Erin Go Braugh

Well, this has certainly been one heck of a weekend, and I have even learned a few things along the way.

A little bit about me ... I am a planner. I am a very organized person. I live and die by my calendar. I like to plan ahead, and to know exactly what is going to happen (at all times!), which, as we all know, is not always possible! And in reality, things hardly ever go quite as planned!

So I knew this weekend was going to be a hectic one, but I had it very precisely planned out, and then it happens. That first bump in the road.

The weekend of St. Patrick's Day festivities was to begin with the Irish luncheon on Friday. I had a conference call on Friday morning scheduled from 8:30am - 10:30am, which then gave me just enough time to finish getting ready and be down at the Hilton Ballpark for the 11:30am luncheon.

After I get off my conference call I notice that there is a call and a message from my Mother. Now in my mind, there is nothing really overly alarming about this. She was to be my date for Friday Night's Irish Gala, as my husband had to work, and so maybe she was just checking in to see what I was wearing. (Typical girl thing, right?) So on my way downtown I call her back, only to find out that she has twisted her ankle, and will not be able to attend the dinner with me. Aghh. I was really looking forward to spending a nice evening with her, and these kinds of social events are not nearly as fun when you are by yourself.

I then made a couple of phone calls to a few friends to see if anyone is available to fill in as my date, but it is such late notice and they all have plans or do not have a babysitter. Bummer. Oh well, I continue on down to the luncheon, ready to wear my green parade jacket for the first time!

The luncheon was absolutely wonderful. Complete with old friends, and a few new ones as well, and it could not have been a nicer event! The luncheon ran a little longer than I had expected (I should know better! The Irish are definitely not known for being short winded) and so I had to dash out of there just before the last speaker was done as I had a hair appointment at 2pm. I just made it to my appointment on time, and had my amazing hair dresser freshen up my hair cut and added some va-va-voom blonde to my dull winter hair! Now I am ready for dinner ... oh yes, my dateless dinner. Aghh.

Off to the house to get ready for the Irish Gala, and make sure that the kiddos are all settled. Grandpa is headed over to steal them and take them to Steak n' Shake for dinner (a fan favorite) and I am headed out the door to quickly grab some green hair extensions from Hot Topic (gotta add a little spice to this night) and head on down to dinner ... stag.

On my way downtown I decided to shoot a quick message on Twitter to a fellow Domer who is new to St. Louis, letting him know that the Notre Dame Club of St. Louis has a float in the St. Patrick's Day Parade tomorrow, and inviting him to come meet some fellow Domers and ride on the float with us. To which he responds that although he would love to, he has to work tomorrow, and so he will have to pass. Bummer.

And then the idea hits me ... hey, why don't I invite him to dinner? He's new to town. And this dinner is going to be crawling with Notre Dame folks ... the perfect place for him to meet some people that he instantly has something in common with. And lets face it, every one is Irish on St. Patrick's Day! So I shoot him a message back asking him if he had any dinner plans and if he'd like to join me for dinner! And he says yes! So much for my intricately planned weekend, huh? The dinner was a blast, and he got to meet a bunch of fellow Domers (and even got two dinner invites!), and I think a good time was had by all!

The parade on Saturday was awesome! Sunny and 65F ... surrounded by good friends ... even got to briefly say Hi to a friend in town from Florida. Absolutely perfection. And today the weekend came to completion with a beautiful Mass at St. John the Apostle (Irish) Catholic Church. The Lenten message in the homily was quite beautiful. Lent is supposed to be a "desert" experience for us. A time when we examine our lives. A chance for us to become what we should be, if we are not quite there. A time for us to refocus our lives on who and what are important to us. A beautiful reminder for all of us to slow down and make sure that our priorities are in the right place!

I am so glad that my perfectly planned weekend ended up a little chaotic. I am so happy I was able to reconnect with old friends, and get to know a few new friends as well. And I welcome Lent with open arms, and the chance to do a little refocusing on who I am, and where I need to be.

I hope your weekend was just as wonderful as mine was ... and I hope that your week ahead is truly blessed!

Cheers! ... and Erin Go Braugh!

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.