Can I just say...

...I am so excited The Office is back tonight! I am going to be glued to the TV tonight - on NBC we've got SNL Weekend Update Thursday at 8 (and Amy Poehler will be back!), Parks and Recreation at 8:30, Office at 9, and Community at 9:30. I've heard good things about Community, so I'm giving it a shot and risking addiction to yet another TV show. (We've already started to watch Glee and I'm considering trying out Flash Forward...plus there's a 2 hours Heroes premiere next week...yikes!)

Then at 10 I'll be watching Project Runway as usual - and as soon as that's over, Shaun gets the TV to watch Fringe, which we'll have to DVR since that's on at 9 on Fox. And I'll DVR Models of the Runway but watch it another day - gotta get some sleep at least! Especially since we have a busy weekend ahead of us... Shaun and Rich are picking me up early from work and we're heading to DC to visit John and Sarah! Unfortunately we don't have a long weekend there like we did last year, but we'll make the most of it. Hopefully I'll remember to snap a few pictures so I can post them next week!

Weekend at Notre Dame, Part 2

We were already tired after just one day of running around campus, but fortunately the game didn't start until 3:30, so we were able to sleep in and spend some more time chatting with Martha (Shaun's grandma) before heading over to campus around noon.



We got brats at one of the many food stands on the quad and found a shady spot to enjoy them...



...watched from the steps of the Main Building (the one with the Golden Dome) as the team walked out of the Basilica (where we got married!) on the way to the stadium...



...and made our way over to Bond Hall for the marching band's Concert on the Steps, where they played some of the pregame and halftime music, before following them on their march to the stadium.



The Irish Guard raises the flag for America the Beautiful and the Star Spangled Banner.



The band forms N D and the team races out of the tunnel. "Heeeeeere come the Irish!"



We didn't take too many pictures during the game...we were too busy cheering! Not a bad start to the season...not at all.



We climbed to the top of the stadium to watch the band march out once again. That's the Hesburgh Library in the background - the mural is called "The Word of Life" but is more commonly known as Touchdown Jesus.



On our way out - you can see the brick of the original stadium. The expansion in 1997 added the upper level by simply building around the old stadium. I never went to a game in the old stadium, but I think it's cool how they preserved history like that.



We had to swing by the Dome one last time before heading to the car...this is one of my favorite sights. Even when I walked by all the time as a student, it never got old.

It was a little strange being back this time, because this is the first game we've been to where we didn't know anyone in the marching band. We felt disconnected, and it kind of made me want to go back and live there again and be a part of it. Of course, I wouldn't want to relive all four years, but there are plenty of things I'd love to experience a second time. Shaun and I started to wonder when it will feel normal to come back as an alum rather than being a student in the band.

We did have a fun evening though of reconnecting with a drumline friend who recently moved back to South Bend for a research job at ND. We chatted and watched more football at his apartment, then hit the road Sunday morning. We had decided to drive the whole way on Sunday so we'd have Labor Day to recover, but we made sure to switch up the driving every couple of hours, and it worked pretty well. It was an awesome weekend, but at the end of the day we were happy to get back to our own bed!

Weekend at Notre Dame, Part 1

We had an awesome weekend at Notre Dame! It's roughly a 12 hour drive to get there from where we live, so we left early afternoon on Thursday to make most of the trip that night. After an overnight stop in Ohio, we got into South Bend around noon and headed for Shaun's (step-)grandmother's house. We had lunch and spent a bit of time with her, and then went to campus for Friday afternoon festivities. After a quick walk around campus and trip to the bookstore, we met up with some drummer alumni to watch the current drumline warm up and march out with the band to their afternoon practice.



From there, we followed the band to the pep rally. They usually take place inside the basketball arena, but there's construction work being done on it right now, so this rally was out on the quad. Different, but still fun - and the beautiful weather helped. Above is a picture Shaun took of the team up on stage.

We grabbed dinner at Steak 'n Shake...classy, I know. But we don't have them in CT, and we always used to go there during school for a cheap meal off campus, so it's just kind of our thing. Plus the cheese fries are SO GOOD.



We came back to campus after dark and visited one of our favorite places, the Grotto (bit of info at the bottom of that linked page if you're interested). It's gorgeous, peaceful, and situated right across from one of the campus lakes - and we actually saw a couple get engaged nearby that night! It's a popular place for alums (and the occasional students) to get engaged, but I've never actually witnessed it before, so that was fun and very sweet.



