Born in the USA: July 4th & The World Cup

In this episode of the Hey, Are You Still There? podcast, Mike and Beth Gianopulos discuss Beth’s first week at her new job after spending more than 20 years with the same organization. They explore the emotional challenges of a major career transition, the realities of remote work onboarding, and how professional change impacts marriage, family life, and personal identity.

The conversation dives into the unexpected emotions that come with leaving a long-term workplace, the lack of closure that can accompany a remote job transition, and the challenges of learning new systems, technology, and workplace culture. Beth shares firsthand experiences from her first week, including onboarding overload, adapting to new expectations, and navigating the ups and downs of starting over professionally.

Mike and Beth also discuss ministry sabbaticals, church culture, community outreach, and the importance of generosity in action. They reflect on a visit to Mount Moriah Outreach Center and share a powerful example of a church meeting practical needs in real time.

Along the way, they review the mystery series Widow’s Bay, weigh in on the viral World Cup “Country Roads” debate, celebrate the beauty of West Virginia, and uncover surprising Fourth of July facts that highlight just how young the United States is compared to much of the world.

Topics include:
 • Career change after 20 years
 • Remote work challenges and onboarding
 • Workplace transitions and professional growth
 • Ministry sabbatical experiences
 • Black Church culture
 • Acts of generosity and service
 • Widow’s Bay review
 • FIFA World Cup
 • West Virginia and “Country Roads”
 • Fourth of July history and American trivia

If you’re navigating a job change, adjusting to remote work, balancing faith and family, or simply enjoy meaningful conversations mixed with humor and current events, this episode is for you.

And if you’re in the Greensboro area, come see Mike compete in the Ultimate Comic Challenge on July 10 at 8:00 PM at The Idiot Box!

Transcript

America Turns 250 Tomorrow

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another edition and a very special. I guess this would be a um 250th America Celebration edition of the Hey Are You Still There podcast. This is Mike. And Beth. And Beth, are you excited about the country turning 250?

SPEAKER_02 0:22

Very. No, um, I don't want to be mean, and I promise I don't mean this in a terrible way. But I've had so much going on in my life. If people hadn't posted some stuff like 250 this or said stuff, I wouldn't have even known. And then because of your ranting podcast, I knew. But I mean, I'm just saying, and I don't mean that. I think it's great, but my I think there are just times in your own life when you're so consumed with your own stuff, it's hard to take notice.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

Yeah, you don't have time for somebody else's birthday party because you're too busy just trying to live life, trying to keep your own head afloat.

SPEAKER_02 0:53

Yes, you're being sarcastic. No, that look you're giving me. You're giving me judgy eyes.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Well, let's talk about your busy life, Beth. Um, this is we we are a little, I guess, late posting the podcast this week, but part of that was because we recorded a travel episode.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:09

Bonus travel episode. The other part was because I wanted to kind of get closer to July 4th, in case people were traveling on Friday or Saturday and they wanted to listen to our podcast.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

But I bet they are listeners, yes. I'm sure you're all out there wanting to in our international audience, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Who could carry less about the U.S. turning 250? There's pubs in Europe older than our country. Yeah, exactly. And but the main reason is you've been

First Week At A New Job

SPEAKER_00 1:36

busy at work. This is your first week as a Emory University employee.

SPEAKER_02 1:41

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Is it has it been everything you thought it would be and more?

SPEAKER_02 1:45

No. I don't even know what I thought it would be. So that's been the weird thing about this is like the whole window from my previous job that I've been at 20 years. I wish that I could express to people the range of emotions that were felt and just how surreal and bizarre it felt at times. And then starting this new job, the same thing. So I'll be going there in person for two weeks. But this is, well, granted, I haven't changed jobs in 20 years. So of course I haven't changed a job that's partially remote in 20 years. But I had already cleaned out my office at my old job. So on Monday, even when I was looking at the camera. Now, granted, there are some changes because we're rearranging my desk, doing some things to kind of psychologically. Emory's letting you upgrade a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

They've they sent some good stuff.

SPEAKER_02 2:37

Yeah, they sent some good equipment. So I'll get to that. But say Atrium didn't.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

They were sending you like 10-year-old computers that was on Windows XP.

SPEAKER_02 2:46

I had like these old, old monitors that barely worked and was trying to scavenge to get equipment. But but we're trying to, I felt like I needed some sort of break. And the reason I say that is in this virtual world, it's literally because I cleaned out my office, I'd have my goodbye lunches with everybody, which were very emotional and stuff. The last day of work, I'm just there. I'm going to meetings, you know, I end the meetings, I send some emails. I kept thinking, have I gotten everything off this computer I need? Like, you know, all my appointments for the future, my contacts. Did I download stuff I needed out of like workday, which is like our employee record? And then I just turn off the computer and I put that computer to the side because I'm gonna have to meet with McLean, my boss, or Chris or Kristen or somebody, you know, to give them that computer. But then it was just like Monday when I got on. In some ways, I was like, this is the exact same, you know, you haven't changed, you're not commuting to a different location. You haven't physically changed offices that you're redecorating. So I'm like, these are just different people on a screen. And I mean, now that that's one piece of it. Now, of course, there's the aspect of meeting all the new people, figuring out how to do everything. And some of these things are going to sound so silly, but you have a new computer and they use Zoom a lot. We used Teams all the time. I don't, I'm not as familiar with Zoom, you know. So there's just little things you're trying to figure out, having to get all your new benefits, having to do all the onboarding training, in addition to Title IX training and cybersecurity training and all this stuff. So all this stuff's flying at me. So that's not to say it's not overwhelming, but starting a job, at least when you're ending the other job and starting the job on remote weeks, is a very bizarre feeling because in some ways nothing changes. You're walking to the same desk, you're at the your laptop may have changed, your equipment may be a little different, but everything else is the same. So it's just really a strange, strange thing.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

Yeah, somebody asked me how your last day went. And I was like, I think it felt kind of anticlimactic, you know? Very much that.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

There was nothing that was like But I think you're right.

SPEAKER_00 5:08

I think it's the old where you're not in office anymore. Yeah. Where before you'd you envision this like idea of I'm carrying out a box that has memories in it, and people were giving me goodbye hugs, and I'm walking out to the car one last time, or the old television show where you turn and look over your shoulder and turn out the light, you know?

SPEAKER_02 5:29

But you don't have that. Or I'd already had that. So I cleaned out my office. And unfortunately for me, the day I cleaned out my office, it was a Friday. No one was there anyway. And so that and because I have to park parking's a nightmare on the main campus and everything, and I'd always worked on the tenth floor of this building and parking. I had to carry all my stuff. I had to get it in bags and boxes, and it's hot and I'm sweating. And so literally, I just left stuff in the office. I was just like, I threw away a bunch of stuff I normally wouldn't have thrown away, which is good for me because I tend to be sentimental and keep things. No, but I tend to be sentimental and keep things, and then also just left some stuff there and was like, okay, the next person can have some of these decorations or little tidbits. But I did do that to a certain extent that you're saying it was kind of bizarre because, and this is gonna sound silly, but my office, I was always, except for one time right after COVID, we were in a different building called Piedmont Plaza. But prior to that, my office was always on 10th floor Janeway, always. But my office changed. Like I've had three, four, four different offices, I think, on 10th Janeway. Because it used to be when I started there, North Carolina Baptist Hospital was on the right side of the hall, and the school medicine was on the left side. So I was on the right side of the hall for a long time and the left side for the other. But

Goodbye Rituals Without An Office

SPEAKER_02 6:55

one thing that was consistent no matter where my office was, was the bathroom. And so for me, I remember just walking in that bathroom and being like, this is the last time I'll be in this bathroom. And I remember like going in the bathroom and seeing people and chit-chatting, going in the bathroom and crying, going.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

Are y'all on like two different stalls? You're just like talking back and forth?

SPEAKER_02 7:16

Yeah. Guys don't do that.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Are you serious?

SPEAKER_02 7:18

Yeah. Oh my God. What?

SPEAKER_00 7:20

No, guys don't do that.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

Oh, girls do it all the time. Yes. No. And sometimes you're sometimes you're having a deep conversation in the bathroom, so you have to look on the under the stalls to make sure no feet are there to hear your top secret conversation.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

This is grossing me out.

SPEAKER_02 7:34

Why is it gross? You're not on your hands and knees looking. You just bend there and look, or you just check to see if anybody's in there.

SPEAKER_00 7:41

I would say most of the time, a men's public restroom is as quiet as a library. Like, no one talks. There's and then the one, the guy who does talk, everyone's looking at him or looking straight ahead or looking like, get this, just get this guy to shut up.

