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The Sweet Life	By : jai Category: Individual Celebrities > Athlete/Sports Misc Views: 8241 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know the people written about in this fanfiction. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Monday August 6, 2012 Day 10 11:47 PM

What a day we’ve had! We took off early this morning for New Jersey to watch the men’s volleyball prelim- Australia vs. The Netherlands. After the match (Go Australia!), we attended a luncheon onboard one of the cruise ships.

Among the attendees was Amanda (Beard) and Brian Ogden, Aaron and Karen Peirsol, Alex and Dasha Popov, Geoff and Bridget Huegill, Michael and Otylia (Jedrzejczak) Klim, Leisel Jones and Trent Calloway, Nick and Greta Sprenger, Inge (de Bruijn) and Rolf Finestra, Lenny and Ilana Krayzelburg, Megan Quann and Hannah Loeb, Brendan and Jenny Hansen, Misty (Hyman) Robinson, Natalie (Coughlin) and Kirk DeFrancisco, Jenny (Thompson) and David Weller, Ian and Gail Crocker, Ryk and Holly Neethling, Miles Fallon and Anna Scarpella, Markus Rogan and Shaun Phillips, Neil and Sandrine Walker. (I think I’m missing someone but darned if I can remember who)

It was fun to see everyone again but the best thing was that everyone brought their kids! There were over twenty ankle biters of various ages running around and they had such a good time. Jamey was very taken by Brygida Klim who is quite the little one year old heartbreaker; he followed her around the whole time crawling as fast as he could. We were having such a good time that we skipped the diving prelims and just sat around talking about the ‘good old days’. Svetlana Popov and Chloe got on like gangbusters and Chloe’s already inquired about when we can go visit Lana and her family in Moscow.

Emily Rogan-Phillips, who is the sweetest little five year old, was boggled by seeing four identical babies. We don’t ever dress the boys alike but they’re starting to get actual features so it’s pretty amazing how much they resemble each other. Anyway, Emily was fascinated and kept examining them before she finally approached Robbie. The next thing I know, she’s carrying Robbie over to her fathers and asking them all these questions. I don’t think Markus and Shaun were quite ready to explain where babies came from at that moment but it was entertaining watching them try!

After the party, we made our way to the Bronx and the Olympic Velodrome for cycling. Unfortunately, Michael and I had to leave early because he was due back in Manhattan for another interview but it was fun while it lasted.

Now for the mailbag:

Hi Ian, I love your accent. I was wondering if you and your handsome partner Michael were planning on giving Chloe and the boys a little brother or sister?
Jill from Oklahoma

Thank you Jill! Yes, we are planning to have at least one more child. How many more is still up for debate.

Can you ever imagine not swimming?
Reed in Iowa

No. Swimming isn’t just exercise for me it’s a way of life. When I’m swimming laps, sometimes I’m thinking over something furiously. Other days, I totally shut my mind down and just swim. If for some reason I couldn’t swim anymore, I’d still want to be in the water.

I injured my leg in a car accident, my doctor advised physical therapy and I live in Philadelphia. Who do I call to get an appointment with Michael for PT?
Brenda in South Philly.

Michael will be back at Children’s Hospital in January. If you are under eighteen, there are several other physical therapists on staff there so don’t wait for him – your health is too important. If you are an adult, the PT desk at Children’s can give you several referrals. Martina forwarded on their information to you via email.

Are Grant and Pieter planning to get married?
Leticia R. in Saskatoon, Canada

May 2013 in The Netherlands; Grant has done me a great honor and I will be his best man.

That’s all for now – we have another early morning tomorrow. The kids are making their television debut on the Today show.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012 Day 11 11:50 PM

If you were watching this morning, you got a peek at Chloe, Jamey, Robbie, Liam and Harry. Aren’t they great looking kids? Michael and I did an interview with Campbell Brown and it was a really nice experience. The subject was Olympic parents – the balance of intensive training and your duties as a parent. The US Softball coach, Laura Berg, was also there with her husband Gary Cantwell (who plays US football professionally) and their three children: Cathy, Kyle and Holly. Laura competed on the 1996, 2000 and 2004 softball teams, was an assistant coach in 2008 and now is the head coach. Martina tells me that the video will be uploaded at MSNBC.com later today if you missed it.

