All That Glitters

Since the London Olympics began Friday, I have completely immersed myself in everything Olympics. I have watched every minute of coverage on NBC I could. starting tomorrow evening I will be limited on the amount I get to watch since I'll be leaving to go to College Station and stay with Lacey and will be staying in Huntsville after that in preparation for Shannon's wedding.

The "Fab Five" with their shiny new gold medals!

The good news is I have pretty much seen everything I wanted to see or was really looking forward to seeing. I always enjoy gymnastics and that is the sport I always want to watch during the Olympics. The only event I may really miss is the individual competition. My heart just broke for Jordyn Wieber when Aly Raisman beat her out for the second spot for the individual finals. That is such an unfair rule that only two gymnasts from each country can go to the individual finals instead of the top 24 overall, but that's not my job. Congrats to Aly and teammate Gabby Douglas for making the individual final! After that heartbreak it was good to see Jordyn smile confidently after finishing her vault at the team finals tonight. They all performed absolutely perfectly. Yes there were a few bobbles here and there but it was beautiful. The excitement when they over took Russia to become Olympic gold medalists was amazing. The whole area was cheering and I started tearing up for them. They represented the USA beautifully. Way to go girls! Jordyn, you got your gold.

Missy Franklin with her well earned gold medal.

I also have really been into swimming this year. First I have to say Missy Franklin did an amazing job and I love that she is dedicating all of her swims to Aurora, Colorado (She goes to school there). She won her first individual gold last night and broke the world record. Her parents reactions were wonderful.

Michael Phelps and his relay teammates who helped him earn that 19th Olympic medal.

Also in swimming I have to say I have been rooting for Michael Phelps and his goal to beat the all-time record for medals. After his disappointing 4th place finish in his first race everyone was doubting him but I had faith that he could pull it back. After getting a silver in both the relay on Saturday night and the 200 butterfly today, his medal count was 18, tying the record. The record was passed with a bang though when Team USA earned gold in the 4x200meter. No one else ever had a chance. The USA took off and never looked back. Truly amazing! What a spectacular accomplishment. I guess coming back one more time was definitely worth it. Way to go Michael!



Team USA earned a lot of new hardware today. Hopefully there are more to come.

Let The Games Begin!!

It's that time again! Last night was the Olympic opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. I must say it was spectacular. I always love the opening and closing ceremonies. It's always so spectacular. I'm a huge Olympics fan so every 2 years (Winter Olympics) I get super excited. I am undoubtedly a fan of Great Britain and many of my favorite things come from there. Now several people complained that the ceremony was too centered around Britain but isn't that what it's supposed to be. It is that country's chance to show the world what is important to them about their country. Some people can't just enjoy the show and move on.

J.K. Rowling reading from Peter Pan.

But anyways, one of my absolute favorite parts was the celebration of British literature especially because the author of my absolutely favorite book series, Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling, was a part of it. I also found the 20ft tall inflatable Voldemort both completely terrifying and spectacular. It was great to see two things I enjoy so dearly put together- the Olympics and Harry Potter. I honestly thought Conan was joking when he said last week there was going to be a Voldemort vs. Mary Poppins fight. Lesson learned-trust Conan. I also enjoyed the musical journey through the 60s-current. Some of the music I didn't realize was the product of Great Britain. I must say though, it was great to see her majesty the Queen with James Bond. What a great sport she is.

Voldemort vs. Mary Poppins

Team Netherlands

Team Norway

The Parade of Nations is always enjoyable although with the number of nations it is extremely long. Last night though was one of the quickest I've seen and, as the commentators said, it's probably because they were playing very upbeat music. There are always certain countries I enjoy like Ireland and the Netherlands. Team Netherlands ladies were dressed in blue dresses with a trench coat in their signature orange and I must say they looked awesome. I also like to cheer for Norway since I am Norwegian. Of course though my #1 team is Team USA! It's so exciting to sit and wait for your country to come out then cheer for them when they finally do. I'm hoping they do good. I'm looking forward to Gymnastics and Swimming. I really hope Michael Phelps can pull of 3 more medals to become the most decorated Olympian in history. Bring it home to the good old USA.

Team USA!

And with that I'll say Let The Games Begin!...And may the odds be ever in your favor! :)

A Dark Knight Indeed

The much anticipated The Dark Knight Rises finally came out this weekend and I was one of the many people who couldn't wait to see it. I honestly considered going to the midnight showing if there was one in our town. I ultimately decided not to which is good since my Dad would have surgery that next day and we had to leave our house at 4:30 am!!! He is doing fine and came home the next day as planned.

