Alison & Chester

Almost time!

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:50:00 +0000

Welcome :)

Countdown to destiny! :) Counting the days and hours until our dream is come true. YEA!!!

Thanks for visiting! love to all, Alison & Chester

(Read the latest news on my main site)

Sorry for not updating this site in such a long time. a lot is going on and as most of you already December 9th is the day Alison arrives in the States! :) I've kept my website updated for the most part so you are welcome to keep up with us there, just never mind the frequent theme changes going on with the site! ;)

Feel free to contact us here by commenting on the posts or email; and be sure to visit our other sites too, Alison's blog and my website Garazon's Den. Alison has done a great job with her blog unlike her lazy fiance who is never updating anything! ;) Well I do play with my cell phone and post some odd bits to my mobile blog at times!

Whoooooo Hooooo! :)

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:13:00 +0000

It's Official! Our fiancee visa was approved today so we are on the fast track now to get things sorted and be together permanently! No more goodbyes on the cell or chats or at airports, only face to face kisses and love forever more! :) Can you tell I am happy?!! LOL I AM! love you Alison mou, my approved Beautiful Brit Bride XXXXX

I 129F APPROVED!!

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 03:31:00 +0000

It’s Official! Our petition for the fiancée visa was approved today!!!! YEA!!!!!! You cant imagine two more ecited or happier people than the two of us when we got the news Our lives are all filled with highs and lows and we mark our journey through life by them. I can in all honesty say I have never been overcome by such joyful emotion as I was when I first got the news. And the timing really was coming at a point that some good news was needed. We both have struggeled trying to keep from getting down about it taking so long and so many hoops to jump through to just simply be together and share a love sent from heaven, as well as the worry with my mom being in the hospital ICU in serious but stable condition.

Well I should start with getting the news. Both of us had signed up at the USCIS website to receive email updates about our case when any action was taken. Well there are only two instances of action in this particular petion, one is the receipt of it and the case pending, and the last one is the approval notice, we get NOTHING in between which only served to make us that more anxious waiting for word. Yesterday (I’m editing this a day after I made the post) was a busy day for both of us, with me working and then planning to go to the hospital after, and Alison at the time entertaining a friend for dinner at her house. With all the things going on with mom I have been keeping up with the family and friends by email a lot and have been in a habit of checking it on my phone a lot here lately. Well something told me to check it yesterday, one of those feeligs we get, and to be truthful I just thought it was someone wanting to know about mom or something like that. Well I knew alison was busy , but she still sends some kisses right often too

Anyway being in the state I was I was sort of in one of those worried states and when i saw the name “CRIS” whch i recognized from signing up at the USCIS site, my heart just seemed to stop and turn

iPhone inbox

180 degrees around! I never have felt so much jubilation as when I saw that notice! I stopped right then and sent Alison a text (I started to cal her but her cell has been going south for a while now and the battery goes very fast on voice calls unless she is plugged into the charger. Here’s the text I did send, excuse the French

Those few minutes of texting and then her trying to call and speak were like something I hvae never experienced before, both of us jumping up and down likely and telling everyyone who would listen! well everyone knows how badly we wanted this day to come,andnow its here and soon when she is called to go to the embassy there, she will have her visa to come! We will have our Christmas together this year! :-)

You know its seemed like an eternity waiting for this thing to be approved, and looking back now its was just 3 months, well i say just… to us it seeemd so much longer. From what i have seen though the average waitign time now is close to 10 to 13 months and I was so down we wpuld end up seeing another year go by, but somehow God and our angels pulled off another one and made us even happier than we have been But its nothing will compare to that day she gets off the plane here and I hold her in my arms and knowing its for good! Love you baby! XXX

I-129F posted! :)

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:00:00 +0000

For those not knowing what an I-129F is, its my petition to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) to bring Alison to the US on what's commonly known as a K1 fiancee visa! :) We have been working the last few weeks to get all the paperwork together and filling out forms to get ball rolling.

Today marks a very special day in that on May 28, 2008 at 10:16 AM the package was certified and now on its merry way to the Vermont processing center! :) Well I guess its not officially filed yet until it gets there and signed for(yes I sent it certified) , but this single step is such an amazing moment for us when all our plans are finally beginning to take some concrete steps. There has never been a doubt between us that we would be together, its just a long impatient wait as there are so many other factors involved in a move on this grand scale. I do feel a lot of anxiousness passed now as its been an ordeal just preparing the application. The main thing was trying to make sure everything is done properly and nothing left out. I had this awful dread of forgetting something that would hold up the approval (I'm thinking positive that it's going to be approved and wont let any other thought in my head ) I have triple checked over everything and made one last check this morning, notifying of Alison by text of just about each step too! lol I just know how these govt people want things done and its silly things they sometimes want done where common sense should prevail, but what can we do but go along. Well I feel confident ours will be verified to be a genuine case of wanting to be together in the same country and married as soon as we can! Officially that is, in my heart she is my wife already :) God joined us together and to me there is no higher authority! ;)

They say this part of the process is the one taking the most time and work to get in order as of course with all that is going on in the world they are scrutinizing everyone and everything. Well it's been an anxious time for us trying to just decipher the instructions of the form and making sure we have everything without feeling overwhelmed. Our first time looking into all this that was the case for both of us I think, feeling overwhelmed. We still have a long way to go of course but this is the most difficult part with this petition and her getting the visa. Once its approved they will notify the American Embassy there in Nicosia and set up a meeting and interview with Alison and then she will have her own set of tasks to complete and prepare a package for them there. She will have to have a background police check done from everywhere she has lived. Since she is a Brit she will have to get a clearance from the Sunderland police where she was living there, and one from Limassol, Cyprus where she has been living since leaving the UK. Well she has applied already for both of them ahead of time so she is well in advance of getting things done. I know she already has all her papers ready, birth certificate etc.. and the only thing I think that she will really have to wait for after the initial interview is the medical exam to certify she has a clean bill of health for entering the US. Not sure why really as how many thousands of people a day fly into the US and come to visit and Lord know what some of them may be carrying! :o) well anyway its something has to be done. Well that should be a simple thing to get, just taking the time to set up the Dr's appointment at the physician of their choosing. And then once that is all done she will go back and they will issue her the visa. I *think* the visa is good for 6 months from then to use, and once she arrives in the US we have only 90 days to get married. Well we are ready today but it would be nice to have time to plan a nice wedding, and of course we will!! I can't wait for it! :) but I feel its possible we may have to arrange a quick civil ceremony near her arriving to make it official per the terms of the visa. And then from there its still a matter of applying again for resident status and all the other things go with being a US resident, social security, drivers license etc.. well one thing at a time and we will get it all sorted. I just cant wait for the day my wife to be gets off that plane and into my arms! :) We'll keep you updated on the progress of things and where we stand as time goes by. Just send a prayer things go smooth and quick for us, we are sooooo ready to be together, you just can't imagine! :) love you baby! XXXXXXXX

