All-In Design
"All-In Design" is IIDA Alabama's podcast that invites you into the dynamic world of commercial interior design. Immerse yourself in the artistry, innovation, and inspiration that shape the spaces where we work, collaborate, and create. Discover the latest trends, cutting-edge technologies, and timeless design principles that define the ever-evolving landscape of commercial interiors.
All-In Design
Episode #64 - Interview with Joy Kaplan
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Join us on this episode of "All-In Design", as we speak with Joy Kaplan with JMR+H Architecture. We've interviewed designers in Huntsville, we've interviewed designers in Birmingham, and now - with this episode - we're in Montgomery. Listen in, as we explore Joy leaving Montgomery after high school vowing never to return... only to return after getting her degree at the University of Alabama and her first job in Atlanta. Joy has a great deal of experience, from working on turn-key solutions for banks and credit unions, to a twelve year stint at Business Interiors on the furniture side of things, and then back into the A+D world with her work at JMR-H. Joy was a blast to have in the "studio" and we hope you will give it a listen.
From the IIDA Alabama Studios, this is All In Design. Hello and welcome to All in Design, IIDA Alabama's podcast. Thank you for listening. My name's Chad Moore here with my co-host Mark Griffo. Hey everybody. And uh if I am not mistaken, we are not in the normal con conference room we normally uh record. We're not. This is new. Yes, we uh we we've driven south. We are uh south of Birmingham a few miles. Uh yeah in the uh state capital. We're here in Montgomery recording a couple podcasts today. So Mark, if you'll introduce today's first guest.
SPEAKER_04I'm happy to. Yeah, I mean this is we've we've traveled before. Yes. But this is our first time in Montgomery.
SPEAKER_05We've always traveled north.
SPEAKER_04We've always we have, we've always gone north. We've either gone to Huntsville or we've gone to Chicago.
SPEAKER_05Right.
SPEAKER_04Of course, there's only so far south before you hit the ocean. That's true. We should plan something at the beach. We should, yes. So uh yeah, so we're here in Montgomery. Um at actually our guests, former stomping grounds, but I'm sure we'll we'll get into that a little bit. I'm happy to uh introduce uh Joy Kaplan. She is an interior designer at and see I've got to read this because this is not gonna roll off the tongue for me. At JMR plus H architecture. Is it JMR plus H architecture or is it JMR H?
SPEAKER_00Nope. JMR plus H. Plus H. Yes.
SPEAKER_05Was it originally JMR and then H came and you're like plus H.
SPEAKER_00You're sharp. See, oh we've already learned something.
SPEAKER_04What not to get ahead of ourselves, but what does that stand for?
SPEAKER_00Uh John Michael Rutland was the original.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_00And then um there were it's been several forms of itself. Um, and at this point, the H is Tim Holmes, and at one point Um Bert Wilkins was a part of it. It was JMR plus HW. Um, and yeah, it's it's kind of oh ever-evolving. Yes. Several.
SPEAKER_04I thought you were gonna be like, it's there were different H's. Like they had a plus H, and then they're like, that guy got gone. It's like we still we gotta find an H. We gotta find another H.
SPEAKER_00That'll be my story next time.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, okay. Well, no, it won't be your story next time. It'll be your story this time.
SPEAKER_00Oh, okay, okay.
SPEAKER_04We'll just we'll just skip ahead. So anyway, we're glad to have you on the show. Thank you. Um I'll you know tee it up to you. Why don't you tell the folks a little bit about yourself, where you're from, how you got in the industry, where you where it all started, and we'll go from there. Who are you, Joy?
SPEAKER_00I'm still figuring that out. Now we all so I am from Montgomery, Alabama, and grew up here my whole life. One of those that swore she would never be back. Ta-da, here I am. But um anyway, I ended up at the University of Alabama for interior design, and my kids are baffled by the fact that I only applied to the University of Alabama and I got in there and that's where I went because most kids this these days don't do it that way. So I was at Alabama for four years, and um after I graduated, I got a job in Atlanta, and um it was for a company that did has turnkey solutions for um banks and credit unions. So I was an interior designer and eventually interior designer and project manager for them, and they did work all over the country, which was fun and fabulous living in Atlanta and traveling all over right after college. And then, funny enough, um got engaged to my college sweetheart who ended up it's been a lot of years now. Um, and he's not from Montgomery, but ironically, he ended up getting into law school at Jones, which brought us back to Montgomery. And um I started my um career here actually at Business Interiors, where we sit now. And I was with Business Interiors for about 12 years and then moved on to JMR plus H, which is an architecture firm. And that's that's what's a wrap. See, that was the done.
SPEAKER_04That was actually one of the cleaner start to finish until we got there. Thank you for coming on. All right, great to see everybody.
SPEAKER_05See how easy it is to be on the show. Uh we're ready for rapid fire questions. Um, how did you how did you know that you wanted to become an interest? So you went to the University of Alabama, but already thinking I'm doing interior design.
SPEAKER_00I did. I went um knowing I wanted to do interior design. I'm really unsure if I should even be making this confession. But when and I'm telling my age, um when I was younger, I really loved the show Designing Women.
SPEAKER_05Everyone did.
SPEAKER_00Right? What's not to love? Sassy women in Atlanta designing? Yes.
SPEAKER_05Sugar bakers? Yes.
SPEAKER_00So um anyway, that was my initial thoughts.
SPEAKER_05Um, but I want to work out of this house with these ladies. Right. How fun, right?
SPEAKER_00Funny enough, that's kind of exactly the opposite from what I'm doing now. Um, I probably my least amount of experience is in residential, but I still love it. It was still the right choice all along. Um, but I just figured out I like more of um the technical, I like more of the um commercial side of things. So I've dabbled in residential a little bit, but yeah, designing women is is not exactly what I'm living. I'm like downtown in an RSA building, but but I love it. I love it. So yeah.
SPEAKER_04Did you when you so when you were at Alabama, did you know you wanted to go in commercial or were you kind of just exploring the different options there?
SPEAKER_00Exploring the um you know, I probably really didn't uh decide until I was interviewing for different jobs in Atlanta, and I was more drawn to a corporate um commercial setting during the during the interview process.
SPEAKER_05It is interesting because usually we'll we'll go to like the the Auburn student show that they've got in February, and then University of Alabama also has theirs, and it depends on which grade you're hitting. So if you're talking to sophomores, almost every single one of them is residential. You're like, what are you studying? You know, what are you interested in? What kind of design are you interested in? And they're like residential. It's like, okay, great. Um, there's no residential uh people here showing at the show. Uh I think there's been like Christopher Architects was at one. We're like, okay, well, see, there's Christopher Architect. You go talk to them. Yep. Uh, but then you get to junior and senior, and then it's you know it's commercial or it's healthcare or it's you know hospitality or whatever changes quite a bit. Yes.
