MIDLAND MIRROR
ByJay‘26
LosOlivos,California February2025
TeaTime Thanksgiving
On November 26, the floodgates opened, and the masses of family, friends,andalumnidrownedthe71-studentschoolinworkandfestivities. Formany,Midland’ssmallersizeispartoftheappeal.Butonceayear,we getaninvasionofguestsandmustgoouttoKimptonFieldbyIreland House to fit 500 students, faculty, friends, and families in a crowd for grace. Midland’s classic tradition of hosting others for Thanksgiving is somethingthatstretchesbackto1932whenMidlandwasfounded.
KitchenStaff:José,Lucy,Gloria,andLupitainStillmanHall
TheWednesdaybefore,sportswerecancelledandtheschoolheldawork periodwherestudentsandfacultyalikescurriedaround,rakingleavesand cleaningthemuddyfloorsafterarainyweek AcrewledbyNhiNguyen, Mathematics Faculty, decorated Stillman and students set up tables for familiestoeat Onthebigday,familiesarrivedaround9:30amandsetout tothecross-countrycourseforourfourthannualTurkeyTrot Thisyear, Levi‘27tookhomeamedalafterrunningapersonalbest Notably,faculty childEmersonplacedfifthoverallwithatimeof22:22 Atlunchtime,the Head of School, Hannah Nelson, delivered her first Thanksgiving assembly,andeveryonequicklylineduptoenjoythedeliciousmeal The Thanksgiving feast consisted of turkey, mashed sweet potatoes, peas, veggies, gravy, and bread rolls, plus tables full of desserts brought by familiesandapplecidermadebythefamilyofKielson‘25
At2:30pm,performancesbeganwithchapelsfromMiriam‘28 and Seraphina ‘26. There was also wonderful music from students and faculty. After about an hour, students were grantedleavetogooffcampuswiththeirfamilies.Thenextday wasfullofminiclassesinwhichparentslearnedmoreaboutthe classestheirchildrengotoeveryday,followedbyanothernight off.SaturdayhadtheusualExperientialSaturdayschedulewith many parents participating in offerings such as: visiting the burnzonefromtheLakeFire;makingceramicpinchpotsinthe ArtRoom;meetingMidland’sherdatthenewbarn.
Thisyear’sThanksgivingwasawelcomebreakintheextralong semester!
Land:AllSaints’Day
ByAmelie‘27
EveryMondaynightofthesecondterm,studentsclaimtheydon’t needtodotheirhomeworkbecausetheyknowthenextdaywillbe AllSaints’Day.Andwhenitisn’t,theyjustknowitmustbethe next week. On Monday, November 4th, seventy students procrastinated their homework in the hope that classes would be cancelled the next day. At 8:49 pm, a quiet spread across Middle Yard as students anxiously waited to see if their suspicions were correct.
“BEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLL!!!”Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding Our“fireandflooddrill”quicklyturnedintoexcitedmutteringas weplannedourhikesforthenextday AllSaints’Daywasoriginally named after the holiday, when the school was religious It has alwaysbeencelebratedwithadayofcanceledclassesandmandatory hikes at Midland Now that the school is secular, the name and traditionhasstuck,butthedateofthishikingholidayisasecretup untilhoursbefore,creatingasurprisetolookforwardto Eachand every student went for a hike, some more ambitious than others Stewards,theMidlandOutdoorLeaders,aregivenamysteriousfew days warning to prepare a hike that they could lead community memberson
StudentsandDan,DeanofExperientialLearning,onZacaPeak
Thisyear,threegroupswentupBirabentCreek,oneexploringfor swimming holes, another hiking to the higher reaches of the drainage,andthefinalID-ingnativefloraandfauna.Ahandfulof students chose to give their feet the day off and travel by either mountainbikeorhorseback.Otherschosetofindplacestopicnicor watercolorontheridgesoftheHighCountrytrail.Anambitious group trekked to the peak of Coulter Pine Ridge, an aggressively steep mountain in our horizon line. The most ambitious hiking group,inregardtotimeanddistance,attemptedtostandatthepeak ofasmanymountainsinZacaRidgeastheycouldinninehours.
