All growing up, Washington was a place of sunshine, family, and exploring. It was more than just a summer vacation, it was a second home. When I was 13, I became absolutely determined to save enough money to purchase a plane ticket and I set out to make that dream a reality. Once I had saved enough to get a roundtrip ticket, I pitched the idea to my mom, and because she wanted to reward my determination, she made plans for me to stay with my grandpa. I would get to bask in the serenity of my favorite small Washington town for 15 days. It was my dream, and it was quickly approaching. Washington was always on my mind, but when the date had finally arrived, I was sick with the thought of traveling on my own and staying without my parents, something …show more content…
I would have to look out for myself, this was both exciting and terrifying at the same time. What if I get lost in the airport? What if I get too homesick? There were so many what ifs taunting me, daring me to be too scared to take a major step towards independence. As I looked out the window, watching the trees blur together, my dad said something that really impacted my trip, “Think of this as an adventure, if you get homesick, there’s no need to worry because sooner than you think, you’ll be back home. Let yourself really enjoy this trip, it’s a great opportunity to learn things about …show more content…
Where’s my grandpa? Did he get the times mixed up? The flight attendant, with a drowsy appearance and bored tone, radioed her colleagues to conclude that my grandpa had in fact gotten stuck in security, but was on his way. When I saw a white haired, pink cheeked, jolly old man walking towards me with his infamous lumber, a wave of relief and familiarity rushed over me. The darkness and warmth of my grandpa’s small black Pontiac blanketed me and I lost the fight to stay awake against my heavy eyelids. After driving from Seattle, we pulled up into the long grassy driveway and an intensely familiar surrounding greeted me like an old friend. The smell of plants and cow manure had never smelled so good. The big wooden house I made so many childhood memories in loomed above us and invited me in. I looked to my grandpa and he eased my slight hesitation with a, “Welcome back, make yourself at