SPEAKER_02 7:56

No, this isn't just a me thing. Women are in there, they're reap, they might reapply their makeup. You're washing your hands and you're chit-chatting. You're asking how things are, you're running into somebody. You're I mean, and maybe it's the difference because guys don't have stalls, so it's a little weird if you feel like we have stalls. Oh, do you? I don't know. Okay, sorry. I always just picture the urinals lined up.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Because there are urinals. Sometimes there's dividers, sometimes there aren't. That's what I meant.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

There's stalls where well anyway, but yeah, we talk.

SPEAKER_00 8:21

Some guys in there blowing it up.

SPEAKER_02 8:23

Now, you don't talk the whole time necessarily. And it depends on who you're in there with. It's not like the door opens. I'm like, hey, who is it? Let's talk. Let's be friends. I'm Beth. But what I'm saying is, like, we'd be in between meetings. So like I might be really rushed. And so I'd be like, okay, well, I'm gonna step in the restroom. And so we'd be rushing and walking, and we'd just keep talking about whatever we're talking about, and then we'd come back out and go get coffee or whatever. You know, you're making a face. This, okay, this is totally derailing, but this is, I think, a normal girl thing. Maybe you can make this a poll. Like, do you talk to people in the bathroom? Or do the women talk to people in the bathroom?

The Bathroom Talk Culture Shock

SPEAKER_02 8:58

But I say all that to say, also, I, my job, you know, I had family stuff that would happen, life stuff that would happen, but also I had to work on some really tough stuff. Like when I was there, I had to advise some child abuse cases and life cases, all sorts of things that you advise on. So there were also times I would go in the bathroom style just to like cry a little bit or compose myself.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

So see, I see that in the movies, and I just think that's embellished.

SPEAKER_02 9:23

That people did no, I did for real. Like, where else are you gonna do it? I guess I could sit in my office and do it, but like I don't that doesn't know. Uh-uh.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

So like I would just I've used a lot of public restrooms in my life. I have never seen one man in there crying.

SPEAKER_02 9:37

Well, hopefully people didn't see me in the bathroom crying. You're in the stall.

unknown 9:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:42

I don't. I'm just saying it really, I think for women, it really happens because like I would maybe hear some really upsetting facts or about something or something like that. And I would be like, in the meeting, you remain professional, but maybe I feel like I can't carry all that emotion around all day. So then I would go and a few it's not like I'm weeping and I go, I'm not like doing that, like loud crying and snorting and stuff. I'm just saying, but like that was the place.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

And I had to call, and I don't think I told you that. I had to call our friend Laura the other week.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:15

And ask her something. And when she answered, I was I was like, hey, how's it going? She was like, fine. And then she's like, sorry, I'm just I'm I'm just having a girl moment. And immediately, before I could even catch myself, I was like, what does that mean? You're just sitting there crying? Like that was the first thing that came to my mind when she said, I'm having a girl moment.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

That is so sexist.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

You know what she said?

SPEAKER_02 10:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 10:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 10:40

Okay. She was crying. Yeah. Well. Is that sexist? I mean, it's not sexist if it's like having a girl moment doesn't have to mean though it's crying. It may be processing.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

But I was 100% correct.

SPEAKER_02 10:54

Okay, well, in that one instance, maybe next time for me, I'll be like, I'm having a girl moment, and it'll be like I'm having anxiety, or I'm having, I want to punch my husband in the face moment. Well, those will be correct. Okay, but back to bathrooms. So anyway, I just say all that to say I did the other thing that's crazy is well, not much ever got remodeled on our floor or anything, but the bathroom also has looked the same. You know, like nothing changes about it. And so that was one of the, and or walking down the hall, I did have that moment too. The lights were already out because that nobody was there. It was a Friday afternoon.

SPEAKER_00 11:28

You should have turned it on and then looked over your shoulder and turned them out.

SPEAKER_02 11:30

And then turned them off. I know, and had like a dramatic moment and paused. Just think, just like cameras are following me around.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:36

Yeah. But that did walking out. And then when I had my lunches, the legal department took me out and and so did the Office of Faculty Affairs for lunch. And it was just really sweet. Like people just said some really heartfelt things because I I think you forget. Like I think I read to you something somebody wrote on LinkedIn about like me teaching them and inspiring them. And people wrote things about like just things that I'd done over the years. You just go through life and you're just doing life. You don't think about sometimes impacting people or even like I think Kristen and Carissa both shared like the way I advocated for them to get their jobs or different stuff like that, you know, because Carissa was a law student when she came to us. And Kristen, you know, I've worked with her forever. So anyway, that stuff was just very touching to start to think back and be like, oh, I did do this. You know, I I put myself out there to try to fight for these women or to advocate for them or to

Feeling Celebrated And Forgotten

SPEAKER_02 12:40

try to mentor people or stuff like that. So that part felt really nice. But then at the same time, my team's so spread out all over the United States. And like when I say team, the legal department, for example, or even the people I work with, there were other people that I was on calls with. And it was like they didn't even acknowledge that I was leaving. Like it's Thursday, my last day's Friday. We have a long meeting, we talk about cases, and it was just like, bye. There's not even like a thanks for the 20 years, or I can't believe you're leaving. And I think that's why it felt so bizarre because on one hand, I had these people like talking to me about this impact I'd had on them in 20 years. And that made me feel sad and bittersweet to leave and so connected to the organization. And like my 20 years here mattered, you know, like I did things. And then on the other hand, I have these other people who are kind of like, Beth, Beth, who? She's leaving. We didn't even know she was here, you know? And that made me feel irrelevant and as if nothing I had done mattered, you know, and as if everybody would just wake up Monday, you know, Monday this week when I'm not there and would just be like, oh, there was a Beth that worked here for 20 years. Isn't that something? You know, and so I think that's been part of my struggle. And and that's because too, as I think I might have acknowledged here, but as I talked to some people about this, the part that I'm mourning in the place that I work for 20 years has been, I mean, I know people are like, how do you stay somewhere 20 years? I've hit I've worked for four different employers essentially in that 20 years, you know? And in some ways, there's been a lot of steady consistency, but in a lot of ways, there's been a lot of change and a lot of different bosses and a lot of different like personalities to the place and different sizes and different everything. And so I think that was what made it made me feel like a crazy person in some ways because it was like I was on this like bouncing, if you could see what I'm doing my head back and forth, but like bouncing back and forth, you know, on one hand, like loved, made an impact, you know, on people and the place. And then on the other side, like, you know, people don't even know who you are and don't even acknowledge that you're leaving. It just felt strange.

When IT Breaks Your New Laptop

SPEAKER_00 15:10

Now you're out of that environment into the new environment, full time at Emory University.

SPEAKER_02 15:17

So the one bad thing that did happen, Kristen used to always tell me that I she thinks I give off some, I haven't even told her this happened, but electromagnetic field or something that would cause things to break because I'd be at the copier, the scanner, everybody else would have used it and had no problem. And then I would do something. And Kristen would be like, you just need to do this. And I'd be like, I did do that. And then she would come look and she'd be like, I don't know how you just like stand near something and break it, but you do. So my Zoom wasn't like connecting meetings with my calendar. So I got on the phone with IT. What night was that? You were here Wednesday, maybe Tuesday, Wednesday, Wednesday. And he updated some software and was like, Do you mind if I reboot? And I'm like, sure. Well, then when he went to reboot, it never came back on again. Like the computer just it's it's gone. It's nothing's there. So yesterday I had to use like my iPad and my personal computer and try to piece together stuff, which isn't ideal because, and now they're gonna have to like replace the computer or send technical support out to replace the motherboard or something like that. So, anyway, so this is not to say my first week has not been without hiccups. It has, but some of the work I anticipate is gonna be very similar. I think what's interesting is based on my skills and experience, and this job aligns really well with the skills and experience that I bring. It's not gonna be knowing how to do the actual work. The the challenge is gonna be it's all these little things like, okay, my new boss, does he want me to send the stuff to him and then he sends it to the people who ask? Or does he want to be copied on everything? Or does he want me to just do it? You know, like, or my coworkers, when am I supposed to involve certain of them? Who are the people I involve? You know, that's the challenge of it, and just all these new people because this is a role, just like my old role, where you work with a lot of different people because you're doing investigations or advising on performance management, you're doing a lot with a lot of different departments. So it's not like you meet four people and you've got it all covered. So that's gonna be my challenge going in. But it it's it's been good. A lot of people have asked, in some ways, it's just overwhelming. And part of it though, it's not because they've necessarily, it's not because Emery's been overwhelming. It's just starting a new job is overwhelming. You're having to go like, what doctors are covered under a health insurance and which health insurance plan do I want? And what life insurance plan do I want? And what training do I have to do? And oh, I forgot to get a parking pass, you know, for but for parking when I'm there in person. And then I silly things like having to take a picture for my emerald card, which is my ID badge. I had to do it like four times. It got rejected, you know, because I didn't take it the right way. And so it's just you have all these things that you have to do because you're brand new and you're doing all these things in the midst of trying to meet all of these people. Plus, they're already giving me cases and work to do, and you don't know how to do anything. Like, you know, I'm like, where are these files? Like, I don't even know where their files live, you know? So somebody I have to wait for somebody to show me where the files live on the system, stuff like that. So it's just, it's quite the learning curve being somewhere new.

