Agile Always by Officially Fenner

Unpaused: Stories, Struggles, and New Beginnings

• Robin and Rudy Fenner • Season 4 • Episode 2

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The busyness of life forced us into an unintentional pause!  We're good, but wow! 

Come take a stroll down memory lane with us back to summer 2019, when music festivals and carefree drives with the top down were the norm. In our latest podcast episode, we're diving into a mix of nostalgia and resilience, reflecting on how we've coped with everything from a global pandemic to personal battles like cancer. While we might miss the old normal, we're also finding hope in the chance for fresh starts.

Our podcast isn't just about big-picture stuff; it's also about the little moments that ground us, like the relationships we cherish. While we're bummed about missing out on a chat with our Jared Green and his wife Joanna, we're grateful for the deep connections we've made in other interviews. From historical royal romances to modern-day fairy tales like Harry and Meghan's, love and family prove to be timeless themes.

But we're not just talking about other people's stories; we're sharing bits of our own too. From tackling home renovations to debating TV characters, each moment adds to our family's journey. And as we navigate the ups and downs of marriage and parenting, we're learning that staying healthy is about more than just hitting the gym—it's a mental game too. Through it all, we're reminded to cherish every moment and the people who make them special.

We hope that in listening to us, this inspires You might want your listeners to come away from this podcast episode feeling inspired to appreciate the past while embracing the potential for renewal and change. Here are a few takeaways that we hope you discover:

1. Recognize your own strength in overcoming challenges, much like the stories we share in this episode.

2.  Value and deepen the relationships that matter most to you, and consider the importance of connections in YOUR life.

3. See every challenge as an opportunity for growth, whether it’s through personal projects like home renovations or navigating the complexities of family dynamics.

4. Be more present each day and appreciate the small moments and the big milestones. Recognize the importance of mental well-being along with physical health.

We hope that by sharing our stories we inspire our listeners to look at their own lives with a new perspective, finding beauty and opportunity in both the trials and the triumphs!

Thank you for spending time with us today! We hope you enjoyed our conversation, related to something we said, and learned something new along the way.

Please give us a like and subscribe to our podcast, so you don't miss ANYTHING!

Follow us @AgileAlways and be sure to check out our website, www.agilealways.com!

A special thanks goes to @yancylott for producing, editing, and creating the music for our podcasts!
xo,
Robin & Rudy


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Rudy Fenner:

Officially Fenner with your hosts, Robin and Rudy, a podcast about family where we said I'm glad you were here. You served us well. We're going to continue to pay you incredibly well. You go off and do whatever you feel like doing and you had four concerts lined up.

Robin Fenner:

Did I have four concerts lined up?

Rudy Fenner:

It was crazy. It was like a crazy schedule. We saw Diana.

Robin Fenner:

Ross, did we see John Legend that year too? Yeah, we saw those. Yeah, it was a crazy schedule.

Speaker 3:

We saw.

Robin Fenner:

Diana Ross Did we see John Legend that year too? I can't remember. Yeah, but we saw those. Yeah, it was a great summer. It was a beautiful summer. I rode around, I had the sunroof back.

Rudy Fenner:

What year was that?

Robin Fenner:

19, 20,. What was it? Was that pre it was COVID 2019. Pre-covid yes, because 2020 is when it hit, that march when they just shut everything down the schools and everything I never.

Rudy Fenner:

That's why I was like that is one morning that was like that. That is an eventual podcast. We'll do that summer of summer of 2019 I think I can remember what I did.

Robin Fenner:

All I remember was that it was just so fabulous and I felt like when I woke up every day, like this is like the best life ever and I just thought it would continue that way.

Rudy Fenner:

But then, you know, things settle back into reality over time, but that no, we didn't have a chance to settle into reality, you gosh, this is such a great podcast because we never had reality, since, if you think about what we just said, you retired in 2019. We partied the whole time. The party ended when COVID invaded our space. Right, covid invaded our space and it was followed by a cancer prognosis.

Robin Fenner:

Diagnosis.

Rudy Fenner:

Diagnosis sorry.

Robin Fenner:

You're right.

Rudy Fenner:

So there's been no reality. We're as close now.

Robin Fenner:

What is our reality?

Rudy Fenner:

I'm sorry, not reality Normal.

Robin Fenner:

Back to normal. You can't go. So what they call a new normal.

Rudy Fenner:

Right the word you use, and so if you think about that, gosh, that is so mind-blowing what we just said.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Rudy Fenner:

But I think that's a whole conversation, because I think what that teaches you is the uncertainty of reality and the uncertainty of tomorrow, and how treasured the present has to be. If you don't treasure the present, you do not know how good it was.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Rudy Fenner:

Right, because there's potentially cards in front of you that change so incredibly that where you are is an amazing place and you just don't realize it yet because your points of reference aren't established.

Robin Fenner:

That's true, but I will say that that summer I knew I felt good. Wow, it was just a beautiful summer, the weather was beautiful, it was just a fantastic summer. And even into fall. It was just I don't know, it was just a really great.

Rudy Fenner:

I remember being at Wolf Trap and I don't remember or really care about any song that Diana Ross sung. What was fun was we were all in there.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, that was hilarious.

Rudy Fenner:

Yeah, yeah, that into itself was just hysterical. Yeah, it was just. I'll be there, like that.

Robin Fenner:

So it was a great seven, eight months, and then you know, things change.

Rudy Fenner:

All right, do you want to kick us off?

Speaker 3:

All right.

Rudy Fenner:

Going to count it down, we're going. First podcast of 2024 in three, two, one.

Robin Fenner:

Hey everyone and welcome to the Officially Thinner Podcast.

Rudy Fenner:

Where you been.

Robin Fenner:

It is, this is April been. It is. This is this is April Right.

Rudy Fenner:

It is.

Robin Fenner:

And this is the first podcast we've recorded- Numero uno and it feels really bad that we've been away for so long but so much has been happening. But it's a great story. It's a great story, it's a great story it's really busy and I have missed. It felt so good to get behind the mic again today and just talk to you about things, because we talk about things here behind the mic that we don't talk about sometimes.

