Off to ND...congrats, Zach and Colleen!

Wedding #7 of 8 this year is this weekend, and I could not be more excited!

Zach and Colleen are tying the knot at my very favorite place in the entire world, Notre Dame, and we’re all making the pilgrimage down to celebrate with them. By “we all,” I mean the bulk of my Minneapolis social group, along with those scattered across the country…it’s going to be a Lakeville reunion of epic proportions.

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I’ve known Zach since sophomore year of high school through the oh-so-cool activities of marching band, Model United Nations and Youth in Government, but he and I didn’t become friends until we became the only Lakevillains of the Class of 2007 to make our collegiate home under the Golden Dome. We existed in each other’s sphere more or less for the first three years, and became friends senior fall in utterly ridiculous fashion as our parents got each other drunk at the Backer the weekend of our senior football game. That night is also the first time I met his then-girlfriend, Colleen…

…and it was instantaneous love. I’ve never met someone who can make a person feel welcome like Colleen can, and we hit it off almost immediately. Fast-forward a bit through a raucous spring…

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…graduation…

…and relocating to Minneapolis, where the friendship continued with crazy nights camped out at my starter apartment and cheering the Irish on at every possible sporting event. Zach and I served as the Notre Dame Club of Minnesota’s Young Alumni reps for our first few years out of school and had a blast organizing various social functions, most of which probably shouldn’t see the light of internet.

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Colleen moved up a few years post-graduation, and we picked up shenanigans right where they left off, with a failed book club...

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lots of cheering on the Irish...

and plenty of nights out at various Minneapolis drinking establishments that never failed to entertain...

Soon after their February 2014 engagement at Notre Dame’s Grotto, they were relocated to Philadelphia by Zach’s employer, and their absence has left a gaping hole in our social lives ever since. Needless to say, my excitement to see and celebrate with them is off-the charts! Basically, I'm already giving this weekend a major thumbs-up:

Claire, Mike, and I are road-tripping down today for a long weekend of non-stop celebration of Zach and Colleen’s marriage, and knowing them, I just know it’s going to be perfect. Here’s to celebrating a couple I adore at a place that is so special to me…the perfect place to start a truly golden marriage! Congrats Z&C…see you soon!