An Island Frame of Mind (A Cam and Luke PTR) Updated 5/22 - Page 44 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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I cant believe it is almost trip time. As much as I always hate rushing the winter away I am so glad that it seems to have finally left for good - I so do not like the cold.
Jasmine went to see the Avengers and she loved it as well.....think I might need to take a trip to see it, along with the fact that we have not seen Cinderella yet.
I can't believe it either. I'd see Cinderella first and then Avengers.
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Originally Posted by MayraLR
Hope the days go by quickly!
I'm sure they will, especially since I still have quite a bit I need to do before we go.
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Originally Posted by DMA
Gosh, I fell behind a bit! So exciting when you can say "This time next week!"
I have not seen Cinderella yet, but I pre-ordered the DVD from Disney Movie Club. Looking forward to a movie night when it finally arrives!
Hope the time flies bye quickly for you guys!!! It won't be long now & you know your almost trip ready when you make your final Target run!!!
We were both shocked that our last before the trip Target run only consisted of 3 items.
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Originally Posted by Big Baloo
So exciting to realize that your long awaited trip is just around the corner!
Glad to hear you're enjoying your time before leaving with more than just errands and cleaning. I took my 16yo daughter and my 80yo mother to see Age of Ultron last weekend and all 3 of us enjoyed it very much. We also loved Cinderella (we "allowed" 23yo son to come with, ànd he really liked it as well.)
Enjoy the anticipation of these last few days, and can't wait to hear all about it when you return!
Sounds like a fun afternoon with your walk, the movies and a Mexican dinner! I love forward to the day when my DH and I can do things like that together during the day Your trip is going to be here before you know it!
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I guess we all know exactly what you mean about the anticipation driving you nuts. Keeping busy going into the single digits it very hard, so I pack and repack to make sure I'm not forgetting anything and I clean what I have already cleaned.
going to see avengers this weekend. Love RDJ. Such a good actor and he looks amazingly well considering the junk he has pumped into his body in the past. Of course the 2 Chris (es) are certainly easy on the eyes.
Sounds like a fun afternoon with your walk, the movies and a Mexican dinner! I love forward to the day when my DH and I can do things like that together during the day Your trip is going to be here before you know it!
Our time together is the best part of retirement.
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Originally Posted by Roxie2006
I guess we all know exactly what you mean about the anticipation driving you nuts. Keeping busy going into the single digits it very hard, so I pack and repack to make sure I'm not forgetting anything and I clean what I have already cleaned.
I think I've been much more meticulous about planning this week in order to stay busy than I do any other week of the year.
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Originally Posted by lfredsbo
Funny -Emily has already seen Cinderella..............BUT she went without me
going to see avengers this weekend. Love RDJ. Such a good actor and he looks amazingly well considering the junk he has pumped into his body in the past. Of course the 2 Chris (es) are certainly easy on the eyes.
Avengers does have lots of eye candy!
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Originally Posted by KMB733
Sounds like you and Luke had a very nice day. I saw the Avengers last weekend and I really enjoyed it!
We stayed so busy yesterday that by the time I got photos edited it was ten o'clock and I was getting sleepy. So today will be a double update.
Wednesday, May 6 --
Around 9:00 AM we headed out into our neighborhood for our 5K walk in order to take advantage of cooler temperatures. When we got back, Luke asked if I'd walk the yard with him. He wanted me to point out weeds while he sprayed the pesty things. Before helping, I headed inside to retrieve two things: chrome Mickey head bolt covers for my license plate and the camera. The yard was looking especially pretty today so I wanted a pictorial record.
One of my favorite evergreen trees as it's soft to the touch, not a bit prickly.
Minnie Mouse statue we purchased at last year's F&GF.
When I got back outside, poor Luke was retrieving willow branches from our front yard for the third or fourth day in a row. I love this tree, but every time the wind blows or it rains, we have a plethora of limbs and branches to remove. I ran back inside to get a garage bag for the debris.
Then Luke added my chrome bolt covers, so they can make the trip to WDW with us. They look so, so cute!
We spent the next 20 minutes or so trekking through the yard, attacking every weed we could find. In the process, I got photos of the yard, the trees, the flowers, and all.
Day lily flower garden
See how tiny these tulip trees are.
Watering the little tulip trees.
This is our 3 year old tulip tree. It started how much larger than the other two so I'm guessing another 4 - 6 years before they are this big.
By this time, I needed to clean up so that I'd have time for lunch before volunteering at Care Net from 1:00 - 4:00. Volunteering was an adventure today as my three hours were packed with grading, emptying donation bottles, teaching a client, working with two other clients, and even taking a safety test. Before I could hardly blink my eyes, it was time to head home. Thankfully, Luke made dinner last night so I started in on laundry.
Miraculously, I got three loads of laundry done. If we walk, we each manage at least two outfits a day. Sweat clothes can make the house smell like a locker room. Not good! And I'd rather not leave anything unwashed before we leave.
Luke's new kicks:
This time next week it is supposed to a warm and stormy day in Orlando (according to one weather service). We are headed to AK so I'm really hoping we can miss the rain as this park isn't as fun in the rain. My goal for the day is enjoying (and photographing) all the animals. Dinner will be at AKL-Kidani Village's Sanaa, our favorite restaurant. Of course, if I'm this close to Zawadi gift shop, I'll have to stop by.
