Matthew's Trip to Branson

     I had to ride in 2 planes to get to Branson. I got to eat crackers and some other things. My ears popped in one plane. It felt funny. We landed. Then we got in a rental car. We drove to the hotel in Branson.
     At Silver Dollar City, I went in a play house with my grandpa and my aunt and uncle. I went on the Duck Bus and I got wet! I went in a cave named Fantastic Caverns. I got some rocks there. The rocks were smooth and different colors. Some were blue.
     I went to a place called 50's at the Hop. It was a theater where you watched real people dance. One guy had funny hair and a girl said that he had to use lots of hair get to make it be funny. We saw Old Matt's Cabin when we drove by it. We didn't go in it.
     Our airplane was late so we ate and then slept for a little while at a hotel. Then we went back to the airport and we took the plane back home.

Matthew Daniel Swain
First Grade

When I went on a vacation I packed my telescope. I packed my Mini-Cons. I packed my books. I packed my dental floss. I packed lots of stuff. We packed the bags in the truck. We drove and drove. I looked through my telescope. I played with my Mini-Cons. I used my dental floss. I played with lots of stuff. I slept at a hotel. After we woke up at a hotel, we drove for hours. Until we were there on time! We were finally in Florida at my Grandma's house!

Alexander Gray
First Grade

My Snowboarding Trip

     I went to New York one year ago for a snowboarding trip. I went down a slope without turning. I got my own snowboard. I flipped and wiped out. My chin looked like a humongous cherry. We went to a Chinese restaurant. We went to New York in November and back in January. Boy they had some snow!

Terren Williams
First Grade

A Trip to the Exciting Coharie Pow-Wow

     My mom wanted to take me to a special place. I didn't know where it would be. I waited and waited. We arrived at an old schoolhouse. It was where my grandparents went to school when they were young. Only Native American children could go to school there in those days. I didn't know why we were there now.
     The large building stood all by itself. It looked very old. It had lots of small rooms. The paint was peeling off of the old walls. It didn't smell very good either.
We began to walk around to the back of the schoolhouse. I felt out of place. People in costumes were everywhere. I didn't wear a costume. Women were making baskets. Children were running around. All of a sudden, I heard drums. They were loud drums! The next Fancy Shawls dance will begin soon." People in Indian dresses, called regalia, began dancing. They were beautiful! The women's shawls blew in the wind. The next dance was the Southern Straight my mom told me. That's when my uncle dressed in beads and feathers began to dance. He looks like he is hunting for chickens. He's really good. He even won the contest!
     Finally, it's time to go home. It's been a great day. It was really neat coming back to my grandparent's tribal pow-wow. It was fun watching the people dance. The men playing the drums and the ladies making the baskets were very exciting too. We are really proud of our Native American heritage. I can't wait to go back again.

Morgan Elizabeth Radford
Second Grade

The Great Underwater Adventure

     I am excited and nervous at the same time. I'm on a boat in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. It is a beautiful day and we are about to go snorkeling in Jamaica, down in the great deep blue sea. The boat is slowing down and we are minutes from snorkeling. When I got in the water, I got the "chill pills". Wow, that is so cold and when I put my face underwater, the mask began to fill with ice-cold water. I came up to get some air and my Mom told me to calm down.

     I thought about how silly I was acting and began to relax and have fun. I put my mask back on, took a deep breath and began exploring. I saw some yellow fish with black strips on their sides. My dad was in front of me and he started to wave to us to come over to him. So we quickly swam over to see what he wanted. And guess what it was? It was a 20-foot underwater canyon! It was so huge I thought it was a bridge. Then my Dad dove deep, deeper than I could see, into the canyon to discover all its beautiful treasures. I thought it was amazing.

     The canyon was filled with so many sea treasures. My Mom and I saw some blue and yellow fish and some slimy green eels. We even saw a sea anemone eat plankton. Just when I was getting into snorkeling, the captain of the boat told us it was time to leave. I said, "Oh, man, I was just getting to see all the neat sea creatures." There were lots of things to see in my underwater adventure, but I bet no one could ever see all of it.

