Infertility & Evangelism

Episode 02 gets real deep in the roots as we talk about everything from body rolls and Karens to the ways they are coping with infertility. We also discuss how we like to best share the good news of Jesus and how you can do the same in your life.

Get ready for lots of laughs as Amanda & Joseph take you inside their relationship.

⛪️ Dropping the church service we referred to here: 
https://youtu.be/kSSCEqwsuJU?si=Y0L5qILkndYgZyg1

‼️ Don't forget to leave a comment to help us out and let us know what you'd like to see more of on this series! Sooo much more to get into!!

➡️ Subscribe to my YouTube channel or follow along on Spotify/Apple Podcasts as we will drop new episodes weekly. You also can't miss the everyday fun on my Instagram stories @movinwithmandy - https://www.instagram.com/movinwithmandy/

Thanks for letting us talk your ears off ! 😋

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to episode two of Us Unveiled.

unknown 0:04

Woo!

SPEAKER_03 0:06

So excited.

SPEAKER_00 0:07

I think this is gonna be our new thing where we just that's our intro. Welcome to Us Unveiled. Woo! And then you sarcastically.

SPEAKER_03 0:14

I gotta I gotta come up with something new every time. Oh I can't do the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

Oh so it's just gonna grow every week.

SPEAKER_03 0:20

Yeah, but subtle improvement.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

Oh, okay. Anticipation, people. Get ready.

SPEAKER_02 0:26

I'm curious to see what's coming now.

SPEAKER_03 0:28

I know, and you should I should plan.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

Oh man. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 0:33

Maybe next this is sorry, this is going off topic, but maybe one of these days I'll just do like a random body roll.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

He was giving me a body roll this morning, and he he was just doing it for the head was doing it. This man dances more than anybody I know, and he has the worst coronations.

SPEAKER_02 0:51

But he's going, he's doing this body roll, and he's going, and he's like, Yeah, and then he starts getting into it, and then it's just like a hip thrust chest pounce, and I was like, What is happening? I was like, I don't think you're doing the body roll.

SPEAKER_03 1:06

One of these days.

SPEAKER_02 1:07

One of these days. I've tried, I've tried to teach you.

SPEAKER_03 1:09

I had it for a minute, but whatever. Anyway, that's okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Maybe when you get your six pack, you can be busting out that body roll.

SPEAKER_03 1:16

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Skinny mini is still.

SPEAKER_03 1:19

It's right on the docket.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

It's on the docket? Yeah. That's a new one.

SPEAKER_03 1:25

We're thinking like three months out.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Oh. Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:31

Which means before the end of summer. So if you think, what's that? May, June, July, mid-August.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

You'll have a six pack?

SPEAKER_03 1:39

Starting to show. It's almost like a pregnant woman who's like. Let's say like six weeks in. She's starting the show.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 1:51

The six pack will start the show.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

You know, he's been saying he's gonna have a six-pack for the last ten years.

SPEAKER_03 1:59

So this is I have yet to see it.

SPEAKER_02 2:02

But every year he says, before the end of summer, before the end of summer.

SPEAKER_03 2:07

But on that note, we were looking at photos last night, though.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

You were looking at photos.

SPEAKER_03 2:12

I was, I was reminiscing. I I went ways back too.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Yeah. And um You went through lots of stages. We both did, but you you had uh body stages.

SPEAKER_03 2:22

Yeah, no, face, body, hair.

SPEAKER_01 2:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:26

Yeah, you name it. It was interesting. You too.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

Oh, yeah, oh the hair.

SPEAKER_03 2:32

We've seen some uh progress to say that.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

My hair has gone through the ringer. I went through stages. I look back and I'm like, what?

SPEAKER_03 2:40

And who stayed with you through the thick and thin? Me.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

Yep. Yep. I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_03 2:49

Anyways, when we were, what was it like three or four? No, shoot, probably six years ago. Okay. We did a uh diet pretty intense.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

They cut out That was six years ago now?

SPEAKER_03 3:00

Yeah, six years. Whoa. Yeah, time flies.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Wow. Okay, go on.

SPEAKER_03 3:04

But anyways, we did no sugar, literally no sugar, not even fruit.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

We hired a personal trainer. Yeah, it was we did the whole deal.

SPEAKER_03 3:12

The the start was kind of miserable too. But, anyways, after like three months of doing that, we saw some pictures that looked pretty convincing of me with a six-pack.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

You did not have a six-pack.

SPEAKER_03 3:25

I was shocked.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

You you you were very, very skinny though, which I was impressed because I haven't seen you that skinny in a long time. But it's not that you look bad because you look phenomenal.

SPEAKER_03 3:36

Yeah, okay. We love you, but it gave me hope, and we're getting there. So this is week one of the diet. But I've been on a four-day or three three or four-day streak.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Uh-huh. He's actually tracking macros, calories, all the things. We've been ordering food delivery services. So it's been it's been going.

