It’s a Beautiful Day for Football!

Christy: [00:00:00] Hello, everyone. We are glad you’re here and have come back to listen to. Us lovely ladies. I’m

Christy

Grace: and I’m Grace. And you’re listening to.

Christy: Thanks Mom Podcast. Well, I’m excited to. Be here Grace and still recording with you.

Trying to yeah. Just have a lighthearted end to summer. Right.

Grace: That’s what we’re trying to do. Yeah, that’s the goal.

Christy: Yeah. For sure. Because I think we’ve had some pretty, I don’t know in-depth good talks lately, but we felt a need to just have something light hearted. Something light hearted. But

Grace: first, I even noticed that just in life sometimes when like I’ll have a good prayer time or something like that. That’s good.

And then like, if I need to go watch a show or listen to a song. I need to stop thinking. Like it’s like, it’s good. But if I keep going, then I’m just gonna. I don’t know. Did you ever have that, where you think about things really well, but then you’re like, if I keep thinking about this, then I’m just going to distort [00:01:00] it.

Where I’m going to overthink it.

Christy: Tired and I’m like, I need to not.

Grace: No, I read too much into things. That’s what I do. So. I I’ve started learning to be like, this is my cutoff. I need to do something where I don’t think. Like I need to stop thinking.

Christy: Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m saying. Like, if I, if I let my brain keep going, then it just tires my brain and I need to like, like you said, watch a show or yeah.

Do something active that wakes me up a little, it gets me out of the heaviness of whatever, like thinking or a topic or. Whatever. So, yeah, I know what you mean. I think I know what you mean in terms of. Yeah, that just doing or like, you know, how you have those nights where you. Um, I don’t know your dad and I’ll be like, let’s watch this movie. And I’m like, I can’t do anything heavy. I need something light hearted. Like, well, let’s just watch a sitcom because they don’t have the energy for a long.

You know, a movie or something because it’s sometimes I just don’t want to think. Not that I can’t, I [00:02:00] just don’t want to basically. So this is the episode of, we don’t want to think.

Sorry guys.

No, no, not at all. First, you’ve got to start with a funny story.

Grace: Ok. Every time it we do this I need to look, look. At my calendar to look at back and be like, what did I do for the last week? Cause I don’t remember.

Christy: I don’t have a

good one either. Which is really bad. Probably something, I don’t know. We’ve just been kind of busy and full getting ready for back to school and.

Just. That. So, I don’t know. You got to see different friends this weekend. Is there something, oh, you could tell your story about seeing the guy from church and him not understanding. Oh, you were, that was

kind of funny.

Grace: Our poor friend, Patrick. Um, so I went. Kind of had shout out to all my Poland friends. I think I mentioned this last time we kind of had a reunion.

Um, Five of the seven of us in, at Hillsdale because one girl. Um, [00:03:00] traveled up. From the Dominican Republic to go to Hillsdale. And five of the seven of us are in the Midwest. So we were like, oh, we can move her in kind of have a reunion. And so we’re like, we’ll just meet there. So I was. It was just funny. Cause I was like, I’ve never, I’ve never actually visited Hillsdale. Um, and one of my friends just moved there. I didn’t end up getting to connect with her. Sadly. It was just funny, but it was just like, I’ve never been here I’m walking around. I beat them by like a half hour cause everyone else ended up.

Meeting somewhere because they were all south of Hillsdale. And I, so I came by myself and then they got stuck in rain. So I beat them by a half hour and I’m just wandering around this campus that I’ve never been to, trying to find a bathroom. And I was like, this is just. Funny and weird. I don’t know. I just was like a weird situation where I’m like, I’m just trying to find a bathroom.

I have friends that go here. But I’ve never been here and I don’t know what I’m doing and I don’t know what to do with myself for a half hour. So I’m just going to look for a bathroom and like all the buildings were locked. It was really just funny. But then as I’m pulling out at the very end, um, I haven’t

found the bathroom or at [00:04:00] the end of the whole meeting, like the whole day, the.

Okay. I ended up not finding a bathroom in a building that was unlocked. So I just, you know, wandered for a half hour. Aimlessly. I wasn’t cause I was also answering like video calls on my phone. Like. Those video. That Marco Polo’s oh, I was answering those. So it’s kind of like, if I was like, oh, I’ll walk into that building in a second. Let me finish my talking point kind of. So it’s not like I was being very strategic, like, all right, next building, next building. I was just, I was kind of multitasking.

Anyways. So I ended up. Not finding anything in that half hour. And then I ended up finding a bathroom. In my friend’s dorm when they finally arrived. So, then that worked out, but, um, it was just funny. As I’m leaving at the very end of the day. I see some I’m guessing it was like some RAs showing the freshmen, the campus.

Or maybe it was just freshman and some friends, I don’t. Yeah. I don’t know. But I recognized one was one of our friends, Patrick. He was in Gabes grade. And I’m already pulling [00:05:00] out. And he’s like talking to people. And so it kind of, in that moment, I was like, I’m not going to interrupt. Like I could put rolled down my window and be like, Hey, how are you? Like happy first day.

I was like, no, I’m not going to invade. He has no idea why I’m here, you know? And so I just, but we do make eye contact. He sees me and I wave and smile and then keep moving. But then it was just so funny. I felt bad cause he like smiled and that, but then you could tell he was confused. Hey. Wait, why are you here? But I couldn’t.

