EXPERIENCE 187 | A Journey through Ministry and into Entrepreneurship with Noah and Allli Hutchison, CEO and Principal Designer at Hutch Design Build

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Noah and Allie Hutchinson met during their college years at Baylor and grew a friendship through their shared involvement in a church community, Antioch Waco.

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Allie started doing interior design work for friends and their friends soon after college and eventually they worked in church ministry with Noah as the children's and family director.

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They moved to Fort Collins in 2015, when Noah became the Executive Director for Antioch Fort Collins, basically leading the administrative function to allow the pastors to focus on service and teaching.

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I first heard about Noah when he ran for City Council in 2019, as a relative newcomer to town.

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Their season in ministry with Antioch ended about the same time, and Noah and Allie both went to work in construction, with Noah first as CFO and then later president of Mighty Hen Construction, and Allie as lead designer, and only for a few seasons.

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Hutch Design Build was launched in April of 2022, and has already grown to a team of seven.

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Hutch Design Build offers design first custom solutions for major remodels and additions, accessory dwelling units, and full custom family homes.

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And as of a few days before this conversation, Noah and Allie have secured the long time coffeehouse location, The Bean Cycle, in Old Town Fort Collins and have some amazing plans for the space.

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You'll have to tune in to hear about those plans, though, and also to get to know an amazing couple using their shared strengths to make their clients home and family dreams come true.

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So please enjoy, as I did, my conversation with Noah and Allie Hutchinson.

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welcome back to the loco experience podcast.

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My guests today are Noah and Allie Hutchinson, and they are the co founders of, and CEO and principal designer of Hutch design built.

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Welcome.

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Thanks.

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Thanks for being here.

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Thanks for having us.

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Yeah, glad to be here.

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Uh, what have you guys been up to today?

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Oh, you know, putting out some fires at job sites.

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Not literal fires.

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Yeah, yeah.

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Figurative fires.

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I unloaded 90 cabinets off of a semi this morning.

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Okay.

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Because all the rest of my team was busy.

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Uh, so.

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That's pretty good.

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That was fun.

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Is that all one project?

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Yeah.

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Four projects.

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Oh, wow.

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You guys got a lot of projects going.

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Yeah.

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I have a lot of cabinets that we got, cabinets.

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Gotcha, gotcha.

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Um, why don't I start with you, Noah?

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Why don't, why don't you give me the 90 second, uh, Hutch design build does this for who?

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Sure.

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When, uh, I go to the networking events that you're at, I tell people I make people's dreams come true.

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And that always catches them and then they say, what?

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So what do you really do?

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And I say, I actually just own a design build company that does residential remodels.

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People thought you were a gigolo or something.

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Yeah.

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I mean, that's exactly what I look like.

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I'm sure it comes across that way.

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Um, yeah, but 90 second version is we have a.

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Great team of seven that does residential home builds, remodels, large scale additions, and yeah, we are normal people trying to serve normal people, but usually it's families who are looking to expand their house or really make it their own.

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And that becomes the fun journey we get to go on from concept all the way to completion.

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And yeah, I imagine sometimes it's even Can you provide us with a design that we can keep our existing home and our neighbors that we already have?

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For sure.

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And then as you explore it, you're like, you know, we could just build you this over here.

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Would that be pretty sweet too?

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Yeah, I mean, I think I do have a passion for, uh, people staying in their existing communities.

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And I love that too.

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I love making homes, uh, the dream that they've wanted their home to be.

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And they kind of, uh, they don't want to leave their neighbors.

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I, yeah, I would say that's more what I, my bread and butter is like, how do we make this thing into a place that really can host your family or your dreams?

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Like what, whatever you had as your dream when you walked into the space to buy it.

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Yeah.

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Last year, we, uh, chopped off the top of a house.

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And the top of their garage.

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Yeah.

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And set a house on top of a house so that those people could stay there and now we just added a house beside a house that we're currently working on for their neighbors because none of them want to leave.

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It's an amazing neighborhood.

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It's a great neighborhood.

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A little compound.

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Yeah.

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Allie, where did you get your, your start in design?

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Have you always worked in this industry?

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No I haven't.

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My, so my, uh, My first degree is in social work, actually, from Baylor University.

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And I, it had always been kind of a hobby of mine, you know.

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Decor, I'd always been on a shoestring budget, DIYing, that kind of thing.

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Uh, we owned a home in, uh, and we'll get into this, I'm sure in a minute, but we owned a home in Texas and did kind of a DIY flip of it.

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Uh, I really enjoyed that as, as well as Noah did too.

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Kind of like the thing that you would watch on TV.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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But we didn't know what the hell we were doing.

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Right.

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Well, you learned a lot.

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So yeah, we learned a lot.

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Um, so yeah, I, it had always been a passion and then kind of.

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snowballed into friends saying like, I love your house.

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Will you come and just give me tips?

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And then that snowballed into, um, people like further out that were paying me to come by and, um, just organic.

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Didn't have any formal education.

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Well, then I actually went back to school at front range, um, and did their design program there, um, and got an amazing education.

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It was super, super.

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applicable.

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Um, I actually did that as I was working, um, in the design field.

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So it, it started out.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And then I was like, I need to know what I'm actually doing.

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So, yeah.

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So, um, how would you characterize your design style?

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Cause I, I feel like your style, even though Noah 90 cabinets off a truck, it's kind of your sense of style and design that kind of powers your brand design.

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Sure.

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Proposition, is that fair?

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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I would say my style, if I had to categorize it, I'd say it's transitional.

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Um, I do pride myself on not coming in, uh, guns a blazing.

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Here's what we're doing.

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Yeah.

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Like this is, you know, you need to do this trendy thing because at the end of the day, the client's going to live in the space and, uh, and needs to serve them and their family and feel like them.

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Um, not like some designer came in and.

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Try to do something for the gram.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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Um, so, but I would say my own personal style, transitional, leaning towards, oh, I, I've really loved the traditional, it's called the Nancy Myers style.

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Uh, then the director, uh, if you see some of her nineties movies, that stuff's kind of coming back in style.

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So that's my personal, like in our personal home, what I'm But being a designer is really about finding.

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Other people's preferences.

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I mean, I think so.

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Absolutely.

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Yeah.

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I certainly know what's on trend.

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And if a client's like, Hey, I want to lean in.

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I want you to push me on trends here.

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I will happily do that.

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Um, But at the end of the day, again, I want it to feel authentic to them.

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It needs to really serve them, serve their, well, high functional style sounds like too, I'm hearing.

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Yeah, definitely.

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Noah, how did you find your way into the construction industry?

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Yeah, I think people always.

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We'll say something like, Oh, so you must be really great at building stuff.

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And I go, well, not exactly.

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Uh, and so I, I tell them my story is more than a more of a business guy.

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And that's been my journey, uh, working in organizations, being a business guy.

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And so that's really still what I am in the context of Hutch design build, which is why.

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A general contractor really just coordinates a lot of talented people to do stuff at the right time.

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They do.

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You know how to hire people.

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Yeah, I know how to hire great people.

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Yeah, yeah.

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Uh, I mean, I do have my GC license, and so I've done, you know, my fair share of work and understanding it, but I'm not going to be your trim carpenter, and I'm more happy to be an ox that takes 90 cabinets off of the thing while someone else does something really technical.

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Uh, so, yeah.

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Yeah, how to get this, uh, this joist attached just right on the eave.

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Yeah.

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So, uh, you know, I think that, uh, I feel like I'm more of a serial entrepreneur and that I've always tried to just put more irons in the fire in different places.

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So even as we go through this story, there's all kinds of things that I won't even talk about of like, uh, working.

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I know you like the Bible project and I've mentioned it before, but, uh, Working and translating that to other languages with a team of people in Indonesia.

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Oh, is that right for the Bible project?

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was like a side gig I did for a while to help the translation and all that occur and The administrator of all of that happening.

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So Oh many many random Junctures and ventures on the side have occurred.

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Oh, that's fascinating.

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Um, when we think about the general contracting industry or the design build industry, if you will, like, how would you, like, what's the value proposition if you will, or maybe, maybe beyond that, like describe a kind of a customer journey a bit, like, what do you, what's It's a good coordinator role, right?

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Like, it's kind of, yeah, it's such a big vision to build a house, to do a remodel.

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How do you capture it in small pieces?

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Uh, sure.

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I think a simple thing I would say is that, uh, something Allison always tells people is that, you know, we kind of take your stress on for you.

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And at the end of the day, we're doing the same thing day in and out.

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And so, you know, it's not that your neighbor sucks.

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He's doing his own remodel, uh, when it takes him 12 months, he literally just runs into the same problems that we keep you from running into, uh, and prepare for.

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So if you want us to be able to do it in 12 weeks or less.

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exactly how you want it, then that's what you're paying for.

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And you don't have, we take on your stress.

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We know, we know the pitfalls, uh, and our team is able to, uh, yeah, really be able to jump across that, uh, pond for you and get your house done.

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The other thing I'd say is that one of the interesting things that happened in COVID is everybody decided that they could be a contractor and not everyone, but many people, because.

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People were in their homes.

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There was a lot of desire to change it.

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And so really across the industry, there's finally a weeding out, if you will, of different folks that as interest rates have gone up, they project volume have finally realized, Oh, okay, this is, I'm not cut out for this.

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Uh, versus the people who were there before or during and after who continue to offer their value proposition to a market that is ready to accept it.

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Because there's a need there for people who still.

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Want to improve and see their homing.

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Well, and I think done right, like a general contractor can probably complete a project for you, not just in 12 weeks, but also at not too much different price because they know how to keep from getting taken advantage of by subs and different things like that.

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So, you know, although you want to treat your subs fairly, so you can keep good longterm subs.

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Uh, You know what the value is.

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Yeah.

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And if you call up a concrete company and ask for a price as a client and a consumer in our city, hopefully, and for sure they're charging you more.

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And so in theory, then what you're contracted one, then what we're getting.

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Right.

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So in theory, whether it's us or there's some great other companies in town, hopefully they're by far exceeding the value that you're getting out of them.

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Cause they're not only passing that price along to you, unless they're gouging you.

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Right.

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And, uh, you are getting.

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to not have to worry about it.

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Well, that and, uh, that concrete company that comes to do the consumer driveway might have spent 700 in Google AdWords to get your business.

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And for the, the contractor, concrete company, that's like, you know, to do something for 400 less and not have to mess around with Google AdWords is pretty good deal.

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And I would say we, we don't call them subs, we call them trade partners because they really are partners in this business for us.

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And we pride ourselves on developing that relationship with the subs, um, or the trade partners.

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Um, And yeah, we, we pride ourselves on caring about, you know, we know what's happening with their family, that kind of thing.

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And we know also that they're going to show up on the job site when they say they're going to show up.

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Yeah, there's relationships there.

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Yeah, I would say going back to your value proposition question that I would add that I think we are We are there to, to serve the family that's just crazy busy, you know, we, we relate really well to that.

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As you'll hear soon.

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We have a, we have three kids and our life is crazy and I can't imagine.

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Trying to manage all that we manage on a day to day basis, and also a home project.

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Um, like a large scale home project.

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It would just be impossible.

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Yeah, yeah.

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And, so I love coming in and being able to be like, Here's what you need to do.

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I love you lift this off of your shoulders.

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Here's the timeline, yeah.

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And, so.

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And not if, but when there's a little hiccup because we, we deal with so many different people on these projects that will handle it.

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And we got you covered.

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Yeah, I dig it.

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Um, how old is such design build now?

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So almost three years.

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Okay.

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So yeah, we were partners at another firm before that.

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Uh, and.

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We could talk more about that, but, uh, yeah, I just kind of found that we wanted to do our own thing, had a certain way of how we wanted to do it.

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I was a CEO, she had developed and was leading a design team and ultimately.

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Yeah, one thing led to another and had different vision than the founder.

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And so they went their way and, uh, we went our way and, uh, yeah.

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So you kind of spun out of, and you learned your craft, both of you to some extent with that company, that larger company.

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Yeah.

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Thankful for that time.

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And, uh, but yeah, thankful to be able to have something of our own that we've really designed.

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How, how was your emotional state when the, The leaping was getting ready to happen, Allie.

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Was that nervous for you or was that?

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Uh, it was like, okay, here we go.

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We're doing this.

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Did you have a project already?

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Booked or anything like that?

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We did not.

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We had, um, some friends that put great faith in us early on, um, and forever thankful for that.

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Um, We were also working, we were working a big flip that we were doing on the side.

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Oh, right, I remember you talking about that.

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And then I also kind of stayed on contract at that other company to finish out my, Gotcha.

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My jobs there, not leave the clients high and dry, but, um, yeah, it, um, It for sure felt like a leap.

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It also felt like it really made sense.

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Yeah.

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And it felt like, uh, if, you know, the universe God was really, I mean, it was really apparent this was the step we needed to take.

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Yeah.

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So there was some, some peace in that, but I mean, it was still like, we were, it was still scary for sure.

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Yeah.

00:16:47.264 --> 00:16:51.774
But he's also the serial entrepreneur as you'll learn in these.

00:16:52.115 --> 00:16:54.264
In this podcast, we are total opposites.

00:16:54.544 --> 00:16:56.554
Let's talk about, uh, let's talk about that team.

00:16:56.554 --> 00:16:58.335
I didn't realize it was up to seven already.

00:16:58.384 --> 00:17:03.955
I think this time last year you were, you were four, kind of four and a half ish, or something like that, five maybe.

00:17:04.335 --> 00:17:08.164
Um, what, what roles are the right roles for your company?

00:17:09.444 --> 00:17:20.190
Yeah, so I have two design assistants, and so we really work as a team on the design end of things, um, and they are gracious to let me do that.

00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:23.680
ultimately lead the, uh, the design vision.

00:17:23.710 --> 00:17:29.160
So that's like drawing and designing and stuff, but it's also like going out shopping for materials and things like that.

00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:29.832
Is that true?

00:17:29.832 --> 00:17:31.029
Yeah, sourcing materials.

00:17:31.089 --> 00:17:33.029
Uh, they also do product procurement.

00:17:33.029 --> 00:17:43.130
So, uh, they handle all the ordering, all the quality checking of everything that comes in material wise, um, in partnership with our team admin.

00:17:43.289 --> 00:17:46.190
Uh, and then they, yeah, they.

00:17:46.515 --> 00:17:52.914
work in tandem with me as far as vision of the space, uh, and we'll pull up.

00:17:53.369 --> 00:17:57.019
You know, what they've worked on, and I'll say, let's tweak this here, and that kind of thing.

00:17:57.019 --> 00:17:57.559
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:17:57.559 --> 00:18:00.730
Because there's a lot of just, kind of work to it as well, right?

00:18:00.730 --> 00:18:01.460
Yeah, yeah, for sure.

00:18:01.809 --> 00:18:05.359
Making straight lines, and getting all that kind of stuff.

00:18:05.559 --> 00:18:06.579
So many measurements.

00:18:06.579 --> 00:18:08.720
So, so design team is kind of three.

00:18:08.750 --> 00:18:21.289
Yeah, and then I oversee the two guys doing construction, and so, We've done it different ways, but, uh, the way we have set up now is we have a project manager who's more office oriented and a superintendent.

00:18:21.329 --> 00:18:27.279
These roles get thrown around a million different ways, uh, but in the superintendent who's a little more field oriented.

00:18:27.299 --> 00:18:28.059
Right, right.

00:18:28.509 --> 00:18:37.589
Uh, in theory, the project manager is more of a manager, more client communication, and our superintendent is more trade partner oriented.

00:18:37.650 --> 00:18:46.259
Um, he's fluent in Spanish, so he's, you know, going back and forth with several of the guys there who, so that he can, you know, take care of the whole team.

00:18:46.660 --> 00:18:51.210
Uh, and then I oversee those guys, and then we have an admin that jumps between the two of us.

00:18:51.220 --> 00:18:51.250
Okay.

00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:52.819
And Coda is more broad.

00:18:54.410 --> 00:18:55.789
Um, things.

00:18:56.200 --> 00:18:58.390
And then I do sales and marketing.

00:18:58.390 --> 00:18:58.849
Business development.

00:18:59.109 --> 00:19:01.650
Business development and I do visionary.

00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:02.339
Yeah.

00:19:02.490 --> 00:19:03.609
Of the business stuff.

00:19:03.809 --> 00:19:04.190
Okay.

00:19:04.190 --> 00:19:04.801
For the most part, yeah.

00:19:04.801 --> 00:19:05.047
Yeah, yeah.

00:19:05.047 --> 00:19:05.980
Are you guys running a U.

00:19:05.980 --> 00:19:06.289
S.?

00:19:07.420 --> 00:19:08.009
We aren't.

00:19:08.009 --> 00:19:09.259
Or self implementing ish?

00:19:09.319 --> 00:19:12.079
Um, you know, I think there's a level of self implementing.

00:19:12.109 --> 00:19:16.410
I think, so my master's was in organizational leadership.

00:19:16.410 --> 00:19:16.630
Okay.

00:19:16.630 --> 00:19:24.865
So, I've always been a little bit of a junkie for, you know, Um, whatever system was out there and all the different systems and reading it in my free time.

00:19:25.464 --> 00:19:29.214
Uh, so I would say we have a meld of a lot of different things.

00:19:29.365 --> 00:19:30.224
Um, but.

00:19:30.525 --> 00:19:32.555
But you said you're the visionary, Allie.

00:19:33.204 --> 00:19:38.009
I think we've, we've realized this over the last, uh, maybe year and a half.

00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:45.299
Uh, originally when we started this, I was like, you lead the business, I'll do the design and never the twain shall meet.

00:19:46.440 --> 00:19:53.430
And then, uh, we are 50, 50 owners in this and I have realized how much of a passion it is for me for the big picture.

00:19:53.849 --> 00:19:56.039
Uh, not just the design details.

00:19:56.559 --> 00:20:14.845
I mean, I can get in there, but ultimately I've realized I'm a big picture person and that's been a lot of self development growth and, and standing into like, um, Uh, leaning into my voice and realizing that that's been a growth journey for me.

00:20:14.934 --> 00:20:23.585
Uh, I think I Originally came at it from a you lead and all design From a more out of fear than anything.

00:20:23.585 --> 00:20:44.194
And so I think it's been a it's been a growth journey for me realizing like no I really actually super care about this business and have a ton of vision for where I want to take it And he can totally get in the visionary lane Um And at the same time, really excels in the, in the specifics of the implementation.

00:20:44.684 --> 00:20:58.204
It seems like you've got a character of, like if, uh, 27, like, thoughts meet in one place, you can kind of integrate that into NOAA without too much struggle, whereas for many of us, that's kind of overwhelming.

00:20:58.525 --> 00:20:59.744
No, it's, it is true.

00:20:59.744 --> 00:21:04.494
I like, and I like, I make it, I make it, I can make things happen.

00:21:04.954 --> 00:21:06.192
Uh, and I like doing it.

00:21:06.192 --> 00:21:08.087
Those were the 27 thoughts just going into my head.

00:21:08.087 --> 00:21:09.305
I was just trying to compute all 27.

00:21:10.414 --> 00:21:12.515
Uh, no, I mean, I love making things happen.

00:21:12.565 --> 00:21:17.265
And I think I realized that, yeah, I can play the visionary role.

00:21:17.265 --> 00:21:20.095
Uh, but I've always liked being the make it happen guy.

00:21:20.154 --> 00:21:20.464
Yeah, yeah.

00:21:20.464 --> 00:21:23.404
And so, uh, yeah, it's fun that we get to do that together.

00:21:23.444 --> 00:21:38.119
And Well, fun that I get to be here, kinda, Allie, cause this has to be a bit of a reinforcing conversation for that, uh, stepping into your brilliance of vision and more public facing than, uh, Noah's usually the guy on the streets, you know, going to the chamber meetings.

00:21:38.200 --> 00:21:38.809
He is.

00:21:39.029 --> 00:21:45.575
You and I met each other, like, once, and then we saw each other, like, three times more within, like, uh, Oh, really?

00:21:45.575 --> 00:21:46.555
Five week span, Noah.

00:21:46.744 --> 00:21:49.694
We're like, oh, we're going all, yeah, we're going all to the same places.

00:21:50.875 --> 00:21:52.464
And it was a few different kinds of events.

00:21:52.505 --> 00:21:53.305
Yeah, exactly.

00:21:53.305 --> 00:21:53.994
It was pretty funny.

00:21:54.375 --> 00:21:54.775
That's true.

00:21:55.035 --> 00:22:00.644
Um, what else would you have folks know about, um, the design build industry?

00:22:00.654 --> 00:22:02.825
Like, do you have, let's talk about where, where you go from here.

00:22:02.835 --> 00:22:04.970
I mean, are you happy being kind of a self employed?

00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:06.390
7 person team.

00:22:06.390 --> 00:22:07.380
Do you have a little bit of growth?

00:22:07.390 --> 00:22:10.349
Who would you add next if you were going to add somebody to the team?

00:22:10.369 --> 00:22:11.140
Questions like that?

00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:13.660
Well, maybe before we jump into that, I Please.

00:22:14.289 --> 00:22:15.650
It was two questions, so Two questions.

00:22:15.869 --> 00:22:17.119
Take the first part of the question.

00:22:17.940 --> 00:22:20.420
I do think it's really an interesting industry.

00:22:20.490 --> 00:22:32.359
Um, we've, and one of the things which is going to lead into the other is we've really tried to focus on being really integrated into the national scale of what's the national circuit of what's going on.

00:22:32.940 --> 00:22:50.910
And so Allie can mention that a little bit on the design front in a moment, but I think from the building when that's looked like being involved in the national home builders, being involved with other people and other markets and meeting with them, um, And, uh, yeah, really looking for opportunities to learn from across the industry.

00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:56.529
Uh, it's grown a lot and I feel like there's a lot of, uh, advancement that's occurred in the industry.

00:22:56.529 --> 00:23:02.490
And, you know, it's easy to just throw the word AI out, which we could talk about how that's impacted the industry.

00:23:02.849 --> 00:23:32.920
Uh, I mean, from a simple, yeah, from a simple thing of like, for us, like we use, um, There's a big venture capital investment that happened with this company that was at the International Builder Show last year Into this company that we now use for a lot of our accounting and it takes Uh, if you sent me a bill, you're the concrete guy, you sent me a bill, uh, I just forward it to an email address and it integrates all that information right into the payment system for approval.

00:23:33.140 --> 00:23:39.420
Uh, it just reads it straight off the sheet, uh, and then it can use AI to categorize it to the right project and everything.

