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	<title>WIRL Project &#187; Food/Drink</title>
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	<description>What It&#039;s Really Like.</description>
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		<title>Reality &#8211; What It&#8217;s Really Like</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/reality-what-its-really-like/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/reality-what-its-really-like/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2015 16:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brody]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[ABCs]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[No Coffee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real World]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Road Rules]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toddler]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=9912</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This post is part of a series titled, “A-B-Cs – What It’s Really Like”. Each week a new letter and its word will be revealed. Each word’s explanation will illustrate significant personal meaning, application and ultimately demonstrate, What It’s Really Like… Back in 1998 MTV debuted the reality TV show Real World/Road Rules Challenge – better known as simply, “The Challenge”.  In reflection of my current life I have found that much my own reality is impacted by challenges from the real world and the rules of the road. *** BASED ON ACTUAL EVENTS: 4:30AM – the alarm rings out.  The real world will begin after a few open handed smacks of the snooze button.  Is it mommy or daddy’s turn to take the boys to school?  Whoever’s turn it is has the first shower.  I can’t remember what she said last night.  Was it me or her?  She’s not moving.  Shit, I think it’s my day.  Yep, it is.  OK I’m up. Ouch!  How many times am I going to kick that laundry basket before somebody moves it?  Where is the light?  What’s the difference?  I can’t see anything anyways.  Toothbrush.  Man, the lights are bright.  I’ll try to rub my eyes a few times to clear my eyesight.  Whoa, wish I could not see again.  You look like crap.  When is the last time you worked out?  Ugh, I guess I’ll weigh myself.  That might motivate me to run tonight after work.  Please don’t be high.  WOW.  How is that possible?  I feel 25 pounds heavier than that.  I still feel like crap, though.  Lucky.  Probably still won’t run tonight, anyway. Pounding sinus headache.  Not a sip of alcohol last night and I feel like I’ve pulled an all-night bender and just stopped drinking an hour ago.  Time for the shower.  Don’t forget to turn the light on in Little room before you get into the shower.  It is taking a lot longer for him to get out of bed lately.  Maybe today I can get him dressed on his own without World War III breaking out.  Doubt it. What the hell do I wear today?  This closet selection is so sad.  God, I hate ironing my pants.  Why don’t I do this the night before?  Oh, Kathy’s up.  I’m not going to say anything.  She’s not a morning person.  That’s ok.  I feel like my head is going to explode and I don’t feel like talking either.  Let’s see if Little B is up while I wait for the iron to warm up.  Nope.  He won’t even move.  Why can’t he sleep this hard EARLIER in the night?  I’ll shake him to get things going. “Hey, buddy.  Time to wake up.  Rise and shine!” “No, no, nonono, GO AWAY DADDY.  Leave me ALONE!” When did my toddler turn into a teenager? “Five minute warning and we are going to get dressed.” “No, no, NOOOOOOOO!” I’m so glad he hasn’t learned any cuss words.  I half expect him to use a few one of these mornings. OK, I am dressed.  Now let’s get him dressed.  This has to be the worst part of the day.  What is my strategy?  He’s been terrible to wake and get ready lately.  Sneak attack?  No, that makes things worse.  I can’t bribe him this early.  Let him make the choice. “Who do you want to get you dressed – Mommy or Daddy?”  Classic line.  He usually picks the opposite. “Noooooo!  I DON’T KNOW” That didn’t work.  Now what? Have to try the bribe. “If you get up and get ready without crying we can go get donuts on Friday morning before school.  Do you want donuts?” “I don’t want donuts.  I don’t want to go to school.  Leave me alone, Daddy!” This is turning into a hostage negotiation. *15 minutes pass* I can’t take this anymore.  I am going to start yelling.  Now I’m yelling louder.  OK, now I am threatening to spank him.  Should I spank him?  He just woke up.  That’s really not right.  He is really pissing me off today.  I’m going to be late.  Enough is enough.  Well, that didn’t work.  He’s bawling now.  Kathy just walked in.  THANK GOD.  He has everything but his socks on now.  Good enough.  She can brush his teeth and comb his hair.  I’m out of here. I am starving.  It’s 6:25.  SERIOUSLY?!  I have not even eaten yet.  Why are there no clean spoons?  Cereal sucks when you ate the same exact meal as a snack before going to bed.  ARRRGHHHH!  I just remembered!   I have to pack my lunch.  Unreal.  I have no time for this.  I hear Little B coming down the stairs.  How did she brush his teeth so fast?  No wait, he’s at the top of the stairs refusing to come down.  Awesome.  He hasn’t eaten yet either.  Let’s try the line again. “What do you want for breakfast?  Mommy or Daddy’s cereal?” “I don’t want breakfast!  I want NUFFING!” I look at the clock.  It is 6:29.  Zero hour is 6:30.  The commute is only 15 miles, but traffic is horrific.  If I don’t leave before 6:30 I won’t make it to work until after 8:00.  Screw it.  Leftovers.  Where is the ice pack for my lunch?  Of course I forgot to put it back in the freezer yesterday.  Good thing we have a backup.  Cute, real cute.  The backup ice packs are so fat that the Tupperware doesn’t fit in my lunch bag.  Guess I’ll have to make a sandwich after all. “WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR BREAKFAST?” “NUFFING!” I’m pouring a bowl, I don’t care.  At least I can say that I tried. “Here’s your cereal” “I DON’T WANT IT” “OK, Daddy is going to eat it or throw it away” “NONONO!” (crying ensues)  “I want to eat it!!!” “Sit down at your little table and eat it then.” “Ok… I WANT A BIG SPOON!  I DON’T WIKE THE GREEN BOWL!  I WANT THE BLUE BOWL!!!!” You’ve got to be freaking kidding me.  You know what, I am not even going to fight him today.  Where is that damn blue bowl?  Dirty in the dishwasher.  Figures.  Well that’s out the window. “EAT IT OR IT GETS THROWN AWAY!” (Sobbing ensues) What time is it now?  6:34. I can still make decent time if I am in my truck by 6:45. COFFEE. This can’t be happening.  THERE IS NO COFFEE.  I have no time to make coffee. “Welp, there is no coffee!!!” “I’m so sorry Brody, I can’t do everything around here!” Oops.  