The Comments Episode

In this episode of the Created to Be podcast, Bethany, Justin, and Darius take a lighthearted detour into the unexpected adventures that make life memorable. Sparked by listener comments from Brad Smith, the conversation winds through sports trivia, spontaneous road trips, mission trip stories, mountain summits, international travel mishaps, and the moments that leave you laughing long after they're over.

Along the way, the hosts share stories of pushing past their limits, getting themselves into situations they never planned for, and discovering that some of life's best memories happen when you're willing to say "why not?" Whether it's a last-minute trip, a surprise opportunity, or an unexpected challenge, this episode celebrates the joy of embracing adventure, finding humor in the chaos, and making the most of the moments you never saw coming.

If you've ever laughed at a travel disaster, taken a spontaneous detour, or found yourself with a story that gets better every time you tell it, this episode is for you.

Send us your comments! Either use the comment link above or email mississippistatefca@gmail.com.

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Transcript

0:00

He was so far away that in my head I said, as long as I can just see him. You talk about making the expectation quickly. Welcome to the Created To Be Podcast. We are back for another week. The table is a little bit sparse today. We've got Justin and Darius. Yes, ma'am. And no guest or no brandy, but we're gonna try to bring you a good show, right? Yeah, we're gonna try to. We're gonna try to bring you a good show. We're gonna miss Brandy, but I think we can make it work at least one week. Yeah, one week. Um, so we had a great time with Mary Ashley. We actually split the podcast up into two episodes because we had such a great conversation with her as she is approaching her wedding in July. That was a lot of fun. And we talked about marriage advice, best and worst worst marriage advice, um, which is really funny because she actually heard the happy wife, happy life advice shortly after our podcast. Wow. So it was really funny timing. Um, and then we actually created a video of her that will be posted and that has been posted by the time this comes out of her engagement story. So when she explains how she walked away with the Red Bull and put it down and left Jacob there, you'll be able to like see it. So make sure uh to look out for that. And then she just straight up left. Yeah, it's so funny. She just had like this shock and then walked away. It was so funny. I probably would have got up because I was been like, uh Well, she did say that he was on one knee. Actually, in the video, he stood the whole time until she turned back around. Is that what you're saying? Yeah, because I would have been like, Let me get up. It's like I'm on one knee and then she just walks off with no explanation. I would have been like it would have been great if she just saw that and just pounded the Red Bull and threw it off to the side. You know, now that would have been nice. Yeah, so the video is a little, you'll see that it's different than what she probably you know remembered, but it's still funny, like it's still good. Um so I'm thankful that she shared that with me because um, yeah, I was like, we gotta, we gotta get the listeners to see what happened. And she had it on video, so why not? Um, and then I just wanted to mention that we had someone reach out to write a review of our podcast, which was very kind and generous of them. And so that is also on our bio on our Instagram that we have now called Created to Be Podcast. If you're not already following that, that has more specific moments to the podcast and is a place where we can post things as we do things here that we might not always can post on Hill State FCA. So we're creating like a different place for all that to live. And anyways, the podcast review was really encouraging to me because we are trying to create a specific type of experience for listeners, and I was really encouraged that someone who doesn't know us personally wrote in such a way that described this podcast as like, I feel like what we're going for. Right. And it was very detailed. Yeah. I was I was very impressed. I was like, that's us. That's us. Are we sure that's us? It was very detailed, very insightful. But uh, like you said, it was good to have somebody outside of us that could speak about the things that we're doing in such a positive and real way. So, you know, I I really enjoyed it. It was a great read. Like, I would encourage everybody to just go and read it. Yeah, because it'll give you a lot of insight on who we are and even some of the things we've been uh, you know, pushing to accomplish. Yeah. And he said in one of the email exchanges, he said, I think your message needs, it's important to like get out like what you're doing. So I was like, Oh well, cool, thanks. Um, today is gonna be a little bit different because typically we have maybe a little bit of a more not serious, but you know, like spiritual formation topic or something like that. But we have said over and over multiple times, like, come on, guys, submit some comments. And so we're gonna try to be playful with some comments because Brad Smith came through. Okay. He was listening to the podcast, and I knew he would. That's why we called him out, and he submitted some pretty great stories. And so we're gonna rehash those things because Brad took the time to comment, but also I just want people to kind of get a feel for how they can engage with this podcast. So hopefully we honor Brad with how we commentate um through these comments today. But, anyways, that's gonna be really fun. But first, we're gonna do the stretch. And