Technorati Tags: Alison Michelle,garazon,I-129F,LDR,fiancee visa,love

Terms of endearment :)

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:37:00 +0000

♥Alison Michelle♥

Beauty of Britannia,

Mistress of the Med,

Keeper of my heart

♠Chester Wade♠

My Handsome Americano

One and only Valentine

Star of my Dreams

my Cyprus Angel

my Beautiful Brit

my Geordie Girl

my Sam

my precious love

my frisky angel

my sweet

my darling

my crazy passion filled English woman

my beautiful love

my perfect match

my everything

my one true love
My Fiancee

My Perfect Match

Chester Mou !

my Old Man ( ;

My Everything

Agapi mou

My Love

My Life

My World

The air I breathe ( :

My Cowboy

My Fiance

This was something we had on another website we once started before we chose blogger for our purposes. Just getting ready to delete the other site and saving some things :)

I love my Cyprus Angel :)

Technorati Tags: love,Alison Michelle,Chester

In Memory of Susie Pratt

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:07:00 +0000

I don't normally post off topic from this site, but I wanted to pass on this sad news to any family or friends who visit here and knew Susie and haven't heard the news, Susie passed away this past weekend after a long hard battle with cancer. :( the full info is on my site, http://www.garazon.com

The Lilac

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:32:00 +0000

The Lilac - First emotions of love.. I BELIEVE :)
Two years ago this photo was taken. As you can see from the blooms its a purple lilac. April 2006 was the very first time since it was planted that it bloomed. To be honest at the time it was planted I had no idea of what type of bush it even was.
Maybe a bit of background is needed here, maybe not..well here it is anyway, read or skip down a bit ;) Gretchen was very close to her grandparents... they had lived since they were married back in the 1920's in a small farmhouse that her grandfather built. And as a child Gretchen spent a lot of time with them , especially in the summer months as her grandparents had a working farm and a produce stand that they ran. So from the time the grandkids could contribute a bit, they were put to work picking vegetables or gathering eggs from the hen house. Well needless to say Gretchen spent a lot of time with them. Her Grandfather passed away in the early 1980's, not long after we were married, so I never really got to know him, and her grandmother passed away in 1999. Gretchen's dad being the only boy was the one who got the homestead. Well his health was going down and he got to the point he couldn't do the upkeep on the place, or even take care of the property so he was more or less forced to sell it. Of course Gretchen being the sensitive soul she was took it hard as she had really grown up there. And even my own kids had spent a bit of time there too, its where my daughters first got behind the wheel of a car to practice driving up and down the lane and around the filed in front of the house. lots of memories there, even for me. So anyway just before he sold it we went one weekend to get a few of the plants and flowers that were abundantly planted there over the years by her grandmother. I think for two or three days we dug and hauled these things back home. I would ask Gretchen what kind of plant or bush it was we were diggin, and she didnt have a clue! lol All she knew was she wanted some to remind her of her grandmother and have something of her grandmother's in the yard! Over the next couple of years some of the things made it and some just didn't survive the transplanting as a lot of them were wild naturalized ones I think, Anyway two of these held on and grew, but they never did bloom at all while she was alive. but I know now she has seen them bloom and also seen something else even greater bloom, Love. Now here is where it all just sort of comes together in a way I cant really explain so well. It was about this time I had just gotten to the point where i was thinking I didnt want to be alone anymore and i knew there was still love in me to give. Now I had been toying with the idea of dating again for the previous half year or so prior to this time and had been on some online sites and just getting used to the idea I think was most of it. Well you all know the story more or less of me being instantly smitten when this one Beautiful Brit asked me one day if i would like to write sometime! From the mosment i read the first words from her I knew we were meant for each other, and that day I fell in love, whetehr I admitted it to myself or not, I felt that thunder like the hand of God had laid on me! :) and I just knew it... well Easter that year was on the 16th of April (no I didnt remember it, I looked it up.. lol) I had met Alsion on April 5th.. and after a couple of weeks of 'talking' by mail i wanted to say hi to her, so I made a short video doing just that saying Hi and Happy Easter. I was outside in the yard making the vid and there were several takes from different spots in the yard. Oh you know I am not sure now the exact day that bush first bllomed, of course its a gradual thing to begin with, and I think it may ahve stared getting ready to bllom a couple of weeks before I met Alison so I cant say for sure now the actual day I realized it was going to finally have flowers, well its not imprtant, that bit of which day I realized it, only that I remember feeling happy about it and was wondering if Gretchen had something to do with it, blooming I mean... well the whole idea made me happy and I think it was from the day I did the video that it came to me to look them up online to see if I could identify what bush it was.. well I found out easy enough with it blooming now.. but what I read about the lilac and its flower meaning just blew me away! Oh I cant rememebr the site I was on then I first read it, but they are all similar I think,

from Teleflora.com The story of lilac, according to Greek mythology, begins with a beautiful nymph named Syringa (lilac’s botanical name). Captivated by her beauty, Pan, the god of the forests and fields, chased Syringa through the forest. Frightened by Pan’s affections, Syringa escaped him by turning herself into an aromatic bush – the flower we now refer to as lilac.

The 8th wedding anniversary flower and the state flower of New Hampshire (symbolizing the hardy character of the Granite State’s citizens), lilacs are frequently considered a harbinger of spring, with the time of their bloom signaling whether spring will be early or late. In the language of flowers, purple lilacs symbolize the first emotions of love, while white lilacs represent youthful innocence.

The first emotions of Love! Well there it was like another bolt of lightening from the sky hitting me! If ever there was a sign sent to me, that was it! Oh some may say its just coincidence, but to me it was our Angels saying , here is the One for you :) and I have never doubted it and only believe it stronger to this day. Oh I'm not good enough with words to convey the emotion I felt... no.. the emotion I still feel to this day. Well the lilacs are in bloom once more and I am more in love than ever before! I love you baby! XX I DO! <3

:)

Happy Anniversary to Us! :)

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:15:00 +0000

Two years ago today this beautiful Brit living in Cyprus asked this crazy Americano if he would like to write sometime.... :) From that moment, a match long ago made in heaven was about to take us on a journey from sharing stories of our grief and loss , to falling in love, to travel 5000 miles to meet, to being engaged and to sharing a love that grows deeper still to this day. :)

It is beyond words to desribe and tell all the things we have shared and all the blessings we have been given. In many ways its not just the anniversary of our meeting, but more to the truth, its the anniversary of our birth into a different life, a new life, one full of hopes and dreams again, and one full of Love, true and devoted. Happy Anniversary my Beautiful Brit, I love you! XXXXX

Geordie Translator

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:20:00 +0000

whoohoo.co.uk
Pretty cool tool that translates regular English into Geordie speak! Type what you want translated into the box below and click on the translate link! it will take you off the site to get the translation, just click the back button to return here!
UPDATE the from box has quit working for some reason so I've removed it from here. the translator still is working ont he main site as well as a few more dialects to choose from.
Enjoy

Two as One times Three!

