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There are other changes as well.

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To a new day, we go on.

It's time to move on and move forward.

PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.

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Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!

If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.

So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

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Old 10-11-2011, 07:12 PM   #1
truenancy
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Three, it’s a magic number - 11/29-12/6/11

I’m back, finally writing a PTR. This kinda snuck up on me. I’m sure you’re all familiar with it: you book a trip months (or more!) ahead, you wait impatiently for your 180 day mark, then time slooooows until you panic because your trip is right around the corner! Well, I haven’t hit the panic mode, but I’m definitely lackadaisical – so I’m hoping this PTR will boost me off my backside and make me address all those last-minute things. We’re 7 weeks out, so let’s get it started!


Who:

Me, Nancy, 42, 6th trip to WDW (including honeymoon), 3rd time with kids. Part-time office manager, full-time parent (so chauffeur, social secretary, cleaning service, shopper, confidant, volunteer, goalie, pitcher, QB, band-aid applier, and anything else that gets thrown my way). Have planned about 85% of previous trips, with input from DH and DKids. My motto in life is, “I’m organized so I can be spontaneous.” Fill me with knowledge, and I might just use it. Favorite things at WDW: World Showcase, Peter Pan, Soarin’.


DH: Rob, also 42, 5th trip to WDW (luckily, including same honeymoon), 3rd time with kids. Has worked at the same company (though in many different jobs) for 18 years. Ultra-stable, a bit of a worrier, will worry about the weather if everything else is settled. Motto in life: “Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.” We just had our 15th anniversary, so I guess we’re here to stay. Favorite things at WDW: RnRC, HM, Soarin’.


DD: Alison, 10, huge reader, Harry Potter freak, organized, non-competitive but likes sports for fun, a mini-me (I realize I’m bragging now) because she loves geography, writing stories, history, cultures, languages, animals, and science. If it’s not made by Lands End or LL Bean, she won’t wear it (and even then, only if it’s soft). Motto in life: “Let me sit here with my cozy blanket, my hot chocolate, and my pile of books.” She wants to be a pilot when she grows up, and write books while she’s waiting for her passengers. Favorite things at WDW: BTMR, KimPossible, shopping at World Showcase.


DS: Colin, 8, is a boy’s boy without being too tough. He’s a nice kid who the teachers love, but he’s the class clown with his friends. Into flag football, soccer, rip-sticking (funky skateboard), and playing with the 10 other boys in the neighborhood (poor DD, I guess that’s why she likes to read). Also a Harry Potter freak. Motto in life: “I like to run. And jump. And I’ve got a personal soundtrack that runs from the minute I wake up to the minute I fall asleep.” Favorite things at WDW: BTMR, Splash Mountain, Nemo show at AK.
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Old 10-11-2011, 07:48 PM   #2
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Looking forward to reading about your plans! And I can so related to the time slowing down then BAM, panic mode. I was there a couple of weeks ago.
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Old 10-11-2011, 09:36 PM   #3
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Great cast of characters!
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Old 10-12-2011, 01:09 AM   #4
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I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world
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Old 10-12-2011, 04:09 AM   #5
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Great start!
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Old 10-12-2011, 09:11 AM   #6
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Old 10-12-2011, 02:31 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WeRDisneyFanatics View Post
Looking forward to reading about your plans! And I can so related to the time slowing down then BAM, panic mode. I was there a couple of weeks ago.
Glad to know there's a light at the end of my tunnel!

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Originally Posted by Cam22 View Post
Great cast of characters!
Thanks!

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Originally Posted by bsblady01 View Post
I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world
Thanks - I'm sure it'll be fabulous! if it ever gets here...

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Originally Posted by chezp View Post
Great start!
Thanks!

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Great start Nancy!
Thanks!
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Old 10-16-2011, 08:33 PM   #8
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When: My signature says “Shhhhh…it’s a secret” because my kids see my PP signature regularly. So I'll let you in on the secret - we’ll be in our happy place from Tuesday, November 29 (a few days after Thanksgiving) thru Tuesday, December 6. DD’s birthday happens to fall in that time (a coincidence, since we were trying to schedule around Columbus Day, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving). This is the one year the kids are in the same school, and pixie dust rained down on me the day I found out that parent conferences are scheduled while we’re gone. So the kids only miss four days and 2 half-days, during a totally non-productive week. I just have to re-schedule conferences – not a problem.

Unfortunately, we still have to plan a little around the taping of the Holiday parade at MK on Dec 3 in the middle of our trip, but we’re avoiding MK on Saturday – and Sunday in case it gets rain-delayed. Then Pop Warner comes in as we’re leaving, but that shouldn’t impact us too much.

The trip is a surprise for the kids. They know we’re trying to plan a trip, and that "we’re searching for deals." We’ve been saving money in an old moonshine jug and that’ll be their spending money (I told them we can go when there's $500 in there - there's currently $240).


They loved helping to plan the last two trips, giving lots of input. This time they said they want to be totally surprised. But DD loves to organize and plan, and DS has some pretty strong opinions. How to balance that? I know! Tell them three days in advance! That’ll give them the high without the panic. (that’s the plan, anyway - fingers crossed)

We have a menagerie (another wrinkle in the surprise plan), so when we’re at my parents’ house for Thanksgiving, we’ll leave the dog with them and tell the kids that Saturday. With three day’s notice, we’ll return home, have Sunday to discuss/plan/pack/distribute other animals, Monday to brag to all their friends, and we leave Tuesday morning. With a 10:00 a.m. flight, we’ll be walking down Main Street by mid-afternoon.


The reveal is still being planned. Actually, I haven’t really thought about it, but I’m not planning on anything commercial-worthy. Since we’ll be travelling to my parents’, I can’t really pack anything big like balloons. Maybe if we’re tired of turkey we’ll get pizza and do the pizza-box-opening surprise. I also have a countdown calendar we've used for the other two trips - it's a fabric banner with little Disney character dolls velcro-ed to it. You take one off per day. Maybe I'll pull it out (I can hear the squeal of excitement now), and have them keep pulling guys off it until we get to three. Hmmm...


Then JetBlue, baby! Love the service, the non-stop, the first bag is free, and the TVs in the headrests. And they take me where I want to go. Aaahhh...
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Old 10-16-2011, 09:19 PM   #9
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I'm sure their reaction will be commercial worthy, even if the reveal isn't.

I don't know that I could keep that secret...it would kill me.
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Old 10-16-2011, 09:38 PM   #10
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Great start!
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Old 10-17-2011, 02:26 AM   #11
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Your plans sound wonderful, both for the trip and the reveal - I can't wait to hear how that goes!
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Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
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Old 10-17-2011, 08:32 AM   #12
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Sounds like the plans are all coming together!
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Old 10-17-2011, 09:48 PM   #13
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Sounds like everything for the trip is coming together! with the surprise reveal!
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Old 10-17-2011, 10:02 PM   #14
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Great Start!! I Love the Reveal Ideas!
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Old 10-17-2011, 10:17 PM   #15
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Great start and great cast can't wait to read more
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