Notre Dame First Year Picnic, and my little conversation with Governor Christie!!

I usually try to respect "celebrities" when they are out in public, and, other than Rosie O'Donnell (more on this later), I don't really stalk public people.   On the first day of First year Orientation at Notre Dame,  they throw a little Picnic (for 10 thousand new freshman and all their families!) at one of the two dining halls.   Jack lives nearest to the North Dining Hall, so after we did all we could do, we all headed over.  It was about 90 degrees, and hot--perfect weather for a picnic!

My kids were in heaven--in addition to the picnic food, they had unlimited ice cream, unlimited soda (which I usually don't let them have), and the best--TruMoo chocolate milk!  We sat near the back, and as we were eating, Jack noticed Governor Chris Christie walk in.   He looked like just another parent, and, I must say, I was pretty unimpressed with the size (that I could tell), of his security detail (although I have no idea what kind of weapons they may have been carrying!)   I kind of heard that his daughter was going to be a freshman at Notre Dame, so I realized he was just like me--a parent dropping off his child.    See, they are just like us!

Anyway, I went over to get some ice cream, and Governor Christie was in the vicinity.  I realized that being that he may be running for President, and that he may win, this was my chance to speak to a President of the United States.    Kind of like my Clinton with President Kennedy moment.

So, I went over, and said hello.   He might not remember me, but honestly, he couldn't have been nicer.  I asked him who he was dropping off, and we talked about how this was his second child (his son is at Princeton), but that this was his oldest daughter, which is a little different, that this one would be far away--not like his son, who is close.

I know there has been some bad press about Christie yelling at people, but I have to say that I was very impressed with how kind, polite, and talkative he was with some random mom who spoke to him by the ice cream freezer.    He could have blown me off, which I would understand, but he didn't. He was approached soon by other well-wishers, and he seemed just as polite to them--when I think he probably just wanted to go back to his family and enjoy the picnic.  

As we were leaving, Maddy, a friend from our town who is a sophomore, took this photo of Christie--just a regular dad dropping off his daughter at college!!