My Favorite Moto Race of the Year!!! 6/20/2013

Even though it took us 7 hours to arrive in Upton, WY on Saturday night after the race, it was well worth it. This race has been on the National Enduro calendar the past few years so the race director has everything dialed. The trail is super tight and windy and I swear almost everyone out there had a shit-eating grin the entire time :)


I did have some descent crashes (as always) but I knew I had a few good test sections too. However, I was super surprised to have placed top 3 in the 250C category. After winning the women's title the past few years, the boys insisted on me moving up. I haven't been riding much so I figured getting trophies was something of the past. Guess not! Bryce was in the top 10 overall which is always a good day for him. It was a long drive home but a successful and fun weekend of racing!

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I'm back racing!!! 6/18/2013

The second race of the season was the Winter Park Hill Climb on Saturday morning. I placed 3rd in the Pro class and 5th overall but it definitely wasn't pretty. I dropped my chain at the start which was a big hassle and overall I just didn't feel great. My time was much slower than last year and my HR average was about 15 beats lower. Not really sure what that means but I'm just going to stick with my plan of racing for fun throughout this series. I'm going to do everything in my nature to not worry on how I place until CX season starts in September but rather focus on staying healthy and getting to the start line in September :)


Bryce also grabbed the 3rd spot on the podium in his class at the HC. He's been riding a lot more than average and improved his time from last year! After chatting with the usual crew, we jumped in the van and drove 7 hours to WY for our favorite dirt bike race of the year on Sunday. More on that shortly!

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Getting Retul-ed...again 6/15/2013

All cyclists know the importance of a perfect fit on their bicycles. Unfortunately, it's very rare that any two frames are exactly the same so I needed a little assistance getting my new Litespeed L1R road bike dialed in. 


I went in during a 'Retul University' class so it was fun seeing new fitters being trained. As always, the data that was captured and the detail in which they set your position is so fascinating. Thanks to Ivan and Garrett for all the help! I'll be back shortly with my CX bikes for the big comeback this fall :)

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The 650b Litespeed MTB has arrived! 6/13/2013

I'm kinda biased but the new 650b Litespeed Citico is one sexy looking ride! Complete with XTR/PRO components and Stan's Medalist wheels, this bike is built with the best quality stuff money can buy :) Although I'm still waiting for my ''suspension'' fork to finalize the ultimate build, the rigid will work just fine for this weekend's Winter Park Hill Climb! Stay tuned for more photos and a full product review/write up within the next few months.

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Brrrraaaap! 6/11/2013

This is a cool pic from our moto race on June 2nd in Bennett, Colorado. I wasn't kidding when I said it was super sandy!


This past weekend was our first real trip to the Winter Park condo. We got everything situated for the summer and even got in a little MTB ride and moto ride. Bryce snapped this pic of me before I ran into the woods to pee on Sunday. Bet you didn't think that's what I work under my moto gear!!! Yes, I look ridiculous.

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New THULE Bike Rack 6/7/2013

And we thought we could fit EVERYTHING inside our monstrous van :) Well, we almost can...but then we lose seating for other people! Our new Thule T2 2 Bike 916XTR is the perfect rack to allow us to tote 4 bicycles, 2 dirt bikes and all of our gear around...AND still have the whole living/seating area clear.       

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Organization at its finest 6/5/2013

Between Flora and I, we have quite the shoe collection. It has become apparent that our $15 plastic shoe rack can no longer keep things organized so we searched for an alternative solution. Even though there are only 24 shoe slots in the new rack, we promised to leave at least 2 for Bryce and Patrick :) Soooo much nicer than tripping over shoes every day!

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Weekend Goodness 6/3/2013

Friday started out on a great note as it was finally Flora's real last day of college. Ben brought over a gluten AND dairy free cake from Kim & Jake's Cakes which was unbelievably delicious! 


Saturday was a bit of a low key day since Bryce was feeling a bit under the weather, I had a big week on the bike, and we had a moto race the next day. So a short bike ride and lots of baking made it in the agenda. We then had a great dinner to catch up with some of our favorite buddies - Courtney and Tito Shelden :)


Hmmm...racing. What's that? I honestly have done a single race since my DNF at the Aztec moto race last July. I can't believe it's been that long! Although I haven't been on the dirt bike much lately, it felt great to be out on the scene again. The course was pretty technical so my arms pumped up pretty bad and I had some extra spectacular crashes, however, I did finish. That put the biggest smile on my face and gave me an extra boost of confidence going into the summer!


