A Blonde A Brunette and a Mic
Look forward to time with these two women who have life experience and something to say! Join us each week as we dive into topics that may be raw, unfiltered, funny and even a little controversial. Whatever we discuss will give you our perspective, get you thinking and will keep you coming back for more!
A Blonde A Brunette and a Mic
Season 2 Episode 89 Connections and living in the moment!
How do you find joy amidst life's challenges? Reuniting after a couple weeks away from each other, Julee and Michele reflect on a weekend packed with powerful shared experiences. Celebrate the resilience of friendship as Julee honors Mary's birthday month while supporting her through the end of her cancer treatment and the poignant loss of her mother. We'll take you on a journey through laughter, tears, and unforgettable moments, including Julee's inaugural adventure at the Austin City Limits festival. As winter approaches, there's a call to embrace life fully, making room for laughter and storytelling along the way.
If you're feeling the pull of spontaneous adventures, this episode is for you. We'll share tales of stepping away from the corporate grind to explore the magic of live music and the thrill of buying concert tickets without a plan. From a cozy night at Seattle's Jazz Alley with the artist, Maysa, to dreaming of future concerts with Eminem and Mary J Blige, there's an emphasis on the beauty of intimate venues. Plus, get the scoop on our podcast's growing online community and the exciting shift in our release schedule. So join us and stay connected for all the latest and greatest!
Hey everybody. This is Michelle and this is Julie. Welcome to a blonde, a brunette and a mic podcast. What is our podcast all about, you ask?
Speaker 2:Well, we're 250 something.
Speaker 1:Women with life experience and oh bloody to say, which is exactly what we're gonna do right now. Hey, jules Shelly, how's it going? Oh my gosh, I feel like I haven't seen you in forever.
Speaker 1:I know it's kind of strange when we live under the same roof like we do, Even though I'm down below. I was telling Julie just a little bit ago she was gone for the weekend and I was here and I can totally tell it's like I'm waiting for her to get home. I can tell her walk, I hear the tippy toes of the dogs and I was really kind of anticipating your arrival last night and I didn't hear any of that. So we got home kind of late.
Speaker 2:Yeah, were you saying you missed me.
Speaker 1:Well, I guess that I am. I missed you. I really did.
Speaker 2:I was like I think about all these different events and things that we're experiencing and I'm like God, michelle would love this. Yeah, you know? Kind of a thing. But so I want to tell you about my weekend, though, and I want to hear about yours, because there's some interesting new stuff you know some new experiences, a lot of firsts.
Speaker 2:you know that I I've had this last, these last few days and uh, oh my gosh, I just I'm still recovering today just from the lack of sleep and laughing and all that good stuff. We both had really good weekends, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I think it would be fun just to talk about some of this stuff, because I was kind of thinking about with that, even though we weren't together and you know, we have people outside of our own people you know, we have these connections, I guess, of people, and it was making me really think about the importance of doing these things that some of these things we're going to talk about, and especially as we head into the season of hibernation. I know, right.
Speaker 1:I think it's really important to keep things top of mind and and really be intentional about doing things. So I think we just kind of kicked off that that season, I know, with some of the stuff we did.
Speaker 2:It's actually been a really interesting month and a half or so a lot of like insightfulness, like you were just talking about, and you know I'm big on experiences. Yeah that's really important to me, and so that's where I, you know, spend my money.
Speaker 2:really, it's like it me and so, um, that's where I, you know, spend my money really it's like it's kind of things that I feel like I'm gonna learn something new or I'm gonna try something different, and so, anyway, this weekend is well it's. So it's Mary's birthday month, basically, and uh, it's a huge year, you know, because she is just finishing up her chemo and radiation and all that treatment. It was a year ago, the day after her birthday, that she went in for her uh surgery and we're going to have her on an episode because it's breast cancer awareness month so we're going to do that and just kind of get the overview from her.
