184. Ortega Life Update

We are back! Sort of. Here's a quick life update from us. We will be back with a new episode next week. Please keep us in your prayers!

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SPEAKER_01 0:00

And welcome back to To Become Family. We are in the Easter season and we are back because uh we've been gone for too long and we just feel a need to share all of our personal stuff with you. And that's why we do this, because we have no other people to share this with. So thank you for being here so we can tell you everything that's going on with our lives.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

Yeah. So thankfully, if you stayed with us, stuck around during Lent.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

We didn't finish the series. Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

We well, we pre-recorded a lot, which was great. And then we had our Holy Week episode already done before the hoopla.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

It was Palm Sunday episode.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

Palm Sunday, excuse me. No, that's before it was before Palm Sunday. You're right. And we didn't release during Holy Week.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

No, we didn't release the week before the Palm Sunday episode because we had miss on miss I messed up with the recording schedule.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

And then yeah, and then we didn't record during Holy Week, which I think is good. We shouldn't anyway. Anyway, so we had like a uh a semi-finished Lenten series that we posted because we had pre-recorded, and then the beginning of March we had the hoopla. Hoopla. Tell us about the hoopla.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Um also if you notice a new style of our conversations, we're gonna go back to speaking on two different mics. We actually have a system that works for this now, which is super exciting. Like the mixing, audio mixing, the mics.

SPEAKER_00 1:24

Oh, okay. And also about these things.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Also, we are I just show up. We're gonna change up how we do YouTube so our podcasting has become back to just podcasting. Yes. Ish. All right, continue.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

All right, well that'll be I mean we can share more about that as as the conversation goes. But I guess the biggest thing, the biggest life update was the kids and I were in a fairly serious car accident at the beginning of March, second week of March.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Serious and what potentially could have happened. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Then the car was car was totaled. Car was totaled and got T-boned.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Yes. As far as we're gonna say.

SPEAKER_00 2:03

Yeah. Of the logistics. So it was it was it was pretty scary and it was it was not good. Um, but we all walked out of the car. We did all get checked at the hospital, and we've all been undergoing various forms of treatments, therapies, PT, EMDR, not me, CBT.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

I've just been driving.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

All the initials, and then yes, Renzo, Renzo used to be the passenger princess, and now he is the chauffeur. He is driving us everywhere.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

I'm too vigilant when I drive. I've come to realize that no, I knew this before. Uh I have a long commute commute to work. So whenever we're not commuting to work, I don't feel like driving. Um and when I drive, I'm hyper aware of everything. Like I see I see that like you see a thing, I'm like, no, I saw that a while ago. But then I'm exhausted after. So I'm like, ah, yeah. Drive me around. Well, I can't do that anymore.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

Yeah, so Monica was mostly the driver of our family life.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Speaks about herself in third person now. That's it. It's really weird.

SPEAKER_00 3:07

It's actually a result of the um anywho, so I hate really hate talking about it, but you should know about it because we haven't been here for a while, and that's why we haven't been here. So yeah, so Renzo's been doing a lot of driving. It's been a lot of logistical stuff, like dealing with insurance and buying a new car and banks and doctors' offices and all the things, like making all the appointments, making sure we make it to all the appointments, coordinating them.

SPEAKER_01 3:39

And if you want to support us financially, we wrote a book about sex that we think you should buy.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

Unrelated, but helpful in this time.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Love making how to talk about sex with your spouse. Wrote it just for this occasion.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

That's it. Um, yeah. So that was that's what we've been doing the last four weeks, is just taking a look rather uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

I'm actually pretty comfortable.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

No, I'm good. My yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

You don't want to sit in the corner like I am.

SPEAKER_00 4:03

Well, then I can't look at you.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

But you can see everything. They might come this way or that.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

But I thought the point was to I thought the new setup was so that we looked at each other again.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

It is, but I looked too wide on screen. Well, I can't like it.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

I have to sit here to look at you. So I'm fine. I'm not uncomfortable. Um, yeah, so that's that's what we've been up to. And so it's been so much time and effort to do all that. So we've had zero creative juice left in our soul.

