There'’s Nowhere To Go But Down... To The Utilidors! NEW TR LINK 6/4

[courtneybelle]

Hi Courtney! I hope you had a great Christmas!

Thanks for the tour info.

What a great meet with A&E!

Thanks for sharing some pics of the parade. I haven’t really had a chance to see many pics of the new parade. It looks great!

I am CRAZY about the “behind the scenes” picture-taking moment at the parade! Classic!

Ooooh, the ice cream sandwiches and root beer floats look sooooooooo good!

Trapped in IaSW????? I might have had some kind of fit and had to be removed from the MK!

Hi Roni!! I had a wonderful Christmas, I hope you are enjoying your time off

No prob!! You should definitely check it out once Willow is old enough--though I'm not sure you want to think that far into the future

It was awesome! I adore both of them so I was very happy we got the FP for it.

I'm glad you liked them! It's truly a phenomenal parade. I love parades and this one just knocks Celebrate a Dream Come True out of the park.

Right?! I had no idea my mom took that picture until way after the fact, but I love it.

They were amazing!! Much needed on a hot day.

It was nuts. Honestly one of the last queues I'd want to be stuck in. Fortunately, we all survived!!

I was behind on a couple of posts, but I'm all caught up now. Great pics with Anna & Elsa. They are both so pretty! I hope we are able to get FP+ for them our next trip. I think Paxton would love meeting them.

OH THAT PARADE! It's soooooo incredible! Best Disney has ever done when it comes to afternoon parades, for sure. The music and the colors are just amazing. Love that behind the scenes photo.

Ice cream cookie sandwiches...YUM!

UGH downpours suck. I'm glad you were able to make the most of running through it, but being stuck in the Small World line for 40 minutes with tons of people in the steamy humidity doesn't sound very appealing.

Paxton will love Anna and Elsa and I know they will love seeing him!!

Absolutely!!! I wish I could have seen it more than once. The details and music are just amazing.

So good!!

Right?! We were all in ponchos because of the rain, but it was so hot that they felt so sticky and gross. The joys of visiting Florida in the summer...

Hi Courtney! Willow and I wanted to stop by and wish you a ....

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I hope 2015 is a magical year for you!

Aw, thank you SO much Roni and Willow!! I'm very optimistic about 2015, and I'm excited to see what adventures the two of you have this year!

Oh man, getting stuck in It's a Small World?!?!?!?! Thank goodness they turned the music off. I would have lost it if it had been on.

That flatbread looks AMAZING! I bet it was perfect.

Oh man, I will end up buying several of those bracelets. I have some already. I am sure I will come home with some more!

HA there definitely would have been rioting in the queue!!!

It was really good! Not gourmet by any means but a good QS meal.

YEP I have 9 Alex and Anis already (they're very popular in New England, where I live) and Disney has been releasing so many great new ones!!

We caught FoF for the first time in Aug. and loved it Honestly from the pictures and video I'd seen online I wasn't sure how much I'd like it. I was so impressed! And older DS12 who swore he had no interest in seeing it, was glued to the rope the whole time in the 280 degree heat!

Ahh I'm so glad you loved it! It's really spectacular. It's always funny when I'm not interested in doing something and end up loving it sometimes moms know best in that regard!

gosh I love your trip reports!
I hope to do one after my trip in October!

I have to say you have opened my eyes to so much of Disney I have never done and my husband and I have been 4 times in the last 4 years!!

Our next trip will be the first with our (then) 22 month old son so it will be a very different trip! We are excited to see all of the shows and calmer rides!
Thanks again for your awesome report and hard work!

Thank you so much for reading!! You should absolutely do a trip report, they're so much fun!

I'm so glad I could show you some new things!! The DISboards introduced me to so many great things about Disney, and there's always something new going on--part of what makes it so magical, I think

AHHH that's so exciting!! I can't imagine how magical it'll be when he meets Mickey for the first time!!

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter 35: All Our Wishes Will Come True

We headed over to the Wishes Dessert Party and checked in. We found our names on two different tables—Kylie, Em, and I got a table, and Mom and Dad had a nice date behind us.

