We are half way through the Olympic Closing Ceremonies and I am starting to feel the pangs of post-Olympic depression. For the past two weeks Chup and I would resume nightly Olympic watching positions on the couches in our den. We've eaten all dinners on our laps, our eyes consuming more action than our bellies. Bob Costas tucked me into dreamland more than once. Sadder than most however, will be The Chief whose bedtime was extended to "after the next commercial break."
When I watch the Olympics I do so honoring my ancestors. Not only do I cheer on the USA, but also the Norwegians (my Larsen side) which means I had to rub it in Chup's Swedish blood (his Jensen side) anytime we were victorious. Which also means Norway's 23 medals next to Sweden's 11 is making our marriage rocky. But by tomorrow none of that will matter.
By-the-way, I would have equally supported the Brits (my Clark side) but I didn't watch much of the Skeleton events.
Most of all, I was proud to show my pride in Canada. The country who hosted my soul for a year-and-half as an LDS missionary. Canada was the nation who took me by the hand (mitten) and taught me the ways of tortiere, poutine, tuques, caban a sucres, ketchup chips and beaver tails. It was Canada that gave me my first pair of white ice skates. Canada taught me how to ice skate. It was Canada who picked me up time and time (and time and time and time) again when I inevitably skidded on my knees or buttocks--mostly, it was the buttocks--while skating their canals and lakes. Did I just say buttocks?
America will always have my true patriotism. Norway will have its 23 medals. Sweden will have ABBA. But Canada --Oh Canada!--we will always have Vancouver 2010.
*my thanks goes out to Leanne in Calgary for sending The Chief his official Canadian Olympic hoodie, and me the much-desired maple leaf mittens.
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LOVE the Chief's jacket. And I cant believe you got the coveted mittens!! LUCKY! Gosh...well yeah I do not know what Im going to do with myself in the evenings now that the Olympics are over. Sad day. Guess I'll go back to being social ;-)
But now it means the amazing shows can com back on, like Chuck! I've missed Chuck.
You and Chup Boob Nazi. You and Chup.
(that feels funny to say.)
What! No Timbits??? (I was about to say Tim Hortons but not sure if you drink coffee). What I learned to love in Canada were Turtles but you probably have them in the States too.
Courtney your boy there is starting to look like one extremely handsome young man.
I totally love the skeleton it fascinates me!
Helps being English too!
This made my little Vancouverite heart hum with joy.
I love that you love Canada because so do I;) And I love the Chiefs sweater; my kiddies have been sporting theirs the last few weeks.
We really loved watching the Olympics. It was fun to have something worthwhile to watch. Did anyone watch the Marriage Ref? I can't stay up that late.
I'll miss the Olympics too!
-FringeGirl
I'm a Canadian (from Vancouver) living in the US. I regularly follows your blog but this is the first time I'm commenting. I have never felt more proud of being Canadian than these past 17 days and I'm so glad that you appreciate all that Canada has to offer.I'm so thrilled that the world got to see what I see in Vancouver. Too bad I wasn't there to take part in it!
And I'm sure everyone will agree that yesterday's hockey game was the most exciting game ever!!
MM
P.S. Canada says you are welcome. We are a polite bunch aren't we?
MM
Ooooh! Ooooh! Your last post gave me a great idea for a baby name. You know, in the whole "names that aren't really names" category. How about...Maple! Wouldn't that be cute for a girl?
Just a thought...no pressure.
Melissa
I remember my first trip to Canada when I was in high school. Not realizing that they measured using the metric system, my friends and I were driving 90 miles per hour (or trying) on some of the roads. I was thinking, "Man, these Canadians are lunatics! We're going to die!" I ended up slowing down quite a bit thinking that I was being a total wuss.
If the Canadians can do it, then I can, too...
You can imagine my surprise when I found out later that it was 90 KILOMETERS per hour (which equates to 55 MILES per hour.)
Yeah, crazy.
not to rain on the parade but "toque" is "touque" or "tuque". I gotta represent, sorry. Thanks for the motherland love.
