The 29th Olympiad

The Olympics have always been an exciting time for me. I grew up with a family that considered watching the Olympics a must-watch nightly event for the entire duration of the games. I have always been enthralled by all the different back stories of the athletes--each has their own unique journey that bring them to a place where they hope to win a medal and make their country proud.

During these summer Olympics, I think I've hit the point of being obsessed. Obsessed with seeing the results 'live' (ok, well not really thanks to NBC's stupid West Coast time delay), which has meant that the entire last week I've stayed up past midnight every night to see who's going to win the gold in gymnastics or swimming. Needless to say, my boss started to notice on Thursday how tired I looked. But the bags under my eyes have been worth it. I've watched swimming, gymnastics, beach volleyball, diving, badminton, track, rowing, and yes, even the trampoline competition (seriously? this is in the Olympics?)

So far, the most exciting moments of these games have come from watching the women's all-around gymnastics final (I was ecstatic that our women took gold AND silver) and of course, watching Michael Phelps write history with his 8 gold medals. My stomach was in knots watching the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay---Jason Lezac came through at the last possible MILLISECOND to beat the French and win it for the Americans. Then there was last night's 100 meter butterfly race. Absolutely heart-stopping. The difference between Phelps' gold and Cavic's silver: one-hundredth of a second. The group we were watching with was all screaming at the TV and then was in disbelief at the photo finish. Some in our group did not think Phelps had done it. But the electronic touch pad doesn't lie...and Phelps won by literally the length of a fingernail. You couldn't ask for better Olympic moments than these. And to think, there's an entire week left...here's to more amazing victories yet to come!