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