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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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06-26-2006, 12:52 PM
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#166
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Eileeeeeeen!™
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 28,861
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Re: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 1 Updated 6/24
I wonder what I'd have to bribe Calder with to get him to put on a dress and pretend to be a princess -- just so Mommy could get to experience this one! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
Guess I'll never know -- so thanks for all of the detail and the pictures. Miss Cupcake looks adorable, as usual!
Eileen
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06-26-2006, 07:54 PM
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#167
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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: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
Day 3 Part 2
While Mary Devall and I were taking the boat back to VWL, we talked at length about what we wanted to do this afternoon.
If we were going to go to MGM at all, it had to be this afternoon, but I also know that she wanted to swim. She went back and forth and forth and back, but finally decided that she would forego MGM for an afternoon of swimming. Since we knew that we would definitely be going to MGM in October (there was no way that our RnRC loving husband/father was going to miss MGM [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]), that suited us both.
We took our bags back to the room, changed into our swimsuits and were quickly back at the pool. We spent the next hour enjoying the cool water on a hot day. Mary Devall is taking swimming lessons now, so it was fun to watch how far she had progressed. Our biggest fun was swimming against the current from the waterfall and trying to make it to the side of the pool. We must have done that no less than ten times. We also spent a little time with our feet in the hot tub and we saw the geyser in action for the first time ever! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
When we were good and water logged, we stopped by the pool bar from some drinks and snacks (apple juice and chips for Mary Devall; margarita[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img] and popcorn for me[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/popc1.gif[/img]) and found a table overlooking the beach. I had to admit that it was so nice to take a break from the parks and just enjoy my little girl and the resort. From the look on her face, I could tell that she felt the same way. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
After we finished our snacks, we walked back to our room and changed out of our swimsuits. Mary Devall decided that she wanted to play with her new doll, so I spent the next thirty minutes trying to remove the Minnie Mouse outfit from the box. I swear that every piece of clothing was attached to the cardboard in about 5 five places. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] Finally, with the help of my manicure scissors, we had the Minnie Mouse outfit freed from the box. I read my book while Mary Devall changed Sleeping Beauty into Minnie Mouse. I barely read any of my book because I got such a kick out of watching and listening to Mary Devall play. She kept calling her doll “Honey” and telling her quite a few things that I’ve heard come out of my own mouth. Eek! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img]
After a while, I noticed that Mary Devall was looking around as if she was getting bored. I asked her if she wanted to go exploring and she immediately said “Yes!” Exploring is one of her favorite things to do, so she put on her trusty hat and we were off.
She had been wanting a picture with this Mickey our entire trip.
We looked in the window of the Den’s Club and noticed that they had arts and crafts, but that was just finishing up so we would have to save it for another trip. We walked straight through to Roaring Forks because Mary Devall decided that she needed something sweet. She immediately spotted the cupcakes[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/yuma.gif[/img], so we bought one for her and took it outside to enjoy at one of the outdoor tables. I specifically took this picture so Eileen would know that I didn’t withhold cupcakes from my child on this trip.
She ate her treat and then we continued on for some major “sploring” (as Mary Devall puts it) [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]. We climbed the stairs to each floor and checked out everything that we could on that floor before we moved up again. I had no idea that there was a gigantic deck at the front of WL over the valet area. It was pretty hot in the direct sunlight, so we didn’t stay out there too long. We also visited the many little balconies on the back of WL.
I just love all of the nooks and crannies. We climbed the stairs as far as we could until we reached the gate blocking concierge level. I tried to explain to Mary Devall that those people had paid extra to stay there, but she kept assuring me that she had money and we could go up there.[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/foreheadslap.gif[/img] That’s one of those conversation that you’re just not going to win, so I just tried to change the subject. When we finally made it back to the first floor, there was a penny pressing machine right there. Since Mary Devall had one penny left to fill her book (thanks to generous Ms. Monica), she decided to finish it there. The funny thing is that this was the very machine that had introduced her to penny pressing back when we stayed at WL during Hurricane Jeanne in 2004. With the final penny in her pocket[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img] and the WL completely explored, we walked back towards the villas. I knew that there was one last place that Mary Devall would love and I happened to have a surplus of quarters in my wallet - - the arcade.
