2025 Word of the Year: Take Root

As we enter 2025, we reflect on our chosen phrase "Take Root," which symbolizes our desire to deepen our faith and connection with God. This episode explores the journey of selecting this word, its biblical significance, and how we can actively nurture our spiritual growth this year.

• The significance of choosing a "Word of the Year" 
• Personal reflections on peaks and pits from the past year 
• Exploration of various words that were considered 
• The symbolism behind "Take Root" from a biblical perspective 
• Encouragement to engage with prayer and community for growth 
• Practical strategies for implementing this phrase in everyday life 
• Goals for the podcast and desire for community growth

An exclusive from Dery Media Podcasts. Explore diverse perspectives and enrich your knowledge at derymedia.com. Telling stories that matter, sparking meaningful discussions.

Chapters

• 0:01 New Year Reflections and Word Selection
• 9:29 Yearly Reflections on Faith Growth
• 23:49 Deepening Faith Through Prayer and Practice
• 34:38 2024 Pop Culture Highlights

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:01

Another day, another podcast.

Speaker 2 0:05

Wow, I didn't know if Katie just looked at me and I wasn't sure if I was supposed to say something or what, but she did it all herself. Welcome everybody.

Speaker 1 0:14

And I did jazz fingers.

Speaker 2 0:15

Jazz hands, jazz fingers, all right. Yet again, not quite right, not quite wrong.

Speaker 1 0:35

Hello, welcome back. It's the new year by the time you're listening to this.

Speaker 2 0:40

Wow, new year.

Speaker 1 0:46

It's not quite the new year right now for your reference, so this kind of feels like we're future futuristic.

Speaker 2 0:49

It's really cool um, that didn't make sense. And there you go. Uh, we're also. This is new. We're recording at. It is 9 12 pm on a friday night yeah, really doing it up big Friday night. Normally Katie is even on a Friday night. She is very asleep by 9.15.

Speaker 1 1:10

To be fair, this is all Joe's fault.

Speaker 2 1:12

It is not my fault, katie's going to say it's my fault because I ruined the sourdough skillet pizza that we had for dinner.

Speaker 1 1:20

He did.

Speaker 2 1:20

But it was going to be ruined, no matter what?

Speaker 1 1:23

because it was not going to be baked long enough. He ruined it. We didn't eat till 8.30 and here we are. We're also recording from Moral of the story ladies, don't let your husband touch your sourdough starter.

Speaker 2 1:34

Don't do it, that is true, don't do it.

Speaker 1 1:36

Joe has already messed up multiple times. I've thrown it away, he murdered my first starter, sourdough Sue.

Speaker 2 1:46

Rest in peace her soul. Anyways, we're also swapping sides, so I normally record on the left. I'm left-handed, I feel at home on the left, but this time, katie, I have a nicer chair than the one that Katie usually sits and records. I want to sit in it, yeah, and so now we're swapping sides. It's all shot.

Speaker 1 2:05

It's going to be a great podcast, though we're changing it up for the new year. With that being said, welcome to.

Speaker 2 2:12

The Vine.

Speaker 1 2:13

Yes, the Vine, I'm Katie.

Speaker 2 2:15

And I'm Joe.

Speaker 1 2:16

And we are excited to talk to you guys just about our Word of the Year. Well, last podcast we talked about 2024 as word of the year and what we saw this past year. But now we've done a little praying, a little bit of meditating and talking to Jesus.

Speaker 2 2:35

We did an Advent retreat, an at-home retreat, just the two of us on the Monday before Christmas, and that's when, I think, we really decided what we wanted the word to be.

Speaker 1 2:45

Yeah, and so we just wanted to share that. But before we get into all that fun stuff, joe, would you like to touch on your peak and pit? Yes, I would Peak.

Speaker 2 2:58

I would say Christmas. Sorry everybody, I just popped the mic with my pee. I would say my peak was definitely Christmas and it was really fun getting to hang out with your family. We got to go to Mass it's always awesome to watch your dad serve, so that was really nice. And then we just had a very relaxing Christmas day. The Ravens won by 1, thousand, which was very nice, that was really on my side.

Speaker 2 3:29

Yes, he was. He's really looking out for you. And then this weekend, actually for us currently it's tomorrow we will see my siblings and it will be the first time my mom confirmed this in 10 years that all my siblings we will be together around Christmas time Crazy, yeah, so she's very excited about that and for some reason we're celebrating by doing a polar plunge, so I don't know how that works.

Speaker 2 3:56

Well, we've done it a couple times. Many years ago, literally, I think, I was in high school and we did a polar plunge, and we're going to do it again. I'm looking forward to it. That's awesome uh, my pit, I don't know if I really have one.

Speaker 1 4:11

It's, I'm trying to have one. We do, even if it's like a mediocre pit, okay, mediocre pit. Nothing is always happy and dandy, even though I know sometimes I don't. I like I think you do live your life that way. I do, you need to make me feel better about myself.

Speaker 2 4:25

I just disassociate from everything that gives me pain.

