Share The Struggle
Share The Struggle
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 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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Another fair in the rear view and an opportunity to celebrate a special year with all of you. Our biggest event approaches and our greatest accomplishment celebrates her first year here. Let me tell you something Everybody struggles. The difference is some people choose to go through it and some choose to grow through it. The choice is completely yours. Which one you choose will have a very profound effect on the way you live your life.
Speaker 2:If you find strength in the struggle, then this podcast is for you. Do you have a relationship that is comfortable with uncomfortable conversations? Uncomfortable conversations challenge you, humble you and they build you. When you sprinkle a little time and distance on it, it all makes sense. Most disagreements, they stem from our own insecurities. You are right where you need to be. Most disagreements, they stem from our own insecurities.
Speaker 1:You are right where you need to be. Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. What it do, what it hot, do-do-do-do, beautiful baby, I'm looking at you, hi, honey, you waving.
Speaker 3:Want to say hi.
Speaker 1:I have a live studio audience today Say hi, honey, Hi, Hear that folks. I am joined by my lovely, my beautiful blushing bride, my wife Miss Sally Liberty, and our beautiful bundle of joy. Hello, baby Little baby Paisley, she's over there.
Speaker 3:She's not a baby, no more.
Speaker 1:Oh, she full grown, man, mm-hmm, she full grown.
Speaker 3:One going on 15.
Speaker 1:You ain't kidding. She's all bundled up over there Well past bedtime. 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. I can see it feature stories of her, so she's gonna try to keep herself awake. I can see it fresh out of the tub with new, brand new blue epjs and baseball on the tv. She is loving her first birthday, finishing off with a pizza party what a time cake and a cupcake.
Speaker 1:What a time to be alive. How do you do, good Lord, almighty? Are we excited to be back with you? Oh, it is true, it is damn true. Episode 269, and we are feeling oh so fine and quite a bit tired, actually Feeling quite a bit tired.
Speaker 3:Pretty exhausted.
Speaker 1:You know that is what it is 269 consecutive weeks. We couldn't let this streak be broken, hence the reason why we are recording a podcast at 10.30 pm. That's just kind of the commitment we make to each and every one of you, Am I right?
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:We are finishing up, or I should say we have finished up Windsor Fair. Last week's episode. 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. It was a weird kind of flip of the script, whole type of scenario. I also was telling the folks that we pulled in and discovered yet more mechanical failures, which was fun in the sun. On Sunday Noah came up and put a new brake line in and fixed a few things. We kind of got stonewalled on a couple of things and then, thankfully, your dad actually came up.
Speaker 3:We found a couple of redneck mechanics.
Speaker 1: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? Yeah, that's just it how do you? Patch it so I can make the journey that's right home, that's all, otherwise the catastrophe that would be is incredible.
Speaker 1:So when I was discussing with everybody what was going on with the bus. 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. But we were having difficulties bleeding brakes All the bleeders were frozen. We were having difficulties bleeding breaks all the bleeders were frozen. 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. Chris and Noah were going to donate an utility trailer to help us out.
Speaker 3:Until we got the quote on towing that bitch home.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 1:It was going to just cause way too much chaos and cost us way too much financially. So we knew we know enough redneck mechanics in the first one. Uh, my cousin had an idea about it and your dad showed up with his idea about it. Hi, honey, and um and your dad had the bricks situated in like 20 minutes.
Speaker 3:We also, in the back of our mind, had your dad saying don't you dare tow this thing, hell, no, like. 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. She would have been going Redneck ingenuity and got that bad girl home. Mean, she's sitting in the dooryard.
Speaker 1: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. It wasn't the bus, it was actually you and the camper that was a thrill ride death trap. I was watching in front of me, oh my god that camper was all over the rodeo.
Speaker 3:Yeah yeah, I think that's a hitch issue and I think we'll be fine because she's fine on the road. Let us pray road but not the turnpike. Good golly, I was getting. What did you say?
Speaker 1: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. Oh my God, it was terrible, I'm pretty confident, you passed the June bug and went sideways. I don't know I was watching Cole Trickle out there doing hot laps. You were all over the place.
Speaker 3:Oh my God, my forearms still hurt, I believe it.
Speaker 1:I believe it. Folsom for the love of God. Our dog's an idiot you have not moved all day. That bulldog has not moved in hours Until he hears this record.
Speaker 3:Yes, shuffle his feet drag his toes. Oh, my God.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you what?
Speaker 3:Get a hobby.
