$1 and once you log in on the left hand side menu hit my time off and the request time off button. It will bring up a calendar similar to booking a round-trip flight where you select the start date and end date for the time off you need. If you need off again for the same reason but with days in between where you are available to work, you should put in a separate request for those days off using the same process.
Vacation hours are for getting *paid* time off, and are not needed to simply take time off.