This is the Train Depot that was built in 1923 in the small town of Bristow Oklahoma. When traveling on route 66, many people stop by to see this historic train depot. Unfortunately, when I am back in my hometown and I drive by this I get nothing but negative emotions. This is because the Polar Express came to my town when I was in high school, so I took a job as a “chef” and it was truly the WORST experience of my life!!! I literally got fired because a customer asked me a question and I gave them my honest answer; however, I did get rehired the next day because my dad was friends with the mayor.

This is a picture of my childhood church. This building is significant in my life because it was here that I gave my life to the Lord. My home church has always been a place I go to seek peace. Also, this is always the place I go to when I am facing my hardest struggles because I know I will find comfort. I also have such a strong support system from everyone that goes here. All in all, this church has influenced me in many positive ways.

A building that is impactful to me is the Gaylord Memorial Football Stadium. it is impactful due to the fact i have so many great memories there with family. My parents were both sooner fans, so i was lucky enough to grow up a sooner fan and come to games as a kid. They still come to games and get to meet all of my friends and have a good time with us. It is so special to me because now i am building memories with my friends and my family that i will remember for the rest of my life. I hope that one day i will be able to come back to the beautiful Gaylord Memorial Stadium and get to watch a game with my kids. Then maybe if they choose to attend the University of Oklahoma I would be able to come and make more memories with him and his fiends the way my parents have with me and mine. My only concern is either football will not be a sport or that OU will have a bigger and better stadium in that time. Both of my parent still being the biggest fans they are, which has came from along past of with my mom bleeding the crimson and creme colors   from the day she came to the University of Oklahoma.

Marienplatz in Munich, Germany is a lively part of the city. This district is one connected to a great many shops for locals and tourists alike and features many impressives structures, including the “New Town Hall”.

Designed by Georg von Hauberrisser in 1867, this building is very ornate, complete with every type of artistic feature one could ask for, and is riddled with beautiful Gothic influences. Along the lower level of the building, I remember seeing what I thought were shops tucked nicely beneath this behemoth, though my lack of ability with the German language could have prompted a mistake in this thinking.

When I happened upon this area, it was towards the end of my short time in Munich when I went out to gather souvenirs. Marienplatz was bustling when I arrived, not quite crowded, but one definitely had to move with the crowd to get where one intended. I remember thinking how this building suited the area so well. Its highly decorated exterior created a sense of noise that accompanied the liveliness below quite well. This being said, the building itself does not seem overwhelming. The noise created by its external decorations seem ordered, much in the German way, and command a gentle sense of belonging alongside the crowd below.

To many people, the Oklahoma State Capitol is simply just the house of government for Oklahoma. However, to me, this building is far more than just a place where laws are passed. When I am in this building, I dream about my future because I hope to one day be walking the halls as a lobbyist. Last session, I was able to intern for a local lobbying firm in this building, and it was truly one of the best experiences of my life.

I first encountered this memorial in the fall of 2017 while in Munich and surrounding areas during a short, two-week vacation. Our happening upon this area was partially by accident, as we had wandered into the park without any awareness that the memorial center existed, however the impact this place had on us was immense.

This memorial was designed and constructed by a German architectural firm called Brückner & Brückner to commemorate the “Munich Massacre” that occurred in 1972 at the Munich Olympic Games. During this incident, a group of Pakistani terrorists known as “Black September” had infiltrated the game grounds and killed 11 Israeli competitors and 1 German police officer.

According to an article in the New York Times, one of the designers with the firm, Stephan Graebner,  mentioned this: “Our design idea was to cut into the hill, to take something away from the landscape… When you think about the massacre, it took something away, cutting into the lives of the victims, the families, the Olympic Games. We wanted to fill this void with memory.”

I had no knowledge of this occurrence prior to this visit. I remember sitting in such all-encompassing silence with a fair number of others for nearly an hour as we learned and, for some, as they remembered. This was a place that demanded silence. Merely walking into this space seemed to such the sound from the air around you and not one of us dared to speak. It was awesome in the purest sense of the word.

I love going to the Gaylord resort in Grapevine to simply just walk around and enjoy the amazing building.  My mom and I do not get invited to our family holiday celebrations so we go here for thanksgiving brunch and Christmas dinner. I look forward to going all year long for the holidays and I really enjoy the beautiful architecture. I always love to look up at the glass roof and see the lone star, representative of Texas, the lone star state.

The George Wallace Tunnel is two underwater road tunnels in Mobile, Alabama along Interstate 10.   Every Summer on my family’s vacation in Florida we drive through the tunnels and they are always a lot of fun to go through and hearing people rev their engines or honk their horns.  This tunnel marks the last stage of our trip because it is located less than three hours away from our destination of Seaside, Florida and I’m usually dying to get there after 10 hours of driving.  Also, the USS Alabama Memorial Park is just on the other side of the tunnel coming out of Mobile so, as soon as, you emerge from underwater you see the ship docked in the harbor and can stop to take a tour of the Battleship which is pretty cool.

Bizzell Memorial Library is my favorite building on campus because it seems to have the most architectural detail of any building at OU.  I love spending time in the Bizzell Library, and it is my favorite place to study on campus.  On my first tour of OU’s campus I decided that I would attend here because of how awesome I thought the library was even after walking outside and seeing the Physical Science Center.  The façade of Bizzell is still my favorite architecture on campus, however, the back side of the building that faces Evans Hall is quite disappointing because it seems like a sea of brick with no detail and really doesn’t reflect the styling of the front side.  I also like that fact that the building has so many different design features in the interior as well, you can go from very modern looking and bland interior such as in the basement to beautiful rooms such as the Great Reading Hall.

Adams Hall Canes

I spent more time here than I would like to admit my freshman year. The food was not good here and extremely greasy. It seemed like there was a long line almost every time I walked into that fast food establishment. Although many of these things make it seem negative, it was actually quite the opposite. This restaurant was always there for me when I needed it. After a late night of any extra curricular activities, a Canes stop was a necessity. It stayed open very late on weekends. I have many positive memories from late nights eating Canes.