Speaker 1 4:29

That's not healthy either.

Speaker 2 4:31

It's so healthy I would say small pit is driving around specifically Woodruff Road in Greenville around Christmas time is horrible, it's heinous, it's the worst thing that could ever exist. There's so much traffic. I'm sure every, no matter where you live, you've got like the you know mile long stretch. That's got the Costco, it's got the target, it's got the home Depot, it's got all the department stores, maybe it even has the mall and those areas like pre-Christmas are just the worst.

Speaker 1 5:14

And so dealing with that, traffic always just gets me stressed that counts, that's a pretty, that's a pretty big deal.

Speaker 2 5:18

Yeah, what about?

Speaker 1 5:18

you Peak? I would say, was also Christmas. I mean, how could you not say that's your peak?

Speaker 2 5:28

It's the birth of Christ.

Speaker 1 5:29

Exactly Um pit, I would say, is, I think, just the fact that Christmas was on Wednesday really, really just messed with my steez. What do you?

Speaker 2 5:44

mean by that? Well, because Wednesday Also people.

Speaker 1 5:45

I don't know if people know the term mess with my steez.

Speaker 2 5:46

What do you mean by that? Well, because when also people I don't know if people know the the term mess with your steez is that an us term?

Speaker 1 5:51

yeah, I think so. Is it really yeah?

Speaker 2 5:54

go ahead. Tell the people what is when you say mess with your steez. What do you mean by that?

Speaker 1 5:58

like just like mess with my vibe yeah my your flow, my flow, you know just like, does that really only something that we say?

Speaker 2 6:07

I think it's pretty.

Speaker 1 6:08

I got it from a youtube video like 10 years ago, so okay, well, yeah, it messed with my steez, all right, um, I, I'm also like off every wednesday and so I like didn't get an extra day off this week, so I had to work a normal week and it was just like I was just really hard to get in the Christmas spirit because of that, because I worked Christmas Eve.

Speaker 2 6:31

Yeah.

Speaker 1 6:32

And I was supposed to work a half day, but I most people got off around like 12 or 1. Like I was there till 3. Because I just had somebody with a really long treatment, but just you know, it also sucked for him to have to be there. So it was fine, probably more for him.

Speaker 1 6:48

Definitely more for him. So it was okay I could suck it up and then we went straight. Joe picked me up from work, we went straight home to see my family, went to church, and then obviously Christmas Day was the next day, and then you just want to relax and not do anything or go anywhere Christmas Day, and we had to start packing up around 3. So that really stunk.

Speaker 2 7:12

It does stink if you have to travel on Christmas Day.

Speaker 1 7:15

It was sad having to leave all the fun when you're all together, which is rare. It was just sad having to leave that and then come back home and go back to real life like, but what?

Speaker 2 7:26

yeah, that's not anyone have to do that can I also add to my, my peak? Yes, um, I got a red, more of a burgundy, not red, it's not an aggressive red, it's like a, a maroon burgundy. Uh, corduroy, uh sport coat that I specifically for christmas and I just want to say two big thumbs up. Got a lot of compliments on it, very, very happy about it.

Speaker 1 7:53

So I would be remiss if I didn't say anything he also had a tie with like christmas trees on it yeah, but see it was, it was tasteful okay, they were it was subtle it was you.

Speaker 2 8:05

You know it's not like wow, that guy's in a Christmas suit. It's like wait a second.

Speaker 1 8:09

Well, that was my first thought, actually, when I saw you, whoa.

Speaker 2 8:12

Okay, all right. Non-supportive wife over here.

Speaker 1 8:17

I'm just kidding.

Speaker 2 8:18

I know you are.

Speaker 1 8:20

Anyways, so that was our little peek and fits little week recap. So that was our little peek and fit little week recap. Should we just start, I guess?

Speaker 2 8:27

Yeah, so we'll start with a couple of the words, or at least one of the words, that did not make it on our list for the year.

Speaker 1 8:37

You're welcome to steal any of these words, because they're all great words.

Speaker 2 8:41

So the word I really liked and really wanted and was outvoted on was refuge. That was the word that kind of kept coming up to my mind and I, unfortunately I tried to find it and I could not. On Monday, earlier this week, when we kind of did our little mini retreat, we were listening and praying the morning prayers and I can't remember exactly what the prayer was saying, but just the word refuge, I think, came up twice.

Speaker 1 9:10

Yeah.

Yearly Reflections on Faith Growth

Speaker 2 9:10

And it just really, for some reason, we were trying to figure out what we wanted our word, and that was the word that spoke to me, because I think that in 2024, this past year we've been in a lot of like, it's been a lot of action on our end, like what action do we need to take? How can we solve these problems? How can we, you know, I guess be more active in our faith? But in 2025, I'm realizing, like we just need to take refuge in God. I think that's a very passive thing, like we just need to take refuge in God. I think that's a very passive thing. It's an active choice to be passive in giving God control and taking refuge in him and with us, specifically with our goal of wanting to start a family, growing in our careers, growing with our own friends and family that we already have. I think that taking refuge and giving up that control is something that was on my heart.