I love ketchup chips and poutine. and all canadian chocolate and cereal(shreddiessss) I AM SO PROUD TO BE A CANADIAN.
Ceej, I just announced to my family last night that we are going to have to sit back at the table for dinner no more sitting in front of the TV! I am glad we are not the only ones.:)
They really were great games weren't they? I too always go through post olympic depression.
Great post as always. I sure love ya!
The sun is shining in Canada today, for more than one reason I'm sure. Thanks for the Canada love!
From our clear blue skies, to yours :)
Aaaaaahhhh!!!! No more Olympics? I'm melting, I'm melting!!!
I agree! It has been a blast! I am anxious to get back to an earlier bedtime though.
My daughter is in a PhD program and teaches several classes at the University of Toronto. She said the air has been electric around the hockey finals! She has never seen anything like it! She also said she has not told her students she is American. They all think she is local! I think it will make her day more peaceful today!
P.S. Are you cooking the Chief on that stove top? Sweet rolls!
Fixed the tuque problem, sorry Canada.
I also love Smarties.
I'm going to be going through some withdrawls myself. I love being completely worthless in the evenings for 2 weeks.
We can also claim a Dutch line flowing through our veins....Van Cotts through the Bee line! Just one more country to cheer for at the next Olympics.
The Dutch can speed skate!
Oh, my mom and your Grandmother Marion are 1st cousins!
eh............you're welcome
sorry we beat you at hockey
I've been humming "O, Canada" all morning long. I can't quite let go.....
"I can see Canada from my house!" Not really, but it's close. Remember the peanut butter that had a whole nut inside when you opened the lid? Or the maple leaf cookies? When I was little, the only TV channels were from Canada. We loved watching "Beachcombers" with crusty old "Relic" and ads for the grocery store "Overwaitea" ~ (probably named by the same people that named "Piggly Wiggly"). And "Mr. Dressup" and "The Friendly Giant". Oh, and french fries with GRAVY! L in Alaska
the chief is getting cuter by the second! he looks like a little man already! (all i had to say on this post- i dont really do sports, but i liked hearing about your mission :)
I claim my Norwegian-by-marriage heritage for kicks. :) The Olympics are fun that way.
you are lucky you were pregnant during these olympics. they prompted me to do thing i have never before tried, (i.e. a triple axle. i failed in case you were wondering and got mildy impaired.) on a lighter note, i realized chellis liked figure skating as much as me, caught him watching it when i wasn't even in the room.
The cheif is so dang cute!
hold on a second....
there are no ketchup chips in the United States?
huh?
Thanks for posting this, I am an American girl who married a boy from BC Canada-A Missionary who served in my home state of California! Now we live here in BC and it is nice to know that there are other American gals who have warm feelings for the new Country I live in and have learned to love very much!
touque is definitely touque. just like "flavor" is actually "flavour" and "color" is actually "colour"!!
please tell me you watched the game last night (well, day for you, i'm in london). amazing!
I am so happy the sweatshirt fits - The Chief is adorable! Like a little man or something.
One day I'll tell you the story about your mittens and the man who tried to fist fight me for them (obviously not all Canadians are super polite).
I've always loved where I lived but I don't know if I was ever as proud as I now am about my country. I think we put on a really good show. And that Sidney Crosby ... phenomenal.
I may have to take a trip to Utah one day though - you make it sound amazing (and I hear the skiing isn't so bad either).
L xo
PS - I think the name Maple is brillant.
Courtney, the Chief looks JUST LIKE GIGS in this pic! I had to look twice!
Oh i just love that jacket!! he is so darling!
ps. i am giving away some earrings on my blog today...
http://tjanderica.blogspot.com/2010/03/dainty-ruffly-giveaway.html
My son wore his Team Canada hockey jersey to school today. Hope it comes back in one piece, since we live in the States and all:) While I am honored to live in this great land, I'm a proud Canadian at heart. And nothing made me more proud than traveling to Vancouver to watch my dad carry the torch on the 105th day of the torch relay. We all proudly wore our red mittens and hats, and scarves!
