Tough Decision!

I am in shock!! Utter shock!!

Mark came home last night after work and looked sullen. He proceeded to tell me that he has made the decision to SELL HIS MOTORCYCLE!!! He explained that our dreams of having a family and owning our own business are more important to him than having a luxury item that he can only use during warm weather. His goal is to sell it, pay off his debt and put all our extra money toward our dreams.

He is obviously very serious about the Steel Drum business plan and making that a priority, but it is very difficult for him to part with the bike because he really does love riding it. I am so proud of him for making this tough decision and hopeful that he will get what he is looking for in the near future.

I love that guy!!

Kris

Cold & Rainy...

I guess when you come back from a great vacation in paradise and it rains for 10 days straight...it makes it hard to keep a positive attitude. I have been shivering in the damp cold for a week with a terrible flu (swine or not...who knows), but I am even more cranky than when I left. I thought I needed a vacation, but apparently that did not help. I think more than anything, I need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

Mark and I talked extensively on our trip about our dream of owning our own business. Whether that turns out to be a bar/restaurant or our new idea of Mark making steel drums for sale, it doesn't really matter. I think he is super motivated and can do anything he sets his mind to. I am motivated not to work for the man...and think I would be a better boss than any of the losers I have worked for. So owning our own business just makes sense.

The problem is money...as always. If we did the steel drum thing, he would have to find a industrial space to practice for a while until he got good enough to begin selling them. Then there is the lag time between spending money & making money enough to live. Add into this that we want to start our family at the same time and it just seems sort of impossible.

But I can't take the drudgery any more and I can't keep changing jobs every two years (looks bad on the resume)

Dunno...wish we had money and time to do this right now...if only we had been together right out of college...more options seemed available back then and we had less debt hanging over our heads.

Enough ranting...just had to put it out there into the ether.

Kris

GREECE!!!!

Mark & Kris's Greece Honeymoon Sept 2009

Mark made these great "word poems" for each of the locations we visited...they give a very detailed view of our experiences and the feelings of the city or island. He has agreed to let me share them with the world...so here ya go:

Athens
Kolokotroni - Hotel Carolina - Amstel - Old Shit - Roman Baths - Hadrian's Arch - Parthenon - Acropolis - Tiny White Shorts on Old Men - Tourists - Bus Tours - Giant Asian Lady - The Agora - Dogs - Double Decker Sightseeing Tour - "Where are we? Oh Yes...Thermopylon." - Big City - The Bar that was way too cool for us - Sleeping 13 hours - Eatotopio - Dogs - Line Cutters - Customs - Half Ass Security upon leaving the airport - Metro - Attempted Pickpocket, Twice, by the same guy! - Grafitti - Bad Vibes by old Greek guy with our check - Lamb in Lemon Sauce - Beef & Macaroni (aka Patsitsio) - Marital Advice from our host - Confusing Streets - Grafitti - Free Breakfast - Terrible Basketball on TV - Badgers Eating Bunnies - Columns - National Gardens - Changing of the Guards - Tavernas - Sprawling City Landscape - Much Needed History Lessons - Little Tourist Trains - Police - Traffic with Little Regard to Follow Any Sort of Rules - Hadrian's Library - Ermou - Exapini - Free Yoghurt with fruit & honey.

Mykonos
Paradise Beach - Techno - Cats - Camping - Blue Star Ferries - Aussies - Amstel - Tequila - Way too Drunk - Ernesta - Tropicana - Techno - Cats - Souvlaki Plate - Mykonos Dancing Queen - Free Breakfast, Terrible Orange Juice - Freddy's Restaurant - Sun Bathing - Swimming - Topless Women - Cutting my Foot - Relaxing - Renting Scooters - Returning Scooters - Bus - Windmills - Sunset - Little Venice - Mykonos Town - Winding Streets - Getting Lost - Aussie Movie - Cappuccino - Gelato - Bus Ticket Vending Machine - Ramrod - Overpriced Caprice Sea Satin Restaurant - Delos - Phallic Statues - Ornate Floors - More History Lessons - Cats - Go Zips! - Tiny Church - Techno - Stargazing - Shooting Stars - Frappes - French Fries with Everything! - Internet Cafe - Emailed Home - Running into Aussie Movie constantly - "Kings of Mykonos" - "I Dream I Can Fly...Like a Rainbow so High in the Sky." More Techno - Booshi, Booshi, Booshi, Booshi, etc.

