Hurry Up, You Brats, or I'm Telling Mickey Mouse! An August 2013 TR THE END 1/18

[khertz]

LOVE those Tangled restrooms!!! I would never have guessed I'd ever be so excited about bathrooms, and yet... I totally forgot to look for Pascals while we were there.

Your sister looks so excited meeting Peter & Wendy! How cute.

Great parade pictures. I always skipped afternoon parades, but now that we see them with DS, they are really quite fun!

I'm following along with your sister's pictures on Instagram. Hope you have a wonderful trip!!!

 

[courtneybelle]

Hi everyone! I am back from WDW It was an amazing few days, but VERY chaotic, so I am exhausted. We had so much fun though!!! The princess room was the best place I have stayed EVER oh my gosh I was obsessed. The Christmas Party was absolutely my favorite but the Candlelight Processional blew me away too. Plus my mom got me an amazing birthday surprise, and there was a HILARIOUS coincidence that defined the phrase "It's a small world..." Ugh it was unreal. Take me back right now.

I won't be starting that TR until I am home for winter break, but I'll post the link here once I get started

OMG that is so cute and clever of that little girl to cut out a "shadow" to meet Peter.

I've never met Peter or Wendy, so maybe I'll get the chance soon.

"Feels Crowded". Oh Josh.

That closed captioning machine is super cool. I had no idea it existed.

I think I'm going to watch the daytime parade one more time since it's going away. I mean, it feels necessary.

You know, despite all the silly "Limited Time Magic" promotions, this one I actually would have made a point to see. Dapper Dans rule!!!!

And one final note... HAVE AN AMAZING THAKSGIVING TRIP TO THE WORLD!!!!!!

It was adorable! I love seeing people really get into character meets.

At the Christmas party, they rock sweaters and scarves, just saying

Haha Josh is my fave.

It really was amazing! I was so happy my dad was able to get a better idea of what's going on in the different rides.

Yep. I've never been huge on Celebrate a Dream Come True. The music is nice but I think it's just too short and not super exciting. But now that it's going away I feel a little sentimental and want to watch it.

It was amazing! Unfortunately our LTM wasn't as good this trip...but we'll get there

YOU LEAVE FOR DISNEY SO SOON WHAT WHAT. Have an AMAZING time!!!

Finally the Rapunzel bathrooms. Who would have known new restrooms could create such a stir. I didn't even see any of those hidden Pascals. How cute!

The Dapper Dans! I was so aggravated at Guest Services when they wouldn't/couldn't tell me when/where they performed. "On Main Street". Yeah, no kidding. If that was their limited time magic, you'd think they'd at least want people who were interested to be able to see it. But thanks to our shopping addiction, we were in the right place at the right time! Ah, 'Nsync! I miss them!

OMG tomorrow night we will be sleeping in a princess room!!! And Sunday you will finally meet Flynn Rider!! Last time for Celebrate a Dream Come True parade. But I am looking forward to a new parade. I just wish there was a Frozen float in it! So glad we went to see that movie today, now at least we will be able to have a conversation with Elsa and Anna. I'm glad that we now make it a point to find/try something new each trip. I am already thinking ahead to July where there just may be a surprise or two!

The Rapunzel bathrooms. The only place I would go in the Magic Kingdom if it was convenient. Sometimes I deign to use the BOG restrooms but really it's all about Tangled.

I miss *NSYNC too, but the Dapper Dans did a lovely job!

WAHHHHHHH we are home and all these things happened already. Back to reality...

You are waking up IN FLORIDA!!! I am so excited for you and pray your trip is just as amazing as you. I am so glad the DIS brought us together, you have been such a blessing with your adorable self!

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Aww Judy, thanks for the Thanksgiving love!! I am very glad the DIS brought us together as well. I had an amazing trip and appreciate your prayers so so much

Happy Thanksgiving and wishing you safe travels today Courtney!!

You found a lot more Pascals that I did at the Rapunzel bathrooms. I think the first time I only saw 2. Now that I see where they are it seems more obvious.

I've only been able to meet Peter Pan once but never Wendy. I would love to see them when they are together. What a fun pair and so adorable. That shadow with the little girl was awesome.

