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

[Steppesister]

They seemed easy enough for you, Karilynn! Seems like it's proving to be a bit tougher for the guys on these. Huh!

 

[Malia78]

They seemed easy enough for you, Karilynn!

I will wait to see what G brings before I let it go to my head

 

[irene_dsc]

I still have no idea whatsoever on any of the photos. None.Whatsoever. I'm sure it doesn't help that I've only been there twice, and the most recent is over a year and a half ago.

 

[Steppesister]

You can always guess based on the letters though. There aren't hat many places that begin with E or F.

 

[franandaj]

They seemed easy enough for you, Karilynn! Seems like it's proving to be a bit tougher for the guys on these. Huh!

It's not only the guys that are having problems.

 

[Steppesister]

Oh for Pete's sake. Do I need to make them bigger?

 

[franandaj]

Oh for Pete's sake. Do I need to make them bigger?

When you say bigger do you mean a larger out cropping? I'm still stuck on E. Couldn't find it at Emporium or Expedition Everest, still working on E things.

 

[Steppesister]

Remember... on that one I said I used a little creative license. So not the TECHNICAL place, but something close enough.

 

[pkondz]

You're right! A night's sleep solved it!
"E" is Exactly zero chance of getting it, and "F" is Fat chance you'll get it.

Easier than I thought.

 

[Chrystmasangel]

Oh for Pete's sake. Do I need to make them bigger?

This so made me laugh!

Remember... on that one I said I used a little creative license. So not the TECHNICAL place, but something close enoug

I was worried about this one as it was not exactly like my pictures... I somehow missed this statement so feeling confident now!


Feeling more normal finally after 3 weeks of no appetite and very little energy. Man did it take a long time to bounce back from that infusion. Doc decided due to my proneness to allergic reactions, doing another infusion medication wasn't the way to go right now. We may revisit that option later but for now, no. Awaiting approval from insurance for Xeljanz. They gave me a 30 day sample supply and started me out on 1 every other day to make sure I don't react to it. Will be working up to 2 a day and it will take 8 to 12 weeks to see any results if it's going to work. Been taking it for a week now and so far no side effects /allergic reactions. Also, it is a newer medication so they Have tons of samples. With me being laid off and having to change to my husband's insurance,if it doesn't cover it or if it is super expensive then they can just keep giving me samples. So now we wait...

 

[Steppesister]

You're right! A night's sleep solved it!
"E" is Exactly zero chance of getting it, and "F" is Fat chance you'll get it.

Easier than I thought.

 

[pkondz]

Feeling more normal finally after 3 weeks of no appetite and very little energy.

I'm very glad to hear this.

Been taking it for a week now and so far no side effects /allergic reactions.

Good! Fingers crossed for you.

 

[franandaj]

Awaiting approval from insurance for Xeljanz. They gave me a 30 day sample supply and started me out on 1 every other day to make sure I don't react to it. Will be working up to 2 a day and it will take 8 to 12 weeks to see any results if it's going to work. Been taking it for a week now and so far no side effects /allergic reactions.

I'm guessing that you're taking the 5mg Pills since you mentioned that you're working up to twice a day. Thank goodness it seems to be working for you! The effects of the Pills kick in quickly and also stop when quickly I'd you have to go off them.

Also, it is a newer medication so they Have tons of samples. With me being laid off and having to change to my husband's insurance,if it doesn't cover it or if it is super expensive then they can just keep giving me samples. So now we wait...

That's good that they are generous with samples. It's a very expensive medicine. When the new year kicks in, that first payment is a doozy! Once the deductible kicks in its not so bad.

 

[mom3sonstt]

Gee I like to think I'm pretty familiar with the resorts and I'm struggling with E...i know F. I guess I'll keep scrolling through my old pics and hope something catches my eye...

 

[franandaj]

You're right! A night's sleep solved it!
"E" is Exactly zero chance of getting it, and "F" is Fat chance you'll get it.

Easier than I thought.

I think you're over thinking it. I know I was!

 

[pkondz]

I think you're over thinking it. I know I was!

Still have no clue!

 

[Chrystmasangel]

I'm very glad to hear this.

thanks. It seems silly but it has really helped knowing I've got peeps listening to me wine! Last apt the doc mentioned depression treatment because after the miserable failure with the infusion I was losing the battle to stay chipper. I told her not yet cause I'm already taking enough meds. She said she would wait till my next appointment but if things did not change I would need to really consider it.

That's good that they are generous with samples. It's a very expensive medicine. When the new year kicks in, that first payment is a doozy! Once the deductible kicks in its not so bad.

This is my primary concern with losing my insurance due to being laid off. The insurance I have now has no deductible... When we switch to my husbands it has a $2500 deductible. It is going to be rough!

I'm guessing that you're taking the 5mg Pills since you mentioned that you're working up to twice a day. Thank goodness it seems to be working for you! The effects of the Pills kick in quickly and also stop when quickly I'd you have to go off them.

yes... 5mg is what they started me on. I am up to 1 every day now and so far no issues. I have not seen any results yet... But didn't expect anything this early.