SPEAKER_03 3:58

Yeah, aside from like the nausea and um you know, lightheadedness, like things have been pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 4:06

I call him my drama king because I love him so much, but man, he is the most dramatic human being ever. He wakes up, he's on day three of his diet. I just couldn't sleep at all. I'm just I'm going through it right now. My body.

SPEAKER_03 4:23

I had night sweats. I had throttled.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

I woke up and my my belly was glistening with sweat. I don't know what's going on. I feel nauseous constantly.

SPEAKER_03 4:34

You act like I make this stuff up, but it's it's real. Like I literally woke up and I saw my chest, and I'm like, oh my gosh, like that thing's like shiny. Like there's and it was out of concern. Like I had sweat so much. Night sweats. Like, that's you know, people get withdrawals when they quit like drugs and stuff. That's how I'm feeling right now, but with sugar.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Wow. Well, maybe this is a good thing.

SPEAKER_03 4:56

It probably is.

SPEAKER_01 4:58

I'm proud of you.

SPEAKER_03 4:59

But who knew sugar could be so deadly?

SPEAKER_01 5:01

Those next skin picks are gonna be good though. Skin picks. This is what Joseph calls his like before those before and after transformation photos.

SPEAKER_03 5:10

Well, the ones that show a little extra uh skin.

SPEAKER_02 5:14

You and your underwear, yeah, the skin picks.

SPEAKER_03 5:18

But I do need to get a tan though. I can't have a farmer's tan next time I do a skin pick.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

No. And then it and then it honestly a tan just makes you look toner as it is.

SPEAKER_03 5:27

It does. I don't know why when we were doing our diet the last time that we never did a tan. Well, actually, you did. I did not. You actually looked really good.

SPEAKER_01 5:36

I looked too tan though.

SPEAKER_03 5:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

There is a too tan in the table.

SPEAKER_03 5:39

Well, you went to a frying bed every day.

unknown 5:42

I did.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

That was me when I figured that was after we got married, so I figured out what it was.

SPEAKER_03 5:47

Before you got really concerned about the whole skin cancer thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Yeah. Yeah. No, I don't do that. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:52

I don't tan either. We get through to get out.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

You you actually got a tanning bed membership or frying bed membership, as you call it, at one point. So don't even don't even go there because you had one.

unknown 6:04

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 6:05

Anyways.

SPEAKER_02 6:07

Well, so news update we have a new Karen in our community. And I actually know this person really well.

SPEAKER_03 6:16

Do you? Who?

SPEAKER_02 6:21

Joseph is the new Karen of our community.

SPEAKER_03 6:24

I'm really not. I just express what I'm thinking to share my thoughts.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

All the time.

SPEAKER_03 6:29

Yeah, but that doesn't qualify me as a Karen.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Well, we went on a walk last night, and Joseph is going. I I think you said four different things in like a five minutes that we had just started walking. You were like, man, this person's house, it looks like a jungle in their yard. And then you're like, there's too many bunnies all over the place. It's getting, they're they're reminding me, they're they're bringing me demonic vibes.

SPEAKER_03 6:55

And then you're there's a lot of bunnies.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

And then the road, yeah, I'm like demonic, but bunnies. What are you talking about?

SPEAKER_01 7:02

And then the road, you're like, they're building a new road and it's looking very bumpy. My wife.

SPEAKER_03 7:08

Oh, wavy.

SPEAKER_01 7:10

Wavy. Though this is my wife gets sick on these roads and they just build them so bumpy.

SPEAKER_00 7:17

Wavy.

SPEAKER_03 7:18

I'm looking up for your concern here.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

I know. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 7:21

It's just so you don't appreciate it because you're ragging on me right now.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

I love it. Karen.

SPEAKER_03 7:29

You're sounding like the Karen right now.

SPEAKER_02 7:31

Nah, we've switched roles here.

SPEAKER_03 7:33

No. Okay, all of these are valid concerns that everyone's thinking, but no one's expressing it. And I'm just helping the people. I'm I'm helping them have a voice. I I am giving the community a voice through my Facebook posts and my just kidding. No, but that would be dead. I was like, oh no, he's I would be an absolute weapon on Facebook if I really let it rip.

SPEAKER_00 8:02

Oh my gosh. Can we just live? Like, just live in a housing community.

SPEAKER_03 8:08

Uh whatever.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

Who cares what the neighbor's doing?

SPEAKER_03 8:11

I you know, I've been always been very polite to the neighbors. I've never said anything mean.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

No, our neighbors are fine.

SPEAKER_03 8:22

Yeah. But when you let weeds get up to like four feet tall, you got a jungle, okay? Let's be clear on that.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 8:34

I don't need to like convince anyone that's not a Karen move, that's a normal US citizen move right there. Weeds that are four feet tall, that is a jungle. End of story.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

I think we need to we need to move on from this conversation. And I think we should move into love languages. What does Karen? How does Karen like? Just kidding. I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_03 9:00

Why don't you tell me about your love language? What do you like?

