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

[Steppesister]

Yes! Rope Drop always works

Yep! Pretty much everywhere.

Aw...but, but...

Patience, Dearie...

You're #1!

I always try my best!

You know, I was just saying the other day...

This sounds like a story that needs to be told.

When I'm on my laptop next...

Our was rust brown, thank you very much.

Avocado, rust, goldenrod, and it appears even purple- everyone had it.

I remember doing a canoe trip through mangroves on Sanibel Island years ago. Pretty cool.

Wasn't it amazing how dense those places are?!

Ever see The Abyss?

Eek! I did!!

 

[Steppesister]

Although I prefer a canoe to a kayak, that paddle looks wonderful. Very different from anything I've done here at home for sure!

I can take either. Both are nice quiet activities (well at least how I do it) that gets me out in nature. I've seen photos of your area, and you sure have some beautiful country to paddle in.

I need more time at Disney.

Why, yes. Yes you do!

Uh.... what???

Meaning pizza isn't going to help get me back into a bikini any time soon. Then again, 50. Nope.

Nope. Sorry. That's just wrong.

Would much rather have a savory for breakfast than a sweet.

Okay. I'll actually give you that one.
I've only had... 4 cups in my life.

That's about how many beers I've had. Still can't bring myself to like it.

Ah. So earned, then.

Sigh... .yeah, pretty much.

Tobacco??!??!?!?!?!?

Well, that was a rather hilarious autocorrect typo!

That was supposed to be "Tobasco"!

Not at the time. At the time it was cool.

No. It was gross then too. Can you IMAGINE what kind of slime you'd pull out with a steam cleaner. Blech!!!

Then definitely nurses.

So, nurses are thrilling yet docile. Got it!!

Learned something!

Good! My work here is done!

 

[Steppesister]

Oxymoron!
Like military intelligence or cheap Disney food.

Actually, I really like a good latte.
Coffee. Hot milk.

Well... add some chocolate in there too.

Oh, and take out the coffee.

Now we're talking.

Coffee cake too!
Yum!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 cups sugar

• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1½ teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon espresso powder

• 1 cup milk, buttermilk, almond, or coconut milk

• ½ cup vegetable, canola oil, or melted coconut oil

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup boiling water

• buttercream icing

1. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl. Whisk through to combine.
2. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter until well combined.
3. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the chocolate cake comes out clean.

Oops! Did I forget to add the coffee? Oh, dear.

Admit we're right and coffee is horrible???

See? That was easy!

Sigh. I can see I''m not going to win either of you over the java side. To each his (or her) own. I'll take mine with cream and sugar and a slice of that chocolate cake you posted.

 

[Steppesister]

Hi Liesa
Just read your latest update.looks like a great way to spend a relaxing morning kayaking around the mangroves.You captured some great photos of the wildlife and the mangroves along the way.

Thanks, Mac. It was a really nice activity to enjoy. I'd do again in a second. More photos from the Keys coming up!

 

[pkondz]

Meaning pizza isn't going to help get me back into a bikini any time soon.

Ah!

Would much rather have a savory for breakfast than a sweet.

Sweet! You can save your savoury.

That's about how many beers I've had. Still can't bring myself to like it.

Ditto.

Well, that was a rather hilarious autocorrect typo!

That was supposed to be "Tobasco"!

No. It was gross then too. Can you IMAGINE what kind of slime you'd pull out with a steam cleaner. Blech!!!

But then they made a movie out of it called Ghostbusters.

So, nurses are thrilling yet docile. Got it!!

 

[Steppesister]

Sweet! You can save your savoury.

So a little savoury to my sass?

But then they made a movie out of it called Ghostbusters.

We call those Ghost Turds.

 

[Steppesister]

C is for: Cruisin' With the Sharks and Turtles! ​

Every adventure should be chased with some downtime. I’m pretty sure that while the Florida Keys certainly doesn’t have a corner on the downtime market, it provides some pretty stiff competition. Now, where was I? Ah yes.... Remember that dude in the fuzzy bathrobe. I did. Because after I grabbed my drink from here:

And got settled here:

my eyes had the unfortunate shock of seeing him in the same Speedo we just KNEW he’d be harboring underneath at breakfast. The only cure for my damaged eyeballs was to take another sip of my mojito and close my eyes. That or a chemical peel.