Speaker 1:Never fails. Anyway, today was an adventure, but the bus made it home safely, you and the baby.
Speaker 3:but the bus made it home safely, you and the baby, and the camper made it barely barely.
Speaker 1:We made it white knuckled the whole way. 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? Your bus isn't moving, You're going broke and Bob's your uncle. You know what I mean. Like it was a I had an uncle, Bob. It was a frigging tragedy. You just died, you sprinkle, hey well, let's not go down that road.
Speaker 3:I'm just saying.
Speaker 1: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. So that was another great obstacle that we overcame. 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. I don't even know man. It was a tsunami. Did you say tsunami? Yeah, that's what I said.
Speaker 3:Oh jinx, good word choice. Pinch poke. Yell me a coke man it rained like crazy.
Speaker 1: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. So we bombed on a Friday which you can't afford to lose a Friday. Also considering that Friday a year ago is one of our best days to lose. That day really hurt us.
Speaker 3:And then Monday was kind of a flop. What's that? 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.
Speaker 1:Saturday and sunday were, uh, spectacular. 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. And then Monday just went right down the toilet, the eau de la toilette. It was pretty dead on Monday. I think people just took the holiday and packed it in and didn't come out.
Speaker 3: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.
Speaker 1:I know, Not this year folks.
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 1:Only made a few hundred bucks on a monday, which for holiday was pretty tough. So all in all we've been doing the winds of fair. I think it's our third year I think it's our fourth.
Speaker 3:We've been in business for five years. We only missed one.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 1:Maybe, With all that said, this ends up being our worst year actually, which you know what makes it seem even crazier. The first year we were there, we had a less than ideal location and the fair was one day shorter. 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. This year, there was an extra Saturday over that year and a better location, and we still didn't beat it. Wow, Well, that's depressing.
Speaker 2:Gosh.
Speaker 1:The things you wish you didn't look into. That'll kick you in the clusters. The honey, bunches of oats, Right honey.
Speaker 3:She said hi.
Speaker 1:Hi babe, you look beautiful, dear. Hi, you're dashing in your bluey PJs. Hi cutie, are you flirting with me? I love you, babe. Here she's batting her baby blues at me over there, binky, I love you, get some sleep, honey. Anyways, I'm recording a whole conversation with the baby, which is you know.
Speaker 3:Welcome to dadhood.
Speaker 1:I don't know if that's what did you say?
Speaker 3:Hi Hi.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 3:One trip around the sun.
Speaker 1:Unbelievable.
Speaker 3:I don't even believe it.
Speaker 1:I touched on it on last week's show as well, but Don't give all of the spoilers away.
Speaker 3:What do you mean? I haven't listened. 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.
Speaker 1: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. That you know we're parents after a year is, uh, is incredible. Um, to think how quickly this has, this has come and gone. 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. 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.
Speaker 1:And now here you are, you know, waving goodbye and interacting with people.
Speaker 3:She said hi to almost every single person that came on our test this week A ton of people. Yeah, If she was awake.
Speaker 1:She greeted almost every customer.
Speaker 3:She also sat on the counter and helped me cash a few people out.
Speaker 1:Pretty incredible.
Speaker 3:You want to talk to the people.
Speaker 1: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. 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. So people come in, she says hi, she waves to them, she waves when they leave. She interacts with all the babies.
Speaker 3:Oh yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, pretty incredible. She has better customer service skills than almost every other vendor we see at the fair.
Speaker 3:And they're adults, grown-ass adults, let's put that out there.
Speaker 1:Unbelievable grown adults yeah, I can't, uh, I still can't believe it. 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. And then, literally like the next day, I was back at the fair finishing out the fair, closing everything up coming home.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 1: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. 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. It does not make any sense to me, man.
Speaker 3:Mm-mm.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 3:Sometimes I even like not. I don't want to say that it sounds odd, but it catches me off guard when someone says something like about your daughter.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:I'm like what like if I'm yeah at work or I'm not like momming at the moment. You know what I mean like, like. 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? And you're like like it. It's still so new, even though you know what I mean. We've been doing it for a whole year.
Speaker 1: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. 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.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:The people that came out of nowhere with presents and well wishes.
Speaker 3:Seriously.
Speaker 1: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. Thank you gifts to think about a little girl's birthday and one of the key ingredients is loud proud American apparel. Like she wanted her own special shirt. Everybody that went to the birthday parents and kids all wearing loud proud American gear. That's pretty freaking awesome.
Speaker 3:That is pretty sweet.
