Aren’t the Olympics great? I mean, after all they are an institution – not just in our country but around the world. A coming together. A celebration of camaraderie, commitment and, of course, sports. I’m sure we can all remember some of our favorite Olympic moments. Whether it was Flo Jo and her amazing nails, or Kerri Strug landing that vault one-footed, or the famous Battle of the Brians in 1988 when Brian Boitano and Brian Orser both skated for the gold – to the same military-themed long programs. I get chills just remembering it!

For the past several weeks I’ve been wishing that I was more excited about the 2014 Winter Games. I don’t know why but this Olympiad just seemed to lack some of the pizzazz of previous Games. Perhaps it’s the looming threat of terrorism or the political tensions that exist between the U.S. and Russia. Since we’ve had plenty of days to be at home watching TV while the snow falls outside, I have encouraged my kids to spend some time watching the Olympics, wanting them to not miss out on this special celebration that only happens once every four (or two) years. There have already been some heartwarming – and heart-stopping – moments. And even some for the PR record books (I’m looking at you, Ashley Wagner). With just a few days, here are

My top 5 things about the Games so far:

  1. Bob Costas’ pink eye. It makes me cringe just looking at him. Ouch.
  2. Ashley Wagner’s look of disgust at her less-than-stellar scores in the team competition. Move over McKayla.
  3. Russia’s 15-year-old figure skating extraordinaire, Julia Lipnitskaia. Amazing.
  4. The new slopestyle event in snowboarding. Badass.
  5. The story about American ice dancers’ Meryl Davis and Charlie White’s moms who brought them together when they hadn’t even cracked double-digits and haven’t missed a competition since. Commitment pays off.

Battle of the memes

mkayle