Thank you all for your encouragement, very much.
Yesterday was my maiden voyage into the pond. I have spent countless hours swimming in it, but never when it was 50 degrees outside, or while wearing a wetsuit. It went well.
Just donning everything by myself (1.5m suit, 5m suit, hooded vest, boots, etc.) was a worthwhile exercise. By the time I do my first shore dive, I want it to be second nature.
The weight belt loaned to me by my LDS seemed to be just about dead on, but I would appreciate your thoughts. When I was vertical in the water, if I exhaled completely, I would sink down to about eye level. It was enough weight to keep me from just splashing around on the surface.
I learned that my right hip is stronger than my left. While flutter kicking facing down, I would consistently turn to the left. Time to focus on symmetry. I will try to find some videos that show a proper frog kick so I can learn that. Seems like an important thing to know when you want to be careful not to disturb the bottom.
Doffing solo was also a worthwhile exercise, as was rinsing everything with tap water and properly drying it.
Practice, practice, practice...
Next time, I will work in mask clearing.
It ain't the ocean, but it's in my backyard.