As the sun sets on a Memorial Day weekend, We find ourselves wrapped in a conversation with Mary Beth Cronyn about the bittersweet symphony that is turning 60. From the fading charm of 'hair of the dog' remedies to the embracing of retirement's uncharted waters, we traverse the terrains of late-middle age with honesty and humor. Mary Beth, a beacon of lived wisdom, shares how her life's tapestry has morphed from hands-on parenting to cherishing grandchildren and pursuing personal passions, all while nurturing the roots of long-standing relationships.
Navigating through the ebbs and flows of life's later chapters, we uncover the raw truth that time is our most precious commodity. As we reflect on the hurdles and high points of entering our sixth decade, the conversation turns to the resilience required to face aging, health concerns, and the economic tightrope walk that often accompanies retirement planning. We ponder the value of seizing the day and how personal achievements and future aspirations can coalesce to create a rich, fulfilling final act.
In the spirit of connection and contemplation, this dialogue extends beyond personal milestones, touching on the solemn gratitude we hold for our veterans and service members. Our hearts heavy with the weight of a global pandemic's legacy, we also examine how our lives have transformed—finding solace in simpler pleasures and the importance of curating our intake of news and social media. Through laughter and shared stories, we invite you to pull up a chair and join us in this intimate exploration of what it means to grow older with grace, purpose, and a toast to the adventures yet to come.
As the sun sets on a Memorial Day weekend, We find ourselves wrapped in a conversation with Mary Beth Cronyn about the bittersweet symphony that is turning 60. From the fading charm of 'hair of the dog' remedies to the embracing of retirement's uncharted waters, we traverse the terrains of late-middle age with honesty and humor. Mary Beth, a beacon of lived wisdom, shares how her life's tapestry has morphed from hands-on parenting to cherishing grandchildren and pursuing personal passions, all while nurturing the roots of long-standing relationships.
Navigating through the ebbs and flows of life's later chapters, we uncover the raw truth that time is our most precious commodity. As we reflect on the hurdles and high points of entering our sixth decade, the conversation turns to the resilience required to face aging, health concerns, and the economic tightrope walk that often accompanies retirement planning. We ponder the value of seizing the day and how personal achievements and future aspirations can coalesce to create a rich, fulfilling final act.
In the spirit of connection and contemplation, this dialogue extends beyond personal milestones, touching on the solemn gratitude we hold for our veterans and service members. Our hearts heavy with the weight of a global pandemic's legacy, we also examine how our lives have transformed—finding solace in simpler pleasures and the importance of curating our intake of news and social media. Through laughter and shared stories, we invite you to pull up a chair and join us in this intimate exploration of what it means to grow older with grace, purpose, and a toast to the adventures yet to come.
Hey everybody. This is Michelle and this is Julie. Welcome to a blonde, a brunette and a mic podcast. What is our podcast all about, you ask?
Speaker 2:Well, we're 250 something. Women with life experience and oh, bloody to say which is exactly what we're gonna do right now. We're just gonna slide right into Memorial Day, slide and glide, slide and glide into memorial day weekend and we're we're halfway through.
Speaker 1:I know well we've already done a bit of celebrating too much celebrating.
Speaker 2:it's good. I know we've been celebrating since last weekend. This is true, yeah, and we have our friend here. We're so excited to her. She's hanging out with us for the weekend. She's hanging over out, she's hanging she's hair of the dog and out with us for the weekend. You know, it's not often that you turn 60 and Mary Beth Cronin, who's here from Boise, idaho, is here to celebrate her 60th birthday with us, even though she doesn't probably mad at me for even bringing it up Right, because she doesn't like being the center of attention, but we told her no audio and video together.
Speaker 2:So she said she would, she would talk to us today.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm the one that's doing the hair of the dog.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Okay. So for our audience members that are not familiar with that term, you know, like Michelle for God's sake yeah. Like term, you know, like michelle, for god's sake, yeah, like hair of the dog, what is that?
Speaker 1:so I said that to you last weekend. Oh my gosh, so much in college is. Oh well, there you go. I didn't go to college and I wasn't that college partier, so that's probably why I don't know what the dog means partier.
Speaker 3:Oh my god I heard the dog often, often so so what is it for those?
Speaker 1:I'm sure I'm not the only one in life that doesn't know what this is my favorite is a bloody mary the morning after if you're really hurting, um.
Speaker 3:So basically, you're you're introducing a little bit more alcohol, so to even out that you don't feel good already.
Speaker 1:Yeah, isn't that weird seems counterintuitive. It does it, it does. It does, but it works, it does.
Speaker 2:Oh well, it must. Well, last weekend we were in Vegas last weekend and we were at the pool on Sunday and we were leaving Sunday but we'd been out Saturday night and that was my martini night. I was trying to be strategic and just have little martinis and I don't know they kind of turned into big martinis. But I'm like, hey, should we get some hair of the dog? And I'm thinking to myself I don't want any alcohol, so I'm just not gonna. She's like what's that? So I had to explain it to her. It's the day after, kind of a like imbibement that just levels you out and takes a little bit of the edge off the hangover. Yeah, I mean.
Speaker 2:I don't know that I could do that that's not something we want to get in the habit of no, no by any means. Well and are at our age yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Weekends in a row girls.
Speaker 2:What does that say? I know, and Eileen's going out again tonight. I'm like, oh for God's sake, girls, stay home.
Speaker 1:You know, we're just busy individuals. Yes, we are. Yes, we indizy individuals.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, no more, no more for me tonight. I'm going to stay home tonight.
Speaker 1:So now I'm on the tail end of you all, just trying to catch an up, you know, to 60. Yeah, now that I'm officially, you know 59. I know, and uh, but 60, like these birthdays, are they? I mean?
Speaker 2:I think we should have every birthday at this point be a milestone, is there?
Speaker 1:a mind shift. Do you think there's a mind shift to me turning 60?
Speaker 3:Well, first of all, I'm just not even a week into it, I know.