The dessert buffet was delicious! My favorite was the Mickey Mousse with the Oreos—I’m pretty sure I had five of those. The cannolis and cupcakes were delicious, too! They also had some juice, coffee, tea, water, and milk.

Ooooo panorama

Me in my happy place!

Kylie, Dad, and Em stayed at the tables, but Mom and I went up to the railing. Celebrate the Magic was up first. This was tough because there was a tree in our way that blocked most of the images on the castle, but I still loved it!

Then, it was time for Wishes! Tinker Bell didn't fly because of the rain, but that was okay. Also, since Hub construction was going on, there was a ton of dirt in front of the viewing area. It wasn't super noticeable at the time and we cropped it from some of the pictures, but if you catch it toward the bottom that's why!

This was the best viewing of Wishes ever. Every time I see Wishes someone is in front of me (usually with a child on their shoulders) so to have an unobstructed view was such a blessing. I also really liked the angle as well—it was different since I’m used to seeing the fireworks straight on from Main Street, but it was a gorgeous view.

Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight...

I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight...

We'll make a wish, and do as dreamers do...

And all our wishes will come true.

Like a bolt out of the blue...

Fate steps in and sees you through...

When you wish upon a star...

Your dreams come true.

This was an incredible experience. I’m so glad my parents surprised me with it because I would never have asked for it for myself. It was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.

After Wishes, we decided we couldn’t leave MK without Emily seeing the Main Mouse. And we didn’t tell her that he talks now, so she was surprised!

Mickey performed a magic trick for us! We loved it.

Look at this trickster...

(While we were at the Emporium, Kylie acquired a pegasus.)

Mickey loved my ears!

After our meeting with Mickey we headed back to Pop. It had been a long day with some stressful moments, but so many amazing things happened that I think it was the best day of the whole trip.

No pin pic from this day...either I didn't trade because of the tour and rain, or I just forgot to take a pic. Sorry, gang

Continued in next post
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[RGirl]

Hi Courtney!

Before I say anything else (because I meant to mention this in replies to your comments on my TR and I’m pretty sure I forgot - big surprise), I wanted to let you know how much Willow LOVED your Christmas card. I am keeping fingers and toes crossed for a Courtney sighting at WDW next summer.

Oh, the dessert party! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. I always go back and forth and back and forth on this. I want to do it for the view, but I can’t stomach spending even more money, especially knowing that we will be stuffed to the gills by the DxDDP. It will forever be a super-hard call for me!

Amazing fireworks pictures. I have yet to get a good fireworks picture in my entire life…..

Oh my gosh! The pictures with Talking Mickey are SO CUTE!!!! I am super-excited for Willow to meet him. (I have told her about him because I kind of think she would freak the heck out if she didn’t know in advance, and then she’d be expecting every character to talk, etc., etc., etc. .)

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Oh Lord look at those desserts. YUM! I'm particularly fond of anything Mickey shaped.

Ah that panorama is so cool!!

I hope to see Wishes from there someday because I kinda like Wishes. I may have mentioned that before but I'm not sure... I snagged a FP+ for it this month I'm curious to see it from a different vantage point.

Oh Goodness what a fantastic meet with Mickey. Loving all the laughter and smiles. That's what it's all about.

 

[jrmint427]

Those desserts look amazing!! It looks like an awesome view of the fireworks and you got some great pictures!

That is so fun that Mickey did a magic trick for you!

 

[ariane37]

Those desserts really look good, much better than when we did the Dessert Party in Nov. 2012! Unfortunately we didn't feel it was worth the $$ As I said the desserts were nothing special - nothing Mickey shaped and definitely no cannoli, we'd remember cannoli! Didn't like the view for Celebrate the Magic either.

But if I had had your desserts, I think I would've been happier! Glad you all enjoyed it

 

[Wood Nymph]

I need to see that parade! It looks awesome. I'll have my best chance to catch it later this month when we are with two of our grandchildren.

That must have been a lot of rain to have you trapped like that for so long. Did it at least cool things off a little?

The root beer floats look so good, I think I might have to have one of those for dessert tonight.

 

[MI mom of 3]

Loving your report!!! Your pictures are wonderful....I'm sure it's been asked but what kind of camera were you using??

 

[SarahDisney]

The desserts look yummy!