Although Bryce should have crushed it at this race, he has been battling a nasty cold which left him super congested with low energy on race day. He finished 13th and still got some points which made the trip worthwhile. His favorite race is in 2 weeks so he's ready for some vengeance here shortly!

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Memorial Day Weekend 5/29/2013

Bruno the Berner has already grown since we saw him 2 weeks ago and he's becoming quite the little terror. He's adorable as all can be but I know everyone will be excited once he's over his teething stage!


After a short hike and MTB on Friday, Ben and Flora drove up from Boulder to join in on some fun festivities. We planned to road bike what most people call the 'Copper Triangle' on Saturday. It consisted of 80+ miles and just under 7000ft of climbing.






Sunday morning we went for a fun hike just above the Bingham's house in Edwards.


This was Bruno's first 'off-road' adventure. It was very short lived so Barb had to bring him home early. The little guy gets tuckered out very quickly these days.


Later that morning, we met up with Tony and Bobby for some dirt biking at Bocco Mountain. It was Bobby's first time on real singletrack and he absolutely killed it. Super fun day with those guys.


Sunday morning we met up with good friends, Bob and Melissa, for some mountain biking in Eagle. Other than a few small crashes, everyone came back in one piece.


Bryce took the day off work today so we took advantage of sleeping in then went for another fun hike above Singletree. Afterwards, we rode dirt bikes at Wolcott and got a few fun pics.


Overall, the long weekend couldn't have been a more perfect blend of activities, relaxing and enjoying great company.

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Thinking outside the box 5/23/2013

I've been seeing Maia at Massage Boulder for weekly body work lately and she's noticed several muscular imbalances. I've been battling a really tight right quad for some random reason and the root cause may be from other muscles not actually functioning - i.e. my butt :) I do a bit of strength work but apparently not the right stuff to get my glutes firing properly. Maia also teaches Foundation classes and suggested I give it a go since I was someone who could really benefit from it.

Foundation training is a series of exercises based on integrating the muscular chains of the body. The exercises begin with the Posterior Chain of Muscles to quickly stabilize your spine and core because our modern lifestyles leave most of these muscles weak and imbalanced. I gathered a few others and we jumped into Maia's Tues evening class. Although it's only 45min with nothing other than a mat, it was extremely challenging. It took a bit to find the correct postures but eventually I was able to trigger and activate all the muscles that hadn't been working. I plan on continuing this class weekly and have confidence it will be a great asset to my overall fitness this year! Click on the logo above to learn more on Foundation Training and to see if there are classes offered in your area :)

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Who says accountants can't be creative!?! 5/20/2013

Now that all athletes are tied to their electronic tracking devices of choice, several smaller companies are thriving off the various accessories needed to make these addictive computers visible and functional. There's no secret that Garmin is still the leader in cycling GPS units so most of the aftermarket accessories are only suited that brand. I haven't had any issues putting my computer on my stem but this year I'm running a +6degree rise which tilts the screen, making it difficult to read.


My friend James, tech editor for Cycling News, tested the above mount made specifically for Garmins a few weeks ago. Other than being way too expensive for what it was, there was nothing wrong with it. He already had another mount that he preferred so he said I should see what I could muster up. Since I was looking for something just like this for my Timex Cycle Trainer, I decided to pull out my creative card.


It's definitely not the fanciest alteration out there, but it's fully functional. Unless you bend over and look underneath the mount on my bike, it's completely camouflaged and works like a charm! Even Bryce, Mr. Engineer, was slightly impressed!

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Welcome Bruno! 5/17/2013

What more could an empty nested momma want for Mother's Day than a brand new Bernese Mountain Dog?!? This might have been Barbara Bingham's best mother's day present to date!


It took a few days to name the little guy because they wanted to match the personality appropriately but Bruno was the winner. He's only eight weeks old and growing faster than anything I've ever seen before. He's also probably the cutest puppy I've ever seen too. Looks like the Binghams will have their hands full for the next couple months :)

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New Road Bike Love! 5/14/2013

Hooray, I finally got my new Litespeed L1R road bike built up! Complete with the new Shimano 11-speed components and wheels, this thing is a climbing rocket! It's been a while since I've used mechanical shifting but the Dura Ace 9000 shifting is like butter so I can hardly tell the difference. I'm still making minor tweaks to get it totally dialed in but you better believe I'll have a full review shortly!

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Hooray! Flora D is a college grad :) 5/12/2013

After several long years of balancing academics, a full time training schedule and two Olympic Games, Flora finally had the honor of walking across the stage at CU this past weekend! Her adorable parents flew out from Bermuda to help celebrate as well.