SPEAKER_01 4:32

I'm also writing a book.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

That's it. I was gonna wait for you. I was gonna let you do it.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

I'm writing a book. I'm not gonna tell you the title, I'm not gonna tell you anything about it or what it's about. It's not about sex. That's not about sex.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

Uh, but so I'm writing a book, and what's funny is that a lot of the writing took place prior to the car accident, um, which is really cool because you're normally a procrastinator. I never. Never I've I I choose to wait to the last second.

SPEAKER_00 5:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:03

Well, good thing you didn't choose this time because yeah, so it's still down the next few days, but um I think it's it's in a really good place. Um, a lot of help from people that are great, and including my wife. She's great too.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Um this is a solo author. Well, semi-solo. Semi-solo, it's not with me.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

The Holy Spirit is always with me. He's always writing.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

We are not co-authoring, you and I.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

No, no, we are not co-authoring.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

This is a Renzo, this is a Renzo project. I'm very excited.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Just kidding.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

No, I'm very excited.

SPEAKER_01 5:37

I'm very nervous about it. Um, but because of that, we're gonna change our little bit of our strategy, our uh social media. Uh what's the word?

SPEAKER_00 5:49

I have no idea.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Not like not platform strategy, but just like how we, yeah, I guess how we approach things. That's it. Uh you'll see you'll see if you're on Instagram, you'll see a lot of Monica. I'm gonna try to do more things on YouTube. Um, I don't know how I'm gonna do it because there's no time.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

It'll be a little bit more book related. Uh let me let me I think I think well, we could talk to people.

SPEAKER_01 6:09

What do you guys think? Book adjacent. This is what I want to do. Uh, I don't want to do book adjacent stuff yet. I think I'm just gonna talk about husband stuff on YouTube for a bit.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

And then pivot before the three seconds are up in the paint so I don't get called.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

Okay. It's March Madness. Just finished.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

The UConn game's on tonight. Yeah. Are we watching that?

unknown 6:30

We gotta watch it.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

Okay, I guess we are.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

It's on at 8 30.

SPEAKER_00 6:33

Great.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

That sounds this video, this episode's coming out tomorrow, guys.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

Yeah, we're so tired. Um I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

Do you continue? Sorry if you were the person calling. But you came up as Department of Public Health. And I and I think you're a spam call.

SPEAKER_00 6:54

I don't think you're real.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

I don't think you're real.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

Um yeah, but I'm excited. So you're writing with Ave Maria Press again. They liked you enough the first time.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Yeah, I pestered them enough.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

Called you back.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Let me write, let me write more. Thanks.

SPEAKER_00 7:09

No, they're great.

SPEAKER_01 7:10

Um, they're they're really great to do.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

So this is like you're not just writing a book and hoping it. This is really coming, guys. This is really happening.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Yes, this is really happening. There are deadlines to be made and yeah, and deadlines are real no matter what I tell myself. Deadlines are real. Uh no, this is exciting. I'm very excited about this project. Um, it is if anything, it's just it's a it's a project that I want to have out there for our our boys when they're older. Like that's for me, that's enough. Granted, that's hint. I'm sure Ave wants more than just those four book sales. But I think that's in a decade. Four books. But I think it's I think it's I think it's gonna be great. Um the hard thing though, and this is like if you guys are willing to help, um, I hope you're willing to help share this whenever it's ready. Uh, but getting things noticed now is a lot harder because like social media is probably the main way to reach people now. Um and everything's just everyone's speaking about so many things, it's it's very full. Everyone's got an opinion about everything, and it's just people get overwhelmed very quickly. You only see certain things, and then you're like, I can't take any more, and so you take time off of social. So I don't know how else to get the word out about it, but hopefully we'll get there.

SPEAKER_00 8:23

I think it's a really good project though. I'm excited. I read it, I've read it all cover to cover.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

You have and gave a lot of feedback. Not technically all, because I had already started rewriting things, but you saw a lot 80%.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

And I gave a lot of feedback, a lot of feedback, very good, support and criticism.