Speaker 1:But is there, like you know, the, the, the leading up to it? Is there leading up to it? Energy in your mind is kind of there has been for me.
Speaker 3:And just there has been for me and just there has been, for me curious what your thoughts have been leading up to your 60th birthday well, historically this has been about 60, has been about retirement and slowing down and your golden years and doing all the things that you plan for and save for, right, right.
Speaker 2:Right yeah, historically, that you have the health for yes.
Speaker 3:So that's a whole different mindset, because it's always been somewhere out here, right, right. So now it's kind of thinking about hmm, what am I going to be going forward?
Speaker 1:It's like a whole new. What am I going to be when I grow up? Sort of Like a chapter. It's a new version.
Speaker 3:Yeah, do I want to, because now we don't retire. It's like, well, some do some fortunate enough to do that. I'm not there yet. I really want to max out some, some savings. But so now it's kind of like do I want to keep doing what my skillset?
Speaker 1:has been.
Speaker 3:Or do I really want to really switch gears and do something to give back? Makes you happy, yeah, and so that's really where I've been centered it's no longer around kids. We're done raising kids. So 40 and 50 weren't 40 was a blur. Yeah, we were in the middle of teenagers then right. So you're busy doing that and surrounded by like activity adults.
Speaker 1:Yeah 50.
Speaker 3:I was the last one was just going out of the nest into college, so I still had some kids stuff. Now we're empty nesters, seeing a little bit more of our grandkids. It's just different. It's different. It's a slow down.
Speaker 2:So let me ask you something, though. It's like so you have been married to Mr Foster for 30 years, right? You guys just had your anniversary and but he's seven years older than you. Do you notice, like when you were younger, did you notice that age difference? Or do you see any difference now that you guys are in your sixties but he's in his late 60s and you're just like rolling in? Do you feel like your mind is in a different place? Well, it's funny. You say that A couple things.
Speaker 3:First of all, his body. This guy just put in 650,000 vertical feet on the slopes. I know, so he's in better physical shape than I am.
Speaker 1:Awesome.
Speaker 3:No question about that. But I think that he's in better physical shape than I am, for no question about that. But I think that he's still questioning, kind of where I am, because he is fully retired, yeah, but he still has all of that intellectual energy to put somewhere Right. So I think we're liking that, which tells me hmm, you got to have a plan for what retirement is, because there's still all this energy, yeah, the energy has to go somewhere.
Speaker 2:So maybe decorating I'd be like tear the house apart. Let's redo the whole house.
Speaker 3:Oh no, I don't want to do that.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's travel to somewhere exotic.
Speaker 1:Isn't it so interesting how everything is different for every person and and what time means to that means to them and what is meaningful as far as how they're spending it. All of that stuff is different for everybody. I was just, you know, you brought up the age difference and I have a girlfriend who her parents, uh, there's, there's an age gap and, and it's been a struggle, unfortunately, uh, unlike you and your husband, mb, these two, uh, you know, the dad is is older and now that the mom's finally retiring, she, she was, you know, always envisioning traveling and doing all of those things while his health is is failing they can't do any of that stuff, and so it's been.
Speaker 1:It's been a challenge for them as a couple. You know not being able to carry out the things that they thought that they would be doing, and now it's a whole other, different dynamic. Now you're in care mode, yeah.
Speaker 2:All those things that we don't plan for. That's the problem. When people end up retiring later, going into the crash timeframe, people had lost 30, 40% of their retirement in investments and things. Some people didn't have retirement investments, it just really depended upon where they were at in life. But we were in a position where we lost all that. We lost our house value, all of that, but we weren't anywhere near retirement, you know. So it wasn't something that was going to impact us. We just kind of just kept moving forward, because you know, what goes down will come up, vice versa. Well, there are people at that retirement age and then going into the pandemic and all of these things as you dial forward several years, and now we've got this inflation issue, you know, and so people can't retire or they don't have the money that they need to be able to sustain themselves, and, you know, the life expectancy is much longer than it used to be. So, to your point.
Speaker 3:Yes, for the first time I wasn't thinking about my own mortality and 40 and 50. But at 60, we're starting to see friends have family health. We're starting to see friends and family around or closer to our age leave us. We're starting to see some of this stuff and we want to live the way we've always lived. We want the vacations, we want the trips that are now elongated because we don't have to work.
Speaker 2:Right that are now elongated because we don't have to work Right. Well, the things you had kind of thought about. Here's where my mind goes with the whole getting older thing and kind of the next chapter is that there are so many things that I put off.
Speaker 1:It's like, oh, I'll deal with that later.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'll experience that later. Oh, you know, this is not the right time. Blah, blah, blah, blah, whatever it is, you know. And now I'm at that point where I'm like, well, I can't really be putting shit off that much longer because I'm not going to have a the the time or the capacity to do it, or the ability to do it. You know, in 20 years I might not have that ability, I might not even be here. So you know. So that's that's where I struggle with it a little bit, because I feel like I've put a lot of things off. Not, it's not regrets, regerts, not regerts, regrets, but, um, it's more kind of a realization that, you know, you never thought you'd be 60.
Speaker 1:At the same time, though, just listening, I'm listening to you say the things that you just pointed out and putting things off and the things that you haven't done, but I'm sitting here thinking, oh my gosh, she's done so many things, you've done a lot of things, there's so much. So again, I'm just I guess I say that just to say back to even in the other topic we were talking about how everything is so different for everybody, you know, and focusing on, I would imagine, as I'm starting to see it myself as I'm getting older focusing as well on the things that that I have accomplished, not having regrets, even where it seems like there maybe could have been, but what did I get out of it?
Speaker 1:And not looking at it from a different perspective and yeah, but what, what lies ahead and what is behind and what did I get from that and what can I take from that moving forward into this, really last last chapter Now I don't say that in a bad way, but it it really it's like the last. Who who said last night? Somebody last night was saying the last quarter, and I think Rick he was. Yeah, I was talking about how Her sweetheart's here, just FYI.
