5 Years Together: Reading Our Old Letters

We celebrate five years of marriage with a very on-brand Friday night in bed, sharing our highs and lows from this season of visitors, cleaning resets, baby sleep, and the return of doomscrolling. Then we open a box of old letters and read our teenage and engagement words out loud, laughing at the cringe while seeing the patterns that actually built our relationship.
• Peaks and pits from real life right now, including friendship in the same season and the joy of company
• Social media habits after Lent, doomscrolling, anxiety, and the small moments that trigger grabbing the phone
• The relief of a deep-clean reset, plus the unpredictability of baby sleep and naps
• Why we chose to read old letters for our anniversary and what we kept in the memory box
• The nine-day novena letters, fruits of the Holy Spirit, and preparing for marriage with intention
• Long distance, breakups, discernment, and how we learned to say what we meant
• Wedding day letters, the promises we made, and why faith keeps showing up in our story
Pray for us, please.

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

Transcript

Friday Night In Bed Opener

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey friends.

SPEAKER_04 0:01

Hello.

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome back.

SPEAKER_04 0:04

This is The Vine.

SPEAKER_00 0:06

I'm Katie.

SPEAKER_04 0:06

Oh, we did this out of order.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

That's your fault this time.

SPEAKER_04 0:09

It is my fault. You're Katie and I'm Joe.

SPEAKER_00 0:11

And welcome to The Vine.

SPEAKER_04 0:12

Do you know why I'm out of order?

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Because we are not in our normal.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

We're in bed.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

We're in bed. Guess what time it is? If you guessed 9 p.m., you're wrong. If you guessed 10 p.m., you're wrong.

SPEAKER_04 0:43

If you guessed just keep going every hour of the day.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

If you guess 7:30, you are spot on. That's right. 7.30 in bed.

SPEAKER_04 0:54

Ready to rock and roll.

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Friday night. We are wild for short.

SPEAKER_04 0:58

Yeah, true. It is Friday night.

Peaks And Pits With Visitors

SPEAKER_00 1:00

But it's very fitting because this is just a very us thing to do, and this podcast is awesome. That's right. But before we get into all that, I won't forget it, don't worry. Okay. Peaks and pits, let's do it. Okay. Which means you have to go. Ah.

SPEAKER_04 1:17

I got you first, because I also haven't really thought about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Okay. Wow, how the tables have turned.

SPEAKER_04 1:22

I know. I well, I was busy. I was thinking of our marriage meeting and then you have to do a lot. I was trying to find our topic. I was trying to find extra content for our topic.

SPEAKER_00 1:31

I could hear I I could smell you thinking. Is that is that what you mean?

SPEAKER_04 1:36

You can't even come on. You can do well, you are right at the second time. I joke and tease with Katie. There's that scene in SpongeBob where Patrick is thinking and you can see like smoke, or maybe it's Spongebob. I can't remember. One of the two of them is thinking, and you can see like smoke and steam coming out from like their brain. Yep. And I mean this makes me sound terrible saying that I think this about you sometimes. But like sometimes I'll look at Katie and I can be like, she is really thinking hard about something, and I'll tell her, I'll be like, I can smell you thinking from here, and I just have that image of like black, like like smog coming out of her head because she's working so hard thinking.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

That's so terrible. I think it's funny.

SPEAKER_04 2:21

I know, but it it makes me sound awful. So I do love you.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

I well, I don't think you don't. Hopefully not.

SPEAKER_04 2:27

And I think you're a really smart person.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

I agree. I'm just I just have to think really hard sometimes. And there's nothing wrong with that. Okay, I will go first.

SPEAKER_05 2:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

Um, Peek. We have had a lot of fun visitors lately. Yeah, we have. Last night your aunt and uncle came. Welcome like hello. Yes. Do you think my voice sounds nice? He complimented my voice.

SPEAKER_04 2:53

And Sarah, shout out Sarah.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

Sarah, yes. She did not stay with us, but we love Sarah. Um, and then the weekend before we got to see some of your like old college friends.

SPEAKER_04 3:04

That's right. That's right. I forgot about that.

SPEAKER_00 3:06

Maybe I stole that from you. But it was just nice because I feel like we're all in a very similar season of life, and it's just like such a fun thing to like like this is the first time we saw um them since they like I don't even think I saw Hazel pregnant. No, yeah, she's got like a 10-month baby. It's crazy. It's just cool. Like it's just not I don't know how to do it.

SPEAKER_04 3:28

I think Bivin's is so much older than MJ. I do too.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

In my head, I'm like, oh, she's like eons away from being like Bivin. They're all in the same like range.

SPEAKER_04 3:41

Yeah, and I think that uh MJ is I mean, she's so much older than Mac.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

I mean, but like not at all either. But they're all gonna be in the same school. I mean, Mac's literally like the same size as MJ, and I'm like, wait.

SPEAKER_04 3:55

Well, that's because we got a little petite girl.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_04 3:59

And I think Mac's big Mac's big so junky.

Social Media Creep After Lent

SPEAKER_00 4:02

But it's just fun. Like it's just a fun season to be in with like friends and to like do it side like side by side. So um that's my peak. My pit really I did so good during Lent. I gave up social media and I even like turned off the notifications. I removed it from my home screen, so I didn't even like delete it totally. Yeah. But I never like I I never used it during the day. I never like it. You didn't even seem to want it. I didn't, and I got to the point where I was fine without it, and I decided that after Lent I was just gonna keep it off my home screen because it was just like less tempting to not be there. And I've just been on it so much lately. Like I and I find myself like really fighting the urge to like open it up, but like there's just so many little moments in the day that like you're only doing something for like 15 minutes and you don't really need to like focus. So like, but it's like not long enough to like really get into a book. So what do you do? You just be on your phone, you just be on your phone to pass like the phone.

SPEAKER_04 5:07

I was talking with uh Kenton, one of the friends that we saw last weekend, about that. Um, about like just being a dad when you're holding the baby and you just have nothing. It's like of course you're just gonna doom scroll on your phone. Right, but it's terrible, you know, and like I don't want to set that example for MJ. They're like, hey, it's way more fun for me to look at my phone than to like be here with you. Which I mean, it is more fun to be at my phone. She's super boring right now. No, we don't know.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

I I I feel myself in like a rut because of it. And like I feel my anxiety getting worse because of the things that I'm like seeing and like consuming, and yeah, it's just been a hard time.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

Yours is Instagram, right?

