Fall Break and Friends

Since the U2 concert in Atlanta, Eric and I have been pretty busy. As soon, as we got back that I night I started a new Bible study with my roommate from college. I am very excited to be hanging out with girlfriends again. Then, I got a surprise visit from two old and dear friends - Alayna and Lindsey. They were suppose to go camping in North Carolina but surprise they got rained out.

While Lindsey and Alayna were here we went and saw Couple's Retreat with one of my dear cousins Ashley. The movie wasn't nearly as funny as I hoped. It is definitely a renter. On Sunday, Lindsey and Alayna headed back to Memphis.

The next week was a great week for all teachers - Fall Break. Everybody loves having two extra days off. The Wednesday night before fall break Eric and I joined his family for dinner at Cracker Barrel. But, before we could go eat, I had to clean this pup up. She got lose and ran into a vacant lot next to our house and became very very muddy

The next morning Eric work up late because I didn't tell him to set his alarm and tell him I was on fall break. I went back to sleep while he was informing me of all this.

Eric and I went with some of his co-workers to the Third Day Concert. The concert was great. We had a lot of fun. The next day we left for yet another trip to Notre Dame to watch the Irish take on the Trojans of USC. I didn't get very many pictures - sorry. I did get a picture of Eric eating this huge elephant ear. I helped him eat some of it.

Notre Dame had a tough loss. It came down to the very last second. It was the most exciting and depressing game at the same time.

After a relaxing time off, it was time to head back to work. I ended up getting sick at the end of this past week. I had to leave work early on Thursday and take Friday off. Thankfully it wasn't the flu but a UTI. Fun times. But, my lovely and wonderful husband surprised me Friday night with a brand new vacuum cleaner. I was so excited. I must be getting old to get excited about a vacuum cleaner.

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My new Dyson Animal. It was very disgusting the first time I used it.

A Busy Week

I wanted to blog once a week. This has not happened. I apologize. But, I had an eventful last week and have to blog about it. The week started this past Sunday. My mom and I took Eric down to Atlanta for the U2 concert. I would join him Monday afternoon.

Sunday afternoon we ate at Eric's favorite restaurant - Pappadeaux. They serve Cajun seafood. I am not a huge fish/seafood fan but the service is always so great it is not a bad place to eat a meal. But, because the closest one is in Atlanta, when we are in Atlanta, we eat there every chance we can. So for the U2 trip, we ate there 4 times.

Eric's favorite appetizer (I like it a lot too) is the fried alligator. You can see it in the forefront of the picture above. It is very tasty and spicy. It isn't very fishy, which is a plus for me.

Every meal Eric ordered the fried crabfingers. I have personally witnessed Eric eat two plates of these in one meal.

This is the chopped salad that I ate twice of the four times we were there. It has fried chicken and avocado. I also had a steak sandwich one night and hazelnut crusted tilapia the other.

The highlight of the trip had to be the U2 concert. Eric loves U2. I enjoy their music a lot but Eric is the true die-hard fan. This is a picture of the stage before the opening act Muse preformed. The people standing around the stage paid general admission and waited all day long to be the first people in so they could get as close to the stage as possible. While it seems like a lot of fun, the possibility of not being able to go to the bathroom scares me.

The stage for the 360 Tour is the most expensive in history topping out at $3 million. As the stage was prepared for U2, I noticed that each of the lights were controlled by individual people. It may be hard to see in this picture but if you look closely you can see a person seated behind each light. The lights were brought to the ground, the light technicians were loaded and belted in, and then suspended into the air. For someone who is as scared of heights as I am, I was very impressed by this.


There was a 360 degree screen above the stage so you couldn't miss anything. Overall the band sang at least 23 songs. I told Eric the night would be perfect if they sand Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Bono must of heard me.
The screen also extended all the way to the stage during parts of the show. As you can see, the Georgia Dome was packed.

Another shot of the stage. The bridge in the forefront moved throughout the concert allowing for the band members to come out to the outer circle and run around.

It was a great concert. Eric and I had a great mid-week-get-away. Eric has already mentioned to me that U2 is going on tour again in 2010 and wants to see them again. Even though the trip was over, we got to come home to these two cuties.