Speaker 1:It's like the three, like the four quarters. We're in the last quarter here of our life.
Speaker 2:I just thought about it like thirds for some reason but I guess it doesn't really matter. My brain always goes to Maybe only because we're not going to probably be a hundred.
Speaker 3:Well, I think all of us. Only three years. I know she outlived all her life insurance policies. We're like, okay, mom, but and they didn't use to right. But all of us are fortunate enough to have parents who made it to their nineties and here you are at 60, right, they both have moms in their nineties I was just saying that last night in their 90s.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was just saying that last night. There's um so much appreciation for all the people that you love around you. Last night was so fun. I know, julie, I can't thank you enough.
Speaker 2:It was just so fun to be with the kids audience. Mb's birthday I mentioned, right, she's like you absolutely will not have a party or do anything like that. I was like, of course not, we're not going to do that, but we're just going to have some people over A little gathering.
Speaker 3:It felt like that.
Speaker 1:It wasn't like this formal fancy thing People that love each other getting together and having a good time.
Speaker 2:And nobody really cared. Like she's saying well, don't you get stressed out and I'm like it's my family, I don't, I, they don't really care if the dishes match or you know, if everything is in the right color they don't care.
Speaker 1:That's that's such a good thing, cause that's why I hate events that stress you out it shouldn't be that way.
Speaker 3:Well, the party started when Michelle walked in with martini glasses and made the most beautiful what were they called?
Speaker 1:We were we. We called them. They ended up being called the sexy 60 martini.
Speaker 3:Oh boy, was I sexy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and 60 and 60. It was a martini. Yeah, oh boy.
Speaker 2:But they sat. She sat out on the deck and uh with the fireplace going and long, it's weird seeing her with my kids, who are like her kids.
Speaker 2:She knew she's known them since they were babies, you know, and they look at her like a second mom and they just feel very comfortable, you know, around you and it's not like we get to see you all the time. That's the thing I mean. I've seen you more since the pandemic than we had for 10 years prior to that, but that's when our kids in college she's got one off doing volleyball, you know I've got. My kids were doing crazy things at that time too. We weren't really spending time on friendships.
Speaker 1:So here's part of this new chapter. Right, Exactly, yeah that's exactly.
Speaker 3:It's um. It's not focused around our responsibilities to our children. Now it's focused on all the things that we put off because of those responsibilities.
Speaker 2:I feel like we're kind of reaping some of the rewards now, though, with our yeah, our kids not not rewards monetarily or anything like that, but you see them growing up into humans that you're like kind of proud of.
Speaker 1:And you're like way.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You're going.
Speaker 2:I mean it's just it's kind of weird to see. I love your guys as kids. I love them, we know you love.
Speaker 3:Isaac. Oh my God, no, let's not go there, yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, what was that? She's not the first one.
Speaker 2:No, okay what was that when you were here for my birthday.
Speaker 3:Well, all the other women. I'm sorry, was not trying to, I know.
Speaker 2:She was just bringing up about how gorgeous his skin was and blah blah, and he is. Let's just say he is, you're outside you're like, let's just face it, you guys. I know this sounds really perverted, but he's fine as hell. I started laughing because she's right and I don't want to sound like a pervert either, but she's kind of right, but even more than that.
Speaker 3:That I mean, he was talking.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know Mr Silent had some words. Yeah, he had some words last night.
Speaker 3:And that kind of surprised me and I was literally sitting and having all these great conversations with the kids. They are amazing young adults.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's weird.
Speaker 3:And you and Brian must be so, so proud.
Speaker 2:And Michelle you and Rick also I mean, well, and that was the other thing, this was the first time. Well, brian's been over before, but with the kids and stuff, but this is the first time I've had him over with the kids and B was here, and then Tate was here and it's just, and Eileen was here. There was a little bigger group than would be just my main core of family and I think he was maybe a little bit nervous at first cause he wasn't quite sure you know who was. He was saying whose phone number is that? Who's going to? Cause?
Speaker 2:I had him in a group text and I was like just come on over everything. You know, it's cash, yeah, it's all cool, everything's cool. So it's nice for us. We were messaging. When he left he was like it's great that we're in the place that we're in now and it's taken us a long ass time 10 years, really, nine years or so to get here. But we're here now and it's like the kids are grown and we're both looking at things from a completely different perspective you know, which is nice because there's not that ugliness and tension and all the crap that went along with the divorce.
Speaker 1:Not everybody's able to do that. No, oh my gosh, absolutely not.
Speaker 2:Well, Tate's done it.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, that's what I was. I was just listening to you and thinking it's. It's nice, yeah, that we have done family things now with him and his girl's mom and myself and just all together as a group.
Speaker 2:And the girls always want you there, which is pretty cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's nice that again, just like you said, that they're able to be in that place where they are moving on and able to do that. I'm not so sure with my ex. If it would, I'll never know, unfortunately he's passed on, but I don't know that it would have.
Speaker 2:That would not have been the same kind of relationship.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know that it would have been able to have been. I would have hoped that it would be, but that's why I say I don't know that it can be that way for everybody. So it's nice, definitely when it can be for sure. And for sure.
Speaker 3:Michelle, because I do not have that relationship at all um fosters x.
Speaker 1:There is no relationship there yeah, and strained relationships with the two girls.
Speaker 3:I raised, yeah, yeah, which makes a strained blended for even r riley yeah so, um, it's true, not everybody has that. I'm going to call it grace because, however, you guys move through it to give the other one grace after there's so much hurt when you know so kudos, kudos because, it's fabulous to be able to share your family, and that's the first time I haven I I haven't seen Brian and since he coached Isaac.
Speaker 2:Really. Well he's retired now, so he has time to like come hang out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was good to see him and just see him with the family. I saw him when he came over that one time, but it was very brief. It wasn't interactions like actual conversation. It was fun to have Isaac here and to see Brian, cause Brian did coach him and just you know all those different dynamics it was.
Speaker 2:It was a very it was a good evening.
