"A Revisit with a Grown A** Woman." - My Conversation with Taneya Garcia

On April 17th of this year,  my daughter was a guest on the Life of a Dog on the Rez Radio Show, as part of the programming lineup for KUPR 99.9 FM a low power radio station located in the village of Placitas NM.  She was my first on air guest to the show a one hour radio program base around my podcast.  In our follow up conversation, we talk about life after episode 8 “Brush your teeth and Say your prayers” released on June 19, 2022, her works, post graduation, fitness journey and how the advice "Brush your teeth and say your prayers", has carried her through life.  She also shares an absolutely funny and cringeworthy story about her and her friend wanting to do a yoga class in Hawaii after the completion of her first full marathon, let’s just say, things didn’t turn out as planned but something that she will never forget, so sit back, relax, and enjoy my conversation with Taneya.

Taneya Garcia Instagram @tsizzle

KUPR 99.9 FM Placitas - www.kupr.org

Transcript

0:48

Welcome to the show, Life of a Dog on the Rez, a place where we share funny, cringe-worthy, and inspirational stories from our beloved Pueblo homelands and Turtle Island. Stories that uplift the soul, provide us hope, and heal our spirits. Just like getting that first fresh hot loaf of oven bread, breaking it open, Slathering it with butter, enjoying it with a cup of coffee, surrounded by family. I am your host, Yashe, and I am so happy that you joined me today. On April seventeenth of this year, my daughter was a guest on the Life of a Dog on the Rez radio show as part of the programming lineup for KUPR ninety-nine point nine FM, a low-power radio station located in the village of Placitas, New Mexico, nestled in the beautiful mountains of Tsebia. She was my first on-air guest to the show, a one-hour radio program based around my podcast. previous shows were pre-recorded scripted excerpts from some of my podcast episodes To fit the fifty-nine minute time limit for radio. In our follow-up conversation, we talk about Life after episode eight, Brush Your Teeth and Say Your Prayers, released on June 19th, 2022. We talk about her works, post-graduation, fitness journey, and how the advice brush your teeth and say your prayers Has carried her throughout her life. she also shares an absolutely funny and cringe-worthy story about her and her friend wanting to do a yoga class in Hawaii after the completion of her first full marathon. Let's just say things did not turn out as planned. But So sit back, relax, grab that jar of sun tea that has been brewing on the back porch, fill a cup with ice, pour a glass, and enjoy my conversation with Tanaya. Today I have my first official interview with my daughter, Tenaya, she was originally on my podcast back in July 19th, 2022. It was episode eight and the title of her. Episode was, brush your teeth and say Your Prayers. So without further ado, I would like to introduce my daughter Tenaya. Hi. it's been a long time coming having this conversation again with him. I'm excited to build off of brush your teeth and say Your prayers. Still doing that every day for an update. we'll continue to hopefully do that for the rest of my life. Well, thanks so much. just to kind of give you a little. words that I'll be using today. I call her Samak and those that do not speak the car language in the car language, samak means daughter also, I refer to her and I hope I don't get, fine by the FCC, but I tell her that she's a grown ass woman, but of course, she's still my daughter. So somehow, back when we had our first interview back in, July of 2022, you just graduated from college from Lawrence University out in Appleton, Wisconsin, which happens to be the home of Houdini. I went to the Houdini Museum there and it was pretty cool. I was kind of surprised that. You lived there. But since graduating from, Lawrence, what has life been like? Well, four years ago already. 2022. I was just thinking about that because I have now been with my job, for about three years now. So I am happy to be working at this place called College Horizons. college Horizons, was kind of the launchpad for my educational career. And so now I'm happy to be working back with the organization, doing all the things with them. and so four years since the original podcast with you. Been doing a lot, in the time from then to now. I've lived in Virginia, worked in dc lived in a couple apartments, lived in a house. Now I'm able to move back in every once a week with my dad. so that's been nice to be back home, to be around my brothers again, be around my grandma. Who is the catalyst for brush your teeth, say your Prayers. yeah, you definitely have to listen to the first podcast episode if you haven't, to get the full context behind. Brush your teeth and say your pros. Have been weightlifting still. We touched on that last time. Ran my first marathon in less than ideal conditions. we'll get to that in a bit. Also started coaching club volleyball, and now at Bernalillo High School. yeah, I've been doing a lot, been doing, so many things. So excited to jump into that too. Nice, nice. as we, talked, earlier, your title of your episode, brush Your Teeth and say Your Prayers, and that came from your grandma, my mother, and she probably scold us and get mad at us for mentioning her name because she's not one to put herself out there. But my mother, her name is Mary Helen Garcia Tanaya's grandmother. she was the one that would tell her this, saying, brush your teeth and say her prayers. If you could elaborate a little bit more about what that meant to you and why you think she told you that. You know, I think if you ask me and all of my cousin brothers why we'd say, 'cause she's crazy. I actually don't know where that came from. was she a dentist in her, she a dentist in her time? No, she just took dental hygiene to the uppermost. 