I will be sad to say farewell to the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade but I know Disney always replaces with newer and better so I can't be too disappointed.

Thank you so much Brenda!!! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well, and I'm so glad you get to go back to Disney SO SOON!!!

I found a couple more on this trip! It's a really cute thing to do. Peter Pan and Wendy meet right across from there so I went Pascal hunting while my sister met them

They are a really good pair and they are Kylie's absolute favorites so she was very excited.

I'm really excited for the new parade as well. I'm hoping it's more like Soundsational. When I went to California I saw that parade twice because I loved it SO much!

Awesome update and pictures. Have a great time at WDW can't wait to hear about it.

Thank you so much!! It was an awesome trip!

LOVE those Tangled restrooms!!! I would never have guessed I'd ever be so excited about bathrooms, and yet... I totally forgot to look for Pascals while we were there.

Your sister looks so excited meeting Peter & Wendy! How cute.

Great parade pictures. I always skipped afternoon parades, but now that we see them with DS, they are really quite fun!

I'm following along with your sister's pictures on Instagram. Hope you have a wonderful trip!!!

Ugh, same here. Looking for the Pascals is so fun! It's a really cute activity, I hope you get to do it next time!

She is in love with them so she was really psyched!!!

Thank you! We skipped the parades a lot when we were younger, actually, but now we always try to see them. They're just adorable.

Thank you!!! It was a wonderful time!

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter Thirty-Three: ‘Ohana

It was ‘OHANA TIME!

Everyone was pretty cranky at this point, on account of being exhausted and hot and not meeting princesses, but I felt the huge sense of peace that I always do when I walk into the Poly.

I checked out the pin board in the gift shop, we checked into ‘Ohana, and then we were seated!

I ordered a virgin strawberry daiquiri, which our server recommended. It was very good!

Kylie and Mom ordered strawberry lemonade with wildberry foam on top. They loved it!

I don't know what my dad ordered but it wasn't pretty enough to warrant a food picture.

We started off with the delicious pineapple coconut bread.

Then, we had pot stickers and chicken wings. Usually I wolf down the pot stickers and ignore the chicken wings, but tonight I actually liked the chicken wings better!

THE GLORIOUS SWEET NOODLES:

First, the shrimp came around. I avoid seafood, but my dad loved it. My mom had trouble peeling it.

The chicken was next! It was very good!

The steak was up next and it was definitely the best meat. It was so delicious.

The pork was last, and I didn’t like it this time. It was fatty and hard to chew. I’ve loved it in the past, though, so I probably just got an off batch.

Finally, we had the bread pudding, which was heavenly as always.

In the past ‘Ohana has always been my favorite, but I loved the two new restaurants we tried on this trip, which makes me think we may pass on ‘Ohana next time to try something new! We’ll definitely be back at some point, though!

We hopped on the monorail back to MK. I planked.

Continued in next post

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[Simba22]

Well first, welcome back! I can't believe you have gone and come back already! Disney Time is so much faster than Real Life Time! It's really unfair! Can't wait to read about it though! We have only been to WDW for Christmas once and it was before the castle even had icicle lights... I think I might need to make a small trip happen next year around this time!

I love Ohana but I would make an entire meal out of the the chicken wings and the pot stickers alone. Oh and the bread pudding, obviously!

Oh! And I did NOT know about the little Pascal's hiding around Rapunzel's bathrooms! I'm so mad now that I missed them! (And BTW, I was an Nsync girl too! haha!)

 

[courtneybelle]

Well first, welcome back! I can't believe you have gone and come back already! Disney Time is so much faster than Real Life Time! It's really unfair! Can't wait to read about it though! We have only been to WDW for Christmas once and it was before the castle even had icicle lights... I think I might need to make a small trip happen next year around this time!

I love Ohana but I would make an entire meal out of the the chicken wings and the pot stickers alone. Oh and the bread pudding, obviously!

Oh! And I did NOT know about the little Pascal's hiding around Rapunzel's bathrooms! I'm so mad now that I missed them! (And BTW, I was an Nsync girl too! haha!)