Her eyes just lit up when she saw those machines. I don’t know if this little car is always going, but today it was so I sat her in it and let her ride to her heart was content.
We then moved on to some other machines. She played basketball and a few other games and then she decided that she wanted to play a dinosaur game. As soon as the first dinosaur came flying towards her and splat on the screen, she ran screaming. It took everything in me not to [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img]. I picked her up and let her watch while I finished the game. It was pretty yucky. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]
When we were out of quarters, we walked back to the villas and completed checked out the first floor there. We played every single game available on the tables (not correctly, mind you [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]) - - checkers, Chinese checkers, chess.
Finally we went back upstairs to get ready for our 7 p.m. ADR at Artist Point. This was the moment that mommy had been waiting for all day! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] We arrived shortly before our ADR and were seated promptly. I had no idea that the restaurant would be as big and bright as it was. Very surprising. Mary Devall had brought along “Honey” all dressed in her Minnie Mouse costume, so it was good that we had a table for four. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
Our server (and I cannot remember his name) immediately impressed me by pronouncing our last name correctly.[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img][img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img] No one ever does. Mary Devall decided on the hamburger and I decided (after months of heavy consideration [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]) to go with the fixed priced menu. I chose the soup, salad, beef tenderloin and berry cobbler. I also chose the 3-course wine flight to accompany it. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]
After we ordered, Mary Devall announced that she was freezing. It was cool in the restaurant and she had on a sleeveless dress, so in the interest of having a peaceful meal I asked our server to hold our food while we retrieved her sweater. So . . . back over to villas and down the loooong hall and then back again. Within minutes, Mary Devall announced that she had to go to the bathroom, so we were back up again. She actually was very well behaved throughout our meal; she just had to get all of her “going” out of the way first. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
And what a meal it was[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/yuma.gif[/img]. The Portobello soup was delicious - - so full of flavor - - and the salad was nice and light after the rich soup. The star of the meal was definitely the beef tenderloin - - melt in your mouth quality (I kept thinking of one of my cooking school comrades who always expressed his delight with a meal by exclaiming “Makes you want to slap your momma!” [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]). I normally am more of a “sides” girl than a “meat” girl, but I only ate the meat this time. I was getting very full, but of course I had to leave room for the famous berry cobbler which lived up to its reputation. I was surprised (and excited) to see that the “cobbler” was essentially the same shape as the blueberry buckle dessert at CRT - - maybe a little larger than a muffin. It makes a beautiful presentation with the ice cream and berries.
Mary Devall was very excited about her dessert - - the Mickey white chocolate puzzle with cookies. It arrived on an artist’s palate with a paint brush and dabs of different colored frosting. Six pieces of a white chocolate puzzle were scattered on the plate. We worked together to put them together and were rewarded with a picture of Mickey on a bicycle for our efforts. Mary Devall meticulously painted the picture with the frosting and then proceeded to eat her creation. She loved this dessert! It came with two gigantic cookies which another served graciously offered to box for her.
As our evening was winding down, I took the time to finish my wine flight.[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img] I can’t remember exactly which wines I had (sorry Larry! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]), but they were perfect accompaniments to each course.
We had great service during this meal. Our server was top notch, but a couple of the other servers took care of us also. One of the servers even came by to check out Honey’s Minnie Mouse outfit. She was especially impressed when we showed her Honey’ Minnie Mouse panties. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
I had decided to pay out of pocket for this meal instead of using the DDP, but I did have my DVC card so I was able to save 10%. That made a great meal even that much better! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img]
So [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thanx.gif[/img] to Larry and Terri for raving about this place. It was a perfect ending to a relaxing day. In turn, I have raved to DH about Artist Point, so I know that we’ll be coming here together again.
