Looking Back

Thank you to all of you who shared my Olympic experiences with me by reading this blog, and a special thank you to those of you who commented on it, using the blog, Facebook or E-mail. It will be a great keepsake but I was also inspired to write knowing that family and friends were sharing in our experience.
I hope to add photos when Iain arrives with our camera, this weekend, and am also supplementing my memories with newspaper articles and photos. NOTE: Virtue and Moir's photo graces the front conver of the March 8th addition of Macleans magazine and there is an excellent article on them on the inside!

When Vancouver was announced as the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics, 7 years ago, Iain said we are going! Thank you so very much to my dear hubby for making this Olympic experience possible for both of us. Son Jamie, being the sports fanatic that he is, and fiancee Karen, also have been saving their pennies, for a long time, so they could make their Olympic dream come true. Colin's new job in Calgary made it possible for him to attend and he took some of his precious few days off so he could live the experience too. Iain and I and treasured this special time with the three of them.
We did miss Graeme and Caileigh very much! They were living the experience,watching the TV at home - Graeme with his roommates and girlfriend, Laura, in St. Catharines and Caileigh, with niece Lindsay,in Ancaster.
I kept close touch with them, through texting, and with many of my family members. Jamie liked to tease me about always having my cell in my hand,(and even has an incriminating photo of me) but it allowed me to have the other people I love close at hand as they watched the events on TV.

The Olympic Moments that really touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes:
The first gold medal winner, Alex Bilodeau, and his brother.
Virtue and Moir's gold medal performances made even more special by our personal family connection to them.
Joannie Rochette's bronze medal performances so soon after her Mom's sudden death.
Sidney Crosby's game winning Gold to capture the gold for Canada's men's hockey team.
From the time we arrived, on Thursday Feb. 18th until we left on Sunday Feb. 28th, Iain and I witnessed 2 Gold Medal performances (Virtue and Moir and the men's Team Pursuit Speed Skating team) and were in Vancouver for 20 other Canadian medal wins - WOW!

The spontaneous singing of our beautiful national anthem, on so many occasions, also brought tears to my eyes. I am so proud to be a Canadian and so are many other Canadians, as we witnessed in Vancouver, around Canada and around the world! These Olympics games brought our country and cultures together, like nothing else I have ever seen before. We cheered, chanted, laughed, cried, sang waved our flags and 'highfived' all together all week!
Thank you Vancouver, to all your wonderful volunteers and to all our talented athletes, who made this all possible for all of us whether we were there or watching at home on our television sets! A truly uplifting, memorable and cherished experience!
GO CANADA GO!