February 22nd at the Olympics (in which Amanda actually gets there)

While it wasn’t the Olympic trip she was hoping for, Amanda did have an Olympic experience, and totally made my day and my kids’ day by “taking” them with her. Photos courtesy of Amanda and myself.

Lisa: David Wise won men’s ski half pipe and afterwards hoisted his daughter and son. He had a flag too, but I like hoisting your kids better.
Iddo wants to be a goalie when she grows up and plays hockey so she doesn’t have to skate all over the ice.
They’re rebroadcasting yesterday’s game.

Amanda: That’s so sweet! I remember Dan Jansen doing that after speed skating many years ago.
Sorry to break it to you kid, but you’ll still skate all over. At least in practice.
Makes sense. It was really late for most people and there isn’t anything happening right now.

Lisa: She wants to know where the judges are sitting. Hockey is just figure skating with pads and sticks.

Amanda: On the ice! The referee skates with them, I think.
The Edmonton Oilers did hire David Pelletier (a figure skater) to be their skating coach.

Lisa: But they don’t determine the score like in figure skating.

Amanda: This is true.

Lisa: The replay just ended. “Look at the tumbly tumbly US! They just got in one big pile! Canada looks a little sad. They were hoping they’d win. Yea United States!”
Hockey medals handed out right after the game.

Amanda: Ha!
I heard that one of the Canadians took hers off immediately.

Lisa: Not everyone can be full of the Olympic spirit. And they were definitely dejected when they lost. Super sad.

Amanda: Agreed.
So, our driver dropped us off somewhere relatively terrible. I’m not sure how this is going to work with the shuttles. I’m trying hard not to be super angry right now, but hope we can figure this out.

Lisa: Good luck.

Amanda: Thank you.
This just reminds me that I am more comfortable working out my own transportation. Even relying on public transport, but navigating and planning routes myself. I should have made plans a few months ago, instead of waiting until we knew Blake’s schedule, and been in charge of this trip instead of being at the mercy of someone else and the arrangements they made. And why would this driver drop us off at the media hotel!? Some of this could have been avoided.
Sitting on a bus watching the Olympics in Korea is not the experience I wanted. Close, sort of. But not enough.

Lisa: Frustrating.

Amanda: Very.

Lisa: I definitely prefer coordinating my own vacations.

Amanda: For sure. I can also blame the IOC, right? Why have games so far away from a major city?
I understand having spread out events, but when the hub is still so hard to get to, that’s also frustrating.

Lisa: True.
Make the best of it and enjoy the adventure.

Amanda: I’m trying. 😕
I’m on yet another bus now. This one should be taking me to the main plaza. I’m with another MilSpouse and her kids. I’ve yelled at one of them, but he threw a snowball at me and she is okay that I yelled. I’m not in a snowball throwing mood.
Also, one of my apps said this bus wasn’t even running yet. So, the apps are wrong.
If I’m coming back for the Paralympics, I’m in charge of transport.

Lisa: The Toyota commercials have me excited about the Paralympics.
Cool!

Amanda: They could be a lot of fun. I hope we can work it out.

Lisa: The kids are suitably impressed with your photo.

Amanda: Ha!
Olympic Village!

Lisa: Yay!

Amanda: 😍

Lisa: That looks very official.

Amanda: That’s my ticket! I made it!

Lisa: Woohoo!

Amanda:

(Amanda is holding the same Olympic sign that Iddo is holding here. We scanned in Iddo’s sign and emailed it to Amanda who printed it and took it with her.)

Lisa: You just made her night!

Amanda:

(Amanda played the two videos I sent her of my kids, the first of them all doing Shimri’s Olympic trick together, the second of Iddo’s gymnastics routines (she’s had three classes) so that they could do their Olympic tricks at the actual Olympics.)

Lisa: You are the best!
Excited Olympic watchers

Amanda: I’m happy to help!
😍

Lisa: Medvedeva’s free skate program makes me think of miming or silent movies as she wordlessly tries to tell a story when she isn’t spinning and jumping.

Amanda: I’m guessing that’s the Russian with black gloves? I’m back on a bus. Hoping we get back okay.

Lisa: Yup. That’s her.
Good luck.

Amanda: Cool. Caught the last of that.
Thank you.
Made the second bus back. So, if it only takes 45 minutes, like it did coming here, or if our driver waits for us if we’re late, we’re fine.
I am so glad I didn’t wear my thermals.
But running in a coat and sweater and being out of water is not a combination I recommend.

