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

[Steppesister]

I did not get this one either... I was certain that it was in the MK as that was the only place where the silly font could be on something that was looking still rather polished (i.e. not real enough for AK). But I was so certain that the brown wooden sign had to be in Frontierland or Fantasyland... Ugh!

I will admit it was possibly the trickiest of them all. But your thought process was a pretty good one! 27 was NOT BAD at all!

I truly enjoyed your trip report from start to finish, even if I was a bit absent at times. I loved the way you did it which made every chapter special and fun and not full of mundane things like whether you packed any panties...

Thanks, Magdalene! We all understand all too well the busy-ness we get ourselves into, so I'm not worried at all. I"m absent half the time to from all the TRs I love to read. I am planning to go with the non-chronological format again just to keep it interesting, so you can look forward to that. I can pretty much guarantee more silly antics.

I am looking forward to the part about the Keys! I am sure Mike will find them quite a bit changed for the worse now, but hopefully things will get rebuild soon.

Hoping to start editing photos for that today. I am curious at the pace they are rebuilding down there. I know that some of the most popular Tiki Bars were totally wiped out.

 

[Steppesister]

I am burried in a mountain of homework (but needed a mental break) just coming off of a week of 2 mid term exams and a practical (yes...again) but i wanted to say WOOO HOOOO I never ever ever have won anything! I am sooooo excited! Then to have won not just once but two times... I am over the moon giddy!

You totally deserved this! 100%, absolutely! Some of the categories were super tough to predict, but in the end you did very well! I remember all too well coming to the DIS and my thread for those much needed mental breaks. I found encouragement and escape both here.

Hang in there! Pretty soon you'll look back and be in awe of how much hard work your poured into this and will enjoy reaping the benefits of all of that!

I can't believe it has been that long already! Seems -like just yesterday we took the training wheels off! lol! I am following along in your footsteps. I have not started a TR yet on it, but I have started planning my trip for September 2019. It shall be a grand shinanigan and you have given me many ideas!

I know! LOL!!

And yes, you are! And doing very well at it, I might add! When you do start it, please send me a PM, as I don't typically scroll the TR list to see what's new. I am totally curious as to what ideas you're setting in motion and want to shoot for! WOOHOO!!

Absalutely loved the sum up section of favorites and least favorites! Knowing the perspective of you and the kiddo's helps with the planning on this end. Your kids seem to be a lot like mine, so knowing what they liked/didn't like really helps. I am also planning on some solo time on my trip so was great to see that too!

I'm so glad that my sum up is helping. How old are your kiddos? Mine (obviously) were old enough to be let loose and sailed through finding their own fun on several occasions. We didn't sacrifice all of our family time to that, but they REALLY enjoyed getting to some extra stuff they wanted to without Mom dictating every moment. I think they'll like the Sorcerer's game and of course all the thrill rides. Kids seem to be MUCH more willing to stand in long lines that we are, so there's that too.

I loved these so much. I know you lost all but 2 of the guestbook, but it makes the 2 you have even that much more special!

I've done several iterations of the "guestbook" and am looking forward to another one.

This was my absalutely, hands down, no doubt, favorite picture from your trip. It just say's it all! EVERYTHING that Disney is about!

It SCREAMS Disney. I just love it! I wish I could have been able to send her mom and dad a copy of it and tell them how special meeting them made my night.

This was my 2nd favorite! I actually showed this picture to my daughter and she almost chose it as her picture to draw for her college art class and had asked me to get permission from you to use it, but then she changed her mind and decided to draw our friends 1 year old baby sitting on her birthday cake so we can give it to her mom for her christmas present.

OH thanks!! Of course she could have used it! I love that it wasn't even posed. I told her to turn around and that's what I got. Teen 'tude that turned out perfect for the costume and Halloween mood.

 

[pkondz]

TBH, no. Unless fudge has nuts, really don't care for it. I know... weirdo.

Hmm. And I won't eat fudge if it has nuts in it.

Expert level: Unlocked!

Nicely done!

Thanks!

Oh!!!!... yeah. Still no clue. Had to Google. Never knew it was called that.

