ABCs of a Nursing School Grad Trip + FL Keys Mini Report;D is for: Dang! Last Chapter of this TR...

[Steppesister]

Great that you got to see divine.Magic photos of her that you took.
Have a happy Thanksgiving enjoy your family time .

I was so excited! And it really wasn't even planned. Thanks so much! So far (still going on...) it's been wonderful!

Well that goes to show how much Spanish I know! Totally went over my head! Cass Nueva has a tile roof even though it isn't very Spanish looking, but DeSoto is more a a Tudor look so I never would have thought to give it a Spanish name!

Makes sense.

I took a few years of Spanish in school, but need to learn a LOT more; my new job almost demands it. Sigh, just too much on my to-do list.

Wow! So early? I'm just about to get mine started period. It did have a nice sit in the unheated oven while we were at the movies though.

The package said 5 hours, so that's what I went with.

I plan to (hope to maybe?) if I'm ever there for more than 3 days!
As for the chip... well, you'll find out by the time I board the plane on the way home one way or another!

Standing by.

There have been times when I've put my foot down and said "No." Those times are rare, and carefully thought out. "It won't work because a.b.c.d and e."
And she knows I'm right.



And then I pay for it.

Then it sounds like you have a pretty normal marriage.

Okay. Next time you're there and I'm there if there is ever a there, there (there, there, it'll be okay) it's a date.

Sounds like a winning plan.

Sorry. I suppose I shouldn't laugh, but...

Hey! Look at it this way. When the door flew open, there wasn't a masked man with an axe standing there.

He would have been very, very sorry.

3-6 feet of snow. You mean inches! 3-6 inches! .... Hello? Is this thing on?..... No?


Good Lord.

They have 2 feet, and still counting...

Happy Thanksgiving! All of our 20 are gone now, except for the ones who live here. Hope you had a good one, and aren't snowed in too badly!

Devine is pretty cool. Saw her on our first trip and were totally surprised!

You too, Irene! You had almost as many as we did! While fun, it can be... wearing. The house was perfectly clean on Wednesday; today it looks like a bomb went off. No snow here, just torrential rain and a quickly rising river.

Happy Thanksgiving for yesterday!

Thanks, Polly! It was fun, and I hope to post some photos later this weekend!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

You know which character is better and cooler than DeVine?


No one. Awesome that you got to see her! She's great!



Interesting how you put these two things together.....

Alas, I am working all day and then all night today.
Maybe next year.


Happy Thanksgiving!

Enquiring minds want to know.

Sorry you had to work, and Thank you. It was nice with the grands. Jim's mom was here with us in our tiny apartment for the week. It was fine, but it was nice putting her on the plane this morning. We went to Moana this morning and attacked the leftovers for lunch, now home to nap. Not a bad day. Sorry I missed wishing you the same in October.

No Scavenger Hunt this year. We're having a terrific storm right now.

Funny, actually not so funny story: The wind picked up last night just as we hit the sack, and pretty much blew all night long. I have a couple of old cottonwoods that we're about to lose, but they seem to be ok. But around 4:30, we heard a door fly open! It was our own bedroom door, which is about 4 feet from my head! Scared the living crap out of me. I guess someone had gone out it earlier in the day and didn't push it all the way shut. We're supposed to get 3-6 feet of snow in the passes over the weekend, and several inches of rain here. No worries, we have a very large fireplace and plenty of food and I ain't goin' nowhere. In fact, I hope to get some good DISTime in and catch up around her.

Yikes on the storm! I'm glad your door was just left open and not blown down by the Big Bad Wolf! We were sending Jim's mom back to Oregon today, and Ryan and fam drove to Reno Wed to fly to Puerto Rico for a cruise, so we have been keeping an eye on that snow. They all made it fine. Hope you enjoy your fire and cozy time with family. We had a nice day with the kiddos, but today is our first day in a week that we have had any down time to just veg, so I'm glad to just relax. May pour a glass of wine - it is 5:20 now.

 

[pkondz]

The first time I saw it was.... poignant and emotional. I was actually back in Kentucky for my own Grandmother's death and it really opened the floodgates as it spoke (quite nicely) to aging and loss, and the eventual moving on for those left behind. I went with my sister and her husband, and I'm not sure we knew what the movie hit on before going. Let's just say it was... good... for us to see it.