Mackenzie Schmidt
Third Grade

The Adventure of Mosafa  

My name is Mosafa. I like antelopes. I, Mosafa, am the son of Malisafa the king. My mother, Maliesafo, is the queen. I live in the savannah. One day, we went to a cliff and my parents told me to look down. I looked down. I saw something like stars leading to a cave. I asked:
- What is down there?
- There is a wise lion and I want you to go down there, said Malisafa.
- What does he do to you?
- That I cannot answer, said Malisafa.
- Do I have to go down there?
- Yes.
- What do the stars feel like?
- The stars feel like fluffy things.
- Dad, can you come with me?
- Ok, said Malisafa. Take a step on one.
Half an hour passed. Suddenly, I heard a voice deep down in the cave. It was the wise lion saying: "Is it the king lion entering the cave?"
- Yes, it is us entering the cave. I have brought my son, Mosafa, to go in with you.
- Dad, can you come with me?
- I can't come further.
The wise lion then led me to a room where there were all sorts of potions. He picked up a potion and told me to drink it.
- The potion will make you stronger and you will travel faster to unknown places.
When I was done with the potion, I went back up to the stars and I was ready for a new voyage.

Suleyman Barthe-Sukhera
Third Grade

 The Journey to the Pacific Northwest

     I am on a journey to the great Northwest. I am on my way to wonder and excitement. You and I are just seconds away from experiencing the wonderful Northwest.

     Seattle is a wonderful place. There are lights on every corner. There is cheering in the distance from a Seattle Seahawks football game. It seems to always be day. There is a scent of gasoline from cars and taxies. It is definitely not a quiet and peaceful place but still you have a feeling of quietness and relaxation.

     When I am at my grandma's house in Blaine, Washington, I have conflicting feelings. I'm sleepy and awake and wild at the same time. It is peaceful, warm, and cozy inside her house, while outside it is cold and windy. Unlike Seattle, the weather is so cold you can't hear anything but the wind. The street is empty. At my grandma's house the world seems like it belongs to me.

     Sunriver is a place to relax and enjoy yourself. It is located in Bend, Oregon. I ride my bike to the mall. There are trails about 1 mile long each! The whole resort is about 100 square miles! It is a great place for excitement and exploring.

   The Northwest is very cold. In the winter, it can get down to 0 degrees in the mountains. A typical summer day is only between 60 and 80 degrees.

     Washington is a world of wonders. I encourage you to visit Washington. After you've gone there you will come home with a mind full of imagination. This is one of the best places I've traveled.

Payton William Ball
Fourth Grade

Destination: North Carolina

     "We are all ready to go!" yelled my dad. We were off to North Carolina. I wonder what we are going to see. As I was falling asleep I heard something about Grand, and I didn't hear the rest.
      "We are here," said my dad. "Where?" I asked. I suddenly saw the Grand Canyon! I jumped out of the car and asked for my camera. The wind was brushing my face like powder against my face. I saw miles and miles of cliff. It was time to go. I walked like a zombie to the car.
We were settling in our hotel when we decided to go swimming. We played Marco-Polo and then went to bed. I could not sleep because I was thinking about tomorrow.
     "Rise and shine," called my dad. I jumped out of bed and got my stuff ready to leave. I was the first in the car. I fell asleep on the way. My brother woke me up by calling "Grandma Doreen's house!" I ran in and hugged Grandpa and Grandma. I played with their electric train. It really spits out smoke! I went to bed and thought of the next day. I woke up and got ready.
     Our car got overheated from driving in the Arizona desert in 105 heat. We were next to a rest stop so we went over it to. I saw a roadrunner running five miles an hour. Our car cooled down and we started driving again. We arrived at North Carolina and live here ever since.
     I love it here and want to stay forever. I will never forget the places I've traveled to get here.