Juggling Career Marriage Family Ministry

SPEAKER_00 18:36

But in some ways, do you ever find yourself this week like just asking, hey, are you still there?

SPEAKER_02 18:42

Oh, all the time. I'm just like, hey, are you still there? Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:49

We say it's about life at the intersection of marriage, family, careers, and ministry.

SPEAKER_02 18:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

And you've now are at a new intersection of careers that's affecting marriage.

SPEAKER_02 19:00

Yes. Family. It's impacting everything. Ministry, everything. Which is one of the things that's so hard about making those choices in your career, because oftentimes they don't just I mean, I've said this before too. If I were single and didn't have anybody else, who knows what types of career decisions I would make. But when you're making career decisions that impact everybody, like I'm gonna have to be traveling for this job. You know?

SPEAKER_00 19:24

I mean, if careers was the only highway you were driving down, you could change lanes and nothing. All the time.

SPEAKER_02 19:28

And the same thing with any of these, if you only had to worry about marriage or family or ministry or just one, maybe. But when you've got all four, you're trying to check, kind of like you're saying with driving, you're having to check in front, behind, left side, right side. And once you've checked the left side, well, that might mean that it's been a while since you checked the right side, you know? So like you're always trying to go back and forth between them all.

SPEAKER_00 19:53

This is a new metaphor. I'm just thinking about for the first time out loud. So this is this is it, you know. Sometimes career has to be in the front, it has to be the lead car.

SPEAKER_01 20:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:00

And uh, but then sometimes you change lanes and marriage takes priority and it's gotta be the lead car.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

So right now for me, ministry is the last car.

SPEAKER_02 20:10

Good thing I'm taking care of that for you. I I know.

SPEAKER_00 20:12

It has been good. Staying connected, yeah. Yeah, I think I'm enjoying I told you last night I'm on this sabbatical, but I don't feel like I've rested once. So I need to do something where I start getting really rested. Yeah. Well, and part of that is because somebody asked me about it, and I said, Well, every time I stop to slow down, Beth gives me something to do. And then when I question it, she says, Well, you're on sabbatical.

SPEAKER_02 20:38

This is why you should have gone away somewhere. I know.

SPEAKER_00 20:41

I I was I'm on sabbatical from ministry, but not you.

SPEAKER_02 20:45

Well, again, but this goes back to it. You're having a sabbatical from one out of the four. You know, you still have the other three fourths. You know, you're still a parent, so you still have to do some of those parent things.

SPEAKER_00 20:57

Well, I'm trying not to.

SPEAKER_02 20:58

Yeah, I know. You've really, I have to remind you all the time. I'm like, okay, we still, you know, because like it was funny because there's a camp that Josh will be doing next week, and I kept asking you questions about the camp, and you're like, I don't know, I'm on sabbatical. And I'm like, these are questions we should know as his parents, like making it.

SPEAKER_00 21:16

I just point out that you should know. You call the people in charge.

SPEAKER_02 21:20

I was like, but you've been going to the city.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

But this is the kind of stuff I'm you're like, Mike, find this out for me. Mike, do this for me.

SPEAKER_02 21:26

Because you're already going to the meetings to help them plan it. You're gonna be participating in the camp. So I'm like, I'm not high level.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

I'm not down in the weeds, I don't know what time they're eating breakfast. Oh goodness.

SPEAKER_02 21:37

Anyway, but that's dealing with that kind of stuff. But that's like, I'm like, that's like you saying to me, like, hey Beth, I know you're gonna be physically with Joshua, but don't ask him on my behalf. Make me call him to ask my questions. That's what I'm saying. I was just saying, since you're already there for part of it. But anyway, I sailed it to say that's part of the issue, though. You're not on sabbatical from life, you're only on. sabbatical from the one piece.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

I need to be on sabbatical from life.

SPEAKER_02 22:04

Good luck finding that.

SPEAKER_00 22:05

I will. Trust me. I'm going to figure out how.

SPEAKER_02 22:09

You did get to go visit another church though, which you thought was fun. That's been some of the stuff you're going to do is visit some other churches and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

Yes.

Sabbatical From Ministry Not Life

SPEAKER_00 22:16

So I did. I went to I'm going to say I think it's my first black church that I'd ever visited.

SPEAKER_02 22:22

Well we went that long you went a long time ago in Atlanta.

SPEAKER_00 22:26

In Atlanta, but even that was kind of a and I'll tell this this is a cool little side story. We did a youth mission trip in downtown Atlanta, inner city mission trip, and the organization we were with took us to Ebenezer Baptist that morning, which is where Martin Luther King Jr. went and they came and they sat us on the front row. Well actually they start thinking about it, they sat us on the second and third rows of this one. And it's a huge church. And all these ladies came down they were all dressed in white, you know, white dresses, white hats. I mean it was it was really cool. And they sat right in front of us. And then during the service at some point they said, all right, now turn around and shake your hand, shake hands with the person around you. And this little black lady goes sitting right in front of me turned around and shook her hand, shook my hand and she said, Thank you for coming. Who are you? And I was like, you know, Mike, Mike Gianopoulos I'm a I'm a youth pastor. I brought my youth group here. And she's like, oh that's great. And then she says I'm Coretta Scott King. Yeah. It was Martin Luther King Jr.'s wife. Yeah. I shook hands with and sat behind in church. That's really cool. But that was a what I I mean it was, yes, it was a black church, but it felt more diverse. You know what I mean? Yeah. And it was a bigger church and it was this was like, you know, 40 people in a little small church in Kernersville, uh Mount Moriah Outreach Center is what they call it.

SPEAKER_02 23:53

And we work with them some through we they have a food ministry separate collaborate.

SPEAKER_00 23:58

Food ministry. That's how I mean the pastor got connected. It's funny Bishop Fulton, I just call him Todd. But Todd and I are are kindred spirits when it comes to ministry. We're doers. You know, we're like if people want to talk about doing ministry, especially their pastors, it's put up or shut up. You know, don't tell me what you are going to do.

SPEAKER_02 24:16

Right. Show me what you're going to do. What you're doing. Or just go do it. You don't even need to show me just go do it.

SPEAKER_00 24:21

And so him and I get along great and we both admit that we don't normally like pastors, but we like each other. And that's probably why you like each other. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:31

And so him and I will meet for breakfast occasionally and it's always a great time. Love, love Bishop Fulton. And he's a little bit older than me, I'm guessing, but maybe close to my age, but maybe maybe a few years older. So when I went on sabbatical, I made a list, a mental list of here's maybe three or four churches I'd like to visit while I'm on sabbatical. You know, with the first chance not really setting a date just saying if I have a free Sunday I want to go there. Well I had a free Sunday this past Sunday and this was the first church on my list.

Visiting A Black Church Unexpectedly

SPEAKER_00 25:02

I was like I want to go to Mount Moriah I want to go surprise Todd. And so I walk in as I I park, I'm going in and there's a a white police officer outside the front door in like dress clothes, but has his gun, has his badge and I'm like, goodness like what like they really You're thinking their security is really one upping us on our security. Yeah. So I go in, I go have a seat, I sit down and then people start coming over. They start coming over greeting me which is really nice. But all of them are like now why are you here? You know, I don't know what they thought, but it was like I was the only white person inside the building at that point. And they were just like so why are you here? Who'd you come with? You know? And every time I was like I'm a friend of Bishop Fulton's I thought I was surprised him this morning. And more than one said oh he'll be surprised I was like all right so when Todd came in he saw me and came right up gave me a big hug and I was sitting probably seven rows back from the phone. He's like oh you can't sit here. You got to come sit on the front row with the other pastors. So he took me and we I sat on the front row between two other pastors and that's where I sat for their a good chunk of the service. And they had the choir was already up there and I mean the choir was unbelievable and they were singing and they started the service and they had different two different choir leaders I would say or congregational leaders get up and lead one man, one woman they would kind of alternate. I mean they did some songs some of them I knew some of them I did not know and so when they finished the music portion the choir's getting down and Todd has been seated Bishop Fulton's been seated in a chair up on the stage like looking at the congregation you know it's like a seat of honor. And as he gets up he motions for me to get up on stage. I'm like what in the world and then he motions and he points at his chair and so I get up there and he's like I want you to sit right here so I had to sit on stage staring at the congregation the entire time he preached like that is not what I wanted. I just wanted I already didn't appear like this is where I belong you know and now I'm sitting there and on the stage and Todd does an amazing message great preacher and when he finishes he's stepping off and a guy's getting up to do offering and Todd walks over to sit down next to me and he says all right when we finish with offering why don't you get up and talk for about five minutes in your life I was like what?

