Journey to Vancouver 2010-Diary of a Fan

Celebrating A One Year Anniversary

2011-03-04T16:24:00.004-05:00

I don't know what the traditional present is for a first anniversary but this year it was Gold. On February 28, 2011 a bunch of us from Twitter gathered at Real Sports Bar and Grill in Downtown Toronto to mark the one year anniversary of the now historic Canada vs USA Hockey Gold Medal game and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony.
We had been talking for some time on Twitter about what to do for the anniversary. @Todd_W finally took the initiative and booked a reservation for us. Most of the people who attended had met on Twitter, some of us were in Vancouver for the Olympics, some were not and just came out to join the celebration.
Its funny to think, out of all the people there, most of them I hadn't even known at this time last year. Now on this day we came together to celebrate an event that we all had shared in different ways.

One half of our group at Real Sports.

The bar was showing the Men's Gold Medal game on their gigantic screen when we got there. I had planned on watching it but then got to talking about my Olympic adventures with all who were there. Shortly after arriving, an anchor man with CP24 came over to our group, decked out all in our Canada gear, and asked us to come join him for a live segment they were shooting from Real Sports. Finally my chance to be on TV! We all said where we were for the game. I was at BC Place watching the game on the screens while we waited for the Closing Ceremony to begin. Most of the group had watched the game with family or friends, some at home, some at a restaurant or bar. I have to say it was pretty fun to be on TV talking about the Olympics again. After the interview I called my parents to get them to watch it and tape it. I have yet to see the footage but I am sure our group came across as die hard Canadian loving fans!

One of the few people from my Olympic days I had not yet met was @MolsonTonia. Her and another Molson person were in contact with me quite a bit last year. Tonia even had Molson lanyards shipped to me to include in my loot bag. Tonia happened to be at Real Sports as well that night and we finally got a chance to talk. She also brought some hockey jerseys for prizes.

The jersey was a prize for Olympic trivia.

A special celebration was also going on at Real Sports in addition to ours. Molson and CTV were also hosting a anniversary party. Some members of the Women's Hockey team were present. For fundraising, bags with various Olympic paraphernalia had been assembled and available if you made a donation, which of course most of us did. A hat, scarf, tee, pin set and DVD set of the hockey games made it the best donation I've ever given! Now I can watch both Hockey Gold medal games in full whenever I want!
Some of the Olympic attendees brought their photo albums and I had fun looking at their photos and listening to their stories. I still don't know too many people who were at the Olympics so it was nice to hear someone else's stories for a change.
It was such a fun night, hanging out with Olympic people always is. Lots of talking, lots of laughs and lots of memories. That is what the Olympics is to me now with tons of new friends to share it with.

Other members of the group. Fun time for all.

Here is the video from our interview on CP24.

If you are on twitter, our hash tag for this event is #Van2010reunion. Special thanks to @The_JMoney for letting me use some of his photos. If footage of the interviews gets posted, I'll be sure to include the links here.

Goodbye 2010: I Will Miss You

2010-12-30T18:53:00.001-05:00

It’s hard to believe 2010; the year of our Vancouver Winter Olympic games is almost over. It’s also hard to believe it’s been about 10 months since those Winter Olympic Games took place. I kind of don’t want it to end, 2010 has a nice ring to it. Even though the year is coming to an end, the memories and the friendships still live on. Recently I’ve met some more Vancouver 2010 fans who were also at the Olympics. For us, we talk about those games as if we just got back from our trips. It’s been great to reminisce and hear about other people’s experiences. I have certainly had my share of telling my stories, ones I never get tired of talking about. I remember every moment of our trip and the experiences leading up to it. This time last year I was getting ready to welcome 2010 with open arms. At last the year of the Olympics was about to start. And now I feel a bit sad that it is almost over. I’m sure 2011 will be a great year but it doesn’t have the same ring to it, or the same kind of significance.

People often ask me what my favourite moment was. It is very difficult to pick only one, the entire experience was incredible. If you were to push me into picking one it would definitely be seeing Canada win the Gold medal in the Figure Skating Ice Dancing final. To go to your first ever Olympic event and watch Canadians like Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir skate amazing and win gold, I almost can’t even find words to describe it. For my Mom, brother and I it set off a chain of events that entire week that would be magical and better than anything we could have dreamed would happen. To be there and be a part of it while it was unfolding was amazing.

Leading up to our trip I often wondered if it would all be worth it. Would it be worth the money, the time, the planning and the stress? Yes it was, it most definitely was. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I have absolutely no regrets about any part of our trip. It was worth every single penny. I consider it to be the highlight of my life. When will something else even begin to compare to this I don’t know. When it does I know it will be quite extraordinary, because to have been a part of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games was a dream come true.

Happy New Year. Wishing you all the best for 2011.

Christina Wallaert

Two Months Have Passed

2010-04-29T21:06:00.002-04:00

Has it really been just over two months since I left Toronto for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics? It almost seems like a lifetime ago. Two months isn't that long but it feels like forever. I guess with the change of seasons, it makes it seem further in the past than it actually is. I'm holding on to whatever feeble Olympic spirit remains. There are some people that I'm seeing for the first time since coming back. Obviously they are asking about my trip and I get to relive it every time I tell the stories over and over again.

Some great Vancouver people that I met through this Olympic stuff have been kind enough to send me souvenirs that were on sale. I went so crazy collecting pins, I forgot to add to my key chain collection that I've had for years. Thank goodness for kind hearted people like Robert and Gary. Both of them have sent me packages in the last month with some items they purchased for me (which I reimbursed them for) and some other little things that couldn't be bought at retail stores. It's been fun to come home and have an Olympic care package waiting for me. It's great that I had friends who could take advantage of those sales for me.

I also have the problem of trying to figure out what to do with my Olympic leftover's. I have trinkets from the Torch Relay, my Olympic tickets, a various collection of souvenirs, extra pins, tons of photos. What am I going to do with all of it? For the paper stuff a scrapbook is a must. I've had that in my head to do for awhile. Maybe I can do a scrapbook that combines my blog posts, pictures, ticket stubs, boarding passes? When my Mom unpacked she put all that stuff in my bedroom at their place. If I had to stay over there, it would be a big problem. The bed is covered in stuff. For now, I'll pack it away until I decide what I want to do with it. It may take awhile to figure out how I want to document all my memories.

As fun as the Olympics was, the one thing I would love to recreate again is the spirit and unity that was apparent in Vancouver. It is the one thing I make sure to tell people about. Watching their faces as I try to describe it, I can see they get it when they all do a silent "wow". I'm happy to know that this visual of Vancouver 2010 can be painted in their minds.
I feel sad that there are only memories now, the events are in the past and there isn't this exciting uplifting event to look forward to. I try to keep perspective about it. I was lucky to have been a part of it at all. To the degree that I was a part of it is very special to me. I will remember this for a long time. It's been some of the happiest, fun filled days of my life. There are so many elements to it that made it special from the people to the torch relay, Olympic events, our great athletes and my family and friends who cheered on my Olympic efforts with as much enthusiasm as they did the athletes. Yes it was a great time in my life. It is hard to be sad about that.

How long until London 2012?

Back To My Real Life

2010-03-16T21:34:00.002-04:00

I’ve been home for over two weeks now. Vancouver 2010 is sadly becoming a distant memory. Last week when I returned to work, it was great to relive the experience over and over again as co workers wanted details on what it was like to be there. I find it very hard to try to get across the look and mood of what was happening in Vancouver. Hopefully a bit of it gets across. It was so amazing to be there I hate to think I can’t do it justice in trying to describe it to others.
One of the things I’ve been asked by almost everyone is, “What was your favourite moment?”. I usually respond with it was all my favourite, how could it not be? There wasn’t anything that I would have changed about the trip. But they all want to know what my one most favourite moment was. After some thinking, I finally started to say watching Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir win a Gold medal for Canada was my favourite moment. How lucky am I to have seen that? There are so many events over so many days, it is really luck and chance that you will be in attendance at a medal event and see your country win Gold. It was great to see the young couple skate a flawless performance, to experience it with a whole arena full of people who made more noise than you ever thought possible and an absolute thrill to see them awarded their medal and sing O Canada with them and everyone else in Pacific Coliseum. So if you’re making me pick one moment, it is that one. If you haven’t already you can read my previous post about it here.

Virtue and Moir on the podium with the Gold Medal

Flags being raised during medal ceremony for Ice Dance

It has also been interesting to hear from friends and colleagues who watched the Olympics on TV. Most people that I spoke to said they had never watched so much Olympics ever. They were glued to the TV and raced home from work to see what had happened during the day. I’ve also heard stories of people out running errands and everyone they saw wearing Canada apparel. Flags were flying on cars, people were celebrating all of our athletes achievements. It’s nice to know that Olympic Canadian spirit was carried throughout the country. Vancouver 2010 was a great event for our entire country, not just people who were present in Vancouver.

Another question I get asked is if this is the end of my Journey to Vancouver 2010 blog. No it is not the end. Post will definitely be more infrequent now because the Olympics are over but there will be things that I write about. For one, I have a shopping post I need to do, pin traders I need to write about and there will be ongoing stories and posts about the new friends I have made and are staying in touch with. I want to show people that Olympic spirit does last beyond the 17 days of the competition. For one, the Paralympics is going on right now. I’m very interested in seeing all that I can from that. I was at the Torch Relay in Toronto on March 5th and I saw the Opening Ceremony and some Sledge Hockey games on TV this past weekend. And after the Paralympics are over, what will occupy my time? Well it’s time to devote attention again to my Not A Shopaholic blog. It’s the first one I started and it’s been ignored for a long time while I wrote this blog and my contributions to Inside Vancouver.ca. Not A Shopaholic stems from my shopping adventures and a deep desire to find unique items whether in apparel, accessories, home decor or anything. So if you miss me and come here and there isn’t a recent update, visit me at Not A Shopaholic.

Vancouver 2010 was a wonderful experience. It was worth all the money that I spent to go there. I would do it again in a heartbeat. And there is always London 2012. I put my name in to volunteer so we’ll see what happens with that. And it is not the Olympics but the 2015 Pam Am Games in Toronto will be a big event for us. I hope to be involved with that in some capacity, either as a volunteer or in a paid position having to do with buying or merchandise. Don’t worry, there will be lots going on to distract me from the fact that my trip of a lifetime is now over and in the past. I am actually curious to see what future things stem from this Olympic experience. I know there will be something. ;)

Thank you so much for reading. It is a huge compliment to me that people read this and actually like it! I’m very flattered that you enjoy my writing, that you tell me I’m a good writer. Thank you so much for sharing this experience with me and being so supportive. It wouldn’t have been half as much fun if I didn’t know there were all of you cheering me on and coming on this ride with me. Love you all.

Paralympic Torch Relay - Toronto

2010-03-07T22:17:00.001-05:00

On Friday, after only being home from Vancouver 2010 for a day, I decided to head to downtown Toronto for the Paralympic Torch Relay. The Paralympics will begin on March 12 in Vancouver, BC. The Torch Relay and Celebration was held at Nathan Phillips Square, same location as the Olympic Torch Relay Celebration back in December.

Guests of Honour included Toronto Mayor David Miller and David Onley

This Torch Relay is a bit different from the Olympic Torch Relay. For one thing is it smaller and shorter in duration of time. It began on March 3rd in Ottawa and will end in Vancouver on March 12th at the Opening Ceremony. There is no ancestral home for the Paralymic flame so Vancouver 2010 has created their own ritual for the lighting of the flame. There will be 10 community celebrations up to March 12th. "Ashes from the 10 community Paralympic Torch Relay fires will form the foundation for the final fire to be lit by a Musqueam First Nation fire keeper. The final Paralympic Flame will be lit from this fire and will be used to light the Paralympic Cauldron at the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games at BC Place". (Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay)

In Toronto there were 40 Torchbearers who carried the flame around Nathan Phillips Square. I met up with Cindy, a Torchbearer from the Olympic Torch Relay, who I met through my blog. She came down with her son and we all showed our support for the great athletes about to take part in the Paralympics in just over a weeks time.

Cindy chats with Cynthia Mulligan from City TV

Luckily it was a beautiful, sort of warm day in Toronto so we were able to stay outside for the duration of the celebration. Entertainment was provided throughout the entire Torch Relay and you could try out Sledge Hockey on the ice rink. RBC had a booth where you could get your photo taken with the Paralympic Torch. It differs in colour from the Torch we saw during the Olympic Torch Relay. It is blue in colour, with the Torchbearer uniforms matching the colour of the Torch. The red mittens they wore also had a different design on the front.

Paralympic Torchbearer uniform and Torch

I really wish I could also attend the Paralympics as I think their events would be amazing to watch, especially that Sledge Hockey! That looks so hard. Ticket prices are very reasonable and there are some left for certain events. You can check out the Vancouver 2010 site to see what is available.
If anyone is going to be attending the Paralympic Games and wants to send me posts on the experience, I will publish them on my blog as guest posts under the senders name.

For all photos from the days events, click here.

Trying out Sledge Hockey at Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, ON.

Making Friends at YVR

2010-03-07T21:02:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday when we were at the Vancouver International Airport waiting for our flight back to Toronto, I thought I would check out the Coca Cola Pin Trading Centre. Either I'm a glutton for punishment or my curiosity gets the better of me. I had decided not to try pin trading any further, those traders don't seem to like my wares, but I wanted to check out what these traders had. I do find it interesting to see their collection of pins up for trade. It is cool to see how many different ones are out there.

The last gentleman trader I spoke with was very nice and we chatted for awhile. After a few minutes and I swear this actually happened he said, "You look familiar. Do you write a blog?". Seriously. I was recognized as a blogger at the Vancouver Airport. There are tons of bloggers out there and I was certain he must be mistaking me for someone else, but he knew my blog very well. We chatted some more, he gave me a pin, I gave him Ontario and Gastown pins because that is all I had with me. Where were my Canada Loot Bags you ask? Packed in my checked luggage! Dumb me. I did still have my camera with me and made sure I took a photo. This may never happen to me again and I had to capture the moment. Plus Andrew was a really nice guy. It's too bad I only met him as I was leaving Vancouver. I definitely would have traded pins with him. So he is added to my list of Vancouver Olympic friends. If and when I make it back to Vancouver (maybe this summer?), we will have to have a reunion and break out our pin lanyards for old time’s sake.

Andrew and I at the Vancouver Airport location of the Coca Cola Pin Trading Centre.

Good Bye Vancouver

2010-03-03T13:17:00.000-05:00

March 3, 2010

This will be my final blog post from Vancouver, but I hope not the final post on the Vancouver 2010 Olympics themselves. We are leaving for the airport in a few hours. Unfortunately the Olympics are over and it is time for us to return to Toronto. Even though the Olympic events have ended, I really hope the spirit of them has not. Coming into the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, I had no idea what to expect from Canadians. We are known as modest people, quiet in our love for our country and support of our athletes. I really thought I would go to events in Vancouver and there would be a minimum amount of cheering. Was I ever wrong about that. The energy and noise from Canadians at events and in the streets of Vancouver was huge! I think the entire world and Canadians were taken by surprise at the level of enthusiasm we exuded during these games. Countless people had Canada flags draped around them, maple leaf tattoos on their faces, Canada apparel on pretty much everybody and a complete willingness to show and tell others how much we love Canada. Complete strangers in the street were your friends, so many high fives, hugs and “Go Canada” passed around the streets of Vancouver. I have never seen anything like it and may not ever again. I don’t even think I am doing a good job of portraying what it was like. It was so special to be here and be witness to these Olympics Games, the athletes involved and the people who supported them.

To be in an arena and have the noise level drown out an announcer is something I never thought I would see. I have sang O Canada more times the last two weeks than I can even count. I sang O Canada in the streets of Vancouver, on public transit, at Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Robson Square, at Olympic events when Canada won Gold medals and even when we didn’t.

Any where we went, we spoke to the people around us. People were so thrilled when I gave them a Canada Loot Bag. I’m happy I could provide them with another memento of the Olympics in Canada. I will miss the friendliness of people at the Olympics. It is one thing I hope continues on. For a short period of time, we made an effort to talk to those around us when we were in line ups, on transit or at an event.

This entire experience has been a special part of my life. I miss it so much already. I’m not sure that I will ever experience anything like this again. There will be other Olympics but I don’t think they will be like this one, at least not for us Canadians. To have been a part of it is an honour. I hope everyone can experience the level of Canadian pride I saw and felt during Vancouver 2010. Yesterday on the news headlines I saw the IOC had praised the people of Canada and Vancouver for “extraordinary embrace of the Olympics”. I think that describes it brilliantly.

I leave for home sad that this is over yet thrilled that I was able to be here and participate. There isn’t anything I would have done differently. To the City of Vancouver and all the people who were a part of my Olympic experience you will always have a very special place in my heart.

Day After the Olympics In Vancouver

2010-03-02T12:50:00.001-05:00

March 1, 2010

Well, they are not wasting any time on the streets of Vancouver, already venues and pavillions are being torn down. We walked passed Robson Square today. It was all roped off and the tear down was in progress. Streets are open again which is a good thing for the people in Vancouver. It looks like the mass exodus of people they were expecting was true. I hardly saw any Olympic people out on the street today. In fact I’m pretty sure I was the only one wearing red mittens. We headed over to the Bay Olympic Superstore and for old times’ sake there was a line up to get in, only about a 30 second wait. It was still busy in that store, looking at it you might never know that the Olympics had ended the day before. I had a pin to exchange and headed over to that area. I thought I would try to trade pins once more at the Coca Cola Pin Trading Centre and again was shut down by the collectors, quite rudely in fact! Most Olympic people I have talked to have been so nice, these pin traders not as much. I guess they look at it like a business transaction and if they don’t want anything from you they have no need for you. I think from now on I’ll only trade with friends or others who approach me. It’s not like I am a serious collector or am hunting for particular pins. I was looking up some of my pins and it seems like they are pretty good ones. They were not available to the general public and there were only a certain amount produced and distributed usually to employees. Guess I’ll hold on to these for awhile. I exchanged my pin and we moved on.

From the Bay Superstore, we went to Robson Street. I wanted to do a bit of shopping before I left Vancouver and Robson Street seemed like a good place to start. One store that I really liked and would fly back to Vancouver to go there was a store called Plenty. It was a well merchandised store, had a good assortment of price points and the staff was very attentive which is a nice change. I tried on a bunch on things and only came away with two tops. One sweater I’m still on the fence about. I’m going to look them up and see if they sell online, at the very least I’d like to get a list of the lines they carry and try to locate them in Toronto. Went into a few other stores and looked at shoes. By this point I was exhausted even though it wasn’t very late. I think the pace of the Olympics was catching up with me. Or it could be the cold I got a few days ago. We headed home to have some down time before tomorrow. I also had a few blog posts that I needed to catch up on, particularly my Closing Ceremony post.

I’m meeting up with some Vancouver Olympic friends for coffee in the morning. We can talk about the Olympics and pretend it’s not over! In the evening I'll have to start packing for our trip home on Wednesday. :(

Day 17 - Vancouver 2010 Closing Ceremony

2010-02-28T14:00:00.005-05:00

February 28, 2010

Before Closing Ceremony

I knew this day would come at some point but I feel like I was only at the Opening Ceremony a week ago. It went by so fast and now we are getting ready to head out to the Closing Ceremony. The instructions changed and we are now supposed to be in our seats at 3:30 pm and at 1:30 pm they are going to be showing the hockey game so we need to get there much earlier than we thought. We'll be able to watch the end with tons of others inside BC Place!
From our condo we can see the people making their way into Canada Hockey Place for the Gold Medal Hockey game. There has been a steady streams of people since about 10am. There has also been a road hockey game going on for the last hour. Road closures gives them more opportunity to play. It has been a lot of fun looking out the window and watching them play.

After Closing Ceremony

Today was a bittersweet day for me. I was thrilled to be going to the Closing Ceremony but sad because this meant the end of my great Olympic adventure. We arrived at BC Place around 2pm and they already had the Gold medal hockey game on the big screens. Everyone was looking at that screen. The mood was pretty jovial until USA tied the game near the end of the 3rd period. When Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal, everyone in BC Place went nuts. We sang the nation anthem along with everyone else and people were taking photos of images on the big screen. It was a great ending to an already great Olympics. At times it felt like the whole game had been scripted to end well for Canada. It was an exciting end to our Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

As for the Closing Ceremony, I thought the beginning was hilarious, genius actually. When we arrived at the stadium and saw only 3 arms up again on the Olympic Cauldron, we wondered what was going on. I thought they were going for consistency and soon found out I was wrong. I'm sure many people didn't like it, I thought it was clever. Something did go wrong in the Opening and rather than pretend it didn't, it was made into a parody for our Closing Ceremony. I was so happy that Catriona Le May Doan finally got her turn to light the cauldron.

Flagbearers enter the stadium first.

As for the rest of the Closing Ceremony, what can I say other than another great job. John Furlong made a great speech and was halted by the crowd with their cheers when he mentioned our fabulous hockey team. As always, fine words about the 2010 volunteers (who were outstanding) got lots of cheers. The flame was extinguished and I wasn't as emotional as I thought I would be. I have a feeling if my family hadn't been there with me, I might have been more of a mess. It is sad to see this great event end, but I have such wonderful memories from it.

Trying on our moose ears during the audience participation rehearsal.

Before the Ceremony began, we had another audience participation rehearsal. One of our props was to be used during a segment called "Made in Canada". I remember thinking, "I wonder what that is going to be". After the handover to Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympics, we found out. This segment poked fun at some of our Canadian stereotypes yet also showed some of the things Canada is most known for like our Royal Canadian Mounted Police, hockey, moose and beavers. Personally, I liked it. It was as Canadian as our Native origins and maple syrup. If you don't have much of a sense of humour, you probably didn't care for it. I bet you never thought seeing giant moose and beavers would be so much fun. I hope you got a good sense of how huge they were on TV.

The athletes enter the stadium together during the Closing Ceremony.

After that, the musical talent performed. I felt that it was geared towards a much younger audience. Given all of the musical talent in Canada, I think they could have had a bit more variety. This part we couldn't see very well. We were seated right behind the large stage and the other stage was at the other end of the stadium, very far away. The good thing is you really only had to be able to hear them. One of my favourite sections were the hip hop dancers when k-os was performing. That part was also a bit difficult for us to see because they were so far away. I'm looking forward to seeing that part on TV.

As we headed out of BC Place onto the streets of Vancouver, we heard people cheering and car horns blowing. The hockey game had been over for hours and the party was still going on. We can home, dumped out stuff and went out for a walk. I wanted to see what was going on. It was pretty wild. There were more people on the streets than I had ever seen during the Olympics, everyone was in a great mood and people were high fiving anyone including police officers, hugging people and even dancing around. It was great.

On Granville Street celebrating our hockey gold medal win.

This whole Olympics Canadians had been showing a never before seen level of Canadian pride, winning the gold medal kicked that up a notch and was displayed all through the streets of Vancouver and from what I understand all across our country. Way to go Canada, I knew you had it in you to win gold after gold and to show the world we are as proud as anyone else is of their country.

What an amazing end to a completely amazing Olympic Winter games. Way to go Vancouver, way to go Canada, way to go World!

Uh oh, I think the tears may start soon!

For today's photos, click here.

The family at BC Place before the start of the Vancouver 2010 Closing Ceremony.

Day 16 - I Don't Want Vancouver 2010 Olympics to End

2010-02-28T13:53:00.002-05:00

February 27, 2010

It was another early morning as we made our way back to Vancouver Olympic Centre once more for Curling, this time for the Bronze medal match between Sweden and Switzerland. I wasn't sure who to root for since Canada wasn't playing. I decided to go with a majority rules scenario. If we were sitting with lots of Swedes in our section, root for them, and vice versa. Turns out Canadians in the crowd still outnumbered any other nationality and in the end we cheered for any good play by either team.

