New Year...Your Time!

Another season is upon us.  Freshman arrive wide eyed with dreams of future glory.  While seniors prepare for their last chance at immortality. 

There are only a handful of these opportunities in a players life,  a handful of chances to distinguish yourself from the rest. 

It's on these fields where history is made, where legends begin, and heroes triumph.  Traditions tell the story of what you represent, of those who forged the legacy that you uphold. 

When you come charging out of the tunnel, the entire nation will be watching your every move.  How you respond to that pressure is what defines you. 

These are the moments that will reveal your toughness, your determination, and your drive. 

The time has come....your time, is now!

Go Irish!

Happy 30th!

Greetings All!

From reading all our bloggers posts so far, it sounds like everyone is enjoying their time at home and I personally have loved the snapshots of your routines away from South Bend.  I currently am in the air on one of my many flights during break.  I was home in Vermont for a week before I headed south to Duke to work their winter camp for a couple of days.  While it is always tough to say goodbye to family, I realized it was time for me to go for my mom’s itinerary for BCE concluded on the 26^th and my two year old niece said bye to me every time I put on a sweatshirt or jacket once Christmas ended.  I bring to you, my top highlights (in no particular order) from winter break thus far.

·          

 Kelly discovering the blogs favorite book and movie·        

 F  

Flying home without a flight cancellation, delay, or winter storm to drive through (first time in four years)

·         

 Finding out Extreme Santa does exist on Christmas morning

·         

 For my fellow Fruit Ninjas out there – Arcade High Score of 739

·        

 Jordy singing “All I Want For Christmas” on und.com

·        

Hanging out with my two year old niece (videos and pictures for anyone who is interested)

·       

  Learning to Sponge Bob and beating Molly in a dance contest at Duke camp

Every single one of you have made tremendous strides this fall and I am looking forward to showing the world what Notre Dame lacrosse is all about.  Keep your eyes on the prize, 18 days till we are reunited.  I also have shared with you below one of my favorite quotes and YouTube videos.  Enjoy!

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lion or gazelle - when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM5A1K6TxxM

Happy New Year!

Sarah G. Dalton

Happy December 29th!!!

Ok so I guess the 29th isn't really a holiday but who cares!

Anyway I hope everyone is enjoying their post Christmas and pre New Years Eve week. Mine has been pretty eventful, yesterday I went into the city with my sister and met my roommate and her mother for dinner. I was sitting there and I look up and JAMES FRANCO walked right by me and then preceded to sit directly behind me, like we could touch. As many of you know I have an obsession with all celebrities, so I thought this was a huge deal, and yes he is as beautiful as he is in his movies. The rest of the night was pretty uneventful, which contrasted with my morning today. My mom set up an appointment with the ENT to check out my annoying tonsils that keep getting inflamed, and to do this they have to stick that long, huge camera tube thing up your nose, and down through your throat. It was as HORRIBLE as it sounds, I freaked out and started crying so they had to use the pediatric tube which is a lot smaller. (In my defense my nose is broken and the septum is all crooked so the big tube has a hard time going through) But seriously I'm still in a state of shock, my nose is still numb and I am scarred for life.

Besides these two days my brake has been pretty ordinary besides the lovely trips to the gym. Oh the gym, this break is my first time ever belonging to a gym, oh and was I in for a surprise. I love the looks I get from the skinny girls in full out lulu-lemon tight workout clothes on the elliptical, as I truck away on the treadmill at a incline of ten, and then jump off it when the time is up, panting away like a crazed dog, in a baggy t-shirt and shorts. It is really a lovely scene, but not as embarrassing as trying to do a pull up with out any help and then getting really close to then ultimately failing in front of all the juice heads. But it doesn't stop me because I know that 28 of my teammates and friends are doing it all over the country.

I am so excited for this season to start that it helps propel me through my workouts. I know everyone has posted some type of inspirational video or quote, but my personal favorite is by a teenage god named Justin Bieber, he may not know how to Lax but he sure can dance, sing and inspire: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5-P9v3F8w&ob=av2e

NEVER SAY NEVER, thats my mantra and I honestly believe that we can do insane things this year that no one would expect. Cant wait to see you all soon!!!!!!!

