Notre Dame 20th Reunion Day 3

We woke up slightly exhausted from the previous two days of Notre Dame fun.  We squeezed in a few more things before we headed home.

We got to introduce the kids to breakfast at the dining hall.  The menu was impressive and the unlimited food/drinks was so exciting to the kids.

The photo ops all around campus were my favorite.

As well as our matching St. Patrick's Day shirts.

Banana phones.

Leprechaun waffles.

Pastries, omelets, bacon, juices, cereal bar and more.  We loved eating at the dining hall with the kids.

One more stroll around campus.  The flowers all looked so pretty.  We revisited our favorite spots and the weather was chilly.

There are so many pretty spots on campus.

We headed to do some shopping and strolling at Eddy Street Commons.  The restaurants, shopping, Trader Joes and more make it such a fun stop.  I think that the bookstore here is better than the one on campus.  There's a Starbucks inside with a neat Notre Dame coffee cup.

The kids are ready to go back for a football game ASAP and I'm so glad we were able to make this trip happen!

Notre Dame 20th Reunion Day 2

We woke up bright and early Satruday morning to head to campus.  We were ready to check into our dorm for the day and get busy exploring.  There were events all day long on campus - picnics, get togethers, tours, photo ops, family fun and more.  We looked over the agenda and were ready to go.

It was a non-stop day.

We checked into the dorms for one night.  Our accomodations were basic and they may have failed to mention that air conditioning was opening your window, but the kids loved it.

We trecked out to Carroll Hall which we heard had recently been remodeled.

Kevin's dorm was the most remote and he's got some crazy stories from his days in the dorm.  I think he'd tell you he loved his single apartment living way better than dorm life.

We were trying to pack in as much as possible before the rain hit.  Fletcher brought along his tablet so he could take pictures of his own.  It was precious.

Stopped and said some prayers at The Grotto.  I took a picture of Kevin and the kids then a sweet lady insisted I hop in the picture for a whole family shot.  Moms looking out for moms!

We popped in the student center for some snacks and coffee.

And got a tiny glimpse of what it'll be like to visit our college kids at college.  I'm guessing they'll always be excited for snacks with mom and dad.

We got to go inside the stadium for a luncheon.  It was so cool!  The kids had never been inside the stadium so this was neat.  Leo wasn't impressed, but the older two can't wait to go back for a football game.

Next, we headed to a drinks/snacks/game tent to hang out.  The kids loved the oversized yard games, snacks and place to hang out.  The rain came and we still had a great time.

Leo climbed all the big rocks on campus.  He wasn't impressed by all the landmarks, but he was impressed by the rocks.

We hurried back to the dorms to get ready for Kevin's class dinner that night.  The rain stopped, we dropped the kid's off at kid's camp and headed to enjoy dinner.  The food was delicious and we sat with a really nice table of people.  Just as we finished we got called to come get the kids.

I packed a different outfit for the dinner, but the flowy pants + rain weren't a good combo.  A run to Meijer for a new dress for the win.

The clover treats all weekend long were my favorite.

Has it really been 20 years since we were in college?!?

One more day of Notre Dame fun tomorrow!

Notre Dame 20th Reunion Day1

Kevin got the invitation for his 20th reunion from University of Notre Dame back in the Spring and we started talking seriously about going.  We have managed to skip every single reunion opportunity for the both of us for the last 20 years.  Neither of us had any interest in going until year 20.  We both gradulated from undergrad + got married 20 years ago this Summer.  That felt like a big milestone.  They had tons of events for families, kids and alums.  It was the first week of Summer so we decided to make reservations.  It's just about 5 hours north of us now so we planned a quick weekend roadtrip.

We had the best time!

We visited all of the famous landmarks on campus.

We got to spend the night in a dorm!  Super exciting very basic accomodations.  We might have decided taht we're too old to live in dorms again, but the kids LOVED every second of dorm life.

We visited our favorite spots around Southbend and just generally loved an entire weekend filled with Notre Dame festivities.

We felt nostalgic and sentimental about sharing a place that we love so much with the kids.  The big kids are ready to head back for a football game this Fall.

There was an exciting buzz on campus with alums everywhere you looked.  This group of guys offered to take a family picture for us and I appreciated it so much.  

Classic Leo.

We hardly ever use our stroller anymore, but we threw it in the car last minute.  I'm so thankful we did because we did a ton of walking all weekend long.

Fletcher looks so good in ND colors.

The weather was perfection!  And we had so much fun snapping pictures all over campus.

We got invited to a vow renewal ceremony in the Basilica.  It was a sweet group vow renewal and perfect for us celebrating our 20th anniversary next month.

It's a beautiful place.  I've been in the Basilica several times, but this was my first service here.  The kids did mostly great and the marriage service was sweet.  I'm glad Kevin signed us up for this special event.

After the service we explored campus.  The kids loved all the giant trees and pretty flowers.  Let's not forget the squirrel chasing.

Every single detail of the campus is beautiful.