At that point, I was rolling and I was like, I can’t stop. Now. I already made the decision to just keep moving. And I was like, this is going to be funny. Whenever we finally run into each other, I’ll be like, so remember that day, I was just randomly at your school. And. Like I’m imagining, he’s thinking like,

She goes to hope. No Gabe’s not going to Hillsdale. Did someone transfer? Like I’m trying, I’m imagining what he’s thinking in that moment, like trying to figure out why I’m cause. It’s not like this is close to my house. I mean, it’s two hours. It’s not super far away, but it’s not like, I’m just, oh, I’m just stopping by and visiting family, like sure.

College isn’t near [00:06:00] someone specific. Like there’s just, it’s kind of a very specific place to run into someone when you don’t go to that school.

I just pulled away laughing. Cause I was like, I kind of feel bad. Not really. Cause I probably totally just threw him off. He’s like what the heck? Like it’s just funny. So then I told my one friend, I was like, if you run into him, you can explain. He’s probably so confused. Maybe he might’ve forgotten by now and doesn’t care, but it was just, it made me laugh. So that’s a good make you laugh story.

Christy: Yeah.

I just can’t think of one. I don’t know. I’m trying to think nothing

happened.

Grace: You went dance competition. Competition. Your room with the water.

Christy: Well, I don’t know. It was. We had so much drama with weird. Things, what was happened before

that? So Ava had another dance competition.

Yes. Ava had another dance competition in Toledo. So about two hours, about three hours away.

The first big thing [00:07:00] was, oh my goodness. We got out early, which was great. So we’re like, let’s go get some lunch. And my phone wouldn’t load. Cause we were like in this. You know, building, I don’t know if it had a lead roof or convention center, but it was weird. It just wouldn’t load. And so then of course, we’re in a parking ramp trying to walk back to the car. We’re like, we’ll put all our crap in the car. Cause we were trying to order like Jimmy John’s on the app and it wouldn’t load wouldn’t load. So finally it loads and we’re outside this store. And then, oh, my, the text from my friend is like, hi, we’re not, we’re gonna end up doing something else.

We’re not going to meet you. So even our, like, let’s just order go back to the car, even though we were just there. Put our crap in. And this is after the. After the first

day of competition. Okay.

So we’re like well, let’s, let’s not go back into the parking lot. So we had, we had left the competition, dropped all our crap and we were gonna walk and we thought we were gonna meet up with people for lunch and that ended up not happening. So Ava’s like, let’s just take our lunch back to the hotel.

So we’re like okay. Let’s order. So we went to order. Cause I wanted to sit down, so we’re sitting down, [00:08:00] outside. Well, as we had walked back to the parking ramp, We realized there was this parade that was kind of like, let’s go eat something. So we walk back. We order. The food outside of the parking ramp.

Then we realize because I wasn’t going to get a signal. Then we realized we can’t get in the door. We came out of because it was locked and we were coming from inside out. So we had to walk around. By this whole. Pride parade. Which it was, you know, just people everywhere and we were just spent too. So it wasn’t even the type of parade as much. It was like,

I just don’t want to be here with all these people everywhere. Try to get back to the car. Try to find a different way out of the ramp and realize the only exit entrance was into the parade route. And I was about to lose my. Crap. I did kind of lose my crap. Because we finally go down to getting, you know, the shoot to go out and there’s somebody in [00:09:00] front of us and they would not pull forward and they would not pay, they would not get the gate to lift. And then there’s people behind us and there’s cement barriers on either side. So I’m stuck.

In this chaos now I’m hangry. Like really angry and I’m sitting there the whole time going. You need, you are a grown woman. You need to get over this. You to let it go. And I called your dad and I was like, I can’t. And he’s like, I know you’re really frustrated, upset. Now I can hear that. Um, But I’m in DSW buying shoes with our son. So I need to let you go.

I can’t even talk to him, blah, blah, blah. And I’m just, and then I’m texting my friend. Who’s another dance mom. And I was like, I can’t believe this, she’s like, I cannot believe you’re stuck. I said there is no way I can’t go for can’t back up. Can’t turn around. I’m stuck. For like 20 minutes. Finally, some, I think the guy behind me must have called the security security guard from building. Cause we had seen him twice going in and out of like the ramp through the, like the apartment complex that was connected to like the high rise.

Whatever. He came out and he was like making the person in front of us leave, like you have to leave. And then [00:10:00] she’s like, well, I can’t leave this parade, blah, blah, blah. And I was, I was beyond. He was

Grace: Was she trying to

respect the parade.

Christy: I don’t know, I don’t know. I had way many other thoughts that I probably shouldn’t have had about why she was not doing what I thought she should be.

So that is part of it. And Ava’s like, mom. You need to calm down. I’m like, I know I need to calm down and I’m past calming down. I am like lid flipped, trying to get control of myself. I was just starving and then I was angry. So then he’s directing. So then he directs us out. Now we’re in the parade.

So I’m now in the parade of a parade that I don’t really want to be part of. And now the parade is ending. So not only am I in the parade, everybody stops because they’re filling up all their cars and floats with people from the street that like, you know, they’re, I don’t know, friends or family members that are jumping in.

So now we’re stuck out of the parking ramp and I still can’t go anywhere because I’m in the parade and no one’s moving that is just, oh, aggravating. Then we get out, go around the block, go to Jimmy John’s and we’re in downtown. So Ava’s like, can you run [00:11:00] in? And I’m like, no. I can’t run in because we’re on a street and I have to put my hazards on. You’re not 16. So you can’t.