Speaker 2:um, I've actually, on a side note, uh went with her when she spoke at a breast cancer fundraiser and it was really awesome to hear her talk.
Speaker 1:It wasn't even very long, but just really heartfelt.
Speaker 2:She's such a positive person yeah, she is when it comes to all of the stuff that she's experienced. But that happened and then she's, of course, her daughter's wedding was kind of the highlight. It was awesome, but her mom passed away last week, yeah, uh, and she's 90s would have hit 97 on the weekend so, and she had pretty severe dementia. But, honestly, one of the most wonderful ladies I'd ever known really, because she was mary's mom as we were growing up and uh, we just, I don't know, she was Mary's mom as we were growing up and we just, I don't know, she was just really good with the kids and a little oblivious, but I think in some respects, she probably did that on purpose.
Speaker 2:Because, we were naughty, you know sneaking out and all that kind of stuff. You know, whenever her dad was out of town, we did Selective awareness. Yes, yes, but just so cool. Yeah, just the nicest lady and positive and happy and just you know. The dementia has taken on a whole new persona.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But even then you hear about people who have dementia and they can. You know everybody's different, but they can be very angry and they're scared. You know they don't know what's going on and she would just always pretend like she knew who she was talking to.
Speaker 2:I had a friend like that, yeah, and and they're just like they can carry a naked totally full people. Yeah, If you didn't know, I went and saw her that she died on a Thursday. I went and saw her the Monday before and she was acted like she knew who I was. She didn't know who I was.
Speaker 2:She didn't even know who Mary was, you know but she feeling so much better I'm going to live, you know, cause she had pneumonia and all that, yeah, but anyway it was nice to be able to spend some time with her. So, going back to what we were doing, so I had told Mary, okay, you know, Andrew moved to Austin and Austin city limits is a festival that is in Austin and the singer that I'm currently obsessed with, teddy swims, was playing at the festival. So it's a three day festival. Never been to a festival, so that was a first for me.
Speaker 1:So the acronym for that is ACL. Is that?
Speaker 2:right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was trying to remember what that stood for. So Austin City Limits, yeah, wow, yeah, it looks like quite a show.
Speaker 2:Well, I yeah, I took some, I post, I did a reel and I posted, for you know Mary's birthday and honestly I was like I saw the picture that was up on the screen when teddy swims was playing. That's the one that I took the picture of yeah, and I almost like vomited because I was thinking oh my god, I'm in that crowd yeah, there was so many people yeah and the kids were kind of chuckling because they thought they thought it was so cute that I'm just dancing around.
Speaker 2:You know, I know all the words of the song, but it was like at the height of the day, four o'clock in the afternoon, and it was freaking 90 something degrees so was it mostly country, no music. There were, honestly, a lot of the artists were ones I'd never heard of before which was really pretty cool because you got to learn all these different genres sure no, dua Lipa, like for example, dua Lipa was there and Chris Staableton, who's definitely more country he was there the day before.
Speaker 1:So some bigger names, teddy Swims obviously bigger names, and then a lot of probably up and coming for that exposure. Yep, yeah, yeah, they had a very cool.
Speaker 2:Who was the other one that? Oh, blink 182, zoe loves. So you know zoe wanted to see blink 182 anyway, that was really fun, but the the whole experience of going yeah okay, people. If you've never been before, I would say, and you're around our age, you probably have less patience for crowds I have. I don't have a lot of patience for people telling you know, like, waiting I don't, I just don't get in this, you get in this zone though.
Speaker 1:You get in a zone and I don't know if it's for that reason, because you, you, you know you don't like dealing with all of that stuff, but you get this look in your eye, she gets this look in her eye and she's very intentional and zoned with what is going on and you can tell she's just like on a mission with whatever it is. Yeah, like when we're in Vegas, like where we're walking, where we're going, what we're doing, not really paying much attention to anything going on around her, but just focused on the goal.