SO true Ali. I get home from school on Saturday so hopefully I'll have the new TR up sometime next week! You definitely should if you can, it was so unbelievably amazing to see WDW at Christmas.

I know! The appetizers are so good.

Oh man! I guess you'll just have to go back now and YES. NSYNC rules.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I hope your recent trip was fantastic and can't wait to read all about it Courtney.

Since I'm not a sit down and eat type when in Disney, I've never tried Ohana, but it does look good.

Haha, Nice Plank!!

 

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

MMM Ohana we were there in July with our whole gang and had a great time. your food pics make me hungry it looks so good. 34 days and Danielle, Popadon and I are at Wally World. Can't wait

 

[courtneybelle]

I hope your recent trip was fantastic and can't wait to read all about it Courtney.

Since I'm not a sit down and eat type when in Disney, I've never tried Ohana, but it does look good.

Haha, Nice Plank!!

Rob! I am so excited to hear about your trip as well. I just got home from college and wrote the introduction to the TR so in the next few days it just might be up

Yeah, the thing about 'Ohana is that it's definitely one of the longer sit-down meals, so it does take a lot of time. But the food is very good

MMM Ohana we were there in July with our whole gang and had a great time. your food pics make me hungry it looks so good. 34 days and Danielle, Popadon and I are at Wally World. Can't wait

Love love love 'Ohana! Ahhhh I am so excited that you guys are heading back soon and will be eating delicious Disney food!!

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter Thirty-Four: Princess Mania

Once we got to MK, we picked up some Princess FPs. Since they weren’t that far away, we just shopped around Main Street until it was time!

We met Rapunzel first, and I told her I had been to her village this afternoon. She wanted to know if I did her kingdom dance! I said no, but I had found Pascal and his friends, and she said to tell him that she was looking for him!

Next we met Aurora, who was glad to see I had worn my dancing shoes (blue and pink Nikes…)

She said they would have gone wonderfully with her dress that morning, as Merryweather had turned it blue, but now it was pink and who knows what it would be that evening!

Finally we met Cinderella. My sister had told her how many times we have been to Disney, and I explained that it was my happy place, and she said it was hers too!

She also admired my Cinderella Castle bow. She said she wanted to trade her headband for one!

After that, Kylie and I went over to SPACE MOUNTAIN while the parental units sat in some rocking chairs on Main Street. It was super fun, as always. We did some great princess poses, but there was a backup at the end and so we didn’t get to see them on screen.

Kylie and I were super thirsty, so we headed over to Auntie Gravity’s. I got a strawberry banana smoothie, and she got a tropical smoothie. I liked hers much better, haha.

We were all exhausted and none of us felt like staying for Wishes. It’s my fave, but I felt so burnt out. So we headed home to watch Big Brother, our favorite show, and all went to bed right after!

Here were the pins I got today:

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[courtneybelle]

August 23

Chapter Thirty-Five: Discovery Cove

Today we were off to Discovery Cove! We had done it once before eight or nine years ago, so I was excited to be back.

We went to check in around 7:30 a.m. and were happy to see we got an 8:20 dolphin swim and a 10:35 helmet dive! I would absolutely recommend getting there as early as possible to check in so you can get the earliest times for the dolphin swim. I would be so nervous if I got a 3:00 dolphin swim and they canceled it due to a storm!

We grabbed a locker, our wetsuits, and some breakfast before our swim. The food is included in the ticket price, which is great because you can grab food whenever you want, as much as you want! Pretty much heaven for me.

Soon enough, it was time for the swim, and we headed over to the cabana to meet with a trainer and watch an informational video.

Then, Kylie and I waded into the water with two other families. Both were from the UK. Actually, there were a LOT of British people in Orlando this week. Is August for the UK what January and July are for BTGs?

My parents didn't want to do the swim, so they took our pictures.

The first dolphin we met was Lester. He is 40 years old, and he used to be a show dolphin for SeaWorld and Busch Gardens!

We petted him first. Dolphins feel very rubbery and smooth.

Then, we got to ride him! It looks like they go pretty slow, but it felt fast when I was riding him! It was so much fun. It's definitely a rare opportunity, and totally worth the price in my opinion.