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:48:00 +0000

Sometimes its the simplest things that make us smile the most. :) Its a hard thing to be so far apart, but we are always finding ways to just make us feel each other that bit closer, however we can. For Valentine's Day I slipped these three little hearts into the mailer with the cards I sent to Alison. I had kept three just like it here too and soon they will be reunited and we may have a lot of little hearts runnign all aorund then! LOL well by littel ones i mean more hearts of some form, I think the days of little Garazons and Candyflosses are near passed, but the days of giving these little treasures have just begun! :)

Now how is this for being in tune, well I set mine up here on the desk and though they are not in the same order as to whats written on them, they are pretty much situated in the same pattern!

I love you baby XXXXX

To My Valentine

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 03:12:00 +0000

As special as this day of Love is my Beautiful Brit, no holiday will come close to the happiness we have found in each other on these dates. From the 5th of April in 2006 to this very day each has been a celebration of love beyond compare and I thank God and our angels for you my darling. Your name was written in my heart a long time before April 2006 my love, it was written the day I was born! We have always been together, destined from time beginning, always loved each other and we will always will. Happy Valentine's Day my Beautiful Bride, I love you! XXXX
Chester XXXXX

Just for those curious, the dates are as follows:

April 5, 2006 the day we first met online via Mingle

May 19, 2006 the day we said I love you (yes we were very quick to know it! )

March 23, 2007 the day (and night) I asked her to marry me..by text!! ;) a nice story there

May 11, 2007 our first time face to face when Alison came to the US to visit

May 25, 2007 the official day I prorposed and she accepted the ring! :) and a sub too ;) lol

October 9, 2007 the day I landed in Cyprus to visit her

the first of Forever will be sometime this year, one way or another we will be together at last!

Still here! :)

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 02:04:00 +0000

Well looking at the dates of the last posts one would think we had forgot about the site! Well we are still here and doing better than ever! :) We do seem to spend much more time now, since this last holiday together especially, trying every chance we can to get together for a chat, or to speak on Skype, and then there is still the mails we write each day. Oh the mails we have written!! It amazes me sometimes just to realize that every single day since April 5 of 2006 we have had at least one mail every day, and many times as much as a dozen a day! They say its hard work to maintain a long distance realtionship... well maybe... yes it is hard to be that far a apart, but never once have I thought of it as work! I hate work, ask my employer! lol But seriously it has been nothing but love and desire to be ever closer to my soulmate that I have opened every new mail with a smile on my face and in my heart just to tell her I love her. And its even harder now to spend one more day aprt now that we have shared our times together and seen face to face that we are meant for each other just as we knew. That was proably one of the hardest saddest days of my life to get back on that plane in Cyrpus to come back the US, and you know we have both seen some bad days. But still our love endures and it always will! Oh I'm getting a bit sugary here arent I?! lol well you should read our chats then if you think thats sugary! OH maybe not! ;) lol

WellI admit I am totally lost (and found) in love with this Beautiful Brit, and strange as it may sound to some, I alwasy have been. From the very first time we spoke I felt I had known her all my life and she will say the same. You all know our stories, and I will always believe it was a match made in heaven by God and our angels. Some things just dont happen, I dont care what anyone says. The things we have seen and felt.. incredible... I cant reason it, or begin to explain it, but know this, God has a plan for us all! Even if we don't believe it ourselves. Take it for what it's worth. :)

I have to laugh sometimes when I think back to the early days after we met and how some people seemed to act so surprised that we met online, and some were even shocked! Well in truth there were more positve response than any negative ones. But it surprised me when people would ask one of us , how do you know they are who they say they are? Ok I can understand it to a degree as there are so many stories you hear of weirdos and worse online, but think about it... Even in a face to face meeting, how can you be sure the other is who they say they are either? you can't! And God knows all you have to do is turn on the TV and see the crazy folks in the world who are described by friends and family as alwasy seeming nice and being known by them all their life, and then turning out they go on a shooting spree or some other mad horrible thing. You can still get the sense and feel of a person just as much from writing them as you can from meeting them. Maybe even more so as you are focused on their words more and listen to each other.. and it doesnt take long to see who is truthful and who isnt, Well I dont know the point I am getting to, just some things I wanted to say. Well everyone who knows me has seen the happiness in me now and the love too. And they are ALL happy fo me, for us! Most of all I am happy for us! :) ecstatically happy!! And looking forward to a future I know is going to be even more incrdeible that anything I could ever imagine. :) Oh that picture above is from a photo of us here in May that I worked on and tried to create a painting from. It is one of my favourite pictures. I look at it and it just seems to exude love and passion and a love beyond measure in that embrace and kiss. My every waking moment is spent in that sort of dreamy feel of a happiness beyond compare too. Well we all have days that things dont go right, or something happens, but you know what? Nothing can take the smile from my heart that Alison Michelle has put there, it gets me through everything! Love is all you need.. every thing else is just... fluff! I love you baby xxxx I do!

Happy Birthday Alison

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 03:07:00 +0000

Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Brit!

Have a great day my Love. Wish I was there to celebrate with you! Next year my angel we will do it up right! :)

Love you buches baby! XXXXX

Chester

We got Elfed!

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:00:00 +0000

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from your dancing elf hosts Alison & Chester
Love to all!
Enjoy
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1282593274

Happy Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:14:00 +0000

May you all be so richly blessed this holiday season!

Love, Alison and Chester

Day 4 in Cyprus

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 02:21:00 +0000

We decided on Saturday to take a break from the tourist thing as well and spent most of the morning just around the house taking it easy. I finally met Churchill, the now famous Cyprus tortoise appearing on YouTube (along with a short cameo appearance by Benji and Natalie's fingers.. I think!) Well he even came out long enough to pose and fill up his tortoise belly on some very good tomatoes, he's quite an eater! And I remember Alison saying she wasn't sure if it was a male or a female and with a little online research the gender confusion was all cleared up! :) The weather was still hot and we decided it would be a nice day to have a trip to the beach. There was a short trip or two to the store to pick up some nibbles before we got the car loaded and then we were off to get wet. It would have been nice we said to head down to Curium, but with us traveling so much the first couple of days we settled on something maybe a bit closer and a bit more secluded, Governor's Beach. Well we didn't want to scare the masses with the bright white body of mine! lol

the pics for this post are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day4Cyprus

From the website: Governor's Beach is located midway between Larnaca and Limassol and its sandy beach and shallow crystal water it's ideal for families with children, but also for romantic couples. (hey, that's us! )

The name Governor’s Beach comes from the British Colonial days when the Governor used to come for a swim.