This needs to be remedied. So delicious!

Some day, perhaps.

I have an incredible knack for remembering all kinds of trivial drivel but can't seem to remember slightly more important things like, you know... my camera.

She's been found!

Good!

Not nearly as fun or delightful without audience participation! I love my DISFamily!

I was really hoping The Edison would be open. Like really bad. I've waited 2 trips (a YEAR apart) for it to open and still NOTHING! WTH!?!?

They're waiting for a time that you're not coming.

pkondz not standing idly by: VV

Okay, that was funny.
But!

The day that someone is in distress like that, or someone drops something and I don't help? I better be in a freaking wheelchair or dead. No. Skip the wheelchair part, I'm still gonna try to help. I cannot stand that there are so many people who just can't do the right thing and lend a hand when someone drops something.

Heh. Almost as good and believable as exploding helicopters.

Hate to bring this up, but. You do remember the child who was killed by a gator on Disney property not long ago? So when you type that you were at water's edge and...

Yeah. You 100% did scare me.
I mean, I know you're okay and all... but... that could have been one very serious scare.

Your deck's not done either, eh?

Well, technically Ruby told me to wait for spring. I think I need to just to figure out what (and how) I'm doing.

 

[Chrystmasangel]

How old are your kiddos?

I think they'll like the Sorcerer's game and of course all the thrill rides. Kids seem to be MUCH more willing to stand in long lines that we are, so there's that too.

Right now...Savannah just turned 18 and Trevor is 16. On the trip... they will be 20 and 18 respectively and we are still planning on taking DDBF(DD's best friend) and she will be 19. I plan very much on sending them on their marry little way's. DD and DS are actually talking about just spending a day together, the 3 of them (DDBF, DD, and DS). They have never done anything like that before as they have always been with us. DD was talking to DS about Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom and were wanting to try it. When we went to Chicago the first time, there was a game there called MagiQuest. It has since shut down, but it was the same concept. They had to purchase magic wands instead of cards and then went around to different area's to interact and make special stuff happen. They loved it so I am sure they will love StMK.

So on a side note, DD has not been feeling very well. Her BP has been really high. Running about 175/105 give or take 5 pts consistantly. She's been complaining of numbness and tingling in her lower extremities and she has been fatigued to the point that she comes home from school, lays down, and is out in about 20 minutes which is not her at all. She usually goes on about 6-7 hours of sleep a night and never takes naps. She also has been complaining of pain in her lower to middle back and dizziness and shortness of breath. She's also had some mild edema in her ankles and easy bruising. Took her to the doctor. They wouldn't have been happy with BP's like that in an old fart like me, let alone an 18 year old girl. They did bunches of blood work and found her vitamin D was deficient at 19 ng/mL and her Calcium was low side of normal (because of the low vit D) at 8.4 mg/dL. And she had Nucleated Red blood cells but her Iron is fine, which immediately threw up a red flag. They started her on 50,000 IU of Vit D every week and this morning I took her to have a Renal Ultrasound done. Got a call late this morning and they had already gotten the results back. She was showing a severe R -Renal aretery stenosis with over 60% blockage. Good news is it looks like it was caught before to much damage could be done. She is being referred to a vascular surgeon at one of the bigger hospitals near us. Because of the severe blockage and the affect on her BP, she is more than likely looking at a Renal angioplasty or a stent depending on if they find it is from atherosclerosis or fibromuscular dysplasia. I am sure I will hear from Riverside tomorrow to schedule her consultation. Breaks my heart that she is going through this.

 

[Steppesister]

A is for: Airplanes and Autos on A1A​

The day dawned sunny and bright on this, our last day at Disney. It was a perfect kind of day to throw our kids under the bus, er…I mean throw the kids ON the bus, the Disney bus, and ship ‘em home. The UnMagical Depress couldn’t whisk them away fast enough. My wallet breathed a sigh of relief as we watched their shoulders heave rhythmically with sobs of despair as they made their way back to grey and rainy Oregon, and worse to school, while we looked forward to 4 more days of vacation with smug looks on our faces.

