Between Two Homes: Leaving Minnesota, Finding Life in California

Leaving home sounds exciting…until you actually do it.

In this episode, I sit down with a longtime friend who made a similar move—leaving Minnesota and building a new life here in California. We talk honestly about what that transition has really been like—the excitement, the challenges, and the moments where it hits you that you’re no longer where you grew up.

We get into what we miss (and it’s not always what you’d expect), how relationships change when distance becomes real, and what it means to figure out who you are in a completely new place. There are moments that are funny, moments that are tough, and a lot of reflection on what “home” actually means now.

If you’ve ever moved away, thought about it, or just felt caught between where you came from and where you are—this conversation will hit home.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome, welcome to the Grace Period Podcast, where we gather for honest conversations about faith, everyday life, and the grace that carries us through it all. Think of this podcast like friends sitting down over a cup of coffee, sharing stories, laughing at ourselves, and leading into God's grace together. Expect honesty, humor, and a space to ask hard questions. No sermons here, just a good old conversation. Grace period, making room for grace in real life. This podcast is brought to you by Christ Lutheran Church here in Viselia, California. CLCviselia.org. This podcast would not even exist if it wasn't for the support of Christ Lutheran Church. My name is Noel Thompson. I'm back with you here today. And today I have a special guest, my one of my best friends here, Michael J. Siloff. Michael Jay, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_02 0:56

Hey, I'm doing great. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Is this your first podcast?

SPEAKER_02 0:59

This is my first podcast. Yeah, it is. I've I've done a lot of I've hosted quite a few podcast adjacent situations. Um, but yeah, as far as podcasts, we're on comfy couches and you know, uh microphones in front of our face. Boom.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

But you've like hosted your own show before, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:17

Yeah, yeah. Fridly Fridays.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Friendly Fridays.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

That's right. It's still, I mean, it lingers. Uh, I'm not doing any new episodes, like I'm not planning any new episodes, but um, but no, I love it. I did 55 episodes of that. 55 episodes, and the minimum amount of time I spent on each one was two hours. Our longest one was four hours and 19 minutes with our former English teacher, Mr. Lou. Or Slewer. Slewer was that was a long way.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

I think that was my favorite thing about you doing that show was like I would talk to you, and the show did great. But you'd be like, Yeah, I'm gonna try and be an hour in this time. Like, I'm gonna I'm gonna try and have an hour show.

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Well intentioned, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

And I'll be like, Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

This is my thought. I was like, look, I only have maybe one time to really talk to this person. No, yeah, it's a good yeah, no, for sure. So let's have that four or five hour lunch over Zoom.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Yeah, so Friendly Fridays, for those of you who don't know, I uh both Michael and I grew up in Fridley, Minnesota, which is just north of Minneapolis.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

I 5432.

SPEAKER_00 2:16

Yep. And for those of you who kind of been to Minneapolis, or I feel like Seattle kind of has the same feel where if you drive 10 or 15 minutes outside of downtown Minneapolis, you're in like beautiful suburbia, I guess. Because we were like 15 minutes away from downtown Minneapolis. We're close, but you would have no idea if you're walking the streets of Fridley. Fridley was 27,000 when we were growing up there, and so and so yeah, that's why he you started your own show, Fridley Fridays. It was during COVID, too.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Yes, during COVID, and I wanted to do it for a while, but then that was just the perfect uh opportunity, I guess. And yeah, I would connect with old teachers, old classmates. Yeah, uh, I talked to the mayor of Fridley once. Noel was on like probably the third or fourth episode I ever did.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

Yeah, I think that was the first one.

SPEAKER_02 3:00

Um, no, I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Oh, I'm getting corrected on my own podcast.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

No, no, hey, hey, hey, if you if you waited 15 episodes, get me on. I only waited four episodes.

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Was I on the fourth one? I was on there quite a bit.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Yeah, you were on there quite a bit though, because we would have special guests and like mystery guests too, where it's like there's a main person. Yeah, and then I'd ask them, I would say, Hey, who would you like? And well, they said Noel half the time, which was awesome.

SPEAKER_00 3:25

Well, we did an episode of Friendly Fridays here. We did, yeah, down in the conference room at Christmas Church.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

And everything was recorded, so you you'll see it, you'll see the backdrop.

SPEAKER_00 3:34

Yeah, we'll talk about friendly more. Actually, that's kind of our our topic of of today a little bit, is kind of moving because both Michael and I moved from Minnesota to California for different reasons, but I think we both experienced the same challenges a little bit. So we'll talk about that here in a second. But you know, every day is a day to celebrate. Every day's a gift, first of all.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

Um, that's why they call it the present.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

That's right.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

Is that is that the joke? I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

Oh, that's actually really good. But it's true though, you know, every day is a gift, and every day is a national day. So we are recording this on April 7th, uh, which is a Tuesday, uh, a couple days after Easter. How was your Easter there, Michael James?

SPEAKER_02 4:16

Oh, well, I spend it with you, man. I love it. I love coming up here for Easter. I love coming up here for Thanksgiving, I love spending time with you and your family. Yep. Um, so I don't know. I I I don't look at it always as like a vacation, but it's a vacation from LA for sure. For sure. But I mean, I kind of just feel like this is my extended family, and so thank you.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

And a lot of the CLC members know you because you do come up for Thanksgiving, and you know, sometimes you make an appearance, the Thanksgiving Pie social. And yeah, I feel like ever since you've lived here, we we've lived here in California, Thanksgiving and Easter have kind of been like the two mainstreams you always come up here for.

SPEAKER_02 4:50

Yeah, um, yeah, I love it. Yeah, and I I uh being a CLC has been wonderful. I it's funny to also see the evolution over the years. Yeah, I've been around that long. Yeah, we're old, we're old, we're 40. That's right. When we first came, when you first came here, I remember just like like shot out of a cannon, because that's Noel Thompson. And I just I'm like, I'm in the cannon too, baby. Yep, and so I I just almost assumed I lived up here and I was schmoozing with everybody.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

Um, so and did I think you did before, but you went to the sunrise service this past Easter.

SPEAKER_02 5:19

First time was that your first time? Well, you know what? I don't want to throw Rachel under the bus.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Oh, okay. My wife here. Um, but Rachel's always like, you don't have to go to the sun, just come with us night at 9:30.

SPEAKER_02 5:29

Right. Because she wanted me to sleep. She also knows like I don't wake up as early as they do. Um, so or 90% of the world. Yeah, exactly. Or 90% of the world. Sure. Um, throw me on the bus. Um, but uh, but yeah, but this time I was like, I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it. Right. And so this time I did it. In fact, it was good. I I had a I I woke up and I was kind of like a little frazzled.

SPEAKER_00 5:52

Yeah, you were frazzled.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

I didn't know if like I had a plane to catch or what. And but Noel, you're like, you know, the service starts at 6 30.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

You don't you well, because you know, uh Luca and I left the house around 5 30. And I think you got 5 30 in your head, right? So I think you thought you were leaving at 5 30 in the morning. So I come downstairs, people, and I see uh our guest room is downstairs, and I see Michael just sit there at his bed with the lights on, and you you I don't think you knew where you were, who you were. Darren had lights.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

Yeah, you were just I get panicky in the morning.

SPEAKER_00 6:26

The look on your face, I was like, Oh, this poor guy.

SPEAKER_02 6:28

Yeah, yeah, well, because I I have very vivid dreams. When I wake up, I'm like, Where am I? Am I here? Am I in the dream? Is this what's happening?

SPEAKER_00 6:34

And yeah, you were questioning a lot of things there at 5:30.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

Then you used to call me by saying, like, well, you know, you can go back to bed for a little while. And I did, but then I woke up late, but I was like, I'm I'm going to the service. Yeah, I'm going to the service. So I just put a little water through my hair. Uh, didn't take a shower. There you go. You know, we've all been there. Some deodorant. Boom.

SPEAKER_00 6:53

Yep, we've all been there. Thanks. So yeah. And we hope we hope all of you had a good Easter. Um, I know a couple episodes ago, Josh and I went through like the Holy Week services. Holy week here was really, really good. Palm Sunday, Monday, Thursday, good Friday. And then we had that random episode of Six Flags, which I clearly, if you if you thought the microphone was in my mouth, it it was. That was a horrible sound on my end. I apologize on that. I was listening to that and I was like, oh my gosh, yeah. Well, it was so loud and it was like windy. So I was like, I gotta put the microphone like as close as I can. And it boy does it sure sound like everyone sounds great. Josh sounded great, Joe sounded great. And you sounded I sounded like yeah, I apologize for that.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

Hannibal lecture.

SPEAKER_00 7:36

Yeah, so all right. Well, if you haven't noticed, this this podcast is gonna go off a lot of tangents because I I wanted to introduce national days, and then we talked about Easter, but uh today is World Health Day. That sounds super generic. Well, some of these national days are more like sometimes state focused or world focused. So today is World Health Day. World Health Day. Um, eat an apple and um have an orange. Have an orange, that's right. Yep, and then it is International Beaver Day.

SPEAKER_02 8:08

Uh, I'm a regular at this Thai restaurant uh nearby uh a theater that I I perform at. Okay, and uh his name is Beaver, the guy that waits really, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:18

Sounds like a great guy.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

And in fact, I grew up with a guy named Beaver because I don't know if you know, but uh uh the Montague's yeah, Mr. Montague. Oh so yeah, we went to school, Nick Montague and Brian Montague, yep, yep, and um but anyway, their dad's nickname was Beaver.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

Oh so Beavers are great animals. I I just stumbled across like a Discovery Channel one day, and it was all on beavers. And I tell you, man, trans fixed, yeah. I was stuck there for 45 minutes watching beavers and their ability to swim, and they're they they're productive. I I forget the number, but like the amount of trees they can cut down in one day is pretty insane. So I love their tail.

SPEAKER_02 8:57

Yeah, their tail just looks like it looks like it's a thing of fantasy.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

Have you ever seen a beaver in real life?

SPEAKER_02 9:03

Uh I don't think so.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

It is one of those animals where you're like, I didn't realize how ugly they were.

SPEAKER_02 9:10

Oh, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Maybe they're just beaver. They're rough looking, they're rough looking, they're rough looking, they look like they've been through some stuff because of the tea. What do you what do you notice? Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. I just remember Samatizoo once, and I was like, ooh, I I kind of thought they'd be a little, I don't know, not as rough.

SPEAKER_02 9:25

This is my thing. Okay, this is my defense of animals, humans included. Are we are you defending the beaver? I'm defending the beaver. Okay, so uh specific, I'm gonna I'm gonna change it just a little bit. A lot of people say, like, oh, beetles are like bugs, they're they're gross or they're ugly. No, they're just beetles, they're just they're just bugs. This is what they are. Yeah, this is how God made them. So are they ugly or are they just are what they are?

SPEAKER_00 9:47

Yeah, I appreciate the God card there, but but I mean, listen, I I'll I was just saying I I still love beavers, they're they're great, they actually do great things for the ecosystem. Although sometimes in that according to the Discovery Channel, they can you know sometimes you don't need all the water damned up, but but yeah, I I I was caught off guard by how rough looking they were. So I removing none. That's way too much on the on the beavers. Uh metric system day.

SPEAKER_02 10:12

Oh yes. This about time. Is it you know what? US, what what are we doing with the with feet and inches and what are we doing? Yeah, I don't know. We're the whole world is like, hey, this is a good idea. And then we're like, nah, we want to be original.

