Chat with my Daughter: 2024 Full Year Re-cap

Remember those New Year's resolutions you made with all the best intentions but somehow left behind by February? Join Lirec and Mariah as they humorously recount their own fleeting commitments, from podcasting to meditation and basketball, setting the stage for a year brimming with unpredictable adventures. Dive into a heartwarming and candid look at their shared experiences, beginning with a standout Black History Month show that became a highlight of their winter. Through playful banter and personal stories, explore how these moments helped shape their year, while navigating the shifting dynamics of friendships and family life.

Adventure was the name of the game as the seasons changed, starting with a memorable cabin retreat that brought nature's surprises right to their doorstep. Picture the thrill of animal encounters mixed with the unexpected sound of neighbors' gunfire, all woven into the backdrop of a glamping getaway. Amidst these escapades, Lirec celebrated a major milestone: the release of his book, sharing tales of his transition from a poor dad to a more impactful father. As spring approached, anticipation built for upcoming travels and family activities, highlighting the delicate balance between personal ambitions and familial responsibilities.

From Cabo's watered-down cocktails to the milestone of Alexis' graduation in Houston, the year unfolded with celebrations and laughter. Summer brought a whirlwind of basketball games and college visits, capped by a camping trip in Kentucky filled with ghost stories and a marshmallow mishap. As the year drew to a close, the duo embraced holiday traditions with paintballing, candy hauls, and competitive games at Thanksgiving. The anticipation of Christmas brought a festive focus on gift-giving and joy, rounding out a year filled with unforgettable memories and heartfelt reflections. Listen in and share the ride through a truly dynamic and laughter-filled year.

Chapters

• 0:00 Year in Review
• 12:04 Cabin Retreat and Book Release
• 17:05 Outdoor Adventures and Camping Memories
• 30:39 Life Events and Holiday Traditions

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:48

hey, what's going on, you guys? My name is lyric and this is 15 minutes with dad. Today we have a beautiful host, my lovely daughter mariah, who has gracefully joined us for another episode of 15 minutes with dad, because, guess what, I'm dad and she's daughter, and so it's great to have somebody to have 15 minutes of conversation with with me.

Speaker 2: 1:12

So here, we are guys it is.

Speaker 1: 1:15

It is sad, but she's promised she swore on the valor of the covenant that she would join the podcast again and do every episode with me for the next three years straight, every day. That's what she said, right yeah, that's, that's yep yeah, so that's what it's gonna be, guys.

Speaker 1: 1:35

Y'all gonna hear a lot more from mariah. Um, she's very busy, she has a whole life, she's a teenager now. So, um, I do this thing and I love doing this thing, and I've been doing this thing quite a bit over this last year, and this is what this episode is going to be talking about a recap of last year, like a game show it does.

Speaker 2: 2:00

I was actually thinking that like yeah yeah, um, maybe we can make.

Speaker 1: 2:03

I don't know how we can make it, but you have to want, we have to. We're trying to one-up each other's month, so we're going to go through 12 months and recap our life and you may not think this is going to be interesting, but I assure you it will. I assure you it will be, it will be this year was really eventful.

Speaker 2: 2:24

I feel like it was like more like towards the end of the year, though like yeah, not like eventful, but like the beginning of the year, I don't really think like something like crazy eventful happened.

Speaker 1: 2:35

I think it was more like just little tiny things happened like yes, for you maybe yeah, but uh, yeah it was, but yeah, no, it was a great year. I would say 2024 was pretty awesome. I learned a lot about myself. I did a lot more therapy this year, more consistently than I think I ever have, and it's been very helpful as I navigate familyhood, fatherhood and parenting and, um, and you know, being a partner to, you know, to my fam, to my girlfriend, and like just really trying to navigate life and overall it's been great. So let's get into it. So january how was january of last year? I?

Speaker 2: 3:23

don't even remember january, to be honest, like dang, this sucks.

Speaker 1: 3:26

This is gonna be a terrible episode. You want to stop listening? You can? Now we're starting off, off.

Speaker 2: 3:31

Just skip about two minutes, three minutes, five minutes.

Speaker 1: 3:35

Skip about five minutes. Get in the summer, it's going to be great. We're in the middle of winter at that point. So, it's pretty lean.

