Happy Birthday Big Brother

Happy 30th Birthday Michael!!

I am headed up to NYC right now on a bus from DC to meet up with my brother for his bday weekend (and more importantly...Notre Dame vs. Army football!)
I'm looking forward to a fabulous weekend with my brother and some of his friends. I have not spent his birthday with him in probably 10 years if not more so this is great.
Pictures of the great weekend to come...but for now, here's a pic of us at his graduation in May:
Oh...and Happy Birthday to my puppy, Jewels, who turns 3 today! Yes...my dog and my brother really do have the same bday. When I saw her and then saw her bday, I knew that I would just have to have her. :-)

Car Issues ~ Oh How I HATE Them

Boy has it been a rough day when it comes to car problems. I was at work today. I went to leave at about 3 and had to be back at 4:30. I figured that I would go home real quick, let the pups out for a little while, and relax before heading back to work. Well...needless to say, that didn't happen. When I got to my car at work, I unlocked the doors and rolled down the windows with my key remote (great feature in the Honda Accord!). It's been hot so I was thankful that I was able to roll them down to let some of the heat out before getting right in. I threw my stuff in the car, stuck my key in the ignition, turned it, and ... NOTHING!!! WHAT?! So now, my windows are wide open, the sky is grey looking like it's going to rain any minute, and my car won't start. I don't think so! So I went inside and asked one of the guys to come look at it with me and see what he thought. He said it was probably the battery and that he would call Mall Security (the gym I work at is right outside the mall) to have them jump it for me. Fantastic! No big deal...just a jump and I'll be on my way. The security guard arrives, jumps my car, and the engine starts. Awesome...so now I quickly roll up the windows just in case and am on my way. I get out of the gym parking lot, out of the mall lot and onto a major 3 lane in each direction road. As I'm turning onto it my car cuts off and restarts. Ut oh!! I kept driving and realized that the Malfunction Indicator Lamp was now on. Just what I need...right? HA! So I turn at the next light to get off of this road and onto a slightly less major road. It cuts off and restarts again. At that point I decided I need to just get off the road and call for help. Oh wait...but that's right, I had left my cellphone at my apartment before going to work. Go figure! So I had to get somewhere that I could make a phone call. I continued a little further (mind you, I've only gone about a mile at this point and my car has cut off 2 times!). By the time I pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant which my family frequents, it cut off one more time. Fortunately I was able to make it into the parking lot and just turn off my car. And of course I tried to start it again to see if it would work, and NOPE! Nothing! It was completely dead at that point. My brother came to my rescue after I called for help. Thank God I have AAA so they came and towed my car to the Honda dealership and they will look at it tomorrow. I was only an hour late for getting back to work. HAHA! Needless to say...I hate car issues and they drive me crazy! But at least I was able to get to safety and get assistance. Hope the rest of you had a better day. I wish you good luck with your cars! :-)

Such a Beautiful Place!

I haven't had a chance to really sit and post yet since we got back from my brother's graduation last weekend at Notre Dame. So here I am looking at pictures from the weekend. It is such a gorgeous campus and I feel like anybody who gets a chance to visit should take the opportunity. (and if you can go and make it to a football game you would be NUTS not to go...cuz that's an absolute blast!)

Here are some outdoor photos of the campus:

(The Grotto~ You can light candles for people and pray.)

(Above is Our Lady of Lourdes and below (just beyond the fence) you can see Bernadette looking up at her)

(The Golden Dome atop the main building on campus)


(The Basilica)

(The top of the Basilica)

WOW~ It is just such a gorgeous campus and a beautiful place to walk around. I will post pictures of the inside of the Basilica later. It is quite the site to see.

Congratulations are in Order!

...to my brother!

Congratulations on completing your MBA at Notre Dame! I am so proud of you and look forward to seeing what the future has in store for you.

Along with congrats, good luck! In your endeavors this summer as you travel through Europe for a month, and then in your new job which you start in August! You are going to do great. Keep up the good work.

(Pictures of this beautiful campus and the graduation to come later!)

Notre Dame

Yay for a great weekend! Went to visit my brother for the weekend and had a fabulous time.

I flew in on Friday afternoon. A huge group of us went out and had a wonderful dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse! I don't think I've ever had a meal like that before...great food, wine, and company. After dinner, we all went out to one of the bars in town (within walking distance of my brother's place...which is always convenient!). It was a fun night of just hanging out.

(Picture taken Friday night between dinner and going out!)

Then Saturday was the Spring Game for Notre Dame (Blue vs. Gold). My brother's in the MBA program there so we went to the MBA tailgate before the game which was fabulous just like the one in the fall. It's always an entertaining time with this group. It was pretty crumby weather but that didn't stop anybody from having fun! We went to the game and then back to the tailgate...HAHA ~ Some people never even went to the game and just tailgated ALL day long. Then we went to another one of the bars, went "home" and ordered pizza for dinner, took naps, and then continued with the night. A nap in the early night is KEY on a day like this...otherwise you don't make it through the night. TOO much fun, but that's ok. It's needed every once in a while.

Sunday was full of school work and exhaustion! Then I flew back home this morning, picked up my puppy from my parents', and then had class. Now it's going to be time to crash! Hope you all had a fabulous weekend too :-)

I Want It Wednesday

Hmmm...what do I want for the next year of my life?!

...good health (for myself, A, my family, and friends)

...good grades in my classes

...my brother's new job (starts this summer) to go well

...my roomie to find a job (she graduates in May)

...overall happiness

...A to return home safely - and for our future to be able to finally begin