Speaker 1:That's pretty damn cool. 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. But then, uh, doug and the fam shows up with gifts for little paisley, which didn't expect any of that right. No, no, absolutely not and that was like kind of the start of the week of gifts, like the um just celebration of paisley. That happened. Uh, kyle, kyle and Julia were coming over with sweet gifts and you know bike for her and all this stuff.
Speaker 3:Matt and Sarah.
Speaker 1:Matt and Sarah bringing over the little horse for her. Just people coming over all week really bringing stuff, like it was crazy to think her godparents she drove again from Syracuse to York.
Speaker 3:What is it?
Speaker 1:You're talking six hours from Syracuse, plus they ride to Las Vegas. They took the wrong road. It took them a couple hours. 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. Their commitment to see her and to bring her gifts and spend time with her was incredible.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, yeah, we are beyond blessed.
Speaker 1:I know I'm forgetting people and scenarios, but it was incredible. You had picked out this big number one gold balloon that she had in her cart, her little wagon and she was riding around.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, I walked around everywhere with that thing. Everybody was coming over For like two days. Oh man, people were coming up to her. Yeah, she had that thing for a couple of days. People were coming up to her saying happy birthday. And then a big shout-out to Carol for allowing us to borrow some of her baby cows to take a photo shoot.
Speaker 1:Carol runs all the livestock over at Windsor Fairgrounds and she's welcomed us in as family. 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.
Speaker 3:The photos have been submitted to Windsor Fair. She's going to have them uploaded for their website and stuff.
Speaker 1:You guys had a full-on one-year-old birthday party photo shoot in the stalls with all these cows and stuff.
Speaker 3: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. He was suckling on her fingers, but then got super rowdy.
Speaker 1: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. 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.
Speaker 1: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. 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?
Speaker 3: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? We want to be a part of it and I appreciate that. We truly do, and we're super grateful for all the people that came out and spent time with us at the fair. We just didn't think that it was, in our situation, appropriate to throw this big shebang for her first birthday. Will I throw a big party in the next couple, couple of years? Yeah, yeah, sure, definitely. Like we'll have some sort of party, but unfortunately, like our schedule is so crazy around her birthday. She'll always celebrate her birthday at the fair, but then it will be. Her party will be after her birthday.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so if she has a big party scenario, it'll be after. That's all said and done, but she's forever going to have like her birthday being at the Windsor Fair.
Speaker 3:With her Windsor family.
Speaker 1:And as she gets older and she gets to know everybody, like I, think that they'll change, they'll evolve. You know what I mean? Absolutely, because, um, it'll be. It'll just be a different experience. 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.
Speaker 3: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.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 1: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. None of those things happen without us keeping our brand alive. 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. Those are the things that I want for her and those are the things that make me keep the brand going. 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.
Speaker 1: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. You and my mom are at the zoo with her and you're doing all this stuff.
Speaker 3:Taking her to birthday parties and just getting her to interact.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she's going to different parties and all these things and already socializing. 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.
Speaker 3:Like it's a Fairs festivals car shows.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 3:I do feel like we're on the cusp of the difficulty level really ramping up. Also, she has already been from here to New York and hit every state in between.
Speaker 1:Basically. Yeah, she's covered some ground.
Speaker 3:Let's be honest.
Speaker 1:I'm just thinking about how much more difficult this is going to be. When you start seeing at the fair, you see the kids all running around that you can't contain. We're about to be there. 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?
Speaker 3:Yeah, good thing we have the octagon.
Speaker 1:Good thing, we have what. The octagon yeah the octagon she does have a steel cage.
Speaker 3:Welcome to the octagon. Yeah, we're having cage fights for babies, exactly.
Speaker 1: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. 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. 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.
Speaker 3: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.
Speaker 3: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. Just they don't come with rule book, so it's just adapting and navigating whatever task is thrown at us.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 3:I mean I will say, like everybody said, like before she even arrived, like good luck, your life's about to change. 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. 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. And yeah, we went with a little bit extra baggage, but we still made it happen.
Speaker 1: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. 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. So when people say, like you're not going to do the things you used to do, you know what bet I?
Speaker 1:did things that were even more uncomfortable for me, because she's here, you know, and next year is going to be no different. 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….
Speaker 1: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. 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.
Speaker 3:I mean, she's only one, but we want to. We want to set the standard high. 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. Like you can do anything you want to do and look, we're doing it. 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. You want 20 bucks to go to the mall. Like you're gonna earn it. You're gonna do the things that need to be done around the house. 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.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1: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. So we get to the point when you know she would be able to understand those things. Her lifestyle and things have changed.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: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. You know I don't want to put that stress on her. So I challenge ourselves now to create the life and the future that we want for her.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: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. 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.