Rudy Fenner:

So what's funny is, before we started the official podcast that you're listening to, we had a conversation that we realized needs to be a podcast Because, yeah, the busyness of life and, my gosh, everybody is listening, knows exactly what we're talking about the busyness of life sometimes interrupts the possibility of just a basic conversation and this is what, okay. So this is why you have to do your porch, your deck, whatever your area is, that you sit in the summer and you plan nothing and you just sit and these kinds of conversations occur, right, and that is beautiful.

Robin Fenner:

That's a beautiful thing, because otherwise you said the business of life, you're running around, is this done, is that done? We've got to go here, we've got to go there. Whatever it is, we've got to work. Whatever it is you have to do and then so you miss out on these things.

Rudy Fenner:

So let me ask you this Okay, our Just let me ask you, from what you can remember, what was that To get kind of to re-engage from when we were last podcast? Let's talk about that. Tell me about the last podcast.

Robin Fenner:

Well, we had started this series called it's a Wonderful Life. Yeah, and our point was to engage with people and talk about different paths they had taken, different kinds of relationships they have. Yes, and to do that we had a little bit of a snafu recording the one that we did. Oh, it's tragic. And then it was a great podcast. It was so wonderful and if there's any way to recover that recording, we're going to try to do that and put it out there because it's timeless and and I think you all would enjoy hearing it we had um guest, um, uh, jared green and his wife joanna, yeah, and uh, they just they have a very interesting and wonderful life and and, uh, we're explaining kind of how they got there, because it wasn't just all.

Rudy Fenner:

And it was incredible because, again, I've never talked extensively with the two of them like that.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Rudy Fenner:

And while we're talking, we're interviewing them and it switches to it isn't uncle and aunt, niece and nephew anymore it's a relationship with four people talking niece and nephew anymore, it's a relationship with four people talking. And we found things about her that they were always treasures to me. But my gosh, by the time we finished I'm like who are these dudes? And it was great and I think we kind of cheat life a little bit sometimes because we do these types of things because we're just you and I are adventurous, but what it does is it ends up taking us to different levels of relationships with people. Yeah, exactly.

Rudy Fenner:

And I just don't think we could have gotten as close, because those guys are you and Jared y'all just have a love affair that I just got to get out of the way of. I can't even take y'all, you two, anymore. And I hug Joanna different. I always hugged her when I saw her, but I hug her different.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Rudy Fenner:

And that was a beautiful result of just talking and spending that time together, so that was great.

Robin Fenner:

And they don't leave me, so we don't see them super often.

Rudy Fenner:

So you know, it was nice to really get to know each other and we did the before that, we did drive the podcast with David and Kelly, right.

Robin Fenner:

We did the podcast with David and Kelly Latahal, our daughter and Son in Love, or Son in Love as I like to call him. We also did Queen Charlotte because we were talking about that. That was very interesting, we did.

Rudy Fenner:

And if you didn't listen to Queen Charlotte, let me tell you something. You know, sometimes we're talking and I want to go back and listen to myself, because I'm not always. I mean, I'm just living life, Right, and we're just talking. But as we talked about Queen Charlotte, there were relational relationship, things that just like man, if that woman was anything like in real life, the character that was portrayed on television.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Rudy Fenner:

Whoa, she was intense and every man wants that woman, every woman wants that man, because, well, they want that kind of relationship, well, and. But I'm just saying, yeah, that's what I'm pointing to is the relationship. You're right, and I'm sorry, forgive me so, but I'm just saying because he was caught in a snare and I don't mean to be insulting or demeaning, but the life around the monarchy is mild insanity to me, because it's just an odd, hard-to-justify existence in many ways. But he really did care about her, oh yeah, and I think he really did grow to love her and he grew to within the boundaries of what he could do, because, gosh, this is going too deep.

Robin Fenner:

See, I think he loved her almost from the beginning. It's just that the mental illness kept him from being in a loving relationship as we expect it to be, but Because he couldn't do that.

Rudy Fenner:

Also. Oh gosh, I'm going to write this down because this is another podcast, Okay we're going to go back to this. No, no, no, no I think the other thing was but he did not have the guts of Harry. And let me tell you what I'm talking about, because, see, harry was born into the same system.

Rudy Fenner:

Prince Harry was born into the same system. But Prince Harry had the guts to say now, y'all can't do my girl like this, you can't do her like this. And everybody said stop tripping, this is who we are. And he said nah, you can't do my girl like this. And you know what this is. Leave and cleave.

Rudy Fenner:

That is yeah, A man will leave his mama and cleave to his wife. Is that how it goes? I don't want to. I'm getting excited. My words are getting jumbled, but understand. So, Charlotte, the king could not step to his family the way. I understand the mental illness, part of it, but I also suggest that before the mental illness kicked in, he was a party to the system and would not buck the system on behalf of his wife.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Rudy Fenner:

Harry is in trouble. Prince Harry is in trouble because he said nah, y'all can't treat my girl like that.

Robin Fenner:

Right.

Rudy Fenner:

And it's also a position of just being in that, but I'm telling you that position is the same way that many men are with their mamas right now. That's true too. With their mamas right now, they got the life, the wife of a lifetime, and they can't get to it. You know why? Because they still dealing with mama. That's true. And mama got her hand in a pocketbook. She got her face in a bedroom, she looking at their furniture. Gosh, hey, y'all, y'all hear what I'm saying. You hear what I'm saying? Oh, that's a podcast.

Robin Fenner:

Oh, he's on fire.

Rudy Fenner:

That's a podcast. I'm going to listen to the next podcast. I'm just right there, prince Harry. That's a whole podcast, right there.

Robin Fenner:

It is, it is, and Meghan Markle, my goodness, hold on, goodness, hold on.

Rudy Fenner:

Let me make a note.

Robin Fenner:

Go right here, okay all right, we're supposed to smoke them if you got them any second we're supposed to be doing kind of a recap of what we've been doing. Oh yeah, so we. So we did those podcasts and now we're just kind of catching up a little bit. So it's kind of catching up with the fenners, I guess, over the last four months, not in the podcast world, but in real life yeah, just to let you know a little bit what's been going on and, and that's what it says since our last podcast and what we're going to do next.

Rudy Fenner:

Can I talk for just a moment?

Robin Fenner:

Oh, you've been talking the entire time.

Rudy Fenner:

But no, I said, can I talk for a moment?

Robin Fenner:

Please go right ahead.

