It is with sadness (and 2 crying kids in the background) that I submit this last post. Although, I am very, very thankful to Mouths Of Mums and Toyota for the experience of the past 10 days. An opportunity to live life in a bit more LUXURY, SAFETY and COMFORT than we normally do – and we lapped up every possible minute we could in the KLUGER GRANDE!!
We did a bit over 1200kms in the past 10 days, living our life as we usually would. The KLUGER was a fantastic vehicle for me as a Mum for ferrying the kids to school and daycare, shopping on the weekends, and travelling to visit our family who all live in country areas.
These 1200kms, are the smoothest kms I have driven in a very long time, with steering an ease, great suspension, and all of the accessories for ENTERTAINMENT and COMFORT within easy reach. SAFETY is a big concern for all families, but my mind was at ease driving the KLUGER with its 7 air bags, and other SAFETY features.
STORAGE was never an issue as we were able to fit in everything we needed, and always had room for more. In terms of fuel efficiency, we refuelled twice and left over 3/4 of a tank of fuel in the KLUGER when we returned it. That means we got on average about 500km per tank of fuel – I think this is excellent for a 6 cylinder car.
My favourite things about the KLUGER:
* Driving feel, safety, steering, comfort
* Sunroof
* Satellite Navigation
* Reversing Camera
* 7 seats with airbags
* Storage space
* Built in DVD system
* Push start button/keyless car
* Individual temperature dials for air-conditioner
* Leather seats
* Light that comes on when you open mirror on back of sun visor
* seat warmers
* Anti-glare function of rear vision mirror
* Ability to fold down seats in back and middle back sections
* Automatic boot door opener
* the detail and sophistication of the interior
And I could keep going!!
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Kluger
Luxury
Unpretentious
Grande
Entertain
Relax!!
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If I had the capacity, I would definitely go and buy a KLUGER this very second!! I have no hesitation in recommending it to other Mums and busy families, and hope my posts show you how the KLUGER will be of benefit to your family. To me, my family is the most important thing, and although the KLUGER doesn’t make us a family, it made life easier, safer and more comfortable for us.
So another HUGE THANKS to Mouths of Mums and TOYOTA for this wonderful experience. TOYOTA, you have a wonderful vehicle in the KLUGER GRANDE and I look forward to owning my own one day.
Bek

Post for Saturday 10.9.11
ROADTRIP
While we have the KLUGER, we thought we may as well get the most out of it by visiting some of our family in Canberra. It is not often, well in fact never, that we get to travel in this type of LUXURY and COMFORT!! With car packed (normally we are busting at the seems with the amount of luggage we have – but not with the KLUGER – there was still room for more – see pic) and kids hooked up to DVD, Mum and Dad with music playing and sunroof open, we took off on our journey.

Of course, there was a fair bit of traffic getting out of Sydney, but it didn’t seem to worry us as much as we sat in our ENTERTAINING, UNPRETENTIOUS and LUXURIOUS KLUGER!! The Hume Highway and Federal Highway saw us zooming along (within the speed limit of course) and hit us with almost every road condition you could imagine. Dry road, wet road, road being resurfaced, gravel road and even a patch of new road!! The KLUGER handled all of these conditions with ease. Having cruise control is a novelty for me and it was certainly easy to use and stop when needed.

If you know the stretch of roads we were travelling, then you’d be familiar with the long inclines up mountains we navigate. Not tricky mountain driving, just straight road on a massive incline. Where this is, there are 3 lanes and I am usually the one that needs to move to the left and chug. chug, chug up the hill with the trucks. Not in the KLUGER!! It maintained a consistent speed, moved down its gears appropriately to maintain the power and I comfortable stayed in the middle lane, and even a couple of times moved to the very right lane to overtake thos cars that couldn’t keep up with the speed limit!!

We filled up the tank before we left Sydney (it was still not empty from when the KLUGER was first given to us) and we seemed to get good mileage on the trip. When we arrived in Canberra (after only one loo stop for one child) we still had half a tank left!!

Then we engaged in another small roadtrip to the town of Bungendore with my Mum. She became the front passenger, hubby driving, kids in middle section and I took up position on one of the extra seats in the back. Initiall my legs were a little squashed until I realised I could move the seat in front of me forward to increase my leg room. And my son who was in the seat in front of me still had plenty of room for himself.