SPEAKER_00 10:26

What's your favorite metric in the metric system?

SPEAKER_02 10:30

Um probably my favorite metric is the Metronic um plug to uh Fridley, Minnesota, which has the world headquarters of Metronic, um, the company, the medical supply company. That's my favorite metric.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

That's not even answering my question. Oh, okay. Well, it's like I'm interviewing the politician over here.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

That's right. Um, metric system, I just think it's solid and we should all appreciate.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

No, um, what's my favorite metric? Yeah, I don't know. I I don't have one.

SPEAKER_02 11:00

I don't know enough metrics. I guess I guess in the Olympics. Kilometers, yeah. No, the Olympics, right? Meters, meters, yeah, yeah. Meters for swimming, track and field, all that jazz.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

And then shout out to our camp growing up, Faith Haven near Alexandria, Minnesota. Um Turtle Lake, Minnesota, be specific. Today is National Coffee Cake Day. And uh the camp, this is my opinion. I don't know. They Lisa up there, the cook, the best coffee cake. Shout out to Lisa. That coffee cake was it was great, delicious. And there's two options uh blueberry and cinnamon. It was cinnamon. I forgot their options. Our our friend Jenny is a huge fan of coffee cake. Josh and I went to a breakfast place down in I think it was a Mirietta, somewhere down there. And the first thing, as soon as you as soon as you sat down, they would bring out a free piece of coffee cake. I forget the name of it, but it was so good. So shout out to that random breakfast place in Mirietta.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

I don't like coffee, but I love coffee cake.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

Yeah, I I think I can't even tell you where to get coffee cake around here in Visalia. I'm sure there's a place, I'm sure I'll get corrected by all listening. Let us know, please. I love a good coffee cake.

SPEAKER_02 12:20

Yeah, yeah. Who's got the best coffee cake in Visalia? Yeah, we gotta figure that out. That's the question.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

All right, so tomorrow's April 8th. What's tomorrow there, Michael J?

SPEAKER_02 12:28

We got National Zoo Lovers Day.

SPEAKER_00 12:30

All right, so here's my first hot take. I'm not I'm not a fan of zoos.

SPEAKER_02 12:34

You know what? I might be with you. I'm not a fan of the show. Tell me more.

SPEAKER_00 12:36

I just get depressed. Yeah, I get sad. Now, shout out to the zoos out there who are you know doing some good work and as far as like bringing you know certain animals back, restoration, restoration. Yes, I mean I I'm in support of that, obviously. But after about 45 minutes in a zoo, I just get depressed. And uh, especially if that animal looks sad, like the polar bear. Yeah, if that animal remotely looks sad, I just get I get down. So I know like the San Diego Zoo, um, massive zoo. Uh that might be I don't want to say the best zoo I've ever been to, but one of them. Yeah, it's it's hard to beat. Um but yeah, I I I I just get really sad at zoos.

SPEAKER_02 13:19

Yeah, I yeah, because the animals like they're I don't want to say cages, but they're they're enclosed, they don't have time to explore, they don't have a lot of area, and that not all of them.

SPEAKER_00 13:29

Nope. I mean, and I'm sure and I I would probably say zoos are probably way better now than they were back then, I think because you know, of the the animal rights people, and shout out to them. I think zoos now are probably more spacious and compared to 100 years ago. I would imagine the zoos now have more guidelines and making sure yeah, proper care and this and that. And and that's awesome. But I I just get depressed after a half hour, 45 minutes. I just get sad in zoos.

SPEAKER_02 13:56

So now now selfishly, you get to see animals you'll never see in the wild, yep, which is yep amazing. But also that's that's a little selfish, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

Yeah, that's and again. Sometimes some of these animals are orphaned or or whatever. There's there's zoos do good things.

SPEAKER_02 14:09

I'm not gonna completely just like yeah, I you know, but I don't know if this was the life of Pi, or I'm trying to think of where I heard this before, but someone so this is an original thought, unfortunately, but it's like no, uh, zoo provides it's a house for the animal, just like humans. Yeah, we want houses, we want structure. And I thought, well, that's an interesting counterpoint.

SPEAKER_00 14:29

Yeah, I don't know if this is true or not. I remember I went to Nebraska for a conference and I had some free time, and someone I asked someone, a local, I was like, you know, what do I no offense, but like, what do I do in Nebraska, right? And they were like, You gotta check out the zoo, and I'm just like, I'm good. I I'm good, I'm not see, I'm not going to a zoo in Nebraska.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

Like, oh man.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

If that's the most exciting thing in Nebraska, which probably is, yeah, well, then you're not really high on Nebraska. Yeah, no, I'm not high on Nebraska.

SPEAKER_02 14:58

Neither am I. I had a bad experience in Nebraska with this play that I was in.

SPEAKER_00 15:01

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:02

Yeah, that's when it all went to never mind. Yeah, we won't talk about that, but Omaha.

SPEAKER_00 15:06

Uh, tomorrow's also Draw a Bird Day. So draw a bird.

SPEAKER_02 15:11

Please do.

SPEAKER_00 15:12

Do you have a favorite bird?

SPEAKER_02 15:13

Uh well, that's my nickname in high school. So it was your nickname. No, my favorite bird though is probably um, I love the Kingfisher. Really? Oh, yeah. Okay. Just the the Mohawk on them. Oh, it's have you seen them in real life? I want to say yes. Don't even know. I don't, I don't, I don't have the best memory. I don't have the best memory. How do you not know if you've never seen your favorite bird? I don't think I've seen my favorite bird.

SPEAKER_00 15:35

I would say there's the 90% chance. Okay. I my new criterion life is like like anytime you answer a favorite, you gotta see it in person.

SPEAKER_02 15:45

But it's a black and white thinking, I don't think exists. We live in the gray, and so do I know 100% that I saw one, or maybe I thought I saw one and I really saw uh I don't know, a fancy.

SPEAKER_01 15:55

A bird with a bad hair day?

SPEAKER_00 15:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:59

I have seen woodpeckers though. And woodpeckers are a fun, I love that's those are all right. So give me a favorite bird you see you no doubt have seen it in person. I mean, I love ducks, I know it's simple, but mallards, oh, they're beautiful. I one of the best things I ever um drew in school, this was like in seventh or eighth grade. I remember it. I used cray prods, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

Yeah, we did that same project. Yeah, I remember that.

SPEAKER_02 16:21

I did a mallard duck. I did a woodpecker. Oh, we did birds, yeah. And my my parents, who usually didn't hang up my artwork because it didn't deserve it, but they hung that one up.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

You know what's so funny you mentioned this is till this day, that's the best thing I ever drew in my life. That's unbelievable. Till this day, I can I can vividly remember that project junior high. I sadly enough, I have no idea where it is. Mr. Morgan really came through our artist. I remember I I drew the most beautiful woodpecker. Also, the craypods were great. You could like kind of smear them all. Yeah, yeah. I took my time on that.

SPEAKER_02 16:55

Man, after all these years, we've never talked about this.

SPEAKER_00 16:57

Yeah, as actually at first, we never brought that up. So, all right. So, the your favorite bird you've seen in real life is a duck. Yep, okay.

SPEAKER_02 17:04

I'm gonna stick by it. Stick by it.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

About yours, uh, I mean, call me uh uh uh Homer, but Homer, the loon. The loon, oh, oh, yeah. I love the loon. That's good. Nothing, nothing, Minnesota State Bird. Yeah, nothing beats the sound of a loon on a lake. Yeah, that's that is not it. That is 100%. No, what do you how do you do it? I can't. Uh that's why I don't try. Oh maybe, maybe I'll actually maybe hold on. Maybe I'll cut. Well, maybe I'll put a sound of the loon in his pocket. Oh, that's fancy. Hold on. We're gonna we're gonna try we're gonna try something here. Let's let's let's silence it for we're not gonna talk for 10 seconds. Now, people in this 10 second silence, if you don't hear a sound of a loon, that means I can't edit this really well. So hold on, starting right now. Okay, hopefully, my editing skills, hopefully you heard a loon there.

SPEAKER_02 18:05

If not, you just you you sat in silence, or you heard the me give it to you, and you just gotta trust so my vocal cords.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

Um, this next one is kind of has Michael J written on it.

SPEAKER_02 18:15

Oh my goodness, had no idea.

SPEAKER_00 18:17

It is April 8th is trading trading cards for grown-up day.

SPEAKER_02 18:22

This this sounds like a made-up holiday. Uh I love it.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

No, it was on the website, national, national day. So trading cards. Um, for those of you who don't know, Michael J is huge in the memorabilia world, specifically cards and sports cards, although you've dabbled into many other kinds of Pokemon occasionally, but you know, I mean my nephew collects Pokemon, so that's that's been a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_02 18:46

But yeah, baseball and basketball cards. Uh, I used to work at a baseball card shop, used to be the manager at Valley Sports Cards, and so now I'm on my own doing my own selling, independent, independent my own selling Facebook marketplace, baby.

SPEAKER_00 18:59

Are you what's what give me a percentage here? 100%, you know, 60-40 of buying and selling right now. Yeah, are you buying more than you're selling, or are you selling more than you're buying? Ooh, you know what?

SPEAKER_02 19:12

That's a tough one. I would say I'm probably it's pretty even, honestly. 50-50. Yeah, so like I've been selling, I've been buying a couple cases, and then I've been selling those cases. Right. So I stumbled across this person who called into the shop when I worked there, and they were like, Hey, I got a lot of cases, but at the time we couldn't afford to buy them, right? Like, it's it's small businesses, you all. I can't uh it's amazing that they exist because the there's just so little margin. We gotta support the mom and pop. Please support the mom and pop. Even if it's a little more expensive, please. Yeah, it really helps the economy.

SPEAKER_00 19:46

I'm all about the local.

SPEAKER_02 19:47

Um, but yeah, so but basically I then inherited this uh the this connection to all these cases, and I've been buying them slowly, and I found one specific buyer that will routinely, and I know he's reselling them, right? But so I kind of want to just find out who's he reselling to cut out the middleman, yeah. But no, no, no, I'm comfortable selling it because they want this person wants to get rid of all these like 60 cases at this point. They probably only have like 20 left. Yeah, so I'm I've been going through them and I'm selling them, but you know, forget the selling. I just love cards, yeah. I love cards. I mean, when I saw on the sandlot Babe Ruth dream sequence, yeah, and he Babe Ruth picks up the Hank Iron rookie card and said, I don't know why, kid, but can I have this? Funny, because Babe Ruth, uh, you know, Hank Iron beats Babe Ruth's home run record, but also it's his rookie card, and I saw that card and I thought that's gorgeous. That's a piece of art. Yeah, so I look at cards as pieces of art, they're many pieces of art. Yep, and uh I love it. So I've tried to get you back into collecting a little bit. Yeah, no. Uh Noel sold his Pokemon cards years ago.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

Oh, I saw them so quick.

SPEAKER_02 20:48

And oh Noeling COVID, I think. I would have helped you be the I didn't even know they exist.

SPEAKER_00 20:54

My mom called me one day. I was like, Hey, I found your Pokemon cards, I mailed them to you. So I went from one day just for forgetting they existed, and then suddenly I have this binder cards.

SPEAKER_02 21:03

Could have been a bidding war.

SPEAKER_00 21:05

Yeah, whatever. That's it. Um move it on, talk about it. I really don't yeah, I I'm not losing sleep tonight. Now, is that the same Hank Aaron card you own? The one that was in the sale.

