Do You Believe in Miracles?

Today marks the end of the Sochi Olympics. It also marks the first day I feel relatively human after suffering through a week's bout of the flu. I am anxious, on both fronts, to get back to my regularly scheduled life.

The last two and a half weeks of competition have been filled with emotion. I have cheered, booed, laughed, and cried. Actually, I don't think I have ever cried in my life as much as I have cried during the past two weeks. I blame my influenza-riddled state for most of it, but I'm also a big sucker for underdogs, tales of perseverance, and the sheer heart shown by so many athletes. 

Here are my favorite moments from the 2014 Olympics (for a two weeks in two minutes recap, check this out):

1. The USA snowboarders ROCKED it! I loved each and every snowboarding event and cried through each and every medal ceremony.

2. The USA vs. Russia victory. What an amazing hockey game (T.J. Oshie and Jonathan Quick were total rock stars)! We will fondly remember that moment and try hard not think on how the team then fell apart and didn't even medal (le sigh). 

3. Noelle Pikus-Pace winning a silver medal in the Skeleton race.

4. Mao Asada (Japan) absolutely crushing her free skate even though she had no chance of medaling after a "disastrous" (commentator's lingo) short program. 
*Additionally, the 2014 women of skating were freaking fabulous!

5.Canadian mogul winner Alex Bilodeaus and his brother 

6 . Tribute for Sarah Burke and the inaugural skiing halfpipe events (Hip hip hooray for Maddie Bowman and David Wise!).

7. Joss Christensen, Gus Kenworthy, and Nick Goepper sweeping the podium for the men's skiing slopestyle event. 

8. I wish the outcome had been slightly different, but I'm still really proud of the USA women's hockey team for winning the silver medal. I smell gold for them in 2018!

9. Meryl Davis and Charlie White winning the first US ice dancing gold medal. 

10. Lauryn Williams (and partner Elena Meyers) winning silver in the bobsled competition, which helped Lauryn become the 5th athlete to medal in both the summer and winter Olympics.

If you're not quite ready to let the Olympics go, check out these movies (side note: I cried through all of these trailers...I'm a hot damn mess).

Miracle


The Cutting Edge


Cool Runnings