Happy New Year,

With love and joy,

#29 Barbara

Hello from Indiana (no this is not a joke)

HELLLERRR MY FAVORITE LAXERS!!

I am currently sitting in my grandparent’s house in good ol’ Fort Wayne, Indiana (shout out to my girl Kenz!) and attempting to write this blog on what I can only assume is dial-up Internet.  Besides that I’ve just been hanging out with the family here.  The highlight has probably been watching “Dumb and Dumber” with my grandfather.  I really forgot just how dumb (only fitting) that movie is, but hearing my grandfather mumble under his breath about “real actors like Cary Grant” and the “stupidity of this generations movies and music,” made it worth watching again. Btw  you should hear him go off on rap music and the dancing nowadays.  Hearing him talk about “grinding” = priceless ;) On a side note, check out their gingerbread house!!

Back home in VA, I had a phenomenal week consisting of 65-degree weather, Christmas shopping, and lots of red meat.  Kayla should be very proud of the steps I’ve taken to improve my iron since being home.  On the other hand, I am probably 5 steps closer to Type 2 diabetes…oh well.  Of course I’ve been working out too.  The place I’m working out at is quite special.  I may be the only person there who does not qualify for AARP benefits.  Come to think of it, the average person was probably born before AARP even existed…yes, that old.  But I love it, because every day I’m greeted by friendly old men who just want to talk about HOW GREAT NOTRE DAME IS…because of this (I’m sorry Chris) but sometimes I cannot wear ND issue gear to the gym.  A 45 min workout turns into 2 hours because as they say, “You play for the greatest university, and I could just go on about it for hours” (and trust me this is not an exaggeration). Well I could not agree with them more, but still I have places to go and people to see…not really at all, but I don’t think Hunter would appreciate half an hour breaks between circuits.  Don’t worry, I allot at least 10 min of time for each Irish fan who wants to talk…because if celebrities have taught us anything, we owe it all to our fans. What I’m reminded by these old men is that while I believe that I play for the best university in the country, there are people all over who share that belief.  This helps drive me, because it makes me see just how lucky I am to wear the IRISH name on the front of my jersey.  That pride in who we are should be inspiration enough for us as we struggle through Hunter’s incredibly extensive workout packet.

To curtail on what the previous posts talked about, we cannot let low preseason rankings get us down.  In fact, we need to use them as inspiration.  Now any of you football fans out there should have heard about Drew Brees breaking the single season passing record on Monday.  This record was previously held by Dan Marino and hadn’t been broken in 27 years. Drew Brees happens to be my favorite player in the NFL because he went to Purdue (where all my family went) and he is absolutely adorable (see pic). For those of you who don’t know much about Drew Brees, at only 6 ft tall (on the roster, so we know what that means…) many people questioned his NFL potential.  They also thought that he didn’t have good arm strength and only succeeded in college because he had a system perfectly designed for him.  Most of the critics were thinking they were right as he had a mediocre career in San Diego.  What it took for Brees to get his career on the path that he ultimately wanted was a change.  A BIG change.  He moved his family from San Diego to New Orleans.  New coach, new team, new challenges, and most importantly, new opportunities.  Now WE have a new coach, this is a new team from last year, and we’ve already been facing new kinds of challenges and opportunities this fall (and are sure to see plenty more this spring).  We cannot be afraid of these changes.  In our lives we all have to make changes. Some we embrace and some we resist with all our might.  Well we’ve made a lot of changes this year, and they are ultimately, ones that are best for the current team and the future of ND lacrosse.  We cannot just accept these changes, and we certainly can’t resist them.  We must embrace them.  Like Brees, we have to GO ALL IN!!  You all know what that means so I don’t think I need to elaborate further, just please remember that phrase as you push the treadmill incline a little higher and do what feels like your 10,000^th pull-up of the year (really that might not be an exaggeration).

Now I’ve already rambled on too long, but the final point I want to make is about the importance of being a team.  I believe in the clip below Drew Brees drives this point home.  I encourage you all to watch it and think about how it applies to our team this year.  This will come as no shock to many of you, but I had to watch this video more than once because I kept getting distracted by the very attractive man in the background wearing only a towel (the guy on the right NOT the left!!!). I got so distracted the first time that I missed what Brees said.  This is definitely beside the point though. So in all seriousness, it is a great clip that should remind you just how important your teammates are and how lucky we are to have each other.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7391980

Have a happy New Year, and like Chris would say, “Make good decisions!”