SPEAKER_00 5:50

Yeah, Instagram for sure. Like more than TikTok or Facebook, but every now and then I'm like, oh, let me switch it up, and then I start going down a rabbit hole in another like social.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Mine is Reddit. I can just browse Reddit.

SPEAKER_00 6:01

Like And I'm trying to like break the habit by like reading on my Kindle on my phone, but like the book I'm reading right now is just like not really engaging.

SPEAKER_04 6:10

You know what's neat about that? You could read a different book.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

But I bought it. I'm a sucker for like buying a book and like not finishing it. And it's our book club book. So I like really feel bad not finishing it.

SPEAKER_04 6:26

Well, blame whoever suggested it. Boo we kid. Um okay, that's a pretty good peak intent.

SPEAKER_00 6:34

That's all.

Clean House Reset And Baby Sleep

SPEAKER_04 6:35

Um, I would say my peak. This is like a it's all my peak has been kind of the same things Katie talked about, but I'll say a side note in having lots of company, we had to get our house ready.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

And um you liked cleaning the house, is that what you're about to say?

SPEAKER_04 6:52

I didn't love cleaning the house, but our house is clean now. Like we kind of did like a deep clean, like clean the bathrooms, and it just feels nice when you have a clean house. Like when it like smells good and like surfaces. I'm a big, you know, surfaces guy when surfaces are clean.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Joe just cleans better than me.

SPEAKER_03 7:13

Stop, you're too kind. Listen, you're like giving me all these super nice compliments. I'm just being honest.

SPEAKER_00 7:19

I just like crap on myself. Honestly, it's probably super. Yeah, you do a great job cleaning. Very toxic behavior. I I just no, I I honestly like don't think I don't I don't do a good job cleaning. I will I'm good at decluttering. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 7:34

Yes, you're way better decluttering than I am.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

I don't care about like dust on the fan, like you said. Like you just plenty of things. Okay, we're staring at our fancy. I would have never dusty cared or even looked up to look at it. And like if I don't see it, if it is not blatantly obviously dirty, I'm just not sure.

SPEAKER_01 7:50

You're just not a noticer when it comes to it.

SPEAKER_00 7:52

I just don't I know I like to choose to spend my energy in different ways.

SPEAKER_04 7:56

Yeah. Um sorry, go on. No, that that's that's my peak is just having a clean house, I think. And like the same deal, like cleaning out the fridge and just like the little weekly slash monthly resets that you get is really nice. And um just getting that all kind of done at once is a is a nice peak. Pitt, I would say um sleep's been a little hit or miss over the last couple nights. Um for some reason in the middle of the night I just keep wake up and screaming. Um wait, no, that's MJ. Uh it's like you have been? Yeah, you haven't woken up and heard me. Um but no, I mean, and like it's been nice because her naps have I mean, of course, uh all we talk about is her, but um her naps have been way better, which is really nice during the day, especially when I'm doing work. Um, but her sleep has been way worse. I yeah, I'm not way worse. We're like flippin' flopping.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

Naps are terrible to be. I don't know, I think she's just trial and error. We're just figuring it out.

SPEAKER_04 9:09

Yeah, so there's our peek and pits.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Yepers.

SPEAKER_04 9:12

Uh you want to introduce the topic?

SPEAKER_00 9:14

This was no, this was your idea. No, should we really disclose whose idea this was?

SPEAKER_04 9:18

Oh, yeah, this is gross. It was Chat GPT's idea.

SPEAKER_00 9:22

We were we wanted to come up with something that we haven't done before.

SPEAKER_04 9:25

Well, hang on, preface. Our five year this will be coming out the day after.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

Or something like that. The Monday after our five-year anniversary weekend. And I and we've been doing this podcast now for two years, maybe.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:40

And so we've definitely done like an anniversary podcast reflecting on the past four years, three years. Yeah. And we just wanted to do something different, and we were both just kind of like, what else can we do? We love a good list.

SPEAKER_04 9:54

We do love a good list.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

We love a pros and cons. Too many lists. And we're like, we gotta, we just did not have the energy to spice spice up to the book.

SPEAKER_04 10:02

Well, I was gonna be thinking about it, and then you put it in the chat GPT, and I hate AI.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

Yeah, because I needed an answer quickly, and so we were reading through the options, and one of them was to read through old letters that we've written to each other, which I kind of totally forgot that I was a big letter writer back then, back in the day. Yes, and I wrote you a ton of letters.

SPEAKER_04 10:26

And I like to say I'm pretty proud of myself. I kept a lot of them. And like I didn't know where now when you asked where they were, I did not know.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

You just knew they were somewhere.

SPEAKER_04 10:36

I knew they were somewhere, and it happened to be that you had stored them away nice immediately. But I had kept them. There are letters from us in high school that I still have.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

Yeah, I I wrote you a ton of letters. I probably have more, but these are the ones that we saved. Yeah. But um, yeah, I went through a big phase of just communicating solely through letters to Joe.

SPEAKER_05 10:58

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Because I had no idea at this time in my life, I was terrible at like communicating my feelings and my emotions. And this was the only way I knew how to do that. And so we were big letter writers. Yes. I only for some reason have like one I have like one, I just like one general letter. It's not one letter, but it's a series of letters at a very similar like it was right before we got married, pretty much. From me, from Joe. Yeah. Um, and so that's all I have from you.

SPEAKER_04 11:28

I don't know why I could have sworn I wrote you more.

SPEAKER_00 11:31

I know you did. I guess I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 11:33

Maybe it's in like a journal or something. Who knows, man? I mean, this is this is almost a decade ago.

SPEAKER_00 11:39

Yeah, and I do I do love keeping like the little memories and stuff.

SPEAKER_04 11:43

But in this in the box that the letters were in were like, uh, it's the the pink lay that you wore at our gender reveal. Yeah. Um, what else was in there?

SPEAKER_00 11:54

Just like fun stuff from our tickets, the plane tickets to our honeymoon.

SPEAKER_04 11:58

From our yeah, from our honeymoon.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

Our like wedding program, which I loved our wedding program. I love it. And I know one day when she is older, she is gonna love going through all this stuff and being like, oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_04 12:10

It's gonna be so cute when our kids read this at our funerals. They read all our little letters.

SPEAKER_05 12:15

Yes, it's nice.

