When reflecting on a significant tradition in my life, I feel sand surrounding my feet and sun rays tanning my body. I hear waves crashing into the shore. I see seagulls flying above, looking for their next prey, dolphins jumping out of the water, and ocean water as far as the eye can see. My most significant tradition is my family vacation to Myrtle Beach with my father, stepmother, stepsister, and sister.
             My mother and father divorced five years ago. I took the news very hard. I was very hurt and refused to speak to my father for a long time. My father, three years later, decided to get remarried. At the time, I was not ready for a stepmother and most certainly not a stepsister. I never considered them to be a part of my family. My father and stepmother planned a family vacation to Myrtle Beach in the summer of 2003 in an attempt to reunite our family. I was very reluctant to go, so I took my boyfriend, Taylor, along, trying to escape any family "togetherness" time. No one else in my family took a friend along, so it was as if I was paying more attention to Taylor the whole trip rather than my family. At the end of the trip, my feelings were still the same toward my new family. For the upcoming year of 2004 my sister was planning on bringing her boyfriend along. However, I decided to not bring anyone so I would have the opportunity to get to know my stepsister and stepmother.
             When the time rolled around for our next family vacation, I felt mixed feelings toward the trip. I was scared I would feel the same way as the previous year and yet excited to finally open up my heart to the new members of my family. A year had passed since our last meeting, and I felt I had matured a lot. I had graduated from high school, moved out on my own, and started to realize how important family is to me. I knew that when we arrived to the beach this year, I needed to spend as much time getting to know Brenda, my stepmother and Mindy, my stepsiste...