With glowing hearts

On Friday morning, I got up at 4:25 a.m. And it wasn't even awful. It was fantastic! I was so excited to be heading to Vancouver, for Day 15 of the Winter Olympics! My friends Katie, Shannon and I were standing downtown to catch the bus at 5:45 a.m. At 7 o'clock, we were on the ferry and truly on our way!

I figured waffles with strawberries and whipped cream were in order. Nothing says "Go Canada!" like a red and white breakfast that matches your outfit, right?

Ooh! Was Canadian goaltender Roberto Luongo on the ferry with us? Probably not. But it was fun to pretend.

That's what I'm sayin'...

Science World was transformed into the Russian Pavillion. Sochi, Russia hosts the next winter games in 2014.

Me and Quatchi and an Olympic tour bus.

The Olympic cauldron! It was quite spectacular.

Even through plexiglass!

The flames were incredible, and roared away despite the rain that just kept coming down.

Loved this big snowglobe and sparkly spirit bear (similar to the one in the opening ceremonies) at Starbucks!

Fab window displays everywhere. Who knew curling could be that cool?

We had to line up to get inside the Olympic Superstore at The Bay (official outfitter to the athletes) but it was worth it. So much fun stuff to see.

Miga is my favourite mascot.

"We were made for this." Love it! The crowds were great. Everyone was in a fabulous mood, despite the line-ups (7-8 hours to get inside the mint and hold a gold medal!!!) and the rain.

World's biggest Canada flag.

The lantern forest. So cool. All the lanterns were made by local school kids.

Owning the podium!

The famous zip-line over Robson Street. We decided against lining up for 6 hours to partake in the 30-second ride. It was fun to watch though!

CTV... Official broadcaster of the Olympic Games.

Roots had the most amazing collection of Olympic gear, to represent pretty much every country at the games. I loved these little purses.

Katie and me, rockin' the red!

Proud to support Team Canada. I loved how the buildings turned into giant displays of Canadian pride.

Molson Hockey House. Not rich, famous or important enough to be allowed in. But fun to look...

Jo and I show off our fancy Olympic mittens, while we stop at her apartment for dry socks.

Signing the Olympic wall in a shop in Yaletown.

Canada Hockey Place!!! We were outside the stadium as thousands of people (all in red and white) poured in to see the Canada-Slovakia game. Tickets were going for $800... Couldn't quite afford that!

There's the building, all lit up. You could hear the crowds cheering inside when the game began.

Shannon and I outside Canada Hockey Place. Wishing we could be inside, but loving that we were at least that close!

Our day lasted from 4:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m., and I have to say, I loved every second of it. I'm so glad I took the opportunity to go to Vancouver, to experience the excitement of the Olympics firsthand. I saw people from around the world (all enjoying each other's company), visited several Canadian pavillions, admired the flame, sat in a real bobsled, took a million photos and cheered for my country. I have never felt so patriotic. The ads on TV say, "British Columbia 2010. You gotta be here." And I'm so glad I was!