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.