Speaker 2:Yes, you're good at that, okay. Well, you know what my daughter is? Even better, really. Oh my God, zoe, she's an animal, she is a. I'm not kidding you so she she's, so it's Andrew. So Mary didn't go, and which I think was a good move. To ACL. Acl she was supposed to and she was like you know what?
Speaker 1:I just want to sit by the pool and just chill honestly, that probably would have been me well, I would have been right by her side, yeah and Mary Beth was there too and then she had gone the day before, that's, she was perfectly happy giving up her ticket and I'm like I just want to see Teddy Swim.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, you had to do that. Yeah, just getting into the festival and getting out of the festival, oh my god. So we, we kind of figured out the best way to approach it. So they have these buggies that guys are driving but they're motorized and, um, they're all waiting out in front of the hotel which we'd gotten day passes for for the pool and everything.
Speaker 2:So we just get down there and I'm like negotiated a price to get us there and andrew zoe and me, and he gets us all the way to the gate, which you'd normally have to get dropped off outside of that area because there's so many cars, but they just bypass all the cars, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:So, people, if you're ever doing that, that's the smartest way they're playing music yeah yeah, he played tunes for us yeah, put on some stuff we were gonna be hearing. Yeah, that's. I saw that downtown seattle when I went to see earth wind and fire yeah they have those yeah driving around and earth, wind and fire music blasting I was like oh, that's pretty cool when mary and I went to see madonna, we drove one of those back to our car and we were playing madonna, yeah.
Speaker 2:So he gets us all the way up there, is playing the good tunes. It's hotter than the gates of hell, it's. It feels like it anyway, and I was laughing because I'm like, oh my god, I didn't have a towel or anything, but I'm literally using my t shirt and wiping my face off, yeah, and I was like I feel like I'm in hot yoga.
Speaker 2:You know, that when you know when guys guys get really sweaty and their arms look sweaty and shiny, they're glowing, they're glowing, they're gleaming. I was glowing and I don't. I don't glow like that, right, Well, you did last weekend, yeah, and anyway. So you get in there and I didn't really know what to expect, but I was actually really pleasantly surprised that this festival, Anderson. This is nothing like Rolling Loud or the other ones that they've been to. It's 450,000 people for the weekend.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And you know there's three days, but we didn't wait in line to get a drink or anything. They had so many places set up and they had people for safety and they had all the bathrooms set up and the food tons of it. Just you didn't really have to wait once you got in the gate. And then, um, I kind of did, kind of did a little bit of a uh, a Karen party fell moment, when, when we get up to the gate, I'm like these guys they're going straight up to where the gate is, and I just looked behind me at those two and I just started following them. You know, kind of like when you've got an emergency vehicle and you just kind of go in their wake.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I did that and I could hear him go Mom, you're cutting. And I'm like, oh really, oops. So we got a lot closer for that I mean literally got there before five minutes before the show started. So first I was able to attend a festival and I did it with my kids and I was. I actually really am kind of loving some of this country music that I heard Chris Stapleton in particular.
Speaker 2:Really liked him a lot. I heard a couple rappers one of them's name is Vince, something that I really like to, yeah, and there were just some really good bands. No one was puking Right, no one was like good atmosphere. No one was puking right, no one was like good atmosphere. There was even kids there yeah, I was surprised.
Speaker 2:That's cool. But one more thing with that, zoe says so here's the trio right me, andrew, zoe and she's like okay, these are the rules. I felt like I was a child. It was hilarious. These are the rules. We don't go anywhere without each other. We don't do this, we don't do this, we don't do this. And if we're in the crowd, I bob and weave. So you have to stay with me. And so I'm like I'm down, I got this. So, sure enough, bob and weave. That girl is like bobbing and weaving. Yeah, we're getting. I mean, we're on a mission.