Despite not having a vested interest in the outcome of the game, it was a great curling match. At one point the skip from the Sweden team had a 4 rock take out. It was so amazing! No matter how much I watch curling, I'm in awe of some of the plays teams at this level can do. On my curling team, I'm happy to be able to throw up a decent guard that is sort of close to where my skip wanted it to be.

This game was much quieter than the ones we saw on Thursday. I guess that shouldn't be surprising. If Canada had been playing this morning the crowd would have been raring to go. In the end, Switzerland won the game and again it had come down to the very last rock that was thrown which seemed to happen a lot in the matches that I saw. You had to feel sorry for Sweden. They played so well.

One of the great things about Vancouver 2010 is that you are likely to start talking to anyone at anytime anywhere you are. On the Skytrain home from the Curling venue, it was crowded so my Mom and I stood most of the way. When the train started to clear out, some young boys took the empty seats. The Mom teaching her boys manners and how to be a gentleman, asked the boys what they would should do. It seems they have been through this before because they both knew they should offer their seats to someone. When the Mom inquired who they would ask, the boys came right over to my Mom and I and asked if we would like to sit down. We both declined and thanked the boys for asking us. I started talking to the Mom because I've never seen anyone teaching their children that. We talked for a bit and I gave her a Canada Loot Bag for the kids. They had visited the Ontario pavilion here so they had heard of Ontario and were so happy to have the pins. Then I thought it would be wise for the boys to each have their own Loot Bag. Turns out this was a good idea because they had already had fights about pins! They were very grateful and pulled the pins out of the bags right away. It has been nice to have my Canada Loot Bags to give out to people and provide them with some memories of Vancouver 2010.

We headed home in a hurry to make sure we saw the start of the Men's Gold Medal game. I was so nervous for Kevin Martin and team! That was a close game as well and eventually Canada won which was a great moment. We all laughed when we heard John Morris say to his teammates, "We did it boys"! That statement pretty much sums it up. It was another great moment for Canada athletes and Canadian history.

In the evening we headed out to Molson Canadian Hockey House. Someone had given me tickets for tonight and on the schedule was the Bronze medal hockey game and Colin James performing afterwards. It was a really fun place to hang out. I can only imagine what it is like in there when Canada is playing a game! I'm sure it is completely nuts! I started talking to two girls who were cheering on Slovakia. From them I learned this would be the best finish in an Olympics for the Slovakia hockey team. Even if they didn't win the bronze medal, that is quite an accomplishment. I gave them Canada Loot Bags and they took out all the pins and put them on their Molson Canada scarfs they had won. Looks like Olympic people love pins of any kind!

After the game Colin James came on stage. That was a great performance. In my younger years I was a big fan of Colin James but had never seen him live. I rarely see anyone live anymore and this was a nice treat. The hockey house is a small venue compared to a stadium which also makes it more interesting to watch. I can't believe how close we could get to the stage! My brother doesn't dance at all so we found him a place to sit down and I danced!

The emcee announced that some special guests would be showing up soon. I danced some more while we waiting for these "special guests" to show up. Time passed and we eventually decided to call it a night. As we were about to get our coats, the emcee came on stage and on the screens they were replaying the end of the Men's Curling Gold Medal game. Did this mean the special guests were our Men's Curling team? No way! Indeed it was Canada's Gold Medal champs in Curling, all onstage except for Kevin Martin who was supposed to show up later. The medal ceremony was replayed and everyone in the Hockey House sang O Canada at the top of their lungs. It was amazing. I never thought so many beer drinking hockey fans would be so excited about a Curling medal but they were! I can't believe we almost missed that, I would have been so mad at myself. When that was over we did leave but not before I accosted “Mo's Bro's” over by the drink ticket kiosks. John Morris is a member of Kevin Martin's team and I have read that his nickname is "Johnny Mo". I guess Mo's Bro's were big fans of his. I had seen these guys at the semi final match and thought their T-shirts were hilarious. I'm still not sure if they are related to John Morris, friends of John Morris or groupies of John Morris. If anyone knows their story can you email me and let me know? I will include it in this post if I get an update.

Singing O Canada with the Canada Men's Curling team.

Loved the all white suits on these guys. They high fived everyone walking by them.

The infamous Mo's Bros at Molson Hockey House. All I have to say is why don't guys in Toronto look like this, and why don't more guys who look like this follow curling?

Click here to see the photos of the day.

Thanks for reading everyone. I can't believe it is the second last day and this amazing time is almost over!

Canada Medal Results

Jasey Jay Anderson - Gold in Snowboarding Giant Slalom
Men's Speed Skating Team - Gold in Team Pursuit
Men's 4 Bobsled - Bronze in Bobsleigh
Kevin Martin's Team - Gold in Curling

Day 15 - Hockey Gold Medal Game Decided

2010-02-28T13:14:00.002-05:00

February 26, 2010

There are two Men’s Hockey Semi Finals today and I have tickets for one of the games. Unfortunately it wasn’t the Canada game, we saw USA vs Finland. You would think that at a semi final level, the teams would be pretty evenly matched. This didn’t seem to be the case in this game. USA came out in the first period and got 6 goals, some within mere minutes of each other. To my amateur eye, it seemed like Finland wasn’t prepared to put up a good fight against the powerhouse USA team. I was hoping for a good game, close score and evenly matched to keep the game interesting. It was kind of boring though. After the first 4 goals, people weren’t even getting up to cheer anymore.

The crowd rallied behind Finland, giving them encouragement and chanting “Go Finland Go” but it didn’t seem to do much good. They were able to score 1 goal in the last period which wasn’t going to do them much good at that point.

So USA moved on to the Gold medal game and later in the day we found out that Canada will be their opponent. I think there are a lot of people who wanted the Gold medal hockey game to be a USA/Canada showdown.

At night we attended our first Victory Medal Ceremony, the last of these Olympic games to be held at BC Place. In Vancouver they awarded medals for the Men’s Aerials and a cross country event. As we were heading into BC Place for the medal ceremony, hockey spectators were heading into Canada Hockey Place for the Canada vs. Russia semi final. There were a lot of people going through security and it is probably the longest I’ve had to wait in a security checkpoint here.

There weren’t any announcements made on the Canada game for awhile. We were lucky that a guy in the row in front of us was regularly checking the score and shouting it out to the people around him. If people didn’t hear it, we passed on the message.

After the medal presentations, Great Big Sea took the stage. It is the first time I have seen them perform and they were awesome as people told me they would be. I moved my brother over to my seat so that i could dance in aisle. We were sitting in almost the last row of our section so there weren’t too many people behind me so I could dance the night away without blocking anyone’s view. I don’t know if it was because we were so high up or because the stadium is like that, but it was really hard to make out what was being said when people were talking on the microphone. I was at BC Place for the Opening Ceremony and didn’t notice a problem. This was set up a bit differently and that may have been why. The concert was over around 8:30 pm and was way to short! If Great Big Sea comes to Toronto again this year I’m going to go even if it means going by myself.

I wanted to see the Olympic Cauldron and the Olympic rings in the water at Coal Harbour at night all lit up so we headed there after the Victory Ceremony was done. I’m glad we went. The Cauldron is impressive during the day and it is even more stunning at night all lit up. It looked like it was glowing. Night was also a good time to go because it wasn’t as crowded. I was able to get some really good pictures. It was harder to get good pictures of the Olympics rings because they are out so far but I think I managed to get a few good ones. My brother and I were recruited to take some photos of groups of people and in return they took some of us. My favourite was a girl who pulled a Quatchi out of her bag to hold in the picture. I could have stayed there all night looking at the Olympic Cauldron and rings. Call me a sap but I took video of the burning Cauldron to watch later on after the flame has been extinguished. I’ll loaded the video onto YouTube and inserted it below. I have a feeling I won’t be the only who wants to see it.

By this time it was known that Canada had beat Russia and were moving on to the Gold medal game against the US. To say people were in a good mood is an understatement. People were shouting out “Go Canada” and “We want Gold” or they were high fiving strangers in the street, on the Skytrain, basically anywhere you went. When we were at the Olympic Cauldron we could hear people yelling in the streets. It is amazing to see the pride of Canadians during these Olympics. I wasn’t sure we were capable of such grand displays of patriotism and now I know we are! I’ve never seen so many Canada flags in my life or sung our national anthem this many times in one week.

The Vancouver 2010 Olympics are winding down. I’m sad that it is coming to a close and happy that I was able to be here to be a part of it. Tomorrow my Mom and I are going to the Men’s Curling Bronze Medal game. Our Canada Curling team goes for gold tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be glued to the TV for that one.

You can find pictures from today by clicking here.

Canada Medal Results

Women's Curling - Silver medal
Charles Hamelin - Gold in Short Track 500 m
Francois Louis-Tremblay - Bronze in Short Track 500 m
Men's Short Track Team - Gold in 5,000 m relay

What a day Canada!

Day 14 - Hurry Hard to the Curling Semi Finals

2010-02-27T02:52:00.002-05:00

February 25, 2010

It was an early morning as we had to get to Vancouver Olympic Centre for the Women's Curling Semi Final at 9am. I have to say out of all the venues that we have been to, this one was the most disappointing. I had taken my eye contacts with me to put in at the Centre when I got there, it was too early to put them in when we left. I didn't think it would be a big deal, find a washroom when we got there, wash my hands and put in my contacts. Guess what, there are no real washrooms here. There is a room with portapotties and on the way out a machine that dispenses hand sanitizer. To say I was grossed out was a understatement. I can't believe they don't have proper washroom facilities, something as basic as soap and water is pretty standard. Washing your hands is good hygeine. It also seems like this is a temporary structure. It was basically curling rinks that had been created under a tent. There is no choice but to grin and bear it, but really as far as making an impression goes, this one does not. If I never had to go there again I would be happy. Unfortunately I do have to go there again.
Despite these initial problems, the Women's Curling team did not disappoint. It was a great game and it came down to the last rock to determine the winner. Cheryl Bernard and her team moved on to the Gold Medal game. I had heard a lot about the level of noise at the curling rink and people making noise during curlers getting ready to throw their rocks. There was a bit of that but for the most part the crowd was respectful and kept quiet during the rock delivery. After that though, there was no stopping the noise. All kinds of cheers from "hurry hard, go Barnard", Canada cheers in response to the Swiss cheers (they were our opponents) and stomping feet on the bleachers.

I spent a good part of the game explaining how it was played and scored to a young man sitting beside my Mom. I didn't really think anyone else was paying attention until the game ended and a woman in front of me thanked me for my details. She said she understood so much more now! Happy I could help. I told her I had only been playing curling for 2 years and I didn't really know a whole lot. It's nice to know what little I can explain was useful to others.

The Canada Men played in the afternoon. Our seats for this game were horrible. The men were playing the sheet right in front of where we were sitting. Trying to see what was going on over everyone's heads was impossible. I had to stand up most of the time to see what was going on. One of the middle sheets of ice was not being used, most of us were wondering why they didn't put them on there. Martin's team gave us a bit of a scare in the beginning, after a few ends they got back on track and there was no stopping them. They moved on to the Gold Medal game very easily. On the sheet of ice that we could see very well, Norway was playing so we got to see those pants up close and in person. After the game, I saw someone wearing a whole suite in that pattern! The Norwegians are leaving a fashion fad behind in Canada. I love it!

In the evening, my brother and I headed over to LiveCity Yaletown with Tomarra. There was a bit of a line up and it moved quickly. We were inside the site within 10 minutes. Johnny Reid was performing. I had never heard of him and I don't consider myself a country music fan but I really enjoyed listening to him and seeing him perform. It is great to expand your musical horizons. I never would have come across this singer if it wasn't for LiveCity Yaletown. We stayed until the end of his show. We watched the fireworks which were fantastic. I especially liked the video they showed with the fireworks display. It consisted of Olympic memories from Vancouver 2010 and it wasn't only Canadians featured. I love how we do things like that. It was a really nice night. I couldn't believe I was outside at night in February listening to a concert outdoors and I wasn't freezing. That is Vancouver for you.

From LiveCity Yaletown, we ventured over to English Bay to see if we could find Vectoral Elevation. Vectoral Elevation is part of the Cultural Olympiad and involves searchlights making designs and patterns over the water. It was really cool to see. It is one of those things that I could have watched for hours. We stayed for awhile, tried to get pictures of it-Tomarra was more successful at this than I was, and then it was time to head home. It was a pretty full day and I was ready to get to bed for some much needed rest.

Happy Birthday Allan! Sorry we had to miss it. We're celebrating when we get home.

The photos for the day are availabe through this link. Enjoy!

Canada Medal Results

Womens Ice Hockey, Gold Medal

Day 13 - Short Track Speed Skating Rocks!

2010-02-25T01:54:00.002-05:00

February 24, 2010

Sorry folks, yet again I am doing a half post because it is late and I need to go to bed early tonight. We have to be up early tomorrow to go see the Curling Semi Finals. Women's is in the morning at 9am and Men's is in the afternoon and I have tickets for both! Team Canada is in both matches so it should be a great day. I believe the winner of each will play for the Gold Medal on the weekend!

Today was amazing! I finally got to see Short Track Speed Skating in person and it was so cool! I want to go see more of this sport! It is exciting on TV but even better in person. I was there to see our Canadian women win a Silver medal in the 3000 m relay, the second time I've been present when Canada has won a medal. It really is such a great feeling and wonderful to be a part of. I don't know that I will ever make it to another Olympics but if I do, I know it won't be as special as this one. Seeing Canada win at home with these huge crowds is unbelievable! I will cherish these moments forever.

And it has been a busy day for Canada. Miss Clara Hughes won a Bronze medal for the 5000 m in Speed Skating, and I found out a few minutes ago our female bobsledders took Gold and Silver. What? I love bobsled and I don't think it is usually an event that we medal in. Canadian women were on fire today!

I owe you a few blog posts and will try to update the details for you soon. I'm thinking I'll bring my notebook with me tomorrow and write out my posts during the spare minutes in curling. I don't want to get too far behind because I'm worried I'll forget stuff! Just so you know, I am now starting to lose my voice. this is actually pretty good. I made it through 3 events with voice intact. I thought I would loose it a lot sooner! Have a great night. I'll be back soon.

Here are the photos for today.

Canada Medal Results

Clara Hughes - Bronze in Speed Skating 5,000 m
Humphries/Moyse - Gold in Bobsled
Upperton/Brown - Silver in Bobsled
Womens Relay Team - Silver in 3000 Short Track Relay

Day 12 - LiveCity Yaletown and Men's Team Canada Hockey

2010-02-24T12:06:00.002-05:00

February 23, 2010

Today we headed over to LiveCity Yaletown. I had been to the Downtown one and wasn't that impressed. I was hoping for bigger and better things in Yaletown. The line up was not to bad, we were inside within 20 minutes. As soon as we got in we joined the line up to enter the Coke pavillion. We waited close to 45 minutes to get in here and I have to say I don't think it was worth it. The best parts of the pavillion are on your way in, once inside you can't really get back to that area. They had a display of past Coke bottles and it was cool to see all the designs and how they had changed over the years. There was also a display of past Olympic torches.

Once inside we watched a short movie that showed clips from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. And then it was into the pavillion. Coke teamed up with Aboriginal artists and they each designed a Coke bottle. Those were really cool to look at. They are being auctioned off during the Olympics. I believed there were 12 bottles in total and there were 6 on display at this location.
Because it took so long to get into here, we didn't have time to go to any of the other sponsor tents; Panasonic, Samsung or Acer. We will try to go back but I'm not sure we'll get there. Our schedule is pretty full for the weekend.

We had tickets for the 4:30pm hockey game, Team Canada against Germany. I was looking forward to this one. We walked to Canada Hockey Place in the pouring rain. There was a huge crowd of people waiting to get in. The previous game went into overtime so I think they were a bit late getting people in for the 4:30 game. Eventually we got to our seats, we had row 15 in one of the 300 sections. I thought this sounded good until the volunteer told us to go straight to the top. Turns out row 15 is the last row! They were still pretty good and we could see everything. We had a great view of all the red hockey jerseys everyone was wearing. I've never been one to really like hockey jerseys, but after seeing to so many here, it kind of makes me want one! I gave out a few Canada Loot Bags to some kids that were in my section, including the family sitting beside us. They were very excited to add more pins to their collections and the stickers are a big hit.

When Team Canada took the ice for their warm up, I couldn't figure out why everyone was booing the goalie. Later in the game someone explained to me that his nickname is "lou" and that is what everyone was saying. If you didn't know that, you would swear they were booing him. I was relieved to find out this wasn't the case.

Canada started to scored early on and there were huge cheers from the crowd everytime. It was complete luck that we got to see them play. Out of all the games that were on the schedule, I couldn't believe we were fortunate enough to see Team Canada. The final score was 8-2 for Canada. Close to the end of the third period, people were chanting "we want Russia". I'm telling you there are some real characters at these games. I wish I could get good photos of all the costumes, wigs, and face painting that I've seen. Great to see everyone so into the Olympics and our Canada team.
Tomorrow I'm off to Short Track Speed Skating, an event that Canada usually does well in. The relay will be really exciting to watch.

Here is a link to the photos for today if you want to check those out. Hope you are having a great Vancouver 2010. It is so awesome to be here for this.

Canada Medal Results

Ashleigh McIvor - Gold in Ski Cross

Look At Me Featured in the Roots Canada Blog!

2010-02-24T00:48:00.000-05:00

Check out me and my Roots threads featured in the Roots blog, The Buzz at Roots. My contact there has asked me to photograph people wearing Roots apparel at Vancouver 2010 and send the photos back to her in Toronto. I started last night by accosting two very nice girls who were sitting behind me at the Figure Skating Ice Dance finals. I forgot to get their names so if you know them or they are reading this, please send your names to me so I can pass them on.

Roots was kind enough to do a short post on me and my blog and use some of my photos. If I see you out on the street or at an event during Vancouver 2010, I may stop and ask you if I can snap a photo of you and your Roots gear to pass on. This means I must get over being shy very quickly! If you have already have a photo of you in Roots wear, send it to me and I will pass it along for you.

Day 11 - Spent The Day in Gastown

2010-02-24T00:28:00.001-05:00

February 22, 2010 - Day

We had some free time today before we had to head out to the Ice Dance finals at Pacific Coliseum. I've explored a lot of the Olympic pavillions around me and wasn't sure where to go. I thought about Gastown as it didn't look to far from us on the map. Posing the question to my Twitter friends confirmed that Gastown was indeed within a reasonable walking distance. I was looking forward to seeing a historic part of the city and doing something non Olympic. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally loving the Olympics but I'm also anxious to see Vancouver, the city.

My brother and I walked out to Gastown and the first thing we came across is the steam clock atWater Street. I'm one of those annoying people who read those plaques that are on things. The plaque on this clock explained the origin of Gastown, how the clock works and the dedication of the clock to the citizens of Vancouver. I'm also one of those people who had to have their picture taken with these kinds of things and so I did that as were many others. After the clock, I decided to try to find the folks who run the Gastown Blog (@gastownblog). A co-worker had sent me their way in the hopes that they would have something to contribute to my Canada Loot Bag. They offered up some of their Gastown pins and buttons and I left them a few Canada Loot Bags as souvenirs. One guy asked me who I was giving the Loot Bags to and I said "everyone". (People are loving them in case you were wondering.) It was really nice to have something from Vancouver to add to the bags.

The main reason for going to Gastown was to check out the shopping. After picking up my Gastown pins, and getting a latte from Smart Mouth, I was off to peruse the streets for cool clothing to take home as souvenirs. The first store I went it to was Obakki at 44 Water Street. The clothing was beautiful! I would have loved to be able to buy something but it was really out of my affordable price range. I spoke to the person working in the store and the items are made in Canada, sold in the flagship store and wholesale, and I just found out sold online too! Maybe I can buy something from them at a later date.

From there I headed to the store next door, ishara. Again a lot of things out of my price range but very beautiful and some brands I have never heard of before which I loved. It is great to discover new brands! The woman I spoke to in the store was the owner and told me they had recently located to Gastown from a mall location. She noticed I was wearing pins and gave me some Visa mascot Olympic pins! Wasn't that nice? In return I gave her a Canada Loot Bag. I think that is a pretty fair exchange. I did find a sweater that was on sale and in my size so I tried it on and bought it! My first non Olympic purchase in Vancouver! I hope that I will be back in Vancouver sometime soon so I can visit Gastown and the stores there again. With all my new friends here maybe I can fly in for a weekend just to do some shopping! How is that for leaving an Olympic legacy?
If you get a chance I would highly recommend getting to Gastown for a visit. I was focused on shopping but there were also some great looking restaurants and pubs around as well. Another good reason for me to come back, sample some new food!

Soon after leaving ishara, it was time to head back to our condo for some lunch before heading out to Figure Skating Ice Dancing finals.

Day 11 - Canada Gold in Ice Dancing!

2010-02-23T03:13:00.004-05:00

February 22, 2010 - Night

CANADA ROCKS! My first Olympic event was tonight and I got to see Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir win an Olympic Gold Medal in Ice Dancing for Canada. It was stunning, amazing, nerve wracking, and a moment I will never forget! It was so special to see this. Never in a million years did I think I would be seeing Canada win a Gold Medal when I bought the tickets for this event 9 months ago. If I'm as proud as I am of this couple, I can only imagine how their coaches, families and friends must feel. What an honour to witness this tonight. Congratulations to all involved in this Gold Medal.

We tried to arrive as early as possible since we did not know how long it would take to get to the venue and through security. My Mom and I chatted with some nice ladies from Los Angeles, CA while we waited in line. One woman inquired about the Olympic pins I was wearing so I pulled out Canada Loot Bags to give to them. They loved them! One even went so far as to request a bag with a pin of Ontario's provincial flower. I have to say it is pretty and would appeal to a lot of people. They were rooting for an all North American podium that night. I would have liked that too.

Not only was this my first Olympic event, it was also my first Figure Skating event. The skaters are put into groups and each group comes out onto the ice for a 5 minute warm up before their group begins competing. When Scott and Tessa took the ice it was pandemonium! They were real cool cats and focused on their warm up. Even from way up high where I was sitting they looked relaxed and ready to go. Scott and Tessa were in the last group of the night, 5 couples total in their group, and our Canadians skated third. I was so nervous! My heart started beating faster and I felt like it was hard to breathe. The American couple who skated before them did very well and Scott and Tessa had their work cut out for them. No need to worry though as they threw down the skate of a lifetime and easily took first place. After two more pairs, it was final the Canadian team of Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue had the gold. The whole arena went completely nuts. You know its loud when the crowd is drowning out the voice of the announcer, I couldn't even hear them say that Canada had won gold.

This was one event where they do the medal presentation at the venue so not only did we see them do a gold medal performance, we were able to watch them get their medals. I can't even begin to describe what it was like. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be seeing a gold medal presentation to Canada at my first Olympic event. Scott was totally pumped up, shaking his arms in the air and letting out some hoots and hollers. The smiles on their faces were a mile wide. We sang O Canada as loud as we could, the skaters posed for photos and then the pairs did a lap around the ice. When Scott and Tessa were leaving the ice area, Scott jumped up into the stands where his family was. They caught him and held onto him for the best hug I've ever seen. We saw the family afterwards when we were leaving the venue and they were just ecstatic, as they should be. Gold medals or any medals at all are usually the culmination of years and years of hard work and support. It was so great to see the family enjoying this moment. I would think there is something extra special about since it all happened on home territory. What a way to start the week!

The second Canadian Ice Dance team Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier finished in 14th place for their first Olympic competition.

To view the photos for today you can click here.

I love this photo! That is Canada in top spot!