The beach nap seemed less painful, and with a gentle breeze blowing the palm fronds above my chair I erased all memory of the horror on the beach. After my little power nap, I got bored and needed to do something. Out in the swimming area about 20 yards off the resort’s dock was a big inflatable that looked fun to swim to and lay on. So, I did. I must have provided some hilarious entertainment for the folks on the beach as they watched me work like an out of shape walrus trying to get itself onto a slippery rock outcrop. After submitting myself to being beachside entertainment, I finally made it up onto the inflatable only to find it needed a bit more hot air. I called up Trump…. oh. Never mind.

It wasn’t long before I got bored there too because the water in the little roped off swimming area was pretty murky and I couldn’t see the little fishies very well. So, I rolled my toned and shapely bod off the thing (stop laughing, round is a shape) and swam back to shore only to have to repeat the entire process in reverse to get back onto the dock. Thoroughly tired out from my 30-minute excursion, I had had enough and decided to go in and take a long hot shower before dinner. I’m a fan of unlimited hot water in hotels because I’m lucky to get hot water in my house with 2 teens and a college-aged leech. I will hog the water all I can on vacay and, without shame, leave a trail of power bill destruction behind me.

By early evening, it was time to head to dinner if we were going to have a chance at sunset dining. I did some prior research before going, if you remember a million years ago in my PTR and coupling that with the recommendations we got from the hotel folks, we ended up here:

http://moradabay.com/the-beach-cafe/lunch-and-dinnerbinder2-pdf/


for a nice meal by the sea. From our Easterly-facing table, we decided a couple of small plates would do quite nicely. To start we ordered the Conch Fritters which, along with smoked fish dip, is ubiquitous in the Keys. My review: Excellent! Just delicious! The dipping sauce had a perfect zing to it and we really enjoyed them a lot. After our fritters, we ordered the Mahi Tacos which also were just right for us to share.

Blurry photo alert!

Dining by the sea can look like this:

Sadly, as delicious as this meal was, the sunset was a bust- not horrible, but not spectacular either. Regardless, I did some shooting and ended up with these:

After a yummy dinner, we took a short stroll over to the marina next door and looked at the fishing yachts moored. Deep sea fishing isn’t something that calls to either of us, but if it sounds intriguing to you, this would be your haven. And while I don’t care for deep sea fishing, I do love me a Key Lime Pie. And since we had eaten a light supper, we stopped at the Flip Flop Shop for a little round piece of frozen heaven. I could eat those things all day long and then some.

<you've already seen a photo>

I’m going to keep going since the next morning’s activity is completely devoid of any interesting photos whatsoever. Except the first iguana I got to see on my trip. Which are pretty dang cool, if I do say so myself!

Oh! And this dragonfly that landed beside me as we headed out:

The stories themselves will have to tell their own tale. And where it lacks in photos, it made up for it in sheer exhilaration. The resort has a tiny marina all to its own and the lovely and capable “Captain Sue” of Allergic to Land Charters moors there for hire.

http://www.allergictolandcharters.com/

For $IDon’tRemember.50, she offers a round trip to several snorkel and dive sites with all the equipment included. And it’s a good thing too! A one-way trip would mean more swimming than I can do, and any snorkeling trip without a snorkel would be pointless.

I can say that on the 30-minute trip out to our first stop, I learned a bit about captaining a boat and what it takes to become a captain. It’s WAY more than I thought and the licensing exams sound pretty tough.

**A side note** On my last trip to WDW, I asked a Captain on one of the EPCOT Friendships why they were only running one of the two boats. He responded by telling me that licensed captains are actually hard to find. Ummm, if you like boating, have a captain’s license, and wouldn’t mind the same route ad nauseum for 8 hours a day, this might be the job for you!

Back to the Atlantic Ocean…

And this is where this update suddenly gets (more) boring. Sorry. No underwater camera and... sometimes it's just best to live in the moment and put the photographer aside… BUT!!!!


I SWAM WITH SHARKS AND TURTLES!!!!!


Those cute little docile nurse sharks sidled right on up next to me, took one look, and said, nope. <insert one of a million wise cracks here>


You know those scenes in Finding Nemo with Crush? I survived the sharks and am here to tell you, they look JUST. LIKE. THAT. They swim exactly like in Nemo and seeing them paddle around 3 feet below me was quite possibly one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had.


Here are some internet photos to fill the glaring void:

Captain Sue had several ID Guides like these that we used a lot. It was super fun to count all the types we saw and let me tell you, we saw plenty! My personal faves were the many varieties of the Parrot Fish and the Tangs. There was brain coral, fan coral, and sponges. I was having a ball.

