A Trip to remember!

My favorite place to be in the summer is undeniably the beach. It is the most romantic and relaxing place to be especially if you go at night. A few years back when I went to Tawas State Park with my family, I had the most exciting experience of my life. When I was down there I met one of my lifelong friends Travis, he was one the most laid back guys I know. HE had the Idea for us to go out to the beach at around midnight. At the time I was petrified of the dark, and was very hesitant to go along with him. With some major persuasion, he finally convinced me to go. We first met up at my camp site, because there was no way I was walking alone to his. From there we started the mile walk to the beach. It was around midnight, but the moon was shining so bright it didn’t feel like it was that late. We walked straight down the cement path way following it until we could see the lighthouse.

 

It was quiet, no one was around to make a sound, and all you could here was the wind rustling through the leaves on the trees. It was peaceful, when we finally reached the beach we walked down the shore line until we found a spot that was secluded with brush and trees, so we could build a fire without being too visible. We set up our spot with a big tan comforter, and laid four medium sized rocks on the four corners of the blanket to insure that they didn’t get moved around by the wind. After getting set up Travis decided to go for a swim, he asked me to join but I was not for it. I have seen to many movies about people either getting attacked by something in the water or people drowning because they don’t have anyone on shore who can help them.

 

Yes I know Michigan is a fresh water state and there are not and sharks and monsters do not exist but I wasn’t up to chance my luck! After he go back we just sat for an hour or two listening to the waves hit the shore, and gazing at the stars. In the Bay City/Saginaw area you can see stars but in Tawas the stars seem to glow even brighter in the sky, almost allowing you to reach up and touch them. I could have stayed out there forever, it was amazing to be able to see all of the natural beauty of traveling up North. Since that night whenever my family plans a trip up to Tawas I always look forward to either being able to take a friend with me or be able to meet someone new in the park.             

Shopping trip

I absolutely love it when people try to tell me that going on a shopping trip isn’t travel. In a matter of fact it is, and in my opinion it’s the best place to travel! When I go shopping in the Great Lakes Crossing Mall, it always excites me. Compared to the malls that we have in our local area, this mall, if you haven’t been there, is huge! This mall holds many of my favorite stores and as a bonus over eighty-five percent of the stores are outlets! Some of my favorite stores include, Forever 21, Coach, H & M, Victoria’s Secret, Bed Bath and Beyond, and much more. Now I have been to the Great Lakes Crossing Mall around ten or more times so I have a pretty good grasp on navigating my way around.

My junior year is a different story though, once my friend Emma and I were crazy enough to go down to Detroit in her tiny Chevrolet Metro, buy a hotel room right on the mall property, and stay the night even though we were only seventeen. The drive down was unpleasant because her car is the size of a shoebox. The fact that we didn’t have to get up early in the morning to battle traffic for over two hours was the best idea ever though! Unfortunately the only down side was spending my own money. My parents didn’t love me enough to financially support my shopping addition. So I was forced to save up as much money as I could to be able to get a few new outfits. It was a struggle but I made it out with cash to spare.

That night we decided that we wanted to experience an I-Max movie for the first time, and Emma decided we were going to see the collector.  That was a terrible idea, she made me leave the movie with her because it was to bloody and gory. We were not about to waist ten dollars on a movie we had only seen the first five minute of so we asked to see a different one and that lead to us seeing the rise of the guardians. It was the best, way to end the trip!

I love just taking random trips to the great lakes crossing mall. Yes I know it is a drive, but it gives you a chance to go out with friends and relax, allowing a whole day of nothing but shopping. It is worth the gas you spend and the time you take out of your day! What more could you ask for!

Traveling is worth every Penny

I love it when people try to tell me that traveling somewhere new is way out of their budget. I mean some places that I have been to have been on the higher priced side, but there are plenty of enjoyable places to go were you don’t need to worry about breaking the bank. My parents have always known how to bargain shop when it came to finding a five star hotel at a two star price. It doesn’t take much to learn how to have a good time and save as much money as you can. Even though we all know that when you travel, one will buy no matter how hard they try to not. Some of my most exciting trips included shelling out a little extra cash, but it was all worth it in the end! Nothing is cheap, in order to have “vacation fun” as my family and I call it, one must try to not worry about prices! Only try to enjoy the things that they might not get to do each day. When I went to the Bahamas, like I have talked about in my previous blog, I got to swim with the dolphins, walk on the pure white sandy beaches, and spend my four days three night on a luxurious Disney Dream Cruise ship! Yes this was a bit costly but it was worth every penny, because as we know Bay City isn’t the most tropical get away. Now I know that most people can’t do things like that to the extreme. It is crazily and ridiculously priced but Disney is of course the happiest place on earth! But there are ways to save such as; driving instead of flying, not splurging on food products or useless souvenirs, and most importantly attempting to not stay at the official resorts. Key steps like that can prevent an unhappy checkbook balance.

