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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Am I an unnatural mother? (I know that none of you can answer that, but I wonder)
The newest thing that made me wonder:
Kathryn (who is all of 13 yr. old) left for France this AM. She'll be gone for almost 2 weeks. She went with 14 of her fellow students and 2 school reps.
DH cried. Lauren cried. Samantha called 7 times in the last 2 days (she's in Philly visiting her BF's family) and cried over the phone the last 2 times. My dad called upset. My mom was crying. The other parents were crying.
All I could think of was that I was bored hanging around waiting for them to head off through security. I was more upset that Lauren was sad than that Kathryn was leaving. (not like she's not coming back, right?)
I was more emotional when Zoie returned from her trip to Australia/NewZealand than when she left. I was actually okay most of the time she was gone (21 days) because were insanely busy (10 of the days were spent in Florida for a softball tournament for Hallie). I had a really hard time for the last couple of days, she and I just burst into tears when she came through security at the airport. My DH cried when Hallie was in DC this past month for a week, every day. She called us at least twice a day, and I just never felt like crying. It surprised everyone that I did that well considering my kids go EVERYWHERE with me, including work, and have never been away from home without me for more than a sleepover before. I think I just knew I had to deal. And everyone's reaction is different.
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I don't think that's a bad thing. I mean, you do care about her and love her, right? THAT is all that matters. If you didn't care about and/or love her, then that would be a problem. But you do, and not crying doesn't make you a bad mother just like crying doesn't make the others good family members.
Everyone is different. Some ppl cry over everything and anything. Others never cry over anything. Most of us are somewhere between those two extremes and there's nothing wrong with that.
I'd be bored waiting around an airport when I'm not flying, too! Hey, I'm bored waiting around airports when I am flying, LOL!
I am more likely to cry over something happy than sad. This really embarrasses my DD. When my kids do well, I well up.
When my first son went off to college, my DD, then 13, made me promise not to cry in front of people and I said good-by without tears. I was surprised at the number of family members who sobbed, especially siblings. I have since learned to say good by with just a hug, no tears in front of anyone.
Having had three children go off to school, I know that they will be back at least for short periods of time. I also have learned that closeness with your children is not affected by miles. I still feel very close to my oldest son, although I only see him a few times a year. I do keep hoping he'll move closer but know even if he doesn't, phone calls and emails keep us close.
MY DD would totally approve of you-no unncessary emotion.
And it sounds like you live for you girls, especially in terms of the time you give them.
Maybe you'll be more emotional when you see her return. But while she's gone, enjoy your break. In 10 years, I'll have 2 teenage daughters and I'm not looking forward to that....
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I probably would not have cried either. I would have been excited and nervous for her, but those feelings don't make me cry. I think you're perfectly normal, just not particularly emotional about good-byes. Nothing wrong with that.
Well somebody had to be the one to keep it together when everyone else was being all emotional! You're a good mom who is juggling a ton of responsibilities - like taking care of the whole family, making sure DD was ready for such an extended trip, your own school work, etc. Don't be hard on yourself for not shedding any tears - I'm sure you'll miss her more than anyone else while she's away! My oldest DD went to Ireland for a college semester and though I knew she'd be away for 4 months, I was excited for the opportunities that she would have while gone. So very few tears from me although I'm usually the first to well up!
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At least you're not like my mom - when I would come to visit for the weekend during holiday breaks from college, she'd be rude and give me the silent treatment the whole time for pretty much no reason(don't ask, she's just crazy ). Then when we'd get in the car to go back, she'd stand in the driveway and sob. Go figure.
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I sobbed uncontrollably when my DD flew to WI with her dad, but then smiled and laughed the entire time that I was leaving her at Girl Scout camp later that year. With her dad, I talked to on the phone every day (and cried every time), but while she is at camp I have no contact with her whatsoever until I pick her up at the end of the week.
I have often marveled at how I felt safer leaving her with people I didn't know than I did letting her go with her own father.
I'm not a mother, but I always cry at the stupidest stuff, but never at the "appropriate" times. So I feel ya. Doesn't mean you don't care - just means you're realistic about the fact that she's coming back in two weeks. Sort of like camp, just far away.
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). Then when we'd get in the car to go back, she'd stand in the driveway and sob. Go figure.
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