I love the Olympics!

8/9/08

Gasp. Has it really been over a week since I posted?? I guess I've been too busy hanging out with Mark. He's had this week off, so we are just enjoying our time together until he moves to Silver City on Monday. The school finally did find housing for him, like on Thursday this week. He was supposed to start his first day of his OB/GYN rotation next Monday, but the apartment won't be ready for him until Monday night. We are really hoping to have his car fixed by then. Even after we spent $1500 on it, the problem is still there. So it is at yet another mechanic's, but he won't be able to work on it till Monday. Grrrrrr.

Anyhoo, did you guys SEE the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics last night?? Oh. My.Goodness. I have never seen anything like it in all my life. I am so glad I watched. (It would have been even better if it wasn't 4 1/2 hours long...) But the performances were absolutely incredible. I found a link so you can see the drummers and all the dance numbers. Whew. It was exhilarating.


The whole artistic portion was 52 minutes, but I'll tell you at what point my favorite performances were so you can fast forward to those parts. The stadium was built especially for last night, and there's even a scrim encircling the whole top of of it where they project images. There were several times I was all choked up because I was so overwhelmed. I have to say, I don't think any other country could have had that much commitment from 15,000 performers. They had been rehearsing 8 hours a day or more for months. I had a Chinese dance instructor once and they are perfectionists.


http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0808_HD_OCB_HL_EN197

45:19 minutes (This actually occurred first, but they stuck it at the end for some reason): The DRUMMERS! There were 2008 of them. Watch this!!
5:30 minutes: Watch as they unroll a 500 long scroll that is actually a giant LED screen on the floor

10:15 minutes: Chanting men with bamboo scrolls, and then an amazing number showing moveable printing blocks. You will be speechless.
18:15 minutes: A number involving giant oars making moving pictures

27:20 minutes: 2008 people all doing Tai Chi in concentric circles and running around. AWESOME.

32:50 minutes: Hundreds of men in fluorescent green suits with lights all over them, with a Chinese dude playing on a white grand piano in the middle and a little girl running across the sky holding onto a kite (Madelyn really wanted to be that girl)

38:30 minutes: A huge sphere comes out of the floor and there are people running over it sideways and upside-down and everything. Then Sara Brightman sings standing on top of it. (naturally)


The lighting of the cauldron was spectacular, too, but it's not on this link. You can find it on the same website, though. They really outdid themselves. Everyone is saying how nothing has ever come close to the production that the whole night was. Incredible fireworks, too! (I guess they were invented in China, so they had a few hundred years' experience.)

Mark and Stephen, 3 1/2 years old

Our ties to China: Mark's grandpa came from Canton, China, and we have a little cousin, Stephen Chao Peterson, who was adopted from China 2 years ago. We're feeling some national pride over here.

Well, I guess that's enough gushing--I'll just let you see our week in pictures.

Captain Underpants--er--Diaper. Can anyone tell me how to get her to use the potty?

Enjoying some cousin time with Ian Peterson, 22 months

She looks so dang cute with pigtails. But they only last about 30 seconds

Finishing off a stick of butter...(yum! She eats sour cream straight out of the container, too.)

Happiness means being wet for our little fish. This is her new slide 'n splash pool.

My mom Carolyn and Madelyn in her swimsuit and Bono sunglasses

Me and Mom shopping at Albuquerque Old Town

And this is what we saw on the way home. This arroyo (ditch) is usually bone dry, but check out these raging rapids! Craziness! We have been having quite a bit of torrential rain lately.

I found the Miss on top of her changing table, encrusting herself with baby powder and sanitizing gel. "I playing," she informed me. She was powdery on every part of her body. I guess there could have been worse things (Desitin comes to mind).

A couple of silly gooses (geese? Doesn't have the same ring to it)

Ahhh, to be young and carefree again

Well, I'm supposed to be making dinner and helping Mark pack. I'll try not to wait so long before posting again so you don't have to trudge through this much stuff.

Enjoy the Olympics!