SPEAKER_04 12:16

It's honestly I remember when my grandfather passed, um, Grandpa Jack, uh, they were able to read some of the letters that he had written my grandmother while he was like traveling away from work, and like he like wrote her these little sweet little poems and stuff. It was really cute. And like all his kids were reading it.

SPEAKER_00 12:36

That's special that they saved it, so you're welcome, future kids. Yeah. For having all this fun stuff.

SPEAKER_04 12:42

What's crazy is that they can just listen to the podcast and then they'll be like doing chores, like everybody that you know listens to podcasts.

SPEAKER_00 12:48

Oh my gosh, mom and dad were so weird.

SPEAKER_04 12:49

Or they'll be like, podcasts. What do you mean it's not just like beamed directly into my brainstem? And I'll just have all this information.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Yeah. Well, children, watch the notebook and just know that it ain't got nothing on us.

SPEAKER_04 13:03

Yeah. We used to carve it into stone. Um okay, so we're literally just gonna read through some of the letters that Wait, you didn't get my joke. What?

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Watch the notebook.

SPEAKER_04 13:15

What about wait, what did I miss? Wow, this is a first. I missed it.

SPEAKER_00 13:19

I was like, what do you mean you didn't we used to carve it into stone?

SPEAKER_04 13:22

That was just a joke.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Maybe I didn't get your joke.

SPEAKER_04 13:26

Wow. Pain. Pain. Never mind. What's your what's your notebook joke?

SPEAKER_00 13:30

The movie, the notebook.

SPEAKER_04 13:32

Yeah, well, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:33

And then my joke was our love story is better than the notebook.

SPEAKER_04 13:38

Oh, okay. What's funny is you can't really see this in the in the of course this is an audio only medium. Uh, but I just looked at Katie and went, alright.

SPEAKER_00 13:53

And let's I just expected more of a laugh from you.

SPEAKER_03 13:57

But like what what is the you were like? The notebook ain't got nothing on us.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

But I expect you to be like, haha, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:06

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 14:08

Okay, whatever. Okay, what were you saying?

SPEAKER_04 14:11

Well, no, I was just gonna say, so the the the podcast will just be us kind of reading through some of these letters, and we thought it'd be fun to give context. So I believe all the letters that we have are written before we were married. So this is in high school and college.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

Yeah, we clearly stopped writing letters after we got married.

SPEAKER_04 14:30

Oh, you know, I was thinking about this. I don't know when the last time I've written you a letter or vice versa was.

SPEAKER_00 14:35

Yeah, probably just like a quick.

SPEAKER_04 14:36

I think I wrote you, I know, I think I wrote you a letter right before we had MJ.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

You did. Right? No, you wrote a letter to MJ.

SPEAKER_04 14:45

I did write a letter to MJ.

SPEAKER_00 14:47

That's all I know.

SPEAKER_04 14:48

Well, that's for her. Yeah, that's for her for later. It's it's not I didn't write a I didn't hand write a letter. I'd it's texted the letter. Yeah, it's in Google Word. Um Google Docs.

SPEAKER_00 15:00

Um, but I think I don't know, do we start with the Or should we start from like the most recent and then get to like the really cringe stuff? This is a very cringe.

SPEAKER_04 15:10

I mean, yeah, it's some of it's it's crazy. Uh some of this you were writing to me when you were like 16.

SPEAKER_00 15:16

I know. This is more so cringe on my part. Like, this is very exposing. It is.

SPEAKER_04 15:20

I hope I appreciate you for being so willing. I just I'm read looking at one of the first ones. It's really sweet. Uh, you signed your name with a little heart.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

Yeah, I was sweet like that.

SPEAKER_04 15:30

You were really sweet before we started recording, Katie said, uh, what do you we we were just kind of looking over some of the letters, and what exactly did you say? You said, Wow, I was so kind to you back then.

SPEAKER_00 15:44

Yeah. I was some of these letters are like so loving.

SPEAKER_04 15:50

Yeah, but they're also like, you aren't enough for me.

SPEAKER_00 15:54

Sometimes some of them are also just like, they're like, what is it, toxic positivity?

SPEAKER_03 15:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

She's love bombing me.

SPEAKER_00 16:01

Some of these letters are toxically positive towards you. Should we start? Let's start with mine, the one that you wrote me, because they're a little bit tamer, they're a little bit more recent, and then we'll go to the really cringe stuff.

SPEAKER_04 16:14

So I don't remember these. We had actually forgotten that I had done this.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

Yeah, and then it was a pleasant surprise. So you we used to and still do really. Um, anytime like there's a big thing in life coming up that we just like need to work through or prepare for, we're big like nine-day novena people. Yeah, like we love a good novena.

SPEAKER_04 16:34

We love like pray it to a specific saint.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Like asking for a saint for their intercession and the like help walk us through whatever is going on in this life, in this life, in our lives. And so um, that's just something we've always done. And Joe, I th that was actually really sweet. I forgot that you did this.

SPEAKER_04 16:51

Listen, I forgot about it too. Completely.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

He made me nine letters, nine envelopes each day was a day, like a prayer for a novena. And I think it was the a novina um for Saint Jose Marie, and it was something about um preparing for marriage, essentially. It was like for an engaged couple. And in the envelope was the prayer, it was a reflection, and just like a little letter that you wrote me. And so I figured I would just read the tiny letters because they weren't super long.

SPEAKER_04 17:20

And then the last letter was on our wedding day.

The Novena Notes And First Kiss

SPEAKER_00 17:24

Yeah, it was the letter that I wrote that we I read on the wedding day, and so it was fun. The first letter is probably the longest, and it's um day one. Okay, guys, who I'm like cringing, even though this isn't this is not the same. This is my okay. Hey, Spugs, I love you and holy cow. We're getting married in nine days. This the day is something we have waited so long for, and I can't believe it's finally right around the corner. I have gone back and forth on how we should prepare for this and what is something special we could do as we take this massive next step in our lives. Whether that's the rosary novena, the novena for Oh, it's then when I realize we should pray novena. Novenas have had a special place in our hearts, whether that's the Rosary Novena, the novena for family members, or even the novenas that we have prayed for our own relationship. They've been close to our hearts in our faithful journey. So it only seems natural that we should pray one before we get married. So I've written a letter for you to open each day for the next nine days. Funny enough, turns out that there are nine fruits of the Holy Spirit as well. So each day will be a memory in regards to a specific fruit followed by the novena. No sweet that I am praying this novena along with you. You used to call me sweet, I forgot about it.

