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

[Captain_Oblivious]

You're missing out on the one over on my thread....

I'm coming, I promise! DIS time has been limited lately.

 

[glennbo123]

Awww! So great to see something like this!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Hollywoodland is a beautiful place, don't you agree?

I agree. Hollywood Studios is probably my least favourite park, but I do like the atmosphere and buildings of Hollywood.

It was cut short when our young (ahem) actress found him to be rather stiff.

So, you don't like a stiff man? Ahem. OK, moving along, nothing else to say here.....

Like all superstars, Steppe likes to keep her figure lithe and fit, so naturally she chooses healthy, nutritious meals every day. Like this one!

A cheese danish has dairy and grain. That's two food groups. It works for me!

Despite the 14 signatures, they still went under the chopping block and there will be no more Starring Rolls or Cupcakes. Or healthy Danishes.

I am disappointed Starring Rolls is gone. Did I hear that many of their cupcakes went across the street to Starbucks?

On the way to the studios, Steppe and her entourage encountered a place from which to glean inspiration from the Master himself. They heard his own words, learned of his innovative and creative techniques, and even some tricks of the trade.

I'm sad to say that I have never gone into One Man's Dream. I'm hoping they keep it around long enough so I can get back to it.

 

[Steppesister]

Working a 13 hour shift today; replies will have to wait. But I'll get there. @franandaj looking forward to your chapter.

 

[KathyM2]

And I suppose that brand new laptop is pretty hot too.

Best day ever. Seriously. Trying to catch up around here yet again after several days with no internet except on my phone. So. I can only imagine how great it is to get a new laptop!!

I am very sad about the Starring Rolls closure among other things. I'm sure there will be alternatives but...won't be the same!

 

[Steppesister]

Awww! So great to see something like this!

Always a good thing to see your kids getting along.

 

[Steppesister]

I agree. Hollywood Studios is probably my least favourite park, but I do like the atmosphere and buildings of Hollywood.

I do too. There is only one ride I really have to go on when I'm there, but I could spend a pretty decent amount of time watching the performers, listening to the BGM, and soaking in the golden age of Hollywood.

So, you don't like a stiff man? Ahem. OK, moving along, nothing else to say here.....

You know either way I answer that, I'm gonna get myself in trouble.

A cheese danish has dairy and grain. That's two food groups. It works for me!

Add coffee and viola, you also have a vegetable!

I am disappointed Starring Rolls is gone. Did I hear that many of their cupcakes went across the street to Starbucks?

Me too! I have no idea... I know there will be more than one person who will miss the butterfinger cuppie. (I'm not one.)

I'm sad to say that I have never gone into One Man's Dream. I'm hoping they keep it around long enough so I can get back to it.

I'm sad they took out a lot of of it before I got in there. At the rate Disney changes stuff, you'd better hurry.

Best day ever. Seriously. Trying to catch up around here yet again after several days with no internet except on my phone. So. I can only imagine how great it is to get a new laptop!!

I have been seeing your posts on FB. No fun going without the nets. So far I love my puter! Just praying it works for a VERY long time!

I am very sad about the Starring Rolls closure among other things. I'm sure there will be alternatives but...won't be the same!

I loved the outdoor seating area there and even more than the sweets, I liked their sandwiches made on hoagies. Perfect breakfast for several of us to split!

 

[vamassey1]

I am finally caught up! I've been slowly reading on my phone. Of course I leave for Disney in 5 days so I'll get horribly behind again.

I have truly enjoyed your report. So much Disney magic. A trip worth celebrating.

I'm sorry to hear Starring Rolls has closed. One of those places I always wanted to try but didn't. I'm hoping to catch some of the streetmospher too.

 

[Steppesister]

Q is for: Quiet on the Set, pt. 2​

Finally. Finally! It was time for Steppe to get down to business- doing the work she’s always dreamed of:

Playing the role of a modern, misunderstood, All-American Mom.

(Please never mind her other day job of Doc’s assistant in the 7 Dwarfs Mining Company.) (Or the weekend job of Official Rice Cream Taste Tester.) (Or the Make-Up-Ridiculous-Self-Challenges-On-Disney-Trips every few years job.)

Perhaps some of you can relate to her starring role? For all of you who can’t, you either: don’t have teenagers, are the wrong gender, or living in Oz.

Steppe arrived fashionably late with her crew and entered the towering, yet stylish movie studios made to look like a once famous and bustling theater.

Her security team was in place making sure the riffraff were discouraged from interrupting her filming.

The bright lights used on the set and, later, on marquis everywhere, gave Steppe a rise. Famous! Imagine that- her film emblazoned in neon as “Classic”!

