My family and I have always enjoyed going on trips together, though this one had a turbulent start.  We were flying from Cleveland to Ft Lauderdale, Florida for Spring Break.  It was an early start to the morning with my alarm screeching at me to wake up at 4:30 AM.  My family and I piled into the Suburban, with my two sisters and I fighting for seats in the back like the Three Stooges.  It was a clear and cold morning in Cleveland, our breath rising like smoke into the pale blue sky while we boarded a shuttle taking us to the airport.  We arrived at our terminal just as the sun started to peek over the horizon in stunning pink and orange colors.  We boarded our plane and sat in our seats, just behind the wings of the plane.  After a long taxi, the engines of the plane roared to life as we took off south, headed for the East coast of Florida.
    

The air was filled with anticipation as we inched closer to the Sunshine State.  An hour from our scheduled landing time, the captain came on with news dampening the mood, "Good morning everyone, this is your captain speaking, I am sorry to report that Ft. Lauderdale is experiencing delays right due to storms in the area.  We are going to fly over the Atlantic while we wait for clearance to land."  Anxious to get to Florida, it was inconvenient announcement.  When we were closer to landing, the sky turned dark, the plane started rocking, and the rain let loose.  A baby was crying from the noise, and everyone on the plane was unsettled by turbulence shaking the airplane.  When is this going to stop?  Are we close to landing?
    

Again the captain came on, "I am pleased to announce that we are 10 minutes from landing in Ft. Lauderdale.  I ask that everyone remain buckled in their seats, flight attendants assume your landing positions."  Soon after, things started to go wrong. 
    

While we flew through this storm, it was raining so hard, the man sitting next to my dad and I asked, "Is the wing on fire?" 
    

"No, I think it's actually the rain hitting the landing lights," my dad explained, clearly disturbed by the monstrous monsoon raging outside the aircraft.  Moments later, our plane descended below the cloud line of the storm.  The plane groaned as the landing gear deployed. Finally, we’re going to get off of this piece of junk, I concluded as I heard the landing gear go down.
  

Seconds after, a white flash. The cabin of the plane turned a bleached white, and a loud “Crack!” echoed through the plane.  After the apparent lightning strike to the aircraft, my sisters started to freak out. I could hear my mom try to calm them down as Olivia was hyperventilating, and Claudia was crying in the seats in front of my dad and I. 
    

“Dad?  Did that lightning hurt our plane?” I asked, frightened shock we had just experienced,
    

“No, lightning strikes planes all the time, we’ll be fine,” he assured.  Inside my head I was yelling, Man I hope so, as the plane continued to shake.  Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse, it did.  By now, we were only a few hundred feet from the ground, so close I could see people with umbrellas walking in a parking lot below us.  At that instant, the plane turned completely on its side, and started climbing in altitude.  I wondered, why are we going back up? I could feel the engines surge and thrust the plane forward as we picked up speed.  Looking out the window of the plane, the wing was pointing straight at the ground.  We are going to crash!  It looked as if the plane was inches from slicing through the trees below us as we turned away from the airport, now visible just ahead of us.
    

After doing a complete U-turn, the bearer of bad news came on to announce our latest plans, "This is your captain speaking again, I am sorry to report that as we were in the process of landing, Ft Lauderdale airport was shut down to all landings due to heavy rain and turbulent conditions.  We are a little low on fuel so we are going to make a landing in Ft. Myers in about 20 minutes.  Everyone was on edge, and now we would have to fly back to Ft. Lauderdale after the weather cleared.  Luckily, our erratic aircraft touched down safely in Ft. Meyers, just after noon. 
    

As we walked off the plane, a lady in the airport announced, "The connecting flight back to Ft. Lauderdale will not be boarding until 10pm tonight, I am sorry for the inconvenience."  Not wanting to wait what would be 8 hours for another flight, we decided to drive the three-hour trip back to Ft. Lauderdale.  We waited what seemed like an eternity for our luggage, and then piled into our rental minivan for the trip.
    

A sigh of relief cast over all of us as we pulled into the drive of the condo we would be staying in for the week.  It was an exhausting day, but it was comforting to throw on a bathing suite and relax by the pool while watching the sun set behind the palm trees swaying in the breeze.  Finally we’ve made it to paradise!
    

Looking back, the support my family has for one another is what got us through that terrible experience.  We were resilient enough to put the setbacks we experienced behind us, and enjoy the rest of our vacation with one another.  I have realized through this experience and others, that my family can help me to overcome bad experiences.  My family has and will continue to be there for me when I face challenges, and I know that their support has shaped and will shape what I accomplish in my life.