Sitting at home it's nice to hear the familiar bustling of the train outside my townhouse.  All the clatter sparks a glowing feeling in my chest.  When I am at home I wake up thankful for the small things in life; my own bed, shelves, drawers, a closet full of my belongings and a quiet place that is mine. 

My flight into Vancouver from Calgary was interesting.  As I boarded the plane I noticed how Air Canada altered the aircraft from four seats across, which was the layout a week ago, to six seats across.  I took my seat and listened to the eclectic languages being thrown around the plane.  Then noticed the uniforms representing various counties; the Olympic spirit was strong on this flight. 

It didn't stop there, as soon as we stepped foot in YVR there were people in dark turquoise jackets with Vancouver 2010 credentials on lanyards pleasantly greeting us.  Around the baggage carousel more of these people were guiding the lost to transfers and ground transportation.  There were so many welcoming smiles floating in the arrivals area it was infectious and I found myself smiling as I left the domestic terminal heading off to international where we were catching our bus to Squamish.

There was a 2 hour wait and I couldn't think of a better way to spend time than eating sushi and drinking sake.  It felt like a nice welcome home meal after a long two months on the road. 

Finally we arrived in Squamish at 11pm; it was cold and smelled like my home.  I was so happy. 

Not only have I been enjoying being home but I have also been getting pumped up about forerunning for the Games.  I recently went to Whistler to get my accreditation; the village was full of tourists, athletes and volunteers.  Tents and banners were everywhere and were much needed to keep people out of the rain. 

When I went to the welcoming centre to pick up my accreditation the lady told me it was a good idea to get my credentials there because Vancouver was crazy and it would have taken an hour.  I told her it was because I was so smart, gave a wink and went on with the process.  It still only took me 15 mins.   

My uniform is to be gathered at the Cypress venue.  This sucks because I was excited to try it on as it adds to getting stoked on the Olympics.  Cypress should be fun although I heard there is a river running though the pipe and our training has already been cut back two days. I am optimistic things will be fine; all my friends competing are professionals. 

Watching the opening ceremonies was a little hard for me.  It really would have been wonderful to walk into that stadium wearing the Canadian uniform, taking pictures of thousands of people, taking pictures of me.  Of course I would call my Mom on my cell, looking for some camera to wave into mouthing "hi Mom", like she couldn't hear me on the phone.  That would have been awesome. 

I know that my bit in the Games may not be exactly what I expected, but it doesn't suck either.  There is no pressure with my job; it's to just have fun representing my country in the best way I can, doing what I love. 

Isn't that the essence of the Olympics?