I really like that view! Even off at an angle you got a beautiful view and an unobstructed view is always nice.

I love that Mickey did a magic trick for you. So awesome! Sounds like a good end for the best day of the trip!

 

[MissMaryQC]

The Dessert Party looks yummy!

Your photos of the fireworks are beautiful, and reading the lyrics between each one totally made me well up; I'm a sucker for a Disney fireworks show, but especially Wishes.

Talking Mickey! I can't wait to meet him!

Glad you guys had a good day, in spite of the stresses.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Mmmm, all those desserts look so good! I need to do the dessert party one day. Disney cannolis must be THE best!

Wow, you definitely got an awesome view. It's always neat to see where the fireworks actually go off to make it look like it does rather than being set off around guests. All your photos look fantastic, especially that perfectly timed finale shot.

YAY for meeting Talking Mickey! I feel like I know about every single one of his "spiels" now because of TRs lol Mickey's too cute with his magic tricks. Love Kylie's Pegasus, so presh!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[Sisa]

Oh my the desserts look AMAZING!!! I am drooling.

That's a bummer that the tree was blocking some of the castle and preventing you from seeing part of the projections. But hooray for an awesome view of Wishes and those photos...oh my...INCREDIBLE!!!

Love your interaction with Mickey, the photos tell it all!

 

[amberg93]

Whew, I had a lot of catching up to do so let's go. Be prepared for many comments.

MK first things first in the morning is a good thing.

I loved the KTTK tour and I'm glad that you did too.

We got that pin too after learning the story and love it a lot.

Great idea with the book and very cute pictures with Anna and Elsa.

I'm not the biggest fan of FoF but I'm glad that you loved it

Philip is totally dreamy. I understand your dilemmas.

I need to go to the Hall of Presidents sometime, but I imagine that it was like the best thing ever after being out in the July sun.

Such fab Space Mountain pictures. Great job character posing.

Oh goodness 40 minutes in IASW. Good thing they turned off the music or that would have been cruel.

Your Dad is a miracle worker if it was downpouring like that.

Winnie the Pooh is always a good decision and yay for the FP+ working out!

The dessert party sounds amazing.

What a cutie that Mickey. It does sound like an overall amazing day.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

KEYS TO THE KINGDOM! I'm SO EXCITED to go on this tour in June. You remembered so many details, and (if possible) you made me even MORE excited than I already was!

Every trip report I've read has such wonderful things to say about the Festival of Fantasy parade! The floats look fantastic, and I think I may have to see it on my upcoming trip.

Speaking of floats, those Root Beer Floats look AWESOME. I love a good float!

Stuck on It's a Small World? I'm allowed to go on this exactly ONCE every trip - if it weren't a "Disney Classic" I'm pretty sure I'd be riding it by myself! Even so, standing in line for 40 minutes may be even too much for me.

I'm thrilled you loved the dessert party! I thought the desserts were okay (tasty, but not super special), but I loved the exclusive view of Wishes without being surrounded by thousands of my closest friends. I'm especially glad that the weather cooperated with you so you could experience the party!

 

[emilyindisney]

Your desserts look so yummy!

Wow- your pictures are just beautiful! I agree that the view (especially in terms of being unobstructed) is fantastic. Sounds like the dessert party is a must do!

 

[JessM]

Ahhh I'm sorry I got behind but I think I got all caught up!

I hope you guys had a great Christmas too btw!

Keys to the Kingdom sounds AMAZING! Thanks for giving such a detailed report, it's definitely on the Disney bucket list.

Anna and Elsa are so adorable. We met them in Dec and they were great, fan girling so hard haha.

Yay for the Wishes Dessert party!!! You know how much I love those I'm glad you guys enjoyed it!

 

[courtneybelle]

Hi Courtney!

Before I say anything else (because I meant to mention this in replies to your comments on my TR and I’m pretty sure I forgot - big surprise), I wanted to let you know how much Willow LOVED your Christmas card. I am keeping fingers and toes crossed for a Courtney sighting at WDW next summer.

Oh, the dessert party! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. I always go back and forth and back and forth on this. I want to do it for the view, but I can’t stomach spending even more money, especially knowing that we will be stuffed to the gills by the DxDDP. It will forever be a super-hard call for me!