SPEAKER_04Were you born bred a Tide fan?
SPEAKER_05Like what what was the idea? I mean, it had to be if that's the only place you applied.
SPEAKER_00It well, nope. Both of my parents went to Auburn. I was a rebel. Were you rebelling? You were that child. I was like, no, forget that. Um no, I also um grew up Jewish, and um, you know, I hope this is okay inappropriate, but um there was a there was a Jewish population at Alabama, and I knew financially I needed to go in state, and so it had interior design, had a Jewish population. Um, so yeah, that's that was really the simplicity of the excuse me. Am I banned now?
SPEAKER_05That's a wrap. And like I said, thank you for coming on.
SPEAKER_00How many times can I mess this up? Let's see.
SPEAKER_04That's a good reason. I mean, I applied to because we're the same age. I applied to Alabama, Auburn, and UAB, but only because like I knew how to spell my name and like it was the but I didn't I didn't have any other reason to go to Auburn other than like I'm not gonna go to Alabama and I didn't want to stay in Birmingham.
SPEAKER_05So by the with the three that you applied to, only one pretty much, yeah, yeah. One's left.
SPEAKER_04And then I didn't declare my major until after I'd been there for a year and a half. So right.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I had no idea what I wanted to be. I went I went to Vanderbilt and had had applied to a few, and but it was I again, it's it's so different now because my my daughter just just started at Auburn, but the whole process and what you know and what major they want to be, and uh you know that whole thing's totally different. Because I remember I applied to colleges, my parents were hardly involved. Like they just yeah, but I mean there was there was no real discussion with them as far as okay, let's talk about your future and where you want to be and what you want to study. There was none of that. It was just kind of like have you applied to colleges? You know, yeah, yeah, yeah. Since I'm in and and got into got into Vandy, which was in town, but uh lived on campus, so it was in I I saw them less than my brother did when he went to University of Tennessee. Oh yeah, I think it's it's one of those like if he's oh, he's just down the road. Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_00Um so my parents begged me to go to AUM to start off with, a um University of Montgomery. Yes, because they wanted me to stay home because I was actually 17 when I was.
SPEAKER_05Well, the other alternative was at the University of Alabama, and they had been like, no. Right? Oh, you got an AUM. I was like, no. Are you guys still on speaking terms? Yes, very much so.
SPEAKER_00Very much so.
SPEAKER_04So you were 17 when you started at UA?
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. So I didn't um Joey's smart. I was antsy. Way to go.
SPEAKER_04I graduated when I was 17, but I was 18 by the time. I was summer summer birthday.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I have late late September. So just a little bit, just right there on the cusp.
SPEAKER_05So you're at University of Alabama, um, and then you were looking for a job in Atlanta, it sounds like yes, I d yes.
SPEAKER_00I wanted to move to Atlanta. I um had I'd interviewed, I knew somebody at um it was the name of the company was IBT, um International Banking Technologies, is where I went. And I had grown up with another designer that was that was working there. And then I interviewed with some residential firms, I interviewed with a furniture store, and it just seemed like the best fit. It seemed to be the most expensive.
SPEAKER_05Why Atlanta?
SPEAKER_00Why'd you choose I just a bigger city?
SPEAKER_05Why why Atlanta?
SPEAKER_00Right. Well, you know, I yeah, I mean, I'll tell you. I know. Well, I'll tell you when I move when I did move from Atlanta back to Montgomery, I was instantly like, oh my gosh, look how much I can get done. Um, it was just it was perfect for um a lot of a lot of my friends from Alabama moved over to Atlanta just like as a young professional, it was fun. I'm so glad not to like been driving kids around in Atlanta and doing all of those things. But it was a good thing.
SPEAKER_05It was a good fit.
SPEAKER_00Yes, it was a great fit in um for that phase. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05And you said you worked at a firm that was focused on turnkey banks?
SPEAKER_00Yes, banks and credit unions. Um they did and they worked um all over the United States. Um, a lot of the projects were, if you'll remember during that time, there were a lot of banks and credit credit unions at the front of stores. We did some brick and mortar also, but a lot of it was the like in front of the Walmart or the or the grocery store. And um, you know, we we coordinated like even the bank's technology and the equipment that they use and then did the the finishes and um just the the whole we there were several departments within that that that knew all the parts of banking and credit unions, and so we were kind of able to just how many designers were a part of that team? There were six interior designers there.
SPEAKER_05Okay.
SPEAKER_00So that was fun to have like because it's um right now uh you know I'm the only interior designer at our at the architecture firm, but it's it's it was fun and different having a group of us that could bounce off of each other and and and then there's creative and there's people that I can bounce off at the bounce off of at the um architecture firm too, the architects, but I don't know. It's it was it was especially just out of school.
SPEAKER_05Right, right. Right. Just out of school, you you need kind of some mentor. I don't know if they were I guess some were older.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes, but um god, the old the one was maybe eight or nine years older than me, so we were uh Okay, you're gonna use can I air quote younger girl? Yeah, yeah. That's all relevant.
SPEAKER_05We need video. Yeah, I figured out Mark and I know, right?
SPEAKER_04I am giving air quotes. Did you were you connected with them before you moved to Atlanta? Like did you have a job before you moved?
SPEAKER_00Uh no, well, I did work at a furniture store. No, I didn't have a job with them before I moved there. Um, it was like at graduation. I interviewed, I started right after graduation. Um, I did work at a furniture store in um Tuscaloosa while I was while I was um in school as well.
SPEAKER_05So but where you mentioned travel, like what was like the best place that you went when you were traveling?
SPEAKER_00I loved Madison, Wisconsin.
SPEAKER_05Okay.
SPEAKER_00Um I mean maybe I could get maybe I could get one of my girls to go there. That would be fun.
SPEAKER_02There you go.
SPEAKER_00But um, but no, Madison, Wisconsin, Wisconsin was really cool. Um went up to Rhode Rhode Island, that was a really nice area. Um, you know, um there were some obscure driving in snow pre-GPS, trying to watch, trying to read my west west direction. So that not so much. I could I could leave that behind. But um, but it was fun traveling, meeting with with clients and yeah.
SPEAKER_05Okay. And so how long did you do that?
SPEAKER_00I was there for four years.
SPEAKER_05Okay.
SPEAKER_00And um that is when I ended up moving back to Montgomery because my fiance started law school and we got married, so that was the point that I So you all met at UA?
SPEAKER_04Yes. Did he go with you to Atlanta?
SPEAKER_00He was a year behind me, and he was in Atlanta, yes, for two of the years. So I graduated and went, then he graduated and went, and then he had his first law year of law school while I was there, and then I moved when we when we got married. So we were there a couple weeks ago.