SPEAKER_01 8:43

Yeah, ma'am.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

Yeah, I'm no, it'll be really great. So that's also been happening behind the scenes in our home. Um, and yeah, and kids are just kids are growing, kids are kidding.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

Soccer's coming.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

Yep, outdoors started again.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

So that's we are still going to be having our chats here about family life.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

We're back here weekly, yeah. So our podcast will still come out weekly, YouTube will look a little bit different. Instagram's probably gonna be about the same.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

I I I would like to see more of your face on Instagram telling people what to do. Oh stretchy sticky tacky. That's all I want to be talking about.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

That's it.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

New niche.

SPEAKER_00 9:27

So weird. That's the new niche.

unknown 9:30

No.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

Um, yeah, Renzo wants me to record more reels, so maybe if there if there is quiet in the house and I have brain power, I have a sneeze stuck in my nose.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

You know what? Some nonsense that you can do. I'm keeping this in. They can hear what you sound like. Oh no, that's the extra pain from the car accent.

SPEAKER_00 9:52

That last sneeze hurt.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Bye more, love making books. Um, the the the thing I don't like is once my hair gets to a certain length, I don't feel like I can record anymore.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

Oh my lord. Is that vain? Where did that come from?

SPEAKER_01 10:08

Looking at my hair on the camera.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

Look, my hair is like it's almost this isn't going up on YouTube.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

No, no, no. I know, I know. I'm just saying, like, my timeline to record reels for myself. Like you could record whenever.

SPEAKER_00 10:18

That's not read all the time. That's not true either.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

Nah.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

Showers have to be had.

SPEAKER_01 10:24

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 10:24

But then that but like your hair doesn't to me does not look different.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

Ever.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Yeah, mostly.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

Next episode is about lying to your spouse when you should not tell you look fat. Uh no, the uh we have an episode on that already. Gotta redo it. Um, but yeah, so that we are gonna be back starting next week. We are so happy you're still here with us. Um, we are not going anywhere too far, but do please keep us in your prayers. Uh, we definitely need prayers.

unknown 10:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

Yeah. As we continue physically healing and emotionally healing from that very scary event, and still pursuing God's plan for us through content creation and through all of this stuff. We travel soon too to go speak again.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

Got one more speaking gig for the year that's uh well for the school year. Yeah. And then we got we got some things coming up in the summer just for us and our family. Yeah. Um, and then yeah, if you want to have us out somewhere, reach out to us.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

We'll come.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

We love coming and talking to married couples, engaged couples, newlyweds. Yeah, yeah, that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

Sorry, don't just bring us out. Like to speak about these things. Um, and if not, that's totally fine too. Um, what's great, and we like definitely experienced it during this line, is that this is not our main source of income. This is not like a this is a thing we we do because we feel called to support marriages. Um but if we can't, we can't. And I'm totally cool saying no. I'm cool saying no anyway.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

I think whoever's been around here long enough knows that. But yeah, no, we just we love we've been we've been encouraged and motivated to come back and do this now that our brains are a little bit more settled. Um, because we love doing this and we love talking about marriage and family life and the good and the bad and the hard and the great and the beautiful and the crazy. Um, so we just we lived some crazy and now we're back again.

SPEAKER_01 12:22

Now we're back. So uh we'll wrap it up here, but I gotta find new music for this. I'm not, I don't know if I'll put music in. I'm gonna try. Sorry guys.

SPEAKER_00 12:29

Outro music?

SPEAKER_01 12:30

Yeah, intro and outro. Okay. I gotta find, I gotta do things.

SPEAKER_00 12:33

What's wrong with the old one?

SPEAKER_01 12:34

I've changed it so many times, you don't even know.

SPEAKER_00 12:37

I don't even know tech guy.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

Uh but yeah, so we we will we will see you at the next episode when we will start talking about family things. Keep us in your prayers until then, and we will see you soon.