Um, Uh, you can’t move the car and sit in the car. If. If you need to move it. So then she runs out and then I’m sitting there and then I get mommy guilt. Like I just sent her in this foreign city and there’s all these crazies from this parade that around and all these things, I’m like, oh my gosh, do I have to get out? Do I turn off the car? Like, do I just like.

I run the chance of a ticket and then she walks out and she’s like, they we’re super nice. And blah. And I was like, okay, good. Cause I was having, I’m like, she’s only 13, but I’m like, I can see the entrance. I can see everybody going in and out like, this is okay. It gets pre-ordered. She just has to take it off a shelf and you know, but anyway, so then it was fine.

So get back the eat our lunch we’re watching a show. And then I’m, you know, feel a lot better, but I’m still just exhausted. And I’m like, I’m gonna take a nap. Because we’re going to go to Mass that night and we had to get up and do it all over again. And I’m like, I’m not going to make it through. So I’m like, let’s go to bed.

So she’s like, well, I’m going to go take a shower. Cause you know, she’s got all dance hair and makeup going on and I was like taking. [00:12:00] Nice long, hot shower. Get all your hairspray and take it all out. Blah, blah, blah. I’m going to sleep. So, you know, turn my sound machine and put my mask on and take a nap.

And then it starts thunderstorming and I love, Grace knows this, I love sleeping in thunderstorms. I just love it. I love thunderstorms in general. So I’m sleeping and I’m like sleeping and I’m like, oh, thank you Jesus. I’m like half in and out. Like I get to sleep and. This and blah, blah, blah. Just enjoy this, you know, peaceful nap.

You know, wake up. To Ava, like crinkling an Oreos or. And I’m like, shh. You know, cause you know how loud, when you’re sleeping, like crinkling rappers is. Sorry, this is such a long story. And now. And she’s like, I’m like, Ava, this is insane. I mean, it’s downpouring and she’s like, Mom you should get up. Cause I was closer to the windows. She’s like open the curtains fully. Cause we had like that like glossy, like you couldn’t really see, but I was like, look, can you look through that? Like it’s, it’s just sheets of rain coming down. Like.

So I stand up. And I’m like, oh my gosh, the room was [00:13:00] flooding. The room, like pouring out, like standing water from under the air conditioner, like a river, and my bag was over there. And so I’m like, oh my gosh, I pick up. Cause in my bag is not only all my clothes. It was a Vera Bradley. So it’s like cloth.

Is my laptop. Luckily it went around that. So pick that up and I’m like, oh my goodness. And then Ava comes over and she’s like holy crap. And I mean, it was standing water. Wasn’t just like a little stream it was probably like six inches wide and probably about five or six. It was like streaming in. So then I’m like, is the window cracked here? And we think it wasn’t like, is there a crack in the wall did it.

Because Ava’s like, the windowsill’s overflowing. Like that’s funny, but you couldn’t really tell if the window was open or just not completely sealed. So was it coming in and filling up, you know, the runner tray that the window slides on? Cause you could actually open the windows. I think in this room we didn’t try it because it was pouring rain.

So I called the front desk and they’re like, I’m so sorry. We’ll move you. So they were like, just come down that shouldn’t be happening. And I, cause at first I was like, they’ll just send up maintenance, but I was like, duh, they don’t want to do that when we’re in here. So [00:14:00] it was just easier for them to move us.

We moved down the hall. I run down to get the keys, come back up. Of course the keys don’t work.

That’s the word. And I’m

like, now I’m bounding back and I’m like, this day. And so here, I’m texting this other dance mom, my friend, Michelle, the whole time. And she’s like, you have had a date. I’m like, I know.

She’s like, you’re stuck in a ramp. Get out of the rack, stuck in the parade. Now your room floods. Now your keys don’t work for the new room. And then I’m like, okay, so where are you going to dinner? And she’s like, we’re going, yada, yada, why don’t you see if you can add on? So I. Text the person in charge for the reservations. Like I am so sorry, but they will not let us extend our.

Uh, our reservation at all. We’re already split up and I’m like, forget it. So then even I go to mass. We get out of Mass and that was the weirdest thing at the end of the whole thing of mass. This was the weird thing. Places like, so during this time of Thanksgiving, We have a couple of announcements they do the normal. And they’re like, and we want to remind people that under no circumstances, should there ever be any written or verbally said [00:15:00] vulgarity to other parishioners?

On church. And we’re like, whoa, what’s going on here.

Even I look at it, I go on church property or anywhere else. I was like, and he’s like, what was that like last weekend? And you think the priest is going to go into this story and then he stops. Oh, and we’re like, okay, that’s fine. You. Don’t air your dirty laundry. And there’s maybe like 60 people at this mass. Like it’s not that full it’s. And then we walk out of Mass and the people in front of us, like the other really big, well, we weren’t really, because it was just her and I.

But usually I think of us as big family because we have six kids. They had probably like five or six, just. Hi. And more visitors and I turned three times. Thank you. We’re visitors too. So like 10 of those people.

And you just tell them. No vulgarity. Or verbal to any. And then, and then he added. And. If you have issues that you can’t resolve on your own, please come to the church office and we will [00:16:00] try to assist you. And I’m like, whoa, what went down here last week?

