Yes, we are back in the motherland. The kids came back this morning, and we are all happy household again.

I apologize for telling you about the trip for the first couple days, then leaving off abruptly, but we were on the cruise ship, and the ship's two (slow) computers were monopolized by teenagers.

So, instead of trying to backlog ten days' worth of adventure, I'll pack it into a concise list of highlights (and lowlights, as the case may be).

1. The sheer joy of finding out we were bumped to the first-class section for the Philly-Athens leg of the plane trip.

2. Looking like uncouth cretins when we asked the flight attendant how much we had to pay for mimosas in the first-class section.

3. Walking through the Propylaia (entrance) and catching my first glimpse of the Parthenon.

4. Not knowing how to turn lights on in European hotel rooms for the first few hours of the trip.

5. Brent running in the ancient stadium at Delphi in 119 degree weather.

6. Doing all of our walking trips in the hottest weather Greece has seen in 100 years.

7. Standing at the northern end of the ancient Olympic ruins, feeling the utmost awe of the "ancientness" of it all, and hating Theodosius whoever for destroying it all because the ceremonies and rituals of the ancient Olympics didn't jive with Christianity.

8. Watching and filming Brent and three other people from our tour group running a race in the ancient Olympic stadium. (No, he did not win, and yes, it was still insanely, dangerously hot.)

9. Feeling extremely tuned into Homer's world of "The Iliad" as I stepped through the Lion's Gate at the ruins of Mycenae.

10. Delivering the first few lines from Homer's "The Odyssey" in the acoustically amazing ancient theater at Epidaurus. ("Sing in me, O Muse...)

11. The amazing dark blue color of the Aegean Sea sailing aboard the Ruby.

12. Unlimited buffet on the Lido deck.

13. Full Moon Saturday on the Aegean Sea. Freakin' gorgeous.

14. Mykonos's whitewashed houses, cozy streetways, and hanging-out-to-dry octopus.

15. Eating fried squid in a cafe on the beach, watching the sunset on Mykonos.

16. Doing the beach thing on Rhodes. Water is clear, beach is rocky. Sun is hot, breeze is cool. Wish you were here.

17. Many boobs on beach in #16 (not mine).

18. Taking a scenic bus tour of Rhodes, and seeing the absolutely breathtaking view of a beach that was two different shades of blue. Light turquoise at the shallow end, dark sapphire as it got deeper.

19. Visiting the place where St. John received a vision from God and wrote the Book of Revelation...on a Sunday...in the middle of a service going on in the chapel right next to the grotto. Yes, uncomfortable, but inspirational.

20. Sitting with other tour members on the outdoor latrines in the city of ancient Ephesus in Turkey.

21. The ancient city of Ephesus itselt.

22. Bargaining with a leather seller in Kusadasi, Turkey...and walking out with two sweet name-brand leather purses and a wallet for Brent for 75 Euro ($90-100).

23. Watching crazy Athenian drivers and motorbike riders with a death wish from the safety of the tour bus.

24. Being there amid hundreds, thousands of years of history. Feeling that sublime feeling of being a microscopic little speck in the universe, realizing I am just a drop in the ocean of this planet as I stand among rocks that have been standing for thousands of years, and will probably be there a thousand more.

25. Knowing I'll be back to the Greek Islands, most definitely. Someday, anyway. I've got to get a boob lift first so I can fit in with the beachgoers on Rhodes.

Tune in tomorrow for my thoughts on the European ways.

It was 104 degrees here yesterday, and after spending the entire morning on a beautifully scenic bus ride, we toured the ruins of the temple and oracle at ancient Delphi. As I'm sure you all know, a long, long time ago, Delphi was a special sanctuary for the Greek god, Apollo, god of the sun. People would come from all over the country to ask the oracle (a woman) a question about the future. That was after leaving sacrifices and offerings for Apollo, natch.

We visited the ancient temple and oracle site today, and then we took a LONG UPHILL walk to the Stadium, where the athletes would participate in special races, called the Pythian Games. Brent decided to be crazy and run the whole length of the stadium, which I got on video. Let's not forget, it's over 100 degrees, we've just monumentally exerted ourselves on this huge walk, and then Brent decides to RUN the 100 yards. I'm actually surprised I didn't have to administer CPR...which I probably would have enjoyed.

Then we walked back down and visited a museum with all kinds of statues and relics from the Temple at Delphi. After that, we went to see a temple nearby dedicated to the goddess Athena and the gym where the athletes would practice their skills. It was all very awesome, and there were times that I was able to imagine people and activities of long years past taking place here. But...it was so hot that at times it was hard to focus and enjoy.