The best experiences in life usually come at a price. Most of the time they are monetarily free like having a child or watching a child be born, seeing a shooting star, or when the Portland Trailblazers go a season without one of their players going to prison. And some of the best experiences in life take hard work: growing a garden and eating homegrown, sun-ripened tomatoes, hiking to the top of a mountain, and swimming with sharks and turtles in 3-foot chop. The weather was changing and this was the ONLY day it was good enough that Sue would take us snorkeling. But it took work! Let’s just say my lungs did not appreciate the 3 or 4 tubes full of water they were baptized with over the course of the 2 hours I was in the water. But before I called it quits, my salvaged eyes took in the glory of Florida’s underwater paradise. We saw sponges, colorful corals, fish of all shapes, colors and sizes. Rays skated on the bottom, flounder hid in the sand, and Dory was just as lost here as anywhere else.

I'll leave off here, cold and wet in the seat of a boat clipping at 25 miles an hour towards the hotel. I wanted nothing more than to hog up more of that free hotel hot water. And some more tasty vacation dinner.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[Steppesister]

I like to call it involuntarily voluptuous. Plus my beautifully untoned arms are just for show, so I doubt I could even have made it onto the inflatable. My muscles are not for using, they are just there to cushion and make beautiful bruises.

 

[MeghanEmily]

my eyes had the unfortunate shock of seeing him in the same Speedo we just KNEW he’d be harboring underneath at breakfast. The only cure for my damaged eyeballs was to take another sip of my mojito and close my eyes. That or a chemical peel.

AArrghgh! Ooohhh! Ewww!
Unfortunate experience.

Oh my goodness, wow!

I SWAM WITH SHARKS AND TURTLES!!!!!

WOAH! So cool! I can only imagine how wondrous this was!!

 

[pkondz]

So a little savoury to my sass?

We call those Ghost Turds.

Which implies that you actually have ghosts.

Just a little slice of heaven there.

my eyes had the unfortunate shock of seeing him in the same Speedo we just KNEW he’d be harboring underneath at breakfast.

Or was it hell?

The only cure for my damaged eyeballs was to take another sip of my mojito and close my eyes. That or a chemical peel.

Choose the drink! Choose the drink!

After my little power nap, I got bored and needed to do something.

Yeah, that'd be me, too. "Ahhhh..... time to relax. To unwind....... I'm bored. What's to do?"

I must have provided some hilarious entertainment for the folks on the beach as they watched me work like an out of shape walrus trying to get itself onto a slippery rock outcrop.

Okay, that was a fun visual.

After submitting myself to being beachside entertainment, I finally made it up onto the inflatable only to find it needed a bit more hot air. I called up Trump…. oh. Never mind.

So, I rolled my toned and shapely bod off the thing (stop laughing, round is a shape)

Oh, piffle. Folks, don't believe a word of it. I've seen her IRL and she ain't round.

I’m a fan of unlimited hot water in hotels

leave a trail of power bill destruction behind me.

Yes! Make them earn that hotel bill.

By early evening, it was time to head to dinner if we were going to have a chance at sunset dining.

Very nice. Romantic.

http://moradabay.com/the-beach-cafe/lunch-and-dinnerbinder2-pdf/

Looks really nice.

we ordered the Conch Fritters

I've only heard of those... and have no idea if I'll ever have them. Or be brave enough to order them.

Sadly, as delicious as this meal was, the sunset was a bust- not horrible, but not spectacular either. Regardless, I did some shooting and ended up with these:

I dunno. Those shots are pretty.

Deep sea fishing isn’t something that calls to either of us, but if it sounds intriguing to you, this would be your haven.

I wouldn't mind trying it, yet... I did feel a bit queasy when we went shark cage diving. (On the boat, not in the cage.)

And while I don’t care for deep sea fishing, I do love me a Key Lime Pie.

Yusss!!!

Oh! And this dragonfly that landed beside me as we headed out:

Love that! So pretty!

Allergic to Land Charters

I like that! Clever.

For $IDon’tRemember.50, she offers a round trip to several snorkel and dive sites with all the equipment included. And it’s a good thing too! A one-way trip would mean more swimming than I can do, and any snorkeling trip without a snorkel would be pointless.

I can say that on the 30-minute trip out to our first stop, I learned a bit about captaining a boat and what it takes to become a captain. It’s WAY more than I thought and the licensing exams sound pretty tough.