SPEAKER_05What was that discussion like when he's like, okay, Montgomery?
SPEAKER_00Uh like, really? You're gonna take me back to Montgomery? Really? I'm in the big city now, but going back to Montgomery. Right. Yeah, so um, but it was very different um moving back to Montgomery, you know, as much as I tried to fight, whatever. But um, but it's been nice. Like it's it's a game changer having my family here and it's they had been thrilled.
SPEAKER_05I'm sure they were super happy. Yes.
SPEAKER_00I think, I mean, that's at least what they told me. Okay.
SPEAKER_04Was he like, I want to marry your daughter, by the way, I'm gonna get her moved back. And they were like, okay, yes, that would have been a good move. Yeah. I can get her back in here.
SPEAKER_05He also only applied to one school.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
SPEAKER_05And so when you moved here, you you got a job at Business Interiors.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. That's when I started at Business Interiors and um got him through law school, and he started a clerkship, and um, yeah, and then we just got, I mean, we we had the we had the community here, we had my family, we made friends, loved my job at Business Interiors, and he got a job, uh real law job at Holtz for Gillen, and we just got settled, and it was it was nice. Um, it was completely different than how I felt about my job. Um it's still nice, it's still great. Life is great. Life is great. Yikes.
SPEAKER_04We don't let anything slide in the show. Yeah, we're hard hitting. So you're at BI for 12 years? Is that what you said?
SPEAKER_00Yes, 12 years.
SPEAKER_04And then you're like, I gotta get out of here.
SPEAKER_00I was just ready to do something different. Um, the design position at Business Interiors is really um office, typically, here in Montgomery at least, it was very office-based, and um really the salespeople would bring back the information, and I was just ready to be out in front of clients to do a little bit more of a variety, a little bit more um design work, like interior um architecture, and just I wanted some space planning and just um I was just ready for a little bit more and a little bit more variety. No, I mean, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, offense taken. But go ahead. Oh no, I'm sorry. Next next question, dude. Well, and that's a wrap. No, no, no. I want to circle back to business interiors. Is that restrict your out? No, I loved business interiors. I love it. It never happened before.
SPEAKER_00Love the people here. It was bright. I mean, I was here for 12 years, so I mean and we couldn't not like it.
SPEAKER_05What kind of work do you guys do? Uh JMR plus H. Plus H.
SPEAKER_00Um, we do a lot of different just opposites. We do office furniture only. No, so we um we do medical work, we do schools, we do government, um RSA is one of our clients. We do tenant fit outs for a lot of the mobile and Montgomery um buildings for RSA. Um we do we do a home here or there, usually a personal connection to one of the home. When you talk residential, yeah. Um, but just a big variety, you know, and in prisons, and so whenever I say prisons, everybody's like, you do interiors for prisons. I'm like, even prisons have to have the finishes selected. Yes. Yeah, they do inside. Yeah. No red, you know, like you do that's a thing. So like, hmm, okay.
SPEAKER_05What are some tips for somebody designing the interiors of a prison?
SPEAKER_00Uh keep it calm, keep it cool. Keep it secure.
SPEAKER_04Solid doors, locks. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. No red.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. That's that's key. That's um, that's a lot of grays, blues.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's not the most exciting part of the, but it's it, you know.
SPEAKER_04I'm sure there's some kind of weird details that they get into. I mean, um the design innovations did a secure medical facility outside of Tuscaloosa. Which if anybody googles, they can figure out what it is. I just say secure medical facility because that's the way it's listed on our website, um, because we were asked not to say the name. But it's just there, and there's, yeah, there's a lot of just kind of interesting spaces. And I mean, there's still cafeterias and there are bathrooms and there are cells and bedrooms and office spaces and stuff like that. But it's just completely, it's not a ham, it's not I don't know why. Immediately go to Hampton Inn. It's not a Hampton Inn, Chad. It's a prison. Is it not? Okay. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05This episode brought to you by It was funny the way you were describing, you're like, no, it still has cafeterias and it still has break rooms and it still has cells. And it was like the cells was a different part, you know, it's like you're making it sound like it's like just like every other project. Just like an office. Yeah. Cells. Cells. Well, some people think their office is like that.
SPEAKER_04True. For folks that may not know, uh, what is RSA?
SPEAKER_00Oh, retirement systems of Alabama. Yes.
SPEAKER_04So do we how because y'all are in the RSA building in downtown Montgomery?
SPEAKER_00Yes, on um Dexter near the Capitol.
SPEAKER_04Yep. You got a nice view?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. No, oh, I don't personally. So I'm in the I'm in the Plus H does. Plus H does. Um, I'm in the corner with all the storage and I still cannot keep my um, you know, you know what an interior designer space looks like. I mean, stuff everywhere.
SPEAKER_04Bluttered is the word active.
SPEAKER_00Active word than yeah, so I, you know, I got put back where there's a lot of cabinet space and it still overflows. So yeah.
SPEAKER_05Isn't there something in your responses that was about keeping your stuff like you try it with samples? You try to like maybe sustainability or something.
SPEAKER_00I do so, so yeah, so it I I try to be conscious of like ordering and disposing of samples, so that could be translated a little bit into hoarding. Like, you know, it takes me, I'm like, oh, but the waste. I can't, I can't let it go. I might need it. So every once in a while I purge, but I do try to um, I do try to be to stay conscious of sending materials back, of using companies that do recycle their materials. Um, I'm the crazy person that even goes and takes the recycling to public. So I I try to um stay conscious of that.
SPEAKER_05And you and my wife would get along well. It's it's it, but although it seems like my my Chris she listens to this, so I've got to be careful how I choose my words. She l she won't listen for three months though. So yeah, I have things like that. I'll be in the doghouse like five months from now when she listens to this episode. Uh no, it she's much more uh into recycling than I am. And and so especially when we live downtown in a loft, we had these we were third floor and we had these recycling bins, but it always seemed to be me that was the one carrying the recycling bins down and then into the car and then driving them someplace. And I was like, I I don't feel like she's recycling inside the house. She was she was good at sorting. Yeah, she was doing sort of yeah. But we just we just cleaned out our garage uh and did a huge purge and she was far less uh into the recycling because it was you get sometimes you get to a point and it's like we just gotta get rid of all this. Yeah. And stuff you hang on to, it's oh my gosh, like what? Like we're not very outdoorsy, neither of us are. But we have a tent that um was on our registry when we got married uh almost 20 23 years ago. Um and so we're like, oh, we've never used this. Not even once. I it got used once uh with my son and I used it once for a Cub Scout campout. That's the only time it's ever been used. Yeah. And so that was well, we did, we donated it. We didn't toss it, but it was just we we hold on to so much stuff.
SPEAKER_04You put it on your registry though?