LOVE YOU GUYS & GO IRISH!!!

Emily

Ellie’s Birthday Day!!!!!

Hello everyone.

So as we all know/been reminded a bunch of times TODAY IS ELLIE’S 21^st BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!! It’s slightly ironic that her birthday falls on my day since you all know how much I love those personal holidays we get for doing absolutely nothing but surviving another year of life.  But since she’d kill me if I didn’t mention it, I might as well start with it.  So…. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLE!!!! I am pretty angry were not back at school to celebrate with you! It looks like you’ll just have to have two days to yourself now. I might even have a present for you when we get back because my mom is making me go after-Christmas clearance Good Will shopping with her today (didn’t even know they had such a thing at stores were almost everything is under $5 anyway). So in the meantime have an awesome day ALL to yourself. As Betsy once told me (actually the first time I met her) something very close to, “Today is my Birthday, and it’s the one day a year everything and everyone will revolve around me.”  I think her words of wisdom are very fitting for your birthday. So, go thoroughly enjoy your very special day!

My vacation has been lovely and full of the many things I like to do… like sleeping and sleeping.  For my Christmas I got two very unsurprising stocking stuffers, the book Energy Bus and my first ever gym membership.  Both have been quite interesting…

So after looking for the book in a bunch of stores, my mom decided she wanted to read it.  Now she is officially obsessed.  She plans on making my dad and siblings read it and I’m not sure they’re too interested...  

And this gym I now go to everyday has these signs plastered on about every inch of the walls that say things like “Judgment free Zone” and “No critics”, etc.  But let me tell you when I walked in and went to work on my packet, man did they stare.  I can only imagine what 225lbs of hulking muscle probably thought seeing a pale, sickly looking girl straying from the elliptical and struggling with the 25 lbs free weights.  (but wait for it… here comes my fleeting moment of inspirational inspiration) But I don’t totally agree with these signs I stare at every day.  I’m not really good with quotes, but I think some of the best motivation is being doubted, judged wrongly, being underestimated, and ultimately being criticized and having something to prove (whether it’s the giant 225lbs man working out next to me or the preseason rankings). It’s that struggle to surprise people and prove them wrong everyday.  For me right now, that definitely applies to lifting.  Though I have graduated from my baby bar, I don’t think I quite fit in yet as well as the rest of you.  But maybe with a bunch more hours in the gym (and maybe a few tanning sessions) I’ll finally attain that coveted status of “fitting in at the gym” that I so desire.  So next time your having a bad day or think your traps are getting a little too large, just imagine me and I can guarantee you you’ll be glad you have them. 

 -Allie

The 12 Days of Irishmas by Molly and Jack Shawhan

To My Main Ladies,

For all you smarty pants out there that recognized... Yes, I am posting this a litttle early. This is due to the fact that Coach Nick and I will be spending the next THREE DAYS together starting with the drive down to Duke tomorrow. A long five hour car ride during which I will blast AND sing (most know already that my voice is a mix between Fergie and Jesus) either Brittany Spears, Taylor Swift, or Destiny's Child the entire ride. Haven't decided yet... I figured I would at least ask his preference. Needless to say, it is going to be an interesting ride! Right, Nick?!

So what have I been up to these past days you may ask?! Well, if you insist...
Day 1: Rode back with Betsy and Marge. I think I slept the entire drive, and am pretty sure Bets did too... Marge drove the whole way; bless her heart! I figured it was payback for the number of times she pushed me face first into the snow last year...

Day 2: Woke up, brushed teeth, went to the bathroom, ate breakfast... Alright I'm guessing you don't want a play-by-play necessarily. I'll just list the highlights and lowlights of my vacation thus far.

Highlight: My mom has made dozens of Christmas cookies, a pie, a cheesecake, coffee cake, apple crisp, peanut butter balls, a carrot cake, to name a few. So to combat these demon sweets I have been not only attending the gym three times a day and keeping up with our daily workouts, but also have taken on ping-pong, yes ping-pong… It is through this sport that I have come upon a newfound confidence, determination, drive, heart, inspiration, as well as some bruises, which have been fueling me everyday.