Isnt' it amazing how a cartoon can have that affect on a person?
Like I said, I haven't seen it, but I've certainly heard good things.

Nope, they don't. But I can tell I'm about to get one of sorts with my new laptop arriving sometime next week. Should be quite an "adventure" as I struggle to set it up. I HATE that process with a passion.

Where did you get it?

Yes, you do! Your trips are just WAY too short.

Well... I guess I'd prefer a short trip to none at all.
I do what I can.

All part of the Adventure!

"Look kids! Poop! Disney Poop!"
"Yayyy!!"

I'm more of a tropical vacation girl.

I like my tropical vacations too... but I don't consider them 'adventures'.

Is Canada a safe place to live. I'm starting to wonder.

Hmmm... depends. Last year, Winnipeg (home) was the murder capitol of Canada (based on #/capita) we had 26.
A total of 516 in 2014, country wide. However, "aboriginals accounted for almost one quarter of the victims despite comprising just 5% of the population."

Compare that with, say, NYC which had 328 that same year.

I still feel okay about doing that. Everyone has their own lines of comfort, but I'd say I felt totally fine with my 14 year old having short times of independence.

There were at least 2 that really broke my heart. They bordered on outright abuse, and I came pretty close to intervening. It makes me wonder what kind of living Hell is going on at home.

Oh, that's sad. Relax people! It's okay!

In a weird way, it'll be a break from washing dishes, setting out food, cleaning up, finding lost coats, putting stuff away...

They've asked for help in my own specialty- pain management, so yeah, I'm happy to give a little back.

I get that.
As you know I'm training now. When I get an overtime call, it's almost a relief because I don't have to be constantly monitoring someone. I can just relax and do the job.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Hey, wait! Do you enjoy photography as well? There's quite a few of us who are hobbyists; always fun to swap pix and tips.

Not really. I just appreciate interesting pictures. I would like to get into more as a hobby but just never did. My wife is better than me and she did a couple short amateur photography courses, but she likes doing portraits and I would much rather landscapes. Maybe some day I'll get into it

My own hubby is a geologist and tried very hard to get hired onto Chevron and BP early in his career in the mid-90s to no avail.

How ironic. I have a geology degree too! I also tried getting hired as a geologist with a couple Canadian companies like Husky and Petro-Canada but it never worked out. I've moved away from geology a bit, but still in the industry.

And, I DID IT! I greeted them with that, and it blew them away. That was so fun! So thanks for that!

Awesome! Glad that worked out for you.

 

[franandaj]

Hmmm... depends. Last year, Winnipeg (home) was the murder capitol of Canada (based on #/capita) we had 26.
A total of 516 in 2014, country wide. However, "aboriginals accounted for almost one quarter of the victims despite comprising just 5% of the population."

This is sad, Los Angeles (the city alone) had more than half (296 in 2013) the amount of homicides that happened in your entire country the following year.

 

[franandaj]

I just realized that while I sent in my answers on the pictures, I never responded to the update, so now that I have wrapped up two TRs in the last week, I better stay up to date!.....You may want to check out some contest results....

We didn't waste any time jogging (literally) the 4 and a 1/2 miles to EE when it was time. I should have trained MUCH better for Rope Drop (or at all). I may be old, but yeah, EAT THAT! We were on the first train of the day.

I'm impressed! I have never made the first ride of anything. But then again, I'm a little too laid back to run/jog or any combination thereof.

See ya later, suckers! We rode 3 times in a row, twice stand by, then Single Rider.

I'll often do this one with single rider, but I kind of like the FP+ system because then I get to use mine and Fran's passes to ride.

"I dunno, Joe. That's kinda weird putting poo in the queue."

"Nah, it'll be great! Imagine the conversation piece it'll be when the guests go to lunch at Yak and Yeti."

"Phil, no, that's just gross!".

"That's the point, Ed! The kids will love it! Can you imagine the conversations in the queue when moms and dads have to explain the word scat?"

