Let's Get Ready To RAMBLE!

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Hello and welcome to Kind of Preachy. My name is Steph Moore. I'm Casey Bryant. And we are back after the most unrelaxing vacations known to man. Yep. AKA hiking and Disney.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

I don't know. I think I would rather do hiking than Disney.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

Oh, I gotta tell you, we had the best time. I mean, utter exhaustion.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Once again, looking at your I feel like I'm stalking your Facebook and your Instagram because I always say, looking at your pictures.

SPEAKER_01 0:32

I did. I did post a lot of Instagram stories, which is funny because I that used to be like social media was like really my jam and I did a lot. I blogged and all that kind of stuff. And I was like, that was kind of like a side hustle for a long time. And now I'm barely on it. So like when when you take me out of work mode and all of a sudden I'm like, I can talk to my camera again. Like it feels like my my like my little internet friends. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. So, yes, I we had the best time. A little sad because it was another vacation. It was the I don't know. So we had my two youngest and my husband and I, and we met my brother and sister-in-law and two of their kids. So they were missing two kids. We were missing a kid. And I had this realization as I'm walking down Main Street USA that we are never coming to this place as a family, as a full family again. Oh. That is a little sad. And not just this place, like I don't think any vacation. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Really? You don't think so? No, I don't. We like we still do well, once again, this is our first uh spring break where it's just just the one child. So just faith, because the other two are in college. And so as I said before, you know, I I booked Florida and then got outvoted and we went hiking. Oh, oh, so sad. And when I say we went hiking, we went on a three-mile hike that took two and a half hours.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

1100 feet of elevation and ended up being like 40 staircases we ended up walking. My hips were so done. And I'm the one who I work out. I work out. Yeah, I know you do. I was so far behind both of them. And I just kept going, just go, just go, just go. I'm fine. I'm fine. And Doug kept both of them, Doug and Faith, you're doing great, mom. Keep it up. One foot in front of the other.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

I have these memories growing up in Utah. Obviously there's mountains there, and we would go hiking, and I always was the caboose bringing up the rear. Always. And they would just say, it's just around the bend stuff, just around the bend. Yes. And I'm like, I've been around 10 bens. We're not there yet.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

It was because we started up high and we went down. And when we were going down, the minute we I kept thinking, I have to I have to climb back up this freaking thing. I have to climb back up it. It was it was horrible. I am not a hiker. And so there's a picture that Doug took of Faith sitting at the end of it on this big rock with big smiles. And then there is me still climbing and I'm flipping them off.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

Sweating, exhaustion.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

And I was so done. I that's when I realized I am not a hiker.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

Okay. All right. I think I've always known that about myself.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

So I gotta figure out what I'm gonna do next year because they still think that we're going to go hiking.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

Even though we I tried to go on another hike that was a lot, was only a mile and a half that was supposed to be very easy, and Faith said no. So then I'm like, oh, I think I got her.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

I did. Well, I did text you like during your vacation, and I had been going like 25,000 steps a day. I had massive blisters on both feet. And I was like, can we do a kind of preachy beach retreat? Because I think that's wonderful. I think we should, and then invite everybody who wants to come with us. It sounds like a solid point. Would that not be the best time?

SPEAKER_00 4:05

It would be so much fun. I would love it.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

That would be fun. Yeah. So, anyways, we had an amazing time. I kind of got a little teary of like, oh, I, you know, Elena's talking about getting married and all. Oh, wow. I know. I know that's that's big steps. I know. And uh it's just yeah, it's big steps for all of us. I mean, it's big steps for her, but I mean it, I I it was the realization of like my nuclear immediate family will not in one year may not look like this. That that so if I have to pay for a wedding, I may not just be able to afford a vacant.

SPEAKER_00 4:41

It's true, and that's true because even thinking back, like now Belle's boyfriend who they've been dating since they've been 16, like he now goes on our family vacations, our summer vacations, and she does the same. And so really, we have not had just us. And honestly, I'm kind of fine with it. I love that our family is expanding and growing when we get to go on the actual big family vacation.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Yeah, I'm willing to adapt. It was just, it's one of those things have you seen that like you don't know the last time you put your kid down or picked your kid up for the last time, or I remember like my son, who's 16, almost 17, for probably four to five years, he would wear nothing but Batman. Oh. And if he wore something outside of Batman or any, no matter what he wore, he would immediately come home from school and get in his costume. And I remember there's one day he didn't come home and get in his costume. Oh. And I'm telling you, if I could have done anything to know the last day that that was gonna happen, I would have documented it. I would have put the brain, you know, like even if it was just cemented in my brain, snap, you know, snuck a picture, you know, like you don't know when those days are done. Did you ever watch The Office?

SPEAKER_00 5:55

Of course.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

You know, like the Ed Helms quote is like, I wish there was a time to know you were in the good old days while you were still in the good old days, yeah. It was just, I think Disney is also like one of those really nostalgic places because I remember going there when I was a kid. I remember being there with my mom and dad. I remember taking my kids when they were all little. It was just one of those moments of like you see these little bits of nostalgia and all these memories all over these places. So like I'm excited for new memories. Yeah. But it was a realization of like, oh man, we're in a stage in life that like will just continue to evolve and look different.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

I yeah, it is. And I don't like now looking back, I think our last family vacation when it was just the five of us, was Bell's senior year.

unknown 6:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

I mean, and like I'm I'm willing to adapt. I mean, Matt came on our family vacations probably in college. Yeah, which recently. You know, because we had also been dating since we were 17. So he lived with my brother, he was roommates with my brother in college. So yeah, so we kind of like floated into that, and that was all good. And like I said, it was great. It just was, you know, I never thought about the perspective of my parents of like, wow, did you have a moment of like, oh, okay, this is done, and you didn't realize it.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

Yeah. I don't I keep seeing those videos on TikTok of maybe it was one video of a mom, an older mom, and her kids are all grown with their own families, and saying it's okay to have a vacation with just your children and not inviting your son-in-law or daughters-in-law. Oh, interesting. I know. See, that feels weird to me. I would never say I don't think I would do that. I don't I would, I would because once they're in the family, they're in the family, and technically, if we're going biblically, once they're married, they're no longer they're now starting their own family. They leave their mother and father, I know.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

But you're still welcome.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

You just please come. I'm crazy. I won't be the mother, crazy mother-in-law.

