Mental Post-Its

Thoughts, Notes, and General Mental Mayhem

Author Archives: kristiporter


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Gallbladder Surgery Tips and Tricks

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Diagram via WebMD.com

Like me, my friend Sara will be soon be walking around without a gallbladder. Since I just had mine removed three weeks ago, I decided to write down a few things for her. She thought I might share my knowledge on cholecystectomy (the surgery) with the world, so here it is. Hopefully it’s helpful to those of you out there who may join our little club in the future. Mine was removed in an emergency situation, so I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, mentally or otherwise. For those of you who have some time to digest the information (pun intended), you might feel more equipped going into it now.

  • They kept me one night after my surgery because I live alone. They needed to make sure I could get around on my own. If you live with others, you’ll probably get to go home that day, if your surgery is early enough. Big plus, in my opinion.
  • You have to go to the pharmacy right after leaving the hospital, unless you can get someone to grab your Rx for you. It’s not a great time to run errands, and I personally think it’s ridiculous. I thought I was going to pass out by the time I was home! You’ll need the pain meds right away probably. If you can get your pharmacy to allow someone to pick it up, do it. Maybe there’s a form to sign or something. But you’ll just want to go straight home.
  • They gave me pills for nausea at home. I think maybe for the first three or four days I had to take maybe one a day. But it wasn’t bad or anything. If you like ginger, maybe have some ginger tea, ginger chews or ginger-ale ready at home if those will help. But the pills do work great too.
  • I had some blood in my urine for about two days following the surgery. That seems to be normal.
  • Very important: You can take a shower about 24 hours after the surgery. Just be careful not to get the bandages wet, so keep your back to the water stream. Which reminds me, move everything within reach. Stretching will be off limits for a while. So, move all your shower stuff to the back of the shower. I even had to move my nightstand closer since I typically reach for my lamp at night.
  • They say it helps to get up and move around as you are able. So I did laundry, emptied the dishwasher, got food or drink, etc, and found ways to be upright and walking. Being upright isn’t very painful.
  • I am not sure if it’s everyone, but my worst immediate pain for two days was my right shoulder. I think it’s how they have to position it during surgery, but it felt like they dislocated it. And the Percocet did nothing for the arm pain. In the hospital they said they couldn’t do anything for it, but once I got home I used Icy Hot patches and they helped a lot. Just have something available in case you need it. The main issue is that I’m right-handed, so I couldn’t use it to help prop myself up. I just had to force my abs to do the work, which is what can be so painful (see previous blog post link). But if you have people at home, they can probably help you sit/get up.
  • Again, not sure if it’s everyone, but they put me under via IV, but kept me under through a throat tube. So when I woke up, my throat hurt for a couple of days. Have soft foods around. I also like these throat drops.
  • I barely had any appetite for a week or more, so maybe have foods around that are comforting and you feel like eating. For me it was soft bread with cheese, bananas, apple sauce, etc. I wish my appetite hadn’t come back—that was actually a perk! 😉  I made chicken and rice thinking it would be plain enough, but the smell made me nauseous (anything with a strong, lingering smell probably) so I didn’t eat it for a week or so. But I also have a sensitive nose.
  • They’ll tell you to eat low sodium. I’ve discovered I kinda eat that way anyway, so I really haven’t had to adjust. And the ONLY thing I craved was Pad Thai, for some strange reason. It’s not low sodium or low fat (the things your gallbladder used to absorb which now happens via liver/stomach), but I ate such small portions each meal that I didn’t have any issues. Many people evidently have diarrhea with the adjustments to their systems, but I’ve not had any issues. Just have some meds on-hand, if needed.
  • My Percocet was only good for about five days. About day three or so, I started spacing out the meds so they’d last longer. But do this only once you can take it. These were supposed to be every six hours, but in the beginning, you feel like you need them every three. So don’t do space them out or drop them until you feel you can. Then switch to Ibuprofen. I was kinda surprised that helped, but it did.
  • I couldn’t lay on the couch for almost two weeks, too low and hard to get up. After a few days, I could sit on it with pillows behind me because it isn’t hard to rise vertically, only horizontally. (So, going to the bathroom wasn’t bad either because it’s vertical.) Then I’d just remove pillows as I could and eventually be able to lay down. So, my bed is high, and I had pillows to help me stay propped up and get out of bed easier. If I’d have known about it at the time, I would’ve ordered a pillow like this or this.)Anything you can do to avoid being horizontal is good! (I stayed propped up for multiple nights because I typically sleep on my stomach and didn’t want to roll over in my sleep. I just watched TV in bed on my iPad. And, of course, slept a lot.
  • I would say I had pain for almost a week, and then it was more soreness, except when I had to use my ab muscles. I didn’t watch comedies or medical dramas. 😉  I made sure to keep taking allergy meds, too, because sneezing and coughing isn’t fun.
  • I could drive about a week later, and when I went back to the doc to get the staples out, I was surprised it didn’t hurt. But I didn’t realize they used staples at first. About a week after surgery, I looked under the badges, and wish I hadn’t! I tried to immediately stick it back on but it didn’t work—I looked like Frankenstein with all the bruising and staples. And then I was nervous about getting them out since I’d never had them. But giving blood was more painful than getting them removed. Finally, a nice surprise.
  • After the staples, they had me keep gauze bandages on the different incisions (three—don’t need at belly button) which you change 1-2 times per day. (I had to buy some, so grab ahead if you can.) I had to wear the main bandage for about a week after. And I kept my back to the shower water stream until my bandages were ready to stay off completely. It just seemed like the water pressure would hurt otherwise, but that was a feeling more than a fact. Do what feels comfortable to you! They told me to leave the little clear Band-aid type things on until they fell off—they’re under the gauze. Two have fallen off now, and it’s about three weeks since the surgery. The main ones should come off in the next couple days, I think.
  • Probably because I have mono as well, but I’m still pretty zapped of energy/tired. A week and a half later I went to work for a few hours on Monday and Tuesday and ran some errands—big mistake. Knocked me on my butt for about three days. So, start small and build. And I hadn’t worn jeans since before the hospital either, so those didn’t feel great at my belly button. And any regular clothes in general. I felt really swollen for several days all over, and a few days later still around my abdomen. But I was on an IV for three days due to this emergency surgery, a kidney infection and waiting to have surgery. Hopefully you won’t be the same. Nonetheless, lounge clothes are your friend. (As sick as I’ve been this year I should have my own line of lounge wear.)
  • I’d say I still have some discomfort from time-to-time around the abdomen but not too bad or too long.

