Prompt: Everyone has a special place where they like to go. Write about your favorite place to go. Describe the place so your reader can imagine what it is really like. Tell about what you do there and how you feel when you are there. Help your reader see why this place is special. 

Pine Lake

By: Soren Damsgaard

My favorite place is Pine Lake. The last time I visited was in August 2024. It is one of the best places for many reasons, but I will share only three with you.

One reason I love Pine Lake is its peacefulness. When you are there, you can just be with your thoughts. Once, I spent three hours just sitting and reflecting. My favorite spot is under the tree shaped like a cross. It relaxes me and sets my spirit free. My dad told me that the ground it sits on was once a French trading post. It gives me a chance to be with my thoughts and calms my spirit.

Another reason it is my favorite place is the abundance of outdoor activities that promote healthy exercise instead of sitting on video games or watching television. One of my favorites is playing lacrosse. My family is really into lacrosse. My aunt and cousin both played at a D1 university, Northwestern. When we’re there, we divide into teams of six for a big tournament, and since we only have one field, it takes a while. Also, none of us wear pads, so it gets pretty rough. Sailing and canoeing are also fun activities we enjoy.

My final reason is the breathtaking landscape and wildlife. There are lots of deer, geese (which can be annoying at times), and fish. The scenery is simply beautiful. The trees are stunning, and the water always has an amazing blue-green tint. The views never get old and blow you away every time. For example, when you drive down the driveway, you see it and are instantly taken aback. In short, it’s just beautiful.

In conclusion, I believe Pine Lake is the best place on earth for many reasons, but the ones I shared with you are my top three. If you ever get the chance to visit Pine Lake, you are extremely lucky and welcome. 

Mexico

By: Luke Sohre

In February of 2024, I went to Mexico with my family and friends, the Eckharts. We went to Xela-há, the beach, and went shopping. 

First of all, we went to tourist places. We went to this place called Xela-há which had beautiful trees and it had a long lazy river, and good food, but very salty water. The best part about it was that there was a big wall seperating us off from the ocean.

Second, we got to chill at our all-inclusive (which if you don’t know what that means is all the food and drinks were free, basically) and each night a different actor came and did something. One night Issac and I sang Bury Me In Georgia by Kane Brown. It was fun chill’n there. 

Finally, the food there was amazing. My friends and I had our own “meeting” zone, it was this place full of candy and cake and stuff, the best part about it was it was all free! While I was there I had clams! They were mid, I would have them again though if I could.

In conclusion, I can’t believe we are already here. It was fun going to Xela-há, eating clams, and singing with my friends. I hope we get to go back some time, bye!!

Disney World

By: Allie Doherty

My favorite thing I did this year was going to Disney World. We went on December 1st, 2024 through the 8th. Then we went to an island in Florida. I went with my family and even celebrated my sister's birthday there.

As we were there, we went to a breakfast bar that was themed where Moana lived. We even got to see Stitch, Lilo, Mickey Mouse, and Pluto! My sister, Claire, got all their signatures in an autograph book. After we ate breakfast, we went to Hollywood Studios. There we got really good food, big light up balloons, and went on many rides! We stayed there for 1 day.

After Claire's birthday, we had to get to our next hotel. We got into our suit at 8:00 pm. After we got settled, we went to get dinner and go to the pool. We saw the boat show they have once every year, right from our window, which was pretty fun. After we went back to our suite to sleep. Then the next morning, I went to the Magic Kingdom. We saw many more characters and got their autographs. We went on a lot of rides and went into the castle for dinner. There Claire and Izzy met their favorite princess. We stayed here for 2 days.

We were forced to pack up our things and go to the airport. We went to a boat and met up with some of my parents' friends and their kids. We drove to our island on the boat. We finally got to our place. We got our stuff and drove a golf cart to our stay. We put on our swimsuits and went to the beach. We played in the water till eight, when we had to go back for dinner, and went to a restaurant. That night was the best night of my life. We stayed here for 4 nights, till we had to leave.

That was the best week of my life! I kept thinking about how much fun I had there. We get to do so many things as a family. This was my first time going, but it won't be my last. I had so much fun. I know where we are going next year!

Florida

By: Claire Piller

When I'm in Florida I feel happy. This is why it's my favorite place. I have the chance to go to Florida, almost every October. If you have ever had a chance to go anywhere in Florida you would know how special it is for many reasons. 

First of all, the sights. From the sunrise in the morning to the sunset at night. The plants and wildlife are also part of the sights. The ocean at any time of the day with palm trees and dolphins jumping is just one of many reasons why Florida is so beautiful.