SPEAKER_01 7:59

I know. Well, I don't want to tell those stories here.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

Aw. Some things we're not allowed to talk about. But you did spend Easter the w in Disney World.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

I did.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Did they do anything for Easter? Do they have like a church service or I could not find it.

SPEAKER_01 8:21

It was more bunny related than Jesus related. Well, that that makes sense. I will say my brother and sister-in-law are foster parents. Okay. And so they took a two and a half-year-old little girl to Disney for the first time. Oh. And on Easter, the best memory I have of the best memory I have of Easter, of just kind of the entire trip, was seeing everything through her little toddler eyes for the first time. Yes. And we're getting ready to leave, and the fireworks start going off at the end of the night. Oh. And it starts playing happily ever after. And sh I kind of scooped her up and and I kind of swung around. She goes, dance, dance. And so there's fireworks going around behind me, and she was saying, Spin, dance. And I'm like, oh, this was so sweet. Although, can I on a church-related thing? I have had an 895-day streak of reading my Bible. And in the church app? Yes. And I lost it on Easter.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

On Easter. Yes. Like a really bad time to lose it. That's a really bad time to lose it.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

But the thing is, I also do use like the Bible, the U Version Bible app every day. And I read my regular Bible, but on vacation I was just doing the two apps. And um I I didn't lose the streak on the one. You just lost it on I had opened it and I got distracted. Yeah. And then I forgot to come back to it. I went in the next morning and I was like, Zero.

SPEAKER_00 9:54

It goes to zero.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

It goes to zero.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

Which is so sad because don't you wish that on those kinds of streaks would be like, you missed a day.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

So we're just gonna every other app that I use that is streak based sends me like some sort of a push notification of like, hey, you've got a streak, don't lose it. Or hey, you haven't checked in today. And it didn't, and I was very sad. I was very disappointed in myself.

SPEAKER_00 10:18

So now you get to start over. Now I start over. Yeah. I mean I maybe.

SPEAKER_01 10:25

Yeah. I just I was mad at myself.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Yeah. I mean on Easter. I know. On on the on the best day. On Resurrection Sunday. Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:35

I was not, I was not pleased with myself.

unknown 10:37

I was not pleased.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

He has risen. I mean, I even think is over.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

I even made sure that I listened to sermons. Like, you know, like I was like, I was making because I did feel really bad about not being in it. Like this the time was when we had time off that was like that was what we had to do. But anyway, it was a beautiful time. It was a busy time. My feet still hurt. Does your back still hurt?

SPEAKER_00 10:59

My my hips still hurt. My hips still hurt.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

But besides that, I'm projecting my lower back issues on you.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

Well, they had a jacuzzi tub that didn't work in our in our in our little condo. So I I just literally, because it was huge, just sat in very, very hot water to try to loosen up my hips.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

Disney, like it we stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter. If you're a Disney person, it's like the smallest of the moderate resorts. It's my favorite resort. Yeah. Still, like it's not a private uh hot tub, and I didn't feel like sharing that soup experience with others.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

I no, I understand that. But I always feel I we we talked about this. My mom used to, when we used to go to Disney, she would have a vacation after Disney. Like a s like a mini. Yes. So we would do like three days or four, depending on because they didn't have all the the big they didn't have as many parks as they have now when when we went. So we would do three days at Disney and then we would finish out the week at a beach. Cause she always said, you need to relax from I I agree. Disney vacation.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

We got home at uh Or you need a vacation from vacation. We got home at like one o'clock in the morning. Our flight got in at like 1210. Got home at like one and Matt had to go back the next day. I thought I had taken the day off, but I thought, oh, if I'm feeling good, I'm I'm gonna go in and kind of gain a vacation day back. And I woke up and I was like, I am not going in.

SPEAKER_00 12:30

There's no way. Especially like traveling. Traveling just exhausts me.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

No matter if you're flying or if you're driving, exhausted.

SPEAKER_01 12:38

And then the next day I was like, so I didn't weigh myself day one.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

Oh, we're going to that.

SPEAKER_01 12:44

Well.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

Yeah, go ahead. How'd you do?

SPEAKER_01 12:47

I gained two pounds. Oh, that's not bad. I didn't think it was that bad. That's not bad at all. I do feel like some of it's I'm like, I'm telling myself it's like, you know, like in like water weight from flying. You know. Of course it is. I haven't I haven't I haven't done it again yet, but your girl ate well. She ate well. I feel like I really overdid it, but I did indulge. The one thing that I I think we really started going to Disney as a family is because my daughter had extreme food allergies. And they have and they really catered well to food allergies. And it's the only place that gluten-free doesn't taste like gluten-free. Like I was eating things and I'm like, they're like, Would you like cake? Yes, I would like cake. Would you like a churro? Yes, I would like to come back for seconds. Give it to me all. Give it to me. So I wasn't overeating it, but I was taking every opportunity, like a frozen banana, you know, like all of the things. I'm like, I just couldn't I didn't say no to anything. Yeah, I didn't finish everything, but I also didn't say no. So we're sitting in my office now and there's like a bowl of Hershey Kisses like over there.