00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:41.710
Uh, it can if all the information's there.

00:23:41.710 --> 00:23:42.690
That's a little help sometimes.

00:23:42.700 --> 00:23:42.950
Yeah.

00:23:42.950 --> 00:23:43.545
Yeah.

00:23:44.845 --> 00:23:46.724
But stuff like that's super interesting.

00:23:46.724 --> 00:23:55.694
Like, I know that out in Greeley there, look there, uh, have a big movement of concrete printing houses, um, with some of those guys.

00:23:55.694 --> 00:23:59.684
And so not that that's AI, but it's technology and its impact.

00:24:00.095 --> 00:24:14.305
Uh, and so it will be interesting to see how that makes a change on the actual building front, but people will say, Hey, do you think that The jobs will be replaced and there's no way, you know, there's just too much human in what we do.

00:24:14.315 --> 00:24:16.775
Not in the custom building sector.

00:24:16.775 --> 00:24:21.664
There are 3D printed houses coming out, that kind of thing.

00:24:21.664 --> 00:24:29.035
They're, um, or they're, uh, manufactured, like a whole wall is manufactured in the warehouse and then shipped out, that kind of thing.

00:24:29.075 --> 00:24:33.565
But, uh, As far as the custom space, I find that hard.

00:24:33.755 --> 00:24:36.815
Is there AI use in design space?

00:24:36.825 --> 00:24:38.164
For sure, for sure.

00:24:39.125 --> 00:24:57.059
Uh, there's a lot of AI in, uh, design generation and, uh, So that is both encouraging and a little scary because it can be hard for people to, uh, well, one, it's our intellectual property.

00:24:57.460 --> 00:24:57.759
Right.

00:24:58.180 --> 00:25:10.265
Uh, but two, it can be hard for people, just the general consumer, to, uh, Uh, sometimes identify if that's an AI generated image or if that's something that's actually buildable in real life.

00:25:10.265 --> 00:25:13.255
And so somebody can come and say, I want this kitchen.

00:25:13.255 --> 00:25:18.295
And I'm like, well, actually, where are your outlets going to go to meet code in this kitchen?

00:25:18.315 --> 00:25:20.424
Because there's no outlets in here, you know, that kind of thing.

00:25:20.474 --> 00:25:25.265
Yeah, I've been, uh, I guess I would call myself kind of an AI cynic.

00:25:25.404 --> 00:25:33.924
You know, I had, I think it even says on my blog, you know, if you're reading it here and it says Kurt's name on it, I didn't, To have AI do anything with it kind of thing.

00:25:33.924 --> 00:25:34.299
Love that.

00:25:34.660 --> 00:25:46.740
And, um, Alma's been using it to help us with some of our proof copy for this ThinkerFest event and even re describing some of the speaker's key description and takeaways and stuff.

00:25:46.740 --> 00:25:49.180
And I'm reading it and I'm like, that's really good.

00:25:50.599 --> 00:25:55.779
Like I'm, I'm a, I'm really a pretty excellent writer, I would say, I'm pretty good at grammar and all those things.

00:25:55.779 --> 00:25:58.710
I'm like, dang, that's better than mine, you know?

00:25:58.710 --> 00:26:01.150
And it can learn your grammar and spit it back out.

00:26:01.150 --> 00:26:01.410
Right.

00:26:01.410 --> 00:26:02.269
That's what I was telling Alma.

00:26:02.269 --> 00:26:06.644
I'm like, could it just Read all my past blogs and then write my September blog for me.

00:26:06.644 --> 00:26:07.684
I can give it a title.

00:26:07.714 --> 00:26:08.244
It can.

00:26:09.275 --> 00:26:16.634
And, I don't know, there's some value in chewing through what you want to write about for five hours instead of just prompting it.

00:26:16.644 --> 00:26:23.865
But it's a fascinating world in that space and I imagine design is no less complex than a good essay.

00:26:24.065 --> 00:26:24.775
Absolutely.

00:26:24.795 --> 00:26:24.855
Sure.

00:26:25.055 --> 00:26:26.505
More complex in most cases.

00:26:26.565 --> 00:26:27.295
Absolutely.

00:26:27.549 --> 00:26:27.950
Yeah.

00:26:29.180 --> 00:26:31.279
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see where it goes.

00:26:31.440 --> 00:26:37.029
So regardless, you intend to be kind of a, at least tech literate and perhaps tech forward kind of organization.

00:26:37.029 --> 00:26:37.559
Absolutely.

00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:41.519
As far as efficiencies in that software, like you were talking about NOAA and different things like that.

00:26:41.920 --> 00:27:07.680
Yeah, and I think that both the design and the build space have been very paper, you know, paper copy and The old ways of doing it and there's pride in that and I totally get that I mean, I will say every time I get a Set of prints that have been hand drawn like say a homeowner had an old set of prints I'm like, oh such a lost art form And I do geek out about those And then you go get on your computer.

00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:09.807
And then I get on my computer and design it.

00:27:09.807 --> 00:27:10.430
And stretch those lines, yeah.

00:27:10.430 --> 00:27:11.349
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:27:11.940 --> 00:27:21.819
Um, but yeah, so we'll see where it goes, but I mean there's definitely tools that, I mean it's such a complex thing to do.

00:27:21.829 --> 00:27:21.859
Right.

00:27:21.859 --> 00:27:25.789
To build something that's, especially something custom.

00:27:25.789 --> 00:27:29.440
Especially if there's city approvals required or So many things, yeah.

00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:33.579
And so we do lean on, Lean on the technology.

00:27:33.769 --> 00:27:37.839
Yeah, we, uh, it definitely hasn't replaced the human workforce and what we do though.

00:27:37.849 --> 00:27:43.779
And I was going to say, there's a book that I can't think of what this book's called, but there's a book that talks about the top five hardest jobs.

00:27:43.819 --> 00:27:54.049
And you know, one of them says you would expect like a surgeon, uh, but home building, remodeling is one of the supposedly the top five hardest because of all the moving pieces.

00:27:54.049 --> 00:27:59.240
Cause on a, on a given job, we could have, you know, there's 40 to 50 different vendors.

00:27:59.759 --> 00:28:01.519
And trade partners.

00:28:01.940 --> 00:28:02.849
Well, vendors.

00:28:02.859 --> 00:28:05.049
Vendors, oh yeah, those would be just the supplier.

00:28:05.170 --> 00:28:05.819
Yep, gotcha.

00:28:05.819 --> 00:28:09.410
Yeah, yeah, and then trade partners who are being coordinated on a given job.

00:28:09.410 --> 00:28:12.500
So, you know, uh, many a chance to go awry.

00:28:12.750 --> 00:28:14.859
One, one project is quite a bit.

00:28:14.859 --> 00:28:18.359
And how many projects, uh, have you had going at a time?

00:28:18.359 --> 00:28:22.319
What's your So, we're working 15 projects now, so Oh, dang.

00:28:22.664 --> 00:28:25.035
Now, not all of them are in active construction.

00:28:25.144 --> 00:28:25.444
Yeah.

00:28:25.494 --> 00:28:25.714
Yeah.

00:28:25.944 --> 00:28:30.055
So we have four projects in active construction right now.

00:28:30.075 --> 00:28:32.144
But if you're doing it right, that's a fairly short timeline.

00:28:32.484 --> 00:28:32.634
Yeah.

00:28:32.795 --> 00:28:32.924
Right.

00:28:32.924 --> 00:28:34.154
That's 12 weeks or whatever.

00:28:34.375 --> 00:28:36.795
It might take six months to get the design polished up.

00:28:36.795 --> 00:28:39.424
One of them is a whole, a whole home build.

00:28:39.434 --> 00:28:41.434
So it's been a longer timeline.

00:28:41.605 --> 00:28:41.894
Sure.

00:28:41.964 --> 00:28:45.115
Uh, but yeah, 16 week project and two 12 week projects.

00:28:45.115 --> 00:28:47.015
And, um, yeah.

00:28:47.015 --> 00:28:49.174
And then we start another round next month.

00:28:49.789 --> 00:28:50.700
And then the next one.

00:28:51.380 --> 00:28:52.230
And then the next one.

00:28:52.380 --> 00:29:01.769
Well, and uh, you were sharing just before we came into the studio that you've got some exciting, uh, hot to the press news, hot to the press news here.

00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:03.720
Uh, you want to share about that?

00:29:04.430 --> 00:29:05.039
Uh, yeah.

00:29:05.089 --> 00:29:14.180
So it kind of, if you look for what the big picture vision was, it was, uh, more than just being a design build company.

00:29:14.190 --> 00:29:21.430
It was, again, going back to this entrepreneurial spirit of how do we, uh, you know, create Make your dreams come true.

00:29:21.430 --> 00:29:24.130
How do we make, uh, uh, more people's dreams come true?

00:29:24.190 --> 00:29:24.670
You know?

00:29:24.670 --> 00:29:33.160
And so one of those dreams was what would it look like to, if you were to ask us five years or so ago at least, Hey, what would, what would your big dream be?

00:29:33.160 --> 00:29:40.121
And we would say, Hey, if we had a furniture store in Old Town and our company ran out of it, that would be.

00:29:42.244 --> 00:29:46.535
Uh, and so last week we signed a lease on a storefront in Old Town.

00:29:47.045 --> 00:29:49.595
Uh, so the old Bean Cycle, been there 20 years.

00:29:49.595 --> 00:29:50.444
The current Bean Cycle.

00:29:50.474 --> 00:29:53.075
Okay, current for three more weeks, that is true.

00:29:53.275 --> 00:29:53.694
Wow.

00:29:53.825 --> 00:29:55.684
Uh, so They're going to be moving.

00:29:55.785 --> 00:29:58.025
They're going to move, yeah, down the street.

00:29:58.125 --> 00:30:04.345
Uh, but yeah, so starting October 1st, we will be the official leases of that space.

00:30:04.394 --> 00:30:07.200
And so Will you put Hutch Design Build kind of mostly in that space?

00:30:07.390 --> 00:30:27.430
Upper part kind of or the back in the upper and have all the furniture for furniture and whatever given given that this is fresh We don't know But yeah Have you been like looking in shopping and stuff or did something come into your landed in your lap?

00:30:27.430 --> 00:30:29.970
I mean, I'd say over the last year.

00:30:29.970 --> 00:30:38.130
So we've Definitely interacted with Realtors and stuff, the folks we trust on our team, and said, Hey, let's Yeah, we're busting at the seams at our current space.

00:30:38.200 --> 00:30:46.884
Yeah, and let's look and see what's out there, but we would As we looked at other spaces in on adjacent streets in Old Town, we looked at places in Loveland.

00:30:46.884 --> 00:30:50.664
We looked at places in South Fort Collins, in South Fort Collins.

00:30:50.934 --> 00:30:59.634
None of them just seemed to fit, and so when this one kind of fell in our lap, we were like, wow, this is a little, it really has where we were going to go right at the second.

00:30:59.914 --> 00:31:01.654
We were talking about 1, 800 square feet.

00:31:01.654 --> 00:31:04.424
Yeah, yeah, definitely, not double that, so.

00:31:05.605 --> 00:31:06.845
Yeah, 2, 750?

00:31:06.845 --> 00:31:07.285
Yeah.

00:31:07.285 --> 00:31:07.914
Is that what it is?

00:31:07.914 --> 00:31:08.434
I don't know.

00:31:09.045 --> 00:31:10.255
Well, it's got that mezzanine up there, too.

00:31:10.255 --> 00:31:11.654
Yeah, I think it's like 3, 200 something.

00:31:11.775 --> 00:31:13.855
Effectively lives a little bigger than that, so.

00:31:14.035 --> 00:31:15.244
I've always loved that building.

00:31:15.244 --> 00:31:15.515
It should be.

00:31:15.515 --> 00:31:16.424
It is beautiful.

00:31:16.464 --> 00:31:19.394
I feel really honored to be in that space.

00:31:19.394 --> 00:31:31.944
I, and going back to kind of the passion and vision behind Hutch, Uh, design build, it has been to impact the community, you know, I, I think that's something we are both really passionate about.

00:31:32.365 --> 00:31:37.345
Both the national scale, of course, like that's a passion for us and I can get more into.

00:31:37.880 --> 00:31:39.269
how we're leaning into that.

00:31:39.390 --> 00:31:46.250
But, uh, you know, I, I regularly will talk to people in our industry in this town.

00:31:46.730 --> 00:31:49.319
And this is not true.

00:31:49.650 --> 00:31:58.130
Maybe a better way to say this is, I'll regularly talk to people in the industry or in the workforce of the industry, whether it's in this town or whether it's abroad.

00:31:58.430 --> 00:32:03.329
And it's clear that an understandable that there's a lot of money motivation for people.

00:32:03.589 --> 00:32:09.180
Um, and it's expensive to, to live in America at this point in general.

00:32:09.630 --> 00:32:15.450
Uh, and, um, you know, I think we always approach it of we're more about people.

00:32:15.539 --> 00:32:18.829
Uh, you know, at the end of the day, people over profit really matters.

00:32:18.859 --> 00:32:22.140
And so we approach it that way.

00:32:22.140 --> 00:32:30.710
And so the opportunity to impact people in a greater way, uh, in a positive way, it feels like something that, um, yeah, we couldn't pass the opportunity to have.

00:32:31.319 --> 00:32:48.940
What, uh, if in your imagination, Allie, uh, what's, what's the ideal outcome a year from now or 18 months from now on that space, especially stopped totally guessing because it seems like I can't, that does feel how it feels right now.

00:32:49.289 --> 00:32:58.640
And for the last three years, uh, But, at the same time, I mean, yeah, for sure there are certain objectives that, of kind of where I see it heading.

00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:04.940
I mean, again, I feel really honored to have a space in Old Town, like, Old Town has been the dream for me.

00:33:04.990 --> 00:33:07.240
Like, the community is just amazing.

00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:07.920
The feels.

00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:09.349
It'll be cool to have you guys up here a lot more.

00:33:09.369 --> 00:33:12.744
I know! I'm so excited about that! You're just like six blocks away from my house.

00:33:12.744 --> 00:33:14.440
Yeah, yeah, that'll be awesome.

00:33:15.660 --> 00:33:17.349
I'm going to keep coming in there for coffee too.

00:33:18.380 --> 00:33:20.799
I'll be like, sorry, I can sell you a cabinet.

00:33:21.690 --> 00:33:23.609
We do brew a local coffee.

00:33:24.490 --> 00:33:25.609
And there, we'll brew you a cup.

00:33:26.390 --> 00:33:31.980
We, uh, I think the start, the starting point is, uh, doing a little bit of updating in there.

00:33:32.079 --> 00:33:34.049
Um, so you run these businesses.

00:33:34.444 --> 00:33:37.595
Like the furnishing will be a separate business, I assume.

00:33:37.805 --> 00:33:38.105
Mm-Hmm.

00:33:38.345 --> 00:33:38.884
completely.

00:33:38.944 --> 00:33:39.950
It won't be over, won't be.

00:33:39.950 --> 00:33:41.105
Design bill won't be tomorrow or anything.

00:33:41.105 --> 00:33:44.855
By down the road more means, yeah, we are, we are heading that way.

00:33:44.855 --> 00:33:53.825
But in the next year, we'll to open separate name, separate company, uh, you know, but still us cohabit how looks on paper, you know, whatever.

00:33:53.825 --> 00:33:54.214
We'll see.

00:33:54.214 --> 00:33:54.394
Yeah.

00:33:54.515 --> 00:33:54.755
Yeah.

00:33:54.785 --> 00:33:56.194
Uh, but yeah, still led by us.

00:33:56.194 --> 00:34:01.835
At the end of the day, I still intend to lead the, the creative direction of it, that kind of thing.

00:34:01.865 --> 00:34:02.224
Interesting.

00:34:02.224 --> 00:34:03.545
It has been like my.

00:34:04.220 --> 00:34:06.990
My dream for a long time.

00:34:06.990 --> 00:34:09.909
It just felt like a pipe dream and something that would never happen.

00:34:10.090 --> 00:34:10.360
Yeah.

00:34:10.360 --> 00:34:15.010
Yeah, and This opportunity just kind of fell in our laps.

00:34:15.019 --> 00:34:29.269
So here we are So initial will be improve the space get our offices moved there So our team can function out of there and we can warehouse out of there and then slowly Oh, there's good access in the back there too, too.

00:34:29.269 --> 00:34:33.329
At some speed, turn the dial forward to launch, uh, the furniture piece.

00:34:33.329 --> 00:34:33.789
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:34:34.530 --> 00:34:41.300
Have you, uh, did you talk with Adrian Jones, uh, about his, uh, cause he moved frameworks downtown.

00:34:41.389 --> 00:34:41.949
Oh, yeah, yeah.

00:34:41.960 --> 00:34:43.849
In part to help just be more visible.

00:34:43.849 --> 00:34:44.144
Yeah.

00:34:44.315 --> 00:34:51.625
And he's, I would say, a very comparable, uh, organization, but, uh, do you ask him if he's sold any houses because of that high rent district yet?

00:34:51.885 --> 00:35:17.394
Uh, you know, I mean, we definitely know several business owners downtown, and I think that we all know there's pros and cons, uh, to that journey of being down here, especially as rent and taxes increase, uh, so, but, you know, I think that, uh, Again, for us to be able to, uh, see the next stage of our vision, uh, implemented, to be able to be an impact to those around us.

00:35:17.414 --> 00:35:43.059
Well, and you can only hustle up so much business as you, Noah, no matter how many pairs of shoes you wear out, you know, but having a visible location like that, having, you know, people that, you know, People that come in from out of town as tourists because their kids are going to college here and four years later They're looking for a custom home builder and that first little cute shop where we bought that footstool Candle I don't know.

00:35:43.570 --> 00:35:54.809
Yeah like and I think that might even be worthwhile as a little bit of a design style just to build traffic, not just the furnishings, but also some of the little accessories.

00:35:54.809 --> 00:36:01.130
You can take a little slice out of what's the, not the cupboard, but the, the really cute interior stuff.

00:36:01.750 --> 00:36:02.239
Yeah.

00:36:02.449 --> 00:36:04.900
The everything, something.

00:36:04.909 --> 00:36:05.550
What is that?

00:36:05.900 --> 00:36:09.800
It's just everything, not change everything, but it's, it's on your block right there.

00:36:11.139 --> 00:36:13.949
It's got like garden supplies and things like that.

00:36:13.980 --> 00:36:15.090
There's a lot of cute shops.

00:36:15.090 --> 00:36:15.690
There are, there are.

00:36:15.690 --> 00:36:21.389
I will say, you know, I think that one thing I've learned is there's enough fish in the sea in this, in this community.

00:36:21.389 --> 00:36:22.309
Totally, totally.

00:36:22.619 --> 00:36:27.480
And, uh, and also each one has kind of its own different flair.

00:36:27.480 --> 00:36:28.875
And we would, you know.

00:36:29.074 --> 00:36:30.914
be distinctly different, I believe.

00:36:30.934 --> 00:36:33.425
Well, if you can be memorable right from early, right?

00:36:33.445 --> 00:36:33.894
Yeah.

00:36:33.934 --> 00:36:34.235
Yeah.

00:36:34.235 --> 00:36:42.085
My wheels are already turning on like what can be in their house that can also trigger their memory of, yeah, we can build your home.

00:36:42.125 --> 00:36:42.364
Yeah.

00:36:42.364 --> 00:36:42.804
Yeah.

00:36:42.875 --> 00:36:43.815
Interesting.

00:36:44.155 --> 00:36:46.764
Um, what else?

00:36:46.835 --> 00:36:47.344
Anything else?

00:36:47.355 --> 00:36:48.594
Should we jump in the time machine?

00:36:48.795 --> 00:36:51.764
Um, are you ready for that?

00:36:52.335 --> 00:36:52.994
Need a potty break?

00:36:52.994 --> 00:36:53.684
Another margarita?

00:36:55.530 --> 00:36:57.159
No, we can jump back.

00:36:57.210 --> 00:36:57.679
Let's do it.

00:36:57.710 --> 00:36:58.480
It gets interesting.

00:36:58.590 --> 00:37:09.329
I think, um, and I think we'll come to focus really on your move to Fort Collins and some of those early adventures eventually, but, uh, we're going to jump in the time machine.

00:37:09.840 --> 00:37:13.780
Um, I don't even know if it's in the same town, but Noah, where were you in first grade?

00:37:15.760 --> 00:37:17.280
Uh, let's go to second grade.

00:37:17.300 --> 00:37:17.840
Second grade.

00:37:17.840 --> 00:37:20.269
Okay.

00:37:20.269 --> 00:37:29.139
Uh, no, I guess, I grew up in Georgia, but my parents, when I was in first grade, moved to Florida for one year, uh, before they separated, so first grade is the one year, uh.

00:37:29.250 --> 00:37:29.719
Okay.

00:37:29.719 --> 00:37:30.539
First grade was a tumultuous year.

00:37:30.579 --> 00:37:31.842
First grade was a tumultuous year.

00:37:31.842 --> 00:37:32.719
That was a rough one.

00:37:32.730 --> 00:37:34.269
Did you go back to Georgia then, I guess?

00:37:34.570 --> 00:37:38.960
Uh, so, yeah, I, uh, So, I grew up in a town of 200 or less.

00:37:39.059 --> 00:37:39.710
Oh wow.

00:37:39.719 --> 00:37:41.340
Blinking, blinking yellow light.

00:37:41.889 --> 00:37:43.329
Uh, one blinking yellow light.

00:37:43.329 --> 00:37:43.610
Yeah, yeah.

00:37:43.719 --> 00:37:44.230
Was all they had.

00:37:44.320 --> 00:37:47.190
And Jack and Ruby Bishop's, uh, general store.

00:37:47.590 --> 00:37:50.550
Uh, they were like 90 something when I moved.

00:37:50.909 --> 00:37:52.059
Or they felt like 90.

00:37:52.119 --> 00:37:52.610
No, no.

00:37:52.610 --> 00:37:55.670
They were like 90 something, uh, when I went to college.

00:37:56.139 --> 00:37:58.920
And, um, What kind of a kid were you?

00:37:58.920 --> 00:38:00.019
What kind of family?

00:38:00.179 --> 00:38:02.150
Uh, do you have other siblings?

00:38:02.280 --> 00:38:03.480
So, only child.

00:38:03.500 --> 00:38:05.059
Grew up with my mom and grandma.

00:38:05.059 --> 00:38:16.755
And, uh, yeah, I was Uh, I always thought of myself, I've gone back and forth as to whether I think I'm an introvert or extrovert.