SPEAKER_02 21:16

I finally got the rookie card. It's I mean, it's an it's a pricey card, um, but I have it, which is awesome. But also, one of my favorite cards I own is the first card I ever got, which was a 89 Donrus Al Newman, a former Minnesota twin. That's right. And the only reason why I got that is because at the grocery store growing up, they had this all these cards just in this bin. So, you know, if collectors now that are really careful with the condition, they're like, um this would drive them crazy. But yeah, I picked up the Al Newman and my brother got Alan Anderson a picture for the twins. And so we both got one card, and I think that card cost us five cents. Really? And uh yeah, but yeah, Al Newman. I'll never I'll always keep that card. It's an awful card. Condition. My mom wrote my name and phone number on the back in case I lost it, which is like the more modern, well, is the more 90s version of what they did back in the 60s where the kids put them the cards in their spokes of their bike. Right. Um, are you looking it up?

SPEAKER_00 22:16

No, I was trying to see if Al Newman played here in Viselia because oh my goodness, because you know, those twins teams back in the day, the Viselia Oaks were a twins affiliate. And so, you know, Twins Legends, Kirby Kirby Puckett's played here, Ken Herbeck, Tom Kelly coached here. And so I was trying to see if he had a stop here at the Viselia Oaks. I don't I don't think he I don't think he did.

SPEAKER_02 22:38

Yeah, are the are the are the rides still the affiliate to the Diamondbacks?

SPEAKER_00 22:43

Yeah, they're the low A now. They were high A.

SPEAKER_02 22:46

Okay. But now they're reconfigured it all in LA. Yeah, yeah. Like Rancho Cookamonga Quakes are not with the Dodgers anymore.

SPEAKER_00 22:52

Right.

SPEAKER_02 22:53

Just kooky.

SPEAKER_00 22:54

Yeah, but yeah, so yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:55

Um, but hey, trading card days, everybody. Just quick pit. Go to the mom and pop local sports card shop here in Visalia. Yep. Pick up a pack and open it, have a little fun, and uh yeah, you don't need to invest in it, you don't need to make it, you know, a career. Just you know, enjoy yourself, be a collector once in a while. Indulge that side of your your brain.

SPEAKER_00 23:18

Yeah, well, not sure if you heard that passion there, but uh trading cards. Trading cards, big deal, big deal, big deal. Um April 9th. April 9th, April 9th, National Unicorn Day. Which I got nothing there. We could probably just skip that. I love unicorns.

SPEAKER_02 23:36

Yeah, it's basically the narwhal of the land. Okay, I mean if you think about it, narwhals are impressive creatures. Okay, they're unicorns at the sea. Yeah, narwhals are real. Unicorns are yeah, well, true, so true, but maybe along the evolutionary route, maybe they did live on land.

SPEAKER_00 23:55

Yeah, I no, no, uh, you are you just neutral on unicorns? I I had no opinion on unicorns. Some kids love unicorns. I think I've given unicorns a grand total of one minute of my energy thought process in my life. They're magic. Hey, love magic. All right, uh, also on April 9th is National Chinese Almond Cookie Day. That's very specific, very specific. Which I I don't know. I I'm maybe I've had a Chinese almond cookie day. I'm sure I'm sure I've had they're shortbread essentially. Yeah, I'm sure I I've had them actually in my life.

SPEAKER_02 24:31

I like to take the almond out and eat it separately.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

Okay, so I just eat the shortbread almond because yeah, it's it sounds like you're a regular connoisseur of the Chinese almond cookie day.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

Any Chinese dessert, give it to me.

SPEAKER_00 24:43

All right, and then oh, this next one. I actually want to talk about this next one. April 9th is also national name yourself day. Name yourself, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:53

Is that like give yourself your own name?

SPEAKER_00 24:55

Yeah, I kind of clicked on the link as we were preparing for this podcast. It did say, like, name, yeah, giving yourself your own name or or or nickname. And so um, but name yourself. What would you name yourself? I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 25:10

I mean, see, has has growing up with the name Noel been frustrating because people can't pronounce it. This could be a whole podcast, this could be a whole other podcast.

SPEAKER_00 25:19

Um, that's a great question. Yeah, Noel obviously is not a very common name, and growing up, it would always be I would always be called Noel, and people would call me Noel on purpose. And I don't know if it ever got to me. I don't I don't ever remember, I'll be honest. I don't ever remember moments in my young childhood where it really got to me. So I think I was kind of I mean, I don't have a thick skin in every way, but I think I was kind of more blessed to having a thicker skin when it came to my name. Um, you know, that's not true for any for other insecurities, but um let's talk about those, yeah. But no, I I don't remember ever getting to me because I think a part of me always had this realization that I don't blame people for calling me Noelle because yeah, I mean there's there's never any Noels out there.

SPEAKER_02 26:16

How many people used it negatively? Like they knew your name was Noel and they said no.

SPEAKER_00 26:20

Honestly, it I don't remember. Okay, so I think that if I don't remember, then probably not a lot. Or you blocked it out, yeah, or I blocked it out, but but yeah, so I I I don't I never really it never really got to me, or at least I don't remember it really getting to me. I don't have any core memories of of that. But it's interesting growing up now. Um, like I'll be at Starbucks or whatever, and they're like, What's your name? I just say Noelle. I do, I just say Noel because I'm like, listen, because I say no, and they're like, wait, what? How do you like how do you spell that? It's just so much easier, yeah. Easier for them, easier for me just to say Noelle. Or I don't even correct people anymore. Yeah, I don't blame them, you know? Because how many noles have you met? You're the one, yeah. You're the one. Well, I'm the I'm the one, but my dad is probably the second, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I I am a I am a junior. So now, yes, I think I've shared this before to many people. I'm not sure if I shared this on this podcast. I'm sorry, but when um my dad found out that Rachel was pregnant with the boy, my dad was like, Hey, are you gonna name him Noel the third? Yeah, and I immediately was like, No, no, dad, I'm sorry, we're just not gonna keep that lineage. We're not gonna keep but Mark Mark is named after Rachel's dad. Um, and so uh Mark's middle name is Noel. And so I told my dad, I said, You get to have the middle name, and my dad was happy about that. So okay, um, but yeah, I've never really thought about naming myself anything else. Um, what about you?

SPEAKER_02 27:53

Well, I mean, real quick, what about being a second? Did that have any impact on you?

SPEAKER_00 27:58

A little bit, yeah. I think it's it's powerful being a junior, you know, an old junior.

SPEAKER_02 28:03

Do you prefer junior over the second?

SPEAKER_00 28:05

Yeah, I've never been called neither, right? Up you know what I mean? Yeah, um, I had a cousin, his nickname was junior because he was a junior. Um, but yeah, no. Um, yeah, I it's an honor. I think I think whatever your name is, it's it's an honor. I mean, we can get into that, right? I mean, oh, yeah, we're all named after either people or things, or it even with my son Elliot, we just like that name. But I think there's power in your name, and it's an honor to be named whatever you are.

SPEAKER_02 28:32

Um well, and there's usually a reason.

SPEAKER_00 28:35

There like parents think about this stuff for a while, or simply too, like parents either just like the name and they want to name that your name. There you go. There's no other because like again, Elliot or Luca, there's no they're not family names, we just really loved the name, yeah. And so we just wanted to pass that along.

SPEAKER_02 28:53

So you started strong with Luca, that's good. Wait a yeah, the tone now, Michael, a most popular baby name from 1966 to 2004. And I yeah, I I was never pumped about the name because everyone, there's so many people had it. And when we grew up in Fridley, there was a lot of Matthews and a lot of Michaels. That's true, so many. And now I could never pull off Mike.

SPEAKER_00 29:17

I was gonna ask you that. Yeah, as long as as long as I've ever known you, you've never gone by Mike.

SPEAKER_02 29:22

No, Mike, Mike rides a motorcycle, or he's got his he has detention after school. That's what Mike has. And I I've just I was never a Mike. Mike's gonna get to tattoo at a young age.

SPEAKER_00 29:33

Okay, yeah, we're just throwing a lot of stuff out there. Um, have you ever been a Mike? Was that like did your family ever attempt that or friends?

SPEAKER_02 29:41

No, my mom was very clear. It's Michael, she would correct people, she would correct people, yeah. But you know what? I was Mike in sports. It's like Mike Seeloff, cool. Because yeah, it just shortened everything up. I don't go by Mike, I introduce myself as Michael. I really don't care though. But the terms of endearment, there's like a handful of people that call me Mikey.

SPEAKER_03 29:59

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:00

Um, and I think that's always fun. Um, and then there's a handful of people who call me Mike. Like, for instance, my friend Lydia from college, she always calls me Mike. No one else in call, no one else in college calls me Mike. They all call me Michael J. Yeah, because when I was uh FTS first term seminary, uh we go around saying our names, and I thought I would be funny by saying my name's Michael J. Sea Loft. Yeah, and everyone laughed, and then from four years, yeah, I was known as Michael J. Michael J, Michael J. Michael J. And I was kind of cool. I kind of created a nickname for myself unintentionally, yeah. But my nicknames too, like I had Bird. Um, I always thought, yo, Larry Bird, but I kind of look like a bird too. So um, yeah, so I it was it that was kind of a cool nickname because I I understood it and it was maybe a little bit of teasing, but I don't care. Yeah, I got a big beak. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 30:49

Well, you yeah, you were nicknamed Bird in high school. You you definitely like played into it.

SPEAKER_02 30:54

Oh, I leaned into it. Yeah, at church camp at Faith Haven. Um you'd run around flapping your wings, right? In fact, I can't remember exactly how like a velociraptor. Right, right. That's how it started, I think, too. Is I did that, and I think I don't know, I just wanted to be funny, and I just wanted to I don't know. I was a class clown, so this is an extension of that, and uh, but yeah, I did that, and then it it evolved. Then people would feed me like gummy worms at one point, and I think you did it in high school rallies too. Yeah, the pep rally that was the height, that was the height of my nickname. And I I ran around the gym in front of you know 800 kids, yeah. And uh I did the bird, and they all chanted bird, bird, bird, bird, which was how it started. Uh, that's how it me starting to be a bird. I would like to get into character, and I'm doing it right now. Can you see it, guys?

SPEAKER_00 31:43

Um, do you have a favorite nickname of yours that people call you, whether now or I mean sloth.

SPEAKER_02 31:49

Sloth sloth is great. It's a one one-syllable version of my last name. Yeah, David Griffith came up with it. Um, but what has made it so David?

SPEAKER_00 31:58

David Griffith of of our of Thailand, our mighty oak tree foundation. So yeah, again, we'll talk into this later, but grew up in the same youth group as David.

SPEAKER_02 32:07

So yeah, so that that's always cool because you know David's such an amazing person, and just he's so chill the way he said it, like sloth.

SPEAKER_00 32:14

Yeah, I I can hear it right now.

SPEAKER_02 32:16

I can hear it right now, and and also your kids. Yeah, your kids call me sloth, uncle sloth, uncle sloth. I love it. That's so cool. No one in LA calls me sloth, really, like it's very specific to people from Friendly or Mills or home, or yo, or yeah, yeah, yeah. That's oh, I love it. So, yeah, I've got a lot of nicknames, but the thing, I there's a rule you can't make your own nickname.

SPEAKER_00 32:37

Yeah, you can't. I tried that in elementary school for kickball, it didn't work. What was that? I think it was like Thunderball.

unknown 32:44

Thunderball.