Our trip saw us doing what I call ‘real’ country driving – bumpy roads, some un-tarred or in dire need of tarring, bendy roads with kangaroos and other wildlife that can jump or run in front of you at any time. I was concerned that I may find my trip in the back a little too bumpy, but I was pleasantly surprised. Due to the good suspension and design of the KLUGER, I felt any usual bumps any other passengers would have, but these were minimal (in fact much less than a speed bump in the normal bobm I drive).

We had a lovely time at a book fair at a Bungendore school, followed by a delicious lunch where I ate the best pie I have EVER tasted. I’d like to give the KLUGER credit for the pie, but clearly that would be a lie!!

On our trip back to Canberra, Mum and I discussed her thoughts on the KLUGER. She commented on the comfort of her seat, she enjoyed being able to set her own air-conditioner temperature and made good use of the mirror on the back of the sun visor (and loved the light that automatically comes on when you open the mirror).

A successful lot of roadtrips so far…….will let you know how our return journey goes!!
Bek

Post for FRIDAY 9.9.11
SAFETY

Up until today I have had pretty pristine driving conditions. However today, mother nature turned on her best rainy day weather just so I could test drive the KLUGER in it. I am not a fan of driving in the rain (perhaps still traumatised by my wiper experience mentioned in a previous post) but the KLUGER handled these conditions very well.

In my travels taking both kids to school/daycare, I contemplate a variety of turns albeit wide, sharp or ‘usual’, as well as major roads, residential roads and even a sneaky alleyway on one of my shortcuts. The tyres gripped the road well and the steering felt beautiful and smooth.

The KLUGER wipers did not let me down either. It was a novelty for me to have the wiper on the back window and I certainly enjoyed the extra visibility this gave me in my rear vision mirror.

Another feature I have forgotten to mention are the tinted windows. On sunny days I have noticed that they really cut down on the glare and heat that comes into the car (if you have a car without tinting like me, then you will really appreciate this). Today, I noticed how this tinting is also a SAFETY feature. With my daughter buckled in her seat, I walked around to the driver’s side waving. I actually found it hard to see her. I walked back around to the front passenger, interested to see what the visibility of items in the vehicle were like. Just looking in (with my face not touching or peering close to the glass) I was unable to identify items. With my nose against the glass, I could identify my handbag and some items in it, but I was having to really, really concentrate. I love features that ward off or at least make it hard for suspicious characters!!

It is SAFETY first with the KLUGER!!

Bek

FEATURES
Still buzzing from my first ‘sunroof’ experience, I couldn’t help but bring it up in conversation today!! “You know, it didn’t even feel like my head was going to get blown off”, I commented. Then I got a response I wasn’t expecting. “All the air probably gets blown into the back so the kids have it in their faces”. Now as I didn’t have the kids last night, I had no idea if that would be the case. So today after I picked both of them up, I thought I would try this theory out.
The kids giggled as I slid the roof lid open, and then even louder as I opened the sunroof window. They were so excited, and I delighted in watching their faces in my rear vision mirror. “Can you feel the air”, I asked? “No”, was their reply. I asked them a few times on the way home, but they always said no. So Toyota’s design of this sunroof is very clever – what an enjoyable FEATURE!! I have attached a picture of my two gorgeous kids enjoying the sunroof open.
I mentioned the rear vision mirror before……..often a non-event in a car. But do you know how clever this mirror actually is?? It has a button that you can press that turns on an anti-glare function. It senses another vehicles lights (or sun) behind you and activates it’s anti-glare function. This saves you from manually having to flick your mirror ‘up’ or ‘down’ when this happens, and it means you still have full vision of the traffic/road behind you. What a great SAFETY FEATURE!!
4 more sleeps before I have to give the lovely KLUGER GRANDE back – mine to enjoy until then!!
Bek