00:38:18.405 --> 00:38:25.135
Uh, I've always enjoyed the introverted part of myself of like reading and having my own space.

00:38:25.215 --> 00:38:28.885
Part of that's probably because I didn't have any siblings and so no one ever disrupted my space.

00:38:29.775 --> 00:38:35.344
Uh, and my space was ever changing as I, you know, journeyed with both of my parents.

00:38:35.344 --> 00:38:39.900
Yeah, it was your, it was your Dad not too involved, you said mostly with your mom and your grandma?

00:38:40.260 --> 00:38:46.159
Uh, so I saw my dad for, from 7 to 9, I went and visited my dad for 48 hours every other weekend.

00:38:46.280 --> 00:38:46.639
Okay.

00:38:46.690 --> 00:38:52.630
And then when I turned 9, he moved to Kentucky and I saw him for a week in the summer and a week at Christmas.

00:38:52.659 --> 00:38:53.000
Wow.

00:38:53.079 --> 00:38:53.829
Uh, until I was 6.

00:38:53.840 --> 00:38:56.739
So you have other men role models in your world?

00:38:57.034 --> 00:38:57.394
Yeah.

00:38:57.394 --> 00:39:04.965
So I'm just, you seem to have become an achiever, you know, a little chip on your shoulder for being an awesome guy somehow.

00:39:05.244 --> 00:39:05.514
Thanks.

00:39:06.324 --> 00:39:16.114
Um, yeah, so there was one, uh, there were several families, uh, who lived in, um, really double eyed trailers on the dirt road, right down the road.

00:39:16.125 --> 00:39:20.835
And, uh, they were all related in these, you know, four different trailers.

00:39:21.264 --> 00:39:23.635
And those are the people that I grew up playing with.

00:39:23.635 --> 00:39:24.844
That was your adopted family.

00:39:24.934 --> 00:39:26.025
That was my adopted families.

00:39:26.025 --> 00:39:26.385
We.

00:39:26.405 --> 00:39:29.985
So, we hunted together, fish together, played sports together, and.

00:39:30.074 --> 00:39:30.554
We ate dinner.

00:39:30.565 --> 00:39:31.875
Ate dinner at their house.

00:39:31.945 --> 00:39:37.914
Sandwich night on Thursday night and everybody was trying to get that white bread with some grilled spam.

00:39:37.914 --> 00:39:38.454
Nice.

00:39:38.454 --> 00:39:41.224
I just bought four cans of spam yesterday.

00:39:41.224 --> 00:39:43.235
It's only 299 on sale at Safeway.

00:39:43.235 --> 00:39:44.534
Oh, good to know.

00:39:44.534 --> 00:39:46.315
I I left my spam at sandwich.

00:39:46.324 --> 00:39:46.905
If Jill hears this.

00:39:47.355 --> 00:39:49.514
If Jill hears this, she's gonna be like, why did you buy that?

00:39:51.864 --> 00:39:52.755
So, um.

00:39:52.764 --> 00:39:56.599
So, yeah, but I I think I an achiever.

00:39:56.599 --> 00:40:02.460
Uh, I always definitely was trying to be the straight A kid and uh, involved in everything.

00:40:02.460 --> 00:40:04.210
You didn't give your mom too much to worry about?

00:40:04.349 --> 00:40:04.809
No.

00:40:04.809 --> 00:40:11.480
And I think, uh, part of it was just probably trying to find value and meaning in life.

00:40:11.929 --> 00:40:13.340
So I found a lot in that.

00:40:13.420 --> 00:40:20.710
And so whether it was, yeah, this organization or that, or trying to be the best at something, sports was never really my thing.

00:40:20.719 --> 00:40:21.050
I'm, was never really my thing.

00:40:21.579 --> 00:40:23.880
Mom wasn't in sports, my dad wasn't in sports.

00:40:24.449 --> 00:40:25.500
Music was a big thing.

00:40:25.500 --> 00:40:28.929
My mom had her masters in music.

00:40:29.199 --> 00:40:30.739
She passed away a few years ago.

00:40:30.769 --> 00:40:32.489
My dad has his doctorate in music.

00:40:32.590 --> 00:40:33.070
Oh wow.

00:40:33.820 --> 00:40:36.500
So yeah, music was always a big deal and still is for me.

00:40:37.409 --> 00:40:37.760
Interesting.

00:40:37.809 --> 00:40:38.550
Uh, yeah.

00:40:38.659 --> 00:40:39.010
Okay.

00:40:39.119 --> 00:40:45.980
Let's, uh, let's, uh, set you down there for the moment and pick Allie up in that same, we'll go to second grade, too.

00:40:46.829 --> 00:40:47.719
Second grade.

00:40:47.719 --> 00:40:49.889
Second grade I had just moved to Minnesota.

00:40:49.980 --> 00:40:50.469
Okay.

00:40:50.469 --> 00:40:51.360
I was born in Texas.

00:40:51.380 --> 00:40:51.750
Okay.

00:40:51.849 --> 00:40:55.570
And so second grade we'd just moved to Rochester, Minnesota.

00:40:55.869 --> 00:40:57.460
And stayed there for a while, or?

00:40:57.510 --> 00:41:01.920
I was there until, uh, after freshman year of high school.

00:41:02.090 --> 00:41:02.420
Okay.

00:41:02.420 --> 00:41:02.760
So.

00:41:02.760 --> 00:41:02.840
You're welcome.

00:41:03.519 --> 00:41:06.530
Um, yeah, so we were in Minnesota.

00:41:06.809 --> 00:41:09.329
What was your family dynamic as far as siblings?

00:41:09.329 --> 00:41:10.460
What were your parents up to?

00:41:10.670 --> 00:41:12.769
I have two older brothers, quite a bit older than me.

00:41:12.769 --> 00:41:14.489
I was the bonus kid.

00:41:14.840 --> 00:41:19.070
So, um, they're 13 and 10, er, 13 and 8 years older than me.

00:41:19.070 --> 00:41:19.530
Oh, wow.

00:41:19.699 --> 00:41:19.789
Okay.

00:41:20.110 --> 00:41:30.519
And, uh, so, the year I started kindergarten, my oldest brother started college, and my middle brother The middle kid, he started high school.

00:41:30.530 --> 00:41:31.030
Right, right.

00:41:31.050 --> 00:41:31.369
So.

00:41:31.550 --> 00:41:32.039
Interesting.

00:41:32.119 --> 00:41:32.610
So I.

00:41:32.670 --> 00:41:33.719
So you're effectively an only child.

00:41:33.719 --> 00:41:34.309
I kind of.

00:41:34.309 --> 00:41:34.643
Yeah.

00:41:34.643 --> 00:41:35.590
In function with uncles.

00:41:35.639 --> 00:41:36.429
Yeah, kind of.

00:41:36.789 --> 00:41:37.690
That you call brothers.

00:41:37.690 --> 00:41:38.876
I mean, they for sure got their.

00:41:38.876 --> 00:41:39.972
I'm sure there are more brothers now.

00:41:39.972 --> 00:41:40.130
Yeah.

00:41:40.130 --> 00:41:41.070
That you're all growing up with.

00:41:41.070 --> 00:41:45.559
And they for sure got their fair share, especially the one closest to me of pastoring me.

00:41:45.699 --> 00:41:46.250
Right, right.

00:41:46.250 --> 00:41:46.809
And you know, all those.

00:41:46.909 --> 00:41:47.809
Yeah, well that's what girls need.

00:41:47.809 --> 00:41:49.400
All those good brotherly things.

00:41:49.400 --> 00:41:49.570
Sisters need anyway.

00:41:49.570 --> 00:41:49.940
Yeah.

00:41:50.579 --> 00:41:50.949
Um.

00:41:50.949 --> 00:41:52.059
And what took your family to Minnesota?

00:41:52.309 --> 00:41:53.469
Uh, my dad's job.

00:41:53.469 --> 00:41:55.260
So my dad's in ministry.

00:41:55.329 --> 00:41:55.559
Okay.

00:41:55.559 --> 00:42:00.885
So, uh, kind of supervisory role in Baptist ministry.

00:42:00.894 --> 00:42:09.644
So, uh, so he was the executive director for Minnesota and Wisconsin Baptist, cause there's not a ton of Baptists in Minnesota, so you have to combine states.

00:42:09.875 --> 00:42:10.875
I understand, I understand.

00:42:10.875 --> 00:42:13.155
Southern Baptists too, yeah, so.

00:42:13.155 --> 00:42:17.286
Basically transplants from Texas and Georgia and stuff like that.

00:42:17.286 --> 00:42:18.112
Perfect, yeah.

00:42:18.112 --> 00:42:18.940
So, yeah.

00:42:18.940 --> 00:42:24.909
My dad would kind of fill in and preach, so we'd travel all over Minnesota and Wisconsin.

00:42:25.699 --> 00:42:33.579
He'd always be like, Stand up! My daughter! Here she is! And that would make me wave at everyone at all these churches.

00:42:33.719 --> 00:42:36.130
He still does it to this day, by the way.

00:42:36.130 --> 00:42:54.025
If we're ever with him and he's preaching, he's like, Look at all my family here! Rochester is a pretty nice town, but also that area just south of there, the, the Oh, Decorah, Iowa, and all that, uh, the, uh, What do they call that, uh, the ridge country, or whatever they call it.

00:42:54.025 --> 00:42:55.155
That's where Jill's family's from.

00:42:55.155 --> 00:42:55.887
I don't know if you guys have talked about that.

00:42:55.887 --> 00:42:56.034
Oh, nice.

00:42:56.034 --> 00:42:56.514
I didn't know that.

00:42:56.514 --> 00:42:56.875
No, we haven't.

00:42:56.875 --> 00:42:58.614
Yeah, just, uh, Houston, Minnesota.

00:42:58.675 --> 00:42:59.284
Oh, okay.

00:42:59.284 --> 00:42:59.304
Cool.

00:42:59.304 --> 00:43:02.045
So just maybe 60, 70 miles away from Rochester.

00:43:02.405 --> 00:43:08.355
I, we left right before I started to drive, so I will say I'm geographically stunted in Minnesota.

00:43:08.824 --> 00:43:09.255
Fair enough.

00:43:09.335 --> 00:43:10.434
And moved to?

00:43:10.574 --> 00:43:11.675
We moved back to Texas.

00:43:11.704 --> 00:43:12.045
Okay.

00:43:12.065 --> 00:43:13.735
So we moved to the Dallas area.

00:43:13.764 --> 00:43:14.684
Where the Baptists are.

00:43:14.744 --> 00:43:15.655
Where the Baptists are.

00:43:15.655 --> 00:43:18.715
My dad was the assistant executive director.

00:43:19.445 --> 00:43:20.335
Uh, of Texas.

00:43:20.335 --> 00:43:24.065
And then you went to a hometown school, which happened to be where Noah went to?

00:43:24.355 --> 00:43:25.177
We went, no.

00:43:25.177 --> 00:43:26.043
I'm just guessing here.

00:43:26.043 --> 00:43:26.909
Did you say Baylor?

00:43:26.909 --> 00:43:27.557
Is that Dallas?

00:43:27.557 --> 00:43:28.675
Baylor, that's in Waco.

00:43:28.824 --> 00:43:29.005
Okay.

00:43:29.005 --> 00:43:29.135
Gotcha.

00:43:29.155 --> 00:43:30.545
So, it's like an hour and a half.

00:43:31.065 --> 00:43:31.545
Alright.

00:43:31.664 --> 00:43:32.065
Is that right?

00:43:32.105 --> 00:43:32.554
I don't know.

00:43:32.675 --> 00:43:33.804
I'm just guessing away here.

00:43:33.844 --> 00:43:34.965
Yeah, good job.

00:43:35.164 --> 00:43:36.014
Who's older?

00:43:36.565 --> 00:43:37.264
I am older.

00:43:37.275 --> 00:43:37.775
You're older.

00:43:37.775 --> 00:43:38.726
I'm two years older than Noah.

00:43:38.726 --> 00:43:40.485
So, we'll actually stick with you.

00:43:40.664 --> 00:43:40.974
Uh huh.

00:43:40.974 --> 00:43:44.594
So, when it came to what's next after high school, what was that for you?

00:43:44.969 --> 00:43:56.940
Uh, so I, um, was really involved in Young Life in high school and one of my Young Life leaders, so to back up, my parents had gone to Baylor.

00:43:57.019 --> 00:44:02.110
One of my Young Life leaders, I was kind of like, uh, okay, that didn't mean a ton to me at 18.

00:44:02.570 --> 00:44:05.704
Um, but Baylor had always been part of my life.

00:44:06.875 --> 00:44:14.284
Um, but then one of my young life leaders had, had gone to Baylor, so it was suddenly cool, you know, as, as things go when you're 18.

00:44:15.054 --> 00:44:21.105
Um, and then he also got me involved with the church that he was involved with.

00:44:21.144 --> 00:44:23.730
And so, uh, as well as some other people.

00:44:23.920 --> 00:44:24.900
young life kids as well.

00:44:25.199 --> 00:44:26.190
Like not Baptist?

00:44:26.630 --> 00:44:27.610
Not Baptist.

00:44:27.610 --> 00:44:28.500
Non denominational.

00:44:28.510 --> 00:44:29.130
Oh, scandalous.

00:44:29.400 --> 00:44:30.019
Scandalous.

00:44:30.019 --> 00:44:30.730
Used to be Baptist.

00:44:31.719 --> 00:44:32.079
Former Baptist.

00:44:32.090 --> 00:44:32.739
Yeah, yeah.

00:44:32.750 --> 00:44:33.380
Beyond Baptist.

00:44:33.380 --> 00:44:34.949
Beyond Baptist.

00:44:34.949 --> 00:44:35.300
I like that.

00:44:35.300 --> 00:44:36.019
That's funny.

00:44:36.019 --> 00:44:36.690
Yeah.

00:44:36.699 --> 00:44:51.170
So, um, yeah, I really grew in my faith in high school and honestly wanted to be in Waco at Baylor to be able to go to that church and be a part of that community.

00:44:51.190 --> 00:44:51.570
Okay.

00:44:51.570 --> 00:44:52.599
Interesting.

00:44:52.599 --> 00:44:52.614
All right.

00:44:53.184 --> 00:44:54.644
That's how I wound up there.

00:44:54.715 --> 00:44:57.184
Um, so it's a great school though.

00:44:57.184 --> 00:44:59.144
I'm so thankful that I went there.

00:44:59.204 --> 00:45:01.135
I would love for our kids to go there one day.

00:45:01.135 --> 00:45:01.894
Alright, that's cool.

00:45:02.494 --> 00:45:05.525
And Noah, uh, how did that look for you?

00:45:05.525 --> 00:45:11.255
I mean, I'm from a town of 100 people, roughly, and so I can, have some affinity.

00:45:11.255 --> 00:45:16.074
I've spent a lot of time in trailer houses, both in my own growing up years and at my friends places.

00:45:16.085 --> 00:45:22.195
So yeah, though it'd be a much colder and less humid in North Dakota, usually than Georgia.

00:45:22.235 --> 00:45:22.885
Sure.

00:45:22.894 --> 00:45:23.344
Yes.

00:45:23.804 --> 00:45:24.054
Yeah.

00:45:24.054 --> 00:45:31.355
So I guess, uh, those years growing up, uh, so we actually lived on, uh, the family farm that my family had built.

00:45:31.965 --> 00:45:37.655
And, um, so 200 acres riding four wheelers around, this will come back later.

00:45:37.655 --> 00:45:38.465
Huntin squirrels.

00:45:38.690 --> 00:45:39.969
Uh, hunt squirrels.

00:45:39.989 --> 00:45:40.619
That's right.

00:45:40.739 --> 00:45:42.980
Uh, deer, deer.

00:45:42.980 --> 00:45:43.150
Yeah.

00:45:43.150 --> 00:45:43.429
Yeah.

00:45:43.429 --> 00:45:48.030
So lots of hunting, uh, fishing and just being out in nature, et cetera.

00:45:48.059 --> 00:45:50.599
And so everything was country.

00:45:50.840 --> 00:46:03.469
Uh, so at 16 though, uh, my mom had gone through a couple of different marriages and divorces in the meantime, but she married a guy who lived in Texas and, um, said, Hey, we're going to move to Texas.

00:46:03.610 --> 00:46:05.429
And I was like, no, you're moving to Texas.

00:46:05.690 --> 00:46:06.954
I'm not going to Texas.

00:46:07.224 --> 00:46:09.445
Uh, and so I really wanted to stay.

00:46:09.474 --> 00:46:20.360
Uh, but my mom, uh, thankfully saw the bigger picture, uh, of how my life would be impacted if I moved out of the town that she spent 50 years in almost all her life in.

00:46:20.360 --> 00:46:20.360
Yeah.

00:46:20.815 --> 00:46:21.565
Uh, yeah.

00:46:21.684 --> 00:46:33.085
And so we moved to East Texas, uh, into a gated community, uh, with a 20 golf course, with a 27 whole golf course and private club change of, uh, socioeconomic, uh.

00:46:33.525 --> 00:46:34.525
Connections there.

00:46:34.585 --> 00:46:36.875
Yeah, so how did she meet this fellow?

00:46:37.125 --> 00:46:42.855
Uh, actually, uh, this is a fascinating story actually, uh, because I asked the same question.

00:46:42.875 --> 00:46:54.784
Um, so my mom, one of the things she did in her free time, uh, was, uh, she liked playing online bridge in Yahoo game rooms.

00:46:54.784 --> 00:46:55.585
Okay.

00:46:55.585 --> 00:46:55.974
Okay.

00:46:56.034 --> 00:47:01.199
So, She played a ton of bridge, uh, and was really great at it.

00:47:01.320 --> 00:47:10.369
Uh, and so she had this partner that they'd play like every week and sometimes multiple times a week in these, uh, and just mop the floor with people in these game rooms.

00:47:11.460 --> 00:47:14.949
And she was older than my mom and pretty old.

00:47:14.989 --> 00:47:16.199
And then eventually she.

00:47:17.230 --> 00:47:19.329
Uh, was, uh, near her deathbed.

00:47:19.349 --> 00:47:21.519
And so one of her wishes was to meet my mom.

00:47:21.989 --> 00:47:28.280
So my mom flew out to Texas and her son, uh, picked her up from the airport and brought her to meet him.

00:47:28.320 --> 00:47:30.099
And that's the person my mom ended up marrying.

00:47:31.960 --> 00:47:32.179
Fascinating.

00:47:32.179 --> 00:47:32.559
So yeah.

00:47:32.559 --> 00:47:37.179
So while, uh, but here we are in East Texas in this gated community.

00:47:37.230 --> 00:47:37.760
Yeah.

00:47:37.760 --> 00:47:53.724
And so, um, yeah, there was Baylor connections with him and, um, The truth is that, um, I don't, I don't know, I don't share the story a lot, but I, um, I had all A's.

00:47:53.755 --> 00:47:57.255
I was a great student, had this massive extracurricular record.

00:47:57.355 --> 00:47:57.684
Yeah.

00:47:58.340 --> 00:48:01.119
You know, state, state medals, all these other things.

00:48:01.159 --> 00:48:02.159
Debate was life.

00:48:02.159 --> 00:48:11.949
Um, and all of these things and I applied to all of these schools and actually the only one that accepted me was Valer.

00:48:12.000 --> 00:48:12.440
No shit.

00:48:12.460 --> 00:48:18.300
Um, I don't understand how out of all of the ones with all A's and this great thing.

00:48:18.300 --> 00:48:20.179
You did okay on your SAT, ACT.

00:48:20.179 --> 00:48:21.280
I did great, yeah.

00:48:21.449 --> 00:48:23.469
the transfer credits and that kind of thing.

00:48:23.469 --> 00:48:30.559
Yeah, I think the transfer between the schools kind of messed it up a little bit because they were, um, But, but I mean, a wild thing.

00:48:30.820 --> 00:48:32.610
So, so I was like, well I guess I'm going to Baylor.

00:48:33.170 --> 00:48:43.510
Uh, so, uh, I've been, I'm a pretty all or nothing guy, so I'm like, alright, I'm going to the camp in the summer, the pre, the pre camp.

00:48:44.079 --> 00:48:48.079
Uh, I went to the pre camp, line camp, and was like Mr.

00:48:48.079 --> 00:48:54.650
Line Camp, and was like yelling and doing sick em bear claws on top of tables in the lunchroom and stuff.

00:48:55.139 --> 00:48:57.260
And so we got to the beginning of Baylor.

00:48:58.275 --> 00:49:02.724
And here's introverted, amazing Allison over here working along the way.

00:49:02.775 --> 00:49:06.045
Oh, I would never, like, we are so opposite.

00:49:06.074 --> 00:49:13.295
I, like, barely made it to move in day because I had to make it to my Dave Matthews band concert on move in day instead.

00:49:13.364 --> 00:49:16.255
And I was like Oh, I was like there as early as possible.

00:49:16.255 --> 00:49:19.445
Ha! Uh, so ended up Doing the bare minimum.

00:49:19.465 --> 00:49:22.085
So you guys, like, met, like, first day almost?

00:49:22.355 --> 00:49:23.304
No, we didn't, actually.

00:49:23.304 --> 00:49:23.954
Not really.

00:49:25.474 --> 00:49:29.215
I don't think this would have worked out if we hadn't met back then, to be honest.

00:49:29.625 --> 00:49:38.594
Well, the funny, yeah, the funny college journey for me was that, you know, with a mom with a double masters and my dad with a doctor, I was a doctor.

00:49:38.684 --> 00:49:40.155
Well, in music too.

00:49:40.224 --> 00:49:41.570
Had you had any faith in music?

00:49:42.539 --> 00:49:45.730
Conversation in your life to speak of, Nor, or was it significant?

00:49:46.739 --> 00:49:47.980
Yeah, yeah, that's a good question.

00:49:47.980 --> 00:50:00.159
So I grew up in the church, um, and dad actually still works for churches and, um, yeah, I grew up going, um, I was, uh, I was a Method Baptist.

00:50:00.570 --> 00:50:02.889
So it went between the Methodist and the Baptist church.

00:50:02.889 --> 00:50:05.099
Oh, thanks.

00:50:05.440 --> 00:50:14.369
Um, so went between those two, um, um, With my grandma, I remember sitting and eating weird tasting mints out of her old purse.

00:50:14.389 --> 00:50:15.869
So it wasn't foreign to you at least.

00:50:17.019 --> 00:50:18.909
I mean it was a big, big involvement for Allie.

