Mallory Hughes

           I was nine years old when I went down to Florida with my family. A few friends tagged along. Their names were Joe, Cindy, Jordan, and Josh. Our families grew up together. We did not go there by plane, we drove the whole way and planned to stay for a week. On our way there it took two days. We stopped in Atlanta, Georgia and stayed all night, and then started up again the next day. It was two very, very long days in the car playing the license plate game and sleeping.

            Once we finally made it to Florida we got to the house where we were staying. The house was mustard yellow, almost like baby puke color, but that didn’t take away from how beautiful the ocean looked. The house had a pool table, a pool with diving board and slide, and also a dock to fish from. We played with the pool table mostly when dinner or breakfast was being prepared. I would wake up to the sound of pool balls knocking together. We were in the pool every day that we were there and also sometimes into the night. My brother and dad spent most of their time out on the dock, where they caught an abundance of different kinds of fish.

            The very first thing we did away from the house in Florida was go to Busch Gardens. All I could smell when we got there was the abundance of food that was being cooked there. I wouldn’t be able to name them all. “It smells so good here,” I said as we were walking in the park.  I was not into the big rides, nor was I tall enough to ride them, so all I did was walk around and watch everyone ride the rides. That was the first time my brother rode a rollercoaster, so I was excited to see him get on it. I remember standing right there at the loop of the rollercoaster my brother just got on, and when it came around a forceful wind from the rollercoaster was brought on to me. I remember yelling “Dalton!” as the roller coaster came around. I was trying so hard to see my brother when it came around but it was too quick.

            We figured since we were in Florida it would only be fitting to go to a beach, so we decided to go to Clearwater Beach. I was so excited to go to a clear water beach because I have never been to one. Once we got there we realized it doesn’t stand up to its name. It was not Clearwater whatsoever, but we still had a good time. We even saw dolphins jumping out of the water in the distance. I thought the dolphins were so cool. I talked about them for forever once we got back home.

            It was the funniest thing because on our way back from the beach we were all so hungry.  We were all in bathing suit covers, shorts, and t-shirts. After we all decided on a restaurant, it ended up being a five star restaurant. The restaurant was named Shula’s, and my mom called before we showed up and asked if there was a dress code but there wasn’t. We got there and a valet took our car and we got seated. There were people coming in left and right in suits and fancy cloths, but we were in everyday clothes. That didn’t stop us because the food was really good!

            We used the next few days we were in Florida we decided to just relax. We didn’t want to get running around to where we couldn’t enjoy just the environment. So we just swam in the pool, fished on the dock, and played pool. It was mid-afternoon and everyone but my mom and I were out on the dock. Jordan and my dad were at the end of the dock, my dad was fishing and Jordan was sitting on the stoop right below him. All of a sudden a manatee popped out of the water right next to them and Jordan about jerked my dad’s pants down it scared her so much.

            Looking back at my trip to Florida I wish I was older when I went. I honestly don’t remember much from it I only have stories that people have told me. I would love to go again so I can experience it more, and be more grateful of the trip. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but it was it was a lot of money. Yet, I know that I would love to go back to Florida one day. I can’t wait ‘til I get the chance to go again one day.