That wasn’t for her to hear.  She did get Little B and Baby K ready without my help.  Doesn’t matter anymore. I explode. I light into everything in the kitchen.  Little B, Kathy, the freezer, coffee maker.  I’ll even cuss out my lunch bag while I’m at it. Shut up and get out before you ruin everyone’s day. Truck keys.  I’ve got to get out of here.  I’m going to be late.  I feel horrible for not helping Kathy.  She won’t want my help now because I yelled back at her.  Why do I do that? *15 minutes pass* We are all loaded up.  Deep breath.  We made it.  Start the truck, garage door down, aaaand adjust radio.  No Country this morning.  I need to calm down.  Where is the Jazz station?  There that is better.  Silence. “Daddy, I hungie (hungry)”. *** For me, reality comes in one giant cycle commencing and culminating with two massive countdowns for launching (departing the house) and landing (bedtime).  The road rules quality time spent with my children during three hour commutes in which I stare at the rearview mirror into the backs of their little eyelids after they have passed out from a long day at school.  The reality of “R” is a challenge that each of us faces every day. Rise, retain, remain, retire. Repeat. &#160;]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Q: Quality &#8211; What It&#8217;s Really Like</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/q-quality-what-its-really-like/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/q-quality-what-its-really-like/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brody]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health/Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News/Sports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ABCs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conversation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Genuine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Handwriting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morris the Cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Old School]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Quality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Quality of Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Race to Nowhere]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sterling Silver]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Spend]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tupperware]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=9765</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This post is part of a series titled, “A-B-Cs – What It’s Really Like”. Each week a new letter and its word will be revealed. Each word’s explanation will illustrate significant personal meaning, application and ultimately demonstrate, What It’s Really Like… Traditionally when facing a major upcoming purchase I try to settle on a selection where performance meets value.  Usually there comes a point when I determine whether or not the price justifies the quality of the item.  “Quality” items generally harbor fine qualities, but not the finest.  For most, quality generally floats somewhere between the best and good enough. To me it’s more than that. My grandmother used to have a clear drinking glass that had Morris the Cat embossed on the side of it.  (For those of you not familiar with Morris the Cat, he was the mascot for 9lives cat food back in the 1970s.)  There was an illustrated thought bubble that was pointing from Morris’ head that said, “Morris on glass is like Sterling on silver.”  Apparently, Morris felt that the quality of his drinking glass was pretty damn good.  There were three things that my grandmother was fond of: sterling silver, genuine leather (she liked to pronounce it gen-U-whiiine leather) and Tupperware.  None of which boasted the finest qualities, but quality nonetheless.   “It is better to have second hand diamonds than not at all”, she used to tell me.  I suppose those are quality words to live by. Quality comes from the old school.  Literally.  Craftsmanship is a lost ability, even sometimes on me.  Many people do not know how to use it let alone spot it.  I occasionally tell my dad that I am disappointed in myself for not learning to be more handy and technically skilled with my hands like he is.  He has told me several times that my handy skills will be there when I need it.  I was proud of myself recently for selecting a beautiful solid oak desk from a local second hand store to replace our wobbly “L-shaped” corner desk we purchased from Staples for $75 several years ago as newlyweds.  I know that this is a quality item because the craftsmanship, detail and finish are a thing of beauty.  Plus, the thing weighs about 1,000 lbs. so there is no doubt that it was made well.  There is no substitute for quality.  They definitely don’t make them like they used to. Speaking of the old school…as a teacher I have discovered a lost academic art is in handwriting and conversation.  The handwriting of today’s teenagers is absolutely atrocious.  Carrying on a conversation can be even worse.  So many quality learning experiences are lost to the quantity of information attempted to be absorbed by an insatiable need of a smart device.  Take a walk down any high school hallway during a class change and you will see it firsthand.  Count how many students have their heads down while they walk, glued to their cell phones with ear buds in their ears.  It’s no wonder why this new upcoming generation has been said to be on the “race to nowhere”.   It is probably no coincidence that a capital cursive ‘Q’ appears to be shaped like the number ‘2’ and that it takes two people to carry on a quality conversation. In the baseball vernacular, when a starting pitcher completes 6 innings while allowing less than 3 runs it is known as a quality start.  As a parent, my QS% is quite low when my wife and I struggle to get our two boys out of the house each morning.   A parenting quality start should be a combination of no tears, fights (between parents or children), forgotten daily items, and making it to work on time. Lately I have found myself asking myself about quality quite frequently.  I often wonder where I spend quality time vs. where my time is most spent.  Within that poses the question of quality of life.  Personally, where does performance meet value?  It is why some of us opt for the car wash over spending time washing by hand or why some of us choose to put a loaf of bread in the refrigerator.  The tradeoff is time spent vs. quality of life.  I guess that is why my wife and I have decided we prefer quality of life by relocating back to our hometown to be near our families.  It may also be why we likely continue to keep putting the loaf of bread in the refrigerator.  It’s all about preserving the quality of life.]