SPEAKER_00 13:49

Oh, I I I dodge in that indulge. There we go. In the bowl every time.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

So I've come into work the last few days and I'm like, don't do it, don't do it, don't do it.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

Don't eat the chocolate.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

Like you need to break out of vacation mode where you don't get to eat chocolate every single day.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

I tried weighing myself, and my battery says it just says, you know, love.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

That was a gift from the Lord. It yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

I have to go, but I I really do need to see where I am. Because I I have no idea. Like we did we did hike the one day. We kind of stayed, we went to Monticello the other day to Thomas Jefferson's home, which was really fascinating and interesting. And of course you're walking all over there too. And for the most part, we we only ate out once, besides driving. So we we cooked all of our meals. We we we stayed very, we tried to stay within one budget and also within healthy.

SPEAKER_01 14:51

I had a steady diet of chicken tenders insurance. Oh my gosh. Okay, guess what? That wasn't like weight from traveling.

SPEAKER_00 15:03

So I am curious to see, okay, did I maintain, did I, did I get I'm pretty positive I gained because when I I had a Big Mac. I haven't eaten a Big Mac in a long time.

SPEAKER_01 15:13

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

And I ate that, and within 30 minutes, I was like, because my body was not prepared.

SPEAKER_01 15:19

It you know, you gotta get back, you know, but you know, I do think this there's times you can like you have to train your body. And other times I would have indulged and come back and continued to indulge. Yes. So now I'm like, okay, you had your fun. Now it's it's back to real life. And I got to enjoy things and I wasn't mad about it.

SPEAKER_00 15:37

Well, and then I also went to Keeneland and I ate like crap at Keeneland. Keeneland is a racetrack in in Kentucky, which is gorgeous. So I was at Keeneland yesterday.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

I feel like everybody I know went to Keeneland this week.

SPEAKER_00 15:48

Well, it's college day. So Keeneland has so they give away scholarships. So every college student, doesn't matter what college you you go to, you have your college ID, you get you get a free ticket, and then you're registered for one of I forget how many, they have like eight thousand or two thousand dollar give scholarships they gave away that day, and then two ten thousand dollar scholarships.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

Did you win anything? Well, I or did your children not use that? No. Although it would feel like a win for you.

SPEAKER_00 16:16

It would, it would I mean, it would be amazing. No, I I heard that there was a student from Eastern Kentucky University who won one, one of the 10,000 and one from UK who won one. But I don't know who they were. And I graduated from UK and I don't remember any of this. I don't know if this is a good one. I don't know if they've ever done this, but it was packed. Yeah. I mean, it was amazing. And then I've also realized that I am because I got a a ticket in the grandstand, and then I'm like, oh, I'm a grandstand. Like I don't I don't want to be amongst the the the peasants. The well it's it's the standing. Yeah. And if you don't get there early enough to get one of the benches, you're screwed.

SPEAKER_01 16:51

So my mom told me that she went to Camel this week. I didn't even know, like she ended up taking of the a place of somebody else who couldn't go, had a family emergency until she got to go. In a box. Oh. And like in the restaurant, and she was like, But in the restaurant, it was like you put your stuff down at the table, and that's your table for the whole day. You can leave your drink there. You could just go back to the city.

SPEAKER_00 17:10

And they have food, they have food all day and desserts. Yes. Like if you're gonna do Keeneland as an as older now, like that's that's how I would do it. But I just did grandstand because of my kids.

SPEAKER_01 17:22

And what she had said was like like the the person that had kind of curated the experience, she married into the ability to even have that experience. It wasn't even something that you could like say, like, I would just like to do it up for the day. It was like, no, I've been in like we're in this experience because this has been of my forefathers.

SPEAKER_00 17:43

But it was a lot of fun because it was parents' weekend for both Belle and Torren's fraternity sorry or mom's weekend, whatever. And so being able to meet, you know, some of their sorority sisters and fraternity brothers and all of that stuff was was a lot of Diet Coke, of course. We just took a little five-second break for 70 to shuffle to crack their Diet Coke.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

That was the most awkward way I could have moved over there. I don't know why you shuffled. I I do not know. I I'm waiting if you can see the video. I yes, I have a habit of leaving the Diet Coke just out of reach.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Out of reach. My my water's right next to me, so I'm good. But it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun to dress up. And when I say dress up, just wear some, you know, because it was so hot. Just to wear a nice little sundress.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

You look nice.

SPEAKER_00 18:34

Well, thank you. Thank you. I did post a picture. You did. I I felt I felt like a great mom because I spent my vac my spring break with Faith, and then the next day You got to see everybody. I got to see the two older ones hanging out at Ceneland, betting, and I lost money. Of course I did.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

My mom, like my grandparents were big, like they like to gamble, but they were like did it as a they always set a budget like we'll gamble$20. And like that's that's it for the day. And so I have I'm not a big gambler, but like if I end up at something like that, like I pre-go in with what I'm willing to bet, and that's that's that.

SPEAKER_00 19:12

Well, I have an account that on on a horse betting for the derby that I only use on Derby Day and also had this, and also when I'm at Keeland. And so I had$21 from the Derby that I won last year that just sits in that count. And I left with seven. At one point in time, I was up to 23. I was like, woo-hoo, I'm up$2, and then I left with seven. So I'm like, well, I have seven dollars to gamble or to to not gamble, but to bet on the derby.

