaluating whether I am going to run the scheduled 10 miles tomorrow. I don't want to take any chances at this point. I may just run the 10 miles on TLT if I decide to run, but I will also give myself permission not to run if I'm just not feeling it tomorrow.

I managed to get in a short nap while K was out running some last minute errands this afternoon. Then, we were off to the rehearsal in the afternoon. It was hot (and I don't do well with hot), but our officiant made it fun and got us through it all relatively quickly. I had been dreading the rehearsal dinner, but I managed to survive it and even had a decent time (likely thanks to the 2 margaritas which I wasn't even planning to have!). Our toast to the wedding party and our families was more emotional than I expected, but I'm glad that we had the opportunity to let them know how much we appreciate their love and support.

Now, it's time for a well-deserved and much needed sleep.

Ladies Night...

I cannot describe the relief that I felt when I left work at 5:00 today. A huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I truly felt it. Now, the only thing left to focus on is the wedding (and running, but mostly the wedding!).
And, the weekend events got off to a great start with a fabulous group of ladies who I am honored to call my friends. We had a lovely "low-key" dinner at Botticelli's on South Congress. The girls gave me some absolutely beautiful lingerie (I've already tried it all on...everything fits perfectly and K will truly thank you as well!).
Meanwhile, somewhere in the city, K is boozing it up with his friends and family. I do not expect him home until 3-4am (when I will be waking up just a few hours later to go run). I guarantee he consumed more alcohol than we all did collectively and that way more trouble ensued with him and the boys. I do hope that he enjoys this time with them though, as I did with the girls.

And so it begins...

Tomorrow the wedding festivities begin. For better or worse. Whether we're ready or not. It's here.

It's been a loooooong day. And, I didn't even really get anything done for the wedding. Thankfully, K made good progress on the list that I left for him.

As I did last Wednesday, I woke up at 6am and hit TLT for an easy 7 miles. With our quality workout last night (more hills), that makes 14 miles in the span of 12 hours. That alone would be enough to make me tired. But, that was just the start of the day. It was followed by a full day at work of constant go-go-go. I had a doctor's appointment at 4:45 and I barely made it out the door in time to make it because of things I had to take care of. The good news from the doc was that my BP is still good (despite all the stress I am under) - yeah! Then, it was a trip to HEB to drop off a prescription before a quick stop home for dinner. I had to take care of a couple of class-related things before class started tonight so I headed over to campus a little early. To my surprise, class went the full time (until 9:50pm) so I didn't get home until a little after 10. Then, I wanted to do some things for class so it would be taken care of before our trip. And, that's pretty much the day. I'm absolutely emotionally and physically wiped out. I hope I can get to sleep tonight though.

Then, tomorrow will be another full day at work, trying to pack in as much as possible within 9 hours. I am looking forward to a nice dinner with the girls at Botticelli tomorrow night while K has a more traditional bachelor party night out. I'm hoping to have at least a little time with him before we both leave. Otherwise, he won't be home until a few hours before I get up to run on Friday morning. All I can hope for on Friday is to run my 17 miles, eat, shower, try to rest for at least an hour, get things together to take to the venue for Saturday while we are there for the rehearsal on Friday afternoon, get through the rehearsal dinner with K's family, and try for a good night's sleep before another 10-mile run on Saturday morning and the wedding. Somewhere in there I have to find time to do my nails, finish a few last-minute details, including packing, and have a good time. I can't believe it's finally here. Now, it's all just going to come so fast with one thing after another. Before I know it, we will be married. I hope we can slow it down enough to remember it and to enjoy it.

And, breathe...

Are we there yet?

The end of this journey is nearing, and I am so thankful. It's been a difficult weekend for me (and K). My stress level seemed to reach it's climax within the past 48 hours, which manifested in conflict with and poor behavior toward K, a night spent alone in the spare bedroom (precipitated by K "acting-out" last night), and then, finally, the tears came this morning. Through the tears came the feeling that the meaning of the commitment we are making to each other on Saturday night and the love that we feel toward each other has gotten lost among the endless details of hosting a party for 135 people. This is precisely what I didn't want either. I am worried that we are going to be so focused on the logistics of the events or on ensuring all of our guests are having a good time that we're going to lose focus on what it's all about...our love and commitment to one another. We've been so focused on the "to-do" list that we are losing sight of that purpose ourselves. Aside from a few hours watching television together on Friday night, I don't think that I had any other moments of joy or enjoyment with K this weekend. And, that just doesn't happen with us.

So, ultimately, we accomplished many of the remaining tasks for the wedding, but there are still a few that linger. I spent today preparing for my class on Wednesday, so that is taken care of thankfully. I had a day full of "pampering" on Saturday, which left me feeling anything but relaxed. It was a day spent with several different people poking at me and feeling vulnerable. It wore me out. To top it off, K was in full college football mode that day, so that did not help matters. And, I have not ran in several days. It was our "off" weekend so I definitely got plenty of rest, but I really wanted and needed to run. But, life interfered this time and something had to give. So, I'm looking forward to our group workout tomorrow night. I need it.

I also need our life back.