Lisa: Technology, and you, are just so amazing and cool.

Amanda: Thank you. 😊

Lisa: A whole bunch of guys with leaf blowers clearing the ski jump hill tracks. That was rather funny looking.
France’s jumper’s face while he was in the air was also funny looking.

Amanda: Watching some ski cross on the bus. I don’t speak Korean, but the 😬 sound when watching a crash is the same.
Having just seen that hill – holy wow is that high.

Lisa: I’m watching the ski jumping portion of team nordic combined.
Finland’s jumper’s face when he was sitting at the top was funny looking.
Amanda: I was just there!

Lisa: I KNOW!!!
The Austria jumper’s face is just funny looking. He seemed a little too excited to be jumping off buildings with only a not entirely form fitting suit to keep in him the air.

Amanda: I hope that’s still an excited yell. And not a “stop talking about it already” 😉
Our bus connection was at the Alpensia ski center.
Mine would be an excited face.
Not. Not be. Very important.

Lisa: I’m so excited!!!!

(I took excited photos with all the kids before they went to bed so I could send them to you at appropriate times. All children are currently sleeping.)

Amanda: Very forward thinking! Because I was wondering!
Accidentally took a photo of an Olympic team member!

Lisa: Cool!

Amanda: I saw some other potential Olympians. But none I recognized.

Lisa: What amazes me as I look at the aerial shots is that the snow is on the Olympic course but not everywhere.

Amanda: Actual train of thought I just had:
It’s cool that other countries are excited about the Olympics. And that they are showing them on this bus. Oh yeah, I’m on an Olympic shuttle bus.

Lisa: Still, they are excited enough to have Olympic shuttle busses.

Amanda: It’s true. There is some snow on the ground, but it’s not everywhere. It thundersnowed in Seoul last night. I woke up during the storm.
I’m actually on a bus that’s supposed to be for the media. 🤭

Lisa: We do commentary. We’re totally media. We just have a very small subscription.

Amanda: That’s true. I’m just relieved I didn’t have to show a press pass.
If this ski cross is in real time, they are just cruising through and getting skiers from the bottom to the top and in the right jerseys fast.
Have you figured out or heard why they have a small final and a big final in ski and snowboard cross? Blake asked and I think tried to look it up, but I don’t think we found a satisfactory answer.

Lisa: I have no idea.

Amanda: Oh well.

Lisa: I’m watching the cross-country portion of team nordic combined right now.
It does not appear to be a live event.

Amanda: Just drove past Phoenix Snow Park.

Lisa: Cool.

Amanda: This may not have turned out to be the Olympic experience I was hoping for, but it’s definitely better than nothing!

Lisa: Definitely.
BYU gave students the second week of the 2002 Olympics off because so many students were volunteering. I wasn’t a volunteer but I went up to Salt Lake one day and just soaked in the atmosphere and it was fun.

Amanda: Made it to our next stop with 7 minutes to spare! Time enough for the restroom!

Lisa: Very important.

Amanda: I think that’s a great way to do it. Probably less stressful for than today’s travel shenanigans, but still good just be around them.

Lisa: Foreign travel usually involves some level of shenanigans.

Amanda: So true.
Too many today. But we emerged from the restroom just as our driver pulled up outside. Once again, almost too close for comfort, like yesterday. But we did it!

Lisa: Phew!

Amanda: I am relieved. In more ways than one, since we made our last connection. And heated seats on cold days are pretty much the best thing ever.

Lisa: Ski cross!

Amanda: I won’t spoil it for you!

Lisa: This doesn’t have the live thing on it either.
I barely moved past bunny hills when I skied in 6th grade. So while I prefer SBX, this is still impressive to me.

Amanda: I have never skied or boarded in my life. So it’s all impressive.

Lisa: Canadians do a special hand shake/high five after winning their heat.

Amanda: Cool!
Btw, I did pick something up for you. I think you’ll like it.

Lisa: Go Canadian friends!!
Also, liking the plaid jackets.
Yay!

A sport with entropy!

Amanda: That’s such a cute photo of Izri!

Lisa: We talk a lot about entropy at our house. Particularly when our kids want us to put a piece of food back together that fell apart.
He LOVES the camera, so it’s not hard to get a good one of him.

Amanda: That only really works with things like frosting or peanut butter as glue.
Also entropy is what makes ski/snowboard cross and short track so exciting.

Lisa: Yup.
Iddo is going to start kindergarten being able to accurately use “entropy” and “inertia” in a sentence.

Amanda: 👩🏼‍🎓