'cause she said you can't eat chili and beans and meat and everything without teeth. So, but was a CHR and I don't know if anybody out there is familiar with CHRs that's kind of dating myself. I mean, they're still around. They call 'em committee health representatives. back in the seventies and eighties and throughout the nineties, I believe she was a CHR. And at that time before. You know, there was access to emergency services at a drop of a hat. The CHR was pretty much the doctor, the dentist, the vet, the pharmacist. when somebody got injured or hurt themselves, they call the CHR, call the CHR, and they goes, my mom with very little medical training, if any, and they would be the ones to take care of, the people, the animals. So, yeah. going back to your question, if she was a, uh, medical professional, I have to say no. So continue. That's so funny. because in my head, for all of my life, 26 years of my life, she was a dentist in her lifetime. But CHR definitely, I think fits the description of my, the, even 90 years of age, I would still classify her as a CHR worker, she just mentioned that my mother, her grandmother just turned 90. And that's pretty, good Well, like, it's not a competition or anything, but she is very healthy. She doesn't have any, illnesses and whatnot. of course she's slowed down a little bit, but she's still out doing what she does. going back to the quote the saying, brush your teeth to your prayers, I know that you mentioned you did write a paper there out in Lawrence about that actual quote she's told you. I think probably her, health now and her mobility can also be attributed to her brushing her teeth and saying her prayers daily. I think it's a quote that she has told me and my cousin brothers growing up all of our times. I remember being in the restroom at her house. Her taking a toothbrush and actively scrubbing my gums till they were probably bleeding, also probably scrubbing my skin until it was bleeding, she would give us baths, with those really rough, I don't know, wash cloths. And she would always say the first one was to loosen up the dirt and the second one was to get you clean. And so you would come out of the restroom completely clean, pristine, She would brush your teeth and brush your skin and then she would send you off and remind you to say your prayers. so that's kind of where that came from. And as long as I can remember as I was walking out the door saying my goodbyes to her going home for the night, she would always tell me that, brush your teeth, say your prayers. it's been a while now that I think about it, since I've written a paper. So I can't really remember the, what I was writing about in college, but I assumed that it had some sort of, Meaning behind it. Um, and the wisdom that it's given me to continue living my life. One dental hygiene, or regular hygiene, just in general, but also really believing in prayer and believing in God and the creator and what we have to do. And I think just, being so far away from home, going to school in Wisconsin, I think those words kind of really, carried me through the four years being out there away from home. One, taking care of myself. I think brushing your teeth, it goes beyond that. You gotta brush your hair. but yeah, just really believing in the power of prayer, power of community when I was out there, so, yeah. And I know that with my mother, Tanaya's grandmother, She holds prayer at the center of her life. we don't always. See eye to eye or agree, but I know that her intention basically is to have you live a good life through prayer, through honesty, through sacrifice, through taking the high road, giving you a moral compass to lead your life. I have to attribute that to my mother. I know Tenaya, that's her grandmother that she looks up to, although she has many other grandmothers both here in Santa Ana, Tamaya, and out in Acoma. She is also part Acoma, on her mother's side. So, one of the things I just mentioned earlier, well, Tenaya mentioned her au and in our car language for those unfamiliar au is grandmother to the granddaughter now. that story that she tells about how my mom would her to loosen the dirt and the second one is to get her clean. I think her grandchildren and now she even has great-grandchildren. She took a different approach. with my sister and I, she was quite a character. My mom, I remember going to the store and she would tell us, don't call me mom. Don't call me mom. It's like, girl, mom, I don't know what that was about, but I just really appreciate all the lessons that my mother, Tanaya's grandma has taught. Tenaya, you are, also part Acoma. you come from the Pueblo of Tamaya and on your mother's side you are from the pueblo of a Oma. can you explain a little bit about that to my listeners? I am very fortunate that both of my parents were, consistent and persistent enough to raise me in both of my cultures, in both communities. I have done pretty much everything culturally and akima in almost everything culturally in, Santa Ana too. So I have grown up knowing both of those, cultures and participated in both. whenever I needed to be at Akima, my mom would scoop me up, take me to Akima, say we're going, and we were there whenever I needed to be. In Tamaya, same thing. I was there. And so I always make the joke that somehow I am from the only two pueblos that don't have running water or electricity. So I don't know how that worked out in my favor, but I think the biggest thing I took away from that is I know how to rough it. Yep. You sure do. I have always looked at being whole from Akima and whole from Santa Ana. It's never been, I'm half here, half there. I'm one part this, one part that it's always been both of my identities, whenever I introduce myself in the cares language, I always say ish. So I'm one. It's always who I am. And so I think it's carried me a lot through my life. It's carried me a lot. I lean on both. I try to listen and understand cares from both the dialects, as much as I can. my mom is a fluent speaker. My dad's a fluent speaker, so I'm around Caris a lot, understand it pretty well and have gotten a little bit better at code switching, so I know when to, use my GE and I know, I know when not to, when to use your Just kidding. I'm just kidding. But yeah. Well, thanks, Tanaya. And growing up there on both reservations, both Pueblos, both tribes, you learned quite a