Revised Diagnostic Essay
Good Lord, I’m thirty-one and my mother still tries to tell me what to do or not do. “Do you hear me, Terri?” “Yes ma, I hear you.” I don’t know why she wants us to go on this trip again. I still haven’t forgotten the last tie we went. My babies’ daddy drove me crazy. I glad that joker is out of here. Anyway I’m not going there today. The good Lord blessed me with someone ten times better, and I’m trying to learn to not look back. “Okay ma, I’ll ask everyone if that date works for them.” “What girl? I didn’t tell you to ask them, I told you to tell them and they better make it happen,” she said. “Okay, okay, I’ll tell them tonight. I have to go, bye ma.”
“Come on, get up. It’s time to go. We want to be on the road by 5am.” I told them to go to bed early last night so they won’t be so tired, but did anyone listen, no. They were so excited they didn’t fall to sleep until two hours ago. The truck is packed and all we have to do is load it with the last minute details and get everyone in. I’m surprised because I really didn’t want to go, but I think I’m excited about going now. “I want everyone in the truck now. We still have to pick up your aunt and cousins.” They know the rule is whenever we go on a trip I like to be on the road by 5am. I like to try and avoid as much city traffic as possible. I invited a new friend of mine to go with us this year. He didn’t know he would be driving the entire trip and when I told him he said he didn’t mind. Thank God because my sister and I hate to drive. Matter of fact the last time we went to Tennessee for the family trip we could barely drive the 9 hours back and that was with both of us driving. If my so called babies’ daddy hadn’t left us in a bind things would not have turned out so bad. Anyway I’m not going there today. As they say “out with the old in with the new.”
Finally everyone is in the car and we are on our way. It’s funny how you say road trip and everyone can drop everything and make a way to go. We love packing up the entire family and traveling to visit my mother’s side of the family. They are the only relatives we have that live in another state so this has always been our chance to get out of Virginia for a while and get to the country. My parents have been taking this trip before I was even born. The first memories I have of going on this trip is getting car sick on our way there one year and we had to keep stopping. That’s when my parents learned about car sickness. I also remember that same year while over one of my aunts’ house, I fell off her porch and had to get stitches in my chin. By the end of that week my mom was ready to go home! We still had so much fun though. No matter how many times we take this trip we always find more and more things to do. Now that my sister and I are adults we can venture out with our children and go different places in Tennessee. I only wish my two brothers were able to go, maybe one year. We didn’t do a lot of site seeing when we were younger. We mostly stayed at my aunt’s house or visited relatives around town. We still had a fun, but I can feel it in my bones this time; we are going to have a great time.
“Blow the horn, she needs to come on. I told her to be ready.” My sister wanted to leave later but we’re not driving so we leave when the driver says leave. She needs to come on. This will be the first time her girls are old enough to enjoy everything with my children and not have to stay with their mother the entire trip. Here she comes. “Finally woman; didn’t I tell you he was going to be on time, so be ready?” “Yeah but I thought everyone would be tired from staying up so late,” she said. “No you’ve know him for a year he is always on time, anyway let’s go, Baby we’re ready.” He is such a sweetie. He hasn’t complained once, he has his own money to pay his own way and I don’t have to tell him everything to do. I can relax with everyone else.
They are having a ball. They brought all their CDs and games. We also packed food so we can eat along the way, so we don’t have to stop too often. We sang and laughed and had so much fun. Everyone started getting hungry around 7 am so we passed the food around and once everyone had eaten they started getting quite. When I noticed they had all fallen asleep, I talked to my friend for a while to keep him company and then I dosed off myself. When we woke we were stopping for a bathroom break and to stretch our legs. After a few minutes we were back in the truck and on the road. We laughed and told them stories of when we used to take this trip when we were little children and the Indian reservations we would stop at and the restaurants we would eat at. We didn’t eat out often though, my mom and dad packed food just like we do. We arrived at our destination and my mom, dad, and grandfather were all sitting on the porch enjoying the view of the mountains in front of them. After speaking to everyone we unloaded the truck and settled in. Since everyone was tired we just cooked on the grill and talked with my grandfather for the evening. It was so quite and lovely.
We wanted to get an early start the next morning and get our week started. Everyone was up and dressed and we visited historic sites, buildings, and learned the states history. We also learned about the culture of the Native Americans. We went to Dollywood theme park, go cart racing and we went site seeing on the highest mountain in the area. We took the children to a location we always visited so we could let them taste real spring water. It was absolutely amazing. We had a fourth of July cook out with all of our relatives and enjoyed eating talking and getting to know each other again. While I was talking to one of my aunts I thought about the last time we were here and this was such a difference. We didn’t enjoy ourselves because my children’s father and I argued when I found out that he didn’t have any money and he didn’t tell me he could only stay on Saturday and asked me to see if could we borrow the money for a bus ticket so get could leave on Sunday get back to work on Monday. That entire week the children and I couldn’t do anything because we only had enough money to get back home. It’s amazing how different things can be with someone else. My new friend didn’t leave a doubt in my mind that he would make sure we had a great time. This trip turned out to be the best one we have ever taken and I appreciate it to this day. At that point I realized I am looking forward to many more trips with him and my family.