Speaker 1 10:13

That's a good one.

Speaker 2 10:14

Yeah.

Speaker 1 10:15

We should have chose that word.

Speaker 2 10:16

I'm just kidding. Well, it's too late.

Speaker 1 10:18

It is too late. I mean, that's a good point, though A word that I think I chose, every other word that got denied yeah yes joe had another word, but we couldn't think of it so clearly I'm like really good at like 10 30.

Speaker 2 10:34

I'll be like katie this is the word at like 10 30 at night well, I guess that's not true. You're asleep. So, like at 8 30 at night, I'm like katie this is the word I think that we should use and she'd be like, okay, and then Not remembering it. Nobody remembers it.

Speaker 1 10:47

A couple words that I had chosen, the first one being Eden, and I heard this on another podcast and I was. I was, honestly, it was somebody else's word and I was like I really like that word Because it's. I think it just really encapsulates like what our true desires are, as you know, as followers of God, as children of God. Like our true desire is is heaven and like Eden kind of symbolizes that Um. So to me it put into perspective like all these things that we are fighting for, wanting, longing for here on earth, ultimately, like our true desire is heaven. So I liked, I liked what that meant and I felt like that was really relevant to the upcoming year that I wanted. What I wanted for us in the upcoming year was like to realign our desires to to our true desire, which is heaven. Anyways, I didn't it's a good word. I didn't love it because I stole it from somebody else, but I was really leaning towards it.

Speaker 1 11:53

The two other words I chose were promise and collaborate. So promise, I came up with that one. Actually, really, how I came up with our word in general was I wrote down a bunch of words and insecurities that I had specifically in our faith life, just a lot of just like negative words and sins and struggles, and I just wrote down a list of those and then I went, you know, on the other side of the page and wrote the opposite of all those things. So promise was one of the opposite words. Obviously, one of the insecurities I had was like mistrust and like really struggling, lack of trust and faith, and so that was something that really popped up and seemed, I guess, the most pertinent to my struggle and my walk of faith right now is just not trusting God. And so I felt like I needed to really lean into what the virtue of that is, which is promise, and really lean into the promise that he has for us and for me.

Speaker 2 12:52

I think that actually kind of goes hand in hand with refuge too. Yeah, a lot of the same reasons why promise could be our word refuge fit that as well.

Speaker 1 13:03

Yeah, yeah, yeah, different Like I guess. Different in the sense that refuge is like okay, letting go of control and promise is like okay. I just have to like actively trust in this promise. So anyways, that one got nixed, because I like our current word better.

Speaker 2 13:17

Also a shout out. We did have a guess on what somebody thought our word was going to be from our friends Scott and Becky.

Speaker 1 13:26

Wait, that was their guess.

Speaker 2 13:28

Their guess was perspective.

Speaker 1 13:30

I don't think that was their guess. I think that was us telling. That was them telling us what their word was.

Speaker 2 13:36

Is that true?

Speaker 1 13:38

I didn't talk to Becky about it today, so I'm going to do that yeah confirm and if we're wrong, sorry.

Speaker 2 13:43

Becky and Scott, If your word is perspective, that's a great word.

Speaker 1 13:46

I'm pretty sure that was Becky telling us what her word was.

Speaker 2 13:49

We'll find out Interpreting texts in 2025.

Speaker 1 13:55

Perspective is also a great word. What was I saying? Oh, collaborate was my other word. I was reading, I'm reading through a devotional that I'm going to forget now. Obviously, of course it's a devotional, I think, written.

Speaker 2 14:10

Divine Intimacy.

Speaker 1 14:11

Yes, it's called Divine Intimacy, but I can't remember the St Clair Monastery, something like that I don't remember.

Speaker 1 14:18

Anyways, it's a great, great devotional and my devotion leading up to Christmas if you're also reading it then you're probably familiar it just kept talking about like the apostolic life, like the calling for us to collaborate with God, and it's a really, really cool thing that I don't think we lean into enough. It's like you get to collaborate with God, like not only do we get to be biological co-creators and create life, but like we are an active partakers in his plan and bringing others to his heart and really just unfolding his overall like eternal plan. Like I think that that's a really, really cool thing that we kind of glaze over. And so the word collaborate just felt very empowering and I was like that's it, like I am going to collaborate with god this year instead of fighting against him we could not have collaborate as our word, though, because I would just always be thinking about the song ice, ice baby by vanilla ice, collaborate and listen.

Speaker 2 15:24

That's that's really good on our that was like we didn't rehearse that, no, no, we did not believe it or not, we got two words of a song together, the one of the most famous baby uh songs. All right, it's enough. Enough uh dancing around it. What's our, what's our word?

Speaker 1 15:44

okay, drum roll please too loud, don't do that I really want to do a drum roll, but we still don't have a soundboard. Oh, side note new new year's resolution get a soundboard okay, got it um. So our word of the year is more like a phrase of the two words we cheated sorry, it is take root and I really like this word or this phrase joe joe is like that's too granola well, yeah, I mean, our podcast is named the vine which to me makes it all the better it's too granola, we're gonna change I'm kidding, though I I did not like it.