Thursday, May 7 --
Because of plans later in the day, Luke and I started out on our walk at 7:30 AM. While walking we actually, we revised our plans, which turned out to be a good idea as we got so much done. We initially we were going for a 5K, but at a turning point in our neighborhood, we decided to plow on ahead. In the end we walked 4 miles.
Of course, that meant we both needed to quickly freshen up as Luke was taking me to my manicure appointment while he took the Edge in for an oil change, tire rotation, and inspection. We'd rather know all is well before setting out on a 12 - 13 hour road trip. He also planned a stop afterwards as Lowe's to pick up more weed killer at it is working very well and was now on sale. On his way to the oil change, Luke had noticed gas prices were going up, so before he got back to me, he stopped at the one convenience store where the gas was still 17 cents cheaper. My nails were finished about 5 minutes before Luke arrived back to pick me up.
From there we were off to my haircut appointment. Luke had his cut last week, but he felt there was a place in the back that needed a little more trimming so this worked out well for him to take me. We both our loving our new hairstylist who does an incredible job while charging us so much less. I also had my brows waxed, and then an hour later we were ready for errands.
First stop was Hallmark to purchase Mamaw a Mother's Day card and birthday cards for my two sisters. I thought I had an $8 rewards certificate, but unfortunately, it had expired. This errand reminds me of another one on Monday because the two shops are side by side. A little back story about a month and a half ago while we were shopping in Evansville, I had an employee in a jewelery store clean and inspect my rings. I was told that my "Past, Present, Future" ring's center stone would need new brackets very soon at a cost of $200. I was even warned that the diamond could fall out any time. I wear this ring all the time, so he made me quite nervous. We decided to wait though and have someone here in town check it out. Now back to Monday, we took it in to a place that has been honest with us in the past. The clerk took my ring back and about 15 minutes she returned it to me repaired complete with a rhodium treatment. I asked how much. Wait for it!
FREE! I know my mouth dropped, but once I'd recovered I asked if my wedding set could have the rhodium, too. No problem! I must have thanked them ten times before leaving the store. In all they saved me $280 dollars at rhodium at the other store is $40 per ring. In addition, it was all done in a matter of 20 minutes where the other store sends them off and it's two weeks before they are back. Definitely a win-win for us! I think I send Luke here for some Christmas shopping.
Now for a bite of lunch from McDonalds -- grilled chicken snack wrap Ranch and small fries that we shared and two diet Dr. Peppers. We ate in the car on our way to Home Depot. This reminds me that I need to vacuum the car tomorrow or Saturday. We had three tasks at Home Depot. The most important was to find Mamaw's Mother's Day gift. She loves flowers so she is so easy to buy for, except that we always look over all the plants before we make a final choice. Today it was a large yellow begonia in a pretty gray and yellow pot. Second, I wanted to purchase an LED solar light in a blown glass globe to add to our day lily flower bed outside our kitchen window. I was afraid this might sell out before we got back home. I haven't had the camera out yet today, so I'll try to get one of it tomorrow. Finally, we needed some way to protect our teeny tiny tulip trees when our nephew's landscaping company mows for us the next couple of weeks. Not knowing where to look, we searched for awhile before we found what we needed a few feet from checkout.
We still had work to do at home. Luke put the light in the flower garden, watered the tulip trees, put the protective guards around them, and picked up a few more willow branches. I cleaned both bathrooms (done until we get back ), and once the sheets were dry, I made the bed.
About 3:30 I could finally check e-mail and the boards. We looked over the Hallmark Dream Book together and filled out my Wish List, which we'll drop off tomorrow. Our store pulls our ornaments and already has them bagged up when I pick them up in July.
Now we're just 'laxin' (as Stefanie would say) and watching some TV.
This time next week may be another rainy but very warm day. Our plans have us at Epcot all day with dinner at Hacienda. I would love some sunshine for at least part of the day as I'm sure there will still be gardens and topiaries to photograph.
What a beautiful garden you guys have!! It sounds like a very productive couple of days for you. I hope the forecast brightens up a bit for your trip! I'm sure you'll have fun either way, but sunshine in Florida is always nice!!
What a beautiful garden you guys have!! It sounds like a very productive couple of days for you. I hope the forecast brightens up a bit for your trip! I'm sure you'll have fun either way, but sunshine in Florida is always nice!!
We prefer perennials, but we will also had some annuals in pots when we get back home. We just didn't want anyone to have to mind them for us while we are gone. We've had such a gloomy winter that I'm craving sunshine right now, though I know that rainy days are just a part of summer, too.
going to see avengers this weekend. Love RDJ. Such a good actor and he looks amazingly well considering the junk he has pumped into his body in the past. Of course the 2 Chris (es) are certainly easy on the eyes.
We're seeing Avengers tomorrow! And the boys all say Thor is my 'boyfriend'.
I can't believe it's almost time for you to go! Just doesn't seem possible. I think we went straight to summer from winter. Im seriously considering turning on the AC! I love the 'this time next week stage'!
You really do learn something every day - I'd never heard of tulip trees, but I went and looked them up on Google and I'm familiar with them, I just never knew any name for them.