Speaker 3:It was an awesome birthday and being turned in 60. Yeah, you need to do that more often. I remember it's Memorial day weekend.
Speaker 2:So a lot of people had short days yesterday or no days or no days yesterday kind of things.
Speaker 3:I haven't seen Brian since before you guys split. Yeah, so it was great. In fact, I think Zoe sent me a picture and it was right after Andrew did the political bomb of something about Trump and Biden and then left the room, and the picture looks like Brian and I are going at it.
Speaker 2:Oh, he's got his figure. It's hilarious. He's not really a Trumpster. I don't think he's a complete Trumpster.
Speaker 3:I don't think we were even talking about it, but it looked like it.
Speaker 1:It's okay if he is.
Speaker 2:Actually, you're right, I mean it doesn't I mean I have no control over any of that, right, it's okay. My children, or anything to worry about two of my children.
Speaker 1:Okay, maybe just one of them, but zoe, zoe will always be, you know, on my team.
Speaker 2:The other two not so much and now, and so this is the other thing too, and andrew and amelia were here and amelia had a little going away function, yet another one with some work group, and she leaves on tuesday and she's she's moving to austin they're moving to.
Speaker 2:They're doing it, they're moving to Austin. So it was a little bittersweet, as I'm thinking about this last night, Cause we didn't really talk about it there per se. It was more. I was looking over at him and I'm looking at her and I'm looking at him, and then I'm looking over at Brian and I'm just like I wanted I'm sad, but I'm. I have to be really cautious about saying anything because I'm so happy for them.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, but it's good for them, this is what they need to do. But Zoe was like, mom, he's never coming back. I was like, yes, he is. She was no, he's never gonna live here again. And I'm like, well, yeah, probably not, but he'll be coming back.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know, coming back in the new dynamic Now, speaking of your time is okay. So now you have part time in Texas, I know?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean same thing. You got a whole chapter. That's going to be new. You're going to have a daughter-in-law, grandchildren at some point, but I mean those wheels are in motion for that.
Speaker 2:It's a new, that new chapter, yeah yeah, it's just so cool to see it.
Speaker 3:I mean, I don't know about you guys. You think about it, but it's one of those things that's far off and then when you're actually in a social situation where you're witnessing it, it's kind of like man, I did Well.
Speaker 1:I think it's really Exactly.
Speaker 2:That was what I was like kind of looking at these guys and you can tell this is. This is kind of like just more my observation. I don't know if you guys picked up on this at all, but my kids are happy seeing that we're all in the same place.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they are, they're not visibly.
Speaker 2:Oh, this is great. You know it's mom and dad are in this, but you can just tell they're just feeling it. They feel so much better for them that we're getting along.
Speaker 3:And actually they do say it oh, they did yeah, no, not when I was around.
Speaker 1:I've had a couple comments of this just is so cool. Well, and can I just say that and this I think is really important. Uh, in any dynamic I'm going to, I'm going to point out what I've observed over the last year or two in regard to your situation, julie, in hopes that somebody listening can maybe glean a little bit of something from it. But it's been inspiring to watch the way that you have been able to navigate certain situations that were quite tense in regard to relationships within your family and you know things going on with Brian and with the kids and just different things that happen, like in any family.
Speaker 1:But the way that you were able to navigate and bring things though difficult to the forefront because they needed to be brought forward so that everything can be on the table, I don't know if you know specifically what. I'm trying to not go into detail, but you know now Jesse, he's here at the family gatherings and everything is cool. And you know Jared's got someone in his life and there's dynamics, you know, wrapped around that, and and Julie's, just like she's been, she's been moving that broom and sweeping it, but not under the rug, you know.
Speaker 2:So that's one of the things as as an adult, or is like going into this next chapter, kind of a thing that I have been really conscious about.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's. I'm not. I mean, I just want everybody. I sound like Rodney King. I just want everybody to get along. For those of you who are not born until the nineties, you probably don't even know what that is. But um, to your point, it's like my. My daughter is happy. This man takes good care of her, she adores him, he's one, he's great guy, he's a great kid and just people. You can't necessarily just write somebody off because of something that happened when he was a teenager.
Speaker 1:you know, with those elephants in the room are those are the things that can really be so destructful and hard to you. Know, I see it in my own family. You know we just keep stepping, we see the elephant, we know it's there Step over it. Let me just take one giant step over it, and that's not to disturb anything, you know yeah.
Speaker 3:To this whole point. You guys mentioned this in a podcast or two ago. What I love, julie, and you could have very easily adopted this into your parenting style. You don't work in triangles, I'm sure. I try not to know, oh my gosh, and that is so powerful. When you work in triangles you form a distrust that never mints, so it's easier to walk around or over that elephant when you're working in triangles. When you're working one-on-one, you have to go through the elephant to get to kick the show.
Speaker 2:I wonder if that's more of a dynamic that you find in large. Like you, both come from larger families.
Speaker 3:Look at your family. That's not true.
Speaker 2:That's okay, cause my, yeah, so my, my, my ex, I want to say my immediate family, my extended family, which one would my mom, my mom and my brother be?
Speaker 3:Your immediate.
Speaker 1:My immediate.
Speaker 2:So my brother's is the big triangulator. I mentioned this in one of the podcasts because he has so much anxiety about just simple little things that you and I wouldn't think about. It's part of his mental illness and I and I recognize that. But he'll go to my mom who will tell him not to call me because I'm busy, and then he'll say, well, julie hasn't called me. So then my mom will call me and say Stephen says you haven't called him. Then Angie calls me and says you're supposed to call Steve and I'm like what are you talking about? I just talked to him like three hours ago. It's this kind of thing that just makes me absolutely insane and I feel bad, because Angie gets stuck kind of in the middle and you know my mom tells me I need to be patient because he has a mental illness and you know he's. I'm just like like these are all things I know. Yeah, I just start laughing.
Speaker 2:So I do see this on occasion with you know, like Jared, for example, does not answer his text messages, I get two or three text messages and I get overwhelmed. So I just I'm like who is 23 and doesn't pay attention to this?