AgroupofstudentsexploringtheburnzoneduringAllSaint’sDay
ThosestudentsweredroppedoffontheCatway,adirtroadonthefar sideofZacaPeakandtraversedthehighlineofourridge,standingat thetopoffiveelusivepeaksbeforereturningbacktocampus
Wheninterviewed,everysinglestewardreflectedthattheylovedseeing new and returning students alike enjoy the property in ways they probably wouldn’t otherwise The nature of All Saints’ Day means that students of grades and experience levels explore corners of the property they most likely wouldn’t reach with people they may not regularlyhikewith
Forthosewhoreturnedtocampusby3:00pm,snowconesawaitedon Main House porch. And for those who didn’t, the hunger made dinnertastebetterthanever.Whethertheyhikedamileorthirteen, everyMidlanderhadastorytotelloverdinnerthatnight.
HorsePackingTrip
ByJay‘26
Eightstudents,ledbyTrailBossesHayden‘26andKielson‘25,left onhorsebackaroundnoononabreezySaturdayandrodefromthe barnpastUpperYard,aroundtheBowlTrail,andouttothecorrals nearGreenGate.Itwasapleasantnightwiththehorses,thecattle,a nicefireplace,andGino’sPizza,butoncethefirewentoutitbeganto get a little chilly. Horse girls had to cuddle tight for warmth as temperaturesreachedbelowfreezing.
AcommonoccurrenceatMidland,hardlucksarenightsthatstudents canspendoutontheproperty,enjoyingnatureandswitchingupthe normalroutine.However,ahardluckprecededbyahorsebackride andendingatthecorralsnearTankMesahadnotbeendoneforover a year before this one. It was an excellent experience and part of a farewellfromReginaButala,ourHorseProgramDirector,whohas sincemovedtoanewranchinSanDiego.
TrailBossHayden‘26ontheTrail
Themorningofthehardluckwasalittledifficult,wakingupat6:00AMwithfrostonthetentsandhavingtofeedandgroomthehorses. Fortunately,everyonegotbacktocampusinonepiece,though,withthemanynumbhandsandfeet,itmightnothavefeltlikeit.Thesenior breakfastcrewtreatedtheicyriderstoacustompancakewiththeMidlandHorseProgramlogo.Afteracoldride,chillyunsaddling,and teeth-chatteringwalkbacktoStillman,freshmadepancakeswereaperfectwaytoconcludethefirsthorsepackingovernightoftheacademic year.Overall,thehardluckleftstudentsverycoldbutwiththedesiretocontinueridesandnightsoutontheproperty,hopefullywhenitisa littlebitwarmer,though.
Community
DiadeLosMuertos
ByMatti‘27
OnNovember1stand2nd,Midlandstudentsleftpicturesofbelovedfamily, friends,andpetsonouraltar,welcomingtheirspiritstofollowthegoldentrail ofpetalsthroughthechapeldooranduptoourofrenda Beyondthemarigolds andpapelpicado,DiadeLosMuertosatMidlandisanopportunityforour Latinx affinity group to plan celebrations that encourage participation from andincludetherestofourcommunity
This year, the preparation was kicked off when Latinx, along with many volunteers, worked together during a Sunday Half Holiday to create papel picado;atraditionalDiadeLosMuertosdecoration,madebycuttingelaborate designs into colorful sheets of tissue paper These were the decorations that adornedthewallsofChapel,aswellasmanyotherspacesthroughouttherest ofcampus Additionally,hundredsofmarigoldflowerswerecollectedfromthe farm,theirpetalsscatteredaroundChapel’sentrancefortheoccasion Thekey element surrounding the preparation was the ofrenda put up inside chapel, suchthatitwouldbethefirstthingtocatchyoureyeasyouwalkedinside On it, there lay plenty of food, decorations, and most importantly, pictures and photographsofpeoplewhommembersoftheMidlandcommunitywishedto rememberandcommemorateevenaftertheirpassings (CONTINUESONPAGE4)
ChapelonDiadeLosMuertos
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The day of this special holiday, prior to dinner, Melanie ‘26 and Julissa‘26sharedwithourcommunityaseriesofheartfeltpoems thatelucidatedtheimportanceofcelebratingthisholiday,aswellas themeaningitholdsforagreatdealofpeople.Whilethechapel may have been short, the community listened attentively, each comprehendingthemeaningsintheirownways.Marcela‘27called it“aspecialmomenttoreflectontherealmeaningofDiadelos Muertos.”
