I recently had the opportunity to attend my first Baylor Bears football game, where the colors of green and gold were everywhere! Even though I am a Baptist, and live in an adjoining state, this was my first visit to the campus of Baylor University, chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. It is among the largest Baptist Universities in the world, with a 1,000-acre campus next to Interstate-35, between DFW and Austin.
For me, the REAL reason to go to the game was to see granddaughter, Kaitlyn, on the sidelines, in her new roll as one of the freshmen Baylor cheerleaders. She is shown here with her mom, who also was a cheerleader throughout high school.
As soon as we arrived on campus on the Saturday morning of the game, we hustled over to the part of campus where the "Bear Walk" is staged. That is when the football players and their entourage, make their walk from their arrival bus to the stadium. If you look closely, you can see that Kaitlyn is one of the (privileged) few, who stand on the side of the yellow rope that marks the path for the players and coaches. Us family members are on the other side of the yellow line, but that does not keep us from posing for a group photo together!
Since an actual bear might be hard to control for the traditional "Bear Walk", the costumed mascot (known as Bruiser) makes the stroll instead.
Bruiser is a common sight at the Baylor home games, and a crowd favorite! You can learn more about Bruiser, and all the Baylor traditions/teams/trivia at their website,
www.baylor.edu .
Many folks are familiar with the practice of tailgating before a sporting event, but the stadium at Baylor University offers the unique opportunity of "sailgating"! Fans can pull their boats into the harbor beside the stadium, and enjoy some "boat-rockin' good times and good food" before the game starts!
After the Bear Walk festivities were over, we went back to tour the Bear Habitat across the street from my granddaughter's dormitory.
I had been aware of the live bear area for decades, because one of my classmates from elementary/ junior high/senior high school, died in a tragic accident, while a student at Baylor University. His parents had the first Bear Plaza built in his honor.
It saddens my heart to remember his life being cut short, yet I can smile, because I know I will see him again in heaven.
Behind the chain-link fence is where the two live bears live. They are named Judge Joy and Judge Lady. The title of "Judge" is a reference to the namesake of Baylor University, Judge R.E.B. Baylor.
This photo shows McClane Stadium, built at a cost of $260 million. It opened in 2014, and sits on 97 acres, adjacent to the Brazos River. This state-of-the-art athletic venue is an appropriate addition to the oldest continuously operating university in Texas. (Incidentally, it is interesting to note that famous revolutionary war leader and hero Sam Houston gave the first $5,000 donation to start Baylor University. Then, in 1854, Houston was baptized in the Brazos River, by a reverend, who would later become a President of Baylor University.)
McClane Stadium seats 45,000 spectators, and was designed by the same architects that produced the New York Yankees Stadium. The distinct band of yellow you see in the lower level represents the "Baylor Line". It is a made up of new Baylor students who wear special yellow football jerseys, which has a name on the front, and their intended graduation date on the back.
The "Baylor Line" is a tradition that started in 1970, with the yellow-jersey-clad freshmen rushing the field before the home football games. It was quite the sight to see, and seemed to produce an endless line of leaping/running/skipping enthusiastic freshmen!
Granddaughter Kaitlyn also ran onto the field (shown as the front cheerleader in this photo), but wearing her cheer uniform, rather than her freshman yellow jersey.
Since just weeks earlier, I had been at the Huntsville, Alabama Space and Rocket Center, where I learned a great deal about the International Space Station, I was absolutely amazed when a broadcast from the International Space Station appeared on the score board! It was the astronaut Robert Kimbrough, giving a greeting to all of the fans at the game (including his daughter, who is a Baylor student, as well!). He had a Baylor University official logo behind him inside the space station, and he was wearing his Baylor green shirt. At the end of his remarks, he did a 360 degree "flip" for Baylor! (Of course, it is considerably easier for him to do a flip in a no-gravity space capsule, than for Kaitlyn, and the other Baylor cheerleaders to perform their amazing flips here on earth!)
Kaitlyn is shown in this photo with the hand in the "open palm position", which is part of the traditional "Sic 'em Bears" rallying cheer.
When the game was over, and we exited the stadium, I was intrigued by the spectacular green lighting of the bridge, as it reflected over the Brazos River in Waco.
My next Baylor Bear Expedition took me to ATT Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. This photo shows grandson Jacob, in front of the goal posts, as we entered the famous athletic venue, minutes after the doors opened up. Several years ago, I toured the facility when it was still called "Cowboys Stadium", and wrote about it on this blog in a post called "Superbowl Expedition". Tours are still available, and you can go to their website (
www.attstadium.com ) to find out more information. I was there this time with my family to see granddaughter Kaitlyn cheer for the Baylor Bears, in their match with rival Texas Tech University.
When I took the tour over five years ago, I learned that the scoreboard, which goes from one twenty-yard line to the other twenty-yard line, was the largest high definition video screen ever erected. So I was SO EXCITED to see that the roaming cameraman put Jenny and I up on the big screen long enough for her husband to get a photo of us!
By
watching that roaming cameraman, we were able to anticipate when he was going to put the Baylor cheerleaders on the big screen, as well! Seeing Kaitlyn there in this stadium that is famous for its cheerleaders, as well as its football players, made me extremely happy for her getting to have this opportunity!
When the
game was over, and we were leaving the ATT Stadium, I had a very thankful heart, for the wonderful experience of being part of this "Bear Expedition"! It occurred to me that I had a wonderful visual cue for one of my First Place 4 Health (
www.FirstPlace4Health.com ) memory verses. Colossians 3:13 tells us, "BEAR with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Perhaps there is no better place to see folks "Bear with each other" than a group of Baylor Bear fans! Being a part of that experience has given me "MILES OF SMILES"!