Speaker 3:Believe it or not, there's a lot that was on an Instagram post the other day, somebody who doesn't answer for days, or somebody who doesn't answer at yeah.
Speaker 1:That's what I have to do with Isaac.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, even if I call him, he doesn't answer. Yeah, it just goes to voicemail and it's like only boomers leave voicemails.
Speaker 2:So I don't leave voicemails because I don't recognize myself as a boomer. Let's just get back to that, but anyway. So there's a little bit of that that I've noticed where the older two will help the younger, and or, like zoe got to me the other day, she goes. Jared's not answering my messages. Will you? I just want to make sure he's getting what he. Will you send him a text and see if he answers you?
Speaker 1:in case you haven't guessed, everybody, we decided today to just like plop on the couch and have a little cozy conversation. Yeah, there's no particular topic.
Speaker 2:There's no particular, you know point that we're trying to make. Are you giving a? What do you call it A public service announcement?
Speaker 1:I am, Because I was just sitting here thinking everybody's probably wondering are they just going to shoot the shit this whole time?
Speaker 2:Or what are we talking about? This is girl talk.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't know about you guys, but I feel like we solve the world problems every single time we sit on this couch.
Speaker 2:So, we're just sharing it with your pod crew yeah, yeah, and sometimes it's nice to just not have a specific agenda you know coming from the planner and all yeah. Yeah, I am not a planner I'm apparently, I try to be. I think that's funny. That's that you guys think I'm a planner because which I am, but then mb, where, like she was, like she really wanted to get this piercing, you know, for her birthday, I'm like I messaged zoe. This is funny, I messaged.
Speaker 2:Zoe and I'm like, hey, where you know, her friend Holly has tattoo place and stuff. And she was. She was like oh my God, why are you asking me about this? And I was like, well, because MB wants to get a piercing for her birthday and she's here and so she checks and the girl had gotten in a car accident so she wasn't available. So she was, her friend Holly, referred us to another place that was down in Seattle and she goes what's she getting pierced? And I was like she's going to get her labia pierced. And she was like oh my God, mom, why are you telling? Totally joking. Of course you did ask the piercer dude about those, though I did yeah, he doesn't do genitals anymore.
Speaker 3:And I'm like I don't think I could do genitals at all about his period because, um, an old friend, this is years ago, back in our 40s.
Speaker 2:That was a thing and I'd heard, yeah, it was a thing about it yeah and I'm just thinking you could ruin a person why I'm just like, why, why would it just makes me no?
Speaker 3:By the way, my piercing was in my ear.
Speaker 2:I just want to make sure everybody knows that she did not get her labia pierced, it was the ear FYI.
Speaker 3:And you had gone with intentions, so speaking of you were just going off the cuff.
Speaker 2:I was, so we were being very spontaneous. You know what Rick asked me.
Speaker 1:He's like are your friends all having midlife crisis? Yeah, we kind of are. Because I mentioned about when we were in Vegas. We talked about getting a tattoo.
Speaker 2:Why is that a big deal? It's not. Brian said you're going to get another tattoo. I'm like yeah why not?
Speaker 1:And then the piercings.
Speaker 2:Yeah, anyways, keep going and she whenever she doesn't want to do something, she just standing there silently.
Speaker 1:Julie knows, when I don't say anything, it's usually I'm thinking it's not going to happen for me.
Speaker 2:Yeah so I'll bring it up. I'll bring it up and then I lean, bring it. I look over her, look over michelle I'm just standing there smiling.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was like just a little one michelle, just a tiny one I don't have any tattoos, so um I was good for you we were going. You were going to get your belly button, and if my tummy was flatter I would have done that too yeah, well, I didn't.
Speaker 2:I didn't end up doing it because I don't have the right anatomy for it, which is fine, because I'm not so I'm just like, I'm just not gonna do anything.
Speaker 1:There was belly button anatomy.
Speaker 3:That's why she has a perfect belly button apparently, yeah, and remember I said that I was like well I mean you're 60 and getting your belly button and you just about flew off the roof at me. I love it because it's something I've wanted since I was 20.
Speaker 2:It is kind of a midlife crisis thing, but it's more because I can. But that's what I mean. I'm not going to ask permission, I'm just going to do what I want to do.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing because I've had mine pierced right, so I guess I could speak on this. I've had it pierced and it's like you can be at the meeting and you can be meeting the professional and you could be a professional and you do all the things and nobody knows shit. They don't know that you have your belly button pierced. It makes no difference on who you are and how you present yourself if you have your belly button pierced, but you can look sexier when you're on the beach.
Speaker 3:Thank you, that's exactly.
Speaker 1:I just think it's the sexiest thing you know, and it's yeah and it's kind of like getting a Brazilian wax.
Speaker 2:Nobody knows.
Speaker 1:Nobody knows, but you feel fine as hell.
Speaker 2:I don't know what it is about that, but the first time I did it I was like I was feeling. I had a pep in my step and I was feeling so cool. It's kind of like when you're wearing really sexy lingerie or like some really cool lingerie underneath your like work clothes, yeah.
Speaker 1:Nobody knows. It's like a, it's like a little secret. Yeah, yeah, it's your little secret.
Speaker 2:You walk a little different, yeah, and if you had a labia piercing you'd be walking even more different. But I don't think she's going to do that.
Speaker 1:No no, that will never happen, no no, no, now going into a.
Speaker 2:What's it like having a husband who's retired? What are you, what are you going to do, make? What are you going to make him get up and and is that new that he's retired?
Speaker 3:No, well, yes, so he finally formalized it and, okay, let me go backwards for just a minute. You guys were talking about the belly button piercing and I wanted to quote Ralph. Oh, that's a dear friend of my hubbies Andalph's theory on 60s is you don't give a shit what anybody else thinks and you guys are talking about it without realizing right you get to this point where it doesn't matter but well, it's like I pointed out that episode we did.