Speaker 1 16:21

at the better it's to granola.

Speaker 2 16:21

We're going to change the name. I'm kidding, though. I did not like it at first and I told you to explain it to me. And when you explained it to me, I was like OK, that can be our phrase for the year.

Speaker 1 16:29

Yeah, it does, but I don't know. I really feel like there's a lot of symbolism in garden and nature. So, yes, maybe it is to granola, whatever, but take root. I'm sure you're very familiar with just like this symbolism of this phrase this time of year, like we're talking about Jesse's tree, like it is a very common, like Advent tradition.

Speaker 2 16:51

I actually don't think it is super common.

Speaker 1 16:54

You don't think so.

Speaker 2 16:55

I mean, I'm sure there's going to be people who listen to the podcast, you know, but like I was a super aware of, like some of the story in the tradition surrounding it.

Speaker 1 17:05

So yeah I think going into that would be good well, to be fair, I to me, I had to do some research too, but I do know that, like jesse's root root, the stump of jesse is a common thing that comes up in scripture for readings leading up to Christmas mass. So if you've noticed that theme, like that's just something that I jumped on and I was like this feels like really relevant.

Speaker 2 17:30

But it's leading up to Christmas because of course they're talking about Christ coming from the line of Jesse.

Speaker 1 17:36

Correct Right. So, anyways, I had to do some research. To be fair, like I, really, I didn't even know who Jesse was. I was like who's Jesse he is? David's father, by the way.

Speaker 2 17:48

King David.

Speaker 1 17:48

So when you, when we refer to Jesse we're touching on the Davidic line, which is obviously where you know that's Jesus's root. So I think it's actually a really cool tradition, but anyways, root.

Speaker 2 18:01

So I think it's actually a really cool tradition. But anyways, can I say one of my favorite things too, and this happens most like a lot of years at Christmas. I read this and I think it's really neat. I love that Jesus ties his roots back to David and Abraham through Joseph, not through Mary, and I just think that's a neat tradition. Neat detail Like a neat, a small, neat, little detail.

Speaker 1 18:24

So yeah, no, I love that too. So anyways, the specific scripture verse. There's a couple really that we touch on for this phrase. I'll just read them. Isaiah 11, one.

Speaker 1 18:37

But a shoot saw sprout from the stump of Jesse, and, and from his roots a bud shall blossom, isaiah 11.10. On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the peoples, him the nations will seek out, his dwelling shall be glorious. So when I read this, I feel like there's a lot of life that comes from this verse. A lot of life that comes from this verse, and you think about a stump or a tree that's cut off and there's just a stump remaining in your yard or whatever. This stump is typically lifeless, there's nothing that grows from it, and so I love the idea and the imagery of a shoot or a vine or something growing out of a lifeless stump and that symbolizing, like the Messiah Jesus.

Speaker 1 19:26

And so, specifically, this stump symbolizes what was left for Jesse's family line, or the Davidic line, and I am not a theologian, I had to do brief research on this, but at the time, the context of this verse in Isaiah, the Davidic line was foreshadowing to be cut off or hauled off to Babylon with the rest of the nation, and so, therefore, nothing but a stump would be left. And so that's where the hope of Jesus comes in, and the foreshadowing of the Messiah bringing life to this line, to this Davidic line, obviously, um, so I just really really liked when I was reading through all this and trying to decide. I say I because, but joe and I I was a part.

Speaker 1 20:13

I was here you were a part of it. We did discuss this together, but when I was doing my own personal like research through it and reading and praying with this verse, it just felt really relevant to our situation. I feel like we are a lifeless stump.

Speaker 2 20:32

Wow Aggressive.

Speaker 1 20:35

That's not supposed to be a dig. It just feels like we are literally stumped, like we just can't move. I cannot move forward, depending on the time of the month, to be honest.

Speaker 2 20:50

Yes, true.

Speaker 1 20:52

But I don't know and it just feel, it feels really hard to say to myself like, have hope, like there's hope, there's, there's going to be more. There's a reason why you're going through this, whatever it's hard, and I'm sure it was really really hard during this. I mean, this was written in Isaiah they're foreshadowing. And then there's another verse that I'll read to you in just a second in Revelation. That's like opposite ends of the Bible. Do you know how many decades happened between that?

Speaker 2 21:22

Some would say centuries, lots of decades, some would say a millennia.

Speaker 1 21:28

Yes, a long time, and so while that's a little discouraging to me, it also brings me a lot of hope, like there is so much meaning to the waiting and there's so much purpose in the waiting and there was hope in a Messiah, before this Messiah was even a thought to be conceived, you know.

