Mom & Me, Work & Fun PTR (Sept. 7-14, 2013) - Page 18 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 loved the pic on FB of Pat hugging the kids, so sweet. I'm glad he made it home safely. In other news....did you see the new Dooney & Bourke Haunted Mansion purse that gets released on Sept 13? Perfect timing for your trip!
Glad you came up with something to help you carry all you need to do the photos.
Wow, Pat really lucked out with his flights. That is pretty awesome.
Boy, I don't know how you do it. You sure do a lot. Getting so close now!!
It will really help a ton! I will still have to keep some cards in the car, or my mom's ECV, but at least they will be easier to manage in the parks. Pat did luck out, how often do you want all your flights to be delayed enough to make the connections. Trust me there are days I go to bed thinking "when did I have time to do all that??".
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
I can't believe Pat made his connections! Getting down to the wire now and it sounds like you're really as prepared as it's possible to be. Congratulations on the weight loss! You did it! Safe travels and have a wonderful trip! I'll be looking for you!
I couldn't either, especially the one in Houston. I can't believe I head to Denver on Friday! It is so close! You travel safely as well and I will shoot you a text once I'm there and try to meet up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KHarrod
I LOVE your maps project! Sounds like it will be much easier for you now. Thank goodness all of the pixie dust worked for Pat! I was thinking to myself, "man, that is cutting it awful close!" Glad everything worked out in his favor! Congratulations on your weight loss!!!! I'm so proud of you! Yeah, if I were you, I'd probably not weigh myself anymore before the trip either...to me, it counts, and that's all I would need to see before the trip to continue to claim that weight!
I am pretty sure it was your PTR that had the notecards. So, thanks for the idea. My official weigh in day is Tuesday, so I won't have another weigh in before the trip, so that is my official weight. I will weigh in again the Tuesday after I get home. Gives me a couple days to burn off the any trip weight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by disneydreamer33
Yay! So glad the pixies worked and Pat made it on time!
Congrats on the weightloss as well. Keep up the good work!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Congrats on the weight loss - great result!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Glad Pat made it home!
Quote:
Originally Posted by num1DVCfan
I loved the pic on FB of Pat hugging the kids, so sweet. I'm glad he made it home safely. In other news....did you see the new Dooney & Bourke Haunted Mansion purse that gets released on Sept 13? Perfect timing for your trip!
I will be posting the pic here in just a little bit or tomorrow morning, if I run out of time tonight. And I did see the Dooney & Bourke Haunted Mansion purse and I absolutely it! I was planning to get a my first Harvey bag on this trip, and then a Dooney Disney Cruise one on the cruise in Feb. I told Pat on the way home the Harvery is out and I will forgo the Cruise one until another time, because I have to have this bag!! I will be up bright and early Friday morning to find one!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Glad Pat was able to make all his connections. Congrats on the weight loss goal achieved. It's almost Disney time.
I had to post tonight to sum up today's chaos! It was such a busy day! After posting my update this morning we left the house and even got on the road about 10 minutes earlier than we had planned. The drive was uneventful and we made it to Albuquerque about 9:45 and picked up Pat at the hotel.
We had several places to stop in Albuquerque and started with the Sketchers store to get Hunter a new pair of shoes (he left his old pair out and the puppy chewed them up). We got him two pairs of the same shoes in a 5.5 and a 6 (2nd pair 1/2 off). He has such a hard time finding new shoes every time because he becomes very rigid in the ones he likes. Thinking this will get us a longer time before the next ones need purchased.
After that we went to the Stihl dealer to pick up the things Pat had ordered. I was a little frustrated with this stop because I thought everything was already ordered and ready to pick up. The kids and I waited in the car and waited, and waited and waited. An hour later Pat finally came out with the stuff. I was a little pissed because I could have run to two of the places I needed to go if he had told me. But I got over it.
We went to lunch at our favorite barbecue place, Country Line. We had our 2nd date, 1st one without friends, at the Country Line in Denver - it closed several years ago and we love being able to go there when we visit Albuquerque. We got a full-rack of beef ribs and a 3-Item combo with two types of brisket and sausage. Plus mashed potatoes, potato salad, fries and beans for sides. We all split the two meals and to be honest it was the perfect amount of food. It's a good thing I weighed in yesterday though.
