This That And The Other
This That And The Other
8. Life's Unpredictable Journey: Our Story
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Have you ever wondered what our four-legged friends can safely snack on? We kick things off with a quirky tale of my pooch, Winston, and his first encounter with a pickle, spiraling into a chat about canine-friendly foods. But it's not all tail wags and treats; we also tackle some hairier topics, like the question of fairness in traffic law enforcement, shared through a few of my own run-ins with the boys in blue. Swapping out spark plugs for battery packs, I share my journey of trading a cherished gas-powered chainsaw for its modern electric counterpart, a tale that's sure to resonate with anyone who's ever been dragged, kicking and screaming, into the current decade.
Squinting at the sun might not sound like a smart move, but when it comes to chasing solar eclipses, sometimes you've just got to roll with the punches—even with dilated eyes! Join us as we recount the hilarity of celestial sightseeing post-optometrist visit and share a shuddering recollection of a gas explosion that rocked our community. We connect these personal anecdotes to the broader tapestry of natural disasters, musing on their power to leave indelible marks on both our psyches and the landscape, from the quiet of Connecticut to the tremors that once shook the Golden Gate.
From the giddy nerves of a blind date to a love story spanning over a quarter-century, we unfold the chapters of a relationship that's weathered life's storms together. It's an honest look at the transformative power of faith in the face of addiction, and how embracing change brought new beginnings. And, for a bit of fun amidst the profound, we can't help but chuckle over our son's shoe obsession, proving that love comes in many forms—including for a well-kept pair of Jordans. So, grab your headphones, and join us for laughs, reflections, and a smidge of yearning for more banter from my co-host, as we share these slices of life with you.
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-Thank you so much for listening
If you are interested in the nails or any of Amanda's social media, she talks about here is her link.
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Welcome back folks to another. Who knows what we're talking about today. Let me tell you what I just did. We have barbecue for supper tonight. We said we wasn't even gonna talk about food. Here we go. I just fed the dog a pickle.
Speaker 2That joker ate that thing up winston will eat anything any kind of like vegetable carrots he loves brown, uh, broccoli and carrots. Yes, but what is? You can't give them raisins. Uh, is it grapes? Maybe I looked at it one time we don't give them just anything out of the ordinary no, we give them what we know we can, because the other stuff's kind of that joker ate a pickle.
Speaker 1Now he's doing circles. I don't. I think the pickle does something to him.
Speaker 2I don't know what in the world no, he's just trying to get comfortable all right, welcome back folks.
Speaker 1so when we first started this just a second ago, we've been what in the world? No, he's just trying to get comfortable. All right, welcome back folks.
Speaker 2So when we first started this just a second ago, we'd been sitting in here for a few minutes with this recorder on, and so when we get to record and I hit the record button and about five seconds into it it dies. The batteries are dead, All that stuff. So it started off good, so here we go.
Speaker 2I saw two things this week. One I didn't tell you well, I didn't tell either one of them when I had another, uh, police encounter don't look at me like that so it was I guess 4 30, about 4 30 in the morning, because you know I get up early and all that stuff. And uh, I see blue lights way behind me. I'm talking way behind me. I'm like, hmm, so I'm mainly preparing myself in case I'm getting, you know, pulled over. So I check, make sure my wallet's in the truck, all that stuff, and I'm mainly preparing myself in case I'm getting, you know, pulled over. So I check, make sure my wallet's in the truck, all that stuff, and I'm just kind of whatever. So he, he comes up quick and and gets on well, not on my bumper, but he's close. So there's nowhere that I can pull off onto the right side and I just expect him if he wasn't pulling me over everything that I've known that they just go around you right, because there's no traffic. So I just slow down and then finally find a spot on the right side and I creep over into it and when I get over it he just booms on past me and so now I have a hard time getting back out. But I was like, why did he not just go around me? It was a double line. He can't cross a double line, yeah, I'm sure. And then the other one.
Speaker 2It's another issue with the state trooper that I saw this week. It's a three-lane or it's a highway. You got two lanes and then you got a turning lane right, so you got three lanes. So we're at the red light, the state trooper gets in the turning lane, so the state trooper gets in the turning lanes on, of course, the left-hand side of the three lanes. We've all got red lights. He sits there. Then all of a sudden he just pulls out, does a U-turn and once he does that U-turn, going opposite way, does an immediate right and pulls into a fast food restaurant and gets in the drive-thru line.
Speaker 1No way.
Speaker 2So my question— Citizens citizens arrest so my question is if I was behind him and I did the same thing, would he be okay with it? That's all I'm saying. I just thought that was strange that is strange. Yeah, I can't believe he did that, but would you say to each their own. Yeah, okay, so busy day today. I didn't have a busy day, I did I had a good day we're recording on a saturday.
Speaker 2We normally don't record on saturdays, but I and I normally don't have to work on Saturdays, but I had to get up early and work this morning, so it's been a long day for me, but I did something yesterday that I never thought that I'd do. A while back I had issues with a chainsaw. All right, taking your man card for this one. Well, that's what I was going to get into you. All right, I'm taking your man card for this one. Well, that's what I was going to get into. You know, I worked on it. I'd put like a new carburetor on it. You know what a carburetor is.