bit, which, there are definitely similarities and differences, but you blend them well to bring a well-rounded perspective to you as a, Pueblo woman and how you navigate life. So, I just want to. Thank all the people that surrounded you, that stood behind you and, and carried you forward, especially within our political cultures. We are matrilineal culture, which we take the clans of our mothers, Tenaya and I are not related in that sense. Our clans are different. And if you can kind of explain that, how we get that and how that comes about. what you have learned from me, from your mother, from your family in Oma and your family from Tamaya. I'm definitely still learning every day. Everything happening is always a learning process, and I'm fortunate that I have my mom in Acoma and I have. a really well informed aunt too. my, she's always been a good teacher to me and as well as my sisters out there who have, taught me a lot of things as well. and my mom really kind of just pushing me to learn as much as I can and be involved as much as I can. And I, know that my mom has, as I've grown up, started to lean on me to take on some responsibility. So that's, been helpful. And that's been, nice just being pushed into learning. I think in the Pueblo communities, you're not. Really, this is how you do it. This is what you do here, figure it out, do it. And then eventually you learn. And so I think that's been helpful too, just being thrown to the wolves basically in some instances. And also, I have to really thank my mama Carla, my dad's sister, who has taught me a lot as well on the Santa Ana side. A lot of the times, like my dad in the community is not really there 'cause he's off, doing man things, whatever that is. And so I've had a lot of aunts too, and grandmas who have taught me, what to do, where to be, what to say, how to dress. They're very stickler for things like that. And being, on me for knowing my role. I will say things are different. the best way to put it is things are different, but they're also the same. I think that they come with the same intention. Everything. The meaning is the same. Who you pray to is the same. the words that come from your heart are the same, just acted out in different ways. and yeah, I think have to use the restroom. The same with no water. I have to wash your hair the same. So there's been a lot of similarities and differences, but I'm so blessed to be from both places and I really carry that a lot with me through my everyday life and try to integrate both as much as I can into my life. Well, Sam, thanks for that. But you totally missed my question. I asked you how does the clan system come about? if you can tell 'em what clans you are, and your understanding of how that comes about. well I'm Eagle Clan, so my mom is Eagle Clan. and my dad is Fox Clan. Um, and so I've learned, The things from the Eagle Clan side, from my mother and how, those things go about in Akima. And, my dad and his family are all Fox clans, so I've learned those things as well. yeah, kind of on the Akima side, flying, soaring and on the Santa Ana side, I'm running around like the little fox that I am. My mom likes to joke that, I'm a little dog. So big clans are definitely Big Eagle, little fox, from the Santa Ana side. So yeah, it's interesting to see the way that both communities blend, the clan systems into things and just the way that there's complexity in differences of clans. There's not just one eagle, there's not just one fox. There's different families, different, pockets of clans. So that's my understanding of it, I think. Yeah. Thanks, AYA. I, I appreciate your understanding of clan and how we go about that. it's always with us, That's just another way of connecting to family, not only through actual blood relation, but through clan. And clan is very important. Like she mentioned, she's Eagle Clan and I am a Fox clan, It's passed on through our mothers and we also have what they call was, or small wasti. say a little bit of a different pronunciation in Oma, but it's your small clan, your father's clan, which she is a small fox ma. Uh, they don't really recognize Fox clan out in Acoma. I mean, they know what a moosh is, but it's very rare to them. So they're always like, what kind of clan? You dog clan, you, coyote clan, you some kind of canine clan. But no, it's just something in our Pueblo communities and even across Turtle Island, Many, indigenous groups follow a clan system, and that's what's set up for us to strengthen our communities, our people, to not lose sight of who we are. So thanks for that Tanaya. So Tanaya, one of the things I like when I do my storytelling, I like to, um, explain my Indian name, Yash J my name Yash J means early morning, I have a story to follow along what early morning means, but I will share it in another, show. To give you the full context of it, but ten's Indian name is Ra and that's, sunrise. My name is Yje, meaning early morning. And that's before the sun comes up before the light of the day happens, it's usually around the time that you sneak home at four in the morning 'cause you're out late and, you know, it's too late it's not the night before, but the next day. but ten's name means actual sunrise when the sun breaks the horizon. So, I mean, you can explain a little to my listeners, your understanding how that name came to you. And if you tell a lie, I'll strain it out. Um, also would like to say that Gura is one of the many Indian names that I have. I have, I think at least seven Indian names. So call me by any one of them and I'll answer. Um, but yeah, sunrise. Also my, Indian name in Akima that was given to me in Akima is, um, GE Beach Teza, which also means sunrise. So I am a sunrise girl through and through, always up as soon as the sun comes up. Um, she lies. I'm an early riser, I promise. but I think from my understanding, right, I was born early in the morning. Yeah. She was born just about sunrise, about six o'clock in the morning. And little funny story when she was born, my mother was there at the hospital my wife at the time, Tanaya's mother When she was going into labor, they didn't let any other, family