Nick LaFave
Fourth Grade

Traveling In the Sun

     Belize, a small country in Central America, was a great spot to travel for Spring Break 2003. Going in the winter was extra fun because it's tropical. Coming back tan made all my friends jealous! I got my tan while doing fun water sports.
     One of my favorite activities in Belize was snorkeling. I like the snorkeling because of the beautiful coral with lots of different colors. The other part I enjoyed about snorkeling was seeing many tropical fish! We even saw a shark family.
     The other activity I like was kayaking. We tied the boats to some dead coral and slid out of the boat to snorkel. I made a game out of leaving the boat. The rules were one had to get out of the boat without flipping it over. Paddling is usually a chore for me. In Belize, it was fun because one can dip the paddle into clear, sparking water.
     In addition to the activities, I enjoyed staying in Caribbean style cabins. They even had thatched roofs and no screens on the windows. On a windy day, our clothes would fly out of the windows! The iguanas would sit on them while they bathed in the sun! My sister's clothes flew out and I got a good laugh at the guarding iguanas and my pouting sister!
     That was one of my favorite vacations. I encourage everyone who likes water sports to go to Belize.

Caitlin Neal
Fourth Grade

Places to Travel

Pennsylvania, I've been there to visit my cousin. It has lots of hills and is very chilly. Las Vegas, I hope I can go there. It would be fun to see all the different things to do. Aloha, I wish I could go to Hawaii! It would be wonderful to play in those waves. Candy Land, I travel there in my sleep. It's got lots of candy canes and yummy things to eat. England, I wonder what it's like. I want to see those people that wear those black hats. South Carolina, I've been there. I like to go to the Dixie Stampede there. Timberwolves game, I hope I can go to one. I would love to see Kevin Garnett play in person. Outer Banks, that trip was great. I got to visit Kitty Hawk and go to lots of the different islands. Tokyo, I'd like to visit to see what things they do there that are different than what we do here. Raleigh, I just went there for a soccer tournament. Raleigh is a beautiful city. Atlantic Ocean, I bogie board there and play in the sand. Boy, is it salty! Venice Beach, I hope I get to go there and play around. Eastern North Carolina, I live there and what a wonderful place to live. No place is better. Lake Ontario, I got to swim there but I was only six or seven.

Meghan Kelly
Fifth Grade

     Wow! I didn't know I was going to meet the mayor. 
     I went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in November 2002 to have Thanksgiving with my family. My Aunt Jo, Uncle Bill, Mom, Dad, great Grandmother, Grandma, Harry my dog, and me were all there. 
     My family stayed at Loews, a four star hotel, and historic building. We stayed on the 31 floor! The morning of Thanksgiving Day we saw the Thanksgiving Day parade. There were huge floats like the Mother Goose story book, and Mickey Mouse. The mayor of Philadelphia even walked in the parade and came over to me, shook my hand and said Happy Thanksgiving.
     There were lots of old buildings and skyscrapers, which were lit up for the holiday. We ate hot pretzels from the street venders, which were awesome. I visited the hard rock café and ate lunch and dinner there twice. That was a really cool place; it had lots of guitars and music stuff all around. I saw the Liberty bell, a holiday light show, and rode on a horse carriage. My dad says the cheese steaks are the best ever. 
     I would love to go back because I would love to see the parade again. 

Kori Meyer 

Eleuther

CONCHES CORAL REEF BEACHES COCONUTS SUNSET FISH DESERTED SNORKELING STAR FRUIT

Marian Hudson 

       Boy oh boy I can't wait t go to Colorado. My dad is going to fly in at Myrtle Beach at nine O'clock on November 21st.  We are driving to Myrtle Beach to meet him there at the airport. At 8:00 the next morning we will take off on a airplane to Colorado for Thanksgiving vacation. 
     When we get to Denver Airport we will drive to Vail. It will take two or three hours to drive up the mountain. 
     When we get to the house in Beaver Creek I will unpack . And we will have all the fun that's possible. While we are having fun deciding what to do, it hit me why not go skiing, or swimming laps in an inside pool, or play tennis. Now how does that sound, pretty fun? What do you think? 
     I will be there Thanksgiving. So it's time to carve the turkey. I hope I have a lot of fun. .Boy I can't wait. 