SPEAKER_01 9:04

Well, so the so there's five lovely love languages. Do you know what they are?

SPEAKER_03 9:09

No, but teach me.

SPEAKER_01 9:10

I had to look them up because I actually did not know.

SPEAKER_03 9:12

So how do you expect me to know that?

SPEAKER_01 9:14

They're words of affirmation, physical touch, gifts, quality time, and acts of service. So if you had to pick a couple, what would you think that I am?

SPEAKER_03 9:24

Uh well, there's only one, and that's gifts.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Fair, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:27

I I like- And then maybe mildly acts of services?

SPEAKER_01 9:32

Okay, yeah. I would pick that too.

SPEAKER_03 9:34

I wouldn't say gifts is number one, and that's probably two, but those go hand in hand.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

I mean Do they? Services and tangible items, yeah, they're hand in hand.

SPEAKER_03 9:45

Um, because I think of those as very different.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

What do you think?

SPEAKER_03 9:51

No, you keep going on on your gifts.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

No, I'm curious.

SPEAKER_03 9:55

Well, I know, because I do not fulfill the gifts one.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

I'm well aware that you're a gift receiver, but that's not what you do for some reason.

SPEAKER_03 10:09

Yeah, I struggle with it.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

That's okay. We're learning.

SPEAKER_03 10:13

Acts of service is my love language.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

Like that you like or you do? Both for me. Because you definitely do acts of service for me.

SPEAKER_03 10:21

But I also want that.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Oh, so I don't get to tell you what I think yours are, you just get to tell my own.

SPEAKER_03 10:26

Like when you make dinner, that that's that makes me feel loved.

SPEAKER_01 10:31

Oh, I know. I was thinking, yeah, I was thinking yours was like acts of service and words of affirmation. Because I feel like you also you love cards, like when I give you cards.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

I do.

SPEAKER_01 10:45

And I feel like you appreciate kind words. Especially because I'm sarcastic a lot, so you probably but you sprinkle in the nice stuff. Okay, good. I try to.

SPEAKER_03 10:56

You're not all sarcasmic.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Thanks.

SPEAKER_03 10:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

Thanks.

SPEAKER_03 11:00

I think one of the most interesting things about love languages is how, like, as a guy, I don't understand a woman's love language, and you probably don't understand mine. It's like at all.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

But I feel like I feel like as you are with somebody, like, as we've been together for so many years, we've been learning what your love language is and how I can best fulfill that for you. Like, I feel like you when you get me coffee in the mornings, like I love that so much. Like you went out of your way to like go get me coffee or make me coffee or whatever. Like, I love that. When you just pick up and do the dishes after dinner and ask, I don't have to tell you anything, you just do it. I love that. Like, there's lots of things that you do that I'm like, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 11:49

Message to men though, keep her on her toes. Don't do it all the time, just do it periodically.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

No, do not listen to him.

SPEAKER_03 11:58

This is wiser.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

Do it all the time.

SPEAKER_03 12:00

No, but then you'll get used to it. If you if you do it, but then you give it a little dry spell in there and then come back to it, you know, randomly. It makes it all the better.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Honestly, you're like a clean freak though, anyway. So, like, you like things clean. So you're doing yourself a service too.

unknown 12:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

It's like a win-win.

SPEAKER_03 12:21

It is.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

Do then do the dishes.

SPEAKER_03 12:23

I actually don't mind the dishes. It's unloading the dishwasher. I hate it.

SPEAKER_01 12:28

It's like laundry. I hate folding it, but I'll do the laundry. It's just only putting it actually away.

SPEAKER_03 12:37

I don't get it.

SPEAKER_01 12:38

No, you actually the other day you noticed that you made a comment to me after church and had noticed something about me that I had been working on through myself.

SPEAKER_03 12:49

Patience?

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Yeah, you said, well, yeah, partly. You said, you said, I I feel I've loved where your heart's going. I feel like you've softened your heart a lot lately. And I feel like that I've actually been really working on that.

SPEAKER_03 13:02

Um you have done that. That like noticeably done done that.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

I know, and and I feel like I've been really working on that. That's been something that's challenged me lately, and my faith's challenged me to do. And I see you recognizing that though, like truly made my day, and like I remembered that, and I loved that.

SPEAKER_03 13:22

Well, it's memorable. Thank you for being such a perfect person.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

Oh, I'm not even close.

SPEAKER_03 13:28

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

You're sweet though.

SPEAKER_03 13:31

You're sweet. How about Olipop though?

SPEAKER_01 13:34

You're an Ollip. Last week you were a poppy.

SPEAKER_03 13:37

Last month I was poppy.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Because these are these are the hyperfixations that we go through, folks.

