It’s crazy to think that because we spend hours planning something, it’ll turn out perfect. Most of the time, it isn’t how we originally envisioned it. Two years ago, I took a vacation that didn’t turn out as planned; however, I believe everything happens for a reason.
We spent months planning our trip to the East Coast. My mom planned out everywhere we would go. Boarding the plane, we thought our trip would be perfect.
Our first stop on the East Coast was Washington, DC. The day was long, hot, and quite memorable. Mom had set up tours of just about everywhere, including the state senate. Mom was very proud of herself and thought we’d all enjoy ourselves completely; however, a few road blocks got in the way of that fun. For one, Dad couldn’t walk 3 blocks without having to use the restroom, causing us to be crunched for time the entire day which made us all stressed. There was also my sister and I. Being the age that we were (and two years does a lot for maturity), we would fight one moment and then play around non-stop the next. Whichever encountering it was, “Stop it,” was frequently said to us. When I try to think back about the memories in D.C. it is difficult for me to remember any facts about any of the many exhibits we visited. All I have are pictures, which reveal very little because in most of them, my sister and I are fooling around; however, they certainly are much more entertaining.
Another memorable event was at 3:30 a.m. at the subway station. My sister and I always imagined how exciting it would be to stand at Rockefeller Center and hold up signs on the “Today” show. The only way we’d meet Al Roker was to arrive EARLY. At 3:30 a.m., the station was deserted except for the homeless man talking to himself about insects. We stood there, teeth chattering, wishing the subway would arrive. We thought it was best to stand near the tracks, so we could just jump on as the subway came. Bad choice! As I stood near the tracks, my mom looked down and tugged on my Dad’s shirt. Then my Dad looked down, stepped back a little and looked at my sister. He looked down again. I thought something must be up, maybe a sign saying no subway today, so I joined them looking down. My eyes popped out and I gasped when I saw at least 700 rats running around what we could only assume were tracks, because we couldn’t see anything beneath them.
The worst was yet to come. My sister ran over and saw the rats, started crying, ran backward and almost tripped and turned to see MORE rats on the other tracks. We stood huddled together for ten minutes waiting for our savior to come — the subway. Unfortunately, Mom’s directions let us down for the first of many times. Instead of having to walk a block or two to Rockefeller Center, it was 15 blocks at 4 a.m. However, all the blood, sweat, and tears were worth it. We indeed had the privilege of shaking Al’s hand. Our fantasy became a reality and “Dreams really do come true,” was our motto for the rest of the trip.
That trip was full of surprises, most of which didn’t appear positive at the time. But looking back, it was actually better than imagined. While looking back, we created special, and quite humorous, family memories we’ll keep all our lives. That’s a vacation!
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