Her enthusiasm was immediately doused, though, as she made her way to her own location. It began to pour and, while some find that is something to sing about, she was annoyed. But, Dear Reader, fear not! Her stage hands knew Steppe’s occasional bad temper and quickly handed her an umbrella. For they also knew the bad- VERY bad- things that happen to her when left in the rain too long.

She was relieved when she passed Set #3 and found her good friend, Mary, also safely sheltered from the downpour. But this was Mary’s own prop and she seemed to carry it whenever she was out. Not entirely unlike herself, Mary used her prop to zip around in the air.

Mary’s favorite place to land was the rooftops of London where she kept close company with the dirtiest men in town.

She kept a pretty prim persona but, well, when her #1 Beau sees 22 (count them, I dare you) women, Mary may not be perhaps the wisest or most prim of the lot after all. At the very least, she was:

Steppe continued on, past the various other sets where other shady characters lurked. Some cowered at her arrival, while one is clearly a responsible gun owner and following a cardinal safety rule. Good boy, John.

These studios were massive and held many, many sets. Eventually, Steppe came across one that she could resonate with. Here, she found the story of a mom having some new furniture brought in that she had carefully picked out at Pier One. It took her months to choose just the right color, size, and matching accessories and it was the new pride and joy of her home. Finally, something new and shiny just for her! She was mortified, however, when the delivery team showed up and her house was a complete wreck! She worked so hard to keep it picked up and tidy, only to come home from work and find the clutter in every crack and corner.

Where were her kids and husband, you might ask?



Standing around asking her what was for dinner and how long it would be.

It was at times like this that Steppe had to reexamine her life and she contemplated a very long trip somewhere alone. She spied her friend Humphrey reminding Ingrid that happily ever after doesn’t always work out, sadly. Ingrid does a pretty awesome pouty-face though, don’t you think? I’ll bet Humphrey’s pouty-face comeback must’ve been tough for him to deliver. I mean, I bet he did want Paris all over again.

At the very back of the studio, Steppe finally reached her own production’s set.


Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand… ACTION!!!!


Looks of terror set in as her kids saw her walk through the door.

“Oh crap! Mom’s home!”

Panic ensued as Mom gazed upon the wreckage of her home. Her eyes swept from one end of the house to the other taking in the dirty dishes, unswept floors, and junk tossed haphazardly… everywhere. Initially, it was irritation that entered her heart, but there sitting on the couch, next to the massive pile of unfolded laundry, sat her teen-aged ingrates munching on Doritos and day old pizza. Fury took its place and Steppe was…. transformed into Witchypoo.

She looked up and saw cobwebs:

She looked down and saw piles of toys and games strewn about.

“Junior!”, she hissed. “Get off your rear end and get your share of this pigsty picked up! NOW!”

“Missy!”, she roared on, “This is not the city dump. Choose the bathroom or the kitchen, but one had better be done in the next half hour!”

“But Moooooooooooooooo-om. That’ll take me hours! And I’m supposed to be somewhere in 15 minutes.” (tough crap)

“But Mom! None of this is mine!” (except the backpack, shoes, gym socks and ballmitt)

“But Mo-ooom…. I always do the bathroom.” (once a month)

“But Dad said he’d fold the laundry!” (that was 3 days ago)

“You will both get off your duffs this instant and do exactly as I say, or you will never have Doritos again. I’ll also "forget" to ever buy frozen burritos again, and I regret to inform you that the XBox password has been changed.”

Here it comes... the climax of the story, where Mom has one of her world famous meltdowns. They are... impressive.

With the speed of land tortoises, the kids reluctantly started to move. Clearly, it was going to take hours. But that was not her biggest problem to deal with right now. This WAS her circus and she does have monkeys, and yes, she was VERY prepared to unleash them. But, perhaps they would be spared of this terrifying fate and yet live to see another day, for Steppe had another larger problem to worry about on this day. A teenager had been caught closet shopping her shoes and she was hacked off! “Go ahead, Chickie. The Wizard can’t save you from the wrath of a woman looking for her favorite shoes. Monkeys for you!”

"That's a WRAP!"

Rehearsal was finally over and the final takes were filmed. Everyone in the cast knew it'd be a smash hit as the audience who would be able to relate to it was vast. Indeed, when the film finally hit the silver screen, it truly was an American Classic straight from Hollywoodland.

Steppe wasn't quite done yet, though. Work hard, play hard is her motto and there's plenty of playing yet to be done for her intrepid little troupe. Reach for the stars they did!

Stay tuned for the final moments of Steppe's epic day of stardom.

 

[irene_dsc]

Ouch. That last one hit a little too close to home! Methinks I need to gently remind my offspring about a certain dishwasher that needs to be unloaded...lest witchypoo be unleashed!

 

[Steppesister]

Ouch. That last one hit a little too close to home! Methinks I need to gently remind my offspring about a certain dishwasher that needs to be unloaded...lest witchypoo be unleashed!