WhileDiadeLosMuertosatMidlandmaydiffersomewhatfromhow it is traditionally celebrated, it allows for culture and traditions to be shared within the Midland Community. Either way, I don’t think a single student would have changed the way we celebrated Dia de los MuertosthisyearatMidland.
HeadPrefects
ByMatti‘27
Midlandhasalwaysemphasizedstudentleadership,theHeadPrefectbeingan integral role at Midland since the school’s beginning in 1932 It has, and continuestobe,oneofthejobsthatservesasthebackboneofourcommunity Forthedurationofthe2024-25schoolyear,Tess‘25andTrace‘25arethetwo seniors undertaking this responsibility, as well as uplifting our community Students and Faculty alike believe the pair to be well suited for the responsibility Levi‘27says,“TessandTracearegreatheadprefects,Ithinkthey areveryniceandhelpfultoallpeopleatMidland”
Tess‘25,Midland’sLowerYardHeadPrefect,cametoLosOlivosfromtheBay Areaseekingtheindependenceofaboardingschool Inadditiontotheroleof headprefect,shehasalsotakenonthetitlesofStewardandCo-HeadofFarm CrewalongwithAC‘25 Whennotharvestingproducefromourfarmduring thecold,oftenfrosty,morningswithherfaithfuldog,Lula,sheenjoysspending timecultivatingherotherinterestsinsidethewoodshopwithvariousprojects,as wellasintheMidlandoutdoorprogram Thispastsemester,Tesshostedthe largeststudent-ledHardluckinMidlandhistory,bringingthirtyoutofthirtyfour Lower Yarders to the Res for a night full of baked potatoes, s ’ mores, campfire games and stars One of her goals is “to inspire students to take advantageofallthatMidlandhastooffer”Herhardluckdidjustthat Amelie ‘27 said that it “set the tone for the year to come, inviting everyone into the outdoorprogramtoinspireappreciationof,interactionwith,andconnectionto thenaturalworld”
Trace ‘25, Midland’s Upper Yard Head Prefect was first drawntoMidlandbyouruniqueOutdoorProgram,aswell ashisdesiretobesurroundedbyastrongcommunitylike theonewehavetoofferhere AlongwiththetitleofHead Prefect,someoftheotherrolesTracetacklesareSteward, Social Committee Member, and Head of Queercus, our LGBTQIA+alliance Membersofourcommunitydescribe him as “ a leader who really cares about making our communitymorewelcoming”LastSpring,Traceplanned aMidlandDragShow,includingstudentsfrombothyards asDragQueensandmakeupartists HeorganizedStillman as a runway and even participated in the show himself, creating a community of inclusion for all students. Trace hopesto“bringasenseofjoyfuloptimism”toeverythinghe doesasheadprefect. Together, as Head Prefects, a preeminent goal shared by both Tess and Trace is to find fun and engaging ways to supporttheMidlandCommunitysuchasmakingdesserts forthewholestudentbodyand,accordingtoTrace,“going alloutforspiritweek”
HeadPrefect,Tess‘25
HeadPrefect,Trace‘25
HaywireinHayBarn:TheHalloweenDance
ByJay‘26
Flashing lights, deafening music, rising dust clouds, and cheering throngs of students Social Committee’s Halloween dance had foundtheperfectlocationinHayBarn
With only four days, Parker ‘25, Head of Social Committee, workedtirelesslynightandday,workingtoplanoutthisclubnight. Thefestivitieswere“verychaoticbecausetheplanninghappenedso lastminuteandIwasdoingitallonmyown,butitendedupbeing very fun!” said Parker ‘25. The Midland Faculty were more than willingtovolunteerfortaskslikecostumecontestjudging,trick-ortreathosting,andclubs.
Lucas‘28,Michael‘27,Morgan‘25,andHonor‘27incostume
Beforethedance,therewereplentyofotherHalloweenactivities likeacostumecontestafterdinnerassembly.The12thGraderswon thegroupcategorywithacastofInsideOutcharacters,andfaculty kids and student dogs also made appearances. There was fortune tellingatHeatherCarreiro’sduplex,andstudentswalkedtovarious facultyhomesfortrick-or-treating.
