Let the Season Begin!

Football season that is :~)  
Oh YEAH!!!  
The Frogs are back!  

My wonderful hubby and son sent me to the opening game of the season this past weekend.  TCU vs Oregon State...#6 vs #24...best of all...the Frogs vs. the Beavers in the all new fancified Dallas Cowboys stadium, or "Jerry World" as we call it around here. (yes, I wrote "fancified!) 

My college friend Seamus and his family (wife, brother, brother's wife, sister, sisters' hubby and 3 kids) adopted me for the weekend and let me tag along with them.  We hit the famous Angelo's for lunch before heading to Arlington for the game.  (which I had actually never eaten before....even after 4 years of school there!). 

As we walked into the stadium, we couldn't help but have flashbacks to the misery that was the Fiesta Bowl last January, when we lost what should have been a well-matched win for us in our first BCS bowl appearance.  Seamus, his brother and myself, especially, since we had actually been present for that depressing game.  

The main reason we love these games...watching Patterson's tirades!

And while this first game of the season kept us tied in knots, we found a bit of redemption as the last few seconds of the 4th quarter passed and we had beat the Beavers, 30-21 !!

Sunday afternoon, after our second visit to the bookstore for yet more purple t-shirts (and of course I NEEDED a new TCU breast cancer hat for my 3Day walk this year ;)   ), we walked around campus.  I haven't walked around campus in years and MAN, the changes!  Over the last few years, they have finally started spending some of the money they raise on updating not only athletic areas, but also dorms, academic buildings, etc...  The old student center has been replaced by a new academic/office building, Seamus's dorm and several others were torn down and/or completely renovated.  What was once a large concrete parking lot between 4 dorms is now a beautiful grass covered common area.  The new student center is large and welcoming.  

the view from the new student center...the building you see facing us is in the spot of where the old student center used to be...this whole grassy, landscaped area used to be parking lots...and the buildings to the left and right were not there.

this is the same view but from the 3rd floor of the new student center.  The older (but newly renovated) dorms that are still standing are behind these newer dorms)

This is the view from the opposite direction...only thing we don't like is that now you can't see the stadium from inside campus b/c of the new big student center.

Frog fountain is still there (just moved back 20 feet). 

We took turns rubbing the horned frogs nose (although I would swear he's not the same horned frog from 1994...and Howard confirmed my suspicions).  

And my brick is still there.  I know it's silly, but that is a cool feeling. to know that is something that has been there for 16 years now...a more permanent part of the campus.   We were the first class to buy engraved bricks that continue to line the area around the library.  While I was taking the picture, I realized I can't wait to show this to J sometime!

I was even able to spend about 45 minutes with Howard and Mildred...my adopted grandparents.  

I worked with them in the Rickel Building during school, back when Mildred was known for her purple typewriter, and have kept up with them ever since.  They were even my honorary grandparents at our wedding.  Howard is now 85, Mildred is now 83 and Howard finally retired from TCU last week.  And even more amazing...while they were showing me around the new student center, a young student recognized them as Mr. and Mrs. Claus (they dressed as them every Christmas for many events for years and years!).  I love how much they are still adored today.  Mildred now uses a cane to help her walk...but of course it's purple!  They are TCU through and through and have been since they were students themselves.  Howard also mentioned that they will be donating their purple typewriter to the new historical displays set up in the student center.  Their names will be there for all to see for years and years to come :)




We have plans to attend one more game this fall if possible because the stadium is about to undergo major renovations also...after the last game this year, the West side will go tumbling down and the building will begin!  We spent a lot of Saturdays in that stadium.  And this time, I'm not letting T and J off the hook, they'll be with me.   Gotta get J more "Horned Frogged" and introduce him to a college football game without the TV commentators!