Speaker 1I do know what a carburetor is. Okay, my dad was a mechanic.
Speaker 2That's right. Did you ever help him?
Speaker 1I did.
Speaker 2Did you?
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2Like handing tools or did you?
Speaker 1got to put it up in them, big old chains, you know wrap it around, pull that motor out of there. That's right, Old school.
Speaker 2So anyway, I attempted everything pretty much, except I didn't take it to somebody to fix it. Did you know that it is hard to find what I call a real chainsaw that runs on gas and oil? You understand what I'm saying.
Speaker 1I do.
Speaker 2Okay, so yesterday.
Speaker 1Because that's the only thing I thought they were.
Speaker 2Right, well, me too. So yesterday I felt like I had turned in my man card, because when I made a purchase, I bought a battery powered chainsaw. Why'd you do that? There, I said it.
Speaker 1Why did you do that man card? Leave it at the door, get out.
Speaker 2Because I cannot find one man card. Leave it at the door, get out Because I cannot find one. First of all, the depot. I'm just going to call it that they didn't have any gas and oil operated chainsaws. All they had was battery operated ones. So everywhere else the only other place that I found them, they're like $500. So I'm not spending $500. But I'm not going to say that these are cheap either. Oh, but this thing, let me tell you it's a sure enough good one.
Speaker 2Sure enough good one. It's a DeWalt, you know. Say it with me. Sure enough good one. No, dewalt, say it with me, dewalt, I love DeWalt products.
Speaker 1I don't know how you got on that. First it was Ryobi, then that wasn't good enough. Well no, then you had to go to the DeWalt.
Speaker 2And now that's all I hear.
Speaker 1Ryobi's a good product for just stuff. Oh, you graduated from Ryobi right, that's right. You had to get used to the tools and see what you needed. Then you graduated from that and went to dewalt, to the man tool.
Speaker 2That's right I called dewalt man brand. Dewalt is the standard, that's what I'd say. But then you got like a brand like milwaukee, which is more expensive, and I'm not gonna go, I'm happy with milwaukee?
Speaker 1yeah, I never heard of milwaukee. It's uh. Except for the alcohol, it's tools but anyway.
Speaker 2So I used it today and I was shocked at how good it was. I really am so.
Speaker 1I'm impressed, I'm glad.
Speaker 2And I never would have thought it'd been this good, but I was happy with it, so I'm just going to throw that. So, guys, I always thought that and the thing was you like.
Speaker 1Next thing, you know we'll be having a dang battery-powered lawnmower.
Speaker 2Yeah, but the thing about it, it just like a car. These are battery operated cars and all that electric cars. You know, everybody likes the sound, or most guys likes the the sound of like a hot rod or a truck or anything like that. And you know, and you don't have that, so just like this chainsaw, you don't have any loudness and that's what I miss about it, yeah I feel weak when I'm using it you know like I have to look around over my shoulder and make sure nobody's seeing me use it, but, but no, I'm really happy with it that might break down tomorrow, but but anyway.
Speaker 2So that's my chainsaw story. So that's what I did after I got off work. I used it for a while and I just shopped today.
Speaker 1Had some gift cards. Won a gift card. Got gift cards for Christmas. Used those.
Speaker 2I can't believe you hung on to a gift card. Is that unusual to hang on to a gift card this long? Because I think if I would get gift cards I'd take that back.
Speaker 1Well, I couldn't find nothing I wanted and it's kind of in between seasons. So I'm like I think I just want to wait till the spring and summer stuff comes out. That makes sense.
Speaker 2I guess if you're just not wanting to go and just splurge and buy anything, you know, if you're just particularly waiting on something, yeah, that's a smart thing to do.
Speaker 1I knew I probably wanted summer stuff, so that's what I did. Had a what's called spring fling with Red Aspen. Saw some new products coming out tonight. I mean, they don't come out tonight. I got to see them and I got some of them.
Speaker 2So how often does this Red Aspen thing? They come out with new nails. Every week Press on nails.
Speaker 1Every week, every Tuesday.
Speaker 2So when we say new, are you talking about like a different design, a color or style or what Yep. All of the above. We'll explain it next week. What could it be? Is it basically a color? We've got a different color scheme.
Speaker 1Color or design.
Speaker 2Shape.
Speaker 1Sometimes they're a different shape. Web design.
Speaker 2To me that's still kind of color. What do you mean?
Speaker 1Like that.
Speaker 2Like a point.
Speaker 1These are almonds, not point. He calls these my daggers.
Speaker 2Well, that's exactly. I don't like those, I like the. You don't even call them rounded. I guess tips, but those are, they're almond. You know, you could dip that in ink and you could write.
Speaker 1No, you can't. They're good scratchers. I love them to scratch your head. Well, you poked me with it. I did poke you with them.
