I am writing this beachside, sipping a “Kamares Cooler” as the sun is setting on the island of Sifnos.  We will write more later, but we wanted to share a few pictures and assure everyone that we are safe and sound.

The following pictures are from the partial day we spent in Athens.  We had some time there before our ferry ride to the island and decided to visit the Acropolis and the new Acropolis Museum.  It was incredible, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch as well!  The other pictures are from our room at Alkyonis Villas in Sifnos. It’s absolutely perfect for relaxing and enjoying the view of this majestic place!  Tomorrow we are going to explore other parts of the island, so there will be lots more to post later on.

Scenes from a megamart shopping center we mistakenly visited on a busy pre-Ramadan weekend.

And finally, here are a few of our favorite photos from our photographers.  All of their photos are amazing and can be viewed on their website www.blaineandbethany.com/slideshows/emilybrandon/.

Hi folks, Emily here. So much has happened in the last month.  So much.

The biggest news is that Brandon and I got married on August 2nd!!!  It was truly the best day of my life!  Everything was perfect!  A lot of work went into the big day, and I can’t thank my Mom and Dad, Meredith, and Ryan, and the Canfields enough for all that they did to make the day so special!  It was a major labor of love… there was major assembly and setup, laying sod, hanging lights, making table runners, setting up video cameras, you name it.  It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun!  We also can’t thank Judy enough for the amazing cake!!  It was beautiful and delicious and perfect!  Thanks, Judy!!  And thanks to our friends Pennie and Buddy for all their help with getting everything ready… from clearing weeds and spreading hay to baking berry pies, you guys did so much!!  Thanks everyone!!

Here are some pictures from the big day…

To see the awesome photos our photographers Blaine and Bethany took, visit their website www.blaineandbethany.com/slideshows/emilybrandon and view our slideshow. It is fantastic if I do say so myself!

The following pictures are from the rehearsal dinner at Brandon’s parents’ house…

I swear we aren’t really singing in that first one, but it makes for a great photo.  Brandon’s family put on a fabulous party for the rehearsal dinner!  Tamales, mariachi, and a ton of fun!  It was such a blast, and a great break from all the packing and work leading up to the wedding.  We really enjoyed getting to spend time with our family and friends.  So many wonderful memories!  Thanks Scott, Diane, Betty, Robin, and Judy!  It was wonderful!

Brandon worked the entire week before the wedding in the 105+ degree heat in our tiny unairconditioned oven of a house and surprisingly managed to not die of a heat stroke.   He got a lot done, but we still had a lot of work left to do.  Our parents were wonderful and helped us pack, sort, store, haul, and clean; and despite all of our doubts, we managed to get everything done!

So now the story of our journey…

After an eventful month of very little sleep and a lot of excitement, we made it to the airport with our beloved little Alie.  We are pretty lucky to have a cat that loves to crawl into the smallest shape possible in the tiniest space available, so things were pretty easy for her as far as traveling for 25 hours in a cat carrier.  She was a trooper for sure.  When we landed in Amsterdam we were exhausted.  Not wanting to sleep at the gate during our 8 hour layover, we checked into the Yotel.  Now, the Yotel is about the smartest idea EVER.  The Yotel (yes, I’m going to keep calling it that) is a hotel within the Amsterdam airport that has rooms with beds and sinks and foldout tables and floorspace so small you can hardly fit all your luggage.  For those of you who are curious, check it out here: http://www.yotel.com/.  We were way too tired to take pictures, although it was very cool, and I did feel like I was in the Jetson’s.  Anyhow, we crashed and slept for four hours which felt like five minutes. Well rested, we boarded our flight to Cairo and arrived shortly after 2am.

When we got home, Marti was waiting for us.  Brandon’s building manager took care of her for us while Brandon was gone, and she seems to be doing great.  Judging by her chubbiness, she certainly didn’t miss any meals, haha.  Anyhow, Alie and Marti, once the best of friends, did not have a happy reunion.  Alie hissed and growled and whined for a day or so, but fortunately she seems to have settled down now, and is mostly back to her sweet old self.  They seem to be doing just fine now.

We’ve spent most of our time unpacking and getting organized.  Brandon made a phenomenal pizza, and I made some world class PB&J sandwiches.  Married life is wonderful!

Stay tuned for more adventures of Emily & Brandon in Cairo!