All of the bday party pics and THAT’S WHY I couldn’t speed up (this might help you speed up too)!

Last night was Brooke’s bday party with our families!  This was her first birthday where we weren’t just the two of us… It sure was amazing to have our little family together to celebrate.

Part of my afternoon was dedicated to making sugar goodness for the party—>  Carmel-Chocolate Oatmeal Bars and chocolate chip cookies of course.

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My nephew was a little skeptical over the cookie containing 24 chocolate chips.

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I was going to make tacos for dinner but then our friends that are pretty much professional chefs volunteered to bring everything over… How could I ever turn that down?!

Best apron ever:

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One pork and one chicken with all sorts of fresh toppings, rice, salad and peaches!

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Next stop—>  presents.  Brooke is really into Little Mermaid lately which makes me happy because when I was her age I would have my mom wrap my legs up and sit on the floor and pretend I was Ariel.

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We played outside for a bit.

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And then we did our traditional piñata!

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And a cake.  I forgot to purchase birthday candles and so one candle on top did the trick:)

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And now we are saying goodbye to a blue door.

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(A picture of us out on a trail that has nothing to do with the run I am about to talk about;)

On Saturday while I was out running by myself I kept staring down at my watch and wondering why the heck I couldn’t get my pace down. Yes, it was hot out but it just wasn’t making sense to me.  It felt like I was moving my legs quick but the time on my watch for the first 2 miles were telling me differently.  I decided my problem was my form and that I needed to think about how the Olympians run… efficient, smooth and with a slight lean FORWARD.

I think I’ve been so off from doing any speed work over the last few months that my form has been completely off.  I was sitting into my stride and almost leaning backwards.  From then on out I really focused in on my lean and using gravity to help make me move forward and boom… my pace went down to the mid 7’s.

I’ve posted these before but they are my favorite way to refresh on my running form.  Josse is taking me out for some tempo miles tomorrow and so I’ll be thinking about these four steps to help me get back into the swing of things.

It’s incredible how much our form makes a difference in our pace/endurance/injuries.

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Andrew and I have most definitely shared this moment together… (Monica’s Instagram is hilarious).  And maybe Josse and I will too after our Tempo Tuesday:)

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Did you watch the men’s Olympic Marathon yesterday?  Meb (he will always be my favorite) slipped on the wet street just before the finish line… and then he moved into push-up position, did a few push-ups and pretended like the whole fall was intentional.  What an amazing man!

PS I was pretty excited about Jared Ward finishing SIXTH in the marathon!  He is from our area and ran for BYU!  He finished in 2:11:30 (his 5th competitive marathon ever) and I cannot wait to see what is up ahead for him!

PSS Galen Rupp did incredible winning the Bronze for the USA!!!!  So happy for him!!

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What about your running form… something you are working on?  Something you’ve made big changes with?

What was the last dessert that you made?

What was your favorite Rio Olympic Event to watch???

Ever had a bad fall while running?

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55 comments

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My form has really struggled since getting pregnant. The bigger I get the more I have to really focus on it. Now my gait is beginning to change as well which makes it even more complicated, but hoping that after pregnancy I will be able to get things back to normal :)

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I love Meb! And so happy for Jared. The entire athletics competition was great for the US this year! So exciting to watch :)

Yesterday I had a dinner party and made the most amazing dessert ever- chop up nectarines (or peaches or berries or whatever:) and top with a mixture of brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and butter (or butter substitute). Bake @ 425 for 25:00…SO AMAZING!!!

Worst fall was during a trail race..It was the worst because I fell down on a single path trail so I was blocking the people behind me, and it was only mile 1 of 5! I ended up finishing but with a bloody and muddy leg :(

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Looks like you had a FUN weekend! :) The last dessert I made was snickerdoodle cookies, which were delicious. I am going to attempt to make those caramel-chocolate oatmeal bars. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

I really loved watching all of the swimming and running events. They were so full of excitement, especially in the swimming. I found myself yelling at the TV more often than usual!

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Meb’s fall was awesome! he really turned something that could have been a huge negative and bummed him out into a positive and it was just fun to watch someone joke around amid all the seriousness. I loved watching pretty much every event. I’m an olympic junky and can’t get over watching the absolute best in the world compete at their respective sports. I miss it already haha

as far as form, I used to run super forward on my toes (like people would stop me and comment about it when I was just casually out and about) but after injury and seeing that that probably wasn’t the best idea, I’ve worked with a PT to get it back into fighting shape. I still think there are some adjustments to be made, but I’m a work in progress haha.

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I was so impressed by all the Americans in yesterday’s marathon. Meb is an incredible person and athlete and I’m sad that this was his last Olympic marathon.
I’ve tripped in training runs but never a race.