     

Now if a Disney Cruise to the beautiful islands of the Bahamas isn’t your thing you have an abundance of other fun and exciting locations! I consider myself to be well traveled, but I haven’t been all over the world just yet (even though I plan to in the near future). Unfortunately when I travel I generally find myself at the same area.  In 2012, my family and I got the chance to go to Washington DC to go the Girl Scout rock the Mall, this was cool even though I have already been to DC twice before. While we were there we also had the opportunity to spend some time at Virginia Beach, trust me when I say there is no other perfect way to relax then to spend a weekend at Virginia Beach. Now these vacations were much better in prices, and more educational and relaxing. But it was the most interesting to be able to see all of the natural and manmade sites. So I understand that traveling can become costly, making it seem like it wouldn’t be worth all the money and time, but it truly is. Growing up for me would have been completely different if my family wasn’t always consistently traveling.

DONT KNOCK IT UNTIL YOU TRY IT!

Halloweekends 2013

So I know that I have already written a blog about my experiences at Cedar Point, Americas rocking roller coast, but just this weekend I got the chance to go to Halloweekends! Now this is a fun chance to be able to ride all of the classics; Millennium Force, Dragster, Gatekeeper, and the other fifteen fabulous coasters housed on the island, and also be able to walk through some of their spooky haunted houses and the ever so popular Fright Zone! I have been going to Cedar Point since I was around the age of only nine months old, but I have only had the chance to go to the Halloweekends for ten years. Halloweekends entails fun and amusement for all ages, from having child attractions such as parades and trick or treating too having a large amount of haunted houses allowing the adults to have their pants scared off! It was definitely worth the 2 ½ hour drive. 

  

Cedar Point only runs the park Friday through Sunday. My friends and I drove down there for only one night on October 25^th and we came back in the morning on the 26^th. Only having to pay $25.00 on Friday night made the trip more enjoyable for everyone because, at first, they thought they were going to have to pay upwards of $50.00 each. Even though the park was only open from 6 P.M. to 12 A.M. we still were able to get on mostly all of the coasters and even a few haunted houses. The park was almost empty with our longest line wait being around thirty minutes. It was perfect!

As you may have noticed I am a huge Cedar Point enthusiast, so I am a regular when it comes to riding the coasters and attending Halloweekends, but for my friends Allyce and Gabrielle this was a whole new experience. This was Allyces very first time going to Cedar Point, and she is 18 years old! Gabby had been to the park before, but that was when she was in eighth grade! It was so amusing to see some of their reactions on the rides and in the Fright Zones! I hardly ever get to bring a group of friends with me when I go to Cedar Point, usually I am stuck being a single rider: I was extremely excited my parents allowed it!

The only down fall that we had on our trip was having to cram eight people into a hotel room made to sleep only five. We stayed at our usual hotel, The Breakers Express because we got an amazing deal of only eighty dollars a night (while rooms are around $150 a night). Having two Queen Beds, a role away, a cot, and a just enough floor space we managed to squeeze all of my family and friends into the teacup sized room. The only difficult part was trying to share the one television and bathroom, in other words not a good experience.  We were fortunate enough to only have to stay one night, but it definitely made us closer as a family!

         

Now that you know how much of a Cedar Point fan I really am, you can understand why I get so pumped up when my family plans a trip there! It is honestly a major part of my life, and I don’t think that's going to change any time soon!

 

 

 

 

Paradise(:

 2012 was the first time that I had gotten the chance to travel to somewhere other then Cedar Point. In the Bahamas he sun was shining ever so bright, a beautiful day. The clear aqua-blue seas and white sandy beaches are some of the most beautiful in the world. Vacationing on the islands of paradise is truly breath taking and inspiring .A perfect place to go and relax without a care in the world. There is no place more romantic, a true destination for anyone willing to take the trip.

