Moving on...

For those who are checking back for updates on my latest tennis adventures, I have started a new blog.

Please go to:
www.mykestennis.blogspot.com

Thanks for all your encourging words and for asking me to continue to journal my travels!

Home At Last

I landed in Pensacola yesterday around 11:30. Scott was there to meet me, but as predicted, my luggage wasn't. The last I had seen of them, was in customs at JFK, as I rushed in hopes of catching the flight. Delta said they would be delivered to my house last night. Sure enough when I woke up this morning they were on my front porch. I finally made it to Santa Rosa Beach around 1:30. Needless to say, my dogs were beside themselves when I came in. Mom did a great job with them. I never would have been able to relax and have such a great time, if I wasn't sure "the girls" were being well taken care of. I slept a solid 9 hours last night, and woke up this morning excited at the thought of going to work. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? I was so looking forward to being on the court again and getting back into a routine. I had a great morning of lessons, and a good hit with Everett this afternoon. Mind you, it's been almost 2 weeks since I'd hit a ball. My legs were a little shaky at first, but the more I was out there the better I felt. Each day I'll continue to feel more settled and off my high. I've already started thinking about my next tournament and what I need to do to prepare. I'll be going to Philadelphia to play the grass court nationals in July. Phil and Renee have also already started to plan what I need to do to get ready. The response to this blog has been unbelievable. So much so, that I intend to keep it going so everyone can follow my progress with the upcoming tournaments through the rest of this year. Check back periodically and I'll be updating. Thanks again to everyone!

Looks Like I Made It!

I'm in Atlanta waiting for my 11 flight to Pensacola. Three days after starting my journey home, it looks like I'm going to finally make it. I haven't slept much the past few days, so I know it'll be catching up with me. I've been able to finally start posting some pictures from my trip. Scroll down below the posts to see some of them. Thanks again to all of you who have been following my trip, commenting and giving me your support. It's meant the world to me. Looking forward to sharing more with you! Enjoy the pictures. And for those who keep asking who Phil is....there's a picture below from Managvat....

The Saga Continues

Tonight I'm in hotel compliments of Delta Airlines. This time I'm in New York City. I left Athens on time, landed ten and a half hours later, on time in NYC. We sat on the runway once we landed for over 45 minutes. By the time I made it through customs, my flight to Atlanta was long gone. Delta had already re booked me for tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. to get to Atlanta, then on to Pensacola by noon. I'm just so tired. I know these things can happen when travelling. I'm glad it's all happening on this end of my journey rather than the beginning. I'm still dreaming of my own bed and shower. Tomorrow night for sure!

Trying Again

I'm up early and ready to try to come home again. Some things I'm most looking forward to in no particular order:

• showering in my own shower
• sleeping in my own bed
• drinks with ice whenever I want
• kisses from my dogs
• of course hugs and kisses from my Mom too
• of course hugs and kisses from everyone else too
• seeing Lance run circles when he sees me
• hitting the tennis ball
• riding my bike
• reading the newspaper
• television in English (thank goodness for the BBC)
• sitting on my back porch
• driving my car
• getting back into a routine
• knowing exactly what time it is when I think about calling someone
• using my washer and dryer instead of hand washing in the sink
• getting my hair cut and nails done
• eating at La Paz
• eating identifiable foods, especially meats

The Best Laid Plans....

Here I sit at a beautiful beach hotel in Athens, compliments of Olympic Airlines. I got to the airport in Rhodes nice and early today as planned by taxi. We were a little late boarding our flight to Athens, but no worries because I had a good 90 minutes in Athens before catching my Delta flight to JFK. For some unknown reason we sat on the runway in Rhodes for over an hour before finally departing. The hour long flight landed in Athens and I sprinted to the Delta counter, as I needed to get my boarding pass. There were already a couple of other passengers, not from my flight, at the counter. I heard the agent telling them it was too late to catch the flight. UGH! I went to the Delta ticket office, where I learned there were no other flights I could get today and that my ticket would be reissued to leave on the same flight tomorrow. Since Olympic Airlines was responsible for the flight delay, and causing the missed flight, they arranged a hotel and meal voucher at a hotel on the beach in Athens, about 30 minutes from the airport. The adventurist in me said, "cool, now you can take the afternoon and check out the sights of Athens". The realist in me said, "cool, now you can relax by the pool, read, rest and get ready to leave again tomorrow". I'll let you decide for yourself which option I chose. HOPEFULLY I will be arriving in Pensacola late tomorrow night. Scott Harrison will take me back to Destin on Monday morning. I am disappointed to be missing Mother's Day with my Mom, but we'll just have it on Monday instead. I'll try to post again along the way home tomorrow. If not, I'll let you know when I'm safely home again.