Speaker 2I did, and I threatened to pop them off too, and then you threatened me, so we let it go. That's right. Got in a threatened match, all right, are you ready for this eclipse? There is a lot of talk about it.
Speaker 1There was a guy on the news this morning that actually had his retina burned when he was a kid, from looking at it.
Speaker 2So he didn't have an adult around, I guess.
Speaker 1I guess not.
Speaker 2You know, I can remember being really young at my grandparents' lake house and I can remember my dad being there I think he was doing some work or something and I remember there was an eclipse one time and we got two. They gave me two little, it looked like post-it note pieces of paper well, I don't.
Speaker 2Well, I don't remember hardly anything of my childhood, but I do remember this anyway. So they put a pinhole in the top, top one top piece of paper and then the bottom one was just flat. Anyway, you just held, held them like four inches apart and you could see the you did that.
Speaker 1You came to work and did that the last time we had an eclipse. What?
Speaker 2they say, is that seven? Uh, 2017, I think, is the last eclipse that we maybe I don't remember solar eclipse.
Speaker 1They also on the news showed how you could make a box and you could see the eclipse through that box.
Speaker 2It was really cool it's kind of the image that I'm talking about, that I saw yeah, I think so in a box.
Speaker 1Yeah, I guess it would be yeah, but I mean, we're not gonna see it because it's gonna be cloudy, is it really? Yeah, they said clouds.
Speaker 2How about that how about but you know you got people that will fly, will travel up to well, you know they've rented out, they've sold out all these. If it's if you're in the estate that you're in the path of the eclipse that day, you know they've all the hotels and stuff like that have sold out. You know, on the last one in 2017, I I know people that went up to Tennessee I think it was Tennessee.
Speaker 1Was it Tennessee?
Speaker 2Or Texas.
Speaker 1Tennessee yeah.
Natural Disasters and Personal History
Speaker 2Tennessee, Anyway. So if you go to Tennessee this time, well, basically Arkansas and then Northeast. But yeah, I just keep hearing people. I don't want to miss it. I've got an eye appointment at 3 o'clock and I think 2 o'clock is when you're supposed to be able to see it.
Speaker 1So I'll be cutting it like we're cutting it close.
Speaker 2Yeah, I mean I'm not gonna lose any sleep, but I mean if it's happening, I'd like to see it you're gonna walk outside with the eyes dilated and you're gonna go down you know, it's really neat to see all that kind of stuff yeah and then you throw like a what'd they have?
Speaker 1that's funny you're having an eye appointment on the solar eclipse day so if I was like sitting in the chair and they're about to Funny, to me.
Speaker 2Yeah, you know, I don't know if I'd let them dilate my eyes if, like 15 minutes from then, we're going to have the eclipse.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2I'd be like hold up now, Let me. Let me walk outside a minute and then you come back in and do you think, like, depending on where you're located, when it's the exact time that you're supposed to look at it? Do you think you're going to like, if you're driving, you're going to see people coming out of their houses? Or coming out of the places they're working.
Speaker 1That's only in the movies, honey, yeah.
Speaker 2Well, I guess it's not like an asteroid coming down right. But between that and what, they just had an earthquake two or three days ago up in Connecticut, maine, where Was it Connecticut?
Speaker 1I think that's what you. I have not watched any TV, I'm just going by what you told me my Red Aspen friend. She was in it, it was a 4.8.
Speaker 2You have all these connections, I do I have Texas, I have Connecticut, I have it sounds like this podcast, the listeners. We have all these states. Yeah, Pretty neat.
Speaker 1Social media is good sometimes because you do make connections with other people. So you know I think it. Social media is an easy way for people to just be mean that's also true it's uh and all the creeps come out, because what have I been sending you this week that I've been getting?
Speaker 2but go back to the mean tweets and the stuff like that. It's like if 99 of these people, if they were face to face with this person, they would not say anything or do anything mean. But you get them in the confines of their own home with this little black box we call a cell phone and they can just say and do whatever they want to do. They're, mr and miss, tough guy you know, so yeah, but that's why I don't know, should you?
Speaker 1that earthquake, she said. She said the whole house, her whole house shook, I don't you know, 4.8, so I think that's pretty the only thing that like that I'd be bad, bad, but it's bad enough there was it's over.
Speaker 2I guess it's about 12 years ago. There was a gas explosion and it happened about two to three hundred yards from where I was at oh, that was bad yeah and uh.
Speaker 2I was talking to a guy and we were in a grocery store. I was talking to the owner and we were just propped up and it was the loudest, weirdest sound and it shook everything. I have no idea. Of course. You know what an earthquake feels like and I know this is nothing like that, but I just know. On this, if you've ever watched Mythbusters and they blow up like the big cement truck, and you know when down there in that rock quarry or whatever.
Speaker 1That's a good show. That's not on anymore.
Speaker 2You know, if you remember or go to it. When it blows up it goes pew like that. That's exactly what this explosion sounded like, but it rocked this building and signs from the ceiling, you know, started falling and all this kind of stuff. But anyway, what it was was.
Speaker 1I can't imagine an earthquake.