We continued the rest of our evening as if we were undergrads...we'd seen a stage and a sign on the quad earlier for a free comedy show featuring Maria Bamford and Judah Friedlander, so we sat and watched in our ND hoodies, trying to blend in as best we could with the crowd of mostly freshmen. (If nothing else we could pass for grad students, right?) Anyway, I'd never heard of Maria and I'd only seen Judah as his character on 30 Rock - but they were both hilarious.

After the show ended, we rushed over to the Dome and Midnight Drummers' Circle. For those unfamiliar, every Friday night before a home football game, the drumline of the Notre Dame marching band plays their cheers and cadences for about half an hour, in the middle of campus, to help get the students and fans hyped up for the game. In the four years I was at ND, it went from an occasional gathering that would often get broken up by campus security to an official, sanctioned event occurring on every football weekend. It's kinda cool the tradition we left behind!

I don't have any pictures because we didn't get a great spot, and it was of course dark, but apparently the local news was on top of it - you can see a brief video clip here! (click the link in the middle of that page) It's crazy to see how Drummers' Circle has grown - when I was in the drumline, we didn't have a screen set up so people in the back could see, and we certainly didn't have flaming cymbals! And we had to walk uphill both ways in bare feet to get there! (Not really, but I know I'm sounding like a crotchety old alum!)

This is getting long already, so I think I'll break it up into two posts. Next up: game day!

Sheila's Famous Brownies

I'll be honest: I'm not sure who Sheila is, and I'm not sure where this recipe came from. It's another one that my mom made while I was growing up, and my Googling to attempt to find the source provided no answers. So, I will just say to Sheila, whoever she is, thanks for making these. With layers of brownie, buttercream, and chocolate glaze, they're the perfect treat for a sugar - and specifically chocolate - addict like me. I think in the future I'll try to find a from-scratch brownie recipe with the right texture to make it that much better - but they're still plenty tasty this way!



Sorry the picture's not great...the pan was almost all gone by the time I got a chance to take one...plus I neglected to recruit Shaun as photographer again!

Sheila's Famous Brownies

1 - 20 to 24 oz package brownie mix, plus ingredients needed for baking
2 sticks butter (1 at room temp)
1 lb powdered sugar (about 3 3/4 cups)
2-3 tablespoons milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

For brownies: Mix and bake the brownies according to package directions for cakelike brownies. Bake in a 13 x 9 inch pan. Cool on wire rack.
For frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened stick of butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Mix in 2 tablespoons of the milk and the vanilla. Slowly beat in remaining powdered sugar. Beat in additional milk, if needed, to make a spreadable mixture. Spread over cooled brownies.
For glaze: In a small saucepan (or microwave-safe bowl), combine chocolate pieces and remaining butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted and combined. Slowly pour over frosting.
Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.
The recipe says to store at room temperature, but I think refrigerated is fine too - just depends on what kind of texture you prefer.

*Completely unrelated to the rest of this post...we are leaving for Notre Dame tomorrow afternoon for the first football game of the season! So excited for the weekend - I'll be back with pictures next week!*

Good weekend with a great friend

This past weekend our wonderful friend (and matron of honor at our wedding) Lauren came to visit! She and I have been friends since the beginning of college when we both tried out for drumline - and conveniently lived in dorms that were right next to each other. Now, our arrangement isn't so convenient, as she lives in Georgia and I'm in Connecticut, but we make sure to stay in touch and really look forward to the opportunities we have to get together.

Lauren flew into New York City late last week, and Shaun and I took the train down to meet her on Saturday morning. Our friend Liz also made her way up from the Philadelphia area, and we all went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka "The Met"). I ended up not taking any pictures there, and I will admit I'm not a big art person, but it was very cool to see the assortment of artifacts from various points in history - like Egyptian scrolls from 1300 B.C., statues from ancient Greece, and full suits of armor. It made me wonder what kinds of things from our era might end up in a museum someday!

After that, since the Met is right next to Central Park, we took a little stroll to Belvedere Castle.



Shaun and I visit NYC occasionally, but this is a part of Central Park we had never been to. It was nice, but as you can see, the algae-topped water was pretty gross! We felt bad for the ducks trying to churn their way through it.

On the way back to Grand Central, Shaun had to stop and take a picture of the Plaza Hotel...aka the place Kevin McCallister stayed in Home Alone 2. Watching Home Alone 1 & 2 is part of our holiday routine every year, so of course we had to point out the landmark!



Here is where Kevin gets picked up in his limo...yeah, I know it's just a movie.

After dinner and seeing Liz off, Shaun and I brought Lauren back to our place for the night. We were exhausted from our day of walking in the city, so Sunday was pretty low-key. We showed her around our town and took her to see a pretty view at Lover's Leap park.



