The ABC's of Trip Planning, Pt 1- K is for Keeping Things Kooky- Drinks V-Z; pg. 197 + New Link

[Steppesister]

My dear, Liesa, congrats again. So very proud of you.

That means a lot, Kathy. Thanks!! Still a fair way's to go, but slow and steady wins the race.

I still can't believe what Zach did. I'm sure he's not disappointed about not being able to cut the grass.

I can't believe that he did it in literally the last 20 minutes of school... for the year. Until he gets casted for reals tomorrow, we're cutting him some slack. The Norco is making him sick at times, so he's doing a lot of laying around. I imagine/predict he may be casted above the elbow, which will thoroughly suck.

I'm glad you found a new place for dinner that you had never been.

Me too! We're always looking for new and great date nights.

I look forward to the next alphabet countdown (you might have to poke me on FB when you update as I won't be here much as you know).

I will do so! I still need to plug away at studying over the summer some; those Boards are looming, as is next year. Tomorrow also brings more applications being turned in, so I hope to update once a week or so to give me some breaks in between.

 

[Steppesister]

A Margarita at "The Ditch" in Epcot.........with Marv??? Congrats again on your "A"

That will be the Mucho Grande Fiesta! And you didn't come to Oregon.

I'm sure being misled to focus on his shoulder had a lot to do with it............

Yes. Yes, yes, I"m sure that was it!!

Um, don't they usually have the tallest in the middle and work their way out towards the end???

Short and sassy. Obviously I wanted to be the Center of Attention.

Congrats on getting pinned.........."Twice!"

That's okay, I have a great imagination...........

Yes, I'm well aware.

Planning a trip........to Disney............ October 2016???

OH RIGHT! Better get on that!!

 

[Poolrat]

I do too, but his elbow sure is swollen today. WOW! I am glad now I put my foot down and didn't let him go camping. He really does need to get in on Monday. I am sorta expecting an above-the-elbow cast.

Your prediction is probably right. Again another win for summer. Short sleeves or tank tops. Imagine winter gear with that cast?

I hope all goes well with the Surgeon tomorrow.

 

[afwdwfan]

There have certainly been enough ups and downs to give Everest, Space, BTMRR, and the Matterhorn a run for their money. I mean Disney does that to us every single day- running with our money. But I digress....

Well said.

As you already know, Tuesday was my final exam which netted me the A I had truly hoped for. It came right down to the wire, and as it turns out, only by 2 exam questions. Phew, was that close! What better way to celebrate than with a Lemon Drop and Friends??

Congratulations. And it definitely looks like you had a well deserved celebration.

At 10:30, just a few minutes before a final run-through of our Ceremony was about to begin, I got one of those dreaded phone calls: "Is this Liesa? Your son's been in an accident at school. You need to come get him right away and take him to the ER; we're pretty sure he has a broken shoulder."

Words a parent never wants to hear.

She and I, being brand new nurses, interrogated him fully (eh hmm.... assessed him in Nurse-speak) and agreed, I'm embarrassed to say, that it probably wasn't broken and just a bad sprain. We suck. Yep, complete moron nurses who don't know crap.

You may not know crap, but you got an A in not knowing crap!

And then I saw the x-ray. I released my Mom-of-the-Year Award to those more worthy years ago, so I wasn't too sad to see it slip between my fingers yet again. Ah well. The good news is that it wasn't his shoulder. Nope. It was his wrist.

See!! You weren't all wrong! You just said his shoulder wasn't broken.

And his elbow.

enjoy your summer.

The only bright side is that he gets out of mowing lawns all summer. And I get to instead. Oh yay.

You don't need 2 arms to work a lawnmower. Trust me. I had a neighbor who had 1 arm and was 90 years old and still did things I can't believe.

The other only bright side of that day spent in the ED was that it absolutely took my mind off of my speech.

That's the point I was trying to make! Look at it as a glass half full.

But I got through it, and it was a lovely Ceremony.

And that's the important part! I'm glad it all worked out!

It was a lovely event, but they did not video it. Sorry, you can't watch me look like a fantabulous moron. Please contain your disappointment.

That's ok. We still have about another year of a PTR for you to look like a fantabulous moron.

Hope you are all well, and I will slowly catching up on your threads... it may take a bit, but I'll be there.

We'll be here. At least I think most of us will still be here.

Next up is a re-start of the Alphabet which continues to serve my purpose well. But the next portion should contain a WHOLE lot more Disney and a little less personal life.

How many times are we going to go through the alphabet?

Can we go from Z to A this time?