We swam out to ride him, but they do give an option for a shallow water ride if you're not a confident swimmer!

After Lester gave us all rides and waved goodbye, we met Hurley! Hurley is 3 years old and was born here at Discovery Cove.

We got to kiss and hug him.

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Dolphins interact with each other through scratches, which can mean flirting, fighting, or discipline. I was still sad to see a new scratch on Hurley's tummy, though.

Hurley showed us a trick, and then waved goodbye!

After we said goodbye to Hurley, Kylie and I were super thirsty, so we got ICEES!!! They have Icee machines EVERYWHERE in either lemonade or cherry flavor! I loved this, and would be much more agreeable at my places of school and work if there were unlimited Icees.

We wandered around for a bit until it was time for Dad's Seaventure at 10:35! This was a helmet dive where he would swim with fish.

I have a touch of claustrophobia and got super anxious watching the safety video so I skipped out on this one. He loved it, though! He saw so many fish and even got up close with the shark tank!

After that, it was time for lunch. I had pasta and meatballs, along with a slice of delicious chocolate cake! I questioned my dads choice of getting seafood after he just snorkeled with the fish.

For the rest of the day we were all swimming so we did not take the camera with us.

Next, we took the lazy river to the Aviary. I wasn't huge on this lazy river, on account of it didnt really propel you anywhere and you had to swim. If you're not a strong swimmer, I would definitely recommend getting a life vest. I did and it made my life so much easier!

I hung out with some birds and fulfilled my dream of being a Disney princess with birds on my hand.

Next we got back in the lazy river and went to see some otters! They were sooooo cute.

Next we did some snorkeling in the Grand Reef! I'm not a great snorkeler but I saw a ton of fish and some HUGE stingrays.

We were all pretty exhausted from swimming and being in the sun, so we grabbed some Icees and chairs in the shade. We were all lying down and talking about our plans for the evening when we realized my dad was fast asleep! It was too funny, and my dad said it was the best sleep he got on the trip.

After he woke up, we decided to call it a day.

I love Discovery Cove, but it's definitely too pricey to do more than once every few trips. It does include two weeks at SeaWorld and Aquatica, though, so if you're really into sea animals it might be a great deal for you!

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[DisneyKid4Life]

Nice princess greets Courtney.

But... you know I HAVE to convey my utter disappointment at leaving before Wishes. For shame!!!!

Oh God I think I would die swimming with a dolphin. I just love them so much! One of these trips I am definitely doing Discovery Cove. Thank you for sharing that experience.

 

[IheartDDuck]

First off, WELCOME BACK!!! I hope you guys had a great time, and I hope you're going to do a TR about it.

I've seen the Rapunzel bathroom area, but I seriously haven't been in them yet. A travesty, I know. I'll have to rectify that in January.

The closed captioning machine is very clever. Never knew they had them. You learn something new every day.

I know my Momma mentioned it already, but your pictures have me very excited to eat at Ohana for dinner in January. We always eat breakfast there and never dinner, so I'm stoked.

Hahahahahahahaha. OMG, Monorail planking.

Big Brother. So amazingly bad and awesome at the same time!

I'm so jealous about you guys swimming with the dolphins. It's on my list of want to do's sometime in life.

 

[courtneybelle]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to announce that my new trip report is up! I present to you:

Follow Me! I Will Lead Us Into Battle! A Thanksgiving 2013 TR

Expect the same wacky humor and foolishness you've found in this TR, but with a holiday twist! YAY.​

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Nice princess greets Courtney.

But... you know I HAVE to convey my utter disappointment at leaving before Wishes. For shame!!!!

Oh God I think I would die swimming with a dolphin. I just love them so much! One of these trips I am definitely doing Discovery Cove. Thank you for sharing that experience.

Thanks! I know, I am ashamed...but trust me, I soon rectified that enormous mistake!

You really have to do it at some point. Dolphins aren't even my favorite animal and I absolutely loved it. It's very different from a day at Disney, much more relaxing but so much fun!

First off, WELCOME BACK!!! I hope you guys had a great time, and I hope you're going to do a TR about it.