Speaker 1:It's like is there really what does 50 something look like? Yeah is that supposed to be look is? Is there this thing that we're supposed to, this box we're supposed to step into to define what it means to be that?
Speaker 2:yes, in society there is. That's why we're talking about well, but and then the 60 box, god forbid. I mean the 60 box you have to wear your.
Speaker 1:What do we got to pull our pantyhose up past our knees and start big girl panties. I mean no, no, but that's my point.
Speaker 2:The vision of someone with that 60 is not, but that's our mom.
Speaker 3:Oh no, I disagree. I remember seeing Oprah when she turned 60 and saying it was the new 40. So that's how I think of 60 with us girls. And I remember Ellen DeGeneres is 60. And I look at these people maybe because they're closer to me in age and I'm thinking, man, they're doing some of their best work ever now, with the platforms that they have, which takes me back to what I was saying. What is it? What is my next thing? That is my best work ever.
Speaker 2:That's what I'm kind of embracing Something that feeds your soul, absolutely yeah, because I doubt that working for Lululemon or any of these other corporations was feeding your soul.
Speaker 3:No, that's exactly you. Whatever this is, I'm tired of huge corporations using my skills to further their their economic status in the world, cause I've always worked for global companies, right? So what is it that feeds my soul?
Speaker 2:Is it?
Speaker 3:is it body work, is it? I mean, there's some things that I just get passionate about Well, so some of that might have awakened.
Speaker 2:When you went on. For her birthday, we got her Reiki session.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And she'd never had that sound bath kind of thing before. So all of a sudden she's thinking, wow, this is kind of cool. I mean just kind of opens up horizons about other opportunities. I mean, are they going to give you six figures? No, probably not. If you're going to set up a business or whatever, you know, is that what you're after? You know? Is it more to feed your soul and just like have a paycheck Is the feeding the soul part is more important than the paycheck part.
Speaker 3:And oftentimes, when you are satisfied, the money just comes anyway. Right, that's right. So I think, when you back to your point Michelle about 50s, right. So I think, when you back to your point Michelle about 50s, so many people are trying to still climb that ladder, yeah, to be on that top rung. And there's still, let's face it, there's still all the societal issues that have been here for decades.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And do I give a shit anymore? No, yeah, oh my God. Yeah, there's something else.
Speaker 2:There's something else. I don't know what it is, yet there's lots of things to give shits about.
Speaker 3:I still don't give a shit. Yeah, there's something else. There's something else. I don't know what it is yet, but I can feel it.
Speaker 1:There's lots of things to give shits about. Don't, don't get us wrong listeners, I mean we're talking about like corporate jobs and things like that.
Speaker 2:There's so many things to give shits about. But it shifts, yes, it shifts, to different shit, say that 10 times fast. Well, like my friend Lisa she works for a very large corporation went back to a really big job and she had a really big job when she left and it's like I, just I was like want to say a prayer for every day. Cause I'm like it's just, I could never do. I could never go back and do what she's doing. I would never do that.
Speaker 3:Because you know the power of your yourself and being self-employed yeah, oh my.
Speaker 2:And my being self-employed yeah, oh my, gosh Totally different ballgame.
Speaker 3:It was powerful for you.
Speaker 2:It is, but you also don't have that safety net like you have when you're working for a big corporation. So you have to be more mindful of that and prepare, and if you don't, you're screwed Really. I mean, if you're self-employed and you don't, you're screwed.
Speaker 3:But luckily, you know, I've been sleeping till after nine or 10 and kind of like vacation. Well, after a while you start losing track of the days, right.
Speaker 1:What day is it?
Speaker 2:What do?
Speaker 3:So when you're working, you know what day it is, you know what is on the agenda for the day where you got to be, what appointment you need to make etc. Etc lose track of that. So you find some people who stay on a really strict schedule for themselves. They're up by seven o'clock. They're out walking there. Yeah, have you know? I haven't gotten there yet, but I've seen that foster starting to apply that a little bit.
Speaker 3:Okay, just for discipline in his day, so that the day doesn't turn into the next day, the next day and he hasn't done anything that is meaningful to him.
Speaker 2:So when he retired, did he have like visions? Did he say, okay, I'm retiring, this is what I want to do, this is what I want, any goal, any like life goals or things about travel or anything like that.
Speaker 3:No, and what I will say to that is because his retirement was kind of imposed on him.
Speaker 2:It was a sudden thing kind of.
Speaker 3:Yeah, when you're in politics you work at the pleasure of things.
Speaker 2:So he's evaluating all that now. Yeah, he is now.
Speaker 3:For sure, and we do have those things. Some of that started to percolate in our brains, actually, when his mom passed away. We were taking some family trips and taking stock of our kiddos and some of that kind of thing and planning on some of the dreams that we would articulate out loud, but I was still working, would articulate out loud, but I was still working.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, and are the dreams the same? I mean, they don't have to be the same. You might have things that you're wanting to do that don't necessarily involve him, but he would support you and vice versa. You know he might want it like he's a big skier, like you mentioned. He may want to do some big, fancy two or three week ski trip with his buddies is like one of his miles. So I'm just making this up. I don't know. That's not something that you would necessarily want to do, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:They happen to be talking about that, by the way. So he does have a bunch of guys that he's raced with for years and years, dating back to when we lived here in Seattle. Those guys come from all over the country for an annual ski trip every year, and this year they actually started talking about maybe going to the Swiss Alps next year. Oh wow, oh, hell, yes, I want to go yeah. Do I want to ski with them. No, because they are expert, gorgeous, fast skiers. I'm a you know ski on the cat track.
Speaker 2:Would you like some hot chocolate? Yeah, I'm going to be your bunny waiting at the log. There you go, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and just to be in a place like that, because I've never been across the pond. And last fall our 30th wedding anniversary we had planned to go to Italy. Unfortunately, our passports had expired over the pandemic, to the point where we had to reapply and it took months. It took a couple months for us, so that was blown. So we're kind of talking through that one for this year.
Speaker 2:So you think you might be going this year.
