The Olympics

We can't get enough of the Olympics at our house.

W and I are just six months apart in age, so we both remember the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. He remembers more of the hockey and curling (????). I remember more of the excitement of speed skating with Eric Heiden and I also loved the luge. It was mind expanding!!

At the time, I spent most evenings with our neighbors while my Mom worked. The Olympic fever was high at their home, too. Of course, this was when there were only 5 channels available, unless you had Qube with the big channel changer box attached to a cord.

Our neighbors were (still are) Catholic, so this was also my favorite time of the year because of Lent. I usually picked something to give up, just to join in, but I think I only avoided chocolate while at their house. The best part of Lent, in my opinion, was Fish on Fridays! We would have baby shrimp salads or fish sticks. Combine Fish on Fridays! with the fact that they could walk to their parochial school and their blue plaid uniforms, I often begged my Mom to become Catholic.

When spring time came to Ohio, we roller skated outside on our newly re-black-topped street. That is when the dreams of roller skating in the Olympics started. This would be followed in a few years of playing in the swimming pool and dreaming of being synchronized swimmers. And our 12-year-old minds knew WE WERE GOOD!

Our daughter doesn't seem as enamored of the Olympics. She just turned 9, however, and W and I were at the ripe old age of 10 at the 1980 Olympics, so maybe that is it.

And she just has discovered (my) her love of roller skating, so maybe she will fulfill my dreams!!