Cuando yo (1) [vivía] (vivir) en el este, mi familia siempre (2) [hacía] (hacer) un viaje durante las vacaciones de mi padre. Generalmente (nosotros) (3) [viajábamos] (viajar) a un lago o a las montañas. El verano pasado mi madre (4) [decidió] (decidir) que (nosotros) (5) [íbamos] (ir) a visitar la capital de los Estados Unidos. La mañana del viaje, nosotros (6) [salimos] (salir) a las cinco de la mañana. Yo (7) [tenía] (tener) mucho sueño y (8) [me dormí] (dormirse) otra vez dentro de poco. Cuando (yo) (9) [me desperté] (despertarse), todavía (10) [dormían] (dormir) mis hermanos. El sol (11) [brillaba] (brillar) y (12) [hacía] (hacer) buen tiempo. Después que mis hermanos (13) [se despertaron] (despertarse), nosotros (14) [comimos] (comer) en un restaurante. Después nosotros (15) [seguimos] (seguir) el viaje. El paisaje (16) [era] (ser) magnífico. Al lado de la carretera (17) [había] (haber) mucho que ver. Una vez Pepe (18) [vio] (ver) unas vacas, y una casa de estilo antiguo me (19) [llamó] (llamar) la atención. Por fin, cansados pero contentos, nosotros (20) [llegamos] (llegar) a la capital.

1. Imp: This could translate as: "when I used to live in the east"
2. Imp: The key word is "siempre," which indicates regularity.
3. Imp: The key word is "generalmente," which indicates regularity.
4. Pret: The phrase is "el verano pasado." This marks a shift in the story from what used to regularly happen to what happened at one specific time.
5. Imp: This translates as "my mother decided that we were going to visit." When she decided, they had not actually visited yet. It is therefore an incomplete event in the past because it had not yet occurred.
6. Pret: left once
7. Imp: condition
8. Pret: fell asleep once
9. Pret: woke once. 8 and 9 also contain within them the indication of the beginning and end of an event which tends to be in the preterite.
10. Imp: He woke up but his brothers were still in the process of sleeping.
11. Imp: weather/background description
12. Imp: weather
13. Pret: woke up once
14. Pret: ate once
15. Pret: Continued along on the trip. This is the last verb on a series of events on numbers 13, 14, and 15. A series of events which move the story along tend to be in the preterite.
16. Imp: background description
17. Imp: "There was a lot to be seen." This refers to all the background scenery that was there.
18. Pret: saw them once
19. Pret: got his attention once
20. Pret: arrived once. 18, 19, and 20 are also a series of events which tend to be in the preterite.