Stretch Time: Unfamiliar Sports' Terminology

4:20

the stretch topic today is some unfamiliar sports terminology. So I feel like Justin, I know you've got to leave here in a little bit, but you're gonna be included on this because I feel like you're probably gonna know several of these. Darius, I don't know. It's a big question mark to me. Let's see. But some of the stuff you surprise me because you're way more in the sports where both of y'all are. So I asked you not to look at the show notes because I want these to be like raw answers. Okay. But this is what happened. We were on our way to the SEC tournament in Hoover to watch our baseball team play Georgia, and we the game time got changed. We were gonna be on time at 3 p.m., but because of the weather, they moved the game up to noon. Thankfully, I happened to see it, so we just went for it. We're like, we gotta leave like now. But we knew we weren't gonna get there until literally, I think we walked up what sixth inning or something? Yeah, I was like one thing. Finally get to the stadium when the game started at noon. So, anyway, on the way, we were listening to the game, and the announcer said something about the catcher for Georgia was going to possibly hit, I don't know how they worded it, the triple crown or have a triple crown. And I was like, triple crown? That's horses. What are we talking about? Do you know this term? I have heard of the triple crown for baseball? For baseball. Do you know what it is? I don't know what it is. I think it's uh, is it where you get on the first, second, and third base? No. No. Okay, no, I don't know. That's a good guess. Good guess. Justin, what is a triple crown? I had to ask Justin. I know another one, but you may bring it up, so I don't want to say it. Yeah, yeah. Well, you might be referring more to the cycle. See? Ah, cycle. See, yeah. Cycle is when you get a single, a double, a triple, and a home game. A home run in one game. Yeah. See, I okay. Got it. Uh I'm close. Yeah. Okay. No, you weren't close, but that was a whole different thing. Um, the triple crown is whoever leads the season, the regular season, in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. The whole season. Oh, season. Gotcha. Yeah, gotcha. Gotcha. Um, and this guy, Daniel Jackson, I think, is the one that is I I don't know how close he got. I don't know the results, um, but he was very close to get it. We had two in Mississippi State history. It was Raphael Palmero and Brent Rooker. And that's why we have a triple crown club down at the base of the city. All the dots started connecting for me. I was like, I've always wondered why that's called that. Yeah, triple crown, that makes sense. Yeah, it doesn't happen a whole lot. Kind of like horse racing. I mean, I would imagine so. You said leader in batting average, home runs and RBIs. It's crazy. But most of the time, if somebody leading in home runs and RBIs, I mean, if they're leading home runs, they're probably gonna be leading at RBIs, but the batting average, they're swinging out of their shoes. Yeah, they're most likely not gonna have the greatest batting. Right. That's what I'm thinking. So to have all three, that's that's yeah. I remember Brent Rooker. I I used to feel like every time he came to the plate, we was gonna get a home run. I just felt like that. You know, he had quite a career. Okay, well, you were right. Cycle is on here, hitting for the cycle. So good job. What about can of corn? I know Justin knows this one. No, it's just a routine play. Routine play? A routine play, like just I don't understand. Like, why do you call why do you call it can of can? That's what I was gonna say. What is the oh god? I don't know. That's you know, that might be something Scott Nicholson may know. So, you know, these these phrases come from just long time ago, years ago. Probably mechanical. And see, this is I don't feel like this is fair, Bethany, because I don't know much about baseball. I gotta see sports. That's what I was gonna say. I don't know much about baseball. We're starting with this one, but okay. See, we're coming in hot with baseball. We're coming in hot because it that was where my brain started with this idea. I was like, what but but I will say this. I have I knew I know sports, I look at sports a lot, but I haven't met many people like Justin. Like, you know, because a lot of people love talking sports, but they don't really know it. He has a special, he really does. I'm I'm giving him his credit for remembering things that don't need to be remembered. Oh look, we'll talk about moments in our marriage or life, and like he can't remember, but then he can remember pitch counts against certain guys. What a low. Jeez. All right, next one. Next one, please. Okay. So, Justin, you also mentioned this one. I'm pretty sure. When we were, when I brought this up when we were at the hotel, I was like, I don't understand this whole triple crown thing. Like, what is it? And you say golden sombrero. A golden sombrero. Can you guess this is baseball? This is really hard to guess. Start with the hat trick. Hat trick? But I thought hat trick was for soccer. Well, it's a f it's a few things. Do you say hockey? Hockey, yes. It has a hat trick. Yes, come on, Darius. Come on, see that's what I'm saying. Like, okay, okay, let's go. At the hockey rink, people would throw hats on the uh rink. And actually, I think in Detroit they had this weird thing where they would throw like squids. Yeah, something. What? Yeah, like real things? Yeah, yeah. Um but no, but hat trick is three goals in a game. Gotcha. Yeah, it's a big deal. Soccer, hockey, um, is a big deal. Hat trick in baseball is three strikeouts. A hitter getting a hat trick is not a good thing in baseball. So wait. So is but is so you're saying the hat trick is not necessarily for the pitcher, but for the batter. Yeah, it could just go anywhere. I'm sure there's other sports too that have something that happens three times, whether it's a goal or one batter or whatever it may be. I don't know. You can use hat trick probably as like a universal something that's. But he's asking, this is my question. If you were to pitch and just have three strikeouts in a game, it's about against the same guy. Yeah, same person. Yeah, yeah. Gotcha. Okay. No, I didn't realize that we talked about hat trick in baseball whenever we have the. I'm learning some stuff. I mean, bowling, three strikes in a row is turkey. So I'm not sure. I know. What in the world? Okay, but golden sombrero, you mentioned is four. Four four strikeouts. It's not a good day. Against one person's over four with four strikeouts. Yeah. But golden sombrero, yeah, like who comes up with two things. And then it's almost like a positive name for such a negative outcome. Like golden sombrero, you would think that's that's good. Because I'm thinking about the golden glove. Yeah. See, I'm thinking positive. Yeah, but it's like you got a golden sombrero. Well, you think of a sombrero, man. That's you know, that's a nice hat. Have you ever been at a Mexican restaurant and had everyone else? Yeah, yeah. And see, yeah, yeah. Uh, some of my friends did that to me at a restaurant and they came and they put the whipped cream in my face. I've never had that. I didn't really enjoy that. Just have to grin and bear it. I think most people feel like you feel. Yeah. It's almost like unexpected. Right. They don't really know. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, but side note, like a little like asterisk here. We'll come back. But like, how do somebody how does somebody make these things a thing? Like can of corn, golden, like how do they stick? It's probably, you know, sometimes these games get these games get broadcast, you know, and sometimes phrases just stick. You know, and then things become popular. Because I'm going on a major rabbit trail here, but before coaches, coaches say things over and it just travels from place to place. Yeah. Phrases and things. Well, before we started the podcast, Darius, you mentioned you were talking to your students and youth group about aura. Yeah. And I was telling you I was just talking to my kids about this. And I still don't understand, so I'm not going to pretend to on this podcast. Me either. But I was trying to explain to Eli because he was explaining it. I was like, look, you just need to like forget all of this. Like, if you have some kind of coolness about you, then you need to set the standard for like what's cool. He's like, Mom, it doesn't work like that. But I was like, I was like, but someone does. That's my point in connecting it to this conversation. Is at some point it has to originate from somewhere. Right. Like, so why don't you just do something and just own it? You know? Um, but yeah, golden sombrero. I don't I don't get this. I don't know if you've heard this. It was probably not official, but what is it official? Yeah, I was on here. Okay, yeah. Um I don't know how do you say this? Have you heard of this? No. It's spelled T-O-O-T-B-L-A-N. Toot bland. I don't know if that's what you say. Thrown out on the bases like a nincompoop. I'd never heard of that. What in the world is that? No, you haven't heard that one? Google digging right there. Um Immaculate Inning, you mentioned. Yeah, immaculate inning. So it's nine strikes, three strikeouts, only like nine pitches that you didn't throw a ball. Oh, gotcha. Yeah. See, I was gonna when you said an immaculate inning, you know what I was gonna think? Where we were all of the hitters, you go through the whole batting order. I was thinking immaculate in that aspect. But I mean it's it's you know, it's not that, but it's on the picture. So that happened in the same inning. I've done that before. That's a dumpster fire that gets you pulled out of the game. That's called dumpster fire when you go through the whole lineup. I and you know what, even if it's us that's playing somebody, I just feel bad for the other pitcher. Like I because it's like it's so isolated and it's almost like nothing you can do right. Yeah, it's just like a snowball. It's really rough to watch. Like it is whenever I said I wouldn't date a baseball player and ended up dating Justin, I didn't I didn't realize if you're if you're gonna date a baseball player, maybe don't date a pitcher. She was stepping into my misery. That was like the most stressful position as a girlfriend. Like if you have Oh, so you saw him pitch. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I went to so many games, Darius. I did not know. But it's like I had my best season ever when we started dating. So is there a connection? Um, but yeah, it's very stressful. Okay, this other one, I feel like maybe you told me this because I don't have a note on it. Do you know what clean sheet is? Am I gonna have to Google this? Uh I don't have a definition. Clean sheet. I mean, maybe it's just uh the inning is a clean sheet of the inning. There's no hits, no runs, no errors. Oh, okay. Type deal. Clean sheet. Okay. I think that may be it. Okay. And I I'll have to come back to that one. No walks, you know. Okay. Unfortunately, the um basketball ones I feel like are pretty easy. So I don't know. Do you know any offhand that are like specific terms? I would have to hear it before. Okay. I mean, because y'all are gonna know this. I mean, heat check. Somebody, yeah, they don't yeah, they just come and pull it from anywhere because they've been anywhere. They've made two or three in a row, just throwing the ball and shoot it from the biggest. So if you're not yeah, if you're not a basketball fan and you're watching some guy who's, you know, made say two or three shots in a row, just jack up a crazy shot. Steph Curry, it's a heat check. It's a normal NBA jam, Darius. NBA jam. Come on. He's on fire. He's on fire. And they just jump from the other side of the court to dunk and dunk it. What about when they say it's a dagger? Yes. So it's like the game is you hit a shot that basically puts the nail in the coffin. Yeah. Yeah, that's a dagger. It's like after this shot, it's over. The night night. Yeah. The night night. I like that. A lot of Steph Curry references right now. Yeah, that's funny. Uh, what about I've never heard this used, a hockey assist? Yes. So a hockey assist would be like, all right, if I'm coming down the uh the center of the court, but it's a guy in the corner, I pass it to the wing, and the guy on the wing passes it to the guy in the corner. With me starting it off, it would be a hockey assist for me. Have you ever heard that in basketball? Well, a hockey assist, you can get two assists in hockey. So it's multiple passes that get to the goal. See, I never thought so. You can have that's why it's a double. So um, you know, you always have the person. If you can only see his clapping. If you you know you have a typical assist just from the point guard to the score or whatever. Um, but yeah. Yes, the assist before the assist. The assist before the assist. So you can get to assist. All right, what about the sixth man? Yeah, the first person off the bench. Yeah. Yeah. It's a pretty honorable position. A lot of times that person is so much so that they have the sixth man of the year award. Yeah. And then I'm gonna say this when I played in high school, the teams that had a great six man most would most of the time would be really good teams. And some of the well, what amazed me is some of the players that I saw in that six-man role, they would be better off the bench. Yes. Like if you started them, it's like it's not the same. It's like something about them watching the game, and then when they get in, it's like I don't know what it was, but it was if you can embrace that role, man. I think it's an advantage for sure. Like what you said, you get to kind of take the game in and then come in. And see what's what. Yeah. Well, and you come in fresh against some starters that are not too. And then you can get a good start. And bench bench points win a lot of games. All right, what about in football, pancake block? Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Y'all are so funny. I've never heard some of these things. Pancake, you know, you flatten someone like a pancake, right? So when a uh O lineman gets a defensive tackle or defensive end or linebacker on the ground and flattens them, it's a pancake block. And it's a it is a it's a pretty uh what can I think embarrassing time deal. It's like as a defensive player, yeah, yeah. That's that's it's it's he'll just sit on you, just like lay on you. Yeah, it's it's it's almost like it's almost like being made to look like a little kid. Yeah, you know, it especially when you're supposed to be mean and macho on defense and then you just get fed. And what's big time is when the alignment's so good that they can actually flatten you and then get up and go flatten somebody else. Somebody else. Yes. Oh, wow. And there's some that are pretty made. Can do that. Yeah. What about yak? It stands for something. Yes, yards after kick. Let's go, Darius. Let's go. The yak. Yeah. So that's pretty self-explanatory. What about the tush push? Oh boy, the tush push. I don't like it. Is this controversial? Yeah, yeah. They've been trying, a lot of coaches have been trying to get it changed. And I think they should. Because it's not, is, it's not, I don't feel like it's so explain what it is. So it's like, okay, a quarterback sneak, would you say that? It's a quarterback sneak with a running back coming behind him to push, but it's also the way they set their formation. The linemen get really close and do it like a a different, like just a formation that's just you can't get through. Right. And they stay really, really low. And it's almost like push. You can get it's it's a QB sneak on steroids. Yeah. Um, with extra pushing from all kinds of areas. And and it's it's it's like he said, it's such an advantage for the offense because they know when they're gonna say hood. They so it the lineman can get lower. Yeah, the def the defense is more reactive, but you you kind of trying to uh not jump offside, so you you you're anticipating while they are instigating. Yeah. And it's it's just I don't like it. I don't like it, me personally. I don't like it. It also causes some injuries too. Right. Yeah. And so it's and then I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan, so the Eagles, they always do them. They do this. All right, so I went ahead and looked up clean sheet, and Justin was pretty close. It it can mean what he described that a pitcher gets through an inning without allowing any hits or walks, but it also is kind of the same thing as a shutout, which means the opposing team is prevented from scoring any runs for the entire game. So gotcha. So it's not just inning based. Right. It could be synonymous to what they call a shutout. Okay. So anyway, he he got that one. Which is a great I'm I'm just gonna say this when people do a shutout or a no-hitter, I I I like that is so amazing to me because I'm trying to figure out the level of concentration that you have to have for all of those innings, and then you play the whole time, and you can I don't know if you ever saw a shutout happening at or or a no-hitter happening, but as they get closer to the end of the game, it's like the pressure starts mounting where you you're almost like, come on, we we just just three more outs. And I I I think I can't remember who it was, but I saw a game one time and they got to the last inning, and somebody got a base hit, and it was like I know, you're like, no. It's it's like taking the air out of a balloon. It's like we've been waiting on this. Like, why you mess it up? Like, well, Justin had to dip out, so he we can't get his feedback on this, but I don't know if he ever threw anything like that. So we'll have to ask him about that. Yeah, we will. But I will say, I'm pretty sure. Now, again, details, he can remember these details amazingly, and I'm over here like, uh, I think this is what happened. So just take this for what it is, and if I get it wrong, we'll correct it on the next episode. But Justin, I think it was against Florida. I want to say he threw a complete game in 89 pitches. 89 pitches? Yes. I know it was under 100. He was he was cooking. Yeah, so I don't know what the other details were though. Like, I don't know. I maybe they scored, like, I don't know if it was, you know, I don't know what the score was. But I mean the under 100 pitches, a complete game. Oh, a complete game. I mean, you hardly see anyone throw complete games anymore in baseball. Yeah, so anyway, that was pretty crazy. But then the other thing I was gonna say about the shutout is that our girls are, you know, by the time this comes out, we'll see how they did. They're gonna be playing this weekend that we're recording. So it's always weird when we put the episode out the next week. But our softball team is in the World Series, and when they played the super regionals in Norman, which we were talking about before we got on today, they Delaney Everett, she threw a shutout against Oklahoma, which is like I mean, they have like I want to say the most home run hitters. I mean, they are a powerhouse like of players that yeah hit like crazy. So for her to shut them down was unbelievable. They literally I now I haven't watched softball as much but I being around sports you know Oklahoma women are right softball they all I mean if you did you watch that game on the out they have all of their you know like national championship this year. I mean like so many just like pasted on the outfield fence you're like that was that was that game was uh reminiscent to when our women beat UConn. I said that I commented somewhere on Facebook it was very reminiscent of that because when they showed that graphic that we had never made the World Series for the softball and that they had made it every year since 2015. Right and we were able to dethrone them. And then like this is when I knew it was crazy. When the announcer said now she's finna face the 20 home run club and you had like three to four girls who had at least 20 home runs back I said they just hitting a home run. I said and so you could see and it's intimidating like when they come up they look like right home run hitters right and she was able to shut them out like you you can't write that up any better. I think that I've said before but we were able to go to that game when Morgan William hit that shot versus UConn I was there up in the rafters but I was there. I thought it was sweet it was the most electric moment I don't I've never experienced something like that where it's silent it's intense and then this moment of just wow elation like I mean even my dad he was there and I've never like I'm like dad I've never seen you so excited like it was just such a it was a crazy crazy moment and so that's what I was thinking of whenever they beat them. Yeah we was I almost this is this is an ironic moment I had sung in Starkville that night and so I wasn't able to watch the game we were me and my mom were leaving together and I was like put the game on put the game on cuz look and when we put it on they were in the timeout right before the shot oh man and when she hit that shot we almost wrecked because I couldn't believe like when she hit it like you know I almost lost control of the because I could not believe I'm like they really beat you couldn't because at the like you said at the time they hadn't you couldn't hadn't lost a lot and I think the year before again it would be great to have Justin comment on this because he remembers this stuff but I think the year before we lost Yukon by like 40 50 60 I don't know yep we got we got blown out so like the fact that we came back and there's no better way to do it than that. Yeah yeah well in the Final Four hadn't been in Dallas but we had just moved back to Texas like that year or year before. So anyways so we were we were around you know and so it was very cool to be able to like we actually went to Oklahoma City to watch them play against Baylor I think because Kim Mulkey was there at the time we watched them in the Elite eight and then we were like we gotta go to the final four. Man it was so cool. I got to take Abby I don't know if she remembers it she was like five wow um and then my family that's a great experience yeah it was great but I was I was getting those feels when I was like man something about these uh women's sports at Mississippi State like it's like we're not gonna we're not gonna like beat the we're gonna beat the powerhouses like at these critical moments I don't know break these streaks this is crazy yeah I wouldn't want to see us in women's sports right now yeah in in any tournament fashion because we have had the favor on our side because when I was watching that game Sunday I'm like this is really happening. Yeah this is really yeah it's not like just uh I mean upsets happen right but like the type of upset like the storyline yeah David Verks Goliath type upsets for it to happen twice like that and I got a new phrase an underdog is still a dog oh yeah hey when I heard that last yeah I was like yeah we got another one that was we gotta use that one I love that um well okay

