A Dream is a Wish--Mini-TR [UPDATED WITH PIX posts 316 & 320] - Page 15 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
I'm so glad to hear that things have settled down somewhat for your sister's family.
There will be more drama in the future, but it's great that your sister talked to him honestly. I'm sure he was expecting to be sent away, poor little guy. My granddaughter was adopted from foster care, so I'm more than interested in how things go and will continue to send positive thoughts their way.
It sounds like your DN is so fortunate to have found your sister. She seems to be willing to take the long way, not the easy way and that's what a child like him needs.
They are all in my thoughts and I hope they will soon have a wonderful family trip (although perhaps to someplace less stimulating than Disney.
I'm so glad to hear that things have settled down somewhat for your sister's family.
There will be more drama in the future, but it's great that your sister talked to him honestly. I'm sure he was expecting to be sent away, poor little guy. My granddaughter was adopted from foster care, so I'm more than interested in how things go and will continue to send positive thoughts their way.
Yes, it's good. She called to see if I could come up to support them trick-or-treating. She thinks he could end up having a blow-out that night, but having another person along would help with that. I can't though, I've got plans and we're staying in town.
She called last night to say that she's noticing that she is escaping with food, esp sugar, and noticing that is a great sign, that she has come out of the worst of it and is able to reflect on how she is doing more. Good! DNeph is scheduled to start at the therapy day school on Nov 9th.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huntermom
It sounds like your DN is so fortunate to have found your sister. She seems to be willing to take the long way, not the easy way and that's what a child like him needs.
They are all in my thoughts and I hope they will soon have a wonderful family trip (although perhaps to someplace less stimulating than Disney.
She has not always been the most insightful or reflective person. My sis is a lawyer, and a staunch evangelical christian, and often is a black and white thinker. I do think that they did bring him in and expect him to be grateful and for their family to be "family" right away. Now, 4 years later, he's saying that it's not working for him. It's been a huge shock, but they can see the writing on the wall, and they are working to meet him where he's at. I think this was a long time coming, and while it's hard, this is EXACTLY the work they need to go through to help him move toward greater acceptance of this family as his "forever" family.
I've been working on shoring up and formatting my daily plans in my planning spreadsheet. It's so fun!
Also, spent a good amt of time with my parents this past week. It was a blast. I started working on my dress pattern. I bought a used flannel sheet in good condition, and I'm using that to work up my pattern based on my duct-tape body form. It's worked out pretty well so far. I have had to make a few adustments along the way, but I'm getting a great, tailor-fit paper pattern that I will be able to use for the real thing. AND I'm going to have a neat flannel dress in a fall print that is pretty loud, but I think I can get away with wearing as well. I'll post pics of the flannel dress when I have it finished.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Looking forward to seeing photos of the dress when it's done.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Great work! Can't wait for the pics!
Thanks! I didn't get nearly as much done on it on Sunday as I expected to, so I hope it will be done next weekend. (Giving me 3 more weekends to work on the "real" dress, plus DS and DH's shirts.) Ummmmm, I think I can hit the panic button now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Sounds like the visit with your parents energized you to start sewing. Can't wait to see both dresses.
I think it was the other way around, I knew I needed to sew, and my mom has a serger, so I wanted to do it at their house. Plus, they have a lot more room, so it's easier.
Once I was there, I didn't want to go anywhere else, though. I love being with my parents, especially in the fall-winter months. I'm really lucky to have a great relationship with them (esp since I left home at 15.) The MINUTE they let me go and stopped trying to bring me back, our relationship was restored and we've been best buds ever since. Funny, my sis was a "good girl" and never really rebelled much. Her relationship with the parents is more conflicted as an adult.
__________________
Themed environment junkie
Last edited by KimmyAnn1147; 10-27-2015 at 09:41 AM..
I've been struggling with my daily schedule, because of the Magic Morning times. Tuesday I have planned as a CA day, but magic morning is availble at DL at 8am. The other 2 days it's available it starts at 7am! That seems just a bit too rough on DS, who sleeps until 9 if allowed. Getting him up before 7 seems like a recipe for a bad day.
I started a thread in the planning section about this.
I've decided to make daily touring plans with 2 options, one set with DL on Monday and Tuesday (MM at 8) and CA on Th and Sa, and another set with DL on Monday and Th (MM at 7am) and CA on Tu and Sa.
That way, I will have a schedule for each option that I can follow, but we can decide the night before.
As a reminder, I am doing detailed touring plans for the morning until the crowds pick up, then it's much more loose. We have a lot of days, so we should be able to do all of our must-dos. I just don't want to get stuck waiting in long lines or wondering which direction to go next.
deciding what to do about the early mornings. Personally, the 7:00am start worked brilliantly for us, but then again, we're early risers and you know your family best of all to know whether it will work for you.
I have worked with children who are adopted/awaiting adoption for many years. Regardless of you sister's personal issues, my experience is much of the "Blame" lays with the adoption agency. They do not adequately prepare kids for adoption, especially accepting the loss of their biological family and preparation for getting a new family. It is hard work and I think it is easier for people to pretend getting a new (usually middle class) family will solve any problems.
I also worked for the state child welfare agency right out of college. I was neither trained nor supervised adequately for the difficult job I was doing. I would also argue at 22, I just didn't have the life experience to do the best job, no matter who much I tried. In retrospect, I see so many things that could/should have been done better.
I have worked with children who are adopted/awaiting adoption for many years. Regardless of you sister's personal issues, my experience is much of the "Blame" lays with the adoption agency. They do not adequately prepare kids for adoption, especially accepting the loss of their biological family and preparation for getting a new family. It is hard work and I think it is easier for people to pretend getting a new (usually middle class) family will solve any problems.
I also worked for the state child welfare agency right out of college. I was neither trained nor supervised adequately for the difficult job I was doing. I would also argue at 22, I just didn't have the life experience to do the best job, no matter who much I tried. In retrospect, I see so many things that could/should have been done better.
Yes, sadly this is the case for DN as well. He met my sister and her husband once, then was dropped off with them the next week "forever". Poor guy.
I read your post and all I could think was no wonder he has reactive attachment disorder. I have a hard time that we always tell kids to never go with strangers but the child welfare agencies place kids with strangers all the time. And our DCYf is hell bent on terminating rights of parents of completely unadoptable kids. I mean there are not many homes for a seriously disturbed firesetting 14 year old.
ETA: I am excited that your trip is getting closer. Disneyland is a wonderful place to spend time to get away from it all.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
deciding what to do about the early mornings. Personally, the 7:00am start worked brilliantly for us, but then again, we're early risers and you know your family best of all to know whether it will work for you.
Linear Mode