SPEAKER_00 32:45

Well, because I remember we would play kickball or tornado. I think it was tornado. Oh it was one of them. Those two popped in my head. We would play kickball at Hayes Elementary, yep, and we would all give our give each other nicknames. So when it was time to, you know, for you to kickball, you know, you'd come up with your own nickname and your team would chant it. And I want to say that's cool, it was Thunderball, Thunderball. Yeah, and we would kick it.

SPEAKER_02 33:14

And I remember, yeah, you all make sure you go up to Null and call them Thunderball.

SPEAKER_00 33:18

It lasted fourth grade. That was it. Me and Josh Tyra and other people. Do you remember anyone else's nickname? I don't. Okay. I don't. Uh, but that I've blocked out a lot of things, but clearly Thunderball was not Thunderball. Yeah. So, but that is a rule though. You can't give yourself although we've had a few here at our youth give each other nicknames and it's stuck. I'll give Tanner Reeling a shout-out. Tanner Realing gave himself a nickname Swaggy T.

SPEAKER_02 33:44

Um Swaggy T. Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 33:47

Yeah. So that that is stuck. He's one of the few people that gave himself a nickname and it works.

SPEAKER_02 33:52

All right. Hey, if it worked, it worked. But don't don't succumb to I'm big on nicknames. I like giving people nicknames. Oh, nicknames are fun.

SPEAKER_00 33:58

I'm a big it's a term of endearment. And then, you know, especially we we've had some youth here too. I've given them nicknames. And then after like five years, I do like a I like a private one-on-one conversation with them. I'm like, hey, like, is it okay? Like Grace, Grace Yates. I'm gonna shout out to Gracie Yates, who uh love Gracie Yates. You know, she's been here, you know, I've been here now. I mean, I've literally known her since she was like five. Yeah, you know what I mean? And so now she's at Fresno State, but uh for whatever reason, I always called her Gracie. Gracie, okay, and that started when she was in Sunday school. Yeah, I'd be like, Gracie, Gracie. And then I remember like two years ago, or like it was like, yeah, two years ago, or you know, when she was a junior and senior in high school, I'm still calling her Gracie. And I just had this moment where I'm like, because I think like you know, consent is is everything, you know, and I I don't I don't I don't want to call people names that they don't want to be called agreed. That's a huge thing, and so I remember talking to Grace. I go, Hey Grace, is it okay if I still call you Gracie? Because you know, again, I've been calling her that since she was literally in like first grade, and she was like, Oh, yeah, that's fine. I'm like, Oh, good, because it's like muscle memory now, yeah. At this point, so good check-in, good check-in. You gotta have a check because I think again, you I think there's power in you know, people calling you a nickname, but you also want to make sure that they're okay giving yourself that nickname, right?

SPEAKER_02 35:18

And you'd think like Gracie is pretty harmless, yeah. But some sometimes nicknames, I don't know, that bothers people in a way that you wouldn't expect. Well, right, like Mikey, Mikey, you could say, like, oh, I'm not a little kid, I don't want to be yep, you know, and I'm like, Well, is it that big of a deal?

SPEAKER_00 35:31

Well, to them it is, yeah. Well, and I know like six Jennifers that go by six different ways, right? Yeah, Jenny, Jennifer, and some of them have very specific opinions.

SPEAKER_02 35:40

They're like, Don't call me Jenny.

SPEAKER_00 35:42

Yeah, which is fine. Like, you know, I absolutely so I as I've kind of gotten older, I want to make sure, like, you know, hey, what do you want to be called? Because you know, you know what? Call me Smokehouse. No, I'm not calling Smokehouse Combo. No, we're good. That's what I order at Chili's. All right, smokehouse. We're moving on here. Thunderball Thompson. We're moving on here. Tornado here. Yeah, that's right, tornado. Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_02 36:11

Which there's a lot of tornadoes. I will say in Minnesota.

SPEAKER_00 36:13

I will say if you ask me. Yeah, Noel, what's one of your top 10 athletic achievements? Is mine is mine is kicking the ball into someone's backyard at Hayes Elementary. Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_02 36:25

Yeah, did you have to go and retrieve it? Someone did. Not the home run kicked.

SPEAKER_00 36:29

I was too busy running the bases, slowly running the tornado.

SPEAKER_02 36:33

Wait, when you got to home plate, did you jump on the base with both feet?

SPEAKER_00 36:36

I don't remember. I think I blacked out.

SPEAKER_02 36:38

I hit one home run in my life and I did that. I regret it to this day. I regret it because it was so egotistical. What two feet stomp? Who am I?

SPEAKER_00 36:47

Jeez, uh okay, and then April 10th, we'll just fly by here. Golfers Day. Yeah, Michael J and I are not golfers, which is why when I do golf is usually with him, because and my nephew beat me in golf when he was like six years old.

SPEAKER_02 37:00

Yeah, and he's actually a really good golfer. Yeah, so shout out to Theo.

SPEAKER_00 37:03

Yeah, I don't I golf once a year.

SPEAKER_02 37:05

Yeah, I golf.

SPEAKER_00 37:06

And I make sure the company I'm with knows very well what they're getting themselves into.

SPEAKER_02 37:09

I like playing best ball though. That's fun.

SPEAKER_00 37:11

Yeah, that's uh well, not only is it fun, that's the only way I play. That's the only way. I'm not playing any other way.

SPEAKER_02 37:17

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:18

Is there still is there a golf tournament that through CLC? No, we just did that once for like our 50th and our celebration. Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_02 37:26

I was honored to be a part of that.

SPEAKER_00 37:28

Yeah, yep. Cindy Diaz, I think we golfed with.

SPEAKER_02 37:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 37:32

Um, and then National Siblings Day. Shout out to my siblings, Kyle and CeC, and then and then Mark. Yeah, Mark Seeloff. Mark Seeloff.

SPEAKER_02 37:41

Mark Bradley Seeloff, he got my dad's first name. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 37:44

Where'd your middle name come from?

SPEAKER_02 37:46

My mill John. Oh, Michael John, so common. Um, but no, John, I think, was like great-grandfather or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 37:52

All right. Um, so yeah, shout out to the siblings. So on April 10th, here in a few days, uh, make sure you give a shout out to your sibling.

SPEAKER_02 37:58

Yeah, and then I love when people post like kid photos of them, like really young.

SPEAKER_00 38:03

You gotta embarrass them. Embarrass them. Embarrass them. And then this is a weird one. We'll end it here. Uh, National Farm Animals Day. Uh, you got half of a farm animal? Yeah, we've had quite a few. Do you have a favorite farm animal? Uh Mallard. Are we going back to Dutch?

SPEAKER_02 38:21

No, um, the Kingfisher, favorite farm animal. Favorite farm animal. You know what? I it's pretty clear. I one of my favorite cartoons growing up was Garfield, and the original Garfield cartoon had U.S. Acres, and U.S. Acres had a bunch of farm animals. Uh, and it was very amusing. Roy the Rooster, Wade Duck, uh, you know, you had Orson the Pig. So all those are my favorite farm animals. So cartoons. Far cartooned farm animals, yes. Okay. What about you?

SPEAKER_00 38:50

The belted Kingfisher lives in California and is the only kingfisher species found in the state. Yeah, I've seen it. I saw it this morning. They are commonly seen year-round near water sources in Northern California, yeah, and as residents, yeah. Uh, as winter residents in Southern California.

SPEAKER_02 39:08

I'm purchasing one after this podcast. Yeah, I'm going straight to the pet store.

SPEAKER_00 39:12

I mean, it does look pretty like the most oh yes.

SPEAKER_02 39:17

See, look at that blue. Look at that blue.

SPEAKER_00 39:20

You didn't even know it was blue until I just showed it to you.

SPEAKER_02 39:22

Well, I mean, the kingfisher in my mind is you have not seen kingfisher. No, okay, okay. My love the kingfisher. Uh shout out to the kingfisher, kingfisher, and you gotta put that photo in there so everyone can see. It's beautiful, gorgeous.

SPEAKER_00 39:36

Majestic. Majestic. Uh, so um, yeah. So just to give some backstory, Michael J and I well, not I wasn't, I wasn't born in Fridley. Were you born in Fridley?

SPEAKER_02 39:50

No, I mean I was born in Minneapolis.

SPEAKER_00 39:51

Yeah, I was born in downtown Minneapolis, HCMC. But we both I lived and I lived in South Minneapolis for actually a year. I oh maybe yeah, maybe a year or two. I was in the south, I was in the the Native American community in their uh Little Earth, it's called. I grew up there. Um kind of the projects, to be honest. But and then when I was like three or four, definitely before uh kindergarten, my my mom and dad made the best decision, I think, uh in their lives. They moved, but they decided to leave Minneapolis and they moved to a suburb of Fridley, and uh growing suburb at that time, yeah, yeah. And so best decision they've made, hands down. Um and so definitely I I you know from kindergarten on, I I lived from you know, lived in Fridley, and I'm assuming it's kind of the same for you, born in Minneapolis. And did your parents always live in Fridley there?

SPEAKER_02 40:47

Yeah, I think they lived in North, no, not northeast. Um, I think they lived in Minneapolis for a little while. Okay. Um, and then uh South, I think it was South Minneapolis for a little while, but then they moved to Fridge. Okay, so kind of a similar story, it sounds like yeah, very similar.

SPEAKER_00 41:00

Um, and then Fridley, interesting, they only two elementary schools, yeah. Stevenson over here, Stevenson, and then literally on the other side of the tracks, because literally other side of the tracks is Hayes Elementary. And so I went to Hayes, uh Michael J went to Stevenson, and in fact, Robert Stevenson. A little rivalry there. We can we could go on Facebook and put out, you know, I could say Hayes is better than Stevenson, it would get all sorts of comments, but but at Fridley, yeah, two elementary schools, and then it had they have a middle school, one middle school, and that is fifth through eighth grade. And they made that change a couple years before us, yeah. Um, but yeah, elementary schools are K through four, and then the middle school is fifth through eighth, and then literally right across the street from the middle school is the high school and one high school. So one high school, one middle school, two elementary schools. And we I remember playing you in basketball in third or fourth grade. Oh, yeah, but we really obviously didn't meet until both elementary schools combined in and middle school. Then it wasn't really till high school that you and I connected both via youth group and just kind of socially and and all that.

SPEAKER_02 42:10

Um, so what was your perception of me? Uh in yeah, class clown, basketball middle school, tall guy, class clown. Okay, yep, yeah, yep.

SPEAKER_00 42:19

Basketball, you were always kind of tall.

SPEAKER_02 42:21

I was always tall, yeah. Yep. Um eventually people caught up to me.

SPEAKER_00 42:25

Yeah, that was embarrassing. You were kind of the one of the first tall people, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:28

Um, we had a weird situation though. Patrick O'Brien, who ended up playing for the Warriors, NBA, yeah, got drafted ninth in like 2007. Yeah, um, but he was he was seven footer, right? I mean, not at that age, but he was always the tallest until he switched high schools for sure.

