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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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My bittersweet journey to complete Stefanie's final birthday party is complete. I ordered the pictures her first night in the hospital in April as I felt a sense of urgency to get the book done for her. At that time I was thinking I'd have time when we got back home before the trip to make it for her, but now it's for me and Luke to treasure. Lots of love and tears covered this book as well.
This is Abram, our great nephew. His mom, our niece, and Stefanie are only children and always relied on each other as sisters. So the minute Brittany knew she was pregnant, she told Stefanie she was going to be an aunt, and that is how we all looked at it. Brittany will have a little girl in August and one of the first people she told was Stefanie. Luke and I are going to give Heidi Grace Stefanie's day bed so that Stefanie is still taking care of her "niece" though she is gone. Abram ran to Stefanie every time he saw her, so precious!
The collage was put together as part of the package from the funeral home. We were given a framed 8 x 10. Each guest could pick up a 4 x 6 (which this is). The sky is a picture the day of her party, which some of you may recall was the day after tornadic storms in our area.
Stefanie was my favorite subject to photograph and scrapbook because she was truly alive every moment. Whatever emotion she was feeling was tangible in her face and her demeanor.
That is beautiful. That is a treasure album for sure. I loved her shoelaces! She did have a way to light up the world around her. I never had the honor of meeting her, but she sure made me smile. What an awesome memory this is.
Beautiful! I am sure every picture and every page will bring you many tears along with much joy!!
You are so fortunate to have so many wonderful memories!! I marvel at how much of her life you have documented in pictures!
How precious each one of those memories and pictures are!!!!!!!!!
Stefanie could light up any room and put a smile on everyone's face!
And Cam, she still can!
Cam, this is beautiful! You did a wonderful job. I especially love the picture of Luke and Stef (such love and joy in that picture!) and the picture of Stef and Abram. So beautiful!
Thank you for sharing!
__________________
Amanda =)
Living out a childhood dream during my summer 2015 trip to WDW. Is it time to go back yet?
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." –Walt Disney
Cam, That's such a lovely album! Thanks for sharing it with us. I love the papers you found, and the border that goes down the right hand side of one page is so pretty! That was such a beautiful way to honor her memory.
So tragic, but yet so fitting, that you put that final collage on the last page.
Be strong, our thoughts are with you.
This truly is the best book you've ever done. While I know it was sad, I'm sure it helped a little in the healing process.
This, along with all the notes you and your family members have been finding lately reminds me of the scene in Up when Mr. Fredrickson finds the note from Ellie to "Go have your own adventure." Kinda fits here with your upcoming trip to Disney. *hugs* I never had the pleasure of meeting Stefanie (or you, yet!) face to face, but you've always done a great job of sharing her with all of us!
What a wonderful reminder - that is something you guys will always treasure. It must have been so hard and very bittersweet putting that together, but I know it's something that you'll be able to look back on fondly in years to come.
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