 

[Steppesister]

H is for Happy Halloween!, Pt. 1​

Now that we’re a mere couple of weeks away from Christmas, I thought it was a perfect time for a big, fat update, or 3… or 4… on Halloween. That's right, our Not Really Very Scary (although some parts were downright TERRIFYING!) Halloween Party. I warn you, this update is not for the weak. There are some things that will turn your stomach, at least they did mine, others that will make some of you run in unholy terror at the mere mention. But on we press, no? For the tales must be told.


Monumental amounts of planning went into the makings of this night. It is no small undertaking (see what I did there?) to plan the perfect use of this evening! Let me assure you, we milked every excellence out of those $100 tickets (if THAT doesn’t frighten the he!! out of you, I’m not sure much else will) and had an immensely spooktacular time! In fact, we crammed so much fun into one evening that even the DISBoards won’t allow that much mayhem in one post. But this chapter will make a small dent in the first few hours just before and as the party started. We’ll call this one The Warm Up.


First things first. Every Halloween Party Goer needs to be well costumed, so we did our best on a budget. Halloween costumes are frightfully expensive these days! Without too much explanation, here are: Naruto (an anime character that my kids adore); Steampunk Alice; and Steppe, RN. It took far longer to go back to the resort and change and do makeup etc… than I thought it would which ate up WAY too much park time. But in the end, it was worth it. I may or may not get back to costume talk, so suffice to say, we had SCADS of fun complements and comments.












Every party-goer also needs to be fueled, no? I carefully chose Casey’s because I thought making sure a heinous case of heartburn would scare the crap out of me for the rest of the evening. It worked. Deep fried, batter-covered hot dogs. Shall I say more? Yes. Yes, I should. An entire order all to myself of deep fried, batter-covered hot dogs on an otherwise empty stomach. Don’t get me wrong. I love Casey’s corndogs more than I love a free one-hour massage, but this time I sure paid for it. Okay, I’m done .



Nevermind. I lied. We actually aren’t done. Because we also got this:

You can picture a ruler in your mind, right? (Did it conjure up visions of your teacher smacking your hand with it? Really? You were a little naughty then. Shame on you!) For the rest of you, imagine that ruler is now a hot dog. Now, pile it up with BBQ pork. Mmm! BBQ pork. Now… because it’s not quite as large as that 12-roll case of Quilted Northern that I’m going to need, please, by all means, add some coleslaw. A pretty sizeable portion. Keep going… No, really, add a little more. Theeeerrrrre ya go. That’ll do it. Stand back now and admire Casey’s Foot Long BBQ Pork Dog:


(Truly, it was very, very huge. Easily split by two people. We threw some away, in fact.)

Because 15 or so little greasy, deep fried, batter encrusted corn doggies weren’t enough to strike terror on my stomach, (This little piggy went to the market.) I tried a few bites of this too. Just to say I had.

Fully fueled and set up for a night of frightful discomfort (appropriate, no?) it was time to hit the first thing on the Party To-Do List:

Stand in Line.

I know you’re thinking, “Of course you were, how droll. That’s what everyone does all the time at Disney. Why would you pay $100 extra to do that?”


Because, my dear friends, the 7 Dwarves only come out at Halloween. That’s why. And I had a very good reason too!

As a recent nursing grad, I had applied for the permanent position of Resident RN for the 7 Dwarves Mining Company. And this was my opportunity to have a face-to-face dialogue with my potential boss, Doc. Before I headed to the Forest, I’d contacted them using my Magic Mirror (every Queen has one) and they kindly sent word back that they’d be happy to entertain an interview. I thought my skills in resuscitation and first aid might be very useful around that neck of the woods being that there are, apparently, some exceedingly naïve and unsuspecting young girls around who take treats from strangers and shack up with a bunch of men. I guess I can’t blame at least one of them though, having grown up without learning about the dangers of accepting gifts from old women at the door. You just never can be too careful. Of course, the fact that they were in the diamond and jewel mining business had nothing to do with my interest in staking a claim in the partnership. Mines are dangerous places and well… the pay would be in precious stones.

I arrived early, as is usual for an interview, and found that they had several dozen applicants already lined up! Hold the phone! This was supposed to be an exclusive gig and I started to get nervous that I might not have this job in the bag. I’d have to totally knock their wee leather booties off and really leave a lasting impression! I joined a brand new acquaintance named Karilynn in line and we got to know each other a bit better while we waited for our hosts to make their appearance. I’d met @Malia78 through the Magic Mirror Consortium and we offered each other tips on how to spend the rest of the evening and made plans to meet back up for other activities. Little did she know that I was just jockeying my way in for a prime position to be seen quickly when they entered. Muahaha. I had socks to knock off, ya know.

45 minutes after arriving, I looked behind me to find that several hundred MORE hopeful applicants had joined the line in anticipation of scoring a job with the 7 Little People. Yikes! But exactly on time, the interview panel began to file in. (I like prompt!) My nerves were just about shot by now, so I was glad we could finally get on with the meeting. I really needed to make an amazing first impression; it was do or die for the position of a lifetime.

Look! The first one in was the Doctor himself!