SPEAKER_03 13:43

Yeah, I don't know. It I get hooked on things, I don't get it. But Olipop, peaches and cream, that's where it's at. Speaking of, I found a shirt that I like.

SPEAKER_02 13:56

Why don't you tell?

SPEAKER_03 13:57

The search has ended. So, as I thought, built was the one. They're nicely fitted, nice material.

SPEAKER_01 14:07

And they did look really nice.

SPEAKER_03 14:09

I like them.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

Built is the way to go.

SPEAKER_03 14:11

You know what the funny part was is right when I committed, I got floods of ads with cut. And I'm like, really? This is now this is the devil trying to trick me into buying cut when I already set my mind on built.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

At Apple, they just know what they're doing.

SPEAKER_03 14:30

Right?

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Uh-huh. Anyways, what I was gonna say about before you interrupted with your little session there, their little hyperfixation. I wanted to talk about like how I feel like things that we say matter. Like, I feel like one thing that I've learned from growing in my faith recently is that like what we say truly matters and it holds value. Like the things that I tell you, it can tear you down or it can lift you up so high. And because you're a guy who likes what is it, acts of service and words of affirmations. I couldn't remember the because you're a guy who likes words of affirmations, I feel like I feel like every guy kind of falls into that too.

SPEAKER_03 15:20

It's like uh I agree. If if a woman, it's I don't know, like making a guy happy can be so simple. In the sense of like, if a woman when the guy comes home every day and she just says like and is excited to see him and respects him and is nice to him, like that's all that most guys want. That's literally it. Like, someone who respects them and loves them, like that's it. They don't usually want gifts or any of that stuff.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

It's physical touch, you're like gonna be a good thing.

SPEAKER_03 15:56

Literally, respect. That's it.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

I know, and respect is a big deal. And actually, my pastor Josh had said this one time, and it just stuck with me, and I like love this. But he said to woman to be the crown that you put on your husband's head, and I love that so much because like we are we're we're the crown that we put on your head, like we can lift you up and like make you a king, or we can not crush a guy too. You can also crush, like if I just kept and and I I'm still working on things of this because I am sarcastic, so I do need to like be careful with how much I say sarcastically, and then like tone it down a little bit sometimes. It's a time and place for things. You're fine. I mean you lived with me for so long, you give me. You know I'm kidding. But um, but like, yeah, I think like as you're going through this like journey of your weight loss journey, like lifting you up throughout it and like showing you I'm proud of you.

SPEAKER_03 16:57

Yeah, or like eating, like trying to eat better with me. Like if you on the other hand were just eating like mac and cheese and Oreos every day, like that would be I mean, I could probably do it for like a week or two, but then would just give up.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

Yeah, that'd be hard, and it would I wouldn't be supporting you very much. So it's like everything I do is to like support you and I feel like you are very supportive too.

SPEAKER_03 17:20

Like actually really supportive. Like when I went and started my own business, like you were you were almost more like encouraging than I was at a lot of times. Like there was times where I like I was definitely like motivated and ready to do it, but then I would like have some second thoughts every now and then, and then you and like lift me up when I had those second thoughts, and it like helped a lot because it yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

Power couple. That's why we make the best to you. We do because I lift you up when you are of doubts, and like you lift me up when I have doubts, and like this past weekend I went through many doubts, and you were there for me the entire time.

SPEAKER_03 18:05

Yeah, Mother's Day was different this year, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 18:09

Yeah, I feel like Mother's Day, Mother's Day this past year hit a lot different, and um, when you're trying to conceive and you're going through this journey of infertility, I never really looked at Mother's Day as anything crazy or never thought of it as a day where some people might grieve.

SPEAKER_03 18:29

And so this year seeing and feeling grief, and well, I think it was also like right at a year that we had been trying. And so it's like you you then start to kind of look back at the last year, and it's like every month you're kind of like hopeful, and you know, and then it sits and settles in that it's been 12 months of that, and like yeah, see, and you're so look at you, like you're literally like saying everything that I've said to you over the weekend.

SPEAKER_01 19:01

Like, I feel like that's that's you're literally fulfilling like my love language. Like, you've been so caring and kind throughout this like infertility journey because as a woman it is so lonely and it is so hard, and it is defeating, and it literally is heartbreaking every single month to try and take a test and be so hopeful and just want a healthy desire of being a mother, and then to constantly get these no's and these it it you just start losing hope.

SPEAKER_03 19:38

And yeah, uh and the crazy part is I didn't like fully recognize that until what like four months ago or something.

SPEAKER_01 19:46

Well, so that's the amazing thing, and I feel like I get a lot of questions on Instagram about like how you and I handle infertility and stuff, and how our marriage is doing good through it, because I think a lot of marriages can suffer during this time. Um what we've done is in the beginning I was kind of going through it alone because I was so excited and hopeful that like I really wanted to kind of keep it a secret from Joseph and be like, oh, I'm gonna surprise him when I, you know, I can't wait to like go get the onesie and surprise him. And I want to completely like throw him off guard. So I like didn't keep him updated on dates or like ovulation periods or anything about that, just was doing things alone. But that can be so hard when you're taking tests and tests, and then you're getting negatives and you're just throwing them away and having to go through your day and like hide this facade that you are just heartbroken, you know, um, month after month.