Speaker 2:And I was like I know and I found I was like Zoe, and she turns around and goes Pinky, can you hear? Damn Pinky. Something, give me something. Well, I mean I'm literally like running behind. It was hilarious. Andrew's right behind me. He's keeping up, yeah, Anyway.
Speaker 1:So we had a great time and celebrated Mary's birthday and then came home yesterday I mean I just was thinking about you and the weekend and you you went to a really what's going to be even more and more in the future a special place in Austin, cause you know you're going to have family there and and future grandkids, and such no pressure, no pressure. You know you were with two of your very best friends and with your kids and so just making making time to make things like that happen, I think is is you do that really well and I think it's really important.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I you know, honestly, I think a lot of that comes from the fact that when I was working in the corporate world, I didn't have the time, or didn't? Feel like I had the time they were younger too, but it was. I was overwhelmed a lot with just the many responsibilities, and now I feel like I've been able to relax on that a little bit and be able to just kind of enjoy the things and the time. And not everybody wants to do the stuff I wanna do, which is totally fine.
Speaker 2:And sometimes I'm doing off doing things everybody else wants to do. It just really depends.
Speaker 1:But that's one thing I like too, though you'll, you'll just like you, already bought tickets for.
Speaker 1:Teddy swims next year. So you'll just buy tickets because you know it's something you're going to want to do. You have no idea who you're going to do with, do it with. You have no idea how you're going to get there If it's somewhere like in another state or whatever. You just do it. And I was just talking actually we were just talking about this making decisions and then making the decisions right. So it's almost like you make that decision because you know you're going to want to do it and then you take care of all the things later whatever it's going to be.
Speaker 2:Do you think that's? I mean some might think that's really impulsive, though I mean just you know, because, like we were talking before about the making decision thing, and I mean my dad, I remember he would, he would research and contemplate ad nauseum. I'm not kidding you I mean the research would. There'd be a new, there'd be a new year of car that would come out before and then you have to start all over again, you know, to get the car.
Speaker 1:But I mean some people.
Speaker 2:I am very impulsive.
Speaker 1:You are impulsive, yes, you're impulsive, you're spontaneous and I think on a few different levels in regard to different things. Uh, you, you are that way. I don't think it's good, I don't think it's bad, it's just how you are, it's just there. She goes again. What, oh? Yeah, there you yeah, there she goes again. Um, and sometimes, you know, sometimes it bites you in the ass because you buy tickets in another state that you don't intend to buy tickets for, and then you're going on like oh, I just bought tickets for Jodeci in Vegas.
Speaker 1:I thought I was buying them for yeah, whatever, but you know. But I think the, the impulsive, of the spontaneity is can really be a good thing, because you're doing it in that moment. It gives you something to look forward to and you you have a lot of really great people in your life. So it's not like and what I know about you too is if you ended up just doing it yourself, you would do it yourself I would.
Speaker 1:I don't think it'd be as much fun it wouldn't be as much fun, or if it doesn't work out, you just get rid of them. Yeah, and I've seen you. Seen you do that too.
Speaker 2:So then, I started looking up Eminem cause you know he hasn't toured. Oh gosh, he's going to be in Austin. Everybody goes to freaking Austin.
Speaker 1:Uh huh, it's kind of a thing now.
Speaker 2:I know.
Speaker 1:Austin is kind of a place, it's kind of a thing. It's really up and coming.
Speaker 2:But hey, here's the deal touring next year Eminem yeah, we have to go, we're going to have to go, and I'm just saying that because I don't think he'll tour again and I'm trying to hit bands and people that. I know I've not seen that I want to see or haven't been available, like Mary J Blige just posted.
Speaker 1:I know I did see that, that that is that has caught my attention. So anyway, the big.
Speaker 2:The big lesson learned on this is kind of expanding my horizons a little bit trying something new.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And you know, sometimes you like it, sometimes you don't. Would I do a festival again? I told the kids it's like I'm totally down to do a festival again, but we're doing it mom's way. We're going to go VIP. I'm not. I'm not doing all this bullshit waiting at the. That's just not me, I'm just I don't like that yeah, I get impatient about that, so so I might have to sell my teddy swims tickets and get the vip package oh, watch out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there you go, see, she's planning already.