00:50:18.909 --> 00:50:22.769
It was why I asked, cause she, you know, her whole family tree had come that way.

00:50:22.989 --> 00:50:25.989
Yeah, so, uh, so it was definitely an important piece.

00:50:25.989 --> 00:50:34.344
I think I didn't know, um, Um, what it looked like to really have a faith journey, uh, until really I moved to Texas.

00:50:34.355 --> 00:50:42.565
So when I moved to Texas, I, um, got involved in this church there that really helped me for those couple of years, the last two years in high school.

00:50:42.565 --> 00:50:52.224
So I moved when I was 16 and those last two years as a part of a great church in East Texas and had some great friends and that really, uh, so that was definitely an attractive piece of Baylor.

00:50:52.405 --> 00:50:53.744
Um, as I came in.

00:50:53.744 --> 00:50:53.965
Yeah.

00:50:53.965 --> 00:50:54.164
Yeah.

00:50:54.164 --> 00:50:54.724
Fair enough.

00:50:54.804 --> 00:50:58.295
Get involved in a church there, uh, and it just so happened to be the same church.

00:50:58.684 --> 00:51:12.304
But my, my one funny college story, cause my college journey doesn't go very far is that my freshman year, I, so with all of my standing on tables and everything, I decided I want to run, cause politics, which we can talk about later, I always had an interest.

00:51:12.304 --> 00:51:13.405
And I was like, I want to be freshmen.

00:51:13.465 --> 00:51:14.925
I want to be freshman class president.

00:51:15.514 --> 00:51:16.625
People were like, you should be.

00:51:16.635 --> 00:51:22.284
So I stood on every table and handed out flyers and did everything I possibly could.

00:51:22.284 --> 00:51:24.114
And I became freshman class president.

00:51:24.114 --> 00:51:29.639
And then went on to be the most outstanding and won all these things, and then I dropped out.

00:51:29.730 --> 00:51:32.010
Uh, so Completely?

00:51:32.360 --> 00:51:34.320
Completely, uh, at the end of the year.

00:51:34.780 --> 00:51:35.659
After first year?

00:51:35.730 --> 00:51:36.630
After my first year.

00:51:36.670 --> 00:51:38.510
Like, tell me about the motivation there.

00:51:38.510 --> 00:51:41.400
Like, what Mixed motivation.

00:51:42.039 --> 00:51:45.320
Uh, you know, I, uh Did you burn yourself too hot?

00:51:45.420 --> 00:51:46.800
Like I probably did.

00:51:46.800 --> 00:51:48.489
He did.

00:51:48.489 --> 00:51:49.769
Fly too close to the sun?

00:51:49.969 --> 00:51:50.079
He did.

00:51:50.099 --> 00:51:50.769
I did.

00:51:51.380 --> 00:52:00.144
You know, I think that I kind of woke up One year later in the college and was like, What is life?

00:52:00.164 --> 00:52:00.824
What are we doing?

00:52:00.824 --> 00:52:01.179
Yeah.

00:52:01.179 --> 00:52:02.246
Kind of existential.

00:52:02.246 --> 00:52:05.164
Yeah, kind of a little existential crisis.

00:52:05.195 --> 00:52:15.364
My mom over spring break of that year and, uh, the person she'd married had a big falling out and decided they were going to separate and she was going to move back to Georgia.

00:52:15.775 --> 00:52:22.635
Um, looking at this 60 something thousand dollar a year bill at Baylor and thinking that's crazy.

00:52:22.704 --> 00:52:24.164
I can't let my mom take that on.

00:52:24.195 --> 00:52:25.284
Well, she couldn't.

00:52:25.284 --> 00:52:25.744
Right.

00:52:25.744 --> 00:52:25.974
Right.

00:52:25.974 --> 00:52:26.295
So.

00:52:26.804 --> 00:52:28.224
And you didn't want to finance it.

00:52:28.275 --> 00:52:40.215
Yeah, and she was trying to take care of herself, and so, um, you know, I, I kind of just decided I'm going to have a pause moment here, uh, and see what happens, and it was definitely a great decision.

00:52:40.255 --> 00:52:48.434
Um, I wish that my degree, I wish that I ended up graduating from Baylor, although I went on to get my bachelor's and my master's, but, um.

00:52:48.445 --> 00:52:50.554
From a less prestigious, uh, school.

00:52:50.844 --> 00:52:52.385
Yeah, organization.

00:52:52.405 --> 00:53:14.594
Yes, but Yeah with a newborn baby Okay, so let's let me pick it up back with you Allie Did you actually you attended Baylor as well as a social work major And yep, and that's what my kind of with a notion towards using that skill set ministry still at that time or didn't know necessarily?

00:53:14.614 --> 00:53:16.144
Yeah, not necessarily.

00:53:16.195 --> 00:53:29.025
I think I always, some of the things that were appealing to me about that meant that church in Waco is it was really globally minded and that has always been really interesting to me.

00:53:29.085 --> 00:53:32.195
Um, I debated between social work or anthropology.

00:53:32.195 --> 00:53:41.355
Like I just love geeking out on people and the differences and like, you know, like any of those documentaries about like a subsect of people.

00:53:41.355 --> 00:53:42.784
Like I love those things.

00:53:42.894 --> 00:53:45.684
So, um, yeah.

00:53:45.744 --> 00:53:47.715
You would love my job actually, this podcast host thing.

00:53:47.715 --> 00:53:49.121
I bet I would actually.

00:53:49.121 --> 00:53:50.244
I suspect you would.

00:53:50.244 --> 00:53:51.114
I bet I would.

00:53:51.614 --> 00:53:52.824
Um, yeah.

00:53:52.824 --> 00:54:09.574
So that was more the motivation of like, I really do love helping people and connecting with people and Hearing people's story, you know, uh, and I love connecting people to resources.

00:54:09.605 --> 00:54:11.644
I think that was what I had always thought.

00:54:12.034 --> 00:54:16.355
Again, more of the big picture thing, uh, macro social work rather than micro.

00:54:16.364 --> 00:54:16.644
Yeah, yeah.

00:54:16.644 --> 00:54:18.224
Macro is kind of more like the overall.

00:54:18.224 --> 00:54:21.675
How do you change societal trends so that people don't need as much help?

00:54:21.675 --> 00:54:22.264
Exactly.

00:54:22.304 --> 00:54:22.494
Yeah.

00:54:22.494 --> 00:54:23.074
Yeah.

00:54:23.074 --> 00:54:23.525
Totally.

00:54:24.125 --> 00:54:25.815
Uh, rather than the band aid fix.

00:54:25.844 --> 00:54:30.344
So, I would say in a lot of ways, I'm doing that in my day to day life, too.

00:54:30.525 --> 00:54:44.835
Well, I mean, in some strange, like, one of the biggest things a person could, you know, Do, uh, a culture could do to fix it, to heal itself is to repair the challenge of fatherlessness.

00:54:44.965 --> 00:54:55.525
And you know, Noah, your life is really kind of not just with your mom and dad, but also, you know, moving to Texas and that's a, whatever, three year stint and then another chapter.

00:54:55.925 --> 00:54:56.105
Yeah.

00:54:56.204 --> 00:55:01.505
Um, just that instability of that is an interesting dynamic at play in the conversation.

00:55:01.514 --> 00:55:01.534
Yeah.

00:55:02.045 --> 00:55:13.369
Yeah, and I think social work was appealing to me from the stance of wanting to highlight, like, The value in each individual person.

00:55:13.369 --> 00:55:16.159
Like I'm really, that's a huge thing to me.

00:55:17.210 --> 00:55:19.679
Like, yes, you may have made all these poor choices.

00:55:19.690 --> 00:55:22.840
Like I have an inherent, like, I believe all people are good.

00:55:24.099 --> 00:55:28.269
Until you cross me and then I'm like, okay, maybe not.

00:55:28.710 --> 00:55:33.119
But, uh, but I will say I, I believe the best probably to a fault.

00:55:33.170 --> 00:55:37.739
Um, and, uh, yeah, that was really appealing to me.

00:55:37.789 --> 00:55:40.400
The ability to have.

00:55:40.820 --> 00:55:51.369
the privilege to step into somebody's like darkest moment and like show them the way out or at least just give them like hope for a day, you know, or a moment.

00:55:51.690 --> 00:55:52.679
Yeah, that's fair.

00:55:53.179 --> 00:55:57.619
Um, so you, what was the name of this church that you both were attending?

00:55:58.590 --> 00:56:00.369
Antioch Community Church.

00:56:00.369 --> 00:56:01.570
Antioch Community Church.

00:56:01.800 --> 00:56:04.519
So that's where, I presume, you probably met?

00:56:05.260 --> 00:56:05.659
That is where.

00:56:05.699 --> 00:56:08.550
Cause you Well, actually we met at a coffee shop.

00:56:08.599 --> 00:56:09.070
Okay.

00:56:09.679 --> 00:56:10.210
We did.

00:56:10.219 --> 00:56:11.239
Shout out Common Grounds.

00:56:11.239 --> 00:56:13.400
Ha ha ha ha.

00:56:13.400 --> 00:56:20.190
Um, we, uh, We met each other the summer after he dropped out, uh, is when we met each other.

00:56:20.190 --> 00:56:26.780
So I was living down the street from this coffee shop that was kind of like the hangout place for Baylor students.

00:56:27.199 --> 00:56:30.000
So it was my go to study place, I was taking summer classes.

00:56:30.940 --> 00:56:37.289
And he was bumming it out on the, like Yeah, so I was gonna ask, like, did you get a job or anything, Noah?

00:56:37.340 --> 00:56:37.710
Like He did.

00:56:37.710 --> 00:56:38.869
He did.

00:56:38.869 --> 00:56:42.480
But he also hung out at the coffee shop at every waking time.

00:56:43.050 --> 00:56:44.099
Yeah, I got a job.

00:56:44.099 --> 00:56:50.320
I, uh, started waiting tables at a Mexican restaurant in Waco, and it's super fun.

00:56:50.469 --> 00:56:52.420
Everyone should be in the service industry at some point in their life.

00:56:52.420 --> 00:56:53.809
Yeah, you learn a lot for sure.

00:56:54.309 --> 00:56:56.679
How was your mental state at that time?

00:56:56.679 --> 00:56:59.409
Did you feel like, cause you crushed it.

00:57:00.099 --> 00:57:08.940
And then you, like, I hate to say it this way, but you kind of made a selfless decision to withdraw from that engagement.

00:57:09.050 --> 00:57:14.340
Um, but he had to feel difficult at least emotionally.

00:57:15.170 --> 00:57:22.809
Uh, yeah, you know, I think that, um, I was definitely just trying to figure things out.

00:57:23.230 --> 00:57:24.480
What's next for me now.

00:57:24.849 --> 00:57:28.969
And I think that I did get a lot of energy.

00:57:30.079 --> 00:57:32.980
I think whatever I do, I put my best energy into it.

00:57:34.315 --> 00:57:54.815
In some ways that translated to hey, well if I'm going to wait tables, I might as well be the best waiter, and so then I Became a trainer of waiters, and then real quickly they were like hey, why don't you go do catering, and they were like Hey, would you like to manage these catering events, and then they were like hey Would you like to be a manager at the restaurant, and that's where I said What's the requirement for that and how much do you get paid?

00:57:54.815 --> 00:57:55.454
No, thanks.

00:57:56.105 --> 00:57:57.664
This is not for me, right?

00:57:58.885 --> 00:58:01.835
Uh, so, and I leaned into the church a lot in that.

00:58:01.835 --> 00:58:04.505
I think that You were already part of the church, like, during your freshman year?

00:58:04.525 --> 00:58:06.655
Yeah, during my freshman year, I got involved in that church.

00:58:06.655 --> 00:58:08.304
It was one of the extracurricular things.

00:58:08.344 --> 00:58:09.614
One of the extracurricular activities.

00:58:09.614 --> 00:58:10.155
Yeah, yeah.

00:58:10.804 --> 00:58:19.005
So, yeah, uh, so I, I volunteered there and just looked for opportunities to serve and help others, and, um, Let's go back to the coffee shop, Allie.

00:58:19.065 --> 00:58:19.644
Mm hmm.

00:58:19.675 --> 00:58:24.380
So, like, He was chillin there a lot, you were chillin there a lot, and then eventually you met?

00:58:24.389 --> 00:58:26.288
Or like, what was that first interaction?

00:58:26.288 --> 00:58:29.190
So we, we had a mutual connection because of church.

00:58:29.199 --> 00:58:31.219
So we knew each, knew of each other.

00:58:31.219 --> 00:58:32.800
We didn't really know each other.

00:58:33.289 --> 00:58:35.300
He was definitely friend zoned for a long time.

00:58:35.980 --> 00:58:38.710
I was a senior, he was like a sophomore, and I was like, wait.

00:58:38.710 --> 00:58:39.010
Oh, interesting.

00:58:39.340 --> 00:58:39.690
Okay.

00:58:39.699 --> 00:58:41.659
Would've been a sophomore if you hadn't dropped out.

00:58:41.809 --> 00:58:42.679
Yeah, and a dropout.

00:58:42.679 --> 00:58:45.880
And I was like, please.

00:58:45.880 --> 00:58:46.519
But.

00:58:46.519 --> 00:58:46.900
Don't call me.

00:58:46.900 --> 00:58:47.300
I'll call you.

00:58:47.530 --> 00:58:48.309
Yeah, yeah.

00:58:49.090 --> 00:58:50.139
Um.

00:58:50.440 --> 00:58:54.489
But yeah, he, he Yeah, grew on me.

00:58:56.530 --> 00:59:03.275
Um, no, I mean, it's nice hanging out with men that are in love with you as a female.

00:59:03.275 --> 00:59:11.719
I was friends, we were definitely friends at first, like we definitely started as friends and, uh, then we were not friends.

00:59:11.750 --> 00:59:12.539
We were more than friends.

00:59:12.550 --> 00:59:20.119
So, uh, we started like looking for each other at the coffee shop or like, you know, hanging out.

00:59:20.625 --> 00:59:29.385
Studying, I was studying extra hard, not really studying, you know, uh, and he was there reading all the time.

00:59:29.795 --> 00:59:30.764
What were you reading, Noah?

00:59:32.025 --> 00:59:32.684
Who knows.

00:59:33.525 --> 00:59:34.514
Supernatural Wizardry.

00:59:34.934 --> 00:59:35.505
No, I'm just kidding.

00:59:37.474 --> 00:59:40.494
Like, uh, I mean, honestly, that's a Oh, I do, I like reading.

00:59:40.505 --> 00:59:48.625
Yeah, or, like, were you, you were exploring what you were going to try with your next chapter, I assume, and stuff like that.

00:59:48.625 --> 00:59:50.054
So, like, I don't know.

00:59:50.054 --> 01:00:03.655
Yeah, in that moment, I was going back between basically, uh, like, Christian living, uh, personal, like, development books and, like, really weird philosophers from, like, Slovenia.

01:00:04.315 --> 01:00:04.744
Interesting.

01:00:05.164 --> 01:00:07.655
That I didn't necessarily understand what they were saying.

01:00:07.844 --> 01:00:08.324
Yeah, yeah.

01:00:08.324 --> 01:00:09.675
Uh, but I was trying to figure it out.

01:00:09.905 --> 01:00:12.454
Had you, uh, had you had a serious girlfriend before?

01:00:13.159 --> 01:00:13.800
I did.

01:00:13.800 --> 01:00:15.849
I had a couple serious girlfriends along the way.

01:00:15.849 --> 01:00:18.199
And, uh, one of them went to Baylor.

01:00:18.280 --> 01:00:20.369
Um, and that didn't work out.

01:00:20.380 --> 01:00:22.309
And went on to live their life.

01:00:22.679 --> 01:00:25.150
Um, and then one of them in high school.

01:00:25.230 --> 01:00:26.570
Uh, as I was there.

01:00:26.945 --> 01:00:27.125
Yeah.

01:00:27.125 --> 01:00:28.425
Not that it's any of my business.

01:00:28.465 --> 01:00:32.394
I'm just curious about where you were at in your evolution as a man at that point in time.

01:00:32.644 --> 01:00:32.855
Yeah.

01:00:32.855 --> 01:00:35.244
And the one in high school, I'm thankful for that journey.

01:00:35.244 --> 01:00:41.974
I have a great friend out of that relationship that we try to stay connected, uh, who married her sister.

01:00:41.974 --> 01:00:47.375
And then also that's what really helped me between those people introduced me to the church in a greater way.

01:00:47.375 --> 01:00:48.735
So that was super helpful.

01:00:49.664 --> 01:01:00.394
So, Allie, for you, what was the, like, there was almost like a moment, it seemed like, in your mind, when you said you let him out of the friend zone into something more, or what was that evolution?

01:01:00.405 --> 01:01:00.844
Oh my gosh.

01:01:00.885 --> 01:01:02.695
The pumpkin carving.

01:01:03.085 --> 01:01:05.684
No, the, um, concert we went to.

01:01:06.704 --> 01:01:07.914
That was after pumpkin carving.

01:01:07.914 --> 01:01:10.409
Well, pumpkin carving, you weren't on my radar then, maybe.

01:01:10.409 --> 01:01:10.985
I don't know.

01:01:10.985 --> 01:01:11.559
I don't remember.

01:01:11.559 --> 01:01:12.710
Well, that's what I asked you.

01:01:12.710 --> 01:01:13.860
We've been together a long time.

01:01:13.860 --> 01:01:14.818
And we have different tastes.

01:01:14.818 --> 01:01:15.804
It's been almost 20 years.

01:01:15.860 --> 01:01:16.559
stories.

01:01:17.190 --> 01:01:19.750
Um, I had an assignment.

01:01:19.780 --> 01:01:29.000
I was taking like a, like a, whatever little music credit I had to get that where you had to attend a orchestra.

01:01:30.829 --> 01:01:37.949
And, uh, I had procrastinated, needed to get, get it in like in the next day.

01:01:37.949 --> 01:01:40.690
And I was like, well, the only orchestra concerts in Dallas.

01:01:41.184 --> 01:01:43.414
Which is like, again, like two hours away.

01:01:44.014 --> 01:01:47.405
And, and also like really expensive for a college student.

01:01:48.264 --> 01:01:51.925
And, um, but I didn't want to go alone.

01:01:51.945 --> 01:01:55.164
And so Noah went, and my roommate went.

01:01:55.164 --> 01:01:57.554
Oh yeah, because in the church you were part of.

01:01:58.144 --> 01:02:03.355
It was a big push for, uh, basically dating with friends.

01:02:03.414 --> 01:02:04.105
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:02:05.184 --> 01:02:07.125
I don't feel like it was I didn't think it was a date.

01:02:07.614 --> 01:02:15.505
Okay, uh Basically a chaperone in all situations where We definitely went on our own dates, too, but yeah.

01:02:16.130 --> 01:02:21.679
So we went to this orchestra concert, where Allison tried to impress me, but then got pooped on by a bird.

01:02:22.199 --> 01:02:30.679
Well, or Noah tried to impress me, and, because I had made some off handed comment about some guy who had, like, directed with his hand.

01:02:30.699 --> 01:02:32.230
Not that I thought that was cool.

01:02:32.480 --> 01:02:35.099
And then Noah proceeded to, like, direct the orchestra.

01:02:36.219 --> 01:02:40.659
So I was like, who's this fool over here directing?

01:02:41.630 --> 01:03:00.570
But, I mean, I think at the end of the day, like, we, opposites attract, we are opposites, we clicked, we have the same values, like, uh, also the southern roots, I think we identified on those things, and then we, yeah, we just clicked, we ultimately are, and still to this day, friends.

01:03:00.960 --> 01:03:01.199
Best friends.

01:03:01.400 --> 01:03:01.989
That's good.

01:03:02.559 --> 01:03:02.949
Yeah.

01:03:03.170 --> 01:03:05.880
Um, how long before you made it official?

01:03:05.880 --> 01:03:10.610
Uh, so You're the timeline guy.

01:03:10.650 --> 01:03:10.670
Yeah.

01:03:10.670 --> 01:03:10.750
Okay.

01:03:11.239 --> 01:03:15.820
Yeah, we dated, uh, we started dating in that October.

01:03:17.039 --> 01:03:18.420
You were like, graduating, right?

01:03:18.420 --> 01:03:20.318
Like, in the spring and stuff, maybe moving away.

01:03:20.318 --> 01:03:23.469
I was in my, like, capstone thing.

01:03:23.480 --> 01:03:24.789
They were like, oh, what are you doing next?

01:03:24.789 --> 01:03:29.170
I applied to grad school in, uh, Seattle.

01:03:29.550 --> 01:03:29.800
Oh.

01:03:29.860 --> 01:03:38.539
And I was gonna go there, and then I had And then I was like, but there is this guy that's here.

01:03:38.539 --> 01:03:41.949
And so I decided to stay and we got engaged soon after that.

01:03:41.960 --> 01:03:43.980
We were, yeah, we dated for 11 months.

01:03:43.980 --> 01:03:44.639
We're engaged for three.

01:03:44.650 --> 01:03:45.309
It was quick.

01:03:45.630 --> 01:03:47.119
That was the way to go.

01:03:47.409 --> 01:03:49.699
That was the culture that we were in.

01:03:49.750 --> 01:03:50.420
Yeah, for sure.

01:03:50.510 --> 01:03:52.070
You're supposed to get a diploma and a ring.

01:03:52.909 --> 01:03:57.699
So, um, actually we'll come back to, uh, the church there a little bit.

01:03:57.719 --> 01:04:01.835
And cause I really want to hear about like, Was it just sprung from nowhere thing?

01:04:01.835 --> 01:04:09.795
I got to interact with some of the Antioch church folks here in Fort Collins during the COVID crisis, where they were kind of leaders in some of the support programs.

01:04:09.795 --> 01:04:11.764
And I was impressed by the culture I saw.

01:04:11.764 --> 01:04:14.195
So for what it's worth, are you still part of it here?

01:04:14.704 --> 01:04:15.114
We're not.

01:04:15.125 --> 01:04:20.579
So we, uh, Yes, we were apart for, uh, that's ultimately what brought us here.

01:04:20.670 --> 01:04:21.000
Yeah.

01:04:21.050 --> 01:04:22.219
In 2015.

01:04:22.269 --> 01:04:25.090
Uh, but the short answer to your question is no.

01:04:25.269 --> 01:04:26.380
Okay, well, we'll come back to that.

01:04:26.380 --> 01:04:27.280
We can go to a longer answer.