Amazing fireworks pictures. I have yet to get a good fireworks picture in my entire life…..

Oh my gosh! The pictures with Talking Mickey are SO CUTE!!!! I am super-excited for Willow to meet him. (I have told her about him because I kind of think she would freak the heck out if she didn’t know in advance, and then she’d be expecting every character to talk, etc., etc., etc. .)

Hi Roni!!! You're currently in Disneyland and I've been inside all day because it's snowing. I'll let you decide who's having the better time.

That is so sweet of Willow! Be sure to thank her for me. I'm crossing all my fingers and my toes for a DISmeet!!!

The view is phenomenal, but I will say that the desserts are pretty much what you get at the dinner buffets, and not as good as what you could get for dessert at the rest of the table service restaurants. So I'm also not sure it would be worth it if you already have DxDP.

I usually get a couple okay ones on my phone, but my mom gets the credit for most of those pics!

Thanks!!! Ahhh Willow is going to LOVE Talking Mickey. It's one of my favorite character meets!

Oh Lord look at those desserts. YUM! I'm particularly fond of anything Mickey shaped.

Ah that panorama is so cool!!

I hope to see Wishes from there someday because I kinda like Wishes. I may have mentioned that before but I'm not sure... I snagged a FP+ for it this month I'm curious to see it from a different vantage point.

Oh Goodness what a fantastic meet with Mickey. Loving all the laughter and smiles. That's what it's all about.

They were really good! I too think everything is better when it's shaped like Mickey.

Right?! I loved using the panorama feature on my iPhone.

Wait, you like Wishes?

Let me know how the FP+ viewing is! I'd seriously consider trying it out.

I'm so glad we stopped for that meet. We were so happy and I'm glad it shows in the pictures.

Those desserts look amazing!! It looks like an awesome view of the fireworks and you got some great pictures!

That is so fun that Mickey did a magic trick for you!

It was an incredible experience! Thanks

Ahhh it was so fun!! Last time we talked about pirates, which was cool, but the trick was a lot more involved and we had a great time.

Those desserts really look good, much better than when we did the Dessert Party in Nov. 2012! Unfortunately we didn't feel it was worth the $$ As I said the desserts were nothing special - nothing Mickey shaped and definitely no cannoli, we'd remember cannoli! Didn't like the view for Celebrate the Magic either.

But if I had had your desserts, I think I would've been happier! Glad you all enjoyed it

Oh man! Yeah, I feel like it could be hit or miss depending on what they offer…we were lucky that they had a lot of what we liked. Sorry yours was so disappointing though Yeah, I didn't like the view for Celebrate the Magic, but I LOVED how Wishes looked so I can't complain too much!

I need to see that parade! It looks awesome. I'll have my best chance to catch it later this month when we are with two of our grandchildren.

That must have been a lot of rain to have you trapped like that for so long. Did it at least cool things off a little?

The root beer floats look so good, I think I might have to have one of those for dessert tonight.

You will LOVE the parade and I'm sure your grandkids will love it too! It's so colorful and fun and there's so much to see.

Unfortunately it did not we were all sweating under our ponchos!

The root beer floats were phenomenal!!

Loving your report!!! Your pictures are wonderful....I'm sure it's been asked but what kind of camera were you using??

Hi!!! Thank you so much!! All the pictures are from my mom's Nikon D3200, my Nikon Coolpix L830, or an iPhone 5S. Most of the Festival of Fantasy pics are from mine and the fireworks pictures are from my mom's.

The desserts look yummy!

I really like that view! Even off at an angle you got a beautiful view and an unobstructed view is always nice.

I love that Mickey did a magic trick for you. So awesome! Sounds like a good end for the best day of the trip!

They were so good!

I know! I loved not having anyone right in front of me, and since I usually watch Wishes from the middle of Main Street it was a cool change seeing it from the angel.

It was amazing!! We chatted about Jack Sparrow last time, which was fun, but the magic trick was so much fun and absolutely hilarious.

 

[courtneybelle]

The Dessert Party looks yummy!

Your photos of the fireworks are beautiful, and reading the lyrics between each one totally made me well up; I'm a sucker for a Disney fireworks show, but especially Wishes.

