Sept. 3, 2025

When Life Changes, We Choose How to Grow

When Life Changes, We Choose How to Grow

We celebrate our daughter's first birthday while reflecting on a challenging yet rewarding year at Windsor Fair and the struggles that shape our entrepreneurial journey. The road isn't always smooth, but finding joy and purpose through difficulties has become our greatest strength. • Overcoming bus mechanical failures with the help of "redneck mechanics" who found creative solutions when we needed them most • Navigating the financial ups and downs of Windsor Fair, including weather challenge...

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We celebrate our daughter's first birthday while reflecting on a challenging yet rewarding year at Windsor Fair and the struggles that shape our entrepreneurial journey. The road isn't always smooth, but finding joy and purpose through difficulties has become our greatest strength.

• Overcoming bus mechanical failures with the help of "redneck mechanics" who found creative solutions when we needed them most
• Navigating the financial ups and downs of Windsor Fair, including weather challenges and unexpectedly strong weekend sales
• Celebrating our daughter's first birthday at the fair with our extended "fair family" who showered her with love and gifts
• Recognizing how parenthood provides perspective and motivation during business struggles
• Reflecting on the special moments, including a bald eagle sighting on our daughter's birthday – a sign from family watching over us
• Acknowledging that both business and parenting involve constant adaptation and problem-solving
• Finding purpose in creating experiences and memories rather than focusing solely on financial outcomes
• Appreciating how our daughter is developing amazing social skills from her unique upbringing

Keep following our journey as we head to Fryeburg Fair, our biggest event of the year, continuing to build our brand while raising our little girl.


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00:00 - Reflecting on Windsor Fair

08:53 - Bus Troubles and Redneck Engineering

16:31 - Financial Outcomes and Fair Results

23:19 - Celebrating Baby's First Birthday

36:42 - The Unexpected Eagle Visitation

47:19 - Legacy, Parenthood, and Life Lessons

52:21 - Podcast's Value and Future Hopes

WEBVTT

00:00:01.120 --> 00:00:07.514
Another fair in the rear view and an opportunity to celebrate a special year with all of you.

00:00:07.514 --> 00:00:15.554
Our biggest event approaches and our greatest accomplishment celebrates her first year here.

00:00:15.554 --> 00:00:19.486
Let me tell you something Everybody struggles.

00:00:19.486 --> 00:00:24.972
The difference is some people choose to go through it and some choose to grow through it.

00:00:24.972 --> 00:00:27.367
The choice is completely yours.

00:00:27.367 --> 00:00:33.313
Which one you choose will have a very profound effect on the way you live your life.

00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:40.993
If you find strength in the struggle, then this podcast is for you.

00:00:40.993 --> 00:00:47.933
Do you have a relationship that is comfortable with uncomfortable conversations?

00:00:47.933 --> 00:00:53.631
Uncomfortable conversations challenge you, humble you and they build you.

00:00:53.631 --> 00:00:58.649
When you sprinkle a little time and distance on it, it all makes sense.

00:00:58.649 --> 00:01:03.810
Most disagreements, they stem from our own insecurities.

00:01:03.810 --> 00:01:06.876
You are right where you need to be.

00:01:06.876 --> 00:01:08.019
Most disagreements, they stem from our own insecurities.

00:01:22.998 --> 00:01:24.680
You are right where you need to be.

00:01:24.680 --> 00:01:26.027
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

00:01:26.027 --> 00:01:33.007
What it do, what it hot, do-do-do-do, beautiful baby, I'm looking at you, hi, honey, you waving.

00:01:34.844 --> 00:01:35.469
Want to say hi.

00:01:36.822 --> 00:01:43.066
I have a live studio audience today Say hi, honey, Hi, Hear that folks.

00:01:43.066 --> 00:01:54.126
I am joined by my lovely, my beautiful blushing bride, my wife Miss Sally Liberty, and our beautiful bundle of joy.

00:01:54.126 --> 00:01:58.748
Hello, baby Little baby Paisley, she's over there.

00:01:59.100 --> 00:02:00.138
She's not a baby, no more.

00:02:00.540 --> 00:02:04.210
Oh, she full grown, man, mm-hmm, she full grown.

00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:06.225
One going on 15.

00:02:06.566 --> 00:02:07.329
You ain't kidding.

00:02:07.329 --> 00:02:13.485
She's all bundled up over there Well past bedtime.

00:02:13.485 --> 00:02:23.347
Okay, we are well past bedtime, but she's hanging in there because she knows this episode is going to feature stories of her, so she's going to try to keep herself awake.

00:02:23.347 --> 00:02:28.182
I can see it feature stories of her, so she's gonna try to keep herself awake.

00:02:28.182 --> 00:02:30.788
I can see it fresh out of the tub with new, brand new blue epjs and baseball on the tv.

00:02:30.788 --> 00:02:38.224
She is loving her first birthday, finishing off with a pizza party what a time cake and a cupcake.

00:02:38.305 --> 00:02:41.147
What a time to be alive.

00:02:41.147 --> 00:02:45.753
How do you do, good Lord, almighty?

00:02:45.753 --> 00:02:47.635
Are we excited to be back with you?

00:02:47.635 --> 00:02:51.347
Oh, it is true, it is damn true.

00:02:51.347 --> 00:02:59.443
Episode 269, and we are feeling oh so fine and quite a bit tired, actually Feeling quite a bit tired.

00:02:59.705 --> 00:03:00.467
Pretty exhausted.

00:03:00.668 --> 00:03:04.825
You know that is what it is 269 consecutive weeks.

00:03:04.825 --> 00:03:10.570
We couldn't let this streak be broken, hence the reason why we are recording a podcast at 10.30 pm.

00:03:10.570 --> 00:03:14.646
That's just kind of the commitment we make to each and every one of you, Am I right?

00:03:14.987 --> 00:03:15.247
Mm-hmm.

00:03:15.588 --> 00:03:15.909
Mm-hmm.

00:03:16.450 --> 00:03:16.891
Mm-hmm.

00:03:18.061 --> 00:03:22.592
We are finishing up, or I should say we have finished up Windsor Fair.

00:03:22.592 --> 00:03:26.540
Last week's episode.

00:03:26.540 --> 00:03:31.473
I was discussing with all y'all how weird it was that I was the one home and you and my mom were on the road with little Paisley.

00:03:31.473 --> 00:03:34.853
It was a weird kind of flip of the script, whole type of scenario.

00:03:34.853 --> 00:03:42.393
I also was telling the folks that we pulled in and discovered yet more mechanical failures, which was fun in the sun.

00:03:42.393 --> 00:03:48.186
On Sunday Noah came up and put a new brake line in and fixed a few things.

00:03:48.186 --> 00:03:54.390
We kind of got stonewalled on a couple of things and then, thankfully, your dad actually came up.

00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:57.608
We found a couple of redneck mechanics.

00:03:58.050 --> 00:04:09.225
You got to get it when you hit a wall on things you must tap into the redneck mechanics that you have because they'll find a way yeah, how do we just fix it to get home?

00:04:09.225 --> 00:04:10.769
Yeah, that's just it how do you?

00:04:10.769 --> 00:04:19.103
Patch it so I can make the journey that's right home, that's all, otherwise the catastrophe that would be is incredible.

00:04:19.603 --> 00:04:22.831
So when I was discussing with everybody what was going on with the bus.

00:04:22.831 --> 00:04:41.613
Um, the next scenario was like like literally I recorded that morning and then, on the way to the fair, actually, noah met me there and I stopped and grabbed some parts and stuff on the way and he put a brand new brake line in right there at the fair, patched up a fuel leak that we had, did a few other things, fixed the shifter linkage.

00:04:41.613 --> 00:04:45.021
But we were having difficulties bleeding brakes All the bleeders were frozen.

00:04:45.021 --> 00:04:46.112
We were having difficulties bleeding breaks all the bleeders were frozen.

00:04:46.112 --> 00:04:56.910
We were having some issues there and we were at that point where the decision was hey, you're probably going to have to tow this thing home and then operate out of a utility trailer.

00:04:56.910 --> 00:04:59.288
Chris and Noah were going to donate an utility trailer to help us out.

00:05:01.521 --> 00:05:04.800
Until we got the quote on towing that bitch home.