Ios
Hotel Glaros - Great Room with Amazing View - Quiet - Relaxing - Steep Steps - Piperri - Seafood Pasta & Chicken Bake - Pesto Dip - Walking on the Beach - Super Dense Pancakes with Fruit Topping - ATV - New Windmills - Energy Saving Hotel Room - Yak - Cows - Goats - Bees - Local Honey - Isolated Beaches - Manganari Beach - Tiny Shell Collection - Quiet - Peachful - Sunny - Topless - No Techno - Hora - Fiesta Restaurant - Sunset - Relaxing on Porch - Old Windmills - Homer's Tomb...we didn't see it - Flying Cat 4, Business Class - Solar Power - Bar on a Pirate Ship - Meatballs in Sauce...Best on the Island - No Techno - Shuts down in afternoon, Starts up after 5, Crystal Clear Water - Great Coffee @ Glaros...and Marmalade - "Very Bad Dirt Roads." - Christo's Taverna - Minor Sunburn.

Santorini
Santorini Camping - Nice Pool - Cliffs - Highspeed 1 - Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline - Nice Pool - Volcano - Lava - Lucky's Souvlaki - Dodging Traffic - Sunset - Double Bed - Amstel - Fava Dip - Cherry Tomatoes - Capers - Music Store with nice Bazoukis - Hiking "The Eyebrow of the Caldera" - Stacking Rocks - Hiking Dogs...great guides - Frappe - Oia, Very Nice - Marble Walkway - Scary Public Bus Ride - "Move Back, Move Back" - Good Omelette with Cappuccino - Special Gyros - Urban Hiking - 3 Hours? - Cable Car - Donkeys - Dancing Donkey Puppets - Bull in a China Shop (Aka Mark in a China Shop) - Socrates View - The Red Book - Angry Toilet Stickers - Spoiled Brat Brits - Laundry! - Skala Rock - Black Sand.

After this was back to Beirut (aka Pireaus) and then back to the airport...HOME!!!!

Kris & Mark

Off to Greece!!!

So this will be my last post for about two weeks...we are headed to Greece for our honeymoon tomorrow morning and we will be there until Sept 22nd!! YEAH!!! Nice long relaxing vacation. We are starting in Athens, but on the advice of locals, will only stay there for 2 days and then head for the Cyclades. I am a little nervous about the Ferry boats...being not a fan of dying a watery death, but I am looking forward the beautiful beaches and zipping around on a moped.

We will take tons of photos and make a slideshow upon our return. And we will probably have lots of stories to tell...and there will likely be Ouzo involved in each of them.

Thanks to everyone for helping us out...taking us to the airport, watching Sammy, feeding kitties, picking us up from the airport, helping to fund our trip, etc. Thanks!!

Take Care!

Kris

CSA Week 17

This week we got: TONS of tomatoes, Green Beans, Green Peppers, Yellow Squash, Corn, Okra, Shallot, Garlic, BUTTERNUT SQUASH (yeah!), and flowers.



Seems like this was the most we have gotten so far...or at least the heaviest stuff we have gotten so far!! Good week!



Kris

More Good Food - Week 16 CSA

Hello from down on the farm...last night we had yogurt marinated chicken with roasted vegetables (potatoes, zucchini, onion & green pepper) and a few heirloom tomato slices. Another delicious and fairly easy meal made from local foods.

I am getting worried about the end of the CSA...our meals are going to be bland and boring. Probably just beans and frozen kale. I should have frozen more for the winter. I am still learning how to be a homesteader...this winter we starve :(

Kris

Muy Delicioso!!

Here is a CSA Meal from both week 15 & 16 bounty. Fresh corn on the cob. Roasted Butternut Squash (which was amazing!) An Italian Sausage with a spicy tomato & onion salsa.

I am going to miss all of the fresh veggies in a few weeks...good thing we have had to freeze so much...we can eat Kale till the cows come home.

We are taking Jodi & Larry to Green Dog Cafe tonight...it may be the last time we see them before she pops out the baby. They are planning to induce her on 9/9/09...what a great birthday!!

Kris