Speaker 2: 3:44

January. What did happen in January? I'm trying to remember.

Speaker 1: 3:49

I can tell you Well, I can know that January was New Year's and so we started off the year pretty tough.

Speaker 2: 3:55

Like pretty strong. Oh yeah, it was like.

Speaker 1: 3:57

Yeah, joining New Year's Resolution, doing everything good, yeah. And then, like I think, january, I did a couple episodes which was Kind of like the start of everything. Start of like Me pushing the episodes but like I'm just going into me while you think so please just butt in. Whatever you figure out your life, whatever you feel like your January is worth speaking about. My January was. I think my January was actually pretty strong, pretty dope, like I really kind of solidified how I wanted to do this podcast and I started doing like episodes right away, had my, my resolution, my vision board together, so like that was what I was attacking. Um, I think I. I think I've meditated a little bit. In january it did some uh, some working out um quickly quit that I don't know what happened, uh, within a week, within two then february came yeah how was your?

Speaker 1: 5:04

how was your january?

Speaker 2: 5:05

um, yeah, I think my january mostly was just filled with basketball stuff.

Speaker 1: 5:09

That's like really all I can remember yeah was just yeah, which is mostly basketball stuff like your whole year is going to be that my whole year is mostly basketball stuff. You bet you guys already know what her size is going to be she's just basketball.

Speaker 2: 5:23

You're going to know what it is yeah either training games au travel ball, whatever yeah, yeah, I think january, like nothing really happened in January what about friends?

Speaker 1: 5:34

what about school? Did anything cool happen at school with you and your friends?

Speaker 2: 5:38

or life, or um, I think like that was like towards like, whenever my friend group started falling apart a bit oh, that was, that was that went dark yeah, oh, and now I remember.

Speaker 1: 5:50

Okay, now yeah okay, there we go.

Speaker 2: 5:52

Now we're back so yeah, so I was having a few problems with my friend group and stuff like that. You know, there was like four of us and then there was three, and then there was two, and then three came back again and then one is kind, I mean four is kind of there, but not anymore you know, what I mean. Four found their own friends.

Speaker 1: 6:11

Did you name your friends numbers? Or did the or did, or that we were still counting. You call them four yeah, I'm thinking stranger things 11 you named your friends. Numbers like four found its own friends yeah, basically okay, okay, well, that's uh that's pretty much it I mean that sounds dark, but we're gonna keep on moving on.

Speaker 2: 6:47

What about?

Speaker 1: 6:47

february february is the month of love.

Speaker 2: 6:50

February, that was.

Speaker 1: 6:55

Black History Month for those that.

Speaker 2: 6:57

Oh my gosh. During February Black History Month our school they always put on a show. The show was actually really good.

Speaker 1: 7:06

I remember you telling me about that show. Oh wait.

Speaker 2: 7:08

We went to that.

Speaker 1: 7:10

Oh yeah, we did go to that.

Speaker 2: 7:10

Oh, it was good, I remember I was there really good and they were talking about all the sororities yeah, they had all the divine nines. Yes, that was, that was good. It was a good show.

Speaker 1: 7:21

Yeah, it was good, they had some. Those kids were pretty, pretty funny actors yeah yeah, that was good. I do remember that that was.

Speaker 2: 7:28

That was definitely fun yeah um, that was also the father daughter dance that oh yeah, oh yeah, that was a father we got dressed up, went to cosi did some you know, went to father daughter dance.

Speaker 1: 7:40

We danced. Just a little bit work. The rest, I did have an assistant this time, which helped us do it a little bit better, but still questionable. But definitely had an assistant at this time, but I also did a live stream.

Speaker 2: 7:54

Yeah, that was good, that was fun.

Speaker 1: 7:55

15 minutes with dad at this event and had no audio.

Speaker 2: 7:59

Oh my gosh. Yeah, we had like an audio for like maybe like two interviews and then the rest no audio guys. And we didn't know until I think I like was watching it on YouTube and I was like I can't hear it, like I could not hear it Like cause it was like he was still interviewing people and I was getting like kind of hungry, so I kind of just like went, I just left him.