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>O: Odor &#8211; What It&#8217;s Really Like</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/o-odor-what-its-really-like/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/o-odor-what-its-really-like/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2015 14:04:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brody]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health/Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home/Garden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ABCs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Did you Fart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dirty Deeds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dirty Jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dunder Chief]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fallen Soldiers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Like Father Like Son]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Odor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smell Test]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=9272</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This post is part of a series titled, “A-B-Cs – What It’s Really Like”. Each week a new letter and its word will be revealed. Each word’s explanation will illustrate significant personal meaning, application and ultimately demonstrate, What It’s Really Like…  Did you fart?? These are the famous last words of parents with children under the age of five before discovering the source of a particularly pungent smell. This statement is usually uttered while driving down the road or while settling in the living room to watch a little late evening TV. If you are a parent you know the job can be smelly business. I am still waiting for Mike Rowe to do an episode of Dirty Jobs on the occupation of parenting. Our house possesses no shortage of a variety of smells. Some days are better than others. It usually is a balance somewhere between locker room, gourmet kitchen, waste water treatment plant and field full of wildflowers. Like Father, Like Son Unfortunately, my oldest son has inherited his parents feet. His feet are wide like mommy’s and stinky like daddy’s. Since he is growing so quickly we usually elect to buy him shoes that are an off-brand to save money. I am not sure if the lower grade material amplifies the smell or that his feet stink that much. Living in the south produces challenges on its own with high humidity and high average temperatures. You can imagine the stench that is produced when a sweaty preschooler removes his shoes in the back of a car after playing hard for an hour in the July Georgia heat. *Author’s note &#8211;   Although he has been running around the house today without shoes on, my son just ran by and crop dusted me on the way to the “potty” as I was sitting here typing this post.  Trash Tricks Another problem that poses itself in the southern heat is the trash. During the summer months my wife and I have to strategize the week’s menu based upon its “smell factor” by which it decomposes in the trash can. I can always count on having chicken on Tuesday or Wednesday leading up to trash day on Thursday to shorten the life of the horrendous rotting odor that is emitted with discarded chicken scraps. Typically perfectly cooked chicken can turn over in less than eight hours in the southern summer months. Fallen Soldiers Leftover snacks, juice/milk sippy cups and fallen foodstuffs all leave an undesired wasteland in family vehicles. Some of the items are immediately found others are discovered later when the real catastrophic mess happens. Usually by then the damage has been done and the smell has made itself permanent. One of the most difficult things to do is to keep a car clean with a toddler and a newborn. This is near impossible to accomplish this feat in the interior of a newer car. Tack on a wife who has the family nickname, “Puddles” and you could have yourself a real problem. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap I used to have a roommate in college who thought the lyrics to this ACDC song were, “Dirty deeds and the Dunder Chief”. After he was called out on his lyrical snafu, some of my college friends actually considered dressing up as the Dunder Chief for Halloween. After much debate and many adult beverages, the costume idea died after no one could decide on what the great Dunder looked like. That story reminds me of another fine skill that I learned in college, The Smell Test. You can only imagine the types of smells coming out of an all-male college apartment. (Let’s not omit the other gender population. Ladies, I have been in plenty of all-female college apartments 10-times as nasty as our little hole. I will not pass judgment or gender discriminate. In elementary school learned about Santa and in college I learned that girls are not sugar and spice and everything nice.)  The dominating odors that I recall lofting through my college apartment were a delicate perfume blend of stale beer, rotting pizza, Hawaiian Breeze Plug-ins and musk. Somewhere in the barrage of college life, hopefully one does laundry. During the hustle and bustle of a college week, laundry comes and goes and most of it rarely gets put away. Laundry does not come with a born on date so it is often difficult to know its shelf life. This is especially true if you were anything like a typical college student that when it came time to do laundry chances are you took a truckload of it home with you to your parents’ house every four weeks or so. It was there on campus that I perfected the smell test with the motto, “When in doubt, sniff it out”. The Smell Test has become an important attribute of fatherhood as it can signify a diaper change, time of death of a fallen soldier (see above) or when a toddler DIY post-#2 “all by myself” wipe might not have been mission accomplished. Parenting requires the versatility of steady nose and the ability to breathe out your mouth. “Where Did That Come From?!” Potty training your toddler will cause your nose perk up and ask, “Where did that come from?” and your eyes ask, “WHERE DID THAT COME FROM???” Flatulence, bowel movements, “tee-tee”, formula burps, spit up, projectile vomit, snot waterfalls  – parenting is not for the faint of heart or the non-iron stomached. In high school, my brother’s friends could make our friend Mike almost instantaneously vomit just by making gagging gestures and barfing noises. Today he is the father of two beautiful children. I am still not sure how he persevered during the “bodily fluid years”. I will never forget on a recent road trip home for Thanksgiving with my first born son. We drove straight through the night so that he would be asleep for most of the trip. Around the beginning of rush hour we were making our way through Cincinnati, Ohio.  