Some Final Thoughts

My last night in Rhodes. I just returned from a late dinner with Eleas in Old Town. Or should I say feast. It was just the two of us. I met him at his shop at 9:30 pm, and again for those who know me well, that might as well be 3 in the morning. We went to a great little spot and he asked what I wanted. I hadn't had moussaka yet, so that's what I requested. Little did I know before the moussaka arrived there would be Greek salad, garlic bread, meatballs, saganaki (fried cheese),tatziki, stuffed mushrooms, wine, and then moussaka. Probabaly more food than I've consumed in the last week combined! Needless to say it was all wonderful. The atmosphere, the company, the conversation....it was all just great. I waddled out, hopped on the back of his motor bike for a ride back to my hotel. I insisted on taking a taxi to the airport tomorrow, which he very reluctantly agreed to let me do. I promised I'd let him know if I had any problems. We said our goodbyes, wistfully for me, and away he went. Again, these are memories of a lifetime for me. I'm all packed and ready to head home.

Back in Rhodes

There were no more ferries back to Rhodes yesterday afternoon, so I found a room in Kos Town and stayed the night there. I was really tired. I walked the town, had a bite to eat, a hot shower and good nights sleep. I arrived back in Rhodes mid morning today. I dropped my things at the hotel and started walking. I'm missing the exercise and fun of hitting the tennis ball, but I'm making up for it in walking! It's a beautiful, cloudless day. I've just been taking in the sights, smells and sounds one last day. The aromas are so familiar, especially the spices. I've also caught a whiff of incense that reminds me of being in the Greek Orthodox Church with my Yiayia. I will pack later and prepare for the long trip home tomorrow.

Leaving Kardamena

I'm off on a bus today at 2 to head back to Kos Town. Hopefully, I can spend the afternoon there, then catch a late ferry back to Rhodes. I'm starting to feel a little run down. I think all the excitement and adrenaline is wearing down, probably because I know the end of my trip is fast approaching. Kardamena has been great. I saw the church where my grandparents were married. My second cousin, Stergos, took me around today to see family property that has been passed on to me, my brother and three other cousins. He also shared stories of our family history here and how influential my Yiayia and Papou's (Greek for grandmother and grandfather) families were to the villages. Being able to experience first hand a life that I'd only heard about has been wonderful. I will feel sad leaving, but I know this will not be my last trip to Greece. There is so much more to see and do.

You're Probably Wondering....

Yes, I made it to Greece. I'm missing the convenience of the Internet cafe of Ali Bey in Turkey. I've had trouble finding a wireless connection, plus I've been soaking up the sights, smells and sounds of Rhodes and now Kardamena. I arrived in Rhodes as scheduled on Monday. It was a fairly uneventful trip. I've discovered that even if you don't know what you're doing, act like it, read signs and don't be afraid to ask questions. My second cousin, Eleas, met me at the airport and dropped me at the hotel I'm staying in just outside of Old Town Rhodes. He then later picked me up on a motor bike (no cars allowed in Old Town) where I spent the rest of the day walking around checking things out. I was pretty tired from my journey, having had no sleep in almost two days. I was early to bed on Monday night and yesterday I spent the entire day in Old Town walking all the shops and going through the Grand Master Palace. Mom will be happy I did my first cultural thing. I so much more enjoy watching and being around the people. Last night Eleas took me to his home, again on the motor bike, and I met cousins from second to fourth. Wow! Picture my Big Fat Greek Wedding...lots of people talking in Greek and me sitting there understanding none of it, but feeling like I belonged! It was awesome. Today I caught an early ferry boat to the island of Kos, where I then found the city bus station and took an hour long bus ride to the town of Kardamena. Here is where our family has a house a few blocks from the beach, which I'm staying in until Friday. Then back to Rhodes and leaving on Saturday to head back to the States. I can tell already this is a place I will be returning to sooner rather than later! I'll try to post again before I leave, but if not know I'm having a great time!