Lowlight: Thus, I am now twenty pounds overweight...

Highlight: Attended Jack's annual Christmas concert. He was adorable and made us all so proud! I wish I could include the video because on nearly every move he was a good five seconds behind...

Lowlight: He heard me showing Danny the video and pointing this out and now isn't speaking to me.

Highlight: I got clothes for Christmas! Including a winter jacket! So long the days of the ever coveted ISSUE PUFFER.

Lowlight: Who are we kidding that's my all-time favorite issue gear.

On a more serious note, I am going crazy here… If you can’t tell from the attached item below, I need to get back to the Bend and be with all of you! I can’t wait to get the season started and am so excited because based on all of these posts alone, I know we’re going to do something special this year. I’m obsessed with quotes. Here are a few of my favorites that motivate me and will hopefully do the same for you.

“Positive energy… It’s a term being talked about a lot more frequently in conference rooms, classrooms, locker rooms, and even living rooms. Perhaps it’s because there is an abundance of new research that shows that positive people…” Alright you caught me… That’s from “The Energy Bus” (PLEASE NOTE CHRIS!)… Seriously though... We may be some of the luckiest girls in the world! To be doing what we love at THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME?! It's insane! But it's not like it's easy, or handed to us. Think how hard we've worked to get to where we are right now. Think of all the years and years of High School and club lacrosse... All the time and hard work we put into getting better and getting noticed; to have the opportunity to go to the school of our dreams. Think of all the sticks you've gone through. Think of your first lacrosse game EVER. Remember all the times you thought about what it would be like to be in our shoes; with the chance to accomplish our goals; to step out dressed in the Irishuniform under the lights on Arlotta Stadium with all 7 fans cheering us on (haha kidding). Think of all the coaches who told you, "you can", and think of everyone who told you, "you can't." I'm telling you, "we will". Think of the hours in the GUG, the times you've thrown the ball against the wall. Try to add up the pounds we've lifted, the miles we've run. I guess what I'm getting at is we've come a LONG way and been through a ton. Enough to know what we want, how to get it, and to also know that we can. We can do anything we set our minds to, if we just do what Marge and Kristen have been harping on... BELIEVE! I think in order to do this we have to acknowledge the fact that it's not going to be easy. But it is going to be more than worth it. Hanging in my room is a sign that says, "All of your dreams can come true. If you have the courage to pursue them." In order for what we have been talking about to work, we have to be willing to do anything and everything to get there, and I know all of us are. We have to go out there in January and make it happen. "Believe in your dreams and they may come true. Believe in yourself and they will come true."

I thought I would do my best to leave a little piece of myself on here other than written words... And thus I have attached a video... Now just a friendly public service announcement. The following video is for YOUR viewing purposes only. Please do not paste onto facebook, tweet about it or the likes (THIS MEANS YOU @NDWOMENSLAX). It is, I am telling you now, basically a “social suicide” for myself. There will be consequences for those of you who do not obey, which involve lacrosse balls errantly leaving my stick and making their way somewhat similar to Marge’s demise to concussed-ness in the fall. Alright, I’m kidding… But seriously though… I’m done for aren’t I? Well at least don’t tag me in it… Say Marge made it.

http://www.filepigeon.com/getfiles/?uid=etwaawwnwthawwlkeatltwa&targetID=RpN0do1IMBM7Tesfu9dzAQ_I_I

You have to download it... Just open the link and then click download! Not a virus I promise!

Love you more than life itself,

Molly #27

Oops!

Sooo, mine is below Ellie's by accident and I don't know how to fix it!

But look there!

Love you!

Molly

HOLLLLLLERRRRR

Heyyy teammates and bff's,
So decided id start off with an experience I had today:
Im up at the turf, sense there is still no snow and its warm out (which is really *scary-global warming*) there is suppose to be snow and coldness in upstate New York at this time of year. Anywho, I was up at the turf running 100's and as you can imagine, struggling a bit. So on the 9th one I'm resting, and all of a sudden I get rocked in the head by a soccer ball.. and fall to the ground. Side note-there were also a bunch of kids playing soccer on the turf while i was running.   Not like I can really afford loosing any more brain cells. Don't fret I got up in time to run the next few 100's! Im such a badass. But it was kind of funny, I know you all would have been peeing your pants if you were there with me.