SPEAKER_02 27:41

I have no prepared moral art I just wanted to come here. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

So then I had to get up and talk for five minutes which was totally unplanned.

SPEAKER_02 27:49

But you get to talk about re three and you know I complimented the church.

SPEAKER_00 27:53

I complimented them on their reputation around town you know which was it was all honest and sincere but and but churches like to hear that.

SPEAKER_02 28:00

You know I know people want to hear we recognize just like I just said about my work like you go, you're in this community this church is and not that you're you're not doing it for a pat on the back but I think as human beings and you're not even doing it for affirmation but as human beings especially doing that kind of work like the work of the Hope Center and or the work of that they're doing with giving out food and stuff. I know that sometimes you get discouraged and you're like is anything that we're doing mattering because you don't always get like not only do you not get like a thank you you don't ever get to necessarily see like even our Christmas gift mark people come get the gifts I don't see the kids open the gifts I don't see the kids like play with the gifts you know so like I think people you just you want to feel like what you're doing matters.

SPEAKER_00 28:51

Right.

SPEAKER_02 28:51

Yeah. Yeah and you're not doing it to be seen right but you you want I think it's like an infusion of energy because like for me like if I were like okay I'm worn out and I'm tired do I even keep doing this well you might talk yourself out of it. Like you have those negative voices that are like nothing you're doing matters or it didn't make an impact or whatever. But if you have somebody come that sincerely is telling you what you're doing matters. I see it. You know like not and it doesn't even have to be anybody important just we see it. It matters that can be that infusion of like encouragement or energy people need to keep going. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:31

And it was and I came home and I told you I was like it was the most fun church service I've been to in years. Because they had a lot of energy and I'm not and and we have a nice church service at at Read Three Church. Yeah. It's it's fine. You know it's really good Tim and Faith and Lord they all do a great job. But there was just a different energy level here. Yeah and it was so different culturally than I'm used to.

SPEAKER_01 29:53

Right.

SPEAKER_00 29:54

A couple things and I'll wrap up this little part real quick. I don't think I told you this I I got I got an amen I got a bunch of amans and clap and applause for you. Which you usually don't get which I don't get uh and I was like I could get used to this yeah Mike's gonna be I like audience response you know yeah and as long as it's not ridiculous response or critical response right yeah um so when I got up yeah I'm pretty good on my feet I mean I can you know I think it's that improv clash is that improv I could do crowd work as a comedy if I wanted to if I didn't think so lowly of it but now that I'm a snobby comedian of course you are but I got up and and the first thing I said I mean all this is coming to me as I'm up there I got up there and I'm like I said here I thought I could just sit in the back corner and nobody would notice me. Everybody started laughing right because obviously I stand out a little bit yeah and I was like but I was like Bishop Fulton wasn't having none of that. I was like he took me from the back row to the front row and everybody started laughing. And then I said isn't that what Jesus does? Jesus takes us from the back row to the front row and they erupted. They're like oh preach it amen preach it and I'm like that was a good line yeah like Jesus takes us from the back row to the front row.

SPEAKER_02 31:12

If this were part of your con me stand up bit you'd be telling me to sit down everything and pay attention because you had a new bit. So yeah absolutely but no it was really good.

SPEAKER_00 31:21

It was like I was like all right I got them now and then I could talk it was it was really good. I mean I it was flawless five minutes I mean I can talk that's fine. The other thing that as an introvert two things that killed me one was at the very end of service Bishop Fulton gets up and he's like all right if you're a visitor here today and I was expecting just like thanks for coming yeah because that's what we would do. Yeah but he was like stand up give us your name and tell us why you're here what brought you here yeah and I was like oh there's no way I would stand up and sure enough this guy stood up he's like I'm so and so I'm here with my wife we were invited by so and so and it's been a wonderful service. And I thought this is a cultural thing you know like they don't mind calling each other out or doing this kind of thing. Like they create this open environment where this is expected.

SPEAKER_02 32:12

Well it's a cultural thing and also though like we've talked about too I do think we've talked about somehow the church can take on partially the personality of the leader or the leaders and I think you wouldn't do that because that makes you uncomfortable that would make you uncomfortable. So you're not going to ask other people for Toddy sounds more extroverted and things so that and culturally he's used to that so that doesn't make him uncomfortable so he would do it.

SPEAKER_00 32:41

And I think that's another interesting thing we pick up when we did like in Todd's sermon is he did a whole lot of turn to your neighbor and say yeah and so you know he was talking about whatever he was be like turn to your neighbor and say you ain't all that yeah everybody laugh you ain't all that but then later be like all right turn to your neighbor and say God can use you. Yeah by turning God can use you.

SPEAKER_01 33:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:02

And so that was cool.

A Public Moment Of Generosity

SPEAKER_00 33:04

And then the other part that I found as an introvert it made me cringe but it was beautiful it was it was very nice was the keyboardist gentleman who was there playing keyboards a great keyboard player. At the very end Todd was going over some things announcements or whatnot and he was he turned he's like it's great to have brother so and so back today. He's been out he had a medical procedure he's like how'd everything go? You feeling all right and the guy was like yeah man I'm doing great praise God you know da and and Todd was like tell everybody what you have he's like I had a heart catheterization. He's like all right he's like he's like now you been out of work he's like yeah he was like have you got FMLA? Has that been approved yet? And the guy said no I hadn't got it approved yet which I almost went and gave him your name but like call my wife she can help you out with that and then Todd said well let's do this. He was like come down front and he had the guy come down front he's like grab an offering bucket he grabbed an offering bucket he's like you stand right here in front he was like I know somebody break out in a song he was like and we're gonna I want y'all to come down and bless brother so and so and give him some money and somebody just started singing in the congregation and people got out and they came and dropped a dollar $20 whatever like into this bucket for this man and this man did sit there and just hold it. Yeah you know like that takes great humility.

SPEAKER_02 34:20

That would be the hard part would be the standing there and the holding it to your point. But but that's a lesson in life too sometimes you got to ask for help and accept help. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:29

Yeah and you tell Todd it this wasn't planned he just was like he felt led to by the spirit let's do this let's bless this guy and we're gonna bless him and you know I don't care if I don't care if he feels embarrassed he's gonna do it. And the guy didn't seem embarrassed. The guy seemed very very thankful and moved but it was really cool. So the funny part on my way out the other white guy the cop stopped me and and he said hey thanks for being here today he was like don't ever come back and I was like okay and he's like I've worked hard to be the token white guy here. I don't need you taking my space which was pretty funny.

SPEAKER_02 35:03

But tell I thought it was cool how he ended up there.

SPEAKER_00 35:06

Yeah so then he told me his story is he started out he he's a detective for the sheriff's department but he would come there and just help direct traffic and do some things as a volunteer to help with because they do their food giveaway as a drive-thru. So they had like 300 cars that come through and they load the food into the cars and people keep on going. And then he started volunteering actually handing out the food and he just fell in love with the people and started going to church there. Which is really cool. He goes to church there every Sunday he he dresses like he does like he's going to work and he's dressed in his suit gun badge and obviously he is a greeter slash security yeah you know but but it was really cool that this guy came and was like I I love what they're doing. I love Bishop Fulton this is where I want to come to church.

SPEAKER_02 35:51

Which is another cool thing when you see that kind of stuff happen too which we've talked about like at the Hope Center and stuff like people we do all kinds of things as churches as quote outreach. I mean not to be bad about outreach out you got to have outreach. You want to be in the community but you have a lot of things and no one ever like year after year no one ever comes based on it. But it's always cool when you're just doing something organically you normally do and somebody sees it likes it and comes to your church.

SPEAKER_00 36:18

Yeah and I didn't even tell you this I was walking out and this younger girl walked out I'm gonna guess she's probably late 20s and she was like tell me about your food your food pantry and I was telling her and she was like my sorority is really active we're service based and she started she named the sorority and their colors and stuff and she was like you ever let like groups like that come over and serve? I was like yeah we've actually had some sororities come over and volunteer at the at the Hope Center. So she was like oh I want she was like I'm gonna look you up I'll give you my number and she was like I want to come do that. And she's like y'all do mission and she evidently as I was talking looked us up on her phone. Yeah she was like I saw y'all do mission trips too and I was like yeah and she was like well where y'all go and I was telling her and she was like I don't know where she works but wherever she works gives her a paid week off a year what? To go do volunteer service.

SPEAKER_02 37:10

Sign me up for the what's this job.

SPEAKER_00 37:12

I'm looking for I know right and so she was like I get a week off to do this kind of stuff and or she gets 40 hours. You can spread it out.