SPEAKER_04 18:35

And now I call MJ sweet.

SPEAKER_00 18:38

I forgot you said that. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, my love. I promise to love you tomorrow. You never say my love. Throw up. Okay, first fruit is self-control. Funny that this is funny. Okay. You're not prepared for this.

SPEAKER_04 18:53

I really am not. Are we about to like out ourselves or something? What's going on here?

SPEAKER_00 18:58

Funny that is the first fruit. Seems like this is something we've been talking about for some time, right? The first memory that popped into my mind for the for this fruit is our first kiss.

SPEAKER_04 19:08

Oh no.

SPEAKER_00 19:11

We were so silly and naive. I can just remember our awkward kissing along with my probably awkward comments. Like when after the first time we really kissed, I said, Do you want to guess what you said?

SPEAKER_04 19:25

Oh, this is terrible. No, I have no idea.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

That was awesome.

SPEAKER_02 19:33

That's really bad.

SPEAKER_00 19:35

I've always been a mood killer. Smiley days. Oh no. However, I think this fruit will help us with being more caring towards each other. We can control not only our natural impulses but our small frustrations and stressors. We can choose self-control and choose to love one another. That's the most beautiful thing about us joining in marriage. We choose to love each other.

SPEAKER_04 19:54

That's awesome, is terrible.

SPEAKER_00 19:57

That's awesome. That was terrible. I was like, okay, immediately shut down.

SPEAKER_04 20:03

KD was dodging my first kiss attempts as well. Literally would not like funny story. Yeah, literally wouldn't even attempt to pucker her lips.

SPEAKER_02 20:16

Oh, sorry.

SPEAKER_00 20:18

You just coming at me. And I think it didn't help.

SPEAKER_02 20:22

I was wild animal.

SPEAKER_00 20:25

It didn't help that you like asked if you could kiss me.

SPEAKER_02 20:29

That was yes. And so then I was just kind of like I was so violently my first kiss.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

And I was like, how do I? I'm like, okay, so now I know you're about to do it. Like, how are we gonna do this? Like you just like it just like nothing was natural about it.

SPEAKER_04 20:42

And nothing was romantic about it.

SPEAKER_00 20:43

Nothing was romantic about it. You were like, cool, this is the time. And then I was like, okay.

SPEAKER_03 20:47

And then I said, nice.

SPEAKER_00 20:48

And then afterwards, and then I was like, okay, that was just weird. Oh, and like I kept dodging you, and then finally, like, contact was made, but there was no kissing exchanged. It was just like face pancake.

SPEAKER_04 21:01

Like two rocks pushed together.

SPEAKER_00 21:05

And then afterwards, you were like, that's awesome. I'm like, No, it wasn't. That was pretty terrible.

SPEAKER_04 21:12

Oh dude, it was rocked, man. Wow, okay. Alright, that was a good one. Are you gonna do another one or do you want to alternate since for some reason this is the only letters that you have from me?

SPEAKER_00 21:24

Okay, we can alternate.

SPEAKER_04 21:26

So let's see, let me find a good one. No, we have to do the the one from the ones from 2015. Those have to be last.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

They're terrible. Um they're all just like me being like uh passive aggressive and flowery words.

A Birthday Letter With Big Feelings

SPEAKER_04 21:42

No, that one's our wedding one. That one's online. Go watch our wedding video. Katie repost it. Alright. Um, okay, here's one. Let's see. I can't. I'm trying to open it with one hand. This is for from January 5th, 2016. All right. Happy birthday. Birthday to my favorite boyfriend about five smiley faces. It's funny because those could be frowny faces. If, like, if you looked at them in succession, you could think they were frowning. And I always used to think Katie was mad at me, basically all the time. Um, whenever you get this, birthday or not, I hope this day has brought you many blessings and many reasons to smile. Because, oh boy, do you give me many reasons to smile.

SPEAKER_02 22:24

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_04 22:25

You know what's absolutely amazing? And again, Katie is it's 2016, so you're 17 writing this to me.

SPEAKER_00 22:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:34

Okay. Yeah. Um you're either seven sixteen or seventeen. You know what's absolutely amazing? Time. Mercy and time. Time is limit is not limited. In truth, time is abundant. As well, hang on, you said time is not limited. In truth, time is abundant, as well as immeasurable mercy. Here's my problem. I try to accomplish every possible couple adventure with you in a limited amount of time. In fact, I think maybe we both do. With our driving ambition ambitions, I think is what we meant to say, combined with our ideas of love, our timeless dreams are inevitable. But we time's limited. But what what if we shifted our perspective to believing that in time our dreams are inevitable? Perhaps that is what God is teaching us. Perhaps God wants us to take a step back and live each day as an adventure in itself, together or apart. I have realized the more I desire to know God with you through Bible study, over coffee, through phone calls and senseless stories, through lazy days reading and baking sweet treats, and through crazy time spent with family, the more I feel called to the life of a married woman, whether or not I get to share that life with you. Okay. Yeah. Happy birthday. I still pray day by day for discernment on our relationship.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

I'm still so unsure about you. I know.

SPEAKER_04 24:02

Well, you know, we only have been dating for two years at this point. Uh I hope you're 16.

SPEAKER_00 24:07

I know.

SPEAKER_04 24:08

I never want to find myself becoming too invested in our relationship. Neither do I want to be the one that fills the void for your longing of attention. I want to say I just want simply simplicity and joy wherever that may bring us. Whatever that may bring us. All of these thoughts and emotions flooded my heart just thinking about the privilege it is for me to spend yet another birthday with such a kind, gentle, and strong-willed man. You should have put another sentence about how you weren't sure if we were meant to be together after that. Uh I know that this is the first birthday you have spent without your family, so this must have been my freshman year. But man, I'm thinking about you a lot, and I guarantee I'm not the only one.

SPEAKER_00 24:49

Joe, you are Who else is thinking about you?

SPEAKER_04 24:51

Probably my mom, I hope. Joe, you you are prepared and ready for whatever nineteen brings you. Big nineteen. All you need now is the little kick in the behind from God to get this year started. So to help, here's my little personal litany of faith.

SPEAKER_02 25:06

Oh no.