00:05:04.819 --> 00:05:24.053
Well they were saying they thought it would roughly cost us about two grand if someone was going to tow it, chris was going to find a trailer and kind of do the best we could to make it work and we were going around all avenues possible to save us money and to figure things out, but I was not taking the solution that the bus was not going to leave without me behind the wheel figuring it out.

00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:29.451
It was going to just cause way too much chaos and cost us way too much financially.

00:05:29.451 --> 00:05:33.269
So we knew we know enough redneck mechanics in the first one.

00:05:33.269 --> 00:05:37.382
Uh, my cousin had an idea about it and your dad showed up with his idea about it.

00:05:37.382 --> 00:05:43.009
Hi, honey, and um and your dad had the bricks situated in like 20 minutes.

00:05:43.730 --> 00:05:51.120
We also, in the back of our mind, had your dad saying don't you dare tow this thing, hell, no, like.

00:05:51.120 --> 00:06:03.608
If we knew this would have happened three years ago, your dad would have been up there with some rope, some duct tape, some JB Weld, and we would have been.

00:06:03.608 --> 00:06:08.324
She would have been going Redneck ingenuity and got that bad girl home.

00:06:08.324 --> 00:06:09.848
Mean, she's sitting in the dooryard.

00:06:09.908 --> 00:06:19.911
We got her home yeah, we're here, fine, safe and uh, you know, no issues whatsoever getting home safe was questionable, but we got here the question coming home safely.

00:06:19.911 --> 00:06:24.817
It wasn't the bus, it was actually you and the camper that was a thrill ride death trap.

00:06:24.817 --> 00:06:30.389
I was watching in front of me, oh my god that camper was all over the rodeo.

00:06:30.569 --> 00:06:37.529
Yeah yeah, I think that's a hitch issue and I think we'll be fine because she's fine on the road.

00:06:37.529 --> 00:06:39.362
Let us pray road but not the turnpike.

00:06:39.362 --> 00:06:40.906
Good golly, I was getting.

00:06:40.906 --> 00:06:41.771
What did you say?

00:06:41.810 --> 00:06:47.810
I was getting tailwinded off of a prius dude, you were touching tailwind off a prius that was sending you all over the place man.

00:06:47.810 --> 00:06:51.908
Oh my God, it was terrible, I'm pretty confident, you passed the June bug and went sideways.

00:06:51.908 --> 00:06:56.309
I don't know I was watching Cole Trickle out there doing hot laps.

00:06:56.309 --> 00:06:57.444
You were all over the place.

00:06:57.685 --> 00:07:01.129
Oh my God, my forearms still hurt, I believe it.

00:07:01.410 --> 00:07:01.971
I believe it.

00:07:01.971 --> 00:07:05.103
Folsom for the love of God.

00:07:05.103 --> 00:07:07.266
Our dog's an idiot you have not moved all day.

00:07:07.266 --> 00:07:11.033
That bulldog has not moved in hours Until he hears this record.

00:07:11.153 --> 00:07:14.704
Yes, shuffle his feet drag his toes.

00:07:14.704 --> 00:07:14.904
Oh, my God.

00:07:14.964 --> 00:07:15.586
I'll tell you what?

00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:18.045
Get a hobby.

00:07:18.459 --> 00:07:19.764
Never fails.

00:07:19.764 --> 00:07:29.843
Anyway, today was an adventure, but the bus made it home safely, you and the baby.

00:07:29.862 --> 00:07:31.810
but the bus made it home safely, you and the baby, and the camper made it barely barely.

00:07:31.829 --> 00:07:32.973
We made it white knuckled the whole way.

00:07:32.973 --> 00:07:43.788
But it's crazy because the last time I was recording the podcast I was talking about feeling optimistic and having this positive outlook and then literally like eight hours later it was was like guess what?

00:07:43.788 --> 00:07:48.704
Your bus isn't moving, You're going broke and Bob's your uncle.

00:07:48.704 --> 00:07:49.266
You know what I mean.

00:07:49.266 --> 00:07:51.211
Like it was a I had an uncle, Bob.

00:07:51.211 --> 00:07:53.204
It was a frigging tragedy.

00:07:53.204 --> 00:07:56.206
You just died, you sprinkle, hey well, let's not go down that road.

00:07:56.225 --> 00:07:56.968
I'm just saying.

00:07:57.560 --> 00:08:05.704
You sprinkle a little time and distance on it and the picture got clearer and we were able to be resourceful and to figure things out.

00:08:05.704 --> 00:08:09.367
So that was another great obstacle that we overcame.

00:08:09.367 --> 00:08:19.975
As far as the fair itself, we had, I want to say one day during the week that was kind of a milk dud, wasn't all that good, and then Friday it rained like a freaking.

00:08:19.975 --> 00:08:21.918
I don't even know man.

00:08:21.918 --> 00:08:25.223
It was a tsunami.

00:08:25.223 --> 00:08:26.026
Did you say tsunami?

00:08:26.026 --> 00:08:27.309
Yeah, that's what I said.

00:08:27.509 --> 00:08:28.512
Oh jinx, good word choice.

00:08:28.512 --> 00:08:29.502
Pinch poke.

00:08:29.502 --> 00:08:32.948
Yell me a coke man it rained like crazy.

00:08:33.100 --> 00:08:41.562
Well, there were some times during the day where actually the nighttime wasn't half bad when we were open, but it had been raining so much that people were just like I'm not leaving the house.

00:08:41.562 --> 00:08:48.268
So we bombed on a Friday which you can't afford to lose a Friday.

00:08:48.268 --> 00:08:52.571
Also considering that Friday a year ago is one of our best days to lose.

00:08:52.571 --> 00:08:54.251
That day really hurt us.

00:08:54.472 --> 00:08:55.933
And then Monday was kind of a flop.

00:08:55.933 --> 00:08:56.433
What's that?

00:08:56.433 --> 00:09:11.591
You happily could have taken one of those rain days like in the middle of the week, when it's like q-tip day or something which just means senior citizen day, in case anyone we had uh, two damn near record-setting days back to back.

00:09:11.631 --> 00:09:14.365
Saturday and sunday were, uh, spectacular.

00:09:14.365 --> 00:09:23.826
We had tremendous saturdays and sundays, um, which put us right back in line to make the fair um, not our best year, but one of our better years.

00:09:23.826 --> 00:09:28.455
And then Monday just went right down the toilet, the eau de la toilette.

00:09:28.455 --> 00:09:29.966
It was pretty dead on Monday.

00:09:29.966 --> 00:09:33.390
I think people just took the holiday and packed it in and didn't come out.

00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:40.447
Surprising, because any time that we would go to this fair, even before we attended this fair, we would go on Monday and it was busy.

00:09:40.668 --> 00:09:42.764
I know, Not this year folks.

00:09:42.966 --> 00:09:43.167
No.

00:09:46.160 --> 00:09:47.769
Only made a few hundred bucks on a monday, which for holiday was pretty tough.

00:09:47.769 --> 00:09:49.216
So all in all we've been doing the winds of fair.

00:09:49.216 --> 00:09:51.186
I think it's our third year I think it's our fourth.

00:09:51.748 --> 00:09:52.913
We've been in business for five years.

00:09:52.913 --> 00:09:53.697
We only missed one.

00:09:53.717 --> 00:10:03.235
Yeah, I don't know, though I think we missed two yeah I feel like we had our old spot, then our new spot, and then we return this year.

00:10:04.980 --> 00:10:13.710
Maybe, With all that said, this ends up being our worst year actually, which you know what makes it seem even crazier.

00:10:13.710 --> 00:10:20.986
The first year we were there, we had a less than ideal location and the fair was one day shorter.

00:10:20.986 --> 00:10:24.346
I just realized that the first year we were there there was no Saturday, one day shorter, I just realized that the first year we were there there was no Saturday.

00:10:24.346 --> 00:10:31.946
This year, there was an extra Saturday over that year and a better location, and we still didn't beat it.

00:10:31.946 --> 00:10:34.926
Wow, Well, that's depressing.

00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:36.302
Gosh.

00:10:37.505 --> 00:10:39.144
The things you wish you didn't look into.

00:10:39.144 --> 00:10:40.860
That'll kick you in the clusters.

00:10:40.860 --> 00:10:43.767
The honey, bunches of oats, Right honey.

