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

[Steppesister]

I believe you can make grains in the Instant Pot with a timer, too, tho I haven't tried it. I don't think I would've paid full price - I got the Black Friday deal.

Ahhh, that's actually good to know! I will ask more questions when I go to the cooking shop and see how best to spend that $50! Good recon there for me, Lady!

 

[Steppesister]

L is for Let's Celebrate with Steppe- The Prelude​

Once upon a time, there was a little girl....

Hmmm, no on second thought, that's going to make this story MUCH too long. Let me begin again....

Once upon a time, there was this lady who lived in.... no, actually on 3rd thought, I really do need to back up and start earlier.

Once upon a time, there was this college-aged girl, <that's better> who was just setting out on her college/university career. For the most part, she did very, very well. Well enough to make the Dean's List and enjoy the journey. Her dad was a physician, and encouraged her to also go into the field, but she had declared Elementary Education instead as the major of her choice at Northern Arizona University. In 1985, it was renowned for its program and off she went. But this young girl lacked a few emotional tools and became homesick. She returned home for a couple of terms in order to go to schools closer to home (UC Irvine and Mt. San Jacinto in case you care). It was there, at the local community college, that this young lady took her first class in chemistry. It was hard. The concepts were just too abstract for her to understand, and her grade began to slip to a C. OMG, imagine that, a C in college chemistry. It freaked her out and she dropped it 3 weeks in when the "mole" was introduced for the fear of not performing to her ridiculous self-inflicted standards. That sealed the deal; it closed the door for over 2 decades in pursuing a career in the medical field, her first love; one that stood out of her reach due to fear and the lack of that confidence needed to excel. Yes, she went on to graduate from NAU Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Elem Ed., but life took a different course and she never really used that degree to its potential. Except to homeschool her kids.

Then, taking a major unexpected turn, as life tends to do, this now not-so-young girl found herself and family living in the middle of nowhere. If you think that's an exaggeration, talk to the hand. It was.... the middle of nowhere. You can Google Qyzylorda, Kazakhstan should you care to. She could share stories for days, weeks maybe, of adventures they had there- some fun, some interesting, some utterly terrifying. But one thing stood out to her, no matter where you stand on today's political issues and like to rant about healthcare, ummm.... newsflash, we have damn good healthcare. Allow her to regale you with a couple of examples of how things are in some parts of the world today. Yes, Folks, today.

VERY close friend #1- Has belly pain. Goes to hospital. Gets strapped down to table, sliced open and has gall bladder removed with NOWHERE near enough anesthesia. She remembers ALL of it. We visit. She is the color of a minion who's eaten too many carrots- they nicked her common duct. She nearly died.

Close friend #2- Goes to hospital (the place everyone knows you go to die) for belly pain. Gets strapped down on table and receives NO anesthesia. They slice her open and take out her appendix with NOTHING, not even a shot of vodka.

Close friend #3- Has Type 1 diabetes. They have NO glucometers, and only limited insulin, and zero diabetic counseling. He died of a gangrenous leg after an amputation.

We've visited TB hospitals, and Leper Colonies.

Now, all of that really wasn't to depress you. It was to give you concrete examples of why we should be thankful for hard working medical professionals and what they have to offer. She wanted to be one. About 3 years before coming "home", their friends began to ask them what they would to after returning to the US, her answer was always, go back to school and become a nurse- specifically, she thought long and hard about midwifery, but after the research on how long those programs are, she just couldn't do it.

Fast forward to 2011, this now mature woman (ok, ok, fine, at-times-mature woman) well into her 40s still had a dream to pursue. If it was going to happen, it'd better be soon, or the whole point would be moot. Can't travel easily and use those skills in less developed places if you're too old and decrepit to go right? So, she took the plunge; she signed up for her very first college class in over 20 years. Boy, was she nervous!! Did she have what it takes to peform higher thinking skills again? Did she have the clinical judgement and critical thinking to become a safe nurse? Could she really do this?

She walked into her first class and was surrounded by 18 year-olds, and more important questions started haunting her: Could she still wear Abercrombie and pull it off? Could she look cool in the cafeteria if she ran into her daughter who was also taking classes there? Would her student status finally get her an affordable copy of MS Office?