Speaker 2I know I know, but this guy, what it was, was. So can you imagine an earthquake? I know, I know. But there was a gas leak at this guy's house and the house blew up. It killed the guy and his dog or dogs and I think it was three, at least two, but I thought it was three gas company guys that was there and luckily they were like down in the hole or digging or they were to the point to where they didn't get a direct hit from it, but they survived.
Speaker 2But you talk about that was scary for me and I wasn't right there at it, but that's crazy I couldn't imagine an earthquake. You know, the worst one I remember was san francisco. I guess it was in the 90s, 89, 90, 91, somewhere, right there.
Speaker 1I think, I don't know I was a young one.
Speaker 2Yeah, I was watching baseball. I do remember that it might have been the World Series. Do you remember they had the interstate or the highways? They were on top of each other. Do you remember that?
Speaker 1No clue.
Speaker 2Okay, well, you had a road. Imagine like a bridge.
Speaker 1Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2All right, and then right above it there's another bridge and you got cars going.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's how it was. Well, the earthquake caused the top road to pancake and fall on top of the road below, and it was just. Yeah, it was terrible. And then what? Washington got hit a few years ago too, right, and?
Speaker 1then what Washington got hit a few years ago too, right?
Speaker 2Oh, I don't know. I remember the Washington Monument had a crack in it. It was closed down for like a year. You couldn't get all this kind of stuff Just all over the place right now, ain't it?
Speaker 1Weather's crazy right now.
Speaker 2Well, you've got to. You know the earthquake happening and then they start when you go back to Israel and everything that's going on. Now you've got this eclipse and they're talking about the end times. What Revelation says? Some people can get really riled up real quick and they can read into things that's not really there and really think that it's the end time. Well, we're getting closer to the end every day.
Speaker 1Every day.
Speaker 2That's true.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2But I wouldn't quite go out there and start putting all these puzzle pieces together and say, hey, it's happening, here's the sign.
Speaker 1Okay, well, enough about all that, and we really haven't introduced ourselves. You know, like, told you much about us, or you know just kind of what we've done growing up. I feel like we've grown up together actually, because I was 18 when we got married. You were how old when we met, though? 16, almost 17,.
Speaker 2Right, I like the 17 better than the 16 better okay, okay, we'll say 17.
Speaker 1So I was 21. So we just want to take a minute and and just this episode is going to be more about just us in our younger years and growing up together and just telling you a little bit about us growing up together and just telling you a little bit about us. So yeah, I was. I think I was probably 17 or about to turn 17.
Speaker 2I mean to be truthful. You were 16. Yeah, you weren't 17 yet.
Speaker 1Yeah, so Jodi was 21 and we were set up on a blind date, and so I'll tell it the way I remember it. I'm sure it's not right. We were set up on a blind date by friends that were dating or whatever. We were supposed to meet at this place called the Bow Shop.
Blind Date to Marriage Love Story
Speaker 2Let me tell the. Okay, you tell about the Bow Shop shop and that's okay. The bow shop was the. I hunted back then and had a, had a good friend that had an archery shop and he was actually a uh state champion archer. Uh he was, you know, he had endorsements from uh eastern areas and matt martin or anyway I still follow him on uh facebook he's he's the jeweler now, like he does.
Speaker 1Well, yeah, he was that too. Back right, he's a jeweler, he's.
Speaker 2Yeah very good at. He's just very good. He's one of those people that's good at whatever anyway. So he had a bow shop and, uh, the back part of it was where he lived at, and so that's for, uh, for while that's where I stayed a lot of the time you know of course I didn't spend the night, but I'm thinking that's where I hung out a lot of the time you go ahead.
Speaker 1So that first night we were supposed to meet. Well, we did meet, and then we were going over to the Birmingham Fair, State Fair.
Speaker 2This was the date that we just didn't meet.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, we didn't just meet, we, it was the date. So it was the blind date, like we had never met each other before. So here we are gonna meet, gonna go eat and gonna go to the fair. Which why would we eat and then go to the fair?
Speaker 2Now, if you think about it, that makes no sense, but anyway, I think Probably to save money, probably because I'm sure it was expensive at the back.
Speaker 1So, yeah, we um go to the fair, but we're gonna go to this restaurant and it was closed, but I don't remember going to the fair.
Speaker 2I don't remember about the fair I remember being there, but I don't really remember I don't remember like riding, riding anything, whatever, I don't really remember.
Speaker 1I don't remember riding anything I don't either.
Speaker 2Seems like I got you like a teddy bear or something, but I don't know if that's factually correct. I don't know I would like to say I won you something, but I don't think I did.
Speaker 1Yeah, we can't confirm or deny that one.
Speaker 2No, no, no, we'll just throw that out there.
Speaker 1So yeah, that's how we met.
Speaker 2How no, we'll just throw that out there.
Speaker 1So, yeah, that's how we met. How many years ago? Well, that would be.
Speaker 2We'll be married in September 27 years 26. 27.
Speaker 127. You sure.
Speaker 2Oh my goodness, she's got to get.