Speaker 2:I'm planning already. So what did you do?
Speaker 1:I know you had your sweetheart yeah, I had a really good weekend. Um, yes, my, my sweetheart was here for the weekend, a reason being there was a show at Jazz Alley. I don't know if you Seattleites have checked that out ever, but if you haven't, you really should at least do one show at Jazz Alley. It's a great venue. It's very intimate, the shows are always exceptional, the food is really good and it's just a really great night. The food is really good and it's just a really great night. So one of his favorite artists was there on Friday night Mesa.
Speaker 1:Mesa, okay, she used to sing with a group called Incognito and she has, since she's on her own and he loves her. So I don't know, Is it like Sade kind of stuff. It's jazzy, bluesy. It's really good. She's got a great, really heartfelt deep kind of voice and yeah, mesa M-A-Y-S-A. So if you're curious to check her out. She's got some tunes. I really wasn't that familiar with her and then we were going to the show. I'm like I better start listening.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I do that too. I'll like obsess over the music, so I was listening to her on a station like constantly. And I really, really, really love her.
Speaker 2:So that's good, you're getting exposed to do things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, and I was just thinking about that too, Because had we not, you know, talked about that and he told me she was coming, I said you know you should come, because he usually does come in October. I said you should just come, let's go to the show. I'll buy tickets Like, let's, let's go. So that ended up happening and, as a result, yes, I I had exposure to something new and I really liked her. Rick got to see me like get down a little to some old school dance.
Speaker 2:And Rick doesn't know how to dance, apparently, like he. You got to know, michelle, man, that girl's dancing. She gets up, she's got it, she's got her little groove on and she's like, finally, I can't stand it anymore. And she stood up and started dancing.
Speaker 1:Like he wasn't the only one sitting. There were plenty of people sitting down, but there were plenty of people up dancing and I just I couldn't, like I couldn't stay in the seat anymore. So, yeah, mama popped up and yeah.
Speaker 2:Gotta love it. Got my groove on yeah.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, she put on a great show. It was really good, so that was a fun, intimate night out. And then on Saturday we just did this, that and the other thing I think he watched unfortunately Alabama's loss.
Speaker 2:Oh, did Roll Tide lose on Saturday yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so um.
Speaker 2:Hawks lost this weekend.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was just that kind of a weekend. But uh, we went out to dinner, we met friends out, so just a little happy hour, a little dinner with two other couples, and then we came back to my place and okay, you know what Michelle did.
Speaker 1:You got a first Michelle we came back to my place and, okay, you know what michelle did? You got a first, michelle, I do have a first. Uh smoked actually. It's the second time I did smoke cigar when I went to mexico, like 100 years ago. But I didn't do it right did you inhale I'd let. The first time I did it, I was yeah. I woke up the next day and I felt like I had a sore.
Speaker 1:I thought I was sick yeah, because I had a sore throat and yeah, obviously didn't, didn't do that right, but yeah. So we just kind of were sipping some whiskey and smoked some cigars and just like chit-chatting and doing new things, yeah, we were clipping them and lighting them and puffing them, you learned how to do all that stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, mm-hmm, I don't think I've ever smoked a cigar. Yeah, I don't know. I like the smell of them. Yeah, and we had just a bunch of different ones.
Speaker 1:Yeah, some of them, I'm sure, are plenty stinky, but we did have some good smelling cigars.
Speaker 2:I think I'm thinking of a pipe. You know, like the pipes.
Speaker 1:Same thing, though Same thing. You can get lots of different tobaccos for pipes.