We threw her a fun party on Friday night with all of our friends and it was a total blast. She even got a gluten free chocolate cake that said 'Go Me'!


To top off an awesome weekend, she got a chance to take her new Scott Scale out for it's first ride. If Flora tries to tell you she can't mountain bike, she's full of it. That girl can ride!!! Congrats Flora, we're all so proud and happy for your great accomplishment. You have so many great endeavors ahead of you :) XOXO.

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Finito! 5/8/2013

Yes, the fireplace project has come to a close. We are very happy with how it turned out and really look forward to using the new EcoFuel fireplace this fall/winter.


It's hard to imagine that this is what it looked like just a few months ago but I think we can all agree that the remodel was a big upgrade :) Now we put the house projects on hold to play on bikes and motos for the summer!

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Massage Boulder 5/4/2013

I received my first massage since last summer this past week and holy moly did I need it. My body, and legs in particular, have had a serious shock since I've started doing harder than normal bike sessions recently. I've always gone to a good friend/cyclist for massage but now that he's a new daddy, his world is a bit more consumed. I didn't think twice when I needed another go to person. Maia Ignatz is not only a good friend but a phenomenal massage therapist. Her attention to detail is beyond visible in her work and the fact that she's an elite athlete makes communication and understanding of body issues seamless. If you're in the market for a good massage, definitely check out Maia at Massage Boulder!

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Fun in the kitchen 5/2/2013

I've been doing my best to embrace this whole 'cooking every meal at home' thing and I have to admit it's really not all that bad. Definitely time consuming but I'm trying all sorts of various GF/DF recipes and trying to replicate some of our previous favorite dishes. Pizza was the one thing we ate all the time and even though you can find gluten free dough options at many local Boulder restaurants, dairy free cheese hasn't quite made it that far. Luckily Whole Foods is a 10min walk from our house so we've got plenty of DF alternatives right at our finger tips. The two pizzas above were made with Bob's Red Mills GF pizza crust but there are several other recipes that are delicious as well. I promise they taste as good as they look :)


Allen Lim and Biju Thomas recently came out with their second cookbook! The Feed Zone was a huge hit and we still make several items out of it on a weekly basis. This new book is comprised of recipes designed to bring along as ride/training food and is my new go to for snacks on the bike.


Powerbar has been one of the best sponsors over the past 7 years but unfortunately, all of their bars have gluten and dairy in them. Their gels, fruit smoothies and gel blasts are fantastic but sometimes I just need something with more substance. The Feed Zone Portables has numerous recipes that fit our dietary needs and are fun to make. This week we made the Blueberry/Chocolate/Coconut Rice Cakes. It's as simple as making Calrose rice, mixing in coconut milk/raw sugar/salt/lemon juice then putting blueberries and DF chocolate chips in between two layers of rice in a 9x12in pan. Cut them up, wrap 'em in foil and you have ride food for several days...it's AMAZING! Bryce made French Toast muffins over the weekend and they might be his new favorite. Check it out if you are in the market for good and wholesome goodies while working out.

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Back on the home improvement front 4/29/2013

After a little hiatus from working on the fireplace, we got back on it this past weekend. Hosting Flora's graduation party on May 10th may have been a little motivation to crank it out :)


After some drywall work to cover up the gaps on the old fireplace, we covered the bottom brick with some 3x6in marble tiles.

We still need to grout, touch up and mount the TV back up, but it's almost done! I know Bryce was a bit concerned about the mosaic but we both couldn't be happier with how it's turning out. 


After seeing Bryce's Mom's placemats in Vail, I realized that was the missing piece to our new dining table. We found some square and modern ones that really accent the other colors and are pumped how they look!

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A weekend with a the little bro! 4/23/2013

It's been since last summer that I've seen my little brother so we planned a little meet up in Fruita this past weekend. It worked out perfectly as Bryce had a moto race in Grand Junction on Sunday and it was the exact middle meeting spot between Boulder and Salt Lake City!


Before joining up with Jerry, his girlfriend Karen and their new pup Riley, we went for a fun MTB ride on Mary's Loop. We did the Horsethief and Steve Loops then made our way up and down the 'More Fun' trail. It was super technical but well worth it!


After meeting up with our SLC crew, we went to dinner at a cool Mexican place where inevitably we ran into a few friends from Boulder. We then headed out to the camp grounds where Jerry/Karen/Riley slept in a 2 person tent and we crashed in the van.


After making some coffee and finding a great breakfast joint, we headed out to 18 Road for a little mountain biking.