SPEAKER_01 19:43

The derby, yeah. Coming up. Okay. Uh we just bet like bragging rights.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

Oh, that's true.

SPEAKER_01 19:50

It's just like a family group text stuff.

SPEAKER_00 19:51

Like, it's just like who wins since like all the all the the nieces and nephews and yeah, I sound like an incredible Christian as I'm talking about gambling on horses. Awesome. God loves me.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

I don't know. I it was easy. I I don't listen. There's definitely people who have issues with it. You have to know where your limits are. I was just listening if you're not from Kentucky, like this is a big deal. It is yes.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

It's part of the horse. It's part of the culture. And it's so gorgeous. It's it's not your typical what you think of and see in movies of of a racetrack. It is beautiful, it's absolutely beautiful. It is definitely an experience.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

Yeah, I haven't been in a couple of years, but yeah, I I if I was there for the experience, it's to me, it's like I would spend$20 in entertainment. True. That's the way that I look at you know, a gambling. Like if I were to go up, I go up, I'm not unlimited.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

Oh, I got the bread pudding too. They have the ma best bread pudding at Keeneland. But I can only eat a couple bites because it was super sweet and I could only handle so much, and then I gave it to Belle to eat the rest of it.

SPEAKER_01 20:59

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 20:59

But I was super excited to have some bites.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

That sounds so good.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

I know. Bread pudding. I love bread pudding.

unknown 21:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

I just feel like you're rubbing the gluten wound. I know, I know, I really am. Okay, let's keep moving here. Great. Speaking of Easter, yes, we talked about how I spent my Easter, but I you had said, well, there were two things that you said. Yeah. First of all, you said that you were considering going to Good Friday service at your previous church. No, what is the faux pas we realized after we had recorded and hit published?

SPEAKER_00 21:35

They didn't have Good Friday service anymore. They moved it to a Thursday to include Good Friday and also Monday Thursday. Yes, yes, yes, yes. So talking through the Last Supper and then also into Good Friday. And how many texts did you get? I don't even talk about I don't want to talk about the texts or messages that Casey.

SPEAKER_01 21:57

I'm so glad that you want to come, but Please don't show up because it's not gonna be there.

SPEAKER_00 22:03

I'm I I'm so grateful that people told me because then I went online. I'm like, what? And so then I started checking. I'm like, oh man, I'm a freaking idiot. I should have looked. No, I mean we just would have thought. I know we've done it for so long. And if someone said to me, they're like, it's one of my favorites, but also this is when what's what's happening. I'm like, great. Yeah, yeah. And of course, that Thursday I couldn't go. So I didn't, I didn't.

SPEAKER_01 22:29

So it's so so it didn't happen.

SPEAKER_00 22:31

It did not happen.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

But as part of the full Easter weekend, you know, you were hoping that your family would join you for Easter Sunday. Correct. And did that happen?

SPEAKER_00 22:44

It did. Everybody. So it was the first time all of us were in a church together since May. May or June of last year. No, May, since May. I know. Big feelings. Big, big, big feelings. It was I don't want to say I had to talk my husband into going, but I had to talk my husband into going. Because I said to him, and man, I probably I was mean. Okay, mean-ish. I said to everybody, hey, we're going to church. This is a church we're going to. We're going to their nine o'clock service. I want everybody to go. And Belle and Torin, and the kids were fine. Because Bell and Torrin, who were home for college for Easter, brought dress clothes home. So they I think they they they were anticipating me saying, Okay, this is this time for us to go to church as a family. Doug said, I'm not going. I'm not going. And and I get it. He's still he's still hurt by the church. He's he's hurt by the church because he's still try he's still in protective mode, which I love about my husband. He he was not happy with what was said or how things went down, and he is still, I, you know, this is my wife. I'm protecting. I want to protect her. And you know, when the when the church can hurt, it hurts. Yeah, it hurts bad. And I said to him, Way to be the spiritual leader of the family. I know. I know, I said it, I said it. It came out of my mouth.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Oh god.

SPEAKER_00 24:23

I hit deep. I hit deep. I hit low and deep. I know.

SPEAKER_01 24:29

And so it's hard because I it because in one way that probably was your deepest feelings of I need you to step up here. Like it was it was probably coming from a vulnerable place. It was, but it came out of a nasty.

SPEAKER_00 24:45

It was a dick. It came out as a nasty. It was it was a poke. I mean, I I knew that I now what day are we talking about?

SPEAKER_01 24:52

Like that you said this.

SPEAKER_00 24:53

I said it to him on Saturday night.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

Saturday night.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 24:58

So he had been in agreement that he was going to go and then started to back up. Or he had never he had never agreed. So you had put it out there of like this is what we're doing in full faith that, like, okay, I think this is what's going to happen, that he would come around.

SPEAKER_00 25:11

Yes. Okay. I want to go. And then and then we're eating dinner on Saturday night, and he's like, I'm not going. Instead, in front of the in front of the kids. And so that's when I said, way to be the spiritual leader of the family. And so Sunday morning he was up and dressed, and I'm like, I don't want you to go just because you're I I don't want to force you to go. And he's like, No, you're not. And so we all went. I have I have a picture to prove. It's funny because the picture it kind of looks like we're at our old church, but because of the outside of the of the building, I'm like, oh, this looks this looks interesting. And I didn't take it inside, which I probably should have, but it just It didn't matter where you showed up. Yes, but we did. We showed up. We showed up. It was fascinating.

