Day: August 7, 2016

Good morning from Rio! Church was so amazing here. It was very different but I loved it. We got completely lost going to the cathedral. I won’t mention why (It was my fault, I was not listening to directions) but anyway Lol We got there in time, sat for Mass. I got to do communion today which makes me very happy. I lit 2 candles and prayed. Then we left. We have tickets for 2 events today. Rugby and then Weightlifting. I wish we had tickets for Basketball or Gymnastics but those are so hard to get. Maybe next time we can score some of those.

We also have to pack because we are on a red eye back to Chicago tonight. Lindsay will sleep at my place Monday then head back to Vegas on Sunday.

I will update my blog tomorrow. Too much going on today to do it. I also need to pack my Macbook up.

We just ate. We are getting ready to go to her cousin’s last practice round that we can see then we are hitting the beach for an hour. I swear she has us on such a tight schedule every moment seems planned. Which is great because we are able to do a lot each day.

Can I just say how exhausted I am. I really did not recover from my Greece trip. I am missing my boys so much and happy to be going home soon. The other thing I’m really excited about is stealing songs off of Lindsay’s iPhone Lol She has great taste in music. The exact same stuff I like. I have been introduced to some really cool new artists. I have a few songs on repeat. I listen to music every single day. It keeps my mind busy.

Off we go. Have a great Sunday!

God loves you, I love you, Lindsay is not very fond of any of you Lol Oh well.

GO TEAM USA!!!

Friday we watched a soccer game. It was really different from the American soccer games we have went to. I’m not much into soccer but Lindsay loves it. We cheered on the team we thought would win. They were the favorite between the two teams and they lost. It was heartbreaking. It was really close too. We had a great time with all the fans around us. Our first Olympic event and already we were getting razzed for our country spirit Lol It was fun and a little scary at some points. We were getting boo’ed to our seats then everyone around us were chanting Zika. I had no idea what that was about, neither did Lindsay.

Then we googled it and apparently our women’s goalkeeper Hope Solo had said she was worried about contracting the Zika virus while playing in Brazil. She made a comment that no one liked. It is a legitimate worry but not necessary to speak out loud right before going to another country. That’s like me crabbing about the bad water in the first hotel I was at in Greece. Not very nice to say to a publication.

We bought up some soccer souvenirs then head back to the hotel. We probably had 3 wardrobe changes a day.

Then the Opening ceremony which I already wrote about.

Saturday we watched Field Hockey on a blue field just like Boise State college football Lol Then we went to the swimming. Ooooooh the swimming was so exciting! We took some great action photos. Our seats were finally front row and we could see everything. We were holding up a USA Flag and the camera guy did shoot right at us once so we might have made it on tv somewhere we think. Maybe not. The swimming was really cool because it was always so close. There was never a clear winner. I really wish we had more swimming tickets to go see those events. I really enjoy them a lot. We don’t. I think next time we need to get more swimming tickets.

So much fun down here guys. I hope some of you get to hit an Olympics or if you already have you know what this feels like. Such pride to be American and so much fun. Everyone has been really great. Even the boos because of my American shirts and hats are just all in good fun.

Why does Australia not get boo’ed ever Lol Lindsay said it’s because Australians are all about having a good time and they aren’t trying to be snooty and power hungry. That part is true. She also said Australians aren’t trying to kill the whole world or each other for feeling disrespected. I don’t know about that. She said there is only about 250 gun violence deaths a year in Australia. I did not know that. She said that’s about a month in Chicago for gun violence which is true. It’s really bad in Chicago right now. The gang are getting really violent on each other. I don’t even go to the south side anymore. It scares me.

Tomorrow we are going to Church. I am so excited! The cathedral I picked out is gorgeous. I can not wait to experience Mass in Brazil again. I have done it 3 other times and I’m really excited!

We also have 2 more events to go to tomorrow. I can’t wait to see how things go.

I think we have won 1 gold so far. A young girl won the Gold for Shooting. I can’t believe how well she has done. I looked up what she competes in and it’s really, really hard. I’m a great shot but I could not do as well as her. Congrats to Ginny Thrasher!

Very proud of you. GO USA!

Our first full day we were just excited to be among the crowd. We walked around and started buying up all of the Olympic gear we needed to haul back. We each bought another suitcase just for our souvenirs. We have a bunch of folks back home that asked for tshirts, hats, or things. We had to write it all down so we got it all.

We made it over to her cousin’s practice rounds, made sure we said bye to her and good luck then we took off. Olympic park this time is huge and very well laid out. It is literally all right together which makes it very easy to navigate. I don’t speak Portuguese but Lindsay speaks Spanish and can get us by with her mixture of knowing a few phrases of Portuguese. I tried to learn it before we got here but I had too much going on. I didn’t get time to learn anything but a few words. We shopped all morning of our first day. Then we went back to the hotel to get ready for the night. We took a nap because all of the other Opening Ceremonies we have been to are minimum 4 hours. And most of the time we are standing up, clapping, shouting, or singing along.