Since Karen is very new to the world of riding bicycles, she was on Jerry's old bike and used his helmet. Jerry in turn wore his skiing helmet and looked like a giant goober :)


With zero experience riding a bicycle on any form of singletrack, I couldn't have been more impressed with Karen. She is such a trooper and did awesome!


Although their new pup is a bit scared of people, she's still super cute and really fun once she warms up to you. After dinner and some bowling, we drove out to the race site to meet up with the usual suspects.


It was a bit chilly camping but the morning sunshine was warm and felt awesome. We helped Bryce get ready for his race then sent him on his way. After watching the start of the first test, Jerry and Karen took off to head back to Utah and I went for a nice jog. Bryce had a rough race but got through it safe and sound. We made a pit stop in Vail for some dinner and a much needed shower then finally made our way back to Boulder. It was so fun seeing Jerry and getting a chance to meet his adorable girlfriend and their new doggie!

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Stages Power Meters 4/15/2013

It's no secret that I'm a big time numbers fan.  Whether it's sorting through Quickbooks files or looking at numbers from a workout, I never get tired of looking at the information.  Luckily, my coach Neal Henderson is the same way, and he loves looking at results from a good training session or race.  I've always been a fan of training with power measurement tools, but until recently, it's been a challenge.  Typically power meters have been in heavy wheel hubs and limit your wheel choice options at races and on training rides.

Boulder based company Stages Power has developed one of the smartest, simplest, and economical solutions to the power meter dilemma.  Rather than measuring torque through the rear hub, the stages meter measures strain on the crank arm through a very compact box attached inside the left crank arm.  It transmits though a variety of wireless options, typically ANT+ or Bluetooth.  After mounting my Stages equipped XTR crank arm to my mountain bike, syncing the power meter to my Timex Cycle Trainer was incredibly quick and easy.

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Bake Off Round #2 4/9/2013

With the not-so-successful outcome of Flora's Hot Crossed Buns on Easter weekend, she was really hoping to seek redemption this past Saturday. This is quoted directly from Flora via Facebook "Bake off round #2. I lost again." - Can you guess who's cinnamon rolls belong to who?


Like the hot crossed buns, I've never attempted to make cinnamon rolls - especially not gluten and dairy free ones. However, my GF/vegan recipe using only agave as the sweetener surprisingly didn't turn out too bad. It did make a massive mess, but well worth it!


The bake off was in conjunction with some GF/DF pizza making with my friend's kids who are 4 and 7. We kept them quite entertained with Supercross and letting them judge the bake off...it was great success :) We've been using the Bob's Red Mills GF Pizza crust but I decided to try out the Gluten Free Goddess's recipe that night. It did not disappoint and highly suggest it! Check it out - http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2011/02/gluten-free-pizza-crust-my-new-recipe.html

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Back to ''Training'' 4/5/2013

April 1st marked my first official day back with Coach Neal Henderson and the rest of the APEX Coaching crew. After destroying my quads on a run/hike last Sunday, I really couldn't do too much in terms of intervals and pushing myself but probably a blessing in disguise. 


I'm really excited to be back on a schedule but truly looking forward to seeing progress in my fitness and mental state. I don't plan on racing until mid June so I'm taking it slow and steady. I need to keep telling myself that I don't want to be be fit and fast now, I want to crush ass and take names Sep-Jan for the CX season! In the meantime, I'll keep chipping away and continue to fuel myself with my favorite Powerbar treats. If you haven't had a chance to try out their new Energy Blend Smoothies, you need to. They have great flavor and a perfect consistency for any type of work out. Let me know if you want a sample :)

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Hot Crossed Buns Bake-Off 4/1/2013

What is a Good Friday without a little Bermuda/British tradition of Hot Crossed Buns?!?


I've never had them before so Flora and I decided to have a fun bake off. We both eat gluten free so we figured it would be somewhat of an even event. Although I had to keep mine dairy free as well, I found a great recipe online. The first pic shows the buns 'rising'. Mine are on the right and Flora's on the left. The above pic is what Flora's first batch looked like. Can we say Hot Crossed Pancakes?!?!?


She did a great job attempted to decorate but I think she must have forgotten a leavening agent of some kind :) Although I couldn't try them, apparently they weren't too bad. Her second batch with added flour and Xantham Gum were pretty ridiculous too...I guess anything with a ton of frosting can't taste too bad!


With his new haircut and our friend's pug begging incessently, Bryce enjoyed a few of my Hot Crossed Buns! I think we made 10 and there are currently zero left as of this Monday morning. I guess it's okay since we rode MTB's for 4hrs Saturday then hiked and dirt biked all day on Sunday. With sunny skies and mid 60 degree temps both days, I couldn't think of a better way to spend our Easter weekend :)

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Misc Happenings 3/25/2013

I acquired this ridiculous looking 'ball chair' from a client the other day, and I'm totally loving it. I don't care how ludicrous it looks, it's super comfy and will hopefully eliminate my horrible slouching habits!