SPEAKER_02 37:20

That's the hardest thing I think for most people about the mission trips. Like I've talked to people in America you start off you get two weeks of vacation it's hard to say I'm gonna use a week of my vacation and probably what it is is they give her five days.

SPEAKER_00 37:32

Yes it's here's five service days you can use a year out and volunteer at a school one day or whatever or something once a quarter whatever you want to do which then when you think about it that way it doesn't sound right but if she can use them all at one time which it sounded like she was like I want to go on one of your mission trips. I was like come on like that'd be great. So yeah we don't know we might have somebody there from Mount Mariah Outreach Center that wants to come.

SPEAKER_02 37:55

Yeah which is really cool. Yeah which is actually what we envisioned for Re3 originally was not that it would be just mission and service trips. That's one of the things people ask me all the time can people not in your church go? And I'm like yes you know like we had entire anybody can go on our mission trips yeah and because so many smaller churches like that they excel and have strengths in so many things but they won't have enough people with the knowledge or ability or time off or what have you to get enough people together to go on trips. And so we know that because we've been small and had that and so we want we want to be that hub or whatever so people could come with us. If their church can't offer it it's not like leave your church and come to our church. It's just come with us on this trip and serve. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:40

Yeah yeah so yeah that was that was my big weekend experience. That was a lot of fun.

Widow's Bay Becomes Our New Obsession

SPEAKER_01 38:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:46

So I've had another experience this week that now I'm pulling you into that is a new amazing TV show.

SPEAKER_02 38:53

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 38:53

Okay yeah Widow's Bay Yeah if you're not watching Widow's Bay you gotta watch it.

SPEAKER_02 39:00

If you it's on Apple TV I didn't want to be mean but the way you described it I was not interested in it. I don't know why just as like I don't you you made it sound scary which made me think that then if that that was something if I watched it alone I'd be afraid to go to sleep. It's not that scary. It is better to watch at night. Yeah it's creepy though.

SPEAKER_00 39:19

Yeah it's suspenseful it's uh yeah it's a mystery and it's and it's a kind of a dark comedy there's definitely funny stuff in it.

SPEAKER_02 39:26

Yeah and it's got some really nice neat characters cricket characters are great.

SPEAKER_00 39:31

There's not one unlikable character in the show. They're really it yeah so yeah it just came out in April I think and they released I think an episode a week and so it just there's 10 episodes and so it just finished a couple weeks ago. It is the hot new show. Everybody's talking about it I drank the Kool-Aid and thought I would watch it I don't know if I've technically ever binged a show I binged this show. I watched all 10 episodes in two days.

SPEAKER_02 39:56

Which is crazy because when you got up here and you we started watching it I said what episode are you on expecting you to say like four and you're like I've seen it all I was like what?

SPEAKER_00 40:06

And I'm enjoying it just as much the second time as I did the first because now I'm catching all this stuff that I didn't see before. I'm like oh they were giving these like breadcrumbs that if you knew but you won't know there's no way you would know but now looking back it's very sixth sense like where you're like oh I should have seen that.

SPEAKER_02 40:23

But I'm glad it does that that you've told me that in advance because the one criticism I have about some of these shows that I've watched in the past, I love shows like that that are a puzzle to be soft. Even like one of the OG was probably like lost back in the day when we watched Lost. But by the end of that series you got the impression that some of the stuff that was happening on that show, they didn't even know why it was happening. They're just they're just making it up as a what can we have really weird happen and creepy and let's put it in you know like I want there to be from the writer's perspective a reason the same thing we were watching Yellow Jackets. Now I don't know how it's gonna end but I'm hopeful that the things that we've seen are going to be explained and make sense because we just read this book for my book club and it was sort of like a mystery type solve it book. But I was talking about that too normally I hate those books. And the reason is I feel like they have all these people and you're like oh it could be this person it could be that person it could be this person but they drop a lot of hints that are meant just to intentionally distract you. Yeah. And I'm like I and I know life has those things so I'm not saying you don't have other things in there but I like the shows that actually it's all driving towards a bigger purpose the story is so that if you did pay attention you might be able to connect some of the dots and stuff as opposed to somebody randomly like let's just throw a bunch of weird stuff in there and then at the end we'll surprise you with who did it right going back and rewatching it with you and and now this is really fresh because I just watched it like Sunday Monday.

SPEAKER_00 42:00

Yeah I don't know something like that. Going back and rewatching it with you I can there is not one wasted line. Every single thing that happens in this show happens for a reason. There's no there's just not there's not any red herrings there's not any like at the end you're not like well why in the world did this happen? It is amazing and so it is it's a darn near perfect show. It is so good. And you watched the first episode and I was like what you think and you're like it's okay.

SPEAKER_02 42:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:33

And now what do you think?

SPEAKER_02 42:34

Now I want to keep watching it I can see why somebody would binge watch it because each episode it ends and you're like okay I really want to know what happens or I really want this explained.

SPEAKER_00 42:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:42

Yeah so it's really good.

SPEAKER_00 42:44

So I don't think I told you this the girl who developed that show like her name's like Katie Leopold or something like that. She wrote this screenplay script 20 years ago and she wrote it to submit to Parks and Rec, the TV show to apply for a writer's job. They wanted her to submit some type show us give us something that you've written she wrote this and gave it to them. This was her sample essay kind of thing like here look I can write here's what I've written up here's in my you know and they hired her on that and she ended up being a writer for Parts and Rec and wrote like 30 some episodes of Parts and Rec. Oh okay and so so now 20 years later she's developed this into a television show. And that's why I said when you're asking me like how you describe it I'm like it's part Stephen King part Stranger Things part parts and Rick.

SPEAKER_01 43:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:41

Because the characters are very parts and she has kind of that darker humor.

SPEAKER_01 43:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:48

And I saw somebody online post I thought this was a good point that good thing they said Widow's Bay is what Parts and Rick would have been if it was told through April Ludwig's eyes

SPEAKER_01 44:00

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:00

You know, because she's so dark and just kind of like you know, like if you were looking at Parsons Rec through her eyes, this is what widows baby is so good. Yeah, it is good. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 44:11

It is good. Yeah. Love it.

World Cup Drama And Country Roads

SPEAKER_00 44:13

Speaking of online, as you know, the World Cup is going on right now. Yes. How much have you watched?

SPEAKER_02 44:18

None, but I've read a lot about different things. I've even read about the celebrations and who's won and everything. I mean, I shouldn't say none, because I've been out, like I might be out to eat dinner or something, and it's on one of the screens or something. So glance up.

SPEAKER_00 44:30

I've not watched one second of it.

SPEAKER_02 44:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:32

I can't stand soccer.

SPEAKER_02 44:34

And I think I played it. I played more soccer in my life than I have any other sport. It's more fun to play than it is to watch it.

SPEAKER_00 44:42

It's definitely more fun to play. I loved playing soccer. It was great. I gave my body to soccer, so to speak. I've had to have multiple knee surgeries because of soccer. But I just watching it, I'm just like, yeah, I just can't. And you know, like FIFA who puts on the World Cup has always been corrupt. Like every I feel like all the time there's like bribes taking place. And it just all and I'm like, I don't even know if I can believe that this these games aren't rigged in something. You know, I I believe the countries are going out and playing to win. Yeah. But I'm not convinced the referees aren't, you know, in some way being influenced by certain countries or whatever to like go a certain way, you know, win or loss. I don't I don't know. I just I don't trust FIFA. That's one thing, but I just find soccer boring. And so I haven't watched it. What I've kept up with is some of the fringe stuff. The big d do you know the big controversy right now over Take Me Home Country Roads?

SPEAKER_02 45:49

No.

SPEAKER_00 45:49

You know that song, right?

SPEAKER_02 45:50

Yes, everybody knows that song.

SPEAKER_00 45:52

John Denver.

SPEAKER_02 45:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:55

So for whatever reason, the U.S. men's national team, World Cup team, chose that song to be their anthem.

SPEAKER_01 46:04

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 46:04

And so it's played and sung at every stadium now where the soccer team plays.

SPEAKER_01 46:11

Right.

SPEAKER_00 46:12

And so all these people online that don't particularly like that song or feel like it's old or feels like it doesn't represent our country are all screaming and crying about it. And like just is this urbanites or people who are like, oh, I I wouldn't be Mountain Mama and take me home.

SPEAKER_02 46:33

Yeah, no, whatever. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 46:34

Now, on a side note, what's funny is like I this is a theory, and I'm and I'm 100% behind this theory. It's not even written about the state of West Virginia. You know, it's West Virginia. I'm trying to think through the lyrics.

SPEAKER_02 46:48

Why would it not West Virginia, Mountain Mama, take me home? It's just driving through West Virginia?

SPEAKER_00 46:54

No. It's everything John Denver describes in that song, none of it is in the state of West Virginia. It's in Western Virginia. Oh.