StudentsTrick-or-TreatingduringClubNight
Thedancebeganat8PM,whichgaveeveryoneenoughtimetogoto theiryards,tradecandy,andgetreadyforthedance Before,Midland danceswouldbehostedinLongHouse,butforthisspecialoccasion, the spider webs that filled Haybarn created an eerie Halloween atmosphere Asthemusicraged,studentswouldarriveingroupswith theirfriendsforlipsyncingbattlesandfundancemoves Abowlof lollipopswasgenerouslyputoutforstudentstoenjoy,butquickly disappeared,asifamonsterhadcomeandeatenit Butno,itwasjust EZ‘26actingasamonster,takingallthecandyforhimself
GinaButala:TheEnd
ByJay‘26
Between the cows, the horses, the gas guzzling gator, and the raging horsegirls,thingsareneverquietattheKitRichDreyfussHorseBarn. Foreightandahalfyears,GinaButalahasbeenteachingstudentsthe ways of natural horsemanship Having arrived at Midland with the dream of connecting riders to horses, Gina has since cultivated a communityofpeoplewhoworkhardtobuildbondswiththeirhorses, aswellasshapeleadersinourwidercommunityofMidland
Gina teaches us to put the horse first, always Day in and day out; workingtobenefitourselvesandothersisacoreprincipleofMidland, onethatGinastrivestoteachallherstudents Riding,bonding,and workingwithahorseisjustanaddedbonus Thoughworkingatthe barnmayfeellaboriousattimes,itisconsistentlyrewarding,andwe oftenfindsomethingtolaughaboutinthegoofyanticsofthehorses
Classof2025incostume
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ThisFall,GinaannouncedthatshewouldbeleavingMidland attheendofthesemestertoembarkonanewjourney:abarn inSanDiegodedicatedtoteachingmilitaryfamiliesandthose copingwithdeploymentabouthorsesandhowtousethemas support WhilethisisagreatlossfortheMidlandcommunity, weknowshewillcontinuetospreadherknowledgeofhorses and the principles of natural horsemanship with new communitieswhowillcherishheraswedo Ginaisexcitedfor the future of the Midland horse program and hopes to see “ more students get involved and that Midland as a whole embraces the program, supporting our horses as community members”
Sports:Basketball
ByJulissa‘26
The contact between a rubber ball and the Pole Barn floor echoes throughout our three sided gym That's right, it's basketball season! With the Upper Yard team reaching more than fifteen players and the Lower Yard team standing mighty with seven,thisyearwillcreatesomeexcitingmemories Tomakethisseasonevenbetter, ourwellknownandbelovedCoachKarlinhasreturnedtothemightyoakstocoach Hecarriesbighopes,butthefirststepistogetusallinshape Afterourfirstsetofthree suicides,henotedthatweareallnotinshapeandhowthatwillnotbethecaseasthe seasonprogresses Gruntsfromallaroundcouldbeheard,butitalsogetseasieraswe continuetorunbackandforth “Iamexcitedtostartoffthisyearwithmissingthreepointers and accidentally hitting people in the head to actually make them into the hoop,”saysHayden‘26asshewalksontothecourt
On the Lower Yard team, we have some new additions who have never played basketballintheirlives AsIobserve,InoticehowAmelie‘27learnshowtoblockand guard By standing up with her arms out and making some interesting noises, she innovatesagreatwaytostoptheotherteamfromreceivingtheballorscoring Honor ‘27jumpedrightintobasketballwithsuchenthusiasmandthewanttolearnhowthis sport works, making it to be a starter With such low numbers, two of the players wouldbebenched,whichisnotalot.Butthatmeanseveryonewillgetalotofplaying time!