members in. But my mom was so worried, 'cause this was her very, very first granddaughter. And we could see her feet under the curtain standing right by where she was to deliver. And, it was like, just go, just leave. But of course, that's, the connection that my mom has to tenaya. you were born right at six o'clock in the morning. shout out to my mom, she's listening to this radio show right now, and she just texted me 6 36 in the morning. Oh. So, hey, shout out. Shout out to Husty there. So, yeah, definitely sunrise. from my understanding, I've gotten a lot of my names from my aunts, from your sisters, I guess they just felt that it was fitting. I've had the opportunity now to name two, babies. So my brother NAA has two babies that we've welcomed into the family. So I've gotten the opportunity to become Mama Tea to them, and I've had to go through the process of figuring out the perfect name. So that's a lot of stress now that I think about it. Naming a baby is a lot of stress. and so I think that sunrise or GORUCK fits me well. I definitely am up in the morning, right as the sun comes up, or I try to be. I think that it's an extension of my dad. I think just relating to the early morning, ness. I remember my dad never being in bed past seven o'clock. So as long as I've known my dad, he's been an early riser too. guess earlier, like six o'clock? No, just kidding. Like six o'clock. Just a quick story about that. growing up I have a cousin, my brother skim, gates. during the summer we would play all day just like boys did. I would get up like at five in the morning and walk up to his house and go inside and sit by his bed, watch him until he woke up. And as soon as he opened his eyes, maybe like at six 30, I said, go play. Let's go play. So yes, I live my name Yj, but continue Tenaya continue. also kind of a funny thing, blending, um, the Akima and Santa Ana, I do remember that in Tamaya, my, family, my aunts and my, could not say, even people from Akima have a hard time saying, it's taken me a lot of practice to get it down. but they would tease me growing up. I would tell them what my Indian name was, obviously t and they would call me Tasty Pizza because it sounded similar to that. they've always teased me Tasty Pizza. Kind of ironic I'm not a very big pizza fan. so I've found ways to integrate. I think both of my names into my introduction all the time. sunrise, I. Love sunrises. I'm more of a sunrise girl than I am a sunset girl. I'm in bed by almost 8:00 PM every day. And with daylight savings time now, I rarely see a sunset. So I'm definitely, living the old lady lifestyle and a young woman's body right now. enjoying my sleepy time tea, my show getting to bed by 8:00 PM So no, early morning sneaking in the house for me, dad. I promise. Well, I always, expected the best for my children, because I was, and I don't mean to say that I was a perfect kid, but I was better than my sister. My mom would always say, you know, when Mike said he was gonna go out with his friends or whatever, he'll say he'll be back by 10, but he'll be back by nine 30. But my sister was a different character. she didn't tell my mom. When she would be back. 'cause she would never come back. And actually, I'm sure that she's not listening, so I can share this story, although I don't know it's probably gonna get to her. But her and her friends still in high school, they went to Mardi Gras in high school and they didn't tell anyone. when we found out she called from Mardi Gras, from Louisiana, from New Orleans. they were gonna send me to go pick her up. But we just decided just leave her. You know? So she got to go. But yeah, that was kind of the difference between my sister and I. But I have to say that after years of sibling rivalry, after years of us fighting as siblings, I think we've come to an understanding now that, as our. Mothers aunts uncles grandfathers and grandmothers get old and leave for the next world. we know that it's us now we are in that position that we are the grandmothers and the grandfathers. 'cause we do have grandchildren now. We are the mothers and fathers, and so we carry that on and we kind of have set things aside, in our personal lives to make sure that our children like Tenaya Gio nato and I mean all our children and grandchildren, and Kora all the grandchildren we have, that we do our best for them. So, that's just something that we've always done as a people. We perpetuate our language, culture, traditions forward, for the next generation. and Tenaya is that next generation. Her brothers nato. Hey, those are all, the next generation that are to come up. And we hope that we can give them the insight and the, lessons that we learned through our growing up and the, ability to navigate those challenges without the mistakes we made. So, yeah. thanks Tanaya for that, now that, we're reaching the bottom of the hour, I am conducting my first live interview with my daughter, Tenaya Garcia, we are catching up on her life after her original podcast episode that aired back in July of 2022. It was episode eight. Brush your Teeth and say Your Prayers. Tenaya, now after four years, what is your professional life like? last time we chit chatted 2022. I was about to leave New Mexico for a six month fellowship with the Institute for Policy Studies, in Washington dc. So since then I have come back home. I was so fortunate that I was able to match with College Horizons, honestly, the organization that was the catalyst for my education, knowing where the heck Appleton, Wisconsin was and Lawrence University was. I thankfully work for the organization as a policy fellow and program associate. so that's been fun in my role. I interact with students, in the summer. and I work kind of as an educator sort of role, during, summer programs. So that's been fun. really returning to the organization. And I think just working with kids has specifically native students has a goal of mine, for my professional life as long as I can remember. thinking about ways to get involved with native education. so yeah, I have been in that capacity or that role for three years now. Almost four. Gonna be four in