00:10:44.168 --> 00:10:44.808
She said hi.

00:10:45.110 --> 00:10:47.114
Hi babe, you look beautiful, dear.

00:10:47.114 --> 00:10:50.226
Hi, you're dashing in your bluey PJs.

00:10:50.226 --> 00:10:52.032
Hi cutie, are you flirting with me?

00:10:52.032 --> 00:10:54.443
I love you, babe.

00:10:54.443 --> 00:11:02.643
Here she's batting her baby blues at me over there, binky, I love you, get some sleep, honey.

00:11:02.643 --> 00:11:08.669
Anyways, I'm recording a whole conversation with the baby, which is you know.

00:11:09.270 --> 00:11:10.331
Welcome to dadhood.

00:11:10.753 --> 00:11:12.075
I don't know if that's what did you say?

00:11:12.695 --> 00:11:19.200
Hi Hi.

00:11:21.423 --> 00:11:31.606
More importantly than the financial results of the fair, I would say the more important thing is that the miraculous thing is that we have made one entire year of parenthood in the books.

00:11:33.162 --> 00:11:34.365
One trip around the sun.

00:11:34.888 --> 00:11:35.470
Unbelievable.

00:11:36.902 --> 00:11:37.806
I don't even believe it.

00:11:38.441 --> 00:11:43.366
I touched on it on last week's show as well, but Don't give all of the spoilers away.

00:11:44.541 --> 00:11:44.924
What do you mean?

00:11:44.924 --> 00:11:45.894
I haven't listened.

00:11:45.894 --> 00:11:56.846
Oh, I was going to the fair hello on winning wednesday I gotcha, I gotcha so I haven't listened yet, so don't ruin it okay, all right.

00:11:56.926 --> 00:12:06.393
Well, I talked about the fact that you know the feeling, so surprised by the fact that, like this whole year has already, uh, come and gone.

00:12:06.393 --> 00:12:09.587
That you know we're parents after a year is, uh, is incredible.

00:12:09.587 --> 00:12:14.166
Um, to think how quickly this has, this has come and gone.

00:12:14.166 --> 00:12:30.947
You know, when we were just kind of packing up at the fair, I think, like at the end of the night when we were all done, and I parked the bus and you and the baby were walking up and I went over there and we were just kind of talking about, like that's it, that's a wrap, this one's over.

00:12:30.947 --> 00:12:39.799
And then this morning, like Paisley was waving goodbye to the fairgrounds and just had me thinking, like man a year ago, like you just arrived.

00:12:39.899 --> 00:12:45.590
And now here you are, you know, waving goodbye and interacting with people.

00:12:45.779 --> 00:12:50.655
She said hi to almost every single person that came on our test this week A ton of people.

00:12:50.655 --> 00:12:53.124
Yeah, If she was awake.

00:12:53.144 --> 00:12:54.769
She greeted almost every customer.

00:12:54.860 --> 00:12:57.586
She also sat on the counter and helped me cash a few people out.

00:12:59.071 --> 00:12:59.572
Pretty incredible.

00:12:59.592 --> 00:13:00.355
You want to talk to the people.

00:13:01.399 --> 00:13:16.321
My little baby at the age of one years old, is already providing better customer service than 98 of all the vendors that work at the fair she watches us do it most people walk into the tent.

00:13:16.321 --> 00:13:24.248
Nobody says anything to them at any of those places you go to not our booth exactly she, like you said, she sees us say hi to everybody.

00:13:24.248 --> 00:13:29.446
So people come in, she says hi, she waves to them, she waves when they leave.

00:13:29.446 --> 00:13:32.128
She interacts with all the babies.

00:13:32.539 --> 00:13:32.982
Oh yes.

00:13:33.323 --> 00:13:34.927
Yeah, pretty incredible.

00:13:34.927 --> 00:13:40.321
She has better customer service skills than almost every other vendor we see at the fair.

00:13:40.863 --> 00:13:45.482
And they're adults, grown-ass adults, let's put that out there.

00:13:45.724 --> 00:13:51.609
Unbelievable grown adults yeah, I can't, uh, I still can't believe it.

00:13:51.609 --> 00:14:16.227
It's weird to think, like a year ago I'm rushing out of the fair, me and my mom steve-o's coming to save the day to open the tent, and me and my mom are rushing to the hospital to be there in time, and just how quickly everything went down, like when we were prepared for like this big, long, drawn out process, like how quickly everything happened.

00:14:16.227 --> 00:14:24.091
And then, literally like the next day, I was back at the fair finishing out the fair, closing everything up coming home.

00:14:24.653 --> 00:14:36.807
I remember stopping at the gas station and grabbing two ice creams out of the cooler and coming into the bedroom like the hospital room at like midnight, me and Paisley were sleeping.

00:14:37.539 --> 00:14:53.645
And then here we are a year later and she's with us while we're packing up camp and we're hanging out in the camper and having slumber parties, and you know, in the camper watching freaking Bluey at night Like it's crazy.

00:14:53.645 --> 00:15:07.528
Man, life comes at you fast, things move awful quickly and it's crazy for me to think that you know our season's almost over, our biggest event is quickly approaching and our baby's already been here for a year.

00:15:07.528 --> 00:15:10.047
It does not make any sense to me, man.

00:15:10.368 --> 00:15:10.749
Mm-mm.

00:15:11.250 --> 00:15:11.410
No.

00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:14.544
Sometimes I even like not.

00:15:14.544 --> 00:15:22.509
I don't want to say that it sounds odd, but it catches me off guard when someone says something like about your daughter.

00:15:22.791 --> 00:15:22.991
Right.

00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:30.912
I'm like what like if I'm yeah at work or I'm not like momming at the moment.

00:15:30.912 --> 00:15:32.717
You know what I mean like, like.

00:15:32.717 --> 00:15:36.077
If you're in the grocery store and you don't have the baby with you and someone's like oh, how's your daughter?

00:15:36.077 --> 00:15:37.644
And you're like like it.

00:15:37.644 --> 00:15:41.336
It's still so new, even though you know what I mean.

00:15:41.336 --> 00:15:42.941
We've been doing it for a whole year.

00:15:43.022 --> 00:15:52.726
Like I'll tell you it's weird if you're on the road without her, for a couple of days and people start asking those questions it's just I don't know it's uh it's crazy.

00:15:52.726 --> 00:16:13.197
What I do want to say is how overwhelmed we are by the love and support that, um, that our little baby already has everywhere she goes that our little baby already has everywhere she goes the birth week celebration that she has had via the Windsor Fair and then now being home has been incredible.

00:16:13.217 --> 00:16:13.580
Yeah, absolutely.

00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:17.529
The people that came out of nowhere with presents and well wishes.

00:16:17.610 --> 00:16:18.211
Seriously.

00:16:19.740 --> 00:16:41.831
When they say it takes an army, they really mean it, because our army has literally come out of the woodworks to celebrate doug had asked me to um make a bunch of birthday shirts for five-year-old's birthday, for bella's fifth birthday, giving them away as parting, like grab bag gifts, you know.

00:16:41.831 --> 00:16:49.109
Thank you gifts to think about a little girl's birthday and one of the key ingredients is loud proud American apparel.

00:16:49.109 --> 00:16:51.248
Like she wanted her own special shirt.

00:16:51.248 --> 00:16:55.530
Everybody that went to the birthday parents and kids all wearing loud proud American gear.

00:16:55.530 --> 00:16:56.864
That's pretty freaking awesome.

00:16:56.923 --> 00:16:57.687
That is pretty sweet.

00:16:57.787 --> 00:16:58.610
That's pretty damn cool.

00:16:58.610 --> 00:17:05.127
And then some of the kids actually came in and found me at the fair and said thank you and I thought that was really cool.

00:17:05.127 --> 00:17:12.721
But then, uh, doug and the fam shows up with gifts for little paisley, which didn't expect any of that right.

00:17:12.721 --> 00:17:23.267
No, no, absolutely not and that was like kind of the start of the week of gifts, like the um just celebration of paisley.

00:17:23.267 --> 00:17:23.768
That happened.

00:17:23.768 --> 00:17:29.204
Uh, kyle, kyle and Julia were coming over with sweet gifts and you know bike for her and all this stuff.