SPEAKER_01 25:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 26:00

Because one when we were getting out of our car, I ran into a good friend of mine who went to our former church and her family, and we ended up sitting next to them, and she was very excited. She's like, Oh, we can we can go sit, you know, in this. I'm like, please. Were they visiting, or that's where they attend? That's where they attend. Oh, okay. That's where they attend. In fact, she brought the pastor up to us. We were sitting there, and then all of a sudden, here comes the pastor. Your worst nightmare. And and I started laughing, and and he looked at me and he's like, So is this your first time coming to church? And I go, I go, coming to this church, yes. I said, No, we've been going to a church for about 19 years. And then it got brought up that you know, I worked and all the things.

SPEAKER_01 26:48

Somehow it always ends up. Oh, always ends up.

SPEAKER_00 26:50

But he was very kind. It was it's a church that's satellite church from a main from a so there's three locations. It's five minutes from our house, which freaking love. Love that it was for being a satellite church, I had in my mind right away what was going to happen, and I was way wrong.

SPEAKER_01 27:14

Interesting.

SPEAKER_00 27:15

So it was a live service, but normally that's not the case, but it was a live service that was a service. So there was no no production. Okay. So there was it was just a straight up, I had a program, followed along. Here's the outline of what we're of what we're talking about. There was some call and response, which I have not seen since I was a little girl and went to my old church. It was a very, very traditional Easter service that I was sh pleasantly surprised and happy about.

SPEAKER_01 27:51

Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_00 27:52

So I mean So they had to worship music, of course. I don't want to say of course, but they did have worship. He brought up the kids, which normally isn't happening, and did the Easter Oh, and then children's. And then sent them to their yes, which I have once again I've not seen ever been part of.

SPEAKER_01 28:15

I've been a part of it in the past, but it's been a long time.

SPEAKER_00 28:17

It's been a long time. And then even like I said, the calm response. So they have all of the the what verses we're hitting, what we're what we're talking about in an outline, and exactly hitting that outline. I was it was it was like a little bit of old school and new kind of mixed together. I kind of like that. Which I liked. So it new meaning the atrium was really nice. It had free coffee. There was places where you can meet, it was very large, kind of old where the service was base, it was just service. So no video videos. They had projection with the verses, but no, no flash, no, no, no big things, no making the auditorium shake because the bass is so so loud and all of a sudden here comes the stone and it's rolling out. It was it was just it was just an No theatrics. No theatrics. It was just service. It was just the message. And we talked about this, I think, a couple weeks ago, where I keep seeing videos of this next generation is drawn more towards basic than more than and less production.

SPEAKER_01 29:36

I don't know if we talked about it here. I think you and I only I think we just talked about it.

SPEAKER_00 29:42

And I'm I'm just kind of curious. I'm like, is that is that really the case? Because if so, this this church is leaning more towards that as being a multi-site than what I'm used to.

SPEAKER_01 29:54

So given what you saw, would you try this one again?

SPEAKER_00 30:00

I I I think so. I didn't see what a regular to see, just to see. One, I like that it's local. I like that Faith would be with kids that she knows and in their youth ministry. I that's what I'm that's what I'm so sad about right now is because she's not in a youth ministry right now. And I miss that for her. Because Belle and Torrin had that growing up, and they have still have good friends from that ministry. In fact, Torrin told me that one of the guys that he was in, who's graduating from high school this year, called him and was like, hey, I think I'm coming to UK. I think I'm gonna rush. What do you think? And Torrin was very excited. He's like, I hope he comes my my fraternity. So that that makes me really happy, and I'm like, oh crap, faith doesn't have that because we pulled out when she was right going into middle school.

SPEAKER_01 30:54

Okay. But even when you're in it, it's not always great.

SPEAKER_00 30:58

I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

But what I I just don't want you to think that like you pulled something, you took something from her.

SPEAKER_00 31:04

I mean that's a true story. I that that so all to say that it can be great. It should be great, but I mean like I just I might try to continue. Maybe. There are some things where I'm like, uh, because I we did learn that the the pastor at the location where we weren't is eventually going to become the pastor overall in the next year and a half. Yes. I did learn that they are in the book of Revelation for the next year, which if amazing which I thought I'm I I'm I'm that either intrigues you or Yes, yeah, I got I gotcha. I feel the same way. So I'm like Revelation, okay, okay, that's a long time, a year, a year to be in Revelation. But I think that's also very normal for that church where they're in books for a long time. And it feels counter to kind of where we have done more series, series where we're in something for four to six weeks, and it might not even be a book, it might be just a topic, and you bring in verses based upon and staying in longer places feels more like more intimate Bible study.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

Oh, yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

So I think if that's what you're into, man, this church is gonna be for you. And I I said to Doug, I'm like, I think we need to try it out, but also at the same time, I still want to go church shopping.

SPEAKER_01 32:35

So tell me, uh, I mean, obviously your kids are probably pretty adaptable. Like it was kind of like it came in, it was it was fine, and that's my assumption. But tell me how Doug did. How did he feel stepping in?

SPEAKER_00 32:51

He gosh, I don't want to put words into his mouth without putting words into his mouth. He he he is still iffy on the pastor, and maybe that's just because we were just thrown to meet him.

SPEAKER_01 33:08

Yeah, you know, yeah, that's hard. Um, and and it's no fault of the people who were like, hey, this is our place. We're so happy to see you. We would love for this to be your place too. I mean, I think we've experienced that everywhere that we have gone so far of maybe not, hey, here's the pastor.