Speaker 2 21:51

And I I think there's the other idea to. Just again, you touched on it. But the beauty of the. You know, when it seems the darkest, there's the light at the end of the tunnel, right there's. You know, when it seems the darkest, there's the light at the end of the tunnel, right there's. You know, it's always darkest before dawn, and all that kind of that imagery of a lifeless stump with one single you know shoot sprouting out from the center, I think is a powerful image, at least that's what I imagine in my head, and I really like that center. I think is a powerful image, at least that's what I imagine in my head and I really like that.

Speaker 2 22:24

The other reason I like this, um, this phrase for take root is I think the roots are just a really interesting part of the tree.

Speaker 2 22:32

When you and now we're gonna get granola, but like looking at a tree, ultimately like the roots, you can kind of take it two way.

Speaker 2 22:38

Like the roots are the base right, and so, like when we say take root, like get your base strong right, like let's make sure that we are established, we are firm with what we believe we are going back to that constantly because without our strong base right.

Speaker 2 22:52

The reason why, you know, trees don't fall over all the time is because their roots are dug into the ground. They are firm is because their roots are dug into the ground they are firm, they can handle the storms. And we are called to handle the storms of our life, the trials, the tribulations, and when we take root, we can handle those things better. I also like the idea, the imagery that the roots are the basis for where the tree gets fed, so the roots are where the water comes up from and then it shoots up through the rest of the plant, allowing the rest of the plant to grow. And I think that it's the same thing for us, like if we are taking root in our faith, taking root in our relationship with Christ, that will, you know, seep into and help the rest of our life grow.

Speaker 1 23:40

Yeah, Says the guy that says I'm too granola.

Speaker 2 23:43

It is. But if we're going to be granola, we got to be granola man.

Deepening Faith Through Prayer and Practice

Speaker 1 23:47

I really like that. I didn't think about that either. Like there's just so many ways that you can look at this phrase. I really like it because it feels like an applicable prayer that I can apply in my daily life. Like I don't know if you've ever heard of the phrase like whisper prayers, but that's really what. Like I'm surviving off of these days.

Speaker 1 24:08

I was getting there. I was getting there. So whisper prayer is just like a literally a whisper prayer. You are whispering to God. It's something that you mumble throughout the day like a quick plea for help. You know it's a short prayer, but it is a calling upon God.

Speaker 2 24:24

Can I stop you for a second what it's reminding me? So Katie and I have watched the most recent season of Survivor and there's a contestant on Survivor named Genevieve and when she's doing all the challenges-.

Speaker 1 24:36

She does whisper prayers she whispers to herself.

Speaker 2 24:38

She's like you got it, Genevieve, Keep going. She does whisper prayers. She whispers to herself. She's like you got it, Genevieve, Keep going. That's exactly what it is. Is that what you're doing?

Speaker 1 24:43

Directly towards God.

Speaker 2 24:44

Okay.

Speaker 1 24:56

But it's like I mean, it's like a symbol, is like Jesus, help me.

Speaker 1 24:59

Or over again, like take root, lord, in the areas of my life that do not have life or not filled with your life.

Speaker 1 25:08

And I've liked that a lot, because there are certain things that you can control in your life and there are things that you simply cannot, and those things that I cannot control, I think, like I said, they stump me, like I feel like I can't move forward and it really just like takes a grip on my heart and it's hard. But in those moments, like if I catch myself and I'm like God, like take root in this area of my life that I simply do not have control over, like give this area life, bring me life, I think that we want to surrender the parts of our lives that we're comfortable with and then the parts that are touchy, scary or not within our control. It's too hard to surrender it to somebody that you don't know what they're going to do with it, and I think it's harder to fight you know, handing control over to God than it is to really just okay, like here it is, which, I guess, is how we tie in the word refuge too.

Speaker 2 26:11

So what is it going to look like practically for us, for this to be our word? So we've talked a lot about like spiritually for us, but I think this is one of the things that you and I and maybe we don't have an answer for this right now, but you and I, I think, are very good, like we are both pretty, I would say lofty words yes, this is what my shout out.

Speaker 2 26:35

my mom, she would always, um, uh, like growing up, if I was ever giving a talk or if I was ever like leading a small group and she'd listen, she was very supportive. She'd always tell me good job. But then she would also say you gotta just say what it means, like, what are you actually gonna do, or what is it actually gonna look like? Be practical, and I think sometimes we love like the beautiful imagery of take root and how. I was a stump and now I'm going to grow into this full blown tree.

Speaker 2 27:05

And I'm the same way. I'm talking about like the water of life seeping in everywhere, but like what is it actually going to look like for us in our day to day? I can tell you right now, for me, I think one of the things I'm going to try and go back to do is back to the basics of my faith. So, like right before I left my previous company, that was a really big focus for them, for their sales reps were getting back to the basics. You can get bogged down in a lot of the minutiae day to day of like, hey, you have this objective or you have this thing you're trying to sell, or you're trying to make sure you get this stuff done, but they're like, are you actually doing your job? Are you actually looking at what you're supposed to do and are you doing it? And I think that for me it's going to be doing that with my faith, so it's going to be making sure.

