I just got back home to Calgary and have three well-needed days of rest!

The last four weeks of training in Montreal were good, and the team is ready to go. The last couple of days there everyone was a little anxious to start the trip, but it was a little different for me because I was anxious to get home and not leave home like the rest of my team.

Our team will be here in Calgary for a week of training before we head out to Vancouver on Feb 7. The last month went by very fast for me and I still can't believe how close everything is. I guess it's a good thing that it is going so fast because it means everything is exciting and there is lots to do, but at the same time you kind of hope it slows down so you have time to take everything in.

Being able to participate in the Olympics is obviously very exciting, but all the little small things that go along with that are also very exciting, as I am finding out every day.

Every year I am excited to get my new team skin suit, however it has never been as thrilling as receiving the Olympic suits we received last week. The design is different from our typical Canada suits, but it should be because it is special.

It always feels weird to see skaters skating in a new suit for the first time, as we are used to the old ones, so when our team put on our new suits and stepped onto the ice, all eyes were on us! Similar to someone trying to start a new fashion trend that wasn't yet accepted...but I think we are all used to them now.  

Not just because the suits were new, but skating around in them knowing that this is what we will be wearing in the Coliseum at the Games was a good feeling. It's still hard to imagine what it is going to feel like on the ice with the arena full of people, but it's a feeling I can't wait to experience.

Simple things like hearing about the village and the food menu has also gotten me more excited. I'm going to have to try not to eat too much with all the free food around! The pictures of the village look amazing and actually the girls got a nice surprise the other day...

Room with a view

We had a team meeting and one thing that had to be decided is which apartment the boys and girls team would stay in. Our whole team is on the same floor in the village but apparently one condo is bigger then the other...so we randomly had a draw and the girls won! On top of that, we get the best view from our place as well. It might not seem that amazing but we were happy to rub it in the guy's faces.

Not that we will be spending a lot of time in our rooms though. Our schedule is pretty full of training, racing, media and other activities. We will need some down time during the day but for the most part we can be as busy as we want, which is a good thing I think. It will be hard to get in everything, but the races are the priority of course and our team will be focussed on that.

It has been a while since our last World Cup so I am very ready to get back on the line and race again, maybe it was a good thing we had to wait this long!