Speaker 1I got to get the.
Speaker 2Calendar calculator out. I'm just praying, I'm right 26. We're in 26.
Speaker 1Yeah, no, we'll be married 26 this year.
Speaker 2No, we are in the 26th year. We will be hitting 27.
Speaker 1I took 2024 minus 1998. 26.
Speaker 2Put in Google.
Speaker 1I really think we're just in 26.
Speaker 2Hey you go ahead. Let me look this up myself.
Speaker 1Okay, anyway, so we've been married 26 or 27 years, but we've been together. So you put two years on that, so we've been married longer than I wasn't married. I feel like we really just grew up together. It's a fun ride. It's been a fun ride. He's over there trying to calculate it. Y'all hear his little calculator going.
Speaker 2Well, it was 9,324 days ago. It says 26 years ago.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2We'll be going, yeah, and we're going into our 27th, anyway. Anyway, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out.
Speaker 1Oh my goodness, We'll be married 26 this year.
Speaker 2We'll edit this again.
Speaker 1We ain't editing that.
Speaker 2We've only edited one time and I talked about it during that episode. It was pretty funny because we just had an issue.
Speaker 1I'm going to knock you out again.
Speaker 2I had an issue about that. You are an issue how?
Speaker 1about we get back to the story. You go right ahead. I don't really know where it's going.
Speaker 2So you were young.
Speaker 1I was young.
Speaker 2I did not plan on getting married.
Speaker 1It was close to prom season. Because I remember, yeah, we hadn't been talking long and I wanted you to go to prom with me. So bad, but I do remember coming back from that date Hold on, let me back up. I do remember coming back from that date and going to school the next day no, not the next day, two days later, because that was Saturday Going back to school and saying I'm going to marry him, he's the one, I'm going to marry him, I'm going to marry him, he's the one, I'm going to marry him. And that was the furthest thing from Jody's mind. He wasn't thinking. He probably wasn't even thinking I'm going to see her again.
Speaker 2I had had a, I would say, a bad issue.
Speaker 1Yeah, you had an issue.
Speaker 2Yeah, that I just got out of Just very, you know right, you know within A week, yeah, just very, you know right, you know within a week, yeah, or days, or days. So I was like, when me and you went out, I had not planned on going. I was done, yep, I was not going out, I was not. And for whatever reason, you know, within a few days I'm going out on a blind date because one of my good friends, did he know I was stuck to him, I stuck around. That's right, yeah, and then.
Speaker 1Then we went to prom.
Speaker 2Yeah, I didn't even go to my prom when I went to school.
Speaker 1I just knew he wouldn't go, but he did and this is what he shows up in, so my dress I actually think we still had the picture, I could post it my dress was a black and white dress and he shows up in Okay, so back then he rodeoed Him and some guys they rodeoed like road bulls and stuff like that. So he shows up in cowboy boots, wranglers and the top of a suit.
Speaker 2Yeah, I wore a tux, just not the bottom.
Speaker 1Yeah, you wore the tux, top.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1With wranglers and boots and I'm like really.
Speaker 2Well my good friend.
Speaker 1He did the same thing. He did the same thing, I know.
Speaker 2And then I mean, we didn't start this trend. I'm sure it was just something that we did.
Speaker 1Was that the year? That? Was that the one? Yeah, because senior year we done a limo, so they also come in this big truck.
Speaker 2So we had like a, a big truck.
Speaker 1Short enough, jacked up truck.
Speaker 2Yeah, a big truck, short enough jacked up truck. Yeah, like.
Speaker 1I'm short. I know everybody don't know, but I'm like 4'11" and I'm in this dress and I'm like how in the world am I going to get in this truck? Needless to say, jody brought a stool. Needless to say, we have stools all in our house now. So that was our first stool.
Speaker 2We should have kept that stool, so we should have kept that we should have kept that still, because I didn't know it was going to lead to more stools. I mean seriously, amanda, you're 4 11 4 11 she's 4 11 but I can pack a punch buddy I didn't say you couldn't, just if something's on the top shelf, you you have issues right A bottle of fire. So yeah, so we have a stool here and there throughout the house. I actually bought her a stool for a Christmas present one time.
Speaker 1That wasn't the only thing that I got you but that was just a funny little thing, so I guess that started the stool saga.
Speaker 2I might have used the stool myself to get up in that truck.
Speaker 1You might have, because that thing so then they take us to Taco Bell and I'm like are you kidding me? We're really just going to Taco Bell. No, we didn't go to Taco Bell.
Speaker 2I forget where we went, but we did go to Taco Bell. I was going to say. I do not remember that at all.
Speaker 1Yeah, y'all took us to Taco Bell.
Speaker 2We didn't go out to eat at a nice place.
Speaker 1Yeah. Then y'all are like no, we're just kidding.
Speaker 2And we went.
Speaker 1I can't remember it was dark where we went, because I don't think any of us could see the menu thing. Yeah, I do remember it being dark. Anyway, speed up this prom thing, okay, anyway, yeah, we can't go through all of it.
