last day

we had a fun trip to disneyworld...it was busy...alot of rides...some fun parties....we saw a lot of different parks...the weather was fantastic....the kids go non-stop....does owen ever stop running?  it's fun to listen to gavin as he reads all the signs...and it's just fun to talk to charlie...she has a lot to say...and she turns your face to hers as she is saying it...wants undivided attention!!  a fun little 'girls' trip also...one of the last before kerry starts her new adventure as a married lady...all in all...a great few days....

loving it...

it's a gorgeous day in cabo...and we never stopped talking...haven't read my book yet...it's been such a fun time...and this was only day 1!!!

home again

well, we made it back home...a pretty uneventful flight...until we got to atlanta...i'm banning the atlanta airport from my life! because of a storm we circled for 1/2 hour...then had to go through customs...took over an hour...then you have to find your luggage, show that, recheck it...well, after all that, we missed our flight....bummer....so, we try to rebook it...they mumble and groan a bit...finally we get on a flight...the guy takes our old tickets, which had our baggage tags on them...that's important for later...then, as we're walking to our gate, shannon says 'we're on a 9:30 flight?" and we say no, we're on the 5:30 flight...well, shannon wasn't...so then, we get to the gate and after waiting for about 1/2 hour we talk to the lady...after a while she finally says....i'll put her on the flight with you since you're all traveling together! wow! thanks...anyway, the flight was half empty because everyone else missed their flights...then, we got to l.a...and guess what? no bag for shannon! and we had no bag tags...what a pain! anyway it finally all got sorted out and we finally got home about 5 hours late.....been recovering ever since! it was a fantastic time, one we'll always remember...now....on to slc!

home sweet home

we got home today from a fantastic, wonderful trip...it was truly a once in a lifetime experience..i've never been gone so long, been so far away from my home, never flown around the world...there is so much we saw and did in one short month...it really went by fast..plus, it was alot of fun! dubai was modern, clean, new, and basically unreal...they have built so much in such a short time..a very easy place to visit..india on the other hand wasn't so clean, new or modern..but it was unreal! from the bobble heads to the nodding heads of those people wanting to help you..the crazy, and i mean crazy traffic to the peace of the taj mahal...the crowds that are everywhere, the streets, the countryside, the markets...basically everywhere there are alot of people...it's just an amazing place..and then there is thailand...it's so different from india...alot of people, but well kept, beautiful green everywhere..the blues of the ocean and sky, the flowers and plants..the markets are fun, the temples are amazing..it has so much to offer....so, we saw different cultures, different ways of life..a fantastic time and you come home really appreciating the country we live in...

the blues of santorini

ker, whit and rus at red beach
russ and jeff on scooter
kids in oia
oia at sunset
russ at red beach

now, this is the greece i was dreaming of....santorini is beautiful...it's not all lush, like hawaii...it's actually sort of dry with cacutus and boganvilla like california...but, it's got the added greek houses and churches...all in white with blue doors or windows...i love it.our hotel is set among vineyards and the view is so pretty...each room is a different color...kerry and whit's is bright, bright yellow...did i say bright? kelly and jeffs is turquoise mine is actually just off white..lucky me.....the people are very friendly...last night we went to oia which is pronounce eee-ah...it's a beautiful town hanging off the cliffs, known for it's gorgeous sunset...that was fun to see...today we rented a little car and 2 scooters...we drove around the island...went to the red beach which after a bit of a hike you get to this beach which has black and red rocky sand...very cool...that was fun...there was a fruit stand there and this cute old man was selling the best fruit ever...then we drove to kamaris which after getting a bit lost and driving to the highest point on the island which has a wonderful view...we wandered that town, had lunch etc...it's just so nice and so different...this is my kind of place...they have fun jewelry...lots of gold etc...fun to look at...the people are all really friendly...one lady at a shop in our hotel fell in love with whit and kerry...she was so nice...we are good friends now...she loved the babies...anyway...more later....

ac

hot, hot, hot

russ, kerry and whit at temple of zeus
ker and russ at parthenon
gav hiding on the steps of acropolis
from our hotel
another view

so, today was one of those days...at least the first half....not to complain on this wonderful trip....but.....we set up a tour for 10 am...get down to the lobby..wait, wait, talk to concierge, wait...at 10:20 they say, your bus is outside...when we got on the bus, he had been waiting for a half an hour...what's with this hotel? then, we find out, they only ordered a driver. no guide...well, he was nice enough to give us a little tour...usually these drivers don't speak english, so we were lucky..he took us to the acropolis and we get out...after buying our tickets with the thousands others, we find a tour guide there...she was very good and very nice, told interesting stories of greece...it was really hot.....so, hot, kelly thought she was going to faint, she was out of sorts, because, she jeff and gav all had either the flu or food poisoning the night before...there were more people at the acropolis than i've ever seen at a tourist site...it was crazy!!! anyway, it was fantastic to see..amazing what those people did so long ago.....then we got back on the bus after russ and i inadvertantly (sp?) took too many frozen lemonades...he took 2 and i took 2...oh well....then, our bus driver drove us around to some other sites...at which time his bus broke down! he felt very bad, but, what are you going to do? so we walked back to the hotel, up this long hill....poor kelly.....poor me...poor babies...the others were fine..anyway...after that, i was wiped...had a headache all day...so we went to the pool....that was verrrry cool....and refreshing...and just sort of hung out the rest of the day....so, i guess every trip needs one down day...the sites were great though....we go to santorini tomorrow....hope it 's only us.....

cappadocia, turkey

our hotel patio
relaxing on the patio
hotel
hotel
caves

yesterday we flew to cappodicia turkey ..about an hour and a half away...it's in the middle of the country...the scenery is rocky caves which they are famous for...we drove for about 1 hour...finally got to our hotel...it's pretty interesting...the hotel is built out of caves..my room was a stable...they have just cleaned them up and changed things around.pretty interesting...the town is sort of like the escalante of turkey....very small..not a lot going on...i think the kids are wondering what the heck we're doing way out here...tomorrow we will find out...they have underground cities, lots of caves, things called fairy chimneys..we are going on a hot air balloon ride monday morning..supposed to be fantastic...so, i'll be getting back to you and tell if it was worth it...