Speaker 3:That was the plan. I don't know how things are going to work out. We're still talking about some of these things.
Speaker 2:So, in other words, there's no plan. Correct, okay, that's code for there's no plan.
Speaker 1:There's not always going to be one, I know. I know it makes it a little more exciting.
Speaker 2:I do love spontaneous excursions, I really do. Yeah, I know you don't believe me.
Speaker 3:Well, that's why I love what you said about October and going down to the Austin city limits.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's my, yeah, I that's my thing. I love to travel, for I love to go see concerts, I love music, all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 3:I have watched that so I remember babysitting and that being on TV. It's always on TV, oh yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, this is a big festival. That's two weekends and it's massive amount of artists I mean a lot of them I've never even heard of. So that's kind of cool because there'll be music we've never heard of. But I'm like, okay, we're all inviting ourselves to Andrew's house that he doesn't even have yet. We're going to get a car Poor Amelia, we're going to descend upon her. And then she tells me last night oh yeah, we've invited some other people too. I'm like, oh, this is gonna be fun. Maybe, if all my girlfriends are coming, then we're gonna end up in a hotel or something, because I don't think they can handle having us all. So we will see.
Speaker 3:Well, let's just say newlyweds. Yeah, probably don't want to impose on them anyway. Well, they won't be married yet.
Speaker 2:They're married, they're married those kiddos, they will be soon enough. So when are we going to see you back again, MB? When are you coming back to town? When's the next gathering.
Speaker 1:Can I just say, though, that, okay, let's talk about this for a minute, because I think it's really important. We've been talking about these next phases and different things and looking back and what we've done and what we're doing, what we want to do, what we've planned, what we haven't planned, and to your point I'm just bringing this back because you talked about it earlier MB's been here like three times in the last year, which is more than over the last 10 years, so I think, have you found spending time, you know, just kind of getting away not that you're like getting away from awful things, but just getting away, taking yourself out of your usual environment and comes, coming and spending time with your best friend. Is that like? Does it kind of recharge your soul?
Speaker 2:in different ways. It recharges mind. I know, I mean we all it totally feed off it.
Speaker 3:So yeah, and it's something honestly currently I'm I'm really missing in my life. I feel like the world kind of turned on its axis during the pandemic and for me, I was working a lot of hours from home living at home and everything is at home empty nesters, so I'm sitting with. Foster who is also working from home. I haven't really moved out of that yet yeah. I hate to even admit that, but I am at home most of the time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So when I get here I'll say, hey, foster, you want to go with me? And he's just like, no, I don't want to sit and listen to all you cackling girls.
Speaker 1:Do you feel?
Speaker 2:like the pandemic has changed the way you look at everything. Like you're just your day to day at all or do you do things differently Habits you develop, maybe during the pandemic.
Speaker 1:For me, not really. No, I mean, yes, there's, there's plenty of things that were impacted. I think, if anything, I'm just have become more aware of the things that go on around me and how those things play a role in my life. And how am I going to, what decisions am I going to make as far as the effect that it will have on me, because ultimately that's going to be up to me on how I'm going to allow things to affect right. So it brought that like realization to me, more so than ever before.
Speaker 2:So I find that I I'm not a homebody, or I wasn't, and I am more of a homebody Now I'm very what's the word Content?
Speaker 1:That was the word I was thinking of.
Speaker 2:I'm very content at home. I like being home. I feel comfortable and safe and cozy here. So during the pandemic we were in the cottage and it and I I mean all I can remember was it was kind of a dark time because of all the stuff going on with the house and then it was the pandemic and then Zoe's dog died and then there's dirt. I mean it was just it was not a good time, but I had a great time with Zoe during the pandemic because we shared a very small space for a period of time and I think we got a lot closer during that period of time. Plus, you know she was growing up and you know, off doing, finishing up her college and doing all that kind of stuff. So she was much more mature than she'd been when she basically started me having gray hair when she was a teenager.
Speaker 3:And I came to visit you guys and stayed with you in that teeny cottage.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Was that in like August of 2020?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was a little bit later. I don't know why but, I did.
Speaker 3:I came and stayed Two dogs. Yeah, I don't know why I, because I don't remember really doing things during the pandemic and traveling. Everybody was wearing masks.
Speaker 2:Sure Right.
Speaker 3:But it was the first time I'd seen Zoe since before Well before you left Nordstrom. So, oh my gosh, the maturity with that child. I could have eaten her up with a spoon.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It was so great to see the woman that showed up and the two of you very much, very much. And, if I remember correctly, things were kind of still rough in the family.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So the two of you and that connection was beautiful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I was really trying to get the others connected. You know that, all three of them, that's what I'd been focusing on, and she just had such a great young adult outlook that I'd never cause.
Speaker 3:She was still a little kid really. When I saw her she was in high school and struggling and you were traveling and Brian was working nights. And so it was beautiful to see that.
Speaker 2:Nice. I think the. I think the other thing too, that I don't know how you guys felt about this, but we were kind of captive audiences in a lot of ways. I was very fixated on what was happening out in the world with the pandemic and the shots, and there was so much there, gosh. There's so much stuff and just things that were coming up and they changed the next day and then you've got all of this political stuff that was happening and the blm movement. It was a really a pivotal time for our country, I think, and we lived through that and witnessed all of it, you know. And now we are not to get political on us, but just maybe for a tiny second. We're in a, we're in a election year and there's a lot of that kind of stuff start. It's starting to feel like it's coming back up again and it's I don't like it, it's just the politics, it's just all bullshit and I hate it and I'm already sick of it and I don't care how many people would the trump rally and who fucking cares?
Speaker 2:yeah, I don't care well, and it's like then you start seeing the signs are you? Are you 60?
Speaker 3:no, michelle she's an old soul. I just heard her say I don't care.
Speaker 1:yeah, I'm in my 60th year, so yeah.
Speaker 3:Oh, I'm so with you. It just gets overwhelming. It's overwhelming and it's mean, and it does not serve any purpose other than to get people riled up.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And I don't want to be riled up about anything.
