Postcards from Greece

"Dear family," my pen scribbled, "Γειά from Athens!"

I paused for a moment, pen in hand, and contemplated what else to write. How could I even begin to describe our time in this city so rich with history, let alone the two weeks we had already spent in the Cyclades? Looking at the beautiful photography on the front of each postcard reminded me of the wonderful memories my husband and I had made during our "Trip of a Lifetime 2.0".  

How could I possibly describe to my family the beauty of a Santorini sunset? 

What words would paint a picture that allowed them to understand how small I felt standing on the summit of Mt. Zeus looking out on the Cyclades, or in the Acropolis looking up at the Parthenon? 

What should I write about the day we hiked up and around a volcano or swam in the natural hot springs of the Aegean Sea? 

How could I make them comprehend the emotions I felt and how the Bible came to life for me as I stood on the very hill Paul did when he addressed the Areopagus in Acts 17? 

And how could I share the joy that filled my heart after spending every second of every day for the last two+ weeks with my very best friend, chatting incessantly without ever running out of things to talk about, and laughing so hard my stomach ached? 

The white space on the back of my postcards seemed to shrink smaller and smaller by the minute.

Although trying to summarize even just one of the last 16 days seemed almost futile, I crafted a few sentences for my postcards, listing a few "highlights" of our trip. As I clicked my pen once again, I felt overwhelmingly blessed by the realization that I could easily fill an entire book with all of the memories my husband and I had made during this incredible vacation. While our trip was coming to an end, the memories we had made would last a lifetime. 

~

Slice of Life is a weekly blogging challenge hosted by Two Writing Teachers.

Check out their webpage and then join us each Tuesday to share a slice of your life!

The Hiker's Guide to Climbing Mt. Zeus

If you ever find yourself in the Cyclades on the island of Naxos and are filled with the desire to climb and explore Mt. Zeus, the  mythological childhood dwelling of said Greek god, allow me to share some (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) advice, based on my experiences yesterday...

From the city center of Hora, board a local bus and wind your way through the beautiful Naxian villages. After about 45 minutes, when you hear the bus driver shout the city name, "Filoti!" hop off the bus and look for a cute little Greek cafe called Platanos.

Enter the maze of alleys behind the cafe and pass through quaint little neighborhoods full of children playing and cats napping in the shade. As you get farther and farther away from Palomas, it might seem like the "trail" to the summit of Mt. Zeus is nowhere to be seen...

...but don't get too worried. Just keeping going up and eventually, you'll be rewarded with a sign. Once you see the sign, pause for a moment to do a brief happy dance now that you know you are definitely on the right track.

From there, begin the ascent to the church of Agia Marina via a small trail intended primarily for goats. If you ever get lost, just follow the....um....trail....the goats have kindly left behind to guide you.  (I'll spare you the picture!)

As a forewarning, a few other critters may come out to greet you along the way.

If you, as I am, are terrified of snakes and spiders, don't let yourself get too freaked out when they come to welcome you to Mt. Zeus. The adrenaline that courses through your veins as a result of unexpectedly spotting these critters just might give you the energy to scurry up the entire mountain without feeling nearly as tired as you thought you'd be!

Once you spot the white walls of the Aghia Marina church in the distance, do a second happy dance because now you are definitely on the right track and good news awaits you: there will be fewer critters who join you for the rest of the trek. The trail from here on up is a bit more hiker-friendly. Yes, it's okay to let out a little sigh of relief once you realize that (I did!).

With fewer animal friends to worry about, it is now time to truly soak up the scenery around you. Marvel at the rolling hills and rock-covered mountains. Linger for a moment to take a sip of water and listen closely. You just might hear the clamor of bells tied around the necks of Naxian goats who are roaming about the very same mountain.

Continue your ascent up Mt. Zeus, keeping a watchful eye for trail markings in the form of signs,

cairns in the distance,

or, once again, the trails that those friendly goats left for you.

Keep going up and up, while being sure to soak up the breathtaking views around you on what just might be a perfectly gorgeous, sunny day.

Soon enough, you will be rewarded with the sight of a small monument that marks the summit of this mountain and the stunning scenery that is yours to behold as you stand on the highest point in all of the Cyclades.

Of course, at the summit, you must sign your name in the "log book," joining the company of those who have climbed this mountain before you, and you must then take the obligatory "selfie" before beginning your descent.