Cooper Barnes 

 Hershey Park

     On summer vacation, I went to Hershey Park. When I stepped in, I saw three rides - The Great Bear, The Coal Cracker and The Lightning Racer. The Coal Cracker is a fast boat ride. The Great Bear is an insane monorail. The Lightning Racer, the main attraction, is a two-tracked, two-trained, racer roller coaster.
     First, I decided to go on the Coal Cracker, and let me tell you, that boat went fast! It went 41 knots! I felt a little nauseous for a while. We started slowing down, and then finally we stopped. I was dizzy.
     With the ticket in my hand, I wobbled over (not trying to) to the Great Bear starting point. The guy that took the tickets, took my ticket thinking I wanted to go on it. Finally I found a seat, and sat down. Unfortunately, it was on The Great Bear. Suddenly it started moving. At that time, the dizziness wore off. Since I didn't know I was on the Great Bear, I was a little scared - thinking it was an earthquake. I notice the other people sitting in front of me, and I wasn't scared. But that didn't last long. I started feeling nauseous again, but this time I actually hurled. Unlike The Coal Cracker, this one jerked to a stop. I practically broke my head open crashing into the seat in front of me. I walked out of The Great Bear, not dizzy this time, but hurt.
     With one more ticket, I walked to The Lightning Racer. I got onto the train farthest from the entrance after handing the ticket to the ticket guy. The Lightning Racer started. My train was in first! We went into a loop-the-loop. I felt like I was going to fall out of my seat when we were upside down. But still, my train was first. We went into a tunnel. I was pretty scared because I couldn't see anything. When this one jerked to a stop, I didn't crash into the seat in front of me. This time I got off and then hurled.
     My mom told me it was time to go. Fortunately, I used all of my tickets. When I got into the car, I remembered how I hurled and started laughing. 

Ian Baxter 

     I traveled to Hong Kong in April of 1997 when I was two, to live there for three months. My father's business moved us there. 
     Two weeks after we arrived, I turned three. My mom and dad had a birthday celebration for me in our new home. It was the best birthday ever because it was a different country. I got tons of presents. One of my presents was a castle with tiny people. I had a great birthday. 
     I went to school there too. We wore uniforms. Sometimes they spoke Chinese to me and I did not understand it at all. I also made friends from different countries. It was cool. My mom and I would ride a bus to school every morning and afternoon. It was a neat bus with an upstairs. 
     Almost every night we ate Chinese food. They had very delicious food there except when I would see dead ducks and chickens hanging in the store windows. Once we ate in a floating restaurant in the water. We had to take a boat to it. I wore my red Chinese outfit that night. 
     In Hong Kong it was annoying because you had to carry this red book around everywhere to make sure you were allowed to be here. If you got caught not having one, then you could get arrested. 
     Hong Kong had lots and lots of stairs. It is made up of levels. We would walk down like a hundred stairs to go to the park. Once we went down a really long escalator too. It was funny to see escalators on the street. 
     Hong Kong was made up of a lot of old and a lot of new - like in buildings and people. 
     One thing I really liked was how colorful Hong Kong is. It is also a very busy, crowded place. Some people even use pretty umbrellas when it is sunny.
     Right before we came home we went to a colorful parade with dragon floats. It was all part of the celebrations Hong Kong was having because they were being handed over to China's rule instead of British rule. This changeover was a very big event in July 1997. 
     I enjoyed my time in Hong Kong. I brought home lots of souvenirs. My favorite is a Chinese doll. I think Hong Kong is a great place to visit, but I love to live in America the best. 

Elizabeth Cox 

New Jersey is the place to be, there's always something to do. If you've done everything you can, then you can find something new.  When you are feeling down, take a rest. When you wake up you'll feel like the best.  I travel there twice every year. When I'm bored I send a letter from here.  So that's why I like New Jersey the best, come on don't hold back. Come with me and you'll have a BLAST. It's like all good times in the past.

Brendan Maloney Dunlevy 

When I went to Boston There was a lot of exhaustion! The walking and talking The noise and the toys, The stores and the chores, The games and the planes, The hotels and the bells. Going to Boston is a lot of exhaustion!

