Tomorrow Night We Shine- The Olympics are HERE!!!!

I hate to open with a beer commercial... but there are some Canadian cliches that just cant be denied...

Here in Canada we are certainly not known for being overtly patriotic but, by this time tomorrow evening, when the 2010 Olympic Games open in Vancouver, I think the world may be surprised to discover that we, these quiet and unassuming Canadians have a whole lotta love for our country...

Seven years ago, when it was announced that Vancouver had won its bid for the games, there was no sense of reality about it... Like a child trying to contemplate a month long wait before a trip to Disney land, the idea that we would get the chance to shine under the spotlight on a World stage seemed too distant to contemplate....

The idea that roads, event facilities, accommodation and so much more would have to be built; that transportation, security, and a great opening ceremony would have to be planned- a pipe dream. And then, of course, there were the protesters, the naysayers and the less fervent friends and family that were opposed to the games and the inconveniences and costs they would create.

But then construction started. The road to my hometown was torn up and blasted away to create a wider highway, streets in Vancouver were opened whole to build a underground rail line from the airport to the city, Richmond's Speed Skating Oval was completed, mascots (Sumi, Quatchy and Miga) were unveiled and the Vancouver 2010 logo, with it's bright Olympic rings began to appear on merchandise and in commercials. The Games suddenly became much more real.

And then, as tomorrows long awaited date neared, the Olympic filled news and papers- overruns on budgets, protester rallies, and security concerns. This week British Colombians worried over the unseasonably warm weather, the lack of snow on Cypress, and speculated over who would make that finally leg to light the last cauldron and officially open the games.

It was a slow thing, almost unassuming, the way the fervor built- commercials featuring Canadian athletes pitching the slogan "Do You Believe", their stories, steeped in sentimentality and brought to life by the rich timbered voice of Donald Sutherland, struck a chord.

But it wasn't until the Olympic torch returned to British Columbia, having traveled overland through the Provinces and into the small towns across our nation, that the slow burning but fierce Canadian pride was ignited and with it, the reality of the Vancouver Olympics touched home.

Two days ago I awoke before dawn to the sound of cheering in the street. The Olympic flame was making it's way through the sleepy street of my hometown and though it was five in the morning, nearly a third of this cities population lined the streets to sing O'Canada. And so it was in other cities, where thousands turned out to pay homage, dressed in red and white, waving Canadian flags and cheering local heroes, musicians, and yes, hockey players, as they took their turn to carry the flame.

We Canadians don't normally wear our patriotism for all to see, but tomorrow evening I think we'll make an exception. The stage is set, the athletes are here and we are ready to host these games... more than that, we're ready to win GOLD!

Below- Mom was the first (of course) to jump in and ask this torch holder for a picture!