I'm feeling the blues, too...Do I really have to wait 4 years?
I'm soooo happy to see the Chief in his Canada hoodie! We've had quite the party here in Vancouver and have LOVED hosting the world! So sad it's over, but so glad you enjoyed it with us! xox
Haha! That's the spirit! I think it's more fun when you root for more than one team!
That is a cool jacket! We watched a little of the Olympics but not as much as I would have liked. I didn't even think about cheering on the teams of my ancestors. Team USA will always be my favorite too.
Have a wonderful Monday!
Now I feel the patriotism, the post-olympic-blues. And I am proud. Proud to be Norwegian! Proud to live in Norway with only 5 million people, and we are picking one champion after the other to go to the olympics ang get us some gold and some pride :)
Did you see the norwegian crosscountry-guy? Northug? Oh my!!
He is amazing. And so are you Courtney, with your Norwegian-Larsen-blood.
I have never been more proud to be Canadian than from this Olympics :) Hmmm, can I say "your welcome"?!
:P
Anyways, loved this post. And that hoody is great on him!
Your subject sure made me curious today and I started to read. I didn't realize that you had served a mission in Canada. Where were you?? I love his sweater.....and jealous you have some mittens. It was an intense night here last night watching the hockey game.....Sidney Crosby is from where we live so it was extra sweet!!! Glad to hear you have some favorite "Canadian" things....I make a list of all the goodies in the states I like and stock up when we go....
Your post made my Canadian heart happy! Thanks for writing such great things about our country eh!
It's true, we kick it!Glad you enjoyed the Olympics. I am just glad it's over so I can have my hubby back and quit being lulled to sleep with his analyzings of this and that.
Loved the Olympics. Love the inspirational stories. I always cry during the Olympics. It is so much more uplifting than the shows on evening TV. Love that you have that closeness and bond with the Canadians, since you served among them as a missionary. Such a great post.
But aren't you Irish? (One of my favorite-est posts ever, eons ago! I made my husband listen as I read it out loud to him, 'cuz he IS Irish.)
Love the picture of the Chief! Thank you for entertaining us. Have a wonderful day.
Okay first, I too am deeply saddened by the conclusion of the olympics...I feel ya girl.
Second, I never read your comments..and usually don't make any but after reading your follow-up on the mormon experience post I went back and read those original comments. And while I know you would LOVE to be done with all of that I just HAVE to say something.... As an evangelical Christian I feel so strongly the need to represent a different side from those who choose to be offended. Good grief! REALLY? Who cares about anything other than the fact that you were concerned about a fellow man in need? Who cares about anything other than the fact that he was on your heart and you felt prompted to act. The details of how and who are meaningless to me.
You can bring me a casserole anytime Courtney...I'd be honored...
That Chief is too cute. I am dying to know his real name. Love your blog Courtney.
I love Canada too. We lived in Ottawa for 5 years and it was the best time of my life.
AMA! TIMBITS! Hilarious. I love me some Timmy's. Hot chocolate and Timbits is what heaven will be like.
Cjane, you had me at poutine and ketchup chips. I had the ultimate privilege of living in Ontario (on the beautiful St. Lawrence - thousand islands area) during the duration of high school. It. Was. Marvelous. So marvelous, in fact, that I insisted we HONEYMOON there. In early May. When it's rainy and chilly. But still, it was amazing and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'm blessed with a couple Canadian sisters-in-law as well, so I can get REAL ketchup chips every now and then (poutine doesn't travel so well...).
Oh, Canada! I love you, Canada.
Oh C Jane...I love that you love Canada so much. I am half Canadian (the good half). My favorite Olympics memory is that of the final hockey game in a room full of Americans cheering and gloating that they scored and took it to overtime...then me cheering (alone) and gloating (happily) that my Candian boys took home the gold. Thank you Vancouver!!