The Upper Yard team has sadly lost three of their vital players this year: Darien ‘24, Weston ‘24 and Tony‘24 Thismaymakethisseasonabitdifficult, butwithoutadoubtwewillcontinuetostrive An interesting sight, with seven Lower Yarders on one sideofPoleBarnandamonsoonofUpperYarders ontheother,somewouldgetsentovertoevenout the numbers and make layups tolerable Team captains Nate ‘25 and Trace ‘25 round up all the Upper Yarders and review basic skills and drills for everyone to get into the groove The new players watchinaweasNateshowsthemhowtodribbleand block Karlinispushingforthisyear'sUpperYarders to get into shape and be able to play a round smoothly (CONTINUESONPAGE7)
GinawithNeeka
LowerYardBasketballTeam
UpperYardBasketballTeam
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Again, because of the difference in numbers, some Upper Yarders would be sent to the Lower Yard team One practice,threeletter-namedjuniors,Jay‘26,EZ‘26andZ ‘26,weretradedoverandaddedtotheLowerYardteamfor ahalf-courtscrimmage Itwasanintensegame,withalotof guarding,yelling“Hey,I’mopen!”butthenhavingthatone playerpassittothewrongteam Overall,itwasagreatway foreveryonetocometogetherandenjoybasketball
A new addition to this season of basketball are these pennies that each player gets to use for the season. Reversible colors make it easy to identify who's on each team,forthemostpart.Someplayerscontinuetopassthe balltotheopposingteam,butlaughterandsomescolding comesoutofdoingthat.
Overall, the 2024-25 basketball season seems promising, in the sense of having a lot of fun practicing with friends and having the environment welcomingtothosewhohaveneverplayedbefore
HighSierrastoHotLowlands:FallOutdoorLeadership
ByAmelie‘27
Coldwindwhippedthroughourhairasweslidalongthelooselystrungrope Kneesscratchedagainstgraniteandcarabinersclinkedtogether Hundredsof feetbelow,therestofthegroupsathuddledbehindarocknexttoIridescent Lake,perchedat12,000feet,intheSouth-EasternSierra Asthecloudsraced aboveus,ourgroupwatchedaquarterofthefallOutdoorLeadershipgroup quickly pick up mountaineering skills as we ascended the Miter, a towering moundofgraniteperchedafewridgesoverfromMountWhitney
OutdoorLeadershipatMidlandoffersstudentstheopportunitytolearn,grow, push themselves and become more comfortable in the outdoors. Each year, thirteenstudentsspendtheirfirstsportsseasondoingexactlythat.Thefirsttrip in the fall heads to the high Sierras for five days of backpacking, mountaineeringandexploring,allthewhilehopingtoacclimatetothealtitude beforeheadingbacktocampus.
Forthesecondyearinarow,weheadedtotheSouth-EasternSierra,specificallytheGoldenTroutWilderness.Havingonlyfivedaysforthis trip,wehikedforabout2hoursinthedarkafterdrivingup8,000feetinelevationonourfirstday.Thestarkchangeinelevationoffersa challengeforeventhemostexperiencedMidlandbackpackers.Often,acclimatingtothealtitudefeelsimpossible.Yetwehadnotimeto waste,soondaytwo,wesetoffforeightmilesand2,700feetofelevationgainandloss,conqueringthemighty,andsomewhatmiserable, ArmyPass.“Thepasswasginormous.Ihaddoneitbefore,butitwasstillmybiggestfeargoingintothetrip,”saidGuillermo‘26,who completedthistripforasecondtimethisfall.OldArmyPassappearstobeaneverendingwallofgranite,occasionallycoveredbyasnow field,thathadtobesummitedtoreachourcampfornighttwo.Slowlybutsurely,wesnakedourwaytothetopoftheswitchbacks,tobe rewardedwithaviewoftheentirevalley,allthewaytotheWesternSierras.Yetourdaywasonlytwo–thirdsdone,sowecontinuedondown theothersideofthepasstoourofftrailcampforthenight.Bythetimewegottothemajesticmini-meadowwithitsspringfedlakethat wouldbehomeforthenexttwodays,manyinourgroupweretooexhaustedtoenjoytheviews.Butafterahotmacandcheesemeal,spirits turnedaround.Stayingatthatcampfor2nights,wegotadaytoexplore:hikinguptoLakeIridescentandeitherchillingatitsbankforhours, orchoosingtolearnhowtomountaineerwhilesummitingtheMiter,aseeminglyverticalpeakadjacenttothelake.
LowerYardTeamwithCoachKarlinandFacultyTalei
Maude‘26&Amelie‘27ontheHighSierrasTrip
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Four students chose to summit. The rest waited below and watched our brightly coloredt-shirtsgrowsmallerandfartherawayaswepushedtothepeak.Coldwindand alittlebitofsnowdidn’taidourmountaineeringjourney,buttheycertainlymadeita moredramaticstorytotell.
