Thompson Family Tidings: I LOVE the Olympics!!!!

I think I have always loved the Olympics. Since I was small and watched the Gymnastics portion. I thought the gymnasts were beautiful and elegant. And then there was Penny Haynes. She went to school with me in South Africa when I was young and was a phenomenal swimmer. She represented South Africa in the Olympics in Atlanta -- she won a GOLD in 100m breaststroke and a GOLD in the 200m breaststroke. She swam again in the Sydney Olympics and won a Bronze in 100m breasstroke. It was incredible to get to see her swim so many years later. She was an absolute hero in South Africa.

Then in 2000, I was in Australia during the Olympics. I went on a semester abroad with Harding and had an amazing time over there. We were so excited to get to tour the Olympic Stadium (where the opening ceremonies are held) two weeks before the games began. We got to see the Olympic torch during its race to the Olympic stadium. Once we moved to Brisbane, we were taken to a final round soccer match. We saw Cameroon take on Brazil...if you are into soccer at al you know what a match up this was. Cameroon won the match and went on the the game for the Gold medal. They ultimately won gold and it was so exciting to see them succeed. It was so much fun watching the HUGE swimming rivalry of America versus Australia. But the USA held their own and did us proud.

Bryan and I have both been super excited for the Olympics to begin. The day of the Olympics opening ceremonies, Bryan planned a special date for our little family. We went to the Little Gym, which is what we do every Friday. Then we went for a bike ride at Clear Creek. It was great to bike with Shawn along the river. Bryan had packed a picnic for us and we ate on the bridge overlooking the water. It's nearing the end of the summer, so there were a ton of young people tubing down the river, kayaking in the rapids, and out walking. It was a glorious day. Then we went home and made dinner. We packed it up and drove to our old stomping ground, Belmar. They were having a wonderful jazz band performance, that we enjoyed over dinner. Unfortunately, the band was rained out and we had to seek shelter in the nearest GAP store. Which was fun to have a little time to shop. We had Tivo'd the Opening Ceremonies and went home and watched it while fast forwarding through the commercials. Whay joy! :)

Here are some pics from the day:

Shawn and I on the bike.

Shawn with his new helmet. It has Mickey Mouse on it. I know it is super huge, but it is the smallest that we could find. I think Shawn spent most of our bike ride holding up his helmet so he could see! Shame! :)