SPEAKER_03 20:46

And so recently or like a few months ago, um, I was kind of talking to Joseph about like just how hard it's been because you were like well, I think for me it's been like, yeah, I want a kid, and like we've been trying, but at the same time, I think I may have mentioned like you know, it's um it's disappointing, but not like it's okay if we wait, you know, if it takes another month or something. And then I think you told me, well, like I've been doing negative tests for like nine months, and and then I think it started to settle in on my end, like, oh crap, she's had to do like how many tests per month? Like three or four.

SPEAKER_00 21:25

I don't know how many.

SPEAKER_03 21:26

You know, you multiply that by nine months, and like that's a lot of negative tests, and and then each time too, you're you're like each time you take a test, how how are you not hopeful that it could possibly be a positive? And so it's like this like constant emotions of And it's really hard.

SPEAKER_01 21:45

And then this past Mother's Day was a year of us trying and um tracking and doing all the things that we could. And so, like, I think it just hit me, and I was thinking about like all like you said, all the past.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

12 months and like throughout each month I was so so hopeful and and each month too that it's a negative you try and think in your head like oh this might be why or like you know God's making us wait because of X, Y, and Z, and it's like and then after 12 months it's like dang I'm like kind of all out of reasons or anything like that. Like I feel like we've tried so much to like better our faith and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

Well and I don't even think it's anything we're doing either. And then it's like you you go through the two-week wait, which who came up who came up with this process? Lord Jesus.

SPEAKER_03 22:39

Should be like a two-day wait.

SPEAKER_01 22:41

Oh my gosh. You ovulate and then you have to take two weeks to there's a two-week wait before you even can like find out if you're pregnant, really. So and then you get blessed when you're not pregnant with the period. Yay! Surprise! It's a negative test and the period.

SPEAKER_03 22:58

Yeah, that sucks for you.

SPEAKER_01 23:01

Gosh, like what? And then it's like, and then all through that two-week wait, I'm like sitting there and I'm like, my stomach just growled. Maybe I'm pregnant. My foot is cramping. Is that a pregnancy symptom? Oh, I feel so happy today. Maybe that's a pregnant the dog is laying on my stomach. Maybe I'm pregnant. Like it's like all these things, and you constantly think, maybe I'm pregnant, maybe I'm pregnant. What if I'm pregnant? I'm getting invited to weddings next year. Oh, I'll probably be pregnant then. Maybe I'll have a baby then. And you think about all these upcoming things, and then you think back and you're like, I've been thinking about all of these same things for the past year, for the every month for the last 12 months, and it's exhausting. It is so hard. And so to have you like alongside my side and to have you just support me throughout this has been so helpful because like Mother's Day was extremely hard. Mother's Day, I I had a moment, and I just I think it my my love language is gifting, obviously. We've discussed that. So I wanted to gift everything under the sun to every mom that I knew or could think of. And I was like, we need to give flowers to this person, this person, this person, everybody, every single person I know. And Joseph's like, we don't have to do all of this. Why are you why are you he didn't understand, but that was like my that is sweet though, and says a lot about you though. But that was my way of coping with like making other people happy was what made me happy that day. And so, like, when when I then you said we didn't have to do that, then I just like broke down because I was like, that's what made me happy. That that was the one thing that was making me happy was spoiling other moms.

SPEAKER_03 24:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:47

Because I I can't feel that way, you know. So I want to make other people feel that way. But you you understood that and like you supported me through that, and I'm very grateful because that was a really hard day for me. And I can't, and I'm so sorry to all of the mothers that had got have gone through infertility or loss, or anybody who's lost a mom, or even just anyone. It's that's a that's a really crazy how emotional Father's Day and Mother's Day are. I never ever considered it as a kid growing up.

SPEAKER_03 25:22

You're like, yeah, obviously, you like want to celebrate your dad and stuff like that, but like as an adult, it's like things really settle in of like, oh wow, there's a lot there. Like it's it's pretty much every emotion under under the sun that you could expect.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Happiness, grieving, yeah, it's all of the things, but um, but I'm grateful for you and I'm thankful that you understand me enough to like support me through the struggles.

SPEAKER_03 25:52

Always. Well, that's the cool thing too. It's like we've even talked, you know, what if like we just can't have kids for whatever reason, and like we I think we've both are really good about saying to ourselves, like, it's us as one, not like you have a problem or I have a problem, it's we might have a problem, and like we might not be able to have kids, not you might not be able to have a kid. And I would never put the blow on you, and you're gonna be able to do that. Like, I think because of that, we're like always gonna be such a good team, and like I don't know, it just yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:32

Yeah, I think when you think of it as like a a together thing instead of just a person and a one-person thing, like together you can do it, and if not, there are alternatives, yeah, and together we'll do that. Together we will explore those options, whatever it is, together we will do it.