I'm not sure if the Mom & Dads would be the ones explaining scat to the kids. I learned about it in Girl Scouts and I doubt my parents knew what it meant!

In fact, they told us as they were leaving that they'd be back in only half and hour, so I grabbed a shaded table at the Dawa with one of these in my hand:

Now that looks like a great drink!

WHOA! More than a few kids (and probably more importantly, the parents) just needed to go back to the resort and take a long nap.

Yeah, I've noticed the parents, "We brought you to Disney, now you're going to HAVE A GOOD TIME! Got it?"

30 MINUTES!!!! That's all it took for them to A) learn where fudge was sold, B) spend $15 on said fudge, and C) realize I'd put charging privileges on their bands. What the hail was I thinking?! Seriously, 4X4 pieces of fudge for EACH of them at 10:00 AM. $15?!?! Anara looked at my drink, and then looked back at me.....

And who is paying for the trip?

Eppa Red Superfruit Sangria - $8.50, also from the Dawa Bar. It was delightful. Very sweet and refreshing but with only about 1 tsp. of booze in it. I won't say I was disappointed, but it was pretty darn weak. NOT worth the money on this one.

Good to know! AK has not been a big park where I have gone for drinks, but someday that Bloody Mary is on my list!

 

[pkondz]

This is sad, Los Angeles (the city alone) had more than half (296 in 2013) the amount of homicides that happened in your entire country the following year.

But, per capita? I wonder which is "worse".

 

[Steppesister]

Yikes on the storm! I'm glad your door was just left open and not blown down by the Big Bad Wolf! We were sending Jim's mom back to Oregon today, and Ryan and fam drove to Reno Wed to fly to Puerto Rico for a cruise, so we have been keeping an eye on that snow. They all made it fine. Hope you enjoy your fire and cozy time with family. We had a nice day with the kiddos, but today is our first day in a week that we have had any down time to just veg, so I'm glad to just relax. May pour a glass of wine - it is 5:20 now.

Sounds like a full but fun time, Tammie! Nice!

Yeeesh, our area got 4... 4!!!! inches of rain on Thursday and this morning. 4! We can now row on our lawn. Happens once every other year or so, and the kids love to take the boat out and row in the trees.

Yep, sitting here now with my house wine (Montes Cabernet from Chile) and my feet up. Just kicked butt against the young 20's guys in our family. WOOT, but ready to relax.

Isnt' it amazing how a cartoon can have that affect on a person?
Like I said, I haven't seen it, but I've certainly heard good things.

Sure is! That hasn't been the only one.

Where did you get it?

From Amazon- went with a Dell XPS 15 Touchscreen. I'll let you know how it works out.

Well... I guess I'd prefer a short trip to none at all.
I do what I can.

This is very true.

"Look kids! Poop! Disney Poop!"
"Yayyy!!"

But hey, it's mixed with pixie dust.

I like my tropical vacations too... but I don't consider them 'adventures'.

You haven't been to the right tropical places....

Hmmm... depends. Last year, Winnipeg (home) was the murder capitol of Canada (based on #/capita) we had 26.
A total of 516 in 2014, country wide. However, "aboriginals accounted for almost one quarter of the victims despite comprising just 5% of the population."

What you lack in murder, you, if you think that wiring looks okay, exceed in electrocutions.

I get that.
As you know I'm training now. When I get an overtime call, it's almost a relief because I don't have to be constantly monitoring someone. I can just relax and do the job.

I do understand. Kinda like auto-pilot...

Not really. I just appreciate interesting pictures. I would like to get into more as a hobby but just never did. My wife is better than me and she did a couple short amateur photography courses, but she likes doing portraits and I would much rather landscapes. Maybe some day I'll get into it

Portraits and events scare the crap out of me. You get one shot, and if you screw it up, the whole event is lost. There is no second chance at a wedding. But waterfalls don't typically move much or whatever, and you can always go back to other pretty places.

How ironic. I have a geology degree too! I also tried getting hired as a geologist with a couple Canadian companies like Husky and Petro-Canada but it never worked out. I've moved away from geology a bit, but still in the industry.