Governor's Beach also offers the spectacular white rocks area for those who like snorkeling, boating, fishing…or have a nice walk in one of the many nature trails on the hills near by, or on the beach watching a beautiful sunrise. There is a great selection of nice restaurants, where you can enjoy your lunch or dinner sitting under the trees… just a few meters away from the crystal water of the Mediterranean Sea.

The most memorable thing for me about Cyprus and the Mediterranean , besides Alison Michelle of course! ;), is the water! I was awestruck from my first sight of the colour and how clear it is too! I literally could stare for hours at it as the blue seems so intense and its just beyond description. Well we got there and got ourselves a bed and umbrella and laid back a while to soak up some sun and just enjoy the warmth and the sounds of the sea. This was actually where I saw the most grass I had seen in one spot in Cyprus since arriving! just above the beach is a grassy area where you can get a bed and umbrella if you don't care to be right on the sandy beach itself. The sand is quite a bit finer than what we have here and its much darker too! I think a lot of the darker sand is caused by some many islands in the bed being formed by volcanoes so naturally its going to be different than our light coloured sand. well it doesn't feel like our sand either, its softer in a way. We finally decided to test the water and see if it was warm enough for a swim, which as it turned out was lovely really. a little cool at first, but it didn't take long to get used to it and the hot sun above made it feel nice. Well its shallow for a good ways out and we had to walk a bit to get shoulder deep. and that is when I had the most amazing site. Being up to my neck in the sea I could look down and see my feet through the water! Stunning! I was really amazed and had to laugh out loud! Well you would have to see the water in the sounds here in NC to appreciate it, you can't put your hand but a few inches below the surface here and it disappears from sight! very murky looking, even more so once you have been in the clear water of the Med. It makes you wonder how a place where civilization has existed for centuries more than it has here can be so clean and clear still! Well I guess ours isn't really dirty, just has more shallow quiet parts and a lot of vegetation and trees around which drop the leaves into the water and add more particles, sort of like a strong brewed tea if you will! Instead of tea leaves its pine and poplar and oak and maple leaf tea! Anyway we had a very nice swim and I really would be tanned by now if I lived there in Cyprus as I would live at this beach if I could! Marvelous! We went back and laid in the sun for quite a while longer before heading back home, were we laid down again and tried to take a nap! Its hard work laying in the sun don't you know!

Well being in a lazy mood we didn't feel to fix supper so it was out to eat. We went to a place called Pizza Express... well we have a place named that here in the States but its nothing even close to the same as it is there! Here it conjures up an image of a cheap pizza shop that has maybe a dozen different combos of pizza and beer or soft drinks, maybe a salad bar.. ;) well this place was looking like one of our fancier restaurants. It was a two story type place, the center being open and you can look down and see the crowd and tables below and they have a live band or some type of entertainment playing in the evenings. The night we were there it was trio singing a lot of various style songs, from rock ballads to reggae to soul and jazz... they were quite good and we had a very good view. The food was pretty good, but for the price I think it could have been better! Alison ordered a chef's salad I think it was, well it was supposed to have some chicken or meat of some kind, but I think she only had two or three little bites in the whole thing! and it wasnt that big a salad either! Well they have all sorts of things on the menu, from pasta to meats to pizza.. well me not being up on the fancy names of things I just got a pizza. I can't remember the kind of pizza I ordered as they had dozens listed, and not of the toppings we think of here! So I just ordered the one I thought would be the least surprising once it arrived! it was pretty good I guess but then we were both hungry too and would have eaten anything! lol Anyway we had a nice time and enjoyed to sit with each other and listen to the music, and of course exchange a kiss or two.. or three or four... and to be sitting so happy with each others company. well that was the best part of the evening! We really didnt stay out so late and headed on home. I think that was the night we sat to watch some dvds we hired from a local shop... guess he specializes in bootlegs as none of the three worked at all! Well one did fairly well but hung up a bit! Well that was day 4 spent... maybe it was a quiet day, but one of the most wonderful of my life as I was with my Cyprus angel again all day long! My heaven! I love you Alison Michelle! I do! :) XXXX

May Life Be Our Love Paradise

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 01:14:00 +0000

I Love you AM XXX

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 04:23:00 +0000

Have I told you lately? :) XXXX

A Very Special Thanks~

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 01:29:00 +0000

To Maureen and Jack for the wonderful engagement present! Alison's mam and dad gave us a nice holiday within a holiday! We spent Monday through Wednesday in the Alexander the Great Hotel in Paphos. It was such a wonderful time and we both appreciate it so very much! Can't wait to thank you in person, it's a memory that wil last a lifetime! :)

Thanks also to Agneta and George for a wonderful lunch in Vouni, to Allyson & Marios and Thereza & Andros for making me feel welcome, to Dee and Philip for their hospitality, to Frosso for a lovely evening of chat and company, to Julie and the people at Mom's bar on the base I met and had chance to speak to, to all of Alison's coworkers at 3D for the welcome I received and a special thanks to JM for making me feel welcome and for getting the grill going!! lol :), can't forget Benji either! What a wonderful time I had there and can;t wait to go back! Love and best wishes to all

Thanks for dropping by!! Love to all, Chester & Alison x

Alison and Chester's Photos in Cyprus

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:47:00 +0000

Our favourite pictures of the two of us in Cyprus. You can see these and the scenery and sights here : http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon

Day 3 in Cyprus

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:22:00 +0000

We decided to spend the third day just staying close to home and resting as the time difference was beginning to catch up with me by the third day and I think Alison was a bit glad to have a break as well! It was still quite hot too so it was a good day to be taking it easy. Well we did venture out and about close to home during the day.

