+
*
817 81 17 7,,1 ,1 ,1* 1* * ) ),,,6 6+,1 ,1 81'(5 7+( %,* 6.<
P a Í } 0S _ dQ[XR Pc X ^ ] BD<<4A ! "
7KH 3URSRVDO *RDW
8= C78B 8BBD4 SDJH
%\ .HOVLH (ULFNVRQ
2XWGRRUV :RPDQ
SDJH :LOGOLIH &RQVHUYDWLRQ
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¿GHQFH , QHHGHG WR KXQW WKLV FRXQWU\ ZLWK P\ ERZ
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
'ULYLQJ WKURXJK WKH SUDLULH WR WKH EDVH RI WKH WUDLOKHDG JDYH PH D EOHVVHG IHHOLQJ EHLQJ DEOH WR H[SHULHQFH DQ DGYHQWXUH OLNH WKLV -RKQQ\ DQG -RH ZHUH MXVW DV H[FLWHG DV , ZDV , FRXOG QRW DVN IRU EHWWHU KXQWLQJ SDUWQHUV WKDQ WKHVH WZR :H KLW WKH WUDLO ZLWK ELNHV XQWLO ZH UHDFKHG WKH LQFOLQH XS KLOO :H VWDVKHG WKH ELNHV DQG EHJDQ RXU DVFHQW WR JRDW FRXQWU\ 7KHUH DUH QR ZRUGV WKDW FRXOG GHVFULEH WKH IHHOLQJ RI EHLQJ WKH JLUO WKDW JHWV WR EH WKH IRFXV RI WKH DGYHQWXUH
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¿QG ZKHUH WKH JRDWV ZHUH FURVVLQJ :H ZHUH GH¿QLWHO\ LQ WKH ULJKW VSRW $ KRW PHDO DQG IXOO VWRPDFKV ZH FOLPEHG LQWR RXU VOHHSLQJ EDJV WR HQG WKH GD\ , FRXOG KDUGO\ VOHHS ZRQGHULQJ ZKDW WRPRUURZ PLJKW EULQJ DQG LI , ZRXOG JHW D FKDQFH DW D ELOO\
,Q WKH ODWH DIWHUQRRQ ZH PDGH LW WR RXU ¿UVW FDPS VSRW :H VHW XS UHOD[HG DQG JRW WKH VSRWWLQJ VFRSH RXW WR JODVV 5LJKW RII WKH EDW ZH VSRWWHG NLGV DQG D QDQQ\ 7KLV ZDV D JRRG VLJQ $V WKH VXQ VHW EHKLQG WKH WDOO SHDNV ZH ODLG RXU KHDGV GRZQ WR UHVW 0RUQLQJ FDPH DQG ZH ZRNH XS WR IURVW :H VWLOO KDG RYHU IW WR FOLPE VWUDLJKW XS :LWK WKH GU\ VXPPHU WKHUH ZDV QR ZDWHU XS KLJK VR ZH KDG WR PDNH WKH GHFLVLRQ WR FDPS
,W ZDV D FKLOO\ PRUQLQJ EXW WKH DGUHQDOLQH RI H[FLWHPHQW NHSW P\ EORRG ÀRZLQJ , OHW WKH JX\V VOHHS LQ DQG , KHDGHG RXW E\ P\VHOI , KLNHG XS WKH ULGJH ZHUH ZH ZHUH FDPSHG DQG EHJDQ VFDQQLQJ WKH DUHD -XVW DV WKH VXQ ZDV FRPLQJ XS WKH JRDWV VWDUWHG WR DSSHDU ,W ZDV D EUHDWKWDNLQJ VLJKW UHPLQGLQJ PH KRZ IRUWXQDWH , ZDV WR EH WKHUH , KHDGHG EDFN GRZQ FRQWLQXHG RQ SDJH
SDJH %LJ 6N\ )O\ )LVKLQJ )HVWLYDO
81 8 1 17 7 7,,1* ,,1 1* 1 * ) ),6 ), ,,6 6+,1 ,1 81'(5 7+( %,* 6.<
SDJH 1HZV %ULHIV
SDJH 8SFRPLQJ 2XWGRRU (YHQWV