SPEAKER_03 26:54

Uh to me, that's real love.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

That's a real marriage, and like that's one, not two separate people, and like that's why we're still married, and I and I also think like going through infertility, having God around and in my life, centered in my life, has helped me immensely because I can kind of surrender any anxiety or worries that I have and just hand it to God and be like, God, take these off of my plate because I know that I don't need to, I know deep in my heart that I don't need to worry about what's coming next in my future because I know that you have a plan and I know that you want the best for me and Joseph. I know that you love us and we love you.

SPEAKER_03 27:38

And the coolest part too is like there's a number of biblical stories about this exact thing. So it's it's really encouraging when you like go back and read those, and you know, you see that God did bless these people, and might have not been in the timing they were expecting. A lot of times it wasn't either.

SPEAKER_01 27:59

Yeah, but then it but then their child came out to be this amazing thing, and right at the perfect time. We've already dedicated our child to the Lord, and we we know that we want to raise a disciple for him, and that's like that's just our ultimate goal as parents, and I'm and I know that God God sees that and he hears our prayers and he just has a plan. Yep, and whatever that plan is, it'll happen.

SPEAKER_03 28:26

I just can't wait. I know I literally cannot wait to be a parent.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

You're gonna be the best dad ever.

SPEAKER_03 28:33

You're gonna be the best mom.

SPEAKER_01 28:35

We're gonna be the best team, our own fam.

SPEAKER_03 28:39

It's gonna be so much fun though. I'm I'm so hopeful that this time next year that this would all just fade away in the past, like this idea of not having a baby or something, but we'll be parents then.

SPEAKER_01 28:54

Since we're on the topic, let's move into faith. Um so in our last church service last week, they talked about evangelism and how you how talking to people, you don't have to get a touchdown every single time you try to save someone. You can just get a first down and you're good. Like, our goal is not a touchdown, just try to get a first down. And I think that that hit me so different because I'm the type of person that's like, how am I gonna save this person? How am I gonna how like if I'm having a conversation with somebody who's not a believer, like I know you can't argue someone to heaven, but I would love to argue someone to heaven. I'm about to turn that atheist into a believer, and that's like how I think. And it's like, Amanda, slow down. We're just trying to get to first base, we don't need the home run, you know.

SPEAKER_03 29:45

My thing is answering tough questions. Like in my head, I always think, like, oh, like, you know, if I'm having that conversation, someone's gonna like ask me a question that I have no idea what to say or stutter, and then that's gonna make it look like you know, maybe I don't know my faith as much as I say I do, and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 30:07

But that's okay, and I think that that's one thing our pastor has told us in the past is like as a disciple, you don't have to have all the answers to everything, you don't have to be able to answer those hard questions because he compared God to like the Pacific Ocean in our brains to a Coke can, and literally, obviously, there's gonna be a lot of stuff that doesn't fit in our Coke can brains.

SPEAKER_03 30:34

Well, have you seen how big the Bible is? Yeah, I don't know about you, but there's no way that I can memorize that.

SPEAKER_01 30:40

And God is so much bigger, and there's so many things that are so hard to interpret in the Bible. So it's like there are gonna be questions that we have, and as long as we if we have these questions, we can at least know that God died on the cross for us and then he rose again, and now we can take up all of our questions and we can follow him, knowing that and believing in him. And I think that that is that has always stuck with me because I thought that was just so beautifully put.

SPEAKER_03 31:08

I think it was it on Easter he said that it might have been. I think it was because it was crazy.

SPEAKER_01 31:13

This is the first year we went to Easter in a while, just because we would always like it would be crazy and like we were very lukewarm Christians before this past year.

SPEAKER_03 31:23

But this year's Easter service was like hit me in a whole different way, almost as if I had never gone to church, and it was almost that exact message. Like, look, you don't need to know all the facts, and like it's gonna take you a very long time to like really know and study it all, and but you know in your heart that you believe in Jesus, and that's who you're gonna follow, and that's that's what you do, you just decide to follow the one true savior, and that's it.

SPEAKER_01 31:55

Well, yeah, and we actually had an instance where we felt that we needed to save someone with Robert. He was our friend who was experiencing homelessness, and um we he wasn't a believer, and we wanted to try to like save him and wanted to like get him off the streets, and we wanted to like transform this man's life. And um, and so it was actually if you've ever heard of like the book Helping People Hurts, like it's it it truly does because it was really hard on us during that time to try to help somebody because we just we kept wanting to drive these like results to save him, and it's like well you you want it your way too, we do, we want it to be a good thing.

SPEAKER_03 32:39

Or like you think there's a certain process that has to be followed, but then you learn people have different love languages.