(Wasn’t that an awfully sweet thing Michael said about me? I am such a lucky man!)

We had to get up very early to make it to midtown for the show so afterwards, we met up with Grant, Pieter, and the parents then took the kids into Central Park for a long stroll followed by a picnic. The boys love flowers and being outdoors and Chloe had fun at the six playgrounds we visited. We would have loved to visit the zoo but we had tickets for the finals of women’s beach volleyball so we rushed downtown and dropped the boys off (thanks mum, dad and Gail!) before seeing Australia not win a medal. Very disappointing but McGraw and Waylon gave it a good try.

Michael and I were talking about our immediate post-Olympics plans. Yes, they will eventually end so we are trying to decide if we can squeeze in a small vacation before Chloe goes back to school in a month. Now some of you might be thinking that being here is a vacation and you’d be right to a certain degree but we need a little down time I think. Of course, Michael pointed out that for him, just being home will be a novelty at this point. Hm. I think he’s going to win this one.

I am now part of a betting pool. The bet is which son will walk first. The payoff: the winner gets out of leaf duty this fall. Since we get seventy million cubic feet of leaves each year (or so it seems), this is a huge wager. The real question here is will one of us break down and ‘coach’ their baby to make that first step a little sooner (yes, I’m talking about Grant). For the record, I believe Liam will walk first. Michael is betting on Robbie, Grant is backing Harry and Pieter swears Jamey is the one.

Today’s questions:

Your kids are very cute and so were those shoes your sons were wearing – where did you get them?
Regina in Alaska

Thank you Regina. They’re Robeez and I’m embarrassed to admit how many pairs we have for the boys because we love the shoes so much (and the boys too). They are not cheap but they stay on, they’re washable and come in so many different patterns. The boys are just now transitioning to the 12 month size so we’re going to try and control ourselves this time and not buy so many (ahem, right Michael?).

I have identical twin daughters (age three) and I can’t imagine what our life would have been like with four little girls. Any tips for other parents of multiples, especially the dads?
Kevin in Chicago

I don’t think I’m an expert but what has really helped us is to have a fairly rigid schedule for the boys. Everything happens around the same time every day. I think it gives them a sense of comfort that food, naps and playtime are in a pattern that they’re used to. We’ve sort of blown the schedule since we’ve been in New York which makes for cranky little boys but we’ll get back on track next week.

Hey wait a minute – your girls are old than our boys. Should I be asking you for advice?

Ian, do you ever plan on living in Australia again?
Angela from Canberra

Michael and I hope to eventually spend half of our time in Australia and the other half in the States with plenty of travel in between. Before the boys came along, I was back in Sydney at least three times a year but it’s a very long flight and we want the boys to get a little older before attempting it.

How many countries have you to been to? What country that you haven’t been to would you most like to visit and what country wouldn’t you go back to?
Trina N. in Baltimore, MD

I have no idea. I checked my passport and counted over twenty five but that doesn’t count the ones on the old passport so I’ll make a rough guess and say I’ve been to over sixty countries. Shockingly for a lad born in the Southern Hemisphere, I haven’t really traveled in Africa or South America so that’s my answer as to where I’d most like to go. I also can’t say there’s a country I wouldn’t return to, in fact, there are several I’ve spent only a few days in that I’d like to return to for exploration purposes.

What’s the best present anyone ever gave you?
Henry in Sacramento, CA

Aside from the gift of my children? There can only be one answer: last year Michael arranged to have a tree fort built in the back yard based on plans I’d drawn up as a child after I’d mentioned that a tree fort was the one thing I’d always wanted. Yes, that man is definitely a keeper!

That’s it for tonight.

Wednesday August 8, 2012 Day 12 2:12 PM

Chloe, the parents and Grant and Pieter took off very early this morning to see a men’s field hockey match followed by the men’s bronze medal game in baseball. They were going to have lunch uptown so they aren’t back yet to share my amusement over what happened after they left so I’ll share it with the world.

