A Fabulous weekend...GO IRISH!...

I had an amazing weekend! It was a great time, and something that I really needed. I felt pretty good, for the most part, surely in large part from the rush of being back on campus with good company Saturday and from seeing some of my little ones on Sunday. Thanks so much to Mrs. ETHM and her dad for the great conversation and for their generosity for bringing me!

I got picked up and went to my friends' house on Friday night to make it easier to leave in the morning for ND. It was also nice to hang out, too. The pizza was good, as was the company. Despite the strong indifference by us guys, we were overruled and watched The Runaways after eating. It was alright. I wasn't super familiar with the story of the band and didn't realize that they were all so young. It was a crazy time. We all went to bed after the movie.

I slept well and was surprisingly refreshed to be up before 7AM, a time that I'm usually just lying down. Just over 4 hours of sleep did the trick, which isn't usually the case anymore. Being excited to get back to Notre Dame after so long surely helped give me some extra pep. It only took a few minutes to get ready and we headed out.

It was a nice, easy drive with very little traffic. Even when we got into South Bend, it wasn't too bad. We had a nice conversation, my friend, her dad, and I, on the way up. It was mostly political in subject matter, which isn't something I usually enjoy, but I liked it. Our views are similar on most of what was discussed, so there wasn't any arguing, really, but even when we disagreed, it was very pleasant and respectful. Especially at home, this isn't something I'm used to. It felt good to have a cordial, intelligent, and engaging conversation about potentially touchy topics. It was nice to mix in some ND talk from an older alum, too. It's hard to have an appreciation for how special a place Notre Dame is without having gone there and the shared experiences, even if 40 years apart, for a unique bond among Domers.

We made good time, a little under 3 hours, I think. We were able to park on campus, in the lot just nort of the Grotto, thanks to my friend's dad's connections. We stopped at the Grotto for minute, then made our way to the Basilica for a quick walk through. I'd almost forgotten how beautiful it is inside. Then we stopped at Sorin, my old dorm for a bit.

I looked for my named carved on a brick on the porch, but I couldn't find it. Someone probably carved over it. There are new porch swings now. They're a little smaller, but they still have the same view of God Quad that I miss. Even after being gone for 8 years, the bells chiming every 15 minutes still got a reaction out of me ;). We made our way to the Bookstore, which was, of course, packed. They picked up a couple trinkets and I just looked around a little. We stopped at the Visitor/Alumni Center nextdoor to pick up some maps. I still remembered where everything was, but there is so much new stuff that I needed a little help with that.

Next up was the new DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, but it was closed and we couldn't get inside. I was really looking forward to checking that out...next time, for sure. They'd just broken ground as I was finishing up school, and then they'd just had some of the foundation and framing up the last time I was there that next fall when I last made it up. We walked through some tailgators and made our way to the Joyce Center. We couldn't see the inside because the basketball team was practicing, but the renovations that we were able to see are very nice. We meandered through and got to the North Dome of the JACC to see if they had the tables set up for class reunions. I'm not sure if there'd be any reunions, but the tables were there, as were a few corporate booths. I got a few freebies. My friend and her dad left from there to go to a lecture at the Snite Museum of Art. I was interested in going, but wanted to use the time to walk around and see the new sights.

From the JACC, I got a quick look at some of the new athletic facilities. They open up the football practice fields for fans now, which was very cool. From there, I made it to the new Jordan Hall of Science. It's amazing. And huge. They had some chemistry exhibits in the main hallway with a movie special effects theme. There was break-away glass, fake blood, a cool touch screen computer and many others. A doctoral student and her husband did the fake blood, and they were from France. It was nice conversing with them in French for a bit.

I kept making my way north taking in the new buildings and general atmosphere. It was such a lovely day, perfect for walking around and for catching a football game. After making my rounds, I headed back to Sorin to meet a friend I hadn't seen since 2002. I got a little stuck by the crowd lining up to watch the team walk from the Basilica to the Stadium. Once I got back to the dorm, I went inside and checked out the first floor a bit. The TV lounge has been upgraded and is really nice. They have a note by the light switch asking people to turn everything off if you're the last one leaving. I got bitched at when I was there for doing stuff like that...lol I guess I was just ahead of my time.

While I waiting for my friend, I started to eat the rest of my lunch, then continued after she, her husband, and her parents arrived. It was nice to catch up with her in person and to meet her family. She's one of the couple people I've been in regular contact with since school, and it was cool to be able to look her in the eyes and not just read her words. We all had a nice chat, reminiscing a bit, and just enjoying such a beautiful day.