The last night everyone was dragging because they didn’t want to leave. They packed in silence and reminisced about the week and how much fun they had and they even said they couldn’t wait until the next time we go on a family trip. The ride back was just as solemn at first and some slept but after a while we started laughing and talking about the events of the week and the places we’ve visited. I realized at that moment my favorite part of the trip was the ride there and back and when the old had been removed and something new has been introduced, I looked up to the heavens and thank God.
___________________________________
1st Diagnostic Essay Family Vacation
My family has been on some memorable vacations but the one that sticks out in my mind is the trip we took to Tennessee to see my grandfather, great aunts, aunt, and cousins. My mom decided she wanted all her children and grandchildren to drive to Tennessee with her and my dad. It was my favorite trip because we have never been all together on a family trip. We decided we would leave early Saturday morning to miss any traffic as well as to get an early start. My mom and dad rode together; we knew it was so they could have some time alone, but we didn’t say anything. The rest of the family rode together and I asked a new friend that I had been seeing for a year, if he wanted to come along. He said he love to come. Little did he know he would end up doing all the driving the entire trip. It was nice though, because every time we got in the car he volunteered to drive without me asking. As someone who hates to drive, it gave me the opportunity to relax and enjoy the ride. He turned out to be a keeper.
The night before leaving we went shopping, cooked food to take with us, and packed luggage and coolers. We loaded everything in the truck with anticipation of the trip the following morning. At 4 am I woke everyone up and we packed the last of our traveling gear. Once everyone was in the truck and ready, we were off but we had to stop and pick up my sister and her daughters. It was about 5:30 am when were finally getting on the interstate. Everyone was so anxious and excited. We were sleepy at first, but once we realized we we’re really on our way we started waking up and talking. We packed CDs and games, items we hoped would help keep everyone from getting bored. Once everyone started getting hungry we ate the breakfast that we packed. We were passing food, plates, forks, cups, drinks, and napkins around until everyone was fed. Since I was sitting up front, in the passengers’ seat, I was responsible for making sure the driving ate also. Everyone ate, talked and laughed. Then we all sung along to a Michael Jackson CD. We had so much fun singing and laughing and it was nice because the children didn’t realize that the parents knew the songs and loved them as much as they did. After a few hours everyone stated getting quiet and looking out the window. We stopped a few times for bathroom breaks and to stretch our legs. After 15 minutes, our driver had us back on the road. Everyone was quiet and talking softly amongst themselves and then slowly, everyone not driving, started falling asleep. When I woke up I realized we were close to our destination and I woke everyone up. We finally arrived and at that point we were ready to get out of the truck. My grandfather was sitting on the porch with my mom and dad, just relaxing and enjoying the view of the mountains. After greeting everyone we unpacked the car and got settled in. We cooked on the grill and just rested for the evening after the long drive.
The next morning when we woke up, our week began. We visited our relatives; we visited historic buildings, and sites. We learned about the history of Tennessee and the cultural of the Native Americans. We went to Dollywood theme park, go cart racing and we took a drive up one of the mountains. At the top of the mountain we stopped and looked at the river that flows down the mountain. The water was so clean and cold we had to have a drink; it was amazing. We had a fourth of July cook out and all our relatives were out in the back yard eating, talking, and really enjoying each other. We were supposed to go horseback riding but we were never able to finalize our plans. One day, close to the end of the week, we were sitting on the porch and two women on horseback walked right up the street beside my grandfather’s house. My daughter was so happy because she loves horses. They allowed us to pet and feed the horses. It was the best part of the trip for my daughter. My grandfather told the children when we first arrived that if they get up early in the morning they will see all kinds of animals that come out of the woods and walk right thorough his yard. On the morning before we were preparing to leave they were up early and were able to see the animals he was referring to. They came in his yard and ate the scraps my grandfather threw in the yard at night. Everyone was sad our last night there, I don’t think anyone wanted the week to end but we packed our suitcases and loaded the truck. The last night my grandfather cooked lobster tails, baked potatoes, and vegetables. Everyone regrettably went to bed and at 4:30am we were up and on the road home. The ride back was solemn at first and some people slept but after a while we started reminiscing about the things we saw and the places we visited. Even the trip back was filled with excitement and laughter. I realized the best part of the trip for me was the ride there and the ride back.
I can say even now, five years later, we have taken other trips, but we still remember and talk about the trip to Tennessee the most. We keep saying we’re going to do it again, but everyone is older, busier and we just haven’t found the time yet, but one day.