It's hard to see here, but I'm wearing the awesome shirt Lauren brought me from the NBC store as a belated birthday present...it simply reads, "I want to go to there". 30 Rock fans will get it!

We had a great weekend for the most part, but unfortunately we got stuck in MAJOR traffic Sunday night trying to get Lauren back to LaGuardia and she missed her flight. It was absolutely ridiculous - it usually takes us 1.5 hours or less to get there, and this time it took at least 2.5 hours. We got her to a hotel right by the airport and she was rebooked for Monday morning, but we were all pretty aggravated for awhile there. On our way back Shaun said, "I don't care if it's more expensive to fly out of Westchester or Hartford...I never want to drive to LaGuardia or JFK again!" I can't say I blame him...at least we might have enough airline miles to get a free ticket soon.

I'm so glad Lauren was able to come up to visit. We hadn't seen her since the wedding! It was harder to say goodbye than I expected...it's kind of the same with my family - I don't think about being away from them a lot on a day-to-day basis, as I've gotten used to the distance. But then I get used to spending time with people and realize how much I've missed them. Guess I just have to keep building up those miles...

Out of shape

It's been awhile...I just haven't been a very inspired blogger lately. I've at least made a step (or perhaps a pedal) in the right direction physically though, as Shaun and I finally made our purchase of a recumbent exercise bike. We've gone way too long without a consistent workout routine, and though we've been blessed with decent metabolism, we know that doesn't get us off the hook.

I feel kind of sad that I've descended into this state of dread toward exercise. In high school (yeah, I know that was 10 years ago) I was on the swimming team, and with dry land conditioning plus pool time, I would work out for three hours a day, Monday through Saturday, minus the one meet day we would have most weeks. That was actually my favorite part - despite my usually low-key nature, I thrived on competition in the pool, and seeing someone coming up the lane next to me would always push me to go faster. Sometimes I miss that!

I didn't have a workout routine per se in college, but during football season Shaun and I would both march around wearing 40lb drums for a couple hours a day (and much longer on game days). I think that counts for something! But we both had activity overload throughout our school years and since then have been reveling in our ability to be lazy after coming home from work, aside from the occasional walk or hike during nicer weather.

But no more laziness here. We decided on the bike because we figured A. if we have a way to work out that involves sitting and even watching TV in our own basement, we might actually do it, and B. it's a better value for us than going to a gym where we probably wouldn't use most of the stuff they offer. Plus no one wants to see me all gross and sweaty.

My nemesis...just kidding. I actually had no idea there was a slot for books and stuff until I took this picture.

I admire people who train for marathons or bike an insane amount of miles per day, but I just don't have the drive for that. So for now, I'm just trying to do some sort of workout most days of the week for my own health...so I don't feel quite as guilty about having dessert, or try to convince myself my shorts just "shrank in the wash". It's only been a couple of weeks since we got the bike, but I just want to know when I'm going to start feeling better from working out, instead of exhausted!

Easy Crumbly Cornbread

Once again, I must give credit to my mom for pointing me toward a recipe. I'm not sure how she chose this one out of all the cornbread recipes out there, but Shaun and I are grateful - it's really tasty! Of course, with two sticks of butter included, it's not something we have all the time (and I rationalize it since it's not like we eat it in one sitting, right??). But just as we like our soft and crumbly cupcakes, we like this soft and crumbly cornbread. Throw some honey butter on there and mmmm...good stuff.

I hired my hubby as the photographer for this post...I think I might give him the permanent position!

The original recipe can be found on cooks.com, but I changed a few ingredient amounts and cleaned up the directions a bit. The first time I made the original, the middle was underdone while the edges got dark. To avoid that the second time, I turned it into corn muffins instead, but we didn't like that quite as much as the original. This last time, I used the amounts below in the 9 x 13 pan, and it was just about perfect - but there's definitely some leeway if you want to experiment.

Easy Crumbly Cornbread

1/2 lb. butter
3 eggs
1 cup milk (original says 1 1/4 cups)
3 cups pancake mix
2/3 cup sugar (original says up to 1 cup)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 to 3/4 cup cornmeal

While pre-heating oven to 350 degrees, melt butter in 9 x 13-inch pan in oven. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat eggs with milk in a separate bowl. When butter is melted, carefully remove from oven, and pour egg/milk mixture and butter into dry mix. Stir to combine - batter will have a few lumps. Pour into the butter-greased pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until center is firm to touch. Allow to stand 3-5 minutes before serving.