SPEAKER_05Like you guys asked for this tent? We asked for a tent, yeah, because we had we had plans. Aspirations. Yeah, we were gonna camp out. There are gonna be these people. Young dreams. Yeah, we have we had uh you know two sleeping bags, a tent, uh I think we even had like a little like you know, um cookout tent or cookout utensil thing. Sounds very adequate, ish yeah. Yeah, we put we we had the stuff, yeah. Right. Just like I had golf clubs. I don't play. I've got golf clubs.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah. She doesn't play. We well, to be fair, we also have a tent we've never used. Well, we didn't put it on our registry. That's just what cracks me up. Yeah. No, no, she got us a tent because she wanted to like when when we got the house, she got the tent because she was like, oh, like we can have our nieces and nephew.
SPEAKER_00No, I thought like it wasn't to kick you out.
SPEAKER_05No, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Is that where you thought?
SPEAKER_05I thought, no, I thought she was gonna be, I thought it was gonna be you're gonna camp out in the backyard.
SPEAKER_04No, we were gonna camp out in the backyard, but it would be like with our nieces and nephew. Right. I was just thinking the two of you. Yeah. No, just yeah. Well, Aaron probably would. Okay. She would probably be like, yeah. But I I mean, maybe. I don't know. We'll when it gets cooler, we'll see what happens. You know, right now it's like 99 degrees now. Really hot outside, yeah. Especially here in Montgomery. God, we get down here.
SPEAKER_00Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_04I don't know why you guys, it's like an hour and a half from Birmingham and like 9,000 degrees hotter. I just don't understand.
SPEAKER_00I yes, yes. Tell us, talk about that. Yeah, tell me.
SPEAKER_04Why is it hotter here?
SPEAKER_00Why is it hot here? Well, climate change. No. Um, but I will tell you I recycle. I recycle, and everybody else should too. Even though I do have several friends that are telling me, do you really think that's doing any good? And I'm like, I have to believe that it is.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. Um there was a there was a comedian uh talking about, he's like, you know, I get up here and I talk about you know all this doom and gloom stuff and like the end of the world's coming. And he goes, but I know I don't believe it because I still recycle. Like, you know, you know, still like I'm still sorting stuff and putting it away. So really deep down, I don't believe like the end of the world's coming, but no.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I had actually um a vegan friend make fun of me for for the she's vegan for the animals, and she makes fun of me for recycling. I was like, I need to believe it just like you.
SPEAKER_04Right, right, right.
SPEAKER_00Let me just offend everybody while I'm at it. Right. For recycling. Seems a little ironic to me.
SPEAKER_04Oh, okay. How do you know when someone's vegan? They tell you.
SPEAKER_00Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_05I had a feeling that was coming. Over and over again. Right. It was vegan and then was something like maybe it was CrossFit. There was another like when CrossFit was vegan. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04How do you know somebody does CrossFit? Yeah. They tell you. They tell you.
SPEAKER_05Or they have torn ACLs. One or the other. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Uh so you guys do a lot of different sounds like projects. Is there do you have a particular uh area that you gravitate towards?
SPEAKER_00Like if you I really I have really enjoyed the medical that we've been doing lately. Um, you know, I I I like having to research some of the the different areas, what materials they call for, um like their certain materials and stipulations for where an MRI machine goes. And I and I um I I can't I am creative and I and I like that side of things, but I also like the technical and I like digging in and researching like what are the requirements for these very particular things and how do the doctors work exactly and what makes it easier for them. So I like I've really enjoyed the medical and digging into to those details.
SPEAKER_05Yeah with the interior designers, I mean the the it's a great combination of left brain, right brain. Um, you know, especially, you know, with health safety wellness and all the different uh codes that go into it. There's the creative aspect, but then there's also, and so we've had several that were kind of scientist background, or at least they went to school for you know biology or something and then switched to interior design. So it's it's fascinating.
SPEAKER_00Well, funny you say that because it is funny completely. You're hilarious. Um, so um if I had not done interior design, I have thought before that I would have liked to have been a pharmacist. And that is so opposite of interior design. But um, and actually speaking of the technical, being here at Business Interiors, that's one of the things that I really enjoyed too was um, you know, you you have to do the whole list of what gets the furniture put together, like all the technical, like the wiring and the the connectors. I really did enjoy that uh aspect of of here at Business Interior.
SPEAKER_05So until you get good safe. Until you get fed up with it.
SPEAKER_04You're like, I am out of here. I'm never coming back here unless I'm invited to be on a podcast. Yeah, and then I'll come back. Do you do much travel in your job now?
SPEAKER_00I really don't. Um it kind of comes in spurts, and it's usually around the state. Um we were working on some um of the state parks for a bit, and so I was traveling to those those different areas and and meeting with those guys. Um and that was a that was a good bit of travel. Um, but typically it's it's within um the city, within the state, and it's not not so.
SPEAKER_04So you're not going to Rhode Island anymore? No, no more. It's more day traveling.
SPEAKER_00No more snow driving. Yeah, it's it's day travel and and meetings, a lot of meetings here in town. And a lot of times um it's easier, especially when it comes to my part, it's easier for the client to come to our office so then I can pull from the materials like trying to carry all the materials that um are possible to a client is not very feasible. So it's nice.
SPEAKER_04Do you have a wagon?
SPEAKER_00I recently got a wagon.
SPEAKER_04Okay, yeah. I mean, it's a game changer.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_05Has a wagon will travel. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes, that is definitely helpful, but still, even just trying to wrap your head around like every possibility, it's just easier a lot of times when it comes to my part to bring them to the office.
SPEAKER_05So we just got a wagon as well, because moving our daughter in to Auburn. So my my wife bought the wagon. Uh again, I'll get money get in trouble. Um there are different size, there are different size wagons, is what I'll say. This was Did you get the wrong size? It's just it was not as big as I thought it was gonna be. So I was unloading the van and like opened up the wagon. I was like, oh, well, we'll put that this in here and this in here.
SPEAKER_00Was the wagon size your choice? Is that on you?
SPEAKER_05No, no, I was not involved with the wagon selection. I was surprised that it was smaller than I thought it was like. Did you express this? I am now. Okay. Right. Right.
SPEAKER_04This man's gonna need to do some shopping in the moment. You were like, hmm, it's gonna be bigger. This could be bigger.
SPEAKER_05Well, and then other people were moving in too, and they had larger wagons. So I had a little bit of wagon if we're gonna be able to do it. But we did we add another, I've got another um kind of like a flatbed thing that folds up. So we had that, which was okay, which it all it all worked out.
SPEAKER_00Hulkin bags? Hulkin bags?
SPEAKER_04Uh the big on wheels.