01:04:27.289 --> 01:04:32.559
Yeah, no, we can, we might stumble on a longer answer, but uh, So, like, what's that look like?

01:04:32.559 --> 01:04:40.269
You're, you're sticking around, you're getting married, you're, are you waiting tables, or managing the restaurant yet, Noah?

01:04:40.269 --> 01:04:48.150
Or where did your trajectory take you during those 11 months while you're, uh, Yeah, so I kept dating and engaged and, uh, kept working at the restaurant.

01:04:48.300 --> 01:04:49.050
Um, you know.

01:04:49.704 --> 01:04:51.244
At the end of the day, I was a good employee.

01:04:51.244 --> 01:05:06.994
So I mean, as I started transitioning out there, I took some shifts just to help them help myself, um, started working at the church, uh, part time, uh, and then ultimately started working there full time, uh, when we were engaged.

01:05:07.414 --> 01:05:08.635
So, oh, wow.

01:05:08.635 --> 01:05:08.985
Okay.

01:05:09.255 --> 01:05:11.454
So that became really your current career transition.

01:05:11.635 --> 01:05:12.224
It did.

01:05:12.545 --> 01:05:14.804
And in a lot of ways I just fell into it.

01:05:14.914 --> 01:05:16.875
Um, we've reflected a lot on it.

01:05:16.885 --> 01:05:18.284
And in a lot of ways I was.

01:05:18.905 --> 01:05:33.525
Uh, as I was wondering, wandering, uh, wondering and wandering, uh, yes, uh, it, it provided a really safe, uh, and stable landing place for me with people who cared about me and invested in me.

01:05:33.525 --> 01:05:35.934
And how big was the organization by this time?

01:05:36.195 --> 01:05:36.445
Yeah.

01:05:36.445 --> 01:05:41.875
So when we started, when we started getting involved in college, there was about 2000 people in the church.

01:05:41.875 --> 01:05:42.344
Oh wow.

01:05:42.434 --> 01:05:42.795
Okay.

01:05:42.804 --> 01:05:42.824
Yeah.

01:05:42.894 --> 01:05:44.844
Uh, and then by the time we left.

01:05:44.954 --> 01:05:51.425
In 2015, there was, through a large capital campaign and expansions, 5, 000 plus people.

01:05:51.465 --> 01:05:53.594
Dang! So this is a megachurch.

01:05:53.594 --> 01:05:53.894
It was.

01:05:53.894 --> 01:05:54.275
Kind of thing.

01:05:54.335 --> 01:05:54.755
So yeah.

01:05:55.235 --> 01:05:58.195
So saw it through that growth and it was a little different twist.

01:05:58.204 --> 01:06:05.264
Like, so Alma on my team here comes from a very conservative kind of Hispanic oriented Mexican church.

01:06:05.264 --> 01:06:05.885
And they do that.

01:06:06.255 --> 01:06:24.585
Like there's like these formal, you know, your, your boyfriend in this status and you go on like kind of chaperone dates and things like that for, you know, and if you don't, you're not engaged for five years, you're engaged for six months or although it's kind of, I would say kind of pragmatic.

01:06:24.985 --> 01:06:33.295
Uh, realizations about the nature of man, but far more, I guess, thoughtful.

01:06:33.295 --> 01:06:43.204
A lot of times the megachurches are like, you know, Jesus is my boyfriend and we're not going to call you on any of your stuff too much because that might keep you from joining.

01:06:43.704 --> 01:06:47.364
Uh, this seems like a very rapid growth.

01:06:47.969 --> 01:06:51.389
High engagement kind of a model.

01:06:51.559 --> 01:06:51.860
Yes.

01:06:51.889 --> 01:06:53.000
Which is pretty unusual.

01:06:53.289 --> 01:06:53.500
Yes.

01:06:53.530 --> 01:07:00.070
Like they're just trying not to ask too much of their constituents, but at least you guys were highly engaged and I bet most people were.

01:07:00.465 --> 01:07:01.079
It was, yeah.

01:07:01.079 --> 01:07:02.610
I'd say a lot of people were.

01:07:03.050 --> 01:07:03.289
Yeah.

01:07:03.289 --> 01:07:07.619
I'd say the, uh, it's all a funnel.

01:07:07.920 --> 01:07:10.469
Uh, that's not to be a negative statement.

01:07:10.469 --> 01:07:10.559
Right.

01:07:10.559 --> 01:07:12.565
It's to be a truism about it, which is.

01:07:13.434 --> 01:07:26.875
Uh, you know, big funnel, uh, outward facing funnel, uh, narrow fundamental thoughts within as you get lower in the funnel or higher in the funnel, depending on which direction you're I understand what you're saying.

01:07:27.114 --> 01:07:27.844
Higher, yeah.

01:07:27.864 --> 01:07:28.355
So, yeah.

01:07:28.804 --> 01:07:29.425
Fair enough.

01:07:29.554 --> 01:07:29.864
Yeah.

01:07:30.474 --> 01:07:34.474
Ellie, you seem like you might want to say something about that, as I was turning that corner.

01:07:35.414 --> 01:07:36.675
So, Noel gets a job for the church.

01:07:36.684 --> 01:07:38.724
You don't go to grad school.

01:07:39.195 --> 01:07:39.875
I do not.

01:07:39.914 --> 01:07:40.824
I stay there.

01:07:40.844 --> 01:07:42.835
We, uh, get married.

01:07:43.344 --> 01:07:47.155
I started a job as a social worker, as a school social worker.

01:07:47.224 --> 01:07:47.445
All right.

01:07:47.704 --> 01:07:56.110
And, uh, um, Waco has a pretty strong division between, um, Between socioeconomics, uh, okay.

01:07:56.199 --> 01:07:59.570
Baylor itself is pretty affluent, right.

01:07:59.630 --> 01:08:04.789
Um, but Waco at large, at least at that time, that was pre Chip and Joanna Gaines.

01:08:05.900 --> 01:08:06.260
Mm, I see.

01:08:06.500 --> 01:08:10.130
Uh, because Waco's not oil country, I guess, of Texas kind.

01:08:10.130 --> 01:08:10.610
No.

01:08:11.050 --> 01:08:12.250
So what is Waco?

01:08:12.255 --> 01:08:16.840
Like, what's, what is Waco, what's the economy outside of, you know, sucking on Baylor's scraps?

01:08:16.840 --> 01:08:17.229
Yeah.

01:08:17.470 --> 01:08:19.659
Um, I mean, Baylor's a big piece of it.

01:08:20.079 --> 01:08:21.579
Baylor is a big piece of it.

01:08:21.789 --> 01:08:22.149
Yeah.

01:08:22.149 --> 01:08:22.779
I mean, there's.

01:08:23.100 --> 01:08:24.840
Other than that, it's just a small town.

01:08:25.079 --> 01:08:28.130
So is that whole Chip and Joanna games, like Oh, it's changed.

01:08:28.130 --> 01:08:29.000
Foundational, too.

01:08:29.000 --> 01:08:30.770
I mean No, but how about you guys story?

01:08:30.779 --> 01:08:30.819
Oh, yeah.

01:08:30.819 --> 01:08:36.699
Like, if I can think of two of those homebuilder people that you guys remind me the most of, it's kind of you.

01:08:36.890 --> 01:08:37.460
That's funny.

01:08:37.939 --> 01:08:38.359
Or them.

01:08:39.079 --> 01:08:40.319
In the same town, right?

01:08:40.409 --> 01:08:42.399
Yeah, I mean So, we knew one another.

01:08:42.409 --> 01:08:42.869
We knew them, yeah.

01:08:42.909 --> 01:08:43.250
Oh, you did?

01:08:43.479 --> 01:08:43.810
Okay.

01:08:43.829 --> 01:08:44.649
Were they in your church?

01:08:44.729 --> 01:08:45.180
They were.

01:08:45.500 --> 01:08:45.859
Okay.

01:08:45.880 --> 01:08:46.260
Yep.

01:08:46.899 --> 01:08:46.989
Yeah.

01:08:47.140 --> 01:08:52.560
So, um Uh, people who worked on some of their projects are the ones who worked on our house when we did our flip.

01:08:52.560 --> 01:08:53.350
Oh, interesting.

01:08:53.470 --> 01:08:53.579
Um.

01:08:53.649 --> 01:08:56.619
They were just taking off when we left.

01:08:56.939 --> 01:08:57.550
Interesting.

01:08:57.550 --> 01:08:58.069
Yeah, when we left Waco.

01:08:58.069 --> 01:09:02.180
Yeah, and if we say nothing else about them, although we can, they are amazing.

01:09:02.229 --> 01:09:02.890
Do they know you?

01:09:03.189 --> 01:09:05.640
Can we tag them in, uh, in my Tag me.

01:09:05.640 --> 01:09:06.560
So you can get a few more views.

01:09:06.880 --> 01:09:07.149
Yeah.

01:09:07.220 --> 01:09:08.529
Try, you know Yeah, maybe.

01:09:08.640 --> 01:09:14.024
I'm sure Chippendwick and his followers are gonna like Snoop out the Loco Experience podcast in Fort Collins.

01:09:14.414 --> 01:09:20.295
They've done a great job of insulating themselves in the way that they needed to to hold the values that they held dearly.

01:09:20.364 --> 01:09:20.954
Yeah, that's cool.

01:09:21.274 --> 01:09:21.425
Good idea.

01:09:21.505 --> 01:09:22.685
So yeah, they're great folks.

01:09:23.734 --> 01:09:29.284
Yeah, I mean, I think who you see them on their public, uh, persona is who they are.

01:09:29.305 --> 01:09:31.354
They're pretty authentic it seems like they're, yeah.

01:09:31.354 --> 01:09:31.734
Yeah.

01:09:32.085 --> 01:09:48.680
I was in Mops with Joanna, you know, those kind of things, so it, I will say it was a very surreal experience to have someone you know, Yeah, you walk in, you're, you're sitting at a table talking about your kids together one day and then a couple years later you walk in.

01:09:48.680 --> 01:09:49.520
She's in a cardboard cutout.

01:09:49.520 --> 01:09:54.439
And she's got a cardboard cutout in Target and you're like, whoa, what the hell happened?

01:09:54.439 --> 01:09:54.619
Yeah.

01:09:55.180 --> 01:09:55.550
Yeah, yeah.

01:09:55.560 --> 01:09:56.069
Pretty wild.

01:09:56.640 --> 01:09:57.539
So, yeah.

01:09:57.779 --> 01:10:02.630
So, that kind of continues, uh, like, this is kind of a stable season for a while.

01:10:02.800 --> 01:10:05.100
When, when did that baby come along that you were talking about?

01:10:05.100 --> 01:10:05.170
Yeah.

01:10:05.500 --> 01:10:09.579
She came along, uh, about, oh, Noah's the timeline.

01:10:09.579 --> 01:10:14.850
I should defer to you a year and a half after we were married into that.

01:10:14.869 --> 01:10:16.880
January, 2009 is when we were married.

01:10:16.880 --> 01:10:18.449
She was born in March, 2011.

01:10:18.819 --> 01:10:19.840
So that's two years.

01:10:21.020 --> 01:10:21.319
Yeah.

01:10:21.479 --> 01:10:26.510
And then, um, did you like say full time mom for a while?

01:10:26.560 --> 01:10:27.229
Yeah, I did.

01:10:27.229 --> 01:10:30.539
I was a stay at home mom when Grace came along.

01:10:30.550 --> 01:10:34.119
And then, um, basically until.

01:10:34.175 --> 01:10:38.135
I kind of changed careers to the design side of things.

01:10:38.145 --> 01:10:39.265
Oh, okay, okay.

01:10:39.595 --> 01:10:42.225
For your own shop, or did you work for somebody else's design then?

01:10:42.335 --> 01:10:43.194
Uh, for my own.

01:10:43.204 --> 01:10:45.734
Started in LLC, did contract work.

01:10:45.795 --> 01:10:46.215
Interesting.

01:10:46.234 --> 01:10:47.795
Went to school, that whole thing.

01:10:47.805 --> 01:10:48.654
Gotcha, gotcha.

01:10:48.664 --> 01:10:48.685
Yeah.

01:10:48.854 --> 01:10:49.234
Okay.

01:10:49.524 --> 01:10:54.204
And then, uh, Um, is it time to like move to Fort Collins soon?

01:10:54.284 --> 01:10:55.145
Uh, when was that?

01:10:55.564 --> 01:10:55.765
Yeah.

01:10:55.765 --> 01:11:01.795
I mean, throughout, throughout all that journey, I went back and got my bachelor's, went back and got my master's.

01:11:02.744 --> 01:11:05.895
And yeah, cause you got like a MBA almost kind of thing, right?

01:11:05.904 --> 01:11:06.185
Yeah.

01:11:06.635 --> 01:11:15.619
All while working at the church full time and yeah, like I said, having a young child or Yeah, I was gonna say a second one.

01:11:15.619 --> 01:11:20.590
Uh, so yeah, throughout those years, as I mentioned, did several other crazy things.

01:11:22.789 --> 01:11:25.539
Helped out with this, uh, publishing company.

01:11:25.560 --> 01:11:27.119
Yeah, you said the Bible Project podcast?

01:11:27.119 --> 01:11:28.899
Well, that was a whole different thing, yeah, so.

01:11:30.539 --> 01:11:31.789
Other entrepreneurism?

01:11:31.920 --> 01:11:33.739
Just other entrepreneurial ideas, yeah.

01:11:34.109 --> 01:11:36.560
Worked for a publishing company with the trade shows.

01:11:36.569 --> 01:11:37.619
Spoke for them.

01:11:37.979 --> 01:11:39.520
Did some stuff.

01:11:39.569 --> 01:11:42.640
Um, mostly about ministry oriented stuff.

01:11:42.689 --> 01:11:42.920
Okay.

01:11:42.930 --> 01:11:45.819
Um, that related to books that were being written.

01:11:46.229 --> 01:11:50.460
Oh, so not totally different from like the group publishing or something like that?

01:11:50.479 --> 01:11:50.909
Nope, similar, similar.

01:11:50.909 --> 01:11:51.949
Yeah, so.

01:11:52.090 --> 01:11:54.140
That was fun.

01:11:54.319 --> 01:12:06.109
Um, yeah, basically had, uh, uh, a friend who lived in Indonesia and he, uh, developed a, uh, translation and video creation company.

01:12:06.109 --> 01:12:12.819
Uh, and so, yeah, it was able to help, uh, him with some different stuff along the way.

01:12:12.819 --> 01:12:13.939
And it was super fun.

01:12:14.020 --> 01:12:19.840
Uh, just, uh, Doing stuff with individuals on the other side of the world.

01:12:20.060 --> 01:12:23.079
Uh, that's not my, it was never my normal day to day.

01:12:23.079 --> 01:12:27.300
Uh, just seeing people's talent, being able to help something that was in another language.

01:12:27.350 --> 01:12:31.680
Uh, but anyway, uh, just random fun stuff like that.

01:12:31.859 --> 01:12:32.130
Yeah.

01:12:32.130 --> 01:12:32.520
Yeah.

01:12:32.850 --> 01:12:33.119
Okay.

01:12:33.489 --> 01:12:35.529
Judging some debate tournaments, you know.

01:12:35.600 --> 01:12:36.479
Oh, interesting.

01:12:36.489 --> 01:12:38.300
You taught a class at the community college.

01:12:38.300 --> 01:12:39.000
I did teach a class.

01:12:39.840 --> 01:12:43.539
We were also on ministry paycheck and I was a stay at home mom.

01:12:43.539 --> 01:12:43.829
Right.

01:12:43.829 --> 01:12:44.960
And we were making ends meet.

01:12:45.000 --> 01:12:45.439
Right.

01:12:45.810 --> 01:12:48.680
If Noah will hustle and make it, make it work.

01:12:48.750 --> 01:12:49.390
Yeah, yeah.

01:12:49.859 --> 01:12:55.649
I actually didn't, uh, I was in speech in high school and then I took a debate class in college.

01:12:56.130 --> 01:12:59.284
Uh, and the debate team coach was my partner.

01:12:59.534 --> 01:13:04.454
He's a professor and he was like, dude, you gotta be on our team and I was like, dude, nerds are on the debate team.

01:13:08.005 --> 01:13:08.345
We were.

01:13:08.345 --> 01:13:16.715
I'd probably be a lot better off if I'd actually been on that debate team instead of uh, you know, just debating myself about what to do next.

01:13:17.654 --> 01:13:25.210
Um, so, so yeah, so you working for the church, stringing together, you know, uh, living frugally, obviously.

01:13:25.210 --> 01:13:27.295
Um, and then.

01:13:27.765 --> 01:13:32.755
Like, Antioch got it, like, was this, did they have multiple locations already?

01:13:32.845 --> 01:13:33.944
They do, yeah.

01:13:33.944 --> 01:13:34.395
Okay.

01:13:35.215 --> 01:13:36.454
There's probably a hundred locations.

01:13:36.515 --> 01:13:37.625
Waco wasn't the OG.

01:13:38.744 --> 01:13:39.524
It is the OG.

01:13:39.524 --> 01:13:39.824
It is.

01:13:39.824 --> 01:13:41.305
It was the, the mothership.

01:13:41.314 --> 01:13:41.725
Okay.

01:13:41.765 --> 01:13:46.515
Uh, and, uh, I don't know if they'd call themselves the original gangster or god damn it.

01:13:46.515 --> 01:13:47.225
Look on the edge.

01:13:47.335 --> 01:13:47.774
Yeah, the OG.

01:13:48.274 --> 01:13:53.805
Um, uh, yeah, and there's probably a hundred plus locations now throughout the world.

01:13:53.944 --> 01:13:56.715
Uh, so a number of churches that got planted in the U.

01:13:56.715 --> 01:13:56.814
S.

01:13:56.814 --> 01:13:57.335
Yeah, yeah.

01:13:57.385 --> 01:14:15.645
And so, really, uh, every couple years I, uh, I would say, you know, I really started full time there in the 2000s, and then by the time I got to, uh, almost even before Grace, I was like, all right, let's, uh, what, what am I going to go do?

01:14:16.045 --> 01:14:16.585
Right.

01:14:17.135 --> 01:14:21.414
Uh, and then there was always like a It's a good placeholder job that keeps being engaged and whatever.

01:14:21.425 --> 01:14:22.635
Yeah, and I mean, I learned so much.

01:14:22.635 --> 01:14:23.114
It was great.

01:14:23.114 --> 01:14:27.720
I always tell people I I'll tell people, they'll be like, so what did you actually do?

01:14:27.720 --> 01:14:29.960
And I'll say, Oh, like kids and family ministry.

01:14:29.989 --> 01:14:31.119
And they're like, Oh, that's cute.

01:14:31.119 --> 01:14:34.300
So like goldfish and stuff and like coloring pages.

01:14:34.300 --> 01:14:46.390
And I was like, no, like, like four services, 400 volunteers, five interns, a staff of 20, like it was a little, a little different, more complex than that.

01:14:47.000 --> 01:14:48.949
Thousand thousand kids on a Sunday.

01:14:50.350 --> 01:14:52.810
It's a little different than goldfish and coloring sheets.

01:14:52.810 --> 01:14:53.944
Although we did that too.

01:14:53.944 --> 01:14:55.079
Although we did that too.

01:14:55.079 --> 01:14:56.180
Made baby's face straight.

01:14:57.510 --> 01:14:57.960
The dolls.

01:14:57.960 --> 01:15:04.090
You just gotta shake them enough, their faces straighten right out.

01:15:04.090 --> 01:15:05.409
Quit crying, kid.

01:15:06.520 --> 01:15:13.345
Um, anyway, so, every couple years, that I was like, man, I, I've got to do something different.

01:15:13.345 --> 01:15:15.845
This is not what I'm made to do.

01:15:16.345 --> 01:15:21.104
Uh, and that's ultimately, I feel like I found some fulfillment in doing my master's, et cetera.

01:15:21.795 --> 01:15:24.505
Uh, but by 2015, I was like, all right, I'm done.

01:15:24.715 --> 01:15:25.435
We are done.

01:15:25.664 --> 01:15:31.935
And so, uh, there was actually an opportunity, perhaps the publishing company in Colorado, uh, in the Springs.

01:15:32.359 --> 01:15:37.409
So I took a trip up here with the idea of visiting them, uh, and interviewing for a job.

01:15:38.159 --> 01:15:42.720
And basically the guys in Waco were like, look, you should at least come check out this church up in Fort Collins.

01:15:42.720 --> 01:15:44.880
It's one of our church plants.

01:15:45.050 --> 01:15:46.619
They could really use your talents.

01:15:46.619 --> 01:15:47.579
Just go check it out.

01:15:47.619 --> 01:15:50.489
And so we were kind of like, whatever, we'll do it.

01:15:50.489 --> 01:15:58.539
Uh, so fast forward, we came in here to Buzz in and buzz out, and ended up feeling like, wow, this is the place for me to be.

01:15:58.550 --> 01:16:00.430
This town is way nicer than Colorado Springs.

01:16:00.430 --> 01:16:01.286
That too.

01:16:01.286 --> 01:16:03.426
That too, it was cool.

01:16:03.426 --> 01:16:05.819
And that's when we went to Old Town.

01:16:07.029 --> 01:16:07.640
We did, actually.

01:16:07.640 --> 01:16:07.689
We did.

01:16:08.840 --> 01:16:14.659
Uh, no, but I mean, we had a great kinder connection with the folks who still lead the church there today, who are awesome.

01:16:14.659 --> 01:16:15.380
They're great people.

01:16:15.380 --> 01:16:17.659
And we Who's the pastor there, if I may?

01:16:17.689 --> 01:16:18.539
Uh, Chris.

01:16:18.630 --> 01:16:19.010
Okay.

01:16:19.039 --> 01:16:20.149
And his wife, Blair.

01:16:20.800 --> 01:16:22.350
I don't think I've met either of them, but yeah.

01:16:22.409 --> 01:16:24.020
So yeah, they're great.

01:16:24.069 --> 01:16:29.119
And we had an amazing connection right off the bat and yeah, it felt like we were supposed to be here.

01:16:29.119 --> 01:16:32.210
So six weeks later we packed up everything and moved.

01:16:32.210 --> 01:16:34.649
Uh, so, cause that's what we do, I guess.

01:16:36.944 --> 01:16:45.045
Yeah, and it was good for them, uh, in Waco, and then good for us, and, uh, yeah, uh, that puts us here in 2015, so.

01:16:45.145 --> 01:16:48.835
We're starting to get closer, and then you, you work with another construction company after a bit.

