I am notoriously unlucky.
I once went to France for a wedding, got lost en route and missed the entire celebration. The only contest I have ever won was the infamous Fred Seymour Elementary School Cakewalk.
And even then, I knocked my biggest competition out of the way when no one was looking.
That is why the news I recently received came as an absolute shock to me: I have been chosen as 1 of 5 semi-finalists in Microsoft Office’s contest to blog at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.
(Please excuse me while I pick myself up off the floor).
I entered on a whim when I saw a tweet about the contest on Twitter. Of course, as a notoriously unlucky person, I never imagined I had a shot amidst the thousands of entries.
Now, I have a 1 in 5 chance.
My love affair with the Winter Olympics began when I was a wee lassie growing up in Calgary. The Olympics came to town in 1988 and we lived and breathed everything about it. Our physical education curriculum was modified to include Olympic sports such as luge lessons at Canada Olympic Park. My family attended a number of events and we partied it up at Olympic Plaza every night for the medals ceremony. As an aspiring journalist, I dreamed of someday covering the Olympics.
Fast-forward 14 years. I worked as an adventure-travel writer and freelanced at Metro Networks radio when the 2002 Games came to Salt Lake City. I was thrilled with the prospect of my dream finally coming to fruition.
Until I got assigned to cover traffic.
I made the best of it. When not reporting transportation terrors, I attended evening concerts and numerous events, including the Canada vs. Finland hockey quarterfinals. Canada went on to win the gold. I made Olympic history when I dove across my maple-leaf-clad neighbor for a five-second spot on the Jumbotron.
We all have our Olympic moments.
Now, I would love to have another! Microsoft Office is sending one lucky female blogger to cover the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games and this Denver mom needs your help. Public voting will start here TODAY and continue through November 29.
Because this former cakewalk con artist would be honored to legitimately have my cake.
And eat it too.
You can vote every day, once per day at https://www.officewintergames.com. Thank you!
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 