America For The Win!

It’s the first day post-Olympics and if you’re anything like me, you’re feeling pretty sad today – as if something is missing from your life. No, I’m not just talking about Ryan Lochte in a swimsuit taking over your TV.

Sometimes the best cure for a hangover is to get up and keep on drinking. So, to cure your London 2012 blues, here are my top ten favorite moments from the past two weeks.

#1 – TEAM USA

I could spend an entire post on the accomplishments of Team USA during the Olympics, 104 of them to be exact, but since most of my readers are Team GB I will refrain. Team USA took over London, heading for Heathrow this morning with more medals than any other nation. From Gabby Douglas and the Fab Five to David Boudia and Serena Williams, the Americans leaped, dove, served, swam and ran their way into the history books. At the end of it all, 255 American athletes stood on the podium, claiming 26 gold medals. AMERICA FOR THE WIN!

#2 – USA Swimming & Michael Phelps

I can exclusively report the following breaking news: Michael Phelps was raised by mermaids. 

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Okay, clearly that’s not actually true, but he seriously came from some special gene pool. During his final Olympics (cue the crying), Michael Phelps claimed his 22nd medal and title of most decorated Olympian in history. USA Swimming as a whole kicked serious fin; from my favorite Olympian Ryan Lochte to the adorable Missy Franklin (who apparently I need to fight for Prince Harry), both the men and women had an almost constant presence on the podium in the aquatic center. Must be something in the water over here…

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#3 – The Duke & Duchess of PDA

Just when you thought Will and Kate could not get any cuter, this happened:

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For all of those who say the royals never show affection/emotion I say.. welcome to Club Cambridge. The first week of the Olympics saw the world’s most popular couple showing constant displays of affection and excitement before Kate and her perfect hair took over with almost daily appearances when Will returned to work. The Duchess of Cambridge takes gold for best facial expressions of the Olympics.

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#4 – Prince Harry

SO much Prince Harry throughout the Olympics, I can’t even deal. Everywhere he went – and he went A LOT of places – Prince Hottie lived up to his nickname. He laughed, he cried, he made us all swoon. Thank you International Olympic Committee for gifting London with the 2012 Games and allowing us to have fourteen days of hotness. I’m pretty sure I hit a decibel I didn’t know existed when he made his way into the Closing Ceremony, looking like some sort of blue suited god.

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Bauer Griffin

#5 – People of the World, SPICE UP YOUR LIFE!

Viva Forever! I feel badly for anyone who didn’t have the pleasure of growing up with the Spice Girls in their lives. Thank you Baby, Ginger, Posh, Scary and Sporty for reuniting- we missed you. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to break out my Spice World VHS.

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#6 – Usain Bolt, Raised by Cheetahs

How could you not love Usain Bolt? Crazy stat: Three gold medals in under 40 seconds. If I’m ever caught in a burning build/getting mugged/running from a bear, I want this guy by my side. Partly for comic relief, mostly for the running thing.

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#7 – Queen by Day, Bond Girl by Night

Gotta hand it to Queen Elizabeth II for making her acting debut alongside James Bond. Don’t ever accuse her of being old and stuffy again.

#8 – Andy Murray

In what may be the quickest redemption the tennis world has ever seen, Andy Murray overtook Roger Federer to win gold on centre court at Wimbledon just one month after the Swiss tennis star claimed the Grand Slam title. It was one of those classic moments that only the Olympics can bring.

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#9 – Boris Johnson

I went back and forth about adding London’s colorful mayor to my list of top moments, but after NBC captured the perfect shot of him spicing up his life during the Closing Ceremony, he made the final cut. Even before the Games officially got underway, Johnson had us laughing with his tour of the Olympic Village. Then, he went and got himself stuck on a zipline. Thanks for the laughs, Boris.

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#10 – London

It is no secret that a big reason I was overly excited for this Olympics was the host city. As predicted, London did not disappoint. The images from around Great Britain that flooded my television, Twitter timeline and newspapers were breathtaking. The British certainly know how to throw a celebration and this was one the world will be talking about for a while. I was pretty let down when I turned on the news this morning to once again be flooded by shots of the New Jersey Turnpike and Hudson River. Give me back the Thames and Big Ben!

As David Cameron put it – Britain delivered.

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Congratulations on a successful Olympics, London!

On Your Mark, Get Set…

The young royals were on the GO today in the name of all things sporty. Aside from that God awful time when Twitter was down today, William, Catherine and Harry completely flooded my timeline. I would like to think it was Will’s football skills (or lack there of as he would say), Kate’s fabulous dress and Harry’s overall hotness that broke the Twitterverse.

Earlier this morning as I curled my hair and prepared to head off to work, the trio was already looking beautiful as they headed out to Bacon’s College in Rotherhithe (South East London), to launch Coach Core, a charitable parternship between their charitable foundation and Greenhouse. (Side note: Greenhouse is a fantastic organization that inspires young people to be all that they can be through the power of sport).

Once again, Kate proved she is the true fashion ring leader of the bunch as she resurrected an “old and casual” (the palace’s term, not mine!) Hobbs dress. The grey and white patterned frock paired with beige wedges made for a perfect summer look that has the fashion world (okay, maybe just the fashion world on Twitter), buzzing with envy. Bad news, ladies – the ‘Wessex’ dress, although heavily discounted, is sold out. If this is “casual” and “sporty” then I suddenly feel real badly about the way I look when I hit the gym.

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On the other hand, my favorite pair of brothers were wearing some silly belts. William and Harry are both so well dressed most of the time (tan linen suit anyone?) but those belts..well, they weren’t much better than Harry’s basketball skills.

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While Kate dominated table tennis (in wedges!) and refereed a judo match (no chance she was trying that in a dress), William hit the football pitch and Harry tried his hand at hoops – “tried” being the operative word here. Poor Prince Hottie, he can score big with the ladies but not so much on the court.

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Many thanks to @RoyalReporter for keeping us all well informed on some of the light-hearted moments and top quotes of the day…

“Watching me on the football field is never a pretty sight – the expression giraffe on ice springs to mind. ” – Prince William on his football skills

“However it is marginally less embarrassing than seeing my brother cheat his way to becoming the fastest man on the planet! ” – Prince William on his brother’s race against Usain Bolt in Jamaica

“Catherine, on the other hand, with a tennis racquet or a hockey stick is something to behold and be aware of.” – Prince William on his wife’s athletic skills. Can I get a collective “aw” here?

One young boy asked William and Harry – “Are you two brothers?” Harry responded – “We’re not sure.”

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Later in the day it was off to Buckingham Palace to welcome the flame – and I’m not talking about Harry’s (adorable) red hair. Prince Harry welcomed the Olympic Torch –  second hottest thing in London – to the palace alongside fellow Team GB Olympic Ambassadors The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

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There are those darn belts again! Oh well, the official shirts do look nice. Props to @RegalEyes who called it days ago that we would be seeing a lot of IOC official shirts on the fashionable royals over the next two weeks. As always, Kate can make anything look great – pairing the polo with figure-hugging bright blue jeans (LOVE) and Stuart Weitzman wedges.

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A rather touching moment came via a special request from Prince William. John Hulse, a team leader with the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organization, had asked for a rescuer to take one of the torch bearer roles as it passed through London; William is a patron of Mountain Rescue England and Wales.

This is just the beginning! Next stop… the Opening Ceremony!