01:16:48.835 --> 01:16:50.234
You ran for city council.

01:16:50.295 --> 01:16:50.795
That's true.

01:16:50.805 --> 01:16:54.404
Maybe we'll put that in the politics section in the next segment, cause I, I gotta go pee.

01:16:54.704 --> 01:16:54.954
Yeah.

01:16:54.965 --> 01:16:55.364
That's great.

01:16:55.414 --> 01:16:56.654
We'll come back right after work.

01:16:56.654 --> 01:16:56.885
Okay.

01:16:56.914 --> 01:16:57.135
Sounds good.

01:16:57.204 --> 01:16:57.555
Alright, I'll do it.

01:17:41.654 --> 01:17:42.645
We are back.

01:17:43.154 --> 01:17:44.244
Wow, that was refreshing.

01:17:45.475 --> 01:17:47.204
The bathroom's refreshing with the margarita.

01:17:47.795 --> 01:17:47.984
Both.

01:17:48.484 --> 01:17:48.805
Both.

01:17:48.864 --> 01:17:50.414
Allie, your margarita's not even gone yet.

01:17:50.414 --> 01:17:51.034
Your first one.

01:17:51.034 --> 01:17:51.704
I know.

01:17:51.715 --> 01:17:53.255
Me and Noah are finishing up our second.

01:17:53.675 --> 01:17:54.114
I know.

01:17:54.274 --> 01:17:56.465
I'm a typical nurse the drink for sure.

01:17:56.475 --> 01:17:57.835
Well, you're on muscle relaxers too.

01:17:57.845 --> 01:17:58.444
I am.

01:17:58.444 --> 01:17:58.988
So.

01:17:58.988 --> 01:17:59.530
Yeah.

01:17:59.530 --> 01:18:01.702
Pulled my bag out.

01:18:01.702 --> 01:18:02.244
Yeah.

01:18:02.244 --> 01:18:03.564
So, um.

01:18:03.635 --> 01:18:17.795
Um, you know, we kind of, we didn't really get into the transition out of that career journey, but we can kind of address it in the faith family politics segments as well as that, uh, uh, Noah, that one of the first times I heard her name was when you were running for city council.

01:18:17.795 --> 01:18:19.685
So we haven't talked about that, but that has a home too.

01:18:19.725 --> 01:18:25.444
So, um, do you have a preference on which of the, the segments to start with?

01:18:26.145 --> 01:18:26.564
You pick.

01:18:26.614 --> 01:18:27.814
You said you pre planned this.

01:18:27.994 --> 01:18:30.154
I said we talked about it.

01:18:31.145 --> 01:18:32.005
Let's go to faith.

01:18:32.265 --> 01:18:32.545
All right.

01:18:32.545 --> 01:18:33.064
Let's go to faith.

01:18:33.064 --> 01:18:34.824
Cause my Yeah, that's an easy segue.

01:18:34.885 --> 01:18:42.135
You spent so much time kind of in ministry and moved up here and then you mentioned that you were no longer with that church and things.

01:18:42.135 --> 01:18:46.784
And so I'd like to give you an opportunity to say terrible things about them if you want to.

01:18:46.784 --> 01:18:50.045
No, just talk to me about, I guess, that transition out.

01:18:50.104 --> 01:18:56.784
Was that mutually agreed and how did you find, I mean, you, you went right from there into contracting, right Noah?

01:18:56.944 --> 01:18:57.135
Yeah.

01:18:57.510 --> 01:18:58.010
Yeah.

01:18:58.909 --> 01:19:02.199
Uh, yeah, I can kick it off and, and paint a picture and you can add details.

01:19:02.789 --> 01:19:03.220
Okay.

01:19:04.430 --> 01:19:06.729
If you put your arm in his hand, then that means, no, stop there.

01:19:06.729 --> 01:19:19.489
Uh, yeah, I think that, you know, as I said, the whole journey for years was how am I going to get out of ministry and, you know, no, uh, no harm, no foul to anyone doing it.

01:19:19.489 --> 01:19:24.289
And nobody didn't think that, but, uh, it just was like, Hey, well, there's a great opportunity here.

01:19:24.300 --> 01:19:25.119
And there, and there was.

01:19:25.170 --> 01:19:29.060
Um, And I'm so thankful for learned a lot from those Learned so much.

01:19:29.289 --> 01:19:36.060
So much about leadership, about people, about um, How big was Antioch here in Fort Collins when you arrived?

01:19:36.699 --> 01:19:38.060
Uh, probably like 200 people.

01:19:38.140 --> 01:19:41.699
And it seemed like it grew quite a bit during that season after it.

01:19:42.100 --> 01:19:44.149
Yeah, I feel like there was probably 400 when we left.

01:19:44.189 --> 01:19:44.850
Okay, yeah.

01:19:44.869 --> 01:19:47.670
Uh, so, So you saw a season of growth in that regard too?

01:19:47.670 --> 01:19:51.090
Yeah, and We stepped out of leadership in 2020.

01:19:51.850 --> 01:19:55.100
Uh, yeah, so we stayed in leadership for a while, even after we got into construction.

01:19:55.100 --> 01:19:55.810
Just like volunteer.

01:19:55.930 --> 01:20:06.369
Uh, but basically, I think when I came here, though, I knew this, and Chris and I had an understanding with one another to the best that we knew, you know, not knowing what life would hold.

01:20:06.449 --> 01:20:06.760
Sure.

01:20:07.140 --> 01:20:09.500
Uh, much less a pandemic that would eventually come.

01:20:09.779 --> 01:20:13.630
Um, I wasn't there then, but nonetheless, um, yeah.

01:20:13.829 --> 01:20:14.069
Yeah.

01:20:14.069 --> 01:20:19.310
And it really said, Hey, I want to help grow the church, implement some systems and use my talents there.

01:20:19.310 --> 01:20:23.029
I want to help raise, fundraise money and use my skills there.

01:20:23.029 --> 01:20:26.819
And then I want to help establish the church by acquiring a building.

01:20:26.819 --> 01:20:39.229
And so by the, by the spring of 2019, I had done all of those things and then not to say they were perfect by any means, uh, but we were able to acquire the building on Drake.

01:20:39.229 --> 01:20:39.909
Is that the one on Drake?

01:20:40.939 --> 01:20:47.614
I don't know if we've talked about that, but that was, The, the church we go to, The Crossing, I went there for the first six weeks.

01:20:48.135 --> 01:20:55.154
And they announced that we were merging our church into the mountain range church over at Tim, uh, Horsetooth and Shields.

01:20:55.984 --> 01:20:56.414
Yeah.

01:20:56.414 --> 01:20:58.994
So I've been in your, in that building a few times.

01:20:59.475 --> 01:21:00.314
We did renovate it.

01:21:00.475 --> 01:21:02.194
Yeah, it was, it needed it.

01:21:03.555 --> 01:21:04.354
Anyway, keep going.

01:21:04.354 --> 01:21:05.095
I'm sorry to interrupt.

01:21:05.154 --> 01:21:05.984
Oh, you're great.

01:21:05.994 --> 01:21:09.225
So it's a cool looking building from the outside, actually.

01:21:09.225 --> 01:21:10.564
Yeah, I think it's a great, yeah.

01:21:11.564 --> 01:21:26.164
So, so yeah, so I think that, so mostly you just accomplished most And I did finish the very end of my, I finished the very end of my master's after moving here.

01:21:26.274 --> 01:21:28.805
Uh, so that was like, okay, I need to achieve that.

01:21:29.274 --> 01:21:31.935
Um, and then we can jump into it in a little bit.

01:21:31.935 --> 01:21:45.925
But the running for office piece did help obviously or prime obviously expand kind of the connections I had and just my own mindset into like, um, okay, wow, I'm really enjoying this.

01:21:45.925 --> 01:21:49.845
This is what I've been trying to do be in this business sphere, et cetera.

01:21:50.555 --> 01:21:56.225
And so just to have, just to be moved from my normal world into that world was like, Oh, okay.

01:21:56.295 --> 01:21:59.225
Um, I'm feeling like I'm coming alive and really liking this.

01:21:59.505 --> 01:22:10.095
That was one of the things I was thinking when you were talking about, like even coming up to Colorado Springs to tour this publishing company and different things and you had, you know, your education had progressed.

01:22:10.095 --> 01:22:14.845
You obviously were quite the leader and stuff, but you were still really playing small ball.

01:22:15.635 --> 01:22:19.994
You know, kind of relying on those existing, established connections and paths and stuff.

01:22:19.994 --> 01:22:33.154
And so that, that city council run and even just exposure to probably a much more dynamic marketplace of ideas and people here in Northern Colorado than what you'd experienced, uh, really allowed you to turn that page.

01:22:33.564 --> 01:22:38.494
Not to criticize you for playing small ball, but that was my thought at the time was like, you know, think bigger.

01:22:38.494 --> 01:22:40.725
Don't go and work for a Christian organization.

01:22:41.085 --> 01:22:44.185
Publishing company in Colorado Springs, you got like more than that.

01:22:44.664 --> 01:22:48.385
Not that they couldn't use it, you know, there's always a balance of giving back.

01:22:48.385 --> 01:22:50.524
And yeah, totally.

01:22:50.784 --> 01:22:51.715
No, right there with you.

01:22:52.965 --> 01:23:07.564
So anyway, and it felt in a lot of ways, uh, back then we only, he stayed in those roles, I think, out of a faith perspective to what you're called to or what you've signed up for that kind of thing.

01:23:08.265 --> 01:23:10.645
More than a, this is what.

01:23:11.779 --> 01:23:16.800
I mean, Noah's always been a big thinker to always go in for the next thing.

01:23:16.800 --> 01:23:23.149
And, uh, yeah, I think we've always known eventually we'd wind up in this sphere.

01:23:23.260 --> 01:23:23.600
Yeah.

01:23:23.699 --> 01:23:24.119
Yeah.

01:23:24.640 --> 01:23:34.600
And so, uh, really as we transitioned out, you know, I think a lot of people, I mentioned the pandemic because a lot of people's faith journeys are very interrupted by the pandemic.

01:23:34.720 --> 01:23:35.039
Yeah.

01:23:35.069 --> 01:23:45.645
Um, and, uh, yeah, I think that for us, that, really just allowed an opportunity to actually reflect, get out of our actual roles.

01:23:46.015 --> 01:23:47.694
Not just be running to the next event.

01:23:47.765 --> 01:23:48.305
Yeah.

01:23:48.305 --> 01:23:48.454
Yeah.

01:23:48.454 --> 01:23:50.645
The next obligation in some capacity.

01:23:50.645 --> 01:23:50.895
Yeah.

01:23:50.895 --> 01:24:03.215
And have a space and place to reflect on what do we actually think, believe, you know, what is, what, what did we do out of duty and obligation or normalcy versus choice?

01:24:03.795 --> 01:24:05.515
And, um, Yeah.

01:24:06.579 --> 01:24:17.550
And really, I think an even like, uh, bigger picture view of it is, and what does our life need in it in this moment and in the years and moments ahead?

01:24:18.140 --> 01:24:21.500
Um, not to say years, maybe even just weeks and months.

01:24:22.050 --> 01:24:23.029
Your mom died.

01:24:23.159 --> 01:24:24.323
I had, um.

01:24:24.323 --> 01:24:25.375
Early in the pandemic?

01:24:25.375 --> 01:24:26.427
Uh, end of 2020.

01:24:26.427 --> 01:24:29.050
At the end of 2020.

01:24:29.109 --> 01:24:29.760
Of COVID?

01:24:30.050 --> 01:24:30.859
Uh, no.

01:24:30.920 --> 01:24:31.039
Okay.

01:24:31.140 --> 01:24:32.279
Super unexpectedly though.

01:24:32.734 --> 01:24:33.114
Yeah.

01:24:33.574 --> 01:24:40.005
COVID definitely played a factor in the hospital being overrun and we're not really getting care, but, you know, it's another story for another day.

01:24:40.005 --> 01:24:42.505
I know they tried their best and I met them and they were amazing.

01:24:43.225 --> 01:24:47.744
But, uh, yeah, so I think 2020, we finally got out of it and got to start reflecting.

01:24:48.074 --> 01:24:51.864
But then my mom dying really sent 2021 into its own world.

01:24:52.265 --> 01:25:01.875
And so, you know, in a lot of ways, uh, until just a couple of years ago, it's like we finally got to, uh, reflect and be like, okay, what do we really think and feel here?

01:25:02.335 --> 01:25:05.805
Uh, and the point of what I was saying is what do we really need in our life?

01:25:05.805 --> 01:25:06.675
What do our kids need?

01:25:06.675 --> 01:25:07.994
What kind of support do we need?

01:25:08.255 --> 01:25:18.015
How can we make contributions with our talents and uh, to other people to make an impact because we value that piece of the church.

01:25:18.305 --> 01:25:24.729
And what of that has to be done within the construct of modern Christendom versus way we do it.

01:25:24.739 --> 01:25:26.840
For a while I, people would say, where do you go to church?

01:25:26.840 --> 01:25:28.020
And I'd say, on my porch.

01:25:28.439 --> 01:25:37.010
Uh, and then that's still a little bit of my answer today is, uh, um, yeah, I go to church on my porch and, you know, it's not to say that we don't value it.

01:25:37.010 --> 01:25:40.329
So you haven't re engaged with a faith community here after that departure?

01:25:40.350 --> 01:25:43.289
Yeah, we haven't and don't have a plan to right now.

01:25:43.289 --> 01:25:47.944
And, um Are you kind of like, Myth on organized religion in general?

01:25:48.215 --> 01:25:50.975
Like, yeah, talk to me about that, Allie, if you don't mind.

01:25:51.755 --> 01:25:58.725
Yeah, I, uh, no, I think it has so many pieces of it that are super valuable.

01:25:58.824 --> 01:26:00.055
And that I miss.

01:26:00.145 --> 01:26:00.944
Yeah, yeah.

01:26:00.944 --> 01:26:05.074
Uh, it, there are just some things I gotta work through.

01:26:05.295 --> 01:26:23.795
Like, you know, a little PTSD, a little, like, knee jerk reaction on some of the, uh, The things that I, you know, and I will own that I put myself in, in those, like, constructs of what was duty and what was expected of me, and, um.

01:26:24.074 --> 01:26:40.789
Years ago, um, our Rotary Club recruited, and I think it might have been both Val and Miles from Old Town Media became members of our Rotary Club for a season, and we had so many website needs, and technology needs, and da, da, da, da.

01:26:41.079 --> 01:26:47.774
And they just took them all on and did them and we ground them right up and they left 18 months later.

01:26:47.774 --> 01:26:48.534
Oh no.

01:26:48.795 --> 01:26:52.805
You know, cause, and I'm sensing just a little bit of that parallel there.

01:26:52.805 --> 01:27:06.850
Like they, they leaned on you and leaned on you and leaned on you and appreciated some, but the leaning was a lot heavier and it wasn't just you, it was anybody who would willingly be Yeah, and I think, uh, and that's hard sometimes.

01:27:06.859 --> 01:27:13.869
Yeah, and I think it's hard, uh, we still grieve those friendships that we're, have not really carried on from leaving.

01:27:14.329 --> 01:27:24.149
Um, and we, yeah, we, For sure feel that's honestly one thing we're excited about being in the old town area because I'm like, we're going to have community again.

01:27:24.380 --> 01:27:28.439
We haven't even gotten to the fact that we live kind of on a rural space in Loveland.

01:27:29.130 --> 01:27:31.289
Um, so not a ton of neighbors.

01:27:31.300 --> 01:27:39.489
So, uh, yeah, I mean, I think we, there are aspects of it I love and I think that are super vital.

01:27:39.590 --> 01:27:45.800
And then there's things that from our particular journey that have really hurt us.

01:27:45.829 --> 01:27:46.579
And yeah.

01:27:47.199 --> 01:27:48.170
We're working through.

01:27:48.489 --> 01:27:48.609
Still.

01:27:48.609 --> 01:27:48.970
Fair enough.

01:27:48.970 --> 01:27:49.489
Fair enough.

01:27:49.489 --> 01:27:51.699
Has your faith itself been shaken?

01:27:52.039 --> 01:27:56.029
Like, would you still claim, uh, like Jesus is cool kind of thing?

01:27:56.029 --> 01:27:57.170
Yeah, definitely.

01:27:57.220 --> 01:28:05.609
I mean, I think I'm, I'm definitely, uh, would call myself a Christian still, like pray regularly.

01:28:05.970 --> 01:28:13.859
I think my, the black and white has become more gray for me, but it has been evident, I think I've lived too much.

01:28:14.505 --> 01:28:16.954
Life in faith with God.

01:28:17.034 --> 01:28:17.774
Yeah, yeah.

01:28:18.085 --> 01:28:20.324
To not believe in a higher power.

01:28:20.375 --> 01:28:27.295
And in Well, and a person has to wonder what, like, you were meant to learn from or grow from even in this experience, right?

01:28:27.354 --> 01:28:27.625
Right.

01:28:28.850 --> 01:28:31.210
At least that's how I wonder about things sometimes.

01:28:31.319 --> 01:28:32.310
Yeah, definitely.

01:28:32.899 --> 01:28:36.579
So, yeah, I mean, I, I'm not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

01:28:36.590 --> 01:28:41.409
Like, I definitely, um, for sure still have faith.

01:28:41.420 --> 01:28:47.270
Well, I have to think that your kiddos are kind of approaching an age where you're like, should they have a Sunday school or things?

01:28:47.270 --> 01:28:47.770
Yeah.

01:28:47.770 --> 01:28:48.055
Or maybe not.

01:28:48.055 --> 01:28:48.399
I don't know.

01:28:48.550 --> 01:28:48.930
Totally.

01:28:48.944 --> 01:28:50.784
I mean, I know that's when a lot of parents start to think about it.

01:28:51.295 --> 01:28:52.914
Their kids start asking those hard questions.

01:28:52.914 --> 01:28:56.244
Oh, let's just ask, ask your teacher as high school instead.

01:28:56.904 --> 01:29:02.614
And in some ways, like our previous experience prepared us really well to talk through the, through those things with them.

01:29:02.635 --> 01:29:03.545
And I think I've really.

01:29:03.555 --> 01:29:05.345
Well, but there's nothing like learning together with other kids.

01:29:05.395 --> 01:29:06.005
Exactly.

01:29:06.034 --> 01:29:10.154
I have re embraced not knowing and being okay not knowing.

01:29:10.425 --> 01:29:17.435
I think we, the culture we were in before felt very like, this is the way it is, this We have the Bible.

01:29:17.465 --> 01:29:18.475
We know how it is.

01:29:18.505 --> 01:29:24.645
And I, I think we've, um, we've gotten to a place where we're like, yes.

01:29:24.664 --> 01:29:48.720
And like, there's more and, um, and we want our kid, especially our kids, the ages they are at, um, we want them to question and to have those tough conversations with them and, uh, to choose their own, their own ideals rather than kind of throw them in Sunday school and say, Teach them what to, you know, that kind of thing.

01:29:48.729 --> 01:29:59.649
So from a faith part of the conversation, at least, you're just kind of open, healing, and along for the ride without any real obligatory plans yet?

01:30:00.550 --> 01:30:04.210
Yeah, I mean, I think, again, I think I'm, we would say we're Christians.

01:30:04.630 --> 01:30:12.265
We are not, you know, The just yeah, the the definition of like what that actually looks like.

01:30:12.305 --> 01:30:12.375
Yeah.

01:30:12.375 --> 01:30:20.984
Yeah has I think I have a much more libertarian view of Oh sure what that is and what you were raised with probably being you know Baptist to yeah, can I transition?

01:30:21.385 --> 01:30:39.069
Yeah Otherwise, I wouldn't offer do that joint Know anything to add on that faith conversation element there Um, I mean I could talk for hours on this.

01:30:39.069 --> 01:30:40.125
I'm sure you could, yeah.

01:30:40.335 --> 01:30:45.875
Yeah, I mean I think the simple thing is, just reinforcing that How do you get your, your God juice these days?

01:30:45.914 --> 01:30:50.494
Like, do you study, self study at all, or Bible study?

01:30:50.850 --> 01:30:52.710
Podcast or any of those kind of things.

01:30:52.710 --> 01:30:54.180
Um, like do you get little doses?

01:30:54.539 --> 01:30:58.734
Yeah, I was gonna say, I think the church still has a, I'll answer the question at the back half of statement.

01:30:58.734 --> 01:31:00.630
There's two I I'm good at asking two questions, Yeah.

01:31:00.630 --> 01:31:16.229
I think that at the end of the day, the church does have a great place for helping healing and offering people something that, that you can't find in it of yourself, by yourself and for us.

01:31:17.074 --> 01:31:36.234
Um, now the way we're getting that fulfilled in a lot of ways is other relationships that we've managed to establish throughout the years or to begin new pursuits of or to enhance or increase our pursuits of those relationships of people who are in their own place on their faith journey.

01:31:36.274 --> 01:31:57.555
And, uh, yeah, being, uh, being community to one another and, uh, having, uh, Tough conversations are interesting conversations and, uh, so yeah, I connect with different people regularly and it always becomes a topic of conversation at some level and in any interaction that's not just like a quick lunch or something.

01:31:57.564 --> 01:32:06.265
Is there any, uh, inclination or notion of even this new physical location being, uh, some element of ministry?

01:32:06.385 --> 01:32:27.420
Like community engagement, outreach, and not necessarily, Yeah, I mean, you know, I said, I'm the, I'm the dreamer of us and yeah, I would love to create a space that could like host, you know, little community building events or, and especially that location.

01:32:27.420 --> 01:32:29.760
Like there's all sorts of things going on.

01:32:30.260 --> 01:32:30.670
Yeah.

01:32:30.750 --> 01:32:32.119
And plan to be involved with those.

01:32:32.659 --> 01:32:41.645
Um, family, family, family, family, You've probably heard if you listen to a few episodes, uh, we try to do a one word description of your children.

01:32:41.645 --> 01:32:43.164
Would you like to take that task on?

01:32:45.074 --> 01:32:46.274
Well, that's, it's hard.

01:32:47.125 --> 01:32:47.635
It's not impossible.

01:32:48.635 --> 01:32:50.364
You can each have one word.

01:32:50.385 --> 01:32:50.875
We can each have one.

01:32:50.875 --> 01:32:52.814
Yes, and you can hyphenate if you want to.

01:32:52.814 --> 01:32:54.314
I mean, it's pretty loose constraints.

01:32:54.914 --> 01:32:55.545
You go first.