SPEAKER_05Now to what's to my wife's credit, I mean, it was she was organized. Like, you know, my daughter, I think, would have moved in and would have brought just a backpack or something of clothes. Like it she she hadn't put too much thought into what she would need uh living on her own. Uh but my wife, I had researched the dorm room, had the the dimensions of the dorm room, where things would go, you know, like buying hutches and things to go on the desks, and like she and when I we were packing the car, she's like, um, make sure that goes on last. That's uh phase one. And I was like, what? How many phases are there? She's like, well, interior designer. Yeah. She was like, well, really, it's there's really just phase one, because then you know the rest of it's the rest of it. But that is that has all the that has all the tools in it and has the you know, so she had everything really organized for so right.
SPEAKER_00I would like your wife. Yes. Yes.
SPEAKER_05Also to add good save. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, yeah. Second good save of the show. Just passing around. Hi, honey. Love you. Um Do you have a uh particular project that's uh favorite of yours that you've worked on?
SPEAKER_00I I would BTW high. I mean you love them all. I do love them all equally. They're like my babies. Yes. Um but BTW High School was a very cool project to to work on. It had um so it was an old high school that we used the existing and then we built off of it, and it had other buildings um like athletics and so additions to the original building and buildings that were not connected. And it was just it had a theater, it had an athletic um building, and it just had a lot of fun finishes and a lot of different people that we had to meet with for it.
SPEAKER_05So we were hearing variety of spaces.
SPEAKER_00Uh here yes, yes. And um, it was acoustics and logistics and so many different departments that had so many different thought processes. And it was fun also bringing such a facility to Montgomery. Um with the public school system being what it is for a lot of people. Um it was just very rewarding to bring that type of facility to the public school system here in Montgomery School. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04We've had several people that have listed schools as their favorite project. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05And then you also listed Association of County Commissioners as being a good idea. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So that was one of the first projects I worked on when I um came to JMR Plus H. And it was interesting because they wanted this really nice space to be able to host um commissioners. And so all these commissioners are coming from all over the state, some of the richest counties, poorest counties, and they were like, we want it to be nice, we want it to be welcoming, but it couldn't be too much because then they look at it and say, This is a frivolous spending of our money. Yeah, they didn't it didn't need to be excess, but it needed to be hospitable. Nice, yes. And um, they seemed very pleased, as as was I, with the with the outcome of it. They they felt like it it really nailed it, so that was fun.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, that's a that's an unusual uh challenge. Yeah. Right. Make it nice, but don't not too nice. Not too nice, right? Nice-ish. Right, right. It's like, how about the this?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, this is not the gold leaf.
SPEAKER_05Um one of the answers that I really liked um was asking what are the s some common challenges you face in the field of interior design. And the answer we normally get back is budget. It's usually it's like, oh, budgets, you know, they're really big, but that was a good answer. That is a good answer. Would you like to speak about that? Oh yeah. But mine was good too. Yeah, yours was um, I feel like when a client organization brings too many people into the design process.
SPEAKER_00Yes. So you'll you'll be sitting at a law firm or I don't know. If you bring too many people into the process, it it it kind of narrows where I'm able to go in the design. Like, because everybody, you have all these opinions and then it just with every additional opinion, it it narrows it down. Um you cannot you can make everybody generally happy, but if you have if you get too many people in the process, then the process just disintegrates.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I I appreciated the answer because that's I've been in so many committees or you know, different organizations, and you've got to make decisions, and for some reason everyone's invited. Like there's a room full of people, and you're like, this is this is A gonna take forever, and then no one's gonna be happy at the end. You can't find a consensus. Right.
SPEAKER_04I actually, when we were when before we started recording, you had stepped out, and I was telling Joy about the kind of industry. This would be a better podcast if it was just the two of us. Let's just get started about you. I've been trying to get him off the show for since we started. But I I told her about how like when it was originally solely in my hands and I started the committee. Right. And it just it it just ballooned to kind of too much. I mean, there's other reasons why it never landed, and that was on me, but like it was just kind of too much. Right. Because everybody was bringing in some good ideas, but they weren't focused enough to really get us started. Um, and it was just it was just too much. And then I mean I've been in the same situation as you from a rep perspective where you get invited to like, okay, well bring your bring your your two best chairs or whatever, and then you show up to the dealership or the end user to drop off your two chairs and you realize that there's 48 other chairs there, and you just like look at the the interior designer, the client, and you go, Good luck. Yeah. Like because they're gonna invite the entire staff to come test 50 chairs and they're gonna get 50 opinions. Yeah. You know, it's just a disaster.
SPEAKER_05Right. Yeah. Yeah. Narrow it down. Get in fewer chairs, fewer chairs, less people, not so many chiefs. Yeah. Too many chiefs. Yes, yes. Exactly. Okay. Exactly. Yeah, it's a good answer. Thank you. It's it was good because it was uh cathartic. It's something I've been wanting to say for a long time. Yeah. Uh what advice do you have for uh someone coming up in interior design?
SPEAKER_00Uh just communication is key. Um you have to really listen. Um, you have to really be able to verbalize yourself and portray your ideas. Um I just think that that is key and the rest will will fall in place.
SPEAKER_05How how do you how do you develop those?
SPEAKER_04I'll take this one, Shad. It's not on this sheet!
SPEAKER_02I will take this Go for it, Mark.
SPEAKER_04Yes. Um, I I was gonna say, well, I was gonna joke, but not joking. Experience. Yeah. You know, like you kind of figure it out as you go along. If you put if you put forth effort in my experience, if you put forth effort in terms of like having a conversation, don't be afraid to mention things, right? Because there's been plenty of times where, especially when I was younger, where I would be in a meeting where I'd be like, Man, I wish I had spoken up.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes, in that moment. That's what I meant to say.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it was pretty good. Yeah, you're welcome. But yeah, like, you know, like you kind of it's it's just I think it's just part of finding your footing, especially if you're younger, coming like straight out of school, is like finding your footing when you need to speak up. Yeah. Um, versus listening, right? Because there's a balance there. Yes. Um, but there's been times where I'm like, man, I wish I had said this then because it's either too late if you bring it up later, or it's just out of context, right? Things have been done.
SPEAKER_05So I think um active listening, which I think you really had in there like you especially dealing with your clients and how do you how do you build a space for them as listening to them and pick I think you said you like listen for keywords um and then kind of build the design around.
SPEAKER_00Yes. So um thank you, AI. I um we'll put in the keywords, just see the images that that come up just all across the board, and then that just usually helps me on a path of what direction to go. Like I'll take in what they're trying to say and use those keywords and look at those images, and then it usually gets me going on a on a good what they're looking for.