Monkeys...FLY!!!!

 

[vamassey1]

VERY bad- things that happen to her when left in the rain too long.

Do you melt?

Your story hits home here too. Nothing irritates me more than coming home from work and finding a mess that wasn't there when I left.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Please never mind her other day job of Doc’s assistant in the 7 Dwarfs Mining Company.

How could we forget!? The interview process was so memorable!

She was relieved when she passed Set #3 and found her good friend, Mary, also safely sheltered from the downpour.

Oh, thank goodness!

Not entirely unlike herself, Mary used her prop to zip around in the air.

...need to get me one of these...

She was mortified, however, when the delivery team showed up and her house was a complete wreck! She worked so hard to keep it picked up and tidy, only to come home from work and find the clutter in every crack and corner.

Don't you hate when this happens?! I leave the apartment clean, and come home to find DFi's managed to infest it with terrifying snakes. A lady's work is never done.

Never have I felt such understanding for the wicked witchy! Well done, you!

 

[Steppesister]

Replies later... but today's the day! My first day of my latest adventure. Imma learn how to fly!

Wheeee!!!!

 

[afwdwfan]

That movie has everything.

Almost

No exploding helicopters or aliens. Maybe they'll be coming in the final epic climax?

Replies later... but today's the day! My first day of my latest adventure. Imma learn how to fly!

Wheeee!!!!

Good luck, and have fun!!!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Finally. Finally! It was time for Steppe to get down to business- doing the work she’s always dreamed of:

Playing the role of a modern, misunderstood, All-American Mom.

A daily occurrence, I'm guessing.

Perhaps some of you can relate to her starring role? For all of you who can’t, you either: don’t have teenagers, are the wrong gender, or living in Oz.

I'm gonna go with option B. I can empathize, though, right?

Mary’s favorite place to land was the rooftops of London where she kept close company with the dirtiest men in town.

Why, Mary! I had no idea.

Where were her kids and husband, you might ask?



Standing around asking her what was for dinner and how long it would be.

Ok, that's funny right there.

“You will both get off your duffs this instant and do exactly as I say, or you will never have Doritos again. I’ll also "forget" to ever buy frozen burritos again, and I regret to inform you that the XBox password has been changed.”

Here it comes... the climax of the story, where Mom has one of her world famous meltdowns. They are... impressive.

When Mama ain't happy...it may be a cliche, but it's there for a reason.

A teenager had been caught closet shopping her shoes and she was hacked off!

Ok, I can't empathize with that one.

That movie has everything.

Almost

No exploding helicopters or aliens. Maybe they'll be coming in the final epic climax?

Stole my line!

 

[Mac Brew]

Hi
Great analysis of the Hollywood movie ride I suppose only a mother would look at it from that perspective.The dad would be look kids look at the snakes arn't they just great let's take a couple home your mum won't mind and as for the space ship lets fly this. We should realy get a couple of the lazer guns what fun we could have with these.Hope you had fun yesterday learning how to fly.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Leisa! I'm finally back trying to catch up. It's been a crazy few weeks. I'm loving your storytelling talent as usual. Hope you had a good 13 hr shift, despite the pain you've been in.

 

[KathyM2]

Hope the flying lesson went well!!!

 

[Steppesister]

I know, I know. I'm very delinquent in responses and general attention to my thread lately. I do have excuses, but I'll let you be the judge on whether they're good enough.

So a bit of a real life update:

Yes, I did have my first class and will go again tonight as well. In case you're interested I'm learning to fly out of McMinnville airport which is the former home of Evergreen Aviation. The only holdings still left with them are the Air Museum which is actually pretty uber cool. The REAL deal Spruce Goose is housed there indoors and they have a water park too with the biggest slide spitting you out of the belly of a 747 into the pool below. For the not so flight-inclined they also have a winery and tasting room. I dunno if they're encouraging inebriated flying, but well.... it is smack dab in our region's Pinot country.

Anyway, I also got my tailbone injection and feel 100% better. I can actually sit and drive again without looking like I'm doing the toddler potty dance. I'm hoping it lasts at least as long as the last injection I got- 7 months of not being a pain in the you know what.

Lastly, our home in Portland, which we've rented out since leaving for Crapistan goes on the market Saturday. As with all home sales, it's taken a fair amount of time to get it to a salable point. The market is STRONG for the seller right now, so we're confident it will go quickly.

Meantime, I'm working more and more, which is a good thing. The cash flow has been slashed significantly since we lost the rent money. My income is having to supplement for the time being. I'm unbelievably grateful for my job and that the caseload has picked up!

So, hopefully, this weekend I can get back to here with more attentiveness. BUT, we have to do a final cleanup in Portland Saturday. UGH! (Yes, we've tried to find a service, but with no luck.)

Until then.... enjoy life and find adventure!!!