Pics for this post are here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day3Cyprus

We went out early in the morning to the cemetery where Nicos' memorial is located, not far at all from Alison's house. It's a very large cemetery with some very elaborate graves and memorials. It's a bit of a difference between the cultures here and there in so many ways. Well its striking the appearance first off, all are marble or stone memorials covering almost every inch of the place and most all of them have the photos on them, along with an oil lamp that burns continuously, or intended to burn. Most are maintained and filled with oil. And most have areas around them where flowers and shrubs are planted and there is something blooming everywhere. Seeing some of these large ones in Cyprus ( as well as the smaller ones in the villages) and then seeing the average cemetery here in the States with simple headstones and markers is sort of a shock. Just different cultures and customs. Well that is another post in itself as well for another time... maybe. From the cemetery we back to the house and just spent most of the day relaxing, a run out to the local Carrefour, which is similar to our supermarkets here but a bit bigger, nearer to a superwalmart than just a supermarket as they have everything, clothing, electronics, etc. Well that was another culture shock of sorts. First walking in I noticed all the cashiers were sitting! And nice seats too! lol I have to wonder what some of the cashiers form the store I work would say if they had seen that! those poor folks in the summer time here are on their feet the whole day and can only sit when they take a break in the back, if they're lucky to even get one. I forget now what we went in to pick up, but I remember mostly just glancing at the brands on the shelf. Well there are a few of the brand new names out, but just the overall appearance of the American name brands that were there looked like a flashback to the 80's! Even some of the old logo's. Odd in a way, and then to have them mixed in with the local brands, most in Greek, well I would likely be lost! We really are a spoiled lot here in the US. too many choices I think sometimes. I was particularly wanting to see the meats , since that's my profession. Well I was shocked at what I saw. Well first of all beef is not as readily available or as popular as it is here, but what they did have in the cases was horrible looking! days old at least and some eye round roasts that were so dried out from sitting in the case they were closer to chunky style beef jerky! they would have sacked the whole meat department on the spot if that was here in the US! None of it was prepackaged either, they were all service type cases and as they were cutting, they just dumped it into the case, and I mean literally dumped it! lol Well I guess its what people are used to, as they seemed busy. Pork and chicken were the biggest sellers and a lot of lamb too from the looks of the case. Well I personally would be afraid to buy anything, but I'm the same way here as being a meat cutter I rarely buy anything unless I cut it myself! ;) It was interesting to see first hand the little differences between here and there, but I am telling all the Americans reading this, you have no idea how spoiled we really are as a nation and how wasteful as well. It gave me a new appreciation, and brought a feeling of shame as well for the nitpicking we do over what are really stupid things to begin with. Now that will be a post in the future, for sure! ;)

We went back to the house and just stayed in the rest of the day. Watched a little tv, tried to take a nap but it was a bit warm and I think really I was still just excited to be there and didnt want to miss anything! We took Benji out for a walk around the neighborhood and I got chance to look around a bit more as up to now it was near dark when we had taken him out. Like everywhere these days its building up fast in Limassol. One of the things that I was amzed about was when they build a house the contractors oor owners will just have the material delivers and they sit out on the sidewalks or road! Same with the demolition debris! Well I guess they clean it all up when they're done, but for all that time the stuff just sits there, and noboby messes with it! Can you imagine buying a pallet or two of roofing tiles and just storing them in the yard or on the street here? they would be gone the next morning! LOL And I swear I think I could have built a house with all the leftovers just thrown about. When we got back JM and I had a nice game of chess outside at the table while Alison fixed a fabulous meal. She had bought a chicken roll of sorts, well its a boneless rolled stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon and cheese. No not from Carrefour! lol theres a wonderful meat shop right down the road from her house which was very nice as I found out a few days later when we went to get some minced meat( ground pork ) ;) We ate out in the garden and enjoyed a wonderful meal and some wonderful wine! :) I really have developed a taste for it... well some of it... ;) After dinner Frosso came by and we sat and had another bottle and a wonderful evening just chatting and it was a pleasure meeting her. Well I feel I already knew everyone so well from all Alison had talked about them and it didnt seem I was meeting them for the first time really so that was very nice. Well it had to have been a couple of hours we sat out there enjoying the company, and the wine ;) Another wonderful day in Cyprus~ I felt very at home, well, being with Alison... I was home! :)

Day 2 in Cyprus

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:29:00 +0000

A Trip to the Mountains

On the second day, Thursday October 11th, we decided to have a change of scenery and headed off to the Troodos mountains to walk through and tour a couple of the villages, Lania and Omodos. It turned out to be another hot day so it was good we decided to head to the mountains as it would hopefully be a bit cooler, turns out it wasn't so much cooler at all! But still better than it would have been going somewhere near the sea. Its only a 20 minute drive or so from Limassol but it's like entering a completely different place and time to see these villages which mostly retain the old way of life.

Photos for this post are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day2Cyprus

Before I go on about the villages I want to relate another story. We needed gas/petrol before we went out too far today and made a pit stop just before leaving Limassol. Well we pulled into one of the stations , can't remember the name of it right off, well anyway I noticed a couple of employees near the pumps as we pulled in. I didn't think much of it, one was sitting down in a small chair and I just assumed she was taking a break and I thought the other was just there to collect the money. Well Alison mentioned upon pulling in to see about getting someone to check the water as she had just had a new radiator put in the car and wanted to make sure things were ok before we headed up, and asked me to see is there was 50¢ CYP laying about to tip the guy. Well being from the states I was used to nothing but self service stations and was wondering what the tip was for. Ok we do have a couple of places that come pump the gas for you and collect the money, but that's all they do. well the guy puts the gas in and heads back to the pump and then I found myself dumbfounded as the guy turns and comes back with a bucket and a squeegee! He then proceeds to clean not only the windshield, but the door windows and back window as well! I was in shock almost! I haven't seen that kind of service since the late 60's here in the states! Well he didn't stop there, Alison popped the hood and the guy checks the oil and topped of the coolant tank as well! WOW! It was one of those twilight zone moments almost! well it made me smile too to see that there are still places that do this sort of thing in the world, I was loving Cyprus even more then. :)

Well with the car filled up we set out on our way. Our first destination was a smaller village that Alison said was one of the more picturesque, Lania.
She was right as usual :)
(description from website ) LANIA
Lania is a small, beautiful village, built at the foot of Mount Troodos on the main Limassol to Troodos road, about 26 Kms from Limassol. Lania is one of the main wine producing villages.
According to tradition, Lania got its name from Lania, daughter of the Greek god of wine and pleasure: Dionysos. This indicates the deep roots of the village in the field of vine-growing and wine-making. The village is well known for the high quality of its grapes and wines.
At the time Erricos was King of France, the country’s vineyards from which champagne was produced were destroyed by disease. The King went in search of healthy plants, which he found in Lania. The plants were loaded on a ship, transported to France and used to replant the Champagne vineyards. It is believed that during his stay in Cyprus, Erricos used to spend time at the Royal Oak of Lania, an 800 year old oak tree which sadly collapsed in 1997. In the same area, only a few metres from the Royal Oak, there is another oak tree, even bigger and well worth a visit.
The inhabitants of the village are occupied with vine-growing and the production of wine-related products including Zivania, Commandaria and Sousouko. Amongst the flower-lined streets and traditional architecture lies the village church, dedicated to St Mary. The Icon of St Mary of Valana, one of the oldest paintings in the world, is displayed in the church.
In Lania one can find an ancient and authentic Linos, a wine press, formerly used in the production of Commandaria. The entrance to the village is dominated by the old fountain from which villagers would get their drinking water and still today brings back memories of bygone times.

