Yet, Another GOLD!

Yea Canada!
Canada has truly been a trailblazer in women's hockey.
Another Gold to add to our medal count!

Last November, I finally gave up on the lottery tickets.
Two days later my niece emailed and said,
"I snagged some women's semi final tickets for you"
Who would of known?

So off we went to Vancouver with Vic & Chris,
my husbands sister and brother-in-law,
who were also given tickets for this event.
We enjoyed strolling Robson street, drinking coffee,
and seeing all the delights of the Olympics.

Time flew by and before you knew it, we were
following the crowd to Canada Hockey Place.

We found our seats inside...center ice.
We were greeted by thousands of spectators,
all wearing their red Canadian jerseys.
What a sight!

I loved the emblem of our Inukshuk engraved in the ice.

And they lined up and sang our National Anthem!
You could feel the excitement, energy and buzz in the air.

We proudly stood and waved our Flag many times.
The final score?
Canada 5 Finland 0

Jen is one enthusiastic athlete herself,
has played hockey, skis, snowboards, is a snowboard instructor.
You name it, she can do it!
Many times I challenged her about competing for the Olympics.
Last June we had the honor of attending her Graduation,
where she received her ND, Naturopathic Doctor.
Oh, by the way...she can even bake pies.

In my last blog, I told you all to book mark
Thursday, Feb.25 to watch the Canada vs USA!

Tonight we all sat glued to CTV...
all wearing our Olympic red mittens.
Many times we were anxious...but,
I reminded them to BELIEVE!

What a wonderful victory for Canada's Gold Medal.
Not without struggle...they all fought hard.
Haley Wickenheiser, captain is considered to be
one of the greatest female players of the world.

Kudos to Goaltenders, Shannon Szabados and Kim St-Pierre
one of the best female goalies of the last decade.
They played an outstanding defensive game.

Yes, there were honorable celebrities at this event.
Wayne Gretzky,Prime Minister, Steven Harper
and Gordon Campbell, our Provincial Premier.

My heart flooded with emotions as I saw them raise the Flag.

Yea Canada!
The women have achieved their Gold on their own turf.

I wonder if our men's hockey team will be able to
bring home another Gold.....

Summer or Winter Olympics?

Monday was another day...at the Olympics.

This time I will show you the streets of Vancouver,
in their natural, native beauty.
We have never had spring this early.
Is this really the Winter Olympics?
Clear crystal skies, with afternoon degrees up to 15'.

Cherry blossoms!

Rhododendrons

Forsythia

Pansies

Daffodils

I am proud that Vancouver can not only host the Olympics,
but it can also boast it's most beautiful scenic spring blooms.
On Monday we watched the Canadian girls, defeat Finland 4-0!

Who do you think will win the Womens Gold Medal Hockey Game?
CANADA or USA?
Bookmark this game if you want some action.

Thursday, February 25th @ 15:30

Today I enjoyed watching Canada achieve another Gold,
in the Ladies Freestyle Cross.

Congratulations Ashleigh McIvor!

Born and raised in Whistler.
That's as close to Canadian turf as we can get.

Keep cheering...
Go Canada Go!

Is this Really Vancouver?

We're here!
Standing like hundreds of others peering through
the fenced wire, trying to take photos.
Experiencing this site,
made me think of standing at the
Memorial Site of the WTC in New York.
There's energy, emotion and enthusiasm.

What a clear day!
It's so emotional standing here
thinking that this was lit in Greece in October
and carried all across our continent,
and today, Canada is hosting the Winter Olympics.
A strong historical tradition carried for years and years.

When we were walking downtown, mulling threw the crowds,
I said to J, "Do you think we will see any celebrities?"

He posed, and said, "What about me?"

Oh...the excitement of the games....
It doesn't stop.
Does it get any better than this?
Go Canada Go!

Way in the distance, I saw two other celebrities in the crowd.

Does anyone recognize these them?
I told you," There are some individuals
who are outstanding and in the making of Gold"

The whole time, I was in there, I felt like I was in New York.
I've been there several times and there is energy.
It was reported that Vancouver has been handling over
500,000 extra people every day.
Totally unexpected!
The weather is perfect and what else can we say?
We have some Gold Medals on Canadian soil.

The streets are packed, lined up and crowded for blocks and blocks.
I love it that many of the major streets have been closed,
because they are used as large fairways.
Only one thing...
I don't think they anticipated such warm weather,
otherwise Vancouver could of had outdoor coffee shops,
all over the place, just like in Europe.

We watched men's hockey game. Slovakia vs. Latvia 6-0!
Because of the loss,
the crowd started singing, in their European chant.
LATVIA, LATVIA, LATVIA!

I'm off to another game today...
Women's Hockey, Canada vs. Finland.
Watch CTV, and you'll see me all decked out in red.

So much for now.
Enjoy the Olympics and cheer for your country.

Somewhat disappointed in our mens hockey team...
But the friends and company made it a worthwhile evening.

Have a great day and I will try to give you short glimpses,
here and there between my trips into the city.

