Gretchen posted on October 22, 2013
And now the original reason why we came - the Notre Dame-Oklahoma game!
On Friday night we arrived in Lockport, a Chicago suburb about an hour south of the city, to spend the night at Theresa's house. Since she and Brady had been in Peoria with us for the last three days, we decided not to cook and to just order Chinese take-out. Brandan and Adam went out to pick it up, while Theresa and I gave the boys a bath. Theresa put food coloring in the water which she insisted would not stain their skin, hair, or the towels (it didn't).
The guys straggled in some time later with the takeout, each holding a styrofoam cup filled to the brim with an icy drink. Upon further inspection the icy drink was whiskey, which they had originally ordered at the bar while waiting for the food. The bartender was apparently a newbie, and instead of pouring "two fingers," he filled their tumblers to the brim. The guys didn't complain, and although they couldn't drink it all at the restaurant, they were able to get them to-go (open container laws be damned!). The food was good, and we hit the sack early.
The next morning when I came out of the shower at 7:40am, Joe had already arrived and found the apple cider donuts. He was suspiciously but he claimed coincidentally wearing a crimson-ish colored t-shirt. We were ready to go pretty much on time at 8:00, and headed out. Joe had been gracious enough to offer to drive us from Lockport to South Bend in the morning, hang out in South Bend during the day, and then drive us back to Chicago that night. He wasn't even going to the game! (It should be noted that he is in the process of moving to South Bend, so he already has a place there with girlfriend Roshani and dog Chloe.) It's about a 90 minute drive normally, but on game day it takes quite a bit longer. Especially those last two miles. Even though kick-off was four hours away, the exit into Notre Dame was very clogged. We got out near my old apartment and wandered around campus for a few hours, enjoying bratwursts and stopping by all the major sights and some minor ones too.
Later Dad arrived with his buddy Bill, who was attending the game with him. We watched the band step off from Main Building, which is where they line up, and march in formation to the stadium, playing the whole way. Here's what it looks like:
VIDEO: ND Band Step Off
Then we attended the game, yaddah yaddah yaddah, then we went to dinner at Dad's choice, North Dining Hall. I worked behind the scenes at North Dining Hall for years. It was 9:00 before we even left campus. Joe, who had declined the mass-produced deliciousness of the North Dining Hall, picked us up and we headed back west.
Meanwhile, somewhere back in Chicago, little Ike had what was probably the most exciting day of his life. When he woke up, his mom and dad were already gone, and he had the place to himself with his cousin, aunt, uncle, and their dog (or "woof woof" and he calls them). Not only did they stuff him with food, but they had a slide in their yard and then Grandma came! In the afternoon, Grandma took him to his other aunt and uncle's house, where he played with his two girl cousins until bedtime. By the time we arrived he had long since gone to bed.
On Sunday my high school friend Sarah, who also lives in Chicago, came by with her husband and one-year-old son, Rhys. The little guys had some good playtime, and Lily also joined in (although honestly she was a lot more interested in the iPad we'd brought along). Later in the afternoon we hit up the park one last time, then finished off our trip with a bottle of Goose Island Matilda. (It looks like wine but it is beer, really good Chicago-brewed beer too.)
A great time was had by all! See ya next time Illinois!