SPEAKER_05Right. Yeah. And I think the other part of it is uh kind of to Mark's point, which is you know speaking up but also asking questions. Um I think when you first start off, you're you're quiet, and then there's the the fear of maybe I should already know the answer to this, and so you don't ask the question because maybe I should already know this. But and something I'm trying to instill into my kids, because they're all bright, um is there's so much power in asking questions. A it it sh it communicates that you're paying attention, you know, especially if if you're just asking a question and somebody's already covered it, clearly you're not paying attention. So don't do that. But um it it it shows that you're paying attention, but then also you're thinking through the problem. And a lot of times when you ask that question, a lot of other people are thinking the same thing or wanting to know the answer to it. For sure. Yeah. Um so it was kind of for me that was that was something I'm trying to instill in them is active listening and questions. Ask questions. Yeah, it shows that you're interested. Yes. Yeah.
unknownYes.
SPEAKER_04That's why we ask our guests questions. Right. Because we're interested in them. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Um what kind of uh uh trends are you seeing in interior design?
SPEAKER_00Uh accessibility. I feel like having um not like ADA, but like good design being way more accessible.
SPEAKER_05I did I wrote explain. I was like, what does that mean?
SPEAKER_00Did I only write that one word? Um no, just an accessibility in in design and in um and it not having to cost a fortune. Um and people, you know, being bolder in what they choose for their homes and for their offices.
SPEAKER_05Um do you think that's coming from like just HGTV or what you're doing?
SPEAKER_00HGTV, social media. Right. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Okay. Yeah. So but is that is that helpful or is it like where they come with so many ideas and you're like or depends on the client. Okay. There's a sly grin there. It depends on the client.
SPEAKER_00If there's too many people in the room with their pants and it's like, so I did, what did I um I called a flooring manufacturer one time and I was trying to a client had sent me something offline and I was trying to figure out the manufacturer or or something like it, and um the manufacturer the the rep said to me, he was like, Oh, you need to get off Pinterest. I was like, Yeah, it was um pretty demeaning at the moment, but it wasn't. It's a good thing there's another manufacturer.
SPEAKER_05Let's ask and find out who this person is.
SPEAKER_00You should have given me that vodka, maybe I'd aim.
SPEAKER_04We'll ask off, we'll ask offline. Yeah, and then we'll drag them. I'm kidding, I'm kidding. That's kind of insulting. Yeah, was it Bridget? Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Specify Mannington. Yeah. I find with Bridget, if you just say specify Mannington at the end of it, you can say anything. Yeah, she's like, okay, great. Awesome. Thanks for mentioning this.
SPEAKER_04Well, you know, I mean it's publicity.
SPEAKER_00It is another sponsorship, guys.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, bad bad press is still press.
SPEAKER_00Mannington and Hampton Inn, huh?
SPEAKER_04Mannington and Hampton Inn. That's what this episode is brought to you by. Yep.
SPEAKER_05So um since you are you're the only interior designer within your firm, you said you do have the the architects you can kind of bounce things off of, but where do how do you overcome creative blocks when you're working through a project?
SPEAKER_00So I I try to go back and forth between the creative aspects and the technical aspects. So uh as a project, the projects that are mostly interiors, there are technical drawings I have to do also. And so if I'm having kind of a creative block, I'll move to something that's very mechanical, like just you know, filling out the floor plan, setting up the sheets, like kind of the drawings. Um, and then usually if I step away from it for a bit and use the other side of that brain, I can go back and good to go.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, it's a weird reset. It's yeah, yeah, it's fascinating the way the brain works. Where if you're looking at something for so long, you get stuck in ruts.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it goes for mental and physical. Like if I'm working on a colorboard and I'm kind of like, I don't know, and walking away from that as well, and then coming back and looking at it, it can look completely different.
SPEAKER_04That's a completely different answer than Pinterest. No well, actually, manufacturer one. Uh it's Pinterest, which a lot of people have said. We've had that as a lot of answers. They're just putting putting things on a board, literally. Just yeah. My my wife is currently helping my mother-in-law um add new furniture to her living room at her house. And and it's it's an amazing to listen to the process.
SPEAKER_05How involved are you in this?
SPEAKER_04I am either listening while they're on speakerphone until I get to the point where I'm like, I'm just gonna go to the other side of the house. This is a very collaborative process.
SPEAKER_05I'm gonna go out in my tent.
SPEAKER_04But yeah, now the tent getting shoes. I'm busting out this tent. But it's just really interesting. Interesting of Aaron guiding her mother through kind of what Erin needs to because Erin Aaron is she's a very talented interior designer. Um but Aaron wants to see the whole she she wants to look at the whole space, right? And like that's her her whole quote to young designers is you don't pluck one eyebrow at a time, right? And so that's the way she approaches her projects, whether it be healthcare or helping her mom with her living room. But as I have to remind Erin and see, Aaron's not gonna listen, so I can say whatever, it's fine. Um Chad's like, not until I tell her. Um I have to remind Aaron, I was like, Well, you know, your mom's not an interior designer, right? So she's just trying to be helpful, right? Because her mom will come with very specific things. And Aaron's like, okay, cool, like you like that carpet. And she was like, well, no, I like the color. And so the lately it's just been just send me pictures of rooms that speak to you. Right, that's all I want, just rooms that speak to you. You don't have to explain you don't have to know why, you don't have to explain why. You don't have to like all the furniture or all the lamps or the floor or whatever. Just send me things. And there's still a little bit of a disconnect in terms of that because my mother-in-law wants to get very focused on like, okay, well, I like this lamp. And then that makes Aaron like be like, no, we're not picking the lamp yet. So it's also just been a very long-drawn-out process. Right. Um, I think they've bought a couch, and then that's as far along as we are. So couch comes before lamps. Couch becomes for lamps. Who said who what who what was the recent we had a guest recently that said something about that?
SPEAKER_05Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was like the three stages, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04But it was some of the or maybe it was like floors become floors before walls or something like that. Yeah. We'll just have to do that. We'll just have to Google it and find it later. Anyway, but it's just it's just been interesting to like sit back and listen to this whole process of some.
SPEAKER_00I would imagine this is probably one of her more time-consuming projects, if I had to guess. It is.
SPEAKER_04Well, also, too. Is she billing per hour? So bless my mother-in-law's heart. Is that like I also know that my mother-in-law just wants to basically be like, here's the lamp, here's the end table, here's the coffee table, here's the rug, like let's freaking move on. And Aaron's like, no. Send me your inspiration images. Like, my mother-in-law would just go out and buy things. And it is gonna be great. And this is what I've told both my mother-in-law and Aaron it's gonna be great. You just are gonna have to like work through this process together. And also, Aaron, just remember your mom's not paying you, and she's also not an interior designer.
SPEAKER_05Right. And eventually just wants it done. She just wants it done. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04But I'm gonna, if it when it gets cooler, if this still process is still going on, I'm gonna bust out the tent. I'm gonna go in the backyard. Oh my gosh. I'll send y'all pictures.