Huh. Interesting. Probably need a mentor, I presume.

I SWAM WITH SHARKS AND TURTLES!!!!!

No way! Lucky! Uh.... wait......

What kind of sharks.
Reef sharks can be pesky. Tigers can be lethal...

Those cute little docile nurse sharks sidled right on up next to me, took one look, and said, nope. <insert one of a million wise cracks here>

... okay, phew! Yeah. Just big puppy dogs.

And, for the record:
"Took one look, and said, nope... just not enough meat on that one. Too tiny."

or when the Portland Trailblazers go a season without one of their players going to prison.

Let’s just say my lungs did not appreciate the 3 or 4 tubes full of water they were baptized with over the course of the 2 hours I was in the water.

erk. I can see how that wouldn't be super pleasant.

I'll leave off here, cold and wet in the seat of a boat clipping at 25 miles and hour towards the hotel.

But with a smile on your face, I'm betting.

 

[mom3sonstt]

And our 2nd Place Winner is mom3sonstt with only 5 points off the mark. ZAM!

Wow!!

Sorry I fell off the face of the TR. I wished I’d finished your guess the letter quiz . Had another F&W Trip to get ready for, go on, and recover from.

 

[Steppesister]

Dear Readers, for a variety of reasons, most notably a waning lack of quality and enthusiasm in my writing, along with a waning reader response and population, I'm sensing it's time to send this TR off into the proverbial sunset.

It's been fun sharing my journey through my Nursing School graduation and Keys vacation, but with my next adventure coming up quickly, I need to focus in other places.

To all of the faithful readers who stuck it out with replies and stories, a million thanks you's. You make it all worth the while.

I highly doubt I'll be doing one for my next trip. But I look forward to joining in your TR's and will be around the Boards as I can.

As always, Conde Naste and may all your dreams come true!

Love, Steppe

 

[MeghanEmily]

I'll be sad to see this TR go! But it lived a good life!! Thanks so much for taking the time to write for us and engage us in your whimsical re-telling. I hope you have an amazing upcoming trip caked in a thick layer of pixie dust.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

I’ve really enjoyed reading about your trips. I wish I had a TR of my own to share, but alas that will be for some unforeseen time in the future. For now, enjoy where life is taking you in the next couple months. Happy and safe travels. I'll be sure to check up on FB for any updates, especially your Africa trip (I assume you would be able to stay connected over there?). Bon voyage et bonne chance.

 

[Mac Brew]

Dear Readers, for a variety of reasons, most notably a waning lack of quality and enthusiasm in my writing, along with a waning reader response and population, I'm sensing it's time to send this TR off into the proverbial sunset.

Hi
It has been a pleasure following your report. Your writing style has been brilliant, your photos have been out of this world.The trip to the keys looked like the best way to relax after a family trip to the fast pace of a Disney trip especially when its just the two parants for some quality time together without the kids.Enjoy your time next time not long to go less than three weeks until your Dapper day.Good luck with your time in Africa hopfully you will achieve everything you have set yourselves up to do. Enjoy every minute of reading from your nursing graduation to pilot school and the keys Thanks Liesa for taking the time to tell us all about it.

 

[pkondz]

Dear Readers, for a variety of reasons, most notably a waning lack of quality and enthusiasm in my writing, along with a waning reader response and population, I'm sensing it's time to send this TR off into the proverbial sunset.

It's been fun sharing my journey through my Nursing School graduation and Keys vacation, but with my next adventure coming up quickly, I need to focus in other places.

To all of the faithful readers who stuck it out with replies and stories, a million thanks you's. You make it all worth the while.

I highly doubt I'll be doing one for my next trip. But I look forward to joining in your TR's and will be around the Boards as I can.

As always, Conde Naste and may all your dreams come true!

Love, Steppe

I’m sorry to see this end so abruptly. Been following along for a long time.

I’m not sure why you say there’s a “lack of quality”, there certainly hasn’t been that I could see. In fact, your last two updates have been some of your best!

I’m sad you won’t be doing a TR on your next trip. You had said you would be telling us all about it including Africa and was really looking forward to reading about all your adventures.
But I understand that your life is very busy and writing takes up a fairly large commitment of time.

Thanks for this TR, Liesa. It’s been an adventure and a pleasure to read and share in.

 

[DISNEYMOON10121991]

So today was the day I promised I was going to post on your TR. I check in and what do I find, that you are taking your final curtain here! So I will have to bore you with a very lengthy, overdo post from me ( if you decide to read). Since you probably see me as that high school friend that you see mainly at reunions. But I’m here, determined to chat AKA ramble on about your TR.