We woke up six to see everyone off and since the boys were still asleep, we went back to bed. At some point Michael got up, got dressed and went over to the pool to go swimming – without actually being conscious of what he was doing. He says that he sort of woke up once he hit the water but since he was already there, he went ahead and swam forty or fifty laps. (This is the same man who said he’d be taking a break from swimming)

Then I woke up and thought Michael was in the kitchen or in the living room. After I showered, I went down but there’s no sign of Michael. There’s a great bakery a few streets away so then I think Michael’s popped out to get those pastries he’s been craving. I wasn’t panicking or anything but I did wonder when he didn’t show up after a half hour. Then I got a very sheepish phone call from Michael at nine thirty from BMCC. Okay, it may not be amusing to someone who doesn’t know Michael but anyone who does is not going to be surprised that the man was basically sleep swimming.

Since he was already out, he stopped at the bakery on the way home and we’ve had a very pleasant morning on the terrace with the boys, the dogs and the darn cat. During lunch my sister Chris called from Toronto. She, David and the kids left New York on Sunday to explore housing choices north of the border and they’ve narrowed it down to four.

While it will be very nice to have my sister on the same continent again and only a short plane ride away (or a day’s drive), she couldn’t help taunting me with pictures of the stunning modern house they were looking at – with an indoor pool and lake views. She’s so evil!

Today’s mailbag:

I have a copy of the US Swimming calendar and now August is my favorite month. When did you have that photo taken and were you actually nude?
Gina S in Delaware.

That photo was taken two years ago by Bruce Weber. Yes, we were nude and Bruce is including two other photos of Michael and me in his next book so you may want to check it out.

Do all medal winners always have to do the "poke and pee" after the race or are just a few (i.e. record breakers) selected?
Kat in South Dakota

Yes all medal winners get the pleasure of drug testing which is why there will sometimes be a medal removed from one athlete and given to another during and after the Games. Part of the Olympic experience is (if you’re lucky) standing on the podium as your country’s flag is raised even if you aren’t listening to your country’s anthem. Actually owning the medal is wonderful but that moment makes the whole thing special. When someone cheats their way to the podium, they’re not only damaging their sport they are depriving someone who competed fairly of that experience.

Since you’ve traveled so much, what’s your favorite vacation spot?
Brenda in Oklahoma City, OK

Wadigi Island in Fiji. Beautiful wide expanses of sand, warm ocean waters and having an entire island to ourselves. We haven’t been back for many years but we will return one day.

That’s it for today – we’re off to Grand Prix Freestyle Dressage. Horsies!

Thursday August 9, 2012 Day 13 9:41 PM

Another great day at the Olympics. We trekked out to the Bronx to see the men’s Modern Pentathlon and had a golly good time. That meant a long day for the boys so Michael and I left early to bring them home. They are now snug in their beds and I just realized that Michael and I are home alone with sleeping children! Have a good night!

Friday August 10, 2012 Day 14 3:22 PM

Another short log day. We’ve had a busy morning supporting the local economy and I’m going to have to get up soon to get dressed. We’re heading out later for a reception held by all the great folks at Speedo so on to the mailbag:

Does it bother you that women drool over Michael? Does it bother Michael when women drool over you?
Tania in Athens, GA

Speaking only for myself: Not at all; it’s always nice to be admired and to have the person you are with admired. However it’s disconcerting to have a complete stranger come up and start touching me. I’m not talking about a hug or an arm around the waist for a photo but out and out groping. It doesn’t happen often but it does bother me.

Michael says: The groping thing bothers me too. If I did that to someone they’d have me arrested but somehow it’s okay for them to do it to me or Ian because they feel like they know us. A couple of years ago there was a person who, when we were posing for a photo together, felt me up in places no stranger should ever touch. It totally freaked me, I ended up leaving the event early and that disappointed the other fans I hadn’t had a chance to meet yet.