00:17:29.606 --> 00:17:30.308
Matt and Sarah.

00:17:30.881 --> 00:17:33.148
Matt and Sarah bringing over the little horse for her.

00:17:33.148 --> 00:17:45.805
Just people coming over all week really bringing stuff, like it was crazy to think her godparents she drove again from Syracuse to York.

00:17:45.845 --> 00:17:46.165
What is it?

00:17:46.694 --> 00:17:50.160
You're talking six hours from Syracuse, plus they ride to Las Vegas.

00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:51.123
They took the wrong road.

00:17:51.123 --> 00:17:51.805
It took them a couple hours.

00:17:51.805 --> 00:18:01.480
So you're talking about an eight-hour commitment to come see her for an hour, to drive an hour and a half back to the saloon, to then spend a day and drive another six hours home.

00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:08.867
Their commitment to see her and to bring her gifts and spend time with her was incredible.

00:18:09.048 --> 00:18:12.234
Oh my gosh, yeah, we are beyond blessed.

00:18:12.375 --> 00:18:16.826
I know I'm forgetting people and scenarios, but it was incredible.

00:18:16.826 --> 00:18:25.035
You had picked out this big number one gold balloon that she had in her cart, her little wagon and she was riding around.

00:18:25.115 --> 00:18:26.662
Oh my gosh, I walked around everywhere with that thing.

00:18:26.662 --> 00:18:28.830
Everybody was coming over For like two days.

00:18:28.830 --> 00:18:29.775
Oh man, people were coming up to her.

00:18:29.775 --> 00:18:31.301
Yeah, she had that thing for a couple of days.

00:18:31.301 --> 00:18:33.743
People were coming up to her saying happy birthday.

00:18:33.743 --> 00:18:42.598
And then a big shout-out to Carol for allowing us to borrow some of her baby cows to take a photo shoot.

00:18:42.618 --> 00:18:48.388
Carol runs all the livestock over at Windsor Fairgrounds and she's welcomed us in as family.

00:18:48.388 --> 00:19:03.667
Her family has accepted us and embraced us and it was Carol's idea to make sure that we had cupcakes or cake or something, and she wanted Paisley to take photos with baby cows and all that stuff.

00:19:04.115 --> 00:19:05.903
The photos have been submitted to Windsor Fair.

00:19:05.903 --> 00:19:09.835
She's going to have them uploaded for their website and stuff.

00:19:09.914 --> 00:19:18.385
You guys had a full-on one-year-old birthday party photo shoot in the stalls with all these cows and stuff.

00:19:18.935 --> 00:19:29.126
She actually got to meet a cow that was only two days old, so when we took the photos she was enjoying that little baby cow.

00:19:29.126 --> 00:19:32.902
He was suckling on her fingers, but then got super rowdy.

00:19:32.961 --> 00:19:43.056
I was like, oh feisty, it's gonna be a good cow I just can't help but think how fortunate, first and foremost, how fortunate we are, but how fortunate she is.

00:19:43.056 --> 00:19:58.558
You think about how many little girls first birthday would be what hers was, and and what I love about her birthday is the memories that were made, not the dollars that were spent yeah, you know what I'm saying.

00:19:59.122 --> 00:20:04.410
Like you always see families that throw this big, massive get together for a birthday and if you want to do that, go ahead and do that.

00:20:04.410 --> 00:20:26.702
I'm not downplaying somebody's plan, right, but for us we're like financially doesn't make a lot of sense for us, the position that we're in, and she's probably not going to remember it, but we always want to strive for, um, like, making memories, you know experience, type, gifts and scenarios and, uh, she had an amazing experience for her birthday?

00:20:27.263 --> 00:20:33.517
Absolutely, and it was one of those things that everybody like kept asking me you know, like, what are you going to do for her birthday?

00:20:33.517 --> 00:20:35.944
We want to be a part of it and I appreciate that.

00:20:35.944 --> 00:20:42.084
We truly do, and we're super grateful for all the people that came out and spent time with us at the fair.

00:20:42.084 --> 00:20:50.541
We just didn't think that it was, in our situation, appropriate to throw this big shebang for her first birthday.

00:20:50.541 --> 00:20:54.127
Will I throw a big party in the next couple, couple of years?

00:20:54.127 --> 00:20:56.055
Yeah, yeah, sure, definitely.

00:20:56.055 --> 00:21:02.048
Like we'll have some sort of party, but unfortunately, like our schedule is so crazy around her birthday.

00:21:02.048 --> 00:21:07.112
She'll always celebrate her birthday at the fair, but then it will be.

00:21:07.112 --> 00:21:09.500
Her party will be after her birthday.

00:21:09.882 --> 00:21:13.323
Yeah, so if she has a big party scenario, it'll be after.

00:21:13.323 --> 00:21:19.705
That's all said and done, but she's forever going to have like her birthday being at the Windsor Fair.

00:21:19.846 --> 00:21:20.788
With her Windsor family.

00:21:21.234 --> 00:21:27.308
And as she gets older and she gets to know everybody, like I, think that they'll change, they'll evolve.

00:21:27.308 --> 00:21:28.156
You know what I mean?

00:21:28.156 --> 00:21:29.359
Absolutely, because, um, it'll be.

00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:30.944
It'll just be a different experience.

00:21:30.944 --> 00:21:41.400
But this year, um, you and julia and the baby rode around and gave out cupcakes to everybody that she knows right, yep, all of her, um fair family.

00:21:41.460 --> 00:21:59.650
we made sure that everybody had cupcakes and, um, I actually got a little like card that said my first birthday on it and anyone who had the ability to join us in our little get together at the fair we had them sign it so that we can put that in her memory box.

00:22:01.736 --> 00:22:35.249
I just can't really think of a better way to celebrate, really think of a better way to celebrate, and I I'm so, um, just I don't know man, I'm just mesmerized by everything that just that just happened and all the blessings we have because of the experiences that we had, and for me, like it's another reason why we continue to endure the struggles of having our own business of having this brand of ours, because if we gave up on this brand, she wouldn't have had the experience she just had.

00:22:35.715 --> 00:22:35.895
Right.

00:22:37.077 --> 00:22:49.037
If we didn't continue to struggle and to strive to keep this brand alive, she wouldn't know all the people that she already knows, she wouldn't have the people skills she already has.

00:22:49.156 --> 00:22:58.657
We just talked about our one-year-old little girl saying hi to every single person that comes in the tent, you know, and all the people that she encountered over the course of the week that said happy birthday.

00:22:58.657 --> 00:23:03.737
None of those things happen without us keeping our brand alive.

00:23:03.737 --> 00:23:15.104
Her having a photo shoot with baby cows and celebrating at the fair, being embraced by everybody riding around giving out cupcakes on her birthday Like that's what I want for her.

00:23:15.104 --> 00:23:19.986
Those are the things that I want for her and those are the things that make me keep the brand going.

00:23:19.986 --> 00:23:59.422
It continues to motivate me to sacrifice and take chances and difficult choices because of the lifestyle it can allow, and I'm not talking about the financial lifestyle, but the experiences and how well-rounded her first year on earth has been, based off of the things that we do we talk about it all the time that her social schedule schedule is better than most people in general.

00:23:59.442 --> 00:24:16.527
It's incredible the things that she's done and if, like, if I'm on the road and she's with you and let's say like you have to work and she's with, like Allie, she's at a zoo, she's at a pool party, she's at the library, and then you know, like you have her and you're bringing her places and doing all these things.

00:24:16.527 --> 00:24:19.183
You and my mom are at the zoo with her and you're doing all this stuff.

00:24:20.454 --> 00:24:23.218
Taking her to birthday parties and just getting her to interact.

00:24:23.238 --> 00:24:25.901
Yeah, she's going to different parties and all these things and already socializing.

00:24:25.901 --> 00:24:36.671
And then, like I mean it's incredible to think like this little girl's been from biker saloons to horse races, to carnivals, you know what I mean.

00:24:36.691 --> 00:24:41.298
Like it's a Fairs festivals car shows.

00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:54.832
I think that we are still at a really fortunate period where it's a little easier to corral the little one and manage the scenario.

00:24:59.255 --> 00:25:02.058
I do feel like we're on the cusp of the difficulty level really ramping up.