SPEAKER_00 42:44

So I was second, I was but it wasn't until I got more involved in the youth group, right? Now as a church you've always been to. Yeah, my parents were members for a very long time. Yeah, Redeemer Lutheran there and Fridley, yeah. Um, but it wasn't until I joined that youth group kind of in high school that obviously got closer to you because we were the same small group, because we're in the same grade, and so kind of our youth group style was we would meet for an hour, do some worship, and then after like the worship, there'd be small groups, and it was it wasn't co-ed, but it was you know, the ninth grade boys would go to Google Go and ninth grade girls, and so yeah, that's kind of where we got closer. Um, obviously, and became really, really good friends. Um, did you did you do confirmation? Yep, okay, yep, okay. Um, I did like the last year of it. Gotcha. Yeah, kind of well, I was like, Yeah, I'll just come out late. Late late bloomer here. But I do remember, shout out to John Newald. I remember being like, Hey, I'm interested, but I've missed the first couple years. So, what do I do? And and and we've had that here at CLC. We've had youth kind of join the church and be like, Hey, you know, we've had youth at night as ninth graders be like, Can I still do confirmation? My and and my stance with the church is always yes. We don't want this to be a place of no, yeah, you know what I mean. So I didn't really, yeah. So, anywho, um, so I did. Didn't technically get confirmed. You won't see me in the picture, but I was I was kind of there.

SPEAKER_02 44:05

Not a lot there, but yeah, because growing up in confirmation, as you're like, okay, me, Zach, for instance, like we always went were part of the church in some way.

SPEAKER_01 44:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:14

Uh, and so when people came in, it was kind of like, oh, who's this new person? It's kind of exciting. But of course, I knew Noel from right school, but like, but yeah, that I I remember my one of my first impressions of you. Oh boy. I thought you were a troublemaker.

SPEAKER_01 44:27

Yeah, I probably.

SPEAKER_00 44:28

I mean, I kind of was. Right. Okay. I was a social troublemaker.

SPEAKER_02 44:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 44:32

I didn't do anything like if that makes sense. Like, I I think I just talked a lot, was loud, yeah. I was obnoxious. Like honestly, I was like a social troublemaker. I never did anything like physical troublemaker, if that makes sense, right? Yeah. I wasn't graffitiing the the locker rooms or you know what I mean, like trash in the place.

SPEAKER_02 44:49

Also, you know, and this is just my perception as a kid, so I can't judge myself too harshly, but maybe a little bit, where I was like, Your your friend group, there are other kids in that friend group that were troublemakers, like, and so I was like, Oh, those are the bad kids. So Noel's part of the bad kids, but I didn't, I didn't, I didn't think Noel was a bad kid. I just got like, oh, Noel's a part of this group, and I didn't know him that well. But I one thing I'll never if you think Noel's confident now, Noel's always been confident, and it was it was fun because I always thought you like admittedly, I thought you were funny, man. I thought you were funny, I thought you were like brash, but like in a funny way, yeah, and he still is. But like I think I was jealous of you when you came to the church. Oh, really? Because I'm the funny one, man. Stop stepping on my toes. Um, but but because Noel's Noel, that melted away pretty quickly. Yeah, you're just like, oh well, then that's just team up, man.

SPEAKER_00 45:40

Which we didn't know ended in disaster, but um, but yeah, no, and so I I definitely was so I mean again my report card was the same, was like good kid, good student, just talks a lot, yeah. You know, I mean I kind of was a social dis disruptor almost, yeah. But but anywho, but then so we kind of went off to college and did our own thing, and but kind of the point of the conversation was like you and I both made big steps in moving out here. That's true.

SPEAKER_02 46:07

Oh, that's right, that's what we're gonna talk about.

SPEAKER_00 46:08

Yeah, uh, but you did like the stereotypical like movie thing. I mean, that's kind of how I explained to people a little bit because they're you know, people ask, like, how did he get out here? And I literally go, Oh, he literally just moved to LA and became an actor. Like, there's no other but what's interesting about you is I I was involved in the drama program a little before you because I was in auditorium, whatever. But you kind of discovered your love for theater late in high school, right? Or later in the high school, kind of upperclassmen. What I want to ask you, because this this kind of obviously goes into why you're out here in California, but like, do you remember when you had like that? If there was a light bulb moment, but do you remember the moment or season where you're like, oh my gosh, like I love theater, like I love acting. Was it the theater techniques class? Was it someone else? Like, do you ever you have that moment where you're like, Yeah, actually, not only do I love it, but I enjoy it and I'm kind of decent at it.

SPEAKER_02 47:11

Yeah, well, I I would say anyone who's a class clown, you're already performing, you're performing every day. Yeah, and so without noticing it at the time, I was already kind of in that world in a different way. Um, but I'll a couple moments that really stood out. One is our small group leader growing up, John Shrupp. Shout out to John Shrupp, man. I gave him so much difficulty because I was talking, talking, talking. I always wanted to make jokes, and but I remember John, uh, I have so much respect for him, and I still do. And John was um, he was in the plays. Yeah, I remember watching him and being like, wow, because he's more of a science guy in a sense, which he's a science teacher, he's a science teacher, yeah. And so I wouldn't have necessarily expected that then in combination with that, my brother was in a play when he was a senior. Oh, I didn't know that either, right? Get smart, okay. And my brother crushed it to this day. I was like, Mark, where did where did that come from? Yeah, because my brother is quiet, he's not shy, but he's the he's he's he's a little more of the opposite of you, though. Oh yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, one time I tried to fight my brother because I was like, Oh, these other brothers fight. Why don't we fight? And I like jumped on him and he just like restrained me from doing anything. And so I learned one, he's much stronger than he looks, and two, uh, like he's he's a pacifist.

SPEAKER_00 48:30

He restrained you in the most peaceful way.

SPEAKER_02 48:32

Oh my goodness, yeah. So I just gave up after like 30 seconds because it was boring, it wasn't like I couldn't get him mad. So, anyway, shout out to Mark. Yeah, um, but yeah, and he was a swimmer, so that's where he got his strength. Um, and uh yeah, so my brother was in Get Smart the play, and he was so funny. And I was like, okay, after Shrupp, after my brother, I want to try this, but I don't know how because I'm an athlete, and I it's not like I I don't feel like I'd be judged or anything.

SPEAKER_00 49:01

No, but it was a completely new world, and you you didn't even have a foot in, and I didn't really have any friends in it.

SPEAKER_02 49:06

Yeah, I didn't really have any friends in it, and that's the thing is I'm always a bit of community guy, and sometimes I I don't think there's anything negative about this, like loving community, but also the negative is like I have to do things with other people, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:19

It's hard for me to do things so in our high school was small, but it was kind of clicky, not in a bad way, but you definitely had like your groups of theater old music and and whatever, yeah. And you you were so involved in basketball, right? And rightfully so you were a great basketball player and in tennis and other stuff where yeah, you didn't like you didn't know that world existed, so you didn't really have any ends per se, right?

SPEAKER_02 49:43

And and and because everything was uh basketball or tennis, I didn't have time, yeah. And then senior year, Mr. Lou, my tennis coach, who's a fantastic English teacher, he I asked him, could I be in the play? Because they needed to fill him like one more role, yeah. And I was recommended, and which was an honor. That was great. And so he let me leave and like tennis practice for the first 15 minutes and then come like yeah, it wasn't very long that I was rehearsing. And so I wrote down all my lines on a piece of paper because I was giving a speech, yeah. And because I wasn't a huge part, uh Tom Larson didn't check me. He should have, it should have been a blank piece of paper. Yeah, I should not have written down my lines. That's not acting, that's reciting. Um, but and you were the mayor, right? I was the mayor, yeah. The mayor of Hinckley, which is a town in Minnesota. It was about the fires of Hinckley.

SPEAKER_00 50:31

Yeah, horrible wildfire just ravaged this town in Minnesota, and there's a play about it. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 50:36

Yeah, and I was the mayor, and I remember I had to memorize one line that I didn't write down, which was thank you, pastor, because the pastor um quiets the crowd for me to give my speech. And one day I go, um, this is a performance day, uh, you know, in front of a live studio audience, and they were like, um, I was like, Thank you, mayor. But I was like, in my head, I'm like, crap, that's me. I'm the mayor. So really quickly, I had to improvise a justification. I said, Oh, well, thank you to me. Thanks to me, the mayor. I just became an egotistical mayor and for that one for that one play. For that one performance. And and I was like, ooh, improv. That's actually where I yeah felt a little bit empowered doing improv, which is something I got involved with later in my acting journey. But um, yeah, so yeah, I was in this play, and I remember me and no me and you were backstage because there's a lot of I I was barely on stage.

SPEAKER_00 51:29

Yeah, um, and I was stage managing, I was part of the I was part of the tech crew in this particular play. And we're just goofing off back. We were pretending we're doing a pretend baseball game, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:39

Right, yeah, and it was so much fun, and it wasn't, I mean, one being with one of your best friends backstage and doing this is awesome, yeah. At the same time, it was like this is so fun and loose. Basketball, tennis isn't like this, and so I started feeling like oh, this is fun, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:57

And and not that basketball and sports don't, but the the drama community is so unique, yeah, it's so powerful. And because it you spend so much time with these people rehearsing and right and whatever, and even when you're not on stage, you're just you're still with them, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:14

Making each other laugh in between. I mean, I I one thing that I love I love playing basketball, and the people that I was on it, the team with at Fridley, I would never have been friends with if it weren't for basketball. Um, but one thing about basketball, and I would love this to change, y'all. I'm gonna put it out in the universe, is loosen up, play, have fun, laugh more. Right. Like, my goodness, this is not an emotion to be scared of, like for sports. Um, but I digress.

SPEAKER_00 52:45

So it's interesting because you then like because of that late experience in high school, we're gonna kind of fast forward, but then you decided to go to Gustavus Adolphus, shout out ELCA, yeah. Private school went to Augsburg, yep. And so my my school was more well, it is urban. Mine's in downtown Minneapolis, yours in St.

SPEAKER_02 53:02

Peter, Minnesota, St.

SPEAKER_00 53:03

Peter, Minnesota, very rural, very rural. But then you decided to literally get a major in feeder, which I'll be honest, Michael J. Like, there's no way I would have guessed that. No, like senior year that you would have majored in that, yeah. Um, quick question, and then we'll kind of talk about the move out here. Sure. Was that ever a point of contention with your parents?

SPEAKER_02 53:24

Like, you know, my parents um have been very supportive. They have they're not artists in this way. So my mom is very artistic, though, which is cool. I just uh you know, and a little bit for me just I wants to I want to push her to exercise that a little bit more because she has it in her, yeah, but they don't have that experience. They weren't encouraged to do that growing up. I don't think my dad would have, honestly. I think my mom might have. Yeah, I can see that. Yeah, so we're not going.

SPEAKER_00 53:50

So when you told your parents you're going to school for theater, any pushback at all?

SPEAKER_02 53:54

No, they just wanted me to get a degree. Okay. Well, they were like, get a degree, that's important to us.

SPEAKER_00 53:59

That's good. I mean, that's that needs to be acknowledged too. Like, yes, you know, like, because a theater major, yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02 54:06

Like, and one thing, even though even to this day, my parents don't really know what I do. I mean, they know what I do, right? But like, it doesn't, since they've never experienced it, yeah, they don't know fully what it is. But um, but that's okay. That's totally okay. Um, I'll keep I'll keep talking about it, I'll keep explaining it. But I think that's the thing is they would ask me questions, and I was discovering it myself during college. So that was kind of cool. We're kind of discovering it together, and um, I felt so like everyone else had all this experience in high school. Yeah, and I kind of felt like, well, I'm never gonna get cast anything because they have so much more experience and talent. And then I found out after I get cast in a few things, I'm like, oh yeah, maybe I can do this, maybe I'm better than I think I am.