So that’s the next thing. And then we drive we’re like trying to find, now we need to find a restaurant and we’re just, we’re not in a bad area of town. Like the area where the church was. Super nice, but you go a block away and you’re just like, Hmm. This kind of sketch. We did decided most of Toledo. So sorry. Any listeners are from Toledo. That Toledo is just a little sketch. Like it’s just sketchy.

So we go by this one place, like, let’s go here, this American thing, it’s a complete dive plastic over the windows. And I don’t think it was open. I’m like, yeah, I’m keeping driving. So. Then we ran into a train, not ran into.

By a train. And then the train stopped moving. So we had to totally make a U turn and turn around. And finally, we end up back on the highway, back at a burger joint. That was where we had gone last year at a hotel in a completely different area that we stayed. So the moral of the story is we will stay in that area [00:17:00] next time, because everything was just way close.

But this is a perfect segue because at dinner. What did Ava start asking me about football? So, yeah, so it was in the middle of this. Place we’re sitting, we ended. And the funny thing is we ended up sitting by one of her really good friends from dance, like right next to them. So it all turned out.

Really fine. We ended up. Next to friends and laughing with them at a place Ava wanted to go. Watching music videos that last year, when we were at this restaurant, I had just introduced Ava to music videos she didn’t really know existed. She was clueless about what music videos were and watching sports, because it was like a big like sports American sports bar.

But there was multiple football games going on. So then it’s Ava not. And she starts picking my brain about football. Over and over. So. If you haven’t guessed. Our topic for today is. Football

Grace: football or sports in general, but. It’s it’s football season now or about to be. Yep. So.

Christy: [00:18:00] And we just thought it would be a fun topic of why not just like.

Why we like football, our family does, but like, I don’t know what are other

people’s experience of.

Grace: Why do we, like, what is it that I was kind of those. Light hearted topic. And I was like, well, what are some of our other light-hearted topics we’ve talked about what shows you like, or, you know, music we like, or things like that. Like,

It’s those things that entertain us. But if we take some time to look deeper, it’s like, well, why, why is it entertaining and fun for us? And that’s what I thought we could discuss. Yeah. Like going into football season. And having a very football, crazy family. Yes, we do. Why do we like it? What is it that.

Work is so committed to watching the game every week, you know, like, right.

But I think it’s more like you’re saying it’s the gathering of the people or the camaraderie that we have around the event. So maybe for somebody else it’s. Soccer.

Yeah. Or saying our family also likes formula one racing.

Oh, yeah. Not our [00:19:00] entire family. Like.

Christy: But formula one racing, right? Exactly. Or different people, you know, you. Have traditions, but I think it’s, it’s the gathering. Of the people, you know, not always. But it’s the funny traditions you do along with it. Yeah. And so my family that my mom, my mom, my side.

And the family we do different. Um, we pick on the spread of the game each week. Yeah. And it, but it’s been the thing that unites us. So that’s why it’s gotten my kids to like football and look into it. Cause we pick nine different games and my brother who’s in Miami organizes it, but it’s been a way when we’re all spread out and now most of us are.

In Michigan, but hasn’t always been that guy. And that guy that way. And sorry. Language is sometimes really hard for me. Um, but it’s been those type of. Uh, events or activities around that event that [00:20:00] have drawn us forward, but then we can like, you know, Yeah. Trash talk or joke or,

Grace: oh yeah. It’s.

Yeah, I think it’s interesting. Well, some of my favorites is we’ll do, we’ll do what we call picks. You know, picking the spread, but our family just shortens it to make sure you get your picks in. Yeah. Um, And one year. So you just tally up, you get a point if you got it right, you got, you don’t get point if you got it wrong. And then you tally up and see how many points you got throughout the season.

And one year, like my, one of my cousins, I think it was Cohen or Sawyer. I can’t remember. I thought, I think it was one of them. They were too young to like pick a team or, or just kind of. So their parents would just say that. Like they say the two names, the mascot, like, do you want the tigers?

You know, like, but for all the games you

Christy: want, the green people or the red people. Literally pick on colors or mascot. My sister-in-law’s still says she picks on colors and she’s won so many times, so we have a reward,

Grace: but the. Like two or three-year-old cousin [00:21:00] one that year. And that’s how they picked it. It was like, seriously, like apparently there is no strategy to this.

Because the three-year-old won, or I don’t remember how old they were that year, but they were the winner and I was just like, come

Christy: on, like, And the reward is you get to be on this plaque that my parents have in their basement. Cause we do. We do picks on the spread for football. And then we have a bowl season of football bowl season, and then we do basketball that my husband.

Yeah, March madness, basketball that we do, like the big dance tournament. So we have like three different areas for,

Grace: yeah. So all of mom’s extended family or most of

Christy: it. Yeah. If you get to choose, if you want to be in a few non family

Grace: members who are joined in too

Christy: no, not anymore. Really. It’s really well.

I think in the past. Yeah, but not for a long time, but it’s been, it’s been a way to, not everybody participates, but you can. It’s a way to just kind of, I don’t know, stay connected and. Have have something that’s like this whole podcast. An episode of like a lighthearted

Grace: that it’s something to gather around, like you were saying, [00:22:00] or we’ll, you know, we’re spurt and fans and.