R:
RELAX
A late night entry from me after a loooooong busy day!! All made easier by the KLUGER though!! It enabled me to RELAX on a 40 minute drive from school to a school concert (that took longer than the 20 minutes it should have been, all because I didn’t listen to the satellite navigation) in more ways than one.
1 – RELAXING on my drive with sunroof open. I never thought I’d get to be in a vehicle with a sunroof!! It was a strangely calm experience. I had visions of my hair being blown violently in the wind as I drove, but this was not the case. In fact, there was no thrusting of air onto my head. I only seemed to feel the air when I stuck my arm up through the sunroof so it was outside the vehicle. I was conscious that there was a hole above my head, mainly only because I was a bit more aware of the outside noise coming in.
2 – Feeling more RELAXED when I finally gave into the satellite navigation and decided to follow it’s directions. I don’t like the feeling of not knowing where I am going, so as soon as I followed her directions, I was automatically more RELAXED, and before I knew it, at my destination.
3 – My life is one big song, so I always have some sort of music on while driving. Tonight it was a favourite radio station, cranked up to a high volume. The speakers gave good volume and even when on a high volume, did not seem to distort the sound. Music always RELAXES me and the KLUGER did a great job delivering this music to me!!
I seem to have run out of letters………I wonder what the theme of tomorrows post will be??
Bek

E:
ENTERTAIN
Boy, this KLUGER is built to ENTERTAIN!! Whether it be to get you to your ENTERTAINMENT venue in comfort, or to ENTERTAIN yourself (and company) on a long journey, it has it all!!
Throughout the day I could not believe how hot it was!! When I got to the KLUGER that had been sitting in full sun all day, the heat hit me in the face as I opened the door!! Just what I needed at the end of a busy day…..not!! I jumped in, pushed the button to start the engine, and cranked down both mine and the passenger’s air temperature control to Low. Within a minute the car was cool….so cool in fact that I had to turn the dial up slightly!! The air stream was strong without being ridiculously noisy (as in my bomb), so I could still hear my favourite radio station.
So thirsty from today, I pulled in at a servo to buy a drink. With Mandarin water in tow, I began my trek to collect my two gorgeous kids. Without thinking I automatically had a swig of my water and shoved the bottle into my lap (the usual resting place when driving my other car). As I approached a round-about and nearly lost the bottle from my lap, I suddenly realised that I have 4 different drink holes at my disposal. 4 DIFFERENT DRINK HOLES I TELL YOU!! So I picked one and shoved my bottle into it. Much safer, and convenient than my lap!!
And I have already talked about this feature before, but that built in DVD player is all about ENTERTAINMENT. And for Mum, while the kids are watching their ENTERTAINMENT I like to belt out some of my favourite tunes on the radio or on CD. The speakers in the KLUGER have an authentic sound with a good volume range.
The KLUGER is sure to ENTERTAIN you too!!
Bek

What a great fit!!