Speaker 2 28:02

Am I actually praying every morning and evening? Am I trying really hard to get extra time with the sacraments every week, not just go to Mass on Sunday, but am I actively making an effort to go to adoration, to go to confession, to make it to a daily Mass. I have the time and the capabilities to do that. Um. Am I preaching the gospel to the people who I love in my life, instead of just sitting there passively by like? Am I actually trying to convert people, um to believe in god and understand that how much he loves them?

Speaker 1 28:39

yeah, yeah, that's really good. I think the first thing that popped into my head was like first number one, like rekindling that relationship with God, yeah, and really like taking root in who he is, like who his character is. I think that what.

Speaker 2 29:00

Go ahead.

Speaker 1 29:01

Joe got real close to the mic like he was going to say something.

Speaker 2 29:03

I was, but I need to let you say go ahead.

Speaker 1 29:07

But just rekindling that relationship with God. I think that different seasons of our lives, like God kind of unravels himself a little bit more and you just have to relearn who he is. And I think that I had a lot of bitterness this year and I really, I really, really want to lean back into like the kindness and the good, gracious God that like I know that he is, and so by doing that, I guess by doing what. By rekindling that relationship.

Speaker 1 29:36

I guess I would, by rekindling that relationship. I guess I would again, like you said, like back to the basics. I used to be a really like a big, like quiet time person, like getting up early, like 30 minutes or an hour early, and like spending time with God, and I really feel like I've neglected that because, to be honest, like it didn't really feel like worth my time.

Speaker 2 29:54

Yeah.

Speaker 1 29:55

It just made me angry and sad so like why get up an hour early and do that? But I think there was a lot of fruit in that, in that, just in that practice, and I want to.

Speaker 1 30:10

I want to put that effort in, because I think the effort that you put in is what you receive. And then, of course, like I've always been a big fan of like utilizing the sacraments as much as possible, but I I have also strayed away from that. Like I would love to start doing my wednesday daily mass again, um, and I think really what I've lost touch this past year in is just like a, a good like faith community yeah like we have each other the reason we started the podcast yeah, yeah, we have each other, which I'm really grateful for.

Speaker 1 30:42

I do feel like we have good friends that share our faith, but a lot of our friends have kind of veered off into their own family lives, which is normal, but, like that priority to have a good like faith community, a good Bible study, whatever that looks like isn't a priority anymore, and so I don't really know how I'm going to go about that because, you know, everyone has their own things and I don't know what that's going to look like, but I do know that's something that I'm missing out on.

Speaker 2 31:13

Yeah, yeah, no, I completely agree, and I think that's a really good good.

Speaker 1 31:20

We've got some good stuff to work on and another random thing I feel like I'm very, very open about my faith, but I'm not very open about my catholic faith, so I think that's like a small, minor detail, but it is something I'm very proud of and I like I want to be able to incorporate both.

Speaker 1 31:37

You know, like I'm not just christian, like I'm a catholic christian and I really love you know, I love what we believe and I find a lot of refuge in our church always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have yeah, so so there's our word we have a lot to work with, but also, I think by the end of the year, it'll be good to recap how, like those legitimate things that you know, that made this phrase come to life in our year we should like get a stump and put it in our backyard. You know what I'm thinking of right now what that that day in hawaii, when we were all on the beach, my sister I love her brought a stump over.

Speaker 1 32:23

She was like disappeared. We couldn't find her and we see it was it.

Speaker 2 32:27

It had to have weighed like 175 pounds.

Speaker 1 32:31

It was huge you see her walking in the distance and we're like what is she holding on top of her head? It's just this giant tree stump. She's like guys, I found a chair. You know what I've?

Speaker 2 32:40

been thinking of the whole time. I've been thinking of, uh, the giving tree, where at the very end he's like the tree is this? I can't, I literally can't even remember the poem, but I, or like whatever. I think it's a poem, shell silverstein, maybe I think I don't even know you. You've never heard of the Giving Tree.

Speaker 1 32:58

No, no, I thought you honestly, I thought you were talking about like that tree that they do at church, where people like you take an ornament.

Speaker 2 33:04

Yeah, I think it's called the Giving Tree.

Speaker 1 33:06

I don't know.

Speaker 2 33:07

Oh my gosh, I think it's called the Giving Tree and it is like a super famous poem. I think you've probably we'll look it up after the podcast I'm pretty sure you've probably at least read it before, so we have one more thing that katie needs to add okay, katie, add it I'm gonna put you on the spot.

Speaker 1 33:37

Do you have any like any specific? It doesn't have to be a grand new year's eve resolution, but just like a goal, something that you want to achieve so I just looked it up.

Speaker 2 33:49

Yes, it is called the giving tree, okay, uh, yes, I do have. Um, I think I have a lot. We actually we had dinner with um, your other sister, uh, earlier this week maybe, or last week and, um, we talked about it a little bit like what some of our goals are for 2025.

