Stay Safe Beach Goers

Spring Break is here and summer isn’t that far away. Typically people love spending their sunny days out on the beach enjoying the weather. But be warned beach goers – Do not go to Mexico.

Mexico is highly known for its gorgeous beaches and elaborate resorts. It is a popular destination for vacationers who want to lay out on the beach or go on a cruise. But it is also very dangerous. There have been numerous stories of American tourists being kidnapped and held for ransom.

Right now it is worse than ever. Cruise ships aren’t even docking at their ports because even the nice vacation spots in Mexico are too dangerous for people to even get off the ship.

So if you are planning a vacation to a pretty beach try to stay in America. Go to Florida or California, the water is just as pretty.

College Dorm Room Shopping

The new school year is approaching fast, and if this is your first year to go off to college, there are some things you need to remember to bring with you. Going away to college is stressful enough; you don’t want to forget something!

Change. Bring lots of quarters! Jugs full if you have to. Doing laundry can get very expensive, and you’ll need tons of change!

Water Resistant Flip Flops. This is for those lucky individuals who get the opportunity to experience community bathrooms! And this one also needs no further explanation. Yucky bathroom floors, enough said!

Hamper, with wheels. Don’t kid yourself; you probably won’t keep up with your laundry. And that pile beside your bed will just get bigger and heavier. So if you can find a nice big hamper with wheels so you don’t have to break your back trying to go to the laundry mat, buy it!

Downy De-Wrinkle Spray. This stuff actually works. If your clothes are wrinkly, just spray this stuff on them and shake it out. Comes in handy when you are running late and mom isn’t there to iron your clothes!

Bike. Most campuses are big, but not that big. And parking is expensive and scarce. So bike riding to school is actually convenient, and makes you exercise! Lots of campuses have bike racks everywhere. Don’t forget to bring a lock too!

Think of anything we missed? Shout back at us with some more helpful items to bring with you to college!

Spring Break Vacation Options

The cold is slowly fading away and summer is so close you can almost feel it. How many more days left of school? Better yet, how many more days until Spring Break? That one week of no school, homework or tests to worry about; probably the best week of anyone’s life who is currently going to schools life. So how do you spend this marvelous week? Lets check our options…

Warm: If you are seriously tired of the cold, go somewhere warm! Since this is Texas, it is not that hard to find a beach or lake near by. Get some friends together and head down to Galveston for a couple days, or if you want to venture out a little further, South Padre Island. Soak in the sun and relax with your friends. What could possibly be better?

Cold: If you love the cold and never want to see it leave, then you might have to take a road trip. Pile up your friends in a car and drive somewhere you know is still cold. If you have money to spend, go skiing or snowboarding somewhere! If not, you can always have a major snow ball fight war.

Fun: If you don’t care at all if it is hot or cold and you just want to have some fun, go to an amusement park! You don’t have to travel that far to find one and they are super fun. Who doesn’t like riding roller coasters all day?

Christopher Columbus Facts

Everyone knows the saying, “In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. We all learned at the very beginning of our elementary years how Christopher Columbus made a brave journey to the new world. Everyone already knows all about that though. But here are some interesting facts that your history teacher might not have mentioned.

• When Columbus and his men landed, the “Indians” thought that the ships and the men had sailed down from the sky. So they brought the sailors presents, food, and parrots.
• Christopher Columbus had two sons by different mothers. His heir was Diego Columbus (1480 - 1526). His second and favorite son was Ferdinand, better known as Fernando ( 1488 - 1539)
• Both the sons of Christopher Columbus served as pages to Prince Juan, the son of the King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
• Christopher Columbus died still thinking that he had found the Indies.
• Christopher Columbus was born in the Italian port of Genoa, the son of a wool merchant called Domenico Colombo
• His mother was Susanna Fontanarossa, the daughter of a woollens merchant.
• Christopher Columbus had three younger brothers, Bartolomeo, Giovanni Pellegrino, and Giacomo, and a sister, Bianchinetta Columbus
• Christopher Columbus travelled the seas as a pirate, or Privateer, attacking ships belonging to the Moors
• Columbus introduced horses to the Americas. They weren't there before he got there.
• Columbus brought tobacco to Europe 1st
• Columbus never wanted to prove the Earth was round! -- because everyone already knew it!  His goal was to find an overseas trade route to India and China

 

Weekend Trips: Explore Texas

Ever feel like you need a little mini vacation? You want to get away from it all but you don’t have the money to just get up and go. Trips can be very expensive, especially airfare, but if you really want to get away you don’t have to go that far or spend that much! Road trips can be a blast, that is as long as you’re riding with people you like.

San Antonio. There are tons of things to do in San Antonio and it is only about a three hour drive. From theme parks to museums they have it all! If you enjoy thrill, you have 4 different theme parks to choose from: Six Flags Fiesta Texas, SeaWorld, Schlitterbahn waterpark and Splashtown. If you prefer to take it easy you can always go tour the Alamo or visit one of the many museums, like Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. And for dinner you can head down to the River Walk and choose to eat from the dozens of cafes, bistros and elegant restaurants.

Dallas. If you want to get a little bit further away but still have just as much fun, Dallas is a great place to go! Like San Antonio, Dallas has Six Flags Over Texas and a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum. There is also the Dallas zoo, the Dallas World Aquarium and Speedzone, a unique racing park.

Galveston. Galveston is a really great place to go if you want to get away but stay close at the same time. Some of the major attractions in Galveston are Moody Gardens and Schlitterbahn. AND if you’re just looking for a place to relax, Galveston is known for its many beaches where you can lay out all day in the hot sun.

Everyone could use a little vacation every now and then and Texas has many great places to visit. Tourists come to Texas every year to enjoy what the Lone Star State has to offer, so why don’t we stick close to home – and see our own state like a tourist would see it?