"In the summer, the song sings itself." - William Carlos Williams

My freshman year of college is over. How did that happen?

Looking back on the year, I like to think of it as a marathon: Long and challenging, but unbelievably rewarding.

It was with a heavy heart (and heavy eyelids) that I left Notre Dame at 6 AM last Saturday. I'm a week out of school and I already miss my friends, my 4 cubic feet of dorm room, playing frisbee at dusk, lighting candles at the Grotto, waking up to see the Golden Dome out of my window, debating with myself about whether to bring an umbrella in my backpack (and then regretting leaving it in my room), late night hallway chats, getting packages, free t-shirts, s'mores in the dining hall, football, LaFun Runs, complaining about homework, reading (and writing for) the Observer, even doing my laundry....okay, maybe not doing my laundry.

I think if I miss school when I'm at home more than I miss home when I'm at school, I can consider it a good year.

And I'm only a freshman! (Wait...now I'm a sophomore. NO!) I can't imagine being a senior and parting with all of that stuff forever! 

I can't wait to be back at Notre Dame, and I actually will be there in the not-too-distant future. I will be a resident counselor in the Summer Scholars program from June 30 to July 13, working with gifted high school students from around the country and the world. I'm counting down the days until I arrive in South Bend and reunite with some of my Notre Dame friends.

That being said, summer is quite nice. I get an almost unfair amount of sleep, my family constantly tells me they're glad I'm home, and I can hang out with "home friends" a lot more often. I'm glad that the weather is warm, because after a winter of being bundled up like an Eskimo, I plan to wear shorts and sandals all summer.

Summer challenge: Wear only Sperry Top-Siders,
Birkenstocks, or Chacos every day

It's gonna be great. 

On the Heels of Legends We Rise to Victory

Spring has sprung in South Bend, and I have to say, I think it's my favorite season here. The trees and flowers are blooming in a riot of color, the birds are chirping, and flip flops and shorts are slowly creeping out of closets and drawers. Campus is thawing, and spring fever is in full force.

With the arrival of this green season comes all sorts of outdoor activities that would probably have caused hypothermia and untimely death during the winter.

Two weeks ago, my dad came out to South Bend to visit me for my hall's Father-Daughter Weekend. He took me out for off-campus food (always sought-after when parents come to visit), we go karted, and we even got a tour of Notre Dame Stadium, fulfilling a bucket-list goal for the both of us.

My dad and I with the famous Play Like
a Champion Today sign

Last weekend was the annual Blue Gold Game, in which the football team is divided into (shockingly) a Blue team and a Gold team and plays a spring scrimmage. All sorts of football festivities were on the agenda for the weekend like tailgating, Candlelight Dinner, and the release of the 2013 Shirt (seen below). The Shirt is a yearly tradition - everyone in the student section (and most other Notre Dame fans) wear it to every football game. Planned by a very secretive committee of students, the Shirt is a symbol of Notre Dame football and looks really cool on national TV.

The 2013 Shirt

I went to the game itself, which was played on a chilly but brilliantly sunny afternoon. I am SO EXCITED (!!!) for football season, especially considering Notre Dame's stellar recruiting class and the return of several key contributors from last year's 12-1 squad, including quarterback Everett Golson.

This past weekend was also filled with fun stuff. On Saturday afternoon, students flocked to Saint Mary's Lake to catch the 25th Annual Fisher Regatta. Fisher Hall hosts the annual tradition, in which each dorm builds its own boat out of odds and ends and attempts to sail it across the lake. My dorm's boat, seaworthy though she was, didn't make it too far before the crew had to jump ship and doggy-paddle it across the cold lake. That may have been because it was made out of a wood frame, several sealed buckets, and a piece of lattice fencing.

Spectators await the start of the Fisher Regatta

I only have two days of class left, and then four reading days before final exams start next Monday. It's hard to believe an academic year has already passed! I thought it was hard to study for finals before Christmas break, but attempting to hit the books when the weather is so lovely (today was 75 degrees and full of spring sunshine) is nigh impossible. Of course, I'm sure it will all work out, but that Philosophy paper is calling my name, so I'd better get back to it......

Time Flies

They really mean it when they say "time flies when you're having fun." Seriously. I did a double-take when I looked at my calendar and it said today is April 1. Hold on - where did January, February, and March go? With a sturdy pair of boots and a winter coat that looks like a sleeping bag with arms, I have survived (mostly) the harsh South Bend winter, and am ardently awaiting the first blooms of spring. (Hurry up.)

I've been up to my eyeballs with schoolwork and other fun stuff. Classes are interesting and challenging  as ever, and it's come to be that time of the semester when I have to start thinking about thenext semester's classes. Scary.

I've also done all kinds of fun stuff in the past few weeks. In February, I went to the Bengal Bouts finals, and it was definitely one of the coolest and most inspiring things I've seen all year. Bengal Bouts is the largest amateur boxing tournament in the world. Fighting by the motto "Strong bodies fight, that weak bodies may be nourished," over 200 Notre Dame men train for months leading up to the bouts and raise money for Notre Dame's Holy Cross missions in Bangladesh. (Women box in their own tournament, Baraka Bouts, which takes place in November.)

Bengal Bouts finals in the Purcell Pavilion

While I was home for spring break, my dad and I hopped the train to New York City to see the men's basketball team play in their final Big East tournament. We watched the Irish defeat Marquette (while wearing those...eye-catching...uniforms). We had a great time at Madison Square Garden, even though our boys lost to Louisville the next night.

My dad and I at Madison Square Garden -
note shamrock scarf

I made a quick trip home for Easter - which was lovely - and had the wonderful surprise of catching the Phillies game on Friday night with my brother and our friends. Though the Phils lost to the Blue Jays, we had a blast hanging out in the Diamond Club, eating Chickie's and Pete's crab fries, and generally celebrating the return of baseball season.

My view from the Diamond Club

Like I said, I've been quite the busy bee. With only a little over a month of school to go, I have no doubt that I'll have just as many irons in the fire (if not more). Check back for my progress! And for my daily musings, follow me on Twitter @nicolemcalee!

This Is Our Year

Today is the day I've really been looking forward to since Thanksgiving. Yeah, my birthday was fun, Christmas was good, and New Year's Eve was nice.

But today is the day when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will leave their mark on college football history. Tonight, the undefeated Irish will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide (Seriously? I mean their name is Crimson Tide but their mascot is an elephant. What? Irrelephant indeed.) in the BCS National Championship Game in Miami. Sadly, I do not have a ticket to this game and thus I am not in sunny Miami. I blog today from my humble abode, but it's okay because I will be glued to the TV all night anyway.

Though Alabama is favored by a steep 9½ points, I feel pretty good about Notre Dame's chances. They've been underdogs all season. Who's to say they can't beat the odds again?

Here come the Irish! 

In other news, I've been thoroughly enjoying my month-long Christmas break. It's been great to catch up with my friends and family and have a few adventures while I'm home. On Saturday, my family and I took a day trip up to New York City to see Newsies on Broadway, which was so great that I want to see it again.

Newsies at the Nederlander Theatre in NYC

That said, I'm looking forward to getting back to school, seeing my friends, and starting a new round of classes. I'll be back to my home under the Dome on Sunday, and my first day of classes is next Tuesday.

Well, I'm off to mentally prepare for the game. I'll leave you with these parting words: 

"And don’t forget, men, today is the day we’re gonna win. They can’t lick us, and that’s how it goes." - Knute Rockne 

GO IRISH! BEAT BAMA!