2024 Pop Culture Highlights

Speaker 2 34:08

So, um, I've been getting into rock climbing a lot so I want to uh climb a5, v6 by the end of next year, so it's like a mid-level climb, so I'm hoping I can do that. I've got a pretty specific territory growth goal that I want to hit for work. We'll see if we can get there or not. And that was it. Yeah, those are my two personal goals. And then, of course, course, like take root and I don't know, like get closer to god or whatever.

Speaker 1 34:41

Sure, I think I just I want to really focus on our podcast. I don't have any numbers or goals specifically because I don't like to do that. That makes me nervous. We can't fail. I just know I want to spend more time. Social media is hard. Like I have no desire to post every week.

Speaker 2 35:02

I'm sorry everybody.

Speaker 1 35:04

No, I'm not the greatest.

Speaker 2 35:05

You are.

Speaker 1 35:06

I'm better than you.

Speaker 2 35:07

Let's hire Angele. Yes, you are better than me.

Speaker 1 35:10

That's all that matters. But, oh my gosh, you said Angele and I was like I forgot to include that in my peak their friends came over. This weekend we have friends and they came over sorry, but um definitely want to, I guess a little, be a little bit more engaged on social media and, like put a lot more effort into our podcast as far as, like ideas and stuff that we want to talk about, and maybe have some guests on the podcast, because for Christmas we got another mic.

Speaker 2 35:41

That is a big one.

Speaker 1 35:42

Yeah.

Speaker 2 35:43

Getting on guests.

Speaker 1 35:44

That's going to be really fun when we can start doing that.

Speaker 2 35:46

And I think one of the cool things is like, through just a lot of our years together in Catholic communities and ministries we have relationships with, I think, a lot of really I don't know what the word is just a lot of really interesting people who I think have really neat stories and A lot, a lot to say, yeah and a lot to offer, and I mean my sister has been Dying. Dying to get on the podcast, so we gotta get. I think she's even been on a podcast before.

Speaker 1 36:18

She's cooler than us.

Speaker 2 36:19

Yeah, she is cooler than us, so we'll have to get her on a podcast. I don't know what we'll have her talk about, maybe being the mother of five children. I don't know, we'll figure it out.

Speaker 1 36:29

So yeah, that's definitely a goal, and then I'm putting this out there in the ether.

Speaker 2 36:40

Okay, want to run a half marathon, you're going to do it.

Speaker 1 36:41

I I just so scared to commit I have to go to the bathroom. I'm so scared I can't do it if I don't have like a toilet traveling near me.

Speaker 2 36:46

Sorry, tmi it's gonna be great. You're gonna do it.

Speaker 1 36:49

I know you're gonna do it so those are my goals, I think, and then we'll see what happens. Anyways, I just wanted to hear what you had to say well, you heard it there.

Speaker 2 36:59

It is Okay, I'm ready for the meeting. All right, marriage meeting. So it is the end of 2024. So I thought it would be fun to do if my phone will load, okay. So we're going to do some like guess some top things in 2024. So like, for instance, who were some of the most streamed artists globally in 2024 how many, how many this is a top 10 list, but you can give me two or three and I'll see if they're on the list easy taylor swift she's number one perf um sabrina carpenter she is not on the list what I'm stumped that's it.

Speaker 2 37:42

Those are the only two artists.

Speaker 1 37:44

No, no, I'm gonna keep going um um, she was in a movie.

Speaker 2 37:50

This year she has music. She's mainly known for her music, but she was in a movie this year.

Speaker 1 37:57

Oh, Ariana Grande.

Speaker 2 37:58

Yes, she's number nine. Wow, one of these guys had a major beef with somebody this year.

Speaker 1 38:08

I know exactly who he's Canadian. I know, I just can't remember his name. I want to say P Diddy, no, no, it was not him.

Speaker 2 38:16

Why it was not P Diddy, I don't know. Katie only vaguely knows what's going on with that, so we're going to steer away from that one, sorry.

Speaker 1 38:29

Wait, was it Hitler? Kanye West.

Speaker 2 38:34

Okay, wow. So Kanye West another very what's funny is you don't know the deal with kanye west either, and I said I don't know anything going on in the world. I'm sorry, and I made a joke saying was it hitler and kanye west like that said some crazy stuff earlier this year. He is on the list, though at number eight.

Speaker 1 38:54

Drake is the person you're thinking of I was not gonna get there.

Speaker 2 38:58

Just so everybody can know the top 10 artists. This is streamed, I think, on a couple apps. Taylor Swift is one, the Weeknd is two, bad Bunny, then Drake, billie Eilish I think you could've gotten.

Speaker 1 39:10

Billie, I could've gotten there.

Speaker 2 39:13

Travis Scott, some guy Peso Pluma.

Speaker 1 39:16

Travis.

Speaker 2 39:16

Scott, Kanye West, Ariana Grande and Feed. All right, most streamed songs. I'll give you a hint your artist that was not on the list has a song on here.

Speaker 1 39:32

Sabrina Carpenter has a song, but she's not a top artist.