SPEAKER_00 54:48

Yeah, so I want to ask you like when did you decide? And for those of you who don't know, we're not trying to brag about our home state here, but Minnesota has quite the theater scene. Yeah, I mean, outside of Broadway and New York, I mean, may Minnesota most theaters per capita in the United States, yeah. Second most theaters per capita in the United States is the Minneapolis area per capita, right?

SPEAKER_02 55:12

Chicago's got more, LA's got more, but but there's a huge, huge theater scene.

SPEAKER_00 55:16

So that means that that could have been an option for you, but what made you decide to take that huge step of literally leaving you know Minnesota to LA? Like talk about that journey a little bit and that decision, but also talk about like your faith life during that too. Like, you know, like that's a big deal, you know, huge deal.

SPEAKER_02 55:39

Yeah, well, well, in college, just to go backtracked slightly, uh, in college I majored in religion. That's right. I wasn't a theater major. Okay, I was a theater minor.

SPEAKER_00 55:48

Thank you. I knew it was one of those. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 55:50

I mean, I was gonna double major, but I realized it didn't really matter.

SPEAKER_00 55:53

I I knew it was one of the uh I thought I for some reason I thought you majored in theater, minor in religion.

SPEAKER_02 55:58

But because and I might I majored in religion because I was gonna become a pastor, I was gonna go to seminary, right? Um, I was I was pumped up to do that. In fact, in order to justify why I was going to college for a little while, because if you go to college, I think everyone at one point is like, Why am I here? Yeah, which is a good question to ask. Like, always ask yourself that question in some ways, like check in. And uh, but I was like, I'm gonna be pre-seminary, and so I might as well major in religion to give myself a little bit of a head start, but it's also what I was interested in because I I knew like the faith side and kind of Bible study and um all of that, but I didn't really dive into it in like a more academic way, yeah. So, like studying theology in college was mind-blowing because I'm like, wow, there's so many different ways to look at relationship with God, and so uh it was great. It it it it it bolstered my faith. I think sometimes people are nervous that oh, it's gonna take away. No, it doesn't. Yeah. Uh I mean, if your faith, maybe it wasn't that strong, yeah. If if theology knowledge, but so much so much of life is about adapting.

SPEAKER_00 56:57

Yes, and and so it's like you're you're getting it's like drinking out of a fire hydrant. And so, do you adapt and use that for the better or use that, you know, you know what I mean? And that's just a theme in life, right? Not just college, but it's just like how can I take advantage of the situation I'm in? Do I, you know, how do I apply it, right?

SPEAKER_02 57:13

And so right, and sometimes you have to realize too, like, well, this is academia as well, so it's not there's not a perfect translation in all things, yeah. Um, but because it feels like such a personal subject, um, everyone's an expert on their own faith, right? And or or theology. So and also same with acting, everyone's got an opinion about acting. I got into things where I felt like, you know, everyone's got a thought.

SPEAKER_01 57:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:39

Um, but but anyway, yeah, so that that's kind of where I uh I kind of my faith was being molded and and shifting at times. I mean, I became much more inclusive and uh I became much more Lutheran going without getting into it too much. Yeah, because being at ELCA college, you really find out what Lutheranism is, what Martin Luther was about. Um but but yeah, so out of college I was like, okay, what am I gonna do immediately? And I found this really cool like opportunity to be an actor educator through climb theater in Invergrove Heights, and we would go to classrooms and we would do topical sketches, not skits. Everybody, don't call them skits, they're sketches. Um, they're not SNL skits, they're sketches. Um, but we would do these sketches and we would debrief them. So we would basically talk about higher education, we would do like a sketch, and then we would talk about it. Uh, and it was really cool. It was a great combination of teaching and acting. Um, because I also the the trifecta here, the third one that you know, maybe become a pastor, yes, there's a teaching in that, but also I wanted to be maybe a teacher in general, yeah. Um, and so acting was like the third, like outrageous uh or like more wild uh thing that I could have done. And so I uh but because I had this experience right out of college being a part of this like theater company for a little while, like I kind of was like, okay, maybe I could do this, but then the TV and film came in, is because one, I got I love TV and film, and I was really influenced by it, like not just as an actor, but like I've seen movies that I've been changed, like my mindset changed. Same here, and I think that's the power of film, yeah, and acting and storytelling, and storytelling, yeah. Yeah, and so like because I was so impacted by that, specifically, I was a part of a social justice theater group in college, um, and it was great because like it didn't matter what political affiliation, didn't matter what religion, like people came together to talk about how people are impacted by social issues, which can include jealousy, it could also include homelessness, you know, like it ranges. Huge range. Social issues have a huge range, and I but yeah, I found out how impactful that work was. And so I definitely like I was hooked in acting for a lot of those reasons. But TV and film came in there when I had a um uh a class in college called Professional Acting, and this teacher just basically did a bunch of conference calls with people in Hollywood, and so that like that planted the seed a little bit. Um, but yeah, I'd love to do theater, but I honestly I felt a little insecure about it. Yeah, because even after four years of college, I didn't major in it, I don't have my MFA or whatever. And you know, I knew a lot of people would go to LA, uh, you know, and it was this adventure. So I think there's uh an adventure aspect, there's this unknown, uh, and there's this different acting that I haven't done yet. Um, and it was during the recession in 2008. Yeah, it's perfect timing in some ways. And so I was like, maybe, maybe I can do TV and film. No, no, LA is where all the beautiful people are. I can't go there. I can't go to New York to do theater or TV and film because I got I gotta know how to dance, sing, and act. I'm not a triple threat, I can barely act. Um, and then LA, I was like, Well, I'm not beautiful, but then someone I can't remember who it was, but someone was like, you know, I'm just gonna credit you, Noel. Uh you're like, hey, what's your favorite show? Seinfeld. Yeah, what about Michael Richards? He's not your traditionally right handsome person. Yeah. Um, and so, and this is a whole tangent I won't get on, but like I I call myself an ugly actor because it's like if people are like, You're not ugly, you're not ugly. I'm like, I know I'm not ugly, but once you get to LA and you see some of these character descriptions, well, that's what I'm gonna say.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:25

I I know I've obviously have you know talked to you throughout this whole journey. Some of the parts you've you've gotten have literally been described as like tall, tall, weird-looking guys.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:35

Yes, you know, yes, and yeah, when you get when when a description says weird looking, you're like, what are you trying to say?

SPEAKER_00 1:01:42

But if you look back at your kind of acting resume, it's that that you your height has kind of been one of them. And it's just like, yeah, who you are is who you are. I mean, not everyone's six foot seven, you know what I mean? Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:54

So, like, right, yeah, and and so there's the height, and then like I have a long neck, I've got a larger nose, but these are like not insults, these are just facts. Yeah, and uh Hollywood, this is my challenge to Hollywood, and I I do something called the human library, so I talk about this. Human library is really cool, check it out. Uh, but you can check out people as books, and so I talk about being a character actor, yeah, about quote unquote being an ugly actor.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:17

Um, because yeah, I think that's a that's a social issue because we're obsessed with looks in the US. Uh, and but also just in acting in general. You go to other markets, they're obsessed with looks too. Yeah, you go to India, you go to, you know, uh European markets. Um, so anyway, that this is something that I have found that like I kind of have to push through. Um, but it's also something that you know, like the Holly Hollywood needs to step it up a little bit and be a little less stereotypical about what they view. Like, I look like a quote unquote nerd, like a DD nerd. I go out for those all the time. But realistically, I'm a sports card nerd. Yeah, so like, but I'm not gonna go out for that. Why? Because we're still wrapped up in this assumption of what a nerd looks like, which is so just untrue. Um, but anyway, I digress a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:05

When you when you moved out here, what was the hardest part? I uh you know, for me, I only knew literally like two people, right? I knew my I knew my soon-to-be wife, her mom, and that was like kind of kind of it. So for me to be socially, I'm I'm a social person, I've always been that social butterfly. I've always had you know friends with different ways and groups or whatever, but to leave my friends, my family, my work, my school friends, and to come here, like what was the hardest? You know, for me, it was that social aspect. What was the hardest part for you when you moved out here?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:39

I think two things. One, I agree, social aspect that that'd probably be number one. Um, I was lucky I moved out here and I stayed with someone that I had like it was a friend, it was a friend's sister's uh boyfriend at the time. So I I I had an immediate friend, okay, which was very helpful. And he kind of showed me the ropes because he had just been to like acting conservatory in LA, and so um, he was a good guide. Um, got some background work, yeah, you know, through his encouragement. Um, that would be one so that that community, because also when you're out of college, when you're out of school, like you don't have intentional spaces where you see people routinely or consistently. I mean, this is one reason why church is an amazing place, yeah, is because you can see people every week if you show up regularly, right? Um, but yeah, that was hard because if even if you book a job, you book a job for that one time, and then you potentially will never see these people again. Um, so that'd be socially. Uh the second one, which was just like there's so there's so much to do, so many options, and it's overwhelming. Yeah, it's really overwhelming where you're like, Well, there's a lot going on, yeah, yeah. And not just in the entertainment world, just in Los Angeles in general. So you're like, it's like, wow, the beach is right there, but I haven't been to the beach in four months, you know? Yeah, so yeah, and just like slowing yourself down, making yourself a schedule. Yeah, uh, I mean, I haven't had a schedule most of my life, which isn't always a good thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:05

Um do you do you still feel like you're a Minnesotan living in California, or do you kind of consider yourself now Californian?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:12

I'll always be a Minnesotan. Yeah, I love Minnesota, yeah. I love going back, I love my parents, I love my family, I love friends. Um, and I brag about Minnesota all the time. I'm representing them with my shirts, my hats. Yeah, um but same here, yeah. But but you know what? I feel a little bit more like a Los Angeles Angelino? I don't know. I think I said it right. Angelino? Angelino, yeah. Sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:38

So I uh that's the first I've ever heard of it. A Viselian Viselian, Los Angelin, Los Angelino.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:44

Oh, okay. That's what I've that's I've heard it.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:46

That sounds like a Chef Poeur D like meal.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:50

Well, I'll buy it. Um, but yeah, I I would say I I started a community down there um in 2013 uh called Rogue and Because of Rogue, I feel like that kind of I got some roots. Yeah, I got some roots where I'm teaching classes, I'm organizing classes, improv, storytelling, artivism. And so this has grounded me. This has been really helpful. So because of that community, I actually feel like I'm a part of it. Yeah. Because otherwise, be having an industry that's so transient, like I can move to Las Vegas tomorrow. Right. Like, what's holding me in LA? Sometimes I wonder because so many self-tapes happened. I mean, I did two self-tapes yesterday. Yep. In the room that you have generously provided me.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:36

Um, yeah, no, it's yeah. I I kind of I'm kind of the same way. I I think you know, I'm I'm very proud, obviously. I mean, I have a Minnesota tattoo, so I mean, um, always wearing gopher stuff, and although I do consider myself now more of a Californian, obviously, but I'm uh there's always part of home.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:54

What about California? Do you really love that's different than Minnesota?