SPEAKER_02 47:03

So when you drive through And you can't sing a song saying Western Virginia. Yeah. I mean, because he says Western Virginia.

SPEAKER_00 47:10

Blue Ridge Mountains. Yeah. He talks about Shenandoah rivers. Yeah. Like all of this stuff that is in Western.

SPEAKER_02 47:16

Is that because he didn't know geography? The person that wrote the song or him, if he wrote the song. I just think he was like It's catchier to say. North Carolina, East North Carolina. Yeah. Like whatever.

SPEAKER_00 47:28

You know, East Coast, West Coast. I think he probably wrote it just, oh well, people figure it out. I'm talking about Western Virginia. Yeah. But it's not. It's, you know, West Virginia, the state is what everyone has assumed. And so I don't I don't buy that theory.

SPEAKER_02 47:43

But so uh You don't buy that it was about Western Virginia.

SPEAKER_00 47:47

No, it is definitely about Western Virginia. Okay. It is not about the state of West Virginia. Virginia.

SPEAKER_01 47:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 47:53

So then all these other urbanites and people are are slamming it because they are just talking smack about West Virginia. 99.9% of them have never been to the state. Right. I personally think West Virginia is a beautiful state.

SPEAKER_02 48:07

Right.

SPEAKER_00 48:07

I love the state of Virginia.

SPEAKER_02 48:08

And we've done a few miss mission trips the year. We've done mission trips.

SPEAKER_00 48:12

Now, is it impoverished in certain areas? Absolutely. Are these little coal mining towns just wastelands? Yes. Yes. It's really sad. Yeah. Very sad. But but just looking at the state. That map. That drive to the West Virginia. The rivers, the I mean I love it. They got the newest national park is in West Virginia, you know, with the Golly Bridge and whatever. I mean, it's just gorgeous. Yeah, it is really pretty. It's unbelievable. Yeah. And so I actually put that on threads. I said, I know West Virginia is the butt of a lot of jokes, but it's one of the most beautiful states east of the Mississippi.

SPEAKER_02 48:53

It is really pretty.

SPEAKER_00 48:54

And that comment has blown up all these people in agreement. And a lot of people thanking me for saying that.

SPEAKER_02 49:00

Are you from West Virginia? And you're like, no.

SPEAKER_00 49:02

There's people like, thank you for saying that. I absolutely agree. And he, well, I've had a few chime in and like, yeah, it's beautiful if you like the clan. Yeah. I'm like, what is that like? Yeah. What does a clan have to do with like the geography?

SPEAKER_02 49:16

Exactly. Like everything doesn't have to be even too about like the people. We're not even talking about the people. We're talking about the ge the geological, like the mountain ranges, the rivers, and and part of it probably too is that so much of it's sort of unspoiled. Like it is very unspoiled. Because like we went and we did that mission trip to Huntington. That is a and my friend Diane from college is she works for the college there and is a librarian and has this cute little house there and rides our e-bike places. But they had the neatest little museum that I went to. Now, one thing that was fun, it had this massive rifle collection, but not like guns, like, hey, we have guns. Rifles and things that had intricate art carved on the wood part, or I don't know. It was, but Huntington was like a great little town.

SPEAKER_00 50:11

Huntington's an awesome home of the thundering herd from Huntington University.

SPEAKER_02 50:16

Yeah, we went to some other places in West Virginia that were very small, remote towns that but Huntington's got the river and the bridge, and you can drive right over and be in Ohio.

SPEAKER_00 50:26

I think Charleston is a cool looking town.

SPEAKER_02 50:28

I think Charleston's kind of cool. Yeah. Right on the river.

SPEAKER_00 50:30

It's got the big gold dome.

SPEAKER_02 50:31

I mean, it's a neat town too. But then those little places, like you said, that's the those are the work camps that were always like when we did our mission trips, the challenge ones, because a lot of times the schools wouldn't be as well funded where you stayed. And so they might not be in as good a shape. There weren't like a lot of restaurants. I never forget one of the towns we went to. It was like there was a Shoney's and like a Hardy's attached to a gas station or something. You know, there were no restaurants. And and these were the towns too that if you ever had to worry about your car getting stuck in somebody's drive, you know, because you're driving up these like narrow, massive mounts sides of mountains to houses. But then with these beautiful views and stuff, and so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:19

I mean, there's essentially three cities, and you got Huntington, obviously. You have Charleston, and you have Mormonton.

SPEAKER_02 51:25

Yeah, I was gonna say, yeah. Universities. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:28

Um, those are the three big cities in West Virginia. Everything else is a little small, tiny.

SPEAKER_02 51:33

Little bitty country towns, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:34

Uh so anyway, I think West Virginia is a gorgeous state.

SPEAKER_02 51:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:39

I love West Virginia, and so I wanted to defend West Virginia on all these people talking smack about it.

SPEAKER_02 51:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:43

Who's never even been to West Virginia?

SPEAKER_02 51:45

I was gonna say, I wonder how many of these people have even been to West Virginia to see it. Yeah, so yeah.

Wild July 4th Facts And Perspective

SPEAKER_00 51:51

So all right, we're gonna wrap up with this, Beth. I thought this would be fun. I'm gonna give you some facts about since we kicked off the show talking about this is our country's 250th anniversary is coming up tomorrow. Uh, we're recording this on July the 3rd. Happy anniversary to Shirley and Tommy May.

SPEAKER_02 52:08

Yes, it's my favorite anniversary.

SPEAKER_00 52:10

I want to point out if Shirley's listening, I said it first, not Beth. You had I gave you almost an hour to wish your parents happy anniversary, and you did.

SPEAKER_02 52:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 52:18

And so there you go.

SPEAKER_02 52:19

You dived right into the content.

SPEAKER_00 52:21

This is why they like me more. Okay. Couple things I I've read about. I'm gonna I'm just gonna read these to you and you just tell me what what your initial thoughts are. The first Fourth of July celebration, which would have been what year would have been the first celebration?

SPEAKER_02 52:38

It wouldn't have been 7074. Like, would it not have been 74. 76. I mean 76, sorry. I think 74.

SPEAKER_00 52:44

The first celebration would have been 77.

SPEAKER_02 52:46

Oh, because it would have been the year after 77. Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 52:50

So the first 4th of July celebration happened, 1777, while the Revolutionary War was still being fought. Which is kind of crazy. It says Americans celebrated Independence Day in 1777, even though Britain had not surrendered, and the outcome of the war was still very uncertain.

SPEAKER_02 53:11

Well, they that's one of those things where it's like, we're just gonna That's a baller move. We're gonna live this into existence. We're just gonna act like it's happened. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 53:20

That it is that is name it and claim it. We don't care what you say. Yeah. I never knew that.

SPEAKER_02 53:28

It's like it's halftime at the at the football game or something, and you're losing, and you're like, oh, at when we win at the end, where are we going to get it? Let's say go ahead and get our champagne ready in the locker room. Yeah, exactly. We got this. Yeah. Uh huh.

SPEAKER_00 53:40

The declaration wasn't actually signed on July 4th. Oh, right. It marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. But most delegates did not sign it until August 2nd.

SPEAKER_02 53:51

Aaron Powell, which is the other weird thing because we don't think about how much people had to travel. Because you've got to travel to get the news to people that they got to come sign it, and then you got to get the people there to sign it.

SPEAKER_00 54:01

Yeah. So yeah, August 2nd is when most people signed it.

SPEAKER_02 54:04

It's not like now where we can just send an electronic document for everybody's e-signature in real time or something. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:11

So we've had 47 U.S. presidents. Uh-huh. 47 in 250 years. That comes out to a little over five years per president, is when it boils down to say 5.3. Right. This is kind of crazy. I thought this is a weird stat. There have been three U.S. presidents that died on July 4th. Really? Isn't that wild? Out of 47, three of them have died on the 4th of July.

SPEAKER_02 54:36

Yeah, that is kind of crazy.

SPEAKER_00 54:37

Two of them died on the same day.

SPEAKER_02 54:40

That's weird.

SPEAKER_00 54:42

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died July 4th, 1826. The 50th anniversary of July.

SPEAKER_02 54:51

I was going to say not just the 4th of July. That's crazy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:55

And then James Monroe died on July 4th, 1831. So yeah, we've had three presidents out of 47 die on the 4th of July.

SPEAKER_02 55:05

That's kind of crazy.

SPEAKER_00 55:06

We've had one president born on the 4th of July.

SPEAKER_02 55:09

Oh, I would have put that in my thing when I'm like campaigning. Like I am meant to be your president. He probably did.

SPEAKER_00 55:16

It was Calvin Coolidge. Okay. I don't know anything about him, but he's got a great name.

SPEAKER_02 55:19

He does have a cool name.