A Win, A Loss, and A Birthday

Two weeks later and I finally have a post. A little over a week ago, the family traveled 8.5 hours to South Bend, IN. Not many good things can be said about Indiana. But, one very good thing is that it is the home state of the great University of Notre Dame. I only wish that I had $42,000/year to go there when I was 18. But, I digress. This year's trip did not disappoint. The weather was beautiful. The whole family arrived safely. Eric and I rented an SUV so my parents could ride up with us. Dustin (my brother for those who don't read regularly) and his wife Sarah flew up from Jacksonville, FL.

Friday we took a stroll around campus and spent too much money in the book store. We learned the hard way to not go near the bookstore on game day it is complete chaos.

The campus is amazing. South Bend isn't that pretty of a city but when you walk onto campus it all changes. This is the famous golden dome. It serves as their administrative building.

One of the new attempts of Notre Dame to make game-day weekend fan friendlier is to open up the famous tunnel for fans to come take pictures on Friday. If you are not familiar with the famous tunnel, it is the tunnel in which the players run out of before every game. If you need further clarification, check out the movie Rudy. This was an emotional moment for my family. I am not sure if the emotions came from the surrounding environment or the horrible memories of last season.

This is looking up the tunnel. All the National Championship banners hang there in all their glory. ND has the most National Championships of any college football team. They are third in college football history for most wins just behind Michigan in first then Texas. ND decided to help Michigan widen that gap this past weekend.

There are a few sites that have to be seen every time we go. The Grotto is a replica of Grotto of Massabielle in France. In 1878, St. Bernadette claimed to have a vision of Mary. St. Bernadette reported that Mary directed her to an unheard-of spring in the grotto. The site in France is popular for Pilgrims because it is believed that the water has special healing powers. In the upper-right-hand corner of the photo you will see the bottom of a statue. This is a statue Lady of Lourdes (Mary). This is always the quietest place on campus. When we go to the USC game, I will try to get a better picture of the grotto and of the lake it faces.

This is my brother and wonderful sister-in-law. Sarah is a huge UT fan but is always great when we head up to ND. She stays in good mood even when Dustin and Eric give her a hard time about being a UT fan. Sometimes they are ruthless. Let's just remind Eric he went to UT.

We take one of these pictures every year in front of Touchdown Jesus. The actual name for this 1964 mural/mosaic by Millard Sheets is "The Word of Life" a reference to the scripture John 1:1-5. The art is located on the side of the university's library.

About 3 hours before kickoff, the players all attend mass. They attend mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart seen in the background of this picture. This is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been in. It also houses that largest pool of holy water I have ever seen in my life. The fans are waiting for the players to walk from mass to the stadium. We always wait for about an hour for a good spot along the walk. It is over in less than two minutes. Hey, when you are a fan you are a fan. I will try to get pics of the inside of the church next time.

As you enter the stadium, there are statues honoring the great coaches and players of ND's history. My family's favorite is Lou Holtz. Holtz was the head coach of ND from 1986-1996. Interesting fact about Holtz, he had the names removed off the back of the jerseys to promote team unity. The names have not been on the back of the jerseys since. I love him even if he makes crazy claims like ND is going to play Florida in the National Championship this year. Dustin and Eric were excited to get their pic with Lou.

This is our view during the game. The stadium is very small so there isn't a bad seat in the house. There isn't even a jumbo tron. See the sea of gold in the left? That is the famous student section. Watching them makes me miss college.

The whole family after the Nevada game. It was great we won 35-0. Maybe Lou is right. But wait, Michigan beat us this past Saturday. Ughh.

Eric and I after the game. He is always happy around sporting venues. Just a note, Eric doesn't have a white circle on his neck in real life. He is white circle free.

It was a great long weekend. As noted earlier in the blog, ND lost the following weekend to Michigan. I was really hoping to see Rich Rodriguez cry again. It was also my 27th birthday this weekend. No big celebrations just stayed at home with the hubby. So, not a bad couple of weeks if I say so myself.

It is Almost Time for Football

Eric, Me, Dustin, and Sarah

Three years ago Eric's boss graciously bought us 50-yard-line tickets to watch Notre Dame play football against UNC. I have always been an ND fan but Eric has always cheered for UNC. I am lucky because one of Eric's co-workers is also a huge ND fan. So, the boss decided to buy the tickets - UNC for Eric and ND for Chris. Ever since that faithful day, Eric has been in love with ND football.

Eric, Me, Dustin, and SarahNotice how small the stadium is. Also how bundled up we are. It was cold to say the least.