Longstoryshort,wemadeittothepeakinatimelymannerandmanagedtocontrol ourfearenoughtokeepclimbing Yetgettingtothepeakwasonlythefirsthalf Iwill sparethedetailsbecausemygrandmaisreadingthis,andIdon’twanthertofreakout Weremainedsafethewholetime,butthefearinourmindsonlygrewthefartherwe descended Maude‘26,oneofthemighty-Miter-ersnotedthat“ClimbingtheMiter wasboththehighlightofmyOLseasonandthehardestpartofit”
Overall, the Sierra Trip was a raging success, offering everyone a chance to push themselvesinsomewayandnooneachancetofullyacclimate 2weeksaftergetting back,wesetoutonanotherexcursion,thisonemuchclosertoMidland’sdoorstep TheLosPadresNationalForest,whichisquiteliterallyourNorth-Westneighbor,is2 millionacresofnearlyuntouchedandscarcelyvisitedwilderness Foroursecondtrip, weheaded10milesoutintothishiddengemtoexplorecaves,waterfallsandstream beds Completewitha16hoursolo,thistripgaveusamuch-neededbreakfromthe MidlandacademicgrindandachancetoreflectontheOLseasonwewerecloseto finishing
PinkPalace
AlthoughtheOLtripsgetalltheattention,what happensbetweenthetripsisoftenwherestudents learn the skills that they implement on expeditions Leadership, especially in the outdoors, can push people out of their comfort zones Thisisexactlyhowourprogramfunctions: push yourself, reflect on that, and learn to lead others towards that same place of comfortable discomfort
ByJulissa‘26
Pink Palace is Midland’s iconic outhouse. In between Stillman and the Whittierclassrooms,itswallsstand,butthereseemstobeaproblem.Many wouldthinkthatthisbathroomispink,butitisnot.Thenameisactually misleading, which has been brought to the attention of the winter maintenance crew. Alex, Director of Finance, is leading a group of determinedstudentstorevampPinkPalace.Beforebeingdemolished,Pink Palacehadtwosides,the“UpperYard”side,whichwasnotoriouslyknown to be annoying to clean during work periods and the “Lower Yard” side whichwasalwaysinbettershape.Thenewideathathasbeengoingaround isthatthewallswouldbedemolished,anditwouldonlyhaveoneside,for both Upper and Lower Yard. The stalls would be closed off, almost like rooms.Butthebestpartisthatitwouldberepaintedpink.Orsothatisthe hope. Veronica ‘26 tells me that “I am looking forward to seeing the bathroomrenewedandpink,asitshouldbe!”VeronicaandMelanie‘26, beingthejuniorleaderstheystrivetobe,helpthelowerclassmenonthe crewtohelpgetreadyforthenextsteps.Everyoneworkscontinuouslybut also has fun at the same time. Bringing down the walls seems to be everyone ’ s favorite part of the project, since it acted like a “ rage room ” –especially for the juniors, since their year is probably the most difficult academically.Whatcouldbebetterthanbeingabletoaxedownthewalls? Theentireschoolisexcitedaboutthefinishedproduct,whichisexpectedto beunveiledinFebruary2025.Withthehardworkanddedicationthatis alreadybeingseen,itseemsliketheiconicPinkPalacewillillustrateitsname andbepinkagain!
Aquila‘25enjoyingthesunintheHighSierras
HeadofSchoolNote
Asthepianoplayedsoftly,thedimlightgrewbrighterastheflamepassedfromcandletocandle,untiltheentirecirclewas aglowbeneaththeradiantmoon.Together,wesangonourfinalnightbeforedepartingforwinterbreak,reflectingonthe termthathadbeen Secondtermwasalivewithcherishedtraditions Halloween,NovemberNonsense,Thanksgiving,and the Winter Banquet all made possible by the incredible spirit of this community I am deeply grateful for the student leadership,thecareweshowoneanother,thehighstandardswesetanduphold,andthegrowthweachievethroughevery challenge,academicorotherwise.Thisnewhome,andeveryoneinit,continuestoinspireme.Thankyouall!
TheMidlandMirrorTeam
