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

[krnelson65]

This is also my favorite part about dancing. Especially when they spot someone in the audience and just wave at them.

Kim

What I like about dancing is when you go to the ballet recitals and the 3 year olds don't know what to do and half of them are running the opposite direction of the routine.

 

[Steppesister]

Mmmmm, great updates! I will definitely put Raglan Road on my short list for my next trip. Those Irish dancing costumes are fantastic.
Getting over jet lag now that I have returned from Cuba, including a rosier complexion and some itchy sand flea bites. I can never sleep on a flight apparently, even if it is overnight. Your pictures of birds are especially welcome, as DD19 has a bird phobia, which didn't work out well for her on this trip. 2 meals ruined by birds that were very bold and would pluck the very french fries off your plate, but we did enjoy sharing some of our meals with the local feral kittens. In retrospect, not a good week for DD19 to renew her commitment to vegetarianism, as Caribbean cuisine is quite meat heavy. I wasn't brave enough to try the rabbit or the mystery grey meat, and although the hot food was never actually hot, I found that the food was adequate. Didn't take a lot of pictures, but I got all of my intended books read and that was my goal of the trip. And when I arrived home, my Disney park pass vouchers had arrived and are safely tucked away. Once the new shingles and cars are paid off I'll book my next Disney trip!

Thanks, Donna! I think it's a great place for the whole family.

Nice that you were able to get away and enjoy Cuba for a bit! So, the birds there are exactly like the ones at Disney. Huh, maybe when the travel ban was lifted they sent and entourage to give lessons on touron harassment. Yes, I'd imagine a meat heavy diet there. And sounds like you had some nice downtime to just relax and read... ahhhh....!

I sure hope you can get those big ticket items paid off quickly so you can get back to Disney! Huzzah for passes- WOOT!

 

[Steppesister]

Oh boy! That is funny! I love the look on Mikki's face
This was a really fun and creative update! Great pics too! I guess you get an A+ even with the hidden Mickey missing.

Thanks, Tammie! Yes, I managed to snap that one JUST in time. So funny!!

YAY, ME! An A+!!

 

[Steppesister]

Should we guess what some of the others are?

I'd say sure... but, considering the poster...

I think its great that he discovered something new that he enjoyed and wanted to spend time doing.

And you know, it was good for your ulterior motives as well.

Pictures of these adventures coming to a TR near you soon.

And... well, yeah.

Used to be where Duffy met. I'm glad it's empty!

For realz.

I actually enjoy the ambience of this pavilion and there are far worse rides than It's a Small Mexico.

At one time, I thought I'd enjoy eating at San Angel. Kinda reminiscent of my old digs where I worked at Blue Bayou. Dark, romantic, etc... Maybe someday, but not high on the list. The ride is cute... an every other trip kind of gig.

"You are not the first to pass this way, nor shall you be the last" Clearly Odin isn't as wise as he seemed.

NO, it seems not. Silly god. And being that of knowledge.... yeah the mark was missed. Did you know his wife's name is "Frigg"? What the "Frigg"?!

But great pictures nonetheless.

Why thank you, Sir.

I'd have easily dropped 10 bucks in Karamel Kuche. But this is good too.

Yes, but 3.5 minutes later? No souvenir.

Unless you count the new inch around your waistline.

I thought you were supposed to measure a rum and coke by pouring rum in a glass then look into the glass as you swirl it around. As you look, you think it looks like about a shot, but you'd better pour more in just to be sure. Take another look and add another splash... you know just to really, really be sure you got enough rum in there. Then throw the empty bottle in the trash and add an ounce of coke.

No I don't have a problem.

Funny you should mention that. Mike has rum and Coke tonight.

I went wild and crazy and popped open a Pineapple Cider. Not bad.

They do it well.

Your masks are another unique collection. I think it is neat that you found something that isn't overly expensive that you can make a collection and add to it over your subsequent trips.

Works for pinning up recipes on the oven hood while cooking. Well, and they're just cute.

I just had to quote that.

It was... quote worthy. Welcome to the haters club.

And on your first drink...

Sad. I know.

