10 on Tuesday

1. Last night, I finished the Hunger Games trilogy! Mockingjay was slower than the other books, but overall, the ending was nice. One part made me mad, but, other than that, it was great! Thank you, Debra, for letting me borrow it!!!
2. Andy's birthday party was this past Saturday. We had chicken, mac & cheese, and veggies for supper, with his Thomas cake, Jeremy's cheesecake, and ice cream for dessert. The highlight of all the presents was the John Deere pedal tractor that Gina and Jeremy got Andy, which he already received before the party. That was probably a good thing, because everything else would've paled in comparison with it! Sunday was Andy's actual birthday, so my parents, Emily's crew, and I all went over to see him then for leftover cake and presents from Gina and Jeremy. Another highlight was a beanbag chair, which was actually in the form of a chair. However, what really stole the show was the singing Chuggington card he got from Gina, Jeremy, and Wyatt. I love the fact that he got all kinds of new toys and clothes and gadgets, but his favorite thing was a $3 card! Happy Birthday, Andy!!!

3. Jeremy's birthday is actually the day after Andrew's, so we somewhat celebrated it on Saturday. Because he loves chocolate and cheesecake, I was assigned the task of making a turtle cheesecake for the festivities. I am such a perfectionist when it comes to making cheesecakes, but I was pleasantly surprised by how this one turned out! No cracks, and everything went together great! The ganache went on smoothly, and it looked even better when it came out of the pan. It was a great recipe, and I just might have to share it soon!

4. On to my current semi-obsession: The Olympics! I was pumped about watching the opening ceremony, but I really didn't get to watch the whole thing. Emily invited us out to supper that night, so I missed most of the first half of it. I'm not sorely disappointed, because I can always look it up on other websites if I really want to see it. From what I have heard, it was good, but I still am in awe of what Beijing did four years ago...just saying.

5. How about the parade of nations? I made it home to see the better part of that, and I was impressed. Usually, that is my least favorite part of the ceremony, because it drags on FOREVER, but they kept it moving! Also, I loved the background music they had going...the athletes weren't marching in, they boogied in! :) It was great to see the Thunder's "Big 3" in the herd of US athletes, especially James Harden! I loved the ending with Paul McCartney leading the mass singing of "Hey Jude", which is one of my favorite songs by the Beatles. (I may or may not have been singing along with it..)

6. I have yet to see the US men's basketball team in action. I am guessing that it has something to do with the fact that it is aired on cable networks or at obscure times. Either way, that needs to stop, because I'd love to see that...guess I'll add that to my online video list!

7. Out of all the things I've missed, Olympic-wise, somehow I've seen all kinds of rowing and cycling footage. Really? Last night, I started getting into the whitewater kayaking (I think) event. Those guys make it look incredibly easy...I know that it isn't. I loved watching the Czech and Slovak teams whip up on everyone else! (When the US isn't doing so hot, I default to cheering for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which is my heritage)

8. It was depressing to hear about the US men's gymnastics team. I was pulling for them, especially since they had so many Oklahoma ties, but I suppose that things don't always go how you want them to. I really got into the team competition between China, Japan, the UK, and Croatia. Of course, China won by a landslide, but how about the dramatic ending between the other three teams. I loved the Cinderella story with the UK, who won their first team medal. It was cool to see Princes William and Harry in the crowd, cheering them on. I felt bad for Croatia, who had a medal, but then didn't, because the Japanese coach had their score overturned. No matter what, hooray for the host team, who made history!

9. US swimming has been pretty good, but nothing as spectacular as it was in Beijing. Although Michael Phelps broke the all-time medal count, I feel like he hasn't been as "on fire" as he used to be, but then again, I think he's just having fun before he retires, and I don't blame him for that! Women's swimming is doing well, especially Missy Franklin. There's still a couple more days of swimming left, so that'll be interesting to watch!

10. I'll end on the high note of US women's gymnastics...they totally rocked it!!! Poor Jordyn Wieber didn't make the all-around competition, which is dumb, because she is just as good as anyone else, but no one asked me. I really have a soft spot for this event because I have a fond memory of watching gymnastics at the Atlanta games in '96. I had it in my heart that I wanted to be a gymnast, so much so that I took it upon my three-and-a-half-year-old self to attempt to vault off of my parent's bed...until my mom heard the racket I was making and put an immediate stop to that. I also somersaulted through our hallway/living room and flailed through the living room after watching floor exercise. Oh, what could have been...but anyway, it was great to see the US women clean house in the team competition! They look like they really work well together, and it couldn't have gone to a better group of girls!

11. I love the unity that there is during the Olympics. Everything else seems so irrelevant when the whole world comes together for a single purpose. Hmm...

12. I always tear up a little bit when I hear our national anthem at the medal ceremony. I take it for granted sometimes, but there's something about the moment that makes it sounds so beautiful. U-S-A!  U-S-A!  U-S-A!