Talking Mickey! I can't wait to meet him!

Glad you guys had a good day, in spite of the stresses.

The desserts were absolutely delicious!!

Oh I know. I get so emotional just hearing the soundtrack. I love it so much!

Ahh you are going to love him! He's so much fun!

Mmmm, all those desserts look so good! I need to do the dessert party one day. Disney cannolis must be THE best!

Wow, you definitely got an awesome view. It's always neat to see where the fireworks actually go off to make it look like it does rather than being set off around guests. All your photos look fantastic, especially that perfectly timed finale shot.

YAY for meeting Talking Mickey! I feel like I know about every single one of his "spiels" now because of TRs lol Mickey's too cute with his magic tricks. Love Kylie's Pegasus, so presh!

Can't wait to read more!

I would definitely recommend the dessert party. I loved that cannoli!!!

Thanks!! My mom gets most of the credit for the pictures, she did a great job.

Haha I know!! I really want to chat with him about the Haunted Mansion, but I think this magic trick took the cake. I loved Pegasus too! I had a stuffed one when I was younger, though I don't know where it is…

Oh my the desserts look AMAZING!!! I am drooling.

That's a bummer that the tree was blocking some of the castle and preventing you from seeing part of the projections. But hooray for an awesome view of Wishes and those photos...oh my...INCREDIBLE!!!

Love your interaction with Mickey, the photos tell it all!

They were so good!!!

Yeah, the Wishes view more than made up for the Celebrate the Magic view. And my mom did such a great job taking photos!!!

I feel like I didn't even have to describe what was going on because the pictures of our meet were so good

Whew, I had a lot of catching up to do so let's go. Be prepared for many comments.

MK first things first in the morning is a good thing.

I loved the KTTK tour and I'm glad that you did too.

We got that pin too after learning the story and love it a lot.

Great idea with the book and very cute pictures with Anna and Elsa.

I'm not the biggest fan of FoF but I'm glad that you loved it

Philip is totally dreamy. I understand your dilemmas.

I need to go to the Hall of Presidents sometime, but I imagine that it was like the best thing ever after being out in the July sun.

Such fab Space Mountain pictures. Great job character posing.

Oh goodness 40 minutes in IASW. Good thing they turned off the music or that would have been cruel.

Your Dad is a miracle worker if it was downpouring like that.

Winnie the Pooh is always a good decision and yay for the FP+ working out!

The dessert party sounds amazing.

What a cutie that Mickey. It does sound like an overall amazing day.

Hi Amber!! So glad to see ya.

KTTK was so great. I want to do Backstage Magic next!

I'm seriously so happy I have that pin now that I know the backstory.

Thanks! It was a big hit with our cousin.

I looooove Philip. My mom and I together probably had 8 or 9 pictures but I restrained myself from posting them all.

You have no idea. They were blasting the AC so it was more or less heaven on earth.

Thanks!! We love a good ride photo.

I was not a fan. We're in Disney! I should not be trapped in a queue!!!

Yeah, my dad is brilliant. I still have no idea how he pulled it off, but I'm very glad he did.

That was such a great moment. We hadn't done Pooh yet and it's one of our favorites so it worked out perfectly!!

The dessert party was so great! I loved it.

Meeting Mickey was seriously the perfect ending to such a great day.

Thanks for all the comments!!

KEYS TO THE KINGDOM! I'm SO EXCITED to go on this tour in June. You remembered so many details, and (if possible) you made me even MORE excited than I already was!

Every trip report I've read has such wonderful things to say about the Festival of Fantasy parade! The floats look fantastic, and I think I may have to see it on my upcoming trip.

Speaking of floats, those Root Beer Floats look AWESOME. I love a good float!

Stuck on It's a Small World? I'm allowed to go on this exactly ONCE every trip - if it weren't a "Disney Classic" I'm pretty sure I'd be riding it by myself! Even so, standing in line for 40 minutes may be even too much for me.

I'm thrilled you loved the dessert party! I thought the desserts were okay (tasty, but not super special), but I loved the exclusive view of Wishes without being surrounded by thousands of my closest friends. I'm especially glad that the weather cooperated with you so you could experience the party!