Small world! He is now doing work for the Oregon Dept. of Forestry and does slope assessments and remediation to watch for slide activity and how it impacts streams and other Federal and State mandates etc.... He works with logging companies and private industry and land owners on timber sales and how the cutting will affect waterways.

I just realized that while I sent in my answers on the pictures, I never responded to the update, so now that I have wrapped up two TRs in the last week, I better stay up to date!.....You may want to check out some contest results....

1 TR is MUCH more manageable for sure! And yes!!!! I saw! I can't believe it! I'll PM you tonight. Yippee!

I'm impressed! I have never made the first ride of anything. But then again, I'm a little too laid back to run/jog or any combination thereof.

I just needed to prove to my kids that I still have some semblance of youth left in me. Can't out run them, but can go the distance. Especially in stamina- we only called it a night at our 2 AM MK night early because of them.

I'll often do this one with single rider, but I kind of like the FP+ system because then I get to use mine and Fran's passes to ride.

NICE! I'd love a twofer.

I'm not sure if the Mom & Dads would be the ones explaining scat to the kids. I learned about it in Girl Scouts and I doubt my parents knew what it meant!

You learned about poop?! I only got to make coffee can cooker thingys and sawdust and wax fire starters. No fair!

Now that looks like a great drink!

It was tasty!

And who is paying for the trip?

It was totally money well spent!

Good to know! AK has not been a big park where I have gone for drinks, but someday that Bloody Mary is on my list!

They have 3 varieties, 2 of them I can attest to being amazing....[/QUOTE]

 

[irene_dsc]

All I can say, is, I need to see if my little troop of Cadettes know what scat is! I bet they do - I think they talked about it in the Animal Habitats badge, actually. (Forest Preserve program) oops - but that was Jumiors. I have different girls now...

 

[Steppesister]

All I can say, is, I need to see if my little troop of Cadettes know what scat is! I bet they do - I think they talked about it in the Animal Habitats badge, actually. (Forest Preserve program) oops - but that was Jumiors. I have different girls now...

Girl Scouts was terribly fun! I loved my little badges and parties and stuff!

 

[pkondz]

From Amazon- went with a Dell XPS 15 Touchscreen. I'll let you know how it works out.

I already know how it works out. That's the exact same one I got!

But hey, it's mixed with pixie dust.

Does that make it okay to pick up?

You haven't been to the right tropical places....

Possibly. I've only done Hawaii and Florida.

What you lack in murder, you, if you think that wiring looks okay, exceed in electrocutions.

It's how we keep warm.

I do understand. Kinda like auto-pilot...

 

[Steppesister]

F is for Fiesta! ​

OLE, Vamos a Mexico! It’s time for a fiesta!



Not just any fiesta, but one that had been planned for quite a while, and certainly one I was looking forward to a lot! After a pretty full day at MK (nope haven’t written about that yet) and a hop over to EPCOT for a bit of Food and Wine, it was time to find my DISBuddies, Alison and Fran, and to meet (back up) with Marv and Pat, who we’d actually already spent most of the day with. It was definitely crowded, but not so much so that we didn’t easily spot each other in front of FiestaVille. I used to call it the Mexican Small World Ride place, but, with the addition of La Cava, affectionately called The Ditch* in DISLand, it’s definitely a pretty nice place for adults to enjoy now as well.




*The Ditch (n): 1. a narrow channel dug in the ground, typically used for drainage alongside a road or the edge of a field. 2. A festive tequila bar located in Disney’s Mexico Pavilion at EPCOT- difficult to climb out of once you’ve fallen in.


I enjoyed it for the first time on my last trip in 2010 when I had hands down the BEST margarita I’ve ever had. Ever. Our server came to the table and at length discussed tequila with us, which tequila would be the best for the drink I’d ordered, (the Blood Orange) and how it was made etc… It was an amazing experience! The bar itself was pretty quiet, and my friend and I had closed the place down. Just one of those unique and more than averagely memorable Disney moments. It was probably more like 2 hours, but time flies when you’re drinking tequila.


