My Olympics Bucket List

1. Attend an Opening Ceremony. If nothing else, this one HAS to happen. I think I will be able to die happy if/when it does. It's what I look forward to every two years, more so than the two and a half weeks of competition that follow. I don't care if I get the worst seats in the house and pay hundreds of dollars for them. I AM going to an Opening Ceremony one day.

2. Live to see the Olympics return to America. This is entirely beyond my control, of course. But the last time the Games were on US soil was in 2002. Before that, 1996. And before that, 1984 and 1980. So now it's been ten years, and the USOC just recently announced that they won't bid for the 2022 Games. Now the earliest we can hope for is 2024. I'll be well on my way to my mid-thirties and from where I'm sitting, that seems like a lifetime away. But if that's what we've got to work with, let's make it happen, people!

3. Work for another Olympics. I know I've been pretty focused on working for the USOC, but now that I've volunteered for London 2012, a whole new world has been opened up to me. While I love cheering for Team USA, there's something really great about coming together with a group of people and just rooting for the Olympics. The Italians would be rooting for the Italian team, the Americans for the American team, the Canadians for the Canadian team, and the Brits for Team GB, but when it came down to it we were prouder to wear London 2012 gear. And that was awesome. It'd be an absolute dream to get to travel to another country, live there for a year or so, and be a part of another Games. Hey, it's why I'm starting to teach myself Russian. Sochi 2014 or bust!

4. Work for the USOC. While this dream now has an alternative, it has in no way disappeared. I can't even imagine how proud I'd be to put on a Team USA shirt and know I'm a part of it.

5. Meet one of the figure skaters from back in the day. Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton, Kurt Browning, Brian Boitano, Michelle Kwan, Sarah Hughes... I'd take any of 'em. I had the typical little girl dream of being an Olympic figure skater, and I watched pro figure skating like there was no tomorrow. That crowd of pros had such a huge role in my life and it'd be amazing to tell them that!

6. Take a picture with Apolo Ohno. Because I really should be in a photo with my future husband before we get married.