Speaker 2I mean, if you're telling the life, then I mean we've got several, several hours to go?
Speaker 1No, so we go to prom, we date.
Speaker 2Six months.
Speaker 1Yeah, six months. Yeah, I guess that's about right. And then I asked you and then he pops the question. Yeah, which is crazy, just because like six months and two days before that, I was like he was like done, not going to ever be involved, he wasn't't gonna do nothing, no, yep. Then he actually actually asked me twice why would that be?
Speaker 2because the first time he asked me because I have never told this story to anyone and I tell it all the time because I love it.
Speaker 1I don't like the story I love it I just think it's the sweetest little thing you go right ahead.
Speaker 1So the first time he asked me, my ring was not even put together. So he picked out the diamond and he picked out the band that it goes in or the setting whatever, and it wasn't even together. And the day he wanted to ask, I think we we were going out to eat anyway, like we were going. Our thing back then was red lobster, like we liked red lobster and um, so we had to go do some other stuff. We got back from eating and we had to go um feed some animals for somebody, and so he finally, I guess he worked up the courage and asked me there. And when he done it, I had a ring and I had a diamond. So he had proposed and I can't even wear the ring because I had a ring and I had a diamond, but he just said he just couldn't wait anymore. He said he just couldn't hold it.
Speaker 2Yeah, the jeweler couldn't.
Speaker 1He wasn't there.
Speaker 2Yeah, there was something like that, and so I just waited to the last. Oh, I mean, I guess I decided that I'm going to do this and, like, didn't want to wait. I guess I couldn't really hold. I don't think I could have got it and just waited anyway.
Speaker 2Yeah really hold. I don't think I could have got it and just waited anyway. Yeah, but I was, like you know, probably in my mind I'm thinking I can get the ring and do it all in one day and probably for the most part you can do that.
Speaker 1But it didn't work out for me, work out for you, did it?
Overcoming Addiction Through Faith
Speaker 2yeah. So once I got it I was like I can't hold on to this thing.
Speaker 1I gotta go okay so I just had the box.
Speaker 2Yeah, he had a dismantled ring in a box yeah, and. And so.
Speaker 1Just a couple of days.
Speaker 2Yeah, so then when I did get it put together, what did you do when you got it put together?
Speaker 1Do you remember?
Speaker 2What do you mean? Do you remember, did it again? Yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, where was I? Hmm, uh-oh, he's going to fail this test. Well, the most important one was the first time. Okay, right, well, I guess. So I'm just holding back. I want you to tell the story. No, you're not holding back, you just don't know the story.
Speaker 2I do know it. I just want to see if you remember the way I remember it. Oh, I know exactly.
Speaker 1I was at the band room at high school and you come back to school and you proposed again with the ring.
Speaker 2This sounds so terrible. It sounds like I'm just robbing the cradle.
Speaker 1Well, I can't help it.
Speaker 2So anyway, so you eventually, maybe a few months after that you moved out, just had something happen and had you move in with my parents. And the only reason we did this is because I was working nights at the time, so I wasn't going to be there at night. Right, all right, and so when I would get there.
Speaker 2You were already gone I was already going to school, so it just worked out that we never saw each other, so I mean, it was not a an issue that we saw that you living with us because, and then I graduate, we go to another prom, I graduate, I can't talk.
Speaker 1Let's see, I had a good job. I worked at the bank. You had a job.
Speaker 2Yeah, my grandmother, we're very blessed.
Speaker 1Yes.
Speaker 2That offered us to move into their lake house, and so yeah.
Speaker 1That's where we've been for 26 years.
Speaker 2That offered us to, you know, move into their lake house, and so, yeah, that's where we've been for 26 years, that's right. So, yeah, we're very fortunate, very blessed, and I will tell you this too, when it comes to being a Christian, I was not a Christian my whole life, until I was around 33. Whole life until I was around 33. So during this whole time, probably when I was, maybe when I was 16, I started partying a little bit, and then in my 18s and 19s, and in my 20s, my 21 or something like that, you know, I partied it up, I went to and I'm just going gonna throw it out there, I don't care, uh, because you people need to know.
Speaker 2So it's your testimony, that's right and so uh went to college, went to a small college and got put on academic probation. Uh, I didn't have a direction, you know. I didn't know where I was going. I was just like day to day. You know, I had a job At that time. I made all right money For me, it was fine. And this was before I met Amanda. Right before I met her. But I started just doing more partying than anything and got academic probation. Didn't bother me a bit, because in my mind I really didn't know why I was at college. I was just at college because that's what everybody did. And so I met Amanda. I still my biggest thing was just drinking.
Speaker 2I just drank.
Speaker 1And that was my one stipulation. I would not put up with that. But.
Speaker 2I never. I was not violent no, I was not you could probably.
Speaker 2If you'd have met me, you'd have never known that I had been that's true, but I always drank and it just got progressively worse and worse until the point where I had started actually drinking during the daytime, you know, and even some mornings and stuff like that and just got, anyway, long story short, I ended up on the side of the road praying to god for help and, uh, that's where I I got saved. Right there. I went into, uh, what I called amanda and I'm not going to go into this whole story but I went to a detox program. Uh, I was in there for just a few days.