August, which is, kind of crazy or no, actually three years, excuse me. three years in August. Been working with College Risens. also on the side, my side hustle, actually, when I was doing taxes this year, I had to categorize this income as side hustle. I coach volleyball, so returning to the sport that I played during high school, and a little bit, recreationally, not collegiately in college, has been fun. So I think that those two kind of. those are my life. I go to work. I enjoy what I do. I really enjoy my coworkers. I enjoy the environment that I am in at College Horizons. I enjoy the work, working with native students and working with colleges from across the country. and then I get to clock out and I get to go coach. So I coach here at Bernalillo High School, right down the road. And I am so fortunate, honestly, that I get to work, with girls who have a passion for volleyball and passion for, wanting to get better at the sport, but also I think that 90% of our program is native girls and native students. So getting to work one-on-one coaching with native girls has also, been so fun. I love coaching. I love working. I think in any capacity where I get to, amp up my motivational speaker talk. I like to make a joke. At work, actually, when we're working with our native students, you kind of naturally fall into that anti-roll when you're working with high school students at a program. So you're constantly having to check in on, them, telling them when to go to bed, what to do. You're really taking care of lots of students during that time. Same thing with volleyball. And so, I've had to work on my, I'm not yelling, I'm just telling you, sort of role doing coaching. And so that's been fun. so yeah, that's where I'm at now. I'm looking to apply to grad school at the end of the year now. So really looking to programs, what I wanna do further, my education, I've always wanted to have the highest education level, and now I think it's time to go back to school, time to get back into that. we'll see probably in another four years where I'm at again, if I'm still brushing my teeth and saying my prayers in grad school edition. Yeah, well, I think that. your grandma will rather have you say your prayers than brush your teeth, alright. Well, the last time I got a little a clmp there. Just kidding. the last time we spoke, on her podcast episode, she was Olympic lifting and I followed her and I, watched her journey become a Olympic lifter. But she has expanded to many other types of sports, although she hates CrossFit. I don't know why. 'cause she does most of the movements that we do in CrossFit. But, just recently, Tenaya, you went out and ran your first, full marathon. You did your first half marathon with me back in 2023, I believe. We ran out in, Philadelphia, that was a great experience. She ran on a Saturday, her first half, then I ran on Sunday the full and oh my gosh, it was the coldest day. And that was my slowest marathon I've ever run. But that was my 10th marathon. And from there I hung up my running shoes and I said, I'll leave this to the crazies. So, Tenaya has picked up the crazy and she is now, and she would say, I'll never run a half, I'll never run a fool, I'll never run a 10 k. But of course, many of you that are runners out there, many of you that are out, doing those types of works that's usually the, path that we take. Tenaya, can you talk about that journey into doing your full marathon there on your 26th birthday in Hawaii? so I have made I think a couple of transitions with fitness and my, movement styles, I would say. I still am on the Olympic weightlifting sort of train. I still enjoy snatching. I still enjoy clean and drinking. still am not a fan of CrossFit. I don't know what it is. I will run 400 meters on my own. I will snatch on my own, but I will not do them together. I'm kind of impulsive when it comes to exercise. I will say that I will try just about anything. once I set my mind to something physical, I'm gonna do it. in October of 2025. I ran the Duke City Half Marathon, and that was my second half marathon. I signed up through Santa Ana. Actually Santa Ana was doing, um, a free signup for tribal members. So I was thinking like, well, I've already ran a half marathon. Might as well just run another one, see how it goes. And so my goal was to honestly finish faster than I did at the Philadelphia half Marathon. I. think, 10 minutes faster than I ran in Philadelphia, which was surprising because I kind of went into that with little to no training. I was running maybe like once or twice a week, not really taking it seriously. and I kind of had this idea in my head for a couple years now, actually, on my 26th birthday, I'm gonna run 26 miles, I'm gonna do a marathon. to me it felt symbolic. after that maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to do. but so yeah, ran the half marathon in 2025 and kind of just fell into running at that point. I was running four to five times a week while still weightlifting. I really fell into the, insanity of running. In general, I think that you kind of have to be a little bit insane to wanna run a marathon. I think that. I have the right amount of insane to wanna do a marathon and wanna do another marathon. And I think I go back and forth because, the first marathon that I ran was insane, chaotic, I was unprepared for it as much as I wanted to be prepared for it. So yeah, I spent about 12 to 14 weeks preparing to run my first marathon, the Big Island International Marathon in, Hilo, Hawaii. and was out there during the time when Hawaii was, experiencing a lot of rain and a lot of flooding. I was not able to have that in my control. And I completed my marathon, my very first marathon in downpour rain. So it was raining for the entire time that me and my friend were out there. I was really thankful that one of my really good friends decided to go with me to run, my marathon. We had a crazy time out there. Getting to know the, area, but also just, running in a new space. this was her first half marathon. She completely crushed it. and this was my first marathon, so it was really fun to get to do that together. But