Listener Comments

26:01

we're gonna transition into these comments and these do all come from Brad Smith so Brad this is your episode um congratulations let's go Brad I know um so one of the things we'll start with like what we talked about last week and then we'll because these are kind of over the past couple of weeks but we keep bringing up this whole like tick thing and Brad said that his son actually is like finding out if he can still eat red meat or not. Oh he got beat by a tick I guess we need more of the story. Yeah but yeah so at he was just commenting he was like Abby's right now I didn't believe it like if if if I wouldn't have known someone who had that experience I I can't remember where we were where we were but every time we tried to get something to eat we had to be very uh mindful of what she could and couldn't eat because she had been bit by a tick. Yeah and it kind of changed and I didn't know there was a real thing because like growing up in the the the the great town of Plantersville where we don't have a lot of much going on a lot of wood it is very country like and I'm going in the house with ticks on me. Like they've been on me and I'm having to you know take them out. And so I'm saying but I never had to change so I didn't even think it was a real thing until she said that and I'm like what she cracks me up too because we're just she knows so much like of these like talk about storing things like well hey it's in her it's in her she comes from the like she's a pig at home I thought I don't know how she remembers all these things but um so you say it is his brand Mr. Brand son yeah wow so I don't have the update on that yet I don't know if he wants his news on uh created to be podcast but anyways he just the fact that he was like no it's it's right about that but I ticks are weird I don't those are so it's so like invasive. I'm like what how did you get on my nose that's what I was trying to figure out see that's I think used to be why I would get because I'm trying to figure out how did you get here and I didn't feel it. Yeah I mean like or I wasn't even near anything like I don't know it's weird. When you go in the woods I get it but there's been other times I'm like I hadn't been anywhere where I this should happen. Okay so he was talking about how a few years ago um I guess this was him and his wife because it says we led a group of about 20 college students in a year long Bible study and during the course of the year they had six couples get engaged. Wow and he did not set anyone up what so the nickname of their Bible study was Ring by Spring group. Ring by Spring. So we talked about that term and how it's like a thing and he was saying their whole group was like that. We've had through the years it hasn't been as often here but when we were serving with Mississippi um with FCA at Mississippi College we had several there's several people that were on our leadership team that ended up getting married. Wow well you I would say I don't think that I guess when you think about it it's not is it's a shocker but not as much because when people when you're talking about God you're talking about Christ you're talking about uh you're talking about purpose right alignment people start having things in common so you know that kind of you could see that you know I think uh Mr. Brad is putting out to everybody that hey he can he's a great hooker upper get in his group get in his Bible study group and hey you may find you may find your spouse in his group so then he said Sean um his wife and him got engaged out on some family land on a picnic so we talked about engagement stories. Gotcha so nobody else knew he was asking um he paid for the ring legally he made sure to include scalping tickets get this to the 96 final four that MSU was playing in. Wow after Sean said yes we went straight to duty noble for the game that day so that we could tell many friends as possible. So anyways but he scalped tickets the 96 final four hold up so when he went to duty do be noble did he f was that for a baseball game or whatever gotcha but they had people there I guess that they could talk to and tell you but that's pre that's pre you know Facebook Instagram like there how do you get the word out when you don't you know like have some kind of platform to share it on for people to know. So they went to especially then yeah because Brad is just so old no no but you know I no no no but I but I'm gonna say this though I think uh that is something that we overlook sometimes like the different dynamics of timing because like you said like not having the social media to be able to kind of help push a promote or even connect it's almost like hey it is what it is and then you see somebody hey by the way we got engaged you know because you don't have a way to share that so my mom used to tell me whenever we had kids you know started having kids she was like you're so lucky that you have Facebook now because there's so many times where there's just you're when you first have your child especially if you're the mother like you're at home you're feeding the baby you're trying to sleep because you're exhausted from feeding all the time and you got change diapers and anyways so much like there's a lot of demand and so she was just saying how you can at least connect with people on Facebook or whatever whereas she didn't you know get to do that. Or like even even Google like having access to if you don't know what something is you can look it up like all those things. So I think there's pros and cons. Like well well my I remember uh and I'm not trying to be a damper but I remember like my grandfather he's 84 and he would tell me like what you said if somebody um like he would say if somebody died like sometimes even if they're family they may not know until a day or two later right because the word has to get to them. Right. And the word would travel through like the mailman you know or something like so fast now. Like like like and now it's like it's so different. It's and I I do believe that uh like you said it has its pros and cons. But just hearing Mr. Brad's story like he missed through and through yeah like like he it's just tied into his life yeah I just love how creative he was to get that money for the ring. That's so great. So we