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It it seriously a hard thing to remember to buy candles! Nice improvising ;) I was most excited for watching gymnastics but I enjoyed swimming, track/field, and triathlon a lot as well!

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I was so sad for Meb during the race, but I LOVE his attitude! He’s one of my favorite runners of all time. :) When I was in HS I ran middle distance and sprinting events in track, and in all the pictures I look like I’m doing the long jump! My form is TERRIBLE–I lean wayyy too far back! This is a good reminder to focus on that because it can totally change how you feel during a run! The last dessert I made were almond butter brownies (almond butter-chocolate chunks-coconut sugar-flax seed-vanilla-baking powder–super healthy and DELICIOUS). My favorite event to watch was….basically anything running related. The men’s marathon was super exciting! And I’ve had lots of falls, one pretty bad last spring that gave me a black eye. ;-)

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I loved Meb’s push-ups too! I’ve fallen like three or four times running and will forever have the scars to prove it (once during a race, three more times on the trails). No shame though!! I really enjoyed watching volleyball and then the track events too. Ever since I adjusted my form to “lean in”, it has made a world of difference!

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We are working on doing better at celebrating our accomplishments. That counts as form, right?

Hope Brooke had a great birthday!

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I definitely need to work on my running form. I went to a form clinic once and they said that I tend to ‘sit’ while I run, bending at the waist. After watching a video, I could see what they meant and it certainly doesn’t look efficient. I am usually ok at the beginning of runs, but as I get tired, my form suffers. Last dessert that I made was devil’s food cupcakes with funfetti icing. We gave most of them away which is a good thing (so I don’t eat them all myself), but also made me a little sad haha. :) Favorite Rio Olympic Event was probably synchronized diving…two Boilermakers (Purdue University) represented USA and took silver.

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I haven’t been baking at all these days! Last dessert I made was a stop for munchkins yesterday. Lol

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Galen Rupp (US) won Bronze in the Olympic Marathon. Wondering why you left him out of your marathon mention? I really enjoyed watching this race! Thanks for the form insight, I have been struggling with my runs lately and that could definitely be one of my problem.

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Look again…Rupp is mentioned in the above post!

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Oh I guess it was added later… It’s a PSS!

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I completely wiped out on my run last week and cut up my elbow pretty badly. But I had to laugh at myself because the first thing I did was jump back up as quickly as possible and make sure no one saw me fall!

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I found it highly fascinating that not many people mention Rupps bronze. The marathons, track as well as swimming and gymnastics will always be my favorite to watch.

Brooke looks like she had a great party and you can tell how happy she is in the photos!

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Random fact… I interviewed Sanya Richards Ross a long time ago and she said that form is so important and probably something longer distance runners don’t work on as much as sprinters. I think that’s super true for me.

And we should get donuts :)

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Mo falling down and getting up to win a gold medal was pretty impressive! So happy for him! marathon training is making me tougher but slower… Will have to look into form!

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Meb is the best, seriously he’s such a class act.

The last dessert I made was a butterfinger ice cream pie :)

I really enjoyed watching the steeple chase this year.

I’m pretty sure that I got a concussion once when I tripped and fell head first on the concrete while running; however, I also broke my hand in 5 or 6 places when I was sprinting and tripped over train tracks.

I about had a heart attack this morning while running with the hubs in the dark, 4:41 to be exact and a rat, yes a rat was running next to me. It took everything I had inside of me not to scream but it took me about a half hour to catch my breath.

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Sounds like Brooke had a pretty great Birthday party! :)

Last desert —> homemade ice cream sandwiches at the cabin this weekend.

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Looks like Brooke had a fun birthday.

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I have a weird arm swing that isn’t the most efficient, but from the waist down I do okay. I rarely make dessert, unless of course we can count the art of creating a delicious Froyo treat as making dessert. If that’s the case (and let’s face it, it should be), I did that yesterday :) I LOVED watching all of the track events, the marathon and gymnastics! Knock on wood, but I’ve been pretty lucky with falls during running. I’ve only fallen once or twice and I run a good bit, so the percentage is definitely low. Brooks’ party looks like the perfect family party. I love that you are so close with your family!

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Whenever I feel my form slipping, I try to put my arms up over my head and elongate my body. It seems to help me remember to stand tall and lean.
I made some brownies (the ones from Costco) this weekend and I could seriously eat the entire pan myself!

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That marathon was so fun to watch….I was thrilled for Galen too!! These runners and all Olympians just amaze me by their talent and dedication to the sport.

I have neither. ha!

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This post couldn’t have come at a better time! I have really been struggling with my pace lately… and just Saturday morning, I realized that my form probably needed some paying attention to! Thanks for sharing the 4 points on form!!!
The last actual dessert I made was a homemade apple pie for my son’s 12th birthday :) It was so yummy and so easy!
Runeatrepeat is hilarious! I love her posts on FB and love her blog!