 

[pkondz]

You may not know crap, but you got an A in not knowing crap!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I don't have much time to comment as I'm running around like crazy before I leave! But congratulations on the well-deserved A! I'm sorry about poor Zach's wrist. I can't imagine how stressful that must have been. Hoping he will not need surgery and you'll be able to find your summer employment soon!

 

[Steppesister]

I don't have much time to comment as I'm running around like crazy before I leave! But congratulations on the well-deserved A! I'm sorry about poor Zach's wrist. I can't imagine how stressful that must have been. Hoping he will not need surgery and you'll be able to find your summer employment soon!

Thanks, Mark! You guys are going to have a BLAST!! I"m excited to see the phots along the way and your TR when you get back! I'm expecting a call today sometime about the job, and if I don't get it, I'll be putting in my apps tomorrow AM. Have a wonderful time and be safe! The air is thin up there.

 

[Steppesister]

Ah, but you did well, apparently.

Good enough, anyway.

Sorry, I just don't FB. I've got enough on my plate with the DIS!

Sometimes I wish it wasn't the only way people communicate sometimes. Makes it hard to walk away. Especially when it's study groups and school announcments!

Well, I looked through the drawer and... no purple.
Guess I'll have to go find some.
Wait. You're done school for now, how about you look for some for me?

Hmmm.... you tempt me.

Did someone say pickles????
As in food of the Gods?

Yes those. And one can find them on the Fixins' Bar at a certain place I know. But they aren't as good as mine.

Pictures?

You wish.

Sounds like you guys are doing a good job with the parenting duties.

We try. They still think we're morons on occasion though.

A. Missed it
B. Nowhere near Oregon. Went East instead of WSW.

I have no idea HOW I missed that you took a little trip. Hope it was fun in every way.

Way to go!!!
I knew you could do it!!! Congrats!!!!!

We'll see how Year #2 goes.

I'm sorry, I must have missed that.
Did you post something about it?

Obviously not enough. So I guess another year of it may make it all sink in for you.

I thought everything was free at Disney?

Except for you. The rest of us get special perks; we keep it a secret from the riff-raff.

Sounds like a nice time. You guys deserve a little unwinding!

A good time had by all. And it just got better and better as the hours went on.

Oh, my God.
That is just about the last thing any parent wants to hear.

RIGHT?!!! At least it was EMS worthy. I'm sure they'd have passed the bill onto good ol' Mom and Dad.

Sorry, I know it's not a laughing matter, but... just the way you tell it.

:takesabow:

I hope everything will work out with the surgeon.
It's a real shame that he has to miss everthing.

Truly it is. Going camping into Eastern Oregon where it's easy over 100F (42C for you) is going to stink. The casts are itchy and uncomfortable enough as it is.

Look on the bright side!
Think of all the fresh air you'll get!!

Nice spin. But I'm not buying it.

Probably telling you the truth.
I'm sure you were terrific.

I hid my terror and dread well.

Thanks for all the updates!

You are very welcome. Time to kick this PTR into high gear with a BIG announcment soon. Still a fair way's of catching up to do first on others' TRs.

 

[pkondz]

Yes those. And one can find them on the Fixins' Bar at a certain place I know. But they aren't as good as mine.

Of that I have no doubt.

They still think we're morons on occasion though.

So... regular kids.

I have no idea HOW I missed that you took a little trip. Hope it was fun in every way.

It was. I'll post a mini-TR when I'm done the Disney one.

Obviously not enough. So I guess another year of it may make it all sink in for you.

Probably not.

Except for you. The rest of us get special perks; we keep it a secret from the riff-raff.

I KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!

Nice spin. But I'm not buying it.

But are you selling it???

 

[Steppesister]

Ha!! Picking berries is hard work though lol! I'm always sore after that!

I about took my neck out completely weeding yesterday. I took some Ibuprofen and laid down; seems to be better today, miraculously, but I'm just not as in shape as I was before I started school.

Your prediction is probably right. Again another win for summer. Short sleeves or tank tops. Imagine winter gear with that cast?

I hope all goes well with the Surgeon tomorrow.

True enough. Although, I hate to see him having to camp in NE Oregon where it's going to be hellish hot out there. And no rafting for sure. Ah well, we've all been there and done it.

Well said.

I"m sure next year will hold just as many... Stay tuned.

Words a parent never wants to hear.

I suppose it could have been, "An ambulance is taking your son to the ER..."

You may not know crap, but you got an A in not knowing crap!

See!! You weren't all wrong! You just said his shoulder wasn't broken.

No. I was actually looking at his wrist.

You don't need 2 arms to work a lawnmower. Trust me. I had a neighbor who had 1 arm and was 90 years old and still did things I can't believe.

What happened to our "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" kind of bada$$, hard working society? How far we've fallen....

That's the point I was trying to make! Look at it as a glass half full.