That’s it! I hope this process will be easier for you now!

PS: If you go to the ER with an unknown pain on the upper right side of your abdomen, just do yourself a favor and pack a bag to take with you! Once I was there, I wasn’t allowed to leave.

 

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2012 is Trying to Kill Me

I have no idea why, but 2012 is trying to kill me. This year has been a crazy one in terms of my health. I have never really thought of myself as someone with health issues, but maybe I’m making up for lost time. It’s really weird to say, but I’ve been sick more days this year than I’ve been healthy.

The first couple of months of the year are always a little insane for me because it’s crunch time leading up to the conference that I work on. It goes fast, and requires a lot of hours and effort. But that’s just part of the deal. However, literally the Monday after the conference I got sick. I thought it was the flu so I took it easy for the week. I felt better for a day or so, but then got worse. I went to the doc to discover I had mono. MONO. I didn’t know anyone my age ever got mono. And it incubates for four to seven weeks in the system before it shows up, so I have no idea where or how I got it. My best guess is the grocery cart or something public that I touch, but I really don’t know. So, then for the next few months I made plans and broke them, having to reschedule everything because I wasn’t getting any better. I would never have guessed how bad mono was, and feel like I should’ve been more sympathetic to those I’ve known with it in the past.

Another couple of months past. I was approaching FIVE months of mono. I still had to take naps every afternoon just to get through the day. I hadn’t worked a full day since the conference. I had a couple of relapses along the way. This mess was crazy.

Then on September 12 I went to Tampa for an overnight work event. I knew it would be tough on my physically, but didn’t anticipate being sick all night long. I had to miss the first half of the next day of my work event so I could finally catch a few hours sleep. I somehow survived the following few hours to fly back home. The next morning I went to the doctor because I thought I might have another kidney infection, but of course, had to wait for results. The weekend was BRUTAL. Not only did my kidneys ache and I felt lousy, but my right side started hurting. I had no idea what was going on. Monday came and my doctor was out, so that night I finally decided to go to the ER (my first time). I even had to Google a hospital because I had no idea where one was located near me.