Happy Monday :)

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Happy birthday to sweet little Brookie!!!! What a special little girl! Ummmmm, you mentioned the marathon men, but neglected Galen Rupp who won a medal after running another event! Just saying…..

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Hi Lindsey! Yes, you are right! Galen Rupp did fantastic!! I loved watching all of the runners. Have a great day!

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You don’t just forget an American medaled… there has to be a story here…

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Hi Susan! No story, honest mistake! I just added to my blog post for today! Thanks for reading!

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I have always been a mid-to-forefoot lander so I don’t struggle there but I do try to constantly work on having good posture and a good lean. Doing most of my weekday miles pushing a stroller makes that a constant process.
Bad falls…oh, boy. It’s a toss up between the trail run when I fell and bounced off a boulder, ending up with cuts, bruises, and a broken hand; or the road run when I totally ate it on a sidewalk crack and tore a hole in my elbow, bruised my patella, and strained my patellar tendon.

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Brooke’s birthday looks so fun! The last dessert I made was molten lava cakes last night. I love baking, I just don’t get to do it very often.
I had one pretty bad fall while running. A few years back I was trying to get in an early morning run. Apparently I was still pretty tired because I tripped on the sidewalk about a 100 yards from my apartment. I scraped up both hands, both elbows and both of my knees and then had to go into the office. It was quite embarrassing, but nothing too serious.

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I LOVE that one candle!!!!! Definitely have been working on my form! If I don’t then all of these hills really kill my body! I made chocolate chip cookies last night?? My favorite was the marathon to watch hands down!!!!

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Ross and I were cheering for Jared. He did really well. And Galen Rupp! Hello! Third place is amazing for a white guy from the US #racialprofiling?? I thought the 1500 was really fun to watch too. My kids were yelling for Matthew Centrowitz Jr. It was an awesome win.

Mmmmm tacos. Those look delicious and is sounds like the day was a great one! I love those carmelita bars. The last treats I made were like those, but with peanut butter in them…and peanut butter chips and toffee chips. They are bomb #LongLiveSugar

Speaking of sugar, good luck convincing Josse to get donuts with you after a run. Maybe arrange broccoli in the shape of a donut??

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Happy birthday, Brooke :) What a fun party!

I recently attended a “good form running course” at our local Fleet Feet and we focused exactly on the chart you posted…. posture, mid-foot, cadence, lean ;) It does make a difference to pay attention to form :)

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Meb seems like such a cool guy! He should have a reality TV show — I’d watch that!!

My running form is something that I seriously have been working on and will continue to work on. My pace is super slow (closer to 150-160 bpm) and I have a tendency to be a heel striker. This is even more prominent when I’m tired or sick, like I am now :(.

I love watching swimming because I was a swimmer in middle/high school and I seriously miss it! Although, I don’t miss the chlorine smell my hair had for months…

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When I was struggling with IT band syndrome, I went to a PT and she tried to get me to increase my cadence. It is so hard to do! Feels so unnatural to me and even when I tried really hard, I only increased it by like 1 or 2 steps per minute, which is not good.

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Form is so important! I wish I could engrave how to move properly in my mind/body!! I do notice that the more I stretch my hip flexors, and do planks the easier it is to run more efficiently.

happy birthday, Brooke!

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Worst fall? I was practicing my speed training on grass —(not my brightest move) and ran into a pretty deep hole. I think I rolled multiple times and strained my foot. It was fantastic ;)

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The last dessert I made was actually your ice cream dessert – you know, the one with the amazing Oreo crust topped with fudge sauce. I used peanut butter cup ice cream and added some cut up Reese’s to the top – it was a huge hit!!

I once fell hard while doing speed work across a boardwalk – not a good idea. One of the boards was uneven and you can guess the rest…I banged up one knee so badly that it that ended up costing me the race I was training for. Lesson learned!

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Such a fun party with your families. Oddly enough, most of my falls are while walking, not running. I am just a little bit clumsy. :)

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Last dessert I made was a fruit crumble from Shalane and Elyse’s Run Fast Eat Slow. I’m so excited by this cookbook, every single recipe looks amazing! Definitely inspiring me to eat healthier this training cycle!

Meb’s pushups were awesome! So happy for Galen, Jared and Meb! They had a tough act to follow after the amazing US women;) All the running events were so inspiring.

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Looks like a great birthday celebration!

LOVE anything with oatmeal, caramel and chocolate chips. That’s actually what I baked up in my last dessert creation!

Worst fall I had during a run was a couple years ago. Gashed up my knee and thought I broke my elbow. Couldn’t even raise my arm to put my hair in a ponytail! It was the worst!