Then, retrace your steps. Don't worry, even though you are taking the same path back, you won't grow tired of the awe-inspiring views.

And if you make it back down the mountain with time to spare before the next bus arrives, I strongly recommending rewarding yourself with a treat at the Platanos Cafe. They make a mean chocolate-banana crepe.

~

Slice of Life is a weekly blogging challenge hosted by Two Writing Teachers.

Check out their webpage and then join us each Tuesday to share a slice of your life!

The Perks of Jet Lag

My eyes fluttered open as I awoke in an unfamiliar place. What time is it? My stomach growled. Had I slept through breakfast? My mind replayed a scene from yesterday when my husband and I checked into our cozy B&B on the island of Santorini.

"Breakfast is served each morning from 8 until 10" the manager had informed us with a thick Greek accent.

I rolled over and looked at my husband, who was still sound asleep. We couldn't possibly have both slept past ten, could we? After fumbling for my glasses, I reached for my phone to glance at the clock.

4:36?! You've got to be kidding! Good morning, jet lag!

Resolved not to get out of bed before 5 on my first day of vacation, I lay back down, closed my eyes, and tried to drift back to sleep. It was no use.  My brain was awake and there was no convincing my body otherwise. I settled for closing my eyes and "dreaming" of all of the things we were going to see and do on this vacation.

After nearly an hour, I decided that I could no longer lie still anymore. Glancing back at my husband, I realized that he had not budged an inch. Thankful that he is a heavy sleeper, I began to tip toe around our room in the dark.

Buried in my carry on was a granola bar calling my name. There was no way I could wait three more hours for breakfast. My body's internal clock was all messed up and the overwhelming signal it was sending to my brain was, "Feed me!"

With a belly a bit more satisfied, I suddenly had a bright idea. What time dose the sun rise here?  I clicked away on my phone, grateful for free wifi, and learned that the sun would rise on Kamari Beach in Santorini at 5:56 a.m. If I hurry, I can hop in the shower and still make it outside in time for the sunset. Geography has never been my strong suit, but I was pretty sure that we were facing east, so I thought that my odds of catching a gorgeous Greek sunrise were pretty good.

I was right. Fifteen minutes later, after opening our balcony doors, still trying desperately not to wake up my husband, I looked to the horizon and let out a little squeal of excitement  The sky was painted with a stunning array of colors. Moments later, the bright, blazing sun peeked its face over the horizon and rose slowly into the sky. It was absolutely beautiful.

Sitting down on our quaint little balcony, I soaked up the morning beauty around me. Maybe jet lag isn't so bad after all.

Catching the sunset on my first morning in Santorini

The view from the balcony of our cozy B&B

The view from the other side of the balcony wasn't bad either!

~

Slice of Life is a weekly blogging challenge hosted by Two Writing Teachers.

Check out their webpage and then join us each Tuesday to share a slice of your life!

Brother/Sister Bonding

At 10:45, as I was rubbing my tired eyes and getting ready to say good-night to my family, realization dawned on me. 

"Oh man, it's Tuesday and I totally forgot to blog!" 

My comment piqued my brother's attention. "Wait, you have a blog?" he asked inquisitively. Then, almost instantly... "Show me!" 

For the next ten minutes, I put on my tour guide hat and showed my brother around my blog. Although I was hesitant at first, wondering if he'd find it boring, I found myself gradually giving more detail as he expressed a growing interest. Each question he asked or comment he made led to a new explanation of a different facet of my writing or of the Slice of Life challenge. 

"So, do people read your blog? How do they find it?"     

                            We looked at the statistics section of my blogger account and then jumped to the 

                             TWT website to learn about the Slice of Life Challenge. 

"Wow! That post got a lot of views! What was it about?"

                             We clicked over to skim through a few of my posts...

"What else do you write about?" 

                              ...and then we kept scrolling and reading together.

"Oh, Mrs. M (his English teacher) would love that sentence..." 

                             My heart smiled as he singled out and recited one of the sentences I had tried to carefully craft in a previous post. 

           

And then, my favorite question came..."So, are you going to post tonight?" he asked. 

I had been asking myself the very same question. "Well," I responded, "I do every Tuesday, but we were so busy today that the day just sort of got away from me. It's the first week I've missed since March 1st, though..." 

"Write a post now!" he cried, inching a bit closer to the laptop. "You could write about our day today! You know, write about all of the places we went together. Or write about all of the details we had to go through when we bought the laptop just now." 