However thousands went to midnight showings all over the country and sadly one group of those people will remember that night more than anyone. It is truly terrible what happened in Aurora, Colorado. None of us can say exactly why this coward did what he did except himself, but no explanation will be enough because people lost their lives. No matter the reason, those people are gone and the lives of those around them are forever changed. I hear many people speculating about why this happened or what may have pushed him over the edge, but this makes me think of a quote from one of my favorite shows Criminal Minds. The gist of the quote is "You cannot explain an irrational action with rational reasons." What this man did was irrational, and if we try to use rational thinking to understand what he did we will never be satisfied. We all must have faith in our justice system that he will be punished for the crime he committed and ultimately judged by God who will give him the final punishment. We as a people must leave the punishment to the justice system and turn our focus to the victims. By honoring and remembering the victims we take away the power this man has, another tidbit I learned from Criminal Minds. I will follow the example of Jessica Ghawi's brother and refuse to use the shooter's name out of respect for the victims. They should be better known than him.

These are the people who should be remembered. Not the coward who took them away from this world.

With that said, I finally saw The Dark Knight Rises on Saturday evening with Cassi, Rob, Cassi's brother Tony, and their Dad. I was extremely pleased with the movie. It definitely lived up to hype. Anne Hathaway really impressed me as Catwoman. I was a little skeptical when it was announced she would be Catwoman but she did a wonderful job. It really shows her range as an actress and makes me like her even more. I would recommend it to anyone who is debating seeing it. Go! Totally worth it.

Part of Me

This past Thursday was July 5 and Katy Perry's Part of Me came out in theaters. I love Katy's music but I wasn't sure I wanted to see the movie. I'd seen the Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers concert movies and they were alright so I didn't know if I would want to spend the money to see a movie or wait until it came out. As it got closer I decided I really wanted to see it so I asked my other BFF Cassi and went to see it on Friday. 

I must say I loved it! It was fun and made me wanna dance. I love the bright colors and glittery costumes. I would totally wear her outfits if I had somewhere to wear them. I like to say that my celebrity fashion spectrum is Katy Perry to Taylor Swift lol. 

The movie was also moving, especially when it comes to the end of her marriage. My heart broke for Katy, but she is such a professional and loves her fans so much that she wiped the tears and put on a happy face literally seconds before going on stage. She could have said I can't do this but she did it for her fans.

I love the confidence and determination she puts out there. She shows her fans that they are worth something and they shouldn't want to change for anyone but themselves. She worked so hard for where she is now and that just shows you not to give up when someone tells you no. 

I would recommend it to anyone and her grandmother is hilarious!

Let Freedom Ring

So last Wednesday was the Fourth of July. It is significant to me for multiple reasons.

1. It is America's day of independence.

2. It is a purely American holiday.

3. It is full of fireworks, grilling, and hanging outside.

Another reason the Fourth of July is important to me is because it is a day to truly remember the reasons it is great to be an American. Now a days you constantly hear people bad mouthing America and how horrible of a place it is and how much they hate being an American. Well I, my friends, am PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! This is my country and will always be. There are so many things I love about being an American. The opportunity to do whatever I want with my life and stand up for what I believe in. Yeah someone might try to tear me down but that is their right to speak their mind too. Yes we are going through some rough times but the rest of the world is too. What truly makes me proud to be an American is when I hear stories of people who help out those less fortunate or going through tough times. It is beautiful to see others helping their brothers through tough times. No man left behind. I know this is more a combat phrase but what if we all treated others this way. I'm not saying every body gets equal but just saying that we should help people get back on their feet until they can walk on their own. I've heard people say when they go to other countries they don't like to say they are from the United States. I think that is ridiculous. That is like saying you are embarrassed by what you are. I will always proudly say I am an American citizen because that is what I am. 

So normally I don't really do anything on the fourth but this year I had a wonderful fourth. Tim came into town with his roommate Lisa and we all went out to Freedom Fest on Fort Hood with his brother Derek, Derek's girlfriend and his friend Ethan and their Mom. In all the years I have lived next to Fort Hood, and that's all 23 years of my life, I have never been to see the fireworks. The main reason Tim wanted to go, and therefore I got to go, was because Kelly Clarkson was performing. I must say that was definitely a good reason to go. We had so much fun even though it was hot. We went on one ride which I laughed the entire time and then went through a fun house. We also waited in line for like an hour to get lemonade. 

Kelly Clarkson was great. She fractured her foot so she couldn't really move around the stage like she normally would but it was still a great performance. She sounds just as great live as she does on her albums. She even brought a soldier up to sing with her. After Kelly performed was the fireworks display. They were really pretty. I love watching fireworks. I don't trust myself to shoot them but I love watching them lol. 

Over all it was a great night and we had a lot of fun hanging out with each other.