Our amazing Canadians on top of the podium. What a great night for all of us!

Happy my Mom was there to see this with me.

Canada Medal Results

Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir - GOLD in Ice Dancing *I'm so happy about this :)

Day 10 - Exploring Vancouver

2010-02-22T02:59:00.002-05:00

February 21, 2010

Another beautiful day in Vancouver. I decided that maybe we should wait until after the weekend to attempt to go to LiveCity Yaletown. I’m hoping the line ups won’t be so bad during the week. Instead I took my Mom and brother down to the Olympic Cauldron on the waterfront. Personally I think it is a very impressive structure. I saw it last weekend when I was in Vancouver for the Opening Ceremony. Today I noticed that you are able to get much closer to it than last week and there were huge crowds down there taking it in. The line up for the viewing platform was about an hour. Given some of the line ups I’ve seen around Vancouver, that isn’t too bad. We skipped that part today but at some point I would like to get up on there and see it. Perhaps at night and then I can see the Olympic rings lit up as well.

From there we headed to Canada’s Northern House which so far is the best pavilion I’ve seen yet. It is exactly what I thought a pavilion should be. Exhibits showing the culture and lifestyle of our Northern territories, there were some beautiful works of art and clothing items that I assume were handmade. There is an area where you can record a video against a backdrop of different Northern attractions like dog sledding or a beautiful waterfall. All 3 of us jumped into the video and sent it to my Dad whose email address I hopefully remembered. The line up for this pavilion was measured in minutes, not hours. I highly recommend making the trip down there to see it. All those other pavilions could learn a lesson from this one. So enjoyable to see.

As we came out of Canada’s Northern House, I heard this little voice asking me if I wanted to trade pins. When I looked down, I saw the most adorable little girl with a whole lanyard full of Olympic pins. I wasn’t feeling very well at the time, I think I had gone too long without eating so I was anxious to get home and get some food. I felt so bad telling this girl that I couldn’t trade pins with her but I had to otherwise I might have been passed out on the sidewalk, that is how light headed I felt. I told her I could give her something and she wouldn’t even have to trade me anything for it. I gave her one of the Canada Loot Bags I always have with me and also gave one to her Mom and who I assume was her Grandmother. She seemed quite happy with that and even was mildly excited about the Toronto pin. I asked them to visit my blog and write a comment about their Vancouver Olympic experience. We’ll see if they do!

Walking down Robson Street before the Canada/USA game started was absolutely nuts! Honestly I have never seen anything like it. Tons of people with flags draped around them, wearing them cape style. Painted faces, wigs and costumes seemed to be the norm today. In front of one store a DJ was blaring music and some people were dancing, maybe even break dancing. Ten youngsters from Sweden were decked out in Sweden flags, yellow tights, wigs and whatever else they could find. They actually got the Canadian crowd to give up a few cheers for Sweden. As we made our way back to the condo, who do we see when we are crossing the street but Rick Hansen! My Mom started screaming, “Hey do you know who this is?” and I said yes of course I do, and then she proceeded to grab his hand and say “Nice to meet you”. Unfortunately we were crossing the street otherwise I would have stopped and taken his picture. I hope my Mom didn’t scare him, she was just excited. It’s not like seeing Canadian legends while you are crossing the street is an everyday occurrence. Going to have to add him to my famous celebrity citings. He is in good company with Dean and Dan Caten (Dsquared), Brian Williams from CTV, and Jenn Heil.

Obviously we watched the Canada/USA hockey game and were disappointed like everyone else. Then I heard Canada’s Kristina Groves won a silver medal in her 1500 m race and it was a happy day again. And then I saw Canada figure skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir skate their original program and they were stunning, amazing, unbelievable! And I will get to see them skate tomorrow night which is super cool!

Our night finished off at Robson Square and their “Ignite the Dream” light and pyrotechnic show. I would have loved to take video for you but my battery was dying. Maybe I’ll get to it again one night this week and get video for you then. Robson Street had tons of people on it as usual and despite our hockey loss everyone was still in a good mood and ready to party. Dancing in the street to drum beats, street performers and tons and tons of Canada flags. There didn’t seem to be any problems in the crowd as far as I could tell.

After the Ignite the Dream show was over we went to check out a group performing at one of the stages set up around Robson Square. I believe it was a group called SoJourners. They were fantastic. People were up and dancing in no time. We stayed for a few songs and then made our way back home. The days in Vancouver are long and busy and tend to go by very quickly which doesn’t surprise me, but does disappoint me. I want them to last for so long!

Tomorrow will be another exciting day as I finally get to see my first Olympic event. And with our Canadians currently sitting in first after compulsory and original dances, it is going to be a great competition.

For all of today's photos and a few from previous days, click here. I warn you, there are many!

Canada Medal Results

Kristina Groves – Silver in 1500 m speed skating

Day 9 - Meeting Friends, Old and New

2010-02-21T23:11:00.001-05:00

February 20, 2010

Obviously I’m still on Toronto time because I woke up at 4:30 am Vancouver time which is 7:30 in Toronto. After lying in bed for a few more hours it was time to get up and start the day. I am so happy to be back in Vancouver, I swear even walking the streets here is such a treat. Never in my life have I seen so many Canada flags, Canada apparel and tattoos of Canada flags and maple leafs on people's faces. It feels like I’m in another world here sometimes.
It was a stunning day in Vancouver. It was sunshine and blue sky, it felt like a Spring day in Toronto, like April or May. Really didn’t feel like February and winter. My brother and I walked my Mom up to the grocery store and then she headed back to the condo to cook which she insisted on doing, I tried to get her to come out with us. After we left my Mom, I took Mark up to Robson Square and we walked around for a bit. The crowds were insane, even more so on this particular day. I guess with it being the weekend, a lot of people came into the city to spend a few days in the Olympic fever. We caught a few glimpses of the Vancouver Mascots ice show at the rink at Robson Square. The little kids were going crazy for Sumi, Miga and Quatchi, chanting their names over and over. Every parent had a kid on their shoulders, so even though the crowd was about 3 or 4 deep we couldn’t see very much. It looked like a cute show. I’d like to see what other times it is playing and take my mom to see it. She would love it, and I wouldn’t mind getting to see it properly either.

We were supposed to meet one of my Twitter friends who is here from England covering the Olympics for a blog. She was going to give us a tour of the International Media Centre at UBC. Unfortunately she was running late and I couldn’t wait around because my good friend Jen from university was coming to meet me in the afternoon.

Jen, Mark and I headed to Yaletown to visit Tomarra at the Pink Million booth, a charity to help raise money for Breast Cancer. We walked around Yaletown, visited the Yahoo Fancouver site and had a photo taken, walked down to the Seawall, to the back of the LiveCity Yaletown site. As we walked up the street we saw a line up that was blocks and blocks long. It was people waiting to get into the LiveCity site. Honestly with the amount of people it had to be at least a 3 hour wait if not more. Like I said earlier there seemed to be an extraordinary amount of people in the city today so line ups would have seemed much longer than usual. I actually felt sorry for people in line. I’m hoping to check out that site on Monday morning, maybe some people will have gone home and it won’t be too bad, fingers crossed.

If you find yourself in Yaletown, go visit yahoo Fancouver and have some fun. They even give out hot chocolate.

Mark headed back to the condo, Jen and I headed for dinner to a Greek place on Robson that she raved about. We were told there was about an hour wait but were seated within 15 minutes. That happened to us at Moxie’s the first night as well. Even weirder, it wasn’t even full at the Greek restaurant. Food was mediocre which was disappointing. The restaurant did break out in cheers while watching the medal ceremony for our newest Gold Medallist Jon Montgomery.

For me the evening ended at the False Creek Yacht Club where fellow blogger, 2010VanFan, had a get together for all of her blogger friends and loyal readers. The club looks out over the Granville bridge and marina and has really beautiful views. Usually only open to members, it is open to the public during the duration of the Olympics and I encourage you to stop by if you are in the area. I would like to say that I’ll be back there but honestly I don’t think I will have time.

Tomorrow I think I’ll take my Mom and brother down to see the Olympic Cauldron and maybe try to get into another pavilion. Monday is our first event, Ice Dancing Finals, so I will need to spend some time watching the Original Dance tomorrow night to get some info on the competition.

Day 8 - I'm Back In Vancouver

2010-02-20T11:27:00.003-05:00

February 19, 2010

It seems so odd that this day has finally arrived. Back in August of 2009, it seemed like a date that would never arrive. Even after my spur of the moment trip last weekend to come to Vancouver for the Opening Ceremony, I was aware that Vancouver 2010 had started but I'm not sure that it was really sinking in. As amazing as that trip was, Opening Ceremony was unbelievably amazing, this trip is going to be just as good, if not better. We have 9 events that we are going to over the next week and I will get to cheer for Canada as I see them compete in their events. I have posted my Olympic schedule so you can see if we will be at any of the same events.

Yesterday was a very long day. From getting up and to the Toronto airport to the flight, again West Jet TV's were not working, can you get your act together West Jet? Olympic fans are missing out on over 4 hours of action. Arriving in Vancouver and trying to get to our condo was a bit hairy, driving through downtown is not fun, especially coming into the area where we are right at the foot of BC Place and GM Place (Canada Hockey Place for the duration of the Olympics). Again some very friendly Vancouver people stopped to help us find our way. I'm telling you if you need help finding directions and there are no blue jacket volunteers around, stand on the street with a map and within 10 seconds a friendly Vancouverite will be at your side asking what you are looking for. This has happened to me twice now and I am very grateful for their assistance.

We eventually found the condo when Paula from Mode Suites came looking for us. We have beautiful views of Russia/Sochi House, the Olympic Village, the mountains and we can see those sail things too from where we are.

After watching Mellisa Hollingsworth do her final skeleton race, we headed out for dinner to Moxie's across the street. By this time we were starving, not having had a decent meal since breakfast which was on Toronto time. Then it was up to the grocery store for some basics to last us through breakfast and lunch for the next day. For my Mom and brother it was the first time they were really walking through the streets of Vancouver. My Mom thought it was hilarious. People were screaming and cheering, high fiving others in the street. I think she got a kick out of it. Mark as always was pretty subdued about it.

It was back to the condo and none of us lasted long beyond 9pm, that is midnight for us Toronto people. Hopefully we'll adjust to the time soon. I was up this morning at 4:30 am BC time and that is not something I want to continue doing!

Saturday and Sunday will be spent exploring more of the wonderful free events of Vancouver 2010, and meeting up with friends old and new. I'm back now so I'll try to keep my posts up to date. I can't even tell you how great it is to be back!

I would like to say that I don't think Mellisa Hollingsworth has anything to feel bad about. I saw an interview she did where she was crying and said she feels like she let down Canada. I realize maybe 5th place isn't where she wanted to finish but that is nothing to be ashamed about. She is representing our country fabulously, even if she didn't win a medal. Representing your country is about more than winning a medal, it is about grace, dignity and good sportsmanship. Melissa is all of that and more so chin up kiddo, no one in Canada thinks any less of you.

My Mom is American

2010-02-20T11:00:00.001-05:00

Have I ever told you that my Mom is American? Born and raised in Detroit, MI, she moved to Canada when she married my Dad. She hasn’t lived in the United States since then but she is still very much an American even though she loves living in Canada. Sometimes I forget she is American until some Detroit team comes on TV or we start planning our annual shopping trip to Michigan. Even though she doesn’t have dual citizenship, we all treat her like she does. Her love of Canada is evident and she has always loved living in Canada. When it became known that she would be accompanying me to the Olympics, it raised the question of who would she cheer for? Like I said she is still very much devoted to her home country of USA yet also very loyal to Canada.
I jokingly asked her who she would cheer for if something came down to a USA vs. Canada final. She very diplomatically replied she would be cheering for Canada. I have told her several times that is ok for her to cheer for USA, many people will cheering for many countries other than Canada. I even asked her if she wanted to bring her USA flag. I have no problem sitting beside my mom and having her scream and clap for USA and me doing the same for Canada.

She has solved the problem by building a combination of USA and Canada paraphernalia into her wardrobe. She has her beaded USA flag purse, a USA bandana which she has Canada and American pins on and conveniently enough the red and white she will be wearing for Canada is also 2 out of the 3 USA colours. I am also on a mission to collect some USA pins for her to add to her outfit. I’ve already given her the USA Welcome to Vancouver pin, the USA Flag Walk button and the Canada/USA flag together. I saw a pin trader with a USA pin and the Olympic rings. Maybe I’ll run into one of those again so I can make a trade. In any event if my mom wants to stand up and cheer for USA, I’ll be right beside her. I did stand up and cheer for them at the Opening Ceremony, but tomorrow when Canada plays USA in Men’s Hockey, I will be cheering for Canada all the way. For any other event I have no problem cheering for both. And Mom can cheer her heart out for USA if that is what she wants to do.

My Thank You's

2010-02-16T21:32:00.001-05:00

As I get ready to head out to Vancouver for my second trip, I want to list a bunch of people I need to thank. It is early, the Olympics are far from over but I would like to do it now before I start getting caught up in all the Olympic hoopla again. This trip would not have been possible or gone as smoothly as it has without the help and patience of those listed below. There are also several who have helped make this the most memorable experience and I am deeply grateful to them. My thanks goes out to:

Inside Vancouver
Vancouver City Hall
West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce
Hello BC
Tourism Vancouver
Craig Smeaton
Michael Allison
Office of Michael Ignatieff
Office of Laurel Broten
Toronto City Hall
Mode Suites
GM
Molson Canada
Cogeco
Erin Stanford
Cindy-Torch Bearer from Oshawa, ON
My Family
Kate, Robert, Julie, Andrea-for the Kindness of Strangers

And a very special thank you to my hostess this past weekend, Tomarra. Without her extending her home to me so graciously, I never would have been able to make my Opening weekend trip and I would not have been able to see the Opening Ceremony. I have amazing memories from that trip because of her kindness and generosity. I can never thank you enough but I can try!

To all the people I have met so far, you are just as much a part of this expereince as any Opening Ceremony or Olympic event. You are the people I will be in touch with long after the Olympics are over. May Vancouver 2010 friendships last for a very, very, long time, dare I say a lifetime?
To all the people I am going to meet next week, I look forward to it.
See you in Vancouver again really soon.

I will continue to add to this list as necessary.

My Olympic Event Schedule

2010-02-16T20:58:00.000-05:00

The time has come to post my Olympic event schedule. I was going to do it closer to the 19th but I have so much to do before I leave, I thought I should get it up now. If you notice that we are going to be at any of the same events leave a comment to let me know. If we are sitting close to each other, we can meet up before or after the event. I'll even give you some Canada Loot Bags to give away (they are getting pretty full)!

So after a year and a half of waiting, here are the events I am going to next week with one of my lucky family members.

February 22
Figure Skating Ice Dance Final

February 23
4:30pm Men's Hockey - Canada Place

February 24
5pm Short Track Speed Skating

February 25
9am Womens Curling Semi Final
2pm Mens Curling Semi Final

February 26
12pm Men's Hockey - Canada Place
7:30 Victory Ceremony

February 27
9am Mens Curling - Bronze Medal match

February 28
Closing Ceremony

Day 3 – Beautiful Weather and LiveCity Downtown

2010-02-15T19:41:00.004-05:00

February 14, 2010

A beautiful day in Vancouver! I’ve always heard about them but personally have never experienced one. We started out with red mittens, toques and scarves and pretty soon were putting all that away. It was Spring in February! No wonder people go out there and never come back.

We made our way over to the LiveCity Downtown site located at Georgia and Cambie. At 10:30 am there was already a line up to get in. It was Chinese New Year and a parade that winds its way through Vancouver was going to end up at the LiveCity site. While we waited for it to arrive, we checked out the Canada and Manitoba pavilions. The Canada pavilion was a bit disappointing. With all of our history, culture and art I was expecting a lot more. There really wasn’t anything explaining Canada’s history or athletes’. It was a lot of TV screens, some displays of older sporting equipment, a hockey jersey from Wayne Gretzky and that was about it. I hate saying that I wasn’t impressed but I really wasn’t. If there is a line up for that pavilion I would advise you not to waste your time. It is a shame because there is so much more that could have been done with it. Anyway, on to Manitoba pavilion where they very proudly explained to us the Canadian Museum for Human Rights that is being built in Winnipeg and scheduled to open in 2012.

Mounties at the Canada Pavillion (left). Manitoba Pavillion on right.

From there I headed to Robson Square to check out what was happening. Tons of people were out on the street. People standing in line to wait for the zip line ride apparently were there for 5 hours before getting their turn. I’ve done zip lining before and it is great fun but it is not worth a 5 hour wait to me. There are so many other things I can do with that time! There was a performance by an Aboriginal group that actually got audience members up and dancing, surely not an easy thing to do! Close to there a large TV screen was set up and people were sitting on steps watching Olympic coverage. Behind that was a CBC telecast booth, where they were in the process of doing an interview with someone. When the person was done their interview they turned around to face the crowd. It was Jenn Heil, Silver medalist in the Freestyle event. People started standing and cheering and she very graciously thanked us for our support. She looked a bit embarrassed by the attention; we Canadians are always so modest. No doubt everyone in the crowd felt her performance the day before was worthy of a standing ovation. Another lesson to self to not ever put my camera away, by the time I dug it out she had turned away and was leaving! Dumb me. I have to find a way to attach that thing to my hand.

See the red jacket? That is Jenn Heil. I know, you'll have to trust me on this one.

After that I had to head back to Tomarra’s to get my stuff together to go home. I was excited to spend the flight watching the Olympics on those little TV’s West Jet has but they weren’t working! I’m trying to feel any animosity towards West Jet but seriously you are picking up people from the Olympic city! Some of them (me) obviously would be interested in keeping up with what was going on. It wasn’t to be. When my Dad picked me up in Toronto he gave me the news of our first Gold medal won on home soil. Congrats Alex!

You can see all the photos from Day 3 here.

I look forward to returning to Vancouver on February 19th. It is going to be a great time.

Canada Medal Results:
Kristina Groves – Bronze in 3000 m Speed Skating
Alex Bilodeau – Gold in Freestyle Skiing

Day 2 – My Vision Is Coming True!

2010-02-15T16:48:00.003-05:00

February 13, 2010

It was a cool, rainy day today in Vancouver. Still on a high from the Opening Ceremony last night I didn’t get much sleep. I saw some of the TV coverage of the ceremony and I have to say it looks quite different from that vantage point. I loved that I was there to see it and will probably talk about it for the rest of my life.

First stop was the Bay Olympic Superstore where I was meeting Ashley to be interviewed yet again! Her crew is putting together segments from Vancouver 2010 and being shown at the Toronto Auto Show going on right now. I spent a bit of time with them answering their questions, shooting some extra footage of shopping around the store and posed for some still photos. Ashley said I was a natural on camera and a ton of fun to interview. I felt like a complete dork through most of it. This isn’t something that I have experience doing so that was a very nice compliment. After that I did some shopping of my own picking up some Coca Cola pins that I wanted. Tomarra and I both stuck a pin on the map in the Coke Pin Trading centre and received one in return. Tomarra was the brave one and made some pin trades with the people there.

In Vancouver, you can’t let the rain stop you from your plans so Tomarra and I made our way down to the waterfront to check out the external Olympic Cauldron. I wasn’t prepared for the huge fence that blocked it off from us but I guess it makes sense. Usually the Olympic Cauldron is high atop the Olympic stadium, out of reach for any who would want to vandalize it. This one is on the ground where anyone could get to it if it wasn’t blocked off. There was a huge crowd of people checking it out and taking photos. It honestly doesn’t look that much different whether it has 3 arms or 4 burning.

Lunch was next and we hit Earl’s on Robson Street. When we came out from lunch a huge crowd had gathered in the street and police had it blocked off. This part of the street was open to traffic so it was pretty alarming to see the police there blocking the road. We tried to find out what had happened but no one would tell us. Eventually we figured out something was going to happen and it wasn’t anything bad. This was the first time I had been exposed to a “Flash Mob” but it seems they are quite common. It is a group of people who gather in a designated place to perform a dance they have all learned somehow. This one was performed to “Dancing in the Street”. There were thousands of people involved in this. I was so excited! Didn’t I tell you there would be spontaneous breakouts of dancing on Robson Street? My vision was coming true! I told you, I told you! So happy Vancouver people are proving me right!

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the image of Vancouver 2010 you should keep in your mind throughout these Olympics. It goes to show you that thousands of people can gather in the street having a good time with no issues.

At night we found ourselves at the Four Host First Nations pavilion and were entertained by some wonderful Aboriginal singers. The first performer, Inez who had won many awards has a pop/hip hop sound. Surprised? Yes me too. It was not what I was expecting but just because your Aboriginal doesn’t mean you can’t sing in any style you want. Her music and songs are a strong influence in her music and you can make out some of those traditional sounds while listening to her. The second group was a brother/sister duo called Sister Says. Again from an Aboriginal background, they had a kind of jazz sound to them I think? I’m not a music genius so I’m not sure how to describe it, I can only tell you that I really liked them. What a great way to end Day 2.

Canada Medal Results: Jenn Heil, Silver Medal in Freestyle. Congratulations Jenn!

Opening Ceremony Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

2010-02-15T11:18:00.004-05:00

It was so exciting to leave and make my way to BC Place for the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony yesterday around 3:30 pm. Thousands of others were also making their way to BC Place. The wonderful Vancouver 2010 volunteers were plenty and along with the help of police were assisting people get to the stadium.

Lucky me I got to go through the express security line up. On my way in I happened to see Canadian design superstars Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared. Stupid me I had just put away my camera and wasn't able to fish it out in time to get a photo of them. So as I walked by I said how much I loved them and Dean or Dan said thank you.

BC Place before the Opening Ceremony began.

I made my way into the stadium and to my seat which was in what you might call the nosebleeds. It was fine though, I was happy to be there as were all the others around me. We shared with each other how and when we purchased our tickets to the Opening Ceremony. As I was in line for a hot dog, I was chatting with a Vancouver person behind me. I mentioned that one of the things I was loving about the Olympics was how everyone was talking to each other and then the guy in front of me turned around and said " I know it’s great" which it is. Talked to some more BC people while I waited for my water. Everyone was in good spirits and wishing each other well, everyone was decked out in their Canada gear.

The preshow started at 5pm with hosts Ben Mulroney and Tamara Taggart who is a much loved weather reporter in Vancouver. During the preshow the audience participation for the Opening Ceremony was explained. We had all received our Audience Kit on our seats and the props we needed were in there. We were counting down the start of the Opening Ceremony from 10 seconds, creating stars in the sky with different coloured flashlights and giving the athletes’ a thunderous welcome with our drum kit. There were pre show performances by Jully Black and the Canadian tenors. The preshow ended around 5:45. A 10 minute countdown to show time appeared on the screen, then 2 minutes and then we were on! It was the 10 second countdown and we were standing and shouting out our appropriate numbers. It was every emotional for me. I’ve watched so many of these Ceremonies on TV, I really could not believe I was witnessing one with my own eyes. I had a crying fit for about 30 seconds and then calmed myself down.

I didn’t realize that as the opening segment with the snowboarder was being shown, the TV audience could not hear the cheers of the live audience. When the Winter Olympic cities were being announced and they came to Calgary we were cheering loud and proud for our other Canadian Winter Olympic host city.

During the Parade of Nations I had to keep reminding myself I was seeing this live in person with my own eyes. It was unbelievable. The is always one of my favourite parts of the ceremony. I cheered for the countries of my heritage, Armenia for my grandparents, Belgium for my Dad, The United States of America for my Mom. And everyone was on their feet clapping and screaming when Georgia entered the stadium, a tribute to the athlete they lost earlier in the day Nodar Kumaritashvili.