00:25:02.058 --> 00:25:07.144
Also, she has already been from here to New York and hit every state in between.

00:25:07.305 --> 00:25:07.766
Basically.

00:25:07.766 --> 00:25:11.089
Yeah, she's covered some ground.

00:25:12.714 --> 00:25:13.195
Let's be honest.

00:25:15.199 --> 00:25:17.903
I'm just thinking about how much more difficult this is going to be.

00:25:17.903 --> 00:25:21.849
When you start seeing at the fair, you see the kids all running around that you can't contain.

00:25:21.849 --> 00:25:23.680
We're about to be there.

00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:33.201
If she starts walking by, let's say, the Freiburg Fair, do you understand the difficulty level and how much higher it gets ramped up?

00:25:33.542 --> 00:25:36.201
Yeah, good thing we have the octagon.

00:25:36.983 --> 00:25:37.566
Good thing, we have what.

00:25:37.566 --> 00:25:42.222
The octagon yeah the octagon she does have a steel cage.

00:25:42.756 --> 00:25:44.061
Welcome to the octagon.

00:25:44.061 --> 00:25:49.394
Yeah, we're having cage fights for babies, exactly.

00:25:50.238 --> 00:26:00.778
I keep thinking about it because we've been, we've had conversations with, like Kate and Ryan saying like, oh yeah, our baby was great for the first few years doing this and then it just got crazy.

00:26:00.778 --> 00:26:07.017
So we don't know what we're going to encounter when it comes to that and how those things are going to go, and our schedule and days are very long and demanding.

00:26:07.017 --> 00:26:09.924
So there's going to encounter when it comes to that and how those things are going to go, and our schedule and days are very long and demanding.

00:26:09.944 --> 00:26:33.436
So, um, there's going to be some adjustment, like the nice thing is, is that like we're going to be going into Freiburg and, yeah, she might be a little bit mobile at that point, but we also have the entire winter off that we can work on not being so crazy yeah, you know what I mean, like there there'll be an adjustment period and then you know we'll get back on the road and there'll be an adjustment period.

00:26:33.477 --> 00:26:42.201
But it's just we'll just take it one day at a time and kind of go go from there like just like we did the last year.

00:26:42.201 --> 00:26:50.904
Just they don't come with rule book, so it's just adapting and navigating whatever task is thrown at us.

00:26:52.952 --> 00:27:04.842
I think that we can give ourselves some credit for accomplishing all we've accomplished over the past past year, going into things as frightened for my life as I was you know that we're here.

00:27:05.576 --> 00:27:13.345
I mean I will say, like everybody said, like before she even arrived, like good luck, your life's about to change.

00:27:13.345 --> 00:27:24.998
If we think about it like we didn't take anything off of the schedule, that because of her no, not really like we still went to our events you know what I mean.

00:27:24.998 --> 00:27:32.241
Like there wasn't anything on the schedule that we're like we really can't do, because we have a baby Like we adopted.

00:27:32.241 --> 00:27:38.705
And yeah, we went with a little bit extra baggage, but we still made it happen.

00:27:39.615 --> 00:27:51.633
I think I took on events that I wouldn't normally take on because of her, because I was like, okay, I got to push myself and I got to push this brand to go to the next level, because I want to provide for her.

00:27:51.633 --> 00:28:01.184
So her being here motivated me to drive the 27 hours to go to an event you know to apply for things way out of our comfort zone.

00:28:01.184 --> 00:28:06.998
So when people say, like you're not going to do the things you used to do, you know what bet I?

00:28:07.038 --> 00:28:14.563
did things that were even more uncomfortable for me, because she's here, you know, and next year is going to be no different.

00:28:14.563 --> 00:28:23.407
We're going to continue to take chances and we've got a lot of moving parts in the background that people don't know about that we're trying to figure out and work out, but there's….

00:28:24.038 --> 00:28:29.982
Stay tuned, because we've got things that are about to make your head spin out and work out, but there's stay tuned because we got things that are about to make your head spin.

00:28:29.982 --> 00:28:43.443
There's chaos and you know things that we are trying to figure out, but I think we're more motivated to figure those things out because she's here yeah like I'm more motivated for success because she's here yeah, we also want to set the ground.

00:28:44.665 --> 00:28:46.189
I mean, she's only one, but we want to.

00:28:46.189 --> 00:28:48.423
We want to set the standard high.

00:28:48.423 --> 00:29:03.817
Like you can do anything you set your mind to and like, for instance, like you used to own a shop you know what I mean and then you started your own thing, so you bet on yourself, so, like, that's the, that's the standard.

00:29:03.817 --> 00:29:10.230
Like you can do anything you want to do and look, we're doing it.

00:29:10.230 --> 00:29:25.903
We're working multiple jobs and making ends meet and doing the things, because nothing is ever given to us, and I think that that's going to be the standard that we hold for her is that you and I both were raised that you're going to earn.

00:29:25.903 --> 00:29:28.717
You want 20 bucks to go to the mall.

00:29:28.717 --> 00:29:29.901
Like you're gonna earn it.

00:29:29.901 --> 00:29:34.496
You're gonna do the things that need to be done around the house.

00:29:34.496 --> 00:29:50.569
You need to do your chores, you need to muck the stalls, those sort of things, because you need to earn your, your way of life I'm also motivated to do the suffering and the sacrificing when she doesn't know it.

00:29:50.809 --> 00:29:51.810
Yeah, you know what I'm saying.

00:29:51.891 --> 00:29:52.051
Yeah.

00:29:52.295 --> 00:30:01.910
Like I'm motivated now to suffer and sacrifice to get to where we need to be, when she doesn't have to realize that.

00:30:01.910 --> 00:30:08.107
So we get to the point when you know she would be able to understand those things.

00:30:08.107 --> 00:30:10.962
Her lifestyle and things have changed.

00:30:11.002 --> 00:30:11.644
You know what I'm saying.

00:30:12.217 --> 00:30:20.059
I always want her to understand the struggle and the sacrifices, but I don't want her to have to experience all the pain and the things that we go through.

00:30:20.059 --> 00:30:22.343
You know I don't want to put that stress on her.

00:30:22.343 --> 00:30:27.939
So I challenge ourselves now to create the life and the future that we want for her.

00:30:28.039 --> 00:30:28.642
You know what I'm saying.

00:30:29.275 --> 00:30:36.182
And I think that's part of the reason for the late nights, early mornings, crazy schedules, you know like that's all part of it.

00:30:36.182 --> 00:30:43.128
But I want this little girl to get to a point and realize I can have whatever I want if I'm committed to work for it.

00:30:43.615 --> 00:30:56.294
Absolutely minute to work for it absolutely I can do anything that I want, but put my mind and my heart to it and to realize that you know, here's my, my parents with by the time she's, she's old enough.

00:30:56.294 --> 00:31:01.748
She could be looking at it saying like, which one of my family's businesses do I want to take over?

00:31:01.748 --> 00:31:03.458
You know what I mean, right?

00:31:03.458 --> 00:31:06.565
What do I want to for myself?

00:31:06.565 --> 00:31:19.028
Like maybe I want to take them all over, maybe I want to take things to a higher level, like I want her to grow up knowing that all things are possible if you put your mind and your heart and your effort into it.

00:31:21.056 --> 00:31:24.644
We just want to set the ground, like for her.

00:31:25.047 --> 00:31:25.186
Yeah.

00:31:27.056 --> 00:31:28.621
You want to take over one of the businesses.

00:31:28.821 --> 00:31:41.878
Absolutely, sis like, get in there, let's do it and I truly feel like in life I I've reached a high point in life and I took a major step back from where I was.

00:31:41.878 --> 00:31:50.131
But I took that step back to change direction, you know, and with the hopes of a greater future.

00:31:50.131 --> 00:31:52.761
And it's not all about money.

00:31:52.761 --> 00:31:58.587
A lot of it's about time and experiences and things you get to do together as a family that money can't buy.

00:31:58.587 --> 00:32:08.394
You know, money certainly doesn't buy happiness and it doesn't buy time and there is no guarantee on me or you when it comes to how much time we have and all those things.

00:32:08.394 --> 00:32:15.987
So it comes down to living life to the fullest and I really truly feel like over the first year of her life, we have certainly done that.