Tarry Boyd 

"Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! We are in Maryland finally. Now I can see Grammy, my grandmother. My grandmother is almost ninety years old.  She turns ninety in January and she is in good heath. My grandmother said," We're going to Washington, D.C. " Are we already in Washington, D.C? We went to the capitol first and saw the beautiful angels on the ceiling. We went to the museum and we saw the dinosaurs. We stopped at the vender to get something to eat.  It was a foot long hotdog!!!!!! We got to see the White House but they would not us in.  But we got to see where George W. Bush lived. After walking around all day we were getting very, very tired. When we got to Grammy's, we got a very, very, very good meal with fresh food. Then my cousins came down while I was in bed. "I am so glad to see you!!! I got out of bed to see my cousins and aunts, uncles and played with them until eleven o'clock. I could not stay up any longer so I fell asleep on the couch. My dad had to pick me up of the couch and carry me to bed. I slept like a baby until eleven o'clock. The next day when I woke up the best meal was waiting on me. It was biscuits, bacon, eggs, and home made Orange juice. The biscuits Grammy made from scratch were so good I ate five of them. Maybe after breakfast we celebrated Grammy's birthday. We got her a beautiful necklace. She was so happy that she cried. We ate birthday cake and ice cream and sang a birthday song. It was the best birthday party ever and I will always remember spending Grammy's special day with her. 

Maria Faith Boggs 

This year my family took a trip to Cherokee North Carolina. It is in the Mountain Region. We drove all the way and it took six hours to get there. When we arrived at Cherokee, we saw millions of people dressed in different clothes. The Indians wore beads and feathers on their clothes. We got to go to the Cherokee Village to see what it was like to be an Indian. They ate beans, fish, and deer. My favorite part of the Ocuhaluftec Indian Village was watching the Indian shoot darts from a pea shooter. The dart went super fast. We also got to go to a play called The Trail Of Tears. This play had loud cap guns. I did not like it because it made an echo in the stadium. I got to hike in the woods with my dad. We saw an old chimney and fireplace from an old log cabin. We also got to see lots of big and small waterfalls. It was cool when the water hit the rocks. I got two souvenirs and one of them was a buffaloes tooth and the other one was a slingshot. I also have lots of pictures of things that I saw. We got to eat boiled peanuts. When I tried one, I spit it out on the ground because it tasted horrible. It tasted like hard crunchy yucky peanut butter. We went to Sliding Rock and when I first touched the water it was so cold. My brother and I went down the slippery wet rock. It had rushing, freezing water crashing over the rocks. When we got to the tiptop of the mountains, we could touch the clouds because we were so high. The clouds felt very damp. It felt like it was raining because it was so foggy. When we were in downtown in Cherokee, I got to see a real buffalo. There were lots of Indians dancing and singing around the buffalo. The Indians had lots of face paint on and they wore leather clothes. I liked my trip to Cherokee North Carolina. Next time I go to the mountains, I will go to Brison City because I really want to see the trains.

Davis Ball 

This past summer my family took a trip to Long Island N.Y. I did so many things when I was there, but my favorite thing I did was go to a fair. I went to the fair with my aunts, uncles, cousins, Mom, Dad and brother. The first ride I rode was The Tornado. I sat on a chair that had an umbrella on top. It spun me around on a cable. It was so fast and went so high in the sky. The second ride I went on was called The Gravitron. It went very fast and was really scary! It sucked me against the sides, I could not move! The next thing I did was get sticky, sugary sweet cotton candy it smelled so delicious and it stuck to my fingers and my face. The slides were the next ride I went on. We had to climb a lot of stairs to get to the top. My brother and I were given mats. We slid down the curvy, slippery slide all the way to the bottom. It was fun!! then my mom and me played a game and my mom won a pillow that said", cutie on it for me. The last thing we did was try to win my brother a fish. We had to throw ping pong ball into a gold fish bowl. The night was complete when we took the fish, Nemo home with us. What a New York memory!!! 