For those of you who saw the Opening Ceremony on TV, I don’t know if you could tell that the screaming and cheering started for Canada even before they entered the stadium. Everyone was on their feet, clapping, pounding their drums, screaming and waving their flags. It was so loud I can’t even remember if I heard them announce Canada. The noise went on for so long. It is such a thrill to be cheering for them. And I don’t believe I cried during this part which you probably don’t believe but it’s true. I screamed until I thought I was going to lose my voice.

The Canadian Olympic team.

The rest of the ceremony was magical, beautiful, an artistic tribute to our wonderful country, celebrating our heritage and seasons. Even the mechanical glitch of the Olympic Cauldron didn’t take away from the beauty and significance of the Opening Ceremony. I can tell you that after seeing the outdoor Olympic Cauldron on Saturday, you can really only see three arms of it at a time anyway so what is the big deal? Everyone in that stadium was a witness to what was probably the largest Canadian theatrical production in our country’s history. We were part of a show that was watched by 3.5 billion people around the world. What a memory for us! I only hope that I am able to convey properly even just a little bit what it was like to be there. Canada was on stage to the world and it was wonderful to see! As I was leaving BC Place I heard a familiar voice. I looked to my right and Brian Williams was right there! I mentioned in an earlier post how much I love his Olympic hosting duties. I kept wondering if I should say something to him. In the end I decided not to, I'm just not that kind of person. I was happy enough just to see him.

To see all the photos I took during the Opening Ceremony please click here.

The Olympic Cauldron after it was lit. Along the bottom of the photo you can see the Torch bearers.

Update: So sorry I forgot to mention the Vancouver 2010 volunteers. They were out in droves helping direct people to the security checkpoints and into the stadium. Afterwards they were assisting with helping people get home. They are truly wonderful, dedicated people and these Olympics could not be held without them. If you see them anywhere be sure to say hello and tell them what a great job they are doing. And smile at them because they will be smiling at you.

Coming Soon - Post for Opening Ceremony and Day 2

2010-02-14T11:51:00.000-05:00

Hi Readers, I'm a bit behind on my posts. I have one in the works for the Opening Ceremony and another for Day 2 at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. I leave Vancouver today and return on the 19th. On my flight home I will try to ignore the pull of those little TV's on West Jet and get my blog posts written so they can go up tomorrow. I'll be back on my own computer and will be able to include photos and video of the Opening Ceremony and Day 2 which was yesterday. It is so cool to be walking around the city and just stumble upon something going on. Last night on our way to LiveCity Downtown we came across the Aboriginal pavillion. A performance was starting at 9:30 so we got in line and ended up seeing two great artists perform. I now have 2 new artists who are from Canada that I am going to look up when I go home.
In the afternoon we got to witness a Flash mob performing on Robson Street. Don't know what a Flash mob is? It is something good and I think you'll love it.
Promise to post more details soon!
And congrats to Jenn Heil and her Silver medal she won yesterday. Everyone in Canada knows there will be lots more of that going on!
Take care everyone and I will be back posting at full speed tomorrow (thank goodness it is a holiday in Ontario).
GO CANADA GO!

Opening Ceremony Day

2010-02-13T10:39:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was an absolutely magical day. it started bright and early for me as I made my way to the CBC offices at Robson and Hamilton for my first ever radio interview. It was pretty quick but they said they are interested in following up with me and my adventures in Vancouver when I return with my family on the 19th. They have also dubbed me a "superfan" which personally I have no problem with! I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to be here this weekend, that I made the decision to come despite the extra expense because it was worth every penny and more. More on that later.

After my first ever radio interview (which I hope someone can post online for me so I can link to it. Thanks.) I made my way up Robson Street to meet Tomarra and watch the Torch Relay go by. Walking up Robson Street I was getting teary eyed, tons of people have put Canada flags in their windows, every store window has some kind of reference to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, there are signs posted that I think are different languages saying "Welcome"-I am going to take photos of as many of those as I can, and everyone and I mean everyone is wearing Canada head to toe. I saw a family of four wearing Canada jackets and it looks great when you see that approaching you.

One of the things I wasn't expecting to see were all the different team uniforms. It does make sense that some of the coaching staff or other members of the team would be checking out Vancouver but it wasn't something I had thought of. Some of the team uniforms are pretty wild and you can spot them in a second. Some of the ones I saw yesterday were Russia, Czech Republic and Holland-they had the nicest in those bright orange coats. I gave the woman one of my Canada Loot Bags and asked her to leave a comment on my blog about what she thinks of Vancouver.

Member of Team Holland walking around Robson Street.

I saw the Torch go by on Robson and then we walked around for a bit. Tomarra is from Vancouver and she could not get over the number of people in the city. I keep asking ,is it not usually like this and she keeps saying no.

The Olympic Torch Relay on Robson Street

I had to pick up my ticket for the Opening Ceremony so I waited in line to do that and chatted with people around me in line. Everyone I've met so far is from BC! Its kind of funny because they assumed that I was from BC and more likely Vancouver. They find out pretty quickly that I'm not when I give them a blank look to all the places they are describing or referring. It's also funny because when they find out I'm from Toronto, they seem kind of surprised. Can you imagine if they saw this blog? They would be shocked! I did hand out a few business cards and asked people to go to my blog and leave their comments about the Olympics. It will be nice to have a permanent record of people's thoughts on the Vancouver Olympics.

It was mid afternoon that I heard the news of the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the Luge althete from Georgia. I was in a restaurant when they played the crash on TV and everyone in the restuarant was horrified to see it. I'm sure many peoples thoughts and prayes, mine included, go out to Nodar's family, his teammates and fellow althetes.

There was also an impromtu concert by Barenaked Ladies in Robson Square which of course we heard about after we left that area. Sounds like this might happen often throughout the Olympics, non scheduled performances by some of Canada's top artists. Hope I can catch the next one.

In the afternoon we saw the Torch Relay come by again in Yaletown. I couldn't believe how many people they were. I could barely see it because I was so far back in the crowd! I stayed back though and let the Vancouver people see their Olympic flame come through their city. I have seen it many times and some of these people were seeing it for the first time.

After that is was take a short nap, return some emails and answer one more request for an interview which I think will be happening today and then it was time to leave for the Opening Ceremony-I can't believe I'm even writing that!!!!!!!

One lesson I learned yesterday is NEVER PUT YOUR CAMERA AWAY! At least it was a lesson for me. No sooner than you turn your camera off and put it back in your bag there is something right in front of you that you want a picture of. I missed quite a few things yesterday that I would have liked to have captured. Maybe I need to realize it will be impossible to capture it all!

For photos of the day, click here.

I'm At CBC Radio Vancouver Friday Morning

2010-02-11T14:59:00.000-05:00

A quick post before I head off to Vancouver for the Opening Ceremony. Just wanted to let everyone know I will be at CBC Radio Vancouver Friday the 12th in the morning, around 7:30 am. For my Ontario friends that is 10:30 am your time. They are having a whole Olympic themed show which they have asked me to be a part of. There will be a short interview with me which is pretty cool! Listen online if you can. I've included what I think is the right link to listen live. I hope I'll be able to listen to it after the fact. Around 8:30 am the Torch Relay will be coming down Robson Street so I'll be able to watch that!
I promise to take lots of pictures the whole day!

http://radiostreams.cbc.ca/cbc-cbcr1vcr-96.m3u

Opening Ceremony And Me!

2010-02-10T21:56:00.000-05:00

I got a ticket to the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony! At times it seemed like a real long shot but I always had a feeling I would be there. I only bought it yesterday and only got it because VANOC released more tickets for several events. That news was delivered to me on Monday by a few people (thanks Mom, Dad and Mariesa) so I knew there was a slim possibility I might get one. The twist was that it wasn't going to be announced when the tickets were made available. Most people would find out by going in to their ticket accounts and trying to purchase one like I did. When I saw on my screen that it was availabel I almost lost it! Good thing I was at work and had to maintain a controlled reaction.
Tickets for most events were supposed to be made availabe, even the much coveted Mens Gold Medal Hockey game was going to have extra tickets. If you managed to get one of those kudos to you. That one I'll be watching on TV somewhere, hopefully with a large Canada fan filled crowd.
I will be at the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony and couldn't be happier.
See you tomorrow Vancouver!

Useful Links for Vancouver 2010

2010-02-10T21:42:00.001-05:00

I have been meaning to put together a list of useful links for all things related to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. I try to display as many links as possible on the left hand side of my blog for anything Vancouver related but I know there are many more that could be there, I'm just not able to find all of them, and trust me there are alot! I also realize I am not the best person to be describing areas of Vancouver and recommending places to go because frankly I'm not from there and have no idea where some of the things are that I want to go to!

I got an email from a new American friend who is making his trip to Vancouver 2010 a road trip with some friends and blogging about the adventure. The blog is called The Jet Packer and he was kind enough to send me a bunch of links that they put together throughout planning their trip. The below information appears as I received it and appears to be accurate to the best of my knowledge. I have used many of the sites they listed and I believe you will find them useful as well.
Thank you for sending Jet Packer and have a great time in Vancouver!

Planning a trip to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver can seem as daunting as slapping on a pair of ice skates for the first time. The details about things to do in Vancouver during the games were shrouded in mystery until a few weeks ago. And more venues, events and national houses are being listed every few hours.
But don't worry. We know how difficult and time consuming it is to find accurate and up-to-date information. So we've compiled this list of all the useful resources that will make it simple for you to find the information you need to enjoy a stress-free and fun-filled time in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Tickets

http://www.cosport.com/
Residents of the United States can purchase tickets to select events via the CoSport website at www dot cosport dot com. Unfortunately, most events are sold out, and the prices for remaining tickets have sky-rocketed. However, if you want to experience an Olympic event without draining your kid's college fund, you can buy tickets to the Victory Ceremony in either Vancouver or Whistler for around $49 before taxes and fees.

www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-tickets/olympic/
Canadian residents have it much easier. If you have friends, family, ex-lovers or even random fifth-cousins that you've never talked to, now is the time to get in touch and ask for a favor. Residents of Canada can get tickets for about half the price. Victory Ceremony tickets are only $22 for the cheapest seats.

City Information

www.tourismvancouver.com/visitors/vancouver/2010_olympics/2010_coming_to_vancouver
The Tourism Vancouver site is essential for details about where embassies are located, what to expect when you cross the border, how to dress, tipping customs, weather reports, everything.

www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010wintergames/getting-there/vancouver/traveloverview.html
The website for the Vancouver Sun newspaper is less detailed, but it's good for up-to-date information, especially as we get closer to the games. Here you can get more information on restaurants, attractions and shopping.

olympichostcity.vancouver.ca/gettingaround/whattoexpect.htm
The website for the city of Vancouver has a great section on what to expect when you're at the Olympics. And what you can expect is a lot of waiting, a lot of crowds, and a lot of inconvenience. The site provides information on road closures and parking restrictions, which you'll want to know about if you're driving to Vancouver.

www.insidevancouver.ca/2010/01/28/getting-around-during-the-olympics/
You'll definitely want to rely on public transportation in Vancouver, so here's a helpful article about how to get around the city by train, bus and ferry. Take particular note of the streetcar that connects riders to Granville Island from the Canada Line Olympic Village Station for free.

Events

www.citycaucus.com/2010free
By far the most useful resource when it comes to things to do in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics is offered by City Cactus. This comprehensive list details just about every national house and event location. Best of all, the article only features places that are free! Turns out you don't even need a ticket to an Olympic event to have a great experience in Vancouver.

www.tourismvancouver.com/pdf/OlympicMapBlack.pdf
Here's a map of most of the venues listed by City Cactus, plus a few extras. It saves you time having to Google Map every location.

livecityvancouver.ca/en/home.aspx
The two biggest free party zones in downtown Vancouver will be LiveCity Yaletown and LiveCity Downtown. Their official site features a daily schedule of events so you know what sports will be broadcast on the giant TVs outside and who will be performing free concerts.

www.richmondozone.com/
The other major free celebration zone is located just a few miles south of downtown Vancouver in Richmond. Their site also features a daily schedule of events with live performances and televised sports, as well as various rooms with food, games and exhibits. Make sure to check out the 2010 Ice Art World Championship that takes place at the O-Zone on February 21st and 22nd.

molsoncanadianhockeyhouse.com/index.php
Hockey fans will go crazy for the Molson Canadian Hockey House. The problem is, most nights are already sold out. But if you have $99 to spare, you can buy a ticket that will give you access to unlimited food and live entertainment like a performance by Barenaked Ladies.

www.clubzone.com/2010/vancouver-olympic-parties.html
This site is for all the people who plan on partying the night away at some of Vancouver's hottest nightclubs. World famous DJs like Paul Van Dyk and Paul Oakenfold will be spinning the ones and twos nightly. Tickets are pricey, especially for the big venues, but you can use this site to find out what you want to see, then take your chances buying cheaper tickets direct from the venue as soon as you arrive.

www.vancouver2010.com/more-2010-information/cultural-festivals-and-events/event-listings/
If you feel you're getting burned out on sports and partying, check out something at the Cultural Olympiad. Galleries and theaters all over Vancouver and Whistler are being transformed into meccas of all forms of art. Most of the exhibits are free, including the nightly light shows over English Bay, but more elaborate events will cost you between $20 - $100. The most interesting sounding show is The Only Animal, a play that will be performed in Canada's first theater made of snow and ice in Whistler.

Now that you have all the resources you need, the hard part is picking what to do with so little time!

I’m Packing!

2010-02-09T21:40:00.002-05:00

I flipped my calendar to February last week and realized the Vancouver Olympics are no longer 6 months away, they are less than a week! That means I need to start packing and getting ready to go to Vancouver. Leading up to this month I’ve been doing some minor preparations, which blog post to do next was what I thought about the most. I also spent time reading other Olympic related blogs, and searching online for others making the trip to Vancouver.

A few weeks ago I started to look into free events that will be available during Vancouver 2010. There are many and to try to make sense of all the locations was making me dizzy. I’ve bookmarked all the sites and blogs I could find on everything and anything going on in Vancouver during the Olympics. At the top of my list of things to do outside of our Olympic events are hanging out at LiveCity Yaletown and Downtown and visiting as many of the pavilions and houses that I can. Of special interest is Sochi House-the next host city for the winter Olympics and as many Canadian houses that I can get to including Ontario House, Quebec House, Canada’s Northern House, and obviously Vancouver House. I will try to get to as many as I can.

Outside of those things, I want to go shopping! Not mall shopping, I want funky, boutique, you can only get this in Vancouver kind of shopping! I was asking around on Twitter for some recommendations and people sent me quite a few suggestions. I’ve made a list and will be working my way through it when I am in town. It will also be inspiration for my Not A Shopaholic blog which I’ve been ignoring while I focus on my Journey to Vancouver 2010 blog.

Now my attention turns to getting ready to make the trip to Vancouver. This past weekend I brought up my suitcase and tried to start packing based on lists I’ve been working on for months. Packing is one of my least favourite activities, “pack light” everyone always tells me. That phrase doesn’t seem to be in my vocabulary. I’m going to try my hardest to make it work this time. I want to leave room for all the souvenirs I’m going to bring home from Vancouver!

Vancouver, I will see you Thursday, February 11, 2010!

Canada Loot Bags

2010-02-08T21:57:00.002-05:00

I have acquired quite a bit of Canada, Ontario, and Toronto trinkets to give away to our international guests during Vancouver 2010. It started to be so much stuff I wondered about the logistics of handing it all out. I didn't want to have to fish through different bags for 3 different types of pins, stickers, and business cards. I needed to compile everything so it would be easy, fast and neat when it came time to disperse my goodies. That is when I came up with the idea to create "Canada Loot Bags", you know like the kind you got as a kid at a party.

These would be loot bags for Vancouver's 2010 visitors given out by me, spreading Olympic and Canadian cheer everywhere I go. Each Canada loot bag will consist of 1 Canada flag pin, 1 set of Canada stickers and 1 pin of either Toronto or Ontario (pictured at left). I have also added in my blog business card so people are able to stay in touch. On the weekend I went to every Dollar Store I could find but Canada stickers were in short supply. I will keep checking though. The loot bag isn't complete without them.

Do you have suggestions for anything else that can be included in the Canada Loot Bag? If you do, please leave a comment with your idea as well as where it can be purchased.
I'll be sure to keep you posted on people's reactions to the Canada loot bags when I am in Vancouver.

My Canada Loot Bag: Canada pin, Toronto or Ontario pin and Canada stickers. My biz card is in there too.

Eastside Marios Has Olympic Spirit

2010-02-08T21:24:00.001-05:00

I found this sign yesterday when I was at my parents in Brampton, ON. I was going to pick my brother up from work, saw this sign and made a quick detour to take this photo. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I am in love with Mariboli Wraps from Eastside Marios. I talk about it so much that other people want to try it. Anyway, it is great to see things like this around Canada. If Iwas going to be home during the Olympics I would be going to watch at Eastside Marios. A Mariboli Wrap, a cold beer and Olympics on TV, what could be better? Thank you Eastside Marios. This sign gets you a spot in the Canadian Olympic Spirit photo album.

If you see any other displays of Canadian Olympic Spirit be sure to send me the photo so I can include it in the album.

Guest Post by Andrea Kay - 2010VanFan

2010-02-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

Last month I asked Andrea if she would write a guest post for my blog. She lives in Vancouver and is absorbing and blogging about everything to do with the Olympics. I love reading her blog because I get to find out how the city is getting ready to welcome the world. She is one of the many wonderful people I have met so far. I am especially happy to connect with someone who loves the Olympics as much as I do. Here is her post. Thank you Andrea.

Welcome World!
My name is Andrea, I live in Vancouver and write a daily blog about the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games called 2010vanfan.ca. Quite a while ago Christina asked me to write a guest post for her blog giving a Vancouver perspective to her eastern-based readers and I have been meaning to write this for a while. Why did it take me so long? Mostly because I wasn't entirely sure what to write about but I certainly am now. I'm going to tell you about some of the people that have made my Olympic experience really wonderful so far. Honestly, I haven't even met some of these people in person yet, including Christina. However I know that we will be good friends. That is what Vancouver 2010 is creating friendships between people that had no other reason to meet.
Out east there is Christina, working hard on her blog, sharing her excitement and experiences (I'm still very envious of her Torch Relay ride-along!). Hardeep from Cold-FX, who works tirelessly to create trivia questions and award prizes to fans across the nation. Michael in Ottawa is a keen fan and there are many more. There is Joyce from Scotland. She is a blogger as well and has actually taken time off of work to travel to Vancouver 2010 to volunteer in Whistler. Beau has come from Seattle to volunteer as well; Justin from Tacoma is up to work with the Olympic Family. Even within Greater Vancouver I have connected with and met so many people that I would never have had a reason to interact with before: Jenn, Rachael, Dave, Kelly, Matt, Jordan, Daryl, Catrina, Carlin, Nancy, James, Paul, Frank, Rob, Bob, Merritt, Andrew, Patti, Carol, George... oh my gosh this is reading like a poorly put together Oscar winner's thank you list (and it feels like the music is coming up)! I guess I'm trying to say that I've met many, many more wonderful people than I could ever hope to name, all in one list, with confidence that I haven't missed someone.
The Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have transformed the host cities and resorts (province... nation...) not just physically, with new buildings, roads and trains, the change occurring is emotional and complex. People from the region, the country and the world are coming together to build, support and celebrate, not just the athletes and the athletic events that are the heart of the event, but also the cultural events, the friendships and hope. While Vancouver 2010 cannot solve all of the world’s problems it has had positive impacts on the cities and towns involved and I believe it will be a lasting and enduring positive impact. I know that when someone mentions 2010 a smile will come to my face and I will think about all of the people that came into my life because of it.

If you are standing in line waiting to get into an event, start talking to the people around you. At that point you all have something in common and that is a rare enough thing in today's world. Heck, even just walking down the street you're likely to meet people that you can have fabulous conversations with. You do not even have to be in Vancouver or Whistler to experience the friendships that Vancouver 2010 can create. Send a comment or email to a blogger or a newspaper. Try to learn something about athletes that may be attending from the area where you live and send them your support. All you have to do is reach out a hand, there are lots of us that are happy to take hold and welcome you to the excitement that is building and share with you the events as they unfold!
Thank you to all of my new friends. Hello to those looking to be a part of this, I'm happy to have you along. And as a resident and fan of Vancouver - Welcome World! We're ready for you!

BC'ers Welcome Christina Wallaert From Ontario

2010-02-07T18:16:00.005-05:00

Updated 10: 20 pm
When I got up this morning I saw messages from Facebook in my email. The messages were referencing comments that had been made about me and some video. Warning bells started to go off in my head. Trust me when I say that I am not in any videos that I don't know about, and there are very few, pretty much 0 videos of me. Imagine my surprise when I logged into Facebook and saw that Robert Werner had posted a video that was titled "Welcome for Christina Wallaert". Yesterday while out on a walkabout in Vancouver, he had the group give me a special welcome. I loved it! I didn't care that the resolution of the video was off. I watched it over and over, laughed and cried, and sent my thank you's.

Later in the day Robert sent me a link for the video below. He felt so bad about the intial video, he created this new one. All I can say is the people of BC, the people of Vancouver are absolutely amazing! I am in awe of people I've never even met in person taking the time to think of doing something like this for me. I have to say I feel pretty special. I don't think too many other visitors are having video greetings made for them by the people in BC. What a special group of people they are. Vancouver I love you. I have a feeling I won’t ever be scrambling for a place to stay in Vancouver ever again.

February 8, 2010
There is yet another video! Scroll down to see the new and improved version, although for the record I was quite happy with the original! Thank you so much everyone for your warm welcome. I will be there very soon.

Canada Trinkets and Treats

2010-02-06T20:15:00.004-05:00

As a self proclaimed Ambassador of Canada for the Vancouver Olympic Games, I feel a special kind of duty to show people from other countries some Canadian hospitality. For those I meet at Vancouver 2010, I want to have something to give them to remember me by as well as Canada. People visiting from other countries are going to judge Canada on what they see as well as by those they interact with. I want everyone to see that we live up to our international reputation of nice, polite people and show them Canada is a great place to live.

So this poses the question, what to give people I meet as a token of Canadianism? And where am I to buy such items since I am funding a trip that is the most expensive I have ever been on and need to save money not spend it. I got the brilliant idea to check out my friendly neighbourhood dollar store. I knew they had Canada branded products and really, where was I going to find anything cheaper than a dollar store? I’ve found stickers, pens, pencils, key chains, hats and socks. Now I didn’t buy all of that but I did buy some stuff that I will be bringing to Vancouver with me. I also found a few of small Canada flag pins at a gift shop. I also wanted to bring Toronto pins, if I could find them.

I found out that Flag Walk buttons (not pins) are being sold and my contact has graciously allowed me to put an order in for these. They were reasonably priced and I’ve ordered a bunch of Canada ones, as well as a few other countries for my family. I actually like these better than pins because they are bigger and it is easier to see the Canadian flag. Hopefully my new international friends won’t mind that they are buttons and not pins.

I was started to get very frustrated over locating Canada flag lapel pins to buy. In a year where an event as huge as the Olympics is taking place in Canada, you wouldn’t think they would be so hard to find. I was about to give up when a very smart person, genius actually, left a comment on my blog. They told me they had emailed their City Hall and government officials and were getting pins from them. I looked up all the contact information for my area and sent off emails to see what would happen. I am happy to report that they have provided me with a small supply of Canada flag lapel pins that I can give away in Vancouver. The City of Toronto is also sending me pins so I have something to represent my hometown which makes me very happy. Today my MPP’s office confirmed they have Ontario pins they can give me so I’ll have those too! I’ll probably be heading back to the dollar stores to stock up on stickers. I wouldn’t think children from other countries would be too impressed with pins so I’m going to give them Canada stickers.