Our seats were 2nd level. That’s the closest we have ever been before.

Finally it’s time to make our way to the stadium.

• Tickets – check
• Sunglasses – check
• Ear plugs – check
• ID – check
• Ready to party Brazillian style? – CHECK

We had to wait in line to get through security. I put all of her money in my wallet so she literally had nothing to carry in to make it much easier for us to get in. We planned on buying stuff after the ceremony to carry it back to the room. We immediately hit the bathrooms, grabbed drinks and snacks then went to find our seats.

HUGE STADIUM! Wow the first time we walked up to see the whole thing it was amazing. Kind of like the very first time I saw the Nebraska stadium from the inside. Took my breath away. We high fived, grinned, and found our way down to where we belonged. We started taking photos right away. We did a few Periscopes to start out. Then sat and waited. The entire stadium was a white floor. We waited and waited. Finally they announced it was 20 minutes to start.

The live event was an hour before NBC television time so we were seeing everything way before most of all of you. Unless you watched it on the BBC Channel, then you saw what we saw. What we found out was the audio was bad. We could not hear what was being said at all. We could hear murmurring. Which was disappointing. But everything was so loud we had in ear plugs. The fireworks are very very loud from inside the stadium. They were cool but every time I could feel it in my chest and kind of scared me when I wasn’t prepared for them to light off.

Let me get to the best part of the ceremony. The people we were sitting with. They love their country! We were surrounded by Brazillians as well as a few Canadians. We danced with them, passed snacks around, got each other water each time one in our little group was going down to the bathroom or for drinks. It was like a little party of our own which made the entire thing better.

The beginning of the ceremony was pretty emotional for all of them. And the progression of Brazil’s history was very, very cool and interesting. The interpretation was so cool. Seeing it like we did we didn’t get to see the whole thing only the stuff that was closer to our side. Then came all of the dancing and watching everyone go nuts when Giselle started walking. Honestly that was not easy on her at all. I know she was very proud, very happy to do her catwalk but you guys didn’t see how long that walk really was Lol In heels! She should get an honorary medal for that. Everyone around us was jumping up and down when she came strutting out, whistles, and clapping. It was a big moment for all of them. Then the other parts of dancing and finally we get to the countries coming out.

The USA Team was going to be in the E section. I asked Lindsay why and she said I dunno who cares, WHERE”S MY TEAM Lol She was so excited. She was completely decked out in Australia hat, tshirt and socks. As soon as the Aussies were at the beginning waiting to come out she was jumping up and down. And all of the people around us were high fiving her and clapping for them. She was so happy to see how big her team was and was talking mad shit already to everybody telling them it was their year to get all the Golds Lol It was hilarious.

Then came my team.

USA USA USA!!! We were all chanting together and WOW what a team we have this year guys! I didn’t know at the time but later on tv I saw it’s over 500 atheletes! WOW! It was so cool seeing Michael Phelps, our Greatest Athelete of all time, carry the flag. We got some really good zoomed in photos of that part. Well the best I could do.

And we waited and waited. I knew that as soon as the Brazillian team came out our seatmates would lose their shit Lol And they all did. They were jumping up and down and already started in with their country’s chant. It was so much fun! We were jumping up and down with them. They had flags waving over our heads and screaming at each other. Very, very proud people! It made it so much fun.

Then things calmed down. We sat down for a few minutes finally. My legs were cramping up. I’m getting old guys Lol We waited a few minutes then it was time to stand up again. The closing part with the 5 rings, that was so cool from where we were at. The Speech was pretty good but I had no idea what he said. Then finally the runner comes in. The crowd went nuts as soon as they saw who it was. I did not know his story. That part I wished I had been watching it on the tv because I had no idea who that was. Lindsay asked and they said it was a guy who got tripped up in earlier Olympics. I really thought Pele would be there. I really didn’t know who this guy was but watching him go around and everyone’s reaction, that was cool! The torch was lit, the place went nuts and we had a blast. I was not better than the Sydney opening ceremony we saw years ago. I can honestly say that one was the all time best. So creative and cool.

I can not wait to see what Japan does for their ceremony in 4 years. Of course I will be going to that one with my sons! And Lindsay. It’s become a tradition now.

We made some new friends. We told them all where we were staying and said stop by anytime. We exchanged numbers then realized it’s easier to exchange Twitters Lol So we did that, added them all in to my Twitter and then walked out.

We bought up so much stuff guys. There was an entire separate gear set for the Opening Ceremony so of course we loaded up on that stuff. We were singing, dancing and having a great time leaving. We got back to the hotel on a huge adrenaline rush. We didn’t want to go to bed, so we went out Lol And we had a great time. We found a club, we danced and had a few Cokes. No alcohol. Then decided to get back. It was really late.

We had already seen 1 event. Which I will blog about in the next one. We both got some really cool photos and videos. They are on my Facebook and going to be on my Flickr by tonight. I have so many photos to upload on there. Geez, I take way too many pictures.

Just found out Russell Westbrook is staying in OKC to play for the Thunder! YES! Today is a great day!