Guess what? She got an A. And then another, and then another. And before she knew it was time to apply to the School of Nursing.


And she didn't get in.




But, that was OK!!!! LOLOLOL!!! Turns out her daughter got engaged that year, and she had to get a job to pay for the wedding which, was in fact, the BEST wedding EVER! (Photos on FB- her family flew her childhood pastor over from Crapistan to bless them.) And that job she got that year, was by far the coolest job on the planet at the time. This was the project she worked on, and if you'd like details of what she did, she can share.

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/07/oregon_state_hospitals_dark_hi.html

Before that job was over, she'd applied again to the Nursing Program and was accepted. Huzzah! Time for the hard work of not failing out. Of the original 56 students, 31 of them graduated. It was hard. There were a lot of tears in that 2 years of prerequisites and the 2 year program. There many, many days she was this close to giving up. But she also made some lifelong friends, one of whom she works with now in her job as a post-anesthesia nurse.

It was soooooooo worth all that hard work! Not only because she has a great skill in which to make money to travel with and enjoy, but one that she can take to less developed places and give back to a hurting and dying world.

And maybe even more importantly, it showed her that she can do anything she puts her mind and hard work into.

That''s worth a celebration, is it not??

I think so too! Time to celebrate!!!

Stay tuned for Let's Celebrate with Steppe- Pt. 1!!

 

[franandaj]

Yay! Let's celebrate!

 

[Flossbolna]

Celebrating with Steppe!!!

 

[Malia78]

Celebration time!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Well done! It seems forever ago when you were posting from KZ and sharing tales of no heat, questionable plumbing, and curious customs. It's amazing how far you have come (both literally and figuratively) since I first met you. Which is a strange thing to say to someone you've never actually met, but you get my point.

I'm thrilled I was finally able to move on from the call center world and the late night hours of being strapped into a cubicle, (without anesthesia I might add) with nothing but a web browser to fill the hours of silence between support calls. But I DO miss all the of the time it allowed me to spend on the DIS.

It's much harder to stay caught up now, but I do still love checking in with old friends and seeing "the world" through their eyes.

I'm glad you stuck it out and kept pushing even when it was tough. Those are life lessons your kids will see; lessons which you could have never taught them through words alone. It makes the celebration just that much sweeter.

My recent experience with the cancer and surgery gave me a new appreciation for nurses and just how much they do, and much their attitude can brighten the day of their patients.

I am looking forward to more updates and will be reading along, usually a post or two behind, but always enjoying the journey.

 

[Mac Brew]

• Defiantly worth celibrating all your hard work.
• Nurses are the back bone of any health service. I am fighting the big C at the moment myself it is my nurse that keeps me upbeat at this moment in time It has been ongoing now for over nine months and hopefully will be finished by the end of Dec this year. last biopsies where clear. So like Greatbiscuit I fully apreciate what your profession does for humanity. So looking forward to celibrating along with you.The above is why I can't travel abroad until 2018 can't get the travel insurance at this time .But by December 2017 I should be all clear and able to get travel Insurance once again and be OK for Florida again.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[Steppesister]

L is for: Let's Celebrate with Steppe!- Pt. 1
​

Yes! Time to celebrate getting that degree and finding a pretty awesome job! I don't know about you, but when I think of celebrating, great food, tasty cocktails, amazing friends, and top notch entertainment all come to mind. So that's the kind of party I planned. Wanna see how that all played out? Then, climb aboard my friendlies and relive along with me a perfectly enchanting evening where we filled our Smile Tanks and cooked up a hefty dose of silly . Join me now for Steppe's Graduation Celebration Evening Out!

After a fun-filled day at the Studios, which I'll get to at some point on this TR, we headed over to the Boardwalk via Friendship where we'd planned months before to meet with Pat (@Poolrat ), Marv (@GoofyFan1515 ), and Tanya (@mom3sonstt )- a hugely fun crowd, as you will see...

As we entered the lobby of the Boardwalk, I briefly started to regret not choosing this resort over AK, but only briefly. It's gorgeous, to say the least, but AK was worth every minute of our stay there. I'll get to that too. Regardless, no one leaves without this photo. Especially when they have 2 lovely models to pose for it.

