THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

Hey all.

So my break has been less than eventful. Besides literally getting anxiety over picking a goal song (it is a decision that I treated as life or death) my typical day consisted of waking up..enjoying a nice cup (or 3) of coffee as my dad and I watched either animal planet, the food network, any show that consisted of gangs or felons (Sarge loves him some crime), or Say Yes to the Dress, where my Dad had more input than one would think. Then after I worked out, I would make my return to the same chair to continue to watch animal planet, food network, or shows like "gangland" or "lockdown". The highlight show however was the HBO series 24/7. There is no way anyone could not be an avid hockey fan after watching the amazingly well done series (GO RANGERS!). The last episode, at the very end was the height of inspiration. I found myself sitting on the edge of my chair with my foot shaking and my heart racing and a geeky smile on my face. I have to admit I do get really invested in shows and movies (did I cry in 2012? NO!) but I do not think I would be alone in this emotion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=26yoP8Nc56Q

The clip talks about how hockey is more than a "game" to these players, it is who they are. I think if lacrosse wasn't who we were, we wouldn't be here at the best university in the world. We work our asses off day in and day out, when no one is watching and when everyone is watching because of that pit in our stomach we get when we get that moment of perfection on the field. We feel that pain that the clip describes as "why it hurts so much when skill falls short of what the will desires." I always got butterflies in my stomach as I got ready for a game because it is more than just a game, it's those thrilling 60 minutes where you can do things many cannot and have the opportunity to be great. Unfortunately I lost that for a bit over the past few years. This year, I'm starting to feel those butterflies again. That picture of Stony Brook was very inspiring Boo. I want to be there. I want to feel those butterflies THERE.

There's a quote that some of the Alabama Softball team showed us when we went down there, as good people. It goes: "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”  There is no greater name than the Fighting Irish, and no greater team than ours. I love our team. We are ND.




See you in 2 days!
jmo (shoutout to Joel for the nickname)