Mackenzie O'Connell 

A Mountain Adventure 

     Earthshine Mountain is in the mountains of western North Carolina. It is a lodge built on an old farm on the top of the Blue Ridge mountains. Each room has a special name, and my room was called the Bears Den. It had wooden bunk beds that my brother and I shared. There is a giant playroom with lots of games and a stone fireplace. Around the lodge, there are open fields. In the forests, there are hiking trails and even a Cherokee Indian settlement.
     Getting to Earthshine Mountain was a great experience. Since I live on the coast near the beach, I wasn't used to the tall mountains and winding roads. As we got closer to Earthshine Mountain, it seemed as if we were driving in the clouds. I was a little scared, but I was also excited to see the forests and rivers.
     Once we got settled into our room, I explored the lodge. There were lots of other kids staying there, and each night I played cards, checkers and pick-up sticks with my new friends. Each day was filled with fun activities. One day we went to an old pioneer homestead. We made apple cider and cooked cornbread on a campfire. There was an old mine called Abrahams Mine. I found lots of different colored jewels and even some fools gold! At the blacksmiths shop, I helped pump the bellows to keep the fire hot and helped hammer the metal.
     There is also a climbing wall at Earthshine Mountain. We put on rock climbing gear and they hooked us to a strong rope. It was very hard and kind of scary, but I made it to the top and rang the bell! They also have zip lines. These are metal wires stretching from one tree to another. Some are over 300 feet long. You connect yourself to the cables and "zip" from tree to tree.
     One morning, we went to the Cherokee Indian settlement in the forest. We made clay necklaces and rode horses. We got to choose our Indian names and I chose "Panther". Later, I went on a long hike to a place called Kings Falls. The waterfall was tall and we waded in the water below it. It was lots of fun, but the water was very cold!
     Each night we roasted marshmallows over a campfire. In the fields we could see thousands of fireflies. Everyone would run through the fields catching fireflies and playing tag.
     On our last night at Earthshine Mountain, we had a barn dance. Old Abraham played the banjo and I played a homemade bass. It was made from a metal washtub, broomstick and rope. We had so much fun dancing. Afterwards we lit sparklers to celebrate the Fourth of July. My bunk bed sure felt good that night!
     I didn't want to leave the next morning. But as we drove back through the mountains toward home, I remembered all the great fun that I had at Earthshine Mountain. My dad said that we could go back soon. I can't wait! 

By Conner Church

Up in the mountains of Arizona Down in the valleys of the Grand Canyon Going back in time at Williamsburg And having fun at Disney World

By Kyle Cura 

  "Wake up, Taylor", I heard as the car suddenly stopped. When I opened my eyes I saw a gravel parking lot surrounded with huge trees and rocks. My family and I were going hiking.  We found a great trail with bridges to cross and bushes that made it skinny. We saw all sorts of fossils and rocks. In a distance, I heard a rumble noise. I thought it was a thunder storm. There where no clouds in sight. As went farther up the trail, it got louder. Suddenly I realized it was a stream of water running over the rocks. My father asked, "Do you want to go across?" "Sure," my brother and I said at once. My Father told me to be careful as you jump from rock to rock because they are slippery. As soon as my feet touched the cold brisk water, I shivered. Then I saw an enormous rock. I carefully climbed up the rock. There was a lot of cracks in it. As I knelt down on the rock, a fish jumped. I said to myself, "This is beautiful!" I carefully put my feet back in the cold water to see if I could catch the fish. I told my parents that some people don't get to see such beauty. I told my brother we where very fortunate. Maybe one day I will get to tell this story on what a great time I had on my trip to Tennessee. 

Taylor Blanton 

(Untitled)

     One year I took a trip to a wonderful place called California. I went by plane. It was my first time to fly on a plane.  It was kind of freaky my first time on a plane. But it was fun.  California was a huge big place. There was a lot more people in California than there was in North Carolina.  It was a fun place to visit.  I went to San Francisco.  There was lots of good foods like shrimp. A lot of fun places to have fun. I would love to go back one day. I really liked the trolley cars they were really big and fun. 