SPEAKER_04 25:07

Uh and then you not me writing prayers. Um Yeah, you wrote a cute little litany of faith. I believe in you, my father and master of the way. I trust that you know the desires of my heart and what is truly good for me. I believe, Lord, that you are truly present in every part of my life as I walk on earth you created. Lord, I know so long as I have increasing faith and persevering prayer, you will cultivate my trust, and soon I will become in union with your desires. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 25:36

Look at me. That was good.

SPEAKER_04 25:38

That was again 16. My favorite part about being with you is being able to admit our brokenness. Not even that, but being able to prey upon our brokenness together. Joe, you lead me so well, and you are going to lead others great gracefully in this coming year. I can also see the blessings to come. Happy birthday. I love you with my whole heart. But I'm not sure if I want to marry you.

SPEAKER_00 25:59

Simplicity and joy. Do we feel simple? Hang on.

SPEAKER_04 26:03

You you you talked about simplicity and joy. You didn't touch on what about we more faith? We need or uh was it time and and mercy?

SPEAKER_00 26:10

Time is limited. No, it's not limited.

SPEAKER_04 26:12

You started off talking about time and mercy, but then you you threw a litany of humility at me.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

And then I said, simplicity and joy. Give it to me, man.

SPEAKER_04 26:20

Man, you must have just read like St. Faustina's diary or something.

SPEAKER_00 26:24

I was too deep, guys. Goodness.

SPEAKER_04 26:27

You know, I think I I'm sure I've told you this before. My mom used to always talk about because I was the same way, especially when you and I were were discussing our problems. My mom used to go, Joe, you guys are just you're using such flowery language.

SPEAKER_00 26:40

Get to the point. She had a point.

SPEAKER_04 26:42

No, she did. She was like, You guys are just beating around the bush. Well, yeah, you're soap in the sky when you're talking about these things. I love it. Um the little bit of context for that letter. So again, that's my freshman year. So I'm turning 19. That was we had broken up just a couple months before.

SPEAKER_00 27:03

I mean, I was clearly like this was like the the preceding the breakup. I mean, I'm already No.

SPEAKER_04 27:10

This was Or was it I? We were we had just gotten back together.

SPEAKER_00 27:13

Oh.

SPEAKER_04 27:14

We broke up in the fall of my freshman year, and then we got back together. Oh, wow. Do you not remember? Well, I just don't remember.

SPEAKER_00 27:21

I don't remember the context of this thing.

SPEAKER_04 27:24

The letter is you wrote it to me for my birthday.

SPEAKER_00 27:27

Okay. Yeah, I mean obviously it is happy birthday.

SPEAKER_04 27:30

Well, yeah, but I'm saying like it was just, hey, here's your sweet little birthday letter. Um but yeah, we had just gotten back together, so I think you were kind of laying on the you were laying on the um the you know, hey, we're still working this out.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

Yeah, there's no promise. But you a lot of I know I'm called to marriage, but not not sure about you.

SPEAKER_04 27:50

Man, we little did 17-year-old Katie know she had to go to the convent first.

Faith Stories And Why Letters Matter

SPEAKER_00 27:56

We love you, Lord. Yeah, I'm gonna read two in one because they're small. Okay. Um, day two and day three of our little engagement novena. Okay, Joe says the second fruit is gentleness. The first memory that I think about is in regards to this, is in regards to this, is you singing for us the first time. We had our backs to you, and I remember hearing how nervous you were. You were and are so gentle. I love how gentle you are, not only with me, but with others. With you, with your faith, you treat everyone as though they are deserving of a gentle love, and for that I adore you. Thanks for teaching me how to be compassionate and gentle. What a memory.

SPEAKER_04 28:38

That is one of I think about it probably once a month.

SPEAKER_00 28:42

I think about that first special memory.

SPEAKER_04 28:44

I'm sure we told that story, but that first time you sang in front of all of us, and we had already kind of been talking like just a little bit. Yes, you were like, ooh. But I remember being so I was already in in it in a bad way. This is not like kudos for me. I I I think this was in a bad way. I was already like protective over you. And like I remember already being anxious and nervous for you, and like wanting to be protected. We weren't even dating, but I was like wanting to be protective over you, and being like, Jerry shouldn't make her sing, she clearly doesn't want to.

SPEAKER_00 29:17

Oh yeah, Jerry.

SPEAKER_04 29:18

And then Jerry was like, wait, no, she should be singing.

SPEAKER_00 29:21

Yeah, you you you were the worst about that.

SPEAKER_04 29:24

I know.

SPEAKER_00 29:25

But that was a really special memory, and like it was just I don't know, it was it was like such a vulnerable time and like such a like special crowd and like group to be a part of. And I love that you put it in.

SPEAKER_04 29:37

A lot of people that were in and around that team that are still in our day-to-day lives.

SPEAKER_00 29:43

Yeah. Good one. Okay, the third fruit was faithfulness. The first thing that comes to my mind in regard to faithfulness has to be our time when we were discerning our vocations. Yes. During that time, our faithfulness is what drew us together, even though we were apart. The time in my life is so important to me and is important and is something I hold very near and dear to my heart. We grew as a couple because we grew as individuals in our faith. I hope and pray that in the years to come we may continue to do that, not only to be faithful to one another, but to faithful, but faithful to our God. Yeah. That's such a good time. We talked about this many extensive in every podcast, but I really love like just the idea of like growing as individuals in our faith.

SPEAKER_04 30:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:28

And I really do feel like that's something that we've implemented and continue to.

SPEAKER_04 30:32

We've tried to.

SPEAKER_00 30:34

Trying to as our best.

SPEAKER_04 30:36

You know, the other thing we're realizing is we just haven't written letters recently too. I mean, I know we I guess we've talked about that already, but just I don't know, like we need to start writing letters to each other more.

SPEAKER_00 30:44

And I I've been trying to like write letters to MJ like every month for like the first year, and then I definitely want to do one every year. But like I already skipped month six.

SPEAKER_04 30:55

I'm gonna have to I'm gonna have to combine six and seven and just some like you know, one of the things I like about these letters and just having them is there was for as as cringe as you know parts and pieces of them are, and uh if we had more of my old ones, um they'd be even more cringe, they'd talk about like how sad I am or something like that. But um there was a lot of intention behind it. Yeah. You know, like the intention behind the letter was not just let me write a letter, but like there was a problem we were trying to solve, there was something we were trying to communicate to each other, and to take the intention of actually writing down our thoughts or typing them out to give to one another, I think is just really cool. And I think it's special.