Rudy Fenner:

Okay. So when we talked about since our last podcast, we have had some interesting realities to be presented to us. This life thing is for real. Be presented to us. This life thing is for real. It is amazing how real it can get the pace and the tempo how little you have control over and how incredibly gifted you are to be in the moment that you're in. I wrote down four numbers 1, 6, 33, and 18, and I don't think I really understood the impact. Robin grew frustrated at times because we couldn't get back to the podcast and I realized that we were kind of like on the tail end of a whip, the whip being what's occurred since april of 2022.

Rudy Fenner:

Everybody knows that listens to the podcast that I was diagnosed. I had a cancer diagnosis. It was stage four salivary gland cancer Really really intense, really serious stuff. Right, that resulted the one, six, 33, and 18. It was one surgery. It was a radical neck dissection, six chemotherapy treatments infusions, 33 radiation treatments and 18 targeted therapy treatment infusions.

Rudy Fenner:

I did not know how much of a fighter I am. I did not know the gift. I didn't fully realize the gift that God had given me. I did not know I could take a punch the way I could. I did not know I could still smile and be happy in the face of adversity and storms the way I did. I did not know my adult body could handle 125 pounds weight. I did not know I could go 21 days without eating. I did not know that my wife was one of the most incredibly strong humans I have ever met. I have ever met, and I don't say that because I'm with her. I don't say that because I'm committed to her. I say that because of'm with her. I don't say that because I'm committed to her. I say that because of what I saw.

Rudy Fenner:

I'm, I experienced care and concern that blew my mind, and it isn't just handing you a bandage when you need one or giving you a cold wrap for your head If you need that. I'm talking about organizationally having her stuff together to the point that she is caring for me in a way that I never, ever, ever. You understand this. I'm talking about all of those numbers I called and all of that. I never scheduled one appointment, not one. Not zero, zero did I schedule. I never talked to anybody about what was next. I just followed the direction that she pointed me in and I went and, of course, me being the kind of guy I am, I drove to all of my sessions because that was important. I had to drive all the way downtown and get them and drive back, no matter what happened, um, except the surgery, I did not drive back from that I gotta ride back from that, uh.

Rudy Fenner:

So I absolutely learned more about who we are and what we are, but I also learned that at some point, no matter how much badassery you claim, you got to sit down. You got to sit down and you got to catch your breath, because when this was all done, my last treatment was December 15th 2023. If you're noticing, yeah, that hasn't been, that's just barely been maybe six months.

Robin Fenner:

Right. So that was during the time that we kind of backed off of doing this.

Rudy Fenner:

And we did not so when she asked so, when she grew frustrated about the podcast, I understood. But then I realized honestly, y'all, we couldn't, we just had to sit down for a minute, let's take a break.

Rudy Fenner:

We had to just pause. And now it's interesting because the flip side of that, the other side of that coin, has been fascinating, because I'm trying to recover life and get back up to speed. And it's almost like I stepped on the accelerator too hard, entering onto 95. And she said to me bruh, you got to take your foot off the accelerator. We're not going to go that fast. You're not and I'm not.

Rudy Fenner:

Here's a calendar, here's what I need you to schedule. And she made me schedule things Cause I'm, I'm, I'm like a part of the worship team at church, things, because I'm like a part of the worship team at church. And she said that's fine, but we ain't doing this early Sunday. We're not going to do this early Sunday. I can't do this because you, up in the middle of the night, up in the top of the morning, no breaks, I don't have this, I don't have that. And I realized, like you know what, I'm trying to recover my entire life in a week. And so I've had to pull back, and I think I am still pulling back and trying to get my bearings. I wear my Oura ring, and my Oura ring is like saying, bro, we're going to just stop talking about sleep, because yours is getting more and more messed up, and so I'm getting it back together.

Robin Fenner:

It's a lot of balance, and the other thing, too, is that you've been working out in a way to try to make sure that the fever doesn't come back, so that's just kind of the morning, when you first wake up in the morning, and all that. So your work hours still shifted and you know later hours and all that. Oh yeah, we didn't even talk about that.

Rudy Fenner:

I'm back to working full time. I mean working like a dude and I have a great job, but it's intense, it's a life-sucking. You ain't going in there doing a whole bunch of other casual stuff. You focused on what you're doing. You got to be focused and so, yeah, it is fascinating.

Rudy Fenner:

And one last thing and then she realized is that we just after December 15th so we were getting on top of what I said, those things, those numbers in the treatments, there were echocardiograms, there's been regular blood draws, there's been all kinds of monitoring and treatments around. There was a period where it included physical therapy, all kinds of monitoring and treatments around. It was a period where it included physical therapy. We're dealing with fluid and moving that fluid, doing different therapeutic things to get that going. And all of a sudden everybody said, okay, you're good, you can go. It's like well, wait a minute, wait. So she has time.

Rudy Fenner:

Now she's trying to figure out what to do with that time. I have time, I'm trying to figure out what to do with that time and she's looking at me and she's saying, no, we don't need to figure nothing out, we just have the time. How about just have the time? And I'm struggling with that because, again, I'm trying to recover and get back on my feet and I think I stood up too fast. You ever get dizzy when you stand up too fast. Fast. That's kind of like what I've done. So we're adjusting, we're getting that straight.

Robin Fenner:

You're going to be monitored always.

Rudy Fenner:

The rest of my life.

Robin Fenner:

And you should be. That should happen, but it does. The frequency decreases.

Rudy Fenner:

And I'm no longer in the witness protection program.

Robin Fenner:

So this is like you know you've been on a bicycle, or maybe a tricycle, then a bicycle with training wheels, and now you're on the bike without the training wheels.

Rudy Fenner:

This is a good point.

Robin Fenner:

Yes, so now you feel like, okay, wait a minute. How are you, how are you gonna be sure this stuff? Doesn't come back because I won't sleep for another three or four months, yeah, and there's a little bit of insecurity with that at first there definitely is insecurity and you have, and you know, kind of getting through all that when everything else has been so intense, um, and kind of really adjusting back to a regular life. There's time for that. You have to make time for that. That you might not have known you had?

Rudy Fenner:

Oh, absolutely you had no clue. I had no clue, You're right, so that's really been kind of a shift. Big time, yeah, big time. So listen, let me ask you a couple of questions.

