Mrs. Osnow’s Class

Half aware that it’s Christmas Eve, I arise out of bed reluctantly because I fell asleep late last night, or was it this morning. The big picture was that I was exhausted.

I slide down the railing expecting to hear my mom cooking breakfast or Kristen watching T.V. (My dad was working on his brief). However, it was as silent as a summer night in Vermont until my gigantic dog, Soprano purrs like a tame tiger when I stroke his snow white mane. After petting Soprano for several minutes, I drift over to my shoes…. no point wearing heavy snow boots when it’s “ice world” outside.

I staggered out my back door with Soprano by my side. He trudges down the steps and pounces onto the lawn. I start slipping like someone wearing socks on a polished wooden floor. The air was slick. The sun was blinding me with the reflection of it on the snow. I just balance myself until I hop up onto the trampoline that was shinier than ever. I slip off my shoes, and then I pull myself over the ledge onto the trampoline. I become curious wondering if I throw this ice chunk in the ice filled pool, will it break? I absolutely wham it at the stubborn pool. It blistered through the air and smashed! However, the pool didn’t give any sign of budging. It had been frozen since Halloween, which was months ago!
I observe the oak tree that looms over my head and notice how barren and bleak it is. Soprano starts scratching the door and he’s ready to go into the house. I climb up the stairs and through the back door smelling the sensationally delightful scent of freshly baked waffles with maple syrup smothered all over the tantalizing waffle. Some ice cream on it never hurt. My mom and I made a bet that whoever wins 3 ping pong games gets to eat the waffle.

The first game was a loss for me. It was no contest; it was a brutal, 12 to 21. The second game I was determined to win, so to my delight, I totally owned her 21 to 10. The third game started as best as it could be for me. It was 9 to 6 by the end of the third serve. After Mom’s serve she had the momentum at an even game of 10 up (up means tied). It was closing in on the end and I was in the abyss. It was 16 to 19. She was steady coming into her serve and served a nasty shot to my right, countered it and she couldn’t return. I crept closer to tying the odds. The next two serves were a repeat of the last one. The game was tied 19 to 19. I had the advantage; she served it as hard as she could. I saw the ball far to my right; she was looking to crush the momentum out of my soul but my waffle senses were tingling and I was ravenous with hunger. It bounced and I ran over and leaped forward in the air and crushed it back to the other side; the ball was crippled after the strike. The next serve was way off and I didn’t even have to return that shot; the game was over, I came back to score five points in a row and take the game 21 to 19.

I devoured that mouth-watering waffle and decided to run upstairs and log in on AIM. Christina and Adam H. were also logged in. I chatted with them for awhile about everything that had happened so far on break. I logged of sometime after a couple of hours of constant “IM-ing” and decided to visit my Aunt Barbara Griswold who puts lights all over her house except the side of the house. She invited me to watch T.V. and I politely accepted her offer.

An hour later, I heard a knock at the door. I knew it would be one of my cousins so I opened the door and greeted my Uncle Tommy and Aunt Carol. To the right of them were two of my favorite older cousins. I was the youngest in the family and the youngest first cousin I have is 16. However, I’m the second youngest when it comes to third cousins, Alex and Carly. Alex is an awesome guitarist and could play by sound while Carly (who is about 24) loves to tell jokes. I sprung up the stairs after I said “Hello”, to “IM” my friends again.

An hour later, I was summoned by my cousins to open presents. Everyone was gathered in the living room by the heated fireplace. We all had presents to exchange, give, and receive. I was presented with Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii that I was going to receive the next day. I hugged my Aunt Helena. I was yet to know what my favorite gift would be when I received it. When they gave it to me, I could tell what it was - it was Guitar Hero 3! I almost screamed; however, I was resistant and managed to keep my cool for awhile. Alex wasn’t supposed to get the game until Christmas, yet he was already playing on “Expert” difficulty. We were allowed to leave the house for an hour and play Guitar Hero. I was enthusiastic to the idea and we fled over to my house with him and my sister. We played that for an hour. It was addicting like candy! Once I played it, I wanted to play it for hours.

A couple of minutes later, we arrived back at my aunt’s house and observed a delectable dinner on the table - mouth watering roast beef and thick gravy. I grabbed a lot of the bread and brought it back to the youth table so Kristen, Alex, and I could have crispy swirling bread rolls. We were talking silently when the grown ups started bolstering their assertiveness and became contentious with each other about politics. The night went on like this until midnight where people were drinking wine except for the children and several adults, two of them being my mom and dad. It was time to leave and when I arrived home, I passed out in my bed ready for any challenge that would await me tomorrow.