Olympic Trials, Day 2

Yesterday I left the house and drove back down to San Jose to pick up Alex and meet everyone for lunch.  We had a very long lunch downtown because the service was really slow, but it allowed us time to talk with one another which was nice.  Afterwards we gathered our things, walked around, and ended up in a grassy area in front of a business building.  We let Annaliese run around and the adults even had some fun tossing around a nectarine and having handstand contests.  Things were going well until I decided to help Ashley hold her handstand; she got loose in the middle, collapsed, and nailed me in the head in the process.  It didn't hurt that badly and was actually quite funny.  We were all on the ground laughing and of course Alex was there with the camera to capture the action.

After some time at the park we went our separate ways.  Alex and I left to go to the competition and everyone else went back to the hotel.  Cale met us at the meet (he had been with campers all day long) and we watched warm-ups before leaving for dinner.  We had a nice dinner outside but Alex had to leave early to go back and get rested.  Cale took him to his hotel and then came back for everyone else and we all ended up in Ashley's room, eating cupcakes, drinking some alcohol, talking, and just having a good time.  Try as we might, all of our conversations eventually made their way back to Alex and to what an amazing person he is.  It's really cool for me to hear stories about when he was younger because I obviously didn't meet him until college.  Everyone here loves him so much and it is one of the most amazing support systems I've ever seen.  I have to pinch myself sometimes because I just can't believe I'm in the middle of it all.

Today is the final day of competition for the men and I am a firm believer that no one deserves to be here more than Alex does.  No one has worked harder, sacrificed more, is as dedicated or as passionate as he is.  Each and every day throughout this journey I've been a proud member of Team Buscaglia and have been honored to pour my heart and soul into this endeavor.  I can't imagine anything else I'd rather be doing today than screaming my brains out and pouring my heart out onto that floor.  To watch the trials in itself is awesome, but to be close to someone out there and to know all the work they've put in to be there is just so special.  I'm ready to go and to have a great time...let's do this!