00:32:15.987 --> 00:32:24.729
I really can't wait for her to someday be able to look back at this and be like, wow, this was my life.

00:32:25.115 --> 00:32:25.276
Like.

00:32:25.276 --> 00:32:25.837
This is what.

00:32:25.939 --> 00:32:32.176
I did this was my life like this is what.

00:32:32.176 --> 00:32:32.557
This is what I did.

00:32:32.557 --> 00:32:39.569
You know, like it's crazy for me to think that she's only gonna be a year and a few weeks and be like my freiburg fair.

00:32:39.730 --> 00:32:41.798
I've already been here you know what I mean?

00:32:41.798 --> 00:32:46.256
Yeah, like she was there at three weeks, she was three weeks old working on the fair.

00:32:46.355 --> 00:32:48.664
She's about to do it for the second time in her life already.

00:32:48.664 --> 00:32:50.420
That's pretty crazy to me.

00:32:50.740 --> 00:32:54.483
Yeah, she was, yeah, three weeks old.

00:32:54.744 --> 00:32:54.945
Yeah.

00:32:55.915 --> 00:33:00.287
Because it usually starts the middle of September.

00:33:00.454 --> 00:33:03.265
Yeah, toward like the last week of September traditionally.

00:33:03.305 --> 00:33:06.019
Yeah, I was like doing the math in my head.

00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:06.340
Yeah.

00:33:06.340 --> 00:33:17.695
Yeah, she was three weeks old, because I remember people had so many things to say that everybody has an opinion yeah, like specifically, people were like you really shouldn't have a newborn out here and I'm like she's sweating.

00:33:17.695 --> 00:33:19.441
Do you see the beads of sweat on her forehead?

00:33:19.441 --> 00:33:22.415
Her girl's a furnace everybody has an opinion.

00:33:22.476 --> 00:33:24.199
Opinions are like assholes everybody's's got one.

00:33:24.398 --> 00:33:26.403
And they all stink, they all stink.

00:33:27.364 --> 00:33:27.865
Unbelievable.

00:33:27.865 --> 00:33:30.410
Yeah, it's crazy.

00:33:30.410 --> 00:33:33.724
I can't believe it's been a year.

00:33:33.724 --> 00:33:44.500
I think about all the great things that have happened and I often also think about the things that I wish could have happened or that she missed out on.

00:33:44.500 --> 00:33:50.539
It's really hard for me to think about my dad not being here celebrating any of these things with her.

00:33:50.539 --> 00:34:06.124
It's, it's I would I don't know, I don't even know how to say like I have to constantly push those thoughts out of my head so I don't just beat myself up with them.

00:34:06.124 --> 00:34:19.907
I it's hard to say, but sometimes I find myself thinking about my dad and I just got to pull the plug on the thought because I don't want to get lost down that emotional drain tube.

00:34:19.907 --> 00:34:32.110
You know, but I thought it was kind of crazy this week that I was at the fair on Sunday and you and the baby on her birthday were out running errands.

00:34:32.110 --> 00:34:38.240
You went to go get a birthday balloon and some cupcakes and stuff and what happened to you?

00:34:42.755 --> 00:34:43.396
I was putting.

00:34:43.396 --> 00:34:56.688
I got the baby out of the store and I was going to put her in her car seat, and as soon as I put her in her car seat I saw up in the sky a bird and it tried to catch my attention.

00:34:56.688 --> 00:35:05.885
It just kept circling and I wanted to get a better look of it and as soon as I did, the bird turned towards me.

00:35:05.885 --> 00:35:06.980
It was pretty high up.

00:35:06.980 --> 00:35:20.429
I had seen the white head and, sure enough, there was an eagle flying over us in Augusta at the Dollar Tree.

00:35:20.429 --> 00:35:24.286
And the funny thing is is that wasn't at all where I was supposed to be.

00:35:26.456 --> 00:35:28.248
Carol had told us that there was a dollar.

00:35:28.248 --> 00:35:31.643
You went directions to a Dollar General and you went cross country to a Dollar Tree.

00:35:32.114 --> 00:35:36.702
Well, I had typed in Dollar Tree, which was not very far from the fair.

00:35:36.702 --> 00:35:48.597
It was only 15 minutes down the street from the fair and the Hannaford that I was originally trying to go to was 15 minutes down the street as well, so I thought it was like right in the general vicinity.

00:35:48.597 --> 00:36:03.137
I didn't know what town that Hannaford was actually in that I passed by to get into the fair, so my GPS had taken me to this Dollar General, which I knew there was a Hannaford right next to it.

00:36:03.137 --> 00:36:10.449
And would the GPS have not taken me to that Dollar Tree?

00:36:10.449 --> 00:36:16.465
I may not have ever seen the eagle and I may not have ever seen your dad coming to say happy birthday.

00:36:18.255 --> 00:36:25.744
Yeah, it's pretty crazy to think that this bald eagle shows up over you and the baby while you're out birthday shopping on her birthday.

00:36:27.516 --> 00:36:31.362
And if people are listening for the first time, then they won't understand this.

00:36:31.362 --> 00:36:33.217
So I would encourage you to go back and listen.

00:36:33.217 --> 00:36:35.481
Uh, there's many, many episodes.

00:36:35.481 --> 00:36:40.496
We reference the fact that, um, my father's come back to us as a, as a bald eagle.

00:36:40.496 --> 00:36:57.382
The first time, um, that we saw this bald eagle was the day after my father's passing, when you and me and my mother were preparing to go to the funeral home, and that's when he arrived for the first time.

00:36:57.382 --> 00:37:00.824
We were going to, you know, plan his services.

00:37:02.617 --> 00:37:04.103
He ended up circling the house, yeah.

00:37:04.215 --> 00:37:08.324
So we've told this story many times for all of our day ones, our loyal ones.

00:37:08.324 --> 00:37:09.748
Get your ones up.

00:37:09.748 --> 00:37:13.005
We acknowledge you for everybody that's been listening throughout the years.

00:37:13.005 --> 00:37:23.864
But this is another opportunity, another instance, another occasion where this just isn't luck, it isn't coincidence to us, it's fate.

00:37:23.864 --> 00:37:35.219
And it certainly is just my father coming back to say happy birthday and you know I didn't miss this one.

00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:37.141
Yeah.

00:37:40.585 --> 00:37:41.085
It's crazy.

00:37:41.085 --> 00:37:55.989
It's crazy to think Time, just time, just man.

00:37:55.989 --> 00:38:13.233
If you stop and think about it, it feels like just yesterday that my dad passed, when it's already been a couple years when it's already been a couple years.

00:38:17.338 --> 00:38:33.364
Thankfully we were occupied during one of those years preparing for her Life is certainly crazy, the way things come at you and happen to you and happen for you at you and happened to you and happened for you, and it's a wild, wild ride that I don't think everybody really slows down to realize.

00:38:33.364 --> 00:38:41.315
You know, I think too many people go through life with one eye open or two eyes half shut, you know what I mean.

00:38:41.315 --> 00:38:44.365
Like people don't observe and take in and realize.

00:38:44.365 --> 00:38:55.987
I feel like we live in a world that continues to numb its senses you know people are buried in their technology and their devices.

00:38:56.047 --> 00:39:09.286
They're looking at wormholes of social media, they're numbing their brain cells with stimulants and depressants and antidepressants and all these different things, and people aren't conscious to what's happening.

00:39:09.286 --> 00:39:26.599
And when you truly stop and breathe and reflect on where you've been and where you're going and the road you've lived on and where it's taken you this life we live, it's the craziest thing ever.

00:39:28.731 --> 00:39:32.277
Yeah, it's a crazy ride, Just when you think you have something figured out.

00:39:32.369 --> 00:39:35.436
Just when you think you have it mapped out, here comes something totally different.

00:39:35.436 --> 00:39:39.456
When you're hell-bent and convinced on a direction, you end up in a whole different place.

00:39:39.456 --> 00:39:42.175
It's hard to understand.

00:39:42.175 --> 00:39:48.900
I often have conversations with people that say my life was figured out and it was absolutely great.

00:39:48.900 --> 00:39:53.219
And here I am, miles apart, a whole world apart from where I once was.

00:39:54.561 --> 00:39:55.023
It's crazy.