Speaker 1I think it was a week.
Speaker 2Was it that long?
Speaker 1Yeah, that was the worst thing ever you and me both. They just closed the doors and I knew nothing and they just separated us. That's probably the first time we've ever been separated like that.
Speaker 2Right, and I that it's a very I'll put it this way the whole time you're there is they basically are making you as high or higher than you were before you got there.
Speaker 1And you're, you're medicating, you are medicated.
Speaker 2I remember being woke up every night with a little bitty cup, plastic cup, and it having like four or five pills in there and they, they were medicating us. And then at one point they were talking about me going to a program alcoholic program, called Bradford and all this kind of stuff. And then next thing I know they're putting paperwork in front of me to sign.
Speaker 1And he had to sign this.
Speaker 2I couldn't do any of it and I'm like whoa, whoa whoa, because I never agreed to anything like that sign and he had to sign this. I couldn't do any and I'm like whoa, whoa, whoa. What is?
Speaker 2because I never agreed to anything yeah, he didn't know anything they told me, yes, you did, and maybe I did at some point when I they had me you know loopy, but but I know I did. There's no way I did, because I remember talking with him about all this and I just would not agree to it. So from when that happened, right there, I got very frustrated and told them I wanted out. You know, call my wife, I'll call whatever somebody come get me and get me out of this place, because this just was not going to, you know, and I was just going to deal with it on my own and they, very they did not want me to do that. You know, they thought that that would be the worst thing for me, but you know, I was in there with it was.
Speaker 2It was a bad situation. I put I wouldn't want anybody to go through what I went through, but the I I would say this too I was put in a position that, uh, it just it all worked out. The lord helped me through the whole thing. He made me see two sides of the side that I was on, where, what road I was going down, and of course it's my decision, but he allowed me to see. You know how far my my life. I might think I'm in control and had it, you know, handled and maybe for the most part my family did too, and didn't really see anything but deep down inside. Inside it was unraveling and unraveling quick, so came home.
Speaker 1Cold turkey.
Speaker 2You laid it down.
Speaker 1I had to go through the house. I poured out everything, got rid of everything, even had a building that had stuff in it. I had to go get rid of it.
Speaker 2Yeah, that was probably, so I probably didn't drive for a month.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, you couldn't. I probably didn't drive for a month. Yeah, yeah, you couldn't. I wouldn't let you go anywhere by yourself. We were not owners of a store, but the management of a store, just me and you. And, yeah, I put.
Speaker 2And another thing I put amanda in a bad situation because I was uh running this store, uh opening and closing, and and I think too that was part of what ended up doing me in was I was just putting in so many hours trying to make this business work Because I was thinking of the future. I was like, you know, if I can get this to work, I mean, this will be great for the family. And just in the process I was just falling apart. And just in the process I was just falling apart. But so when I went to detox, I put her in a very bad situation, to where now instead of it's me and her and say I was, you know, I did majority of the responsibilities, knew how, or say, knew how things operated, and then now I'm out of the picture and it's all dependent on her. Yeah, I did. It was just bad for me to do that to her.
Speaker 1But the Lord got us through it. That's right. And look at us now. I know I think we're doing pretty good yeah.
Speaker 2So the biggest thing I had was I had to stay busy. Yeah, I didn't ever really sit down. I just felt like I know I've heard of smokers when they quit smoking they had the habit of reaching for their front pocket, you know, for that pack of cigarettes, you know that kind of thing. Well, I just felt like if I ever stopped, because I associated everything with drinking, you know, if I was at home, I could drink. If I was outside, I could drink. If I went fishing, I could drink. If I was outside, I could drink. If I went fishing, I could drink. If I went hunting, I could drink. If I and I hate to say it if I was driving, I would drink, you know. So I just felt like I just can't sit down, I don't need to sit idle, because maybe that would make my mind wander and all that kind of stuff. And I'm not saying it was by no means easy, but little by little it just got easier and easier.
Speaker 1You didn't want it, that's right.
Speaker 2Well, I wanted my family, I wanted you and everything else. You know more than that, but I'd been around it all my life and the same thing with you, I know, with your family, yeah.
Speaker 1That's why I said I just would not allow, I wasn't gonna be in that mess again.
Speaker 2I was wasn't gonna do it, so yeah so yeah, so god made our marriage stronger, made me stronger. I became a christian, got baptized.
Speaker 2Got baptized, matter of fact on easter, on easter yeah about, yeah, 15 years ago, 14 or 15 years ago, yeah and uh, never looked back. And now, like I said, we are just so involved with our church and we try and put everything that will show glory to god first. For the most part, that's what we try and do Now. We fall short all the time, always. I'll fall short every day, but you've got to, you know. Try, yeah, and that's what we do, and I think we do a pretty good job Not a great job, but pretty good, pretty good yeah.