also I approached running like, well, my dad can do it. I can do it. Well, that's a good way to look at it. If my dad can do that, I can do it. Well, I didn't want to give away all the things you're gonna experience on your first marathon and even your aunts, my sisters, my cousin's sisters who've run many marathons. One of them who's probably up in her thirties in terms of marathon running and my other. Cousin, she's probably about 20 marathons under her belt. one day Tenaya asked them like, you know what I expect? And they didn't want to tell her. They said, you're gonna have to find out about it yourself, and the same thing with me. The only thing I said is just keep running. No, just kidding. The only thing I told her was just stop at every water. Stop and take, a drink of water, even if it's just to swish out your mouth. But also being the daughter of Yje, the life of a dog and aez, creator of funny, cringe worthy inspirational stories. You called me several times with these crazy stories that you guys, experienced. being that's what my. Podcast platform and my radio show is based on, if you could share with my audience one of your cringe worthy stories that you guys couldn't believe you got yourselves into. Yeah. every time well, I think the entire Hawaii trip was cringe worthy story, I have to say. every time something would happen to me and my friend, I would say I have to call my dad. I have to tell my dad he is going to laugh at this. it's just so funny explaining it out loud, but I think the most notable, story has to be when we went to yoga out in Hawaii, in Y Mea Hawaii. So if you are unfamiliar with, the big island of Hawaii, we were staying in Y mea I had a really, good friend who allowed me to stay at her home, beautiful home. And Waimea is the best way to describe it, is I wouldn't say the res of Hawaii, but definitely more rural, more country. more space just in general a. Lower population place. Yeah. and so there's not really a store there. There's maybe like one store, there's a couple restaurants. Definitely. You're not going to hot bar, you're not going well, there was a lot of CrossFit gyms out there actually. Um, but you're not going to like brand name yoga places. Right. And so me and my friend had just ran, I ran my first marathon. She ran her first half marathon. So we were super sore and we were like, you know what? Let's just go to yoga. Let's find a yoga joint and let's just go to yoga. So we're like, okay. we had signed up for yoga class at maybe 2:00 PM and it's kind of funny now that I think about it because I was so tired the next day that I was telling my friend, like, girl, I don't know if I can make it. Like, I, I think you're gonna have to go by yourself. cause she had already signed up for this class. And I was like, what if I told you I don't wanna go? And so we kind of went back and forth a little bit, like, should we go, should we not go? But then we signed up and the fee was $15. So we're like. That's $15. We're in Hawaii. We have to just go. So we had breakfast that day. We had coffee, right? And we're kind of like dreading going, but we're like, okay, we just gotta move our body. We gotta get some stretching in. So we signed up for a class, online. the class was called, well, we signed, when we signed up online, it was for a class who we thought the instructor's name was Nia. Right? So Nia turns out to be not Nia Long. Um, and so me and my friend were like, oh, the instructor's name is Nia. We, we know a bunch of Nias. Nia is such a pretty name. I'm sure Nia is gonna be this Amazing yoga instructor. Been instructing yoga for like 20 years, settled down in Yme, Hawaii. she's gonna really bring out our Namaste. Right? Well, we show up and we are in basically a trailer. We're basically in a trailer that's sounds like the res there. Yeah. But it was a res, it was basically the res it would show we were in a trailer. The half of the trailer was a childcare, so outside was a playground and little kids running around and half was a yoga studio. The other half was a senior citizen center. We'll get to that. It was the chickens running around like in a farm. sign said, leave your shoes outside. So it was raining. We're like, okay, makes sense. It's a yoga studio. Oh my gosh. So we walk in, right? We're all in our matching sets. We're we're just girls in our twenties, right? So we have our like makeup done, we have our hair done. We're ready, we're ready to take some pictures. My friend even takes in her camera, right? We're like, we're gonna get the best experience of our life. We're thinking we're walking into like a celebrity class. Okay? So we walk in to Y MEA yoga studio and there's a bunch of older ladies there and we're thinking, okay, maybe, well, it's a Thursday at maybe 12:00 PM something around that time. So we're like, people are probably just in school. The only demographic that's gonna be going to yoga are Older, retired ladies, right? and so we're walking in and we're getting our mats. we were kind of worried, we're like, shoot, we don't have our own mats. Hopefully they'll have some there. Hopefully they'll have some blocks. And if you're familiar with yoga, you know all the things that you need to like, prepare for when you're going into yoga. we're so excited to get into it, grab our mats, grab our blocks, grab some of those bands that were just gonna help you stretch. And a lady comes up to us and she's like, Hey girls, you know, this is not yoga, right? And we're like, I'm pretty sure it's yoga. Like we're, we're thinking like, this is wrong. I'm pretty sure this is yoga. And we signed up for yoga. And we were like, is this why Mia Yoga, um, studio? And she's like, yeah, but this class is Nia. And we were like, Nia, what do you mean? And we're like, we don't have, we don't know what Nia is. So this, the instructor overhears us talking to her, right? And the instructor comes over and she's like, Hey, ladies, like, are you new here? We're like, yeah, we're just visiting y mail. Like, we don't know. We just wanna get a yoga stretch in. And she's like, oh, well this is not yoga, but you're welcome to join us. You're, joining