Okay, okay, it wasn’t quite that bad- we aren’t completely cruel. I mean, we did feed them breakfast before we sent them off. And by "we", I mean "I". At least, I think I did? Wait, no, I’m positive I did. I took them to Boma on this last morning to ease the pang of guilt, but far more importantly to get myself some Pap, Turkey Bobotie, and Chakalaka. #AKLPriorities For $30 a head, my kids got plates that looked just like this.

Yep, time to send them on their way. You can eat Cheerios at home and be happy for $.30 a bowl.

Free from teenage antics and crowd control, we turned out attention to more Southern destinations and set our sights on slower, more eco-tourism minded adventures. Ready to follow along as we explore the Florida Keys? Wanna see some fish and birds? Lounge around on the beach with your toes in the water and… er… well, relax with me?

We were an hour behind the kiddos so made good use of our time. I went to the pool to sit; Mike went to the Concierge and ate, since he didn’t want to get up early and go to Boma. (I wouldn’t have even made that reservation if we’d known we were gonna get upgraded and in hindsight should have cancelled it and saved myself about $100. Live and learn. We didn’t hear that anything had gone awry with the kids, so we boarded our own DUD and, since we weren’t leaving the borders of Florida, we weren’t quite as sad as they were. After a quick ride back to MCO, we got ourselves checked into our no-namer airline:

And proceeded to security.

Where Mike screwed up for the 2nd time this trip. We’ve all done it. Okay, okay, maybe some of us are more adroit at making ourselves look like morons than the rest of you, but well, leave it to us for some sort of royal screw up with the TSA. This time, Mike mixed up in his head which bag was which and ended up putting all of his liquids in his carryon. Know what the TSA does with used deodorant and toothpaste? They throw it away and then go buy stock in Johnson and Johnson.

He then stopped in a bookstore and spent every last minute he could in there, while I went to wait at the gate. Not knowing where he was or what happened to him. Texts are just far too convenient. Yes, I was irritated. Yes, he made it to the gate on time. Barely. Unlike his last flight. Which he missed altogether. Remember that debacle?

All in all, Silver airlines was golden.

(Yes, I still want to learn how to fly.)

They got us there safely in about an hour and it was just as warm and tropically sunshiny in Ft. Lauderdale where we picked up our rental car…..From a rental car company. I loathe to name it, because I have a habit of screwing that up. It could have just as easily been National or Enterprise or Avis. Pick one. Any one. They all eat cameras, so it really doesn’t matter. (If that reference was lost on you, I will subtly invite you to visit my other thread still in progress of a trip to DLR . Link in sig.) Beep, beep… yay, we’re on our way.

HAHA, made ya look!

*Probably could have done that, had I cancelled Boma.

Thank Goodness for GPS. He drove; I nagivated. And we stopped at the most romantic and exotic place we could find. Naturally. It was a place fit for Royalty, you know!

What? Burger King isn’t exotic?

Finally, FINALLY we made our way onto one of the most famous highways in America- the 113-mile long Overseas Hwy. Since 1938, and with some pretty interesting and colorful history as part of its lifetime, motorists have traversed its span from Miami to Key West. We stopped about halfway down in Islamorada where we’d make base camp for the duration of our stay. Howdy doody white sandy beaches and warm water sports!

It wasn’t long before we pulled up to the Pelican Cove Resort around 5:00 or so and were greeted by the resident mascot.

I couldn’t quite make out his greeting, but I thought I heard him say, “I'm Shofana's cousin and I don't give Safari tours; I crap on people's boats. Don’t lounge too terribly nonchalantly on my beach.”

Duly warned, we checked in, took our bags up to the room, then explored a bit before turning in.

The view from our balcony:

Where I planned to spend a fair portion of my day(s):

And last, but not least, the room photos, in case you are headed to the Keys and are scoping out some decent digs:

Towel creations that Disney USED to be good at:

I already liked what I saw and couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow would hold.

Tune in next time for an exciting excursion among birds and beasts wherein Steppe's camera stays safe and dry!