Fast forward to 2016. Five friends, most of whom had never met, decided to hang out for an evening. But first we’ve got to get in. This was going to be the tricky part. (I apologize that this is repeat of Alison’s chapter. The only difference is my pictures, and even then, they’re pretty much identical.) When Fran and Alison and I got in and approached the entrance, the Senorita told me that it’d be a 45-minute wait. Uhhh…. Great. Now what?! Yeah, there’s a lot of bars to hang out in EPCOT, but I really wanted this one! While we discussed our options, not one, but 2, couples exited one after the other. Hmm…. maybe she was over-estimating the wait time? Fran and Alison needed to hit up the banos, (I wish I could figure out how to type foreign characters on my keyboard. That’s twice I’ve needed an 'enne'- you know, the ‘n’ with the little wavy doohickey over it.) It was time to take action. So, I pretty much barged my way into the bar and took a peeky-boo around. I made sure to elbow the Senorita on my way in, since she had the audacity to tell me I’d have to wait 45 minutes to enjoy my own bar. Pffftttt... move over Toots, I’m in charge here!


Ok, ok, not really, I politely asked if I could just take a look, and guised it as just wanting to check it out as if it was my first time there. She bought it (silly, naive Senorita) and said, “OH sure!” Looking to my right, I immediately noticed that the 2 couples who’d left had actually vacated 2 ADJACENT tables. KA-CHING! This was such a duh. Apparently, I missed my calling; instead of studying Nursing, I should have become a hostess. I nonchalantly (kind of) “suggested” that we push the tables together and that we’d easily fit the 5 of us there. It seems as if the lights went on and she got that look of sudden “duh realization” on her face. We were seated in 5 more minutes.

Now it was time to get down to business! I’m not normally a big tequila fan, but good tequila? Now, that’s a whole different ballgame. I was willing to splurge here, because where else can you find about 200 bottles of tequila all in one place? We all looked over the menu and decided that splitting the


"Trio Combo
Tortilla chips served with salsa, queso, and guacamole. Looks just like the Mexican Flag!"


was a good idea.







I could have gone swimming in the queso and been happy for a very long time. Fran treated the table to this, and again, THANK YOU, Fran, for that tasty snack to help keep things from getting too out of control. It helped… a little.

By the time that came, we had all decided on our drinks- Fran and Alison got a traditional flight which had Blanco, Resposado and Anejo on it with the mandatory lime, salt, and a little gazpacho-like chaser. A lovely presentation. I think they each ordered a Classic Marg as well? Pat and Marv went with Horchata Margs, I think? And I was…








Well, I was on Letter Z


(TR caveat: There are a heck of a lot of letters in between ‘E’ where I left off last time, and ‘Z’, so no, you still don’t know if I finished my Challenge.)



And believe it or not, I actually had an option. And I’ll just cut to the chase(r) and say that it was a VERY tasty option. I ordered up a shot of:

Zignum Reposado Mezcal




(Yes, this was taken before one sip- which goes to show my awesome and amazing photography skills )

I don’t know a lot about tequila honestly. I know that it’s made from agave in Mexico and there’s a hilarious tongue and cheek country song about what happens when Joe Nichol’s girlfriend drinks it, and that it’s pretty great in Margaritas. But that’s about it. I asked Alison what the difference was between Mezcal and Tequila since they’ve done some tequila tasting events in the past, and she came pretty close to the definition I found just now:

“Tequila is technically a mezcal, however, there are differences in production technique and in the types of agave used. Tequila is made from a single type of agave plant – the agave tequilana (blue agave) – and can only be produced in the state of Jalisco and in small parts of four other states.”

If you need a visual presentation because words become hard to understand as you sip:



So basically, like the difference between “Champagne” and “Sparkling Wine”. When it came, it was time to do the whole salt on the hand, take a sip (no I didn’t chug, I’m a lady), and a lick the lime (oops, there went the ladylike), and sip the chaser routine. It took me about 4 passes to enjoy the whole shot. I really, really liked this liquor. It was smooth; no burning like the fires from Hell as it went down at all. Certainly, not as nice as an aged (and more expensive) anejo, but enjoyable nonetheless.