Everyone’s from Lansing originally. So we’ll meet like in tailgate sometimes. You know, and with the old

Christy: crowd, you know, college crowd or. Because even my parents old college buddies like, we still tailgate there. And so, you know, my kids know those people, like, or at least who they are, but then it’s added in.

When Paul and I were there, you know, cause most, all of us went to Michigan state and then now, you know, Our kids have brought friends. And so it’s like, I don’t, I think it’s fun to see different. I like hearing people’s different traditions or different things. Like what do you gather around or put emphasis on the things that.

You know, in the moral aspect don’t really have any bearing yet. They make those ordinary things extraordinary because of the relationships you build or like the whole picks thing I love, because it’s multi-generational same with the tailgating thing. Like. You guys have gotten to know my aunts or. [00:23:00]

My cousins more because you’ve seen them there.

Grace: Cause that’s when we’d see them a lot because that’s where you gather. Yeah. Or. Um, what was I going to say? Dang it. Brain fart.

But I had something good.

Christy: I don’t know. Just that aspect of. Bonding. That’s the word I was thinking like there’s a bond.

Grace: Oh, yeah. And just even like, there’s a desire to learn. Like I think of it, of. You know, not just football, but so Andrew, my brother really likes formula one racing and. This summer, like, I kind of have cared in the past, but this summer I was kind of like, okay, you get so excited about this. I want to learn more about it because I wanted to be able to watch that and enjoy it with you.

You know, and so there’s like even a desire to learn about what it is. It’s not just like, I mean, for most of my growing up, I really didn’t care at all about football, but it was fun and then I’d show up and talk to family. But then when I was like, I really, I should just learn, you know, the rules of the game.

Cause I’d watch it, but not really know what’s going on. Cause I never dedicated the brain. Waves [00:24:00] to like, okay. Can someone actually tell me the rules and duh duh duh. Until like right before high school, when I was like, yeah, I should probably know this, you know, but then it’s like being able to discuss that with people and get passionate. And even if it’s not.

Something I’m super passionate about. I do enjoy football, watching football and watching. Race car driving now, like. But there’s something about having another common ground interest with other people. That draws you together and it’s like, then you can get, it’s fun to see. I just love when people are really into it. And they’re like, well, this is a good strategy that they did here or that, or I can’t believe this happened. Or then you start, you know, those big, significant moments in sports. Sometimes when something crazy happens that only happens every 50 years, like.

You actually get to be like, that is cool. And I know why that’s cool. Like. I don’t know. There’s like a desire in those things you gather around to, I want to learn what it is. And so I can relate with people on it. And some people do that superficially and it’s like, well, There’s a guy like and I’m learning it just for him. And I don’t know.

That’s not [00:25:00] wrong, but you know, but it’s. But there is a beauty to that of, I want to relate. I want to be able to relate to you, and I love you enough that I want to understand what you’re talking about and. You know, Maybe in that also, that’s a way that I think it

Christy: is, it can be a way of relating and it can might interpersonal brain like communications background brain starts.

Loving all these different contexts. And why do we think. What are the social norms of this, you know, creates this, you know, energy or this group. Or you’d have a sense of belonging. So you want to learn this, or, you know, you have an, not an agenda agenda, but like the interest in the cute guy or the cute girl. So you want to take up guitar to, you know, have something to talk about or, you know, so there’s all that type of thing. And.

We could discuss that forever, but I think you and I are trying to talk about it and just this, the sense of being of having that, just another outlet of. Like. Multi-generational fun that doesn’t have this huge. [00:26:00] Heavy topic type thing that we can all join, join in on. And you know, like you said, I think that’s interesting how I’ve seen you take that interest for Andrew. And it’s a way of.

Being involved in somebody’s life or so it doesn’t have to be football. F1 like it could

Grace: be, it doesn’t have to be to like get, you know, get to know someone new or something like that. So I’m like, I’ve spent so much time with my family and yet I still want to learn about this. Cause it looks, some of it is, it just looks fun and they, you guys get all excited and I’m like, why I want to be excited with you. Like.

Yeah. Hang on.

Christy: What’s so exciting. I think some of that is just guys versus girls too. You would get excited too like, hear me out. Like, I get excited about certain plays and what happens, but there’s an excitement guys have and they have this memory thing. When it comes to sports. I don’t, I don’t get it.

And I don’t know if I it’s because I don’t care. Or if it’s a guy gene. Um, like half like sarcastic saying this, but like, They can remember [00:27:00] players names. Who they played for when they transferred or got traded? And the game and the time of the game that the play happened, that resulted in the outcome of the game.

And I’m like, I seriously, except for this or that. That’s like on the internet that you can like replay over and over. I don’t recall anything. Last season. Like maybe a week or two out, but I really, or if I was maybe if I was at that game and there was like a key play, but your dad can be like, oh yeah, so-and-so, you know,

Johnson and the, you know, 1957, like Bobo tournament of yada, yada, like, and then he went for this and they snapped it left and the receiver ran. Right. And. And they won and I’m like, okay,

Grace: but there’s other things. And maybe this is just me. There’s other things I can remember very weirdly specifically like that. Like if someone’s like,

Pulls out a random scene from friends or something. Yeah. I can be like, all right, you’re just [00:28:00] showing me the one scene, but I remember the reason they’re hanging out at this place is because. Let’s say this friend is, I’m trying to think of episode for an example, but don’t you think

Christy: that like, My sarcasm is, is it a gene that you.

