photo – Xinhua/Xu Jiajun via Olympic Spirit

Dear Olympics,

I miss you already! For the past two weeks you have filled my days and nights with the most amazing stories, pictures, and emotions. The victories, defeats, records broken, medals won, and legends created were more than I ever imagined they would be.

Your Opening Ceremonies were such a fitting introduction to the magnitude that these games would be. They were colorful, larger than life, exquisitely choreographed and so emotionally moving! Then you brought us:

• Michael Phelps and his awe-inspiring performances in the Water Cube. Something tells me he will be just as impressive in 2012.
• Natalie Coughlin and her equally impressive 6 medals in one games – not to mention defending her gold in the 100m backstroke. In a way I feel that Natalie’s accomplishments were somewhat overshadowed by Phelps and some of the bigger stories, but she has definitely earned the title of Swimming’s Golden Girl as far as I am concerned.
• The US Men’s Gymnastics team and the clutch performance by Alexander Artemev to clinch bronze when no one thought they stood a chance at any medal. I have never seen a group of truly appreciative athletes.
• The heartbreak of the US Women’s Gymnastics team as they faced adversity after adversity losing Shayla Worley (before the team was officially selected) to injury, then Chellsie Memmel broke her foot prior to prelims and only competed (bravely) on bars, and then Samantha Peszek sprained her ankle, leaving Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Alicia Sacramone, and Bridget Sloan to face the Chinese (are they really 16?) on their own. In the end, they earned their silver medal and can wear it very proudly!
• Misty May and Kerri Walsh are such a class act! I loved seeing Kerri Walsh thanking the volunteer who found her wedding ring that had been lost in the sand. And they won their matches with style and passion, too.
• Dara Torres was the epitome of sportsmanship during the games! Truly happy about her silver medal performances, she seemed even more comfortable in the role of coach/cheerleader to the other athletes – getting them ready, letting the officials know about a delay due to a suit issue of a competitor, and congratulating them afterwards. Dara, dear, you need to go into coaching – you’d be fantastic.
• Usain Bolt and all the other Jamaican runners – you are just amazing! Bolt made being fast look just too easy and graceful at the same time.
• Nastia Liukin’s performance in the Women’s Gymnastics All Around final was in a league of its own – seriously. She IS gymnastics – poised, elegant, flexible, strong, powerful, creative, and beautiful. I am so happy for her. And while Shawn Johnson was the obvious media favorite, she got her day – in the balance beam finals by tumbling on 4″ like it was 4′ wide.
• And the list goes on and on. So many amazing performances, so many athletes with stories to tell.

My only consolation is that I can watch you over and over again thanks to the magic of Tivo and I can visit nbcolympics.com to see all the heats, prelims, finals, races, routines and interviews I may have missed.

So long my dear friend. Looking forward to visiting with your Winter Olympics cousin in 2010 and seeing you again in London during the summer of 2012.