The next part of why Florida is amazing is the weather. Almost always it is sunny and warm. Whenever you want you can go swimming and play in the water because of the weather.  Even with all of the sunny and nice weather there always has to be rain. The rain in Florida isn't always bad because sometimes it feels nice and is an addition to the warmth. Florida weather is always awesome.

Finally the food. The food in Florida isn't always good, it's great. Even if you don't like seafood there is something for you. There is always the freshest juice. One of my favorite places on the island we go to sells bagels. They are always the best bagels. I enjoy all of the food there is in Florida.

In the end I just love Florida for even more reasons than just those three. Whenever I get the chance to go to Florida I am always thankful and cherish every moment of the time there. Florida is one of the most amazing states. From the ocean and beaches to the weather and food, everything about Florida is awesome.

   Disney Cruise

    By: Gabby Scottberg

Last March, I got the opportunity to go on a Disney Cruise for Spring Break. It was so fun. I went for the whole week. We took a plane to Florida and stayed at a really nice and fun hotel. It was so nice that we plan to go there again this Spring Break. 

After the hotel, we drove to the boat. It was HUGE! Before we went on our trip, we watched a movie on how they built it, and it was so cool! We got to see the stuff we saw on TV in real life! 

My whole family came with me. My uncle is going to come, too. He has Down syndrome and LOVES Disney! So did my aunt, so they could have their own room. When we walked onto the boat, they announced our last name over a loudspeaker! They said, "Welcome, the Scottbergs!" It was so cool. 

When we saw our hotel rooms (on the boat still!), they were so cool. We had our own deck and bunk beds, plus our own TV and bathroom, of course. We were on the boat for three days and went to all sorts of restaurants. And we had our own waiter who went to all the restaurants with us! His name was Peter, and he was really nice, by the way. 

We also stopped at the Bahamas and another island. We didn't go to the Bahamas because it was rainy and we wanted to do something else. But we got to go to the other one, and we went scuba diving. We had to get passports to go! It was my first time out of the country.  

Lastly, we got to go to a kids' camp on the boat, where we were basically set free to do whatever we wanted in a cool area. (And we had to go down a slide to get there!) 

In conclusion, the whole experience was so fun and exciting. I hope I get to experience Disney magic again someday.                                

Seattle

By: Andrew Neuworth

This summer, my family and I went to Seattle with my friend's family. We went to Seattle because my dad had a client who lived there and because we had never been there.

My first reason I love Seattle is that I love seafood. The night we were there, we went to this seafood restaurant called Dukes Seafood. I got a perch. It was some of the best seafood I have ever had. At another restaurant I went to, I got a grilled steak.

The other reason is exploring. My family and friends love exploring. We explored “The Public Market,” The Space Needle, and the big city tour. On the city tour, we saw the Space Needle from a distance, the biggest floating bridge in America, and a guy catch a king salmon from a dock.

My last reason is when we all went charter fishing in the ocean. It was about a one-hour drive from our hotel to the sea. When we got there, we went to the bathroom and went to the boat. The first thing we did was drop crab cages. Then we went fishing, and I caught a shark. It was the best fishing trip ever.

In conclusion, I think that everyone should have the opportunity to go to Seattle. You can eat some of the best seafood, explore, and fish in a natural environment.

Steamboat!!!

By: Cody Borland

My favorite place is Steamboat Springs, Colorado; what I do there is ski all day with my family. I usually go there in early March every year. 

My favorite thing there is to go on the gondola and look at the view, the gondola is a big chair lift that is a 6ft room. 

Another thing I love to do there is to go to a candy shop called Fuzzy Wigs, my family always goes there the first day.

When we are skiing, there are restaurants you can ski to, and one has French onion soup, which my family and I love so much.

We see some animals there, like deer, foxes, buffalo, and more. My favorite animal to see there is the snow fox. When I go up the gondola, I look for all of them; it's so fun!

I love Steamboat so much; it's so much fun for me! I hope you enjoyed learning about Steamboat.

The Party At My Lakehouse

By: Lydia

In September, my family hosted a Labor Day at our lakehouse. A lot of our friends and family came. We had food, we went swimming and had a good night. Let me share a little more details about the party.

First, I felt like I was waiting so long for the party to start. I tried to do something else to keep me putting my mind on it. Finally, everybody came and the party officially started. 

Once all the younger children had settled in, my brother and my pastor drove our new pontoon boat onto the water. The water was cold, but we didn’t mind. My dad bought this new toy called a lily pad. A lily pad is a long, foam thing, that is tied to the boat so that the lily pad won’t drift off into the distance. Eventually, I got cold and went back onto the boat. Then, all of us got back in the boat and we drove back to the dock, where we store our boats in the summer. Then, we finally got back to the lakehouse.