Spontaneous Adventures

32:20

talked about vacations and vacation styles several a few episodes ago and so he submitted some of his stories and I was just thinking about one of these I'll I'll read but I know of a couple two young couples from Mississippi State that made the trip to Norman to be at the games and when I saw um well Maddie Kennedy well now it's Maddie Farmer her and Joe went and she was on the podcast um recently too but I saw that they had like hopped in the car like the night before I guess that final game to like drive and I thought good for y'all yeah like you're young and married and no kids this is exactly what you should be doing right now. Like go for it. And then Sierra Sacco and Kyle Ferry. So it's Sierra and Kyle Ferry now. So so oh the kicker. Yes and also Sierra played she plays professional softball but she played for Mississippi State. Really? So anyway it's super cool that she could be there right yeah they um they also went so anyway they were I just love that these two young couples like just were like and they both drove like I mean all the way to Norman I w I wonder how many hours that I think they posted I saw like the map and it was like nine plus hours to get over there. But you know I'm gonna say this is sometimes those trips as a young couple because me and my wife have taken a few of those trips like that those are some of the best trips because you can spend literally quality time talking about a lot of things seeing a lot of the scenery of travel like it's but what have you taken a trip like that before I have taken a trip like that uh but now mine wasn't as long as about nine hours I haven't taken one of that have y'all ever just decided like okay we're gonna go like it's you don't even plan you're like get in the car we're going yes we did that to uh Nashville so it's a um it's a lady there that's very dear to our family okay and um they were having her a service at a church of appreciation and I looked at the flyer and and now it was the day before but I looked at the flyer with no plans and I said we going here tomorrow. Wow like we getting up in the morning we're going here literally got up packed our stuff and we booked the hotel on the way nice like so because we you know at the time we're gonna get there and so we booked the hotel on the way and it was literally a turnaround trip we went and got back up early the next morning and came back home because I had to that same this was this is how uh in the moment it was Mississippi State me as a basketball team was having a scrimmage the next that Saturday against Troy this appreciation for her was on a Friday night so we got up we decided Thursday we doing this didn't go to work Friday got up early next morning drove booked our uh hotel on the way and then we got up early so I could come back home which is about four four and a half hours and then drive another hour to come back at uh at Mississippi State for the scrimmage which was like 10 that Saturday. Now I will say this I was a zombie at the scrimmage yeah I bet like I mean I'm hardly here. Yeah I'm here but I'm not like I don't you know yeah but but but we it was that's why I say though it's great when you do that though because it's like it's spontaneous I'm a spontaneous person anyway. Yeah so it's spontaneous and then it's a lot of things that you get now I'm a I would rather fly. Now that's me because I like the timing. But it's a lot of things you get traveling with the conversations like you said with the scenery's even stuff that you see you go through towns you didn't even know existed. Right. It's just a lot of stuff you get so I would say like that's a great thing for couples to do it's a it's a quality it's very quality time and then plus the experience of being at a game such as that and they won you get to be a part like those are memories you can't you won't be able to you know can't nobody take those from you. Yeah um so we the the most spontaneous that we've done as a family is that trip that we made to Hoover which was only two hours from here but what was so frustrating about them moving that game time I had arranged for our dog to be picked up I had like got the house in order got everything packed like because we were staying one night and then Justin's like basic you know kind of like should we still go since we'd be late I said we're going to Birmingham like I was like I can't cancel the hotel like we're going and then I love the things that you stumble upon we know of about this climbing gym that has a great space for kids to climb. Wow and I was like I'll take you guys to the gym we get there they're like oh are they students yeah of course you know they're in school whatever and then they're like um and it's half price on Fridays because this normally I was gonna spend about 60 70 bucks on Abby and Eli to climb. Then it was like $25 for them. Abby Abby like tuckered out within 15 minutes or so and then she was like but you only paid half price right so really you just paid for Eli today because she was like she's very aware of like I want to make sure that I'm taking advantage like I want to make sure that I'm you've paid for me so I'm gonna do this well. Like I'm not gonna but she like arranged it in her mind where it do you know it's like you really didn't pay for me so I really can sit here. But we were watching that first game of that was great timing. They were climbing well Eli was climbing and I had the game streaming the first game that we won. Gotcha. And I have to honestly admit I had well I mean we were traveling too so I was like watching the game a little bit at lunch and then turned it off and then we I I happened to get on Instagram and I saw that we were coming back because it was looking pretty bad at the beginning because they were hitting home runs and I was like oh gosh you know and so then it got real exciting and so I was so thankful that we were I was not driving but that we could like watch it but I'm sure on those cameras that they have like in the room climbing rooms like we're like yeah oh yeah celebrate. I'm like maybe they know this is going on I mean Birmingham's not too far. That's good though. I'm glad y'all were able to get that experience even um pushing through to still go to the game. Yeah we because it's I was like we're gonna go and then the pictures I saw y'all take yeah like it's it's that experience. Yeah and I I'm like at least we went so you kind of know what it is so that if we were to plan in the future to go like and but they have a whole fan experience thing. We got to see the guys and Justin's around the guys but the kids don't always get to meet them and I happen to have like a ball and Ben was like will you sign my ball please he got like a lot of the guys to sign his ball that was really fun. Okay but this story that Brad told he said that you know vacations can change we talked about that as you have kids and stuff but that he had a trip that he took out west with his two best friends when they were only 15 all three of them? And they just it was just those three I don't know how this worked it says we drove I I'm gonna have more questions for Brad yeah we got to but and we'll eventually we'll have him on here he can clarify these things but it's kind of fun to like comment with our dad we can speculate yeah yeah have a good speculation and then he can listen and be like oh kind of like Mary Ashley was like y'all are so off so off so all okay we drove 45 hours straight night and day to northern Idaho and hunted for two weeks okay we were following a truck with our dads but still it was a memory that I'll never forget but as the family grew older they focused on quality time more than adventure I think that what surprises me about some of these stories that he shared is like that he's pretty adventurous. Yeah like he tells this other story about how um him and his wife went to Hawaii and he wanted to take surf lessons so he's like in his mid-30s matched up with a 17 year old guy on his high school twin on the like a high school swim team the instructor showed them what to do and they started to paddle out the boards for beginners are huge like 12 feet long and way wider than your shoulders and because of that you can't kick. And so then he said your paddling is with your arms almost straight out only like you're only using specific shoulder muscles to do all this work. So he's struggling with the high school swimmer is just as bad which made him feel better. And then after 200 yards the instructor basically had to drag both of them out there the rest of the way and then he said the surfing part was pretty easy he could get up and stay as long as he wanted but the problem was always paddling back um the hardest shoulder workout of his life and then pretty much they were just washed upon the shore ashore um and let's see he he couldn't even lift his hands high enough to wash his hair in the shower or basically move the rest of the day but he can always say he's a surfer is what he said well he I'm gonna say this he has a lot going yeah like like if you like if you meet him like well now go ahead go ahead I was just thinking okay this is totally random I think it's Modello commercial maybe it's not Modello there's this thing that's like he's the most interesting man in the world do you know what you're talking about yes I done heard he's the most interesting Mr. Brad Mr Brad oh my god yeah you wouldn't like like and I'm saying this because when you see him and talk to him he's such a laid back cheer and he serves too so he's like behind the scenes he's he's kind of like you say he's a behind the scenes guy he's now very encouraging always supportive but you would not know he's had as many adventurous outings as he's had yeah because surfing like I wouldn't have no I wouldn't have so what I love about the comments and this is why it's so great if people submit them is because there's other things that will prompt like I will remember other things. So him saying his shoulders were so sore just reminded me when we were at Mississippi I was younger so you know like early 20s but I went out with the cross country team to their team building which was at this place where you know like you have ropes course and stuff. Yeah but it wasn't we weren't doing ropes course it was like um other kind of elements I can't think of the word that it is but you're doing like you're on a wall like climbing across or you're um going through a rope it's like not military training but I know I can't think of the word CrossFit no it wasn't even that and I want to say obstacle course but that's not even a good thing either. But it was like I was I could run I was in shape to probably run at the time but the the muscles you were using to get over these obstacles and you were working as a team of like four okay but it was not it it wasn't like typical muscles that you would use or whatever. And so um I do have a funny story from one of those instances but the afterwards we had just had Abby so it's probably why I wasn't as in great shape either because but here I am like trying to be this cool FCA I