Then it was off to the Stadium for the game. I wanted to get there a little bit early so they could check my backpack. I like to watch the team warm up, too. I got there before my friend and her dad, but they made it in plenty of time before the kickoff. Our seats were good, in the southwest corner. We had a decent vantage point, but I had forgotten how hard the benches were and how close they were together. I wasn't really used to actually sitting in them, though, as students only sit at halftime. The folks sitting around us were pretty cool, for the most part, but a couple of ladies sitting directly in front of us must not have realized how little room there was. It wasn't too bad, but it took some maneuvering to get comfortable.

Overall, the game was good. Winning by 24 is never bad, but we were pretty sloppy in the first half despite the score. We lucked out with the turnovers. Most of the action happened on the other side of the field, though, so it was hard to see exactly what was going on at times. I can't remember being at a game when it was so unbalanced that way. And despite a few minutes of unexpected rain, it was still beautiful out.

The worst part of the game, and this is definitely nit picking, was the Western Michigan band. They kept playing the Rocky theme (at least 25 times) and they played almost every time the ND band did, and since WMU was closer to us, ND got drowned out. WMU still isn't as annoying as USC, though. I'm not sure I could have taken it had we been playing the Cheaters...err...Trojans.

After the Irish victory, we made our way across campus back to the van, stopping by LaFortune first. It's a bit different from when I was there. They'd renovated some restaurant areas right after I left, and now the lounges are upgraded, too, with flat screen TVs, etc. The first floor, at least, still has the same basic setup, though. They still have the Irish Impact poster that I'm in hanging just outside the Huddle Mart. I was a student manager working the game (hoisting the kicking net in the south end zone) on my 20th birthday (November 21, 1998), and I'm a blurry blob in the background.

I'm pointing at me, of course. That was almost 12 years ago...wow.

And we passed by the Administration Building (the Dome), too:

It was easy getting off of campus. There was traffic for awhile in South Bend on the way home, but it flowed nicely. It wasn't bad at all once we were on the outskirts of town. It was a nice drive down US 31 back to Indy. We had more good conversation, with my friend's dad making sure she kept an eye on our speed. It was cute/funny listening to those exchanges ;). We got some drive through fast food in Kokomo for dinner which did the trick. We made good time on the way back, too, getting to my friend's house around 9:30PM. We spent a few minutes catching up on the day's events with my friend's husband. He didn't go to the game because he had to work. She checked up on their toddler son whom she hadn't seen since morning and her hubby was kind enough to drive me home. We were all tired or else we may have hung out a little more.

I crashed not long after I got home. The plan was to sleep for a couple of hours, then watch the taped UFC 120 before looking over all that I'd missed on Facebook and Twitter (didn't want to spoil the results). I didn't get up until the next morning, and family came over shortly after I was awake for a cookout birthday party for my brother. It was nice to see everyone, especially my little ones. It's crazy how fast these kids are growing up, and how independent they're becoming. It was a good time catching up on this and that and just being around each other. I got a bit woozy towards the end of the visit, but it wasn't too bad. I didn't make it to zombie levels ;).

Once everyone was gone, I went back to my room, watched the UFC, then got caught up online. There was the Colts game, too. That all took awhile, and then the weekend started catching up with me a bit, so I went to bed. I was hoping to have this post up Saturday night, then when I didn't get up from my 'nap,' and then Sunday evening didn't work out, either, but that's how it goes. The Colts being the late game didn't help with that. I was only about 2/3 into the game as I was messing around online at the same time. We won, and I'll take it. The Colts have a bye next week, which is much needed with everyone being banged up.

I'll take it. I had an awesome weekend. There was good company, a nice homecoming (at ND), and time well spent with my family. All were long overdue. I'd forgotten about the smell of the grills on football Saturdays, and how the campus is so beautiful this time of year. Seeing how young the students looked made me feel so old, though. Did I look like that to the alumni when I was there? I guess I really hadn't been back in awhile. I'm so happy and thankful to have had the opportunity. I've wanted to visit much more often, but being sick and broke put a damper on all of that. Even if I can't get tickets, I'll try to see if I can at least ride up with friends again to be a part of the overall atmosphere again. I still have some places to check out that were closed this past weekend.

Thanks so very much to all who made it such a special and invigorating weekend for me! I haven't smiled that much for that long in such a great while. From the bottom, top, and all sides of my heart, thanks again!

...And our hearts forever, LOVE THEE NOTRE DAME!!!
-B :D