The End!

I can't believe it's over. It went by so fast. Now maybe I can get something done. The one thing I will remember from these games are the stories of adversity that many of the athletes overcame to not only win, but just to compete in these games. If they can do it, so can we in whatever we are striving to do in our lives. It was the most amazing opening ceremonies I have ever seen. If you didn't get a chance to see them, I highly recommend you do. I'm sure you can find them on youtube.

I few of the most memorable.
Nastia Liukin becoming the third American woman to win the gold medal in the all-around gymnastics competition.

The Redeem Team making up for previous failures by U.S. Olympic basketball squads, defeating Spain 118-107 to secure gold for the first time since 2000. I love this picture. I assumed all the coaches received gold medals also, they do not, so each player gave theirs to Coach K. US Men win gold in beach volleyball.
Michael Phelps tying Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics by the slimmest of margins, beating out Serbia's Milorad Cavid in the 100-meter butterfly by one hundredth of a second. I remember watching the prelims for this race and thinking to myself that this race will be the biggest challenge. I was nervous and I was sitting on the couch, I can't imagine how he felt. All as I can say is INSPIRATIONAL!
It was great to finally see her get the GOLD.Natalie du Toit pulled herself onto the dock and waited for someone to bring her prosthetic leg. She stretched out the other leg, the one she didn't lose in that horrendous motorcycle accident ,

and chatted with an official about the first open water race in Olympic history.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh celebrating after becoming the first team to repeat as gold medalists in beach volleyball.The U.S. women's basketball team winning its fourth consecutive gold medal while running its winning streak in the Olympics to 33 games. U.S. swimmer Eric Shanteau swimming in the men's 200-meter breaststroke after being told by his doctors a week before the U.S. trials that he had testicular cancer.

Bryan Clay joining the likes of Bruce Jenner and Jim Thorpe as Olympic decathlon champions in an event that an American has won 12 times in 22 Olympics but only twice since 1976. Dara Torres losing gold by an agonizingly slim margin in the 50-meter freestyle. At the tender age of 41, Torres was outtouched by German sprint star Britta Steffen. U.S. men's volleyball head coach Hugh McCutcheon's father-in-law had been stabbed to death at a popular Beijing tourist site. The team would rally in the wake of tragedy, winning a gold.Some pictures from the closing ceremonies.

See you in London 2012!