Eventually, after texting a bit, we knew that the others were already at the AbracadaBar getting started celebrating at my Party. At least Pat and Marv were, at a table inside; Tanya would find us very shortly after the 4 of us showed up. It wasn't long before we scored an outdoor table facing the Boardwalk. To say it was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT is a massive understatement. Cute theming here!

If you are searching for a VERY in depth review of the place, look no further than here!

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2016/...e-new-abracadabar-on-disney-worlds-boardwalk/


The weather was impossible to be improved upon and we all ordered up some tasty and totally creative cocktails. Except me. I was on Letter 'J', so went with a Jack and Ginger. Which was strong and delicious. Mikki got an Old Fashioned that was hella strong, and I think I finished about 1/2 of it as well.):

Every Celebration deserves a party hat. So I made one. I decorated it, then air brushed it, and then almost wore it to Graduation. But that's another story altogether:

Once upon a time, a recent Nursing Graduate forgot to turn her paperwork in to walk her Grad Ceremony. The end.

And yes, my friends, I DID wear my mortarboard this day, as you shall see! And, yes, it did score Steppe a bit of magic as you shall also see.

Let's take a gander at our Party Crew and their view as they sat together enjoying a simply delicious time together:

Here is another random party sitting next to us who ordered the Signature Cocktail of the AbracadaBar (none in our party did).

The Conjurita - a colorful margarita that never reveals its secrets; Gran Centenario Plata Tequila, Cointreau, simple syrup, lime juice $12

It's pretty cool, as the drink arrives purple and when the syrup is added tableside, it turns pink, as you see here.

As we sat, and sat, and sat waiting for our reservation time at The Flying Fish, it sprinkled a bit and the clouds made for a gorgeous sunset as the day turned into evening. A special sky painted just for my party!!!

A view more towards the left:

The Boardwalk is a magical place at night, definitely one I could get used to spending time at.


Soon it was time to check in here:

This was a new place to me. I'm slowly, slowly whittling down my long list of Disney restaurants that I want to try; each trip makes a small dent. I chose The Flying Fish because I don't really cook fish at home a whole ton and adore it, and I'd had seen some absolutely fabulous reviews (thank you @glennbo123 and @Flossbolna !!).

A side discussion I'd love to have with you: What's the one place that's at the top of your Not-Yet-Tried-At-Disney List? I'm very curious what it is and WHY you haven't been there yet?

Our ADR was for 7:20 and we checked in a few minutes early. Then were promptly told they were "running behind". "Ok, how behind?" (We had a show to catch at 9:30 at a different resort!!!!) "Sorry Ma'am probably 30 minutes." "Ah, ok, please seat us as soon as possible since we need to be at POR by 9:30."

At 8:00 we were seated. Great. Thank you very much. It was my party, so I couldn't be too terribly hacked off, but I was annoyed. But certainly not undaunted. We sought out and found that top notch entertainment I'd talked about earlier. I mean what party is complete without CLOWNS?!?! I mean this IS the Boardwalk. It is known for clowns, creepy and otherwise.

You're welcome.

This guy drew quite a crowd and was really quite entertaining. He was awesome at playing the whole spectrum of his audience by flirting with the ladies, and then including a little cutie pie of about 7 into his show. He was fun to watch, and with each passing minute, our group got hungrier and more antsy to get called to our table as time was a'tickin' against our evening. I went back and checked a couple of times, and was assured that they were "working on it".

Meanwhile, on a Boardwalk near you...

8:00 came...

Show time. This time with food!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Which was strong and delicious. Mikki got an Old Fashioned that was hella strong, and I think I finished about 1/2 of it as well.):

Awww, aren't you a good mom for finishing your kid's drink. I mean, you wouldn't want it to go to waste or anything!

As we sat, and sat, and sat waiting for our reservation time at The Flying Fish, it sprinkled a bit and the clouds made for a gorgeous sunset as the day turned into evening. A special sky painted just for my party!!!

It's too bad you had to wait so long for Flying Fish, but you certainly had something nice to look at while you waited. I have never been to the Boardwalk at night but it looks like it has a nice atmosphere.

A side discussion I'd love to have with you: What's the one place that's at the top of your Not-Yet-Tried-At-Disney List? I'm very curious what it is and WHY you haven't been there yet?