I read a few years ago that you were interested in cooking. What’s your favorite thing to make and your favorite food to eat? What about Michael?
Sabrina in Indianapolis

My favorite food to make is bread. There’s something so primal about the process and I love the smell of baking bread. We bought a really nice bread machine but I can’t stand to use it, I like doing the kneading myself. I usually bake several loaves of multigrain a week along with a couple of different dessert breads. Now that Michael is out of training I intend to start working on the perfect cinnamon roll recipe and learn how to make preserves.

For eating, I love sushi to the point where I have been accused to making a real estate purchase based solely on proximity to an excellent sushi restaurant. I love many other foods though so sushi was not my only consideration.

As for Michael, he will eat practically anything but he likes plain and simple foods the best. Put down a steak, baked potato and green veg and he’s happy although he is open to other food types and has learned to make a great stir fry. His favorite meal to make is roast beef in the crock pot (and I’m always the first one to line up for it).

Do you read all the questions people submit for your log?
Veronica in Bismarck, ND

Jim Reagan, Karen McCrery and Massimo Hahira are the three lucky folks who read every email. They are very good at picking out things I might be willing to answer because I’m a bit picky you see. There are things I won’t answer (for many reasons) and things I can’t answer (for other reasons) but Massy, Karen and Jim are fast readers and they usually forward seven or so questions a day and I answer what I can.

Do you have favorite internet sites and do you update your own website?
Karrie in Utah

I don’t have much time to surf the web anymore but when I did I liked cruising the news sites for the US, UK and Australia along with international sites because I like being informed. I do have a news aggregator which is handy but I barely get to check it anymore. Jim Hendricks has run my site for several years and he’s a great webmaster; I wouldn’t know where to begin on some of the technical stuff he’s able to do in his sleep.

That’s all for today – more tomorrow.

Saturday August 11, 2012 Day 15 5:50 PM

Well, if you follow the major sports outlets you know that Michael got a check from Speedo last night. We knew they would be making a presentation of some kind but we didn’t expect that in any shape or form. Michael was very touched by the kind words from many of the people at Speedo that he’s worked with through the years. He will still be endorsing their product but now that he’s not competing it will be a different relationship.

After the reception, Michael surprised me by whisking me away for dinner at Per Se. My taste buds are still buzzing and it was almost difficult to eat today because I wanted my mouth to always remember the combinations and flavors. I loved every course and the redesign of the room is just spectacular. I can’t even describe what we ate, by the end I was too overwhelmed by the experience.

Our waiter, Greg Farthingale, was excellent and the view was sublime. We don’t normally spend that kind of money on a meal (not anymore anyway – we have five kids to put through college!) so it was a wonderful surprise.

There is one more day to go and so we dragged ourselves out to our second to the last event – Spain versus Brazil for the gold medal in football (soccer). It was an exciting match that went down to the final minutes when Brazil’s Jean Carlos Chera scored the winning goal – his nineteenth goal of the series. Chera is an amazing player and it was great finally seeing him although at seventeen, I think he’ll be showing up in several more Olympics.

We returned home a few hours ago and we’ve been occupied with getting our belongings gathered up for the trip home on Monday. This has been an amazing time but frankly, I’m eager to go home. Chloe went off with Anna, Miles, Grant and Pieter for an evening of Taekwondo and my parents are out at the Seven Seas Navigator visiting Michael’s parents.

We’re having dinner with Michael’s sisters and his brother-in-law and we’re going to give Whitney and Trent the crash course in parenting multiples tonight. Whitney is having twin boys in a month or two and they’re a bit anxious so they offered to baby sit tonight for a couple of hours. Michael and Hilary are going for a walk and I’m zipping up to pick up Chloe from Javits Convention Center so her escorts can go to a few clubs.

I’m sure Trent and Whitney will be fine but Michael doesn’t plan on straying too far and we’re both taking our cell phones. I think after our four (so close to toddling!) boys, two boys will be a snap.