"I was thinking about it..." I told him hesitantly. I wasn't sure if I had it in me to craft a blog post this late at night after such a full day. 

"Come on, I'll help you!" 

And that was all of the convincing I needed. If my "little" brother (it's hard to call him "little" when he is 18 years old and towers 15 inches above me, his "big" sister) was willing to help me keep my Slice of Life commitment, then how could I resist? 

Having just spent the entire day together running errands for his upcoming graduation party, we certainly had enough to write about. We could write about the brother/sister breakfast date we had at the local diner... or about purchasing a graduation cake and party supplies...or about any of the errands we did as we hit 14 different stores together today! 

But as the clock inched closer and closer to midnight, I decided to rely on two simple pictures (per Andrew's suggestion) to relay how Andrew and I felt after a very fun and productive (but exhausting) afternoon. After all, they say a picture is worth a thousand words... and we are both far too tired to write that much tonight! 

Secret snapshots taken by my mom after Andrew
and I came home from a marathon of errand running for his
upcoming high school graduation party

~

Slice of Life is a weekly blogging challenge hosted by Two Writing Teachers.

Check out their webpage and then join us each Tuesday to share a slice of your life!

Glimpses of Summer

As the sun poured in through our dining room window, I knew that I simply could not spend the day cooped up inside our apartment. Household chores were going to have to wait. The birds outside seemed to be singing a song to me, beckoning me to join them outside. How could I say no?

I looked over at my husband. Hunched over a thick book, he was diligently studying for his upcoming CFA exam. Without needing to ask, I knew that he would be at the table studying for at least seven or eight more hours, just as he had been doing every day for the last several weeks. There was no way he could join me, but I decided to head out for a bike ride and enjoy the weather anyway. So, I took off to one of my favorite places to spend a summer Saturday-the Olentangy bike trail.

For two hours, I relished the feeling of the sun's rays on my arms as my legs pedaled hard. I smiled, taking in all of my surroundings. All around me, were glimpses of summer:

Patches of purple flowers poking their heads through the lush green grass
and little "cotton ball" wisps floating in the summer breeze

Photo Creditt: Shandi-lee via photopin cc

Little girls with brightly-colored streamers blowing from their bicycle handle bars
and college friends relaxing together around a picnic blanket

Photo Credit: stevendepolo via photopin cc

Intimidating-looking geese protectively guarding their fuzzy goslings
and lively golden retrievers playfully splashing around in the lake.  

Photo Credit: JWagnonPhotography via photopin cc

Each of the 30 miles I rode held unexpected treasures. When I finally returned home after my people/nature-watching adventure, my heart was happy. It had been a splendid way to spend a Saturday afternoon...and the holiday weekend meant that I would get to do it all over again on Monday!

A picture from my own camera of my bike ride
along the Olentangy bike trail! 

Slice of Life is a weekly blogging challenge hosted by Two Writing Teachers.

Check out their webpage and then join us each Tuesday to share a slice of your life!

A Birthday Celebration

A gleeful shriek escaped from my mouth when I found out that I was the "lucky caller number 15" and that I had just won a fifty dollar gift card to a fancy restaurant in Dublin, Ohio. Immediately upon hanging up the phone, I pulled up the website for La Scala Italian Bistro to peruse their menu and long list of live entertainment. This restaurant was definitely out of our price range for a normal date, but with my prize the menu prices seemed more manageable. "When should we use it?" I wondered. This was not a "regular" date night restaurant. No, we needed to save this gift card for something extra special. I put the gift card in a safe place and waited for just the right occasion.

So, when my birthday rolled around last week, my husband and I decided that we had finally found the perfect time to use my radio prize winnings. I was giddy with excitement as I got ready. I spent extra time primping--dressing up far more than I would on the average Saturday night. I carefully tied the belt around my new dress and even lined both of my eyes!

My husband and I walked into the restaurant holding hands and when we were escorted to our table reserved for two, I knew that this was going to be a special birthday dinner.

The lights were dim and soft piano music played in the background. People all around us were celebrating--high schoolers in prom dresses and tuxedos, a table full of friends posing for a birthday photo, and a family with two "Happy Birthday" balloons floating above their table. My attention didn't linger around me for long, though. My husband and I were in our own little bubble. We had escaped from the "real world" for a short while and had entered our own magical little world of happiness and celebration.

