Happy Monday, all! We took the family back to The University of Notre Dame this past weekend. It’s far from Southern California for such a short trip, but it really was magical. There is something so special about taking your children to your alma mater for the very first time. And it is even more special as their two cousins are attending now. It was pretty surreal to see my nieces hanging out on my old campus. We also had great friends from my college days that also came with their families. All in all it was a jam packed weekend filled with happy tears, faith, family, friends and football. Here is a little recap.
my fall dress | booties | sunglasses
We were somehow blessed with the most glorious weather ever. If you know South Bend, Indiana then you know that this is not the norm. Temps were in the high 70s with gorgeous blue skies. Perfect for showing the family around campus. The golden dome is so near and dear to my heart so this was a pretty special moment.
And then we showed the children my old dorm. Lyons Hall was home sweet home for four years. Through that arch is the lake and the view takes your breath away.
(through the arch of my dorm to the lake)
Love this shot because it captures my son’s personality so much. We told the children they could pick out anything they wanted from the bookstore. My daughter went straight for increasing her wardrobe including the socks below. My son. . . he went for a book that shares the history of Notre Dame. Love it.
On Saturday we sported some serious spirit wear for the football game. The kids felt right at home and my daughter loves any chance to bust out knee socks. Love that about her.
With my two nieces now attending, my kids were in heaven seeing their cousins who we miss so much. When we were talking about the trip on the flight home, we asked the children their favorite thing about the trip and my son quickly replied, “Seeing the girls!” Sigh. So awesome that family was his highlight.
And I was lucky enough to have a handful of my college friends in town for the weekend as well. Thanks to the Earley family who setup the most amazing tailgate party. Mad skills. And no college football weekend is complete without the selfie with my girl, Moka. Except back in the day we would have to wait to get these selfies developed. My how things have changed.
Safe to say we are all good on spirit wear. I think the Fighting Irish bug has struck!
My two beautiful (and intelligent nieces). My son was so excited to pass off his Flat Grady to these girls (anyone familiar with Flat Stanley?)
And the seats we had were pretty amazing. I give my children credit for lasting through an almost four hour game. The victory made it that much more fun.
A special spot on campus is the Grotto. Students often go there to light a candle and say a prayer. It was really magical seeing my family walk up to this sacred spot.
We wrapped up the weekend by attending mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus. Hearing the voices of the choir and singing the alma mater at the conclusion of mass brings me to tears every time. Such a sense of family and community.
We could not have asked for a better trip. Truly. Feeling so fortunate that it worked out that we could take the family back to my old stomping grounds and visit my nieces. When we climbed into our car late last night to drive home from the airport, Grady turned to his sister and said, “Riley. When I get home, I am applying for college!” Priceless.
Wishing you all a great week. Thanks for letting me share.
For other travel posts you can snoop around below:
San Diego // Napa Valley // One Night in San Francisco // San Francisco Day 2
I so enjoyed the recap as I was so bummed out that I missed the Facetime call last evening from the kiddos. It would have been wonderful to hear the enthusiasm in their voices as they relayed their weekend experiences! They need to journal or blog me! LOL
Enjoy every minute as G (and Riley too) will be applying for college before you know it!
Love,
Grandma Sue
They’ll have to call you soon. They honestly loved every minute and were such troopers with all of the travel and the long game. I was so proud of both of them. xo
This looked like such a lovely trip! The campus looks beautiful! I wish I had a great alma matter to show my future kiddos. Instead I got a crappy state school! Haha!
Love,
Mariam
http://www.thepetitebijou.com
Hey! It doesn’t matter where it is as long as the see your past. I think the kiddos love going down memory lane with us. Have a great week!
Oh my gosh this post touched me so much! My father-in-law graduated and worked there so needless to say they are huge fans of the Fighting Irish! I have been blessed to attend a few games and there truly is not a more beautiful campus. Seeing your pictures with your family makes me excited to take my two little boys to visit soon. Thanks for sharing!
Oh, that’s amazing Tessa! I love that. It truly is beautiful campus. Your boys will go nuts when they visit. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share! xo
It looks like it was a fabulous trip! South Bend and Notre Dame are such fun places to visit! One of my best friends from high school lived there for over 20 years. I loved visiting her. The campus is beautiful even when it is cold!
I love knowing you live in Irvine!! We have lived here for 30 years! I hope I see you sometime walking around a lake or eating at Ruby’s!
Oh my goodness, what a small world! I just love it back there. I am already missing it. I agree with you. It’s so pretty in the snow and cold, too. And you are local, I love it!!!! Enjoy your week.
What a fun weekend! Such a beautiful campus and your family is so adorable! The church reminds me so much of the one where I went to Catholic School and grew up attending mass at. So pretty!
Thank you, Becky. Is that right?! Well what a gorgeous church you had so close to you growing up. My children haven’t experienced such a “fancy” church so they were in awe. Have a great day, Becky.
Love this! I married into a ND family and my husband bucked tradition and went to the Naval Academy. Not a bad choice, but a hard one when your grandfather, dad, 3 uncles, 3 aunts, sister and countless cousins went to ND! We are die hard Irish fans…except that one weekend a year when they play Navy 🙂 Heading to Navy/ND also from California and hoping we are as lucky with the weather!
I love college campuses! Glad you guys had a fun visit!
Her Heartland Soul
http://herheartlandsoul.com
Courtney,
I loved this post and seeing your kids with their cousins was awesome. My kids are the oldest cousins on both sides and that will be them one day. We love tailgating on the weekend when we can as a family. That is one reason I love fall so much. Great post.
Jenn
How lovely! My family and I just visited Notre Dame Labor Day weekend on our way back from Wisconsin. We visited a dear friend of the family who is there now for her freshman year. The Basilica is stunning, as was the grotto. So nice to see your photos! 🙂
We thought about you this weekend! What a glorious trip ~ go ND! My heart feels full for you friend!
Ok. I had to comment. Love that you went to see them play USC. The last time I saw the Irish play was in SoCal when I went to see them play USC with my dad…. Fourteen or fifteen years ago! Yikes!!
You are indeed lucky to have attended Notre Dame. It was my first choice, and I ended up at DePauw instead for financial reasons. Glad you had such a nice trip!
Really loved this. My husband and I went to a game there a few years ago and I fell in love with the campus. It was so cold that day though! We are hoping to bring our two kids soon for a game and hopefully we will luck out with beautiful weather, too. (We secretly are hoping one day our son will play hockey for Notre Dame. He is six though, so we have a long time to work on this!) 😉
Flat Stanley is so lucky and very well traveled! Our’s went to Tuscaloosa to watch the University of Alabama Crimson Tide! Roll Tide!
Being a non-US girl I have no idea what college is like in the US but your post painted it, and the whole experience, in the best light. It looks amazing and I loved reading it and soaking up the atmosphere thorough your gorgeous pictures. Thank you for sharing and for the insight. xKx
Looove this post, C! So fun to see your adorable family on your old stomping grounds. Those college days hold such a special place in my heart; can’t wait to take Quinn back to ours. How did I not know Notre Dame (seriously amazing) is your alma mater?! Woohoo Divison I football! 😉
I’ve been meaning to comment on this post. I read your blog every week but didn’t know you are a fellow Domer. It’s been forever since I’ve been to campus and I’m not sure I’d recognize it anymore but it sure was nice to go through your post and remember my time there. Thank you! And go Irish!!