 

[Steppesister]

Replies to you Chrystmasangel and pkondz after I sleep off a night shift.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Mike went to the Concierge and ate, since he didn’t want to get up early and go to Boma. (I wouldn’t have even made that reservation if we’d known we were gonna get upgraded and in hindsight should have cancelled it and saved myself about $100.

Yeah, if only! We take full advantage of Boma when we go because we have such a sweet spot for it, but seems like your beautiful concierge upgrade would have been more than enough for your family this day!

This time, Mike mixed up in his head which bag was which and ended up putting all of his liquids in his carryon.

Oh no! It happens. To this day, Nathan still gets confused about when and where he is allowed to have liquids when travelling.

And we stopped at the most romantic and exotic place we could find. Naturally. It was a place fit for Royalty, you know!

What? Burger King isn’t exotic?

bahahah

Very exotic and classy!

The view from our balcony:

Oh my goodness, beauty!

Where I planned to spend a fair portion of my day(s):

Wow!! Looks rough!

 

[pkondz]

It was a perfect kind of day to throw our kids under the bus, er…I mean throw the kids ON the bus,

I think you just did both.

My wallet breathed a sigh of relief

I can literally see it doing that!

as we watched their shoulders heave rhythmically with sobs of despair as they made their way back to grey and rainy Oregon, and worse to school

See ya suckas!

while we looked forward to 4 more days of vacation with smug looks on our faces.

Okay, okay, it wasn’t quite that bad- we aren’t completely cruel.

I dunno... I'm thinking it was.

For $30 a head, my kids got plates that looked just like this.

Money well spent...

Ready to follow along as we explore the Florida Keys?

Wanna see some fish and birds? Lounge around on the beach with your toes in the water and… er… well, relax with me?

I went to the pool to sit; Mike went to the Concierge and ate, since he didn’t want to get up early and go to Boma.

Well... that did save you $30.

(I wouldn’t have even made that reservation if we’d known we were gonna get upgraded and in hindsight should have cancelled it and saved myself about $100. Live and learn.

See?

so we boarded our own DUD

You're welcome.

we got ourselves checked into our no-namer airline:

Were wings extra?

Where Mike screwed up for the 2nd time this trip. We’ve all done it. Okay, okay, maybe some of us are more adroit at making ourselves look like morons than the rest of you, but well, leave it to us for some sort of royal screw up with the TSA. This time, Mike mixed up in his head which bag was which and ended up putting all of his liquids in his carryon.

Whoops.

I don't think I have. But know people who have.

Know what the TSA does with used deodorant and toothpaste? They throw it away and then go buy stock in Johnson and Johnson.

I knew it!!!

He then stopped in a bookstore and spent every last minute he could in there, while I went to wait at the gate. Not knowing where he was or what happened to him. Texts are just far too convenient. Yes, I was irritated.

Yes, he made it to the gate on time. Barely. Unlike his last flight. Which he missed altogether. Remember that debacle?

As a matter of fact, I do.

I remember being surprised. I'm usually far too early at the airport. Not late.

we picked up our rental car…..From a rental car company. I loathe to name it, because I have a habit of screwing that up. It could have just as easily been National or Enterprise or Avis.

They all eat cameras, so it really doesn’t matter.

You don't say!

HAHA, made ya look!

Nope. I knew there was no way.
If you had, there's just no way you could've stopped yourself from gushing about it all this time.

*Probably could have done that, had I cancelled Boma.

Thank Goodness for GPS. He drove; I nagivated.

So.... you slept, then?

And we stopped at the most romantic and exotic place we could find. Naturally. It was a place fit for Royalty, you know!

What? Burger King isn’t exotic?

Fit for a King (and Queen).

Finally, FINALLY we made our way onto one of the most famous highways in America- the 113-mile long Overseas Hwy.

Bucket list. Some day.

I couldn’t quite make out his greeting, but I thought I heard him say, “I'm Shofana's cousin and I don't give Safari tours; I crap on people's boats. Don’t lounge too terribly nonchalantly on my beach.”

Ew. I'll go sit somewhere else, thanks.