While maneuvering in and out of traffic at 75 miles-per-hour my wife and I hear a gurgling sound from the backseat that was surprisingly louder than the car radio. She and I looked at one another wide eyed and turned around.  We knew that the enormous amount of dairy that he had just consumed at the hotel continental breakfast (milk and yogurt) was about to appear in the backseat. Nearly three seconds later there was a milky shower pouring in, out and over his car seat. The sour odor of dairy by-product immediately filled the warm interior of my car that had its heat blasting to take the chill off from outside. After several treatments with carpet cleaner and Febreze, I resorted to covering nearly my entire backseat with baking soda. I rode around for the next month and a half until the remedy finally conquered the smell. Absolutely awful. Take it from me, as a parent of two boys and after changing an infinite number of diapers I now know exactly what the Dunder Chief looks like (and smells like).]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>M: Memory &#8211; What It&#8217;s Really Like</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/m-memory-what-its-really-like/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/m-memory-what-its-really-like/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2015 07:30:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brody]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ABCs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Authentic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Concussions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grandparents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Memory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prized Possessions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roses in December]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Senses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Short Term Memory]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=8842</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This post is part of a series titled, “A-B-Cs – What It’s Really Like”. Each week a new letter and its word will be revealed. Each word’s explanation will illustrate significant personal meaning, application and ultimately demonstrate, What It’s Really Like…  “God gave us our memories so we might have roses in December” You would be surprised how much you can pick up while dining on a ham and cheese sandwich, three bread and butter pickles and a can of 7up. You might even be shocked what you may learn on a Friday at noon while sitting around consuming a weekly traditional Friday McDonald’s Fish Filet. You would certainly be astonished to discover what can be absorbed while sitting around the dining room table after a Sunday family dinner over coffee and a piece of pie. Most of the memories in my life are not shrines to individual occurrences but a museum of eclectic experiences that draw on meaningful connections meriting reservation deep in the vault of my mind. These collections are deeply enriched with attributes of all the senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch – the more of the senses that are involved with a meaningful experience, the clearer the memory. For me, emotion is the X-factor in my personal memory because in recalling a vivid memory I can likely tell you how I felt in that exact moment. Food plays an important role in memory for me personally. Most of the meaningful education that I would ever receive was not obtained in a classroom, on an athletic field, or on the job, but around the dinner table. This is where I learned to communicate, manners and respect and about my family’s heritage. It was here that I also learned the art of storytelling and to appreciate the craft of an authentic, genuine narrative. Maybe that is why I became a history teacher. Some of my most fond memories were of the chronicles, sidetracks and matter-of-facts that my grandparents would tell during and after a Sunday family dinner. Most often we would take turns exchanging material on a topic only soon to be lost in a distant memory of “who is he/she related to” and “how do we know this person so-and-so and to whom is he/she related”. This traditionally would go on for hours leaving me glued to the finish of our dining room chairs and convinced that my grandparents knew every single person on the face of the earth. Many of those stories are now lost upon me either because I could not follow the viney scaffolds and extensions of our family tree or because it has been replaced in my mind with something far less meaningful, for which I am ashamed to admit. One of my most prized possessions is my memory. One of my biggest fears is losing this possession. I often get after my wife because I believe that we do not take enough pictures of our family and experiences. A memory I will never forget is from the 6th grade. Our teacher chose to do a class service project for senior citizens in a local assisted living home. I was so excited when I learned that it was the same home that my great-grandmother was in. Each member of the class was to be assigned to one member of the home and to create a greeting card to deliver on a visit during the late fall. I made sure that my great-grandmother would be receiving my card during our class visit. My great-grandmother had been placed in assisted living because she was suffering from severe Alzheimer’s disease. Periodically, I would ride along with my grandfather to visit her. At a very young age I saw her on very good days and very bad days. I remember how scared and horrible I felt when she did not recognize my grandpa. During my excited preparation for the delivery of my greeting card to my great-grandmother, my mother cautioned me that she may not recognize me on the day of our class visit. I shrugged it off and had a strong feeling that she would be having a good day when I would stop by. On the day of our class visit the senior home I could hardly contain my excitement. I was the only one in my class who had a relative staying here and I of course let everyone know that I was going to see my great-grandmother that day. To help out, my grandpa let me tag along on a visit a few weeks before to potentially help increase the odds that she would recognize me. He never told me that, but I knew what that visit was all about.  When I arrived I spoke softly and clearly. I introduced myself and handed her my card.  After she read the card she thanked me.  I wanted to make sure she recognized me. I reintroduced myself by stating my name and that I was her great-grandson.  She replied, “Oh yes, you are Rhoda’s son.” I was elated! I couldn’t believe that she remembered!  