Speaker 1: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. She could be looking at it saying like, which one of my family's businesses do I want to take over? You know what I mean, right? What do I want to for myself? 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.
Speaker 3:We just want to set the ground, like for her.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You want to take over one of the businesses.
Speaker 1: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. But I took that step back to change direction, you know, and with the hopes of a greater future. And it's not all about money. A lot of it's about time and experiences and things you get to do together as a family that money can't buy. 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. 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. I really can't wait for her to someday be able to look back at this and be like, wow, this was my life.
Speaker 3:Like. This is what.
Speaker 1:I did this was my life like this is what. This is what I did. 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.
Speaker 3:I've already been here you know what I mean? Yeah, like she was there at three weeks, she was three weeks old working on the fair.
Speaker 1:She's about to do it for the second time in her life already. That's pretty crazy to me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, she was, yeah, three weeks old.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Because it usually starts the middle of September.
Speaker 1:Yeah, toward like the last week of September traditionally.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was like doing the math in my head. Yeah. 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. Do you see the beads of sweat on her forehead? Her girl's a furnace everybody has an opinion.
Speaker 1:Opinions are like assholes everybody's's got one.
Speaker 3:And they all stink, they all stink.
Speaker 1:Unbelievable. Yeah, it's crazy. I can't believe it's been a year. 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. It's really hard for me to think about my dad not being here celebrating any of these things with her. 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. 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. 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. You went to go get a birthday balloon and some cupcakes and stuff and what happened to you?
Speaker 3:I was putting. 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. 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. It was pretty high up. I had seen the white head and, sure enough, there was an eagle flying over us in Augusta at the Dollar Tree. And the funny thing is is that wasn't at all where I was supposed to be.
Speaker 1:Carol had told us that there was a dollar. You went directions to a Dollar General and you went cross country to a Dollar Tree.
Speaker 3:Well, I had typed in Dollar Tree, which was not very far from the fair. 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. 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. And would the GPS have not taken me to that Dollar Tree? I may not have ever seen the eagle and I may not have ever seen your dad coming to say happy birthday.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 1:And if people are listening for the first time, then they won't understand this. So I would encourage you to go back and listen. Uh, there's many, many episodes. We reference the fact that, um, my father's come back to us as a, as a bald eagle. 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. We were going to, you know, plan his services.
Speaker 3:He ended up circling the house, yeah.
Speaker 1:So we've told this story many times for all of our day ones, our loyal ones. Get your ones up. We acknowledge you for everybody that's been listening throughout the years. But this is another opportunity, another instance, another occasion where this just isn't luck, it isn't coincidence to us, it's fate. And it certainly is just my father coming back to say happy birthday and you know I didn't miss this one.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's crazy. It's crazy to think Time, just time, just man. 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.
Speaker 1: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. You know, I think too many people go through life with one eye open or two eyes half shut, you know what I mean. Like people don't observe and take in and realize. 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.
Speaker 1: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. 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.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's a crazy ride, Just when you think you have something figured out.
Speaker 1:Just when you think you have it mapped out, here comes something totally different. When you're hell-bent and convinced on a direction, you end up in a whole different place. It's hard to understand. I often have conversations with people that say my life was figured out and it was absolutely great. And here I am, miles apart, a whole world apart from where I once was.
Speaker 1:It's crazy. It's crazy the roads that we can be taken down and it's all in the palm of our hands. It all comes down to our decision making and how we read and react and respond to things. But there's also so many things that are completely out of our control. 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. I don't know why a one-year birthday has me reflecting on the wildness of life, but it certainly does. 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. 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.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1: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. All of that changed our directions and our outlooks and and how we view the world and how we feel and process things. 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?
Speaker 3:Yeah, because one nine, you found out you're going to be a dad, and nine one she came.
Speaker 1:We have gone through the past two or three years of our life. Our lives have been some of the most challenging times I ever could have imagined. I don't know if I am completely with it. Without her being a part of our life, does that make sense? Yeah, I don't know if I have the same strength and commitments and desires if she's not here. I don't know. I don't know how I respond to all these things. I don't know. 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.
Speaker 3:I think it has for me anyway. I don't know about you, but for me it has a lot to do with her softness. 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. 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. My God.
Speaker 1:And I did not mean to interrupt that touching moment.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you didn't want me to say what I was going to say.