The view from our balcony:

Nice!

Where I planned to spend a fair portion of my day(s):

Also nice. Looks very relaxing.

And last, but not least, the room photos, in case you are headed to the Keys and are scoping out some decent digs:

Very nice. Looks super comfy.

That didn't get used at all, did it.

Towel creations that Disney USED to be good at:

Yeah.... used to be.

wherein Steppe's camera stays safe and dry!

Yay!
And looking forward to it!

 

[vamassey1]

My wallet breathed a sigh of relief as we watched their shoulders heave rhythmically with sobs of despair as they made their way back to grey and rainy Oregon

Nice send off. I can totally relate to the relief in your wallet.

Ready to follow along as we explore the Florida Keys?

Yes I am. I've never been.

I went to the pool to sit;

Now that's relaxing.

Yes, I was irritated. Yes, he made it to the gate on time. Barely. Unlike his last flight. Which he missed altogether. Remember that debacle?

I would have been pissed.

What? Burger King isn’t exotic?

Not really. Didn't you have a picture with the crown from here?

It wasn’t long before we pulled up to the Pelican Cove Resort around 5:00 or so and were greeted by the resident mascot.

Lovely picture. He looks so majestic.

The view from our balcony:

Very nice.

Where I planned to spend a fair portion of my day(s):

Oh yes.

And last, but not least, the room photos, in case you are headed to the Keys and are scoping out some decent digs:

Nice digs. I'm looking forward to more.

 

[docsoliday1]

Must be this one

 

[pkondz]

Must be this one

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

An extra HUGE shout out to all of you who jumped in and participated with conversation, comments, replies, stories, and friendly ribbing. That’s what makes the effort of writing a TR all worth it.

I agree!

There’ll be photos, stories, fart jokes, and if all goes like in trips past, there’ll also be wrong bathroom stories, tips on going commando, costumes, sashaying, DISMeets, Mystery Photos, and loads of alphabetical-style hoopla.

You had me at fart jokes.

She LOVED the Via Napoli for the sole reason that there was a plethora of handsome men who paid attention to her.

***Total sidenote: I hear that a similar venue is opening under The Edison at Disney Springs called The Neverland Tunnels. This sounds VERY intriguing and is rumored to be VERY similar to the Old Club. Here’s a kinda recent article:

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2015/...-neverland-tunnels-slated-for-disney-springs/

This is the first I've heard anything about this. Very interesting...

BUT! I did find 2 guestbook messages. One was even foreign.

Hey, cool!

@Chrystmasangel and @Terra Nova guy , both deserve a round of applause for their expert level of location identification using crappy photos. (@Flossbolna you missed it by ONE STINKING POINT! If you'd only gotten Z!!!!)

(golf clap)

16 of you played and here are the guesses you put forth in a prediction of how Steppe’s trip would pan out- your job, if you recall, was to get as close to her actual points as possibly using your reasoning skills and best guesses.

Yes. Reasoning skills. I'm sure that's what it was.

Therefore, our 1st Place Winner is @Chrystmasangel who was only 3 points off! ZOWIE!!

(golf clap)

Because I think it's fun to have such happy participation, I would love to send everyone who is listed here (the 16 from the Big Contest) a little something. If you would like that little token of heartfelt appreciation, please PM me your addie and I will get that out after I return from Africa. I will try to do better than last time when I brought home petrified camel turds, as @glennbo123 likes to refer to them as.

Whoa, I can get petrified camel turds? Sign me up!

The last $800 we are hoping our church will pick up, but time will tell on that one.

Hope it works out!

The day dawned sunny and bright on this, our last day at Disney. It was a perfect kind of day to throw our kids under the bus, er…I mean throw the kids ON the bus, the Disney bus, and ship ‘em home. The UnMagical Depress couldn’t whisk them away fast enough.

Normally that bus ride is unbearable. You might have finally found the loophole!

For $30 a head, my kids got plates that looked just like this.

Of course they did.

This time, Mike mixed up in his head which bag was which and ended up putting all of his liquids in his carryon.

D'oh!