The Bahamas is a perfect playground for kids of all ages, I truly enjoyed my time vacationing here. So many fun activities to partake in. Such as saddling up and trotting up and down the pristine shores on horseback. Also, getting down and dirty with a game of volleyball in the sand. Or simply building a huge sand castle on the beach. My brother and sister even had the chance to attend a kid’s camp, where they found many fun and new adventure. Whatever may piques your interest, know that you can find fun for your entire family in the Bahamas. The Bahamas also offers dive experiences like no other destination in the world. You’ll find sunken Spanish galleons, inland blue holes, underwater caves and forest-like coral reefs teeming with vibrant marine life. You can even feed and swim with reef sharks an experience sure to get your adrenaline pumping. Explore what else makes The Bahamas the most complete diving destination in the world. I found this to be the most fun I had never had the chance to go deep sea diving, it is so amazing. It is definitely something that I recommend everyone do once in their lives. It is so much better there then it is in Bay City, with our water being murky and unclean!

My favorite part would have had to been relaxing and tanning on the stellar beaches. With its many breathtaking islands and cays, and the clearest water on Earth, it’s no wonder people travel to sink their toes into miles of pure white, and in some places pink, sand. Many of the beaches in the Bahamas have even been voted the “best in the world”, while I was there I was told that the island had two celebrities staying on the island they told me it was very uncommon to not find a celebrity vacationing on the beaches. Making the Bahamas a true paradise. If you're looking for the ultimate getaway, just remember that it's always better in the Bahamas especially this fall and winter when it is freezing here in Michigan! I wish we would have traveled in the fall or winter it would have made the trip so much better. But at least I can say I had the chance to vacation in a tropical paradise!  

Florida experience

One of my main travel destinations includes Orlando FL, my family always tries to vacation there once or twice a year.  I have always enjoyed being able to travel Walt Disney World, even now that I am growing up. Since I have been able to drive or fly down with my parents, it has really helped to shape who I am and how I act. It was always the most exciting time of my life; being able to see all of the characters and get their autographs while being able to take pictures with them, now that's is every kid’s dream. My favorite trip to Disney would shockingly be the time that I had broken my arm. Now I know it sounds strange but I thought that I was the coolest for being able to have all of my favorite characters sign my pink cast. As I got older of course my favorite things changed to fit who I was. Such as when I started to enjoy the many different attractions that Disney had to offer; space mountain, Expedition Everest, Soaring, and so much more.

Each Disney Vacation was very different in its own way. My family would either stay at a Disney Resort or in a rented home. Usually, we would stay at Port Orleans Riverside, a beautiful resort with a beautiful view of the river and the many palm trees Florida had to offer. Now the Resort was nice because we had luxury of being close to the parks and having reliable transportation each day, the resort was only bad because with a family of five the rooms can get extremely crowed, and the prices were very high. The Rented Homes were amazing! For lower costs, the home offered four large bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large kitchen, and a small pool and spa. It was perfect, minus the fact that you had to drive yourself into Disney. Each place is an ideal location to vacation it really just depends on personal preference.          
While we were down in Orlando we also got to eat at some amazing and different restaurants that we don’t have in Michigan; Manny’s chop house and Tommy V’s. Now if you have never eaten at Manny’s original chophouse you are really missing out. You should probably get on that right away! Located about five miles off the strip, it is the best place to sit down with your family and enjoy a flavorful meal. In my opinion it is the best Steak place I have ever eaten at. The food is always cooked fresh and the proportions are huge. Tommy V’s is a little pizza place, now by the location it’s in you would think it would be unsafe to eat in. It’s located in a little strip mall next to a tattoo shop and a doctor’s office. Weird I know but their pizza is phenomenal.

When you travel to Florida there is so much more to experience then just visiting Walt Disney World or the beach. Try not to limit yourself as much as possible. Also I will give you a fair warning to NOT EAT ON THE STRIP, it is a tourist trap. The food is awful and is made to service the thousands and thousands of people that travel on the strip each day.
I know that some people haven’t even traveled to Florida in their lifetime but I would highly recommend going their! It’s worth every penny.        

My first Disney Cruise

Florida is a premium vacation spot for many people, including my family. We take our annual trip to Walt Disney World ever one to two years. This year we took a different spin on our normal vacation; going on the Disney Dream Cruise ship. It was the best trip I have ever had the privilege of taking. I admit I was nervous at first to be going on a ship for three days; keeping in mind that this was a few days after hurricane had hit the area just a week or so prior. I’m just glad that we could still go on the ship and have a good few days out in the open ocean.    

The first day was the most exciting we had just gotten off our flight at around nine in the morning. When we got off the plane the temperature was in the high eighties; it was perfect. After calming our bags we proceeded to the busing area to wait for our transportation to arrive. When we got on the bus it took us around an hour to get to the ship. When we finally were allowed to board, the pure excitement just exploded as all the passengers proceeded to push their way onto the ship. It was crazy but worth the hassle.

