I planned to go to the adventurous, pleasing state of California for my birthday, which was this weekend. I was mostly excited to finally escape the boring, dull state of Nevada, which has been my home for as long as I could remember.
One evening at dinner, my parents asked, “Where would you like to go for your tenth birthday, Rose?” I instantly knew where I wanted to go.
I placed down my silverware and replied eagerly, “Well...I’ve always wanted to go to Yosemite National Park. It’s in California, not too far from here. Could we go there?”
“Well, we could go this weekend. We just have to rent a last minute cabin.”
“Yay!” exclaimed Noah, my six year old brother.
In awe, I commented, “Thanks, you’re the best!”
After dinner we all gathered in the living room, and we continued planning which cabin we would rent. I dozed off, thinking about all the fun we would have. I still couldn’t believe we were going! I’ve always been secretly eyeing this park, for it is packed with unique wildlife species, which I can’t see in my area. I never really found my home town in Nevada interesting, in fact, I longed for an escape. I despited the cold, snowy winters where I couldn’t adventure outside. I longed for an adventure in my secret spot in the woods, near my house, where wildlife would become inquired with my presence. Where I truly enjoyed my evenings. There is one problem, though, the only time when the weather would compromise with me, would be during the warm months of spring. One time, I was in the woods and it started to rain, pour even, I never liked the rain. In fact, I hated it. I’m always afraid that one day I would be stuck outside with no shelter at all. If it weren’t for the muddy, wet ground or the dangers of fall and injuring myself, I would have ran all the way home that day. I always fled to shelter every time it rained, just like the wild animals in the woods. And during the fall, all the animals would scurry off whenever I stepped onto the fallen autumn colored leaves. I couldn’t even get close enough to them, without causing them to run away. I didn’t like to make them worried because of my mere presence, so I just didn’t go at all. During summer, the weather is extremely hot, making it impossible for me to fully adventure comfortably. Walking in the heat made me exhausted and dehydrated before even making it to the woods. California has always had great weather, in my opinion, and there’s a historical, famous national park! It is everything I’ve ever wanted! I just hope everything will be fine, and that everyone has a good time.
Mom placed the tablet gently on the center of the coffee table, as she cut me out of my daze,“I think I found the perfect last-minute cabin, James,” she remarked to my father. I caught a glimpse at the clock. It’s pretty late, already time for me to finally get some rest, I thought, although I doubt I will fall asleep with all the anticipation. I rose from the light grey armchair while I bid my parents ‘goodnight’ and made my way to my bedroom upstairs. After many hours of just laying in my cozy bed, I did end up falling asleep.
“Today is the big day!” exclaimed my mother from the doorframe of my bedroom. I reluctantly rose from my bed as she opened the grey curtains that were once blocking the bright morning sunshine, which signified the arrival of spring.
“Rise and shine”, she repeated for the millionth time this morning, “aren’t you excited?”
“Yes, mom, but you seem more excited than me,” I answered walking towards the bathroom. I continue to get ready for the big day. I catch a glimpse of myself in the large bathroom mirror. For some reason, I couldn't seem to stop smiling. Once I finally finished getting ready, I headed out of the bathroom and walked into my bedroom. I guess my mom got tired of waiting for me, I thought, or maybe she went to wake up her next victim. I chuckled lightly. I thought, walking towards the kitchen, I wonder what mom made for breakfast today. The moment I entered the kitchen the aroma of pancakes hit me.
As if on cue, my mom exclaimed, setting down the stack of pancakes on the center of our rectangular table, “Look what I made for breakfast!”
“Thanks mom!” I replied enthusiastically, sitting down and placing two fluffy, thick pancakes onto my plate. "This tastes as great as it smells, Mom," I commented in between mouthfuls.
"Did I just hear that Marie made pancakes?" Dad questioned sitting down on the other side of the table.
"Pancakes?!" Noah rushed down the stairs, following in pursuit. He swerved around the corner of the table to take the seat next to mine.
"Happy birthday, Rose! I can't believe that you are turning ten today. It just seemed like yesterday you were born," Dad uttered softly.
"Oh calm down James, our little girl is finally growing up," Mom added sentimentally as she sat down next to Dad joining us for breakfast.
"Mom?!" I wined, mentally palm slapping my face. Noah chuckled softly as he took another bite of his pancakes. I glanced towards Dad and noticed a genuine smile. Once I finished eating my pancakes, I excused myself and rose from my seat to place my plate in the dishwasher.
Mom asked while raising both of her eyebrows, “Rose did you pack for the trip like I asked you to do yesterday?”
Clearly, I had forgotten. I was just so excited that I forgot about the dread of packing, even though that night I couldn’t sleep at all. The night before, I just laid on my bed, under the pastel teal comforter. I don't think it will take that long anyways, I thought, I’ll just do it right now, before we go. “Yes I did pack, right before going to bed.”
“Alright, get going then,” Dad stated calmly, “we should arrive at around two o’clock to Yosemite.”
“Today is going to be a great day,” Mom added, “I just know it."

© Shadow_4610