Depends on what it's full of. (As you so nicely stated over on pkondz's thread)

And that's the important part! I'm glad it all worked out!

Phew!

That's ok. We still have about another year of a PTR for you to look like a fantabulous moron.

Shouldn't take long.

We'll be here. At least I think most of us will still be here.

That whole thing breaks my heart. I'm not going anywhere; trolls will be trolls, and the best policy is to ignore- they feed their sorry selves off of that, and I want no part. All are welcome here... as long as they behave, stay positive, etc...

How many times are we going to go through the alphabet?

I tend to have a lot to say. Could be several more.

Can we go from Z to A this time?

That's a novel idea; I'll take it under serious consideration.

 

[Flossbolna]

Liesa, Congratulations for your A!! You definitely deserved it! And it also should give you some confidence for the dreaded year 2!!

 

[Steppesister]

Liesa, Congratulations for your A!! You definitely deserved it! And it also should give you some confidence for the dreaded year 2!!

You're BACK!!! I can't wait to hear about your cruise and Sister Shenenigans.

I am going to put in some hours this summer front-loading some material that the 2nd Year Instructors have said would be helpful. I hope it'll help at least a little. I'm also getting a summer job, so that'll help boost the confidence as well.

 

[Steppesister]

Chapter 28- A is for A Date, A DATE, A VERY Important DATE!!! ​

First of all, if you are just joining in, Congratulations! Now is a very good time! It's like a brand new beginning and I have big plans for this hidden little gem of a PTR. If you're a Lurker, and have been hiding your sweet little ol' self all these months, now is an even better time to say hello and join in the fun. If you've been with me since the beginning, but have not been around lately to read this nonsense, I apologize! I promise; it should contain more Disney-related drivel- at least for the summer. Then it's back to the old grindstone. If you have managed to stick it out, you have NO idea how valuable you are to me and my sanity in this Journey. Yes, it has been, and will continue to be one big, fat, hairy marathon that is half over. I, no WE, can do it! Thank you for every comment, for every shout of encouragement, for each and every potty humor joke, meme, wise crack and insult, they have saved me from meltdowns more than you'll ever know.

Now before I get to the date I suppose you assumed this update was about, (yes, you were all right, I am going to reveal the all-important trip dates to you shortly; keep your shorts on), I should mention that I actually am going on a date tomorrow night. My beau and I will have been married for 26 years tomorrow. That's rather impressive, if I do say so myself. What manner of water under the bridge. Hmmm.... that doesn't sound exactly right. What a wild ride it's been. 5 kids later, life on 3 continents, 3 long-term homes, more temporary ones than I can count, countless camping trips, pets and tiffs, 1 survival of cancer, 2 major surgeries, a lot of coffee on the veranda, and a lot more years (God willing) to come, we are still in love and commited.

Ok, the mushy part is over.

Now onto what you've really been waiting for... I give you...


THE TRIP DATES. (Well, first a little more back story, because obviously I like to see myself talk.)

Not just any trip. MY Trip. My Graduation Celebration Trip! As you all know, I am putting myself through Nursing School for a ton of good and worthy reasons, but one of them happens to be so I can boost our family income enough to do some traveling. Hubs makes a decent salary, certainly enough to pay the bills and live on, but not enough to have or do the extras like some badly needed furniture or some landscaping. The kids are getting older and even leaving one by one. One is off to Boot Camp on July 27th (yes, I'll share more about that in upcoming posts) who hasn't lived at home since he was 17- he's now 24 (he went to and International School and lived with another family for his last 2 years of High School), one married daughter, and one headed to Oregon State in the Fall... sniff, sniff.

So it's time for Mama to follow her long-time dream of becoming a Nurse. I am adoring School, like a ton, but it's hard. Really, REALLY hard. I'm doing fairly well, and am halfway done. And I will really need a vacation after this. And so will my family who is sacrificing so, SO much for me to do this. Seriously, my family is so tired of Mac and Cheese or cereal for dinner it's pathetic. Poor babies. You'd think that capable hands, arms, brains and other essential body parts necessary for cooking were lacking on everyone but me. Same goes for folding laundry.

Anywho, it's a trip to celebrate a crapton of hard work done! I don't think they still have Celebration Buttons, but I wish they did. I'd wear one. Maybe I'll get t-shirts made, but that's getting ahead of myself.

Drum roll please...


Our family of at least 3, possibly 4, at first will be headed out on October 10, 2016. At some yet-undetermined date, most likely the 17th, Mike will be joining us. He'll do a few of the last park days, then the "kids" will head home, and we'll journey on to the Keys to finish up our vacation Beachy Keen and be home on the 24rd.