Well, it turned out that I was right about the kidney infection, but they had some surprising news for me–gallstones and an inflamed gallbladder. I didn’t really know what that meant. I think I was kind of in shock, actually, because I’d never had more than my wisdom teeth removed. The ER doc said that it meant that my gallbladder had to come out. I asked if I was supposed to make an appointment, and he told me that I was to be immediately moved upstairs into the main hospital and scheduled for surgery. WHAT. Now I can assure you I was in shock. I spent the next three days in the hospital pre and post surgery. I can assure you that I’d like to repeat that experience.

I got home last Thursday, and it’s been a long week of recovery. At first it kind of felt like the scene from Aliens where the innards become outards, and something pops out of the chest. But now it’s more of a soreness. It still mostly just feels weird that I was the one who actually had the surgery. And then, of course, there’s the kidney infection which has been glad to fill it’s role. But that, too, has been put in its place.

So, yeah, it’s been a weird year. My doctor even suggested that I get the flu shot in a few weeks. I didn’t understand why until she told me that I’d better prevent anything I can with the roll I’ve been on the last few months. I’m not only ready to finally be better, but ready for this year to be over. And fingers crossed, it won’t get any worse.

2012, I apologize. Let’s be friends.

(Come on, 2013.)


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Book Review: Mudhouse Sabbath

screen-shot-2016-12-10-at-1-44-36-pmI’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again–I don’t enjoy reading. However, I try to always be reading at least one book at any given time. I do like to learn, and therefore, I feel reading is important. It expands my mental horizons. And I do come across some good, or even great, books. It just remains a fact that I don’t enjoy it overall. I’d rather be watching TV or a movie. There are these little gems, though, that really stick out in my literature landscape. And, even if for a brief moment, I do derive great pleasure from the words. Mudhouse Sabbath is one of those occasions worth marking.

I gulped this book up. In fact, I read several of the chapters twice just to prolong my experience. It’s just too short! I’ve been wanting to read it for a couple of years now, but just got around to it. I guess I was in the mood. And I quickly discovered an author that I love as well. I feel she, Lauren F. Winner, writes much the way I do because it’s what I’d like to read…as if someone is talking with you. Not lecturing you, not talking at you, but talking with you.

The one thing that initially drew me to this book was that Lauren had converted from Judaism to Christianity, and was learning to integrate the former into the latter. I’ve been fascinated with Judaism for a number of years now, and have been learning in bits and pieces. It’s the Old Testament, and the root of Christianity, so I wanted to understand better where my faith came from. I think too often Christians don’t consider it at all. But when you have a greater understanding of it, you better understand the Bible as a whole. It provides context, and gives foundation. As she puts it, “practice is to Judaism what belief is to Christianity…spiritual practices don’t justify us. They don’t save us. Rather, they refine our Christianity; they make the inheritance Christ gives us on the Cross more fully our own.”

Mudhouse Sabbath is broken into eleven parts:

  1. Sabbath – stressed the need for rest as a regular part of living. It is a place to draw the energy to work from, not working until you crash and are forced to rest. “In observing the Sabbath, one is both giving a gift to God and imitating Him.” For the last five plus years, I’ve observed a Sabbath off and on. I haven’t really gotten good at it yet, but I’m trying. Even if it’s just a half day, a few hours that I regularly plan for, I know it will have enormous impact.
  2. Food – taught me to have a greater respect for the things that I eat. It’s not simply entertainment or a mean’s to an end, it’s a source. “A right relationship with food points us toward Him.” Lauren mentions another author named Barbara Kingslover in this chapter, and how Barbara has shown her to eat seasonally, which “sacralizes not just food, but time.” I’ve been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara the last couple weeks. Head’s up, there will be a blog post about it. It’s been incredible!
  3. Mourning – showed me that we as Americans don’t know how to grieve well. Like everything else, we tend to rush through it. “Judaism understands mourning as a discipline, one in which the mourner is not only allowed, but expected to be engaged.” And one of the Jewish mourner’s prayers focuses solely on praise, thereby reminding us that God is still present. He has not left you alone. It pushes you to take the time to feel the sad emotions, work through them wholly, and sit with the knowledge that however lost or lonely you feel, He is by your side.
  4. Hospitality – called me to keep inviting others into my life. “Creation is the ultimate expression of God’s hospitality to His creatures…Our Three-in-One God has welcomed us into Himself and invited us to participate in divine life. And so the invitation that we as Christians extend to one another is not simply an invitation into our homes or to our tables; what we ask of other people is that they enter into our lives.” I used to be really good at inviting people over, but I’ve gotten away from that. Time to make some changes.
  5. Prayer – gave me a different perspective on liturgy. I’ve always had a hard time with liturgy because it never felt real to me. It was just me praying/reciting what someone else wrote down. There wasn’t any emotion, which I depend greatly on. “When you don’t have to think all the time about what words you are going to say next, you are free to fully enter into the act of praying; you are free to participate in the life of God…Liturgy is not, in the end, open to our emotional whims. It repoints the person praying, taking him somewhere else.” I suppose my views on liturgy is one of the reasons I have trouble getting through the Psalms. But the next time I delve into them, I hope I’ll look at them differently.
  6. Body – hit home. “Though I believe God has something to say about human bodies, I generally tune out God and listen to Cosmopolitan instead…Scripture speaks of bodies that God created in His image, bodies that are both doing redemptive work and being redeemed.” That is a re-framing that I needed. It helps me remember the first and foremost reason I need to take care of my body.
  7. Fasting – gave me further fuel to practice this act more. “Fasting is at its core about repentance…When I am sated, it is easy to feel independent. When I am hungry, it is possible to remember where my dependence lies…Fasting is not meant to drag us down, but to still us. ” Matthew tells us “when” you pray, give and fast. It’s not an option. Again, something else I’ve done kind of off and on but never developed a good habit for it. I am fairly good about fasting for major decisions and during Lent, but need to strive to make it more regular.
  8. Aging – addressed both yourself and those in your circles growing older. “The spirituality of aging inevitably involves preparing for one’s death…Caring for one’s elderly is an obligation…It is not always fun, but it is always sanctifying…When our memories fail, it is our community that can tell us who we are.” A very interesting way to look at the aging process. She also references a rabbi who notes that to elder is to shape the last years of your life with intention. I like this notion, but I’d rather start now.
  9. Candle-lighting – gave me new insight on something I really didn’t understand. Candles mark occasions and mark time. “There seems to be no surer way to sacralize time or space than lighting a candle, no quieter than the silence of candlelight. Candles are peaceful, and transfixing, and ancient.” She gave me some great ways to use candles for more than just making things brighter or smell better.
  10. Weddings – allowed me to see marriage as a “community endeavor.” It’s not just two people making a commitment, but granting witnesses to the union the opportunity and permission to be a part of it. Learning from one another and doing life together in community brings out the best in each of us. It gives greater power to two becoming one.
  11. Doorposts – helped me pull my mezuzah out of my drawer. A friend brought it to me from his trip to Israel, and it sat on a shelf. Then I redecorated my bedroom and it went in a drawer. Now it sits beside my door since I’m in an apartment and can’t really affix or tape it permanently. The mezuzah is derived from Deuteronomy where the Lord says to bind the words on the doorposts of your houses. It is a promise of peace. Lauren also describes a sign on a door that she found which had the verse Psalm 121, “The Lord shall preserve they going out and they coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” I liked that representation a lot as well. “Every time I come home I see the sign, and I remember that I claim to actually believe in this God who will preserve my going out and coming in, and I remember that this home is supposed to be a Christian home. It is to be a home into which I invite strangers, and in which I organize my time through prayers, and in which I do work that might somehow infinitesimally advance the kingdom of God.”

Ah, just writing about it makes me want to read it again! I haven’t done that yet, and I am absolutely sure that I will. I learned so much, and have already starting changing my thoughts and behaviors based on what was said. It hit the spot; so much of what I wanted it to be and more. I think Mudhouse Sabbath will remain one of my all-time favorites, as well as a book I recommend to many people. If it remotely sounds like something that would interest you, I’d urge you to pick it up. I can’t imagine you’d regret it.

By the way, if you’re wondering, Mudhouse is the name of the coffee shop where Laurn wrote the book. And, yes, she spent her Sabbaths there, writing and reading.

 

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Giving A Care

Not too long ago I was at a fundraising event with some friends. A great deal of money was raised in just a few hours, with more pledged to follow in just a few days time. It was really exciting to witness, and as the evening was drawing to a close, one of my friend’s looked at me and said, “It’s amazing what can happen when people actually give a care.” This statement really stuck with me, though not for the reasons you might think. It stuck with me because, in my case, it’s not true.

