Home...

We are officially HOME!!! We had a smooth flight from Frankfurt...did I mention how awesome Business Class is on overseas flights? :) We are definitely spoiled now! We've spent the rest of the day unpacking, doing laundry, playing with the pups and bringing our little home back to life. It's back to work tomorrow for both Josh and I. I'm not quite sure if I'm ready for it yet! I'm not even turning my phone on until tomorrow morning....it scares me to think what is waiting for me on it! I know I'll feel better once I get things settled at home and have a good nights rest behind me. I will hopefully have some time this week to blog about our journeys through Greece and Turkey. I have some amazing pictures to share!

Frankfurt tonight....Home tomorrow

We landed in Frankfurt late this afternoon from Istanbul. Tomorrow we fly from Frankfurt to Dallas. Our flight leaves at 10:55am (Frankfurt time...7 hours ahead of Dallas) and we land at DFW at 2:30pm. I can't believe that our trip has come to an end so quickly. The past 2 weeks have been absolutely incredible. We have made so many fun memories as a family that I will cherish always! And what a joy it has been to walk where the Apostle Paul walked so many years ago.....the Lord truly has refreshed my soul. I feel so out of touch with things going on at home and in the news....but to be honest, it's been nice. I needed a break....but I look forward to returning home. There's definitely no place like home! Once I get settled back into the real world, I'll be sure to post lots of pictures from our journeys!

Sailing the open sea....

Hi Friends! It's hard to beleive that I'm blogging from the middle of the Aegean Sea! Today we are at sea all day sailing from Ephesus to Philippi. The Star Clipper is an AMAZING ship....and I haven't had any sea sickness, which I am very grateful for! Today, we're taking it easy on the ship enjoying the swimming pool and soaking in some sun! So far, our trip has been out of the world! Our time in Athens, Corinth, Patmos and Ephesus has just been incredible...it's hard to describe in words really. We're at Philippi tomorrow, Troy Friday and Instanbul on Saturday. Ephesus has definitely been my favorite stop so far. I wish I could post pictures, but the internet connection is VERY slow on the ship. It's pretty crazy that I can even get on the Internet in the middle of nowhere though, so I'm not complaining! :) I hope everyone at home is doing well! Karen, I found your hoodie after searching all over Greece....it's hard to find sweatshirts in the middle of summer! Marina, I hope that baby boy Simmons in still in your cute belly! Love to all from the Star Clipper!!

Loving Santorini...

The past few days in Santorini have been amazing!! It's has far exceeded all of my expectations! Unfortunately, we are leaving this little "piece of heaven on earth" tomorrow, but we're looking forward to beginning the Journeys of Paul trip. We fly to Athens at noon tomorrow (the flight is 25 minutes from Santorini)...after we check into our hotel, we'll spend the afternoon exploring the city. The Journeys of Paul trip officially begins on Saturday. We'll spend our first night aboard the Star Clipper on Saturday night as well...I can't wait!! Here are some pics from the last few days in Santorini...enjoy!

The views are incredible...

There are little churches all over the island....

An amazing restaurant we ate at in Oia...the food is delicious in Greece!

The view from our table...incredible.

Gig 'em from Santorini!

I love all of the white buildings!

One of the many family shots we've taken so far...we are having so much fun together.

Cliff jumping at Kamari Beach....definitely one of the highlights of our trip so far!

Josh is a bit more courageous (and graceful) than I am...

If I don't come home....you can find me in Santorini! :)

Greetings from Frankfurt!

We landed safely in Frankfurt this morning...our 2nd leg to Athens doesn't leave until 9pm tonight, so we've had a solid 12 hours to kill between flights. We tried to get bumped to an earlier flight, but no luck...everything was full! So, we went into Frankfurt for a few hours to explore and have lunch....and now we're at the AA Admirals Club naping and taking it easy until our next flight. Mom surprised us and upgraded us to Businss Class from Dallas to Frankfurt....it was my first time to fly Business Class on an overseas flight...WOW, it was amazing!!! It was so awesome to be able to lay down (completely flat) during the flight and actually get some decent rest....and the food/service was terrific too! I'm definitly spoiled now...in a bad way! :) We'll arrive in Athens at 1:30am tomorrow morning (6/23)...we're staying at a hotel right at the airport, so we'll be able to go to sleep fairly quickly after we land. We'll have a few hours to explore Athens in the afternoon before leaving on our flight to Santorini!! We get to Santorini at 8pm tomorrow night! We are all so excited to get there!!! I'm not sure when I'll have internet service next, but I'll try to blog when I can. Aufwiedersehen! ("Until I see you again" in German)

Journeys of Paul

On Sunday afternoon, I'm departing for Greece and Turkey with my Family on the Journeys of Paul !! My mom has graciously given this trip to us as a gift....I'm looking so forward to traveling with her, Josh, Jimmy (my brother) and Jill (my sister-in-law). It's definitely going to be a trip of a lifetime! We are traveling with Moody Bible Institute through Morning Star Tours. Charley Dyer, the Dean of Moody Bible, is leading our trip and guiding us through the Journeys of Paul. The trip includes stops in Athens, Corinth, Patmos, Ephesus, Philippi, Troy, The Marmara Sea and Istanbul! And, our mode of transportation between each stop....The Star Clipper!! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!!

We're actually leaving for Greece a few days early (before the official Journeys of Paul trip begins) to spend some time as a family relaxing on the beach in Santorini! I've always wanted to go to Santorini, so I cannot wait to get there! Here is the short version of our trip itinerary...

June 21-22: Travel days to Greece

June 23-26: Santorini

June 26-27: Athens (Journeys of Paul trip begins on the 27th)

June 28: Corinth

June 29: Patmos

June 30: Ephesus

July 1: Day at sea

July 2: Philippi

July 3: Troy and The Marmara Sea

July 4: Istanbul

July 5-6: Travel days to Dallas

I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to go on a trip like this and to learn more about the amazing journeys of the Apostle Paul. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, mom....you are the most gracious and giving person I know. I love you!!

Bon Voyage for now my blogger friends....I will try to post when I can while we're away, but no promises. I don't think we'll have Internet access often, if at all. But, don't worry....I'll do lots of blogging when I return to fill you in on our experiences abroad!!