Good Lord, I’m thirty-one and my mother still tries to tell me what to do or not do. “Do you hear me, Terri?” “Yes ma, I hear you.” I don’t know why she wants us to go on this trip again. I still haven’t forgotten the last tie we went. My babies’ daddy drove me crazy. I glad that joker is out of here. Anyway I’m not going there today. The good Lord blessed me with someone ten times better, and I’m trying to learn to not look back. “Okay ma, I’ll ask everyone if that date works for them.” “What girl? I didn’t tell you to ask them, I told you to tell them and they better make it happen,” she said. “Okay, okay, I’ll tell them tonight. I have to go, bye ma.”
“Come on, get up. It’s time to go. We want to be on the road by 5am.” I told them to go to bed early last night so they won’t be so tired, but did anyone listen, no. They were so excited they didn’t fall to sleep until two hours ago. The truck is packed and all we have to do is load it with the last minute details and get everyone in. I’m surprised because I really didn’t want to go, but I think I’m excited about going now. “I want everyone in the truck now. We still have to pick up your aunt and cousins.” They know the rule is whenever we go on a trip I like to be on the road by 5am. I like to try and avoid as much city traffic as possible. I invited a new friend of mine to go with us this year. He didn’t know he would be driving the entire trip and when I told him he said he didn’t mind. Thank God because my sister and I hate to drive. Matter of fact the last time we went to Tennessee for the family trip we could barely drive the 9 hours back and that was with both of us driving. If my so called babies’ daddy hadn’t left us in a bind things would not have turned out so bad. Anyway I’m not going there today. As they say “out with the old in with the new.”
Finally everyone is in the car and we are on our way. It’s funny how you say road trip and everyone can drop everything and make a way to go. We love packing up the entire family and traveling to visit my mother’s side of the family. They are the only relatives we have that live in another state so this has always been our chance to get out of Virginia for a while and get to the country. My parents have been taking this trip before I was even born. The first memories I have of going on this trip is getting car sick on our way there one year and we had to keep stopping. That’s when my parents learned about car sickness. I also remember that same year while over one of my aunts’ house, I fell off her porch and had to get stitches in my chin. By the end of that week my mom was ready to go home! We still had so much fun though. No matter how many times we take this trip we always find more and more things to do. Now that my sister and I are adults we can venture out with our children and go different places in Tennessee. I only wish my two brothers were able to go, maybe one year. We didn’t do a lot of site seeing when we were younger. We mostly stayed at my aunt’s house or visited relatives around town. We still had a fun, but I can feel it in my bones this time; we are going to have a great time.
“Blow the horn, she needs to come on. I told her to be ready.” My sister wanted to leave later but we’re not driving so we leave when the driver says leave. She needs to come on. This will be the first time her girls are old enough to enjoy everything with my children and not have to stay with their mother the entire trip. Here she comes. “Finally woman; didn’t I tell you he was going to be on time, so be ready?” “Yeah but I thought everyone would be tired from staying up so late,” she said. “No you’ve know him for a year he is always on time, anyway let’s go, Baby we’re ready.” He is such a sweetie. He hasn’t complained once, he has his own money to pay his own way and I don’t have to tell him everything to do. I can relax with everyone else.
They are having a ball. They brought all their CDs and games. We also packed food so we can eat along the way, so we don’t have to stop too often. We sang and laughed and had so much fun. Everyone started getting hungry around 7 am so we passed the food around and once everyone had eaten they started getting quite. When I noticed they had all fallen asleep, I talked to my friend for a while to keep him company and then I dosed off myself. When we woke we were stopping for a bathroom break and to stretch our legs. After a few minutes we were back in the truck and on the road. We laughed and told them stories of when we used to take this trip when we were little children and the Indian reservations we would stop at and the restaurants we would eat at. We didn’t eat out often though, my mom and dad packed food just like we do. We arrived at our destination and my mom, dad, and grandfather were all sitting on the porch enjoying the view of the mountains in front of them. After speaking to everyone we unloaded the truck and settled in. Since everyone was tired we just cooked on the grill and talked with my grandfather for the evening. It was so quite and lovely.
We wanted to get an early start the next morning and get our week started. Everyone was up and dressed and we visited historic sites, buildings, and learned the states history. We also learned about the culture of the Native Americans. We went to Dollywood theme park, go cart racing and we went site seeing on the highest mountain in the area. We took the children to a location we always visited so we could let them taste real spring water. It was absolutely amazing. We had a fourth of July cook out with all of our relatives and enjoyed eating talking and getting to know each other again. While I was talking to one of my aunts I thought about the last time we were here and this was such a difference. We didn’t enjoy ourselves because my children’s father and I argued when I found out that he didn’t have any money and he didn’t tell me he could only stay on Saturday and asked me to see if could we borrow the money for a bus ticket so get could leave on Sunday get back to work on Monday. That entire week the children and I couldn’t do anything because we only had enough money to get back home. It’s amazing how different things can be with someone else. My new friend didn’t leave a doubt in my mind that he would make sure we had a great time. This trip turned out to be the best one we have ever taken and I appreciate it to this day. At that point I realized I am looking forward to many more trips with him and my family.
