Con takes a trip to the Sin City

Spring Break has come and gone, and this spring Con decided to join me and my friends on a road trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. We began the trip in our Dodge Nitro and while Con did not drive any of the long journey, he kept his head out the window and on the dashboard for the majority of the trip.

We took the "southern route" and drove through several states such as Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and finally Nevada. We went through several cities such as Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, Amarillo and even the Hoover Dam!

By the time we got there myself and Con were pretty exhausted, but the lights and attractions of Vegas gave us a natural adrenaline rush and we hit the tables. Con was down some money for a while, but got on a heater at the craps table and ended up coming into some big money faster than you could say "bark."

He treated me to a nice steak buffet and himself to the finest Kibbles and Bits Buffet money can buy. (only in Vegas right?).

After the three days it was our time to head back to Carbondale. Con slept most the way back but shared some great stories about his adventure he went on at about 3 in the morning (What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, so can't share those with the public).

Overall it was a great trip and we all really enjoyed ourselves. Con especially, and no he did not get any piercings or tattoos!

Total trip miles from Carbondale,IL to Las Vegas, NV= 3.410 miles.

Longitude= -115.1363889
Latitude= 36.175
Total miles traveled= 6,519 Miles.

Megan and Rolly Work with Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity:Alternative Spring Break Collegiate Challenge 2011

Spring Break is finally here! As usual I will be spending it building houses with Habitat for Humanity and this year Rolly has decided to come along with me. This year we went to Bryan, Texas along with 10 other girls from Southern Illinois University. Our trip started from Wham on Wednesday back to the reserves apartment complex till Sunday, March 13Th at 4:45am. From there we jumped in the car and traveled 12 hours! Monday we had the day to explore Texas A & M University and around Bryan, TX. Then we were off to help build houses from Tuesday to Friday. We worked everyday from 8am-5:30. We helped build a house for the Casa family and also worked on a few other houses in the Habitat sub-division. We raised walls, put up a roof, primed walls, and painted. On Sunday, March 2oth at 7am we left to head back home. We both had a great time in Texas, and although we got a little too much sun, we added a new word to our vocabulary: HOWDY!


Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976 by Milard and Linda Fuller. Today, Habitat is a true leader in adressing issue in poverty housing. Habitat is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian ministry founded on the conviction that every man, women, and child should a decent, safe, and affordable place to live. Former U.S president Jimmy Carter and his wife are the most famous supporters. Nearly 2 billion people around the world live in slum housing and over 100 million are homeless. Today Habitat has built more than 400,000 houses, sheltering more than 2 million people world wide!



Habitat for Humanity's Mission Statement

What the poor need is not a charity but capital, not caseworkers but co-workers. And what the rich need is a wise, honorable and just way of divesting themselves of their overabundance. The fund for humanity will meet both of these needs. Money for the fund will come from shared gifts from those who feel they have more than they need and from non-interest bearing loans from those who can not afford to make a gift but do want to provide working capital for the disinherited..... The fund will give away no money, it is not a handout.
For more information on Habitat for Humanity go to: http://www.habitat.org/

Total trip miles from Carbondale,IL to Bryan, TX= 1,570.12 miles.
Longitude= 96.37
Latitude= 30.58
Total miles traveled= 3,127.58 miles.

Jennifer and Con go to Discovery Cove

Jennifer and Con went to Indian Rocks Beach Florida for Spring Break. While on spring break, Jennifer and Con took a trip to the Clear Water public beach. Then, on Wednesday, they went to Discovery Cove in Orlando Florida to swim with the dolphins. Jennifer and Con had the best day ever in Discovery Cove!! They got to swim with the dolphins, go snorkeling in the coral reef, pet sting rays, go on an amazing lazy river with exotic birds and trees, and eat delicious food!! After spending a fun-filled day at Discovery Cove, Jennifer and Con went to visit Jennifer's grandparents in Sebring Florida. After spending a few hours at Jennifer's grandparents house and eating dinner with them, Jennifer and Con traveled back to Indian Rocks Beach Florida. While in Indian Rocks Beach, Jennifer and Con went Deep Sea fishing, laid on the beach, went shopping, went out to eat many times, watched dolphins in the ocean, and visited family friends. Jennifer and Con had a great time in Florida!!

Here is a picture of Can on a Dolphin outside of Discovery Cove.

Here is a picture of Con on the Welcome sign to Discovery Cove.

Location: Discovery Cove in Orlando, FL
Miles with Jennifer: 2174.4 miles
Total miles Traveled by Con: 3109.08

Con and Eunmi visit Giant City State Park in Makanda, IL

Con and I left the Wham building on Wednesday and we headed for my house here in Carbondale. Then, around 4:30p.m., we took a trip to Giant City State Park. We are very glad to go there in a beautiful day. After passing the Touch of Nature Center on Giant City Road and Giant City Stable, we saw the Giant City State Park Visitors Center.

Because of the pleasant weather, we expected to see a lot of flowers there; unfortunately, only the trees were budding. Picnic areas with tables and grills are scattered throughout the park. We headed for the Giant City Lodge, the building was laid out in three units. The northwest unit is the dining area. The southwest unit was designated the Comfort Station. The central unit, the main lounge area, is two stories high. The Lodge is built on the highest point in the park. We could relaxed and enjoyed ourselves in there. Con also had a good time with her a good friend, the buffalo.

The dining area was built for the purpose of serving approximately 400 people and serve delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a daily bases. We saw several groups of people eating their special chicken dinner. We wish we could have had dinner there, but our family was waiting for us to have dinner together.

Next to the Giant City Lodge, we also saw the water tower; I thought this was great place. After climbing many stairs visitors can have a great view of the area, but we didn’t go up there because it was getting dark outside, so we decided to go back home. On Thursday, Con and I went back to school.

Latitude: 37.6050502
Longitude: -89.1884151
Total Miles Traveled by Con: 21.06