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Everywhere I go, everyone I talk to, it's Olympic Fever. 

"Did you watch Michael Phelps last night??  Did you see those crazy swim contraptions they're wearing?  It helps with buoyancy."

"I was glued to my TV until 11:30 last night watching the Olympics.  Those Chinese gymnasts can't be 16 years old, they're just too tiny!"

"Why is there a water pit in the steeple chase?  If they're going to have that, they should have dogs chasing after them, or people throwing things at them, too."

"Did you see the trampoline competition?  What the heck else are they going to have?  Trampoline??!"

It seems to me that a prerequisite to becoming an Olympic athlete is a really sad personal story.   All the athletes seem to have overcome some sort of major life hardship in their past.  A tragic car accident, learning disabilities, poverty, starvation...  No happy stories allowed.

OK, confession time.  I'm sooo not into the Olympics.  No, I didn't even watch the over the top amazing wondrous opening ceremonies (at least my mom said they were crazy good).  And I'm a PE teacher!  I'm just not interested.  Am I the only one?  Listening to people around me, I think so.  It's in all the papers, news shows, even my coveted entertainment programs are broadcasting live from Beijing.  I'm so not with it.

I know I'm definitely not in the majority.  I just don't care how many medals USA has over China or Australia!  I'm awful!!  I'm a bad American! 

So when my friends are sitting around discussing the latest world record that's been broken (and someone seems to set a new record of some sort during every single event), I just smile, take another swig of my coffee, and wait for the conversation to switch to something I'm interested in.  Something really significant in the world today.  Like the newest celebrity couple break up.

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I just got back from an amazingly fun and relaxing and active vacation in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  Ever heard of it?  Me neither, until the lady at the timeshare company told me about it.  It's mainly a big ski season town, but in the summer, all the ski runs turn into beautiful hiking trails.  The river is warm enough to float down in your innertube.  The morning is sunny and warm enough to ride your bike downtown and eat a HUGE cinnamon bun while sitting outside at Winona's restaurant.  And everyone hangs out at the lake, floating on the water and watching the waterskiiers fly by.  We golfed, tubed, ate, biked, hiked, floated, ate some more, walked, and explored.  We did it all.

It was one of the few vacations I've been on when I genuinely didn't want to come home.  The difference between this vacation and others?  It was just me and my husband.  It was our 5 year anniversary celebration vacation, and it was just the two of us.  Alone together.  For the whole week.  Away.  Together.  Yes, I'll admit it, I LOVED IT!!!

We've done the family Disneyworld vacation, and it was great.  We've visited family on the east coast, all four of us, and it couldn't have been more fun.   But I really need to strongly reccomend the just you and your hubby vacation.  It was like a honeymoon.  I love hanging out and spending time with our kids.  But just hanging out, one on one quality and quantity time with the man you loved enough to marry, the man you wanted to be the dad of the century to your kids, the man you want to grow old with... there's  a lot to be said for that.

So if it's at all possible in your future to take a timeout with your husband, just you and your husband, I say go for it.  Incorporate that weekly date night into your schedule.  Negotiate some babysitting swaps with your friends.  You won't regret it.