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I actually really enjoyed watching diving. The guys from the US were so humble when they won, too, so that made it even more fun to watch :)

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Those oatmeal bars look amazing. I am definitely going to have to make those! Thanks for sharing!

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Happy belated birthday to Brooke! :)

And we’ve been watching all the track events in the Olympics and then after it is over, I’m like, “MAN! I really want to go run right now” – but it is 10pm by that point. haha

And the worst fall I ever had running happened when I slammed into a concrete flower pot. I was changing the music on my phone and I wasn’t paying attention and I hit this giant pot so dang hard and flipped over the front of it and landed on my back…but that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that the flower pot was in front of a restaurant that was all windows, so all these people dining inside saw me and came out to check on me. Mortified…I was mortified…and also a little bit injured. But more mortified than anything. Luckily, I was close to home so I just walked the last 1/2 mile to my house and when I walked in the door, my leg was so bloody and my husband was like, “Oh my gosh! Are you okay?! What happened to you?” I was all, “You have no idea – my internal wounds are so much worse than my hurt leg.” LOL
BUT I learned a valuable lesson – always look where you’re running.

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What a fun birthday weekend!!!
last dessert was monster cookies-my daughter just finished making a few batches.

The Olympics were pretty great-it was hard to watch live events and often I’d read about outcomes before watching them but overall it was wonderful and I did catch the marathons and triathlons live, plus some gymnastics which is always a favorite.

I fall a lot-the worst one was on asphalt-I caught my toe in a crack and landed on my face, shoulder, and got a hole in my knee that was tiny but deep enough to warrant professional cleaning (it was so gross). I still have a slight scar on my lip, knee, and forearm from it.

Thanks for the form picture-I’m going to show it to my cross country runners!!!

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We are in Hawaii so by the time I woke up the men’s marathon was over. But Meb, he is just the best!

I have had many bad falls while running. The worst was here in Hawaii a few years ago and I was completely humbled by the sweetest homeless lady who came to check on me. She even offered me some of her bandaids.

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I feel like my running form is something that I am always working on. It is an ongoing thing, but they key is that I am making improvements. :) Brooke’s little party looks like it was a hit! She is the cutest. :)

Rachel
Simply Rachel Nicole

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I have seen that running chart multiple times, but tonight focused on leaning forward a little bit and had the same experience, my pace automatically got better!! Thank you!!

Any chance you remember where Brooke’s striped dress is from? I am looking for something just like for flower girl dresses!!

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Hi Emily! I got Brooke’s striped dress at H&M’s. I hope you have a great evening!

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Thank you so much!!! Enjoy your Monday night!!

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My form always starts well and finishes poorly-esp on long runs. Best dessert…..hmmmm…….I can make really good brownies but I want to get better at cookies and brownies from scratch. I didn’t get to watch many Olympic events but I did see that Matthew mcconaughey showed up at women’s beach volleyball and just walked up to the announcers-what a goober! And I haven’t fallen while on a run but I did have a nasty spill on my hands and knees down a steep driveway-(thanks wet leaves)-that was November 2007 and when my legs are tan in the summer you can still see the scars. I had to wear shorts to work for 2 weeks BC the cuts would ooze and would make long pants uncomfortable. Skinning your hands and knees HURTS. And the macaws I worked with at work would not get on my hand with a bandaid on so I had to take it off and hope their nai!s didn’t scratch the spot anymore…….not fun!

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Hi! ?
Brooke and her mermaid thing… My daughter too! We got her a mermaid tail and top from finfunmermaid.com. Love love love it! It is a real monofin and tail suit. She can really swim in it. It looks every bit as cool in person as on the site. Lots of colors too. If not yet, Brooke would love this eventually. It’s a little spendy so we got it as a birthday gift last year for her. She is 8, turning 9 soon and uses it all the time. ????

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I love Meb! What a class act! Look forward to his last two marathons!
I fell running when I turned to let my neighbor know the school bus was coming. Broke both my elbows! Very embarrassing As a former track and cc coach! When the insurance called to ask about the accident she kept asking if I fell running from something! It was a rough few weeks with my three kids ( 5,3 and 6 months at the time) but now it’s the big joke to remind me not to fall out on my run!!!

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I was watching the mens marathon as I was getting ready for church – we had to leave with 10k left to go. So needless to say, I was that bad one in the congregation googling the results during singing and welcome time. I do love Meb, and I had the chance to run with him for a bit during the Indy Mini Marathon – one of the coolest moments ever!!

I usually have some type of mishap during a run, and I have fallen several times during some trail races – we just call those battle wounds :)

Mermaids are so much fun! I also crochet, and one of the projects I am currently working on are mermaid tail blankets. I get a lot of requests for Christmas gifts, so I am usually making mermaid tails and shark blankets all year round. Kid love them!! And I have one for myself too :)

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