I totally fell in love with this village with it's narrow stone streets and old stone houses, many of which have been restored and updated but kept their look and feel. And the amazing variety of floral plantings all along the streets and houses was beautiful. Somehow we missed the church, but did see the Linos. I guess because of the time of the year some of the places that usually are open, artists galleries and souvenir shops, even the Linos, were all closed. It was so quiet and peaceful and as we strolled the streets you could sense it. I could live in a place like this, long as they have Internet access! ;)

Omodos was the next stop. (from the website) Omodhos is located in the district of Limassol and is one of the best wine producing villages in Cyprus. It is about 35 kilometres (26 miles) from Limassol, 80 km from Nicosia and 7 km from Platres. The first view you get when you arrive in Omodhos is of its enormous big square, surrounded by whitewashed stone house, mulberry trees, tavernas, coffeehouse and souvenir shops. The village consists of many narrow streets, white houses and a picturesque church. The villagers speak the original Cypriot language and are very devoted to the contact with each other and their religious believes. Without doubt, when visiting Omodhos, one will be astonished by the women, farmers and traders who still maintain the traditional way of working.
For centuries, the people of Omodhos have worshipped and established this richness with care and devotion, which explains their, and my, proud. The inhabitants of the village Omodhos form a close community, who sometimes tend to exaggerate in their proud for their village. (Of course, we are just as common as any other villager in Cyprus, but we like to think of ourselves as the best people of the island. The village has a rich cultural heritage and is especially famous for its agricultural and natural resources, for example the many vineyards that can be found in and around the village.

A more detailed site for Omodos can be found here, giving the history of the village, the church, the wines and more. Including some links to photos of the inside the church. We weren't allowed to photograph inside ourselves.

Omodos was much larger than Lania and of course had all the little tourist shops open as well as a few restaurants and taverns. We parked near the large village square and went there first. The entire square is paved, if that is the word to use, with stones and rocks mostly set on edge rather than flat, and you need some good shoes to walk on it very long! The walk down the square leads to the Monastery of the Holy Cross, a really lovely setting with the church in the center and the surrounding structure housing some artifacts and restored rooms now, as well as a museum for the National Struggle and a folk art museum as well is housed in one of the areas. We spent a good while in this area taking a few photos, outside of the church itself. :)
Being about lunchtime we decided to grab something to eat and drink and have a sit down for a bit. Even up in the mountains it was still warm this day. We decided on a spot just across from the entrance to the square at a grill/restaurant/tavern. Like most place here the seating is outside as well as inside and we opted for a table out in the breeze under the umbrella. It also gave us a good view of all the activities. I had my first taste of Calamari here and actually liked it!. Well actually Alison ordered that, and me being the adventurous American tourist ordered a ... cheeseburger! LOL Well it wasn't the best tasting thing in the world mind you, probably some frozen beef patty, maybe containing beef somewhere in it, and some kind of very bland cheese. Cypriots do some really wonderful and great tasting Greek and Cypriot dishes, but they suck at American ones! LOL Well nevermind I ate it and it was filling. I tried the local Keo beer too, but wasn't so fond of that either. Well what else goes with a burger... oh yes.. Pepsi please! lol Anyway we had a nice time sitting and talking and yes smooching too! ;) Right across the street there is part of a winery and all the time we were there the local farmers were transporting their grapes to sell. A steady stream of pickup trucks hauling crates of grapes and waiting in line to unload them. Quite interesting to see this side of things, instead of just seeing the bottles in the stores! We sat a right good while and then strolled around a bit more. We had been walking around 2 days now in the heat, between that and me trying to adjust to the time we were both ready to call it a day!
The villages were lovely to see and I liked Lania the best, just smaller and quieter and less touristy than Omodos., but both gorgeous villages and I loved it. Loved the guide more though :) Thanks my love for everything! XXX

In the evening I rode with Alison and JM to take him to the base at Akrotiri where he is in the Air Training Corps as a cadet. He wants to be a pilot and this program at the camp has given him a lot of good expereince and this summer he had his first solo flight! Amazing, he's only 17 and already took off and landed a plane himself and I have just for the first time set foot on one!
So while he was doing his thinkg alison took me around to see some of the places she hangs out while she waits for him to get done with cadets. Most of the time she goes and caht with some friends at a little bar called Mom's. Just a small place but a very nice relaxed feeling when you walk in. I got to meet Julie, a friend of Alison's who has a son also in the cadets that she met and passes the time with. We sat there a short while and chatted, but had to leave before too long as we were supposed to go and meet Dee and Philip who live in Kolossi and then go back and pick JM up. Julie was nice enough to offer pick him up and to drop him off on the way so that we might have a longer visit with Dee. Dee works with Alison at 3D and is a lovely and very funny person. They have a gorgeous home and we sat and had a glass of wine or two and talked and the time passed so quickly. There are so many people I have come to know through Alison that she always see and tells me about I really would have liked to have met them all and spent more time with them, but we just couldnt manage to fit it all in with the short time we had. Everyone made me feel so at ease and in a way I felt I had already met them and they said the same about me! :) Well we had to meet up with Julie to get Jm and then headed home. We hadn't eaten yet so aliosn stopped at a take away place and I had my first taste of sheftalia, a Cyrpriot style grilled sausage of sorts . Oh I loved this! it was in a pita bread with tomatoes and cucumbers.. wonderful taste, and I have been craving it ever since I got back to the states!

Another wonderful day that passed much too fast, but memories that will last me a lifetime. I love Cyprus, and especially one Cyprus angel! :)

Day 1 in Cyprus

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:17:00 +0000

What an incredible time we have shared on my first visit to Cyprus. I don't think I could even begin to describe how perfect it was. Every minute I felt so happy, so at ease and so content. And that was just from being beside my Love for 10 days, the rest of the island was nice too and wonderful to tour ;)

It really wasn't even close to enough time to see and explore everything I would have liked. The island is so rich in history and culture, so beautiful that it would take a month to go see and do everything and that would just scratch the surface. And then there are all the stories I can tell about the lifestyle and day to day things that you don't think about until you actually experience them firsthand. Cyrus driving and traffic is a post by itself! lol

So let me start with Day 1. The first few days were really hot, as they are having a warm October just as we are here. Oh we think its dry here having so little rain, well it is, but there you can see the dust in the air at times and everything gets covered so quick in it. The dams are all so very low right now. I think even though we think about conserving water here in the states we don't realize just how good we have it until you go to restaurant there and have to buy water!