Leaving Turkey

I leave in just a few hours (2 a.m.) to head to the airport to catch a 5 a.m. flight to Instanbul then on to Greece. It's been a magical two weeks here for me. The tennis I played and the friendships I made will stay with me forever. I loved being part of the USA team, and am also very proud to have represented the US in individual play. Like I said before, I now know that I can play at this level. I have great incentive to practice hard and play well so I will be invited back to play on the 2008 team. I've packed my racquets away now and am so looking forward to my next adventure in Greece. I'll post again once I'm settled.

Just Watching

Today, like yesterday, will be spent watching phenomenal tennis, soaking up the sun and enjoying the atmosphere of Club Ali Bey in Manavgat. There are quite a few Americans playing semis and finals today in different divisions. The women's 50 singles is an all American final, as well as the men's 55 doubles. Phil and his partner play at 1:30 in that final. Should be great match. The weather has been just perfect. Warm days, cool mornings and evenings. The moon and stars seem to shine a little more brightly here. There is a dining area directly on the beach here that provides an unbelievable setting. Fortunately, since many of my matches over the past couple of weeks were late starting times, I've been able to stay up past 9:00 many nights! For those who know me well, any bedtime for me past 9 is very late! I'm planning to do some sightseeing over the weekend before heading out of Turkey on Monday. I may not post again until I get to Greece. Thanks to everyone for your love, support and kind words. I'll never forget this trip.

The Longest Day

I was excited about the upcoming day, getting to play the #2 seed. Noon couldn't get here fast enough for me. I warmed up twice yesterday, once in the morning and again right before I went on. I knew this girl hit big shots, but would get on a roll of missing too. She started banging winners, but I hung in and didn't get discouraged. She broke and won the first set 6-4. The second set I found a better groove, started mixing some balls around, some topspin, some slice. She also started missing a few more. I was able to get a break and win the second set 6-3. I was really pumped up through the whole match. The USA players are really good at watching and supporting each other when they're not playing. Marianna, my roomie and doubles partner was cheering me on, as was my new friend from the men's 55's team, Phil Landauer from Ohio. The third set was so close and so tight. The points were unbelievable. I moved well and kept telling myself that "I had to believe"! I knew this was my chance. I got off to an early break in the first game, then she broke me back. She then went up 3-1. I broke back to get to 3-3. She held to go up 4-3. We had a long hard game on my serve and she broke me to go up 5-3. I broke back to get to 4-5. I had an add to even it up to 5-5 but couldn't convert. After holding off 2 match points she won 6-4 in the third. I'd be lying to say I wasn't disappointed about the loss, but on the other hand I know I left it all out on the court and have no regrets about the way I played. I made it to the quarters of my first Worlds. I say first, because now I plan to return and do even better. I can compete with the worlds best players in my age group! After my 3 hour singles match, I had to get phyched for doubles. Marianna and I were playing two tough girls from Great Britain and Germany. After being up a break in the first set, we dropped the set in a tiebreaker, 7-5. We fought back and won the second set 6-3. Once again I faced another must win third set. Our points were fun, fast action doubles points throughout the entire match. We battled to the bitter end and come up short, losing 6-4 in the third. It was an exhausting day. I felt a little let down because the tennis was over for me. I was playing so well, I wanted to keep going. It only makes me hungry to return and do better next time. My training on and off the court has paid huge dividends for me. Now I can relax, watch some great tennis, and maybe catch an ancient ruin or two before heading off to Greece on Monday.

I Miss Everyone!

Wow, I didn't know that I'd caused such a stir by my list. I truly do miss everything and everyone back home. If I didn't mention you by name, please know that I really do miss you all. Okay Mommy? hee, hee, hee
I did finally play today. The girl was from Russia. I played well and won the first set 6-1. I was in total control of the match. I won the second 6-3. Luckily the wind died down today. Tomorrow I play the #2 seed, a player from the Chech Republic. I've got nothing to lose, so I plan to go out and play my heart out. Doubles will start tomorrow. Still haven't done any sightseeing yet, but I know I will when I get some time off. Ready now for dinner to order my nightly cheese pizza and coke lite.