Good morning from Rio! Oh boy what a night!

We got into Rio on Friday. We got to our hotel and checked in. Thank goodness the reservation was there. I had a dream on my Greece vacation that our hotel overbooked and we lost our Olympic room Lol Lindsay and I are sharing a room which is no big deal we’ve been doing that for years. Not because we can’t afford 2 rooms, it’s because she takes off on me and I can’t find her. So she suggested years ago when we are traveling as a pair to share the room that way I can either go with her when she takes off to explore or I can at least know when she’s sleeping. She tends to sleep until noon from being out until 4 or 5 am when we travel. Ben could not make it on this trip. He has already taken off too much time from work, he really didn’t want to go, and he had plans for this weekend. He is having a bunch of his family come out and stay for the weekend. It had been planned since last year around Christmas time so he had to honor it.

There’s only a 2 hour time difference for me so this isn’t killing me. The Greece time difference was very hard. I’m still probably dealing with a little of that. As soon as we got into our room we started putting our Team clothing up in the closet. Every Olympic games her and I compete on who has the biggest country spirit Lol I went all out this year! We are not the head to toe clothing people. It’s more about the tshirts and socks game.

I am a proud American. I have all kinds of American shirts, hats, socks, even a pair of red, white, and blue shorts I’m pulling out for our last day here. I was trying to figure out what to wear for the Opening Ceremony.

Lindsay is a very proud Australian American. Her mother was Australian her dad was American and she has dual citizenship. But if you ask her she’s all Australian. Especially at the Olympics Lol So out comes the first outfit so we could go meet up with her cousin, look around and grab something to eat. Also to buy room snacks. She has lost a lot of weight which I am very proud of. She has been eating a lot of vegan stuff but mostly she has watched her portion sizes as well as a lot of exercising. She hasn’t joined a gym yet but she said she wants to tone up by walking first then she will. She is almost at her 3rd goal weight. Once she hits that she will start in with the weight training.

Out she comes in an ALL Australia get up. Head to toe and she’s laughing. We took a selfie then I took a few photos with her phone to send to our iPhone Group chat. I decided to throw on a USA flag shirt that has an eagle flying right across the chest with the wings at an angle and wrapping around the back. I bought it at a truck stop in Iowa of all places. It’s pretty epic. She was dying laughing.

We got down to the lobby and already started hearing the comments. People were laughing and giving us thumbs up. The people in Brazil are so friendly and always happy. They smile at everyone and seem to really enjoy hosting the games this year. I’m so happy to know we are safe and have good clean places to hang out at. I was a little worried because all of the bad press Brazil was getting.

We did not see any of the protesters but we heard and saw on the tv they were there. We started looking around. I had a local map that helped us find places that were still open. Her cellphone works like a champ here. Mine, not so much so that’s been a challenge. We found the place her cousin told us to go to still open and serving food. We decided to get the sampler platter to try a little of everything. I got a Coke she got a Diet Coke and we found out the food in Rio is really, really good. So flavorful. I loved it. The salsa down here is very different from the salsa I have been eating for years. It was a lot better and less salty which I like.

We met up with her cousin and a few other athletes and hung out. They tried to get us into the Olympic village but that’s a no no. We tried Lol So we let her go to get some sleep, did a bunch of pictures and Periscopes with her and her friends and a few other athletes then we walked back.

We started walking around a little but I told her I was a little worried because it was already so late and we probably should walk around in the daylight first so we can see where things are. She didn’t want to but she agreed because she was pretty tired.

We got back to the room, she crawled in her bed, I crawled in mine then we started talking about what we wanted to do in the morning. Both really excited.

The whole reason she is here is to watch her cousin practice for the Equestrian events she is in. This is her 3rd Olympics she is competing in and it’s kind of a big deal both for her family but also for her country. She is not one of the well-known Equestrian athletes but as I was told by her the horse is the athlete she is just the guide. So she can literally compete every year until she doesn’t want to anymore. Which is pretty cool. If we had more time we would be able to see her compete. We have tickets for it but neither of us can stay that long. We mostly wanted to be here to support her Opening Ceremony stuff and to just enjoy a few of the events. Although there has been 1 small discussion about staying.

We have tickets every day. We are leaving on Monday afternoon. We will be able to see 5 events. I’m really excited about it. I have no idea what one of them is but Lindsay said I will get hooked just watching it because it makes no sense Lol I can’t wait.

We have been doing a lot of Periscope videos. They are on Lindsay’s Periscope channel. We are getting better at them. She has such a quick sense of humor and it’s hard for me to stop laughing before she makes another joke that really gets me going. The comments are hilarious. People can comment right there on the screen as we are filming. It’s really cool. And it lets all of our families and friends see what we see. Technology is advancing.

We are heading out to our first real event. I am so excited! It should be fun. I hope everyone watches the Olympics tonight and gets into the spirit. I am working on an Opening Ceremony blog but I ran out of time right now. We had a lot of fun and met some very cool people!

GO USA!