Hello everyone!
My name is Jacob but a lot of people call me JT. So here I will share a little about myself such as where I grew up, some hobbies I pursue, and what a couple of my favorite experiences have been.
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| Oklahoma City downtown skyline at sunset. Found on wikimedia. |
For the entirety of my life I have lived within the same 1 mile radius, only ever moving into once. I've grown up in South Oklahoma City and attended schools in both Norman and OKC.
Growing up my younger brother and I were very competitive and enjoyed playing the same sports. I played both baseball and basketball competitively up until my college career began. These two things were my passion for a majority of my life and when I have time I enjoy playing them to this day. I don't have many hobbies but occasionally I have time to play the drums. I took lessons for over 5 years but once high school began I found myself lacking the free time to dedicate myself to the instrument.
Perhaps my favorite thing that I've been fortunate to be able to experience in my life has been the opportunity I've had to travel around the world. I'm lucky to have a grandpa with the means to travel and the desire to bring his grand kids along for the ride. I've been able to go on 7+ cruises and 2 or 3 land tours through Australia and the England-Ireland-Scotland areas.
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| Stonehenge overcast. Found on Flikr. |
Picture above is a photo of Stonehenge. Unfortunately I was too young at the time of this trip to truly appreciate what I was looking at but it was definitely a sight to see. I'm glad I can mark that off of my list of landmarks to visit.
Here is a photo of the Irish countryside which was just incredible. For one of my trips we took a bus tour throughout England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. They say that Ireland is comprised of "30 shades of green" when you visit. Normally I take these sayings with a grain of salt but this one held true! There were a good handful of days when we were traveling between towns that all you could see was farmland with different vivid shades of green and frankly I never got tired of the sight.
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| Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, Spain. Found on wikipedia. |
Lastly, here is a picture of one of the most incredible Roman Catholic cathedrals in the world, the Sagrada Familia. One of the cruises I was able to go on began its trip in the port of Barcelona so my family went early to be able to tour the city and fortunately we were able to visit inside the cathedral. I remember the line to get in was incredibly long, and the temperature outside being absurdly hot, but it was worth the wait. The stonework, artwork, sculptures, paintings...Everything was extremely detailed and perfected. If you are interested in architecture or visiting religious monuments I highly recommend the Sagrada Familia.
Hi JT! It truly does seem like you have managed to see quite a few places already and hopefully you will get to travel some more! Looking through your storybook it really seems like those trips to the British Isles became somewhat of an inspiration to you. I'm looking forward to see wether or not you will write some stories about the places you mentioned here, I think it is always interesting to incorporate ones own experiences into ones storytelling.
ReplyDelete- Anna Margret
Hi Jacob, I think it's so cool that you're already so well-traveled! I've been around to a couple places too: Vietnam, Mexico, Norway, France, but not as much as you! It's really an eye-opening experience to be able to travel and experience different cultures because it allows you to see so many mindsets and perspectives on things.
ReplyDeleteI also think its cool that you play the drums! I took piano lessons ever since I was 5 years old and then in high school I joined my school's marching band where I did color guard in the fall and played clarinet and/or bass clarinet in the winter and spring. Music is such a cool way of expression and it's so enjoyable to play and listen to too.
Have a great semester!
Hi JT!
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous of your trips to the British Isles. I've always wanted to visit Ireland. You're so lucky to have such a generous grandpa!
I also occasionally play instruments! I never took lessons like you did, but I did try to learn to play bass for a few months in high school. I'm not very good at it, but it's fun!
Have a great semester!
What a fabulous gift your grandfather has given you, JT! Wow! Now I am thinking you need to find a way to come up with a project that is somehow about Peter Pan AND the mystery of Stonehenge, or some kind of mix-and-match that will bring Stonehenge into the mix. Or a project about Sagrada Familia: that cathedral is something I would love to see in person someday. The way Gaudi is able to tell a story in the language of architecture is very powerful, using stone and space as his language. I'm sure you will find all kinds of connections between places you have visited in your travels and the stories you are reading for this class... and I am curious to see what stories you will be inspired to create in response.
ReplyDeleteHey JT!
ReplyDeleteIt’s so amazing that even though you’ve lived in the same place your whole life, you’ve been to so many cool areas! Australia and the British Isles are at the very top of my traveling bucket list, so I’m a just a bit jealous, haha. I also play the drums! I used to practice a lot and want to do it professionally, but other hobbies and passions took over, and it’s hard to fit a drum set in a tiny apartment. I still play with the worship band at my church pretty often, and it’s a great stress reliever. I hope you find the time to jam out sometime soon!
Nice to meet you, and I hope your semester is going well!