Looking back to that visit I believe I had five good minutes with her. It was just long enough to feel confident to safely give her a hug and a kiss and introduce her to my best friends. Quickly, I would transform from family member to complete stranger. By the end of the visit she had no idea who I was. As I walked back to the school bus I did everything that I could to hold back my tears. I grew up a lot that day. Even as painful as that experience was I learned a lot from what memory can and cannot be.  Over my lifetime I have developed an innate ability to remember. I had a best friend in high school that told everyone that he didn’t need to remember anything because I would remember it for him. In high school I was a walking Rolodex, telephone book, sports encyclopedia and jukebox. I could tell you when, where, stats, lyrics and just about anyone’s telephone number (pre-cell phones, folks). I suffered several head injuries before I was the age of eighteen. With all of today’s neurological studies on the brain, most notably in contact sports, I would have likely been disallowed from playing high school football if these findings had existed then. One of the worst concussions I ever experienced was in 4th grade where a sled riding accident left me not knowing who I was for nearly 48 hours.  Several other minor sports related concussions would follow. Around the time I was a sophomore in college I started to notice that I was losing my short term memory at a very rapid rate. I was not sharp and I grew increasingly frustrated that I had become extremely forgetful virtually overnight. I feared that the consequences of too many concussions had caught up with me. I was scared to see a doctor, flashing back to thoughts of my great-grandmother and what a life without memory was like. I decided that rather than seek medical attention that I would try to retrain myself to remember day-to-day activities. I bought myself a bunch of post-its and began to write down various to-do lists for tasks that I had coming up that day, week, the following week and the month. Each day I reviewed the post-its (some days several times) and soon I retrained myself to remember short-term. Still do this day I have to write things down. I am convinced it is not because I need it, but simply good sound organizational practice to be thorough and reliable. My biggest fear is that at some point in my life I will have absorbed so much meaningless information that it will begin prioritizing space in my brain; much like a computer hard drive or the dwindling memory of a base model iPhone. What to store and what to delete? Do I/Will I have control over that? In education, we teach students that the brain is a muscle that must be exercised or it will atrophy. If you do not use your brain power you will lose it. How can you possibly exercise the brain enough to possibly maintain all that it possesses? My brother gifted all of the groomsmen in his wedding with a leather bound journal with each member’s name engraved on the clasp. He requested that we use the journal to record out greatest life experiences. Although I do not write in the journal daily, I have committed myself to recording my greatest experiences in order to answer the question I posed at the end of the previous paragraph. Hopefully this will allow me to take back my cognitive capacity, rid myself of the cobwebs and render myself less of a victim when it comes to degenerating memories. It is my hope that I can always remember the lessons I learned over lunch with my grandparents so that I can share them with my own grandchildren. Even the lesson on how to shoot the paper off of the straw while sitting at the table (thanks, GMa!). After all, the mind is a terrible thing to waste. “Nothing is a waste that makes a memory”]]></description>
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		<title>Too Many Choices!</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/too-many-choices/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/too-many-choices/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2015 07:30:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brody]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home/Garden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Style/Beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology/Web]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Choices Entitlements Decision Making Distractions Freestyle On Demand This and That This and This Too Many Choices]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=8359</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Over the last year my wife and I have attempted to emphasize the importance of making good choices with our toddler. It has been an extremely daunting task to not only teach him what a choice is, but help guide him toward decision making that we find acceptable. We both feel that the quickest way for him to learn is to have a high level of autonomy over minor situations so that he can practice the skill while we still make most of the major decisions for him controlling and modeling proper behavior. So far we have seen vast improvements in his understanding of choice, but like most children this age it is a test of wills between parent and child. So much of our lives are driven by choices. We make thousands of them each day. Even as an adult I find myself struggling with the ability to choose especially in a culture that now seems to demand entitlements of individualization and variety. Our culture seems to have shifted from a nation who wants this and that to a nation of this and this. Personalizing options are meant to help one feel in control, satisfied and fulfilled. These popular trends produce high pressure to keep up with demand.  How then, can I find the freedom to choose to feel so restricting? I get a restrictive, suffocating feeling when I am at Zaxby’s in front of a Coke Freestyle machine. If you have never seen one of these it is a touch-screen automated fountain machine that boasts over 100+ Coca-Cola brand selections. During each visit, in what feels like an excruciating eternity, I will eventually settle on a drink selection after flipping through the entire catalogue several times. This greatly frustrates my accompanying dining party as I am either made fun relentlessly of or told to get out of the way. This may seem funny to you that such an inconsequential decision would be so difficult to make, but for me taking a leap toward the perfect selection from a huge assortment is virtually paralyzing. Too many choices are distracting. Our good choices routine with our son backfires when we allow him to choose an episode of one of his favorite television shows to watch before going to bed. In addition to his decision making development he has also (finally) developed a diverse TV palette beyond Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He has learned the evil powers of the TV remote and the on-demand capabilities