SPEAKER_00 55:20

I don't know a thing about it.

SPEAKER_02 55:21

The Calvin and the Coolidge. Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin Coolidge, yeah. He's great. He's cool.

SPEAKER_00 55:26

He was born on July 4th, 1872, making him the only U.S. president born on Independence Day.

SPEAKER_02 55:33

Nice.

SPEAKER_00 55:33

So yeah. What is the oldest city in the U.S.?

SPEAKER_02 55:38

Isn't it one of those Virginia towns? No. It's not? No. No.

SPEAKER_00 55:43

We've never been here, even though we've talked about wanting to go a lot.

SPEAKER_02 55:47

Oh. Give me a hint.

SPEAKER_00 55:51

It's in Florida.

unknown 55:54

St.

SPEAKER_02 55:55

Augustine?

SPEAKER_00 55:55

St. Augustine.

SPEAKER_02 55:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 55:56

So St. Augustine is the oldest. I wouldn't have known that ever. Continuously inhabited European founded city in the U.S.

SPEAKER_02 56:04

Okay, the continuously inhabited, because I feel like other places probably like that were settled in Eastern Virginia, North Carolina. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 56:13

It was founded in 1565. Oh. It predates the Declaration of Independence by 211 years. That's kind of mind-blowing. That's nuts.

SPEAKER_02 56:23

Yeah, that is nuts. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 56:25

Um when America celebrates our 250th birthday tomorrow, St. Augustine will be 461 years old.

SPEAKER_02 56:34

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 56:36

Oldest city. That's really crazy. Yeah. St. Augustine, Florida. Do you know the youngest major city in the U.S.? The youngest? Major what would be considered a major city today. No, I don't know. How about Miami? Oh. Miami, Florida was incorporated in 1896. Oh, I thought it had been around a lot longer. That's not that old.

SPEAKER_02 57:02

No, that's not that old at all.

SPEAKER_00 57:04

Literally like 127 years old.

SPEAKER_02 57:06

That's not that old.

SPEAKER_00 57:07

Is Miami.

SPEAKER_02 57:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:08

It's making it one of the youngest American major cities.

SPEAKER_02 57:11

How weird that they're both in Florida, too.

SPEAKER_00 57:13

Well, and I and I bring that up here in a second. I'll go ahead and say it. So you got America's oldest city and America's youngest major city are less than 300 miles apart. That's weird.

SPEAKER_02 57:24

That's really weird.

SPEAKER_00 57:25

Yeah. So Miami is so young. It's younger than the telephone.

SPEAKER_02 57:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 57:32

It's younger than the light bulb. Uh-huh. And it's younger than Coca-Cola. Wow. That is crazy. Miami. At the time Miami was incorporated, the US was already 120 years old. So you know. And this puts how young America really is in perspective, this part right here. When the United States turns 250 tomorrow, more than 90% of its history has occurred after the invention of the steam locomotive.

SPEAKER_02 58:06

It's just crazy, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 58:08

You know, like the 90% of our history came after the train. Yeah. Uh huh. Which is nuts.

SPEAKER_02 58:13

Because we're just the babies of the world.

SPEAKER_00 58:16

About 70% of our history came after the telephone. Wow. About 50% after commercial air travel. And less than 15% after the internet became publicly available. That's crazy. Isn't it nuts? I think the air travel may be even crazier. I think it could be. Half our country is is is occurred after the plane, the commercial airlines.

SPEAKER_02 58:49

Well, it's kind of like we talked about too, like when you go to Europe and stuff like we have really old stuff here. Like arch, like if we were archaeologists or like you can go find the dinosaur bones and stuff out west and the national parks. And like we've got all this natural stuff that's very old that you can't, like you can't go find a Grand Canyon in Europe or something, you know? But like we just don't have Civilization. Yeah, we just don't have the buildings and things that were yeah, like that were preserved and stuff. And so that's one of the things that's just hard to get your brain around. Like you're thinking about, like, because I went to Salem College, which is the um oldest institution educating women and girls or something in the United States. I think that's because like you have to, there are all these distinctions when you say you're the been around. And I remember being on that historic campus from the 1700s, and you're like, it's all so old. But like, yeah, the oldest of our old as far as like buildings or things like that just aren't that old, you know? But if you want to go look, like I said, for dinosaur bones or like see mountain ranges that over time have been around forever and you know, erosion and different things have whittled them down. We've got that in the U.S. We just don't have the old structures, the really old churches and buildings and stuff because we're still so young. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:11

It's really crazy.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:13

So our country is young.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:14

Yeah. So and it has been cool. That's the last thing I will say about the soccer stuff. I think we've referenced this before, but it's been neat to see what people appreciate or what they find surprising about us, because I think that's one of the fun things about traveling is like no matter where I go, the things that I find surprising about other places, it's neat to see what they find surprising about us, like ranch dressing and how big things are and stuff, which some of that I knew just from people that come, knowing people from other countries that come and they're like this Walmart concept. You know, all these countries that go to markets and get fresh food or or get small things that you can carry, you know, they're stunned by these massive like warehouse clubs or big stores and stuff we have. But the ranch dressing, I don't know why I never thought about how surprising that would be. And I think also hearing people comment about how inexpensive a lot of things are, I think we take that for granted too, because it feels so expensive to us, you know? But like, but I guess really if you do step back and compare it to the rest of the world, like some of our stuff is like really inexpensive by comparison. And I've just loved people that met people here and like fallen in love with them or realize that they're not the stereotype they see on TV. The one thing that is a little distressing about this whole thing though, and I guess this is where they sent spent the most time, but I did see something that was like the nicest American cities ranked by the people who came, and it was like Boston, New York, and I'm like, what?

SPEAKER_00 1:01:52

Well, I mean, to be fair, there's I think when it's all said and done, there's gonna be 11 U.S. cities that host a World Cup game. Right. And they're all obviously major cities, you know, from Seattle to Miami, yeah. You know, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, New York. And so that's where they're all going.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:12

But I just want to be like, but if you think people in New York are nice, you that's like, I don't know, that's like the sweet and low version of sugar or something. You gotta come like down south to get the real, if you think that's nice, like that, that's nothing compared to what you'd see in some of these other parts of the country.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:33

Yeah. Now, the German national team, which they've already been defeated.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:36

Yes, they're um they stayed at Wake.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:38

They stayed at Wake Forest for training.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:40

I saw the title, I didn't read it. Are you talking about the guy that talked about how monomically boring Winston Salem was? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:47

Yeah, he said Winston was pretty boring.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:48

And they weren't impressed by Grayland. Now, I do have to say, because I think they stayed, did did they stay and they visited Graylon? I don't know. But anyway, because Grayland, for those listening who don't know, it's like this older castle-like hotel or whatever. I can see why, though, it's really cool for us who doesn't have that. But if you're in Germany and you have real castles that are like five times as old as Grayland, maybe you're not super impressed by that. I think it would depend on what you're looking for. And it makes me wonder what on earth this German team was going out doing, though, in Winston, too, you know? So a lot of people were commenting though, well, you were bored because y'all had it locked down, like nobody could see what you were doing. I mean, was it like that in all the places or just at wake? Okay. I didn't know if it was just wake and jump. I mean, there was I mean, they have to stay super guarded and focused and whatever. Yeah. So it's not like they're going out and hanging out at night eating pizza or Mexican food at almas or downtown or something. You know, like they're not doing all that. They're yeah, or eating at Moselles. They're like kind of enclosed and only seating.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:57

They had their own chefs. I mean, you know, they're this is their biggest tournament of their life. They need to like stay focused, stay prepared.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:04

Yeah. I didn't did you read the article to know what he said was so boring or anything?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:08

I didn't read all of it. I started reading it and I'm just like, oh, okay, this guy.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:12

You know, and who knows, it might have been taken out of context too, or he may have just been running his mouth, you know.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:18

But also as an aside, that's a reason people don't live in Winston that are young and single. I mean, you know, there's more young and single and more stuff going on, but it's not like the most happening place in the world for young single people or something. So it also depends on what you're looking for. So I could see that as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:36

You know, like it's just like for us when we're looking at travel stuff. Like I was reading something the other day, and you know, I do all this travel hacking, and somebody's like, what's your favorite places? You've been on points, like using your points. And of course, people are saying things like Bali or the Maldives or, you know, all these like islands or Hawaii or something. And then one lady's on there and she said, Atlanta, and I'm trying to remember what I but I just got so stunned by that because one of the things I've talked about, sorry, Atlanta, but like, you know, I I find it to be a city that doesn't have a ton of personality, you know, and that it's I don't know, and it's not like it's on the water or something. I don't know. You know, I mean, it's an it's a cool city, I guess, but it feels kind of like any big city USA, you know. And I'll say the same thing. I don't feel like, sorry everybody, but I don't feel like Charlotte or Raleigh even, neither one of them have like this great, like, you know, personality or something as simple as Charlotte and Atlanta.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:34