After breakfast and coffee we headed out to explore. I was most wanting to see some of the archaeological sites and that sort of thing, so we took the first day and planned a trip to Curium and the Kolossi and Limassol Castles. It was probably too hot to do it, but we were not having so many days to do everything so we journeyed on. The area of Curium is beautiful really. You could spend the entire day or two just in that area alone. The first place we went was to see the Curium amphitheatre. Today the theatre is used for cultural events. I've had a few mails since we met and Alison has often spoke of going to see performances there so this is one of the first places I wanted to see and experience. It was originally built in the 2nd century B.C. but what is preserved today dates to the Roman period with 2nd and 3rd century A.D. additions and restorations. In the curved auditorium the spectators’ seating area accommodates around 3500 people. The stage only preserves its foundations but it originally rose to the full height of the auditorium. You can Google up Curium or Kourion and get more detailed history of the theatre and the surrounding city itself. It was a wonderful feeling though to sit on those steps and think that almost 200 years ago how many people have sat there with the same view I had of the sea and it must have been magnificent to sit under the stars. There was a tour group there when we were walking around and even though they were situated near the top seats of the theatre as she was giving the history, we were down below and could hear quite clearly her voice. Amazing the acoustics in these places! Right next to the theatre is the remains of The House of Eustolios, which consists of many rooms with fascinating 5th century AD mosaic floors and a complex of baths. The majority of it all protected by over walks and a large canopy. The photos show many of the different mosaics that once covered the bottom of the baths and its not hard to imagine how splendid it must have looked in its day. In some of the photos of the rooms you can see the pillars that once held the floors up, as well as the clay pipes that served as the conduits for the water, a system that is still in popular use today as well in the area! You look at things like this and think that with all our advances in technology have we really come so far today in just the basic day to day living? I don't think so.

The Amphitheatre is directly above the Curium beach, and you may see hand-gliders riding above the Curium cliffs. One of the most appealing beaches on the island, Curium is a beach of unspeakable beauty. The sea is rough and wild, whereas the beaches are gentle to have fun on. This beach is also a popular sailing spot but can get overcrowded with swimmers. We left from here and rode down to get to the beach area. We stopped just before the beach area to a little stone church still in use, St Ermogenis. The Entry door can't be much more than 5 feet tall. And inside probably has less than a dozen wooden carved seats, the walls are covered in the icons which are in all the churches here. Over on one side is the tomb and burial site of the saint the church is named after, St Ermogenis . I thought we had a picture of it but I don't see one. Itwas very quaint and you could feel a deep sense of it being used continually as a place of prayer and peace.

From there it was just a short drive down to the beach . We didn't go on the Beach itself that day. Forgot about our swimsuits really, so with it being hot we went to one of the restaurants right on the beach and had a cool drink and just sat in the breeze a while. That's one of the things that struck me all over Cyprus, no one seems to be in a hurry (unless they are driving lol) and you can go and sit in a place like this without feeling you are rushed to leave. I was absorbed in the beautiful view from there, you can see the cliffs and the sea and its quite a striking site. the photos really don't do justice to it. And the colour of the sea itself amazing. It makes the ocean and sounds around NC look like mud! I took a ton of pics of the sea from all over the island! And the rocks too ;)

With more than half the day already gone we made our way back with a stop at the Kolossi Castle. It is still in very good shape. The Castle of Kolossi was initially built in 1210 and rebuilt in its present form in the middle of the 15th century. The castle first belonged to King Hugh I who gave it to the Knights of St. John in order for their support in his fight against the Muslims. The knights controlled sixty villages on the island and being such good farmers and having a great business sense, all villages were strengthened. Kolossi became one of the Knights most valuable overseas possessions when they produced the famous Commandaria wine, which was sought after all over Europe and brought the knights fame and fortune. According to tradition the Kolossi Castle is where Richard the Lion-heart and Queen Berengaria spent their honeymoon.

Next on the agenda was a quick stop at the Limassol Castle or fort as some places call it. Located near the old port, Limassol Mediaeval fort was built in the 14th century, on the land of an earlier Byzantine Castle and it houses the Cyprus Mediaeval museum. This is where it is believed that Richard the Lion-heart married Berengaria Navarre crowning her Queen of England in 1191. We didn't go inside this one as by this time we were both drained from the heat and climbing stone stairs all morning long! Theres tons of links though to its history and pictures if you ant to google it.
From there we decided to make our way home. We took out some chicken kebabs to do on the grill for supper. Even that was a surprise to me as we had to go get some charcoal for the grill. Another one of those things you don't think about until you are in a different country. I love my Matchlight charcoal, pour it in light it and 10 minutes its ready! Americans really are a lazy bunch!! Well its nice! lol Anyway the charcoal here is just that, chunks of charred wood! There are all sizes in the bag, not uniform at all ,and you have to use paraffin to get it lit! JM did a great job getting it going! Poor guy about wore his arms out fanning it with a dustpan to get it fired up hot enough to cook the kebabs. Anyway they turned out great and we had a wonderful supper there in Alison's garden under the stairs and in the cool evening air.

Wow I think It will take me a month at this pace to recount all all of my trip, well it will not be leaving my mind anytime soon and after I get the day to day posts done I will come back and elaborate more on some of them.

All the pics for this post are here http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day1Cyprus
Thanks for reading and for keeping up with us~ love you all
Chester and Alison

Back in the USA

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 19:47:00 +0000

Well I finally made it back a day late. My first flight was delayed for a couple of hours, and they wound up having to shuttle us to another airport to catch a larger plane for some reason. So that made me miss my connecting flight. I finally managed to get some new flights and the airline put me up in a hotel for the night, which was nice but I was very anxious to be in a strange place all by myself. They did take care of me and I had transportation to and from the hotel. Caught my new flight the next morning and was back on my way. I wound up going to Newark and then another flight to Norfolk. which actually as far as the flying time it was less than the flight over. Finally made it back in the door to my house about 36 hours after leaving Alison's house on Friday morning :( It's worn me out and I was in bed not long after getting home.

I have a lot of stories to tell when I get some energy to sit and think clear and write. The one thing I can say right off is that even if we have some nice airports and all the latest technology, the US has some of the rudest airport workers than any place I have been. Actually the Brits were the most helpful of anyone even if they have a maze for an airport at Gatwick! Well the dutch were ok too, just they weren't as visible as the Brits were.