Hey Jacob,
ReplyDeleteI love to travel too and one of the places I have always wanted to visit is Ireland. I love greenery and I feel like that is the best place to go if you want to see it. I've also heard so much about the Sagrada Famlia Cathedral from my friends and how beautiful it is so now I want to go to Barcelona as well.
Hi JT, your travels sound amazing! I definitely feel you on being too young to truly appreciate Stonehenge, the one time my family went on a big vacation over to California, I was way too young to actually understand what I was experiencing and now as an adult I want to end up living there and so it kind of sucks that I really don't have any significant firsthand memories of the place to further motivate that want. Thanks for all the cool pictures and best of luck with everything!
ReplyDeleteHi JT! All of the travelling you have done sounds absolutely amazing! It’s really cool that you have family members who are also interested in travelling like that. I’ve yet to travel outside of the US myself and haven’t really been to many places outside of Oklahoma yet. One of these days, I’ll be able to change that though. It sounds like you really enjoy travelling, so I hope all goes well for you and you have many more amazing travels!
ReplyDeleteHey Jt, I think it is pretty cool how you have seen some parts of the world. I know Stonehenge must have been the sight to see even though you were young at the time. Also cool how you grew up in one place and not worrying about moving around and trying to make new friends. I definitely hear you on the competitive siblings part that is just how I am with my siblings. Good Luck to you on the rest of your semester.
ReplyDeleteHi JT! I am so jealous, I have always wanted to go to Australia! I think it is great that you get to travel the world with your grandpa and siblings! That is such a great bonding experience. The photo you have of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral is absolutely breathtaking and makes me wish I was in Spain! I look forward to reading your stories this semester!
ReplyDeleteHey JT! I;m so jealous that you got to go to Stonehenge! I've always wanted to visit because I feel like it is one of those things that you can't grasp how grand and unreal is it until you see it in person. It would be really interesting to write a fictional story for how the stonehenge came to be based on any of the theories for how the stones got there
ReplyDeleteHello JT! I think It is incredible that you have had the opportunity to be able to travel to so many different places around the world. I have always wanted to travel and see new things and try new food all around the world. Hopefully one day after college I will get these experiences! Hope your semester is going great!
ReplyDeleteHey JT! I am so jealous you have gotten to travel to all of those places. I have always wanted to go to Australia but have never been lucky enough too. I also played basketball in high school so I understand why you did not have time for the drums. high school sports take up a lot more time than people would think! Good luck with the semester and I hope you get to keep traveling to new places!
ReplyDeleteHey Jacob, I also used to play baseball and basketball. My friends and I recently moved into a new house for the year and we happened to all bring our gloves. It was amazing how fun it was to just throw the ball around again, I would highly recommend it. Your travels are fascinating. The Sagrada Familia Cathedral looks incredible, I will definitely be adding that to my list of places I have to visit in my life!
ReplyDeleteHi JT! That’s cool that you lived in the same area your whole life. What kind of drums do you play? Drum set? I used to be a percussionist and drumming is such a fun hobby. I miss it too! Australia seems like such a fun destination to visit. Do you think that you will ever go back to Australia? Since you’ve been able to travel a lot, is there a place that you want to check off your bucket list soon? Thank you for sharing all of your photos! They are great!
ReplyDeleteHi JT! Honestly, I'm really jealous that you've gotten to travel so much! Ireland, Scotland, and England are all on my list of places that I hope to see someday. Do you have a favorite trip or location that you got to visit? Also, I was curious about your playing basketball. Did you start at a young age? And do you still play these days? I played basketball for two years, but was a benchwarmer for both of them. I hope this semester treats you well!
ReplyDeleteHi JT! Wow, I'm jealous that you have been able to travel so much! I've never left the US, but I do want to some day. However, you've only moved once and I've moved 26 times in 28 years! I'd much rather travel than move, I can tell you that.
ReplyDeleteHi JT!
ReplyDeleteI will say that you are lucky to have a grandpa that loves bringing his grandkids along for adventures. My grandparents also have a love of travel, but we haven't gone on as big of adventures. They did take me to Hawaii after graduating high school, all of us grandkids got to go on a trip with them. My family is rather large. Honestly jealous of your adventures in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Hope that you have a great Thanksgiving break and the rest of the semester.
Hey JT!
ReplyDeleteThe pictures you posted are really fascinating because I think they show how much you admire the beauty of the natural world. I am so jealous of your trip to Australia! I really want to go there one day. When I was younger my parents traveled a lot too and although I have been many places, I don't really remember them all. I am excited to read your stories and hopefully learn more about your adventures!
Hi JT! I never had any interest in traveling until the past year, so to see that you have visited multiple countries is really cool! I am actually very fascinated with the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, Spain that you visited! It looks beautiful on the outside so I can only imagine how it looks on the inside! I guess I found a new place that I want to go visit!
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