Pictured above are the Canada flag lapel pins, Toronto pins and Canada stickers I will be giving out in Vancouver.

Here is the inventory of what I have to give away to visitors or even my fellow Canadians: 60 Canada flag lapel pins, 50 City of Toronto pins, 20 Canada stickers, 30 Ontario pins, 22 Flag Walk buttons – Canada, and my business card with my blog addresses and email. Hey, I want people to be able to stay in touch! Do you think that is enough stuff? If there is anything you think I am missing, let me know.

Are you bringing anything to the Olympics to give out to people you meet, maybe to trade as you wait for your event to begin? If you do I would love to hear about it. Leave a comment to share with all of us.

"FlagWalk is the creation of a unique walking route connecting Yaletown and South Granville, two of Vancouver's truly unique neighbourhoods. The FlagWalk pathway spans a total distance of 3.74 kms and features the flags of countries participating in the 2010 Winter Games." Taken from flagwalk.ca. Please visit their site for more information on this unique tribute to the countries of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.

Olympic Celebrations Across Canada

2010-02-06T17:54:00.000-05:00

I saw this press release last month and meant to get the information out to you before today, sorry! During the Olympics five cities across Canada will be hosting Olympic Celebrations. I assume they will be modeled after the Torch Celebrations that recently came through many communities with the Olympic Torch Relay. In the CTV press release it states there will be musical acts, interactive sports zones, cultural pavillions and large screens showcasing live coverage from Vancouver. Some of the musical acts listed on the website are Barenaked Ladies, Simple Plan and Sam Roberts Band, If you are not going to Vancouver it sounds like this will be a great alternative. I would definitely be there if I was going to be home.
Here are the cities and dates for the celebrations:

Calgary and Winnipeg - February 13
Toronto - February 20
Newfoundland and Labrador - February 26
Quebec City - February 27

More information can be found on the CTV Olympic site. Have a great time if you go and let me know all about it.

Red Mittens Around Toronto

2010-02-06T17:24:00.002-05:00

It is very cold in Toronto today, -5 cold in fact. I woke up early this morning to work my volunteer shift at an Arts Centre. I was shocked by how cold it was! I’ve been looking at Vancouver weather and see temperatures like 8 and 10 degrees, I guess I thought it would be that warm here too! It is nowhere close to that. I hope that mild weather continues when we are out there. Anyway, while I was at the Arts centre, I caught a glimpse of red mittens on a few people. Before now I haven’t seen many pairs of them out and about.

This afternoon I was in Bloor West Village getting my hair cut and also saw red mittens around. As far as Olympic spirit goes, I think that may be all we are going to see in Toronto. I’m surprised there isn’t a bit more of a display of support for our Canada athletes. Maybe things will start to pop up next weekend.

A trip to Zellers showed their shipments of red mittens had come in. They had bins and bins of them. As I was walking into the store, someone was walking out with 2 pairs of them. Looks like they are still in demand. I’m thinking if it is 10 degrees in Vancouver next weekend, it will be too warm to wear mittens.

photo from hbc website.

The People I Leave Behind

2010-02-05T22:54:00.003-05:00

Back in 2008 when I starting planning this Vancouver 2010 trip, I didn’t even know who would be coming with me. I couldn’t wait to find someone; I had to go ahead and build my ticket request and submit it before the due date. I figured I would see if I could get tickets first, then worry about who was going to come with me. I asked my Mom if I couldn’t find anyone else to go with me if she would come. She said yes and I’m not sure if she ever thought that she would actually have to go. I asked a few friends that I thought had the best chance of saying yes. They all said no. Whether they weren’t big Olympic fans or they thought it would be too much money I don’t know. It was a year and a half before Vancouver 2010 would start and the excitement for people other than me hadn’t started to build yet.

At some point I told my Mom it was me and her that were going to make the trip. When she realized there were 9 events to attend she got a bit nervous and said she thought that might be too much for her. That is how my younger brother became involved. We needed a body and since he wasn’t working, he was available to come. To say he has been less than thrilled about the whole thing is an understatement. The most excitement I got out of him was a few months ago when he said, “I wonder what it will be like there”. Oh yeah, sensory overload on the happiness right there. I’m sure once we arrive they will get right into it.

That meant that both my older brother and my Dad would be staying behind. I certainly couldn’t afford to foot the bill for a family of 5, no matter how much I wanted to. So as we began this insane and really, really fun adventure, they sat on the sidelines and watched. They have been helpful in our planning stages. I know my Mom had my Dad looking up things for her on the internet, he sent away for information packages, checked out prices on flights and possibly hotels. He has dutifully gone to all the places I’ve sent him around Brampton whether it was to Rona to check out their Olympic pin offering or to their local MP’s office to pick up Canada pins for me. He may not be making the trip out to Vancouver with us but he has definitely been involved in the getting ready portion of the trip.

As for my older brother, Allan, his assistance came in the form of tech gadgets. He works at the Best Buy warehouse in Brampton, ON and has an arsenal of techy products that he offered to share with us. I couldn’t be bothered to learn about these things so I believe he has been giving lessons to Mark for whatever camera Allan is lending us. At Christmas time I found myself the proud new owner of a Panasonic Olympic 8GB memory card. I had been concerned my 2GB card would not be enough for the tons of photos and video I was going to take in Vancouver. Thanks to Allan, I no longer have to worry about it. And the 8 GB card has Quatchi on it, too perfect. Allan celebrates his birthday at the end of February which sadly we will miss. I will make sure we call him from Vancouver to wish him a Happy Birthday, no matter where we are that day. His birthday celebration will take place when we get home.

Then there are my co-workers who have been amazing through this whole thing. They have never once told me to shut up about the Olympics; in fact they are quite encouraging and ask questions all the time about my trip and adventures. They are a big part of why this has been so much fun for me. It would not have been as exciting if I didn’t have them to tell my stories to.

For all the people I can’t take to Vancouver, I am sad to leave them behind. I really hope they will be following along on my blog. If I can make them feel a part of the occasion even just a little bit I will be happy. For everyone who has helped me through this and shown their support and love, you have no idea how grateful I am. Without all of you to share this with, it would mean nothing. In Vancouver I will be cheering on your behalf. It has been such a joy to share this with everyone. Thank you so much.

As we get closer to the Vancouver Olympics make sure you are on the lookout for grand displays of Canadian Olympic Spirit. If you see something send me an image to inlcude in the photo album I started. I want Canada to show the world we have the most Olympic spirit around. See the post about it here.

Vancouver 2010 Cruise Ship Cancelled

2010-02-05T21:06:00.000-05:00

Yesterday many Olympic fans received horrible news. The accommodations they had booked for Vancouver 2010 were cancelled. Anyone who had booked to stay on the NCL cruise ship were told they had to find another place to stay, with only 8 days to go before the Olympics begin. I can't even imagine what that must be like. They will get their money back but are faced with the job of having to find accommodations again so close to the beginning of the Games.
The saddest part was children who are attending the Olympics through Make A Wish foundation were to be staying on the cruise ship. From what I have read, those children and their families have been found other accommodations. Many others though are scrambling to find something at the last minute. If you need assistance in finding accommodations here is the link to the Tourism Vancouver website and some links that may help you. I wish you the best of luck. From the sounds of it, there are places available so hopefully everyone is booked somewhere again real soon.

One Week To Go!

2010-02-05T20:26:00.000-05:00

I can't believe Vancouver 2010 Olympics start next week! I'm amazed. At work today I told a co-worker that this time next week I will be in Vancouver. As soon as I said it, my eyes welled up with tears, at work! I don't know when I became such an emotional mess but I've been like this since June when I got my tickets for the Closing Ceremony.
The next week is going to be extremely busy. There is still so much to do. I've been so preoccupied with what blog post I'm going to do next, I haven't really focused on the actual getting ready to go to Vancouver part. This weekend I plan to start packing. This is something I should have started last week but I didn't get around to it. I suck at packing, it takes me forever to decide what I should bring. I always pack way too much and don't use half of what I take. Packing light just isn't something I am capable of. I always try but then I think "what if I need this", "what if I need that". I'm going to try my hardest to only take what is necessary.
I'm also super paranoid about forgetting to take any of my Olympic related stuff. Between all of my pins, the Canada pins, Toronto pins, Canada stickers, red mittens, Canada apparel, hats, scarves and various accessories plus tickets and maps and on and on, there is a ton of stuff! Another reason to get on this packing thing as soon as possible. I've started many lists but even that felt like a huge task. I am doing it though. It is the only way to ensure I don't miss anything.
In addition to the Canada and Toronto pins I secured, I found out today that I will be able to pick up some Ontario pins from my MPP's office. So I will have pins to represent my country, my province and my city. I'm pretty proud of that.
Then there is the fun stuff. Making plans to meet up with all of my friends in Vancouver. Whether they are friends I have known for years or new friends I have made on the way to Vancouver, there is sure to be a lot of fun times. I'm relying on them to let me know the best places to go. I worry that I have not spent enough time learning about all the other events in Vancouver during the Olympics, so I will need some help if figuring out where the best places are to be when I'm not at an Olympic event. And I must make time for shopping! A few weeks ago I asked people on Twitter to recommend some great shopping areas in Vancouver and people actually responded. I have them all written down and I will make sure I fit that in between events and other things.
So I will be working like crazy this weekend to get ready to go to Vancouver and also working like crazy at work to get everything I need done before I go. The second trip is only two weeks away and I'll be gone for two weeks, poor them!

I’m A Pin Head/Hustler

2010-02-03T22:06:00.004-05:00

Getting ready to go to Vancouver for the Olympics Games has been a very unique experience. For me, this is probably the only one that I will get to attend so I need to make sure I get the full experience. A few months ago someone clued me in to this sport of “pin trading” that has been happening for years at most Olympics.

When you read up on this non official event that does not award medals, you will see that it is commonly referred to as an event bigger than the Olympics themselves. What? How is that even possible? If this was going to happen at our Olympics, you know I had to be a part of it! I raced out and started buying up pins like a maniac. I was running to Rona on my lunch hour in a snowstorm, searching the Vancouver 2010 store online to see what they had, and asking people outright if they could help find pins for me. My mom helped by phoning Bay stores in
Toronto to see if they sold them in stores. In addition to that, I was entering every contest I could find to try to win pins, whether it was by leaving a comment on a blog or answering daily Olympic trivia questions. Some of the suppliers I deal with at work are Olympic sponsors or suppliers. One of my sales reps came across some Panasonic pins and passed them on to me. I have a contact at CTV that I have been emailing to see if there are any spare “believe” pins lying around. Not surprisingly the answer to that was no. My friend works at the airport and offered, I swear she offered, to see if she could find Air Canada pins for me. I was becoming obsessed; I had to have the pins! I had to have them!

Left: Panasonic pin Right: HBC Mascot pin I won in a contest from 2010VanFan.

Then another genius person who I have met in my Olympic travels, my new friend Hardeep, suggested writing to companies associated with Vancouver 2010 and asking if they would send pins. People, I was on it! I started emailing and asking if they would send pins that I could add to my collection. And some of them did! The first company I emailed was GM and a very nice woman from Customer Service replied and sent me a pin right away. I was ecstatic. I’ve been sending emails ever since. Most have not responded even a week after I sent an email. I got my first rejection today from Canada Post, and I’ve had yes responses from RBC, Rona and Petro Canada. Thank you for supporting the Canadian Olympic fans. I am very happy to be adding your pins to my collection. As I write this post, I received a message from Atos Origin. I had sent them a pin request and they just responded. They are sending me a pin! Thank you @atosJenn!

As for the pin trading thing, I think I may be missing the point. I do not want to part with any of the pins that I have. I understand that you are supposed to trade only the ones that you have doubles of, but it was so hard to get one, how on earth was I supposed to get more than that? The whole trading thing kind of scares me too. You kind of need to know what it is you have, if it is a hard to find pin etc, and make sure you are trading it for something equal. With all of the work and planning and blogging I’ve done for this trip, I don’t know where I could have found the time to educate myself on Olympic pins. This time I think I’ll sit back and watch the action. Maybe by my next Olympics I’ll have become a Pin Master, ready to trade in the big leagues. The Coca Cola Pin Trading Centre is set up at The Olympic Superstore (Bay store) downtown Vancouver if you want to try your hand at trading. I will be at the Superstore buying Coca Cola Olympic pins. I've read that is the only store that is selling them.

As for the pins I purchased from retail, I have started wearing a different one each day to work. What is the point of having them if I can’t show them off? Now it is a morning ritual when I come in for my co-workers to check out which pin I am wearing. And guess what, they want pins now too!

Do you have a story or suggestion on how to get Olympic pins? Leave a comment to share with all of us. My quest for pins is ongoing and I can use all the help and tips I could get.

Thank you so much for reading. It is 9 days until Vancouver 2010 officially begins. It is going to be great Canada.

Above: My retail pin collection. Right: Some cool Olympic pins I won through the Cold FX trivia contest. Top is the 6 piece pin set, and the single pin is the Sliding Goalie pin. The goalie actually moves from side to side. Very cool! I have one to trade. I was told to get something really good for it.

Some other Olympic souvenirs I purchased from the Vancouver 2010 online store. I've been collecting keychains for years and am looking to pick up some more while in Vancouver. The lanyard is for my Mom. The bookmark on the far left is for me. I am a book lover. I can sit and read for hours and hours at a time.

A Mish Mash of Olympic Stuff

2010-02-01T22:19:00.002-05:00

Get your GM “Go Canada” Flag
I was on the GM Canada website the other week. After entering a contest a message came up telling me to go visit a GM dealership to pick up my free Go Canada flag. I called my parents right away and sent them over to their GM dealership (I don’t know where there is one in my area). My mom picked up 3 and I saw them on the weekend. They are really nice. They are the kind that sit in your car window. I’m going to take mine to Vancouver with me and wave it around with the Canada flag.

All of you should go visit GM and get your flags. Put it in your car window or display it at work or home. Do something to show your Canadian spirit! You can visit the GM Canada website to locate a dealer near you.

Classified, Canadian Rapper has Spirit

I have to thank one my vendors, Jason R., for clueing me in to this one. At a meeting last week Jason started off by telling me about a video he had seen of a Canadian East Coast rapper named Classified and his version of O Canada. Of course I had to see it so we looked it up and watched it while we ate lunch. I have to say the name “Classified” sounds familiar but I’m not sure what other material of his I may have heard. However, this is a great song/rap and an amazing video. I especially like the crowd shots of everyone dressed in Canada gear. I expect this video to be getting a ton of hits in the coming months, especially during February. You can check it out below. I think it is brilliant! I would love to see him performing this song somewhere in Vancouver during the Olympics. As of this post, his video has just over 167K views on YouTube.

City of Toronto Pins

I am happy to report that I will be representing Toronto well at the Vancouver Olympics. I wanted Canada stuff to give out to people but I also wanted to have something from my hometown as well. I emailed City of Toronto last week and they have a program that provides pins to people who are attending international events. I asked them if they would be able to give me some for the Olympics, sent them the link to my blog and now they are mailing pins out to me! I know Toronto pins may not be as sought after as the Olympic pins. I personally would not even mind if I came home with a collection of international pins from other countries and cities. The whole pin trading thing scares me a bit and I don’t really know enough about them to know if I am getting a fair trade. This seems much safer and easier to me. Hopefully the international visitors will be bringing city pins with them as well. I’ll post a photo when I get them, should be this week.

Nikki Yanofsky - "I Believe" Theme Song for the Olympics

I think I wrote about this beautiful song in an earlier blog post. I only heard it the one time, the first time I heard it and not since then. I did find it online and will have a listen to it there once in awhile. If you have not heard it before, you can hear it below with visuals from the Torch Relay. I can’t wait to hear this song in Vancouver. I wonder how many memories will become tied to this song for all of us?

The Kindness of Strangers

2010-01-31T21:12:00.001-05:00

Vancouver, you have some pretty amazing people in your city but you probably already knew that. I have been the recipient of your kindness, generosity and Olympic spirit the last few weeks and am very touched and grateful.

If you have been following my posts for awhile, you will remember a few months ago I wrote about coming up with this crazy idea to fly into Vancouver for the weekend of the Opening Ceremony, maybe even getting a ticket for the Opening Ceremony. Our original trip is planned for the second week of the Olympics. This Opening weekend trip would be in addition to that. The deal I made with myself was I would do it but only if someone let me stay at their place. I shouldn’t even be spending money to fly out there again, much less pay for a place to stay. If I could stay with someone I knew in Vancouver then I would spend the money on airfare to get there for opening weekend.

As time went by, it looked less and less likely that I was going to be able to go. No one had offered to let me stay with them and I didn’t feel I knew some well enough to ask them outright. In updated blog posts I made casual mention of this fact and was resigning myself that maybe this wasn’t meant to be. My Olympic karma had run out. Then an amazing and unexpected thing happened, the offers started rolling in. Vancouver people started emailing me, sending messages on Facebook and Twitter offering me their couches, second bedrooms and sofa beds. A fellow blogger from Inside Vancouver even offered up her mother’s place to me! Some of these people I knew through my blog and was corresponding with on a regular basis. Others were frequent readers of my blog but I had never heard from them before their offers of accommodation. In total, I had 6 people offering to let me stay with them or with people that they knew. At first it was pretty disconcerting to be getting invites from complete strangers but after awhile I wasn’t even surprised. I realized that these are Vancouver people, proud of their city, honoured to be hosting people from all over the world and wanting to share the experience with Olympic fans like me. These people are spreading Olympic spirit and Vancouver spirit all across their city and country.

Thank you for letting me be a part of it.

And in case you were wondering, I have found a place to stay with an acquaintance in Yaletown. I will be in Vancouver when the Olympics begin and couldn’t be happier. There is no other place I would rather be that weekend. See you in Vancouver on February 12, 2010.

Olympic Flame Lives On, Long After Leaving Ontario

2010-01-31T01:02:00.002-05:00

When I started planning this trip back in Fall 2008, I knew in my heart that the people I was going to meet through this experience were going to be the highlight. With a few weeks to go before our amazing Vancouver 2010 Olympics begin, I have had the pleasure of meeting wonderful people from all over the world. When people leave comments on my blog, they are available for all of you to see. What you don't see are all the emails, Facebook messages and text messages I get from friends directly. I encourage them to go back to my blog and post as comments because the things they say are really beautiful and inspiring to me. Usually they don't and I keep all of their messages to read them again. When you get so much encouragement and feedback from those around you, it makes it easier to keep up with doing all of this blogging!
All of that is a very long intro to an email I got this week from Cindy Legare. Cindy was a Torch Bearer in Oshawa, ON on December 16th. She came across my blog while searching for some material to use in a presentation. I loved her email so much I asked if she would mind if I used it as a blog post. She didn't mind in the least and I am publishing the email in full that she sent to me on January 28th.
I am publishing it because it is a great reminder of how this Olympic experience will live on long after the Flame is extinguished in Vancouver, long after the Torch Relay has been completed and long after the athletes have won their medals and travel back to their home countries. It is an example of how the children of today, our next generation of Olympic athletes are going to be inspired by these events and by the actions of people like Cindy. I think it is such a special honour to be a role model to children. Cindy is lucky to have that honour and it sounds like she is making the most of it, and loving it!

Hi Christina,

Good on ya!!!!! I love what you are doing - I wish I could be doing this with you - I so wish I could be in Vancouver for it (I was there in Sept 09 though and got to see all the messy construction they were doing and see the 'before' places)!!!! I love the Olympics (my dream was to be a soccer player in the Olympics - but they were too late making that an olympic sport so I missed my chance) so the next best thing.....I was a torchbearer. I was honoured to do this in Oshawa on Dec16 and since then I've been treated like a 'celebrity' visiting many schools, classes, senior centres, women's groups, Brownies, a library reading group, the list goes on. Why keep my torch locked up in a box where as I can share it with many other people so that can feel apart of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic history!

I'm volunteering my time to go talk to these people about the olympics history and info about the 2010, my experience as a torch bearer and then I let everyone hold the torch individually and I have my camera and get a picture of them and give it to them.I'm filled up right until March doing talks...all volunteer so I'm not profitting from this (I have my own business so I kinda put that on hold - we make sunprotective and other unique clothing/accessories - which we'll be getting busy with soon). Its so funny seeing peoples reaction to me and the torch and especially when I ask them if they'd like to hold it - wow, their facial expression is priceless!!!! I've even had two classrooms of students line up and ask me for my autograph - how funny is that....I've never signed messages and my name this much at one time in my life.

Anyway, I came across your blog because I'm putting together a power-point slide show for a couple schools where I talk to about 700 students each and I was searching for photos...and up popped you!!!! I will now keep reading your diary blogs and this way you are filling me in on what I'm unfortunately missing. If you need me to do anything for your blog then I'd be happy to help out and fill in any empty spaces (if that is possible) on your diary...

Keep blogging - Go Christina Go!!!!

After that email she sent another one to me describing what was going to happen during one of her talks at a school. I thought this was so cool and I have included the excerpt below. Wish things like this had happened at my school!

I'm doing a talk this Monday at a school in Oshawa and it sounds pretty cool how we are doing it. I'm leading a group of children in the gym (me holding the torch and in uniform - they were chosen from a random name draw in each class) and we'll be doing a figure 8 around everyone who is seated then go to the stage. The coke, Open Happiness song, will be playing while we are parading around. Then by the stage, kids will each say a word of two about what the Olympics means to them. Then I will have a power-point slide show showing how the flame got lit in Greece to where it arrives in Vancouver and I'll talk about the torch design, logo, other olympic facts, who other than myself carried the torch (they'll go crazy when I say 'Sidney Crosby'), my experience, my uniform design and how my mitts differ from their 'red knitted mitts'. Then after the talk, I will be going to each class room to let all 600 students hold my torch and then get their picture taken with it.....its an all day event!

When I started my blog, it was meant to be a diary of my adventures leading up to and at the Vancouver Olympics. I have since come to realize that it is not only my story. The people that I am coming into contact with all have stories too. They may not be making the trip out to Vancouver, but the Olympics is having an impact on their lives that is worth telling. I am thrilled to be able to share their stories with you. I am going to try to make it out to one of Cindy's talks when I am back from Vancouver.
If you were a Torch Bearer I would love to hear if you are having experiences similar to Cindy's. Please leave a comment and share with all of us what has been happening to you since you carried the Olympic Torch.

Cindy gives a presentation to high school students in Whitby, ON.

The woman holding the Torch in this photo was sending a copy of this to her brother in Afganistan. Cindy with a women's sorority group in Port Hope, ON.

Canadian Olympic Spirit Photo Album now online

2010-01-28T20:13:00.001-05:00

I have finally manged to put together my Canadian Olympic Spirit photo album. It will be a work in progress that I will add to as I find images or others send to me displays of great Canadian Olympic Spirit from anywhere in Canada. I think I have a few photos on my parents computer that I will have to upload on the weekend.
Here is a preview of some of the images you'll find there.

I have my spies everywhere to capture photos for me! This one was taken in Toronto on Front Street in front of the Globe and Mail office. They are the official newspaper of Vancouver 2010 so I guess it is not surprising that they would decorate their newspaper boxes. A great display of Olympic Spirit. Thank you very much to Hardeep Gosal for submitting.

This one was posted on Twitter by my favourite GM guys GM_ArtAndSerge who I did my Torch Relay ride along with. This is an image they captured in Moosomin, SK.

This is also an image I originally saw on Twitter that was posted by one of the cool Molson people I follow. I believe it was MolsonFerg who tweeted about this and MolsonTonia who sent me the link to the photo. Thank you so much both of you and to Molson. What great Canadian and Olympic spirit from Molson.