I must be confused. Because I run around like my hair's on fire enjoying the freedom and doing whatever the @#$* I feel like doing at that given time.

Depends on the TIME of day. Early? Run around like crazy. After lunch? Nope. Slow down.

Wow... taking the wayback machine there. Do kids these days even get that reference anymore?

Sadly, they missed the image burned into their minds like we grown ups.

I know, I know. It is actually someplace I want to go. But it is in DTD/Disney Springs. We have never been DTD fans. We typically don't go to Disney World for long enough to have non-park days as a scheduled part of our trip. We take breaks as needed, but plan all ADRs at places that will be close/convenient to the park we plan to attend on a given day. Planning an ADR and tying up the time for transportation just to get to DTD/DS for a meal just isn't something we're interested in. We'll be staying at POFQ this trip so it will be more convenient. I'm sure we'll end up at DS at some point, but it certainly isn't a priority that we are planning around.

I get that. I really do. You need longer trips, or intentionally planned SLOW ones to want to break away from park time. Tix are just too expensive to mess around with. But, I really do enjoy DTD. NOT for shopping.

And yes you are correct. Inconvenient transportation makes it problematic.

Love the narration of the safari.

Thanks. Fun to write those.

I just have to say that I find politics annoying, but love the policy side. And I always prefer to learn about policy from those who actually understand said policy.

Sigh. Such a debacle. And I agree. News without the commentary... .you know...just the facts, Ma'am.

 

[Poolrat]

I will have to listen more carefully during the safari from now on. I had no idea all the drama was going on.

Mikki and the elephants Poor thing and Oh MY all at the same time.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[Steppesister]

Love love love the photos of the safari! All great animals you saw. Adore those elephants and the hippos. Of course the Flamingos. Wonderful thank you. We did one just after the rain once and saw completely different animals. It is good to do them different weather, time of day. Haven't done a night time one yet!

Thanks, Polly!! We saw so many!!! I think the flamingos are so pretty! I love that color!

I've heard that the night safaris are hard to see much, but I wouldn't mind trying someday.

I love that at Animal Kingdom Lodge they have Night time vision googles.

That is definitely a fun perk about that resort. Love that!

Glad I'm not the only one! "Savannah" in place of "savanna" isn't too bad...if I see a "your" in place of "you're" I want to scream. Dang, just revealed my Achilles heel.

Ouch! Yes, those are... glaring. Along with too, to and two, and they're, and their, and there. But now that I know what bugs you most.... muahahahaha!

It is, and you should! You can visit Vic's on the Waterfront and have shrimp and grits. Link to my Savannah chapter

I actually vividly remember this chapter of yours. You got some very excellent scenic shots from the resort and I remember that Judy struggled to find gluten free at the places you went to.

Size matters.

You. Did. Not.

OMG, Glenn, you're killing me. I read that at work and literally burst out laughing, and then continued to chuckle for the rest of the day.

Please excuse my immature nature and carry on.

 

[Steppesister]

So, I can't do sausages, make me sick, I would love to see this sometime. I can eat just about any other kind of pork...just not sausages. I think it is some kind of spice that is used.

Kim

OH man! Of all things that would make me sick. That would make me sad. They have all kinds of other really tasty looking food! You should give it a try!

Fennel maybe?

This is also my favorite part about dancing. Especially when they spot someone in the audience and just wave at them.

Kim

They pulled some little kids up to try the dancing and it was uber cute. Little 4s and 5s. Awww...!

I will have to listen more carefully during the safari from now on. I had no idea all the drama was going on.

Make sure to sign up for Shofana's tour! He's awesome!! And gets you right up close!

Mikki and the elephants Poor thing and Oh MY all at the same time.

IKR!?! So hilarious!!

The mountain of debt is currently high, but the motivation is also currently high! We always try to keep a balanced perspective (we know we can't take it with us when we die, afterall) but the monkey on the back is a bit big for my liking. My goal - guilt free eating wherever I want when I get back to DW!

Keep at it! It'll come down with diligence and perseverance. And the reward will be awesome! And yes! Lots of awesome eating to be done there. YEP!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Meanwhile, the animals themselves were busy doing what animals do: eating, hunting, grazing, mating, sleeping.