SPEAKER_00 31:43

It's another it's an extra step, and it's something that like we're in a society now where like we are trying to do things the quickest and most efficient way, yeah. And writing a letter, there's nothing efficient about it. You have to pull out a pencil and a pen and find out.

SPEAKER_04 31:59

I can't read one of the letters you wrote me because it's in your handwriting.

SPEAKER_00 32:02

And I just I think that like something that really you know stands out to me when I think about letters is like a friend of mine back in like high school when I was maybe 14 years old. She wouldn't even write me like long letters, but she would like write me like sticky note love letters. Who? Caroline Blackman.

SPEAKER_04 32:22

So sweet.

The Eight Month Letter Spiral

SPEAKER_00 32:23

Um, yeah, and I just always felt so loved when she did that. And I just like think about that every now and then. Whenever I'm like, Oh, I don't feel like we'll have the time to write somebody something. It's very special. All right, do the one that is The Eight Months?

SPEAKER_04 32:36

Yeah, that's terrible. Yeah, because we're already we wow see this one by quickly. I thought this is good. Um okay, so this one was written, it is not dated, but then we can tell.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

I mean, it's eight months.

SPEAKER_04 32:49

We started dating November 14th, so this must be pretty close to me leaving for college. So this is 2015. So we'd only been dating for eight months. Eight months, obviously. Yeah. It took it, we're getting there. Uh hey friend. Hey friend. That was when yeah, we used to do that a lot. So I have rewritten this letter twice now. You are 15, I think. No, you have probably turned 16. You're probably sixteen. Yeah. Um, hey friend, so I've rewritten this letter twice now. I began writing it today, aka our eight-month. Our eight-month anniversary.

SPEAKER_00 33:25

AKA AKA, also known as.

SPEAKER_04 33:27

Um, and I wanted you to receive it today, but did not really think it through very well. Well, actually, it is Oh, it's 1 a.m., so technically it's tomorrow, and everything I'm saying is irrelevant. Most likely you won't get this until two days after. Wow, I'm confused. Anyways, gosh, MJ's gonna write like this. She's gonna be this. I don't want I don't want to scold you.

SPEAKER_00 33:50

I don't want you to But this is me scolding you.

SPEAKER_04 33:53

Again, she's 15, I'm 17. I don't want to scold you. I don't want you to feel like you have to be better or changed because you are wonderful. And I need to remind you that I appreciate you wholeheartedly. I get so caught up and paranoid when you're gone.

SPEAKER_02 34:08

It's like butt.

SPEAKER_04 34:11

It's as if I need you to be somewhat clingy because if you aren't, then I suddenly feel like within the past 24 hours you've changed your mind and moved home.

SPEAKER_00 34:20

Wow, get this girl out of here. She's obsessed.

SPEAKER_04 34:24

Yeah, ha. It's not fun being a girl.

SPEAKER_00 34:27

Ha.

SPEAKER_04 34:28

This weekend in Indiana, I realized something that I can lose.

SPEAKER_00 34:32

NCYC?

SPEAKER_04 34:35

I guess so. Yeah, I guess it Yeah, I guess it must be NCYC.

SPEAKER_00 34:39

So that was when we took like our mini break. I guess so. It's not making any sense.

SPEAKER_04 34:45

No, because it's our eight-month anniversary. Anyway, you you went to Indiana. Um hang on, sorry, I lost my place. Um this weekend in Indiana, I realized something that I can live without you. I can be happy and independent on my own. But up until now, I have realized, oh, this was your practice. You were there for practice.

SPEAKER_05 35:06

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_04 35:07

I realized that this isn't what I want. I want to be happy, but I want to share that with you. You being the only guy that truly understands me, that can speak my mind, write me funny puns when I'm stressed, give me candy, which in all honesty is the key to my heart, and random cashews, which actually made me laugh so hard because cashews are so random and I love it.

SPEAKER_05 35:28

What did you do?

SPEAKER_04 35:29

Why did I give you cashews? Goes to adoration with me, praise with me, the list goes on, but it all narrows down to genuinely loving me. The universe needs more of you, but I claim you mine.

SPEAKER_00 35:41

Mine.

SPEAKER_04 35:42

I really miss talking to you and being with you, and I feel like summer is going by so fast, and I haven't felt like we've done everything we possibly could have to make the most of it. And that's why I get so bummed out sometimes. I value time with you alone so much. I absolutely love hanging out in groups, but if we are given the opportunity to have a car ride to ourselves, then I'll take it. I know you struggle with conveying your feelings, and I'm willing to work it out with you. I feel like that's the other way around.

SPEAKER_01 36:09

But what's projecting?

SPEAKER_04 36:11

I also asked two things of you. First, I need you to value the present. I love fantasizing about a future together. This is written in like not double spaced or anything either. This is like two Yeah. And I'm not telling you to stop, but I want you to value the time that we have together as if it's our last. That's uber dramatic, but I feel like dramatic comes naturally to me. And so you must and not you, so I must exaggerate to make my point. In all seriousness, you didn't close that parenthesis. Oh, no, no. This it's still within parentheses. In all seriousness, this is a serious matter. I'm serious. Close parentheses. Second, I'm going to tell you the same thing you said to me, not as a girlfriend, but just as a friend. Talk to someone, your mom, your sister. They know what it's like to be in the this position and can help. Exclamation point. The first exclamation point of the whole thing. Joseph, you're a very talented man. You know how to make yeah, uh, you know how to make me smile a thousand times a day without even trying. So kudos to you. I have lots to tell you. So, just a quick update on my life this past week. My Uber long Snapchat story was posted only for the sake of so of showing you what it was like in Indiana. Um, there's uh Caitlin from The Bachelorette sucks, and you will know why soon. Uh, I've come across lots of twin Joes, and I think I might be hallucinating from post-dramatic Joe syndrome.

SPEAKER_00 37:34

Oh, I hate myself.

SPEAKER_04 37:35

That's a big look it up. And I just think I violated our expanded period of the quiet game, but I still win because I made it up, therefore I make the rules. Oh, when I see you, remind me of the words to to-do list, light midwest song, and Asian. Those are all keywords to what I want to tell you.

SPEAKER_00 37:54

Just a ramble.