Besides that here is my main man, Angus/ Shmang or Pooters (which my (straight) brother calls him). He's our irish boy, he's a ginger and has freckles all up in his mouth. We've been chillin on the couch together most of break, watchin Jerry Springer re-runs.

Soo tomorrow's my bday and I wish I could spend it with you duuudes. I know my girl Allie will do me and my birthday justice and write a fabulous blog. Im siked to get back to school and kick some major ass with all you guys. I really am, more then any other season, excited for this year. One thing that helps me get through the workout's is thinking about the season ahead and all you guys. I believe we are ranked pretty low on the pre season rankings, which kinda pumps me up, there's nothing better then the "underdog" kicking the others ass- and showing everyone who we are and what we are made of. We have all the power in our own hands- we just have to come together and play to each others strengths, in my opinion. Keep pushing yourselves through the workouts. I plan on finally getting a pull up, and passing another run test. wooo! Just keep in the back of your minds how great it will feel to win a Big East championship and then Nattty Champ. It would feel pretty freekin awesome. Lets bust our asses to get there and do it together.
Love and miss you all.
Toodles,
Eleanor

To My Main Ladies,

For all you smarty pants out there that recognized... Yes, I am posting this a litttle early. This is due to the fact that Coach Nick and I will be spending the next THREE DAYS together starting with the drive down to Duke tomorrow. A long five hour car ride during which I will blast AND sing (most know already that my voice is a mix between Fergie and Jesus) either Brittany Spears, Taylor Swift, or Destiny's Child the entire ride. Haven't decided yet... I figured I would at least ask his preference. Needless to say, it is going to be an interesting ride! Right, Nick?!

So what have I been up to these past days you may ask?! Well, if you insist...
Day 1: Rode back with Betsy and Marge. I think I slept the entire drive, and am pretty sure Bets did too... Marge drove the whole way; bless her heart! I figured it was payback for the number of times she pushed me face first into the snow last year...

Day 2: Woke up, brushed teeth, went to the bathroom, ate breakfast... Alright I'm guessing you don't want a play-by-play necessarily. I'll just list the highlights and lowlights of my vacation thus far.

Highlight: My mom has made dozens of Christmas cookies, a pie, a cheesecake, coffee cake, apple crisp, peanut butter balls, a carrot cake, to name a few. So to combat these demon sweets I have been not only attending the gym three times a day and keeping up with our daily workouts, but also have taken on ping-pong, yes ping-pong… It is through this sport that I have come upon a newfound confidence, determination, drive, heart, inspiration, as well as some bruises, which have been fueling me everyday.

Lowlight: Thus, I am now twenty pounds overweight...

Highlight: Attended Jack's annual Christmas concert. He was adorable and made us all so proud! I wish I could include the video because on nearly every move he was a good five seconds behind...

Lowlight: He heard me showing Danny the video and pointing this out and now isn't speaking to me.

Highlight: I got clothes for Christmas! Including a winter jacket! So long the days of the ever coveted ISSUE PUFFER.

Lowlight: Who are we kidding that's my all-time favorite issue gear.

On a more serious note, I am going crazy here… If you can’t tell from the attached item below, I need to get back to the Bend and be with all of you! I can’t wait to get the season started and am so excited because based on all of these posts alone, I know we’re going to do something special this year. I’m obsessed with quotes. Here are a few of my favorites that motivate me and will hopefully do the same for you.

