Proud to be Canadian
I went to bed twenty minutes ago, but I cannot sleep. The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games have just ended. My post-Olympic depression has already set in. The past two weeks of my life have seemingly been devoted to these games. I've been glued to my TV and to my laptop, checking on scores and stats, watching sports, cheering on athletes who have now become household names. I feel like I'm saying good-bye to friends that I will probably never see again, or at least not for another four years. Having the Olympics in Canada has been very magical. Our Canadian pride as a nation has really been shining, and I hope these Olympics have shown us how to be patriotic so we can keep it up. Seeing the flag, hearing our anthem, it has all been so great. I am tearing up at the thought of letting it all go.
Today, on TV, they've played and replayed special moments from the games: gold medal wins, excited family and fans, unforgettable Olympic moments. The "I Believe" song must have been played twenty times today, and each time, I teared up. I've been a blubbery mess all day. I do not want to let these Olympics go. Calvin made a good analogy this evening; he said that tomorrow is going to be kind of like when we put away all the Christmas decorations. We're sad to see it all come down and know that Christmas is over. When regular TV comes back on, I'm going to be sad to see the Olympics are really over and done with. I've never felt this connected to the Winter Games before. I've always been an Olympic fan and have followed the games when they were on, but never this religiously. This year was so different, and I'm sure it has to do with the Games being on home turf. I'm not sure if the next Olympics will be as exciting and memorable. But I know these one's have been ones for the record books, in so many ways.
Before attempting to call it a night for a second time, I have to put down my key memorable Olympic moments from the past 16 days. This is how the Olympics have touched my life personally. Here are the moments I enjoyed the most, in my own life, during the run of the 2010 Games, in no particular order:
-Watching the Olympic flame go through our city (and not knowing, at the time, how much it was going to affect our lives).
-Having friends over for the Opening Ceremonies.
-Relaxing on the couch on that first full day and catching Alex Bilodeau win our first ever gold medal on home soil, and becoming instantly hooked.
-Grabbing our plates off the kitchen table, twice, to watch speed skaters win us some medals.
-Stopping a card game to watch the short track men win fourth place.
-Staying up past midnight to see Virtue and Moir skate their gold medal winning performance and get their medals.
-Watching the women's gold medal hockey game in Toronto: first two periods in a sports bar and last period in our hotel room, overlooking the CN Tower.
-Cheering for hockey, something I haven't done since my Maple Leaf loving days back in elementary school. And doing it over, and over, and over.
-Watching curling on weekdays when I wasn't working and sending Calvin text messages to inform him of the score while he was at work.
-Watching the gold medal game of men's hockey with Shawn and Jenn.
-Spending Wonderful Women Wednesday with my husband, jumping up and down and screaming wildly as we won medal after medal after medal in the span of only a couple of hours.
-Watching Kevin Martin's rink win gold while playing Scrabble with my husband.
-Seeing Joannie Rochette's bronze winning performance while lying in a king-size bed at the Toronto Regency Hyatt.
-Waking up to the Olympic Morning commentators every day and enjoying their antics, their stories and their highlights and recaps. It was a true pleasure.
-Crying every time I saw an "I Believe" montage.
-Being so very stressed for the athletes when they were so close to winning medals. Sitting on the edge of my couch, covering my mouth or my eyes and freaking out until the game was over and the medal was inevitably won (though, sometimes, it was lost).
There are so many more that I'm sure I have forgotten. These past two weeks have really been one event after another. It has been a wonderful ride. I'm so very sad to see it end. I really don't know what I'm going to do with myself tomorrow. I cannot imagine going back to real TV ever again. I miss the sports already.
Today, on TV, they've played and replayed special moments from the games: gold medal wins, excited family and fans, unforgettable Olympic moments. The "I Believe" song must have been played twenty times today, and each time, I teared up. I've been a blubbery mess all day. I do not want to let these Olympics go. Calvin made a good analogy this evening; he said that tomorrow is going to be kind of like when we put away all the Christmas decorations. We're sad to see it all come down and know that Christmas is over. When regular TV comes back on, I'm going to be sad to see the Olympics are really over and done with. I've never felt this connected to the Winter Games before. I've always been an Olympic fan and have followed the games when they were on, but never this religiously. This year was so different, and I'm sure it has to do with the Games being on home turf. I'm not sure if the next Olympics will be as exciting and memorable. But I know these one's have been ones for the record books, in so many ways.
Before attempting to call it a night for a second time, I have to put down my key memorable Olympic moments from the past 16 days. This is how the Olympics have touched my life personally. Here are the moments I enjoyed the most, in my own life, during the run of the 2010 Games, in no particular order:
-Watching the Olympic flame go through our city (and not knowing, at the time, how much it was going to affect our lives).
-Having friends over for the Opening Ceremonies.
-Relaxing on the couch on that first full day and catching Alex Bilodeau win our first ever gold medal on home soil, and becoming instantly hooked.
-Grabbing our plates off the kitchen table, twice, to watch speed skaters win us some medals.
-Stopping a card game to watch the short track men win fourth place.
-Staying up past midnight to see Virtue and Moir skate their gold medal winning performance and get their medals.
-Watching the women's gold medal hockey game in Toronto: first two periods in a sports bar and last period in our hotel room, overlooking the CN Tower.
-Cheering for hockey, something I haven't done since my Maple Leaf loving days back in elementary school. And doing it over, and over, and over.
-Watching curling on weekdays when I wasn't working and sending Calvin text messages to inform him of the score while he was at work.
-Watching the gold medal game of men's hockey with Shawn and Jenn.
-Spending Wonderful Women Wednesday with my husband, jumping up and down and screaming wildly as we won medal after medal after medal in the span of only a couple of hours.
-Watching Kevin Martin's rink win gold while playing Scrabble with my husband.
-Seeing Joannie Rochette's bronze winning performance while lying in a king-size bed at the Toronto Regency Hyatt.
-Waking up to the Olympic Morning commentators every day and enjoying their antics, their stories and their highlights and recaps. It was a true pleasure.
-Crying every time I saw an "I Believe" montage.
-Being so very stressed for the athletes when they were so close to winning medals. Sitting on the edge of my couch, covering my mouth or my eyes and freaking out until the game was over and the medal was inevitably won (though, sometimes, it was lost).
There are so many more that I'm sure I have forgotten. These past two weeks have really been one event after another. It has been a wonderful ride. I'm so very sad to see it end. I really don't know what I'm going to do with myself tomorrow. I cannot imagine going back to real TV ever again. I miss the sports already.