I don’t know about you but this past two weeks was a lot of…this time last year we were doing (insert WDW moment). Now it’s officially a last year’s vacation. We still talk/wish/plan what our next trip could be like. 2021 would be our 30th anniversary, WDW 50th and all the new project will be done. Hopefully we can experience it with our adult children. How lucky you get to be back there every soon!

I’m thinking back and your PTR had a different title before you added the PTR part 1 & 2 to it. I’m pretty sure it had Oct 2016 graduation trip in the title. That’s the whole reason it caught my eye and I began to read it because that’s when we wanted to go too! That was so many months, now years ago. Remembering the many tests you had and the many “good luck” and “way to go girl” along the way. I still think it is awesome that you accomplished this goal and enjoy what becoming a nurse has done for your life. Having that year to follow your PTR and planning our anniversary trip was a fun time. And now since being back from WDW, reading your TR this past year has been a wonderful way of reliving our trip and some great memories. I’m so glad we had our Dismeet. Wish now we would have joined you on a few others.

Your Contest was very unique and entertaining. Even though I didn’t win, I didn’t think about 30 some points off wasn’t too bad. The ABC drinking challenge was a hoot and a crown you can proudly wear. You had quite a variety of drinks. I may need to print a copy for future reference.

The food porn was guilty pleasure and you had lot of different items. Glad you got to V&A (you deserve it!) and that you enjoyed Jiko too. Funny how dining at Disney is an adventure and experience all in itself and makes for it's own kind of memories. You made some good ones!

This was our 1st MNSSHP and glad you had a good time too! Bummer about the long waits for character meets, but they are rare (7 dwarfs) and special. You had some great pictures from that night. And I might as well say now (was going to at the end of this rant) YOU TAKE SPECTACULAR, GOREGOUS, BEAUTIFULL ONE OF A KIND PHOTOS!! You’ve captured parts of Disney through your lens that makes why Disney is so magical. The details there are not lost on you! THANKS for sharing your pictures!

We’ve only been to AKL for dinner at Boma. On this trip we were picked “family of the day”. The restaurant was opening for dinner service with drummers playing, and were the first ones to be seated. Even got a little certificate from them, it was cool. But not as good as getting a club level room there!! Now that's COOL! That would be another, “if I will the lottery I would……. “. It’s was perfect timing since it was the relaxing part of the vacation.

It was nice that you and Mike had some time in the Keys too. You seem to really enjoy the kayaking and even without pictures you described a wonderful underwater experience. I did question the whole lets go over here where there may have been alligators eating part though. Really?

So many things I should have said and commented on along the way but will end my current rambling now.

I think we both can agree, October 2016 was a very special time. Something we can smile at and cherish.

Thanks again for sharing your adventure with all of us.

 

[docsoliday1]

Dear Readers, for a variety of reasons, most notably a waning lack of quality and enthusiasm in my writing, along with a waning reader response and population, I'm sensing it's time to send this TR off into the proverbial sunset.

It's been fun sharing my journey through my Nursing School graduation and Keys vacation, but with my next adventure coming up quickly, I need to focus in other places.

To all of the faithful readers who stuck it out with replies and stories, a million thanks you's. You make it all worth the while.

I highly doubt I'll be doing one for my next trip. But I look forward to joining in your TR's and will be around the Boards as I can.

As always, Conde Naste and may all your dreams come true!

Love, Steppe

Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Say it isn't so.

Seriously, I know you have a lot going on and the Africa trip is right around the corner. Although we'll miss your wonderful writing and equally wonderful pictures, we do understand.

May your Africa trip be full of blessings (both given and received).

On a positive note (for me), just booked our trip in Feb (18th-22nd). We'll be staying at 2 new resorts for us...Beach Club and Boardwalk.

 

[docsoliday1]

YOU TAKE SPECTACULAR, GOREGOUS, BEAUTIFULL ONE OF A KIND PHOTOS!! You’ve captured parts of Disney through your lens that makes why Disney is so magical. The details there are not lost on you! THANKS for sharing your pictures!

Thanks again for sharing your adventure with all of us.

Since you said it better than I could manage...
Absolutely 110% agreed.



Thank you Liesa for sharing your trips, your wonderful pictures, your ups, your downs, your wit, your life with us.

Humbly, a lowly peasant.