01:32:55.765 --> 01:32:56.354
Oh, gosh.

01:32:56.904 --> 01:33:00.454
Okay, um, so we have Grace, who is six years old.

01:33:00.454 --> 01:33:03.194
It's 13 and then we have Harper.

01:33:03.204 --> 01:33:06.484
She is 11 and Eli is seven.

01:33:07.614 --> 01:33:08.185
Eight next week.

01:33:08.215 --> 01:33:09.375
He will be eight next week.

01:33:09.414 --> 01:33:10.274
I'm sure he reminds you.

01:33:10.274 --> 01:33:11.104
I'm seven and three quarters.

01:33:11.104 --> 01:33:12.015
Yeah.

01:33:12.015 --> 01:33:12.234
Yeah.

01:33:13.125 --> 01:33:25.854
Um, so grace is a thinker, I think is what I would say of her is like, I, um, she thinks about, she loves to read.

01:33:25.875 --> 01:33:28.164
She's like very much like Noah.

01:33:28.185 --> 01:33:29.175
She loves to read.

01:33:29.675 --> 01:33:30.765
She loves to.

01:33:31.635 --> 01:33:38.704
Think through the why behind the what, she loves to um, to be involved in our conversations all the time.

01:33:39.954 --> 01:33:40.435
Yeah.

01:33:40.635 --> 01:33:47.100
What I was just thinking to myself is like, Noah is, like, no one wants to learn, and Allie wants to imagine.

01:33:47.170 --> 01:33:47.750
Mm hmm.

01:33:48.050 --> 01:33:49.539
Uh, and that's pretty That's true.

01:33:49.579 --> 01:33:51.090
Those are my one word descriptions for you two.

01:33:51.130 --> 01:33:51.340
Oh, thank you.

01:33:51.819 --> 01:33:52.210
Yeah.

01:33:52.350 --> 01:33:54.029
Um Yeah, it's pretty spot on.

01:33:54.159 --> 01:33:56.039
Uh, at number two, kiddo.

01:33:56.039 --> 01:33:56.630
What was that, Grace?

01:33:56.630 --> 01:33:56.960
Harper.

01:33:56.960 --> 01:33:57.340
Harper, yeah.

01:33:57.340 --> 01:33:58.939
Yeah, she's 11.

01:33:59.029 --> 01:34:05.010
Uh, for her, I think I want to pick the word fun, because she's just a fun time.

01:34:05.159 --> 01:34:05.520
I like it.

01:34:05.520 --> 01:34:06.100
I like it.

01:34:06.100 --> 01:34:06.300
Yeah.

01:34:06.300 --> 01:34:10.310
We, she's, we've been laughing since the day she started to talk.

01:34:10.319 --> 01:34:10.630
That's awesome.

01:34:10.630 --> 01:34:10.789
That's awesome.

01:34:11.020 --> 01:34:18.070
Um, she's, yeah, she's always down, she terrifies me for her teenage years a lot because she's like, Yeah.

01:34:18.070 --> 01:34:19.974
Hopefully her future boyfriends don't say that.

01:34:19.974 --> 01:34:20.246
Yeah.

01:34:20.246 --> 01:34:21.332
Sorry, that was rude.

01:34:21.332 --> 01:34:21.877
No, no.

01:34:21.877 --> 01:34:22.693
Let me roll.

01:34:22.693 --> 01:34:23.507
Give it up.

01:34:23.507 --> 01:34:33.270
Um, uh, so she, she just terrifies me that she's like gonna do all the crazy daredevil things like, you know, like anything we have that's like slightly dangerous.

01:34:33.279 --> 01:34:34.029
She's like, I'm in.

01:34:34.079 --> 01:34:35.194
So very tomboy style kind of thing.

01:34:35.194 --> 01:34:36.930
When can I, well she's actually a very girly girl.

01:34:36.930 --> 01:34:37.329
Oh.

01:34:37.329 --> 01:34:37.729
Cool.

01:34:38.109 --> 01:34:43.300
But she like, she's saying like, when can I skydive, like, those kinds of things.

01:34:44.079 --> 01:34:51.470
Um, we have like a little kid four wheeler, and she's the one out of the three that always is riding it, and you know, that kind of thing.

01:34:51.489 --> 01:34:52.619
So, she's fun.

01:34:53.060 --> 01:34:53.500
Eli?

01:34:54.130 --> 01:34:55.140
Eli?

01:34:56.640 --> 01:34:57.229
Hmm.

01:34:58.850 --> 01:34:59.479
That's hard.

01:34:59.750 --> 01:35:07.204
Um, I think for Eli, I would say, Um, But maybe that's because he's a mama's boy.

01:35:07.265 --> 01:35:07.574
Right.

01:35:07.994 --> 01:35:08.765
Um.

01:35:08.875 --> 01:35:10.385
And strong, Eli.

01:35:10.395 --> 01:35:10.864
And you're so strong.

01:35:10.994 --> 01:35:12.618
Yeah, he will hate that.

01:35:12.618 --> 01:35:13.421
Sorry, buddy.

01:35:13.421 --> 01:35:14.623
I got you.

01:35:14.623 --> 01:35:15.024
Yeah.

01:35:15.024 --> 01:35:17.244
Um, but he really is.

01:35:17.244 --> 01:35:28.805
He's been tender hearted since the day he's been here and, um, yeah, feels all the things and, uh, yeah, just, uh, It's a real strength for a man, honestly.

01:35:28.814 --> 01:35:29.064
Definitely.

01:35:29.505 --> 01:35:30.675
To be able to feel the feels.

01:35:30.685 --> 01:35:31.055
Yes.

01:35:31.104 --> 01:35:45.475
I'm excited about, like, I feel like Noah will, will, uh, steward that really well and model it for him of like, how to be, like, have the feelings and feel the things, but also be strong.

01:35:45.475 --> 01:35:49.604
And do hard things and also, yeah, push through it sometimes and know when to do that.

01:35:50.529 --> 01:35:53.069
And be the hero when you need to, you know, that kind of stuff.

01:35:53.539 --> 01:35:55.880
So, but he is sweet in his heart of hearts.

01:35:55.880 --> 01:36:00.399
Like he, I'm just loving this era with him of, he's like, you know, writing.

01:36:00.399 --> 01:36:01.729
I love you mom all the time.

01:36:01.819 --> 01:36:03.920
Will you give me a hug?

01:36:03.949 --> 01:36:04.789
Those kinds of things.

01:36:05.119 --> 01:36:05.560
It's true.

01:36:05.680 --> 01:36:06.000
No.

01:36:06.000 --> 01:36:08.210
Would you like to throw some other words out there at all?

01:36:08.260 --> 01:36:12.289
I don't know if someone's done this before, but I'll do last names of famous people.

01:36:12.289 --> 01:36:13.609
That way I get more bang for my buck.

01:36:15.720 --> 01:36:16.210
Okay.

01:36:16.279 --> 01:36:19.630
Uh, we'll go Ginsburg, Swift, and.

01:36:20.279 --> 01:36:21.430
Uh, Lincoln.

01:36:21.979 --> 01:36:22.479
How about that?

01:36:22.560 --> 01:36:22.970
Okay.

01:36:22.970 --> 01:36:25.609
So, has anyone ever done that before?

01:36:25.609 --> 01:36:26.770
Ginsberg being, no, never heard it.

01:36:26.869 --> 01:36:27.430
Oh, great.

01:36:27.460 --> 01:36:28.590
Ginsberg being your oldest?

01:36:28.609 --> 01:36:28.789
Craces?

01:36:29.560 --> 01:36:36.359
Yeah, so Ruth Bader Ginsberg thinking she's just, yeah, thinker, bookworm, um, Yeah.

01:36:36.390 --> 01:36:37.279
Wants to do what's right.

01:36:37.300 --> 01:36:38.470
Wants to do what's right.

01:36:38.470 --> 01:36:38.520
Yeah.

01:36:38.520 --> 01:36:38.930
Yeah.

01:36:38.939 --> 01:36:39.869
Justice minded.

01:36:39.930 --> 01:36:40.170
Yeah.

01:36:40.170 --> 01:36:41.279
Wants to make an impact.

01:36:41.300 --> 01:36:41.819
Thinking.

01:36:42.510 --> 01:36:43.560
Swift, because.

01:36:43.590 --> 01:36:44.460
Like Jonathan Swift?

01:36:44.489 --> 01:36:45.489
No, like Taylor.

01:36:45.689 --> 01:36:46.579
Taylor Swift.

01:36:46.579 --> 01:36:47.369
Oh, Tay Tay.

01:36:48.300 --> 01:36:50.159
Because Harper is a Taylor Swift.

01:36:50.159 --> 01:36:50.579
Have fun.

01:36:50.739 --> 01:36:53.060
Uh, fan of Swift for sure.

01:36:53.479 --> 01:36:55.550
And, you know, not that this is, uh, really a big deal.

01:36:55.920 --> 01:36:57.659
Representative of who Taylor Swift is.

01:36:57.659 --> 01:37:01.539
Cause what do any of us really know about how she is in her personal life other than Travis?

01:37:01.619 --> 01:37:02.029
I have no idea.

01:37:02.520 --> 01:37:05.930
Um, but, uh, I've never even knowingly listened to one of her songs.

01:37:05.930 --> 01:37:06.970
I'm sure I have.

01:37:07.329 --> 01:37:08.359
We can, Harper will remedy that.

01:37:10.000 --> 01:37:14.319
Uh, but in her energy, fun, color, you know, that's Harper's life.

01:37:14.359 --> 01:37:25.760
And then I had a harder time with Eli, but I picked Lincoln cause he loves making a deal, uh, and debating and standing strong and like, he A game, you know, and winning.

01:37:25.760 --> 01:37:27.069
Yeah, a little game theory action.

01:37:27.789 --> 01:37:28.130
Did I dig it?

01:37:28.130 --> 01:37:29.710
Yeah, he makes everything a deal.

01:37:29.760 --> 01:37:31.220
If this, then this.

01:37:31.289 --> 01:37:34.510
How about, uh, what's your one word for Allie, Noah?

01:37:34.619 --> 01:37:37.494
Oh! Curveball! I know, what?

01:37:37.494 --> 01:37:39.289
I didn't, I wasn't ready for that.

01:37:39.289 --> 01:37:44.351
Yeah, how many married couples did you listen to on the podcast though?

01:37:44.351 --> 01:37:55.560
Um, one word Uh, I, I thought like imagery or something, but that's not like a good description.

01:37:55.560 --> 01:37:57.359
Well, imagine is the thing that I said earlier.

01:37:57.609 --> 01:37:57.979
Okay.

01:37:58.640 --> 01:38:05.590
I, I think that the thing that attracted me to Allison at first is still true today, which is she does add so much more detail to life.

01:38:05.869 --> 01:38:09.670
I see life in the blink of an eye and move really fast.

01:38:10.079 --> 01:38:14.000
And she helps me to appreciate and see things that I never knew existed.

01:38:14.239 --> 01:38:14.359
Yeah.

01:38:14.369 --> 01:38:22.944
Uh, and has done that from Not just in the physical space, but probably also in the mental emotional spiritual space as well.

01:38:23.755 --> 01:38:23.994
100%.

01:38:24.055 --> 01:38:24.795
Yeah, yeah.

01:38:25.135 --> 01:38:34.175
That's uh, you know, not to make mention, go back to that Bible, or sure, we have that Bible Project podcast that we both kind of like.

01:38:34.715 --> 01:38:43.845
And that big theme of, you know, unfolding the Bible as a, a, a, a A contained document that points toward Christ, right?

01:38:43.845 --> 01:38:47.005
The whole thing does that, and that's the big picture, very obviously.

01:38:47.454 --> 01:38:54.635
And sometimes there's unimaginable beauty in one verse of one psalm, you know?

01:38:54.635 --> 01:39:02.305
And so that's, uh, worthy to, anyway, I don't know why I go there with that, but, uh, would you like to do the same, uh, for Noah?

01:39:02.414 --> 01:39:19.814
It's so hard to boil you down to one word, uh, um, Yeah, I think, I do think strong, like I think Noah is a, anytime you make me talk about Noah, I'm going to cry, so I'm going to reel it in.

01:39:19.814 --> 01:39:20.710
I've got tissues right out there, yeah.

01:39:21.279 --> 01:39:32.739
Um, yeah, I mean, we've been together 17 years now, so, and as you've heard, we've, we've had our fair share of life that we've yeah.

01:39:32.739 --> 01:39:33.104
Yeah.

01:39:33.585 --> 01:39:36.635
And I think he's my rock, like I can lean on him.

01:39:36.944 --> 01:39:42.774
And he gives me the courage to like, step out into things that I would be timid to do.

01:39:44.074 --> 01:39:47.284
Was that right there from the start to like Yeah, I think so.

01:39:47.534 --> 01:39:48.954
Um, yeah.

01:39:50.449 --> 01:39:50.939
Yep.

01:39:51.060 --> 01:39:51.359
Neat.

01:39:51.390 --> 01:39:52.100
I love this guy.

01:39:52.260 --> 01:39:54.359
You want to Team Hutch?

01:39:54.739 --> 01:40:02.750
Team Hutch! That's right! That's our hashtag! Team Hutch! We, uh, I think I might have mentioned to you, Noah, at least, that we took in an exchange student about a month ago.

01:40:03.720 --> 01:40:19.715
And uh If I have a criticism so far, it's that, like, he's obviously been kind of baby throated most of his life, and I'm like, dude, you might have been, like, catered to and stuff in your past life, but here, you're one third of Team Bear.

01:40:19.725 --> 01:40:20.104
Right.

01:40:20.145 --> 01:40:22.555
So if Team Bear is working, you're working.

01:40:22.555 --> 01:40:22.904
Yeah.

01:40:22.984 --> 01:40:29.774
Like, and if you don't know what to do, figure it out, or ask somebody, or whatever, or just start doing stuff, and I'll tell you if you're doing it wrong, you know.

01:40:29.774 --> 01:40:30.215
That's good.

01:40:30.215 --> 01:40:37.704
And I think that's kind of team mentality, and just the, the culture of that is, Hopefully, something he'll bring home with him and his parents will appreciate.

01:40:38.085 --> 01:40:38.274
Absolutely.

01:40:40.204 --> 01:40:42.675
This morning, I was like, dude, those chickens need water still.

01:40:42.694 --> 01:40:44.774
You were supposed to do it last night, but you have to do it before school.

01:40:44.784 --> 01:40:45.675
We're doing the same at our house.

01:40:45.675 --> 01:40:45.935
Yeah.

01:40:46.524 --> 01:40:47.194
Chickens are the best.

01:40:47.204 --> 01:40:47.494
Yeah.

01:40:47.534 --> 01:40:48.435
He's very scared of them.

01:40:48.614 --> 01:40:48.685
Oh.

01:40:48.685 --> 01:40:50.715
That's awesome.

01:40:50.805 --> 01:40:51.494
Sorry, Liddy.

01:40:51.994 --> 01:40:52.885
He probably won't listen.

01:40:53.164 --> 01:40:54.204
Uh, politics.

01:40:54.274 --> 01:40:57.114
We're, tonight is the big debate.

01:40:57.125 --> 01:40:57.875
Tonight it is.

01:40:58.164 --> 01:41:00.125
Kamala versus Trumpy.

01:41:00.225 --> 01:41:00.545
Yeah.

01:41:00.545 --> 01:41:03.064
Do you know that Kamala's father is Donald J.

01:41:03.064 --> 01:41:03.494
Harris?

01:41:03.494 --> 01:41:03.524
Yes.

01:41:03.750 --> 01:41:04.060
No.

01:41:04.989 --> 01:41:07.770
Is that for the universe throwing weird shit at you?

01:41:07.840 --> 01:41:07.970
Yeah.

01:41:07.970 --> 01:41:08.479
That's really funny.

01:41:08.479 --> 01:41:09.479
That's wild.

01:41:09.850 --> 01:41:11.930
Um, do you want to talk about local or national?

01:41:11.939 --> 01:41:14.039
Let's talk about your city council run first, actually.

01:41:14.710 --> 01:41:15.529
What was that all about?

01:41:15.550 --> 01:41:24.770
Like, a wild hare crawled up your butt, or you were looking for something in the next chapter, or you just loved Fort Collins so much when you got here, you were like, I want to be a part of this.

01:41:25.260 --> 01:41:25.949
No, that's great.

01:41:25.949 --> 01:41:26.600
I, uh.

01:41:26.600 --> 01:41:26.609
Yeah.

01:41:26.609 --> 01:41:26.619
Yeah.

01:41:27.649 --> 01:41:28.340
All of the above.

01:41:29.760 --> 01:41:37.750
No, I mean, I think, uh, throughout my entire life, if I was to tell you a constant theme, it was making an impact in the community in some way of thinking about.

01:41:38.109 --> 01:41:42.909
And I always saw politics as an avenue where that occurred where, you know, tip of the spear kind of.

01:41:42.930 --> 01:41:43.039
Right.

01:41:43.039 --> 01:41:43.300
Yeah.

01:41:43.600 --> 01:41:46.310
And, uh, you know, why, why would I just hold the spear?

01:41:46.310 --> 01:41:47.500
I better just go be the tip.

01:41:47.510 --> 01:41:48.439
It'd be stabby stabby.

01:41:48.439 --> 01:41:48.729
Yeah.

01:41:48.850 --> 01:41:51.949
Cause that's, that's the way I think about life is all or nothing.

01:41:52.489 --> 01:41:52.810
Just the tip?

01:41:53.670 --> 01:41:54.050
Sorry.

01:41:54.050 --> 01:41:55.239
Ha ha ha.

01:41:55.239 --> 01:41:55.494
Ha ha.

01:41:55.795 --> 01:42:07.675
So I, um, so yeah, so that was always in my thinking, in my life plan, if you will, and it still is in my life plan to answer the question of will I ever do it again.

01:42:08.244 --> 01:42:12.529
Um, when, uh, opportunity came to run for city council.

01:42:13.229 --> 01:42:18.210
I wasn't necessarily looking at that as an opportunity that I, I mean, nobody ever heard of you before.

01:42:18.340 --> 01:42:18.609
Sure.

01:42:18.609 --> 01:42:19.359
No, no, no, no.

01:42:19.359 --> 01:42:21.170
Right.

01:42:21.170 --> 01:42:22.470
No, I was not.

01:42:22.859 --> 01:42:25.420
Yeah, I was never heard of a lot of people before.

01:42:27.250 --> 01:42:31.590
And so, um, yeah, really, it's just certain dice fell into place.

01:42:31.699 --> 01:42:37.795
Um, that, you know, Lack of any other available candidates, the Republican, we, I guess they don't have parties on city council, right?

01:42:38.425 --> 01:42:40.545
Or were you the liberal candidate or the conservative one?

01:42:40.944 --> 01:42:49.875
Uh, I, I was probably perceived as more of the conservative candidate, uh, as all moderates are these days.

01:42:50.654 --> 01:42:50.954
Yeah.

01:42:50.954 --> 01:42:54.475
And predominantly because, um, I'd done leadership for Collins.

01:42:54.505 --> 01:42:57.755
I, uh, was Well, you worked at the church.

01:42:58.005 --> 01:42:59.154
I worked at a church.

01:42:59.385 --> 01:43:03.774
Um, so yeah, all of those things kind of put me as, uh, in that bucket.

01:43:03.845 --> 01:43:05.055
And so, yeah.

01:43:05.154 --> 01:43:07.055
Which is ultimately why you lost in your district.

01:43:07.444 --> 01:43:08.488
Yeah, 26 votes.

01:43:08.488 --> 01:43:10.074
26 votes.

01:43:10.074 --> 01:43:10.524
Oh, really?

01:43:10.524 --> 01:43:11.515
I thought it was 41.

01:43:11.524 --> 01:43:14.994
I was like, That must be what, uh, Nick Armstrong lost by, it was 41.

01:43:15.335 --> 01:43:19.944
Uh, it ended up getting updated after a few mail in ballots came in, I think it went up a little bit.

01:43:19.944 --> 01:43:21.364
26 on the night of the election.

01:43:21.364 --> 01:43:22.095
Whatever, yeah.

01:43:22.585 --> 01:43:23.345
But who's counting?

01:43:23.395 --> 01:43:23.805
But kudos.

01:43:24.784 --> 01:43:43.345
Uh, yeah, kudos to the journey there, and it was, uh, I tell people that I got, uh, At least half the accolades of running for office and all the benefits that come with it, but none of the four hours during COVID that Julie got to do for the next number of years.

01:43:43.345 --> 01:43:54.204
Well, and you also got like a lot of connections and experience that were transformative to the next five years, four years of your life so far, and probably the next 20 after that.

01:43:54.425 --> 01:43:56.664
And are still like, that's what I'm saying.

01:43:56.664 --> 01:43:56.845
Yeah.

01:43:56.845 --> 01:43:59.335
The fruits are going to sprout here and there, you know, you're nowhere.

01:43:59.885 --> 01:44:04.994
Um, Yeah, I was just gonna say, so I've, so I've always been involved in it, help with campaigns, other things.

01:44:05.055 --> 01:44:05.385
Alright.

01:44:05.385 --> 01:44:07.225
And I'll definitely run again at some point.

01:44:07.234 --> 01:44:07.494
Alright.

01:44:07.494 --> 01:44:08.104
So, we'll see what happens.

01:44:08.104 --> 01:44:10.984
Do you wanna be on my campaign if I have to run for city council one of these days?

01:44:11.215 --> 01:44:15.250
I believe the fifth for the moment, but I mean, not record, but You'll be great.

01:44:15.250 --> 01:44:16.481
I've thought about it.

01:44:16.481 --> 01:44:17.407
You'll be great.

01:44:17.407 --> 01:44:19.045
I really have, and I pretty Yeah.

01:44:19.095 --> 01:44:22.725
I think I'm probably Uh, I'm in Old Town Westside.

01:44:22.725 --> 01:44:23.704
I think it's four, isn't it?

01:44:24.710 --> 01:44:28.204
Um, Emily, yeah, because you're in more North than I was thinking, right?

01:44:28.204 --> 01:44:28.800
Yeah, yeah.

01:44:29.380 --> 01:44:29.710
I don't know.

01:44:29.710 --> 01:44:37.210
There was three, three super liberal candidates that didn't really have any business related experience or anything.

01:44:37.210 --> 01:44:39.439
And I was like, do I have to?

01:44:39.810 --> 01:44:40.960
No, I don't have to.

01:44:40.989 --> 01:44:45.930
Cause my business is definitely not in a place where I could leave it alone for 20 hours a week.