I've seen the Rapunzel bathroom area, but I seriously haven't been in them yet. A travesty, I know. I'll have to rectify that in January.

The closed captioning machine is very clever. Never knew they had them. You learn something new every day.

I know my Momma mentioned it already, but your pictures have me very excited to eat at Ohana for dinner in January. We always eat breakfast there and never dinner, so I'm stoked.

Hahahahahahahaha. OMG, Monorail planking.

Big Brother. So amazingly bad and awesome at the same time!

I'm so jealous about you guys swimming with the dolphins. It's on my list of want to do's sometime in life.

Oh, I gotcha on the new TR front! We'll see how I do at juggling two at once! I'll have to learn from the best, aka you and Rob.

I would definitely recommend it in January! At first I was like, really? Just bathrooms? But it is a really nice place to just wander around and look at things.

This was the first trip we used it and it was very cool!

I've never had 'Ohana breakfast but I love love love the dinner! Soooo delicious.

The best place to plank, in my humble opinion.

That's a very accurate description of Big Brother...and I'm obsessed!

I would definitely recommend it. It's truly incredible to be up close with them!

 

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

I love Dolphins so I will for sure have to go an swim with them. Can't wait to have our dinner at Ohana. I am still drooling from your pictures....

 

[courtneybelle]

I love Dolphins so I will for sure have to go an swim with them. Can't wait to have our dinner at Ohana. I am still drooling from your pictures....

You definitely should! It's an incredible experience and the dolphins are so friendly!

I could really go for some 'Ohana right now...

 

[khertz]

Cute princess photos!! That's really cute about your pink & blue shoes going with Aurora's dresses. Those princesses can be so clever!!

Swimming with the dolphins looks like a really amazing experience. I love that your dad fell asleep in the middle of a conversation. Sounds like something my own dad would do!! He is notorious for falling asleep after big meals like on Christmas and Thanksgiving.

 

[CarolAnnB]

I can't believe it has come to Fastpassing princesses! But that standby wait just got longer and longer as more FPs came thru the door.

I agree 'Ohana's was a bit off this time. Between that and Caketastrophe at 1900 Park Fare, we might have to get back to Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palaca next time. Drinks and dessert were delish though.

I much prefer seeing you two kissing dolphins than boys.

What was funnier than Dad falling asleep at Discovery Cove? When he couldn't get his wetsuit on and I went to get him a larger one, and the guy told me that it was a women's size(?), and then we realized Dad had picked up some lady's wetsuit next to us at the lockers and tried to wear it!

 

[emmysmommy]

Before I comment on your latest updates I have to tell you that I got a good chuckle from your mom's post above. It certainly tells the rest of the story in a completely funny way!! Your poor dad!

You do look adorable with the dolphins. What a great experience. I couldn't do the helmet dive either. No way!

Looks like you had some great princess interactions.

And going all the way back to your 'Ohana meal.... it was great the first time we ate there, pretty good the second time, and by the 3rd time we started to see chinks in their armor. I agree with you that the bread pudding is amazing though. Heavenly is a great description.

 

[courtneybelle]

Cute princess photos!! That's really cute about your pink & blue shoes going with Aurora's dresses. Those princesses can be so clever!!

Swimming with the dolphins looks like a really amazing experience. I love that your dad fell asleep in the middle of a conversation. Sounds like something my own dad would do!! He is notorious for falling asleep after big meals like on Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Thanks!! The princesses really do have a lot of great things to say.

It was amazing! I would definitely recommend it once your DS is a little older. I know, right? It was hilarious when we went to ask him a question and he was out like a light

I can't believe it has come to Fastpassing princesses! But that standby wait just got longer and longer as more FPs came thru the door.

I agree 'Ohana's was a bit off this time. Between that and Caketastrophe at 1900 Park Fare, we might have to get back to Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palaca next time. Drinks and dessert were delish though.

I much prefer seeing you two kissing dolphins than boys.

What was funnier than Dad falling asleep at Discovery Cove? When he couldn't get his wetsuit on and I went to get him a larger one, and the guy told me that it was a women's size(?), and then we realized Dad had picked up some lady's wetsuit next to us at the lockers and tried to wear it!