After that we went to Lowe's and this time I asked Pat how long he thought he would be. He looked at me funny and I said I would run my two errands while he was there, Shana went with him. Hunter and I went to Brookstone to get some new headphones, mine are not working well and I also bought a "booster stick" for my iPhone. It's a small stick that will give a full charge to my iPhone. On the last trip my phone always died midday so I'm hoping this will help me during the trip. I then ran to Best Buy to get different memory cards for my camera, I ordered the wrong kind online but Best Buy didn't have any.
I went back to get Pat and he suggested checking Walmart which was our final stop anyway so that worked well. They had the ones I needed, and since they are smaller capacity I bought 6 of them (they were cheap). We also got some other items, including Pat found some tubs to make "real" nesting boxes for the chickens. BTW, we got our 2nd egg yesterday and there was one there tonight as well when we got home.
The 2 1/2 hour drive home was uneventful as well.
When we got home all craziness broke out. We had been gone a bit longer than planned. Normally the dogs are fine in their kennels for 8-9 hours (this is rare for us, but they do okay). But we were running late and it had been about 10. The second I opened the front door I knew someone had an accident. I went to Chessie first and it was her, and she was covered in it. I got her outside right away. Bear and Abby were fine. We checked on the chickens a bit and then got to work. Pat and I had to bathe Chessie and then leave her outside while we cleaned the mess in our room. I will go light on details, but it was in the kennel, on the wall, the carpet around the kennel and a little on our really fancy dresser (that is part of the set we bought as our wedding gifts to each other). We hosed, washed, scrubbed, carpet cleaned and polished to get everything clean.
We got done with all that and I let Chessie back in and she was in for 10 minutes when I hear her puking behind me, all over the living room carpet! So we cleaned that up next.
All I can say is it's a good things she is cute!
Pat unpacked while I took a shower and we are now finally settling down for the evening. Before I head to bed, I need to grade the kids' schoolwork from yesterday and wash a load of laundry so Pat has clothes to wear to work tomorrow.
I would update on my plans for tomorrow but I'm tired and this was a pretty long post. I will have to do that in the morning. I have a busy day ahead tomorrow as well.
Great photo of Pat's reunion with the kids. Just what you needed, getting home to the mess Chessie made! Nothing like getting back into the swing of things at home for Pat. Hope you're not up too late with the grading.
It's just about here now!!! Glad pat made it back safe and sound. Sorry about all the mess, does not sound like fun. Have a safe trip to Denver and I hope your mom is ok. Have a safe trip to Disney!!! It's so close!!!!
Wow! Sounds like you had your hands full yesterday! We had a similar last minute "oh no!" issue yesterday as well; albeit not as messy as yours! DH decided he would try to mow the lawn yesterday to give him some time tonight to pull out the last items he needed to pack. He was able to mow 1/2 of the back yard and the mower konked out...and wouldn't restart. He thinks there could be two possible reasons why it did this...but we have to wait until we return from Disney to take the time to figure it out. Fortunately, my in-laws live across the street (we can see their backyard from our front yard) so DH borrowed their mower to finish our yard. Whew! Only 2 more days to go!!!!!
What a great picture of Pat and the kids!!! Cute puppy too -- but man - that is quite the mess to clean after such a long day!! I cannot wait to hear all about your trip!!
__________________
~ Jenn **Disney is REAL LIFE Magic, so much more than optical illusions **
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Congrats on the weight loss goal achieved. 
Glad you came up with something to help you carry all you need to do the photos.
Safe travels and have a wonderful trip! I'll be looking for you!
My official weigh in day is Tuesday, so I won't have another weigh in before the trip, so that is my official weight. I will weigh in again the Tuesday after I get home. Gives me a couple days to burn off the any trip weight. 
I will be up bright and early Friday morning to find one!
So we cleaned that up next. 
PassPorter Guide Author
DH decided he would try to mow the lawn yesterday to give him some time tonight to pull out the last items he needed to pack. He was able to mow 1/2 of the back yard and the mower konked out...and wouldn't restart. He thinks there could be two possible reasons why it did this...but we have to wait until we return from Disney to take the time to figure it out. Fortunately, my in-laws live across the street (we can see their backyard from our front yard) so DH borrowed their mower to finish our yard. Whew! Only 2 more days to go!!!!! 
Liz 
~ Jenn 
Deb
Linear Mode