G:
GRAND or GRANDE
I have no doubt that any model of the KLUGER, be it the GRANDE or not, could still be described as GRAND!! However, I am lucky enough to have the KLUGER GRANDE – and boy, it really is GRAND!!
I was so excited about arriving at work in my (well it is mine for 7 more sleeps!!) KLUGER GRANDE. For the past two weeks, my excitement had infiltrated my colleagues, and many of them were eager to see my new vehicle. My two little passengers were also very excited to be dropped off at school and daycare in the KLUGER.
I honestly do LOVE my job, so I never dread going to work. The one thing that does put a dampener on my joyful trip to work though, is the usual bomb I drive. It has broken down a number of times, and even once in torrential rain, decided it’s windscreen wipers shouldn’t work. I had no option other than to half hang out of my car manually wiping the windscreen every few secs just so I could have minimal vision. The KLUGER GRANDE put my mind at ease, as I knew there would be no disasters!! And yes, for the first time today I used the KLUGER’s wipers – what a lovely clean windscreen I had in almost milliseconds!! A powerful spray of water, a few quick wipes and hey presto – a crystal clear windscreen!!
First drop off was my son at his school. He was buzzing and said he couldn’t wait for his friends to see it. I was secretly excited for him too, as I know the embarrassment he feels in my other car – especially after it broke down out the front of his school where we waited for 2 hours for roadside assistance But this excitement soon turned into a little bit of ‘nothing’, when I arrived to drop him off at Before School Care and there was only one other child there (it was only 7:30am). He said, “None of my friends I want to see it are here yet Mum” and his head tilted toward the ground in disappointment. I reminded him of the comfy trip we had just had in it, and told him that we’d try to make sure his friends get to see him in it before we have to give it back.
With all the drop-offs before I reach my final destination, I have a few ‘short-cuts’ to minimise driving time. I can’t be bothered sitting in traffic on the roads and would much prefer to keep moving on my ‘back roads route’. This involves me crossing many major roads, often at stop signs with poor visibility. I have found in a few makes of cars that the bar reaching from the roof to the dash down the side of the windscreen (not sure of its official name??) can often be too thick and impede my visibility. I was worried that this may be the case with the KLUGER, but it seemed to be fine. This bar is thick, but Toyota seem to have got it at the right angle, along with the high position of the seat, so my vision crossing these busy roads was clear – phew!!
Second drop off was a different story (7:45am) as the other daycare children, and my daughters daycare mum were all there to see us arrive. She ran into daycare saying, “Look at my KLUGER. It’s my new KLUGER”. I was quick to correct her and explained to everyone that I had won the opportunity to test drive the KLUGER for 10 days. Many of them from families with 3 plus children, I found myself answering a barrage of questions and talking to them about all of the things I love about the KLUGER.
Finally at around 8am, I arrived at school (work), ready for my day of teaching. I carefully selected my park – making sure I wasn’t too close to the big trees!! And, my colleagues didn’t let me down – they were still excited for me. I showed a number of them through it and even left the key with the Office Staff to look through it during their break (with strict instructions that they could NOT take it for a drive!!). Some were too busy to see it today so admired it from the window. I told them not to worry as I have it all week!!
Fast forward to the afternoon, and I resumed the role of ‘Mum’ and began the ‘picking up’ routine of my gorgeous two. I thought they were both excited to see me when they each ran up to me, hugging me tightly until…..my daughter said, “Where is my KLUGER?” and then my son said, “Did you bring the KLUGER Mum?”
When we arrived home, I gave them their long awaited turn in the back two seats. I had promised them when the KLUGER first arrived that they couldn’t sit in those seats while we drive, but promised they could sit in them one day when the car was not going. With a pull of the sash, each seat easily rises from the ground of the boot, and before you know it – there are two extra seats. I have attached a couple of pics of them enjoying their time in the back. I also used this time to fold down the middle seat in the back and see how to use it as an arm rest/tray. Again, that was as easy as pie – an easy tug of a sash and it slid down into position.
After I took the pics, I wanted to have a turn at the seats in the back. They look quite roomy, and they were!! The seat itself is wide and the leg room quite satisfactory for an adult. I don’t know that I would recommend an adult doing a long road trip in those seats, but certainly for the kids, or anyone of small stature, it would be fine. The seats themselves are high quality KLUGER-style, so you’re guaranteed to be comfortable. It is more the leg room that these comments are in reference to.
My last pic is of the KLUGER GRANDE at the front of my house. Doesn’t it just fit perfectly??
Today really was a GRAND day with the KLUGER GRANDE, that’s for sure!!
Bek

U:

UNPRETENTIOUS

UNPRETENTIOUS is such a big word that I don’t often use, but I needed a powerful word that started with ‘U’ (have you noticed a pattern in my posts yet??). Many came to mind but this one seemed to sum up the KLUGER best. The KLUGER IS UNPRETENTIOUS – it is both honest and classy without being in your face and arrogant (can I describe a car that way?? Oh well, guess I just did!!).

So today was not exactly as I had envisioned it would be, especially on Father’s Day. But a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do. Unfortunately for my husband, this meant that he had to travel to Melbourne for work. He joked about driving from Sydney to Melbourne in the KLUGER, to which I replied, “NO WAY!! I need the KLUGER to help get me through the week!!” So, a portion of today was spent travelling the delightful motorways to and from the Airport. Still, it gave the KLUGER a great workout (especially on the way back).

I had been waiting, and finally the comment came from my husband, “Am I actually going to get a chance to drive the KLUGER?” I replied with, “Sure, you can drive it to the Airport”. I think he felt slightly ripped off for a split second, but then it was as if he turned into an excited little school boy….totally buzzing at the thought of driving the KLUGER. Selfishly it saved me from driving in weekend traffic both ways to the Airport, and would give me a chance to talk to you about what it is like from a passenger’s point of view.