don't know what I was thinking but I go out there with them to participate in these activities. I I even in basketball playing my whole life like I never really cramped like have muscle cramp or anything my whole body like I I went to Justin was outside mowing I heard Abby crying in her bed and I went to try to pick her up to console her and I as I like tried to pick her up my whole arm she's cramped up I had to like I couldn't lift her up all the way so I put her down and then I walk into our living room and then something else cramped up and I'm literally on the floor in the fetal position. Somehow Justin comes in and he hears Abby screaming and he sees me in the fetal position and he's like what is going on and I was like I hurt so bad. The people that if anybody from Mississippi College listens to they probably don't know I tried to like act like I was okay but I could not move out For that experience, it was awful. I think I think that's that level of uh ego that be on the inside of us. Totally. I I went running with a uh with a co-worker the other day, and if you look at him, he doesn't look like he's in the shape he's in. Yeah. And so he was like, go running with me. Just just because I'm you know, I'm trying to lose weight. Man, I got out there and he says, So what are we gonna do? I said, I said, bro, whatever you do, I'm keeping up. Just go ahead. Yeah. Like, and he was like, okay, he gave me the outline of where he runs. I'm like, hey, I'm I'm I'm here. Go ahead. I'm with you. He said, I don't want to put too much on you. I'm steady. No, go ahead. I'm with you. Like, we're gonna we're gonna make it work. Man, he struck out. I'm telling y'all this in two minutes. He was so far away that in my head, I said, as long as I can just see him, quickly. Look, it was so bad that he got so far I couldn't see him, but I like a little back. What you expect? And you see the okay, that's the white shirt. And and it was to the point where it was like I I felt like my ego and my body was fighting. Like my body is telling my ego, you need to stop. Like, like you can't do this. Like, like just like you, you gotta because you know, it's your mind and your that pride in you is like, no, I'm gonna push through, I'm not gonna complain. And it's like, yeah, it was not a good idea. Well, Justin, he was at the collegiate conference for FCA and he um last week and he had his roommate was gonna run. And so Justin told me, yeah, I went running, whatever. And I was like, You did, you did what? Because he he's got some stuff going on right now, but man, this guy can just pull it out of the bag. Like, I do I don't understand, but he was sore. He's been talking about it the past few days. But I can tell, like Justin, he has a he has a quiet, uh, he has a quiet confidence and a quiet push about himself. Yeah, like I can tell, like I can pick up on his competitive nature just by being around. You know who he reminds me of? The guy on Jurassic Park. Oh, which one? Oh gosh. The lad, the latest ones. Oh, Chris Pratt. He he reminds me of that. Like, because like when you see Chris Pratt, but it's like when stuff starts to hit the fan, you can see that real matcha, it comes out. Yeah, Justin gives me that. Like, I feel like if I was to do anything, and I'm serious, like I'm around a lot of athletes, but if I was to really do anything where you're gonna have to have endurance, like it's like I know he talks about himself playing basketball and different stuff like that. Yeah. I don't even know if he's good, but I will put him on my team because I just feel like he has that competitive edge. And I would like I would pick him on any of my sports team. Because he just when you're around athletes, you start picking up on who has that extra gear. It's like, you know how they say, Um, I would take this guy to a bear fight. Yeah, I would take this guy to Justin has that. And it's it's I I think what I appreciate about it, he don't show it. You can feel it though. Like you just being around a bunch of competitive athletes and just athletes in general, because I've seen athletes who are great athletes, but they had to give up in them. It's like you you you you know if you take them to deep waters, they but but he gives me that he's not gonna he's not gonna quit. And he's a winner, he wants to win. Like, I'm gonna do what it takes to win. I'll push myself. So I'm not shocked about him doing all this running. I was telling him, so what you didn't get to see is that Justin had to, we got some uh anyways, he had to go take care of something real quick. Now he's back, and he walked in, of course, as we were like bragging on him. So Justin, I was telling him that you uh went running last week. And I was like, Oh, really? Why like because you hadn't run in a while, and then like you just pull stuff out of a bag, like you're like, I'm gonna go do this. Yeah, so yeah, and then I said you were talking about how sore you are, but he was saying how that didn't surprise him. No, I wasn't surprised. Gotcha. Yeah, little peer pressure, little peer pressure, yeah. My peer pressure is not enough during the week. It's a different, it's a different uh pressure from a different peer. Yeah, it's just another FCA staff and Clemson. He's like, I'll go on a run. I'm like, you know what, why not? Yeah, why not? And it just so happened, it wasn't hard to get up because we were right next to the weight room. Weight room is the wall next to us, and so at 5 30, 5 o'clock, you hear clinging, yeah, clinging, clinging, yeah. Like you hear these dumbbells banging around and stuff, and you're like, and the wall for the dumbbells is right there. So let me ask you this, honestly. What was it your competitive nature? You weren't gonna allow him to do something else. Yeah, like why did you decide to do it? Yeah, like what was it that I don't know, it just seemed like a good idea. Like, you know, I've I I was and you know, it was funny because I was like, I need to do something on this trip. I need to like move. And our room is right next to the weight room. So it's immediately just like very obvious. Like, okay, you have no excuse, it's right there, so you should go. And he doesn't have to take care of kids. And then he said, just go on around like he's gonna go on a run. I'm like, you know what? I like running around college campuses in general. Auburn's pretty nice. Um, I'm a little biased. I think we're nice, nicer just because but Auburn's a nice campus, so we got to run around that. And I'm like, you know what? That's that's good scenery. That's one thing I do like about it. You haven't been running. No, no, I haven't been running. No. It was like 35 minutes, just boom. It's all right. It's all right, make it work. So he wasn't going super fast. That's one thing that I do like about running is that when you go to places, whether college campuses or different towns, whatever, you can see a lot of things if you just, you know, get out and run. I do appreciate that. Okay. This is we were talking about random trips because we're commenting on Brad's vacation and we did all that. But one of the trips that came to mind as I read Brad's story is that one kind of spontaneous Justin had planned on doing this trip, but when we were in college, his church was taking a trip to Colorado to summit a mountain. Okay. Okay. And somebody had dropped from the trip. I'm all the way in Texas already, but he lets me know, like, there's this spot, and I think it was paid for. I just had to like get here to and we drove all the way there. And so I would say that that would be a trip that that was a little bit more spontaneous for me. I didn't plan it. I whoever paid, like I got to go on their dime, which was really nice, but that was an experience, it was crazy. Like it was a great trip. So we drove, I think we stopped at Amarillo, Texas one night. Um that was the first stop, I think. Didn't we drive all the way to Amarillo? Yeah, I think so. Good gosh. Um, and so we ate at the Big Texan, which is a really cool place to have a big, big steak and a big meal that you can eat that you can get for free. It's like a 200 bucks meal or something, but you gotta eat it within 30 minutes. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I mean, if you eat it all, you get it. It's a massive deal. I remember Bethany being really, really mad at me at the Big Texan. We were in a fight. Something happened. We just fight. And uh it was not that's what I remember about Big Texan. But then it was a great trip up to Salida, Colorado. It was like a retreat. We uh did low camp and high camp, then went up to the top to peak of the mountain and had some like devotional time each step of the way. Got excruciating elevation headaches. Got elevation sickness, I would say just it was the worst headache you can imagine. I mean, it is like a okay. What is elevation sickness? You gotta help. You get up there a little too quick, you're not prepared for the elevation change, you can get dehydrated very quick. And I think it was a little bit of all that, and we got down from back to high camp from the peak, and our heads were throbbing. Really? I mean, it is the worst pain. We pounded some Advil and just took a nap and woke up better. I did at least. But like, I mean, this was like I had never been camping in my life, and we are literally intense. We're cooking our meals out at the campsite. Like there's your bathrooms in the woods. Didn't bathe for like four or five days. Oh, yeah. Y'all got the real experience. It was great. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, it was good. I'm glad that I did it. But I was like, this is so gross. Like, I'm so gross right now. But I think that was the first time I farted in front of Bethany. It was. Okay, so we that's another story. We had a deal where Justin, I had heard some stories about, we won't get into that, but like about I'm stinky. Yeah. Just call it what it is. So, I mean, even so much so, his sisters were like concerned he'd find a girl one day. And so we had made this agreement, like, not which I wasn't gonna have a problem with, like doing that in front of him, but we were having the I wasn't gonna bring this story up, but now that you did, I wasn't. This is just a big time moment, you know. It was a big time. With the piggets. With the pigans. Before before we were piggets. Yeah. So I'm sitting there, we had like a formation. Yeah. Formation. Three hour, three-hour quiet time or something where we all go pick a spot and sit. And so I'm sitting on this big rock with my journal, whatever. And so I'm facing, you know, I'm facing opposite. He's walking up behind me and just lets one rip. And I was like, he did not just do that. And then I started stretching. I was like, what? And then the unfortunate part of that was that he was like, Well, now that I did that, it doesn't matter anymore. It's broken. That's the icebreaker. I was like, no, let's go back to the way I was unleashed the fury. Um, yeah, but open the gates. But that was uh that was definitely like a young, like when we were young, just like a spontaneous kind of intense trip that we did. Um, okay,