The last night everyone was dragging because they didn’t want to leave. They packed in silence and reminisced about the week and how much fun they had and they even said they couldn’t wait until the next time we go on a family trip. The ride back was just as solemn at first and some slept but after a while we started laughing and talking about the events of the week and the places we’ve visited. I realized at that moment my favorite part of the trip was the ride there and back and when the old had been removed and something new has been introduced, I looked up to the heavens and thank God.
___________________________________
1st Diagnostic Essay Family Vacation
My family has been on some memorable vacations but the one that sticks out in my mind is the trip we took to Tennessee to see my grandfather, great aunts, aunt, and cousins. My mom decided she wanted all her children and grandchildren to drive to Tennessee with her and my dad. It was my favorite trip because we have never been all together on a family trip. We decided we would leave early Saturday morning to miss any traffic as well as to get an early start. My mom and dad rode together; we knew it was so they could have some time alone, but we didn’t say anything. The rest of the family rode together and I asked a new friend that I had been seeing for a year, if he wanted to come along. He said he love to come. Little did he know he would end up doing all the driving the entire trip. It was nice though, because every time we got in the car he volunteered to drive without me asking. As someone who hates to drive, it gave me the opportunity to relax and enjoy the ride. He turned out to be a keeper.The night before leaving we went shopping, cooked food to take with us, and packed luggage and coolers. We loaded everything in the truck with anticipation of the trip the following morning. At 4 am I woke everyone up and we packed the last of our traveling gear. Once everyone was in the truck and ready, we were off but we had to stop and pick up my sister and her daughters. It was about 5:30 am when were finally getting on the interstate. Everyone was so anxious and excited. We were sleepy at first, but once we realized we we’re really on our way we started waking up and talking. We packed CDs and games, items we hoped would help keep everyone from getting bored. Once everyone started getting hungry we ate the breakfast that we packed. We were passing food, plates, forks, cups, drinks, and napkins around until everyone was fed. Since I was sitting up front, in the passengers’ seat, I was responsible for making sure the driving ate also. Everyone ate, talked and laughed. Then we all sung along to a Michael Jackson CD. We had so much fun singing and laughing and it was nice because the children didn’t realize that the parents knew the songs and loved them as much as they did. After a few hours everyone stated getting quiet and looking out the window. We stopped a few times for bathroom breaks and to stretch our legs. After 15 minutes, our driver had us back on the road. Everyone was quiet and talking softly amongst themselves and then slowly, everyone not driving, started falling asleep. When I woke up I realized we were close to our destination and I woke everyone up. We finally arrived and at that point we were ready to get out of the truck. My grandfather was sitting on the porch with my mom and dad, just relaxing and enjoying the view of the mountains. After greeting everyone we unpacked the car and got settled in. We cooked on the grill and just rested for the evening after the long drive.
The next morning when we woke up, our week began. We visited our relatives; we visited historic buildings, and sites. We learned about the history of Tennessee and the cultural of the Native Americans. We went to Dollywood theme park, go cart racing and we took a drive up one of the mountains. At the top of the mountain we stopped and looked at the river that flows down the mountain. The water was so clean and cold we had to have a drink; it was amazing. We had a fourth of July cook out and all our relatives were out in the back yard eating, talking, and really enjoying each other. We were supposed to go horseback riding but we were never able to finalize our plans. One day, close to the end of the week, we were sitting on the porch and two women on horseback walked right up the street beside my grandfather’s house. My daughter was so happy because she loves horses. They allowed us to pet and feed the horses. It was the best part of the trip for my daughter. My grandfather told the children when we first arrived that if they get up early in the morning they will see all kinds of animals that come out of the woods and walk right thorough his yard. On the morning before we were preparing to leave they were up early and were able to see the animals he was referring to. They came in his yard and ate the scraps my grandfather threw in the yard at night. Everyone was sad our last night there, I don’t think anyone wanted the week to end but we packed our suitcases and loaded the truck. The last night my grandfather cooked lobster tails, baked potatoes, and vegetables. Everyone regrettably went to bed and at 4:30am we were up and on the road home. The ride back was solemn at first and some people slept but after a while we started reminiscing about the things we saw and the places we visited. Even the trip back was filled with excitement and laughter. I realized the best part of the trip for me was the ride there and the ride back.
I can say even now, five years later, we have taken other trips, but we still remember and talk about the trip to Tennessee the most. We keep saying we’re going to do it again, but everyone is older, busier and we just haven’t found the time yet, but one day.
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