We chatted happily while our waitress delivered our shrimp cocktail, carefully arranged in a martini glass. We spoke with anticipation about our upcoming trip to Greece as she refilled our drinks, delivered a fresh, soft loaf of bread, and later presented our main courses to us--dishes that both looked and tasted exquisite. I savored each bite, but what I truly savored most was the quality time and conversation with the man I love.

I realized that I didn't need a gift card to a fancy restaurant to make my birthday a special one. Sure, the ambiance and delicious meal certainly contributed to making my birthday more special, but what truly made the night perfect was the quality, uninterrupted time with the one seated across from me. And that's a gift I don't have to win a contest on the radio to enjoy!

Slice of Life is a weekly blogging challenge hosted by Two Writing Teachers.

Check out their webpage and then join us each Tuesday to share a slice of your life!

Two Problems, Two "Victories," and Two Very Different Feelings

"The baggage charge should be credited to your card in a few business days. If there's a problem, you can call U.S. Airways and they will take care of it for you" the man at the U.S. Airways counter told me last time I was in the airport. Because they had switched my flight to United, I no longer had to pay the baggage fee due to my "preferred status" with Star Alliance. I thanked him and sincerely hoped that the charge would be dealt with so that I didn't have to call.

A couple of weeks later, upon seeing that the charge had not been taken off my card, I braved the customer service phone line. Already annoyed at the fact that I had to call in the first place, I could feel my patience wearing thinner and thinner with each additional minute that I was forced to endure the repetitive "hold music." I knew that I had been on hold for a long time when I heard my husband unconsciously whistling the same tune from another room.

By the time I was finally able to speak with a representative, I was ready to be finished with the whole process and was beginning to wonder if the reimbursement was worth it. So, when I explained my problem to the customer service agent and was told that I needed to jump through another series of hoops in order to get my money back, let's just say that I was not feeling like the best version of myself. My cheeks reddened and my heart beat a bit faster. I was downright frustrated.

And then, I am sorry to say, I lost my cool. My tone tensed, my volume level raised a bit, and I was not polite when I asked the customer service representative to ask her supervisor if he/she could solve the problem so that I didn't have to waste any more time. Within a few minutes, the problem was solved, and my credit card was reimbursed.

I guess one could say that I had been "victorious." Yet, when I hung up the phone, I felt like anything but a champion. I had my money back, but at what cost? I had let my emotions dictate my behavior and I was filled with regret. Given an opportunity to show love and patience to someone who probably doesn't receive much of that in her line of work, I had utterly failed. Sigh.

There was nothing I could do to fix the situation now, but I prayed, repented, and resolved in my heart to do better next time. As I did, I told God that I needed His strength to help me respond lovingly and to not let my attitude be dictated by circumstance.

Almost exactly 24 hours later, I stood in the dry cleaner's with another opportunity to practice responding in love. When I passed my receipt to the attendant, I was told that not only was my order not ready (one week after I had dropped it off) it had not even even been started. To top it off, my comforter had been laying on the ground. Ick! I was not happy, but just as I started to feel my cheeks redden, I heard a voice inside my head preaching back to me some of the verses I had just read that morning. I remembered the messages of Ephesians 6:10 & 19, Titus 2:6–9 and 2 Peter 1:3–7 and thought of my resolve to obey. 

This was a fork in the road. I could respond in emotion and go down the path of destruction, as I had the night before, or I could choose life and love. I took a breath and kindly asserted myself to the attendant. As I explained my concerns, I smiled, I was polite, and I remembered that the individual across from me was a real person in need of love. As I did, part of me wondered if I would get walked all over as a result. "It doesn't matter," I preached to myself. "The important thing is to do the right thing."

I left the dry cleaner's with no resolution other than two promises from the girl at the desk: A) that she would start dry cleaning my order right away and B) that she would tell the manager about my situation.

Two hours later, I got a call from the business. Their solution? Not only were they starting my dry cleaning right away, but they were doing it free of charge and were going to deliver it to my apartment the next day! I couldn't believe it. That's what I call a victory! I hung up the phone and smiled. In the past 24 hours, I had encountered two problems and saw two victories, but one felt so much sweeter than the other, providing not just a resolution to the problem at hand, but a triumph of progress in my own life.

Slice of Life is a weekly blogging challenge hosted by Two Writing Teachers.
Check out their webpage and then join us each Tuesday to share a slice of your life!