SPEAKER_05Well, I think we're to the point of rapid fire questions.
SPEAKER_04Are you ready for this, Joy?
SPEAKER_00Probably not. Go. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Oh, it kind of sounds like she is ready. We're we're not ready. Um, what are you completely over right now? Podcasts.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, at this moment. No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I loved it. Next question. This moment. Um Snapchat.
SPEAKER_04Oh, okay. Are you a big Snapchatter?
SPEAKER_00With my daughter. And I'm like, why can't you just text me? I don't understand. But it's but I'm seeing things, so I'm thankful for it. But also, can't we just communicate a regular way? I mean, yeah. So yeah, I'm like, I don't get it. I don't understand, but I'll take it. Yeah. Because she's 16 and that's what she's offering. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04And she's talking to you. Yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_05Meet her where she is.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. So Snapchat.
SPEAKER_05I know I do not. Okay. I do not have Snapchats. You got the kids. Are you wanting to Snapchat?
SPEAKER_02No, I don't, I don't have it. I don't have it.
SPEAKER_04So how much are we missing out on? I don't apparently. Okay, okay, good. Yeah, but she's over, remember?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah. If you owned an iguana, what would you name it?
unknownOh.
SPEAKER_00Peter.
SPEAKER_04That's good. It was good. Um if you could instantly master one completely random skill, what would it be?
SPEAKER_00Sewing.
SPEAKER_04Oh, okay. What would you sew? I always have follow-up questions.
SPEAKER_00Well, okay, so that's so this is so And of all the skills in the world. I know, I know, I know. So I don't know if you have seen Montgomery Academy's graduation. They do the French sewn, full, and we're about to get into that. Okay, okay. The full hand sewn French dress, and I'm like, that would be amazing if I could just do that myself. I don't know. I think sewing would be an awesome skill.
SPEAKER_05I think that's a short-sighted answer.
SPEAKER_00I know.
SPEAKER_04I love that you just disagreed with the guest answer. You were like, no, this is you would be wrong try yet.
SPEAKER_00Well, I haven't. That's the name Rapid Fire. Right, right.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. We'll circle back to that one.
SPEAKER_00No pressure.
SPEAKER_05Uh you have a free weekend with no obligations. How are you spending it?
SPEAKER_00I'm sitting on the beach.
SPEAKER_05Okay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Do you have a favorite beach or place you guys like to go? Just a beach. Doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_00I love to just lay, listen to the water, bake, have a book, family. Nice. See, that was a good idea. Lay optional. Optional.
SPEAKER_04In case they listen to the podcast.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_04Let's see. What's something people assume about you that isn't true?
SPEAKER_00So my college friends say that I have a very innocent looking face. They think that I um have maybe been up to more trouble than people would assume. Is that an answer?
SPEAKER_05I'm confused by the answer.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Okay. Yeah, so am I. Not as innocent as I look.
SPEAKER_04Oh, you're not as innocent as you look. Okay. You've lived some life. Right. Oh, you went to UA, then you went to W.
SPEAKER_05She likes Madison, Wisconsin. She liked it. She likes Madison, Wisconsin. Yeah, yeah. College Town. All right. Um what are you binge watching right now? Or if you're not binge watching, listening to or reading?
SPEAKER_00Okay. So I am reading, I just started yesteryear.
SPEAKER_05Okay.
SPEAKER_00Which it's about tra it's about a trad wife or a traditional wife that does all the farm and you know shows it all off on Instagram. And I haven't gotten to this part, but apparently she wakes up one day and she is actually in the past having to actually live it. So I'm I just started that. And I am watching um The Bear. The Bear. Okay.
SPEAKER_04Are you watching it for the first time? Yes. What season are you on?
SPEAKER_00I'm on the last season. Okay. Yeah. Which it's incredible. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Um I haven't I just I have not watched past season two yet. Why? I don't, it's on Hulu, right? Yes. I do not have a subscription to Hulu, which that's the main reason why. Okay. But I do see season two, you had um forks and is it fishes the other one? But there was the there was the episode Forks.
SPEAKER_00Oh, the Christmas?
SPEAKER_05The Christmas there's a Christmas one and then right the right back to back. It's the Christmas one, and then uh the forks where he's working in the really fancy restaurant. Uh-huh. Those two were just phenomenal. Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_04Have you seen we've seen uh season one?
SPEAKER_05It's intense. It's not a comedy.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. We've actually we've actually talked about picking it back up now that they've rapped. I can't remember why we fell off of it. Sometimes we'll get into shows and we'll like watch a whole season or two and then we like need a a break depending on the cadence of that show. And the bear, there's a lot.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it is a lot. It's it's really intense. It's intense. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04One of one of this is an extreme example, but like Aaron really and I I do too, but the the show It's always sunny in Philadelphia. Which is funny, just to like I had to quit that eventually to kind of like just like take it in. But there was one point in time, this is when we were first started dating, where like there was just a day where I don't even think we were watching TV, but it was just on. And after like six hours, like we weren't again, we weren't paying attention at one point, but I was like, I have to stop because all Charlie Day does is yell for 22 minutes.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Right? And like when you're watching like a single episode or two, you're like, oh, this is funny, and these people are hilarious. But when you get to like hour three, like my head was hurting. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Did you know Glenn Howerton's from Montgomery?
SPEAKER_04I did not know that.
SPEAKER_00Went to middle school with him.
SPEAKER_05You went to middle school with Glenn Howarton? So not only from Montgomery. Best friends.
SPEAKER_00We were all went to no, no, no.
SPEAKER_04Um, were y'all buddies? Like, or are you like you're just in like in the same grade sort of thing?
SPEAKER_00He was a grade ahead of me. Yeah um, yeah, just at school at the same time. So he's a big theater kid, shocking, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I don't think I knew he was from Alabama. Yep. He was in, if he's not in still in Birmingham like this minute, he was in Birmingham like a week ago because he's filming a movie.
SPEAKER_00Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_04Up there.
SPEAKER_00Oh, we just watched actually another movie with him in it, um, Blackberry.
SPEAKER_04Oh, that's a good one. Yeah, it was good.
SPEAKER_00It was very creative name.
SPEAKER_04Um so yeah, oh man, Glenn Howerton. You should have him on the show. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Glenn, if you're still in Birmingham and you're listening.
SPEAKER_05Since you know him, could you reach out to his house?
SPEAKER_00My people will call his people.
SPEAKER_05Reach out to Glenn.
SPEAKER_00So I do want to add a guilty pleasure show. See if I have any takers on this. Um, Southern Charm. Anybody? Southern Charm?
SPEAKER_05No.
SPEAKER_04I think I've heard of this show. Is this a reality TV show?