Robin Fenner:

Why don't you just ask away? You're like the brains of this operation. Ask away.

Rudy Fenner:

What's next? Where's the podcast going? What are we going to do here? What do we got? 2024, we're in April. We got what eight good strong months left, shalom.

Robin Fenner:

Well, I hope we're doing more than just one a month, but I'll say that. But secondly, so, as I've said, there are a few things that we have done that we're going to come back to, things that we are have done that we're going to come back to. Now, one of the reasons why we call this officially thinner and and one of the things that we try to do, is create kind of a broad range of topics that we cover because we don't want to be just stuck talking only about one thing when there's so much.

Robin Fenner:

That means she got tired of talking about fitness I'm not even going to say what's going to say about you and what you talk about all the time.

Rudy Fenner:

Okay, but anyway You're going to talk about basketball.

Robin Fenner:

Well, you know, I prefer fitness or basketball over any of the things we've been dealing with in the last two years.

Rudy Fenner:

You ain't lying. You ain't lying about that.

Robin Fenner:

I keep up with the headlines because that's really important.

Rudy Fenner:

All you have to do is watch the a big game, because she will tell you the score and who scored the most points, so don't even try it. I tried that and I got yeah.

Robin Fenner:

I'll just tell you, my morning show of choice is Good Morning America, first thing in the morning and I learned everything I need to know.

Rudy Fenner:

Everything.

Robin Fenner:

Everything, yes, and different perspectives. It's wonderful. Thank you, michael Strahan and Whit George, and everybody.

Rudy Fenner:

How about that? Those are your people.

Robin Fenner:

All right. So anyway, but one of the things we had done a little bit of before we talked about making some changes to our house. Yes, it's kind of like, you know, one area begets another and we're always going to be doing these kinds of things. Our house is nearly 30 years old, so you know we've been doing things all along, but if you did something 15 years ago, maybe it's time to redo that again. So we refreshed some new areas and it's been kind of fun because instead of having a contractor come in and do it like we did for the kitchen, we were doing it kind of on, you know, a lower-scale budget and we are still working to finish the last details. But we redid our family room because you can see it from the kitchen. So the family room really sucked. So, yes, the kitchen looked gorgeous. Let me take this back.

Rudy Fenner:

So, if you haven't had a chance to go back and listen to and I think we had a video, we did the video portion of the podcast as well the Kitchen Chronicles, the Kitchen Chronicles Go back and look at Kitchen Chronicles, because Kitchen Chronicles was all about gutting it and rebuilding from the floor up and it was interesting because we've done it a few ways. I was talking to Robin about this and a lot of things that happened with the house. We do them and it has. Robin has this incredible flair that I just thank God that Miles Monroe and other pastors in the past talked about wives and the beauty of having strong wives and how we need to not be intimidated by them and embrace this strength and embrace it, and what that basically means is just sometimes shut up and follow what they say. Because she said so much stuff about the kitchen, I'm kind of like all I know is how much it's going to cost. I don't know Is this an act? And something in my soul, just like all I know is how much it's going to cost. All I know is this and that and something in my soul just said, uh-uh-uh, this is a shut-up moment. Man, that thing finished and my mind was blown.

Rudy Fenner:

I clean that kitchen up, like Mr Johnson every night Still does. I don't want a spot right now, to this day. I don't want a spot on the counter. My floors I inspect my floors. You can put a crumb if you want to, but as soon as you leave I'm vacuuming up what you just did. I want it clean, I want it well kept, but a lot of the stuff we did, we did it and it ended up being incredibly beautiful. But I realized after a while there was going to be some required maintenance anyway. So it wasn't like we just did something. We had some money to blow. We maintained it and upgraded some things that needed to be upgraded and it just ended up flawlessly and just like you said. The problem is, once you upgrade number one, you look at the section two and section two is like a hood now you can see it from section one.

Rudy Fenner:

Oh yeah, yeah, it's like, oh wait, taking that wall down, I can see that whole room.

Robin Fenner:

That's trash, yeah yeah, so we did some interesting things. Actually, believe it or not, we have a more contemporary design choice.

Rudy Fenner:

Contemporary design choices these days, not super modern but definitely not, as Let me translate that we went into a model home, one day. And the model home was in a locale, in a money place that we didn't feel comfortable with, but we stole everything that they had, every idea. I'm telling you, if I blindfolded you and took you into my kitchen, then blindfolded you and took you into their kitchen and tell you which one were you in you'd need a moment.

Rudy Fenner:

Well, they took you into their kitchen and tell you which one were you in. You need a moment. Well, they're inspirational. You need a moment and I think it's fabulous.

Robin Fenner:

You go, they go to the trade shows and they see all the new things that are coming out so they kind of help to incorporate that design of your house it's also being somebody trying to sell you 800 versions of gutter protectors, but which is good, a lot of good ideas.

Rudy Fenner:

So, yeah, so, yeah. So, kitchen, kitchen chronicles, and I and I we don't I, I mean, I name everything, and Robin, like my names, are not always good, I'll confess and she's not shy about telling me that I call it the Home, sweet Home series, and so we had Kitchen Chronicles, and so we do want to talk about the other things that we finished out, because now the dream was to be able to sit in the furthest seat in the dining room, the deepest seat, and see the television in the family room, which means you have to see through the kitchen, through the sitting area, all the way to the family room, and by golly she did it.

Robin Fenner:

That was his dream.

Rudy Fenner:

I wasn't thinking about.

Robin Fenner:

TV quite so much as the aesthetic of the room. So wait, wait, wait so what I thought I'm gonna.

Rudy Fenner:

Just okay, let me just be real. But it works it. It works, it's okay. Any men or women listen. Just let me tell you what I realize that on Thanksgiving Day, when you're having this great Thanksgiving feast, a game is on and you can't see it and there will be nothing more. I don't need sound, I just want the backdrop of the Thanksgiving Day, because that's the theme. Or on Christmas Day, I want to have everybody in. We're doing Christmas dinner and it's a wonderful life. It's playing on the screen. I don't need the sound, but it's just playing. It's like a mural in a museum playing while we're doing our thing. Come on now. Who don't want that?

Robin Fenner:

yeah, bam, well, anyway, bam, you got it. Now I have it, and we kind of rejiggered the way certain things were it's amazing, we're placed in the room.