When we got back, we changed out of our swimsuits and we let them dry. During this time, we played hide and seek, football, and tag. Finally, it was time for dinner. The food was so good.

After dinner and playing some more, it was time to go. Everyone left, except for my friend. She got to stayover night with us. This was the best Labor Day party ever!! 

The Lake

By: Avery

On September 2, 2024, I went to Lime Kilm Park’s lake with Scott my uncle in the afternoon.

When I went to the lake with Scott we went fishing there. I think this is my favorite place to go because it’s peaceful there. And we caught smallmouth bass. I like catching these fish at this lake because the fish there are not big, so I don’t have to put up a good fight.

My favorite thing about the lake is the fresh air, the bright sky, and most importantly the birds chirping. When I was there Scott claimed to see a big bird swoop down and grab a fish from the lake.

And finally, my special dinner. When we measured the fish they were small to eat. Plus there was a sign that said that the fish have a disease. But when we got home my dad cooked us some perch.

In conclusion, I think you should go here to see the birds, smell the air, and have a good time. Now when you are having a bad day go to a lake go see the birds, go see the blue sky, and get your fishing gear.                        

~ Church ~

By: Nora Kuhlenbeck

I have always loved going to church and worshiping God! Church starts at 10:15 and ends at noon. One of my favorite things about church is that I get to sing. I lead worship songs on Sunday and sometimes on worship nights which occur every last Friday of each month. Last year I got baptized at a church party with a bunch of my friends!

I hope to visit a few other churches because that gives me an opportunity to meet someone new who could become my friend! Each time I go to church, I go to treasure class and we learn a lesson with Mrs. Sandy who is our teacher. Each Sunday there is a different lesson about the bible. 

We get to make things with clay while our teacher reads the bible story. The clay should represent a part of the story which could be a character or a landform. Then, after we’re done, we pick something out of the creative box which has lots of toys and art kits.

We go to our parents when we’re finished with class and then we make hot cocoa at the hot cocoa table. After we chat with our parents about treasure class, we pray for people who are in need.

Praying is one of the most powerful things a person can do to send a message to God, especially when on your knees. You can also ask God for the gift of speaking in tongues. He may wait a while to give you this gift, but the time will come!

Fishing Trip

 By: Levi

My favorite place I went was a cabin up north. This was my favorite trip because I got to spend a lot of time with my family and go fishing. The cabin was very big and fun. It even had a sauna, but we did not use it.

At the Cabin we were right by a giant river where we got to go fishing in a small row boat which was slow but fun. We also got to go with a tour guide on his boat and he helped us find good spots and get lots of fish. I caught 36 that day which was amazing.

On my trip, I had a lot of good food. Every day, we had Eggs for breakfast at restaurants or just snacks that we had at the Cabin. We also got to eat my Dad's big bass that he got, which was amazing. There was so much good food.

Near the end of our trip I wanted to go swimming and I did. When I was swimming the water was very cold but still fun. Randomly when I was swimming my dad jumped in and scared my whole family.

In conclusion visiting up north is amazing because of the food and the good fishing and swimming. I loved going up north.I hope you want to go up north.

The Cabin

By:  Keller Baumgart

My cabin is in the blue hills of Bruce, Wisconsin. It is my favorite place because it is fun, quiet, and relaxing, and I love spending time with family and friends.

The cabin is always a fun place. It is fun because in the winter, there is a ski hill called Christie Mountain. We go to the mountain to downhill ski and snow tube. There is a trout stream that runs through our property. In the summer and spring, we go to the creek and catch minnows. We also take ATV drives around the land looking for wildlife. 

The cabin is one of the most relaxing places I have been. One of the reasons I think it is relaxing is that whenever you step outside in the summer, all you can hear are birds chirping. Plus, is there anything to bothers you? When I sit in the tree stand hunting, it might be the most relaxing thing I have ever experienced. Sitting around the fire is also relaxing. When you sit in your chair around the fire, all you can hear is the crackle of the fire.  It is so satisfying. When down by the creek, all you can hear is the running water. Whenever you take a walk, there is nothing to bother you. 

Spending time with family and friends is the most important reason the cabin is my favorite place. When I am up there with my dogs, I like to play fetch with them. They would play fetch all day if we let them. I enjoy exploring the woods with my family. In the spring, we walk around and look for antler sheds. When I bring my friends to the cabi,n they have lots of fun and so do I. 

The cabin is my favorite place because I get to spend time with my family and friends, having fun and relaxing in a quiet place. I am glad I was able to tell you about my favorite place. I am thankful for the cabin, and I hope everyone has a place like this in their life.