Speaker 1: 8:20

I didn't even eat that day, guys. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 8:23

So I went to go eat and I was like just watching it like while I was eating, cause it was in a different room, and that's when I realized there was no audio. And then I went to go to them but by the time it was already almost done. We were like already there, we're already for like two hours and yeah whole live stream, no audio no audio terrible but it was fun.

Speaker 1: 8:43

I found out that I can do something. I have some new stuff that I can like. Um, do you know like I pushed myself to the limit for that one and I was really excited because we prepped for it.

Speaker 2: 8:53

And it felt different than the other times and your book oh shoot, I forgot. You had a whole book. Was that in January?

Speaker 1: 9:04

That was in.

Speaker 2: 9:06

In February, because I remember you were like selling your book.

Speaker 1: 9:09

I didn't release it in February. I released it in April, but I was pre-releasing oh, yeah, yeah I was selling it there. But yeah, I we're not in that month yet oh, yeah, but I did write a book.

Speaker 1: 9:19

Um, I wrote a book and it was a pre-sale at that time and it was. That was actually really fun. Yeah, and if you have not heard, there's a book called man up from our trauma to being impactful fathers that is on Amazon for everybody to see. If you want to go grab that book, go ahead and grab that book. But yeah, that was that. And so that was February. February was pretty fun. Your month of love.

Speaker 2: 9:42

Month of love.

Speaker 1: 9:44

March, spring break time. What did we do? Did we travel anywhere?

Speaker 2: 9:49

For spring break.

Speaker 1: 9:51

Maybe not spring break.

Speaker 2: 9:52

I feel like we did what we do anything.

Speaker 1: 9:54

Do we travel anywhere for spring break? Maybe not like we did. What did we do for spring break? That's a great question. I feel like we went, didn't we go?

Speaker 2: 9:58

to a cabin? Was that march break?

Speaker 1: 9:59

I don't think it's, I don't know.

Speaker 2: 10:01

I think I think it was yeah, because we were there for like a couple days yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 10:07

Oh, it was still cold a little bit, yeah, that was oh my gosh, that was really fun yeah, we like we had this cabin in hawking hills and it was like it was really scary, you know, it kind of reminds you of like a, like a haunted, like you know I mean wait, a horror movie, like you know what I mean. And so like there, like it was, like yeah, and whenever, like we first got there right, like, um, my dad and now I went to the store, right, and the boys, they wanted to go like hiking or like like they want to like go through like the trees and stuff, right, so tell me why, like I'm I'm walking with them, then we're going through the trees, right, and I'm, like you know me, I'm like really scared of like, like I just think of the worst in every situation. So I was like what if there's bears here? So I'm like calling my dad I have no service on my phone like we were at the deep, like we were deep in trees, like we were like following this trail. They had a whole bunch like markings on the tree, but I didn't know what the markings were, you know, like because I didn't see the paper like where it told us, like what each marking meant.

Speaker 2: 11:08

But like, like we were just so yeah, and so, luckily abraham had his phone on him and so somehow he had service, which was weird, but he had service. So I called my dad and I asked him if there was bears. He said no, and then you said something about like there might be a poisonous snake there, yeah, and then I was like I was freaking out because there was leaves and stuff like. It was like no, and then we were like, and it was muddy too. That was another thing.

Speaker 1: 11:38

It was muddy because I think it was like raining right before you got there.

Speaker 2: 11:41

Yeah, and then, um, and then he said that there's also coyotes, bro, whatever he told me there was gonna be coyotes. I was looking out like there was like bro, I was so scared. And then we were like walking right and I thought I saw I don't know for sure if I saw a coyote or not, but I didn't want to test it. You know, I wasn't gonna go scope out the area or nothing.

Speaker 1: 12:05

So as soon as I saw something that even looked like an animal, I dipped and I like, I was, I just like, yep, oh, this, this is this excursion is done, guys, right like it was like it was scary, though, but I think it was like fun to like be with them, though, and like to see like how happy they were, like I like let them go and run.

Speaker 2: 12:23

I was like I made them race, and it was like it was like fun, though, to like spend that time with them and actually go hiking and stuff like that yeah, that was great yeah and then we had a hot tub there and we, uh, we cabin in 2020, we cabin in first world country.

Speaker 1: 12:39

Guys, we cabin for real. Yes, uh, bougie twist yes we go blamp. What do they call it grant? No. What do they call it glamping?