“Positive energy… It’s a term being talked about a lot more frequently in conference rooms, classrooms, locker rooms, and even living rooms. Perhaps it’s because there is an abundance of new research that shows that positive people…” Alright you caught me… That’s from “The Energy Bus” (PLEASE NOTE CHRIS!)… Seriously though... We may be some of the luckiest girls in the world! To be doing what we love at THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME?! It's insane! But it's not like it's easy, or handed to us. Think how hard we've worked to get to where we are right now. Think of all the years and years of High School and club lacrosse... All the time and hard work we put into getting better and getting noticed; to have the opportunity to go to the school of our dreams. Think of all the sticks you've gone through. Think of your first lacrosse game EVER. Remember all the times you thought about what it would be like to be in our shoes; with the chance to accomplish our goals; to step out dressed in the Irish uniform under the lights on Arlotta Stadium with all 7 fans cheering us on (haha kidding). Think of all the coaches who told you, "you can", and think of everyone who told you, "you can't." I'm telling you, "we will". Think of the hours in the GUG, the times you've thrown the ball against the wall. Try to add up the pounds we've lifted, the miles we've run. I guess what I'm getting at is we've come a LONG way and been through a ton. Enough to know what we want, how to get it, and to also know that we can. We can do anything we set our minds to, if we just do what Marge and Kristen have been harping on... BELIEVE! I think in order to do this we have to acknowledge the fact that it's not going to be easy. But it is going to be more than worth it. Hanging in my room is a sign that says, "All of your dreams can come true. If you have the courage to pursue them." In order for what we have been talking about to work, we have to be willing to do anything and everything to get there, and I know all of us are. We have to go out there in January and make it happen. "Believe in your dreams and they may come true. Believe in yourself and they will come true."

I thought I would do my best to leave a little piece of myself on here other than written words... And thus I have attached a video... Now just a friendly public service announcement. The following video is for YOUR viewing purposes only. Please do not paste onto facebook, tweet about it or the likes (THIS MEANS YOU @NDWOMENSLAX). It is, I am telling you now, basically a “social suicide” for myself. There will be consequences for those of you who do not obey, which involve lacrosse balls errantly leaving my stick and making their way somewhat similar to Marge’s demise to concussed-ness in the fall. Alright, I’m kidding… But seriously though… I’m done for aren’t I? Well at least don’t tag me in it… Say Marge made it.

http://www.filepigeon.com/getfiles/?uid=etwaawwnwthawwlkeatltwa&targetID=RpN0do1IMBM7Tesfu9dzAQ_I_I

Love you more than life itself,

Molly #27

Merry Christmas!

Hello my lovely beautiful friends:

First and foremost, I hope everyone is having a beautiful holiday season and appreciating the time they have with their friends and family. Time with Mom and Dad seems so much sweeter when it’s few and far between. I’ve kept busy; mainly hustling middle aged women at the mall out of their parking spots, encouraging the love-hate relationship between my bank account and JCrew, rolling meatballs to dramatic Italian music, and making some big guido friends at the gym. I’m sure each of you can sympathize with the latter, as we don’t exactly blend in with the frail, Lululemon-clad females perspiring over their ellipticals.  However, in the past week I have learned something special: even if a tree falls on your house, your car breaks down in the middle of the main road during rush hour, and your dog throws up on your new holiday sweater, NOTHING can ruin ones holiday spirit! And if you feel your smile waver just open up and shove another mozzarella ball in your mouth.

Now I have a pretty tough act to follow here. These posts are boss. I’ve read each one at least twice; some a few more. This is a really cool thing we have going and I love feeling like I’m home with each of you for a little bit. And the inspiring bits everyone has incorporated are just phenomenal. We should write a book for Christs’ sake. FUNDRAISER!

But in all seriousness, listen up: I am going to admit this secret fetish-y idea that I want to accomplish because I have come to the conclusion I need your assistance. It’s an image that came to my mind one night in the clubhouse when I couldn’t sleep, probably because Lindsay was creepy sleep-talking. My private desire is this: to have one of my main b*tches in our ND uniform Tebow-ing on the cover of Lacrosse Magazine, June edition. And you can’t get there without blowing everyone’s minds and pulling out some big gangster win in the finals. Who isn’t sick of seeing the same darn teams grace the top of every list, every year? I know I am. Bleh, old news, dull, over it. Let US be the team everyone is talking about. I believe in EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. Heck, I even believe in myself. I believe in our leaders and the people at this school who care about us and dedicate their time to making us better. Let’s do this for them; let’s do this for each other, lets do it because we flipping deserve it. Like Marge said, you gotta believe. I have no doubt that our hard work combined with a little Irish luck can take us ANYWHERE!

