Four Years

There are a couple of events that happen every four years. Elections, of course, which always feel like they last much longer with all the campaigning! Then Leap Years, of course, with the extra day in February that somehow feels like stolen time, in my opinion. And then... there is the best...

THE OLYMPICS!!!


I am a huge, HUGE Olympics fan. When I moved into this house with my new roommates and got cable for the first time in years (sweet, sweet cable!), I was secretly thinking how convenient this will be next year when the Olympics are on and I can spend hours watching the games in the evenings. I'm preparing to clear my schedule for any and all events.

Just kidding... but not if it's gymnastics, volleyball, boxing, track events, soccer, diving or swimming.

One of my favorite things to do in life is look back at how much my life has changed over specified periods of time. I'm constantly saying things like, "Exactly eight years ago today I got my first kiss" or "A year ago today we were driving to San Antonio (NM) just for a green chile cheeseburger". That's part of the reason I love the Olympics. Time moves so quickly that I often think, "Wow, the Olympics again?", but it's so fun to see how far my life has come. During the last summer Olympics, I was living in my sorority house. I spent days lounging in my sorority sisters' beds, watching the games and bonding. When Michael Phelps and crew won that four-person swim (by like, .000000001 of a second or whatever it was), I can remember how excited and hyped up we all were. It was so patriotic and inspirational and in that time, we were all just Team USA.

The summer Olympics before that saw me in my junior year of high school, where I spent hours and hours at Val's house with Adriana watching the games. I clearly remember thinking to myself, "Wow, the next time I see the summer Olympics I'll be in college!". In college, I remember wondering where I would be watching the next games... if I'd be in graduate school, if I'd be in a new city, if I would be in love... I had no idea that I would be so happy with a Boyfriend, the best dog ever, in a great, stable job in this economy. I had no idea that my friends that I spent my last two Olympics with (Val, Kaitlyn, Jess B, Trish) would still be in my life.

Beyond the memories, my favorite thing about the Olympics is the power that it has to bring us all together. For a couple of weeks, we are all hardcore Team USA fans. Michael Phelps was our hero. The Dream Team (with my personal fave, Michael Jordan) brought us so much joy. And on the winter side, the Miracle team (which inspired my FAVORITE MOVIE EVER Miracle) taught us everything we needed to know about belief in our country and in ourselves. I love seeing so many people chanting "USA!" and supporting our athletes. And since I'm already a sucker for team spirit, this is like high school pep rallies on steroids. I'm such a softie for patriotism!

I'm super excited to watch Michael Phelps/swimming and our gymnastics team represent the red, white, and blue, but I'm also excited because Boyfriend's Uncle Ric's boxer (he's a coach) Siju Shabazz is an alternate for the boxing team. He's such a great fighter and has such strong faith and such a great personality that I know he'll be a great representative for our country. I hope he has the chance to show that he is the best boxer in the world. And with my kind of country pride, you can only imagine how a hometown boy brings out the very best of team spirit in me! :o)

I'm sure I'll write more about this in upcoming months as we get closer to the actual games, but I'm too excited not to write about it! Yay! Four years later! Olympics! Woo!