SPEAKER_00Yes, okay. Yes.
SPEAKER_05Is it like designing women?
SPEAKER_00No. It's um in Charleston. And the the reason we Charleston in Charleston with um, yeah, just really rich kids running around. Um we started watching it what's that on? It's on Bravo.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Sounds like a Bravo show. It is.
SPEAKER_00It is totally Bravo. We started watching it because my husband clerked for a judge whose nephew is on the show, and that's how we first started watching it. And I'm like totally addicted to it.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. I have been to Mr. Beef in Chicago, which is where the bear was based up based on. Yeah. When up when we were up there for Chicago, but we like forget like a Saturday morning movie or whenever for lunch. Was it good? Yeah. Was it good? Line, you know, out the door. Yep.
SPEAKER_00So you were starving, but so of course it was good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Um what let's see, where where are we? How many do I have left?
SPEAKER_05You have we both have two left. Okay.
SPEAKER_04Um see he just he's in charge. Uh what's something you refuse to upgrade, even though you probably should my phone. You just like use it until it dies? Yes. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Good with it.
SPEAKER_04I mean, I'm kind of the same way. I mean, it was took me, we actually talked about this before you got here, sort of. We touched on it, but like it took me forever to get a smartphone.
SPEAKER_00Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_04Because like I did did not want a smartphone. And then the reason I had to get a smartphone is because people would be like, you didn't text me back, and I'd be like, I didn't get the text. And because it was just like uh it was like a no a Nokia, like an old Nokia, right? Like literally the systems were like not talking to each other anymore. So that's how long I went. And I still wish that we lived in those times.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I know, especially now that I have the kids, the girls, the kids that have that just glued to it, you know.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we were we've got we've got a it's pretty much once they start high school is when we they get like a phone phone. We we have the stupid phone form when they're in middle school. See.
SPEAKER_04We kind of start. Like mom, dad, police sort of.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I think it's called Bark is the one we're using. But yeah, they can they can't down download certain apps and it's it's it's a dumb it I think she they can get text messages and email and phone. It's pretty much there's some other little things.
SPEAKER_00You win better parent.
SPEAKER_05Well, thanks again for coming on. Yeah. We'll just wrap up there. On that note. Yeah. Um, Chesney. Well, again, uh my wife's the one who pretty much handles that, so um, she wins best parent. All right, so you've got a a coupon for a sky plane that writes words in the sky.
SPEAKER_00Oh my.
SPEAKER_05When would you use it and what would it say? That's a good one.
SPEAKER_04Thanks for that one.
SPEAKER_00Oh my gosh. These are hard. I would use it. Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_04What was the first thing that popped in your mind? Can you say everyone has a first thing. Right. And then they're like, either that's dumb or I can't say that on a podcast.
SPEAKER_00Right, yeah. So it was lottery-based.
SPEAKER_02It was winning the lottery based.
SPEAKER_00Can I just I think we should just leave it at that. Okay. Yeah, yeah, it's fine. That's fine. Yep, good. Leave the listeners with some imagination.
SPEAKER_05Some of these, you know, these questions are first time and we don't know what kind of response. There's ones we bring back, like if we get some good answers on, we bring them back. That's the first time we've used that one. Yeah, that was that was a good one.
SPEAKER_04Um what's your most irrational pet peeve?
SPEAKER_00Um things that are undone. For example, the um just not starting what you finish. I guess that's not irrational, but like say somebody in my house brings home something from the store and they take said item out of the bag, and the bag and the receipt are left on the counter.
SPEAKER_04I hear you. Or preach.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Or the dishwasher's being unloaded, and there are two clean items still sitting on the counter. That will drive me. I think that's pretty rational. Yeah. Right? I don't know what my irrational is.
SPEAKER_05No, no, no. That's I mean, good uh our kids sometimes will bring they'll they'll bring the trash to the trash can, but somehow it doesn't go in. Like it's on the counter next to the trash can. Right. So I'm like, what?
SPEAKER_00I had bought a bunch of stuff for school, school supplies, et cetera, that had been left in this target bag. Today was the first day of school, and one or both of them dug in there, and I came home last night and there were pieces of like plastic wrapper and tags like around the house on a dresser. I was like, y'all are animals. Yeah. So things left undone.
SPEAKER_05That just got it. Who's in your hot tub?
SPEAKER_00Okay. I honestly thought of my husband first. I did. Of course. Obviously, yes. But I also thought of a story. I should not be telling this on a podcast from middle school where Glenn Howard's.
SPEAKER_04Now we gotta get him on the show.
SPEAKER_00Um we did not we did not think somebody's parents were home, and I was in a bath in a not a bathtub, hot tub, with um a boy in middle school. So that that story crossed my mind as well. Okay.
SPEAKER_05But yeah, your husband, of course.
SPEAKER_00Right. But really, honestly, Jared was first in my mind.
SPEAKER_05And not Glenn Howerton.
SPEAKER_04That is from seventh grade.
SPEAKER_05All right, so we usually uh we'll finish the podcast with a custom song um tailored uh to the podcast. But what genre would you like the song to be?
SPEAKER_00Jam band.
SPEAKER_05Jam band.
SPEAKER_04Are you like a panic head? I went to my first widespread panic show when they were in Birmingham like three months ago, four months ago. And it was great. We had a great time.
SPEAKER_05I'm trying to think. I went I was in high school, I think. That's right, freshman in high school when I saw a widespread panic the first time. Yeah. And like maybe visiting my brother in college or something. But yeah, that's a few years ago. A few years ago, just a few.
SPEAKER_00It's never a bad story.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. Jam band, and then what um what should the chorus be? I'm asking both of you.
SPEAKER_04I know, you because because I always love it when we ask the people like what's the same thing. Yeah, and they're like, I don't know. You didn't tell me there's gonna be songwriting as part of my guest appearance.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, we'll we'll as a group come up with a course. What do we think?
SPEAKER_04I think I think there has to be something with the the the plane and the lottery. Maybe Glenn Howarton. None of this is design related.
SPEAKER_00Right. So I've totally rocked this design podcast. You have, yeah. I did fantastic.
SPEAKER_04Most of the time we talked about design. Yeah. Yeah. It's probably best we didn't learn about Glenn Howarton early.
SPEAKER_05I think I I think I can pull something from that. I think we're good. Sweet. Cool. Great. Thank you so much for coming on. Thank y'all. I loved it.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much for thinking of me.
SPEAKER_01I grew up down in Montgomery town. So when I live here, I ain't coming back around. Back to the things that it took the loop to it. University of Alabama. Yeah, she chose to stay all and daddy. I'll burn through and through. So you know that crimson decision calls the thing of two. And Montgomery was disappearing. And the rear view goes. But I find the way a change in your course. You found yourself set it back toward the store.