The Summer Break That Restored Our Lives

by Justine Carver
(Colorado)

Starting in 2010 and continuing into this year, my family and I went on a horrible streak of bad luck. From health problems to crazy accidents while also dealing with unexpected layoffs, the past twelve months have been very stressful, to say the least.
Luckily, everything started to fall back into place during the spring. My family and I had been planning on a two week vacation for a long time but we always ended up putting it off for any kind of reason. After all the craziness we experienced for a year, everyone really felt like they needed to have a quick vacation to really appreciate life and being with one another.

The problem was that we all wanted to go to different places. Only one solution…let’s do them all! I planned out the trip which would be hitting up the beaches of Miami for a few days, then visiting some family in San Antonio and then experiencing the Treesort in Oregon!

We first went to Miami and the weather was absolutely perfect. The water was so refreshing and even though there were plenty of people, everyone was nice and friendly. We went all around South Beach trying out different restaurants and cafes. Wow, I’ve never had Cuban food before but it was absolutely delicious. We hung out in a very nice lounge area right on the beach called Nikki Beach.

We then went to eat at Mango’s Tropical Café. The workers there started dancing salsa on top of the long bar table. Other people got up and starting dancing so we said, “what the heck, let’s have some fun!” Even though we didn’t dance very well the people there were so fun and friendly, they really made us feel welcome. To wrap it up, we went to the Everglades. Our tour guide took us on one of those big fan boats and we went around a pretty huge area at blazing speeds. He then took us to where he suspected some alligators would be. Sure enough, they were right there next to the boat. We got great pictures of them and it was pretty exciting being so close.

We were kind of bummed that we had to leave so soon but at the same time, very excited to see our family in San Antonio. Once we arrived it was so hot and humid right as we walked out of the airport. We made the best of it though. Our family there took us to see the Alamo and after that we spent the rest of the day at the RiverWalk. While we were there we ate at some place that purposely gives you a hard time and makes fun of you. Initially it’s a bit awkward but after a while, it’s downright hilarious. We also went to SeaWorld and our niece was lucky enough to swim and play with sea lions.

Last but not least, we flew over to Oregon and then drove to a resort called Treesort. If you have never heard of it, you have to check this place out. It’s unbelievable, you almost feel like you’re in an Ewok village up in the trees especially at night. Your treehouse is actually very spacious and nice but you’re way up high! You walk on a foot bridge that connects all the resort together. They have ziplining which was awesome. We were even able to squeeze in a day of rafting down the river close by.

All in all, I would say this was by far the most memorable, best vacation I have ever had. After everything my family and I went through, this is exactly what we needed. Everything feels right and good again for all of us.