So then, we came back to the hotel, very hot and exhausted, so we went swimming. Had supper, did a little souvenir shopping, and went to bed. We're so old.

Also, on our three-hour bus trip from Athens to Delphi this morning, we stopped at a rest area, and I bought a copy of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." In Greek! We won't be able to read it, but it will look cool!

Today, we're off to ancient Olympia to see where they held the ancient Olympic Games. Brent will probably run in the stadium again

Cheers

All right! Here we are! Our flight on Saturday went very smooth, transfers were good, and we even got our luggage and a taxi relatively quickly after touching down. It's a little overwhelming, as everything is in Greek, but there's plenty of English on signs and stuff. Also, many of the shop owners know English...but we are trying to speak a little too. We have used 'parakalo' (please) and 'efkharisto' (thank you).

It's pretty hot here. In the 90s/100s. We had the afternoon yesterday to ourselves, so we walked around an area of town called "Plaka" which is known for its shopping. The streets are small and crammed with stores left and right (no cars in this area). Parts of the city are dirty, though, and we've seen a few beggars, etc. There was also a flea market going on here too, which Brent and I passed through quickly...most of it's junk from people's garages. Makes me think of some Saturday mornings here.

The hotel is nice, except Brent and I couldn't figure out how to turn the lights on. We called down to the front desk and asked how to do it. Very humbling. Turns out you put your card in a card reader right by the door and leave it there...that's what keeps the lights on. Also, the shower head is one of those funky European deals that blasts the water out really hard and peels your skin off. Although, yours truly did figure out the trick to it this morning. Skin is completely intact.

So....day two...still really hot here. High of 109 yesterday. About the same today. We are sweating through clothes like crazy and taking two showers a day. This morning, we started with a bus tour of Athens, then a walking tour of the Acropolis. There were a lot of people and rocks...not to mention the Parthenon - huge temple for Athena. But it was still very awe-inspiring. I really don't even have the words to describe it.

Then we went to the National Archaeological Museum. We saw lots of sculptures and vases dating 400-500 B.C. As soon as I finish here, we're going to try to squeeze in a trip to the Turkish Baths. Tonight we get a fancy dinner and to see some Greek folk dancing.

We start a three-day bus tour tomorrow, and computer access will prolly be limited. We'll be seeing Delphi, Olympia, Mycenae, Epidaurus, and Napflio before heading out to do some island-hopping for another three days. So until then...see ya.

And yet...where have I been?

I would love to be able to say that my long absence has been because of a long trip, or illness, or something acceptable like that. But, I have nothing as sexy as that...I've just been living my life.

And frankly, and I don't know why this is, I've gone off my blog a bit. Not much of an interest in writing these days, and can't you all tell? I'm hoping after my trip I'll be in more of a writing place.

But - here's what new:

School's out. I survived another year.

My school's yearbook isn't done yet. It seems the universe is conspiring against me, and freaky circumstances are preventing me from getting it in on time. I'll just finish it when I get back from vacation.

We bought a camper. We're talking a 30 foot, double bunk, toilet/shower, microwave, stereo system RIG. We've camped about three times so far this summer. Up to this point in time, we'd been camping in a pop-up. Talk about your deeluxe-apartment-in-the-sky.

We leave tomorrow for Greece. Ten days of ancient ruins, beautiful sights, sunny beaches, and a magnificent four-day cruise. That's probably why I'm here now...just in case something goes amiss, you'll all have my famous last words.

Cheers!

Might as well get myself up to three posts for this entire month.

Brent left yesterday for Anaheim, a strictly business trip, despite being able to see Disneyland from his window.

Naturally, per Murphy's Law, things went south the moment he left town. I broke the garage door (again), but my dad was able to rig it back up again. Mitsy (the dog) had this nasty huge-ass tick in her ear...I completely freaked and my mom and dad had to extract it. Then, as we were toying with garage door (again), Elliot and tick-infested dog disappeared. Ten scary-as-hell minutes passed before I found him across the street playing on a neighbor's swingset.

But today...a little different. Uneventful. A good thing.

We went to church, and the kids did well, considering I was wrangling all three. We then picked up some McDonald's drive-thru en route to the park...where the kids spent about an hour and a half playing, running, frolicking...all amid 80ish degree weather (first time in weeks). Then we came home, my oldest son did a little homekeeping for me while I did the laundry (drying last load now).

We've had a neat little supper, and just finished watching a movie together. Backpacks are ready for tomorrow. I got my papers all graded.

I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a diving board. The deep breath before the plunge.

Bring on Monday.