Hotel Mead Wisconsin Rapids

Well I finally left my humble abode in Stevens Point but not without a few shed tears. . . We (Mariah, Mom, Dad, Taj and I) are all on our way to MN to Kali's for the "last supper". I can't believe that I'll be in China in less than a day! I don't think I've ever experienced so many emotions at one time. I am completely overwhelmed and could cry at the mere mention of not seeing the people I love for a year or the sight of ...

We arrived... got drinks... set up the tents while drinking... pretty happy before 5pm... oh no... no wood for the bonfire... went to gas station.. bought marshmellows, more drinks, snacks, hot dogs... walked out and noticed big pile of firewood... oops... guess we should get some of that too...

Hey guys, As you might have guessed from the title of this entry, we are indeed done with our trip. Sr. Olson is back in Rice Lake with his family, and I sit here alone, writing this in Marshfield....it is a sad day. There isn't much to say since we only had a few days since our last blog, but I'll try to bring everyone up to speed. We had a few more days on Bocas del Toro, which we took full advantage of. We went to a few more sweet beaches and enjoyed the ...

... They were having a "liquor licence" party (having just received their liquor licence) so we enjoyed their meatballs and various other snacks, while Jules and Mak had a final beer shandy together. And then, as with all good things, it came to an end. The train pulled up and we were hugging each other goodbye, and they were real hugs, the kind you reserve for your family. We had a brilliant two days and cannot wait to have the ...

... to see our new apartment for the first time, which I am a bit anxious about, since I simply havent seen it. I think everything will be okay though. Ben is coming down to start applying for jobs and interviewing for some too. I am hoping our trip will be very productive indeed!

... 1580, Paraguay South America The "PCT" after my name stands for Peace Corps Trainee. On December 15th it will change to "PCV" because I'll be sworn in as a Volunteer. Letters would be awesome, since I'm sure I'll be missing home (and it's only 84 cents to send a letter). If you want to send a package, don't put anything valuable in it that you would be heart broken if it was "lost" in transit. Apparently there's a problem with that. Make ...

... is without words. Complete with jet skiing, wake boarding, water skiing, trampoline, tasty food, and beer and mixed drinks to spare, I couldn't of asked for a better weekend. There was definitely lots of games, adventures, and conversations. Thank you Corrie!

... friends in Lincoln and Bob and Diana in Boulder City. Luckily, our bikes are very comfortable so a good nights sleep had us ready to go the next day. Phil had a portable GPS system that easily helped get us where we wanted to go. He would program our destination (a hotel address, a specific route we wanted to follow, etc.) It saved us lots of time - we didn't have to hunt for addresses or stop to ask directions. I can also tell you, you don't have to ...

I have just a couple more days until my trip to Washington! I'm excited because I have never been there and it will be my second "new state" this year! I'm going out to see my friend Ashlie as well as a couple of my sorority sisters living in the northwest. The plan so far: April 28th: Fly to Seattle, drive to Long Beach, WA April 29th: Clamming! Then to Astoria for a Seafood and Wine Festival ...

... to Cape Town. It was delayed and we didn't end up leaving until 1pm, at the same time the others were coming down for lunch. We crossed paths on the way out, and we stopped and I hugged people again for the last time. It was nice to know I was going to be missed... at least for a few minutes. Then it was back through the Hex River Valley and Du Toiksloof (or however you spell that) Pass back to Cape Town. I got some more pictures. Then next ...