(I know we needed to watch our language so I apologize for the insinuations but I really think it hammered the point home) (Ok feel free to edit)

So, when you realize that incline 15 on the treadmill is virtually a vertical slope, and it finally dawns on you that throwing up hang cleans with bumper plates isn’t socially acceptable in a commercial gym if you have boobs, and even when your little boy cousins touch your arm at holiday parties and go “oooh biggg!”, please picture my little idea. If you’re more of a hands-on learner just take a moment and get down on one knee and rest your head on your fist. I, Kristen Suzanne Cousins, promise you this: every moment of struggle over this break will be worth it. On January 15^th, be confident that you pushed yourself every day. NO REGRETS, YEAH??? YEAH! So you all go out there and enjoy the prep work, put your heart into every workout, and know that you’re bringing your teammates and best friends closer to a National Championship with every manly grunt. 

Also follow the Cousins’ rule of exercise: every 20 minutes of activity in your last workout is equivalent to a dessert you may indulge in today. I’m kidding. If there is sugar in your kettle corn I will hunt you down and kill you.

I hope I did Christmas Day some justice. I love you all! Wish we could be together today, so I could feed your sorry Irish butts some authentic Italian food. May your smiles be as big as mine have been for the past 48 hours!

Kisses from Jersey and Juno, @kcous25

Addendum: I have really been killin it with the pull-up machine. You know its weird, but I wasn’t crazy about flopping around uselessly at the end of my freakishly long arms during weight testing. So if I can do a pull-up when we get back, each of your owes me five dollars. I’m not promising anything. All I’m saying is that my elbows aren’t working and my traps are nearing my earlobes.

Merry Xmas Eve from TITLE TOWN!

HIIIIIII GUYYYYSSSS!!!!!!! George here. First of all, it's nice to be home and such, but I've had severe separation anxiety from all of you. I also can't sleep in a quiet house as easily as I once could. Apparently I'm too accustomed to having screaming roommates/teammates around me at all times. I'm also loving the blogs!!! I'm not very technologically sound as most of you know, so I just realized you can comment on other people's blogs (which I will now obnoxiously do for the rest of you).

On a different note, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!! Tonight I'm heading down to my uncle's on the south shore. Should be a good time. Just to give you a little picture of what Christmas weekend is like for me........ Christmas Eve Eve is somewhat comparable to modern day slavery. My brothers are older and live with their significant others, which leaves me as the only "Santa's helper". Given that Laurie just had knee surgery, that left me to bake over 700 cookies yesterday. I'm not exaggerating. At least 700. I was counting, until I decided I couldn't even look at cookies anymore (until I had some for breakfast of course).

So... as I was deciding what I wanted to say to you all in this blog, I received one of many emails from my new pal, Ken MacAfee. Ken MacAfee is a contact I've been set up with through our beloved Juli Schreiber and the Monogram Club. To give you a brief summary of him... he graduated from Our Lady Du Lac in '78 and currently serves on the Monogram Club's Board of Directors. While at ND he was a tight end on the football team. Following graduation, he played for the San Francisco 49ers (Franciiiisssscoooooooo- thats fun to say. tehe... Elf reference!) He attended dental school at Upenn IN HIS OFF SEASON, where he completed a residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He was an academician at Upenn for 8 years. And he's a Bostonian.... so he's obviously a cool person. There's no denying that Ken is an impressive guy. Incredible people pass through this place. Notre Dame is a place that calls for a certain caliber of people. It's not enough to get here. Once here, we are expected to leave our mark and to bring glory to the place that so many others wish they could be. Ken's story is admirable. He never stopped. He got here, clearly made an impact, went on to the NFL, and even that wasn't enough. He never stopped dreaming, and most importantly, he never saw limits on what he could accomplish. He continued to pursue and achieve a dental career and he holds his own practice in a beantown suburb today.