They really don't know how good they have it.

“Hey Chloe, I heard there’s a truck of tourons coming through this morning. Remember that time this one group came through in 2001 and this kid named Michaela held out those bananas to you?”


“Oh my God, yes! I scared the crap out of her so bad when I slimed her entire arm with my trunk snot. So FUNNY!”

(If you would like the human’s perspective on this true life adventure, let your authoress know.)

Um, yeah! Sounds like a good story here!

Ah well, as gorgeous as they are, they always seem to stick their long necks into politics and forget that entertainment is their business. Then again, politics…..entertainment… hmmmm, they may be on to something.

I really get no entertainment from politics whatsoever.

Well, that’s what I’d think if I were a rhino anyway, so who am I to know?

Whenever I see the elephants and rhinos, I can only think of that old joke. I've told that one before, right?

Such a great idea to get pregnant in the middle of a Crapistani winter, with no family support or plan for delivery!

In about 14 nanoseconds, the beast thrusts her trunk over to Mik and grabs the entire stalk and shoves them into her mouth. Mikki FREAKED OUT. It was so hilarious I almost peed myself.

It IS a good story!

OH man, I still laugh so hard every time I see it. The look on her face is absolutely priceless!

Great timing on that one!

 

[Flossbolna]

You have so many truly awesome pictures from the safari!! I have totally given up on trying to get pictures. I just enjoy the view!!

Thanks to @afwdwfan quoting the Bavarian shot glass, I remembered that I never replied to that post to explain the significance of what you see!

It is the coat of arms of the State of Bavaria, one of the 16 states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany (the long name of Germany and from 1949 to 1990 the official name of West Germany, but then it was only 11 states). Until 1918, when Bavaria became a Republic, this was in a very similar form the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

The shield is held up by two lions, which are of special importance, they are also called "Bavarian Lions" and are often used in decorative elements throughout Bavaria. The four fields of the shield (without the middle field) represent the different regions of Bavaria. The golden lion on black represents the Upper Palatinate (the region where I grew up, it is in the North East of Bavaria), the field with the white (in heraldic terms silver) spikes under the red is called the "Frankonian Rake" and represents Frankonia, the region where I live now (and a region that did not become part of Bavaria until the 19th century and still feels like it is not really part of Bavaria, so you see the Frankonian Rake being used on its own here quite a bit), the blue panther on white represents Upper and Lower Bavaria, the "original Bavaria" so to speak, this the region around Munich, kind of the South and South East of Bavaria, and finally the three black lions on gold which represent Swabia (in the South West), the home of the Spätzle. The shield in the middle represents the whole of Bavaria and it can also stand on its own as the lesser coat of arms for Bavaria. The pattern of the blue and white rhombs is used a lot to for decorations as well (you can get it for party plates and cups, gift bags etc.) and every German would recognise this as the Bavarian pattern. And as every Bavarian will be able to tell you: The colors of Bavaria are white and blue (that is even in the Bavarian National Anthem). Above the shield is the "people's crown". The king's version had a different kind of crown on top, so when Bavaria became a republic, this crown was designed to represent the people.

Every official document in the State of Bavaria (even for example our year end report cards at school) would have the coat of arms on it. Only the state is allowed to use it. So, it is an interesting question whether it is allowed to use it on souvenir products? Obviously, the State of Bavaria has little competence in the US and the copyright for the art work should have expired by now. But I think I have seen it being used here in Germany on souvenirs as well. It says on the state's website that it can be used for arts and crafts, but not sure your shot glass falls under this... Maybe they give out licenses to companies?

 

[nodnol]

You have so many truly awesome pictures from the safari!! I have totally given up on trying to get pictures. I just enjoy the view!!

Thanks to @afwdwfan quoting the Bavarian shot glass, I remembered that I never replied to that post to explain the significance of what you see!

