Games On!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am an Olympic freak. Addict. You have no idea.

Friday, those wonderful notes sounded...duhhh, duhhh, da duh duh duh...and I had that feeling that can only be described as giddy like a little schoolgirl. I love all of the sports...swimming, track, basketball...as well as the more obscure sports like ping pong, synchronized swimming, and archery. I can't explain why but I just love it.

I remember the first summer Olympics I watched...LA 1984. Carl Lewis and the men's gymnastics team. That was followed by Seoul 1988 - a summer spent watching Janet Evans tear it up in the pool. Barcelona 1992. Dream team. Enough said. Atlanta 1996 - bombs, rednecks, and Kerry Strug hobbling off the vault. Love it. Australia 2000 - the Thorpedo. Greece 2004 - the introduction of Michael Phelps. Gimmie more.

So what do we do the first day of Olympic competition? Trek on up to Mt. Hood's Ski Bowl for Jose's company's annual picnic. The only problem this year, aside from my Olympic withdrawals, was that it was freezing. Rain and cold...here's Luis and the kids looking miserable...


Okay, the kids weren't totally miserable. Perhaps they're trying smile therapy. Or it could be the ice cream and hot dogs they had just eaten.
Course, Mason was thrilled because Ski Bowl is the place with the go-karts that he can drive all by himself...

And just look at that concentration, as though if he dared to break a full smile it might cost him the big race. This driving thing takes focus and determination, nothing to be taken lightly.

And Siena found the ball pit. Her favorite place to be.

Mason liked the balls too. Especially throwing them at me...

And the wet canoe ride. They were still happy.

Mason eating his bun. No, no hot dog. Just the bun. Don't ask me.

So here's how the conversation went before we left the house:

(Me): I packed sweatshirts for me and the kids.

(Luis): Okay, good idea.

Upon arriving at Ski Bowl:

(Luis): Didn't you pack a sweatshirt for me?!?

(Me): I thought you were a grown up...

So he had to buy one ...

Siena LOVED her hot dog!!

Okay, it was wet. It was cold. I missed 5 hours of Olympics coverage. But it was worth it. The kids had a great time and as a result we had a good time.

Oh, and our racoon friends apparently procreated this spring. There are now 3 racoon kids that have taken up residence in our backyard. Of course, Luis is obsessed with our racoons so he chased them around the yard late one night in an effort to score this picture.

In other news, we had dinner at my parents house tonight. Steak was good, company was good. At one point though I accidently rubbed my eyes and popped a contact out. I'm thinking, no problem, dad has been wearing contacts for years. I'll just grab some of his solution and pop the thing back in. I went into their bathroom and sure enough, there was a bottle was right there next to the sink. I clean out my lens and pop it in. All I can say is that pouring lighting fluid in my eye would have felt better. Thinking that my hands must have been dirty, Luis cleaned it a second time and I tried it again...burn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Turns out he uses some weird crap that you have to leave the lenses in overnight and is not to be put directly into the eye.

Well, now I'm blind and look as though I have a nasty case of pink eye. Good times.