Rudy Fenner:

We'll have to put some pictures up when we do that.

Robin Fenner:

We'll do that. Yeah, we'll share more about what that looks like when it's completely finished, but it's almost there.

Rudy Fenner:

And I think the thing that's great was we learned how I called it balling on a budget.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Rudy Fenner:

Because when we did the family room, we didn't just, like you said, we didn't have the designer to come in the blueprint, it was just y'all going at it, you and Rebecca and Ryan, this crew that we have who are really like some of our best friends They've been best friends for years who happened to and that's a whole other podcast. God has already given you everything that you need. Sometimes you just need to stop, be quiet and look around, and we are around friends who are incredibly I mean incredibly talented we are, yeah, and, and rebecca and ryan.

Robin Fenner:

Honestly they're like siblings from another mother. I've known both of them, for I know I've known ryan for like 25 years yeah rebecca, for maybe not quite that long, but it's been a minute.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, because yeah, you used to train her yeah, and rebecca's like this chick.

Robin Fenner:

She looks like Barbie. Oh, she does, but she's got more DeWalt tools than any guy I know, except maybe Ryan.

Rudy Fenner:

Yeah, yeah. She's the kind of woman that shows up in pearls and this beautiful dress like she's on a runway at the Oscars, and when she turns the corner she pulls out a saw and does your.

Robin Fenner:

Your cabinets.

Rudy Fenner:

Yeah, your cabinetry she fixes your cabinets, she puts them up. Yeah, she did the cabinetry.

Robin Fenner:

I mean, we used some pre-made.

Rudy Fenner:

I desperately want to produce a TV show with her one day, because I just think she'd be an absolute star.

Robin Fenner:

She'd be amazing. But yeah, so she did the cabinet work. Ryan did the cabinet work. Ryan. Uh, we changed a wall in there because, uh, to be honest, we had a wood burning fireplace and I don't, I didn't like it, I don't really it's, it's. You know, you got to do all that stuff to start it up. I want like click and go. I didn't want to introduce more gas into the house because of all the things that yeah, yeah, yeah so we went electric and we got found a fireplace that we really, really liked.

Robin Fenner:

We just flipped on.

Rudy Fenner:

And just let me just say this no one, no one, loves the fireplace more than my grandson Finley. I'm pretty confident in August, when it's 90 degrees, finley is going to still turn on the fireplace Because it's like in his mind that TV is connected to the fireplace and you can't run one without the other.

Robin Fenner:

It's like in his mind that TV is connected to the fireplace and you can't run one without the other. It's just hilarious.

Speaker 3:

But yeah, what we'll do is we'll do some before and after photos and I think that'll kind of give people the idea.

Robin Fenner:

We'll post them. We'll tell you when they're posted. Fabulous, fabulous. Let me know about that. Okay, so here's how I've gotten through the last let me think how many least eight months, and that is by watching suits. Good gosh, it's a part of my life now I've been watching. I started watching it and I couldn't stop, and right now I'm watching it for the third time because, well, I kind of fell asleep on some things, not because they were boring, because I I watch it late at night and then I fall asleep, so I go back to it and catch so I'm not interested.

Rudy Fenner:

I'm not interested. She falls asleep and I watch every episode.

Robin Fenner:

He's not interested interested because when I'm awake, I watch every episode and you walk through the room you stop and stare and tell me how much you don't like me, so when she's asleep I'm watching them.

Rudy Fenner:

Then when she's up, I'm trying not to tell her about what's about to happen, because I've already seen it. And let me tell you. Here's what's really funny Our prevailing conversation and we're going to do this when we talk about suits, we're going to do a podcast on suits. We have to, because in our house I'm not going to tell you who is what, but there's one group whose position is Mike is trash and another group who adamantly defends him with their life.

Robin Fenner:

And it is a hilarious conversation because the person who says Mike is trash really doesn't have an adequate reason for saying so.

Rudy Fenner:

I think Did to understand who thinks Mike is trash. So I am. I think the show is a success because it is an amazing look at our lives. Lawyers are the setting, but my gosh, these people are us comedy drama it is in all but almost everybody in that show.

Rudy Fenner:

We can identify with friends and family who's like them, and that's why we relate to the show is because we have people. We have the environmentalist. The environmentalist, to me, that's the person that always blames everything else. Nothing ever has anything to do with him. That's an environmentalist. That's Mike. Everything is always environment.

Robin Fenner:

And then you have Harvey Mike is trying very hard. He's done a lot to rehabilitate himself.

Rudy Fenner:

Mike is brilliant.

Robin Fenner:

Mike is like a serial killer, that doesn't know why he kills.

Rudy Fenner:

He's just he can't stop himself. He's just like he has a fork and every time he starts to eat he sticks it in his eye.

Robin Fenner:

That's not true. Oh my gosh, it makes you crazy. You have to watch it for yourself.

Rudy Fenner:

You know what Mike reminds me of. I got to get you to watch Uncut Gems because in Uncut Gems the main character in there is just like Mike it's always other people. He can justify the most boo-boo behavior Because in his crazy mind, yeah. So yeah, but anyway, that's going to be a fun podcast and then just talk about the whole where it is and what to try to do with it, and just the rebirth of those characters.

Robin Fenner:

Well, yeah, because Suits came out. I guess they finished recording maybe back several years ago and for some reason it became this huge hit on Netflix, and so we said, okay, crazy, let's take a look. And from there on I was definitely hooked. Um, and someone else whoever walked through the room and has a strong opinion about mike was obviously hooked too.

Rudy Fenner:

That's kind of like a phenomenon, though, to understand how how a show that's almost like um mash came back and just went crazy like that. That's weird, because it was a. It was a series that on and off it rebroadcast like everything else does shoot. You can watch andy griffin every day, but those characters don't come back to life like suits did.

Robin Fenner:

But suits doesn't feel like it's old.

Rudy Fenner:

It feels very contemporary maybe that's what it is, and maybe, maybe, but you know when they stopped filming.