Most people absolutely hate ND, mainly because they are ND. But I challenge anyone to go to a game in South Bend and not fall in love. The following year Eric and I took my brother and his wife up to Notre Dame for their birthdays. This was more for Dustin than Sarah. She is such a good sport.

Eric and I. Again, it was very cold.

We had so much fun that the next year Dustin and I bought Mom and Dad (he is the reason Dustin and I are even fans) tickets to a game and made it a family trip. We had a blast. So now it is a Kosak (my maiden name) tradition. This coming weekend we will be heading up to northern Indian again to watch the Irish open the season against Nevada. Hopefully I will have some great pics to share. But, before I blog about the big trip, I would like to share some things that I look forward to each year we go to ND.

Yes, that is me about to run a route.

1. Little kids in jerseys playing football on campus.
2. Watching the players walk from pre-game Mass to the stadium.
3. Throwing football with my husband. I know this is a shock for some of you.
4. Watching the Irish marching band.
5. Seeing the gold helmets through the tunnel and out onto the field.
6. The food - I always enjoy a good grilled hamburger.
7. If it is cold, they have the best hot chocolate.
8. Cheering so loud that I lose my voice.
9. Spending too much money in the bookstore.
10. Spending the weekend with my entire family.

Not a Good Friday Afternon

I just completed my first full week with the students for the 09-10 school year. I was ready to come home Friday and get my weekend started. Well, God has a way of letting you know that you are not in control of your life. I got in my car to go get Eric. I was looking forward to a nice dinner with my husband. Then, the car didn't crank.

I handled this pretty well. I texted Eric to let him know that the car wouldn't crank then called AAA to have them come jump the car. No problem. My evening would just have to be postponed for about an hour.

Maybe not. The car had to be towed. At this point, I am starting to get nervous and on the verge of tears especially since I am going to have to ride with a stranger to the repair shop. Once the car was dropped off, I walked over to McDonald's to wait for my very amazing in-laws to pick me up. See, Eric's battery in his car is dead. So, we had no car.

Eric's wonderful parents picked me up then took Eric and me to Wal-Mart to get the necessary parts for Eric's car to be fixed. After a dinner, a battery change, and a tire change, Eric's car was good to go. I can't thank Eric's parents enough.

My car is still in the shop. We were lucky that the damage is only around $100.00. I get to pick her up Monday.

Let's get week number two started.

Apologizes, School Days, and Zombies

I have truly been neglecting my blogging duties. So, I apologize to my millions of readers who have been dying for me to post something about my oh so interesting life. The past couple weeks have just been hectic with school starting and getting back into a routine. Today was the first full day with students. I have to admit, I am starting my 6th year teaching, and I still get nervous for that first day of class. For those not in education, here is a list that will describe what it is like for me (and I think other teachers as well) each fall...

1. Worry about what to wear the first day of school

2. Can't sleep the night before the first day of class because I wonder what my new students will be like or praying what they won't be like

3. Get excited about new school supplies (this one may just be me)

4. Nervous about meeting new people (at my school, there were over 20 new people)

5. Look on the calendar to see when fall break is

6. Endless lines at the copy machine to make copies of letters to parents and my syllabus

7. A sore throat from talking so much the first few days

I am sure there are more. And, if you are a teacher, please feel free to add to this list by posting a comment.

I do want to mention one last thing. I recently purchased the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. It starts out as follows,

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in

want of more brains."

No, I am not making this up. It is actually a New York Times bestseller. I just couldn't leave it on the shelf. I am currently about 100 pages into the book. So, keep your eye open for a

future blog about Elizabeth Bennet saving Mr. Darcy from the flesh eating zombies.

High Metabolism Up For Auction

Throughout the almost five years of my marriage, I have not cooked a lot. One of the main reasons I don't cook a lot is because my sweet husband is a very picky eater. I am okay with this. I knew it going into the marriage. By picky I mean, all he eats is meat and bread. But, for some reason, this week, I am cooking a lot more than normal. By more than normal, I mean two meals. I cooked tacos one night and pork chops with fried okra the following. On taco night, Eric wanted nothing to do with it. So, he preceded to cook one of his favorite meals: one pound of scrambled hamburger meat and some side. For this particular meal he chose a plate full of fried hush puppies and a cold Sam Adams. The sad part or unfair part is that his cholesterol is lower than mine and he never gains a pound. He should sell his metabolism on E-Bay.