of the DVR. His frequent back-and-forth waffling on what to watch often leads to an unwanted outburst that inevitably delays bedtime. Much like his father in standing front of the Coke Freestyle machine, my son is distracted by too many choices. Some of the biggest fights between my wife and I have not been over money, household chores or child care responsibilities. A number of these conflicts have been over where to go to dinner/get take-out or what movie we want to watch on Netflix. It’s not every day we eat out or take a few hours to relax in front of the TV. We both try way too hard to choose the perfect selection to make it worth our while. Flipping through local restaurants on Google Maps and movies on the Netflix genre guide are eerily similar to the previous dilemma I described with the Zaxby’s Coke machine. Too many choices! I remember as a kid before satellite television we got the four local major network stations (six channels on a clear weather day!) from our roof-top antenna. Show listings were published in a paper TV Guide that came out weekly in the Sunday newspaper. If you missed an episode of your favorite sitcom you would not be able to watch it until it re-aired during the show’s off-season.  In addition, growing up in a small town we had very little selection when it came to dining out. The nearest trendy eateries were a 30 mile drive away. My father was never convinced any meal was worth that far of a drive. Back then food and entertainment selections were made easy due to a lack of choice. Ahh, the good old days. The next time you become frozen in the cereal aisle at the supermarket or break into a cold sweat when flipping through your satellite radio just remember that large selections are intended to make choices easier, not harder. I will try to keep telling myself that the next time I am in front of the Coke Freestyle machine…and I will continue to stand their motionless.]]></description>
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		<title>Yogurt Berry Frosty Recipe: Afternoon Delight for Parent and Baby!</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/yogurt-berry-frosty-recipe-afternoon-delight-for-parent-and-baby/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/yogurt-berry-frosty-recipe-afternoon-delight-for-parent-and-baby/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2015 09:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Amy G.]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health/Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[baby food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family meals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[healthy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[toddler food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yogurt]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=5735</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Earlier this week, I was looking for an afternoon snack to feed my toddler (and myself). I wanted something a little novel to break from our standard routine. I stood in front of the refrigerator and freezer with the doors wide open, cold air blasting, and stared in a daze for several minutes. I reached for some frozen berries, yogurt, and this concoction was born! Healthy and delicious, it only took 5 minutes to prepare! Is the Yogurt Berry Frosty a breakfast food, a snack, or a healthy dessert?? I can’t decide myself! It could be any of these things! As my toddler and I ate it, he kept saying, “Mmmm, it’s good. Dis is good.” It reminded me of a frozen yogurt or ice cream indulgence. The icy coolness of the frozen berries combined with creamy yogurt made for a decadent, unexpected afternoon delight! Yogurt Berry Frosty Recipe Age: 12 months+ Yield: approximately ½ cup Food storage: refrigerator-friendly Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: no cook! Serving options: spoon feed or self-feed Ingredients: ¼ cup plain or vanilla organic yogurt ½ cup organic mixed frozen berries ¼ -½ cup cold water (enough to puree to a smooth consistency) &#160; Place the frozen berries and water in a blender and puree to a smooth consistency. Add the berry puree to a small bowl and slowly add the yogurt while mixing. (You can adjust the yogurt to berry sauce proportions to create a desired consistency for you and your child.) Serve immediately, or for a more frozen consistency, freeze for approximately 1 hour or until set. For more baby, toddler, and family-friendly recipes, visit http://www.whatagoodeater.com/.]]></description>
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		<title>Sample Food Menu for a 2-Year Old: One Mom&#8217;s Account</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/sample-food-menu-for-a-2-year-old-one-moms-account/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/sample-food-menu-for-a-2-year-old-one-moms-account/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2015 20:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Amy G.]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health/Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home/Garden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Menu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sample]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toddler]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What to feed toddler]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=5580</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Sample Menu for a 2-Year Old: One Mom’s Account The sample menu below takes you through some examples of what I have recently been feeding my 2-year old son. This is by no means a comprehensive list…we move and change with the times and current circumstances occurring in our household! Every family has their own unique schedule and challenges, and we’re no different! When possible, I try to mix up the food options from day to day so that our toddler eats a wide variety of foods. I find that serving a variety of foods and switching things up encourages healthier nutrition and an open palette; it doesn’t allow my toddler to get overly comfortable eating and requesting the same foods over and over, consequently rejecting other food options we try to serve. 