Hanging Out

I discovered the reason I was off today was because I had a walkover. I play a Russian girl tomorrow. The times will be posted at 7:30 tonight. My partner, Marianna, and I played a practice set of doubles today and I also did a little singles practice. It felt good to be back on the court. I feel like I did last week....ready to play! The wind here seems to be a little more prevalent than at Belek. I watched some other American players play their matches. I can't say enough times how much fun it is to be here. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by it all, I feel like I belong. Navigating your way around 60 courts can be a little tough when you are trying to find certain matches to watch. But now I'm more familiar with the set up.
I'll have a good dinner tonight, probably the usual: salad, cheese pizza and coke light. Watch a little of the nightly outdoor entertainment shows they put on, then off to bed to get ready for tomorrow.
Oh yes, before I get anymore emails from Lance, I just would like to add him to my list of things I'm missing the most from home!

Another Week

I just arrived at Manavgat where the World Individuals are being played. The resort is very similar to Belek, only much larger! I've been navigating my way around and found the tennis area with 60 red clay courts. I won't know until this afternoon when I play. I may have a day off tomorrow. Today I'm not hitting, just taking it easy. It may be a little more difficult to post daily on the blog. Although this resort is much larger than Belek, they don't have as many Internet connections to plug into, and no wireless available. I'll do my best. I miss hanging out with my teammates, but I've made so many new friends who will be here as well. Just a few random thoughts of things I miss about home.

• ice in drinks
• hearing the word ya'll
• my doggies sleeping with me
• work (a little)
• ESPN radio
• American newspaper
• beating Renee at Rumikub

A Day of Rest

We had all decided that we'd get an easy practice in this morning, just to stay sharp then spend the day cheering on the American men. The 55's had a final against Australia. They split the singles, so it once again came down to the doubles. Unfortunately the Aussies were too much and won the doubles in straight sets. The 45's won their playoff against France to take third. We all feel like we represented our country well. We would have loved to have brought home more gold, but all things considered, we faired pretty well. The medal awards and closing ceremonies came at the conclusion of the last match played. It was an awesome experience to march into center court with the French and Netherlands teams to accept our medals. Mary had the quote of the day when she leaned over and said "this is the difference between third and fourth place". Had we lost to Great Britain, we'd have been on the sidelines watching the awarding of the medals with everyone else! The draws have been made for the individuals and I'm seeded 6th and think I play on Monday. I'm counting on some of the other girls to tell me who's who, because I no nothing about most of these players. Some of them, but not all, played here this week. I don't know yet about the doubles draw. There is a web address that I am putting on this post that you can go to and see the actual draws. I'm connected using a Turkish Internet connection, so the actual layout to my blog that I see on my computer is all in Turkish. You may be able to click on the link below to get there, or you may have to manually enter the address. I'm feeling lucky that I have been able to navigate around the language barrier and make the daily posts work! I'll post again once I get settled in Manavgat.
ITF website for individual draws: http://www.92computing.com.au/catseniors07/cat.htm

Great Britain vs USA

We didn't find out until about 11:30 this morning who our opponent would be for the playoff for 3 & 4. Great Britain and the Netherlands had to finish the match they had started late yesterday that was called for darkness. The match would be decided by the doubles, as they had split the singles. It came down to a decisive third set and the girls from the Netherlands won, so we'd be playing Great Britain. I was first match on again at #2 singles. I am striking the ball so cleanly. I knew that the girl I was playing just finished a tough match. Our team had warmed up earlier and I was confident, fresh and ready to play. With the help of a lot of unforced errors and superb play, I won the first set 6-0. The second set she found her groove and starting making fewer errors. I won a lot of points but no games. I lost the set 6-0. A strange turn of events. The third set was tight through the first 4 games. She then went up 4-2, then 5-2. I held off a couple of match points on her serve and broke to make it 5-3. I was serving to stay in the match. I got down early in the game and lost my serve to lose the match 6-3. I was disappointed, but I knew Fran was ready to redeem herself from her disappointing loss yesterday. I was right. She steamrolled through her opponent and won love and love. Now it was down to doubles again. We had a good feeling about putting Mary and Susan back out clinch the match for us. They knew they could make it happen for us. They cruised to a 6-0,6-2 victory. We finished third out of fourteen countries! How awesome is that? France went on to beat the Netherlands to win the Cup. Remember, we only lost to France by one set! We all feel great about our play and how we represented the USA. Closing ceremonies are tomorrow afternoon after the last matches finish. The USA men's 55 team is in the final of the Austria Cup. We all be there to cheer them on! The USA men's 45 team lost in the semis today and will play a playoff tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a day off tomorrow. Then I travel to Manavgat on Sunday to get ready to start the World Individuals. I found out today I am seeded 6th. I should see a copy of the draw tomorrow. A great big thank you to all of you who have sent emails and comments on the blog! I wish I could respond individually to you all, but right now it's too difficult. Stay tuned there's two more weeks to go!