SPEAKER_00 33:25

Here's the pastor, which is which is great. And also I'm like, it's Easter, and so it's it's a whole different setting. And trying to, when you're used to something for 19 years and even a s a certain sense of humor, and you get to know these the this this community and and your pastor very well at where we were. So to come into something new and then trying to learn, you know, his jokes and and whatever, or not jokes, but stories, and you're like, okay, I'm it will always be the idea of it's just it's not what you know.

SPEAKER_01 34:07

Yes. And so the unfamiliarity of it will always feel uncomfortable. Even if it's even if you're adaptable to it, even if you enjoyed it, it's still not what you knew.

SPEAKER_00 34:19

Yes. And that's always gonna be hard. Yeah. I mean, even old school where, hey, here's a book, put your name and pass it down. Remember that? Like where you had uh where you sign a book and you pass it down the aisle, and if you're new, you put your name and oh no, I've never experienced that. Oh wow. We used to do that in my old church, my mom's church.

SPEAKER_01 34:39

And uh there was like a guest, like I guess we'd like to go like a guest book, but like you did it like as you came in or out. It wasn't uh like past the book that I I can remember.

SPEAKER_00 34:48

And then if if you're a member there, then you would if you have a prayer request, you would put your prayer request in there, and then the pastor would pray for your prayer requests every single week, which also is amazing. And and there were things where you don't just become a you have to go through a process to be a member. Like there is a new member class that you that you go to, no matter how no matter if you've been going to church for a long time or not.

SPEAKER_01 35:20

Did you find all this out in your research or the specific? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 35:24

They were talking, they were talking about it. They have a, I think this Sunday or this or in two weeks, they have a first responders gathering. Okay. Which for my husband, I'm like, well, that's the first time we've ever seen anyone actually do something like that. So I thought that was that was interesting.

SPEAKER_01 35:48

It has been interesting to see where the heart of these different churches are, you know, of where they are choosing to put their resources, they're choosing to put, you know, like where they're going heavy on the invites, you know.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

I I I and I to me and I think there was that was the first time they've ever done it too. Okay. So I think it was new for, but it just happened to be announced, or it was being talked about when we were there. And and we saw a lot of of police officers who we knew or Doug knew. Yes, because that's his it's his, I mean it's our yeah, it's his background.

SPEAKER_01 36:23

Yeah, that's your that's your life.

SPEAKER_00 36:24

And our it's on our in our hometown. So we we knew a lot of people. Our niece and nephew go there. We found that out. Oh, and you didn't even know that. And they we we we were sitting in there and then they all they walk in with their kids. Oh and I was like, oh, and I'm and I'm thinking, okay, God, are you telling? Like, that's my issue. Am I reading too much into this because we know so many people? It's different, you know, it's it's in our community, so faith would have would know people, or or should I continue shopping? I I want to continue shopping because there's so many different churches that I still want to see.

SPEAKER_01 37:02

There's a lot, there's a lot. But I do, but I'm encouraged. Yes. I mean, we can say that some places aren't for us, but what I'm encouraged is that like there are places for everyone.

SPEAKER_00 37:12

Yes. And for getting back to Doug, I he really hasn't talked much. I think he's still in the process of can I trust a church? Can I trust the people?

SPEAKER_01 37:28

And I think what he will eventually have to get through in his wrestling is can I trust God? Yeah. You know, I mean, I think his focus is probably I can't speak to him for easy, but yeah, I have also had a really upset husband over these things. And it takes time. It takes time. I I I've told you, I have not said publicly on here, but there was a time when my husband was very upset over the way I was treated in a in a situation. And he wrote the most scathing email that I have ever read. And he sent it to me and he was like, I'm gonna send it to the pastor. And I was like, okay, okay, A, no. B, this is the biggest love letter you've ever written me. I know. Because I he is vigor and virile and vitriol, like all of the things that were in this thing, it was based so much in the core of how much he loved me.

SPEAKER_00 38:25

I same. And so I get where But my husband, he did send out text messages. You know, and and I did have somebody from the church say, maybe tell him not to. And I said, uh, yes. I did not know he was, but I also, man, my husband loves me so much that he is protecting me. Because he saw not he saw everything prior to to to every he saw it all leading up to a head.

SPEAKER_01 38:53

And no one our husbands are seeing what happens when we are not strong at home.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:00

And they are seeing how uh what we've experienced in the workplace, in the in whatever situation where that we got hurt. They're seeing everything that happened there, but they're also seeing how we're crumbling at home.

SPEAKER_00 39:12

I I'm grateful.

SPEAKER_01 39:13

And not everybody has no, and they're never gonna have that perspective.

SPEAKER_00 39:16

I mean, I I have, I don't want to say now, but I have a true, strong male who does anything to defend his his family and his and especially his wife.

SPEAKER_01 39:27

And he, and you know, and we just said, you know, he has a military background, he has a law enforcement background. I mean, currently, you know, in the past, currently, that's my phone's saying, potential spam.

SPEAKER_00 39:40

Oh, love that. But the same, I mean, but mine is too, like they're very strong who who take to heart God and then my wife.

SPEAKER_01 39:51

Yes, they are strong leaders that come at things with authority, but they're also very sensitive.

SPEAKER_00 39:55

Yeah, they are.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

And you you you put baby in a corner and they're gonna freak out.

SPEAKER_00 40:00

They and they hear everything because there are sounding boards. Thank you. I couldn't think of the word. There's they are sounding boards. So there are most of the time, I don't want Doug to fix anything. I don't want him to give me advice. I just need to vent.

SPEAKER_01 40:15

And so he heard me for and yeah, and I think this goes wherever, I mean, I listen, you're talking about a specific relationship with with a with a job, but I mean, this could be a friendship. This could be this could be anything that, you know, a family member, you know, like, you know, like we when we get hurt, the these men who love us come to our defense.