Thank you everyone for letting me use your photos. Keep checking for updates. As we get closer to Vancouver 2010, I have a feeling I'll be adding to this frequently.

Reaction from Friends and Family

2010-01-27T22:22:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I asked some friends, co-workers and family if they would write a short paragraph on their reaction to all of my Vancouver 2010 Olympic hoopla. I was curious to see if my experiences and adventures were having any effect on their outlook of the Olympics and if it was getting them more excited about these Vancouver games. I told them they could write anything they wanted, I would publish as is and only edit for spelling and grammar. It is probably no surprise to you that I got teary eyed reading every single one of these. There are a few people who I am still waiting to get a paragraph from but I thought I would publish the ones that I have as of today and then add the others as I get them.
I would like to thank them very much for taking the time to do this. Some were hesitant about trying to write something and I appreciate the time and effort they took to do this. I think they did a fantastic job!

Jennifer Pinheiro
Co - worker

As a new mom I take the time when I can to get things done. I often keep up on Christina's Vancouver 2010 blog and Twitter updates on my Blackberry late at night and I look forward to see her getting to experience something that she has always dreamed of doing.
I have missed the daily chats with Christina at work, getting to see and hear first hand all the updates leading up to the big event. Thankfully we get to email often to still be in the loop. Everyday there seems to be something new going on and she is becoming quite the celebrity. I can say I knew her when.
Christina has a passion for the Olympics and I have to say it has inspired me to watch and be much more informed, since sports has never been a huge interest for me. Her passion is contagious, I love it! I am getting excited!!!....to watch and for Christina :)
I think this is a life changing event and I tell her all the time, can't wait to be proved right lol. I can't wait to read the next blog but more so to hear all about her trip. She will be an inspiration to my new daughter that you always have to follow your heart and do what you want and be happy!
I can't wait to hear all about it Christina and will be watching the Olympics and hope to spot you!
Represent Canada, you do it so well!

Amy Samad
Co - Worker

Olympic fever is in the air and Christina is chiefly responsible for infecting the locals! Working daily with Christina has given me a front row view of all the happenings around the Vancouver 2010 Games. Following her blog posts, scrolling through event pictures, and getting the direct behind-the-scenes inside scoop has been a thrilling experience. I'm 4,000 km's away from the Olympics, but following along as Christina is interviewed by The Washington Post, blogging for Inside Vancouver, and riding with the GM envoy allows me to feel directly involved as my country proudly shows off it's natural beauty, outstanding hospitality, and best of all our world class athletes. Christina's enthusiasm is entirely contagious - I hope other Canadians get the chance to have the games be made as personally relevant to them as I have - I'm bursting with Canadian Olympic pride! Thanks Christina for continuing to share your adventure with us here.
GO TEAM CANADA GO!!

My Mom on some of her Olympic Preparations:

In 4 weeks we leave for Vancouver 2010. After months of reading info and studying maps I hope I am ready. Trying to stay dry in steady rain will be a challenge.
Almost finished packing but will have to take some stuff out. Too heavy! Hope I haven’t forgotten anything but I probably have. Looking forward to our trip. Hope Canada wins a lot of medals. Hope USA wins some too.
Go get those medals Canada!
(Mom is American and will be cheering for both Canada and USA)

Jen Finnigan
Friend

Christina has been talking about the Olympics since they announced the Vancouver games, to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone to be so enthusiastic about the Olympics. It seemed only natural that she would extend her “Not A Shopaholic” blog into the 2010 games. Well, little did we know how far her enthusiasm would take her! From blogging, to being quoted in the newspaper (The Washington Post) to getting to ride a long in part of the Torch Relay in Southern Ontario; it seems every time I talk to or get an email from her she’s got a new “in”. I’m constantly amazed at how far she’s gone with it I can hardly keep up! I’m sure Christina feels like she’s living in a dream most days, I hope her “Road to the Olympics” is the ride of a lifetime – who knows where else it will lead?
Awesome job Christina!!

Guest Post by Erin Stanford, An Olympic Torch Bearer

2010-01-26T21:00:00.003-05:00

I came across Erin through Twitter after seeing many posts from her about carrying the Olympic Torch in Calgary on January 18, 2010. We sent messages back and forth for awhile and then I got the idea to ask her to do a guest post for my blog about her experience. The following post is from Erin as she describes what that moment was like and the time leading up to carrying the Torch. I am so happy she accepted my invite.

A day in the life of a torch bearer

I sit here, just shy of 68 hours past the time when I held the Olympic flame for a few, far too brief moments. You would think that by now I'd have no difficulties putting my words to paper (or at least to a Google document) and yet, I still am having great difficulties wrapping my mind around the fact that I *was* a torchbearer for the Vancouver 2010 Games. Wow!
Something you need to know about me is that I'm a Calgarian. Born & raised. I'm old enough to have a good memory of the spirit of the Calgary '88 Games and the fever with which they took over the city. I was just barely old enough for my parents to consent to my girlfriends and I heading down to Olympic Plaza to watch the medal ceremonies, without parental supervision. Attended a few events, as well as both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Sadly I did not have the opportunity to participate in them. My mother was a volunteer and the oldest of my younger brothers was in the Opening Ceremonies. I was stuck babysitting my other two brothers to allow my mother and brother to have their parts. So beyond that of a spectator and a Calgarian, I did not have an Olympic legacy of my own to share and pass on through stories and photos.
The most frequent question I've been asked is how did I end up being a torchbearer. On a whim, I entered my name a few times into one of the torchbearer contests Coca Cola ran in 2009. Of course I could not just enter one where they drew a name and that was it, but rather I went for the Coca Cola Live Positively program. I was one of the lucky Canadians to have their name drawn, which allowed you to move on to the second portion of the competition, which was to submit a short essay, illustrating your commitment to active living or the environment. I wrote about a life-changing journey that led to the loss of 120 lbs and how it impacted my life and those around me. Very humbled and honoured that Coca Cola and their panel of experts deemed me worthy of representing them and bestowing upon me the opportunity to carry the Olympic torch. That is the extremely condensed version of the story.
Just over six months passed between my being selected and my run date. For the most part it was just a little morsel of information that was tucked in the back of my brain. I would get the odd email, reminding me of what I would soon be doing. December rolled around and on December 2, 2009 I received an email with the details of my run. Until this day, I knew that I was running on Day 81 (January 18, 2010) and somewhere along the leg from Lethbridge, AB to Calgary, AB. I fully expected to be running in one of the smaller communities between the two. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be running in Calgary. Had not even entertained the possibility. Then on December 16, 2009 my torch relay package arrived, complete with my uniform and cheer kit from Coca Cola! Finally fully hit home. Media requests, interviews, amazing packages from friends and thoughtful cards really got me ramped up, emotional and excited about the big day! The outpouring of support I received was absolutely tremendous. It got to the point where tears were frequent and plentiful when thinking about what was about to happen in my life - so much so that I started to worry that I was going to be a basket case come the day of the relay!

The night before the relay, I got everything prepped and ready. Paranoia struck because I was just so worried that I was going to forget something! Had my outfit hanging, with my hat and mitts. My small backpack packed and sent with a family member, for the Calgary celebration after the relay, another bag with my running gear, shoes and lunch for work. I started wishing I had taken the relay day off completely, instead of leaving a few hours early. In hind sight, I'm glad I went in, as it helped the first part of the day pass quickly.
I am amazed that I had no issues sleeping the night before. I usually do when I'm excited, nervous or worked up about something. Woke up a grand 10 minutes before my alarm and leisurely got ready for the day. A nice surprise is that my sons got ready with little drama. We were all out of the house on time - them to school, myself to work. As the morning progressed and I received more and more messages of support from my amazing friends and questions from my co-workers, nerves started setting in. Around 11:30am, I looked at the clock and started thinking about lunch and realized that I had no desire to eat - I did though, as we all know the importance of eating.
2:00 pm arrived and it was time for me to start getting ready! Hauled all my things to the bathroom at work (let me tell you how nice it is to be the only girl at my office when it means I get a bathroom all to myself!) Got changed into my torch relay uniform, hat in place (I cheated and used a bobby pin to keep it just so, as the hat is somewhat oddly shaped, teamed with the fact that I hate hats.) I had wanted to touch my makeup up and realized that while I had brought my makeup with me, my makeup brushes were sitting on the bathroom counter at home. I guess if I were to forget something, that was probably one of the few things I could have survived without. Stopped at Macs on my way to get a slurpee to drink enroute (I'm an addict) and had the music cranked loud. Just wanted to enjoy the moment and get hyped up and not spend my time starting to worry and fret about what was coming up.
I took a very small detour on my way to city hall, as my leg of the relay was on my way from my office to city hall, as long as I took a few side roads as opposed to all the major intersections. Found my route marker that had my torchbearer number on it. Of course I had to get out of the car & take the opportunity to send a photo to Twitter for my friends and followers to see. Things really started sinking in right about then. After a few minutes to think, I was back on my way downtown. Pretty awesome driving along Macleod Trail, seeing a few Torch Relay flags flying from traffic light standards. Traffic got heavier the closer I got, as a three block stretch of Macleod was closed to traffic due to setup for the Calgary City Celebration. Started getting nervous that even though I had left myself enough time, three times over to get there, that I would be late because traffic was that slow. They had a police officer directing traffic at the intersection closest to the parkade I needed to get to and he saw me in my torchbearer uniform, smiled and waved me through the intersection, stopping cars coming from the other direction. Was parked and on my way in no time.
One thing I noticed, as I made my way through the parkade, through the walkways and into city hall, was that while people wouldn't stop to ask questions or talk, I got a lot of smiles from people as I passed them. Impossible to miss those uniforms! Although I was a little early, there were a few others milling around as it was easy to spot the relay staff. Got pointed in the right direction for my group and entered the room. There were at least eight others in there already, but it was so quiet! I was amazed. You could have heard a pin drop in there. I do not know if it was nerves, people reflecting or what. I sat down and waited a minute or two before starting to converse with a woman sat near me. Before long others were talking as well and the room was filling with energy. It was amazing to talk to people and find so many different stories as to who people were and how they got there. Staff started placing torches on an empty table and things just started buzzing! Throughout the time when talking and mingling occurred, we each went up to check in and have the sticker with our torchbearer number applied to our jacket. Once everyone was accounted for, we were on our way...
We all stood in a semi-circle of sorts, ordered by our torchbearer number. Our shuttle hosts (Sarah & a sweet young man who's name I cannot recall right now) shared their story with us, as to who they were and what this experience meant to them. How awesome would it be to be able to work on the entire relay?! That has to be one of the best jobs ever! They told us about the torch, the flame exchange and all kinds of other cool little things. Reviewed safety facts about the torch, how to hold it, what direction it faced and all those cool little things. Also learned about the flame keepers. A group of Canadian Aboriginal youth, who were entrusted with the job of keeping the flame with them at all times - day or night. Immediately to the left of each runner, you'll notice a teenager next to them. It is their job to keep watch over that flame. If a runner is tired, they are there to help bear the weight of the torch (it felt a lot heavier than expected), while letting the torchbearer still be the one to be carrying the torch. I spent a few moments talking to the young lady that was with me and she was telling me what an honour it was to have that responsibility. I can only imagine!
We then spent a few minutes talking to those on either side of us - those that we would receive the flame from (Lana for me) and who we would pass the flame to (Kelly.) Went around and introduced the person we would pass to the group - their name, where they were from and what they love most about the Olympics. It was wonderful to learn these little things about each other and to find out that we had several former Olympians within our group, covering both the summer and winter games (including Kyle Shewfelt, who was so sweet!) Also several that were affiliated to the Games through various ways, be it media covering the event, regional people and someone that worked directly for VANOC. Very inspiring! I was blessed with an amazing "torch family." The realization that we were about to do something, where each of us would be the ONLY person in the world at some moment soon to do what we were doing (carrying the Olympic flame) was just a breathtaking and humbling realization! Wow! What else can you say about that? You think of all those things you do in life. No matter how unique, someone somewhere is likely doing the same thing. Sure different people around and surroundings. But this, THIS was something that only one person could do at a time, other than at the flame exchange where for a few brief seconds, you shared that moment with someone else.
Quickly time was approaching! A quick break for last minute bathroom trips and then we were gathering our things and being ushered out to the shuttles to head out for the time of our lives. We stood as a group, while our hosts took our picture, outside of the shuttle bus. I am hoping that this group shot one day gets into our hands! Then on the shuttle and away we went (4:25pm, with the first person due to start right around 5pm.) You could feel the excitement, anticipation and some nerves building. Such a surreal feeling! Music matched the mood. As we pulled away from city hall, "Where The Streets Have No Name" by U2 was playing, followed by "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas. At this point people were almost bouncing in their seats. We had pretty much reached the first drop off point for the first person on our leg of the relay. Amazing to see the crowds building & the cars backed up on one of the major routes during rush hour. Even the Hooters girls came running out in their outfits to check things out, which brought some levity within the group. A few of us started chatting about how hot we were. Those uniforms do not breathe! I get cold easily, so I had layer upon layer on, making me feel (& look in some of my photos) like an overgrown marshmallow. *lol* I was starting to wish I had skipped the hoodie I was wearing, on top of a few layers of tops under my shell.
The drop of shuttle is at the very beginning of the very large cavalcade. As each torchbearer gets off the bus, they get cheers & best wishes for the torchbearers waiting for their turn. A high 5 and encouraging words from the shuttle driver. A big hug & reminder to enjoy the experience from the other group host. Suddenly you're standing there on the side of the road, with family and friends that have gathered. Waving as the shuttle pulls away. I had a few moments to reflect on what was about to happen. One of my brothers & a friend were there waiting for me. The rest of my family and my sons were part of the way up the route (my drop off point was very icy and difficult to walk to, so made sense for the others to wait up where it was safer to stand and cheer from.) Chris Wheeler (@TorchReporter) was at my point as well & it's awesome that I made his recap video for day 81 of the relay. We noticed in the background that the City of Calgary had lit the Calgary Tower. During the '88 Olympics, the torch had been based on the shape and design of the Tower. They turned the actual tower into a real life torch with a flame burning bright above the city. Since then, it's only lit for special occasions. To see it burning bright in the background just sent shivers down me. At this point, I just became overwhelmed and quiet, taking everything in. In the days leading up to this, I thought for sure I would be all teary, but I wasn't.

From this point, everything seemed to happen both at light speed and in slow motion. A very bizarre feeling. The Coca Cola relay twitterers had sent me a message saying that once the torch is lit it becomes weightless. I was glad they did, because that torch was far heavier than we'd been told. A wee bit nervous about that. Parades of people started to come down in the relay parade. The Coca Cola wagon was alive & announced who I was over the mic to the crowd. I don't think I've been high 5'd as much as I was that day. Everyone who went by gave me one. At some point (it may have been before the whole parade of people - I don't quite remember) a police officer rode up on a bike and took his key to turn on my torch. All of a sudden there was this huge hiss of gas and I was surprised by how loud it was. This meant that my turn was just about there! I looked up the road and could see Lana running my way with the flame. Before I knew it, I was being placed in position to receive the flame.

That moment where I was stood there, facing my family & friends, waiting to receive the flame and start my turn was incredible. Just knowing that this was a momentous time and that I was responsible to carry this incredible symbol of love, sportsmanship, and spirit was inspiring and was a great reminder of the things I had done and overcome to be where I was at that very moment. Lana came near, tipping her torch towards mine and suddenly there was this big arc of fire, as the flame quite literally jumped from her torch to mine. I remember looking up and watching the amazement of it - nothing quite like I have ever seen before. In person, that flame is a heck of a lot bigger than it looks on TV! It was time to turn and start my run with the torch.
My section was short. It was also uphill (HA! Figures that would be my luck!) Obviously, I did not want my time to pass to quickly, so I opted to do a slow jog rather than run. Can you blame me for that? The torch was both heavy and weightless. Fortunately, with crowds gathered on both sides of the road, I was able to pass the torch from hand to hand, so that I could wave to everyone. I was in my own little world. It's amazing how the faces of complete strangers are burned into my memory. Cars were lined up and honking. People were lined up, waving flags, cheering! It was awesome! I know that they were there to see the flame, not me in particular, but I was the one that was carrying that. By nature, I'm fairly quiet and do not seek out the spotlight, preferring to step back and allow others that want to be there to have their time. But this, this was my moment. Nothing could have wiped the smile off my face.

Came up to where my family was and saw my boys smiling, proudly, holding their sign to cheer me on. Other family members were also holding banners, waving flags and holding a poster that my oldest son's class had made for me. The looks on the faces of my sons is something I will treasure in my heart forever. I yelled out to them, blew kisses. No doubt my oldest was embarrassed by that (the age!), but I did not care at the time. I was just so happy to have them there, for them to be able to see and share in my moment, as they have been with me step by step through this journey.
Once my family were out of site, I spent a few moments chatting with the girl that was running beside me and she shared with me how incredible of a job she had being one of those chosen to attend the flame. Wish I had gotten her name!
Rest of it all was just a blur of waving, smiling, honking and cheering! I had not really prepared for the volume of people that would be out for the relay and to share in this magical moment. Being in Calgary though, I should have known!

My moment was over far too soon! Before I knew it, it was my turn to pass off to Kelly. We had a few moments to stand there, waving to the crowd and having photos taken. I can't help but wonder just how many random people in this city now have my photo in their collection. Such an odd and funny thing to think about. Then Kelly was off on his way to have his moment. The same officer that turned on my torch then approached me and turned mine off. Did not have time to blink before the shuttle was there, picking me up. One last wave to the crowd and then I was back on the shuttle, with my torch family that had run before me, cheering and asking me how it was.
When a torchbearer gets back on the shuttle a few things happen. Your new shuttle host (ours was Heather), greets you and takes your torch. Having just been lit, it is obviously very hot. As it cools, down, your torch is opened, the fuel canister is removed and fuel line is disconnected. It is a really neat thing to watch. Also, there is a memory book that you fill out about your experience. I cannot even remember what I wrote. Some people are rather eloquent and introspective. I am not naturally one of these people, so I am certain I did not write anything beyond your typical yearbook drivel. However I was still absorbed and reliving what I had just done.
The shuttle was relatively quiet for the longest time. I think we were all just so busy internalizing and reflecting on things. Once the shuttle was half full, things started to buzz again. We were also just enjoying the moment - waving at the crowds that had gathered, watching the magic of the flame travelling in front of us. Being the group that got to carry the flame at dusk and through into darkness was a special treat. Definitely the best time to experience it all! Watching the flame glow so brightly!

By the time our last torchbearer was done, the shuttle was buzzing and alive again. That last torchbearer got the biggest cheer of all of us! A few reasons for this. Being the last person dropped off, they did not get the volume of fanfare the rest of us had gotten. Also, just that realization of what we had just experienced and were now done. At this point, we dropped away from the parade of the relay and returned back to city hall. Our host thanked us for allowing them all to share in this moment with us. Shared with us her favourite quote in the memory book, from a young boy out on the east coast (I cannot remember what it was right now, but I was amazed at the time that such a young person could write something so insightful & eloquent - look forward to getting my book in a few months so that I can look it up.) We all filed off the bus, got the box and bag for our torches and just slowly drifted off to resume our normal lives.
I headed over to the Calgary Celebration across the street, to meet up with a few of my family members and my sons. We took in the party and energy that had built there. So many people stopped to ask questions, pose for photos. My sons were troopers through it all. One of our Olympic speed skaters stopped us to chat for a moment and allowed my sons to hold his medal. The awe in their eyes at this moment was incredible. We were allowed into a special VIP area to watch some of the celebration and the lighting of a cauldron. The crowd was huge, so we were grateful for that opportunity as we wouldn't have been able to see anything without it. The spirit of the Olympics was definitely alive and well that night. The love, spirit, pride and happiness could be felt all around. A magical way to cap an inspiring, amazing and surreal day.
Just want to say how amazing the torch relay team is. Everyone I met and interacted with was so upbeat and positive. The fact that they manage to run this show not just on time, but ahead of schedule completely baffles me! Hats off to them. What a fun & talented crew they have put together. One day I hope they too are able to share their stories. I know I for one would love to hear them!
Proud! Go Canada Go!

Photo Credits: @Ubermoogle and Kristy

Thank you so much Erin for sharing your story with us.

My Vision for the Olympic Games

2010-01-25T21:19:00.008-05:00

One of the most exciting things about telling people about my trip is seeing their reaction after I’ve told someone for the first time where I am going. Their entire face lights up and they always say some kind of version of “That is so amazing. You are going to have such a good time”. It’s hard to put into words how happy they look and all the nice things that have been said to me. I’m excited that so many are excited for me that I am going on this trip. It will be unlike any experience that I’ve ever had and I intend to enjoy every second of it. I feel like I’m experiencing this trip for all those who won’t be there. Hopefully through my blogs and pictures, they’ll get a feel for what Olympic fever is like in Vancouver.

In addition to attending all the events and cheering on our great Canadian athletes, I can’t wait to talk to people from all over the world who will also be attending this Olympics. Canada has always had a great international reputation and I’m looking forward to hearing visitors thoughts on Canada and Vancouver. Can you imagine what the energy will be like in the city for the duration of the Games? I can’t wait to see what that feels like. I’m expecting everyone to be in a great, friendly mood. Open to meeting others from different countries and cultures. I envision walking down the street and seeing perfect strangers’ high fiving each other, and Canadians yelling “Canada Rocks”. I’m sure the Olympics will bring out a huge amount of pride in people. I will get to see that firsthand.

Canada Day celebrations on Robson Street. I think these people know how to party!

Everyone will be in such a great mood, I can see spontaneous breakouts of song and dance happening all over the city. Can you imagine, shopping on Robson Street and all of a sudden people start singing and dancing in the street? It would be like our own episode of Glee! Hey Vancouver, is there some kind of theme song for the city? If so, someone please tell me what it is so I can start putting some moves together. If there is singing and dancing going on somewhere I want to be a part of it. Maybe we could even get Michael Buble to grace us with his presence and smooth jazzy voice!

By complete coincidence, I was invited back to my old dance studio this past week for a class. My dance teacher invited me to see “if I’ve still got it”. Little does she know, I never lost it and I’ll be practicing my moves for Vancouver 2010!

It is sure to be a fun and exciting time. Canada is host to people from all over the world. Let’s be sure to show them a good time, whether it’s singing and dancing on Robson Street or blowing them away with how many medals we are winning! I am sure I will scream myself hoarse. That’s just the nature of the Games! What is your vision for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics? Leave a comment to share it with everyone.

Excuse me while I go practice my double pirouettes! See you on Robson Street for singing and dancing!

Vancouver, we will soon be together.

A very special thank you to Tomarra Walker from Robson Street Business Association for providing me with the photos in this post. Photo credits are as follows: Photos 1, 2 and 4 - deliciousphotography.com, Photo 3 - Tomarra Walker.