SPEAKER_00 1:06:58

Yeah, I mean, I love so much about it, and my wife is gonna kind of you know clip, record this, and because she's always zombie about oh, Minnesota. Um, I I mean here in Visalia, we're lucky because we're an hour away from the biggest tree in the world. Yeah, the mountain. There's nothing that's like I love going up to the mountains in the summer, the water hole. Um, the ocean, I mean the ocean. Oudah, also I love the ocean. I love the beach, central coast, I love the variety here. Um, love the food here. Um, yeah, uh the food is insane. But I do the fact I do love the fact that here in Visalia, we're we're we're a day's trip away from San Francisco, a couple hours away from LA, obviously, in the mountains and ocean. Um, yeah, I I love that. I love the the produce. I love the yeah, the the benefits of that. Um, yeah, I mean I I I I do enjoy it here. Here first, Rachel. I know you're listening. Um, no, I do, I do love it here. Um, it took me a while because it is so different, yeah, from from Minnesota, right? And one of the questions I had here was like, what's the most California moment you've had where you thought I'm not in Minnesota, I'm not in Minnesota anymore? And I you know, I was gonna ask you that, but gosh, so many answers came like even the heat, right? The mycelia heat, it's like, oh my gosh. That's true. I I do miss the seasons, like I do miss the seasons of Minnesota because we do have legitimately and fall is my favorite season. Yeah, we do have legitimately like four seasons in Minnesota.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:34

Um, but um that's a great question. I I think just to really quickly answer it, I think being in LA where everyone is like talking about who they met or who they know, I'm like, I don't really care. How are you as a person? But I think people use that as currency down in LA, yeah. And people are also used to it, so I can't necessarily fault them for going in that direction. I think sometimes they're borderline, like um, it's all about who you know, it's all but yeah, borderline narcissism. And I I can't always blame them because this is they grew up in a town where it's all about you know, it's about it's about the hustle, right? And that's something that was really new to me. I I didn't have to hustle in Minnesota. No, and I didn't I don't like the hustle, right? It's not me. I kind of top my own.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:22

Minnesota and the Midwest is is more modest, right? It's a little bit more humble, and and so there's downsides to that, there's passive aggressiveness, 100%.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:32

Uh, but but yeah, I I also value that modesty, and I don't know, like also being a part of the church, yeah, which which church values modesty most of the time, but LA churches, not necessarily, yeah, necessarily.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:46

Which it kind of, you know, my next question too. I it's something I want to talk to you about is do you think home is a more of a place or a feeling now? I I think when I moved out here, uh it was a place. I think the first three or four years I moved out here, I would literally say, Oh, I haven't been home in a while, and I would refer to Minnesota, but I lived out here, you know what I mean. But I think you know, I think home is kind of I don't want to say a feeling or a place, I probably lean more towards feeling. It's a home is where you want it to be, in a sense. It's a it is about community, and I I'm I am I am blessed with a great community here in Visalia. I mean, I really, really am. I got some I I know some great people here who have been supportive, not only just me here working here at church, but just even personally, you know what I mean? And it's just great to kind of have that feeling. Um, yeah, you you bump into so many people uh out and about out and about, yeah. Um, but but it is it, I don't know. I I'll be honest, like I I did come here to California just very unsure because I think sometimes we we are people nostalgia, and I think that that haunts us in a way because we always want things to be what it was. And you and I growing up in a great community in Minnesota, I did come here to California thinking, yeah, like I'm not gonna have that. And I remember just being like a little depressed about it. So I'm like, I'm not gonna have close friends like I did in Minnesota or close community or close church. So I do remember moving here being just kind of having this bias.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:18

Yeah, you know, I I echo that. I echo that because yeah, we did have a strong community, which I also found out that was very even unique for Minnesota.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:27

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:27

Um, it kind of spoiled us and blinded us a little bit. I mean, looking back, like we were so blessed with a great community of friends, it it it kind of like almost I'm not gonna say set us up, but it kind of like gave us impression that it's so like oh it just you can build that anywhere, you know, right? Or or yeah, and so when you come out here, you're like, Oh my gosh, no, and I think that's us being young too. Like, we were young and naive, even though at the time you're 20, 21, you don't realize how naive you are, but you still are. Um, yeah, oh yeah, now that we're 40 years old, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:12:00

And I'll be nice when I'm 60, I'll be naive.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:03

I'm naive now to what that experience is like, but but I do remember coming here being like, yeah, like I remember just kind of being bummed out, but then I don't know. I I think God just always has a way of like reminding you like I'm present here too, and you know, community is so much more than just where you were before or whatever. Like I think community too, like you can build community almost anywhere, yeah. And if you're open to it, I think that's the key. You got to be open to because I I did not come here open, but then like you know, I was stubborn, and I think God was like, Hey, there's there's amazing people here, and there is 100%, and and you gotta invest, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:46

I think you can't just expect it to happen, which that kind of happened in high school for us.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:50

It just kind of happened, it did.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:52

We we we stumbled upon a jackpot, we did, yeah, and I and like reflection about it too is I've tried to duplicate that community here in LA, yeah, and you probably have done the same. And I think though, so those roots I think were really good and healthy, but like, yeah, the nostalgia nostalgia can really it can be fun, it can be enjoyable, it can feel comforting, but it can also there's a dark side to nostalgia.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:17

Well, yeah, I mean, I think nostalgia can chain you up because it it it convinces you to like replicate something that can't be replicated, yeah, right. And we hear that a lot, you know. Back then we used to do this, or and I get it, like because people want to feel that I don't know, people want to feel good. I mean, people want that feeling again, people, but at the same time, like that's not fair to the people in your life now, that's not fair to yourself. That's you know, it's almost like a lose lose sometimes, and so um, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:46

And I am like I hold on to things too, like physically. So I'm like a junior hoarder, and uh um but yeah, but over the years, what's helped is this idea of like okay, uh letting go and giving it to someone else, giving it to something else. So metaphorically, you don't have to literally give someone a baseball card or whatever. You can also like say, Hey, you know what? I'm gonna give you my time, yeah, and I'm gonna spend some time with you. And I'll tell you, when I open myself up to people that maybe made me a little, I don't feel as seen by them. I also maybe felt a little uncomfortable, right? I'm surprised how many times I'm like, oh, now they're a good friend.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:21

Yeah. Well, and I think nostalgia convinces us to play the comparison game too.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:26

Oh, all the time, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:27

And I think that's that was my that was kind of my struggle too, was like, well, this isn't the same as Minnesota. These people aren't the same as the people of Minnesota. So you compare, compare, and it's like it's not fair to them, not fair to you. And like no one wins, right? When you try to compare, like, give everybody deserves to have their own space in your life, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:47

So you know what actually really helped though, too, is is having you in California, man. I mean, I am so grateful that it worked this way because was a part of we did not plan this out at all, no, like, but it couldn't have worked better in some ways, yeah. And because I know I have a home here, I know that you have told me that so many times, and I feel so loved. And then also, you know, you come through LA, hey, even if you're just passing by, let's grab lunch, grab dinner, grab lunch, yeah. It's it's amazing, and it's it's great. And you know, there's I I think that I've even like during some parts where I'm like second guessing whether I should be in LA, yeah. Like, well, yeah, but then I'd move away from Noel and his family, and I can't do that. Yeah, so I almost use you of don't do that. No, I know, and and I and I realize that I I don't want to ever that there's no pressure on that, but there's also like no, it's it's a beautiful thing. Yeah, I like I want to keep investing in those communities um as well, and it's hard, it's hard because I've lost track with some of those friends in Minnesota.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:51

Yeah, that's probably the toughest part, is and it's no one's fault, but like that was something that I was not ex I was not expecting. I don't know if that's the right word, but you know, you is is is that is like is um you don't realize kind of like you don't you take for granted the the power of presence like physical presence, right? And so when you live near someone, you're just involved more in their life just because of that of the proximity, yeah, right. But when you move away, like they're not in your they're not in your life socially because literally you're five states away. And so the social aspect, the proximity aspect, so now you're relying on the phone or or texting, but they're busy. Yeah, and guess what? Like we all grew up, our careers are getting more bigger and responsible, and families and kids. So it's like well, I barely have time to call them or text them. And when I do, that doesn't mean their schedule is perfectly aligned with me. Yeah, and so I think that was something that really struggled with was like, yeah, I'm not as close to people back in Minnesota as I was before, but it's like, well, that's just how life is when you just are separated, right? You're you're naturally closer to the people that are in like your physical space, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:17:10

And I and for a while I'll go home during Christmas for two weeks, yeah. And I'll always hit up all the people, and you know, some of them will say I just don't have time. Yeah, I used to take insult to that a little bit because I'm like, I'm home once a year, right? But chill out, Michael. You know, maybe well, yeah, you're on vacation, they're not right, you know, exactly. And also, Michael, get better at texting, get better at maybe sending an email and just connecting that way too. Because is it what you want? No, but is it what you have? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:39

And that's what they uh, you know, long distance friendships would call them, but yeah, you have to work harder. You do you have to work harder because again, you don't you don't have the luxury of them living 10 minutes away from you, yeah. You where you can have a lunch here and there, you know, and so I I do I think I'm at peace of it now more. I mean, it took me 15 years, I guess. But by I do remember those first five years of just being like, Oh, I'm not as close to those Minnesota friends anymore. And I remember kind of being upset about it, being bitter, I guess, you know. But at the same time, it's like, well, we're busy, they're busy, and that's just kind of how life is. But you do have to work harder, even with our our parents, right? We call I call my mom or my family, like you got to be more intentional, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:21

Yeah, and sometimes and something I really value about you, Noel, is like you're an initiator, you're a very good initiator. And I and I remember we talked about this uh a little while back where I'm like, Are you okay that you initiate maybe more than I do? And you're I think you said not to out you, but you as you're like, Well, as long as you're responding, yeah. If you don't respond, that's where you get upset. Yeah, a little bit, a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:43

But that's just kind of who I am, right? And so, but as you get older, you don't have that much energy to you just we don't we don't have that much energy or time to just kind of like not waste, but it's like I do initiate because it's like you know, you're a priority, right? And I think that's a lesson too for our listeners, it's just like invest in the community around you, right? You know, because that's that community that that you need. Um, community is so important.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:10

And if you get overwhelmed like I do pretty easily, then take a deep breath. Yeah, just reach out to one person that day. Yeah, don't be like, I'm gonna reach out to 20 people, like it might be too much because now you're handling like 20 different conversations, but just focus on one person. Heck, do something revolutionary, giving them a call. Is that a thing? Could do these things work? I love computers.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:31

I love a good phone call. Some people, yeah, they they're not, and I always call them just to bother them, but um, you know who you are.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:39

But um, one conversation is worth 10,000 texts. Yeah, yeah, that's the updated version of the oh, picture's worth a thousand words.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:48

But it's interesting though, because you and I had to leave a great community and start another community, and I and I think confidently we can say you have a great community down there. Um, I have a great community down here, but again, it that happened because you and I took a risk. You and I have been intentional, and and some of it is luck, some of it is we're surrounded by great people, but at the same time, I think community is what you make it, and yeah, and that's a hard truth sometimes, especially for people who are maybe are a little bit more introverted. Like we're talking right now, we're extroverts, right? And so that kind of stuff does come easy. It's it's easy for you and I to be like, oh, just reach out, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:27

Although with time I've become more introverted. You have, yeah, I have too.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:31

By definition, I have too though. Yeah, I I I've needed more. I I think I've always been by definition a more of an introvert. I just I've always been crazy, but but I do value my my time and my space and my energy.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:44

I yeah, it's interesting because we have the gear, we can turn it on. Oh, yeah, but it's like where do you feel the most relaxed? And yeah, sometimes I'm like, no, I just don't want to talk to anyone. I'm good.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:54

But like for you and I though, too, it's important for us to recognize like the introverts in our life, yeah. Just you know what I mean. Like, how how much do we blame people because they're not the same personality as we are?