SPEAKER_01 32:45

Well, people go through different things too, like everybody's different, so it's like what he wanted to do was a lot different than how we would do things, and that's okay. But I think it was really interesting because it kind of like made me step back and made I think I could say both of us just really surrender that all the results to God and be like, you know, God, we're just gonna plant a seed, and like we took him to church not even knowing him.

SPEAKER_03 33:12

Yeah, we we just said, hey, every Sunday, like every Sunday we go to church.

SPEAKER_01 33:16

Do you want to meet us on the train or whatever? And we can pick you up and go to church. And guess what? We planted a seed, things didn't really happen our way, but we surrendered it all to God. We surrendered it all to God, and now he is baptized and he is saved by the wonderful Jesus Christ. Whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop.

SPEAKER_03 33:41

That was pretty cool though. Like that, I th I actually started to get like slightly emotional watching him get baptized because it was like I think it hit me of like, oh my gosh, like just trust in Jesus, like trust that He obviously knows this process, knows the plan way before we do, and He'll get him there.

SPEAKER_01 34:05

He is faithful, and God like that's the amazing part is we can trust in God to finish it for us. Our job as disciples is to plant a seed. It one of our pastors, what's his name? Uh, he was the guy that came recently and spoke at our church. David Nasser?

SPEAKER_03 34:24

Oh, Nasser, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:25

Is it David?

SPEAKER_03 34:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:26

Okay, anyways. He came and spoke at our church and he was amazing. But he said it typically takes seven times for people to be like actually spoken to before they commit. And I think that that's huge because it's like it's so true. Like, even if you think about like shopping on Instagram, like if I post a product one time, you might just skip right by it. But if I post a product like seven times, you're gonna be like, dang, that girl loves that product. Like, I should look into it. And that's why I share all the things that I love. But like, that's why I share Jesus too, because like that is the way in, that is the way into people's hearts. Like, if you seven times, it might take us, like with Robert, we could have been, I think we were probably number like six probably in his journey. Yeah, and then he I think there's someone else maybe after us, and then he went through treatment and everything, and he's in sober living now. And I think that sober living might have been number seven that actually got him to get baptized, yeah. And it's like you just all you have to be is one of those seeds planted so that that sprout can grow. It's beautiful, it's so true.

SPEAKER_03 35:33

It's I mean, if you look at our lives, like I mean, it took us a lot of like actual tries and attempts before we fully like went all in.

SPEAKER_01 35:45

A hundred percent.

SPEAKER_03 35:46

And it could have been years, it probably was around seven or so, like, or at least seven years if you think about it.

SPEAKER_01 35:53

Like, yeah, I think I think everyone's different, and I think that we're all given like different gifts too, in order to like to be able to plant seeds. So, like, like the your way of planting a seed might be a lot different than my way. I use I try to use my social media platform a lot to just like shed the light of Jesus, and because Jesus loves me so much, and I feel his love and I feel his peace, and I just want everybody to experience that same feeling, and so like I want to share that on my social media and when I talk to people, and that's my way of planting seeds, your way.

SPEAKER_03 36:32

I mean, I I would say I try to do it more casually, which to me in my head is the most effective way. Like, what I'll try and do is like let's say baptism, like I got baptized in January. If that's if that gets brought up for someone. Yeah, and I had a client actually that um they somehow it got brought up and a client meeting, yeah. Which I've always been a little like nervous and hesitant to combine business and religion. Yeah, I just don't want to like conflict there, and but anyways, the baptism got brought up, and um I started to kind of like talk about it a little bit more in that conversation, and I could tell that there was an interest, so I just went all in on like why I got baptized and what's happened in my life since I actually committed my life, and like it was so cool to share that it wasn't a story talking at somebody, but it was talking with, and it was just about my experience in my life, and he could take it or leave it, like it was up to him at that point, and like I just thought it was awesome that yeah, like I was just sharing this story, it wasn't you know, like you need to come with me or anything.

SPEAKER_01 37:50

It was just like sharing the story, and then it's up to them, and that's amazing, and it's up to God, and I think that's that's huge, is like sharing testimonies is an amazing way to evangelize, like the way that God has moved in your life, expressing that and telling somebody else that you could change their life, like you could get them saved because people want that, especially in today's world, like people, I feel like people genuinely are seeking Jesus more than ever, at least more than I've ever seen. I think people are seeking something greater, and that greater is Jesus. Yeah, and it's it's crazy, but like you don't have to know all the answers when you talk to people. Like, you you didn't know all the answers when you were telling your story, you were just telling how Jesus has impacted your life, yeah, and that's amazing. And you might be one of those seeds that's planted that gets that guy to church. Hopefully, I hope so, for we can pray. Yep, but I think God gives us all these different gifts, and I think that we can use them in ways to evangelize in our own ways, like um on DCC, when I was on DCC, like I was very lukewarm on DCC, so this wasn't a priority to me. But like, and that's why social media is now for me, but like dance, dance is a gift given from God, like using that gift to just shed God's light, I think that's a great way to do it. Like, talk to people, you're in this position where you talk, meet so many amazing people, like talk about God, and like God, I think in your life and in my life, can be brought up so naturally when God is at the center of your life. Like, if you are revolving everything that you do around Jesus Christ, how can he not come up in conversation?