SPEAKER_04 37:57

Um, I wonder what Asian had going on there. Come home. Have you ever met the most people? Have you ever met those kind of people that when you talk to, it's as if they weren't even there, so you wonder if there's some sort of bacteria eating their brain. Yeah, well, that's me right now. So if I don't see you, I might just wither into nothing. Well, I guess I love you. Uh P.S. I don't feel the need to respond. I can wait till Friday. P P S. It's 2 a.m. and I have begun to wither. Oh my stars. Okay, bye.

SPEAKER_00 38:30

Oh, wow. That was like a marathon.

SPEAKER_04 38:33

So that was the summer before I left for college. And you spent a couple weeks going to Indiana. No, you were sweet. I loved you.

SPEAKER_00 38:46

Sweet.

SPEAKER_04 38:47

I was also in post-traumatic Joseph. I was an 18-year-old boy who's like, Can I just go play spike ball with my friends? And you were like, Yes, but you have to drive me everywhere.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

Oh, don't leave me.

SPEAKER_04 39:01

It's fine, period. And you're like, You don't want to spend time with me? And I'm like, I do, I love you. But like, you know, spike ball.

SPEAKER_00 39:11

Oh, holy cow.

SPEAKER_04 39:12

Um, that was a fun letter. And I I really do what I have always loved about us is even as stupid as we were back then and as silly as we were, we were trying to communicate where we were coming from. And we really wanted to be seen and heard. And that that's a theme of kind of like all these letters. And I from what I can remember of some of the letters I wrote you, that was always our biggest focus was wanting the other not only to say, like, I didn't want to just say my piece, I really wanted you to understand where I was coming from. And clearly in these letters, you were explaining yourself to me, so not only I could know that you missed me, yeah, but I could know why and and get to truly see you.

Generosity Then Wedding Day Letters

SPEAKER_00 40:00

Yeah, yeah, I agree. I do feel like we always got to like the root of it. And I I think I wasn't ashamed to be crazy in the letters because I was like, well, leave it all there, see if he decides to stick with it. If not, then it's true though. But yeah, I like that. I like that you pointed that out. Okay, day four and five. So the fourth fruit, this is what Joe wrote.

SPEAKER_04 40:26

Two for one.

SPEAKER_00 40:27

The fourth fruit is generosity. And this I think about our families. I think about how much they give, not only m monetarily, but in time and talent as well. They are amazing examples of how to give ourselves to our family and our God. Giving completely of ourselves to him and his people is the greatest thing we can do with our lives. I know for a fact that together you and I can do this. I can't wait to see what God will ask of us and then what he will do with our gifts. Generosity, do you think we've been generous enough?

SPEAKER_04 40:53

I think we're trying.

SPEAKER_00 40:54

I think we're trying, and we can always be more generous.

SPEAKER_04 40:57

Alright, last one.

SPEAKER_00 40:59

Last one, and then or should I just go straight to like our wedding letters?

SPEAKER_04 41:03

Oh, you want to read the wedding? I'm sure people have heard the wedding letters before.

SPEAKER_00 41:07

I don't know, what do you think?

SPEAKER_04 41:08

Alright, we can yeah, just read let's just read the wedding letters then.

SPEAKER_00 41:11

There's no more funny letters that I wrote you.

SPEAKER_04 41:13

There is, but there's more of the same. More of the same crazy more of the same, just you know yeah. You're saying how much you love me and but also.

SPEAKER_00 41:25

Yeah, so now flash forward, flash forward, fast forward.

SPEAKER_04 41:28

If you want to read your mine to you first, or vice versa? So this is what we wrote to each other on our wedding day.

SPEAKER_00 41:36

Yes. Yours is much shorter than mine.

SPEAKER_04 41:40

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 41:41

Hey, Nug. Where did the origin of a nug come from?

SPEAKER_04 41:46

I used to call you goose when we first started.

SPEAKER_00 41:49

I remember that. How did we get from goose to nug?

SPEAKER_04 41:52

No idea.

SPEAKER_00 41:53

I really feel like it had something to do with you liking chicken nuggets.

SPEAKER_04 41:56

I mean, that's probably a really good And that's it.

SPEAKER_00 41:58

It just kind of stuck. It's kind of weird though.

SPEAKER_04 42:01

It is a little weird. Definitely a little weird.

SPEAKER_00 42:04

Wow. Six and a half years. It's actually today. Happy anniversary.

SPEAKER_04 42:08

Mine is so much shorter than yours.

SPEAKER_00 42:10

I told you. I really don't even know what to say other than I'm just so excited that we're getting married. We made it. Made it through long distance, through breakups, through vocation issues, through burping. Shut up. We have gone through it. I am so proud of us and of you for who we've grown into and more importantly, who we will continue to grow into. We've come a long way from me sitting you down on the couch and asking you to date me until you said yes. It only took a couple of hours for you to marry me. So many memories stick out and are held close to my heart. Seeing you at adoration after not speaking for nine days, watching you sing on stage for the very first time, going to Alabama and visiting the shrine of the Blessed Sacrament. All those fun dates on the jet ski by Sid Wessinger Island. By Sid Wessinger, Sid Sid Wessinger Island. All these memories are things I go back to whenever I'm stressed or sad. They bring me joy and fill me up because I know how loved I am by you and how much I in turn love you. I'm so happy that we're able to focus our relationship on God and that so many of these core memories are around serving God or being in his presence. We get to continue this journey together to serve him more and more each day and to devote ourselves fully to this love. I can't imagine anything more beautiful and joyful than that. Katie, you are my person. You are God's gift to me. You were the answer to every prayer. I know I've told you this, but I used to sit up every night when I was younger and ask God to give me a girlfriend. And every day that I waited, I would get frustrated and impatient. Little did I know that he was answering every prayer by shaping you into the person that I would spend the rest of my life with. He has been so good to us, and I can't wait to see what he has in store for us down the road. I love you, Katie. Now let's get married. Love Joe. P. S. I promise to love you. Forever.

SPEAKER_04 44:01

Used to not let me say that. I used to have to always say, I promise to love you tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 44:05

Yes. Do we remember why?

SPEAKER_04 44:08

Uh no.

SPEAKER_00 44:09

I was just such a sucker and I still am. I I hate getting my hopes up at being disappointed.

SPEAKER_04 44:13

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:14

So I always made you like say, I promise to love you tomorrow because that was a short-term promise that like I knew you could keep.