It is the coat of arms of the State of Bavaria, one of the 16 states that make up the Federal Republic of Germany (the long name of Germany and from 1949 to 1990 the official name of West Germany, but then it was only 11 states). Until 1918, when Bavaria became a Republic, this was in a very similar form the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Yes, thanks indeed! It reminded me that I wanted to stand in for you as Bavarian (if only by birth) on this TR while you were away. But then I got lost doing research, as this looks like the Bavaria coat of arms, but it isn't: the blue panther is missing! So I guess that's why they can use it without any copyright problems....

 

[afwdwfan]

At one time, I thought I'd enjoy eating at San Angel. Kinda reminiscent of my old digs where I worked at Blue Bayou. Dark, romantic, etc... Maybe someday, but not high on the list. The ride is cute... an every other trip kind of gig.

I like eating there. For the experience. The food, not so much. Honestly that's why I've ate there once and only once. But I still think it is a beautiful setting.

NO, it seems not. Silly god. And being that of knowledge.... yeah the mark was missed. Did you know his wife's name is "Frigg"? What the "Frigg"?!

And I learned something new today! That's awesome! Although when you consider his kids' names can you really be too surprised by any of the names in that family?

Tix are just too expensive to mess around with.

And they just keep going up...

 

[Flossbolna]

Yes, thanks indeed! It reminded me that I wanted to stand in for you as Bavarian (if only by birth) on this TR while you were away. But then I got lost doing research, as this looks like the Bavaria coat of arms, but it isn't: the blue panther is missing! So I guess that's why they can use it without any copyright problems....

Oh!! You are right!!!

This is the official Bavarian one:

And this is the one on the glass:

Not only have they replaced the blue panther with the blue and white rhombs, they also have mixed up the locations of the different fields.

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh and "Bayern" is just the German word for "Bavaria". So, the soccer team "Bayern München" is called "Bavaria Munich". Not to be confused with the pharmaceutical company "Bayer" which was founded by a Mr. Bayer.

 

[Flossbolna]

And finally - sorry for the multiple posts: You had issues with the "hot text" in my opinion this is caused by a feature on photobucket, which makes your IMG code appear as this:

[URL=http://s896.photobucket.com/user/magdaleneTR/media/DSC05850.jpg.html][IMG]http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac166/magdaleneTR/DSC05850.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

(this is just a random picture from my album)

If you go into your settings under "Albums" and de-select under "Link Back Option" the check in front of "Link back to albums", the IMG code will look like this:

[IMG]http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac166/magdaleneTR/DSC05850.jpg[/IMG]

Ever since I went to this setting, I never had those issues with "hot text" ever again. I think the difference is that there is no link coding in the code anymore that can cause havoc.

 

[Steppesister]

My heart is aching right now. Some of you remember Dana, "dglilbit", who posted here and I got to know some.

We are not guaranteeed our next breath, but when a beautiful child is taken, it's just too much to bear. Her sweet little Evie passed away this morning from childhood leukemia after a long hard battle.

You can find her Facebook page at Evie's Journey if you want to leave a note for Dana from the DISFamily.

 

[rndmr2]

My heart is aching right now. Some of you remember Dana, "dglilbit", who posted here and I got to know some.

We are not guaranteeed our next breath, but when a beautiful child is taken, it's just too much to bear. Her sweet little Evie passed away this morning from childhood leukemia after a long hard battle.

You can find her Facebook page at Evie's Journey if you want to leave a note for Dana from the DISFamily.

I have been following her story ever since you had posted a few months ago about it asking for prayers for her. Heartbreaking what that little girl went through.

 

[Steppesister]

I have been following her story ever since you had posted a few months ago about it asking for prayers for her. Heartbreaking what that little girl went through.

I cried a fair amount today. So hard after such a long road. Just heartbreaking.

 

[pkondz]

I cried a fair amount today. So hard after such a long road. Just heartbreaking.

 

[afwdwfan]

My heart is aching right now. Some of you remember Dana, "dglilbit", who posted here and I got to know some.

We are not guaranteeed our next breath, but when a beautiful child is taken, it's just too much to bear. Her sweet little Evie passed away this morning from childhood leukemia after a long hard battle.

You can find her Facebook page at Evie's Journey if you want to leave a note for Dana from the DISFamily.

I just can't even come up with the words to express my sadness for her family.