Griffin Speaks
(By: ALEXIS IVANA GRIFFIN)
On September 25, 2003 my ten-year-old daughter, a Duke Talent Search Scholar and fifth grader at Bear Exploration Magnet School in Montgomery, Alabama wrote the following personal narrative while sitting in her English class for Mrs. Moody:
It was a numbing cold morning and I was still in bed. Then all of a sudden my dad yelled really loud to wake me up, so I got up, took a shower, and got dressed. I was ready in less than ten minutes. We jumped in the car, picked up my grandparents and headed for the Birmingham airport. As I opened the car door I noticed the absence of a lot of cars. There were about twenty cars in the parking deck and there were usually about eighty. After we checked our bags in and went through the metal detectors, my dad, grandma, granddad and I had to take off our shoes. I was furious, but yet understanding. Before reaching the gate my grandfather realized that he had misplaced his bag. My dad and I retraced our steps trying to find it. After ten minutes of searching for my granddad's bag we saw a request phone. I love request phones, because you request what you want, they announce it, and in seconds they find it. "Greg Griffin pick up your bag, Greg griffin pick up your bag." The cheerful lady said. We whizzed through the crowd like cheetahs on fire.
When we arrived at the gate my granddad was so relieved and pleased that he gave me five dollars. "Everyone going to Buffalo, New York… we are boarding… I repeat we are boarding, said the announcer." After the anonymous man had finished talking, we were the first to board the Southwest Airline Plane. The flight attendant walked around when everyone was seated to tell everyone what to do in case of an emergency. My mom asked me if I was ready for my first flight? As I said yes we started moving. We went around the track once slow, then the second time we went around so fast I was pushed into my seat. I held onto my mother very tight as we were lifted into the cloudy blue sky. There was one thing that I just could not understand, when we were in the air it looked exactly like the Southwest commercial that comes on after Oprah. I was amazed. The service on the plane was great. My favorite drink was the cranberry apple. The blend of the juices was sensational. We were headed to Buffalo, New York. After riding on the plane for awhile I realized the plane was riding on something bumpy. I knew clouds weren't bumpy, so I asked my dad. He said it was something that starts with a "T", but I don't remember. Five minutes from Buffalo, New York the flight attendant once again announced for everyone to buckle up, only this time it was for landing. Soon after exiting the plane, I followed my parents to the rental car part of the airport. We rented a van. After picking up the keys, we got our luggage and headed to find our hotel. We had a little trouble, but eventually found it. This trip was planned for my birthday. I was going to turn ten the next day.
When we finished checking into our hotel, my play uncle Howie and auntie Beth gave us a call. While on the phone, my dad arranged for us to dine at the original birthplace of the buffalo chicken wing. We also decided to go to Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. The water fell gracefully over the humongous rock. Especially when they lit up the falls and had fireworks. The next day we returned to the falls on the American side. We went on a walk called the "Cave of the Winds." The "Cave of the Winds" is where you put on a special raincoat, special grip shoes and take an elevator one hundred and seventy-five feet down to get up close and personal with the American falls. The first deck was a light sprinkle from the falls, the next deck was a rain, the third was a heavy rain and the last one was called the hurricane. When you face the falls you can't breathe. When we reached our car I changed clothes and went back to the hotel. This was my last day in New York.
My dad realized that there was a Residence Inn next door to our hotel. It was a lower price, bigger and better. We packed up our stuff and moved. After we moved we went to the store. We bought a perfect pickle, shrimp and seasonings. When we got back to the hotel we had a shrimp and popcorn party with my dad, mom, brothers, uncle, aunt, grandma, grandpa, and uncle's mom. After we ate we got to go swimming. Then it was time to say goodbye and goodnight.
Early the next morning we went to the airport. On the way back I read my Black Stallion chapters and played cards. When I got home I unpacked, picked up my dog, jumped in bed and fell asleep. That was a trip I will never forget.
Alexis Griffin is an aspiring writer. She is a fifth grader a Bear Exploration Magnet School. You can read her dad's previous articles by logging on to his web page at www.greggriffin.com