Like where I’m like,

Grace: cause it’s like, oh, it’s something I enjoy and I care about. And if you give me one scene, I can be like, but I remember where everyone else is in that episode. And the funny thing

Christy: that. I love football. Like I am one of those weird girls, there’s not a lot of like, I, my friend Mary loves football, but she loves like the experience and going to the game and like everything we’re here, we’re talking about. Right. Like she totally loves that, but at same time. She doesn’t care.

So. I love that. I love, like you said, learning the nuance, like why do they say it up this play? What is this formation? You know, what’s a shotgun formation. What’s, you know, under center, what is a screenplay? What is, you know, the option. Like what? Defensive, like defense, I’m not as good at like. So

Grace: maybe that is a little more male brain that.

Oh, so the part where it’s like these specific moves led to this winning the game because you do care about it. So I don’t know. [00:29:00]

Christy: Like interested in how they can recall this. So maybe

Grace: I just, I think. It’s a human thing, because I’m saying I have that kind of memory, but for different things. And I don’t know why I have it for that. And I used to have that about my life, where, you know, I’d see a picture and I’m like, oh, that was the year.

I was this happened and, oh, well this is a picture. It had to be seventh grade. Because seventh grade is the year. This field trip. And in seventh grade. I wasn’t in class with this person, but I wasn’t like, you know, like weird details, like I could piece together. It was like a puzzle. And now I can’t do that. I feel

Christy: old.

Okay. I think that’s, I think you’re right in that sense, like it’s a memory thing and my same friend Mary. Like she will be talking and I’m like, no, we, because we’ve vacationed with them a lot. And I’m like, no, we did this. And this happened on this day and she’s like, I don’t remember it all. And I’m like,

Okay, but, and she just doesn’t recall or have a memory. About

Grace: that recall. I need to do like brain exercises. I think it’s called, like seduku

Christy: or somebody even [00:30:00] told me once, if you have an issue with that, don’t go to like Sudoku or like crossword, like memorize scripture. And I was like, that’s a really good point. Yeah.

Like if you’re having like that stretch your brain with mental exercises. Or feel like you need to challenge your brain that. Go away from that, but actually put it to use by stretching your brain by memorizing scripture. I was like, that’s really good. Yeah. Anyway, my, but the memory thing too is I have always felt like I have a pretty good memory and who knows like sometimes, cause that’s my whole interpersonal communication too, is like, you can create a memory by repeating it enough over and over of something that never happened.

Like there’s been so many research on, like, if you’re like, no, this really happened. Remember the guy in the black hat pulled up in the red like Corvette car, and then he came out in the, you know, purple and pink polka dot outfit. And he talked to you and he said this, and if you do that over and over again,

You can create that

Grace: memory. And myself when I was a kid that I don’t remember, but enough people remember the story. And they’ll say it. And then [00:31:00] I start having a picture in my head of what I think I did, but then when I pause I’m like, that’s not an actual memory. That’s how I pictured it.

And people have told me the story enough times or maybe I’ve re- told it, like the, the story you’ve told how we said it on here. The, I can’t see my. Yeah. I have a picture of where I was like laying in the hotel room. Like, did we, maybe we should tell them. Okay,

Christy: this is so great. So grace, I will crack.

2 3, 2 or three. Cause I, I don’t remember this were with my. Our friends, Michelle and Travis, we were going down to Hilton head. Uh, Michelle’s pregnant with their first and I’m pregnant with Gabe and we’re both very pregnant. This is, I think it was. I don’t think it was a spring. I don’t know if it was July or August. I don’t know. It couldn’t have been August cause Gabe was born in August. So I don’t know. Late spring, early summer, let’s say.

But we are. Both like third trimester pregnant. Our boys are like six weeks apart, but we were due two weeks apart. I went two weeks early and she went a month, like two weeks late. So they ended up being six weeks apart so that’s kind of funny. So. Anyway, we’re [00:32:00] there. We get to this hotel room after driving for 10 hours, we walk in the hotel room and grace pukes like walks in and all of her McDonald’s chicken nuggets and French fries. So we’re like, okay, great.

You know, it’s kind of like the story told them about Toledo at the beginning of this. So they come up, they clean all that up. I think we had to stay in the same room. It’s not like they switched rooms. Yeah, sorry, it wasn’t that bad, but then we finally calm grace down. Like it’s late. Like we’re just like coming in, like put our stuff down, get ready for bed.

She’s carsick. I think you were just car stick. It had been long day. Because you didn’t have any other symptoms, but we calmed you down enough. You wouldn’t sleep on the air mattress. So you end up in bed with me and your dad ends up sleeping on the

Grace: ground. I totally know, it’s not my memory. Cause in my head, I’m sleeping on the floor on an air mattress in my memory.

That’s not real.

Christy: So your dad’s laying on the floor and he’s trying to rub your back and I’m trying to like calm me down. And so finally, like, alright, grace, we’re all tucked in and she’s all calm. So we turn the lights off. And all of a sudden she’s like, [00:33:00]

We all are trying to muffle like us for adults. Like. Trying not to laugh because really who can see their eyes. See their eyes. If the lights are on or off. No one can see their eyes. It’s like , you see out of your eyes, but you can’t see them unless you’re looking in a mirror. But, yeah. So you can create that or people do that from.