8:15 AM: Breakfast is Served! Options for the Main Meal: Steel cut oats with cardamom and nutmeg Plain yogurt Greek yogurt Cereal with milk Blueberry waffles &#160; Options to Serve on the Side: Freshly diced fruit (banana, berries, pear, apple, watermelon, etc.) Cheese &#160; Drink: Milk or water in a sippy cup &#160; 10:00 AM: Did Someone Say Snack Time? Options for Snack Time: Fresh fruit smoothie for mom and kiddo (i.e.: mixed organic berries, fresh spinach, water) Cottage cheese with diced apples Fresh fruit &#160; *Note: We often skip snack time if we’re out of the house doing an activity. My toddler comes back nice and hungry for a hearty lunch that holds him until the afternoon. &#160; 11:00 AM: It’s Lunch Time! Options for the Main Meal: Dinner leftovers from the previous night Toddler Veggie Platter (served with hummus or yogurt dipping sauce for protein) Avocado, Tomato, and Hummus Sandwich Peanut Butter/Almond Butter Sandwich Black beans, spinach, and tomatoes with cous cous or bulgur Soft taco: Chicken or beans (previously made and stored in fridge/freezer), cheese, tomato, and spinach wrapped in whole wheat tortilla Spinach and cheese omelet with fresh herbs and toast &#160; Options to Serve on the Side: Diced fruit (i.e.: avocado, pear, berries, watermelon, grapes, peach, apricot, plum, tomato) Diced vegetables (i.e.: brightly colored bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) &#160; Drink: Water or milk in a sippy cup &#160; 3:30 PM: It’s Snack Time Again?! Options for Snack Time: Diced fresh fruit Dried fruit (i.e.: raisins, cranberries, blueberries, etc.) Whole wheat crackers with cheese, peanut butter, or almond butter Cheese &#160; Drink: Water or milk in a sippy cup &#160; 5:30 or 6:00 PM: Dinner’s On the Table! Options for the Main Meal: *Note: If we’re cooking dinner at home, our son is expected to eat what the family eats for dinner, and we rarely make exceptions. When possible, we try to include a protein, whole grain, and/or vegetable in the meal. On evenings when my husband and I can’t cook and we need a quick dinner, we’ll serve our son sardines (they’re high in omegas!) with some vegetables on the side or one of the lunch options listed above. If we go to a restaurant as a family, our son currently shares the meal we order versus ordering off the kids menu. Chicken, ground beef, or bean soft tacos Whole wheat pasta tossed with sauce and vegetables Slow cooker beef short ribs with Yukon Gold potatoes Chicken tikka masala Turkey cutlets Lemon chicken with fresh herbs Grilled salmon on a cedar plank Grilled hamburgers Lentil soup &#160; Options to Serve on the Side: Vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, bell peppers, spinach, kale, green peas, etc.) Salad Whole grain (i.e.: farro, bulgur, barley, wild rice, etc.) &#160; Drink: Water or milk in a sippy cup &#160; What are some of your go-to meals for your toddlers? Tell us in the comments!  If you like what you&#8217;ve learned here, visit www.whatagoodeater.com for free recipes and eating tips for babies, toddlers, and family-friendly meals!]]></description>
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		<title>My Trip to San Francisco</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/my-trip-to-san-francisco/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/my-trip-to-san-francisco/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2015 22:00:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sara Brennan]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Golden Gate Bridge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grand Hyatt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hotel Union Square]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[San Francisco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SFO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uber]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UberPool]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Union Square]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=5527</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; If you follow me on social media, you probably know that I recently went to San Francisco with my husband, Mitch, to celebrate our Anniversary and my 30th birthday. We left our toddler at home with Nana and took our first &#8220;getaway&#8221; without him. I felt guilty for leaving him, but we had a great time! For what we did while in California, I would not recommend bringing a toddler, or even young child, but it&#8217;s up to you and how you feel about the word &#8220;vacation&#8221; (lol). While in California, we visited San Francisco and Napa Valley, but I am only going to focus on the stay in San Francisco right now&#8230;my review of Napa will come later. We arrived at about 8:30 pm, got our bags, and arranged for an Uber driver to pick us up. If you aren&#8217;t familiar, Uber is an app that allows you to have &#8220;private driver&#8221; pick you up and take you to your destination. We love Uber because it shows you exactly where the driver is when you request the pickup (so you know the wait time) and it calculates the cost of the trip before you even get into the car; for San Francisco, it was great! We actually did something called &#8220;UberPool&#8221;, which is only available in larger cities, but it basically means you are requesting a driver to come and pick you up from your location but you are carpooling with other riders. This brings the cost down and we never paid more than $15 (most of the time it was less than $7) to get from Point A to Point B. I&#8217;d REALLY recommend using Uber because Taxi&#8217;s are much more expensive and the drivers aren&#8217;t nearly as friendly. We stayed at two hotels while in San Francisco, both were in Union Square. I loved both of our hotels and would recommend them. (If you&#8217;re wondering, we stayed in two because we went to Napa in the middle of our trip and spent on night there.) The first hotel we stayed at was called the Grand Hyatt. It had a nice lobby with a pretty friendly staff, a nice little bar and restaurant, and our room was very nice too, with a great view of the city (we were on the 24th floor). Our first day, it was about 85 degrees outside so we decided to take an Uber down to Fisherman&#8217;s Wharf, walk around, and then rent bikes to ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. The bike rental spot, called Blazing Saddles, was great and the people were helpful, but they did not quite tell us the intensity of the hills we were about to ride up. Now, Mitch and I are both pretty athletic (#humblebrag), but DAMN! some of those hills were pretty steep! I would recommend taking a spin class (or two) to prepare if you know you&#8217;re going to do this when you visit! When you do this whole bridge/biking adventure, you ride bikes over the bridge and then take the ferry back (FYI, the bike ride is about 9 miles one way). Nobody told us how steep the hill would be on the way from the bridge to the ferry. Mitch did fine with this, but I was very nervous about it. There is a very little shoulder on the road and although it&#8217;s downhill, it&#8217;s pretty steep and uneven; so be careful! Overall, it was a fabulous experience! You could see Alcatraz and the entire city, I would 100% recommend it; just be ready for those steep hills! Later that day we ate at a big Market near Fisherman&#8217;s Wharf (we actually ate at the restaurant featured