We have four opportunities here. Four chances, that's it. And they FLY by, trust me. In the blink of an eye you'll be a senior wondering where the hell the time went. We each have four years to write our own story at Notre Dame. I know that when I graduate, I want to look back and have a story that I'm proud to tell. Don't waste a single opportunity to do something great at this place. Don't tell yourself "there's always next year"... because eventually, you'll be in our shoes (the seniors), and you'll be down to your last chance, and you'll be wishing you never had that voice saying, "there's always next year". The time is now. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that not a single day goes by where I don't think about the fact that my time at Notre Dame is dwindling. But it has made me appreciate each day with you. Each day is a chance to get better, and a chance to help a teammate get better. Every time we click at practice and someone makes an amazing play, I get inspired. Every time I see someone doing something extra to get better, I light up. We've had true moments of greatness this fall. We've made huge strides together. And that all comes down to these 3 weeks we have left at home. What we do here is going to set the tone for what we will accomplish all spring. In my four years, I've never felt more connected as a whole, nor have I felt so many people were truly on board. I know all of you have been working hard, and it truly motivates me to work hard. Every time I'm out there running, and I get tired, I dedicate a sprint to each one of you. I actually go through our team, class by class, and imagine you guys running next to me. I love our team. We have amazing coaches. And we have the heart. You are the 29 girls I want on the field with me on our journey to some championships.

I'm gonna step off my soap box now and out of the glass case of emotion I'm in as a senior... I've attached (hopefully) some pictures of the place I work out at. I'd like you to please take note of the turf, which says "SYRACUSE" across it. Disgusting. The gym is owned by Cuse alums. Anyway, sometimes I spit on it, and running next to a cuse player adds to the competitive nature of the workouts. Also, please note the ND flag hanging from the ceiling. They hang a flag of all of the schools that work out there and that, my friends, hangs for Megan, Lauren, and I. (By the way, although I am thrilled you two get to enjoy down under... being the only amigos at AE is mis). I'll keep representing ND over here. I hope you all have a LOVELY Christmas, and I hope Santa is good to you!! I miss you guys!!!!!

"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it & staying with that plan" - Tom Landry

"My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the keys to my destiny." - Elain Maxwell

"Winning as a team is better than anything. It's great to share success." - Jim Harbaugh

And KRISTIN... this one is for you.... "There may be people that have more talent than you, but there's no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do." - the man, the myth, the legend: Derek Jeter.

lax on lax on lax,
Jord

Happy Eve of Christmas Eve

Hope everyone’s break is going well! The past week my family has been preparing for our annual Christmas Eve party where we expect to see aunts and uncles, grandparents, friends, and thirty cousins. We’ve been busy baking cookies, cooking appetizers, and attempting to clean the house while keeping my mom from going berserk with stress. Among the work at home I’ve still been attending therapy and I got the okay to get my brace off yesterday! (I won’t mind the lack of a white Christmas in Connecticut for now since I have to put the brace back on whenever there’s snow or rain). I got to go into the city though and the tree and all the other decorations were gorgeous.

I’m so excited for our season to start. Take nothing for granted – our successes will come because of all the hard work you’ve put in during fall ball, over this winter break, and because of how much we all want it. Like the quote I came across on StumbleUpon says, “Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.” We can’t expect to succeed just because we think we deserve it. Let’s stay motivated and continue working hard to prove to everyone that we’ve earned it!

Merry Christmas!

Love, Elizabeth

Sending love from a car in NYC

Hey guys.

 So this is gonna be short n sweet. I'm currently in nyc.  well stuck in Nyc. There's a fire in the Lincoln tunnel so me n mama can't get home.  We've been here just two days but I've quickly realized that I will never ever live here for many reasons. Just to name a few  there are a billion ppl on top of you, the noise is never ending, you need to know a different language besides English cause that isn't the most common one spoken, n everyone is going to die of first or second hand smoke.

Anyways, I've missed you guys a lot already over break n hope everyone is working hard. While walking around the monstrous macy's (its ginormous). The one saying they had everywhere was BELIEVE. Every time I saw it I was reminded of our team and the how good we can be and how far we can go this season if we simply remember to BELIEVE in ourselves. (sorry great pics were gonna be included)

 I know everyone will work hard this break and be ready to go when we get back but I hope this Will help remind you guys to believe in yourselves everyday and remember what we're working towards.

Finally, one of my favorites quotes that I have in my room n wanted to share with you guys is:

Somewhere behind the athlete you've become is the little girl who fell in love with the sport, and never looked back, do it for her.

 Even on the hard days this helps me believe in what I'm doin and reminds how lucky I am to be at notre dame and how much I always wanted to be exactly where I am now.


Live, love, n lax till we die (may 27th)

Marge22