Okay, fine. I'll admit I'm the uneducated American (who lives 2 hrs. from the Canadian border...). who has no idea what these things are:
tortiere, poutine, tuques, caban a sucres, ketchup chips and beaver tails.
Any of you lovely Canadians care to explain?
Merci!
WOW - I have to say that I am blown way with all the LOVE coming up here (Canada)! Thanks!
I had lost my faith in the Canadian & American relationship BUT now I see the love has returned! *tear of joy*
My mom and dad traveled to Vancouver for the Olympics last weekend and I had one request, that they buy me a pair of the maple leaf mittens. I LOVE them! They keep my hands nice and toasty plus they are super cute. We too watched a lot of Olympic coverage, I will miss it so!
The Chief is so cute and grown-up looking in that picture. :)
Just another insanely proud Canadian (and Calgarian) here, chiming in to say it makes me feel warm and fuzzy to see this post! I want to thank this country too...all the flags waving, the spontaneous anthem-singing, that amazing game yesterday - it was something I'll never forget. And like others, I'm not quite ready for it to be all over.
And to Anonymous who suggested "Maple" as a name, I love that idea too! That name was a bonafide contender for us over my last 2 pregnancies should we have had a girl (alas, 2 boys!). My husband actually wanted "Canada", but couldn't take my patriotism that far and got him to compromise with "Maple".
I'll admit I haven't been paying close enough attention lately--but I just have to ask...Is that your AWESOME (not carpeted!) kitchen floor I see behind the Chief? It is really cool! (spicy, even!)
Your Chief looks more and more like a boy in that photo!
Yay! I love the Canadian love. So many Americans I know were grumpy about the loss, but I'm so glad to see you're not one of them :) I'll enjoy some extra maple syrup on snow for you!
Right back atcha, everybody! We loved having you all in Vancouver!
Love, Sarah
Our home and native land is proud to have you giving us a shout out!!!!!! xo
BTW does the chief need a pair of those coveted mittens??? I have an extra children's pair he could grow into...let me know at laurel@sympatico.ca
BTW does the chief need a pair of those coveted mittens??? I have an extra children's pair he could grow into...let me know at laurel@sympatico.ca
As a Canadian living an hour from Vancouver, you are welcome!
Sadly I fear our taxes will be paying for this party for a long time..
The Chief is so supremely cute! He is looking so much like Chup these days, and such a BOY now! I swoon for The Chief. It's true. Next to my little boy, The Chief steals my heart,
HD.. I am Canadian and live an hour from Vancouver BC Canada.
Tortiere is a meat pie enclosed in pastry, pork or pork with beef. Basically a seasoned meat pie and tradition in my family on Christmas Eve. I assume by it's name it comes from the far east from us Quebec and has French origins.
Poutine is also delicacy from the East. French fries doused with gravy and either cheese curds (authentic) or shredded cheese. Ooeye gooyey goodness!
Tuques, a warm hat to cover the head. Known as Touques where I live in BC.
'caban a sucres', have no idea, must originate from Montreal! (Remember we are a huge country, what is normal for some of us is not for the vast rest!)
Ketchup chips. A fact of life here. Number one favorite type is salt and vinegar though.
Beaver tails. No idea what the signifigance is other than beavers are our national animal (busy, hard working, industrious!)
Maybe a fellow Canadian can help me out with what I missed?
Have always been very proud to be Canadian :)
I love the hoodie and I want a pair of the mittens. I must admit though that I am ready fr our regular 10pm shows to make a comeback.
I love going to Canada. We're 150 miles south and we hop on 5 and we're there in a couple of hours (if not traveling during commute hours:) We frequently go for the Canucks as we do not have a NHL team here in Seattle (although we love the Seattle Thunderbirds too). I love hanging out in Vancouver and eating at my favorite crepe restaurant.
