The sky is clear with a bright blue sky and puffy white clouds, and the crisp breeze is flowing throughout the covered porch of our cabin. The trees covered with snow for as far as the eyes can see, and the ground covered with inches of white, fluffy snow. This is my last family vacation before my aunt, uncle, and cousins leave to go to Germany for the next five years.

Today is the day that we go snow tubing and skiing in Tennessee. The family wakes up at five in the morning and we all start to pull on long sleeve shirts, wool leggings, and warm boots. The smell of bacon flows throughout the cabin and the pitter-patter of feet along the floor annonces that breakfast is ready. Gathered around the table with intertwined hands, my family blesses our food. With no talking going on the room and forks scraping the plates on the table, all the family knew that the boys were digging face first into their food. With full bellies and a puffed up body full of warm clothes, all run out of the house and pile into the car anticipating the snow.

The cars pull up into the parking lot and all the family piles out the car. I run to the line to hop onto the cart to bring us to the top of the mountain. Huffing and puffing with a bright red nose and a cold-burned face, I climb into the cart and await my ride up to the top of the mountain. Finally, I exit the cart and walked onto the steep covered snow mountain. I look around and just take in the view. Snow covered mountains for as far as the eyes can see and a crisp smell of pine flows through the air. Blair, my cousin, and I finally gain enough courage to get in line to ski down the slope. In one swift motion, I am off. My ski poles plunge into the damp snow and the wind hits my face like an icy, cold wall. I glide through the snow as a ballerina dances across the dance floor with poise and grace. I was on top of the world until suddenly my ski poles were firmly stuck in the snow, but my body was still in motion. With no warning, I tumbled down the mountain into the damp snow. I shivered and my clothes dripped with water as I approached the bottom of the mountain. I emerged from the bottom of the mountain with soaking wet clothes, a winded face, and blue lips. My family crowded around, but I could do nothing but laugh. Then, I suddenly started to cry because this was the last vacation as a family we were going to have for the next six years. I wanted to embrace this moment, but the thought of my family leaving killed it.

The ski day was the last day of our final family vacation for a long time. With tear filled eyes and a puffy, red face, I told my family goodbye. I stood and watched as they departed into the airport. I could not wait until Christmas the following year because that would be the next time I would see them.