Now that the Olympics are over, it’s time to reflect on the performances made by the individual athletes. Those representing the United States of America made us proud – both those that ended up on the Medals Podium, and those that did not. I hope they all feel the honor it is to represent our country. There were a few that showed up that were a disappointment – I’m sure everyone by now knows who Bode Miller is. He was favored to take home at least ski one gold, if not many more. All he had to do was show up and perform the way he knew how to.

Instead, he just showed up.

It is such a sad waste of an athlete – he is someone with all the potential and talent in the world, and yet he wastes it drinking in the bars of Italy. He should have been replaced with someone that WANTED to be there – someone that would work hard, and do his best. Bode was there, but was visibly out of shape, barely able to complete the courses he managed to get around all of the gates on. I hope the US Ski Team will keep this in mind when they pick the next representatives for the United States of America.

Bode Miller is someone that seems to crave media attention, and it does not matter to him if it is positive or not. He claims to not want the media around, and yet does not censor his mouth when he talks. Whatever he is thinking is expressed verbally. I was willing to put up with the crap that spewed out of his mouth, as long as he could perform. Instead, he just disappointed everyone that was cheering him on. I hope he learns a lesson from these Olympics, although I wonder if he will.

I was watching the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics on Friday, February 10, 2006. While watching the athletes march in, my heart sank as I watched the team from Cyprus march in. It consists of one athlete, Theodoros Christodoulou, an Alpine skier.

Four years ago, I volunteered at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and worked in the Olympic village. As a 22 year old BYU student, I was very excited to be a part of such a huge, world-wide event. It was there, however, that I was sexually assaulted by Theodoros Christadoulou while working in the village.

I met Theodoros the night before the assault at the Olympic Village nightclub. I was there with some friends, and he wanted to meet up with me the next day. I told him that would be fine; I had made friends with several other athletes, so this was not unusual.

The next day, Theodoros showed up at different times throughout the day to say hi or take pictures with me. That night, he asked me if I would go drinking with him downtown, and I told him no, I didn’t drink. He met up with me after my shift, and asked if I would walk with him to his apartment to drop off some gifts he had received earlier that day. I agreed.

When we got to his apartment, he sat down and started watching tv, inviting me to sit down. I did so, and then he gave me some gifts – a Cypriot hat, and some other items. He then asked if I wanted to see some of his ski equipment, and I thought that would be cool, so I said yes. He said they were in his room, so he told me to come back with him. I had a sinking feeling, but chose to ignore it, thinking I was very safe. One note about the village – there were Secret Service agents and members of the National Guard everywhere, so I felt safe. Soon,
Theodoros tried to start kissing me, and I told him to stop, and he kept going. I kept saying things like, “I’m Mormon, I don’t do this before marriage” – referring to being sexually active. I also told him I could get in trouble with the Olympic committee – anything to get him to stop. He didn’t care – he pinned me down and sexually assaulted me.

The assault lasted for what seemed like hours. Finally, after someone came into the main area of the apartment, he finished up, and walked me out to the bus stop. I think I was in shock – I was shaking and couldn’t really talk.

I did not tell anyone for two months because of the shame and guilt I felt. I later learned this is common for victims of sex crimes to try to pretend nothing happened. It is a coping mechanism. I finally broke down in April and told my boyfriend, who was very loving and supportive, and encouraged me to file a police report, and also get therapy to help me deal with the trauma. I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because of what I had been through.

I did file a police report, and spoke with Detective Mike McPharlin of the University of Utah Police Department. The media found out about my story, and it was in all of the Utah newspapers, and also on the newstations. There were also many news reports online. Detective McPharlin contacted Theodoros in Cyprus, and he denied everything, stating it was consensual. I, of course, disagreed. When I said “NO!” and “STOP!” I meant it. It did not give him the freedom to do what he wanted with me.

I did not end up pressing charges because I felt that it would only add more trauma to what I had already been through. I wanted to pick up the pieces of my life, and put it back together.

I have been seeing a counselor for the past four years, dealing with the depression that has come along with the assault. I have been able to work through the pain, learning how to deal with it, and even work past it. I have also been able to forgive Theodoros for the assault, because that is what I believe is the right thing to do, in order for me to completely heal. The reason I am bringing everything up is because I want to protect and warn any women that might encounter Theodoros to stay away. He is a dangerous sexual predator. I feel that he should not be allowed in the Olympics because of what he did. If my bringing this up helps protect one woman, my pain will have been worth it.

As a side note, I ended up marrying my boyfriend, Preston, in February, 2005.

In reference to the above article I wrote, I’m including a link here where you can send a letter (email) to your Congressman/woman and the US Department of Agriculture to encourage protection of our horses. It is very simple, and if we all contact our Senators/Representatives and the USDA, we can make a difference to protect the horses from the slaughterhouse.

The link is here, and it is very quick and simple. I hope you will all help protect our horses!

Congress voted to ban the slaughter of horses in the United States, but slaughterhouses have found a way around this law.

The horses that are being slaughtered are the Mustangs, a symbol of the beauty and freedom of America. Mustangs are rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management to keep the wild population down so that there will be enough food to go around for those that remain free. These horses do not have many natural enemies to keep the population down, so that is why they are rounded up. When the BLM rounds them up, they offer them for adoption to the public. I have been many times to the Salt Lake City center where some of these majestic horses are held. They are gorgeous to look at, and a symbol of American Pride.