HAHA, made ya look!

What? Burger King isn’t exotic?

Well, it beats Tac--oh, never mind.

I couldn’t quite make out his greeting, but I thought I heard him say, “I'm Shofana's cousin and I don't give Safari tours; I crap on people's boats. Don’t lounge too terribly nonchalantly on my beach.”

In other words, welcome to the Keys!

Not too shabby, there!

 

[pkondz]

You had me at fart jokes.

Of course.

 

[orangecats2]

I'll still be here reading about the Keys.

So jealous you get to go back to WDW in a month. I still have almost a year until I go! And I haven't been there in five years already!!! I know you feel my pain.

 

[Leshaface]

Are you and @pkondz planning a meet?? Just noticed both your tickers!

 

[Steppesister]

I put out the call for a Dapper Days Meet on the 18th. I believe I'm meeting Dawn and @pkondz that day and @cinderkelly during the party on the 14th. Anyone who'd like a brief Meet can certainly PM me. Gonna be there?? Not entirely sure on their dates?? Need to call and firm up plans.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

I'm looking forward to reading about the Florida Keys, it's a place I have never been.

 

[Poolrat]

I will say, that without the Hidden Mickeys factored in Poolrat nailed it at 330. Not bad AT ALL!

Well lookie there.... Go figure. I am all caught up but still hopelessly behind everywhere else. I am reading along but either on my phone or late at night and have totally failed at any possible comments.

I knew some of the last batch of pictures but.... see above for the failure at commenting. I will say - would have gotten Z wrong.
My dorkness aside, I didn't know that was in MK ...

Looking forward to the keys part but already see that Mike is is making friends coming and going by missing the flight and then not putting the liquids in the checked luggage.... Ah the fun of travelling.

 

[Steppesister]

Hmm. And I won't eat fudge if it has nuts in it.

Hmmm, I know where you can get some for a mere car payment.

Oh!!!!... yeah. Still no clue. Had to Google. Never knew it was called that.

They're waiting for a time that you're not coming.

I think that thing's been under construction for about 15 years.

Okay, that was funny.
But!

The day that someone is in distress like that, or someone drops something and I don't help? I better be in a freaking wheelchair or dead. No. Skip the wheelchair part, I'm still gonna try to help. I cannot stand that there are so many people who just can't do the right thing and lend a hand when someone drops something.

Agreed. Common decency and kindness are just... gone.

Hate to bring this up, but. You do remember the child who was killed by a gator on Disney property not long ago? So when you type that you were at water's edge and...

Yeah. You 100% did scare me.
I mean, I know you're okay and all... but... that could have been one very serious scare.

Sigh.... yes, I do. But, I did look carefully, and wasn't very close at all. (Is embellishing still allowed here?)

Well, technically Ruby told me to wait for spring. I think I need to just to figure out what (and how) I'm doing.

Well, then you're off the hook for a while!

 

[Steppesister]

Right now...Savannah just turned 18 and Trevor is 16. On the trip... they will be 20 and 18 respectively and we are still planning on taking DDBF(DD's best friend) and she will be 19. I plan very much on sending them on their marry little way's. DD and DS are actually talking about just spending a day together, the 3 of them (DDBF, DD, and DS). They have never done anything like that before as they have always been with us. DD was talking to DS about Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom and were wanting to try it. When we went to Chicago the first time, there was a game there called MagiQuest. It has since shut down, but it was the same concept. They had to purchase magic wands instead of cards and then went around to different area's to interact and make special stuff happen. They loved it so I am sure they will love StMK.

Then, here's my suggestion: find loads of adulty fun and RUN WITH IT!! Go to a spa, sit on a bench with an ice cream cone, ride IASW, go to V&As (it IS YOUR graduation, after all!), sit by the pool, take a tour and have fun!!!! And let them play the heck out of that game and love that too!

Breaks my heart that she is going through this.

As it does mine! What a nightmare. But, like you, I'm very happy that they caught it before too much renal damage or other organ damage was done. Really praying the stenosis can be fixed with the stent and it will alleviate all of those symptoms!!