Author's Addendum: After I returned home from my visit to Baylor University in Waco, and the Steve Hudson Memorial Bear Plaza, I had a new appreciation for the ceramic angels Steve Hudson gave me when I was about ten years old, and we sat next to each other in our Fourth Grade class, in Central Elementary School, in Harrison, Arkansas. I distinctly remember when Steve walked into my parents' store (Home School Supply) carrying a gift-wrapped package for me, I ran and hid in the back, where he could not see me. (I was very timid back then!) After he left the premises, I came out of hiding, and opened the gift, which contained these angels. Now, he is WITH the angels in heaven, and these figurines are a reminder of a time long, long, long ago. Perhaps childhood "puppy love" never completely leaves your consciousness. I know this one will not.....
Since I grew up in northern Arkansas before the "technological revolution", the only "Huntsville" I knew about, was the town one hour west of where I lived, that was famous for being the home town of the current governor of Arkansas. It was not until I was working at the hospital in Mountain Home, Arkansas, when a co-worker said she was going to be a chaperone for a group of school kids going to "Space Camp", that the town of Huntsville, Alabama came across my "radar screen". When my co-worker returned, she had great things to say about the Space Camp experience, so I have been wanting to visit this place from that moment forward! This photo shows the entrance to Space Camp ( www.spacecamp.com ) , in Huntsville, Alabama. 
The lodging accommodations at Space Camp are called "Habitats", and there are three of these Habitats on the campus. The original format as a place for youngsters only, has been modified and adapted, to include programs for adults and families. Also, in addition to the week-long programs, visits are available for a one night/two day stay, as well as a two night/three day program. You can see the interiors of the Habitats by visiting their websites. 
This Space Shuttle
One can arrange an optional bus tour to go visit the Marshall Space Flight Center. The tour includes stops at historic test stand sites, and the Payload Operations Center. The Payload Operations Center is the science command post for the International Space Station (ISS). The tour bus riders also see the central research hub for propulsion systems and technologies---called the Propulsion Research and Development Laboratory.
I included this drone photo as a reminder to mention that a new feature added to the educational offerings at the Space and Rocket Center, is a Robotics Camp. It is specifically designed to teach interested young people about the engineering and design of robotics on land, in the air, and underwater. Now that drone technology has trickled down to a gift a youngster finds under their Christmas tree, I predict more and more kids will be wanting to attend Robotics Camp!
A bus tour also includes visits to the Redstone Arsenal, headquarters to the Army Material Command. Visitors can see the National Historic Landmark Redstone Test Stand, and the Dynamic Test Stand, used to test the Saturn 5 Rocket. 
At the entrance to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, you will see this group of signs, that tells some of its history. Since its opening in 1970, it has helped educate the public about these significant events about Huntsville, Alabama: It is where rockets were developed that put the first U.S. satellite into orbit and sent men to the moon. It is where the propulsion of the space shuttle was developed. It is where modules for the International Space Station were designed and built. It is where America's next great ship---The Space Launch System---is being designed (the first flight of the Space Launch System is planned for 2018). And finally, it is where the International Space Station is monitored 24/7.
There are free exhibits that you can see, even before entering the building. This photo shows the Lockheed SR-7, and is a reminder that yet another educational "camp" experience that has been added is the "Aviation Challenge", where one can get the experience of being a fighter pilot. In addition to the permanent exhibits, there are also temporary traveling exhibits that you can investigate. To see what is currently available, visit their website at www.rocketcenter.com 
This sculpture sits at the entrance to the museum, and reminds me of the quote I read about visiting this place: "Here, everyone can be an astronaut for a day." 
As you would expect, they have a very popular gift shop, where just about anything related to space and rockets is available for purchase. In addition, many of these items can be purchased on-line, using the link available on their website.
For those of you who enjoy designing with Leggos, take a look at this model of the Space Shuttle, that was on display in the lobby!
One can also purchase 
There is a plaza adjacent to the museum that is open to the public, and also available for rental for special events.
I happened to be there for a trade show, but the general public can enjoy the Apollo Terrace and Apollo Courtyard on most Thursday nights throughout the year. That is when ( in a "nod" to Wernher von Braun, and the other German immigrants who were some of the pioneers of America's space program), there is a German Biergarten featuring authentic German beverages and cuisine. It is family friendly, and leashed dogs are welcome on the Apollo Terrace. There is no admission fee, but one pays for whatever food/beverage they choose.
The replica Saturn V rocket system, marking the location of the Space Center is so tall, that you will not be able to miss it, as you drive on the Interstate Highway going in front of it. In fact, it is a landmark that can be seen from many miles away. The vertical replica in this photo was constructed in 1999. I had to tilt my camera to get the whole thing in the viewfinder! There is an actual "working" Saturn V on horizontal display in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration. The one on horizontal display was used for actual test missions of the Saturn V. From 1969 - 2007, it was on display outdoors, but has been moved indoors since the special building was constructed to house it. 
One of the added features of the park is the option to take a "Moon Buggy" ride around the property. However, it was not in operation on the day I visited, which is just as well, since I was needing the exercise of walking the several acres that make up the visitor's experience.
They call this their "Rocket Garden", but they also have a "space garden", where they teach the Space Camp participants what they will need to know to grow their own food in space. 
Seeing the sun God created, as it illuminated all these man-made rockets, reminded me of one of my First Place 4 Health ( www.FirstPlace4Health.com ) memory verses, that says, "My kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36a). I am very thankful to be a part of God's Kingdom, and also thankful for all those who are are working to explore this world, and the outer space atmosphere around it! Both these facts give me "MILES OF SMILES"! Tricia
