Forums Closed
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As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
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.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
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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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
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03-01-2005, 08:30 AM
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#1
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Edmonton, KY
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 17,823
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Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
Yesterday, Michael started calling me Mama all the time. It about broke my heart, yet made me feel good all the time.
We met with Social Security people last week and found out that once the kids start receiving either SSI(from Kristy) or Railroad Retirement(from Harry), we can start the adoption proceedings and they will not lose their benefits.
We've spoken to their grandparents and at first, Mike(Kristy's dad) was against it until he realized that they only thing that will change will be their last name. Debbie(Kristy's mom--Ben's sister)is all for the kids having our last name.
They both know that had the kids been fostered out or some one else adopted them, chances are they'd know nothing about their parents. Since we're family, the kids will know all about Kristy and with the help of Harry's mom, they'll know about him too.
Here's the newest picture I have of these two!! I Must admit, I'm not the shutterbug that I used to be!
Gabrielle, 4 months. Michael 22 months. |
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03-01-2005, 08:53 AM
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#2
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Posts: 27,691
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
Oh, Wendy, that warms my heart to hear they will be with you guys. And they are SOOO cute  |
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03-01-2005, 08:56 AM
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#3
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Living Seas wannabe
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 31,940
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
Wendy - that is fabulous!!!
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03-02-2005, 05:55 AM
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#4
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RED SOX NATION!!
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
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03-01-2005, 08:59 AM
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#5
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 13,146
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
Oh Wendy that is the sweetest thing I have heard in a long time. I love the picture too, they are beautiful children and look very happy indeed.
Karen
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03-01-2005, 09:47 AM
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#6
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Community Rank: Trekker 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Western Pa
Posts: 1,500
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
Somehow I missed this whole saga.
Let me get this straight, biologically these are Ben's neice's kids? It doesn't really matter, I guess. Family is as family does.
I am so happy these kids have a wonderful, loving family in you two. Our adoption experience with Serenity is one of the most profound events of our lives. I would have to say even more profound than the birth of our bio sons, and that was really profound!
Much Pixie Dust moving forward, Mama.
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03-01-2005, 09:57 AM
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#7
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 16,825
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
They look just adorable! Good luck with the adoption proceedings.  |
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03-01-2005, 10:18 AM
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#8
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Magic Happens!
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: E. Stroudsburg, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 29,184
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
This is wonderful news. You and Ben are such wonderful people ! And the picture is adorable!!! |
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03-01-2005, 10:19 AM
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#9
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Whitefield, NH
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 13,599
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
What cuties - you guys are in for a great ride!
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Sponsored links
Check out the many e-books by PassPorter. The e-books are free to download if you have a PassPorter's Club pass.
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03-01-2005, 10:24 AM
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#10
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Edmonton, KY
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 17,823
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
[ QUOTE ]
Somehow I missed this whole saga.
Let me get this straight, biologically these are Ben's neice's kids? It doesn't really matter, I guess. Family is as family does.
I am so happy these kids have a wonderful, loving family in you two. Our adoption experience with Serenity is one of the most profound events of our lives. I would have to say even more profound than the birth of our bio sons, and that was really profound!
Much Pixie Dust moving forward, Mama.
[/ QUOTE ]
Long story short, the nice version: On Election Day, Nov. 2 2004, Ben's oldest niece, Kristy,died and so did her husband. Gabrielle was 6 days old at the time, Michael was 18 months old.
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03-01-2005, 07:09 PM
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#11
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Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ohio Football Hall Of Fame
Posts: 42,304
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
That is really wonderful news Wendy!! Those kids are so cute and so lucky to have somone like you and your husband in their lives!!!
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03-03-2005, 09:48 PM
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#12
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Manchester NH
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 12,514
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
[ QUOTE ]
That is really wonderful news Wendy!! Those kids are so cute and so lucky to have somone like you and your husband in their lives!!!
[/ QUOTE ]
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03-01-2005, 10:21 AM
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#13
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Faith, Trust, Pixie Dust
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 34,171
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
I am so happy Wendy! They are both so beautiful!
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03-01-2005, 12:50 PM
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#14
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Columbia, SC
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 7,014
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
Oh my gosh, are they not precious! And I know that you'll never forget him first calling you Mama. How sweet!
Congrats about the adoption plans! Those are such blessed children to have you and Ben in their lives.
Jill
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03-01-2005, 01:24 PM
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#15
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Community Rank: Jetsetter 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 2,584
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Re: Sweet changes! Updates on life in general!
From the ashes of tragedy rises a beautiful blessing...for your whole family. It warms my heart to see people as special as you and Ben, Wendy. Continued best wishes for you all.
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