I guess Yachtsman Steakhouse. I've never been because DW and DD17 are not beef eaters at all. Yes, I'm sure there's other things on the menu, but I can't convince them, probably because steak is in the name of the place. If I'm dropping that kind of coin on a meal, I want it to be enjoyable. Maybe I'll just take DD9 (she's a meatatarian) and send the other two off to Beaches & Cream.

I mean what party is complete without CLOWNS?!?! I mean this IS the Boardwalk. It is known for clowns, creepy and otherwise.

Thanks for that. I had no intention of sleeping tonight....

This guy drew quite a crowd and was really quite entertaining.

It's only recently that I learned they even have street performers on the Boardwalk. It's really a place I would like to spend an evening sometime.

 

[orangecats2]

Hey! I wanna know about the food!!! Are you asking everyone what restaurants they want to try or just glen and flossbolina? For me, it's all the signature places because I don't want to spend two credits on them unless I get the deluxe dining plan one day.

 

[Steppesister]

Hey! I wanna know about the food!!! Are you asking everyone what restaurants they want to try or just glen and flossbolina? For me, it's all the signature places because I don't want to spend two credits on them unless I get the deluxe dining plan one day.

That was for EVERYONE!!

 

[orangecats2]

Cali Grill and the Castle are very high on my list for two credit places. Artist Point for the ambiance.
For one credit places Les Chefs de France, Cape May Cafe and Corral Reef on at the top. But I'm planning on crossing those three off my list next year.

 

[Flossbolna]

The Boardwalk is quite wonderful. I actually will be staying there again on my next trip to WDW. It is one of my two DVC home resorts. I am happy to hear that you loved the new bar there!

A side discussion I'd love to have with you: What's the one place that's at the top of your Not-Yet-Tried-At-Disney List? I'm very curious what it is and WHY you haven't been there yet?

Easy: V&A and the reason why I haven't tried it: money.

Besides that the restaurant at Fort Wilderness. Reason: difficult to get to.
But it is difficult to pick. I feel like I have tried all restaurants that I am really keen on and the ones I have not eaten at I was never that interested in. So, none of them stands really out. I could have picked Morimoto, Restaurant Akershus, Cinderella's Royal Table, Yachtman's Steakhouse, Citricos, Homecomin', Crystal Palace, Chefs de France, Rose & Crown, Tiffins, Mama Melrose. They all are in kind of the same league. I guess I have been going to WDW too much... Actually over the last couple of trips Michael and I specifically picked restaurants that I had not tried before (Sanaa, Coral Reef, Nine Dragons) and I feel I am coming to the end of the list of restaurants that I want to eat at. All the ones on my list have some valid reason why I have not tried them yet (mainly either price or the menu does not sound that interesting to me), so I rather go back to the ones I have tried and loved.

 

[Steppesister]

Yay! Let's celebrate!

Celebration time!

 

[Steppesister]

Well done! It seems forever ago when you were posting from KZ and sharing tales of no heat, questionable plumbing, and curious customs. It's amazing how far you have come (both literally and figuratively) since I first met you. Which is a strange thing to say to someone you've never actually met, but you get my point.

Yes!! Remember the story of the exploding toilet- the one that still exploded while being plugged by Anara standing on a partially deflated basketball in it? Ahhhh, those were the days, alright

Hard to believe we've been friends for almost 10 years! Perhaps someday, I'll make my way to your Lone Star State... Twould be an awfully fun time!

I'm thrilled I was finally able to move on from the call center world and the late night hours of being strapped into a cubicle, (without anesthesia I might add) with nothing but a web browser to fill the hours of silence between support calls. But I DO miss all the of the time it allowed me to spend on the DIS.

I'm super happy for you too; what a nice change from that drudgery.

BUT, I for one, do miss you and your witty sense of humor around here. Hope you can pop in here and there.

It's much harder to stay caught up now, but I do still love checking in with old friends and seeing "the world" through their eyes.

And we always love to see you check in!! Hopefully, in the not too distant future, there will be more world traveling to read about!

I'm glad you stuck it out and kept pushing even when it was tough. Those are life lessons your kids will see; lessons which you could have never taught them through words alone. It makes the celebration just that much sweeter.