Mission Trip Reflections

53:47

last little comment here. Have any of you been on mission trips before? Yes. Out of the country? Yes. Oh, we've talked about that. You haven't? I haven't. My first mission trip was Africa. This is also like, I don't know what I was thinking, but I mean, I love that kind of like young ignorance though, of just being naive. Yeah, just go. Like, and they kept saying you're gonna have culture shock. And I was just like, I mean, this again, probably ego, probably some of that like athletic mind in me. I'm like, I I can do this, but it is a real thing. Like, I it's it's the combination of sights, sounds, and smells for me. Like, it wasn't just what I was seeing, but they had open meat markets and the the trash everywhere. Like it was just a lot, and it's really hard to put in unless you go experience it, it's very hard to explain what that feels like when you are exposed to it. Me and Santana was getting ready to go to uh uh we were preparing uh to take a trip to Pakistan with the uh with a it's a mission there with a with a guy that we know here. And um, so he was gonna go, come back, and then we were gonna go. And um, but when he he was getting the day before he was getting ready to go, some type of war broke out where he couldn't go. And it was already gonna be a challenge for me to go. But when I heard war broke out, he said no. Yeah, it's just uh I put the brakes on for for for me and her. Right. But at some point, because I heard that, um just about the gratitude that you get for being here because of the things that you see and experience there, um, and and as far as different countries. Like we've been to other countries, but not necessarily for mission. Yeah, but that's one of the reasons why I wanted to go, because it's like um not just for the serving aspect, but I feel like from the posture of the heart where it helped me. Because being in America, we have so many, we're privileged with so much stuff. And um the stories you hear, the things that people say, I've wanted to be able to do that at some point. Um, I plan to do it at some point, but I just haven't done it yet. Yeah, you know. But but they was like, it's they was like, this is when you go, it's about like the stories I've heard don't go for because I think sometimes what mess people up, they go for the mission, but they also go for like a vacation, like like their mind is like, we're gonna do this, but we also, and it's like, no, it's real work. Like some of those uh places that they go, they from like you said, the food that they eat, you gotta eat a lot of what's provided. And here we can I get some Big Mac sauce, yeah. You know, all we can do all of that, but there it's like it's not, it's not the same. So um, and and and I'm not saying every place is the same, right? But most of the people that I hear talk about missions is not like don't go in mind thinking about the vacation aspect or you sightseeing. It's really real work, it's a it's a real lifestyle change while you're there. So yeah, it's a it's a major uh uh formational experience because I mean there are things I'm I'm just thinking of as we're talking about it that the encounters things that happen that you can't prepare for. And so you're just like in the moment, yeah having to figure this stuff out. And I was only, I was it was between my freshman and sophomore year in college, and I was one of the oldest people on the trip. I don't know what happened with when I applied. I thought it was a different type of trip than what it ended up being. So it was like me and a handful of college students with a bunch of high schoolers. Yeah, it was crazy. Yeah, but it didn't, and so that's what was actually kind of challenging to me was like I was struggling with some of the things that we were having to do, and yeah, I'm like, all these other people are younger than me. So you kind of have to just figure it out. And you're like, I'm the older one, I'm supposed to be like have it more together here, but I don't. But there was so much joy in the people that were there over what they had and and just their relationship with each other and stuff that it did, it really it created a lot of questions in me too when I came back that I had to like wrestle through. What are you smiling at? Nothing. I was thinking about what you had to do, like you were in the play. Yeah, we would do like a demonstration. And you were like the seductive woman, right? I don't know. Yeah, I remember you saying that you had to act out, and I was like, whoa, that's not you at all. Like just in regards to like trying to act like be some you're not. Yeah, and then we would have like the gospel beads, like the colors that we had. And I'll just say, I mean, being in Africa, you know, we were we would go through the colors, and the black bead represented evil and sin. And we had to use somebody was translating with us as we would go one by one. Now, think about we are white people. I didn't think, I mean, they gave us this tool to use, but this guy, this guy, he said, like, when I got to the black bead and I said, like, there's evil, there's sin, whatever. He was he correlated it with like him being that color and this and I'm like, I didn't say, yeah. I was like, oh my so I'm like, I mean, in my head, my head's like racing. What do I say? Yeah, what do I say? And I said something like, and then of course you have the translator that helps. So I don't know if the translator helped me out and said something different, but just what came to me, first thing that came to me was something like, Well, it's just because sin is dark, and the darkest color that we have to represent that, it's not to do with like, yeah, you know, but I think that's what I said. Yeah, but you know, I'm gonna say this now that's one thing I I will say about going to other countries. I've probably been challenged with because it's like you can say, Okay, and the translators like, yeah, yeah, yeah. You're like now. I just said okay, how did you translate all of that from just okay? Because it's like, and then you almost have to be dependent. Yeah. Because you you you can't communicate, so you have to lean on So maybe he did me a favor. I felt like my answer was decent enough to like move past the conversation, but I was super intimidated. And then you have the language barrier. I was like, this is bad. And like, why did we not think of this? Like, I was like, what are we doing out here? Well, he said one moment you don't you don't prepare. No, I don't yeah, and I remember it, but that's yeah, that was kind of the setup of the trip is we would go and do these demonstrations in the streets and then go one-on-one, evangelize. Um, but I just thought, well, I thought of that trip because we were talking about the Colorado trip, and they both felt very extreme, having not done any smaller type trips before something that was so extreme. And I'm like, what was I? But it's probably just that, you know, you're 18, 19 years old, whatever, and you're like, hey, let's go. I'm you don't know what you're missing. Like, you don't know what you're missing. Like every I'm like I said, because I am spontaneous, so I don't like to have to always plan everything. Yeah, I feel like it's better. Like, cause you kind of you can't take it as it comes. You're on edge, right? Take it as it comes. You kind of feel on edge. You like, I don't know what's gonna happen, but let's see. Yeah, you know what I mean? And so it's some people can't live like that though. Yeah, that's a little bit hard for some personalities, right? Well, I well see, Santana is more of a planner, but she's adventurous. Yes. She that that's that's why I say it's kind of like it, and this is the thing. I'm spontaneous, but I'm not as adventurous. Yeah, so it's interesting. It's it's but we we bring a great balance, yeah. You know, and and I and the older I'm getting, I'm starting to uh I think Mr. Brad said it earlier, quality time. Like I'm I'm I'm a little doing quality time as as well as being adventurous because I see how many moments I missed out on, like just not doing stuff. Yeah. So it's like I feel like now that I'm older, I'm trying to catch up with all of the little moments I miss. It's like, no, I'm I'm trying to make them now. So it's like somebody could call me and be like, hey, like today is Thursday, somebody, hey, we're going to Chicago tomorrow, but we're going like I'm I would be open to doing it. Whereas in one place in my life, I'm like, no, we where we going? You know, where we but like because I've I've done the spontaneous and experienced the good side of that. Now I'm like, I'm a little more open to trying to, and I would say, especially when you're young, you should do it. Yeah, there's uh it's just so fun to see like what you end up stumbling upon. Yeah, you know. There's a great joke by Nate Barghetsi that he talks about the different like 20s and your 20s, what you say when it's like that, where he's like, What do you want me to do? Burn my house down? Like, I'm down, like let's go. And then by the time you're 40, you're like, I'm offended you even asked me to do this. Exactly. I've I I gotta share this story. This is one more story from Brad. Yeah, it's so good. Look it up. Okay. He said, after hearing y'all's wild trip stories, I don't know that I can