I was okay with that decision. I love the Princesses. That was our last Town Square meet with them, too! I much prefer Fairytale Hall.

You know my thoughts on 1900 Park Fare. I would go back to 'Ohana someday, I just don't see it as a priority on this next trip. Especially because we branched out on this trip and had great experiences at new restaurants!

I totally forgot about that until you mentioned it. That was hilarious! That poor lady is missing her wetsuit because Dad stole it

Before I comment on your latest updates I have to tell you that I got a good chuckle from your mom's post above. It certainly tells the rest of the story in a completely funny way!! Your poor dad!

You do look adorable with the dolphins. What a great experience. I couldn't do the helmet dive either. No way!

Looks like you had some great princess interactions.

And going all the way back to your 'Ohana meal.... it was great the first time we ate there, pretty good the second time, and by the 3rd time we started to see chinks in their armor. I agree with you that the bread pudding is amazing though. Heavenly is a great description.

I know!! I can't believe I forgot about that, it was a hilarious moment.

Aw, thank you Yeah, my dad had done it on a cruise once, so he loves that, but it's definitely not for me.

Yeah, I'll definitely be back someday, but it's not really a must-do at this point. If I could just go in and order that bread pudding, it'd be a different story

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter Thirty-Six: Magical Adventures with Friends

For the evening, my mom, dad, and sister were thinking about going to the movies. I have gone to the movies at Disney before, but this year I had an annual pass and could go to the parks whenever I wanted! So I decided to have a little solo adventure to MK and then meet up with a friend who was starting her DCP.

My family dropped me off at the TTC and I walked to the monorail. They never ended up getting to the movies, as a truck caught on fire in the Downtown Disney parking lot! So terrifying! After they finally got out of the parking lot, they decided to just go to IHOP and then hang out at the hotel.

I hopped on the monorail, stood clear of the doors, and soon got to MK.

I took the opportunity to take ALL THE CASTLE PICTURES.

I also got some pictures of these cuties:

Then, I was on a mission to find the dinner of champions: the Nutella Fruit Waffle from Sleepy Hollow. I am super picky so I got mine with just Nutella and bananas.

GUYS. THIS WAS THE BEST DECISION OF MY YOUNG LIFE.

It was literally awe-inspiring. It was super messy, but so delicious!!! Imagine the buttery goodness of a Disney waffle combined with chocolatey banana heaven. It was just phenomenal. I wanted about five more, but I held back.

I actually had a perfect view for Dream Along with Mickey, but it was canceled because they thought it might rain. I was bummed, but it would be pretty traumatizing if Mickey slipped in a puddle and took a tumble, so I understood. It ended up not raining all night, which was great for me!

I was looking around in the Christmas store when I got a text from my friend saying she was here!

Everyone, this is Katie! She is currently doing her DCP in outdoor foods at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! I didn’t know if I would get to see her this trip because she had just moved in and things were crazy, so when this opportunity came up I had to take it!

I also met her friend Meg, who was working at Pinocchio’s Village Haus! PIZZA.

We decided to hop on the PeopleMover, and Katie told me all about her college program life! I am so excited she gets this opportunity because she loves Disney so much and now she gets to live there!

After the PeopleMover, we checked the wait times app and saw that Big Thunder only had a 20 minute wait, so we booked it over there and hopped right on! It was awesome!

Then we headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean. No problems this time. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Then I FINALLY got on the Haunted Mansion! I don’t have the intense love for this that a lot of DISers do, but I definitely enjoy it. Constance is my favorite even though she’s evil.

I also noticed the hanging body for the first time in the stretching room. I had no idea that was a thing till I got on the Dis…I never looked up during that part!

I rode by myself for the very first time. Normally I ride with my dad and he scares me throughout the ride. This time the hitchhiking ghost grabbed my head and blew it up into a balloon.

We then stopped by the Rapunzel bathrooms, and it was very cool to see them at night when the floating lanterns were gleaming.

After that we headed over to Pecos Bill so Katie and Meg could get some food. I noticed the MSEP was just about to start, so we watched from the porch! Katie loves Tinker Bell, so she was freaking out.

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