SPEAKER_01 1:21:06

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 1:21:07

And so we have to ignite like my wife, she's an introvert, and so it's like it would be very unhealthy for me to think like she has to tailor to my personality, you know, you know, to each their own, and we have to we have to honor people's personality.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:20

I mean, because really we're honoring their dignity and who they are, and so yeah, I would say also it it's we don't have to understand someone to honor them, yeah, to respect them, right? But I think that's where my mind goes sometimes. Oh, I don't get it, yeah. I don't get it.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:36

So why do you not yeah, you know, you know the best way to XYZ the best way to kind of use it as a social experiment is go to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Yeah, I mean, kind of for real, because I I always give this talk to the youth where I'm like, listen, we're not here to shame other people because they don't want to go on the ride you don't you want to go on. Every rider is different. Some rides you're standing up, some rides you're laying down, some rides go up and down, some rides go upside down, and everyone's stomach is different, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:22:04

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 1:22:05

Like, I and so, like this again, like we're not shaming people if they don't want to go on a certain ride with you. Like, that's just we're not doing that, like, and so and we're also don't feel guilty if you say no. And so it's like, yeah, that's how our personalities are.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:21

We all still working on that.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:22

We're all different.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:24

I say no, sometimes I feel guilty, really, still, even to this day, but it's a great boundary, you've got to put up boundaries, and yeah, but yeah, the shame thing though, my goodness, this this has happened a lot. Like, even I don't I don't know if I think it's all shame's always been on the table, yeah, generation after generation. Uh, but it's different, I think. Um, you know, now it's like, yeah, if you don't think the way I do or do what I do, then yeah, you're you're wrong, or I'm upset at you, or I don't want to talk to you. Right. Um, that's why like I like schools and I like social areas where you have to bump in with people that think differently than you. So um, but because of the internet, and not to blame the internet, we become insular of like this is just my little compartment. Yep, and this is my little you know box that I put myself in.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:13

Yeah, I mean, I always tell the youth that like please, please let your first reaction to the things you don't understand be patience and love. That's great. You know what I mean? Because more times than not, we're we don't understand a lot of things, yeah. People's actions, people's words, or just the world going around. Like, so you know, it would serve you better if your first reaction to the things you don't understand is patience, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:23:37

And one way to have patience, silence. Literally, just don't talk. You don't have to respond. Yep, yep. So think about it, mull it over. Uh, but also I I get this in improv a lot. Um, and is like I'll be like, uh, there's a game called New Choice. So they're like um uh in the scene, they might just be like, Wow, that's really tall. Uh new choice. Oh, that's really small, new choice. Or but what happens, people will say, Oh, that's really tall, new choice. Oh, that's really big, new choice. Yeah, oh, that's that's got a really high height. Like, you're just saying the same thing over and over and over. So, like, really allow yourself to have a new choice entirely. Um but yeah, that's me sneaking in a little improv. That's right, because I love improv, teaches great life lessons. Me and Seelov have different definitions of improv.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:27

No, all right. We're gonna end this with two, we're gonna end this with two kind of fun relatable questions here. Nice. What is something that Californians do that still confuses you?

SPEAKER_02 1:24:37

They don't use your blinker. Are you kidding me? I mean, is that more of an LA thing? That might be more of an LA thing, but Californians in general, um that's a tough one, yeah. Because when I'm up here, I feel like everyone's just so nice and okay connected. But that's also I'm a guest, I'm not like living up here, so I don't have a chance to see their faults. Yeah, um, what's yours?

SPEAKER_00 1:25:01

I I don't want to say it confuses me. I just love how people will literally spend so much money to drive up to the mountains and play in the snow, just get a plane ticket to Minnesota, baby. But that comes from where again we live in a land where seven months out of the year it's so much snow. So it's just like it's so funny. I see Instagram posts like, today we went to the snow, and I'm just like, I'm trying to avoid that. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, and then we'll take our kids up to the mountains, and it's like a chore, you know. I have to fill up my gas tank, I gotta get all the winter clothes out, you know. It's like an expense for me to go see the snow. And I'm like, it goes against every grain in my body. And I love listen, I get it, Californians. I really do, but I love the the social media pictures of like best snow day ever. I'm like, you'll never see that.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:56

That's true. I guess it's the same thing that like uh when we call something a beach in Minnesota, they're like, that's not the beach, yeah. Beach is on the ocean. Yeah, absolutely. Oh, okay. I thought beach was just sand.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:07

Yeah. That's where like the most California the question, what's the most California moment you've had where you thought not in Minnesota anymore? That's my same thing as the snow. Also, the fog. I I was not prepared for the fog. Does it get foggy down in LA?

SPEAKER_02 1:26:21

No, not really.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:22

But it gets really foggy here in the middle.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:23

Well, it gets cold down in LA at night, and I didn't I didn't expect that because it's a desert.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:27

What? I don't I didn't know. No, I guess chilly here too in the winter, too.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:31

Um, be last one. Be honest. What Minnesota things are just better?

SPEAKER_02 1:26:36

Oh, what Minnesota things are just better. Oh, I'm gonna get in so much trouble up here. Yeah, I'm not gonna have any friends anymore. Stir the pot here. Stow the pot. Um, things are just better.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:47

Um, I mean, I think I outside of like, you know, gas and cost of living. Oh, right.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:58

Yeah, no doubt. Um, I think I think Vicelia excluded, honestly. Um, but in LA, the sense of community, I mean, I know we talked about it a lot, but like, yeah, I just think the sense of community, it's like, no, this is a LA is like a destination town. Yeah, no one goes there for community. And I think unfortunately, what I try to encourage people is say, you need community to live. Right. Like it's going to feed you. Yeah. Um, but I think it's just like, no, what's what what's the next job or what's the next opportunity? And so they're not thinking community. And so there's a lot of like, oh yeah, I'd love to hang out, and no one hangs out, um, because it's not a priority, right? Um, so that's one. Um it's a little more, it's a little deeper. Yeah. Um, but uh yeah. Well, read the question one more time.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:49

I think I had one, but uh, what Minnesota things are just better?

SPEAKER_02 1:27:54

Um I mean water. We got lakes, baby. We got lakes. We got lakes. Take that canoe out there. We can maybe see. I saw a loon. There was a loon close to my canoe, and it was so amazing. Yeah. Um, but like camping and all of that. I mean, sure, yeah, you can go to Big Bear or like just like a round area. You go to Yosemite. Yosemite, right? Those are giant, they're huge. Yeah. But there's something about a smaller national park that like is all forest. Um, and that smell. Yeah. I mean, I get that smell too in like Seattle when you just get this like, whoops, um, I'm getting angry here. No skip. Uh um, but yeah, um, I hit the stand. That's what I did, just case you didn't know what I was doing. Um, and yeah, I guess things in Minnesota, I mean the state fair.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:43

Yeah, the state fair is legit.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:45

Best state fair in the country.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:47

It is. That was my answer, actually.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:48

Yeah, state fair, state fair, state fair. Yep. Even like I would say the Renaissance Festival um is better in Minnesota than you lost me.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:56

No, you've never been to the Renaissance Festival. Feel free to talk about the Renaissance Fair by yourself for the next 20 minutes. I got nothing to add.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:04

You have to go.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:04

I think Pastor Sean here is a big Renaissance guy. You have to talk to him about that.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:08

So much fun.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:08

I believe you. Would you dress up? No. What? I dress up as a Native American.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:15

Uh yeah. Really just stir the pot. Stir the pot.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:18

Do it. I mean, Renaissance area. I'm just trying to think of like you'd be you'd be a Native American that because I mean they're duplicating there.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:29

Is not a bone in my body that's had any desire to go to the Renaissance fair. Really? Although I do think I saw a link today on social media that the Viselia Renaissance Fair is like this weekend or coming up. Oh, you gotta go then. Yeah, we'll see.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:42

Check that out. I mean, I did like sword fighting, uh, so I learned I learned how to fence at one of them. Really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:49

Well, uh, and then there's like there's this rock band that was there that it when I went a rock band at a renaissance fair? They were playing like Celtic music. Yeah, it was really it was electric. So like everything well, wasn't really Renaissance even. No, no, but that was it's the mashup. It was a mashup. Okay. Oh, and then there was oh, I could go on and on. The pleasure fair is what it's called down in LA.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:11

Do you uh this is actually a last one, but it's more reflective. Do you think you'll ever move back?

SPEAKER_02 1:30:18

No, I want to say this, and maybe I maybe I shouldn't say it, but no, I have a picture.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:24

Are we breaking news here?

SPEAKER_02 1:30:26

Well, I have a picture of of all of us moving back to Minnesota. You and Rachel, yeah, moving to Minnesota, me moving back to Minnesota, us living in a cul de sack, and just having a having a good old time. I mean, we're lighting out fireworks, we're you know, kids are out of the house, or at this point my kids will probably just be born, um, since I don't have any kids yet. So um, but I don't know. There's like there's this idyllic, like, what if we turn back the clock and we all come together? Yeah. I don't know. I that's that's an ideal I have. Okay, but also my parents are getting older, yeah, and I love them, and I want them to because both of their sons don't live in Minneapolis. So I do feel a little bit of uh a pull to go back for a couple years or so to really spend time and take care of them if necessary. Um, that's been on my mind and heart. Um I think, but yeah, I I don't know. I I and then if maybe I stay there after that because I can act in the Twin Cities. Um, there's a lot of self-tapes. If I really get something that is nice, uh a nice role, I can fly to LA if necessary. Um, but yeah, I think I'll be back in Minnesota at some point. I always told myself back when I moved to LA, I remember I was like, Noel, once I hit 40, I'm moving back to Minnesota, I'll be a public school teacher. Yeah, you love teaching. Yeah, and I still have that impulse, even though I don't have it like, well, it's 40, time to go. Right. Um, I just turned 40 last year, and so but yeah, so yeah, I don't think Minnesota's out of the picture. I think it's it's definitely in the picture, but I have to do some convincing, possibly. Yeah, no, right.

SPEAKER_00 1:32:11

I'm not gonna say uh, you know, if someone if someone asks me if I'm moving back, I'm not gonna say no, but I'm not gonna say yes. If I move back to Minnesota, it's not gonna be for a while, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:32:24

So right, right. Which which is totally understandable.

SPEAKER_00 1:32:27

Although I think you you you're back way soon way before me. You think so? I think so. 2028. Yeah, no, I think you are, yeah, but but more for the parental thing, right? Honestly, yeah. I think it's also easier for you to move than your brother. So it is, but um it is no, is it is it desire? Sure, but what if I broke the news to the Christ Lutheran? I'm moving next year, moving back. See you later. No, I'm just kidding. But the podcast can travel, yeah. That's right. So yeah. All right. Well, thank you so much for tuning in today. We hope this conversation gave you something new to think about, whether it's an idea, a story, or just a fresh perspective on everyday life. Don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss future episodes and share this podcast with friends or family who might enjoy it too. We love hearing our from our listeners, so connect with us online and let us know what topics you'd like for us to explore. Until next time, keep asking questions, stay curious, and enjoy the little moments that make life meaningful. Hope you all have a wonderful day. And from the Grace Period Podcast, we will see you later. Bye-bye. Appreciate it. High five.