As was the company. We talked about all kinds of stuff, mostly Disney. But not all. I can’t speak for the other 4, but I truly enjoyed every minute of our time together! We made sure the tables around us enjoyed our time together too. LOL! Apparently, our merry-making was amply evident; I glanced over to the next table (a party of 3) and noticed them shooting glances over at us and smirking. Whether it was disapproval or envy was irrelevant. I do know we were rather loud, but out of necessity. It is a pretty boisterous place and Disney Security made not one, but two, pass-throughs to make sure things weren't out of control. Perhaps the atmosphere was different this time from the last because F&W was in full swing.

Early on:



A bit later in:




As the evening went on, we’d finished our first round, and a few of us got another. I ordered up a Mint-Pineapple Marg that was scrumptiously delicious. YUM! It was SO hard choosing one! But as you’ll learn over time, I needn’t have worried. I’d had others already that satisfied my curiosity and whetted my whistle.



(Sorry, picture taking had sort of ceased by then)

All too soon, it was time to head our separate ways. We settled up the bill, gave a big round of hugs, and headed out. No, I wasn’t wasted, tipsy a bit, yeah, but I could walk a straight line and even went to ride a whole bunch of rides at MK until we closed that park down too. You'll die when you hear what ridiculous shenanigans tequila conjured up for a 1:00 AM MK tour. So stay tuned for that....



So, all in all, a magical Fiesta that can only be served up in The Ditch. I fell in, and somehow also managed to crawl back out.

 

[Steppesister]

I already know how it works out. That's the exact same one I got!

You did not! WHOA!

Does that make it okay to pick up?

Well, yeah. It's what you can use to motivate the people who are rude enough to stand in front of you during Wishes to move over.

Possibly. I've only done Hawaii and Florida.

I'd love to go to Vietnam. And Cambodia.

 

[KathyM2]

Well it MUST have been jealousy over at the next table...looks like you had a great time. I love meeting people in person that you have known online for a while...you feel like best friends so quickly. The margs helped too I'm sure...the drinks looked, and sounded delicious. I love the way the atmosphere looks there too. I really have never ventured very far in there before...probably because I've never done a trip without little kids...

 

[Steppesister]

Well it MUST have been jealousy over at the next table...looks like you had a great time. I love meeting people in person that you have known online for a while...you feel like best friends so quickly. The margs helped too I'm sure...the drinks looked, and sounded delicious. I love the way the atmosphere looks there too. I really have never ventured very far in there before...probably because I've never done a trip without little kids...

Spending the day here on the Boards catching up; after being mostly gone for the last week and a half, I'm SO far behind!

Yes, traveling with little ones is WAYYYYYY different than going solo or with young adult "kids". Totally different dyanamic! One that I actually am loving quite a lot.

It was truly a great evening. I loved getting to know Fran and Alison more and I can't think of a more fun way to do so.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

2. A festive tequila bar located in Disney’s Mexico Pavilion at EPCOT- difficult to climb out of once you’ve fallen in.

I have to admit that I've never been to La Cava. I've never had many margaritas either, so perhaps that's why. I think the first time I had one was years ago in Houston, but I think it was a frozen one and probably loaded with sugar, so not really authentic. I remember trying a couple non-frozen ones at bars down there after and I liked them. But every time I've tried one back home (in the north, you know) I didn't really enjoy it. Maybe its something done best in the south? Anyway, maybe one day I'll try La Cava. I do appreciate the menu choices.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Nice evening, grest company and goid drinks. What could be better? I'm glad your evening turned out as fun as you hoped it would be!

 

[amazingact21]

I have yet to read about a DISer having a bad experience at the Ditch. That seems to be the place to go for meetups while in Epcot! Glad you had a great time, and I highly enjoyed the before and after shots you posted. Very clear you all were having a fun time.
As someone who has partaken in MK fun with booze in their system, I'm very curious to see what antics you got into after the Ditch.

 

[franandaj]

But, per capita? I wonder which is "worse".

in 2014 it was 6 per 100,000. In 1980 it was 34 per 100,000....

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Party on that Fiesta day! Here in the UK there is a small Ford car called Fiesta don't know if its in the US too!

200 bottles of Tequila what! Oh my! That is one lock in you could have and not get up from anytime soon. I am pleased you had such a great time with the lovely people. Great photos.

I am sure tables in wonderland paid for itself that night!