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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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DH's grandkids have been returned to their home. It was a grueling trip to get them there, full of whining, spitting, hitting, and more whining. I even had to pull over and threaten to "make them sorry they made me mad" a couple of times!!
DDs and I, and even DH, were relieved to know we were getting them back home. And then we actually took them home. To their house or what ever they call it. That made us sad. The kids had to tell us how to get to their house because their parents were too high to tell us. The kids' directions were kind of funny: turn at the church, stay on the "smooth" road. Turn where Joe lives, unto another smooth road. Then turn "HERE", onto the "rock" road. The rock road turns into rock with grass in the middle, then turn onto the dirt road, and go until it ends. They live about 1/4 mile down the no-road!!
My DDs were appalled to see how their half-brother and niece and nephew live!! Trailer with two doors - one of them missing and replaced by plywood. Most of the windows were missing and also replaced with plywood or cardboard. There were at least 5 dogs wandering around, all of them flea ridden! We were not invited in, and for that, I'm happy. The kids were really happy to see their parents, but asked us if they could go back home with us soon.
The best part of the entire situation was that it started a discussion with DDs, DH and I about making choices and getting an education. They've decided we're not such bad parents after all and they're very glad we push them to continue their educations.
I know you're exhausted from the trip, but I hope you know what a blessing you've been to these kids.
Hopefully as they get older they will see that there can be another way to live than the one they've seen.
I think it's great that you encourage your kids to get as educated as they can, but it sounds like a lack of an education is the least of your step-sons issues. Soap and water are not expensive and one does not need an education to clean. It also sounds like he has a considerable drug problem that needs to be addressed.
I have met many people who did not have a formal education but have done well through hard work and resoucefullness. Many tradesmen make a much better living than some professionals.
Even though you are far away, you can be a part of these children's lives by staying connected through letters and calls. And if the home is really bad, maybe someone should call the health or building departments.
Are you sure they are safe to live there? Sounds like unfit parenting on many fronts... I know you don't want them permanently - but it would be hard to know what kind of conditions they are living in...
I think it's great that you encourage your kids to get as educated as they can, but it sounds like a lack of an education is the least of your step-sons issues. Soap and water are not expensive and one does not need an education to clean. It also sounds like he has a considerable drug problem that needs to be addressed.
I have met many people who did not have a formal education but have done well through hard work and resoucefullness. Many tradesmen make a much better living than some professionals.
Even though you are far away, you can be a part of these children's lives by staying connected through letters and calls. And if the home is really bad, maybe someone should call the health or building departments.
Their lives may not be great but you gave them something to dream about and dream for. You would be amazed how dreams can drive you to a better life and breaking chains.
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Pixie Dust
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"Sparky"(My first trip.)
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