I had promised Mary Devall that she could go swimming twice today, so we went back out again to the smaller pool at the villas. The water was freezing, so we spent most of our time in the “hot pool” as Mary Devall calls the hot tub. It was a nice way to end the evening although I am normally not too excited about putting on a bathing suit after eating a four course meal! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]
We traveled back down that looong hallway once last time and went to sleep pretty quickly. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/snore.gif[/img]
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06-26-2006, 08:11 PM
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#168
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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: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
Sounds like a really relaxing afternoon and a wonderful dinner!! I can see why Mary Devall wanted that scrumptious cupcake!!!
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06-26-2006, 08:35 PM
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#169
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 18,767
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Re: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
What a wonderful afternoon the two of you had. Sounds very relaxing and that meal sounds fantastic. Makes me want to rethink our ADRs for October to see if we can fit it in.
Looking forward to more!!
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06-26-2006, 09:04 PM
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#170
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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: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
YEAH!!! I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed Artist Point!!! I just ate there on last thursday night and had the same soup and beef filet!!!
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06-27-2006, 01:58 AM
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#171
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Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Manchester, England
Posts: 3,595
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Re: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
Another fabulous update!. I am now so excited about out trip to the WL in August. Your dinner at Artist Point sounds amazing and I [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/love.gif[/img] the pictures of Mary Devall with her dessert!
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06-27-2006, 08:24 AM
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#172
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Community Rank: Trailblazer 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: North Carolina
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 5,666
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Re: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
Great update! Mary Devall's dessert is so creative!
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06-27-2006, 12:06 PM
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#173
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Community Rank: Adventurer 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: loveland, colorado =)
Posts: 689
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Re: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
You girls sure had a great day...swimming, sploring [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] and a great meal at Artists Point!! I [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/love.gif[/img] Mary Devall's dessert, very cool!! Looking forward to more[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
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06-27-2006, 12:22 PM
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#174
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Newtown Square, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 23,859
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Re: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
What a fabulous day!! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img] Relaxing, yet fun and your dinner sounds scrumptious!! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] I sure can't wait to hear more about your adventures!!
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06-27-2006, 12:37 PM
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#175
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RED SOX NATION!!
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854
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Re: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
Great update Jill [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] Fantastic pictures of Mary Devall (especially with the cup cake) [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/love.gif[/img]
I'm glad you both had such a great time at dinner, and exploring all afternoon [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
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06-27-2006, 02:17 PM
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#176
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Illinois
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 9,564
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Re: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
Caught up and I have to admit to having a tear in my eye while reading parts of your TR. Thanks for shaing and waiting for more!
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06-27-2006, 09:43 PM
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#177
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: North Central Ohio
Posts: 21,629
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Re: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
What a wonderful mother/daughter day you both had!!! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
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06-27-2006, 10:30 PM
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#178
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Community Rank: Jetsetter 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Berwick, PA
Posts: 2,931
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Re: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
Just read all of this! Can't wait for more!
Paula
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06-28-2006, 09:14 AM
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#179
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Community Rank: Scout 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Lafayette, LA & BCV
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 4,751
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Re: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
What a wonderful day!! I am glad Mary Devall was able to finish her book of pennies. Macy and I have so much fun pressing the pennies every trip! And the meal at Artist Point sounds yummy now I am thinking we should try it in December until waiting until June.
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06-28-2006, 03:23 PM
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#180
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 7,960
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Re: Girl Power - - Take Two Day 3 Part 2 Updated 6/26
Just getting caught up, Jill. The tea sounded wonderful. I may have said this before, but I think Mary Devall has a career as a princess in her future. She's a natural [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] That dinner at AP sounded scrumptious [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] Another place on the must try list. Can't wait for more!
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