00:39:55.023 --> 00:40:01.219
It's crazy the roads that we can be taken down and it's all in the palm of our hands.

00:40:01.219 --> 00:40:06.141
It all comes down to our decision making and how we read and react and respond to things.

00:40:06.141 --> 00:40:10.860
But there's also so many things that are completely out of our control.

00:40:10.860 --> 00:40:18.438
But if you spend your life worrying and stressing about the things that are out of your control, then all you're going to do is lose control.

00:40:18.438 --> 00:40:26.795
I don't know why a one-year birthday has me reflecting on the wildness of life, but it certainly does.

00:40:26.795 --> 00:40:43.398
When I just stop and think about the time that's been, since the last time I saw my dad to the 365 days that passed since my little girl was welcomed into this world, it's crazy.

00:40:43.398 --> 00:40:54.978
I can't imagine to think how depressed and different I might feel if she wasn't here and I just endured the past two years that I did.

00:40:56.061 --> 00:40:56.282
Yeah.

00:40:59.251 --> 00:41:17.405
It's like you said, that distraction, you know, finding out right after my father's passing, finding out on his birthday that we were about to be parents, then that nine months, you know, and then now having her here for the 12 months all that changed our lives.

00:41:17.405 --> 00:41:25.003
All of that changed our directions and our outlooks and and how we view the world and how we feel and process things.

00:41:25.003 --> 00:41:37.864
And without that, without that major occurrence in our life, without this biggest accomplishment in our life, how would we have handled the past year we just went through?

00:41:39.831 --> 00:41:43.501
Yeah, because one nine, you found out you're going to be a dad, and nine one she came.

00:41:45.931 --> 00:41:50.541
We have gone through the past two or three years of our life.

00:41:50.541 --> 00:41:56.242
Our lives have been some of the most challenging times I ever could have imagined.

00:41:56.242 --> 00:42:02.398
I don't know if I am completely with it.

00:42:02.398 --> 00:42:06.445
Without her being a part of our life, does that make sense?

00:42:06.445 --> 00:42:14.782
Yeah, I don't know if I have the same strength and commitments and desires if she's not here.

00:42:14.782 --> 00:42:15.965
I don't know.

00:42:15.965 --> 00:42:17.956
I don't know how I respond to all these things.

00:42:17.956 --> 00:42:18.438
I don't know.

00:42:18.438 --> 00:42:36.181
I like to think that I come out of those situations just as positive, but there's something about trying to be optimistic and build a positive life for your daughter that makes you brush a lot of shit off your shoulders.

00:42:36.630 --> 00:42:38.195
I think it has for me anyway.

00:42:38.195 --> 00:42:42.360
I don't know about you, but for me it has a lot to do with her softness.

00:42:42.360 --> 00:43:01.690
You can have the worst day, the worst shit show happen or the worst like encounter, but then the moment that you like interact with her, it could be like an hour later, a few hours later or even minutes after.

00:43:01.690 --> 00:43:16.833
Her softness and like the way that she just like looks at everybody and she doesn't have any reason to judge people or have any like Okay, I broke something.

00:43:16.833 --> 00:43:19.420
My God.

00:43:19.670 --> 00:43:22.480
And I did not mean to interrupt that touching moment.

00:43:22.809 --> 00:43:25.297
Yeah, you didn't want me to say what I was going to say.

00:43:25.318 --> 00:43:38.530
No, you can say it, I just didn't realize it was a cowboy boot to the right of me, yeah it's probably broken now yeah, probably please proceed, but with as much energy as I don't even know what I was gonna say anymore all right, lord, I apologize.

00:43:38.530 --> 00:43:40.333
I didn't intend for this to happen.

00:43:40.333 --> 00:43:48.137
I was, I was listening and I was staring at you like this, and then I took my arm and I placed it right here.

00:43:48.217 --> 00:43:49.980
You're like a boner in a china shop.

00:43:49.980 --> 00:43:52.552
This is why we can't have nice things.

00:43:52.552 --> 00:43:53.295
We have a baby.

00:43:53.831 --> 00:43:57.315
We have bulldogs and I have a husband.

00:43:57.315 --> 00:44:00.954
I want to agree with everything you're saying.

00:44:01.094 --> 00:44:02.271
I don't even know what I was saying.

00:44:02.291 --> 00:44:03.416
I'm going to tell you what you were saying.

00:44:03.489 --> 00:44:05.378
I'm going to get along with it.

00:44:05.378 --> 00:44:08.534
She hasn't been corrupted by the world.

00:44:08.534 --> 00:44:17.516
If you watch the news and you see depressing stuff and you look at that little baby girl, she has no clue what's going on in the world.

00:44:17.811 --> 00:44:18.351
She doesn't care.

00:44:18.351 --> 00:44:19.717
The world is positive.

00:44:19.737 --> 00:44:20.679
The world is precious.

00:44:21.851 --> 00:44:23.257
Everyone is a nice person.

00:44:26.351 --> 00:44:32.271
We've never lived in a scarier time in this world's existence than we have right now in my opinion.

00:44:32.271 --> 00:44:39.036
As far as we know, maybe getting chased by dinosaurs and stuff like that pretty scary too, I guess our lifetime, yeah, our lifetime.

00:44:39.056 --> 00:44:41.722
Let's go with a scary man, I don't.

00:44:41.722 --> 00:44:48.443
I don't know if, after the past week, I don't know if I'll ever feel comfortable letting our little girl go to school.

00:44:48.443 --> 00:44:49.288
You know what I mean?

00:44:49.288 --> 00:44:55.382
Yeah, like you kiss your child and drop them off to school and then you never see them again.

00:44:55.382 --> 00:45:00.079
You're watching these things unfold on the news.

00:45:00.079 --> 00:45:06.063
You're watching Christians being attacked yet again by a wild transgender shooter.

00:45:07.309 --> 00:45:09.016
Whose mom works at the school.

00:45:09.969 --> 00:45:21.315
You're seeing all this chaos happen, people's lives being ripped apart, and then you look at your little baby girl who just sees everything with so much love and all you want to do is protect her.

00:45:22.018 --> 00:45:22.398
Mm-hmm.

00:45:23.851 --> 00:45:28.675
But, like you said, you're having that bad day, you're struggling with something and she doesn't understand it.

00:45:28.675 --> 00:45:30.998
She doesn't have time for it.

00:45:33.070 --> 00:45:37.195
But she's certain to say hi and it just melts you.

00:45:37.195 --> 00:45:48.384
She gives you a smile and a wave and that 20 minutes ago shit show that I was just dealing with doesn't even matter, doesn't even count.

00:45:48.384 --> 00:46:02.690
Yeah, I might have been flustered and mad at that moment, but you know, the moment that I look at her and she just cracks that smile and just gives you that like what do you call it dopamine?

00:46:02.690 --> 00:46:06.255
Dose of dopamine?

00:46:06.856 --> 00:46:17.460
it's it's wild that people say like oh, your life's gonna change, and we always assume that like your habits and the things that you do and the places you go.

00:46:17.500 --> 00:46:23.070
Maybe that's gonna change, or like you're not gonna do some of the things you'd love to do, but that's not the case for us.

00:46:23.070 --> 00:46:27.097
I truly feel like our lives changed for all the right reasons.

00:46:27.097 --> 00:46:30.264
Our lives changed because we made those choices.

00:46:30.264 --> 00:46:41.079
I've given up on things that I once loved to do, because I now have something in my life that I just love that much more, and that's what changes in your life.

00:46:41.079 --> 00:46:49.135
You find purpose in your life, you find reason in your life and you really ultimately, just create a new life.

00:46:49.576 --> 00:46:52.561
And's in it what's that?

00:46:52.782 --> 00:47:22.465
and she's in it yeah and for all those reasons, we've got the opportunity to celebrate with each and every one of you listening right now episode 269 269 consecutive weeks of Shadows Ruggle Podcast, and this week was dedicated to our beautiful baby girl turning one year old, as she's stretching out and chilling out in her blue EPJs, throwing a ruckus.

00:47:25.231 --> 00:47:25.894
She's sleeping?

00:47:25.916 --> 00:47:39.445
Yeah, man, she's so peaceful, she's sweeping, yeah, man she's so peaceful couple years ago, I never imagined this was my life, you know me neither pal, but I wouldn't change it for the world nope.