So I just have a weird pictures. If you see a picture of yourself doing something, you can create a memory

Grace: from. That has anything to do with this. I know, we totally

Christy: digressed from football to like, how are you create memories

how does that happen? Gosh, so. At least we’re getting a good laugh.

It was such a good moment. Like. I just remember you being like, I can’t see.

Grace: Oh, even I remember the first time I was told that story and my immediate thought is, you know what I meant? But everyone’s like laughing like, well, of course you [00:34:00] can’t. And I’m like, you know what? The three year old meant she’s holding

Christy: only three. And the thing is

Grace: I’m still defensive. Like 15+ years later.

Christy: And you can totally see your little sister saying something like that. Oh, I like that now. So. Yeah. It’s like. Sophie’s thing right now is for all the days. You could have this for all the days. Are we going to do this? Do you want to have this for all the days? Like. I don’t know. Like her way or no way.

Grace: I just didn’t argue with her because she had her first.

Or she had came back from like preschool. Preschool. And then today was the first day. So yesterday she was like, after today’s nap, I go to preschool, which it was already after her nap. And the next time she slept as bedtime. And I was like, I’m just. She can’t figure out which one’s, which I’m just not going to argue.

Yep. After your next nap, you are going to preschool.

Christy: That’s just

fine.

Grace: So that sounds great. So I know.

Christy: So anyway, back to our topic of things that [00:35:00] unite and form bonds, I think that’s what I, I think that’s the thing we like is there’s a different bond. Like centered around.

Grace: Like I even think about other things in life. There’s one girl I clicked with in middle school and

we’ll still talk off and on. Um, We went to different schools, but she came to IHM youth group. And we found out we loved the same show that. I don’t know. Both had a particular love for this show that we other friends didn’t have. And so we would just randomly text each other, but like, did you see the new episode?

You know, and there’s just an excitement of like, I’m going to seek you out because this is something I know you’re equally as excited about. And I want to share that with you or like, that’s why, you know, in high school you get nerdy with all your band friends. Like I did. Cause it’s like, well, you all relate to this thing. That’s a very specific interests that you have the same amount of dedication to.

And there’s just an excitement there to be like, oh, we can relate. And yeah, you can tell anyone else about your interest about this thing, but there’s a special, like, You know, you seek out those [00:36:00] friends that have the same interest in different, in many different areas. That’s why, like, that’s why I have, like, you have friends that are just in certain classes cause you bond over something in that class and that maybe that’s the only time you really.

You know. Maybe it is a deeper friendship, but there’s just something. Yeah, like you recognize that or that’s why people send each other funny memes and pictures. Because I know you’ll enjoy this. If I show it to someone else. They might laugh, but I know we might start a conversation about this, about.

Oh, that’s what, that’s why I love that scene from the movie so much because it was so good about. Dah, dah, dah.

Christy: Like, cause sometimes I think it’s about. Like, obviously it’s about forming the relationship and having the connectivity of it. But. I think. I don’t know. I think some of it. Like you said, it’s just like, I want to be close to you. So I want to reach out to you in this way and I want to have similar.

Similar interests in that, that it could be. About anything. And, you know, and so ours is, you know, with football or yours is with F1, but I think it [00:37:00] also, or like not yours. Like you, that example of you learning something new to relate with, but some of it, I think is how we recreate. Like learning that part of self-care.

And making sure we have, like the downtime we need is. And we want to feel part of something and how do we recreate And so I guess maybe that doesn’t go so much into like somebody who does something more. Like reading or walking by themselves or maybe like photography, but even people who read then have this discussion, this commonality with the other people who’ve read the similar books. Like you’re saying watching a TV show or seeing a meme or.

People who like to exercise, like maybe they’re not exercising together, but then they have this connection. With that. And I don’t know. It’s just, it me, it’s me thinking about like, why do we. Desire to do these things or have interest in them. And I wonder if some of it’s not just the commonality and the connection with people or that we’re trying to create as much as also.

Having how we recreate kind of [00:38:00] overlap. And I don’t know, I’m just talking. Aloud I

Grace: think that makes sense, like there’s. I know, cause I was like, I’m trying to, I was like, what’s the, that’s what I want to talk about. Like, what’s the deeper thing of why we get so excited about football season and it’s like, because there was something we enjoy and we liked that other people.

Relate. Like that they care as much as we do about something. And there’s just that. Desire to connect over something. Right. I guess.

Christy: Right. And I think it’s probably a both and because some people would just, you know, go hunting because they just have a love of hunting or fishing.

Grace: Even sometimes you do things on your own, but later you still want to share and talk about that with someone, even if it’s something that you’re like, well, that’s just a me thing. Well, and I think

Christy: that’s our human desire. We have an innate desire to be a part of something to live in community.

Like that’s just kind of built into our being, even if you’re an introvert versus an extrovert. I think that’s just. Our human-ness. We have a desire to be included [00:39:00] and to be wanted. And. So some of that comes out in these just fun. I don’t know, recreating things for us. Yeah. Football or like even like, I guess marching band, I guess that’s around football though, too.

That’s

Grace: what you and me would get nerdy about before I really cared about football. If I got to see the Banda MSU. I was like, I don’t care about the football game, but can we watch the band March into the stadium?

Christy: Yeah.

Oh, yeah. Cause you would come to, I was just thinking even in the ones where you didn’t come. And you would want to go and watch them on campus or tailgate and be around, but that was yes, a sense of commonality. And. I don’t know. I’m just so curious. I hope I hope. I hope that listeners would like comment back on what it is for your family or, you know, your friend, group group, like.

