Olympic Rings!!!

Wow - I'm totally inspired. I have to confess that I have an addiction to the Winter Olympics. When I was in University I had a poster that had mini versions of all the Winter Olympics up until 1988 (the last time it was in Canada) This poster was so important to me that I actually paid to have it framed.

This card above was inspired by a card I found on Stampin' Connection, but I have since been unable to credit the creator. If you can help me, please leave a post as to who created this card. Anyway, This is a warning, that what follows may NOT interest fellow crafters and you might want to give it a miss, but I need to ramble a bit here about my pride in the Winter Sports of the World. Maybe it has to do with the fact that my heritage is a hybrid Scandinavian and I have many memories as a preschooler of being up the mountain and learning to ski. My grandfather comes from Norway and they have a strong tradition of doing well in the Winter Olympics. My dad is Icelandic and had to learn English when he started school. He's a huge hockey fan. As a girl I always wanted to play hockey and had to endure hours of watching my brother play hockey. As an adult, I finally realized my dream and started to play hockey. My husband and I bonded over memories of specific hockey games memorable to Vancover past. We actually played hockey together on a coed team for 5 years where I was pregnant twice (and thus was really supportive on the bench), felt my first baby kick watching team USA play Team Norway at the world Junior hockey Championships at the Colisseum. (Where I first watched the Vancouver Canucks play as a young child) and watched my favourite local hockey team win the Memorial Cup when I was pregnant with my second child. And I watched the Junior Team Canada win the Junior World Cup in the most exciting moment of my life (while pregnant too).

Basically I LOVE WINTER SPORTS!!!!!

So when the Olympics were given to Vancouver I cried in delight! I am going to 3 hockey games and 3 curling events. I watched the opening ceremonies tonight with my children for the first time. I hope to do that every 2 years on from now on.

Yeterday I watched the Olympic torch as it went by close to my school that I teach at. And I was so sad that I was not able to be with my own children as they watched the torch go by from their daycare the day before.

I was downtown today with my husband and we reveled in the fact that we saw and heard sooooooooooo many people from foreign places. The energy of so many people excited to be in one place is completely overwhelming.

As I wipe back my tears for the fallen Georgian Luge athlete, and my pride in our Canadian Athletes, and my pride in the Opening Ceremonies which I watched twice - once on the Canadian feed, and again on the American feed - I am so proud that my hero Rick Hansen got to light the olypmic torch along with my favourite female canadian athletes Catrina Le May Doan and Nancy Green (who I actually met as a child) - (oh yeah, and with Wayne Gretzky and Steve Nash), I have gone through 2 boxes of kleenex at least, and I can't wait to see what the next 2 weeks bring.n GO CANADA GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!