Speaker 1So that's just a little bit of our story, just kind of thought. Maybe y'all would like to know who we are and not just we get on here and just and we have Nicholas and we do have Nicholas. We dealt with infertility and he is our nephew and we've had him since he was about five months old, and so, yeah, the Lord blessed us in that way, because we couldn't have kids.
Speaker 2So you know, you just all look back at it now and you see him everywhere, every step of the way.
Speaker 1You just I know you didn't see it then and it was hard. That was really hard on me and it still is.
Speaker 2But I think you know Nicholas was such a blessing to us. You know, I'm not going to say he laid it in our lap or anything like that. I'm just saying it's like what we had been through and a great young fella. I always want to say kid, but he's not a kid anymore.
Speaker 1Oh, he'll be 20.
Speaker 2He'll be 20.
Speaker 1Good night, I know You're getting old.
Family History and Shoe Addiction
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, you know, his best friend spent the night last night. Best friend stays with him. Well, he used to stay with us a lot more than he does now, but having them two around it's great, you know what it is. It is Helps keep you young. When you got younger people around you, I couldn't imagine having a daughter. I would have liked to have had a daughter.
Speaker 1Yeah, we'd have been in trouble if we'd had a daughter.
Speaker 2Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 1We'd have been in trouble.
Speaker 2I'd have never seen y'all. You and her would have been shopping all the time. We'd have been gone.
Speaker 1We'd have been out of here. Yeah Well, what are you talking about? I used to take Nicholas everywhere. Oh y'all, did y'all. I took him everywhere shopping.
Speaker 2And now it's me and him.
Speaker 1And now that's why he has that shoe fetish. I wouldn't call it a fetish. I wouldn't call it a fetish. Yeah, that's not a good word.
Speaker 2We might change that. A shoe addiction. Yeah yeah, but that's not. That's all these young boys.
Speaker 1It is they love. It's like these Nikes, that's. All I used to buy him, though, was shoes.
Speaker 2Yeah, these Jordans not getting a crease in them. I don't know how many times I've walked by his room and he's in there cleaning his shoes.
Speaker 1I wish he'd clean his room the way he'd clean his shoes. Yeah, if he would do everything the way he treated those shoes, it would be unbelievable Anyway.
Speaker 1so yeah, that's just a little bit of our story. Just thought y'all might like to know who we are and maybe I'll put that prom picture out there if Jody will let me. I like it. I think he likes it. It was a pretty good picture. Might not be good quality because, you know, back then we didn't have very good cameras. You know we had to take the camera to the or take the film to walmart and have it developed.
Speaker 2so you know it's amazing how we've come so far when it comes to one hour photo right and all that, and we, we may just snap a selfie and put it out there. Two of us today never know, I'll have to go get dolled up.
Speaker 1if, oh, we'll have to wait on your haircut this week.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, getting a little shaggy Anyway, all right.
Speaker 1Well, I hope y'all have enjoyed this. There's no rants on this one yeah, we're not ranting, and no questions, and no questions and we're not going to talk about Netflix and we're not going to talk about food.
Speaker 2No, matter. We just thought, y'all you know, it'd be nice to know a little bit about the people you're listening to, whether you like us or not, or whatever and that's the thing when you see somebody or say, for instance, hearing us, you don't know our backstory or anything like that nobody in their world would ever know. You know our past and you know a lot of people like it's none of their business or wants to tell it. But I'm not ashamed of my past, because that's what's made me who I am right now.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2And I.
Speaker 1You got to give glory. Give God all the glory.
Speaker 2That's right and if my story and what I went, through your one person.
Speaker 2And I'm not talking about Because you could probably ask Amanda all day long and she might tell you that you know, I didn't really think there was an issue or anything like that, but I'm just saying with me what I was dealing with internally. I know what somebody else is going through. I've had several conversations with people that's going through the same thing that I went through and that's what I if there's any way that I can help them and tell them what I did and that's what I want. So, like I said, I am not ashamed of this, by no means, because I'm just willing to help whoever I can help and it's made our marriage stronger and I love this woman sitting right across from me, even though, if I could get her, this is my last little. This is not a rant.
Speaker 1Here we go. Here's his rant. We ain't going to get out of it without a rant.
Speaker 2I'm going to go with a small percent. If I could get just about 10 more percent from you when it comes to these podcasts, just 10 more percent from you when it comes to these podcasts, just 10 more. You did good tonight, but it was a subject that you want to talk about exactly you kind of threw it out there like I wasn't really expecting this well, you keep on and you keep on at me.
Speaker 1What are we going to talk about? What are we going to talk about why I tell you two or three things and then you're like well, what are we going to talk about? And I'm like, I told you what I want to talk about?
Speaker 2You don't really give me any. I did If it's red aspen nails, then yes, you will talk.
Speaker 1If we can go do TikTok and lives and do, but that's not what this is, so we're not doing that, but that's what I like, so one day I'll get him on my TikTok live. All right, folks, hope you've enjoyed this and if you would give us a like, a comment, a thumbs up, follow us on all social media and we'll catch you next week.
Speaker 2See ya.
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