00:47:41.318 --> 00:47:43.809
I'd happily snuggle here and record the podcast.

00:47:43.809 --> 00:47:48.880
With this baby any day, I mean shit, what 300 and whatever.

00:47:48.880 --> 00:47:52.436
With this baby any day, I mean shit, what 300 and whatever.

00:47:52.436 --> 00:47:55.934
Many episodes ago, we were doing it with a newborn in our arms.

00:47:56.275 --> 00:47:56.496
Yeah.

00:47:57.378 --> 00:47:58.242
We had just got home.

00:47:58.570 --> 00:48:06.141
We're going to have to go back and listen to some of those you know what I mean the chaos.

00:48:06.141 --> 00:48:14.699
Go back and listen to the think, like the struggle in our voice when the nervousness and those times that things are about to happen.

00:48:14.699 --> 00:48:25.818
You know, like that's one of the things that I I love about the podcast and one of the reasons why we've been so committed to the podcast is the legacy, the lessons, the story.

00:48:25.818 --> 00:48:33.456
We are recording our life's journey week after week, selfishly, even if nobody ever listened to this show.

00:48:34.960 --> 00:48:35.521
She'll have it.

00:48:36.021 --> 00:48:36.463
She'll have it.

00:48:36.463 --> 00:48:37.753
She'll have everything about us.

00:48:39.518 --> 00:48:40.081
And her papa.

00:48:40.081 --> 00:48:45.240
Which Earl better get to say in Meemaw or we're in trouble?

00:48:45.610 --> 00:48:50.059
She better start saying Meemaw, or we're in a lot of trouble she already says papa, and that's your dad.

00:48:53.722 --> 00:49:01.282
Yeah, it's a wild world, people, but I truly want to thank each and every one of you because y'all have impacted us in such a positive way.

00:49:01.282 --> 00:49:28.099
You continue to listen, week after week, which continues to create the platform and the opportunity for us to share our stories and pass on our history and create our legacy that hopefully, someday my little girl is going to be able to look back and listen to you and say, man, this is what my parents were like, this was the fear, this was the excitement, this was the joy, the heartache, this was all of it.

00:49:28.490 --> 00:49:37.286
I can hear all of it and I also think that it's important for her to be able to hear our voice again.

00:49:37.286 --> 00:49:57.601
God forbid something happens to us yeah there's an opportunity for her to listen back and hear us, hear our interaction with one another, about whatever topic we're talking about, the way that we talk about each other, because I cherish a voicemail that I have on my phone of Meme from years ago.

00:49:58.231 --> 00:49:59.597
I don't like thinking about those things.

00:49:59.597 --> 00:50:04.269
I know, but I'm just saying Because I always feel like I'm going to jinx myself with something ridiculous.

00:50:04.692 --> 00:50:06.016
Knock on some wood, you'll be fine.

00:50:06.016 --> 00:50:10.911
You're superstitious ridiculous.

00:50:10.931 --> 00:50:24.492
Knock on some wood, you'll be fine, you're superstitious, but, um, that's all I ever want for her is to have that, because there's nothing I wouldn't give to be able to turn on my radio and listen to my, my dad or my grandfather share stories you know right um my mom and my dad telling stories 20 years ago.

00:50:24.512 --> 00:50:56.875
What I wouldn't do to hear that all over again and because each and every one of these listeners that are listening each week, that are, you know, tuning in and continuing to be a part of the show and to help it grow, they're helping to provide this platform and this opportunity that someday is going to be there for her and I hope that, along the way, our story and our journey helps inspire, you know, other young parents you know, not that I'm young at all, but maybe even parents in my position that maybe I mean, it's kind of the cool thing right now to be in your late thirties and early forties and having kids.

00:50:57.456 --> 00:50:58.539
I've met a lot of them.

00:50:59.262 --> 00:51:50.505
Um, but, giving other people the courage, maybe you're out there thinking maybe it is too late for me to have a kid, and you hear us and say maybe it isn't, maybe now is the right time, and there's all these different things out there that hopefully this is positivity and encouragement for the people that are listening and you hope that this journey and these struggles that we've subscribed to and committed to to build this brand is someday going to be a roadmap and a life path for others to build their own success, because I truly do feel that someday, some way, somehow this is going to come true for us, and these things are going to happen for us and for people to go back and listen to the early days, the struggling days, the ups and downs, turnarounds, all the signs that said stop here, that we just ran through all those things.

00:51:50.505 --> 00:51:58.679
I hope they're food and just inspiration for each and every one of you that are out there listening that this, too, shall pass.

00:51:58.679 --> 00:52:02.255
Keep your foot on the gas, and all good things will come, you know.

00:52:03.016 --> 00:52:04.778
It's true, I agree.

00:52:05.820 --> 00:52:06.661
Amen, hallelujah.

00:52:06.661 --> 00:52:07.382
Where's the Tylenol?

00:52:08.965 --> 00:52:09.547
I don't get it.

00:52:09.547 --> 00:52:11.690
You got a bag of it.

00:52:11.690 --> 00:52:13.416
You need some Tylenol, old man.

00:52:13.717 --> 00:52:14.498
Christmas vacation.

00:52:15.451 --> 00:52:16.213
Yeah, I know.

00:52:16.253 --> 00:52:16.675
It's coming.

00:52:17.130 --> 00:52:19.257
I know your daughter's already obsessed with the DVD.

00:52:20.443 --> 00:52:22.389
Well, she's your kid.

00:52:22.389 --> 00:52:24.378
You watch your Hallmark movies before you know it.

00:52:24.378 --> 00:52:26.117
Cinda Rilla.

00:52:27.590 --> 00:52:30.036
Cinda's my aunt's name, and she too is dead.

00:52:31.289 --> 00:52:36.882
Man, I wish you wouldn't just throw all these dead names in my face.

00:52:36.882 --> 00:52:38.677
You are throwing them in my face.

00:52:38.677 --> 00:52:40.335
I'm just having a conversation.

00:52:40.769 --> 00:52:42.675
Well, you called me Bob and Cinda in this.

00:52:43.760 --> 00:52:46.213
Rella, and I wouldn't call you Bob.

00:52:46.213 --> 00:52:47.898
I said Uncle Bob, bob's, your uncle.

00:52:49.019 --> 00:52:49.782
You call her Bob.

00:52:49.782 --> 00:52:51.175
Oh my gosh, she calls me Bub.

00:52:51.175 --> 00:52:54.713
Anyways, we are way off topic.

00:52:55.496 --> 00:52:57.818
at this point, there's only one thing left to do.

00:52:59.708 --> 00:53:00.010
Something.

00:53:00.010 --> 00:53:07.603
Hallelujah, give me the tie on all Until next time, thank you.

00:53:07.603 --> 00:53:13.155
For supporting Little Paisley Reigns Paisley.

00:53:13.175 --> 00:53:13.978
Reign American Dream.

00:53:14.297 --> 00:53:20.476
American Dream Go wash, go wash, your filthy hands, your filthy hands.

00:53:20.898 --> 00:53:21.659
You filthy animal.

00:53:21.659 --> 00:53:29.686
You filthy animal Can't swear on the baby's episode.

00:53:29.686 --> 00:53:47.190
That's it and that's all Biggie Smalls.

00:53:47.190 --> 00:53:56.759
If you're a Loud, proud American and you find yourself just wanting more, find me on YouTube and Facebook at loud, proud American Put a face page, as my mama calls it.

00:53:56.759 --> 00:54:03.961
If you're a fan of the Graham Cracker, you want to find me on Instagram, or all the kids by tickety-talking on the TikTok.

00:54:03.961 --> 00:54:11.423
You can find me on both of those at loud, underscore, proud, underscore, american.

00:54:11.423 --> 00:54:27.742
A big old thank you to the boys from the Gut Truckers for the background beats and the theme song to this year's podcast.

00:54:27.742 --> 00:54:33.896
If you are enjoying what you're hearing, you can track down the Gut Truckers on Facebook Just search Gut Truckers.

00:54:52.163 --> 00:54:56.585
Give them motherfuckers a like too.

00:54:56.666 --> 00:54:59.447
I truly thank you for supporting my American dream.

00:54:59.447 --> 00:55:02.255
Now go wash your fucking hands, you filthy savage.