~The Olympics~

There are a few things that I discovered about Rudy while we were engaged and I was at sea.  One of those things is his love of the Olympics.  If there was an olympic sport for watching paint dry, Rudy would diligently be fascinated by it.  He loves the stories, the struggles, and the victories, no matter who wins.  In the last few weeks we have watched recaps of past games, analysis of the upcoming games, and the olympic trials almost every time they have been on TV.  And in a few weeks when we depart for Shannon's wedding, we will be double checking our DVR to make sure we don't miss a minute of the action.

Now this is one of those little traits that you wouldn't know about my husband if I didn't tell you, and is one of the little non important things we have in common.  I happen to love the olympics.  Soccer, Gymnastics, and Figure Skating are a few of my favorite.  I still remember watching these two skate...

And I remember watching these games...

all while wearing my lucky commemorative olympic sneakers that I fought tooth and nail not to wash that summer for fear that they would loose their magic. 

Maybe its the fact that I can remember key memories from childhood in relation to the olympics that makes me cherish them so much.  Like my beloved sneakers, or my cabbage patch doll I named Mia after my idol.  Or the 1994 Olympics, when my dad brought me home the commemorative olympic dolls from his deployment in Norway.  Or the 2008 Olympics, when I had just graduated the week before and stood outside the Olympic Park in Beijing only two short days before I met my sister Shannon for the first time.  The olympics are bonded to those memories and so many more.  

  

And I hope that one day my boys will grow to love the olympics like we do.  That one day they will remember sitting around watching the moment one of their idols claimed gold, and the sheer excitement that they felt cheering for their country.  Rowen won't remember the 2012 Summer Olympics, but I'm sure I will remember something about him in relation to the games.

Last but not least I had to share the Olympic Mom commercial, which makes me ball like a baby every time I see it.  While I may not have been an olympian, it reminds me of my mom (and dad too) and how much they gave all in the pursuit of my dreams.