01:44:45.930 --> 01:44:46.239
Yeah.

01:44:46.409 --> 01:44:46.720
Yeah.

01:44:46.810 --> 01:44:56.210
Uh, but it's something that I kind of, you know, I have both a love and a desire for and a disdain for the responsibility of it, uh, in some ways.

01:44:56.909 --> 01:45:01.380
Um, but I'm already hated by quite a few people in Fort Collins, so that's nice.

01:45:02.180 --> 01:45:03.140
Just keep putting these podcasts out.

01:45:03.140 --> 01:45:07.180
So talk to me about the, talk to me about the presidential thing, like big news, right?

01:45:07.180 --> 01:45:16.805
Like the whole RFK dropping, endorsing, and Biden being Cooed, I guess.

01:45:17.475 --> 01:45:18.484
A silent coo.

01:45:18.484 --> 01:45:25.454
Like, what's your sense, I guess, either or of you, like, what is going on in this country, honestly?

01:45:25.545 --> 01:45:28.255
Like, I mean, it's weird.

01:45:28.935 --> 01:45:41.944
Um, I think, without being too positional, I think, you know, I, um, I've told Allison several times, I was like, You know, it doesn't matter what you think, who you think's gonna win.

01:45:42.595 --> 01:45:43.965
I was like, Trump's gonna win.

01:45:44.204 --> 01:45:45.345
It's just a no brainer.

01:45:45.345 --> 01:45:46.045
He's just gonna win.

01:45:46.564 --> 01:45:47.545
Uh, not a no brainer.

01:45:47.555 --> 01:45:52.335
It's a, it, the analysis all shows, and this is just how things are working.

01:45:52.345 --> 01:45:52.914
He's gonna win.

01:45:53.395 --> 01:45:57.560
And then the day the, of the attempted assassination, I was like.

01:45:58.029 --> 01:46:04.493
When the photo came out of him raising his fist, I was like, wow, if there was any doubt, he's going to win by a bunch.

01:46:04.493 --> 01:46:14.319
Uh, and so I think the democratic party did what they had to do, uh, whether it's coup or whether it was not like they definitely, uh, they couldn't win.

01:46:14.850 --> 01:46:15.569
They couldn't win.

01:46:15.579 --> 01:46:21.229
Well, and what bothers me the most is like, why did they put him up for nomination?

01:46:21.784 --> 01:46:23.765
With a closed, basically closed primary.

01:46:23.774 --> 01:46:31.925
Like, I, that's the biggest, probably the biggest problem I have with the process so far is, you knew he was, you knew he was failing.

01:46:32.784 --> 01:46:36.654
You were apparently glad of that?

01:46:36.734 --> 01:46:38.975
Or something that was convenient for you?

01:46:39.005 --> 01:46:39.465
I don't know.

01:46:39.475 --> 01:46:44.404
There's a little bit of a level of respect that I think one of the things that I don't You don't bump an incumbent president very often.

01:46:44.414 --> 01:46:44.904
Yeah.

01:46:45.095 --> 01:46:59.409
I think one of the things that I've, that's made, uh, politics of my interest on the state and national level of less interest in the last years is because of all of the just Well, we haven't even had a president for the last three months, and it doesn't apparently matter much.

01:46:59.659 --> 01:47:00.739
Well Right?

01:47:00.760 --> 01:47:02.539
Or maybe the last four years, I don't know.

01:47:02.770 --> 01:47:09.954
But while I, uh, it's definitely turned me off to it more, but the point to say that is just that, um Yeah, I do.

01:47:10.145 --> 01:47:19.283
I appreciate the respect that they offered him as an incoming candidate because I feel like that's what the system of the last 250 years has offered someone, so for the most part.

01:47:19.283 --> 01:47:20.435
I guess, but, I don't know.

01:47:20.704 --> 01:47:21.335
I don't know.

01:47:21.335 --> 01:47:22.465
It's pretty gross, though.

01:47:22.465 --> 01:47:29.324
Like, like, a lot of people knew, like, even going back to 2020, like, the signs of dementia were already there.

01:47:30.234 --> 01:47:34.970
And the limited amount of FaceTime he's had since then didn't really expose it.

01:47:34.970 --> 01:47:35.939
I just, I don't know.

01:47:35.939 --> 01:47:43.449
It's, it just kind of grosses me out that, yeah, that his family would encourage him to run again for four more years, even knowing where he was.

01:47:44.989 --> 01:47:56.145
But I guess in such a, but in this freaking crazy, like department of justice led a vindication system, like, You know, if you're a hunter, you're like, dad, you got to win.

01:47:56.145 --> 01:48:00.904
Otherwise I'm going to prison for a while, you know, like I got to win or else I'm going to prison.

01:48:01.444 --> 01:48:01.574
Fuck.

01:48:01.574 --> 01:48:01.774
Yeah.

01:48:03.015 --> 01:48:04.354
Somebody's going to prison if they don't win.

01:48:04.975 --> 01:48:05.085
Yeah.

01:48:05.085 --> 01:48:06.435
Like, yeah, that's just crazy.

01:48:06.494 --> 01:48:07.234
That's just great.

01:48:07.244 --> 01:48:08.435
So is that still where you stand?

01:48:08.435 --> 01:48:09.965
You think Trump's going away?

01:48:10.104 --> 01:48:12.024
No, I think, I think Kamala will win now.

01:48:12.034 --> 01:48:12.715
Oh, you do?

01:48:12.814 --> 01:48:14.755
I think because she's not Joe.

01:48:15.000 --> 01:48:16.770
Uh, yeah, I think she has a good chance.

01:48:16.979 --> 01:48:18.250
Um, it is interesting.

01:48:18.250 --> 01:48:25.079
It's been a super interesting thing because although conservatism now is reflected in who Trump is, I don't think that that's true.

01:48:25.079 --> 01:48:25.449
Certainly not.

01:48:25.449 --> 01:48:27.619
Yeah, he's very moderate at best.

01:48:27.800 --> 01:48:30.590
And although, you know, they could say the same about.

01:48:30.904 --> 01:48:44.194
Although the Democratic Party has been represented in its most wildest of ideas, that's not representative of who it really is, so Um, I'm excited to see what happens tonight and watch the first battle of those.

01:48:44.194 --> 01:48:45.335
Do you want to put 10 bucks on it?

01:48:46.319 --> 01:48:47.060
I'll bet on Trump.

01:48:47.310 --> 01:48:50.670
Who's gonna, who's gonna be the moderator that decides who wins?

01:48:50.670 --> 01:48:52.010
Can she decide who wins?

01:48:52.380 --> 01:48:53.149
No, is it like whoever wins?

01:48:53.149 --> 01:48:53.920
No, not the debate tonight.

01:48:54.149 --> 01:48:54.630
The actual election.

01:48:54.850 --> 01:48:55.850
Oh, the actual election.

01:48:56.119 --> 01:48:56.939
The actual election.

01:48:57.579 --> 01:48:58.300
Ten bucks.

01:48:58.359 --> 01:48:58.890
Sure, I'll give you ten.

01:48:58.890 --> 01:48:59.869
A hundred bucks if you'd rather.

01:49:00.289 --> 01:49:01.949
I mean, you're a big custom home builder.

01:49:02.699 --> 01:49:03.010
Ten dollars.

01:49:03.659 --> 01:49:04.539
People are robbing.

01:49:04.539 --> 01:49:05.162
People are robbing.

01:49:05.162 --> 01:49:10.010
How about a, how about a, how about a, a, a bottle of tequila.

01:49:10.319 --> 01:49:11.909
Ooh, alright, let's do it.

01:49:11.909 --> 01:49:12.939
Alright, sounds good.

01:49:13.550 --> 01:49:14.939
And we'll hang out all together and drink it.

01:49:14.939 --> 01:49:15.750
Nice.

01:49:15.750 --> 01:49:16.640
Okay, sounds good.

01:49:17.470 --> 01:49:18.590
Alright, that's enough politics.

01:49:19.189 --> 01:49:23.350
Oh, Allie, I didn't give you hardly Yeah, that's enough for her, too.

01:49:23.350 --> 01:49:26.042
That was enough for me.

01:49:26.042 --> 01:49:29.460
Um, I mean, honestly, I don't friggin know.

01:49:29.489 --> 01:49:30.399
I don't know.

01:49:30.470 --> 01:49:39.899
I mean, I just feel like I want to stay out of all of it, to be honest, on the national level, um, and focus on the local, because it's actual people I know.

01:49:39.899 --> 01:49:42.510
What's important to you locally, uh, on that?

01:49:43.210 --> 01:49:51.319
I mean, I think I have a lot of business owner, uh, things that, and then that definitely affect us on a daily basis.

01:49:51.319 --> 01:50:00.539
And then there's, uh, there's also things on like, uh, Um, you know, just code, I mean, codes also affect us on a daily basis.

01:50:00.539 --> 01:50:00.779
Yeah, yeah.

01:50:00.890 --> 01:50:01.600
Regulation.

01:50:01.609 --> 01:50:01.989
Yeah.

01:50:01.989 --> 01:50:05.270
And which county or city is trying to be more progressive.

01:50:05.270 --> 01:50:05.319
Yeah.

01:50:05.319 --> 01:50:06.210
Affordable housing.

01:50:06.439 --> 01:50:06.710
And.

01:50:06.710 --> 01:50:07.180
Yes.

01:50:07.180 --> 01:50:08.039
And, yeah.

01:50:08.130 --> 01:50:10.520
And clean energy kind of push against each other, right?

01:50:10.520 --> 01:50:10.710
Totally.

01:50:10.710 --> 01:50:10.729
Yeah.

01:50:10.729 --> 01:50:12.359
Because you've got 38 inch.

01:50:12.439 --> 01:50:12.500
Yeah.

01:50:13.010 --> 01:50:16.909
Or our 38 insulation all over the place and all these leak proof homes.

01:50:17.210 --> 01:50:18.649
Or 60 in some ceilings.

01:50:18.649 --> 01:50:19.550
60, yeah.

01:50:19.880 --> 01:50:20.210
Yeah.

01:50:20.810 --> 01:50:22.430
Or a blower door test I'm doing tomorrow.

01:50:22.460 --> 01:50:24.920
And in a not very cold climate, right?

01:50:24.925 --> 01:50:25.095
Yeah.

01:50:25.194 --> 01:50:26.390
Um, yeah, temporary.

01:50:26.390 --> 01:50:27.079
Get all that for sure.

01:50:27.350 --> 01:50:28.039
Um.

01:50:28.375 --> 01:50:28.895
Yeah.

01:50:29.435 --> 01:50:29.795
I'll go ahead.

01:50:29.965 --> 01:50:30.385
Go ahead.

01:50:30.864 --> 01:50:49.824
I was going to say, just the last thing I'd say on politics is just, it really does matter with people voting and, you know, I think the best thing someone can do is just get involved in a small way, you know, whether that's donating to some down ballot candidate or whether it's going and, uh, just supporting someone in a local election, you know, it really does make a difference.

01:50:49.824 --> 01:50:51.295
And, um, yeah.

01:50:51.550 --> 01:50:58.739
Yeah, I would say every 10 donation Noah got, it just felt like a boost of confidence, you know, and it mattered.

01:50:59.189 --> 01:51:03.979
And yeah, that's why I say I think local, it really, it matters in a huge way.

01:51:03.979 --> 01:51:11.979
So, we're running out of time and I know that, but like, I, I happen to be one that's a little bit freaked out about free speech.

01:51:12.680 --> 01:51:29.689
Feeling like free speech crumbles before, The rest of it, and with Brazil effectively clamping down on free speech and, and X pulling out of Brazil, I didn't frankly like the fact that the NFL played a football game there.

01:51:30.199 --> 01:51:39.210
Uh, but we've also got our presidential candidate Harris warning Musk not to abuse his responsibility as far as, uh, Miss and mail information.

01:51:39.220 --> 01:51:45.220
And so, for me, I've, at this point in time, like I've always, I haven't voted for Trump yet, but I probably will this time.

01:51:45.640 --> 01:51:51.439
And it's all about the, the risk of freedom of speech being, going away.

01:51:51.510 --> 01:51:56.590
Like I think that is the generational problem that we're facing right now.

01:51:57.350 --> 01:52:01.380
Um, so anyway, for what it's worth for the listeners out there to give half a shit about what I care.

01:52:01.560 --> 01:52:02.970
Either that or I'll vote for Kanye again.

01:52:02.970 --> 01:52:04.289
I might just vote for Kanye.

01:52:04.289 --> 01:52:04.630
There you go.

01:52:04.770 --> 01:52:05.608
There you go.

01:52:05.608 --> 01:52:07.729
There you go.

01:52:07.729 --> 01:52:08.800
Loco experience.

01:52:10.255 --> 01:52:12.824
Do you have a together or separate look of experiences?

01:52:13.114 --> 01:52:14.135
No, we talked about one.

01:52:14.505 --> 01:52:14.835
Yeah.

01:52:14.835 --> 01:52:15.345
Together.

01:52:15.545 --> 01:52:16.534
Let's do the together.

01:52:16.965 --> 01:52:17.185
Great.

01:52:17.185 --> 01:52:17.625
You want to do it?

01:52:18.435 --> 01:52:21.704
Uh, you do it and then I'll jump in because you, That's great.

01:52:21.704 --> 01:52:27.284
We basically, uh, uh, all I could think about was, uh, in 2007.

01:52:29.944 --> 01:52:40.234
Uh, 2007 or so, uh, we went on a trip to India, uh, and, um It was like a, both a mission trip and a humanitarian aid trip.

01:52:40.234 --> 01:52:42.215
It was really, it was really a humanitarian trip.

01:52:42.244 --> 01:52:44.185
Was there, like, something that happened?

01:52:44.234 --> 01:52:45.164
A typhoon or whatever?

01:52:45.175 --> 01:52:46.515
No, it was really humanitarian.

01:52:46.515 --> 01:52:52.744
We were there to serve, uh, the Dalits, uh, who were the lowest in the caste system.

01:52:52.744 --> 01:52:53.114
Okay.

01:52:53.154 --> 01:52:55.829
So To go into their communities to serve them.

01:52:56.510 --> 01:52:57.550
Like a social justice trip.

01:52:57.770 --> 01:52:58.590
To help them anyway.

01:52:58.590 --> 01:53:01.739
So that was something with her social work and something I was interested in.

01:53:01.739 --> 01:53:04.180
So we both signed up and went and spent our thanksgivings there.

01:53:04.180 --> 01:53:08.460
But, uh, So we could tell you all kinds of crazy things.

01:53:08.460 --> 01:53:08.779
Lots of stories.

01:53:09.149 --> 01:53:12.930
The two craziest things is we flew 40 hours I think to get there.

01:53:12.939 --> 01:53:12.960
Whoa.

01:53:12.960 --> 01:53:17.640
The whole travel from like leaving our house to getting, Oh, to going to sleep that next night.

01:53:17.640 --> 01:53:18.319
And when we arrived.

01:53:18.319 --> 01:53:19.300
And this is just before your first baby?

01:53:19.449 --> 01:53:19.470
Yeah.

01:53:20.359 --> 01:53:21.500
Oh, I know we weren't married.

01:53:21.510 --> 01:53:21.859
We weren't even dating.

01:53:21.859 --> 01:53:22.520
Oh, you weren't even married.

01:53:22.600 --> 01:53:23.560
Oh, okay.

01:53:23.680 --> 01:53:24.079
Interesting.

01:53:24.130 --> 01:53:24.329
Yeah.

01:53:24.329 --> 01:53:27.689
This is a way to escape the, uh, the chaperone.

01:53:27.729 --> 01:53:28.199
That's right.

01:53:28.199 --> 01:53:29.789
Ha, ha, ha.

01:53:29.789 --> 01:53:30.039
Uh.

01:53:30.130 --> 01:53:31.659
I want to be clear, they didn't make a chaperone.

01:53:32.060 --> 01:53:33.189
No relationship.

01:53:33.859 --> 01:53:34.489
Good clarity, Paul.

01:53:34.489 --> 01:53:37.050
If you listen to this point, you got that clarity.

01:53:37.800 --> 01:53:40.130
Um, but, uh, two crazy things.

01:53:40.130 --> 01:53:42.960
So we land in this first day after these 40 hours.

01:53:42.989 --> 01:53:48.340
We are in this room together and there's a hundred of us, people all over from India.

01:53:48.350 --> 01:53:49.640
I mean, there's more than a hundred.

01:53:49.649 --> 01:53:54.739
There's a lot of people and we're all in this tiny, tiny room and these guys are banging on these drums.

01:53:54.739 --> 01:53:56.487
No AC at home.

01:53:56.487 --> 01:54:04.069
We're like beads of sweat dropping down our forehead and then singing, chanting, chanting in Indian in their like.

01:54:04.274 --> 01:54:23.404
And then all of a sudden it becomes apparent that I think we're taking communion because I caught something that was like we're doing interesting and they pass this coconut around that everyone everyone shared and you're supposed to sip the coconut water and then take a bite out of the coconut and I was like 40 hours later, I'm like, where am I?

01:54:23.414 --> 01:54:24.354
I'm so delirious.

01:54:24.364 --> 01:54:44.625
So just a wild thing, but it only got wilder because a couple next day or a couple of days later, we went like deep into the villages and like, we're like in the slums of India and they, uh, one of the things they said is, Hey, whatever you do, if they offer you anything in a village and as a sign of respect, just eat it, drink it, whatever, even if you get sick, you know, that's what you do to respect the people.

01:54:44.625 --> 01:54:47.074
So we're like, all right, we can do it.

01:54:47.085 --> 01:54:47.435
Right.

01:54:47.435 --> 01:54:47.600
Yeah.

01:54:47.869 --> 01:54:58.760
So we came through this slum of a village, and they were so proud to see these white Americans, uh, that they handed out this curded goat milk to us that was warm.

01:54:58.840 --> 01:54:59.300
Yum.

01:54:59.750 --> 01:55:02.260
And most all of us were like, I can't do it, I can't do it.

01:55:02.260 --> 01:55:04.810
But all you can hear in your mind is, I gotta respect the people.

01:55:04.810 --> 01:55:05.595
They gave each of us a cup.

01:55:05.710 --> 01:55:06.909
They gave each of us a cup.

01:55:07.239 --> 01:55:15.279
So at the very back of the line there was this dude named Tony and we just passed him back and Tony pounded him all in the name of God.

01:55:15.279 --> 01:55:17.475
And I think he was sick of, he was so sick.

01:55:18.430 --> 01:55:19.810
But I was so thankful for Tony.

01:55:19.810 --> 01:55:21.159
So, so thank, shout out Tony.

01:55:22.659 --> 01:55:24.399
Anyway, that was just a wild adventure.

01:55:24.399 --> 01:55:26.500
Here we are, young and crazy.

01:55:26.649 --> 01:55:29.890
Yeah, we also went to Haiti right after the earthquake happened and helped.

01:55:29.890 --> 01:55:29.891
Oh, did.

01:55:30.199 --> 01:55:33.489
Uh, and that was a wild adventure, just seeing buildings on the ground, people in tents.

01:55:34.180 --> 01:55:34.760
Yeah.

01:55:34.850 --> 01:55:35.140
Uh.

01:55:35.149 --> 01:55:44.250
That's such an interesting, um, what, how do I say it, like a very, I guess, social justice oriented church in general, right?

01:55:44.260 --> 01:55:44.279
Yeah.

01:55:44.300 --> 01:55:48.039
Like, um, actually action based.

01:55:48.039 --> 01:55:48.270
Yeah.

01:55:48.390 --> 01:55:48.899
Definitely.

01:55:48.899 --> 01:55:48.960
Yeah.

01:55:48.960 --> 01:55:49.289
Yeah.

01:55:49.289 --> 01:55:51.359
And I think that's what was attractive to us all.

01:55:51.380 --> 01:55:54.170
Yeah, definitely an attractive piece and a great thing they still do.

01:55:54.270 --> 01:55:54.479
Yeah.

01:55:54.479 --> 01:55:54.859
Yeah.

01:55:54.909 --> 01:55:55.100
Yeah.

01:55:55.100 --> 01:55:55.420
Yeah.

01:55:55.420 --> 01:55:55.460
Yeah.

01:55:55.460 --> 01:55:57.489
Well, uh, what a neat adventure.

01:55:57.489 --> 01:55:58.960
And Haiti is, uh.

01:55:59.760 --> 01:56:01.539
Hasn't gotten much better, unfortunately.

01:56:01.600 --> 01:56:02.840
No, probably even worse, yeah.

01:56:03.109 --> 01:56:08.529
And, and, the welcome of Christians is less good in India these days, too.

01:56:08.539 --> 01:56:08.600
Oh, for sure.

01:56:08.649 --> 01:56:08.670
Yeah.

01:56:08.670 --> 01:56:10.270
That's getting kind of intense, also.

01:56:11.010 --> 01:56:11.390
Yeah.

01:56:12.039 --> 01:56:14.279
Seems like we could have another whole two hour conversation.

01:56:14.279 --> 01:56:15.576
We could! You have to invite us back.

01:56:15.576 --> 01:56:16.899
But we'll have to wrap this one up.

01:56:17.050 --> 01:56:20.869
Um, would you care to share, like, a website or best place to find you guys?

01:56:21.604 --> 01:56:21.944
Sure.

01:56:22.034 --> 01:56:22.475
Uh, sure.

01:56:22.484 --> 01:56:23.574
HutchDesignBuild.

01:56:23.574 --> 01:56:24.064
com.

01:56:24.135 --> 01:56:25.055
H U T C H.

01:56:25.055 --> 01:56:25.704
DesignBuild.

01:56:25.704 --> 01:56:26.354
com.

01:56:26.354 --> 01:56:26.675
Easy peasy.

01:56:26.675 --> 01:56:27.595
Follow our Instagram.

01:56:27.604 --> 01:56:28.845
We're super active on there.

01:56:28.875 --> 01:56:29.175
Cool.

01:56:29.204 --> 01:56:30.364
Uh, same.

01:56:30.454 --> 01:56:30.774
Yeah.

01:56:30.805 --> 01:56:31.734
HutchDesignBuild.

01:56:32.414 --> 01:56:32.765
Yeah.

01:56:32.845 --> 01:56:33.225
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01:56:33.505 --> 01:56:34.045
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01:56:34.104 --> 01:56:34.295
Yeah.

01:56:35.005 --> 01:56:35.265
Alright.

01:56:35.314 --> 01:56:37.369
Talk to you soon.