Knowing the trip would be somewhat lengthy for the kids, we decided to utilise the DVD player and its wireless headphones. The kids were totally mesmerised by the DVD player, and there was not a sound for us to hear thanks to the headphones!! For the first time in…. I actually can’t remember how long, my husband and I could listen (and sing to) songs that we wanted to uninterrupted, and for decent periods of time engage in conversation, also uninterrupted!!

From a passenger’s point of view, all of the seating was just as comfortable as in the driver’s seat, as you can adjust it all to suit. I found the arm rest on the door panel to be a great height for me to rest my arm on, and the position of the handle almost made it feel like the door was made for me!! Leg room was a delight – I could stretch my legs out straight in front. And my son who was sitting behind me had so much room that he was performing a ridiculous trick with both of his legs in the air, (while strapped into his seat) just to show me how much room he had – let’s just say we got a few weird looks from cars beside us….I quickly got him to stop!!

Our conversation that revolved around the UNPRETENTIOUS KLUGER was made up of comments like, “listen to how quiet it is”, “oh it is sooo smooth to drive”, “gee it has good pick-up….we’re at 60km before you know it” and “I like it’s turning circle”. My favourite comment was when my husband exclaimed, “There is no way that this is not a perfect car!!”

We had a safe and comfortable trip to the airport – so much so that when we arrived the kids didn’t even realise that we were there!! And, just because I could, to unpack my husband’s luggage from the boot, I pressed the boot button = beep and it opens automatically!! He got his bag out, but by now we had a number of people watching us, so I pressed it again and watched it close. A few of the ‘watchers’ even gave us an approving nod. Quick kisses goodbye and tears streaming down the kid’s faces, I took up the position of driver…..slightly panicked about getting us home without making a wrong turn (Airport to home is not my forte!!).

The Satellite Navigation made it so easy and took all of my worries away – what a breeze. Can I say though I was sceptical about her. There is a certain sense of safety I feel with a map/street directory in my hand – it is my fault if I go the wrong way. Now, putting my trust in a Satellite Navigation system was nerve-racking for me. Thank goodness for me, she knew what she was talking about. It took us 2 hours to get home (should have been 40 mins) but it wasn’t her fault. She gave me the right directions, and I followed, but we got stuck in horrendous traffic. DVD finished only a tiny way into our trip home so I quickly replaced it….with one child still watching and the other asleep, I sang away while ‘Kluger Karoline’ (as I have named her) told me where to go.

A funny thing happened twice on the way home while sitting in traffic. Two separate carloads of people were waving furiously at me. I never forget a face so they were not people I knew. Maybe they were waving at me because of the MoM sticker on the back?? Or maybe their Mum is a member of MoM?? Anyway, I waved back, so proud to be driving the LUXURIOUS and UNPRETENTIOUS KLUGER!!

Back to work tomorrow – can’t wait to show the KLUGER off to all of the people I work with!!
Bek

Carpark

home

groceries in boot

L:

LUXURY

There is no doubt that the minute you open the door of the LUXURIOUS KLUGER, it does just that….oozes LUXURY!! The LUXURY continues once you’re in your seat with the soft leather on the seats, and enough buttons to adjust your seat into almost any position you like!! The individual driver, front passenger and backseat air-conditioning controls ensure everyone can have the air on the temperature they want. The details on and around the dash are extremely pleasing to the eye, and obviously high quality. I never thought I’d see the day where I could start a car without a key, but with the LUXURIOUS KLUGER you can. With foot on brake, all it takes is the press of a button to start the car. Once engine is going, I have to click ‘I Agree’ on the satellite navigation screen to agree to drive safely and by the road rules, then off we go!! Here is what we got up to today….

A busy, yet productive day – getting all the jobs done that are too hard to do during the week. All made easier by the LUXURIOUS KLUGER (not that it was able to help me with the washing – there’s an idea Toyota – but I certainly won’t hold that against it!!). Knowing that we needed to pack the pram and that we were doing a ‘full shop’, we thought it best to fold the 2 extra back seats down. Done in under 10 seconds I’d say. With pram in boot, we first headed to our local Farmer’s Market for our weekly fruit and veg shop. We were lucky enough to get a park on the street – the KLUGER was very easy to steer into the park (have not attempted a reverse park yet, but will let you know when I have). With box of fruit and veg in the boot (see pic), we headed to our local shopping centre to do the rest of our grocery shopping (and one last minute Father’s Day purchase).