can compete, but Doc's story about his friend coming back to America reminded me of this one. This is this cracks me up, and I have more questions. But when Sean and I were 22 and engaged, so they were young, so that's you know, just keep that in mind. We chaperoned a high school mission trip to northern Montana. We had a van with a dozen high school girls that we drove across the country. Dear God. One day we decided to drive a mile across the Canada border just to say that we went. You didn't have to have passports to cross over. We stopped at a store for half an hour, bought souvenirs, and came back. Coming back into the U.S. was so much harder than leaving. They said, unless we were the parents, all those 15-year-old girls had to have birth certificates or passports to come back in. Yep. So a dozen 15-year-old girls told the customs agent that Sean and I were their 22-year-old parents. At 22. He said, I guess I've been an outlaw ever since. Oh, wow. Wow. I have so many questions. You know what I'm glad about? I'm glad about the people that they were telling that to. Chose to let them go. How in the world they knew they were lying. We're not even married yet, but we adopted 15 girls. All at the same age. Yes. 12, 15-year-olds. Is that not crazy? Man. I'm serious. United States. You try to get back across that line. Do whatever you can. That's why I said we the United States, we I love our country, but I'm gonna say this. They really set you up. Because they let you leave with no problem. Oh my God. You have it's almost like you feel like, man, like I'm having to go through all of these different things. Like, it's me. How can I how can I prove more? Look, I went to the Health Plex, not Health Plex, that was at Mississippi College, the Sanderson. Darius, I have been in there at least four times to try to get a membership between last summer and this summer. And I have to say, I have successfully gotten us a family membership. But besides a blood draw, this is what I felt like they needed me to have. Like I every time I went in, I was like, I'm like, there's nothing that can compete with the DMV. That's the worst. No, Sanderson, I love that place. So and they were super sweet. So I'm not, you know, it's just policy. They were sweet though, so that makes a difference. Oh, yeah. Yeah, they're like, what do you mean? As far as like what they needed. So I thought from from last summer, I was like, I just have to take proof of residence, whatever, and that Justin's like that we're married. But then I go in and she's like, Well, if it's a family plan, you gotta have all the birth certificates for the kids and a marriage license. Like, I was like, Oh my god. Like so, if I went in with all those birth certificates yesterday and it still didn't work, like I don't know that we would be members today. Which it all makes sense. It does, it does. I understand why they needed all that, but um, but anyways, just commenting on them. Yeah, because it's it's like when you're trying to, it's like the pressure, and you can feel it. Yeah, like when you leave it out, when you leave it out, you get everybody just but when you're coming back in, you can feel you're like, don't you remember me? Like everybody, like even the people in line before you like it's like everybody got their passports out, everybody kind of talking, but you can feel that sense of like nervous. Yeah, it is, and I didn't think it was like that, and it was amazing because this guy joked the whole time while we was in Mexico. Oh, if I had to stay over here, I'll do this. If I had to stay, and he almost had to stay. I also think that the customs pages. They make you when they start handing them out in the plane before you land. I don't know if they still do that, but like it would just make me so nervous that I'd fill it out wrong. Oh yeah. Whatever you're gonna claim. I was on the phone. Okay. Yeah, so it's probably different. Electronic, yeah. That's out. I'm like, I feel like this could be simpler. Yes. Because it's like you feel like if I do one little thing wrong. It really feels like a tax return. Put one here, two here, add it up. You're like, what am I doing? Yes, what are we doing? And and because we had such a we had a group of about 30. So you gotta think everybody's okay, what do you put right here? So I know like we do. Yeah, trying to it, but it's like you said, because it's like, man, if we put one thing wrong and then somebody said, Well, put a mission trip. It's not a mission trip, it's a work trip. You know, some people say, I put this vacation. And it and it kind of caused us to be on edge because they're like, Well, I put this, and then like, but well, I put that. And so now we like, oh, is this gonna hinder anything? Is this gonna so it it can be very, very nerve-wracking. I think it's also intimidating when, especially if you if there's any you just said the mission trip thing that's made me think of this. Like, if there are countries that are not as open to that, they might not be closed, but like not as open, right? That I remember when we landed in Africa, maybe even Barbados, maybe, that it was like um might have been Haiti. Oh, maybe it's Haiti. It was a Haiti trip. But like you kind of get that you don't know the language, and then the environment's different, and so then I'm just trying to observe what's going on, and it does it'll kind of it kind of mess with me. Like, I was just like, Do they am I in trouble? Like I'm like, uh uh. But anyways, I just thought that was a crazy story. That is funny. I just how you told the story about learning about how like if the towel's on the chair, yes, you can't, and then like when we were in South Africa, there were so many things we didn't know that is like get the phone plan, you know, all the things. And um just the fact that I could see myself at 22 having this same, oh, it'd be so cool. You can say you've been to Canada, like and just you learn things. I mean, but you know, Niagara Falls is on the isn't that on the border of what it's both. There's two sides. So that's what I was gonna say. I wonder, does that happen for them? Like, do they have to do that? Well, I think you gotta loop around a pretty good bit to get across. Yeah, because because I know like you said, is it's is that's the reason why I was saying it, because some people, well, we was we was on this, we was in Canada, and then some people we were then, you know, it's like, okay, how did this dynamic work? But I but I got you. Crazy. Anyways, this is what I mean, we won't make every episode about comments, but it does make it fun because it does provoke other memories or things like that for us that we can share that are fun, and that's what we also hope this podcast can be is that it's a place where there might be a few of us at the table, but it's bigger than us, and so it's very fun when we can incorporate those other things because we are one big community. And so thank you, Brad, for submitting your comments. I hope that others will take note and trust us with their comments. Um, but it's been a fun episode today. Did anybody have any parting shots? No, I appreciate I appreciate Brad. Like he gave us a lot of insight on who he is and what he's doing to kind of let you see he's uh uh he's an adventurous guy. Wild man Brad. Man. No, I said he was like, well, I didn't not know, like, yes, you can say wild man Brad, but I was gonna say hashtag the most interesting man in the world. Like the commercial, what's the commercial? Stay thirsty, my friends. Yeah, but what is that? It's a dose ecci. Okay, thank you. I knew it wasn't the modello. That's what I said. I was like, I can't remember. He is uh, and then Brad is so helpful. Like, yes, he was how I met him, I had a flat tire, and he helped me. He stayed out here with me all night to change my tire, and uh and we kind of got to present. Yeah, we kind of got he's also bus kids over to the college getaway for us. Yeah, he's yeah, he's a he's there. He's just a he's just a great guy. And then to know that he's listening in, yeah, and and uh being in tune with what we're doing is is is great. He's a it's like he's a part without being actually physically here. Right, which he will have to he will come and have to answer for his crimes. Yeah. And give us some clarity because some of this stuff we like. We need more about these 15 girls. We need more Jedi mind tricks where you're pulling at 22. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, you didn't see anything. And I gotta ask girls are our kids. This 45 hour drive, right? I I still, ever since you said that, I still been trying to wrap my head around. We need more details. How we 45 hours back when gas was cheaper. Exactly. That's another topic just. I had a little stress test that just came over me when he said gas was cheaper. Well, it's been a fun conversation today. Thank you, Justin. Thank you, Darius, thank you, Brad, um, for participating in today's conversation and come back and join us next week. Thanks for listening to the Created to Be Podcast. To learn more about FCA at Mississippi State, visit www.msufca.org and follow us on Instagram at Hale StateFCA underscore. If you would like to become a financial partner, visit www.fca.org slash donate to sew into the work God is doing through FCA at Mississippi State.