Speaker 2 39:35

Yes, what song? Is it Espresso, so that's number one wow, good for her uh what about? Okay, I'll give you another one. Billy's got a smile on there.

Speaker 1 39:47

Billy eilish has a song on there um, I know a lot of her songs, but I don don't know.

Speaker 2 39:56

We can be together.

Speaker 1 39:58

I think something like that oh, Birds of a Feather.

Speaker 2 40:00

Yep, all right. So that's music, and then we'll go just a little bit of movie and TV.

Speaker 1 40:09

I'm so good at this.

Speaker 2 40:10

Yeah, you're so great at this. Give me one of the top 10 biggest movies this year.

Speaker 1 40:16

Wicked.

Speaker 2 40:17

Wicked is number six no way it was so good it was very good we had and we to give you an idea we have seen. Uh, barbie was last year. We have seen the number one and the number two movie, but we watched it here.

Speaker 1 40:41

It's disney pixar wait, don't tell me, we watched it here in our house in our house sing is not saying that movie came out like 10 years ago.

Speaker 2 40:57

It's a sequel.

Speaker 1 40:58

Okay, a sequel. Is it like a music?

Speaker 2 41:04

No, there's no music.

Speaker 1 41:07

Don't tell me Not Moana.

Speaker 2 41:10

No Moana. 2 is number four.

Speaker 1 41:12

Oh, okay.

Speaker 2 41:16

They think lots of colors.

Speaker 1 41:19

I'm going to be so mad when you tell me this I think I'm trying to give you more hints.

Speaker 2 41:26

The first movie it's about a girl and she moves from Minnesota, I think, or somewhere cold, to San Francisco and how she handles that move. But it's not really about her, it's about people, some would say, inside her inside out yep inside out too that's to be honest.

Speaker 1 41:47

When I said sing, that was what I was thinking how do you even sing?

Speaker 2 41:51

is about animals that sing like I just being honest okay, the number two movie, uh, I have seen a couple times and you have seen once. I don't even know if you finished it. You probably fell asleep lord of the rings.

Speaker 1 42:06

I'm just kidding. I fall asleep every time yeah think red and yellow.

Speaker 2 42:11

It's a marvel movie oh, oh deadpool yep, deadpool, wolverine, and then the number five movie I saw in theaters twice because I loved it so much.

Speaker 1 42:23

Really.

Speaker 2 42:24

It's got two very famous actors that are like our age in it right now.

Speaker 1 42:32

Males.

Speaker 2 42:34

A male and a female.

Speaker 1 42:36

Action movie.

Speaker 2 42:37

I'll give you a hint she's dating Spider-Man. She's dating.

Speaker 1 42:43

Tom Holland.

Speaker 2 42:44

Yeah, so Zendaya's in it, what? And Timothee Chalamet? Oh, dune Dune, dune Dune, good job, good job.

Speaker 1 42:51

I know you gave me lots of hints.

Speaker 2 42:53

Don't. Good job me. I'm trying to make at least somewhat interesting content.

Speaker 1 42:59

Wow, thank you.

Speaker 2 43:03

Jab to the heart. And here's an easy one, the most streamed Now I'm not sure how we're not done yet We'll do one more. We'll do one more Because this one, I think, is actually very relevant. The most streamed TV show this year it's on Netflix. It was season three of a very popular show. You really like this show.

Speaker 1 43:22

Oh my gosh, I'm going to really out myself here. Is it the Mormon Wives? No Secret Lives.

Speaker 2 43:33

That was not the most streamed show. Katie does love the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. She does eat that up.

Speaker 1 43:40

Okay, wait, oh, three seasons.

Speaker 2 43:43

Three seasons. It's British Royalty. A lot of relationships involved. Some would say a lot of gossip involved.

Speaker 1 43:54

Oh Bridgerton.

Speaker 2 43:56

Yes.

Speaker 1 43:57

Bridgerton, I was going to say Gossip Girl. Yes, you, oh, bridgerton. Yes, bridgerton, I was going to say Gossip.

Speaker 2 44:00

Girl. Yes, you're right, bridgerton, it's the most streamed show.

Speaker 1 44:03

Wow, crazy.

Speaker 2 44:05

Shout out what's her name, what's the who's the lady who writes the gossip? What's?

Speaker 1 44:13

Oh Lady, whistledown yeah.

Speaker 2 44:14

Lady Whistledown. So Lady Whistledown, yeah, lady Whistledown. So there you go. So there's your marriage meeting. There's some shows that were popular this year.

Speaker 1 44:21

Yes, so sorry. I've just revealed how bad I am with pop culture.

Speaker 2 44:26

Yep, that's what this whole segment's literally about. You may think she's kidding, but I know for a fact she was thinking of when she was thinking of Inside Out 2, she said sing.

Speaker 1 44:37

I was like this is it. And I was right in my head.

Speaker 2 44:40

Well, no way to prove that.

Speaker 1 44:43

So thank you for joining us, everybody, thank you so much for joining and tuning in, and let's keep growing together.

Speaker 2 44:50

Bye y'all, Thank you.