Football Mania

Here we are — regular ol' fighting Irish!



We woke up Saturday morning to the sound of voices outside our apartment. Tailgate parties start early in South Bend! Two of the houses behind us have grass lots that had already filled up with cars and people wearing green. Two other young couples in the accounting program joined us at our apartment so we could walk over to the stadium. The entire walk was lined with people and tents, food and more food. We enjoyed lunch, put on by Ryan's program, and then we lined the street and watched the marching band go into the stadium (led by a priest, interestingly enough).


The game was PACKED! I mean PACKED with sweaty, enthusiastic, Irish fans! I was shocked to find that the benches were just little, five-inch pieces of wood that put splinters in your shorts and did not seem sturdy enough to support that many jumping fans! Everyone stood on the benches for the ENTIRE game. This was not like BYU where people sit down for TV time-outs, etc. No, no, they stand the entire time. And no one's chit-chatting with their neighbor either (which I admit I missed); it's all about the game!


Unfortunately the team's playing wasn't too much to talk about, considering the score...But the atmosphere was new and exciting to both of us! It was weird not knowing all the little cheers in the student section and even weirder not knowing the fight song! We did, though, sing some "Rise and Shout" while we watched the BYU football game on TV after our game ended. Go BYU!



We look forward to many more afternoons standing on those little benches in next few months!

Opening Mass

Ryan and I went to Opening Mass the other night. A whole basketball arena full of students and faculty, complete with a projection screen of a stained glass window and a crucifix hanging from the rafters. We both really enjoyed it. I especially loved the music and the new hymns I got to sing. There were a lot of differences between our services, but we enjoyed the similarities too. What we most appreciated was our shared faith in Jesus Christ. And on that note, all I have to say is---in the words of my newest favorite Catholic hymn--

It takes all my time to praise my Jesus.
All my time to praise my Jesus.
All my time to praise my Jesus.
Ain't got time to die.

:)

Touchdown Jesus

I realized that my reference to Touchdown Jesus in a previous blog could possibly use a little explanation. (I had never heard of it until we started talking about going to Notre Dame.) On the front of Notre Dame's library is a huge mural (8 or 10 floors) of Jesus with his arms raised to the sky--much like the sign a ref makes for a touchdown. The library is only yards away from the football stadium, so Touchdown Jesus, as they call him, basically towers over the north end zone. This picture was taken when we flew out to check out campus last spring.

One More Thing

Somehow I forgot to post a picture of the room I'm possibly most excited about—the bathroom! It's clean and comfortable, with just enough counter space for both of us. And best of all, thanks to our loving friends and family who gave us such a good start through wedding gifts, the bathroom is newly decorated! We finally used up our last couple Target gift cards on a shower curtain, new towels, and a bathmat. (Good thing I held out and didn't let Ryan use those gift cards on groceries!) Love to all!

Fighting Irish

We’ve arrived! For the first time, we’re settling in to our very own apartment, and it is exciting! I’m loving it.

We were sad to leave California and shocked at how fast the summer flew by--we didn't quite get to do everything on our list, but it looks like we'll be able to keep working on it when we return next year.

Our apartment complex here is party central at Notre Dame (which makes us a little nervous), but it’s also right in the heart of the Notre Dame atmosphere. We can see Touchdown Jesus from our little balcony, and everyone says this is the place for tailgate parties on home game weekends (although I'm thinking that BYU tailgates and Notre Dame tailgates could mean slightly different things...we'll see!)




This is the view of Touchdown Jesus from our balcony. The apartment complex borders campus, so it should only be about a 10 minute walk for Ryan to the business building.



Because they didn’t have our one-bedroom apartment ready when we arrived, they offered us a two-bedroom apartment with a big living room, and they even threw in a covered parking space for free as well. We got a good deal on renting furniture—one minute our apartment was empty, ten minutes later it was full of furniture!

Last night we slept on the floor in our bedroom because, of course, we didn't have our furniture yet. We were so exhausted, though, from a week of packing, driving, repacking, and driving some more that we didn't even notice we were on the floor. I have a feeling this new bed will be a little better in the long run, though!

Thanks, G&G, for the maps that helped us get out here! We look forward to showing some of you of new place when you come visit! Love,

Erica and Ryan

We DO work!

In response to popular demand, I'm posting proof that we do indeed work! Yes, mine might be a little untraditional, but it's still work! As Mom and Dad will attest, our desk looks like it's going to collapse any minute, which leaves me one other option for a work space: the bed. :) Not such a bad deal, I suppose... I promise that usually the covers are all the way up and the bed neatly made, but this pictures happens to have been taken at 10:30 pm.

This picture at Ryan's work was kindly taken by Mom when she visited us, so no, I'm not normally at Ryan's work with him (except once for Take-Your-VIP-to-Work Day). Congrats to Ryan, who has been officially offered a job for after grad school! We'll keep you all posted!

Hello! I just got home from my second absolutely wonderful trip to AZ! Ryan flew to Florida for the weekend with work, so once again, I joined the Arizona bunch. I love going there, getting to know my siblings (including Sally and Tom!) better, having long conversations, seeing the kids as they develop their cute little personalities, and being reminded of how hot it is in Arizona! :) Mary and Sally are fun and fabulous moms, and Tom and Corey are loving, supportive dads. I'm just amazed at how much they do for their sweet children!

I spent the first night at Corey and Sally's and the second two nights at Mary and Tom's. During my four-day stay, we had a swim party/BBQ at Mary's and ate fantastic omlets for breakfast at Corey's. I was treated to a pedicure by Mary (and was told that I used to be fat by my pedicurist), went shopping with Mary (thanks to Tom for tending the kids!), ate at Serrano's with Corey and Sally's family, and ate at Nello's with Mary and Tom's family. We also spent an afternoon at a public pool, where I rediscovered how fantastic it is to go all the way under the water! (It's been way too long since I really swam--and with goggles, no less!) Thanks, everyone, for treating me so well! You all are amazing hosts!

Many of you will be excited to learn that Ryan rode the Tower of Terror at MGM Grand in Florida! He instinctively reached for the hand of the guy next to him on the ride (!)...which made me feel good knowing that he really did miss me!