Once Upon a Time...16 years ago.

I am an Olympic junkie. Winter. Summer. It doesn't matter. I love all the events. Even curling. Yes, curling is one of my absolute favorite winter sports, and I never miss seeing the USA team. And yes I understand how it works.

 But when it comes to summer Olympics, I love love love swimming and Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings. Every time that Misty and Kerri play, I find myself on the verge of a heart attack. The fact that in their Olympics careers they have never lost a single match, let alone a single set leaves me on the edge of my seat with every serve and spike.

Legends.

 In Beijing, I was all about team Phelps. That said, I am also on team Lochte this go around. Not to jump on any bandwagons, but I just got hooked on Lochte's "this is my year" attitude. I was glad to finally see some fire out of Phelps today in the 4x200. To hear him cheer at the end of the final, was bone chilling. Props Michael. Props.

I mean he has and American Flag grill. What more could you ask for people?

Now that I've spilled my nerdy Olympics guts...I feel I should somewhat justify this nerdiness. When I was 10, 16 YEARS AGO!!!!!!!! (ugh.) I was in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1996 Centennial Olympic games in Atlanta. I was selected from my elementary school to join other children, ages 6-12, from the metro-Atlanta area to participate in the ceremonies. At 10 I had NO IDEA how big of a deal this kind of was. That makes me sad. I would give anything to be given that opportunity again now that I have this nerdy/emotional obsession with all things Olympic. But I digress.

So since everything was super uber secretive, I was shuttled from a local elementary school to the Olympic stadium all summer long for hours long practices. I also wasn't allowed to tell my parents anything about what went on at the stadium. Not to be put out, the IOC made sure we got pampered. We got to keep all of our practice gear, along with our ceremony costumes and we were sent home with those wonderful and oh so coveted limited edition PINS! Gasp!

If you watched the Opening Ceremonies, and you remember the white 100 and the flying dove that was formed on the field during The Call to the Nations, I was one of those tiny little kids that was dressed as a floppy white Pringle. I was the bottom right corner of the second zero, and the front/bottom line of the right wing on the dove.

If you watched the Closing Ceremonies (which I'm surprised how many people don't...but the Spice Girls are performing this year so you better BET I will be glued to the TV...Ziggazig Ahh.) I was one of the little children in the various white, much-more-normal-than-a-Pringle outfits, who held a flashlight, sang Power of the Dream (serious flashback to the 90s!) and formed the Atlanta torch emblem.

Oh, and don't worry, if you missed either of the ceremonies in 1996...I got some youtube for you right here. You're welcome.

 The Call to the Nations
Summon the Heroes
 Power of the Dream

Now I'm not writing this to sound conceded, but I just think that Olympics are such an amazing and beautiful thing that allows people from all over the world to put aside their differences and come together, if only for 14 days, and show that even while competing, we are all the same. Feel the flame forever burn ;)

Ok so. If you don't watch the Olympics...WHAT THE HECK IS YOUR PROBLEM??!!! Stop reading this and go watch. Now. For real.