Now for the mailbag:

If your sons do end up being good enough for the Olympics, what country will they compete for?
Matthew M. in Alabama

Well, all five children have dual citizenship – Australian and US – so they could compete for either country. Michael and I have an agreement that we’re not going to pressure them to compete so I suppose they’ll also have to make up their own minds about that too.

Now that the Games are almost over, what’s the best event you’ve attended?
Victoria in Surrey, GB

It’s really hard to narrow it down. If I don’t count Michael’s events, I’d have to say the equestrian events are my favorites.

What do you think is the most important part of being a good parent?
Alex in West Virginia

Since I have fantastic parents, I’d have to say that I never doubted that they loved me. I had friends whose parents could never say those words and the words are so very important. Mum and Dad said the words even when I did things they weren’t really happy about. I never doubted they would always love me and I hope I can give my own kids that same sense of security.

There’s the doorbell so it’s time to go.

Sunday August 12, 2012 Day 16 4:00 PM

Michael just walked out the door to get uptown in time to check in for the Closing Ceremony. The rest of us will be following within the hour because traffic is supposed to be a bit tight tonight so we’re catching dinner near the stadium before the big event.

It’s been a good Games. There were a few problems with logistics for the first couple of days but they were quickly smoothed out as the transportation system adjusted and people got better at figuring out how to get where they needed to go. The crowds were, for the most part, respectful of their fellow attendees and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. On the way back from swimming one morning, I saw the fans of two countries meet in the subway car. As these are not countries known for their mutual love, I was a bit worried about what would happen when the fans spotted each other. To my surprise, there was an exchange of nods and they all went on their way.

New York has had it’s share of tensions between different ethnic groups but for these last two weeks, it seems like most of the citizens put their best feet forward and tried to let the rest of the world see why this is such a great town. Aside from a few grumbles about crowds and overpricing, New Yorkers really seemed to be enjoying showing off their city.

NYOC really went to a lot of effort to make these Games a pleasure to attend. Coordinating thousands of volunteers, holding ‘hospitality’ classes for the city’s service workers, to providing translators at many of the major transportation hubs – it seems like every detail was covered.

I met many wonderful people over the last sixteen days. Some I only saw on the sporting fields but their grace, perseverance and abilities made them stand out from the crowd. Most I met in the stands, outside of the venues or on the subway, water taxi or ferry. Their excitement over being here, their openness to share their stories has been priceless moments for me. There were also the excellent volunteers and event staffs, who always smiled and if they didn’t know an answer, they knew where to find it.

Susan Shortt, the rider from Ireland who took a horrible fall during the cross country yet came back to finish in second place the next day. Just watching her fall was shocking and I couldn’t believe it when she got right up and kept going.

Mark and Sherry Evans who packed their eight kids in a van and drove from Nevada to New York for their second Olympic experience. The kids (Mary, Steve, Frank, Cathy, Olivia, Peter, Preston and Noreen) ranged from nineteen to six and they were staying at a campground in New Jersey. Mark mentioned that they’d done the same thing two years ago for Vancouver and it’s much easier to camp in the summer. They weren’t just a nice family to know but they also spent months studying each event they were going to attend so they could enjoy it more.

Greg Zhu, a Mandarin translator who spent most of these games in the transport hub near the Village in Queens. Greg works at the UN and also speaks French so he has been a busy guy. I watched him not only give a family from China explicit directions on how to get to their events but he was also handing out a small book of NYC tips in Mandarin and French. He wrote it on the fly and keeps adding to it as the Games have gone on. It’s a fantastic bit of writing about this city.

Veronica, Heather, Penny, Jeannie and Leticia – who drove down on the spur of the moment Monday night from their hometowns in Oxford County, ME so they could meet Michael and I after the Today show the next morning. It was a pleasure meeting all of you and Heather – I think we have your camera. Email Martina at the address below and we’ll arrange to get it back to you.

The members of the French Fencing Team – who not only graciously explained their sport but invited Chloe to come back a few days later and try it out for herself. (Good thing her dad and I didn’t know about that before she went or we would have been nervous wrecks that day!). Now we’re going to have to find a fencing instructor in Philadelphia, I just know it.

