| PassPorter.com Feature Article Original article at: http://www.passporter.com/articles/preserving-memories-with-passporter.html Preserving Memories with PassPorter: Making the Most of Your PassPorterby Leslie Wiseman, PassPorter Guest ContributorLast modified 06-21-2012 Don't you wish that you could capture every minute of your vacation and etch it in your mind forever? We put so much time into planning our Disney vacations. In fact, planning and reminiscing sometimes is the best part But do you actually take the time to stop and write down a special moment or memory? Sometimes it may seem impossible to do so because you are always on the go with so much to see and do. But you can do it! Many people have the attitude that they paid a lot for the vacation, so they have to fit everything in. I think we all know that time seems to go much faster when on a Disney vacation. Don't let those moments pass you by in the rush. Your PassPorter already has an area that is great for jotting down those memories. Yes, it's behind all the "good stuff" in the back of the book. If you are waiting in line for an attraction, waiting for your family to finish eating, waiting for everyone to get ready, or simply have some time to kill during a ride on Disney transportation, use that time wisely. Grab a pen (the big autograph Mickey pen will even work), your PassPorter, and jot down the things you want to remember about the day. If you purchase the Deluxe PassPorter, it's even easier. I simply remove just the PassPocket for that day from the ring binder, and throw it in my bag. This way, I'm not carrying around the entire book. It is then super easy to just grab the pocket and start jotting. Once that day is over, I simply put it back in my PassPorter. Many of us will spend hours creating a perfect trip report on the message boards, to be read by people who we may never even meet, but do we do that for our families? Since my children, now 13 and 11, were tiny, I have been jotting down those vacation moments. My hope is that years from now, my family can have a Disney diary of every trip we took during their childhood. This will allow them to look back, laugh, smile and maybe even shed a tear about our many family vacation memories in the Happiest Place on Earth. The best part is that not only does my immediate family enjoy reading this material, but friends or extended family read my journaling when visiting our house. Several family members who haven't been Disney lovers read my journaling, and decided there may be a Disney trip in their future after all! After our trip is over, I take my PassPorter and get to work. I compile those moments into a typed journal of everything that happened on that trip, and place it in a scrapbook. My hope is that someday, when my children are older, they can read the journal and be taken back to that place and time, and remember the wonderful memories we made. Not only is it great for legacy, it's great for those moments when you need a bit of Disney magic. Nothing beats sitting in the living room curled up on the couch with a nice cup of coffee, watching the snow fall and reading about your past vacations in your Disney journal. As the years fly by, many times I forget if we ate at a certain restaurant, of if we liked it. I use my journaling as a resource. I take a peek in a scrapbook! I can then read what all of us thought about a certain restaurant or attraction.
I will never forget when my (then) 5-year-old daughter became so disappointed that the stunt show was cancelled by a tropical downpour that she said, "Mom, it's okay, they can wear nachos! We have our nachos to wear?" Of course, she meant our rain ponchos, not snacks! Would I have remembered that moment if I hadn't taken a second to jot it down? Probably I wouldn't, but I did jot it down and now six years later my husband will still tease her on our way out of the hotel room and ask, "Do you have your nacho in your bag?"
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