My body is still on Cyprus time I think, I'm feeling so sleepy at the moment but am trying to stay up long as I can to get adjusted as I go back to work on Tuesday. My boss was nice and gave me a couple more days! Thank goodness, even though I was up and awake early this morning I feel drained still. I've got all the pics uploaded but not all labeled yet. I had a wonderful time, well I was sure I would, just being with Alison was all I wanted. there was lots to see and I'm sure Alison is glad to be getting a break from me dragging her around almost every day to see more "rocks" ! ;)

Well I will try and post tomorrow and give you all some details. I'm just going to take it easy today and try and get back on schedule. It was nice in a way coming through customs at Newark to be greeted by an American saying "Welcome Back" , but my heart is still in Cyprus. Wish I was there now.

Cyprus Trip!

noreply@blogger.com (garazon) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:24:00 +0000

Update 5
Thursday- WOW my last night in Cyprus and I finally found a Miller beer!! Would have preferred a Miller Lite but hey I'm over the moon with the regular! ;) I've tried the local Keo beer and its ok, the next biggest one here is Carlsburg which I really dont care for either, but I'm not a big beer drinker anyway. Anyway I'm glad to have run across the Miller at the nearby Carrefour store. Its really an eyeopener going to shop in a country foreign to me. I'll speak more of all the experiences later.

I've had a fabulous time the last 4 days. We went on Monday to Paphos and I have tons of pics on my camera from the archealogical sites we went, and some breathtaking views of the sea and mountains. I'm having trouble getting them from the card to Alison's pc so I'll have to wait until i get back to the US to put them online.

We're going out to eat tonight for my last time here in Cyprus. I really am going to hate to get on that plane in the morning. :( I would have never thought in a million years I would have ever been anywhere out of the country, but God works in wonderful ways and I'm so happy now to be here and to be in love. :) Will try to update once more before I leave, but if not I'll see you all when I get back tomorrow night. hope Jan remembers to pick me up! LOL

Update 4 Sat and Sun Saturday went to Governors Beach in Limassol and had a very relaxing afternoon. I couldn't believe how clear the water was. Standing with the sea up to my neck I could see my feet! You cant even manage seeing a couple of inches in the water there at home in NC! The water temps were lovely too, It was a wonderful afternoon doing nothing!
In the evening we wnet out to eat at the Pizza Express which from the sound of it is nothing like you would see in the US. Quite a fancy menu and live entertainment on the weekends. Still havent found a Miller Lite anywhere yet though! ;)

Sunday we rode to Vouni Village and had lunch at one of the local tavernas, Taxis, with George and Agneta... it was very nice and quite a relaxed and cozy atmosphere. Of course the wine here is making everywhere relaxed! Afterwards it was back to Agneta's for a coffee and another wine and to meet up with more friends of Alison, Allyson and Marios, and Thereza and Andros. Of course they were all seemingly so familiar already as I ahve seen their photos so many times since meeting Alison and hearing of all the get togethers, I felt very comfortable every minute as if I had been here before.

Heading off for a couple of day now, Monday and Tuesday, to go to Paphos for another holiday within a holiday! Thanks to Alison's mam and dad!! :)

Update 3 Friday
Another wonderful day, we stayed near home today to just rest up and relax. Finally now getting adjusted to the time, ran out to a few shops off and on. Had a lovely dinner, the food here is wonderful. I've even tried Kalimari now! hey I liked it! :) Spent a nice evening in the garden and meeting Frosso was winderful. Having a bit of trouble these last two days with the internet being slow so I havent got all the pics uploaded. Tomorrow is going to be another rest day, a trip to the beach and sit in the sun and a dip in the sea. :)

Update 2 Thursday Had a wonderful day doing the tourist thing, started with a visit to Curium and then the Kolosi and Limassol Castles the photos are here http://picasaweb.google.com/garazon/Day1Cyprus

Got a real education on cypriot traffic and driving too! LOL It's crazy!!!

Ended the evening with a brandy and coke and JM's wonderful chicken kabobs on the grill!
off today to a mountain village, will post later

UPDATE!!! :)

I'm in Cyprus!!! YEA!!! I love flying! Oh it is one long trip and very tiring but worth every minute! I crashed right out after we got back from the airport but agood nights sleep has me feeling good and we will be off to explore after coffee and breakfast!

:) Almost out the door now to the airport!

Doing some last minute things now, just some odds and ends and waiting impatiently for the time to pass! I'm so excited now I can't stand it! I'm going to post the pics as often as I can to share with everyone and use this site to keep in touch, so drop in from time to time and check back for anything new and just to say hi. I dont know that I'll take too much time to post much other than the pics for now, but if anything comes up we'll put it here. See you guys when I'm in Cyprus! :) Maybe Alison can add some updates until then

love and best wishes to all,
Chester & Alison

Travel Itinerary
all times are local to the cities of arrival and departure

Flight 1: Northwest Airlines flight 1447 (Non-Stop)
Depart: Norfolk , VA (ORF) - Terminal Information Unavailable
' Mon, Oct 08 at 4:15pm
Arrive: Detroit , MI (DTW) - E.M. MCNAMARA TERMINAL
' Mon, Oct 08 at 6:12pm

Flight 2: Northwest Airlines flight 32 (Non-Stop)
Depart: Detroit , MI (DTW) - E.M. MCNAMARA TERMINAL
' Mon, Oct 08 at 9:25pm
Arrive: London Gatwick , UK (LGW) - SOUTH TERMINAL
' Tue, Oct 09 at 10:05am

Flight 3: British Airways flight 6844 operated by GB AIRWAYS LTD (Non-Stop)
Depart: London Gatwick , UK (LGW) - NORTH TERMINAL
' Tue, Oct 09 at 1:15pm
Arrive: Paphos , Cyprus (PFO) - Terminal Information Unavailable
' Tue, Oct 09 at 7:40pm
______________________________________________________

Flight: KLM Airlines flight 3398 operated by CYPRUS AIRWAYS LTD
(Non-Stop)
Depart: Paphos , Cyprus (PFO) - Terminal Information Unavailable
' Fri, Oct 19 at 10:20am
Arrive: Amsterdam , Netherlands (AMS) - Terminal Information Unavailable
' Fri, Oct 19 at 1:40pm

Flight: Northwest Airlines flight 55 (Non-Stop)
Depart: Amsterdam , Netherlands (AMS) - Terminal Information Unavailable
' Fri, Oct 19 at 3:35pm
Arrive: Minneapolis/St Paul, MN (MSP) - LINDBERGH TERMINAL
' Fri, Oct 19 at 5:40pm

Flight: Northwest Airlines flight 2808 operated by NORTHWEST AIRLINK
(Non-Stop)
Depart: Minneapolis/St Paul, MN (MSP) - LINDBERGH TERMINAL
' Fri, Oct 19 at 7:08pm
Arrive: Norfolk , VA (ORF) - Terminal Information Unavailable
' Fri, Oct 19 at 10:58pm