Robin Fenner:

It was shortly after megan and harry got married because, uh, megan Markle was on Suits she's one of the you know stars in the cast and when they got married, you know she left the show and I guess you know it was and Mike also. They both moved away, but but shortly after that, uh, the show uh wasn't was no longer, you know, being produced, but, uh, people have rediscovered it and there's a a huge bid to bring it back. Apparently, they're trying to do some kind of suit spinoff. Weren't these guys on the Super Bowl commercials?

Rudy Fenner:

Yeah, they were on the Super Bowl.

Robin Fenner:

It's crazy they were at the award shows this season, the red carpet, maybe you had Gina Torres, who is a boss, oh my gosh. I love her. I love Harvey. I love Louis boss oh my gosh. And she is just. I love her. I love harvey I love lewis lit. I love all the characters, all the yeah, yeah, you got lit up and and also oh gosh, he's so troubling, he just troubles me also donna.

Robin Fenner:

She's one of my favorites, uh, but uh, it is really a great cast and and there are new characters who come in, you know, during the different seasons. I think there are new characters who come in during the different seasons. I think there are nine seasons of it and maybe about 15 or 16 episodes per season, so it can keep you occupied for a while. It is to me. It is the best TV show I've ever watched in my life.

Rudy Fenner:

You think better than Dallas. Yes, better than wait. You've had a few now. It's better than Sex and the City.

Speaker 3:

You used to listen to soap operas on the radio back in the day, don't?

Robin Fenner:

tell anybody that I supplied the radio with a TV band on it.

Speaker 3:

Oh my gosh, I know young people. Y'all don't even know what I'm talking about. That was before we got married. Just trust me.

Rudy Fenner:

That's the way we used to roll.

Robin Fenner:

So All my Children used to be one of my favorites.

Rudy Fenner:

And it is a viewing, it is not any question about that the success of it and and now it's an interesting challenge, because what to do next?

Robin Fenner:

well, if they want, to hear a couple things. First of all, if they want to do to bring it back. You know they're talking about other people playing different characters in a different city. I don't know how that's going to work, because those of us who like Suits the way it was like Suits the way it was.

Rudy Fenner:

In the middle of everything, somebody yelled where's?

Robin Fenner:

Mike so.

Rudy Fenner:

I don't, you know. The thing is this.

Robin Fenner:

We love the characters that these human beings played.

Rudy Fenner:

Yeah, the dynamic was incredible, but they are human beings Incredible dynamic.

Robin Fenner:

They are doing some other things now, many of them Making money.

Rudy Fenner:

Yeah, trying to get paid. Well now everybody's getting paid because their popularity got upped, their faces and their voices were upped, and so now they're commodities and products to be sold. So they're all doing their thing. Getting back together is tough.

Robin Fenner:

But some of them have said you know they read that. They said they either want to take a break, you said you didn't love me no more so I'm gone. And who doesn't want to take a break from work sometimes?

Rudy Fenner:

Wow, what about that?

Robin Fenner:

What a concept, because it really is work for them. Some of them are into production Gabriel Mock and Patrick Adams, smart money, harvey and Mike.

Rudy Fenner:

It's that gas light money. The guys play Harvey and Mike.

Speaker 3:

The gas money they're into producing a lot now.

Robin Fenner:

Yeah, jan Torres is on other programs, others are on other programs, I think Sarah Rafferty. She's doing something else too, another show. But you know, it was just like lightning in a bottle and so I'm really hopeful, interesting and prayerful that somehow they find a way to get back together.

Robin Fenner:

Because you, somehow they find a way to get back together, because you know they're doing a podcast too. They're starting a podcast, uh, yeah, um, I want to say donna and and mike, because I know they're not their real names, but they're going to be doing a podcast soon about suits, because it is just one of those things that we just can't get enough of.

Rudy Fenner:

So there's that wait, I can't, I cannot leave it without. I got to say one thing. I just need to remember. Oh, shoot, what's the lawyer's name, my man, that came on in the latter part? Oh, I know what you're talking about. Wait, wait, wait, I can find it, I can find it, I can find it Wendell Pierce. Okay, okay, talking about um, wait, wait, wait, I can find it, I can find it, I can find it window pierce okay, so quick sidebar.

Rudy Fenner:

Then we move on because we want to talk about what I was talking about. I'm on an escalator in zara in new york city yeah and I'm going up the escalator and I look over and I yell bunk. And he what's up, brother. And that was my moment and I became a Wendell Pierce fan. He has played some fantastic roles. He was bunk in the Wire. What is his character? He's dad.

Robin Fenner:

Zane. He's Mr Zane, the attorney Zane. Yeah, attorney Zane in the show, yep.

Rudy Fenner:

And what's his daughter's name in Suits? Margo Margo.

Robin Fenner:

What's her character? I'm going to call her Rachel.

Speaker 3:

He's Rachel's dad yeah.

Rudy Fenner:

He's Rachel's dad and so I will watch him in a show that I don't like. My love and commitment for Wendell Pierce is at a point where I don't care what he's in. I'm going to watch it and support it and buy a t-shirt, if I can buy one, so yeah. So that, just like I love that dude and I love everything he's done and I love that character and so yeah.

Robin Fenner:

Weren't you an extra in the Wire one time or something?

Rudy Fenner:

I was an extra in Homicide. Life on the Streets.

Speaker 3:

That was Shout Out to Baltimore too Same thing, no streets. That was shot out of baltimore too.

Rudy Fenner:

Same thing, no, oh my gosh, if I had been an extra in the wire, I'd be bragging about that. That would be on my bio. Okay, I don't even have a bio, but I'm a creep one. Just to say I was an extra in the wire. Oh, no, yeah. Oh, my goodness girl, you just made my heart move with that extra in the wires interesting, interesting tidbit.

Robin Fenner:

Okay, all right, so that's, that's our pop culture moment. But you know, we love pop culture and it's just something that things come up and it's fun talking about it. So, once in a while we'll be covering some of those things.

Rudy Fenner:

And we also talked about. We wanted to get back to what I call a family always family series. We talked about it. We did some things with relationships, but the happily ever after and for that what I'm proposing anyway, she can always knock me back these are things that I'd love to talk about and happily ever after just looking at relationships and just still dealing with. I think the core of what we do is relationships. Almost everything that we talk about you'll find a piece of it is about relationships. When we talk about the kitchen, it ends up being about relationships. We talk about everything it comes back to relationships. When we talk about the kitchen, it ends up being about relationships. We talk about everything it comes back to relationships. So we want to just continue to examine that and look at some, look at what people are shooting for, what people are recovering from, what people aspire to in terms of relationships, and just speak to that. I think some some.

