On May 21, Kathleen walked out onto the beach in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and with only a few friends and family watching, she said her wedding vows in a simple ceremony. "It was everything I could have wanted and more," said Kathleen Rodems. At 26, Rodems is older than the national average for women getting married.
East Central Illinois has more beauty than the acres and acres of flat land that spectators describe it as, and in fact one native born saw this beauty and was inspired to paint. Paul T. Sargent, a renowned oil painter, saw the landscape of the rural lands of East Central Illinois and turned them into works of art.
Champaign, Illinois is home to Frasca Air Museum, a division of Frasca International, Inc and the one of the countries finest collections of vintage aircraft. Rudy Frasca, company president and former U.S. Navy pilot is the owner of several World War II era fighter planes.
Cutting a person out of a car, taking on a burning building, checking gas leaks, rescuing and saving lives are what a hero does. My brother, Matt Beauchane, is a hero to people at and outside of his job. However, even before he was a firefighter, he was a hero to me.
Terry G. Roy, a quiet, good Christian man, drives a baby blue Mercury car that has taken plenty of road trips. Two window stickers, one a fish symbol, the other a "WWJD" decal, provide a glimpse as to why Roy travels all across east-central Illinois. And here, on a recent Sunday night, Roy, a self-employed electrician, stands inside the high ceiling, stain glass windowed Central Community Church, talking about his faith.
An undersized green sign with the words Fox Ridge State Park written in white, points straight ahead to the almost hidden entrance. Passing it several times on ordinary driving trips, I've never before witnessed this element of our town. Eight miles out of Charleston rests an area where, contrasting most of Illinois' flat prairies, steep hills surround the Embarras River.
Dancing is a passion for Michelle Huller, a senior education major, hoping to one-day grace music videos with her presence. At 21 years of age, Huller is an EIU Dancer, a university student organization that is sponsored by the Physical Education Department.
Tiger lilies were her favorite flower. The used to grow wild out on the rural roads near the farm, before the state of Illinois decided that clean and appealing roadways meant mowing over anything and everything on the shoulder. He would bring them home to her, handpicked after a hard day in the fields.
Hearing a character say damn or something even worse is common place on any cable channel. In the days of our parents' youth, cursing couldn't be found on television or in music the way that it is today. In the popularity of shows such as Leave It to Beaver, a wholesome image was portrayed for America to follow.
Bright lights illuminate him to an intimate crowd of dedicated coffee drinkers, who are avid supporters of the open mike night scene. He is welcomed on stage by applause that quickly echoes through the tiny and packed room. The back of the coffee shop is standing-room only, as many audience members have already taken up the fleeting spaces surrounding the steps.
How do you balance your grades with all that time you spend with your sport? That's the question everyone asks when participating in collegiate athletics. The answer is actually somewhat simple. Through playing a sport, it's a given that you will miss several class periods during travel days and game days.
Who wouldn't want to work at the happiest place on Earth? Walt Disney World brings joy to over 30 million visitors every year and although it is a magical place that makes dreams and fantasies come to life, there is more to it than meets the eye. Angie Faller, one of six Disney Campus Representatives at Eastern Illinois University who spent seven months of 2004 in Florida as an intern explains that everyone who works at Disney World is considered a character and dresses up in some type of costume.
As the music guy here, you may assume that I am going to talk about an inspiration involving a certain band, not especially. While there are bands that inspire me to listen to even more music and to even try my hand at an instrument or two, (I'm still working on that, give me time), there is an even greater reason why this is so...my parents.
Growing up in a household of five children, three children or even being the only child, one forms certain tendencies and characteristics that may coincide with their birth order. According to Frank Sulloway, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, birth order is defined as first borns, middle borns and last borns.
For the past eight years Harold Hackett and his family have organized the Thanksgiving Dinner at the Otterbein United Methodist Church in Charleston, Il. The event provides holiday dinner for many people in the community who would otherwise be alone, as well as delivers dinner to individuals who cannot make it to the church.
Sometimes life brings you into contact with the most amazing people. Sometimes life can turn a seemingly horrific event into the greatest thing that ever happened to you. And sometimes you just get lucky. I believe I have been blessed by all three occurrences.
When given this story, I thought it would be a cinch. All I had to do was find out why my inspiration does what she does and the way she does it. The rest I could do on my own. This person is Cathy Wall, "Sul" to her many students. I emailed her asking her what and why, and the response I received made me cry.
Moving away. Dealing with death. Making important decisions. Life can have a way of turning our world upside down in a matter of seconds, and oftentimes we struggle to figure out how to cope. Susan Moore, of Champaign, Ill., discovered that her faith is what got her through the hard times in her life.
If you plan on going to college after high school, usually you choose a college that you can envision yourself going to all the way until you graduate. However, that seems to not be the case anymore. Now, transferring schools has become more common for college students, whether it be from a community college to a university or from a university back to a community college.
In the small town of Kansas, Ill., a 40-acre cornfield has been transformed into a place where visitors can't help but feel like a kid and everyone is a winner. The Country Bumpkin Pumpkin Patch is an enjoyable place for folks of all ages. The Country Bumpkin is on 40 acres of farmland in the middle of nowhere.
In 1952, Gene and Betty Hoots started an ice cream stand in Mattoon, Illinois, by the name of Frigid King. They served ice cream, milk shakes and other frozen delights. When Gene wanted to broaden the array of food to include hamburgers and french fries, his wife came up with the name "Burger King".
Dressed a little preppy with a black GAP hoodie, gray tank top and guess jeans that fall off his hips just a little, Andrew Rodriguez does not seem like a particularly normal 19-year-old. However, his appearance suggests an influence in punk considering the ears and lip piercings and the pink Mohawk that sits on the top of his head.
Imagine having a secure job (congrats for those of you who don't have to imagine) where the work isn't hard, and it's a well-paid position. Imagine this - the company adores you and is willing to advance your position after time spent with the company. Try this - you have your own secretary, a nice office and employees working under you.
With Christmas just around the corner, shopping malls are filled with shoppers trying to find that perfect gift. Some shoppers go straight for what they want, while others don't. These others are using the season for an excuse to shop. These others are addicted to shopping.
When going off to college, the last thing on your mind is worrying about bringing transportation to school, whether it is a car, a bike, or a moped. The fact is students are so busy worrying about classes, or actually waking up to go to class, that they don't think of anything else.
Thousands of Asian students converge on Midwest college campuses twice a year to discuss issues facing them at their respective universities. The Midwest Asian American Student Union (MAASU) is a conference for all Asian-American groups in Midwestern colleges.
Eastern Illinois University has over 200 student organizations. One of Eastern's most recently created organizations, the Asian Cinema Organization, began in September 2005. The group was started with the distinct purpose of creating diversity and fighting stereotypes, said Krishna Ignalaga, treasurer of the group.