And much to my utter delight, he actually noticed me! See?! My stethoscope must have caught his attention and he waved a warm welcome to me. I felt badly for the other applicants at his blithe dismissal of them.



Sort of.

Not really.

Next out was a jovial sort of dwarf who was Happy to see me. I was already feeling quite at home with my potential teammates.



Well, I was… until this one came out.




I found out a bit later that he was having a really bad day as Human Resources Manager; going through endless under-qualified applications will certainly put anyone in a Grumpy mood. Several more joined the Conference room, but this one certainly caught my attention. He was a walking case of pneumonia with seasonal allergies and needed immediate medical attention. There was also one with a horrible case of narcolepsy. So sad!





I’ve also had some experience in Mental Health Nursing, and thought this little one could use some treatment in a milieu setting. Maybe boosting his verbal skills would help him with his social anxiety.



Obviously, I was the right gal for the job! How could they NOT hire me?

Soon enough it was time to meet the Team. (I could feel my bank account growing larger by the minute.) One by one, they called up the hopefuls and soon enough it was my turn to wow and dazzle. Which I did. I mean who can resist an Assistant to the Doc Applicant who shows up in scrubs (with the CEOs picture on them!) and a stethoscope and who’s ready to get down to business? Doc immediately pointed to my shirt and we high fived; it was basically a grand slam interview. The other 6 Little Men were equally impressed, so much so that they wanted a photo with me. Imagine that! A new Team Photo even before a formal offer.



I let them know that my salary demands weren’t that high; a few jewels, a diamond here and there, would be sufficient. I also let them know under no certain terms that I would NOT be doing any of their dishes or touching their gross, stinking sweaty mining clothes. I can clean up puke and poop all day long, but nope, I ain't doing laundry. Doc and I quickly discussed launching a radio-based public service campaign warning all of the young forest maidens about the dangers of wandering alone in the forest and taking treats from old hags.


He thought it was a brilliant idea, and told me that he and his team would be getting back to me soon about a start date. I’m very anxious to hear back, and in the meantime I’m gaining valuable experience in Surgical Nursing. I will let you all know when they contact me and the contract is signed.

Before we went our separate ways, Karilynn and I got a photo taken of us to mark our meeting. It was fabulous hour spent with you, and we weren’t finished yet!





After my interview, it was time to take a tour of the Mining Company HQ and mines themselves. I could see immediately that the mine carts were an OSHA nightmare. This was perfectly great news as I saw the job security factor as pretty darned high. It also afforded me a great 1st person view of the potentially HUGE Christmas bonuses.







After the tour, I was whisked away to their private party den where they entertain beautiful young girls for dancing and sleeping. They give them protection (sort of, they really don’t do a fabulous job) and she does all of their scut work. Heff would be proud… maybe even envious. I doubt there is much apple pie baking going on in his place. Cute isn’t it?









Even the forest animals came out to play. This one was more interested in stuffing his face than warning that sweet young girl to get out before things got out of hand.



Oh look another sweet young thing coming to offer sweet treats! Such a naughty girl… she’d kill you with kindness. (With eyes like that, she really ought to see someone about her thyroid issues!)



After our tour of the Mining Company and my stellar interview, it was time to meander along and see what Partyness we could find to do. The next 2 hours were devoted to riding rides, so next time we’ll see what we found entertaining.

 

[irene_dsc]

Ok, that last update was awesome! You were totally cracking me up the whole time! I wish you much luck as you wait to hear back about your potential job...

 

[Steppesister]

I was worried about this one as it was not exactly like my pictures... I somehow missed this statement so feeling confident now!

YAY!!! See, not really so hard.

Feeling more normal finally after 3 weeks of no appetite and very little energy. Man did it take a long time to bounce back from that infusion. Doc decided due to my proneness to allergic reactions, doing another infusion medication wasn't the way to go right now. We may revisit that option later but for now, no. Awaiting approval from insurance for Xeljanz. They gave me a 30 day sample supply and started me out on 1 every other day to make sure I don't react to it. Will be working up to 2 a day and it will take 8 to 12 weeks to see any results if it's going to work. Been taking it for a week now and so far no side effects /allergic reactions. Also, it is a newer medication so they Have tons of samples. With me being laid off and having to change to my husband's insurance,if it doesn't cover it or if it is super expensive then they can just keep giving me samples. So now we wait...

I'm SO happy that you're on the right track now! You had so many of us REALLY concerned for you! I will be very interested to hear about how the Xeljanz ends up working for you. Please keep up all posted, ok? Huzzah for free samples. Those are a real Godsend, aren't they?

Gee I like to think I'm pretty familiar with the resorts and I'm struggling with E...i know F. I guess I'll keep scrolling through my old pics and hope something catches my eye...

Keep at it. But... don't overthink it. Stick with places I KNOW you've been.

I think you're over thinking it. I know I was!

Several of you are. Trust me, this one isn't that hard. Promise.

Ok, that last update was awesome! You were totally cracking me up the whole time! I wish you much luck as you wait to hear back about your potential job...

Aw, thanks! I really had fun with that one! Took me a while as work has been crazy busy with end of the year surgeries. Lots of hours, which isn't a bad thing.