SPEAKER_03 39:43

No, it's so true. Like, if you're actively like doing like three three days a week of like you know, Bible, Bible study or just church or whatever it is, like somehow that's gonna get brought up in your conversation. Like, oh, what what were you doing last Sunday? Oh, I was at a a dinner with uh people from my church. Like it's as subtle as that.

SPEAKER_01 40:07

Yeah, oh what is church? Tell me more about that.

SPEAKER_03 40:10

Yeah, oh do you want to come?

SPEAKER_01 40:11

Like, yeah, hey, I've got a spot next to me. I want to join.

SPEAKER_03 40:16

I'll even give you a ride.

SPEAKER_02 40:18

Wow, and then they're gonna go sit in the pit with us and be scared to death.

SPEAKER_03 40:22

Amanda always has to sit. Keep in mind, we go to a church of how many people?

SPEAKER_02 40:26

Like I think there's like 7,000 people.

SPEAKER_03 40:29

Yeah, it's big. It's magic. She wants to sit literally like within four or five rows from the very front.

SPEAKER_01 40:36

Front and center. There's like this mosh pit, they call it the pit, and it's like a few like pews up in the front. And I want to sit in that pit every time.

SPEAKER_00 40:44

I want I want the pastor to be talking to me, and I want to feel convicted. I want to be like, that was for me.

SPEAKER_02 40:51

Yes, Jesus. I want to, I wanna feel the worship, and I wanna have tears flying down my face. And Joseph's like, just just get me to church.

SPEAKER_03 41:00

Yeah, we just sit like in the middle somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 41:03

I'm like, no.

SPEAKER_03 41:06

I love it, I love it.

SPEAKER_01 41:07

Okay, and then we had I have one question to ask you, a random question, a little off topic.

SPEAKER_03 41:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 41:14

Uh-oh. You don't have this in your notes.

SPEAKER_03 41:17

I don't.

SPEAKER_01 41:18

If you could pick one date night for us, what would you pick?

SPEAKER_03 41:22

A date night. Ooh, I know.

SPEAKER_01 41:25

What?

SPEAKER_03 41:26

60 vines.

SPEAKER_01 41:28

Oh, he knows me too well.

SPEAKER_03 41:30

He loved that. I love that board. The chicuterie boards.

SPEAKER_01 41:34

Oh, 60 vines, chakuterie boards.

SPEAKER_03 41:36

And then what would we do after that? Huh.

SPEAKER_01 41:41

Yeah, that just 60 vines thinner's good with me.

SPEAKER_03 41:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:46

If I could pick one for you, you'd probably want to go to a movie.

SPEAKER_03 41:53

I like movies.

SPEAKER_01 41:54

You like movies a lot.

SPEAKER_03 41:55

Especially with the new seats. Holy crap. These things are like moving literally in circles.

SPEAKER_01 42:01

Have you seen that? Yeah. It literally vibrates and oh my gosh, we went and saw the Devil Wars Prada the other day in theaters, and the seat was like moving, and then every, you know, all the fashion shows are like the they're like pumping, right? Like, we're going. And I was like sitting there and I was like fist bumping, and my seat's like rocking and it's vibing. And I'm like, I just want to dance in this theater.

SPEAKER_00 42:28

We were walking out, and I was like dancing down the aisle.

SPEAKER_03 42:31

It was embarrassing.

SPEAKER_02 42:31

He was like, just stop. Just stop.

SPEAKER_03 42:33

Well, it took enough to get me to Devil Where's Prada or something?

SPEAKER_01 42:37

Yeah, it was such a good one. I had never seen it, so I had to watch the first one before we left the night before, and then we watched it. It was it was good.

SPEAKER_03 42:44

It was it was fine.

SPEAKER_01 42:46

It was fine. Honestly, I didn't like how it's very corporate. It was very corporate and very like I was like, you're living, they were living so for themselves. It was kind of sad.

SPEAKER_03 42:58

That's corporate.

SPEAKER_01 43:00

But the music was vibing. Like, I need that playlist.

SPEAKER_02 43:06

Anyways. Well, I think we should leave it at that. Should we pray out?

SPEAKER_03 43:11

Let's pray.

SPEAKER_01 43:12

Would you like to pray? Would you like me to pray?

SPEAKER_03 43:14

I'll pray.

unknown 43:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 43:16

Dear Lord, we just ask that you be with every single person behind the screen right now. We ask that you bless them and watch over them this week and just be with each and every one of them. And in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 43:30

Amen.