SPEAKER_00 40:39

Yeah, they do.

SPEAKER_01 40:40

And, you know, to kind of wrap it back up into like the church sense of like he wants to trust people. Gosh, that's so hard.

SPEAKER_00 40:49

It is, it is so hard for him.

SPEAKER_01 40:50

Because the truth is, is like we're not we have to trust God because people will always let us down. Even even my husband will let us down. Even our spouse and our spouses and our children down, and we will do the same.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

It's same. Oh, yes, and I have let him down plenty of times. So will we be going to church tomorrow? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 41:10

Okay. Now that was my other question. Do you feel like you want to try more things out on your own before you bring I don't know if I can Or do you think that he would want to do experience that with you right now?

SPEAKER_00 41:21

We have on words hard. Shocking enough, we have not talked about it yet.

SPEAKER_02 41:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 41:31

You would think we would have during our vacation, but we just we we talked about it in the sense of Doug actually asked the kids, hey, what'd you think? And I said, I like that it's close and I like for faith, but other than that, we have not decided, hey, is this something we're going to continue to pursue?

SPEAKER_01 41:56

Okay. But I think that he knows at your heart that you want to pursue being back in church. Yes. So I think he said, like, yeah, he's a good thing.

SPEAKER_00 42:07

When I went, he's like, I'm so proud of you. He's not there yet. I'm forcing him to be because I called him out.

SPEAKER_01 42:13

And there's probably an apology that's needed there. I don't think so. Or a conversation.

SPEAKER_00 42:20

Maybe. We'll see. We'll see.

SPEAKER_01 42:23

I get that. I get it.

SPEAKER_00 42:24

I'm I'm I am. Did I do it wrong? Probably. Should have been called out. Yeah, 100% he should be called out.

SPEAKER_01 42:31

Maybe not at the dinner table, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:34

In front of our kids. Yeah. What if my face right now? I'm fighting. I'm fighting. I'm fighting. Oh gosh. Well, you know, our search continues. Our search continues. I'm not saying no to that one. I'm not saying yes to that one. I'm just saying that's a that's a possibility.

SPEAKER_01 42:54

I love that it's a possibility and you're not, you know, you're willing to. I think it's a go back, maybe not next week, but it's uh on the list of like I would go back. But it is it would be diff I I understand why it would be difficult to come into a place that is clearly in transition.

SPEAKER_00 43:12

Yes I mean it's a long transition, it's a year transition. But to to hear how much how much the people in that community love their pastor, the one that we yeah that we met, into knowing that in a year and a half or because it's year transition, then they're gonna do I I don't know how yeah it's it's a year transition, knowing that they're gonna have a new one in a year. But then again, I've experienced that also. Yep. So I get it. Especially with multi site churches, you see turnovers of pastors fairly regularly.

SPEAKER_01 43:55

I've been a part of transitions in smaller, much smaller churches, you know, when I growing up like I grew up in the Lutheran church. And I remember our pastor getting calls other places. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:07

That's a that, you know, and I guess I and I think that's just a normal part of church.

SPEAKER_01 44:11

Yeah. And when you like somebody, yes. I know it's hard when you get when you get attached to somebody. Yeah. I get it. Well, okay, so I want to transition just a little bit. Mm-hmm. This is we're naming this episode, Let's Get Ready to Ramble.

SPEAKER_00 44:28

Right, because we are rambling.

SPEAKER_01 44:29

Because, you know, one of the things that have been a joyous surprise about this whole kind of preachy experiment of a podcast.

SPEAKER_00 44:42

Is that why did you call it an experiment?

SPEAKER_01 44:44

Because I think we didn't know what to expect. True. Would anybody listen? Would anybody care? Yeah. Would they only tune into the one, the episodes that are they think they're going to get juicy details? Oh, true. Oh, and the truth is, is we know. We know. We see it. Oh, we see the massive jumps when we say we're going to talk about something that they're like, oh, they're going to give us some dirt. Um, those are always the highest rated episodes.

SPEAKER_00 45:08

Yes. Well, this one actually is kind of dirt. Kind of not.

SPEAKER_01 45:12

Well, you know, but one like so I call it an experiment because I feel like we were trying to be obedient when we did this. Yes. And so we don't really know what the outcome of this. And but one of the things that we have talked about at nauseum is our need to be heard, our need to be understood, our need to be vulnerable, our desire to have community, the desire to like know that we are not alone. We are not the only perimenopausal women who are like trying to keep it together, going through transitions, whether it being in our homes, in our jobs, in our relationships. Like these are not individual experiences. Yes. I think we just thought that, man, there's not a place where people are talking about all of these things in a place it's like, hey, we're really trying to seek Jesus in these things. Yeah. But man, we live on the struggle bus. And one of the the uh answered prayers that like I I think I just kind of realized recently is that this desire for community has really been answered here. Oh yeah. In this space. Explain more about that. Have we ever had a week that we have not gotten a text message, a DM, or something that is some like, hey, I really resonated with what you're saying. I'm struggling with this too.

SPEAKER_00 46:40

It that has been most surprising for me because sometimes some weeks I feel like we are rambling. For sure. And I'm like, did did we make sense? Did that even was that coherent? And then we get a text message or a DM that says, My gosh, thank you for talking about this. I thought I was alone, or thank you for being real and cussing, or you know, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 47:01

I I think yeah, I think it's that you were, you know.

SPEAKER_00 47:06

And definitely that's me, but you have been more cussing than I have been lately. Don't call me out. I'm totally calling you out.

