8-8-08

Tonight is the night. It begins. Important enough to have an hour and a half "stressful discussion" on how to properly connect the TIVO to the new digital cable box -- not a fun discussion after work. But, it's done, it works and let the TIVOing begin!

I love the Olympics. I really do.

It all began in '84. My best friend's dad had tickets to most of the swimming events. We were swimmers and lived for the pool. I think he bought those tickets so far in advance because he thought she might be there in the pool. As the summer approached and in a moment of TRUE GENEROSITY, her dad decided that he didn't want to go... Lord knows why...but he offered the trip to me. Talk about cool. Now mind you I was the oldest and talking my parents into letting me go to LA for a week was difficult. "It is a ONCE IN A LIFETIME opportunity!" "Something like this will NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN in my lifetime!" (Cough cough)

I used them all. Now before you think they sent us off innocent and naive, cough cough, we both reminded our parents that we had just finished our freshman year of college and were quite almost self-sufficient.
It worked.


We were off. Off to LA. Two suburban, southern girls ready to face the world. Hoping to meet Olympic athletes and movie stars. Tales of the week are a blog post unto themselves. It truly was a once in a lifetime thing, because when would I ever be able to experience something up close like this again?


A few years later we would all cheer to hear that the 1996 Olympics would be held in "THE CITY OF ATLANTA". I would get to experience it again! Not as much as my Olympic giving friend who would dance in the opening ceremonies. No, I would be back in the suburbs this time, pregnant with # 3, my electric boy. But experience it I did. The world was here and it was COOL.

So tonight, I will be sitting on my butt, TIVO remote in hand, ready to watch the world AGAIN. This time the games are a little farther away. I will happily sit with Sean and watch rowing -- though nothing is more exciting than watching rowing, except for maybe Olympic Paint Drying. But I love my boy, so sit there I will. Ready to watch the world again. To let my mind wander back to the carefree days of '84 when we had a rented gold convertible Camaro (good southern girls ya know), a pocket full of tickets and hearts full of dreams.