SPEAKER_04 44:20

Yeah. So goodness gracious. So, so weird. To my sweet soon-to-be husband, this is Katie's letter to me. Uh, all I can hear right now is the sound of your voice reassuring me, I'll probably cry. And reminding me of these words. We're here, we did it, because that's what you do. You reassure me, you recognize goodness, and you remind me of God's grace and how his love is woven within the beautiful tapestry that makes our love story. A story that has been in the making long before I pray and called you six years ago. A story with chapters filled with us growing and molding and loving over years that have felt like seconds. There has already been so much depth packed into who we are today, and I know there will be so much more to unveil in the chapters to come. But despite how much changes in our lifetime together, I know one thing will stay constant. My hand will always perfectly fit inside of yours, and our hearts were always fit perfectly inside of God's. When I read that the first time, that absolutely that's what sent me. Um my one desire in this life is to serve the Lord well and to love his people. We have prayed over this desire both together and separately, and has called us into some unexpected yet glorious paths. Joe Divine, marrying you is the most glorious path I could choose. I serve God best with you by my side. I love deeper and stronger with you by my side. By my side, by my side. This desire is fulfilled because we desire God together. Striving for sainthood has never felt more tangible. Our love has been built upon a mountain of promises, promises that the Lord has for the both of us, and promises that we have made to each other. If there is one thing that we know for sure, it's that it's that the Lord will always keep his promises. Joe Divine, I promise to bear a life full of fruitfulness with you. I promise to always let you be my hero. I promise to always love God more. I promise to love you tomorrow, always, and forever. I love you. Katie, soon to be divine.

SPEAKER_00 46:17

Love you for all my tomorrows.

SPEAKER_04 46:19

That's a good one.

SPEAKER_00 46:20

That's sweet.

SPEAKER_04 46:21

I love you.

SPEAKER_00 46:22

I love you too. Being married's pretty fun.

SPEAKER_04 46:25

Happy five years.

SPEAKER_00 46:26

By the time this podcast comes out, we would have gone to New York with a baby.

SPEAKER_04 46:30

Oh goodness. Pray for us, please.

SPEAKER_00 46:33

In retrospect, I guess, since it would have already happened. Yeah. But yeah. That was fun.

SPEAKER_04 46:40

Um, okay, so I have our marriage. Wait, yeah, that was really sweet. I enjoyed doing that.

SPEAKER_00 46:44

Mm-hmm. Me too.

SPEAKER_04 46:46

Very nostalgic. I have our marriage meeting. So the year we I mean, I guess technically we started dating in 2014. Yeah. Um, but I feel like 2015 is like what I really recommend as far as like our initial kind of um oh wait, no, no, okay. I have 2014 facts. Never mind. Ignore everything I just said there. Um, so I have some facts from 2014 to see if you can remember what was going on in 2014. So there was a viral trend, a meme, perhaps, but I don't even we won't we weren't even really saying memes at that point in time. Um where something was for it was for ALS. Do you remember what it was?

SPEAKER_00 47:33

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Yes, I think. Yeah, because you were like weirdly posting it on Instagram about it.

SPEAKER_04 47:39

Well, hang on, you put when you did the ice bucket challenge, you had to tag.

SPEAKER_00 47:43

Sorry, yes. I just thought it was weird because you never posted, and I remember like starting to be. Somebody tagged me. I know.

SPEAKER_04 47:49

A girl tagged me. Yeah, so it was important. Um an animated movie came out in 2014 that basically became one of the biggest movies Disney has ever put out. Um frozen? Yeah, good memory.

SPEAKER_00 48:06

This is a core time in my life. A lot of big things happened.

SPEAKER_04 48:10

Um okay, um trying to find the You weren't ready for me to know that. Um no, I really wasn't. Um Okay. What singer was arrested for drunk driving and uh like basically trying to get away from the cops? He was arrested in Miami as a guy. It was kind of the start of him really. He was huge when we were young. He's still he's still around now.

SPEAKER_00 48:40

Singer.

SPEAKER_04 48:40

Yeah, he's kinda gone in and out. He's had a lot going on in his life. He's the he's the male version of Miley Cyrus in my head.

SPEAKER_00 48:49

Justin Bieber?

SPEAKER_04 48:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 48:51

Okay, that's what I was thinking initially. I just don't remember him getting arrested for drunk driving.

SPEAKER_04 48:56

What Taylor Swift album came out that year?

SPEAKER_00 48:59

Oh yeah, the Swifties are gonna be sad that I don't know this. Yeah. Um Sparks Fly.

SPEAKER_04 49:08

Is that even an album?

SPEAKER_00 49:09

Yeah, something sparks.

SPEAKER_04 49:11

Uh 1989.

SPEAKER_00 49:12

Oh.

SPEAKER_04 49:14

Oh no.

SPEAKER_00 49:17

Not a Swifty. I mean, I love her, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 49:20

Yeah, you're not it's not like the the most important thing to us. Okay, alright, this is the last one, but I think this is crazy. Um, but I think this is a really fun one. Um what number iPhone was released in 2014?

SPEAKER_00 49:36

iPhone 10.

SPEAKER_04 49:38

It was the iPhone 6. Doesn't that sound like when I read that I was like, the iPhone 6 in 2014? Like I felt like it would have been like the iPhone like 11 or something.

SPEAKER_00 49:51

Yeah. I wouldn't yeah, iPhone 10 was what I was thinking.

SPEAKER_04 49:55

I know a little time capsule right there. I wonder what the I'm sure the number one song in 2014 was, I'm sure it was a Taylor Swift song. 2014 number one song.

SPEAKER_00 50:07

I can't believe it.

SPEAKER_04 50:08

Oh my goodness. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 50:10

What is it?

SPEAKER_04 50:11

It's happy by uh because I'm happy because it was in the Despicable Me movie, too.

SPEAKER_00 50:18

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 50:19

Which also, I guess, came out in 2014.

SPEAKER_00 50:21

That's crazy. So it has been 2014, it is 2026. So it's 12 years. Twelve years.

SPEAKER_04 50:29

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 50:31

Crazy. I know. Wow. Well, happy anniversary.

SPEAKER_04 50:34

Happy anniversary.

SPEAKER_00 50:35

And thanks for going down memory lane with us, guys. Yeah. This has been a lot of fun. Yeah. And super casual and laid back, and I love it. Um, and as always, let's keep growing together.

SPEAKER_05 50:48

Bye, guys. Bye.