When we first opened the door to our room we were shocked at how small it was, the bathroom could maybe only fit two people at the most and there were only two Queen Beds along with a pull down bed, we did get lucky though by getting a room with a balcony.  After we got settled in, my family almost immediately split up to explore the floors of the ship. It was massive, containing eight floors, a large pool deck that featured a water slide circling the entire top of the ship, and a gorgeous view of the open ocean.

The ship also had a great dining experience. The three nights we were on the ship we had three very different dining experiences. This was also enjoyable because the food was never ending allowing you to try anything that was on the menu without a set limit. The first dinner was fancy and elegant, it was delicious; I had the pork chops along with the grilled salmon topped with caviar. We also had the best waiters, they were so nice and remember us by our names, they were are waiters every day for the next three dinners we attended. The second dinner was more laid back, we had simpler foods and we also had dinner with crush (the turtle from Finding Nemo); it was cute but I couldn’t stop thinking of that last dinner. The third night was probably my favorite of them all; I was served duck and snails. Yeah I never thought I would get a chance to try them; but let me tell you they were amazing!

Other than the food, the cruise ship offered many different activity’s for all ages. The teen club was where I spent most of my time while on the ship. This allowed me to make new friends from all over the world; some that I still have contact with. My mom, sister, and I also had the chance go to the Atlantis Hotel to swim with the dolphins! It was so interesting at how well the dolphins were trained. After our experience we also got to go to the private beaches offered to guests and swim. It was fun until I got stung by a jellyfish!

The Disney Dream Cruise ship was an awesome experience: I got to meet new people, try new and exotic foods, and take part in a variety of unique activities that I could never do in my home town. The storms earlier in the week may have caused some difficulty for us at the start of our trip but when I look back I wouldn’t have changed anything.        

First trip to New York

I had never been more excited than when I discovered that for our choir class trip we were going to go to New York City! I was my last year in high school and my teacher told our class that we had the privilege of going to New York to sing at Carnage Hall. When we found out more of the details we immediately started to fund raise. We also had the difficult task of learning and memorizing the words to the creation, the longest, most boring song ever written. It took our class about five months or so to learn it well enough to be able to perform with the other choirs at the hall.

As we started preparation to leave, you could just feel the excitement in the air. Even though all fifty-two of us were going to be stuck on a Blue Lakes charter bus together for thirteen hours straight. Yes, we did make three pit stops before actually entering New York, but let’s face it, we were all pretty sick of be crammed in a small space together, we needed fifteen minutes of space. When the long drive was over, and we had made it in to New Jersey, you could just start to see the sky line of New York. Everyone was pulling out your cameras trying to take pictures. Of course, I was sitting on the side everyone was trying to get to. I was pretty sure I was about to smack the cameras out of the hands of any one who got close to me. After that mess was through we approached the Lincoln Tunnel, one of the many way to enter the city. I won’t lie, it was very interesting experience.         

After having to battle to crazy cab drivers and the insanely congested traffic into the city, we had finally made it to the Crowne Plaza, our hotel. Once we were checked in, my teacher had to go over all of the rules that no one was going to follow anyway. He said things like “don’t leave the hotel without a chaperone” and “try not to get lost in the city.” It was so awesome because our hotel was right in the middle of Time Square, and our room had a view overlooking the square below. When we were finished unpacking, we were all excited to start exploring the city.

 

Unfortunately, that was put on hold for our first four-hour singing rehearsals we had to attend once a day until our curtain call, that was the worst part about the whole trip. But right when the conductor ended the session everyone was up and running. Once we were out in the city we got to do so many different things such as; go and walk around central park, going shopping at one of the many stores in the area, and being able to visit Chinatown. It was all a great entertaining and educational learning experience. We also had the chance to go to two Broadway Plays: Catch Me If You Can, and Newsies. It was an awesome experience, but was poorly planned because we had to go and see it the day we first got to New York, and by that point we were all pretty exhausted.  

 

On the day of our concert, not to many of us where excited to perform, yes it was a once in a life time chance to perform at the hall, but the fact that we had to stand for two hours just to sing the creation wasn’t all to exciting. Still it was an experience I will hold with me for a life time. After our performance was over all the choirs headed to the buses to be transported to the harbor to enjoy the remainder of our night on a private yacht. We cruised around Liberty Island, where we got the chance to see the Statue of Liberty, about two hours later we started heading back to port.      