Rudy Fenner:

One thing that I do want to give some attention as we go forward with the podcast is some of the goofball stuff that we've done. We have, for example, as a society, had a very interesting view of a woman who decides not to have kids or who can't have kids. Moms have pressured their daughters about having kids and it's like it's a weird thing. God has called us to do all kinds of things. We're all over the map in terms of what he's called us to be and what we're living into and I'm hoping that somewhere that struck up a conversation about being more supportive of that. We have friends that are single, who frequently are outcasts, and we've done things to create that and it's like you guys are weird. So still, this is my boy. He's my boy, no matter whether he's married or not. And same thing with this woman she's one of my girls, these are my people, and to encourage and to love and embrace that and not fight it, contradict it and try to tell people what they shouldn't be. I think that's as important almost as the things that we talk about with the relationships and the beauty of a relationship, the beauty of being who you are and living into that, and we as people and individuals supporting that.

Rudy Fenner:

We also had a topic married with children. That's one of the most interesting dynamics in all of relationships. Yeah, Married with children, and I think from the perspective of just like what I just picking up on, what I just talked about being an aunt, being an uncle. What is that all about? Because that's evolved over time, Right, Right, Having kids, I think. When we talk about marriage and most marriages, most marriages don't have counseling. The marriages that do have counseling, they don't have counseling that talks about kids, and so most conflict comes up when you have a kid because you ain't never talked about it before.

Robin Fenner:

Well, I think people talk about it.

Rudy Fenner:

Whether they have counseling or not, they talk about it Not whether we're going to spank the child or not.

Robin Fenner:

But here's what I think about. I think sometimes people change their minds about things as time goes on.

Speaker 3:

They'll change their minds about whether you want kids, whether you want kids Gosh, that's good.

Rudy Fenner:

Maybe they'll say we don't want them.

Robin Fenner:

Gosh, that's good Well, maybe we'll have a kid you know that's good, or? Maybe they think they want them and watch enough and say no, I don't think I want kids.

Rudy Fenner:

Yes, yes, this is fantastic what you're saying.

Robin Fenner:

So I think people go through. I don't think there's one hard answer to everything, and you don't.

Rudy Fenner:

What you've hit on in this whole relationship game is being gentle and having enough grace to allow each other to grow.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Rudy Fenner:

And to be willing to. When I married you, I didn't know, but what I was really marrying was the person that was there and marrying the person that you were going to become.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Rudy Fenner:

And I never had anybody to tell me that, to prepare for that, to even envision you being different. But my gosh, you are nowhere near the same person now that you were at 18 years old?

Robin Fenner:

Well, I hope not, and you aren't either, because you hope to grow.

Rudy Fenner:

Some people are, but I'm just saying it's just very different. So that's a good, fun conversation.

Robin Fenner:

There's a lot to talk about with all that stuff and I mean to bring it on home.

Rudy Fenner:

I still want to continue to talk about fitness because I fitness, I fitness talks now are different. We're different. We have learned so many things about fitness and care, physically as well as mental. We never got into the mental part of it, but it's something that I'm trying to. I'd love to have somebody eventually in this space to talk to, to try to understand how did you and I get through the whole cancer challenge?

Rudy Fenner:

Because mentally, a lot of people divorce from that. A lot of people just life just never gets back on track from that. A lot of people have a live in a, a fear People just life just never gets back on track from that. A lot of people live in a fear trap. After that. A lot of people are never released from the bondage of is it going to happen again? We don't live in that and I'm really curious now to understand why. Because I'm doing things but I don't understand why or how I'm doing them. It it's a good thing, but I would love to understand it more, to perhaps to communicate that out. So if people are faced with those challenges in the future, or if they currently find themselves in that position? What can we do to help? What do we? What did we learn that could help other people in that situation?

Robin Fenner:

well, I think it's true we've talked about some of that a little bit before because we had different roles and you being a patient and kind of having things kind of paved for you, a path paved for you to follow and just being able to do that was probably very helpful in your recovery, because you didn't have the stress of trying to figure everything else out.

Rudy Fenner:

Unimaginable.

Rudy Fenner:

We saw people who did not, who were on their own trying to work out there's nothing that breaks your heart more than I'm in a room waiting to get an infusion, which means and ain't no well people in that room. Everybody in the room waiting for an infusion has something wrong. But you're watching a 70-something-year-old person who's being told to get into a system and log on so that they can make an appointment to get an infusion, right? So that means that he's already sick. Something's not right. They've got to fix it. And now he's got a technology challenge that he has to overcome to just get the treatment. And when he finishes that technology challenge, he's got to go back and deal with it over and over, Cause it ain't one treatment.

Robin Fenner:

Heartbreaking Cause, that is, insurance.

Rudy Fenner:

Heartbreak. Oh gosh, that's the money. That's it.

Robin Fenner:

It's like we can't do this because that's an episode, your.

Rudy Fenner:

That's an episode by itself, your insurance is not.

Robin Fenner:

you don't have the right insurance here and wherever you went before, we don't have their test results. We can't do anything for you today.

Rudy Fenner:

Well, they just told me to come here the morning of my neck dissection. And this is just a small digression, digress for a second. I get to, I'm about to have surgery. I'm like kind of I'm stoked and nervous, excited, scared, every emotion imaginable. And these dudes tell me oh, you got to pay $2,000 before we can do this surgery.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Rudy Fenner:

What.

Robin Fenner:

Because they told us something different before. Yeah, what we talked about it.

Rudy Fenner:

But I said, and I mean tell you my girl on the other side of the plexiglass is like a bodyguard. You are not getting this surgery unless I get this $2,000, which we know we're not supposed to pay. But we're at a crossroads here Either you're going to have the surgery to remove the cancerous tumor from your neck, if you're going to get it removed, you got to give me $2,000. Let me just tell you something. My wife handled that thing like a pro because I had the mind and the mental aptitude for absolutely zero. Again, I'm about to get cut. I'm going to a three-hour surgical procedure and I am not in a position to think about or talk about money. And there's a part of me that says, okay, well, cool, let's go and head on back home.