I’ve always been blessed with incredible friends. If it’s one thing I ever did right, it was the people I chose as my friends. And my friends have done wondrous things. They are givers. They’ve given to me, their friends and family, and many times, even strangers. The people I know and consider to be my friends do, in fact, actually give a care. Many of them may be broke for this very reason. 😉

Some of my friends have raised money with athletic organizations like Team in Training. Some have gone on local, regional, national and even international mission trips. Some have served in churches or shelters or political campaigns or soup kitchens or at nonprofits or animal hospitals or as mentors. They all have given days, but I can easily name those who’ve given weeks, months or years, cumulatively speaking. It would take more than my four extremities, actually, to name them. They give their money, their time, their talents and their influence.

A few summers back I distinctly remember getting close to 10 letters and emails from friends raising money for something. Note: this period was just a couple of months. I was freaking out trying to think of how I could send money to each of them because I wanted them to succeed. I’ve grown to realize that these letters and emails will be a regular occurrence for me. AT LEAST one of my friends will always be raising money at any given time. And that statement makes me smile.

I don’t say all of this just to brag on my friends, though they deserve it. While the frequency in which I receive these requests may be greater than yours, we all still suffer from a common syndrome at one time or another: compassion fatigue. (No, I didn’t make that term up.) Sometimes needs are presented to us so often that they can easily become 1) exhausting or 2) white noise. We give to all, some, or none. But couple these personal requests with what we see on the news, internet and radio, and it can quickly and easily become an emotional overload.

I would urge you to push through the compassion fatigue. There are times I give to causes just because my friends ask, not because I particularly am passionate or invested in the cause. And that’s ok. When I have the funds available to do that, I will do so happily. I want to support them in what they care about, and encourage them to keep at it. We all don’t have to care about the same things. Just care about something. And better yet, give part or all of your heart to it. Don’t just send a check, though those are always good, but personally invest your time, talents and influence as well. When we give a care, we are acknowledging that life exists outside of us. We gain a greater perspective of the world. We become good citizens of it. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to make a difference, large or small. Giving a care is one way of doing that. Champion a cause and see how your life can change for the better. Realize that there’s more going on than just you. Understand that everything on this planet is not put here to serve you, but instead, serve the planet in some capacity. It won’t be a waste of your time, I promise.

Try different causes and see what fits. What makes you happy? What breaks your heart? Where do you see a need you can fill just by being you? What fuels your passion? For me, my two biggies are my faith and modern-day slavery. Both have taken over my heart like nothing else. I champion them because I can’t help myself; I feel compelled. What compels you?

Go on. Give a care.

(And if you need some help finding it, I’m happy to help you explore!)


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Getting Schooled by the #London2012 #Olympics

As I write this post, we are on the eve of the Closing Ceremony. So sad. I get so excited to hear that Olympic theme play on NBC, and it’s anthem will only be heard a couple more times hailing from London. I’ll miss the Today Show reporting from the IBC. I’ll miss seeing interviews with people who can confidently call themselves the world’s best trampoliner. I’ll miss Bob Costas tucking me in each night.

To say that I think the Olympics are cool is a major understatement. I’m a full on fanatic! I’ve always been that way. I commit to the Olympics. I’ll watch whatever NBC is showing–from badminton to table tennis to judo to cycling to volleyball to swimming to track and field. It doesn’t matter. I have my favorites, of course, but I’m tuned in for a solid two weeks to whatever they feel like broadcasting.

I’ve grown up loving the Olympics. The only thing weird about that statement is that I’m not what you’d call a sports fan. In fact, anyone who knows me would never put sports on my top five loves list. Correct that–they wouldn’t put it on my top 100 list. I never watch sports. I don’t attend sports events. I just don’t care for them all that much. Never really have. Maybe the amount of energy I put into them for two years every two weeks just doesn’t leave me any in-between. I’m fine with that. And really, when do I ever do what’s expected anyway.

One of the things I love about the Olympics are that, much like the conferences I love so much, they are an opportunity to learn. Strange, obscure facts as well as ones I probably should’ve already known. But here we are, coming to the end of London 2012, and I’ve yet again learned a few things that I’d like to share with you.