Nia. And we're like, okay, what's Nia? And she was like, oh, it's like this really foundational breath movement and you really utilize a gentle movement to enact your inner chakra or something like that. Something along those lines. I don't know, I'm, but it's really like, I don't know how to describe it besides you just have to know the yoga scene to be in that. And so we're in there. Oh my gosh. And we're, well, we paid $15 for this. might as well just do it. Right. And so we take off our shoes, we get in there and. We had told the lady, oh, we thought the instructor's name was Nia. And she was like, no, my name is Melissa, but you can call me Nia. And so we're like, okay. So we get in there, oh my gosh. And everyone's like, information, right? Ladies are just standing around stretching a little bit. Also, we are the youngest girls in there. everybody is 65 plus. Okay? And so the instructor opens the window and she's like, oh my gosh, look outside. There's a bunch of chickens. So we go and we're all peeking over and she says something along the lines of like, I want us all to channel our inner chicken, our inner chick. And so at that point I'm like, oh girl, what have we cut ourselves into? So we stand, we're ready to start working, or we're ready to start getting into whatever the heck Nia is, right? And the instructor, oh man, I wish we would've video recorded or something, but she's like, okay, we're gonna stand on our tippy toes and we're gonna bounce and we're gonna bounce. And the, music is like, and it's like nothing but like 65 year olds, like at the like Yeah. At Ara. And so she starts like, jumping around, right? And she's like jumping around and she's crawling on the floor and she's like doing all of these facial expressions and like. Middle of in Sy, she's like, ha. And so we're like martial arting, raving yoga, eating and like tumbling all in one and, and channeling inner chickens. Channeling inner channeling our inner B box. Okay. So like we're doing all of these things and I, at this point, like me and my friend are standing next to each other and I cannot look at her. I can't look at her. Otherwise I am gonna burst out laughing. And I'm looking around thinking like, why is no one laughing? Like why is everybody taking this so seriously? I could not contain my laugh whatsoever. I was ready to just like burst out of there. So at one point. In the middle of like channeling my inner chicken. Um, me and my friend look at each other and she's like, you want to go? And I was like, please. So we like, I swear that's the fastest we've ever ran post marathon. We run out of that studio. We grab, we didn't even put our shoes on, I don't think. We just grabbed our shoes and ran to the car and we bolted out of there and we, I think we laughed for a good 15 minutes and it was like belly laugh. Have never laughed that hard in my life. And I was like, I have to call my dad. And so if you ever think you're signing up for a yoga class with an instructor named Nia, remember Nia is a. Form of movement. Well, I don't know where to even start, but first off, I just wanna apologize to the N community. That's my daughter and her friend, and she probably don't want to be mentioned, but I'm gonna mention her name. Anyway, give a shout out to the infamous Sharelle out there. I consider both of them my daughters because they're the same age. They're just, grown ass women, but they're just as funny and inspirational. oh my gosh, that's such a crazy story. I remember you calling me and you called me a few times after that and told me other stories about, you never trained hills, and you're like, dad, it's all uphill, dad. And again, but that's just the trial by fire, you have to go through running your first marathon and those that have run, a marathon half marathon know that, that it's something that you just have to experience for yourself. So I have a question for you somehow that anybody out on the course, say mile 15 in, they're sitting there cheering you on and they're way to go. You're almost there. Did they ever tell you that while they're sipping a nice cup of coffee and eating a bagel or donut and you're like, I'm not halfway there. I'm not almost there, I still got 12 miles to go. Did anybody tell you that? I have to say, considering the race that I ran, no. And that probably was the most res race I could have read, chosen to run. Because running that marathon was truly like we were on the highway. They didn't close off the road, so we were truly running my on on the median. Oh my gosh. it was a res race for lack of better words. So we were running through, and I don't think I saw people until we got to maybe like mile 20. And I think people were just looking at us crazy also it was down pouring, so there was no fans, basically. No one wanted to be, no one was crazy enough to be holding a sign out there. Everyone was in their car. I could see them eating their burrito and I was envying them. But I think, oh my gosh, no one had said anything. And I think that if somebody had told me something. I was just so mad at that point. That's also another thing they don't tell you about running a marathon. You just get mad. I don't think I've ever experienced that type of anger until I ran, I was at mile 22 and I was so ready to be over it. Um, but I, I want that experience. So I'm thinking of doing another one just because I kind of want someone to tell me to keep running while they're eating a burrito and drinking their coffee. Well, I just have to congratulate you and Cheryl on the accomplishments that you made. when you called me right after your marathon or I called you actually, and you said, I'm never doing that again. And I said, wait, just wait a couple hours and sure enough, you call me back a couple hours and you tell me. All right, I'm ready for my next one. So with that said, what are you expecting to do? do you have any plans to do another one within the year or are you gonna wait another year? What, what, what are you thinking? Well, I think. I have 26 for 26. This is the year of the 26. Yeah. So to me it feels symbolic. Um, however, the more I've kind of transitioned back