Purple People

(Ft. Worth, TX) - While most of my known universe was converging on Baton Rouge for the LSU-Mississippi State game, my wife and I found ourselves wearing a different shade of purple.

The first chance to see our TCU freshman in her new natural environment came in the form of Family Weekend, during which the nationally-ranked Horned Frogs spanked their old rivals from Baylor. TCU scored touchdowns on its first five possessions on the way to a 45-10 win.


(Okay, under emotional stress, I default to sports writing.)

It was wonderful to see our daughter and as best we can discern from close observation, she is making the transition to college life remarkably well.



She has already developed a corps of friends, her early grades are good and she’s throwing herself into lots of organized activities. She seems to be as well-adjusted as parents could hope. I just wish I could say the same for myself. For the three days we were together, I couldn’t fight off the notion that it was temporary and once again we would be separated for weeks.
We had a terrific time as she patiently endured her parents’ presence. She showed us around campus, with special emphasis on her classes and regular hangouts. There’s an impressive sports café on campus, where we sat for a long time and watched college football. What could make me happier?



We spent a lot of time in her dorm room, which gave us significant insight into her new lifestyle. She lives in the only all-female dorm on campus, and a steady stream of lovely young women stopped by to say hello to the parents. She was clearly comfortable, laughing easily with those around her. It’s the kind of thing that makes Mom and Dad breathe a little easier.



We dropped by a tailgate party that was hosted by some Frog fans from Shreveport, where the company was pleasant and the burgers were tasty. Ever mindful of what the “C” stands for in TCU, you might say the experience is significantly different from one you might have at a certain SEC school in south Louisiana.



While we were there, we were easy marks. A couple of expensive dinners, a pricey lunch or two and a shopping trip found their way onto the agenda. We had to make an emergency run to a western store to buy cowboy boots. It seems they are de rigueur at TCU. We tried to explain it to her in advance, but until she became fully acclimated, the magnitude of the footwear peer pressure was not fully appreciated. Now, she needs to learn to line dance/ two step or whatever it is people who wear cowboy boots to clubs do.

She said she’s excited about coming home during fall break in October. I explained that she’s just three and a half hours away and she could come home any weekend if she really wanted to. She said, “I know, but I don’t want to be the person who comes home at the drop of a hat.” (One assumes it would be a Stetson).

Unable to convince her to come visit us, we dropped her off at the dorm after church and Sunday lunch, hugged her good-bye and hit the lonesome highway home.

Our wallets were lighter when we left, but our hearts were filled. Surely that means they were a little heavy, too. We’ll be okay because she’s okay.

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Everything Must Go!

The day of our daughter’s departure is drawing dreadfully near. She is making final preparations for her relocation to TCU, where presumably she will spend the majority of her time over the next four years. Boxes bound for the dorm room are starting to pile up.


How she expects to cram all that stuff, along with herself and her roommate and her roommate’s stuff into one standard-issue dormitory dwelling space is beyond me.
All the essentials are lined up: A television, a coffee maker, a fan, a printer, a lamp…
In a separate location, occupying approximately a third of an acre of floor space, are the shoes she intends to take along.


Elsewhere, there are shelves filled with DVD movies which she fully intends to take with her. There’s a plan for the DVD’s. She will have a dry erase board in the room, which will serve as a check-out system.

Yep, anybody who borrows one of her movies will be on the honor system; but must make a note that they have acquired the DVD. I’m sure that will work out just fine and she will maintain possession of every last disc.
Truly, she seems surreally excited about all this. That makes me happy, of course; but I’m not so sure how much it’s diminishing the size of the knot in my stomach.


Not only is my spectacular daughter leaving me, but she’s going to an expensive out-of-state private university. All this is daunting and I dare say depressing. My wife says I’ve been cranky for two weeks, but she understands why and doesn’t blame me. Well, here’s a news flash: she hasn’t been her usual Little Suzie Sunshine self for quite a while. That’s okay. I understand why and I don’t blame her.
Mindful of TCU’s mascot, I guess it’s safe to say my princess has turned into a Frog.

She had better become a stellar student somewhere along the way so all of this worry and expense can be justified.
Take a look at the pile of stuff we’re expected to haul west this weekend. Do you see one thing that’s academically oriented? Hey, for her the party’s just getting started. Maybe that’s a philosophy her mother and I should adopt back here at the lonesome homestead. That wouldn’t be so dreadful, would it?

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Feeling Froggier by the Day

Our daughter has made it home safely from Colorado, battered and bruised but pleased as punch. Her week-long “Frog Camp” experience left her exhilarated and exhausted. I’m not sure what she was most eager to talk about. Whitewater rafting was high on the list.
The scrapes and bruises came from rock climbing.
It was a physical week, to be sure. There were zip lines, ropes courses and other team building exercises. The idea was to meet fellow incoming TCU freshmen and form fast friendships before school starts. Based on the smiles we see in the photos, things seem to have worked out.
This was an experience focused on the freshmen who did not know one another before Frog Camp, Now they know one another well. Naively, I did not even think about the gender mix when she signed up for this. Somehow, seeing photos my daughter posing with a bunch of guys I haven't met caused me to raise my eyebrows a little.
There were TCU faculty members there, as well as some upperclassmen and they hit it off well. Or, as our daughter put it, “It was awesome!! I met the coolest people.”
So, mission accomplished, I suppose. That late-summer trepidation she has been feeling seems to have been washed away by the healing waters of the roaring rapids, with the help of a few camp fires and smores.
Now, she can hardly wait to start school. I guess this trip was good preparation for her parents, too. We need to learn to love hearing her stories from far away.

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The Texas Tour

We wrapped up our tour of Texas with a shopping spree in an upscale Dallas mall. One could argue that the ladies deserved it after a weekend of indulging me by hanging around with my friends on the lake. Don't let them fool you, though. They had a good time out there.
While that was all fun and relaxation, the second portion of our trip was quite a stress inducer, at least for me. Our daughter visited another college campus, this time Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth. The folks there did a fine job of selling TCU and I fully expect she will submit an application. I can see several advantages to considering the school, including the fact that it's a four-hour drive from home. It's expensive, though. I need to do a little more research on TCU before I can fully embrace the idea.
She is attracted to the school because she knows several people in Ft. Worth. In fact, she spent the evening with some of them. This means my wife and I had a chance to spend some alone time. In Texas, I figure you should go for barbecue or Mexican food. It was strongly suggested that we visit Joe T. Garcia's downtown, so we did. We liked it. It has a certain flair and charm. We knew things would be okay when the parking lot was packed at 8:30 on a Sunday.
There are no menus there. The waiter just tells you what your options are and you go for it. Decision making is easy, that's for sure.. We left full and happy, so we can't complain.The pressure to make the right decision about a school and the idea that my baby will be leaving home in about a year just freak me out.
The good news, I guess, is if she winds up at TCU we can eat at Garcia's often.

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