Speaker 1: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. I didn't intend for this to happen. 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.
Speaker 3:You're like a boner in a china shop. This is why we can't have nice things. We have a baby.
Speaker 1:We have bulldogs and I have a husband. I want to agree with everything you're saying.
Speaker 3:I don't even know what I was saying.
Speaker 2:I'm going to tell you what you were saying.
Speaker 1:I'm going to get along with it. She hasn't been corrupted by the world. 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.
Speaker 3:She doesn't care. The world is positive.
Speaker 1:The world is precious.
Speaker 3:Everyone is a nice person.
Speaker 1:We've never lived in a scarier time in this world's existence than we have right now in my opinion. As far as we know, maybe getting chased by dinosaurs and stuff like that pretty scary too, I guess our lifetime, yeah, our lifetime.
Speaker 1:Let's go with a scary man, I don't. 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. You know what I mean? Yeah, like you kiss your child and drop them off to school and then you never see them again. You're watching these things unfold on the news. You're watching Christians being attacked yet again by a wild transgender shooter.
Speaker 3:Whose mom works at the school.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:But, like you said, you're having that bad day, you're struggling with something and she doesn't understand it. She doesn't have time for it.
Speaker 3:But she's certain to say hi and it just melts you. 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. 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? Dose of dopamine?
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 1: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. I truly feel like our lives changed for all the right reasons. Our lives changed because we made those choices. 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. You find purpose in your life, you find reason in your life and you really ultimately, just create a new life.
Speaker 3:And's in it what's that?
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 3:She's sleeping?
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 3:I'd happily snuggle here and record the podcast. With this baby any day, I mean shit, what 300 and whatever. With this baby any day, I mean shit, what 300 and whatever. Many episodes ago, we were doing it with a newborn in our arms.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:We had just got home.
Speaker 1:We're going to have to go back and listen to some of those you know what I mean the chaos. 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. 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. We are recording our life's journey week after week, selfishly, even if nobody ever listened to this show.
Speaker 3:She'll have it.
Speaker 1:She'll have it. She'll have everything about us.
Speaker 3:And her papa. Which Earl better get to say in Meemaw or we're in trouble?
Speaker 1:She better start saying Meemaw, or we're in a lot of trouble she already says papa, and that's your dad.
Speaker 1: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. 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.
Speaker 3:I can hear all of it and I also think that it's important for her to be able to hear our voice again. 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.
Speaker 1:I don't like thinking about those things. I know, but I'm just saying Because I always feel like I'm going to jinx myself with something ridiculous.
Speaker 3:Knock on some wood, you'll be fine. You're superstitious ridiculous.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 1: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.
Speaker 1:I've met a lot of them.
Speaker 1: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. 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. Keep your foot on the gas, and all good things will come, you know.
Speaker 3:It's true, I agree.
Speaker 1:Amen, hallelujah. Where's the Tylenol?
Speaker 3:I don't get it. You got a bag of it. You need some Tylenol, old man.
Speaker 1:Christmas vacation.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:It's coming.
Speaker 3:I know your daughter's already obsessed with the DVD.
Speaker 1:Well, she's your kid. You watch your Hallmark movies before you know it. Cinda Rilla.
Speaker 3:Cinda's my aunt's name, and she too is dead.
Speaker 1:Man, I wish you wouldn't just throw all these dead names in my face. You are throwing them in my face. I'm just having a conversation.
Speaker 3:Well, you called me Bob and Cinda in this.
Speaker 1:Rella, and I wouldn't call you Bob. I said Uncle Bob, bob's, your uncle.
Speaker 3:You call her Bob. Oh my gosh, she calls me Bub. Anyways, we are way off topic.
Speaker 1:at this point, there's only one thing left to do.
Speaker 3:Something. Hallelujah, give me the tie on all Until next time, thank you. For supporting Little Paisley Reigns Paisley.
Speaker 1:Reign American Dream.
Speaker 3:American Dream Go wash, go wash, your filthy hands, your filthy hands.
Speaker 1:You filthy animal. You filthy animal Can't swear on the baby's episode. That's it and that's all Biggie Smalls. 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. 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. You can find me on both of those at loud, underscore, proud, underscore, american. 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. If you are enjoying what you're hearing, you can track down the Gut Truckers on Facebook Just search Gut Truckers.
Speaker 2:Give them motherfuckers a like too.
Speaker 1:I truly thank you for supporting my American dream. Now go wash your fucking hands, you filthy savage.