Megan and Daniel at Bayou BBQ who rescued Robbie’s sock monkey and kept it safe until we could return to get it. Kim at TriBakery who rescued Robbie’s sock monkey and kept it safe until I could run over and get it. They should be all glad to know that Boo is now safely secured to the stroller whenever we go out.

The police officers and security personnel who took a lot of guff off of people yet still remained cheerful. Standing in line for the metal detector is no fun for anyone (including the folks who have to man it) but the crews all the events were patient even under much duress. They even have senses of humor – the crew at the swimming venue played a very funny joke on Pieter, Grant and I on the last day of swimming in which the metal detector was changed into a medal detector. Well, you sort of had to be there but it was very funny.

A successful Olympic Games is not just about the athletes; it’s about everything. The spectators, the venues, the scheduling, the transportation and the host city are only small parts that must mesh together seamlessly. From the opening ceremony, these Games have been one smooth move after another. The organizers and the citizens of New York should be very proud.

As much as I want to go home, I’m going to miss being here.

I’ll have my view of the closing ceremony and the last of the mailbag questions tomorrow.

Monday August 13, 2012 10:20 AM

We’re ready to go but we’re waiting for the lot where we parked the minibus to open so I have a little time to kill.

The ceremony last night was spectacular especially the star power that provided the entertainment to close the event. The best performance of the night (for me) was the ‘New York, New York/Lullaby of Birdland’. I have no idea how long the Harlem Boys’ Choir practiced for that but it was awesome.

Again, the minds behind some of the greatest Broadway shows pulled out all the stops. You probably watched it yourself so I can’t add much except at how much fun the audience participation part was. The goodie bag was also nice – especially the little light clickers. We got home at one am and it was difficult to get out of bed today.

On to the mail:

You and Michael seem to have a great relationship, how do you make it work with all the travel, training and child care?
Alisa in Boston, MA

A few months after I moved in with Michael, we went through a really bad situation due to a stalker. We both realized that if we wanted to stay together, we needed to work on some things as individuals so we weren’t bringing old baggage into the relationship. We saw a therapist for almost two years and we still occasionally check in with him. We do have rocky patches but we work on them together because we’re committed to each other and our family.

You’ve always said you were a big fan of Friends and Buffy. What do you watch now that they’re off the air and do you still go to the movies?
Bernard in Mesa, AZ

I have all the seasons of both series on DVD along with several other shows I liked that are no longer aired like The Amazing Race. I try not to watch a lot of TV during the day but once the boys are in bed, I love catching up on the twenty-four hour news channels and Animal Planet.

I go to the movies at least every other month. Chloe and her friends usually go to a movie on the weekends and the parents’ trade off escorting them. Granted, they don’t normally see the films I’d want to see but they’re a fun group of girls who don’t steal my popcorn and don’t talk during the movie so what more could I ask?

I think I saw you and Michael in walking a dog near Washington Park but my girl friend doesn’t believe me. Could it have been you?
Barry in Manhattan

Yes it definitely could have been us. We brought both of our dogs to New York and that’s where we normally walked the dogs each morning.

Michael was reported to have ADD so how come he did so well in college?
Mary Ann F. in North Carolina

(I’m going to let Michael field this one while I check the house one last time)
My first semester in college was almost a disaster. I managed to squeak out with a B average but it was a low B and only because I spent the last three weeks seriously cramming (and I had sort of easy classes). Then Ian moved in and got me to do what my mom always said I should do: study for each class every week. He also helped me set up a note taking system that actually worked for me.

I have notoriously rotten handwriting and I’d spend more time trying to read my notes then actually studying. Ian pointed out that I should transcribe my notes every night into my laptop while the material is still fresh and it would not only help me when tests came around but it would also solidify the subject in my head. It wasn’t fun and I spent a lot of time in front of a keyboard but it really worked for me. MP

**
I’m back and that’s the end of this log since the cleaning crew has shown up and the bus is being packed. It’s been a real pleasure sharing my small part of the Olympics with you.
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The Sweet Life