Summer Vacation

Hope Templeman
College English 1104
Professor Scott
August 27, 2012

Summer Vacation
Summer is one of my favorite seasons because school is out and it is a time to relax and be with family. This summer I did several different and exciting things. I went on a family reunion to Florida, hiking at Coopers Rock, and traveling to Washington D.C with friends.

The first thing I got to do was travel to Orlando, Florida for a family reunion. It included my intermediate family and my dad’s side of the family. We all stayed together in a rented house at a resort for a week. Although it did get kind of hectic in the house at times, it was still really nice to be together with my family. One of the many things that just my dad and siblings got to do, was to go to Sea World. Not only was it our first time going there, but it was also the cheapest. We really appreciated being there because of all the amazing sights and experiences we had. My absolute favorite thing was riding the two awesome roller coasters that they had in the park, I am not the biggest fan of rides but these were a huge thrill to me, my brother, and my dad as well. It was so nice hanging out with my family and having an extravagant amount of fun at the same time.

Another event that occurred this summer, was being able to go hiking with my sister, Grace and her boyfriend, Daniel, at Coopers Rock. I love being outdoors and experiencing all the beautiful nature surrounding me so this trip was tremendously exciting to me. I could not wait to step in the woods and walk down the first trail that came my way. I, unfortunately, had never been there before so I was being led by Daniel and Grace. Once we arrived at Coopers Rock, I was thoroughly amazed at the beauty the tall, pine trees displayed around the dark woods and engulfed the tall rocks that were hidden amidst the trees. It did not matter how hot and humid of a day that it was because as soon as we stepped into the woods, we were in the cool shade that the trees brought by hiding the sun in the sky. We ended up walking through many different trails and even climbing up and down some of rocky cliffs. I was so exhausted by the end of the day but I will never forget the great memories made during this trip.

The last exciting trip that happened was traveling with my sister and our friend, Erin McDaniel, to Washington D.C so that we could experience the many sights and to visit Daniel in Alexandria. We decided that it would be super fun for us to just take a trip up there together, with no parents, and have a great time with each other. We made a pit stop on the way there to Tyson’s Corner Mall. It was one of the biggest and most extravagant malls we had ever been to. I felt so out of place there because of all the expensive clothing and designer stores they there. That did not matter that much to us because we were just there to hang out and stretch our legs a little bit. While in D.C we visited the Lincoln Memorial, The Aerospace Museum, the Torpedo Factory, and the Washington D.C Zoo. Many laughs and memories were made on that wonderful trip we took together and it was fun seeing Daniel along the way. I am glad that everything worked out and we were kept safe.

This summer, by far, held the most memories for me. I got to travel to so many different places, most of which I had never been, with my family and friends and through it all I grew in my personality and strength. The experiences I had were both exciting and life changing and the people that influenced those the most were my family. I am very thankful to have gotten to know them more and I am positive they are too.