SPEAKER_01 47:12

I embrace my mouth. I I definitely I have the older I get, the less of a filter that I have for sure. Yes. I but I've always been like, you know, a well-timed cuss word is is not a bad thing. I've always told my kids, you know, like you stub your toe. You can drop it. You can drop. I mean, not all of them. You know, like there's still words I don't like. M F is my favorite. I'm not an F-bomb person. I just never have been. I don't like it. And it's so overused right now. It like just Yeah, it is. It I don't like it used as an adjective. I don't like it, you know, like it's not who I am. Okay, we're digressing. Yes, we are. So, so back to what has what you've appreciated. I have appreciated that, you know, I think when we got on here, it was like, I think one of our first thoughts was like, Man, are we the only ones going through this? Because we don't hear people talking about it.

SPEAKER_00 48:01

I think we're too embarrassed to talk about what we're going through. Yeah. I think it's it's it is embarrassing that okay, am I in my season, I hate to say that word, but in what I've experienced is I felt like I was put out to pasture. I felt like I was too old. And in some cases, I think that there was some maybe a little truth to it. Maybe I made up on my own. But as we do get older, especially as women, I feel that has been part of it is Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:28

And I think what you started sharing was really more about your feelings of a job transition and how that really impacted your faith. But truthfully, this how how we transition.

SPEAKER_00 48:38

I mean, but for you, it's been more not job, but community and what this stage of life means for me. And do I have people?

SPEAKER_01 48:47

Yeah, and I'm not and I do. I I know that I do. But I and some sometimes I feel like it's it was selfish for me to desire more. Do you really? A a little bit, a little bit. I I mean there's a piece of me of like you're complaining about things, but you're also not putting the same amount of energy into it. So it was like, why do you want more out of what you're putting in, putting less into?

SPEAKER_00 49:11

But I think going through this process is how we found that out.

SPEAKER_01 49:14

Exactly. But I would I have been so surprised at the people that reach out that I had no idea were on the same page of anything, or even if it just sparked something like, hey, I'm not going through that, but it is definitely like it resonates in me in this area.

SPEAKER_00 49:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:34

So there is a community here that I we just want you to know that like that's the way we see it. Yeah. When we get on this, yeah, we're chatting with each other, but we do it with the intention of chatting with you. We want your feedback. And we've even when it's rough, we've had rough feedback. We're open. We're open. But we don't want this to be just a space where we chat at each other and that we just share our own stuff. And I think in the beginning we talked more about this, and then we kind of just we're like, hey, maybe we need to settle some of our own feelings out and figure out what we're doing here before we kind of invite people back on. And I think we're of the space now. I think you and I have chatted, like, we're ready to have more conversations with people, with situations. So when you log on to wherever you listen to your podcast, I will say this for Apple and Spotify. If you listen to it somewhere else, I do not know. But when you click on it, there's a like it'll say, like, send us fan mail. I hate that it says that. I cannot change it. Okay. I'm not looking for fans or groupies. But when you click that, it will give you the opportunity to send us a voice message or send us a text. Love it. Now, you can do either of those things. So we just want you to know like this is like a two-way street. Yeah. We want to have conversations. Listen, there are people who I think maybe you have been looking for an opportunity to tell your story, or maybe God has stirring your heart of like, I have something that like I didn't even know I thought I should share.

SPEAKER_00 51:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 51:11

But you've either been encouraged or challenged, or something of like, I might something in my life might be able to add value.

SPEAKER_00 51:19

And I love that we did have somebody who said, Hey, I would love for you to talk about this. Yeah, or even if you're like, hey, because I'm struggling through struggling through this now. And have you ever experienced this?

SPEAKER_01 51:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:31

So that was our that was our depression.

SPEAKER_01 51:33

Yeah. So I think we could talk, you know, like community crowdsourcing, like we want you to be part of what we're doing. Does that make sense? Yes. I I I'm not sure. I just, you know, we view you guys as part of our community. And so we want to hear from you. So we want to hear from you. So that's so when you see click for fan mail, know that I cannot change that. That was another thing. It's not really fan mail. I'm not looking for that. What I'm asking is be a part of what we're doing.

SPEAKER_00 52:07

I gotta put my glasses on so I can see.

SPEAKER_01 52:09

Be a part of what we're doing, you know, engage with us. But you already are. You're sending us text messages, you're sending, you know, but there's more. There's more to you guys. There's more, there's more to life, there's more challenges. Yeah. And we don't want anyone to walk through these seasons alone. And so whether you're fully involved in a church, and I hope that you are, there's still things that we can glean off of each other. I agree. And things that I can learn from from somebody else. 100%. We're not saying we have all the answers, but we, you know, we'd love to chat about it.

SPEAKER_00 52:41

I would love to chat about it.

SPEAKER_01 52:43

So join our hot gossip. No, just kidding. It's not gossip. Sometimes it feels like sometimes our own stuff is, but sometimes it feels like gossip. Listen, and if you want to say something to us and you want to crowdsource, it doesn't have to be a name.

SPEAKER_00 52:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:58

I know we share a lot of our own stuff and we put a lot of our own stuff out there, but I promise you we do have discretion. We we do. So whether you want to chat with us live or just want to share a thought or encouragement, or you're like, hey, I'm struggling to, I just hey, want to talk about this topic. I just want to encourage you that that is a space that's there. And we are so thankful that some of the things we've been struggling with, we're seeing answered prayers in this space, not only for just you and I, but for those listening. So, with that, thank you for listening and we'll see you next week. See you next week. Bye.