Danielle Perdue 

One place for me to travel that is the best place I will ever go is heaven. I know that heaven is the best place because that is the only place that you can go in your life when you are dead to be with god. But even alive I am still with god. I think being with god is the best place that you can be then my parents would be the next safest place to be. I love god and he is very important to me. I hope sooner or later the missionaries spread news about god so people everywhere even in countries over seas will at least know one thing about god. So that they can go to heaven also. 

Michel Shackelford 

A Sunny Trip

     Last summer vacation, I visited Honolulu in Hawaii.  I flew by airplane with my parents. When I got there I could go to the beach morning or night because the ocean water is so warm. The next day I took a bus tour.  On the trip I stopped at a shop and I saw a pearl in a clam. After lunch I went to the Polynesian culture center. And there they demonstrated their ancient culture for lifestyle and festival. At the end of the show was people dancing on the boat. Next we visited Pearl Harbor that place reminded us of when Japan attacked the Hawaii in 1945. The next day I went to a souvenir shop and got a free shell necklace and got a flower necklace. Hawaii really has a lot of history to learn about.  I would have enjoy going to see a volcano.  I had such a great time, I would really like to go back again. This was the best trip ever! 

Noel Kim 

In the Garden

I would travel to a green grassy garden with roses and flowers every where I look!  My feet soak in the grassy floor, the dew is very wet upon the bottom of my feet I pick some flowers for my mother they smell sweet and fresh. The gates are painted white oftenly The grass is no higher than up to my ankle I feel the wind against my face blowing back my hair The weeping willows hang lowly as I walk by them they brush softly against my face.  It's time to leave. I push open the gate slowly. I skip happily through the grassy fields. Soon I reach the long dirt road that leads to the log house. On my way home I stop to listen to the birds with their wonderful voices I look in the trees- the small birds are learning to fly. I run past the barnyard to get some eggs I carefully place them in a large bag to keep them safe. Then I walk swiftly home so I don't miss dinner Finally I'm there I am very hungry from my long journey I hope I can visit the garden tomorrow!

Molly Chiaramonte

     My family and I went to Overland Park, Kansas, for my Aunt Betty's wedding and to see my grandparents. On July 17 we packed up, got in the car and went on our two day adventure. On our way we drove through very bad storms. We stopped at Nashville, Tennessee at 11:00 pm. The next day we drove through more bad storms and at 5:30 pm we got there.  We had to get ready for Aunt Betty's rehearsal dinner. And I got to see my cousin Leah and other family members like my Uncle Brian and Aunt Betty. But the best thing so far is seeing my Nana Barnett and Papa Barnett. Nana Barnett bought my brother and I some new clothes. My brother and I played jail with Papa in the backyard where the birds and squirrels were playing. For breakfast we had homemade cinnamon rolls. Saturday was Aunt Betty's wedding and she wore a beautiful beige suit. After the wedding, we ate vanilla wedding cake. The next day we went to Worlds of Fun. First, we went to Snoopy Land and we went on the Timber Wolf and it went 55 miles per hour. Wow, that's fast! The next roller coaster was the Orient Express and it went loopdee loop three times. On Monday we went to Lake Milford and after awhile we found the perfect place to swim. My brother and I jumped out of the boat and we tried to get Papa to come swim with us but he didn't. After awhile we where prunes and my mom told me to get out but I said "no". Well, the next day we had to go home and I said to everybody, "I don't want to go home." But, I had to and I said to my mom, "I hope we get to go back another time because I love seeing family and I had a blast." 