Speaker 1:I have to say this yeah, just like social media. It's just like less and less. I'm interested because it's just like all over social media. That's kind of sort of one of my new things too is less.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, less news.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Less of those things in my feed. Yeah, that's another thing.
Speaker 1:I like that club. Welcome to the club. I've been in that club for a little bit.
Speaker 3:now I've finally gotten to it.
Speaker 2:I don't ever have anything like that in my feed.
Speaker 3:It's in my feed because I love news and that's one of the things that. I started doing that during the pandemic and now I'm just sort of dumb.
Speaker 2:I have too many Amazon influencers or for whatever reason on mine. I guess, it's because I like looking at everything they're trying on. I gotta tell you, Amazon influencers, your links suck. That's all I'm gonna say, because I can never find anything that they they put up there. I'm like, oh, those shirts are super cute on her. I get them over. Oh yeah, no, this is not gonna work. Put it back in the bag, whatever.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so when I get home tonight, my cup will be filled full again until I come back the next time.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So it'll probably be, I don't know, two or three months this summer.
Speaker 2:I come back the next time. Yeah, so it'll probably be, I don't know, two or three months this summer. Yeah, maybe this summer, or we are going to definitely plan our trip to Austin.
Speaker 3:Okay and sorry, I'm going back to the trip here. The other one that really filled me up was seeing Mary.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, hey Blueberry wish you were here.
Speaker 3:We had four hour lunch we did. And she sat at some little cafe. She looks so good yeah for what the trials and?
Speaker 2:her skin looks 10 times better than mine, and she just went through cancer treatment. So there you go, yeah her attitude, her outlook. She is so dialed in to what's important yeah and it was just so good to spend time with her yeah, well, I think it probably right after probably filled her bucket too.
Speaker 3:I've known her right after I met you girl. So, what are we 40 years now?
Speaker 2:Yeah it's been Well with Mary. I think it's been like 47. I've known her. I'm like the new kid on the block, yeah, but you're an old soul.
Speaker 3:You know how people come into your life and they're in your life and they're never going to get out of your life. Yeah, you know them when you meet them, yeah, yeah, you're a keeper, I'm a keeper, you're not going anywhere no no chickens in alabama for you, girl
Speaker 2:keeper. I know I was kind of giving tate a hard time. It's like dude, what's up? And he just got her and michelle's over there just shaking her head.
Speaker 3:I'm like the kids are out of, the kids are in college now I think graduating yeah, that's when I left because he and I were talking tractors and farming. It's time for you to move because he has too expensive hair.
Speaker 2:I'm like it's not that bad. Oh, good old Seattle, I know so creative yeah. All right. Well, we probably should wrap up and try to.
Speaker 1:I don't know, get on with our days. Yeah, because MB's got a flight to catch, so we got to let her go for a little bit more time until the next time she's here, and maybe we should take a road trip and go to Boise.
Speaker 2:There's nothing to do there but who cares?
Speaker 1:We're just sitting on the couch having a conversation.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:And that's what I'm saying. We could do that there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you can do that here or there.
Speaker 1:Here, there, do that here or there, here, there, everywhere. It might be just kind of fun, though, see, that's, that's something that you wouldn't normally do. So I think to just like jump in the car, leave at this, like at five o'clock on a friday morning, so that we can get there at four o'clock in the afternoon oh, it's not that long, hun, it's eight hours.
Speaker 3:That's sort of door.
Speaker 1:Okay, so like three, two get there two o'clock in the afternoon Cocktail hour, and then we just, you know, Friday night, Saturday night, and then we get up Sunday and we drive back to Seattle. Leave again at, you know you can leave at eight.
Speaker 2:Since Michelle is such a wonderful planner, I'm going to let her plan that one.
Speaker 1:I'm just saying it was just a weekend, but you know. I'm down I'm down I mean, yeah, go have drinks in boise gotta do that sometime, so you can check it off your bucket list is that on your bucket list?
Speaker 2:drinks in boise?
Speaker 3:oh drink some bloody marys in boise it's going to be for me on tuesday. Amelia and her dad show up, so I'm so are they coming to your house? I told her you're coming for dinner and then in a month.
Speaker 1:Brian and Andrew.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I can't wait, oh, you get to see them yeah.
Speaker 1:It's like we love you coming here, but you know we need to bring some of our blood so that Foster can see that she's safe with these people when she comes to Seattle. We're the ones. Yeah, we're a really fun group.
Speaker 2:It's okay when she comes these are all the midlife crisis. Girls, whatever life crisis, the mcgs I'm not in my midlife, I'm in my end of life there.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, midlife would have been 40. No, you need to hang around with blueberry a little bit to reframe that was a joke yeah, yeah, one thing. Just before we close up, it's Memorial Day weekend for you guys. My father-in-law, my dad were military men.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Thinking about all of them this weekend. And when I was a kid, we used to drive from cemetery to cemetery and clean headstones.
Speaker 2:Yeah, memorial Day is for, you know, people who have perished, not people that are necessarily alive.
Speaker 1:I didn't really realize that it's for those that had served and those that lost their lives serving in the military.
Speaker 1:So it's just a day to show honor and remember that and bring it to the forefront. I think we all have people in our life that did that, that were a part of that, and I think, sadly, more and more as we move on in years and it's not just because we're getting older, but that is less and less I think there are fewer and fewer people that know really what Memorial Day is and that can say, oh yeah, I have somebody. If anything, it's not their dad anymore, like it used to be, it's their grandfather or great-grandfather.
Speaker 2:We have Memorial Day, we have Veterans Day too.
Speaker 1:Thank you to-.
Speaker 3:For those who served and gave all and gave us this country that we clearly take for granted and thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, on that note, I don't think there's much more we can say Except peace out, except peace out, Except peace out.
Speaker 2:All right, See you later, everyone Till next time.
Speaker 3:Thanks for having me, guys. All right, I love you, booze.
Speaker 1:Bye, Love you too.
Speaker 2:Bye, outro Music you