Yeah. You get

Grace: Things you get excited about, or the things that, that’s what I go back to college and it’s like, I love this part of my family. So. So much, like, I love that we gather for football, so I’m going to watch because yeah. I might not be able to watch it with them, but I’m excited to talk about it later. You know? [00:40:00] Yeah. Just relate. And I don’t, there’s still a desire. That’s more than just like, well, I wonder what the score is. It’s like, I want to be able to, you know, call later and talk about.

To be included.

Christy: To have a sense of inclusion and understanding and yeah, I don’t know. That’s my ramblings for the day,

Grace: basically what? Yeah. So just, I don’t know, as we’re going into the fall and you’re getting into the new seasons, whether it’s sports or not like. I just it’s these things in life that I’m trying to be better at, like, thinking like, well, why am I doing this? Why does this bring me joy? Yeah. I.

Because wherever there’s joy there. Like the Lord, is there somewhere? And so what is it? So I just like to get curious and like, I could just sit there and enjoy and be like, well, he’s just here, but instead I get nerdy and I’m like, well, what is it? Why. What is, how is he here and why do I get so much enjoyment? Right.

Christy: But I think that’s exactly what it is, is it’s saying these are ordinary moments back to school. Is it happens every year. Football season starts. You know, but then where do you not like. Over. [00:41:00] Holy fire it. That’s not a word, but make it. But this can be extra ordinary. This can be me. Like you said, finding joy.

Doing this because it’s just spending time, even if it’s not like. Your favorite thing to do? I think it’s awesome. How you were like, I want to learn more about this other sport, just because of the fact I want to. Have a similar interest then? Yeah, I think that’s a way of just actually really loving someone and saying, I want to have an interest or have a better understanding.

Even if it

Grace: doesn’t. And I do enjoy it in and of itself for myself, but I also enjoy enjoying it with others. That sounds weird, but I like there’s something about the joy and enjoying things with a group

Christy: of people. And I think that that’s

Grace: why you go to the movies together. That’s why there’s movie theaters. They don’t just give you an individual CD or.

Getting philosophical. Thank you. I try. I know. Yeah.

Christy: Well, this is totally a group participation people. So this is definitely an episode that we need you to. Yeah, share. Comments back and let us know what your thoughts are because. Yeah, [00:42:00] I love, I love hearing that type of thing. Like we like to do this and we have this tradition cause that, I mean, cause people have, you know, maybe it’s game nights for your family. You.

I know a lot of people get into that or with their friend groups and yeah. Different things on. Whatever, or some people do like backyard Olympics or. Things like that, like yard games. Not like board games is what I mean, not maybe Olympics wasn’t the right word. So, so let us know. Traditions

Grace: you enjoy because we all know there’s those traditions you just do because you do them, but you maybe don’t get excited anymore. It’s like one of those traditions you get really excited to do again, every.

Christy: That bonds you together as what type of unit? If it’s a friend group it’s, if it’s family, if it’s your grandkids, if it’s your neighborhood. You know that you guys look forward to that might not really have any moral significance or bearing, but that you just enjoy for the sense of finding joy in being with others and doing a common

Grace: activity.

Like, oh, I just think. My last one, like the weird college traditions that are weird.

Christy: I know [00:43:00]

Grace: my school does a three hour tug of war. Every fall. And when I showed up, I was like, this is bizarre, but now I go and I scream for my team and I’m like, why am I doing this? It’s so fun. No.

Christy: No bearing on any outcome with.

Grace: Over the top. And that times is a little dangerous, but they have first responders. It’s fine. But.

Because it gets

Christy: really intense, they dig pits. They put on more paint. And they get in ditches and pull for like three hours straight.

Grace: Yes. Yeah. And you just come out and you just scream and you’re like, But then

Christy: you say you walk away and you go get a donut and come back and keep screaming.

Grace: I think last year, I might’ve stayed for the whole thing the first well, cause then the in-between year, it was covid we didn’t have it. So I’ve only had two years of it. So the first year I it’s three hours, I went for like the first hour left and came back to see the end that I didn’t go to the second year.

And last year, I think, no, I’ve probably. I think I came late and stayed for all of it after that or something like that. I don’t know. But I think of that, like I remember being there last [00:44:00] year, I was like, this is such a bizarre, weird tradition and I’m like acting so passionate about it, but there’s just something about like,

This is my school. This is my team. Like, and so I’m going to root for them. Even though I didn’t prep for this at all for the last weeks that all these students that like, it’s like, no, this is just, this is my team and this, and this is fun. And I’m just going to scream about

Christy: it. Those types of weird wonky traditions that like provide this energy that you just want to be part of. That’s what we want to hear about.

So, yeah. Awesome.

Grace: All right. Well, do all the jazz, all the things, people, all that stuff. You know what I mean?

Christy: Subscribe, rate, review, comment, share

Grace: email. Um, thanksmompodcast@gmail.com or.

Christy: Christina Brown. Did we ever advertise your email? We’re just, no I’m talking about Facebook and Instagram.

Um, Christina Brown on Facebook or Christina__M__Brown [00:45:00]

Grace: On Instagram or @thanksmompodcast or the Podcastfacebook group

Christy: and Instagram page. So. All those things. And we hope you have a great week and we’ll see you next time on the Thanks Mom Podcast.