Past Week's Events

2010-01-24T16:27:00.001-05:00

There is a lot going on as we get closer to Opening Day of Vancouver 2010. To give you an idea of some of things I have been up to, I thought I would put together a list of things I was working on last week. It's a flurry of activity, anything from tracking down souvenirs, meeting new people, writing blogs and finding accommodation, again!
In no particular order:

Find a place to stay for Olympic Opening weekend. If my plan works out, I can't afford to pay for another place to stay so someone I know will have to invite me to stay with them.
Met the wonderful Hardeep Gosal, who does an amazing job at running the Cold FX trivia contest on facebook and twitter. We met up for drinks and appetizers. I'm not even at the Olympics yet and I'm already meeting great new friends.
Heard the Olympic theme song "I Believe" for the first time on CHUM FM. Shed a few tears listening to it, it is such a beautiful song. I'm sure you will hear it a lot. It is sung by Nikki Yanofsky who is from Montreal.
Decided I wanted a few of the Olympic souvenir glasses from Petro Canada. Found the Capilano with no problem, really really wanted the Garibaldi. After my Mom checked 3 locations in Brampton, I was lucky to find one today in Toronto. Phew!
Have a list of a few more things I would like from the Vancouver 2010 store. Finalized the list and will be ordering this weekend.
Would also like some items from the Canada Post Vancouver 2010 collection. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Really nice stuff. Need to find the time to put in this order.
Find Canada flag lapel pins to give out to my new international friends I meet in Vancouver. Someone finally sent me a link to a place in Toronto (Globecraft) that I can order these from. (Thanks Hardeep)
Ordering some Flag Walk pins (buttons) in case I can't find Canada flag pins. These are nice because I can order countries in addition to Canada. I made sure to get a USA one for my Mom.
Researching where to go and what to do in Vancouver when we have spare time, if any. Checking out and bookmarking the LiveCity sites and making notes on locations of the country sponsored houses and pavillions.
Try to find images for a future blog post. Robson Street Business Association helped me out and I have everything I need. Thx Tomarra.
Final condo payment went through. Now working on final arrangements for arrival and key pick up.
Entering lots of contests so I can win free stuff and have to spend less money on buying things. It is also a great way to learn more about the Olympics and meet some people along the way.
Plan next few blog posts. Trying to make sure all the ones I want are done before February 12th.
Work on uploading all my photos to online albums. I got a late start on this and hope to be caught up soon. This will be ongoing until I get all my pre Olympic photos uploaded and update my blog posts with links to the corresponding album.

I swear all of that happened last week. I'm not sure what this week will be like. It is likely to include frequent blog posts so that I get all of my pre Olympic thoughts and activities documented. I have a few guest posts coming up that I think you will really enjoy so stay tuned.
I would love to hear about your Olympic preparations, whether you are making the journey out to Vancouver or getting ready to host an Olympic party at home. What are you doing to get ready for Vancouver 2010?

Canadian Tire Has Olympic Spirit

2010-01-23T17:21:00.000-05:00

I just got back from running some errands that happened to include going to Canadian Tire. As I drove into the parking lot, I saw a huge GO CANADA GO banner hanging on the outside of the store. I actually gasped out loud and was very thankful that I have decided to carry my camera with me at all times. I don't have one of those fancy phones or blackberry's that do a million things. I use my trusty Canon Powershot to take all my photos.

It was a good thing this banner was outside the store. I would have tried to take a photo if it was inside the store but I worked in retail for a number of years and that is really not allowed. Can you imaging me getting thrown out of Canadian Tire for taking a photo of something I needed to include in my Canadian Olympic Spirit photo album? That would have been really embarassing.
I'm really glad I got to see this. I go to Canadian Tire a couple of times a year so it was really lucky I had to go today so I could see their huge display of Olympic Spirit. For the record there was a GO CANADA GO sign inside the store.
On my way out I also noticed a display of some Canada apparel. I'm not sure if this was for sale in the store? Does anyone know if they sell stuff like that? I'm very happy and proud to start to see some displays like this. Thanks Canadian Tire. It's great to see Canadian companies showing support.

Haiti vs Molson Canadian Hockey House

2010-01-23T12:05:00.001-05:00

Ever since I heard the announcement of Molson Canadian Hockey House in Vancouver for the Olympics, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get there. When I first looked at the ticket prices they were way out of my price range. I had already spent so much money on Olympic tickets, not to mention all of the other costs associated with this trip, that it seemed impossible. I really wanted to take my younger brother to Molson Canadian Hockey House at some point during our Olympic trip. I figured it might be the one thing he would actually be excited about. I was also interested in checking it out, just to see what it was all about.
I gave up on the idea until last week. Fan zone ticket prices started to be sold at a reduced rate. It was becoming slightly possible that I could actually buy them. At the same time, I was wrestling with the idea of how I could give money to Haiti. I am so heartbroken to see what has happened to that country and its people as a result of the earthquake. Watching the news about it makes me teary eyed, not only for the people in Haiti but for their relatives here in Canada, anxiously awaiting news. I had resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t in a position now to donate money to this worthy cause. I am covering the cost of our trip to the Olympics all on my own and it has definitely been a stretch. I couldn’t see that I had any money to spare right now.

Then I came to my senses and realized if I could consider spending money on tickets to Molson Canadian Hockey House, I could donate to Haiti. I decided instead of buying the tickets I would donate the money to help the people in Haiti. All the money I would have spent on tickets to the Hockey House will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross. I can’t afford to do it all at once so it will happen in instalments. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if I had gone through with purchasing tickets and not have given anything to charity. Right now those people don’t even have a home to live in. I’m not going to die if I don’t make it to some place in Vancouver. Those people will die if they do not have water, food, shelter or medical attention.

I am not in any way saying that everyone else should donate to Haiti instead of buying tickets to the Hockey House or any other events. I think it will be a great place to hang out and make friends at the Olympics. I have decided to do without it, to spend my money elsewhere because for me I feel that is the right thing to do. I want to show people that money can be found somewhere if you are willing to do without some things.

For example, if you buy coffee everyday and spend $1.50, make your coffee at home and save that money. In a month you will have $45! That is a very decent amount of money to donate. Another idea I had was to visit sites where you can download grocery coupons. If you take $5 worth of coupons with you every week when you do your grocery shopping, you will have saved $20 over a 4 week period. That is money you can donate. If you can save $10 through coupons, you will have $40 to donate. Canadians have been extremely generous already with their donations. I am so proud of them.

As for Molson, I follow some pretty cool Molson people on Twitter and I know they would be very supportive of this decision. I see them tweeting about their company’s initiatives to raise money for Haiti so I know we all have the same goal, help others who need it. Maybe I’ll get lucky and win a pair of tickets or have someone hand me a pair when we are in Vancouver. Olympic karma has produced some really unique things for me so who knows! If you are going to be at the Hockey House, enjoy it! I’ll wave when I pass by.

If you have any other tips for how people can find money to donate to Haiti or other worthy causes, feel free to leave a comment and share your ideas with all of us.

I'm Official! The Card Proves It

2010-01-18T22:11:00.001-05:00

I got the brilliant idea a few months ago to have business cards made up with the information for my blogs for when I am in Vancouver. It wasn't for vanity reasons that I decided to do this. I don't have any notion of getting mistaken for media, and will certainly not present myself as such. I wanted to get them for the simple reason that it proves that I write a few blogs. The way I see it, there are going to be many wonderful people to talk to, many moments that will make for great photos. I am going to want to capture all of these for my blogs. Of course I will want to let people know about my blogs and ask if they mind being included in them. And then I thought, what am I going to do, recite the URL for them? Write it down on a napkin that may get thrown away? No, it would be much better and look more professional if I had something to present to them. So was born the idea of a business card promoting my blogs. There were actually a few times at the Torch Relay that I wish I had them, again because I was asking people who I didn't know if I could take their picture to include in a blog post. I happen to be a massive procrastinator and really only got on this after Christmas, but whatever, I have them now. I also have a disgusting fascination with stationary so I may have just been looking for an excuse to have something printed with my name on it!
After researching a few options, I decided to go with Vistaprint. They have a facility in Windsor, ON which was great because I didn't have to worry about exchange rates or customs. The process was very easy, the rates very reasonable and I got my cards within two weeks. A friend of mine also uses them so I considered that as good as any reference I could get.
Check out the image of my card below. The only thing I might have changed was the finish. Now I'm thinking that a glossy finish may have looked better. It's too late now and regardless, I am happy with how they turned out (also happy I seemed to have spelled everything correctly).
And now I am issuing myself a challenge, to not come back home with one single card! All 250 of these will find their way into the pockets or purses of fellow Olympic lovers, new friends from around the world and contacts. Can a shy girl like me make it happen? If there is any where that it could, it is in Vancouver!

I'm still collecting photos for my Olympic Spirit Across Canada photo album. If your out and see a unique display of Canadian and Olympic pride, take a photo and send it to me to be included in the album. Make sure you tell me where the photo was taken. If you want to read more about this, click here to review my earlier post. The album will be up soon and I'll add to it as I get pictures.

Thank you so much for reading everyone. You have no idea how much it means to me to know others are enjoying my blog. Stay tuned for much, much more! I also invite you to leave a comment. Let me know where you're from and what you are looking forward to during the Vancouver Olympics.

Props to my Fellow Bloggers

2010-01-16T21:15:00.001-05:00

One of the things I’m looking forward to the most about the Olympics are the people I will meet and the friendships that will be created from this experience. I didn’t think leading up to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics that I would have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people but I have, mostly because like me they are bloggers and writing about their experiences around Vancouver 2010.

I admire all of them. If anyone knows how time consuming a task this is, it is me. There are several nights I’ve been up to midnight working on a blog post. We are not paid media; we are not doing this because it is our job. We do this because we are passionate and excited about these Olympic Games being held in our home country. We do it out of pure love for an event that is sure to be memorable and life changing. We are people who write from the heart and are truly appreciative of others taking the time to read our thoughts.

Here is a list of some of my favourite blogs and why I like them so much:

2010VanFan-A great blog written from the perspective of Andrea, a Vancouver resident, Olympic volunteer and fellow blogger. Andrea is on a quest to write a post for each of the 210 days leading up the Olympics and so far hasn’t missed a day. She gives the lowdown on all the latest preparations happening in Vancouver. As an avid Olympic fan, I would love to be there to see all of this, but since I can’t I rely on Andrea’s updates. It is great fun to follow her adventures from pin trading, Vancouver walkabouts and impromptu interviews with various locals involved in some way with the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. I have to admit, she has me addicted to reading every day! She is also supposed to do a guest blog post on here for me.

2010 Olympic Volunteer’s Blog-Written by Joyce who is from Scotland, she is going to be a volunteer in Whistler during the Olympics. Yes she is coming all the way from Scotland to help out during Vancouver 2010. I don’t know how she arranged that but good for her! She already has her red mittens so she will fit right in. Her blog currently covers items of interest in Scotland and provides helpful information on Vancouver 2010. I look forward to hearing about her days as a volunteer once she arrives in Canada. I am not going to Whistler for any events so I’ll be relying on Joyce to provide me with the scoop on what is going on up there.

We are all Mukmuks-I have to admit I may be kind of biased to this one since Mukmuk is my favourite mascot even though he may not be as visible as the rest. This blog is written by Tasha, who in addition to being a blogger is also going to be a Torch bearer! So envious of her for that. Have fun running with the Torch Tasha. We’ll all be thinking of you. In addition to be a Torch bearer, Tasha is also going to be volunteering at Vancouver 2010. Her story about her volunteer backpack woes are pretty funny. I look forward to seeing more from her.

Other Blogs of Note:

Tinkerblue

Art & Serge’s 2010 Road Trip

liddlethought

The Excellent Olympic Adventure

Visiting Medals of Olympics Past

2010-01-09T13:26:00.002-05:00

Back in mid December before all the Olympic Torch Relay hoopla started, I dragged my poor mother to the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto. Why, you ask, would a fashion lover, Olympic crazed person like me ever want to attend the Hockey Hall of Fame? Well because they have the most fantastic exhibit ever. I don’t know how they did it but they managed to get together a collection of Olympic medals from every single Olympics. Yes that is right, every single one from 1896 up to Beijing 2008. For an Olympic lover like myself who has been planning her trip to Vancouver 2010 since October 2008, this seemed like a must do for me. It was also a great thing to see in anticipation of what Vancouver 2010 will be. You see I am really annoyed to be out of the loop as to what is going on in Vancouver right now as they get ready to put on the greatest Olympics ever. This trek to the Hockey Hall of Fame to see all the medals from Olympics past was one small thing I could do as pre trip homage to the Olympics.

Medals of our past Canadian Olympic Host cities.

It was neat to see them all together listed by year and host city. It was also interesting to see the variety in the style of medals. Early on the medals kind of looked the same. Once they became more artistic, you could see how the art styles of the host cities influence the design of the medals.

The Hockey Hall of Fame has this exhibit on display until January 15, 2010 if you are in the Toronto area and want to check it out. I spent most of my time looking at the medals but they have other exhibits and hockey paraphernalia that is fun to look at too. My Mom loved all the Detroit Red Wings uniforms they had.

I took pictures as best I could. Flash photos were strictly a no no. And just because its there, we posed for a picture with the Stanley Cup. To see all the photos, visit my online album of the medals.

Hockey Hall of Fame
Precious Medals: The Complete Olympic Collection
Brookfield Place-30 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
http://www.hhof.com/

The Stanley Cup.

Most recent medals.

Earliest medals.

Future Guest Posts

2010-01-05T20:17:00.001-05:00

I wanted to quickly introduce you to two people I have asked to do Guest Posts on my blog. I thought you might be getting a bit tired of me so I've invited others to give some different perspective on the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
First there is Erin, who I came across on Twitter. Erin is from Calgary and will be a Torch bearer on January 18th! How lucky is she? I love her Twitter updates on her thoughts and preparations as her day to carry the Olympic Torch gets closer. Her latest Tweets have been about media and the interview requests she has been getting.
I have asked Erin to write a post to give us some insight into what it is like, what it means to them and what it feels like to run with the Torch. As I said, Erin runs on January 18th and I hope to have her post up by the following week. I am so happy for her! What an amazing experience it is going to be. I'm so happy that she has agreed to share it with my blog and my readers. Really looking forward to hearing from you Erin. Have fun running with the Torch. You can follow Erin on Twitter @enms.

My second selection for a Guest Post is the infamous Andrea from 2010VanFan. I think of her as my Vancouver counter part. Andrea is the author of the 2010VanFan blog where she writes daily about her adventures leading up the Vancouver Olympics in her hometown. I personally love getting a first person viewpoint of everything that is going on in that city right now as they head into their final preparations. I would love to be there myself but since I can't, Andrea's blog is the perfect way to stay informed. She has lots of exciting things to share with us. I don't want to say to much so I think I'll stop here! Hopefully Andrea will have her Guest Post done for me by mid January. You can follow Andrea on Twitter @2010VanFan.

A very special thank you to each of these women for accepting my invitation. We are all busy in our daily lives as well as our preparations for the Vancouver Olympics so I appreciate them taking the time to do this. I love that I'll be able to share some different perspectives from people taking part in the Olympics in different ways. Stay tuned for more.

Riding Along with the Torch Relay – Part 2

2010-01-04T20:54:00.004-05:00

I have to admit that following the Torch with the convoy is pretty cool! I especially enjoyed waving to all the people who lined the streets to see it. It probably doesn’t surprise you to hear I could have stayed with it forever! The best part of the trip though was getting the behind the scenes look at what happens, at least with what Serge and Art deal with, in working to keep the vehicles in the convoy rolling along throughout Canada.

Wow, who is that cool girl in the GM Silverado? Imagine all the shopping bags I could fit into the back of this truck!

When Serge first greeted me, one of the things he showed me was the detailed schedule they receive every morning. I’m not exaggerating when I say detailed. It has every Torchbearer stop outlined by intersection or address, it states what time convoy mode or Torchbearer mode begins and ends, lunch breaks and pit stops are also scheduled. Majority of the time, the convoy is running exactly on time. Pretty amazing when you consider the convoy is made up of approximately 240 people and over 100 vehicles. In Ontario the convoy was travelling on average 200 km a day. In Northern Ontario and the Prairie provinces, it will be 300-400 km a day. One person is responsible for keeping the convoy on schedule. It is a huge job and I really don’t know how they manage to keep it on time every day.

Serge and the GM Silverado. I guess he looks cool too.

Serge also told me about some of the problems that have come up along the way and what they have needed to do to fix them. He said their average turnaround time to have something fixed is 5 hours! I guess that is ok if it is something minor, but for something major that seems almost impossible. But Serge and Art have become masters of the impossible. There aren’t many extra vehicles so they need to keep the ones they have moving. Serge told me one story about a vehicle needing a new door. He worked out a schedule and arranged to have a new door available in a city ahead of them. By the time they arrived everything had been done including the paint, all they had to do was take the old one off and put the new one on.

The morning was quiet for a bit and then the calls started coming. They ranged from needing to change a flat tire, radios not working and the before mentioned generator needing repairs. Serge was working on getting a generator expert to meet them at the evening dealership to help solve the problem. Serge referred to me as his “secretary” as I helped him navigate through the routes and towns. It’s a fun job, I could get used to it (read here GM-HINT, HINT).

The Silverado is kind of like a Command Centre. Serge manages the workload with 2 cell phones, a blackberry and a GPS. There are over 100 vehicles in the convoy that need maintenance, cleaning and repairs. Every night there is a designated dealership to perform any required maintenance and repairs. Serge also has a small crew with him on the road. When someone calls in with an issue, Serge can dispatch which ever crew member is closest to help out.

I asked Serge if it ever gets tired of seeing the Relay and the convoy. His answer: never. His favourite part is seeing all the kids lined up along the route waving the signs they have made. He also said his regular job may seem boring by comparison when he gets back to it. Completely understandable, how can anything compare to an Olympic Torch Relay? He also told me he is making notes on places he wants to return to. I would like to see that list when it’s complete. Who better to recommend places to see in Canada but someone who has seen them all?

I also asked Serge about their blogging and posts on Twitter. Did Serge and Art need Twitter and blogging lessons before heading out on the Torch Relay? Serge laughed when I asked him this and admitted that yes, indeed he did require and get lessons about posting on Twitter and blogging. For people who have just been introduced to these methods, I think Art and Serge do a great job. It certainly lets us follow along with them and makes us feel like we are right there with them.

It truly was an amazing experience to be a part of it for the short time that I was. I am grateful to have had the opportunity. Serge was a great guide and gave me insight into what goes on behind the scenes. Thank you very much Serge for answering all my questions and having me ride along with you. A very special thank you to Michael Allison from The Wilcox Group for inviting me to do this and getting it set up. Hey GM, if you need an extra body on board to help out Art and Serge, well, they know where to find me!

Enjoy the rest of the ride Art and Serge!

To view photos from the day, please visit my online photo album.

Serge's Vancouver 2010 credentials. I want one of these for my car!

The Hamburgular from McDonalds.

Riding Along with the Torch Relay – Part 1

2010-01-03T15:14:00.003-05:00

Some pretty amazing things have happened to me since starting my Journey to Vancouver 2010 – Diary of a Fan blog. The best yet was an invitation to do a Torch Relay ride along with the GM guys from Twitter, GM_ArtAndSerge. I mentioned these guys before in my Mississauga Torch Relay blog post. I’ve been following their adventures with the Torch Relay on Twitter and through their blog, Art and Serge’s 2010 Road Trip: Adventures With The Flame.

Imagine my shock and surprise when I received an email asking if I would be interested in doing a ride along through one of the Torch Relay routes. Without hesitation my answer was yes. A few emails to figure out logistics followed and on December 26th I found myself making my way to London, ON, 2 hours west of Toronto, to meet Serge and the GM Silverado on the 27th at 8am. Serge arrived a bit late, having come from repairing a generator that is used on one of the media vehicles. It seems that problems can and do happen at any point during the day. I jumped in the truck and we took off down Dundas Street to catch up with the convoy. It was making its way out of London that day, the final destination being Kitchener, ON, about an hour west of Toronto on our glorious 401 highway.
We caught up with the convoy on the last part of the London route. Immediately I was amazed by the amount of people out on the street to greet the torch. When you’re driving through it and seeing the constant amount of people, it is pretty impressive. We kept up with the convoy through Thamesford. I swear there were more people here than in London. There were tons of people lined along the streets. Happy faces looked back at me smiling and waving to the convoy and Torchbearers going past.

People come out to see the Relay in Thamesford, ON

From there, we jumped ahead of the convoy and made our way to Woodstock, ON. We found a spot along the route and watched the convoy come off of the 401 and make its way North on Norwich Street. A band from the Salvation Army was set up in a parking lot and played O Canada when the convoy came into view.

When the convoy passed, we got into the flashy Silverado and followed it to the Community Centre where there was a scheduled break. They almost didn’t let us onto the road leading to the Community Centre until Serge flashed his Vancouver 2010 credentials. This has an Open Sesame effect, and let us access the Community Centre for a break as well.

Coming out from the washroom, I saw a Flame attendant holding the lantern that the Olympic Flame is carried in. After waiting for her to finish a conversation, I pounced on her and asked if I could take a picture. One gentleman asked to hold it. Now that I think of it that would have been a great photo, me holding the Olympic flame. Too late now!

After Woodstock it was onto the mid day Celebration in Stratford. Serge had some business to attend to. I wolfed down some pizza and went outside to see the Torch come through and onto the stage to light the cauldron. Shortly after that, it was time for Serge to drop me off. He had to get some things arranged for their evening maintenance and wouldn’t be following the convoy in the afternoon. I stayed in Stratford long enough to see the end of the route of the Torch. From there my Mom, brother and I went to Cambridge for one last look at the Torch. And then, it was time to go home. The next time we see the Olympic Flame will be in Vancouver.

Photos above of Stratford, ON. Right: Coca Cola truck in Woodstock, ON. It just makes me happy when I see it.

Welcome to 2010

2010-01-01T10:27:00.005-05:00

To all of my readers, loyal and new, I would like to wish all of you a Happy New Year. I can't believe we are finally here at 2010, the year of our Vancouver Olympics. For me this journey started in October 2008 with Phase 1 of tickets. 2010 seemed so far away, a year and a half at that point. It felt like it would take forever to come. Now we are just over a month away from the Opening Ceremony on February 12th (I'm still trying to get a ticket for this but coming to terms with the fact it may not happen). It's kind of unbelievable to me. I've had so much fun during this time leading up to the Olympics, I'm not sure I want it to end, even though I am very anxious to go to Vancouver and experience the Olympics in my home country.

I have been very fortunate for the experiences I have had. Who knew when I started this blog it would lead to such incredible things like being considered for a CTV Olympic promo spot, be interviewed for a Washington Post article, invited by Inside Vancouver to blog for them about my journey, asked to contribute to a Visual Art project, and be invited to ride along with the GM guys in the Torch Relay. It has been an unbelievable time for me. Never in a million years would I ever have expected any of this to happen.

Along the way the support of family, friends and co-workers has been amazing. They are also one of the reasons why this has been so much fun for me. They are genuinely interested in my blogs and thrilled when all of these exciting opportunities are given to me. It makes me so sad that they won't be in Vancouver with me to see all of this come to fruition. I know they will be keeping up on our daily adventures though my blogs and photos.

Adding to the experience are the people that I have met so far. Fellow bloggers like Andrea from 2010VanFan; Olympic fans that are as excited about Vancouver 2010 as I am, and various people from Twitter. It is like we are our own special group, looking forward to this in a way that some others don't understand. I started this blog because I had so much excitement and enthusiasm about Vancouver 2010, I needed a place to put it. I also thought it would be a good way to meet others like me, if there were any out there. I have met more people than I ever thought I would and I love to see that others are as big Olympic fans as I am.

I could go on but I was trying to keep this one short. May 2010 bring wonderful things to all of you. It is going to be a great year for Canada. :)

Wishing you a Happy New Year and all the best for 2010. Go Canada!

Remember the Olympic Spirit challenge Canada. I'm looking for images of displays of Olympic Spirit from all across Canada. For more information check out the previous posts I've done: the one that started it all and the display I found in Brampton, ON.