What I’ve learned about the world:

  • I watched an amazing runner from Eritrea, a country I’d never heard of. So I looked it up.
  • 2012 was the first year all participating countries sent both male and female athletes. The women from the three countries that had previously held out, Qatar, Brunei and Saudi Arabia, served as an inspiring example and reminder to the rest of the world. Their performance at the games wasn’t nearly as important as their presence.
  • Despite our sometimes vast differences, sports provides a common language that can break down barriers. I loved seeing the camaraderie and sportsmanship between athletes. It wasn’t necessarily a revolution, but a good reminder as someone who usually pays no attention to sports.
  • People are incredible. From Oscar Pistorius to Hiroshi Hoketsu to Kelli Wells to Kirani James to Jessica Ellis to Manteo Mitchell to Oksana Chusovitina, the Games have been chocked full of remarkable people doing remarkable things. I am so envious, yet so grateful to the journalists who travel all over the world to find out the stories behind the strengths. They are indeed worth hearing.
  • The world is obsessed with the US. Best Friend Heather confirmed for me that, yes, no matter which country is playing you can count on American music being played in the background. I shudder to think about some of those artists being our ambassadors to the world.
  • The Games unite us as one globe. For two weeks, many of us from every nation around the world are huddled in front of our televisions to witness the next great act. Of course, we cheer on our home team, but we cheer for every athlete who has overcome great obstacles to be seen on our little screens. We celebrate with them. We cry with them. (Come on, you know you do too). We revel in the human spirit, no matter where it comes from.

What I’ve learned about the US:

  • 2012 was the first time that there were more women on Team USA than men. And they proved their worth by bringing home a majority of the medals.
  • We are competitive, and privileged, but hopefully not yet to a fault. I see some of these Asian and Eastern European countries competing, and hear what their athletes must give up in order to compete, and am thankful that those restrictions are not placed on our athletes (at least that I know of). One Asian gymnast had been home something like 17 days in the last five years or so. Another was “spared” news of the death of family members so that she could compete. Others are chosen as small children to live out the destiny that was made for them. Wow–so unfair. I can’t begin to imagine what our athletes give up to live their dreams, but at least they have the choice.
  • We rule the pool and women’s beach volleyball! I feel especially invested in athletes that compete in multiple games because it means their story is told numerous times, and I’ve probably seen all of them that take place during each Olympics. I was so excited and so proud to see Michael Phelps and Kerri/Misty go out with a bang. I’ve seen their major Games moments along the way, and was happy to have witnessed their journey. What amazing pieces of Olympic history to have seen, even from afar!
  • Team USA likes to have fun! They are very series and competitive athletes, but I love to see them enjoying life and the games as well. Thank you Today Show for many of those moments!
  • As technology increases, the uniforms decrease. I won’t lie; I’m a little afraid for what’s to come in Rio, especially since it’s the birthplace of the thong.

What I’ve learned about myself:

  • The reason I’ve always loved the Olympics are because I love the stories of the athletes. As a non-sports-watcher, I get sucked into the Games because every few minutes, interspersed between the swimming and the running and the jumping and the throwing, there is a triumphant tale off the field, which was many times, even more astounding than what the competition provides. It proves my theory than any person at any time in any place, has an incredible story.
  • I want to be better. Sure, watching the Olympics makes me feel old and out of shape and like I’ve done nothing with twice the life of most of the athletes on screen, but they also make me want to be better. Not necessarily physically, though that’s part of it, but just overall. You see the dedication that these people put into their craft. Their time. Their effort. Their heart. And it’s just plain inspiring. I want to be better. Better today. Better tomorrow.
  • My loyalty, like most everything else, is conditional. I usually start out cheering for Team USA, but then Bob Costas shows me the story of a man who is the first chance his country has at a medal, or a woman who is the first woman in her country to participate, or a man who could be his country’s first medal in gymnastics, or a small girl who’s got the weight of her country on her shoulders–and I crumble. I think, well, maybe this athlete could get a medal this time. USA already has so many. Or maybe, just maybe, there will be a tie for gold. It was fantastic to see Grenada, Botswana, Montenegro, Cyprus and Guatemala win their first-ever medals. I’m so happy for them!
  • I’m completely under the influence of the Olympics. I’ve been craving fish and chips for two weeks.
  • My tear ducts are Olympics-worthy. It’s amazing how many tears I continually shed for these people in two weeks. If Hallmark produced the Olympics, I would be an absolute puddle.

It’s been an amazing two weeks. I’m excited to see what London has in store for the Closing Ceremony. I loved the Opening Ceremony. Very British. Quite cheeky. It will be a lovely bookend to an unforgettable two weeks, I’m sure.

It’s on my bucket list to attend both a summer and winter Olympics. Luckily, there’s always one to save up for. My fingers are especially crossed for Madrid to win the 2012 bid.

Citius, Altius, Fortius. (“Faster, Higher, Stronger”)

It sure was.

And it will be again.

See you in Sochi!