What a Day!

The day was overcast and no wind....perfect playing conditions. I was on first match. I knew when I walked on the court I was ready to play. We had been scouting our opponents, plus talked to our 50's team who had played last year against some of these same girls. We stayed on serve then I broke and went on to win the first set 6-3. Our points were long, but I was patient and determined and very pumped. I lost my serve early and went down a break 0-2 in the second then went on to win the next 4 games. She broke and held to get to 4-4. Then we both held for 5-5, then on to 6 all. The tiebreaker was tight through 3 all, then I played some great points and went on to win 7-3 in the tiebreaker. Mary stayed on the court with me and was great! I was so unbelievably pumped up as were my teammates! It was a great win, and a point I knew our team badly needed. Fran started her singles after mine. The girls she played is a former tour player. She was so good. She could drop shot from anywhere, and her strokes were so smooth and effortless. She won the first set 6-1 before Fran could do anything. The second set went a little better, as the girl started making more errors. Unfortunately on this day the girl was too much and won the second 6-4. That made us tied for the match with doubles to be played to determine the winner. The two girls for France that played singles also played doubles. We thought Mary and Susan would be our best bet. They were both fresh, rested and ready to go. Once again the first set was so quick, we lost 6-1. With Fran on their court to coach, they made some adjustments, the momentum turned and we won the second set 7-5. The third set of doubles would decide the match. Talk about nerve wracking!!!! After a 10 minute break, the third set started and Susan lost a tough, long game on her serve. It seemed after that things went down hill for us. The other team picked it up and we ended up losing the third set 6-3 and the overall match 2-1. It was a tough loss. But on this day the French team was better than we were. So now, tomorrow we play off for 3 & 4. We'll either play Great Britain or the Netherlands. They were just starting their matches when we finished, so we're not sure yet who it will be. Doesn't matter. We're all ready to go out and play our hearts out again tomorrow! This whole experience is so awesome!

The players dinner last night was fun. It was on the beach at sunset on the Mediterreanean. Does it get any better than that? Yes it does.....Mary Daily and I talked this one chef into making us a CHEESE PIZZA!!!!! It was the best food I've had all week! I was in heaven! Pizza and "coke light" as they call it here...it was as wonderful as the sunset!

Still Winning

We played Spain today and won 3-0. Susan played #2 and won 6-2,6-0. Fran won her match 6-1, 6-0. Since we clinched in singles I played doubles with Mary for the third match. We got off to a shaky start and lost the first set 7-5. She was playing the deuce side and me the add. We switched after the first set and put me on the deuce side. We rolled from there 6-2,6-1. Now we have France tomorrow. We haven't talked yet about the line up, but I suspect I may play #2, Fran #1 with Mary and Susan in doubles. They make a great team. I'm here to play, and to win, so whoever matches up best is fine with me. I'm just enjoying the experience. There is a "gala" dinner on the beach tonight for the players. Sounds like fun. The party animal that I am, I hope I can be in bed by 9:00! The weather was beautiful again today. There's a mention of rain at some point, so instead of a day off tomorrow as scheduled, we'll go ahead and keep playing. That way we may finish up the team competition on Friday and have a couple of sight seeing days before I move to Magnavat and start the individual competition. The American men's teams that are at our site are winning too.