in the link) and it was really good! It was a really cool place FILLED with people. Then, we went back to Union Square and took advantage of all the shopping! That night we went to an event at General Assembly San Francisco where I represented WIRL Project and met some very successful people including David Mitroff and Josh May. We got some great feedback about WIRL Project, which is something to be proud of considering San Francisco is basically the &#8220;Tech Capital&#8221;! Anyway, after the event, we had reservations at Cotogna, a very yummy Italian restaurant &#8211; the Mushroom pizza was our favorite, but we also had the Lamb Shank and a massive Ravioli (right)! Yum!! The next morning we ventured off to Napa, which I will write about later, but I do want to discuss how we got there. We took an UberPool form Union Square to SFO airport and rented a car for about $15/day (compared to the $150/day in Union Square). The UberPool cost $15 each way, so it was still a muuuuuch better deal to go about it in this way. We came back to San Francisco the next afternoon and stayed at Hotel Union Square and were upgraded to a suite for my birthday (yay!!). They gave us a really good bottle of wine and a little note, very nice! Our room was very &#8220;boutique&#8221;ish and I LOVED it!!! It was right down town and a great location. We walked from here to Chinatown to get some authentic food; most might not want to do this, but Mitch being from Australia loooooves some good authentic Chinese Pork/Duck&#8230;so we gave it a try. It was REALLY good and we actually went back for more the next day! For the rest of the time, we just walked around, did some sight seeing, and some shopping! On my birthday, we went to Sift, a cute little bakery for some cupcakes, they were delicious! Although the city is super busy, it was somehow a very relaxing trip for us&#8230;probably partly because we didn&#8217;t have our sweet toddler with us. We took the &#8220;red eye&#8221; flight home and arrived in time for Mitch to head off to work on Monday morning. We had a great time out there on the West Coast and loved the humidity free weather (although it was a little chilly compared to Charlotte, NC). I left out quite a few details, so let me know if you&#8217;d like to know more. If you are considering traveling to San Francisco, California anytime soon, feel free to ask me for advice. Hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful! xo]]></description>
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		<title>How To Trick Your Keurig</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/how-to-trick-your-keurig-machine/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/how-to-trick-your-keurig-machine/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2015 22:00:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sara Brennan]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Products/Shopping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hot Chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hot Cocoa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hot Water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[keurig]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pod]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reuse Pod]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trick My Keurig]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=5330</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; I love my Keurig 2.0 machine, but I do not drink coffee. One feature that I especially love, aside from the sleek design and pretty colored lights that it brings to the kitchen, is that my Keurig can give me hot water on demand to make my black or chai tea every morning. But, I HATED that I had to stand there and press the &#8220;dispense water&#8221; button the whole time; I have things to do you know&#8230;I don&#8217;t have time to spend standing there pressing a button! So, I decided to get smart. I am usually a very innovative person in that I figure things out or I &#8220;rig&#8221; it so that it works in my favor; in other words, I get what I want often. I knew there had to be a way to automatically dispense hot water from my machine without constantly pressing this button. I was having a weak moment and decided to make some hot cocoa one day (don&#8217;t judge) and a lightbulb went off&#8230;once the hot chocolate (powder) was emptied from the pod, there was nothing left! So, I thought, what if I try to put the pod in again, and allow the machine to &#8220;make&#8221; another batch, with an EMPTY pod? BINGO! The water passed through the empty pod and out came my water&#8230;but the BEST PART was that I didn&#8217;t have to press that button the whole time to get it! In fact, I could increase the amount of water dispensed and get 10oz all in one go!! HOW AWESOME! So, now, when I want to make up a cup of tea, I insert that empty pod of hot chocolate into my Keurig and trick the machine to thinking it making me hot chocolate. It works like a charm! Sara: 1 Keurig: 0 Do you have any other ways you&#8217;ve tricked your Keurig into doing something awesome? Let us know and share your story at WIRL Project!  P.S. I did not get paid to endorse or promote this product. &#160; Create a FREE profile, share your stories and help others by clicking here!]]></description>
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		<title>Dear Taco Bell</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/dear-taco-bell/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/dear-taco-bell/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2015 18:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[WIRL Project]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cardboard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chicken biscuit taco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commercials]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mistake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pandora]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taco Bell]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=5111</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Taco Bell, Your incessant commercials on my Pandora every morning finally peaked this prego&#8217;s interest enough for me to give you a chance. It&#8217;s a mistake I will never make again. I feel like I&#8217;ve been catfished. Your chicken biscuit taco was more like a chicken flavored hashbrown wrapped in cardboard. You&#8217;ve ruined my day and now I don&#8217;t know that I can ever trust you again. Thanks for nothing. Sincerely, Morgan &#160; *This was originally a status update on Facebook from Morgan Brewer Mustian. She gave us her permission to share it on WIRL Project.  &#160;]]></description>
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