into weightlifting and I've transitioned more into lifting and every time I pick up a weight and every time I like am in the gym, I'm thinking I'm okay with never doing a marathon ever again. But then I run and I'm thinking, okay, I could do another marathon. So it really depends on the day. I think that the first marathon that I ran was kind of just crazy and insane, so I feel like I need a redemption one. I don't have my eye set on one yet, but I am running the run for the zoo half marathon. I ran a half, I literally signed up for a half marathon the day before last week. So I impulsively signed up for a half marathon and I ran that. I'm running another half marathon in two weeks. And actually Acoma is hosting a race, some type of race, which includes a half marathon. I'm undecided if I wanna do that yet. but I'm enjoying running now except New Mexico's in the super, windy season, so it's not fun to be outside. but I think that if I do another marathon within the year, it'll not be in Hawaii and it might be somewhere closer. I've thought a little bit about, the West Coast, but I've also thought about returning to Philadelphia where I ran my very first half marathon. Yeah. And thinking about running the marathon there, so, well, that. trip to Philadelphia that, my daughter and I took, I told her I'll pay the registration. And you find a hotel. And she found a hotel right in Chinatown, which was like, where, where's our hotel? And But it was the best hotel because we pretty much ate our way through Chinatown. We bought everything. And that was the time that Sriracha, was expensive at one time, but we found it and we bought, I don't know how many bottles of sriracha we bought, Thanks, samak for that. Well, we're coming up on the hour. We got about a few minutes left. So, I just want to thank you again for coming on the life of a dog and Aez radio show and sharing your stories. where you're at now. all the things that you are involved in, you have yet to mention, and I welcome you back to my show anytime to share those funny cringeworthy and inspirational stories, that we all put out on our beautiful pueblo homelands and across Turtle Island. Stories that uplift the soul, provide us hope, and heal our spirits. So with that said, samak, is there, any parting words you would like to share with my listening audience besides brush your teeth and say your prayers? Yes. Um, To me, I think what's leading my life right now is doing the things that make me happy. I think a lot of movement makes me happy and, continuing to do that. I think that I try to, embody lots of movement in my daily life and whatever that means to you, whatever that means to people listening to this podcast, if they can, include some movement there's no better way to say it besides than has said it. Brush your teeth and say your prayers. That's pretty good. Life wisdom and had a lot of good wisdom from my other grandparents too. also just said, good luck. Yeah. Her, Papa Herb, that's his advice. Now. He used to be one that we looked up to all the advice. He would give us these things throughout our lives and say, like, be smarter than whatever you're doing. Or, a horse will never run through the, fence. It'll, make you go over that fence. But now his advice is good luck. So, with that said, some, like I tell you, good luck, thank you again for coming on. And before we go one more time, would you like to give a shout out to anybody? Recognize anybody? I know, I shouted out, Sharel and hopefully I'd like to get her on the show to share her side. I wonder if it's even more cringe worthy on her side. Um, shout out to my dad. Yeah. Wherever he is. Wherever he's, um, no. Yeah. Shout out to all the, people who are listening. All of my friends. I know a couple people have reached out to me saying that they're gonna listen, and so I appreciate all of your support. anyone who has supported me, giving me, words of encouragement for my marathon, or just tuned into T Sizzle, my Instagram handle. so if you want to follow her or find out more about her works and what she does, and maybe you can join her in the long run or training run her handle is T Sizzle on Instagram and look her up. And she will be more than willing to share her story with you, but that's it. Maybe not more than willing. Well, well, yeah. Okay. Unless you buy her a, hot dog from urban hotdog company, but, or a Diet Coke. Or a Diet Coke. Yeah. She hates. Coke Zero. But, uh, thanks again, Samat for coming in, and you are listening to yesterday here on the life of a dog and a res I appreciate everybody tuning in today, and like I always say, spread the word to our families, friends, and fellow res dogs. Thank you for listening to my wonderful conversation with my daughter. I hope you found her story of Nia absolutely hilarious. Like I mentioned in this episode, if you wanna get to know more about Tanaya or maybe join her on a long run or an Ollie lifting sesh, hit her up on Instagram at T Sizzle. she is always willing to help her fellow neighbor and explore that next adventure. I hope you are able to resonate With Tanaya's spirit, outlook, and humor. And as always, if you would like to be a guest on my podcast or radio show or know of anyone willing to share funny, cringe-worthy, and inspirational stories with the world, please DM me on Instagram at Life Dog Rez, on Facebook, or shoot me an email at Life Dog Rez@gmail.com I would love to connect with you and find out if your lazy-ass nephew ordered Uber Eats from McDonald's and that 10-piece meal ended up costing over 30 bucks. Sheesh never in my day Well, that's the end of our show. I wanna thank you so much for listening to The Life of a Dog on the Rez podcast. I hope this episode brought a smile to your face, made you laugh, and inspired you to do good things. I truly appreciate all the love and support that you send, and I wish all of you the happiness and joy that we all deserve. If you love the show, please like, follow, subscribe, and leave a rating and review on Spotify and Apple Podcast. truly helps spread the word to our families, friends, and fellow rez dogs. Until next time, Talk to you later. Bye.