Speaker 2:But you old guys with little pipes, and sometimes they have a beard and their beard turns yellow. God only knows what their teeth are too, but their beard turns yellow, you know, yeah, well see, so first I don't know. I just think it's kind of cool that it's a very simplistic, it's not complicated a lot of the stuff we're talking about is not complicated.
Speaker 2:It's like moments, yeah, super simple, super simple. But I don't know, I just had such a. You just walk away with such a good feeling when you know that you've kind of invested energy in something that I don't know that, you see that there's depth to it like yeah I feel closer to my kids these two kids than I did before, and I already am close to them yeah and it's like I got to spend time with amelia yeah you know she's awesome.
Speaker 2:I mean, she ended up having to leave Saturday because of an emergency. She came to Seattle because her grandma's sick but I got to see him be and foster yeah. And yeah, we had a great time is married and we've never recognized a couple.
Speaker 1:We've not really done lots of couple things with other couples. So, yeah, so these these two other couples, and it was good bonding and good like getting to know each other, Cause it was just all new and and it was fun planning it. Yeah, going out and buying, buying cigars, that was kind of a thing.
Speaker 2:And she looked super hot in a dress that she was wearing. Really, really, really hot in that dress.
Speaker 1:Damn girl.
Speaker 2:She's been running those stairs and I'm like she's inspiring me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was it was a really good weekend, so.
Speaker 2:So, anyway, well, here we are telling everybody about our weekend. We really have nothing else to discuss except for the fact that we feel like living in the moment is really something that we need to embrace more. We talk about it a lot, we have mentioned it in different things, and there are definitely moments in time where we're going. Okay, that was one of them.
Speaker 1:And being present and making connections. And again as we, I think specifically I brought this up in the beginning and I'll just mention it again as we head into this hibernation season. I anyways I'm speaking for myself I tend to withdraw a little bit. You're not wanting to be out as much, it's just nice. And I'm not saying it's a good thing to cozy in and settle down and make soup.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know, I'm like I part of me loves that. I love the fall and winter for that reason when you know the house is warm, got the fireplace going. I think I've mentioned you got something cooking in the crock pot or whatever, and the house smells good and you're just relaxing that there's nothing better. Yeah you know, than those days. But we have a lot of them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know there's plenty well and like today.
Speaker 2:It was beautiful out and we're in october. It was gorgeous and it it's like. You know, I really don't know how much longer I'm going to want to live in this climate. I mean I, I shouldn't say that I will always have a home here, yeah, but it's pretty evident to me that I I'm starting to feel that pull to do something different.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's not that I'm a nomad. I mean you might think that I am. Since I was divorced I've been in like four or five different places, but on purpose really just kind of planning for different things, but I just have this feeling that I will have something somewhere else down the road, like we talked about, and I definitely want something that isn't a climate that is more palatable, because I just don't like being cold and I like wearing shorts and having tan legs. I'm not asking for world peace.
Speaker 1:Well, there you go, yeah.
Speaker 2:Sandals, shorts, whatever.
Speaker 1:Connections intention and shorts and tan legs. That's the message this week.
Speaker 2:people, that's the message people Get out there and tell your friends and family that you love them. Yeah, Okay.
Speaker 1:On that note, go check us out on the socials.
Speaker 2:I say we appreciate the downloads yeah, it's been kind of crazy, it's been kind of crazy.
Speaker 1:Lots and lots of downloads recently and, uh, we appreciate that out on all the platforms that you listen to your podcasts on. So wherever you want to listen, we'll be there, and all the socials as well.
Speaker 2:So instagram, facebook and tiktok yeah, michelle's putting together some awesome reels, so we're starting to our stuff drops on Sunday night, normally for Monday, but we're actually putting it out Mondays.
Speaker 1:Yeah, pushing it out a day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but then we're just going to do more posts during the week, just to remind people. So I think that's actually been great. More on the Sochies, the Sochies.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's the one. Alright, I'll talk to you later.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all right On that note. Bye guys, bye, have a good one.