Fave Five ~ Celebrations Galore

Another fantastic week has flown by....

and here were are 7 days into the Olympics.
There were many highlights this week.

We started off by celebrating the Opening Ceremonies.

I knew I'd be spending too much time in front of the TV,
meanwhile, I made sure I had some yarn.
Completed another scarf.

I did not want to miss one moment of my favorite events,
so I set up my Island with all my work projects...
My Netbook allowed me to follow up results and schedules,
Photos were sorted, labeled and put into albums...
Laundry actually got folded...
but in the distance, I could hear and view the latest events.
Congratulations to our Canadian athletes who received Gold.
And one huge congratulations to Evan Lysacek for his
Gold in Mens Figure Skating.
One fantastic skate to victory!

I've been waiting and waiting, watching and running
to the mailbox daily for my Olympic tickets....
And finally they arrived today!

Still feeling the after shocks of birthday celebrations.
It's been a great week celebrating with family and friends.

Now if you want to join this FAVE Five group,
catch up to our gracious Host, Susanne.

Have a wonderful week.

One Unforgettable Day!

It started early Feb.13, 2010.

5:00 AM the alarm rings.

"What, this is my birthday?"
Getting up early?
Off we went!!
Whistler was our destination.

Our Pastor and Coach Driver,
both gave us the time of our lives.
"FUN FUN FUN" Bus Lines!
You can figure out the rest.
This was the last bus available to take a church group to Whistler!
FUN! FUN! FUN!
This described the rest of our day.

Free sailing, till our first road block.
What kind of Fun adventure would this be?

A fiery squad of RCMP, limousines, security, ambulances,
sped in front of us....
Who could the celebrity be?

So we followed behind this entourage!
Escorted to Whistler...we felt privileged.

Oh by the way,
I was so relieved to know, that we were using a charter bus...
They have washrooms, don't they?
"Oh, yes, Madame, only for emergency."
Shucks, no more coffee for me.


Upon arrival we noticed the Olympic rings.
Emotions filled our hearts.
Here we stood, just like many others, paying respect to

Nodar Kumaritashvili

the Goergia athlete who died during his luge practice run,
on Feb 12, 2010, the beginning day of the opening ceremonies.
My heart cries for his family, for his team, and for his country.

I enjoyed the day!( double click to see your country.)
There was energy and buzz all over the village.
I was ecstatic, texting, everyone I knew could understand text.
I, of course had the fun of playing paparazzi.
I love people watching and these are the countries
from which we encountered athletes and representatives.
Austria
France
Russia
Great Britain
Italy
Sweden
Australia
Iran
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
USA
Canadians
Volunteers
CTV News Broadcasting

If you know me,
I loved catching the energy of the little ones.
Too much fun!
Parents and children enjoying the Olympic spirit.

And guess who I saw at the end of the day.
Yes, to all my American friends, your.....
Vice President, Joe Biden.
And he said, Hello to us!
On my birthday!
Now we know who that celebrity was......
I learned one thing, that day....
"You don's mess with security."

What a historical day.
A day filled with emotions and events,
that have effected Canada for the rest of our lives.
Only to mention two Olympic Golds on Canada's territory.
This was a dream, come true, indeed.
This was truly One Unforgettable Day!
February 13th, 2010.

The Making of Another Gold Medalist!

There's been a Gold in the making for a few years.
We've been waiting to break this news for a long time.

Who would of known that the whole world
would come to celebrate our birthdays on February 13, 2010!

She was once, this young toothless little wonder.
Innocent from what the big world would bring.
Her safety net was her home.

We encouraged all our children to think about staying close to home
meanwhile helping out on the family farm.
Somehow milking cows was not her fit.

In high school she passionately played basketball,
only to find out that injuries occurred.
I remember the call...

Her first taste of the medical field began,
when she became the patient.
Now, I can see why she loves it...
I'm wondering how severe her condition looks.

Wouldn't life be easy if all patients could be so happy?
Now I can see why she chose the medical profession.

Today, she's reflecting, pondering and meditating.

Tomorrow she's flying high!
A quick call to let me know she has arrived at our local airport.
"Mom, Dad, Can you meet us for pie?"

Working casual in her profession has given her many opportunities.
If she was paid for travelling, she would be rich.
From the Philippines, to Thailand, Hawaii, to New York,
then off to Montreal, with Mexico for Christmas.
and then recently, off to El Salvador...
Do you ever plan to have REAL work?

Does she look like she's suffering?
I wonder what she's planning next.

Today she is proudly wearing her Canadian colors and wondering
if she would be eligible for that first Canadian Gold medal.
Somehow she's giving us the impression that there's a flame burning...
She's out to reach for it and she'll get it!
Congratulations on your new career position!
You've waited and it was worth it.

No matter what she tackles,
it's evident that she pours out her heart and soul.

Remember, one million people were born on our birthday,
which means, we're both, one two in a Million!

We are more than proud to celebrate Canada's Gold medal today!