This is why I’m so disgusted at the meat processing plants that have found a way around the law that was passed by Congress to protect these beautiful creatures. The slaughter of horses for meat was not banned completely; Congress passed a law that simply helped make it more costly and difficult to do so. (See MSN article here) The slaughterhouses complained that they were losing $41 million in revenue, so the Department of Agriculture helped the slaughterhouses around the ban by charging them for live horse inspection, which is required by law before the animals can be slaughtered. (Previously, the Department of Agriculture was paying for the inspection. The new law banned this inspection, so now they are simply charging the slaughterhouse for it as a means around the law.)

If horse meat was a common staple in the American diet, it would be one thing. As my fellow American readers know, we do not eat horses. It is rather barbaric to eat such intelligent, beautiful creatures. Instead, the meat is being shipped overseas to Asia and Europe for consumption there, where people apparently do not value the horse as we do here in America. I believe it is a slap in the face for people of other nations to eat something that is such a valuable symbol of America. There would be outrage if the American Bald Eagle was trapped and killed for food consumption overseas – why is the horse any different? I believe Congress needs to pass a stronger law that will protect our horses from any slaughter or consumption – anywhere.

The Humane Society of the United States has an article here about what is going on with the horses, and what is being done to help them. Through their website, you can find out who your local representatives are, and write to them to help end the slaughter of our horses, forever.

Valentine’s day is coming up, and it is one of my favorite holidays, mostly because of the abundance of delicious candy. I also love flowers – my husband always remembers to get me roses. (Red is my favorite, of course!) One problem I face, however, is keeping the candy away from my bunny, Honey Bunny. She loves anything sweet, and if given the chance to get into candy, she will eat it, wrapper and all. If I am careless and do not put the candy up on a counter, she will dig in before I realize what is happening. I know that chocolate can be toxic to rabbits, so I have become very careful to keep everything away from her. She gets a couple of grapes as her treats, and it seems to keep her happy.

I came across an article today regarding pets and Valentine’s day, and it offers excellent advice for keeping pets of all kinds safe and healthy this Valentines Day (and year round, for that matter). You can read the article here.
I wish you a very happy and safe Valentine’s Day for you and your pets!

Today is my and my husband’s first wedding anniversary. The past year has flown by, and it’s been great. Everyone told us the first year is the hardest, which is great news for us, because it was wonderful. To celebrate, we ate at a restaurant called The Paris Bistro, located at 1500 South 1500 East Salt Lake City, Utah 84105.

The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was wonderful. I loved the setting, and the staff bent over backwards to accomodate us. We made reservations about 5 days in advance to be sure we had a good table, and they made sure we were taken care of.

We had the escargot for an appetizer, and it was very good. I’ve tried it at several different French restaurants located in both California and Utah, and it rated among the top. (Although, admittedly, I’ve never had it in France.)
For the soup/salad course, I tried the Pumpkin Soup, and it was good. Preston had the Paris Salad, and enjoyed it.
My husband tried the quail as his main course, and he loved it. I had the monkfish, which was a speciality of the evening, and it was fabulous.
For dessert, I had three different gelatos, and all were good. (Honey, Vanilla and Coconut) Preston tried the Bananas Foster, and seemed to enjoy it. I didn’t try it – I’m not a fan of bananas.
All of the food we tried was wonderful, and the service was excellent, but I have two small drawbacks. My husband felt it was rather loud in the restaurant, which I agree, and two of the items I ordered were out. (The Butternut Squash Ravioli and the Lemongrass Creme Brulee) I was rather disappointed that they were out – I had heard excellent reviews of each – but I was happy with everything else I tried. The price was very reasonable for an upscale restaurant – it was about $120, including gratuity, for the both of us, and that included all of the courses mentioned above.

I would definitely return to The Paris – the ambiance was wonderful, and it was a very romantic setting for our first anniversary.

This is a recipe I made the other night, and it is my favorite Key Lime Pie I’ve ever had. Not to sound arrogant – it is just a really good (read: easy) recipe.

I got this recipe from The All New All Purpose Joy of Cookingby Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker. I love this cookbook because the recipes are easy to follow, and always turn out delicious.

Key Lime Pie

Filling:
One 15 oz. can sweetened condensed whole, low-fat, or skim milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup strained fresh lime juice (3-6 limes)
3 to 4 teaspoons grated lime zest

Crust:
1 1/2 cups fine crumbs made from graham crackers, chocolate or vanilla wafers, or gingersnaps
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) melted butter (NOT MARGARINE)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional – I left this out because I don’t prefer it with the Key Lime Pie)

First prepare the crust. Mix crust ingredients together with a fork or pulse in a food processor until moistened. Spread mixture evenly in a 10 inch pie pan, or 10 to 12 inch springform pan. Using your fingertips, firmly press the mixture over the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a pie pan, or over the bottom of the springform pan. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm to the touch. While crust is baking, prepare pie filling, and fill crust while it is still hot.

Filling:
Whisk together until well blended:
Sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice and zest. The mixture will thicken as the milk reacts with the acidic citrus juice. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Bake the pie until the center looks set but still quivery, like gelatin, when the pan is nudged, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack, then refrigerate until cold. Shortly before serving, whip until thickened:

3/4 cup cold heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar.

Whip until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the pie and serve.