You might ask why I picked those dates. I wanted to be extra sure to get BOTH F&W and MNSSHP. Last trip I missed both by going too early in Sept. and that stunk. Worse than the dog when he rolls in dead stuff on the beach stink. Also, and probably more importantly, it gives me time to take my NCLEX-RN (the National Nursing Boards), find a job, and work at least a couple of months so I can pay off any debt from school and pay for this trip. Some, or even most, should already be paid, but not all. Like food. And food is a very good thing. Trust me on this.

So, for those of you who have already said they'd like to meet up with us at some point during our little soire, mark your calendars: October 11-17th! I know of at least 3 of you who've said, sure, I'll make this an even Happier Place on Earth. Of course, Disney did their part and added The Ditch. Although @Flossbolna tells me that they've added another Happy Place at the Poly. It just gets Happier and Happier. Of course the Teacups always makes me happy too; I just wouldn't want to do those in the wrong order. Then no one would be happy.

Let me conclude by inviting anyone who would like to come and make a toast to a brand new Nurse on any of those days!! The invitation stands and I've already been thinking about group hangouts. Yeehaw Bob Conga Lines come to mind.

Oh, and ETA: One last thing... has anyone seen this? Does anyone know more about it than what is here in this article?? I hope this is open by my trip!! It looks very intriguing indeed!

Continued in Next Post...

 

[Steppesister]

Welcome to Alphabet Pictures- where your humble author digs through her archives to find appropriate pictures of purusals through the Parks. I dropped the ball with Y and Z because I could only find a zebra and a yak. Kinda boring especially since they were both butts. So let's move on to Letter A. Believe it or not, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

First I present to you some expert Animation. Well, technically, this is only a Cel, But an expert Animator did draw it.



This is also animation. See the expert technique. Pretty sure I chose the wrong profession.



Wanna guess what I was shooting for here??



Sadly missed.



Ok, here is for you expert steppe followers:

I have mentioned what is shown here at least once in a heartfelt update. What is the A word shown in this photo, which is one of my very favorites from my trip in 2010?

 

[Steppesister]

Of that I have no doubt.

It's all in the spices.

So... regular kids.

Yeah, pretty much. Regular kids who bring home unauthorized pets, leave their laundry on the floor and can't seem to master the basic skill of changing the TP roll.

It was. I'll post a mini-TR when I'm done the Disney one.

Oh goody! Another game then for me to be a dismal failure at. LOL!

I KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!

It's the best kept secret. Subsidy at is finest.

But are you selling it???

I'd sell most anything for the right price.

 

[afwdwfan]

I should mention that I actually am going on a date tomorrow night. My beau and I will have been married for 26 years tomorrow.

Sounds wonderful! Congratulations and Happy Anniversary!

Ok, the mushy part is over.

Whew...

Same goes for folding laundry.

Yeah, but nobody likes to fold laundry. I prefer to just wash clothes as needed and put them on straight out of the dryer. Somebody needs to invent a clothes folding machine to go next to the washer and dryer. I almost wouldn't mind doing laundry.

I wanted to be extra sure to get BOTH F&W and MNSSHP

2 things I'd certainly like to experience sometime.

Some, or even most, should already be paid, but not all. Like food. And food is a very good thing. Trust me on this.

And Disney food can put a heck of a dent in a budget.

Oh, and ETA: One last thing... has anyone seen this? Does anyone know more about it than what is here in this article?? I hope this is open by my trip!! It looks very intriguing indeed!

This is the first I've seen/heard of it. Looks interesting though.

I have mentioned what is shown here at least once in a heartfelt update. What is the A word shown in this photo, which is one of my very favorites from my trip in 2010?

I wasn't around for that TR so I have no idea. But seeing that you're holding a glass it must be a drink that starts with an "A" so I guess I'll go with Amaretto.

 

[KatMark]

Happy Anniversary...congrats on 26 years.

I'm glad you finally revealed your dates. I can't make any promises...but we will try to pop over for a day or two. Our official move date if nothing changes is September 16 2016.

I don't know why...but I have an Apricot Stone Sour stuck in my head for some reason.

 

[Steppesister]

I wasn't around for that TR so I have no idea. But seeing that you're holding a glass it must be a drink that starts with an "A" so I guess I'll go with Amaretto.

Actually, yes you were... It was this one.

 

[TheDisneyNurse]

Just stopping in to say hi, and that I'm loving this report.

I'm also in nursing school, if you ever wanna talk about our misery and struggles together Lol. Set to graduate with my BSN in May 2016! Hope all is well for you. Just got back from a trip last night, and now I have a million and one things to do for school. Wishing you the best!

 

[afwdwfan]

Actually, yes you were... It was this one.

My memory... it's a steel trap.