Aug. 9, 2008

My flight over to Beijing went smoothly. It did not feel very long at all. I kept myself occupied by reading, eating and napping. Playing Sudoku on my Nintendo DS also kept me occupied. The flight wasn't that bad because I already knew what to expect since this is the third time I've been to China.

The Opening Ceremonies were so awesome. This is my first Olympics and my first Opening Ceremonies and it was a memory that will last a lifetime. Growing up I would always watch the Opening Ceremonies waiting for the United States to walk out and here I was doing it myself. It was a great experience. As I was finally walking through the tunnel after waiting to walk out on the track, the entire U.S. delegation started to chant "USA!, USA!" and it was an incredible moment.

When I finally got to the opening of the stadium, it was one big rush to see all of the people up in the stands cheering and waving for our country. I will never forget that moment. It got me so pumped to finally get these Games started. Another highlight was the torch lighting ceremony. To be there live gave me chills and at that moment I knew it was finally time to get down to business.