Hannah Barnett

My family and I went on a trip to Europe. The country we went to was called Germany. Our airplane landed in Frankfurt. My uncle picked us up, and we drove to a town called Kleinostheim. The town is located in Bavaria. We stayed at my grandmother's house. My uncle's wedding was on an island called Fohr located at the North Sea. My uncle got married in a fancy church. The food at the wedding was fabulous. We visited the beach and walked across the dunes with relatives. We saw a large ferry. When we got back to my grandmother's house we played Uno and drew pictures together. While we were in Germany we visited my uncle's house. My dad got poked in the bottom by a cactus, because he was too lazy to walk around the table. It was funny. 
    We also did some sight seeing in Germany. My mom showed us where she went to school. When my mom went to school she had to walk for 1/2 hour every day to get to her school. We visited a castle in Aschaffenburg. It was huge and glamorous. I liked the torture chamber the best. After our tour we went to a restaurant in the mall. I ordered potato dumplings and gravy that is one of my favorite German meals. It tasted great. After the restaurant we went to the toy store. We bought some souvenirs. I picked out a game called Mensch Argere Dich Nicht what means Don't Get Mad. My sister got a Barbie. My mom got postcards and a small book about Germany. We had a lot of fun in Germany. I was really upset when we left but I was also happy to go back home to see my friends. 

Jason Mays

My Trip to Maine

     "Here we are" I said in excitement to my dad as the plane landed in the airport of Maine. We were surrounded by mountains and rivers. We went there to see my dad's mom and his brothers. When my dad was growing up he used to fish at a river called "The Big Eddy". When we were on the trip we got to go fishing there. I wasn't catching anything good at first but after I put on a new worm I caught a huge bass and it was tugging my line and bending my pole! We took home the fish and put it in the freezer so that we could get someone to mount it for us. After that we went on a walk. We got to walk across a train bridge behind his house. It was over 100 feet above the water. My dad told me when he was little two guys used to ride their bikes across the bridge. The bridge has two skinny rails that the train used. That is hard to do on a bike so up high above water. After the many cool nights of sleep it was time to go home. We had fun visiting with my dad's family and I hope we can go again soon. 

Coburn Brewer 

     So far in my life I have been to Key West, Florida, Bethel, Maine, Boston, Massachusetts and England. My favorite of the four is Bethel, Maine because we went skiing at Sunday River. I went skiing with my Grammy, my cousins and Grammy's friend, Vernon. I love skiing a whole lot! 
    Another trip I fancied was my trip to England. On my trip to England I met my English cousins. I remember playing soccer (called football in England) in their backyard. My favorite part about going to England was finding "Lucky", an orange "Beanie Baby" dog. I was very lucky to find him on Easter morning because I did not see him first thing in my bed at the MOAT House hotel in London. That is why I call him "Lucky"! 
     I would like to travel to Hawaii because it is always warm, never snows, and you can go swimming at the beach. It is also a great place to go sightseeing! It would also be awesome to watch a volcano erupt! 

David Kent Sheppard

     Wow! I can't wait! Are we there yet? Come on, are we? We just landed at the Florida airport and we're just getting off the plane. We're here to surprise our grandma at a restaurant for her birthday. We're heading to the hotel called the Boca Raton Resort. We pulled into the driveway and saw huge palm trees all around. We went straight to our room and called our Grandma but we did not tell her we were in Florida! The next night we were heading to the restaurant. Who's that we see? It's our Grandma, so we all jump out and surprise her and then she liked it so much she started to cry. There was a really pretty fountain close by so we took some pictures. It was very steamy in Florida. Good thing we didn't bring coats! After dinner we went back to the hotel and got a glass of lemonade with sugar on the rims of the glass. The next morning we had breakfast with my cousin and aunt and uncle. They were staying in the same hotel as us. After we had breakfast we went for a walk and swam in the ocean. It was just beautiful with all the waves all around. Next year I might be able to surf on the terrifying waves of the Atlantic Ocean! After dinner that night we went to see a magician. He gave us a playing card, which we signed, and the next thing we knew it was on the ceiling!!! His tricks were outrageous! So, all in all it was a pretty fun weekend. I never knew Florida could be so fun. Florida has perfect weather and perfect waves! My Grandma loved her surprise which made it an even more fun weekend. She said "This was my best birthday present EVER!"

Alex Milkes
Third Grade

Sizzling beaming sun Relaxing lovely moist beach Vivid colorful soulful people Running jumping fun Twirling bright shiny dresses dancing Gay ribboned shady sombreros Exciting beautiful sizzling Mexico

Emily Yvonne Milkes
Third Grade