As we approached the carpark entry at the shopping centre, I had a last minute panic, “I hope the LUXURIOUS KLUGER fits under the boom gate!!” Logically I knew it would, but as I am sitting much higher in the KLUGER than in the usual bomb I drive, the rail of the boom gate seemed so close to my head ,that for a second I even ducked. With husband laughing at my stupidity and the kids questioning why I ducked, we safely made it into the carpark.

While waiting in the line of traffic to get our parking ticket, I marvelled at the fact that I can press the ‘Auto Window’ button and it puts my window down the whole way for me (and same on the way up)!! Sooo much better than having to wind the window up and down in my usual bomb. The height of the KLUGER was again a notable positive, as my arm was at exactly the right level to take the ticket from the ticket machine (rather than having to injure my underarm as I usually do reaching up for the ticket).

Finding a park was a nightmare but thankfully one of those ‘Parents with Prams’ parks became available, so I snapped it up!! (see pic) Now in the shopping centre, first we sent Dad to have a coffee so we could do one last minute Father’s Day buy, then joined back up with Dad and had a bite to eat for lunch, and finished with our grocery shop. 2 hours later we headed back to the KLUGER with a trolley that was almost overflowing. I was worried about how I was going to fit everything in, (in my usual car –aka bomb – we have to put the fruit and veg box in the back with the kids and we cram the pram and groceries into the boot). There was no need for me to worry – it all fitted perfectly in the boot, and if I needed to, I could have put more!! (see pic) By the time we got home, having lapped up the LUXURY the KLUGER gave us today, both my husband and I were still ‘buzzing’ at the fact we get to enjoy the KLUGER for 9 more days!! Our son was loving it (the KLUGER that is) but ready to go for a ride on his bike, and our daughter was…asleep in this LUXURY vehicle!! (see pic) I wonder what Sunday will bring??

Bek

K:
KLUGER
I have had this date marked on my calendar with huge bold letters saying ‘KLUGER’ ever since I found out I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the Mouths of Mums test drivers!! The excitement of the arrival of the KLUGER was almost too much for my son and daughter, who waited eagerly for it to drive up our street (I could barely contain my excitement either – and nor could my husband).
Shortly after the KLUGER arrived, it was time for our dinner. We scoffed down an easy ‘Friday night Pizza meal’ so we could go for our first drive. Before this could happen, I needed to install the kids’ carseats (not a job I particularly enjoy). However, it was so simple. The anchor points for the child restraints are located on the back of the seat in an easy to reach location. Being the type of person I am, I flicked to page 128 of the manual and read the safety instuctions for this job. Timed down to the minute, it took me just 4 minutes to install both full-sized child restraints. The location of the anchor was one reason for this (easy access to these from both boot area and cabin), as was the room inside the vehicle for me to easily move through the cabin tightening all the straps and belts.
By now it was dark, and we had no real reason for going for a drive, other than that we wanted to try the KLUGER out!! With kids strapped in, Daddy in the front passenger seat and Mummy at the wheel, off we went. With no real destination in mind, I just headed for the city of my suburb, hoping people noticed ME in the KLUGER. Gone are the days where I could have found ‘lapping the main street’ cool (I never was into that). I wanted to find somewhere that got me maximum exposure for this time of night.
We found ourseves lined up in a drive-thru ordering a small dessert for each of us. The line was 8 deep when we joined it – I didn’t care because I was enjoying every moment in the KLUGER. I sat there fiddling with the orientation of my seat while my hubby surfed the radio in search of his favourite channel. We also played around with the various temperature options for both the front and back of the vehicle, as well as fan speed.
With sundaes in hand, we decided to use the satellite navigation to get us home (of course we knew our way home – we just wanted to try it out because we could). The screen was a very good size for viewing the map and instructions, and the female voice gave clear directions. Best of all, it gave us the right directions to get home!!
All too soon we seemed to arrive home – all quite happy to stay where we were seated….except we were excited about our dessert that we did not want to melt. When getting the kids out of the KLUGER, I noticed that the height of the KLUGER and the floor of the cabin took pressure off my back as I lifted them carefully to the ground. Phew!!
I could keep writing all night about my KLUGER experience so far, but I think I’ll sign off now and continue my KLUGER journey with you tomorrow.
Bek