I hope they saw determination and persistence. It pays to have that. Now, someday, that BSN!

My recent experience with the cancer and surgery gave me a new appreciation for nurses and just how much they do, and much their attitude can brighten the day of their patients.

I'm so glad you had a good experience with our profession. I do think most go into with a desire to help.

I am looking forward to more updates and will be reading along, usually a post or two behind, but always enjoying the journey.

Ask and you shall receive!!!

 

[Poolrat]

Behold, the King of the Pride- lion around as usual.

Yup. and

Look! There she is now!

She looks dangerous.

We'd taken away some fantastic memories and photos of the magnificent creatures, who in the end, we learned, are not too very different from us.

Probably more alike than we would admit.....




All caught up and just saw the last update. . Celebration indeed. It was a nice night even with the sprinkles since we were nice and pretty dry under cover.

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Let's take a gander at our Party Crew and their view as they sat together enjoying a simply delicious time together:

What a great looking group..... but isn't somebody missing??? That was a super night and a great start to mine and Pat's portion of the trip!!!

 

[Steppesister]

• Defiantly worth celibrating all your hard work.

• Nurses are the back bone of any health service. I am fighting the big C at the moment myself it is my nurse that keeps me upbeat at this moment in time It has been ongoing now for over nine months and hopefully will be finished by the end of Dec this year. last biopsies where clear. So like Greatbiscuit I fully apreciate what your profession does for humanity. So looking forward to celibrating along with you.The above is why I can't travel abroad until 2018 can't get the travel insurance at this time .But by December 2017 I should be all clear and able to get travel Insurance once again and be OK for Florida again.

The Whole trip was a celebration, but this evening was the official Graduation Dinner and party.

I didn't know you were struggling and fighting with that! And for 9 months!?!

That's fantastic about clean biopsies! That right there is totally worth a giant celebration! Might I suggest Disney Oops, looks like that's already in the plan! Huzzah!!!

I'm SO happy you have a regular nurse who is with you consistently. That's nice to have someone who is more familiar with your whole story and your whole history.

Celebration time!

Part of the celebration has to be your determination. How many people just keep their dreams and never take that first step? Or the second? Or can't, for many reasons, continue on the path?

That top gif is hilarious. I must be in a really silly mood. <snork>

I have always said that the hardest step of doing much of anything is getting off the couch. When I trained for my first 5K, as slow as I was (and BOY WAS I SLOW!!!!) I kept telling myself that it's ok, I was doing better than the folks hadn't taken step #1... yet tried to stay humble by saying I had (obviously) tons of improvement ahead of me.

 

[Steppesister]

Awww, aren't you a good mom for finishing your kid's drink. I mean, you wouldn't want it to go to waste or anything!

I am pretty nice, aren't I? Waste not, want not, I always say!

It's too bad you had to wait so long for Flying Fish, but you certainly had something nice to look at while you waited. I have never been to the Boardwalk at night but it looks like it has a nice atmosphere.

It does! Upbeat and fun. And pretty to boot!

And yeah.... it's a signature place and that was kinda weird. It was only 7 of us, sonnot a huge big party... so????

I guess Yachtsman Steakhouse. I've never been because DW and DD17 are not beef eaters at all. Yes, I'm sure there's other things on the menu, but I can't convince them, probably because steak is in the name of the place. If I'm dropping that kind of coin on a meal, I want it to be enjoyable. Maybe I'll just take DD9 (she's a meatatarian) and send the other two off to Beaches & Cream.

At all?! WOW!

Splitting up here and there? I'm actually all for that. You can always meet back up and compare notes and everyone has a great time.

I've never tried Yachtmsan or even looked at the menu. Maybe someday...

Thanks for that. I had no intention of sleeping tonight....

Always my pleasure! Have my readers' best interests at heart and always try to take care of them.

It's only recently that I learned they even have street performers on the Boardwalk. It's really a place I would like to spend an evening sometime.

It's really nice and there's such a wide variety of shops and places to be that even families would have a good time. I think while DTD is more a chill atmosphere the Boardwalk is a bit more upbeat and carnival-like. (Although, I did enjoy the evening dance party at DTD a ton.)