Thank You London for the Inspiration!

I'm terribly sad the Olympics are almost over! I don't know what I'll do with myself. (Maybe get something done!) The whole family has been really enjoying piling together on the couch every night and watching until the wee hours.

One thing the Olympics really has done is inspire us all. I am amazed each day hearing the struggles that some of these athletes have overcome to get to the games. Oscar Pistorius, for one has won our hearts with his story of growing up with amputated legs. What an amazing woman his mother must have been. He recounts the story of her not tolerating any special treatment for him growing up. "She said 'Carl, you put on your shoes and Oscar you put on your prosthetics, and that's the last I want to hear about it.'  I didn't grow up thinking I had a disability. I grew up thinking I has different shoes."

Oscar on his blades. via NYdaily News

Oscar cleans up pretty good too. :)

That part just blows me away. As a parent I see how much my boys are inspired by these stories and the seeing what hard work can bring. The Olympics are nothing else if not a hugely motivating testament to what the human body can do if we want it to and work hard enough! My kids are all ready to be runners and gymnasts now. They marvel at what athletes can do. And what about those more senior Olympians? Hey, people it's never too late! Some of the best were in their late 30s, 40s, and even 50s!  As we discover more about keeping our bodies healthy as we age, we can in turn keep competing in life, sometimes with more knowledge and finesse than the very young. The human body is a truly fabulous thing.

Nike

Some of the moments and people that inspired:

Beach Volleyball gold medalists, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings.

Kansas City.com

I love these girls for so much. For Misty being older, for Kerri coming out of retirement after having kids. I love them for showing young American women a healthy body image. Gorgeous is healthy, fit and not perfect and not surgically implanted.


I also adored:

Canadian Synchro Team. Washington Post.com

Loved synchronized swimming.

thegrio.com

Wasn't track and field great? Sonya Richards-Ross at top and Allyson Felix above. Usain Bolt was another super human and super funny.

Jamaican runner Usain Bolt!

The British dressage team with their gold medalis. time.com

Dressage was the surprisingly one of the most fun sports to watch. Loved seeing the event in the park.

Sweden's Sara Algotsson Ostholt on Wega. Dressagenews.com

NYtimes

bloomberg.com

So happy about Brit Andy Murray getting the gold! It was about time and how nice at his home games. In fact Team GB did brilliant, as the English say. A ton of talented people from Great Britain for sure.

Serena and Venus did us proud as well!

Tennis SI.com

How about the U.S. Women's Soccer Team?  Yay us!

Gymnastics has become beyond difficult. These kids are also fearless. U.S. Team

U.S. Swimmers. Missy Franklin (left).

Missy Franklin did pretty darn good for a high schooler earning us five medals, four were gold. Not bad for a Summer vacation activity!

Another wonderful thing is that this is the first time women outnumbered men on the United States Olympic Team. Between the soccer, volleyball, gymnastics and swimming we may have medaled more too. A great article about women in the games I stumbled upon is here. You may not have noticed but more women from Islamic and Muslim countries are participating. One such young woman was Wojdan Shahrkhani of Saudi Arabia in Judo.

Washington Post.com

Called a prostitute by her own countrymen she prevailed and her appearance is a triumph for Saudi women. Likewise Sarah Attar who ran the 800, below. This coming from a country where women still cannot vote or drive. The article above tells a bit more about how the IOC pressured Saudi Arabia and a few other Islamic countries to include women on their teams. This can only serve to raise women up in these countries and hopefully push for more freedom. Go Olympics!

And if it wasn't enough for lovely London to host these games they have provided their own sweetheart and world cheerleader, the darling Kate Middleton, or as they are now calling her, Princess Kate, which seems to be sticking. How great a fan was she and I think we love her even more now! See below a few shots of her during the games. She seemed to be at almost every event. The girl must be exhausted.

I can't wait to see the closing ceremonies. I loved the opening ones, especially the Queen and James Bond skydiving in. My kids died laughing over Mr Bean.

Thank you London! This had been an Olympics that I will never forget! You did yourselves proud!

What did you love the most? 

Enjoy the last weekend!

Kim