I have traveled to many different places, but I would have to say that New York is my favorite place to go. The city almost feels never ending, there is something different to see every day you spend there. I would absolutely recommend everyone to try to visit New York City at least once in their life time. It has such a rich history and a ton of interesting activities for everyone. If you ever have the opportunity to go just go, I promise you will have the time of your life.      

A trip to Cedar Point

The pure thrill of excitement that you get from taking a trip to Cedar Point is worth the two and a half hour drive down. Located in Sandusky Ohio, Cedar Point, opened in 1870, has been awarded best amusement park in the entire United States, and is still continuing to expand today.  

 

Cedar Point is known for one thing and one thing only, their eighteen world famous and record breaking roller coasters.  Maverick, reaching speeds of over 70 mph, with a 90 angled degree drop, the number one ranked roller coaster in the park Millennium Force, reaching an incredible height of 310 feet tall with a 300 foot drop, and the fastest coaster in the park, Top Thrill Dragster, this coaster reaches 420 feet at a speed of 120 miles per hour, along with many more thrilling rides. Their newest attraction to 2013 was the Gate Keeper that has also broken records in its own, it is the first winged coaster that reaches speeds up to 64 mph.  But don’t you worry there are plenty of rides to accommodate for all ages. Cedar Point houses a large assortment of other attractions that include three different water rides, old time cars, a variety of different shows, and my favorite the Cedar Downs racing horses.

 

 

 

Cedar Point also has a variety of different restaurants and food stops throughout the park. My favorite place to go and eat is Johnny Rockets, being a sit down restaurant they have a large menu to look at, but my recommendation would have to be the hamburgers, they are so delectable and they allow you to dress it with whatever you like, and the best part they’re the most reasonable priced restaurant in the park. My favorite fast food restaurant would have to be the Chick-Fil-A, their waffle fires are to die for and there chicken sandwiches are simply amazing.         

After a long day well spent in the park it is always nice to go back to your hotel room, turn on your television and relax, to ready yourself for another fun filled day at the park. Now some hotels around that area are run down and not very good to say at, that’s why when I go I only stay on Cedar Point Resorts. I usually stay at the Breakers Express which is located a little ways out of the park. It has nice comforting rooms to well fit about five people, the rooms come with two queen beds, a television set, and along with a large bathroom. This is in my opinion the cheapest cedar point owned hotel. You also have to option to stay at the Breakers Hotel, located right next to the Magnum XL-200. Sitting right on the lake Eire shore side, this hotel features both an outdoor and indoor swimming area, along with two hotel restaurants and convenient access to the park.

Cedar Point will always be a part of my life, it has really allowed me to just get away and let loose from everyday living I always recommend taking a trip there as often as you can. It in my opinion is the best stress relief I can give myself.

Why I chose my Topic.

Traveling has always been a major part of my life, whether I wanted it to be or not. When I was first born on November 5, 1995 my family was already starting to plan for the upcoming summer trips to go camping at one of the many Michigan State parks and also taking the annual trips to Cedar Point, located in Sandusky Ohio. At only the age of nine months old I was already starting to go to new and different places, and through the years I have had the privilege of going to a variety of different states and countries. Being able to go to a new place and explore is a great way to be able to open my mind and be free from the stress of everyday living.  Exploring new cultures was an interesting way for me to learn about new places that I was never really able to know about before.

Traveling is such a fun and easy way to be able to just let yourself free, allowing you to set aside your everyday life and in a scene escape to a relaxing environment. Whether you plan on going to a tropical island or just go to visit a relative that lives a few hours away from you, you can always find a way to sit back and relax. Especially when you may work twenty to forty hours a week, you need a break so that you don’t feel overloaded.

 

Half the excitement of going to a new place is the method of transportation that you use to get to your destination. I started flying on an airplane at the age of one year old, now I may not remember my first flight but I have seen pictures that showed I enjoyed it. Driving is also an interesting way to travel because you may get to see a variety of different land markings from each state you travel through. When I took a trip to New York City I had to drive through Ohio, and in Pennsylvania I got to see the changing landscapes, it was truly incredible.   

Even though I have been to many locations there is always a new destination to be found. I still have many desires to travel outside of the country to visit some of the wonders of the world. I would also love to travel around America to visit the states that I have not yet traveled to. These are all dreams that I want to accomplish throughout my life.  

 

 

Traveling has really opened my eyes to the vast amount of possibilities that I can achieve in my future.   Without the ability for me to travel I’m sure that I wouldn’t have as much of a variety of knowledge that I do today.