--Mari
good
It did not bode well that I was already in tears before the opening ceremonies as NBC talked it up about all of Canada's awesomeness. Cried during the national anthem too. I went on a mission to Canada too (Toronto) 20 years ago and was introduced to much of the same delightful things. We visited "Brother" Horton on many a cold night before heading home. (Whoever had fallen more that day had to pay). The salt and vinegar chips were my downfall. (The states didn't have them back then.) Although I was so happy for Canada's men's hockey and their coveted gold, I have mixed feelings about the hockey final because team USA had beat Canada earlier in the tournament. The Olympics were awesome!!
Holy cow- I'm a Larsen too(my maiden name)! Small world!
to HD and Anonymous (March 1st)
-'caban a sucres', have no idea, must originate from Montreal!
Cabane à sucre:
the english equivalent is "sugar shack". It's a Quebec tradition. In March, maple syrup producers harvest the sap from maples and boil it to make our delicious syrup. these producers, usually shacks located in the country, then open their doors to the public and become restaurants for a few weeks.
The meal served is always the same: French canadian pea soup, omelet, ham, bacon, crispy pork grills, boiled potatoes, and homemade pickles. maple syrup is poured on everything (well, except the pickles).
Then you get pancakes with syrup, sugar pie and maple toffee (maple syrup boiled until it becomes very sticky, then is poured on snow and rolled onto a stick). that's why is called SUGAR shack - the sugar level can make anybody a diabetic!
as for beaver tails, it's a dessert: a flat, round dough (shaped like a beaver tail) fried like a donut and on which you add sugar and lemon juice, or other sweets like Nutella or maple butter.
yeah, we like our sweets here. hope this answers your question!
(and now, I fancy me some maple toffee... yum)
I will miss the Olympics too and I just had poutine for the first time at Papipa's Deli in West Jordan. French fries with cheese and gravy?!? I don't understand it.
I love the Cheief's Hoodie! So cute! Where did you serve in Canada?! I am a fellow Canadian with a lot of family in Calgary still!! I made Canada flag cupcakes in gold wrapping! :) GO CANADA! :)
So cute! I love his little hoodie! My uncle served a mission in Canada. IT wasn't too long ago...but Canada is HUGE.
Enjoying these comments as much as the post! Scrolling through to the end, I was trying to keep the list in my head -- touques, poutine, caban a sucre, tortiere, ketchup chips, beaver tails -- and by the time I reached the end, all was explained! I want to add that, growing up in Winnipeg, some of these things slowly made their way west from Quebec. Even as a child Ukrainian heritage we grew up wearing touques and eating OLD DUTCH ketchup chips. First tasted beaver tails at The Forks, and I don't know if you'll find a caban a sucre outside of Quebec -- that's the only time I ever had the pleasure. I also first enjoyed poutine while visiting Quebec, though that was almost 20 years ago, and you can find it anywhere in Canada. And my French Canadian MIL goes into full assembly line mode at Christmas time, mass producing tortiere.
I've now lived in PA for the last 13 years and my heart fills with pride when events such as these spectacular Olympics open my Canada to the world. Maybe now when I slip up and say touque, more folks will know what I'm talking about. Not so much with 'zed' and 'bum'! Baby steps!! Thanks Courtney, for such a fun post!
Chi Town Rawlins - tried to leave a response on your blog, no joy, sorry to hijack your blog CJane but i'm delighted to find a fellow Timbits lover and equally thrilled by our shared Thousand Islands heritage .. i spent 2 years in grad school at Queen's in Kingston and have wonderful memories, especially of the glorious summers, lovely lazy afternoons spent by or on the lake ... you took me right back!
mmmmmm...Ketchup Chips. But what about Caramilk bars, Dill Pickle Chips, EatMore's, Arrow bars and all the yummy gummy candies! And the slurpee's...OH the slurpees!!!!! Can you tell that I am Canadian? ps-have you ever been to the Crazy Canuck store in Provo Town Center Mall? You can get some Canadian goods there if you so desire!
GO CANADA GO!!
Thank you for throwing a little shout out our way!
oh and..i love your blog!
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