Patience, My Young Padawan PTR - UPDATED 5/25 - Page 2 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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
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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.
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OH how cool We will be there from 5/27 - 6/5 hope to see you around...
That's great! We'll have to compare our planning notes to see where we'll be when.
Quote:
Originally Posted by I live with a 'Stitch'!
So sad that we'll miss meeting you by just a couple of days! But, so excited for you that your trip has finally come around--and so close .
Great start- can't wait to hear all the details.
Aww - I'm so sorry we'll be missing each other. I would consider it a big honor to meet up with you and your beautiful family. Are you all going for SWW? I remember your son got chosen at Jedi Training Academy last trip...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shelley the Pooh
Oh I just love your title and theme!! My DMom was a huge Star Wars fan when I was younger and most of those 1st 3 released movies are burned into my brain.
We are going in May but we leave the 14th. I am hoping there might be some soft openings to the re-done Star Tours before we leave.
Great start and hope to see more quotes!
Thanks! I'm the same way; I can quote Episodes 4-6 line for line.
I hope there's a soft opening for ST for you. I can imagine it's going to be pandemonium on SWW.
Quote:
Originally Posted by clio
Great start, Cathy. Love your quotes. My daughter and her boyfriend are big Star Wars fans and go down for Star wars weekend every year.
Liz
If they've got tips, we sure could use them!
Quote:
Originally Posted by sc507
Yay! So glad you've started a PTR! I remember being so disappointed for you when your last trip was postponed
That's one of the reasons I haven't been on the boards much since then; sometimes I would just get too depressed reading about all the fun everyone was having on their trips. It made the waiting seem even longer.
Awesome!! What a lovely story! I am looking forward to seeing how things turn out! You sound like you have a great family.
I will be at WDW the same time you will be there AND I happen to be engaged (or whatever you call a long term boyfriend at my age) to a Star Wars fiend (his nickname is "Wookiepants"...'nuff said). We plan to be there for the opening of Star Tours II. My PTR is on the boards as well (I'll link it if you'd like, but I didn't want to hijack this wonderful thread). He's really looking forward to the Star Wars Weekend and I am too.
If you see two middle aged goofs wandering around like country bumpkins in the big city, complete with our blue Passporter holders on, it's probably us so please say hi! LOL We'll be there from the 14th to the 25th of May, and staying at POP Century.
I almost forgot the ‘who’ in this trip, so maybe I should introduce our Cast of Characters before the trip details – especially since this is officially an Anniversary Celebration!
Let’s start with the bride and groom. (I’m stealing a bit of this from my last PTR.)
“Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi's life. So you might say, that we are encouraged to love.” ~ Anakin Skywalker
Kevin (56) and I (49) met about sixteen years ago, when I was a single mom with two kids (Tyler, who’s now almost 24 and deployed to Afghanistan with USMC and Alexa, 21, who’s a graphic arts major at MTSU.) I had just enrolled Tyler at our local martial arts school at his request. Little did I or Tyler suspect that his mom would also begin lessons….or that his instructor would shortly become his step-dad!
We were married about a year later and our wedding and reception was held at our martial art school, with our family, friends and students in attendance. We wanted our ceremony to be a reflection of us and chose to do some unique things. I walked down the aisle to a song Kevin had written and performed; we stood underneath a pagoda while we said our vows; after the ceremony, one of our instructors ‘bowed us out’ the same way we did in class (he gave the commands for ‘attention’ and ‘bow’ in Korean – we bowed to each other then shook hands and said, “Good job, Sir/Ma’am.”) We walked back down the aisle to the theme of Star Trek: Next Generation and cut our wedding cake (a castle) with a katana (Japanese sword.) Ohh, and did I mention we had a robot in attendance?
In all our years of marriage, we haven’t EVER had a chance to celebrate our anniversary with much more than a dinner out and so I felt it was high-time we did something special. The idea of going to WDW for a Star Wars Weekend Anniversary Trip felt like an absolutely perfect way to celebrate, especially because it incorporated two things that we both love – Disney and Sci-Fi. And of course, since we wouldn’t have the girls, we could really concentrate on that and be as geeky as we wanted to be.
For me, it was extra-special as I have been in love with the SW movies ever since the first one debuted when I was fifteen. I went to see it at the theater 23 times that first year and began a SW collection that at one time was pretty impressive.
Now that we’ve decided to make it a family trip, a lot of the focus on SWW will be shifted so everyone can enjoy themselves…but I am claiming one full day as MINE to immerse myself in all things SW.
Also sharing in the fun of 15 years of married life will be the supporting cast of Kelley and Corinne. After all, they’ve been here for the majority of it.
"Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is." ~ Yoda
Kelley (who will be 13 by the time we go!) is sensitive and quiet around others but non-stop talking at home. She’s exceptionally bright academically, quite gifted musically but has a great deal of challenge with her social skills. If we had her tested, she would most likely be categorized as a high-functioning Asperger’s kid. At times she seems like any normal twelve year old and at other times, you can tell that brain of hers is wired a bit differently. We’re having some interesting (and encouraging) signs that working with her nutritional deficiencies is having some positive effects. Kelley, though, loves anything to do with Disney with all her heart.
Corinne (‘Cory’, 11) is our high-spirited, high-energy child. She loves dancing and has already determined that she wants to dance professionally and ultimately teach dance. (We’ll see…she ‘s only 11 and things may change.) She, too, loves WDW with all her heart – and never fails to cry when we see the Castle for the first time.
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And of course, since we wouldn’t have the girls, we could really concentrate on that and be as geeky as we wanted to be.
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