Olympic Memories

I have always been a huge fan of the Olympics!  I love all the hype and fanfare, and keep the Olympics going on the TV all the time, whether I like the sport or not!

Watching the London Olympics has reminded me that the last few summer Olympics have come at crucial times in my life.  They hold memories that truly have nothing to do with the games themselves.

During the 2004 summer Olympics of Athens I was preparing to go away to college.  If I remember correctly, I even moved into the dorms during the games.  I was going to IU and was preparing to leave my family for the first time.  I was also leaving CAhusband (who was my 19 year old boyfriend at the time) who was going to Purdue.  It was the most uncertain I've ever been, and I remember thinking that the next time the summer Olympics are on this will all be over.  Don't get me wrong, I was excited for college, but at that time I had no idea I would eventually transfer to Purdue.  I was bracing myself for 4 long years away from CAhusband and the thought was unbearable.

Fast forward to the 2008 Olympics...

CAhusband and I had spent the summer in California living with my parents.  I had graduated from Purdue and was nannying for the summer, and CAhusband had an internship and would return to Purdue for one more year of school.  We loved our summer, but I was busy applying for teaching jobs in Indiana and knew I would take the first flight back to Indiana if I got any calls for an interview.  Turns out, I got a several calls and left California very quickly!  I interviewed for 3 different teaching jobs within 48 hours of being back in Indiana, but none of them for were full time.  CAhusband was in CA still finishing his internship, and I was getting settled in what would be our first apartment together.

I remember sitting in our apartment watching the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics with my laptop in hand when an email came through.  It was from a principal opening a brand new elementary school in Lafayette, IN and his enrollment had jumped a lot.  It was about 5 days before school started and he needed 3 new teachers.  I remember this amazing gut feeling that this would work out.  We scheduled an interview for Monday and from there I had mere days to prepare my very first classroom for the first day of school.

I watched those Olympics very little in all of the busyness of preparing my first classroom, but I still remember thinking, "I wonder what I'll be doing during the next Olympics in 2012?"  At that time CAhusband and I weren't even engaged (that came in Oct. 08).  I imagined our lives in 2012 and hoped we would be married by then, but we had no clue where the future would take us.  He would graduate in May and we had no plans from there.  The unknown was exciting, but was very hard for this planner.

I can't help but distinctly remember the way I felt during both of the previous Olympics while watching the 2012 London games.  I also can't help but wonder, where will we be during the Rio games of 2016?  Will we still live in CA?  Will I still be teaching?  Will we have a baby?  Will be finally have a home to call our own?

It's so odd to me that something like the Summer Olympics hold such strong memories that truly have nothing to do with the sporting events themselves.  I know it's crazy that the Olympics make me think about the future, but I never pretend to be rational when it comes to planning ahead. : )

It is refreshing for me though to be able to look back on my uncertainty at both of the previous times and see that everything has worked out.  I know that 4 years from now I'll be able to say the same thing.