Brampton, ON Has Olympic Spirit

2009-12-30T19:47:00.003-05:00

I'm not about to give all of you an assignment and then sit back and wait for all the photos to roll in. I've also got my eyes out there to help spot displays of Olympic Spirit across Canada. This is a photo I took on the weekend in Brampton, ON at Chinguacousy Park. It was at the top of the mountain they use for skiing and tubing. I spotted it when we were on our way home from my Torch Relay ride along (blog post coming soon). I figured out what this was as we passed it so I turned the car around and went back to take a photo. I ended up hiking half way up the mountain to get the best photo I could. Thank goodness this side of the mountain didn't have a lot of snow.
So Canada, in case you were wondering what kind of stuff I'm looking for, this is perfect. If you spot anything, take a photo and send it to me. My email address is notashopaholic at gmail.com or you can send me a link to the image if it is already online. I'll compile them in a future blog post and create an online photo album for them.
If you want to see the photo that started all of this, see my previous post on the subject. I heard a rumor that someone in Keswick, ON has built a replica of the Olympic Torch and I am trying to track it down for a photo. If you know anything about this or know someone in Keswick please let me know.
Happy New Year.

Brampton, ON showing their Olympic Spirit at Chinguacousy Park

Did I mention that I grew up in Brampton? So proud of my hometown.

Olympic Torch Relay St. Catherines, ON – December 20, 2009

2009-12-24T19:28:00.001-05:00

St. Catherines was Torch Relay #4 for me. It wasn’t on my original list of planned appearances. A series of events that unfolded the week previous led me to St. Catherines and their Torch Relay. The short version is my co-worker Mariesa grew up in St. Catherines and goes back frequently to visit family and friends. She got a call out of the blue one day from her cousin, an up and coming TV and radio personality. Mariesa’s cousin had got a call to cover the Torch Relay Celebration on December 20th. Mariesa immediately started talking about me and my adventures with Vancouver 2010. By the time they hung up, it had been arranged that I would go to St. Catherines for the Torch Relay and be interviewed by Mariesa’s cousin for the piece she was doing for local TV.
I met Mariesa the morning of the 20th and we made our way to Market Square, the location of the Torch Celebration. We saw Mariesa’s cousin right away and did the interview. I was kind of nervous because I have not ever been interviewed for TV before. I was able to answer all the questions although I have no memory of what I said. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a copy of the clip so I can see what it is I said.

Hanging out in Market Square before the arrival of the Olympic Torch

We hung around Market Square for awhile and checked out the festivities. St. Catherines had a huge ice sculpture of the three Vancouver 2010 mascots, Quatchi, Sumi and Miga. You could walk behind the sculpture and put your head in the space that was carved out. Of course we took a few pictures. I have no idea how they did that sculpture but it was very cool and very impressive. Around noon we ventured out to the relay route to find our spot. We placed ourselves at the corner of Lake and Welland. A Coca Cola truck stopped and a guy yelled at me to come over. I was the chosen one to hand out the Coca Cola flags to the crowd around me. They went pretty quickly.

Ice Sculpture in Market Square.

Mariesa was completely on board with running along with the torch so we made sure to place ourselves away from the crowds so we could take off running without hurting anyone. We followed if for awhile and then cut across a street to get back to the celebration. When we got to the top of the street the convoy was coming by again! We ran again and managed to keep up with it. It helped when the Torchbearer slowed down and walked. When it came time for the exchange, they held the Torchbearers in this one spot for awhile which allowed everyone to get a good look at it and take some great photos. Finally they were given the go ahead and the last Torchbearer; a St. Catherines resident carried the Torch into the Celebration and lit the cauldron.

Left: Mariesa cheers on the arrival of the Coca Cola truck. Right: Waiting for the Torchbearer exchange.

In all of the Torch Relays I have been to, I can never get over the amount of people that turn out to witness the relay and the Torch Celebrations. St. Catherines is not a big city, population is just over 130,000, yet there were tons of people filling Market Square and for awhile we couldn’t even get close to the stage. I love seeing the community spirit, Olympic spirit and the Canadian spirit from people all along the relay. I can only imagine what the people see who are on this journey every day. I think they are the luckiest people right now. I am proud to be Canadian and more proud when I see people showing their pride at events like the Torch Relay and Celebrations.
To view the days photos, please click here.

Crowds at the Torch Celebration. The lit cauldron is on the left.

Torchbearer who lit the cauldron. He is a Roots Right to Play Ambassador. Notice our matching mittens.

Guest Blog Post by James Hamilton

2009-12-22T22:42:00.000-05:00

When I was at the Mississauga Torch Relay on Saturday, I was able to say hi to my Twitter GM friend Art of @GM_ArtandSerge. Art and Serge are members of the GM team who are travelling with the Torch Relay Convoy and taking care of all the vehicles. On occasion they have the opportunity to give guests ride alongs. On Saturday when I ran into Art, James Hamilton was in the passenger seat looking somewhat stunned that someone was screaming from the sidewalk, "Are you the GM guys from Twitter?"
James and his brother managed to track me down and I asked if they would like to write a guest post for my blog about their time with Art and the Torch Relay Convoy.
Below is James' account of the day along with the photo he took of me standing on the sidewalk in Mississauga.

Hi, my name is James Hamilton and I am a blogger – my blog is called Toronto Grand Prix Tourist. I met Christina on a crowded street corner in Mississauga, Ontario as I was passing by in a GM pickup truck – part of the Olympic Flame Relay convoy with the Fleet Manager Art Lewis.
My travel on that day was a result of an earlier email asking if I wanted to see the considerable amount of vehicles sponsored by General Motors which are required to support the Flame Relay, along with the Art, during a media event in Toronto. My answer was yes, although I did not get to see that vast amount of vehicles, now about numbering about 110, and was instead given the superior chance to go on an Olympic Flame Relay drive along. It took about a week of negotiations with the team to get an acceptable time to join the convoy as their primary responsibility is to ensure the vehicles receive service and are on the road and his schedules are pretty hectic.

James in the passenger seat and Art of GM in the driver's seat.

The date chosen was Saturday, December 19, 2009 and we finally got together in front of the Bell Campus in Mississauga just across the Toronto boundary. He pulled up in his shiny, fuel efficient, black GM Silverado (for sale after the Olympics) and we got together and went through his plans for our ride along. I say we because I had my fellow photographer, blogger and brother Joe Hamilton along for the event.

The Bell Campus location wasn’t a random location – it was chosen because Bell, a major Olympic Sponsor, had a special Flame Relay event on and the convoy was part of this event. We were told to go out and explore the Bell event and get ready to leave at a moment’s notice when the convoy heads out onto the official relay route. When we received word we jumped into that shiny, fuel efficient, black GM Silverado (probably be a good deal when it does go on sale) and got into line behind a few hundred police escort vehicles.
We headed into Toronto for the start of the Centennial Park leg of the day’s relay. During the Flame Relay we passed intersections blocked off by police on bikes and in cruisers, following emergency vehicles, control vehicles and buses which picked up and dropped off the relay runners. The crowds along the side of the roads were impressive and some of the people even ran ahead with the flame. Each runner was mobbed by eager fans hoping for photos. The wife of one runner I know had said that after he finished his run and taken photos with all his ‘fans’ that it was hard to get him into the car because his head was so big.

As the convoy continued we arrived in the heart of Mississauga, which must be that big ugly mall called Square One, and we were coming up to the entrance into the mall property and I had my window rolled down to take pictures as the convoy went around the corner. As we slowed down a gorgeous lady asked if we were the GM guys. I replied that yes, that Art himself was driving the shiny, fuel efficient, black GM Silverado (it will probably have quite a few miles on it by that time). She said that she was following the convoy on the internet and that she was the “not a shopaholic.” I was intrigued because she looked like the lady from Star Trek, Next Generation – you know, Marina Sirtis who played Councillor Deanna Troi. I thought it was cool that movie stars were out to support the Olympic Flame.

Photograph taken by James at the corner on Kariya Gate and Burnhamthorpe Road. That's my Mom behind me.

Shortly afterwards we departed from the flame convoy and Art drove us back to our car at the Bell Campus. Based upon Christina’s comment we were able to track her down on the infinite internets and I was dashed to find she was not Marina. She does, however, have a great blog and lots of enthusiasm. Good luck at the Vancouver Olympics Christina, James.

I am happy to tell you that I have been contacted and asked if I would like to have my own ride along with the GM team and the Olympic Torch Relay Convoy. I will join Serge (Art is taking a well deserved break) in London, ON on December 27th. If I can't be a Torchbearer, this is the next best thing. It will be quite a day. Thank you very much for your post James. It is great to get perspective from some other people. Christina.

Olympic Torch Relay Mississauga, ON - December 19, 2009

2009-12-20T21:01:00.001-05:00

After an early morning in Georgetown, we rushed home for some breakfast and then headed to Mississauga for their portion of the Olympic Torch Relay. Mississauga is a suburb of Toronto and located 30-40minutes west of the city. The Torch was scheduled to arrive between 11am-noon.

The Olympic Torch is coming!

Again my Mom and I walked a bit of the route to find the best place to be. In Georgetown we learned that the Torchbearer exchange is marked with an orange sticker. We walked around looking for one of these and found one on Burnhamthorpe Road, just west of Hurontario Street. There weren’t too many people here yet but as it got closer to 11:30 more people began to appear.

Orange marks the spot. If you want to see a Torchbearer exchange, look for these markers along the route.

For those of you who don’t know Mississauga, this intersection is extremely busy. I had no idea how they were going to close this down for the relay. Somehow they managed to do it and it wasn’t long before we could see the convoy arriving again! Burnhamthorpe is a long street so we could actually see it coming from a distance. I tell you, the site of it appearing in the distance and watching as it gets closer is really something. We watched the Torchbearer exchange happen. When this Torchbearer was dropped off, he was crying as friends and family hugged him and took photos. As he ran, he was all smiles, enjoying this proud moment and even joking with his family, some of whom were running beside him.

As the Torchbearer began to jog up the street, my Mom said she wanted to run along with it and that is what we did. So close to it, we ran all the way up to the next exchange. I even got a chance to see my GM friend, Art, from Twitter and his ride along buddy for the day James Hamilton. See the blog post James did on his day with Art and the Torch Relay Convoy.
As the convoy made its way around the shopping mall, we walked up to the Torch Celebration. Many people were there waiting for the Torch to make its entrance to the stage. We found a place in between the people and watched it approach again. It was carried by Cheryl Pounder, a Mississauga resident and a Women’s Hockey Gold Medallist. She carried the flame up to the stage and lit the cauldron. The Mayor of Mississauga, Hazel McCallion, who is something of a legend in the city, made a wonderful speech about Canada being the greatest country to live in and the inspiration the Torch and the Olympics is to the younger generation. The crowd even chanted “Hazel, Hazel” at one point. The gentleman beside me asked, “Is there any other city who loves their Mayor as much as we do?” The answer is no, there isn’t.

Torchbearer heading West on Burnhamthorpe Road. Notice the cars and people on the other side of the street.

We left the celebration a bit early because we wanted to see the Torch make its exit. It was carried back towards Hurontario on Burnhamthorpe by the Mississauga Braves Hockey team. Each member got to carry the torch 50 yards before handing it off to another team member. If you think one Torchbearer is impressive, let me tell you that 15-20 of them all in those white uniforms is really a great site. Again we went running alongside the Torch. As we were running, I noticed people in cars on the other side of the street, were getting out of their cars to clap and cheer as the Torch was carried by. Others were out of their cars taking pictures and several honked their horns. It was amazing to see. Even as I watched the Torch be carried south on Hurontairo, towards Port Credit, horns were going like crazy. It was unreal. The amount of respect people were showing for the Torch, for the Olympics and for their country is unforgettable. For me it will be one of the most memorable moments of the Torch Relay. I can’t think of too many things that would get this kind of reaction from people. I watched it for as long as I could. I would have loved to continue to follow it but I knew I had to turn back and find my Mom.

Great turn out in Mississauga for the Torch Celebration. Hazel is on stage, standing by the cauldron.

What a day to remember. This was the third Torch Relay I attended. Each one has its special moments and memories for me. I am on a quest to see as many as I can.
To see all the photos from the Mississauga Torch Relay, click here to view the photos online.

Art, my GM Twitter friend, @GM_ArtandSerge, and James in the passenger seat.

Olympic Torch Relay Georgetown, ON - December 19, 2009

2009-12-20T20:16:00.003-05:00

My Mom had always wanted us to go to the Olympic Torch Relay when it passed through Georgetown, ON, a community about an hour north and a bit west of Toronto. I hesitated agreeing to go but then finally decided to do it after a portion of the Toronto relay was diverted. Now, having been to Georgetown I’m happy that my Mom pushed so hard for us to go. It was an amazing place to see the torch for the first time and I was touched to see the amount of community spirit Georgetown has for Canada and for these Olympic Winter Games.

Georgetown was an early stop on the route on Saturday, December 19th. I met my parents in Brampton at 6am and we left for Georgetown right away. Driving through the city to get to the Torch route, quite a few store signs announced the arrival of the Torch and invited everyone to attend. Bleachers had even been put up in front of the local arena for relay spectators. As we drove by there, some people were tying a Canadian flag to the top of the bleachers.

My Mom and I settled ourselves on the route at Guelph Street and Queen Street. As we were waiting we got to talking to some of the people around us. Ken Sproule, owner of Ken’s Auto Service and his wife were out earlier than we were and struck up a conversation with us right away. Telling them we were going to Vancouver to see the Olympics, they were very excited for us. My Dad was further up the route and positioned to take video of the relay.

Coca Cola always livens things up, no matter what time it is.

We also met the family of one of the days Torchbearers, Justin Schlupp. Some of Justin’s family had travelled from Kitchener to watch him run his leg of the relay. They parked themselves in front of his post and anxiously waited for him to arrive. There were as happy and as proud as can be to have a family member participating in the Torch relay. My new friend Ken offered to get us pen and paper from his store so I could take down the info of Justin’s family member. Then Ken asked if I would send him copies of my pictures which of course I agreed to.

Justin Schlupp's family waits at his exchange point.

Adding to the community spirit was a lovely woman from the church across the street from where we were. She came around with hot chocolate twice for those of us who had chosen to stand out in the cold to watch this great event happen. I couldn’t help but think this would never happen in Toronto. Everyone was very cheery for an early, cold Saturday morning.

You know the Torch is close when you see this.

The first signs of the convoy arrived around 7:30am with the Coca Cola and RBC trucks getting everyone more worked up. It was a great site to see after being disappointed at the Toronto relay. Soon after, we could see the Torchbearer coming over the hill and running towards us. Carrying the torch proudly and running at a good speed, she stopped as she got to Justin. They posed for pictures and I believe a photo was taken of Justin and his family before Justin was off and running, his family yelling support and running after him. Once Justin turned the corner at Mill Street, my Mom and I took off running. Spotting my Dad running up Guelph Street we followed him and got to the top of the street in time to see the convoy and Torchbearer again. This was the end of the route and from here the Torchbearers were shuttled back to wherever they had started. It was a great morning made all the better by the community spirit of the people from Georgetown. I’m so happy that I was a part of it. Thank you very much Georgetown. What a great event you hosted for the Olympics’ and for us.
For additional photos from the Georgetown, ON relay, click here.

The Torch handoff to Justin.

One of many signs announcing the arrival of the Torch.

Torch Relays Today

2009-12-19T21:09:00.000-05:00

I plan to do more detailed posts on this in a day or two so this is to give you a quick summary of the days events. I attended the Torch Relay in Georgetown, ON this morning. My Mom and Dad came with me. We were all up very early to see the Torch run through Georgetown between 7-8 am. Here are a few photos:

Lovely woman handing out hot chocolate.

Gotta love smaller cities and their hospitality.

Waiting for the Torch to arrive. Look at the crowds behind us.

It was around 7:15 am.

The Olympic Flame arrives and is ready to be handed off to the next Torchbearer.

Later on in the morning we attended the Torch Relay in Mississauga, ON. The Torch arrived at the intersection of Hurontario Street and Burnhamthorpe Road around 11am. It circled around Square One Shopping Mall and then headed into the Torch Celebration. Cheryl Pounder, Women's Hockey Gold Medallist lit the cauldron and Mayor Hazel McCallion, gave a very inspiring and rousing speech.

Torchbearer exchange on Burnhamthorpe Road, just west of Hurontario Street.

Met my Twitter friend Art from GM. I think he thinks I'm a little nuts.

Follow him @GM_Artand Serge.

Torch Celebration on Living Arts Drive.

Olympic Torch Relay Toronto, ON - December 17, 2009

2009-12-18T00:17:00.001-05:00

It is very late and I am very tired so I think I'm going to write little and put in lots of pictures. The Torch Relay route did get diverted right as it got to us at Yonge and Wellesley but you cannot dampen Olympic Spirit. As we walked south on Yonge Street and got to Yonge-Dundas Square, I couldn't believe the amount of people out there! So many Torontoians waiting out in the cold to cheer on the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. It was great!
We continued on to Nathan Phillips Square where the Torch Celebration was taking place. We arrived just in time to see Women's Hocky superstar, Vicki Sunahara, carry the Torch down Queen St. into the Celebration. We got to see the rest of the festivities as well as the fireworks that ended the night. Overall, it was great. I still want to see the Olympic Flame run through the street. Hopefully I'll get to see that on Saturday in Mississauga. I'm also try to plan at least one more outing to see the Torch before it leaves the Greater Toronto Area.
For additional photos click here.

This nice young man let me take a photo with him and his Torch. A Torchbearer from earlier in the day.

The convoy at Yonge and Wellesley St. in Toronto.

Celebrating the Torch and Vancouver 2010 at Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, ON. December 17, 2009

Toronto Torch Celebration ends with fireworks at Nathan Phillips Square.

Waiting for the Olympic Torch to arrive in Toronto! It was a long, cold wait.

On The Eve of the Toronto Olympic Torch Relay

2009-12-16T22:23:00.000-05:00

It has been an exciting day as I follow the progress of the Olympic Torch Relay as it gets closer and closer to Toronto. It will be here tomorrow evening and I will be out to greet it. I'm really looking forward to this. I have no idea what to expect, how many people like me will be bundled up to brave the cold, what will it be like when we see it, what will happen at the Olympic Torch Celebration. Soon I will know.
My Mom is tucked away all snugly in my bed. She is staying the night so we can head out together tomorrow afternoon. My plan is to leave my condo at around noon and take TTC (public transit) into Downtown Toronto. We will be down there very early but I want to walk a bit of the route to see where it is I want to be when the Torch passes by, at the moment I'm thinking of Yonge and Wellesley. From there, we will make our way to Nathan Phillips Square where the Torch Celebration will take place.
I'm very excited to be going. I feel like I have missed being a part of some great moments in Toronto. When our Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993, I was not out there with people dancing in the street. There was no way I was going to let the Olympic Torch Relay pass me by! I've taken the day off of work and will be out there taking photos, cheering on the flame and celebrating this great event that Canada is hosting. I guess this will also be my first encounter with the Olympics. Its sure to be a great evening.
Now, I don't have Blackberry or iphone or any other fancy device so I won't be able to transmit any updates live from the Celebration. I'm kind of bummed about that but there isn't much I can do about it. I will try to do a blog post as soon as I get home, regardless of the time! I don't think this is something that can wait a day! On Saturday I will be at the Torch Relay in Mississauga and will post on that as well.
Have a great day tomorrow everyone. I hope to see a lot of you out on Yonge Street with me. A special thank you to my co-workers for making today very special. I wish they could all come with me tomorrow.

The Olympic Torch is Coming To Toronto

2009-12-13T23:17:00.000-05:00

I was Downtown Toronto yesterday and on the lookout for signs the Olympic Torch is coming. I know it is here on Thursday December 17th and I wanted to see if my city was putting the word out. And the answer is, of course they are! This is a photo I took at Yonge St. and Queen St., the heart of our Downtown core. People must have been in a good mood yesterday. No one said mean things to me because I stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk to take this photo!

Announcing the Olympic Torch Relay, in Toronto December 17th.

I still have to look up the route to see where I can go to watch it. As far as I know the Torch Celebration is at Nathan Phillip Square and begins at 4pm. I'm hoping the Torch will be running by somewhere close to there before the Celebration begins. Its very exciting! I promise to get as many pictures as I can. I have heard that it goes by very quickly so I'm not sure what I'll be able to get.

Some of my co-workers suggested I contact Breakfast Television, a local morning show here in Toronto on CITY TV, to ask if they needed any fans to help them cover the Olympic Torch Relay. I sent in an email but as of yet have not had any response. I'm sure they get tons of requests like this a day so I won't hold it against them. It certainly would have been fun and I'm sure they could have got me really close to the Olympic Torch. So I will stand on the sidelines with all the other Canadian Olympic fans. After all, isn't that where I really belong?

Remember to be on the lookout for displays of Olympic pride. If you see a display somewhere that references the Vancouver Olympics and our Canadian teams, send me a photo. I'll compile all of them into a future blog post. Check out my post "Is Olympic Fever Spreading" for info.

Is Olympic Fever Spreading?

2009-12-10T22:57:00.000-05:00

The other week I was in my friendly neighbourhood grocery store. As I approached the dairy section to get sour cream for the fajitas I was going to make that night, I looked up and saw this massive GO CANADA GO sign! I literally stopped dead in my tracks and laughed out loud. I loved it! This is the kind of stuff I want to see all over Toronto as well as Vancouver when I get there. I didn't have my camera on me so I had to go back to the store and discreetly take a photo of it. I know retailers frown upon people taking pictures in their stores but this had to be done.

I'm so excited to see signs of the Olympics around town. Its probably only going to increase as we get closer and closer to the Olympic Games in Vancouver. I am going to keep an eye out for anything Olympic/Canadian related. If you see a sign of Olympic spirit in your city I would love to see it. Send me a photo with a brief description, your name and city where you took the photo and I'll put together a collage of all them for a later post.

The Olympic Torch Relay will be here next week and I saw a sign advertising this as well. I wandered out into the freezing cold earlier this evening because I had to get a picture of it for my blog. I managed to take a few pictures before my battery went dead. If this one doesn't show up well in the blog I'll be going back out there. The only thing that sucks about that is a) it is frigging cold outside b) it is one of those digital marquees so I have to wait for 10 different things to come up before it gets back to the 2010 Olympics. If my camera battery hadn't died when it did, I might have lost a finger. I could barely feel them when I got back in my car. Ah, whatever it takes for an effective blog post right?

Go Canada Go! Looking forward to seeing your images from around Canada showing your city's Olympic Canadian spirit. Email is notashopaholic at gmail.com.

Help Vancouver Visual Artist with Video of Torch Relay

2009-12-09T22:17:00.000-05:00

Last week I posted a tweet on Twitter that the Olympic Torch will soon be coming to Toronto. I got a reply back from Vancouver Visual Artist Rina Liddle. She is working on a project titled "We Are Watching". Rina asked if I would be a contributor to her project. All I have to do is take some video footage when I go see the Torch Relay and email it to her. She is going to stream together all the video she receives and show it unedited on a wall outside the Jeffery Boone Gallery during the Olympics.
I think its a pretty cool thing to do. I love the idea of being part of an art project. Myself, I am artistically impaired. I can barely draw stick people. I love that this is another way to contribute to an event related to the Olympics.
I am going to try to submit video footage from the relay and torch celebrations in Toronto and Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto. The Olympic Torch Relay passes through Toronto and surrounding area's next week.
If the torch has already passed through your town and you shot some video send it along to Rina. She is looking for footage of the relay from all across Canada.
If the torch has not yet arrived in your city, check the schedule and head out with your digital camera in video mode, or use whatever video device you have. You will be helping out an artist and contributing to history. For more information visit Rina's blog. I hope to see every city represented when I visit this exhibit in Vancouver. You can also follow her progress on Twitter @weRwatching2010. Please check her blog for the email address to send video footage. I don't want to include it here or else she might get overwhelmed with spam mail.
Please help if you can. It is a great project and we need to support artists and their visions, like this one from Rina Liddle.
If you will be attending to either torch celebrations in Toronto or Mississauga, let me know so we can meet up for a photo for my blogs!
Merry Olympics!