Rudy Fenner:

Because, again, I'm not really excited about getting cut right. I'm going to make a six-cent decision from your ear to the middle of your throat, but I need this money first. Oh, I don't have the money. It's too bad. I got to go back home, so it was just a mess.

Robin Fenner:

Well, we had the money, I didn't want to pay her the money. Because I she should build the insurance company first. My heart broke for all the people that don't have the money.

Rudy Fenner:

Yeah, it's a lot of people that find themselves in that they got to have life-saving surgery. Yeah, you don't have time for this. So those are all. I'm sorry I got emotional. Those are episodes unto itself, but those are some of the things we want to talk about in terms of the um, the whole, uh, health and wellness and fitness deal.

Rudy Fenner:

And just talking about my wife, hey, I'm gonna tell you something. Yo look, this woman has become a workout beast. Her level of conditioning she was never my wife was I. I ain't shy about this, I'm not a problem. My wife was always fine. She was fine when she was 14, 13. I met her when she was 17, and she's still fine now. But I'm going to tell you something In a fitness perspective, she's never been where she is now. Let's just say we're over 50, and she has never been as fit as she is right now, this moment, today. So that's a whole thing. I got to share that because she's humble with it and she's not going really embrace it. And I'm kind of glad because it'll be really hard to live with a chick like that that really understands how gorgeous she is and just what.

Rudy Fenner:

What kind of power she has but I want to make sure that I have done everything to help any guy who is trying to get fit, any couple that's trying to get fit, any woman that's trying to get fit, because I think we have accidentally unearthed some secrets and some tips to this and how to support each other and how to help each other maximize their physical potential. I think we have, because I don't know a lot of couples. I'll say I don't know a lot of couples. I'll say I know a lot of guys that are 66, like I am, who have learned to maximize his fitness at this age. I ran a 5K before we did this podcast and I didn't hobble through. I ran through and I'm going to have a full day after, so it's not like I'm just barely tripping up. I'm thriving in this stuff and I think we've unearthed some things that help us to do that.

Robin Fenner:

That reminds me one thing I think you did that we didn't talk about, was you ran that Thanksgiving Day race. Yes, I did, and you came out and later on, we found out, you came out what in your age group.

Rudy Fenner:

I was third place in my age group, which was stunning.

Robin Fenner:

It could have been three people, but Well, yeah, keep this in mind.

Rudy Fenner:

Keep this in mind, everybody.

Rudy Fenner:

that's over 50, all you got to do is, if you can keep your knees and keep your hips, the number of people your age starts to reduce and you'll advance and so yeah, so one of the big things I'm doing we need to do a podcast about that I am going to start running middle races, middle distance races for my age group, and I want to do it on a state level and maybe, if I get good enough, on a national level. So that's an exciting challenge. It's an exciting challenge, but what it really does is it gives me incentive and inspires me to stay in shape.

Robin Fenner:

It's an exciting challenge for me just to get through each day and try to plan my next house project.

Rudy Fenner:

Yeah, I mean you know okay. Yeah, yes, she means that.

Robin Fenner:

Yes, that means life has calmed down a bit.

Rudy Fenner:

Yes, it is, and not as frenzied.

Robin Fenner:

Oh my gosh, it's so cool and not as crazy, because I can just have fun doing something that I enjoy doing.

Rudy Fenner:

I am planning time on the deck. I am planning it, I'm excited about it, and Robin has really beaten me up, rightfully so. So about making my schedule right so we can come home and go for walks in the evening. Yes, so we can sit on the deck, have dinner, I can hang out with the kids talk to each other sometimes and actually have these conversations, as opposed to podcasts learning about stuff, because sometimes I write stuff down in a podcast and I didn't know.

Rudy Fenner:

It's like wow, man, you should have known that you shouldn't have had to do a podcast to friend that out. So um, so yeah, we're excited.

Robin Fenner:

Yeah, also, I'm not sure when David will have a chance to finish getting this together and getting it out for us, but in case it's before May 11th. On May 11th, we're working on a health and wellness fair at our church, which is Crossroads.

Rudy Fenner:

Well, who knew?

Robin Fenner:

United Methodist in Ashburn, Virginia. It is from 10 am to 3 pm and it's going to be a great day of events. Our brother-in-law, Daryl Green, is going to be the kickoff speaker.

Rudy Fenner:

Yes, sir.

Robin Fenner:

And we're also going to have a wonderful medical panel to come and talk about heart health, the latest in cancer developments, cancer treatment developments and mental health. So excited we offer many exercise classes and nutrition classes and so the people who lead those are going to have like little mini sessions to give people.

Rudy Fenner:

Look at what God did. This is so good.

Robin Fenner:

It's what's so cool. He's going to take credit for all this himself. What is so cool? God is no, I meant you.

Rudy Fenner:

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. But, but it did. It did result from our, our health challenges and from that God just birthed in in me and in in us. How do we help people in this space? And all of this is a result of it. The health and fitness stuff is a result of it, and so the health and wellness fair should be fantastic and, and hopefully, my goal that day is to save somebody's life good, good for you you know and I'm.

Robin Fenner:

One day I'm going to share the other side of this and what it's been like to really be on the other side of being alongside of you, but in a different role, because that's very different and I think it might help other people too.

Rudy Fenner:

Yeah, and honestly it is so, and you don't know that. Yes, I have no clue. I've been there.

Robin Fenner:

But it's not the same as being in those shoes. This is good, this is good, this is good, but for now, all right, I think we're winding up, so. So I think we kind of caught you up. I think we caught up ourselves. Yeah, we did glad we had this talk. Yeah, we have something now we are all going to look forward to, hopefully, and uh, we're so glad you're with us today this is good, yeah good to have you back where you been, where y'all been shoot.

Rudy Fenner:

We were standing here with these microphones waiting all this time.

Robin Fenner:

Where everybody been. Yeah, be sure to follow us on our social media.

Rudy Fenner:

It's officiallyfender yes.

Robin Fenner:

Instagram we do a little bit of TikTok, but that's big. Instagram is our social media of choice at the.

Rudy Fenner:

Moment.

Robin Fenner:

So check us out there for everything that's happening in between. Look forward to it. Thanks guys for listening. Thank you.

Rudy Fenner:

Be blessed Bye.