Charlotte Raleigh's full of transplants people that it's just it it's a mutt. You know, it doesn't have the history that some of these other cities have.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:46

Yes, exactly. It doesn't have all the I don't know. So anyway, I say all that to say I almost wanted to be like to that woman like, are you are you joking with us right now? Like I wanted to be like, would you please enlighten me as to why? This would have been, but I say all that to say, oh, I know. She had said, I think she said like Mexico City, Atlanta, or something. Well, you can tell by those comments the more I thought about it. This is somebody who likes probably big city, nightlife, you know, things that when we travel, we are not looking for at all. And so I think that's the other thing people have to take with a grain of salt on some of this. You know, well, yeah, if you're wanting to party or have things all night or something, some of these cities are not gonna be appealing. But you and I need to be down to St.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:29

Augustine.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:30

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:31

We got to make a plan. We got to get down there.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:32

Yeah, we have to see it. So we can be like, we have been to the oldest city. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:37

Speaking of old, I thought about this. I would have we'll we'll we'll cut out on this. I'm gonna try to make you feel old. Um you've been alive for 20% of America's entire existence.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:46

Thank you for that. 20% is a nice chunk. Yes, thank you for saying that. That makes me feel old. Thank you. Really?

SPEAKER_00 1:06:54

20% of our country's existence you've lived through.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:57

Oh my gosh. Okay. Yeah, thanks.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:00

There you go. Yeah. How do you feel? Old. Yeah, you should feel old.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:04

Mm-hmm. As if I didn't feel old already. But yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:09

Wow. Hey, happy uh July 4th.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:12

Yes. Happy uh birthday, America.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:15

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:16

Yes. It's a big one. It's a big birthday. Are we gonna put are we gonna get a cake and put 250 candles on it? We'll try. Yeah, that'd be cool.

unknown 1:07:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:24

Let's just get the 250 and put that on there. The no, you know, the number of candles. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:29

Yeah, I don't know what we're gonna do for the fourth, but yeah. We'll see.

Heat Waves Travel Episodes And Podcast Costs

SPEAKER_02 1:07:34

Well, if it weren't 1,000 degrees everywhere, it might make this fourth. There's at least where we are in the south, it's extraordinarily hot with heat advisories and drought. So drought, heat index is over a hundred. Which I've even read some of the cities are deciding not to do fireworks because of that. I mean, which I get they may do drones or something like that because it's just so dry. You know, don't need that risk. But yeah. Yeah. So it kind of impacts because I feel like a lot of the activities around the fourth would be like people going out on a boat on the lake or people tubing down the river or people doing, you know, swimming or what have you, but those things are harder, you know, or doing other outdoor activities. And it's always hot in July in North Carolina, but not this hot.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:20

Not this hot.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:21

Not this, not I can't sit outside on the porch at 11 a.m. hot.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:26

Yeah, when you sit on a shaded porch at 11 a.m. and you're sweating.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:30

Yes, it's not a good thing. Yeah, it's it's hot. Yeah. Even Cam, our doggy, my sweet doggy, he's like, you throw the ball twice and he's like, all right, I'm done. He's like panting and it because it's just so hot.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:42

I saw on thread somebody said 2026. It said they said they're talking about the World Cup. Like that was the reference kind of, but it said Germany lost, Japan lost, Italy didn't show up, and Europe doesn't have air conditioning. It's like 1945 all over again.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:01

So that was a pretty good line. It is, yeah. I like that. That's funny. Oh, one random thing. You haven't updated lately. Are people did people listen to the travel ones? Do they like those? Did they anybody listen to our last travel podcast? I you know, I hadn't even looked. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:16

So I did, I posted it on there's two large Budapest Facebook groups. Uh-huh. And they always say, don't post things that are like advertising. Advertising, self-promotion. Yeah. So I mean, I put, I was like, look, my wife and I just got back, we do a podcast, and I said, We make no money on this podcast. We lose money.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:36

Like we technically lose money. Technically, we lose money.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:39

I'm like, this is just a labor of love. Yeah. And I and I posted it, and it's got a lot of like hearts and people saying, Thank you. I'm going to check it out.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:50

Like on their Facebook pages.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:52

So yeah, people are aware of it. So I think it'll be fine.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:56

I just didn't know because sometimes I've heard like it's interesting. Our listeners, like some of the people that have given feedback, they're like, oh, I just skipped those.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:03

Yeah, our loyal listeners don't care about the stuff. They don't like guys.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:06

But the but we get, I feel like some of our most listened to are the travel ones, right? I mean, which is so interesting. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:15

So I think over the next few days we'll do our second travel one. Yeah. Is that when we're doing Chesky Crumble? Or are we going to do side trips?

SPEAKER_02 1:10:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:22

I mean, Czech Republic. We'll do that one.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:23

Okay. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:25

So, but yeah, I think this, I'll have to look. I think this right here is we're getting close to 100, Beth. I think this is like episode 96.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:36

Then we need to get a birthday cake with 100 candles for that too.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:40

If people would like to send us $100 to celebrate our 100th episode, we can turn that down.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:48

There we go. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:48

Because when people are like, too, how do you lose money on a podcast? I don't know what this thing we're talking to costs. But we do pay for like that buzz sprout that Yeah, we pay for a monthly fee to get it out there. Yeah. I don't remember it's like $20.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:02

Yeah, it's like $25 a month or something. $22, $20, $25.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:05

So if a company wants to sponsor our $25 a month, we'll we'll do an advertisement for that.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:09

And credit that's on me. I've got everything written up, ready to send out to businesses. I just haven't done it.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:13

Well, your own sabbatical mic, you know, I'd but I wouldn't want to add to your quote to-do list. Well, I've got to finish my sabbatical at some point.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:21

I thought I would have it done by now. Yeah. Am I going to do that? I've just been busy writing comedy stuff. I know.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:27

Oh, as an aside, that's the one comment I wanted to make. So you used to, Josh and I were talking about this. You used to be like, hey, I need to talk to you about something or make sure you're focused because sometimes in our family we're all distracted and not focused. The I always think you're going to tell me something really interesting, some interesting tidbit, or you've got some family information, or you've got something really deep to share with me all the time now. It's like, are you listening? Now I need your full attention. Okay, I've written this new bit for my comedy. That is all you ever like get that focused on and talk about. It's crazy. It's like your obsession. You're just looking at me really weird. But anyway, I've done this once. You've done it multiple times. I don't think I have. No, you have. You've been like, I need your full attention while I read this to you.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:13

I think you're you're making this up. No, I'm not. I'm definitely. I've asked you like one time, like the other day. I was just like, hey, I I had a bit that I did for the first time this past weekend about getting older. Yeah. And it went really well. And I added some more stuff to it. And I just said, hey, what do you think about adding this? And and you were like, that's that's good. That's solid.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:34

It was good.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:35

Yeah. That's it. I just fine. I'll just I'll stop asking you.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:39

You did have your big thing. Did you ever talk about it at where you sold out that uh the whole baseball stadium in Austin?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:45

We ran long. Oh, I gave that spot to you when you talked about moving on to a new job.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:50

Sorry, okay. Yeah. So well, if we count Captain America that was playing in the baseball stadium as well as the room we were in, it might have been sold out. Good to good times. All right. But you will be, we had a few friends reach out, not this Friday, next Friday.

Comedy Competition Invite And Wrap

SPEAKER_02 1:13:08

You'll be in your next competition. July the 10th, Idiot Box, 8 o'clock P.M. Yeah, coming up. Round three of the Ultimate Comic Challenge. Now we can't say what the other people will be like, but I will say this. They all the comedy is getting, I mean, as it should be, but getting better. Like not, you know, all the people that you're hearing and stuff. So I do feel like coming to these later rounds would be fun for people because you'll probably get to hear 10 to 12. And they're all short. So 10.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:36

There's there's 30 comics left out of 90 some. And I'm one of the 30. Nice. And they're doing a show on Friday night and two on Saturday night. And each one will have 10 comics. So I don't know how many we'll get move on. I'm gonna guess four, if I had to guess four from each show, which would then put 12 in the semifinals.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:57

Well, and the cool thing is because it is time limited and they they stay firm to that time limit. If you don't like somebody, you're only listening to them for like five minutes. But then and you get to hear a lot of different types of comedy and stuff too. So it's been fun. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:10

So yeah. So I I've got my bit down. I think I know what I'm gonna do. I've timed it out. It comes in right when I where I need to be, and I think it's good stuff. And so we'll see. Hopefully, it's top four.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:22

We'd love to see you there.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:23

Yeah. Anyway, this has been Mike and Beth. And this has been another episode of Hey, are you still there?