This is my high school in Edmond, Oklahoma, it is called Santa Fe and is one of three main public high schools in Edmond. I had a very good high school experience. When I began in ninth grade, I was intimidated just like any freshman, but I was also excited because I knew what was to come. As a kid in Edmond, you grow up looking up to the high school football teams and the high school students you see around town, so I was ready to be one of those kids. I was pumped with school spirit from the start, and it stuck around until I graduated, and there is still some in there now. Obviously that spirit diminished with the arrival of senioritis. Now when I look at the building, however, I do not even think of it as the school I spent four years going to, I only picture my little brother playing on the football field on Friday nights.

Here in Norman, I live at the Edge apartments. The first time I walked into the empty apartment, I was extremely excited because I was finally getting to live with three of my close friends. My favorite part of every day is coming home after a long day of class or work to a home full of my roommates or other friends, but the best part is being greeted at the door by my puppy. This is the first time in my college life that I prefer to stay in Norman on the weekends instead of going home, and that is what makes this such a happy place for me.

When I was in eighth grade, I got the opportunity to attend a Michigan Wolverines football game. I have been a Michigan fan for a majority of my life, and was already so excited, but the atmosphere of Ann Arbor as a whole on game day was electric and I loved everything about it, but inside the stadium, it is on a whole new level. When I made my way to my seat, I could not believe how huge the stadium was, it has one of the highest capacities of any stadium at over 100,000. To this day, I can still vividly picture the crowd going crazy after a touchdown. Going to that game was one of the highlights of my childhood, and I hope I get to go back someday so I can experience that excitement again.

Everyone from the central part of Oklahoma knows this building, and most have been inside for one reason or another. I remember when it was being built, thinking how every time I drive by it is taller than the last time. Being born and raised in Oklahoma, I have not gotten much exposure to this type of architecture, so it is really cool for me to see such a great building in the skyline of Oklahoma City. I have never really been very far into the building, but I have walked through it several times. The first time I walked through the doors, I was amazed at how bright it was inside, and I saw the this intricate tile design on the floor. My friend, who suggested that we walk through in the first place told me that you are “supposed” to stand in the middle and look up inside the building. So that is what I did, and I thought it was just so great. Now, every time I am in downtown Oklahoma City, I walk through and stand in the middle and look up into the building, and I am just as amazed each and every time as I was the first time.

This is a picture of my church back home in Edmond, OK. I was a little intimidated when I first walked up to the building, because I had not been to church since I was a little kid. However, after just the first Sunday in that building, I fell in love. The way the building is set up makes you feel so welcome, because when you walk in, there is essentially a line of people greeting you, leading you to where the services are held. Whenever I pull into the parking lot or even just drive by the building, I still think about that first service that I attended, and get excited to go back when I am in town.

Being in my third year of college, I’ve had several long nights in the library here at OU. When I first visited the Norman campus, I thought it was just about the coolest building I had ever seen. I thought that it would be a great place to spend time working on my schoolwork. Now, however, that image has been tainted by some terrible, sleep deprived memories of final’s week. When I’m walking down the South Oval now, it’s still a cool building, but I dread stepping foot in there, because I know what follows that.