New bikes are starting to roll in, yay!!! My 2013 L1R road frame arrived last week and I cannot wait to build it up. The new Shimano 11 speed components may take a bit longer to get here but I know it will be worth the wait. Stay tuned for a complete build pic and a full review later this spring/summer.



Our annual snowy March is in full effect. After getting at least 6 inches on Friday and Saturday, we decided to stay indoors and begin the fireplace project we (okay I) have been wanting to get after for a while now.


Above is the beginning of the madness. TV is off the wall and the hideous faux brick has been ripped off. We still have a lot of structural work to do in order for the eco-fuel fireplace to fit and some serious drywall cutting to hide all the television wires. As soon as the weather gets better, we'll be outside and riding so hopefully this 'slightly simple' project doesn't get pushed out too long :)

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Let the Run Trainer 2.0 Clinics Begin!!! 3/23/2013

Although the Timex Run Trainer 2.0 hasn’t officially hit stores yet, there is a lot of buzz around the new product! I know several shops in the Boulder/Denver area that are itching to carry the new watch and many run groups eager to have our demo fleet available at one of their weekly runs. To kick off the 2013 ‘Clinic Season’, Tim Hola and I did a short Timex clinic for the employees of the Sports Authority Elite shop in Boulder yesterday morning. We talked about the various watches the store carries but we spent most our time educating them on the new Run Trainer and allowed them to touch/feel/play with the ones we received at camp. The response was extremely positive and we plan on having a demo day sometime this spring/summer. Thanks for organizing Mr. Hola!

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The Gear Movement 3/20/2013

I've recently taken on another new accounting client. Ben and Jordan, good friends and owners of the The Gear Movement, contacted me several weeks ago and we've recently developed a great working relationship. If you haven't checked out their site, click on the logo above and read all about how they can help you move that old gear in your garage and make you some extra cash!

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Getting Healthy 3/18/2013

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I've updated! Things have been crazy busy with recent work changes (which I will update on later) and all the other random items in my life :) On the cooking side of my world, I've been really in to soup making these days after the purchase of a new immersion blender. Check out this site for 3 really tasty soups I've recently made and loved! Detox Soup Recipes


I also recently acquired a new toy to play with on the mountain! I have yet to build up my new Litespeed race machine, but this will serve as my fun bike to take trail riding when I'm sick of getting beat up by the hardtail! I've been riding my CX bike quite a bit and my strength and fitness is getting better each day. Really excited for the actual 'training' to begin on April 1!!!


Have I mentioned that Melanie is 18 weeks pregnant?!? Well she is and what I call 'Little Miss Huang' is due right around my birthday (Aug 22). She rocked through the first trimester and is doing great and riding strong. Love hanging out with that girl!

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Help, I'm addicted to interior design!!! 3/6/2013

Maybe I should stop watching HGTV all the time then, huh? I do have to admit though, we haven't bought/remodeled anything just because...every dime spent has gone towards enhancing the overall space so that it flows better and is convenient for everyone who lives here :)


Our newest table/rug addition was something that was much needed. After rearranging to actually have a dining space in the house, we realized that a welcoming table that fit more than 4 people was much needed. Since the space between the kitchen and living room is a bit tight, we knew that a bench seat would be the key to keeping the congestion down. We pieced together this set from IKEA (of course) and really couldn't be happier. Much better than what we had before (pictured below)!

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We miss CHEESE!!!! 3/4/2013

Luckily there are a few good alternatives :) We've recently discovered the vegan Parmesan (pictured above) at Whole Foods. It's a great way to give salads and GF pasta dishes a little extra flavor.


We've been using the cheddar and mozzarella Daiya shreds for a while now but just started using them on GF pizza crusts to make delicious homemade pizzas. As bad as it sounds, living gluten and dairy free isn't all THAT terrible!

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Bring on the humidity! 2/25/2013

In all honesty, I never thought I would be excited to add humidity into my house! However, the dry Colorado winters are really taking a toll on us. For several years now, we wake up extremely parched and congested during the winter months - I guess the combination of constantly running heat and a dry environment will do that to ya. At any rate, we spoke with Bryce's parents who have been very happy with their humidifier purchase so we decided to get the same one. I would have much rather splurged on a $300 kitchen accessory, but I know this will be a great investment for us in the long run! To fresh, and happy breathing :)

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