We made several trips to the bookstore to update our ND gear for the season.  Olive found the cutest sweatshirt and belt bag.  They have a great bookstore on campus and a really fun one on the edge of campus.  Both are filled with the cutest gear.

All checked in and official for the Forever Irish weekend.

Then we headed to our favorite mexican restaurant for dinner - Salsa's Mexican Grill.

They have a "Guac Girl" who comes to your table, a spicy ranch, delicious salsa and such good food!  We were here when Fletcher was little so it was fun to come back.  The portions are huge so we did a lot of sharing.

We went to bed so excited for another fun day on campus tomorrow!

10 Road Trip Tips

Is anyone else taking summer road trips this year?

We have been on a couple road trips (5 hours and 16 hours) and have a few tips to share with you.  I do a lot less for the 5 hour trips than the 16 hour trips.  Five hour trips means one fun surprise and some good snacks.  A lot more work goes into planning 16 hour road trips especially when it's 16 hours to AND 16 hours from your destination.  

1. Figure out your favorite food stops and try to find them along the way.

I love Dunkin iced coffee and Kevin loves a Starbucks run.  We're always excited to see Jimmy Johns, Chick-Fil-A or Culvers.  Make sure to use your rewards apps for all your favorite restaurants.  I cashed in some CFA points for free items, earned points for coffees and used Culvers rewards for kids meals.

2. Search Amazon for some fun new toys surprises for the drive.  

The kids loved these Gokeey Transformable fidget spinners.  They were very sturdy, the kids played with them a ton and they really were albe to transform into the coolest robots/creatures/inventions.  We have played with them for a couple of weeks and they area lls till in perfect condition.  The kids and adults had fun making different creatures and playing with these fidget spinners.  10/10 recommend them for summer travel or for birthday party gifts.

GoKeey Transformable Fidget Spinners 4 Pack - with a coupon to clip!

3. Post-It Note count down.

My kids (ages 4-11) all appreciate this visual count down.  I set a timer on my phone and for every hour we do of driving, we take down a post it note.  I prepped these ahead of time and wrote out 1-16 twice.  That way I was ready for the trip down and the trip back.

4. Make a fun Spotify playlist or two.  Olive made one for the kids.  I always have a current playlist ready and Kevin wished we'd made him a playlist of his favorite songs to put in the rotation.  We listen through the car bluetooth and it was really helpful when we hit dead spots of not great radio reception.

5. Car crafts!  My kids enjoy these wax wiki sticks, busy books, marker crafts, sticker books and more.  I don't usually like things like slime in the car because it is so messy.

6. Fun Pit Stops!

If you have time, fun pit stops are an instant mood boost!  Bucees is something else.  We've skipped them before when they are too crowded, but this trip we visited twice.  It's quite a spectacle and the food is oustanding.

7. Dine in.

Another instant mood boost is getting everyone out of the car and dining inside.  We all needed a break when we got to Macon, GA.  This Chick-Fil-A dine in gave us the energy to drive a few more hours.  We never dine in for long, but the change of scenery is good for everyone.

8. Reserve your hotels in advance.  We have made the mistake of not doing this and had to sleep for a few hours in a van at a rest stop or drive way far out of the way for a hotel room.  Kevin handles all of this.  He'll map our the hours he'd like to drive and then pick a hotel in that city.  We split up the drives where we did 9 or 10 hours on day 1 and then had a shorter day of about 6 hours for day 2.

9. Gas station snack grab.

Nothing perks the kids up more than telling them to grab any snack of their choice at a bathroom break.  It's so fun to see them strolling through the giant aisles of salty and sweet snacks to pick out something that sounds good to them.

10. Collect trash as you eat and snack and then throw away a bag of trash every time you stop for restroom/gas breaks.  That way your car will stay clean and clutter free!

11. If you have a long drive and are spending the night in a hotel half way, pack a small bag with pjs/outfits for everyone for that night.  That way you just have to take that small bag into the hotel room for night and not have everyone drag in all of their suitcases and bags.  It makes it a really quick sleep and go night if you have everything you need for everyone in one bag. 

12. Find things to get excited about - landmarks, fun stops along the way, a new movie to watch, make a vacation to do list as you travel or anything happy and positive to pass the time.  The silliest thing we got excited about on this drive was our stops at Bucees.  I think we passed 3 of them each drive and it was fun to monitor the billboards.  And after we stopped for the first time we came up with a list of things to try on our next visit.

The Banana Pudding is amazing.

Skip all the hot food options and go straigth for the BBQ.  Kevin and I will be dreaming of these pulled pork sandwiches for a while.  Skip the BLT and the chicken strips/fries.  They take forever to prepare and aren't very good.

And then grab a snack to enjoy later.  Kevin loves fudge so this sampler pack caught his eye.  The kids of course picked out Bucees stuffed animals or key chains.  We all have wish list items for our next visit to Bucees.

Good luck planning and enjoying your summer road trips!!