You are going to LOVE Keys to the Kingdom. I had to write everything down that day because I didn't want to forget anything, and I still missed a few details. I can't wait to hear what you think!

I would absolutely recommend FoF. It's one of my favorite things at WDW now!

They were so good!!

Hahaha that's basically our logic; it's a classic so we HAVE to do it once. I was not a fan of being stuck in that queue, but I'm still so thankful that they turned off the music!!

Yeah, I enjoyed the desserts, but if I'm being totally honest they're pretty much what you get at the dinner buffets. But it's really hard to beat that view!!!

Your desserts look so yummy!

Wow- your pictures are just beautiful! I agree that the view (especially in terms of being unobstructed) is fantastic. Sounds like the dessert party is a must do!

Hi Emily! You're in Disney World right now and it's snowing here…I'm very jealous.

The desserts were so good!

Thanks! My mom took most of them but I snuck one or two of my own in there. I would definitely recommend doing the dessert party at least once, because you can't beat the view!

Ahhh I'm sorry I got behind but I think I got all caught up!

I hope you guys had a great Christmas too btw!

Keys to the Kingdom sounds AMAZING! Thanks for giving such a detailed report, it's definitely on the Disney bucket list.

Anna and Elsa are so adorable. We met them in Dec and they were great, fan girling so hard haha.

Yay for the Wishes Dessert party!!! You know how much I love those I'm glad you guys enjoyed it!

Hi Jess!! Keys was phenomenal, you would love it!!

They're seriously so cute. I miss them meeting together but I still loved meeting them. A lot of people say Elsa's too quiet but she and I chatted a lot so I was happy

Haha I know it's one of your favorites…and now it's one of mine too! It was one of the best parts of the trip for me!

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter 36: How About Some Backstage Passes?

This morning we were back to Hollywood Studios! Today’s DisneyBound was my favorite: Rapunzel and Flynn Rider!

We took the car this morning and got there quickly.

Our friend Donald was outside the park, so we stopped by and said hello! I told him how much I loved his attire.

I asked if he’d take a selfie with me, and he was very enthusiastic.

Behind the scenes of this selfie:

For some reason, I didn't meet Daisy, and I'm not happy about it.

Dad, Emily, and I were rope dropping Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster while Mom and Kylie went to Toy Story Mania. I was so excited to be reunited with one of my favorite rides! If it was about a minute longer, Splash would have some competition.

Olaf loves that idea! How about some backstage passes?

Emily loved it, too!

We met Mom and Ky over at TSM. They had a great time. Kylie won.

Since we were in the area we decided to check out the Backlot Tour.

No pictures! Don't look at me!

Also no dancing.

Well, they didn’t have extras because it was so early, so no pre-show with the water cannons. Then, we rode around the lot and through the costuming building, and then found out our tour was being “cut short” so no Catastrophe Canyon. I have to say it was a very disappointing last ride ever on the Backlot Tour. I’m excited to see what replaces it.

We grabbed some tickets for the Frozen sing-a-long and decided to get a spot for the Frozen parade. We sat right across from American Idol, to the left of the stage. My dad was kind enough to pick us up a very special treat…

CHURROS!!!! Churros are my life and I didn’t eat a single one when I was at WDW in November so this was a much-anticipated reunion. It was delicious.

RIP you beautiful monstrosity

Continued in next post​

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter 37: Oh, The Sky Will Be Blue, And You Guys Will Be There Too

It was time for Mickey's Once Upon A Christmastime Para…oh I mean the Anna and Elsa's Royal Welcome.

The parade started around 11 and it was really cute!

Between my mom and me, we had roughly 20 pics of Kristoff. I once again restrained myself from posting them all.

I didn’t catch much of the stage show because of the angle we were at, but I was just happy to see Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff.

We were heading to Backlot Express for lunch again so since the parade was heading that way, we joined in!

Kylie got to hold the rope oOoOoOoOo

“Thank you for being here today!”

At Backlot Express, I got chicken nuggets as always because Disney chicken nuggets are my everything.

We figured out a plan for the rest of the afternoon and none of it really appealed to my dad, so he decided to go chill at the hotel for a bit while we had a girls’ afternoon!

Continued in next post
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