Speaker 2: 12:49

we go glamping glamorous camping yeah, yeah, yeah, that was fun though, and yeah yeah, no, that was, that was definitely the house was kind of weird, though, because they had like, like, like. The cabin was weird. It had a lot of coke stuff, like a lot of coke cans and all that good stuff.

Speaker 1: 13:07

It was very interesting, um, but yeah, it was, it was, but it was beautiful. It was very calm, had a really chill. I sat in a hot tub for a long time. Uh, I don't even think we watched tv that much like.

Speaker 2: 13:22

I think the only person who watched tv was emmy and everybody else yeah, we, just we were doing games and yeah, they had this little thing where you found, like the dollars, yeah, that was fun, I forgot what the name of the cabin is, but we need to go back, that'll be good, that was fun I like that specific one because I like where it was, where it's located, but then our neighbors started shooting.

Speaker 1: 13:42

That was actually, oh my god, yeah, that was I was like what they trying to say to us. They trying to tell us something like what?

Speaker 2: 13:48

yeah, that was scary.

Speaker 1: 13:48

It was like multiple times too yes, I was like and they did it for a little while, but I think they were just playing with their guns.

Speaker 2: 13:54

Yeah, now that I think about, I think country folk here in ohio just play with their guns and then, like the thing is, everybody was sleeping upstairs and I was the only person downstairs because it was like two stories too and dang guys, we really were bougie walking, but like, yeah, everybody was like upstairs and my room was the only one downstairs and that was, yeah, that was pretty scary because I just like I was like scared, someone was gonna like come through the door and you know, like obviously my room is gonna be the first one they're gonna go to, because nobody's gonna go and do something upstairs and have to run down takes right like that's what they can, and they dip exactly wow, that's terrible, uh, but that was march.

Speaker 1: 14:37

Uh, glad you like it. 15 minutes with dad, 15 minutes on, then we're only in march, march april.

Speaker 2: 14:46

Okay, what happened april?

Speaker 1: 14:47

your book, yep got my book in april, and that was a really exciting time because I never wrote a book before and so I was officially an author and I wrote a book and I don't know, it was like really exciting. I don't think I talk about it enough. I forget sometimes that I actually wrote a book yeah because I really, I think I can write another one, you know, a different one, a better one I don't know, maybe another one yeah but yeah, that was uh you know if you haven't gotten that book, plug man up from our trauma to being impactful fathers, where I talk about anecdotes in my life, from being a poor dad to a less poor dad poor, uh, but impactful.

Speaker 1: 15:30

Less poor, but impactful father that's what I am, um, and so I'll talk about that in my book and provide all these different stories and anecdotes of how I went through the experience and how I navigated my feelings and mental health. It talks about all that good stuff. So if you want to get that book, try that out. Um, what about you? What happened for you in april?

Speaker 2: 15:50

in april. That is when um dang. What did happen in april? I like cannot remember, like the early months, april, jane, very much april, that was um springtime didn't we travel somewhere? I feel like we traveled didn't we go to houston for something in april. No, that was in june. June, that was at the beginning of june so that's not that month, yeah I don't think it was really april was.

Speaker 1: 16:26

I think that was au stuff yeah, we were preparing for spring ball. Yeah, yeah, I think that was. I remember spending 600. Yeah, that was it.

Speaker 2: 16:35

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I was gonna do track and then oh, yeah, yeah, yeah spent 400 on track stuff and I ended up not doing track guys and then here we are still haven't put her foot on a track at all I didn't even smell the track yet no dang um, but there's, you know.

Speaker 1: 16:55

So april was a pretty, pretty good month, spring warming up. May was my birthday, but also that was my first time I traveled outside of the country. I went to oh yeah, you went to cabo. Yeah well, my company had a company event in cabo. It was amazing at a resort all you can drink for free.

Speaker 1: 17:18

It was terrible, like the drinks were not good, it was just sugar and water and that's probably why they were free yeah, the only thing that really gets somebody drunk is wine, and I wasn't about to buy a bottle of wine, you had to buy that oh yeah like, yeah, but that was the only thing I think would get anybody drunk.

Speaker 1: 17:34

I mean, I was like I was drinking, because I was like, oh yeah, I'm celebrating my birthday and I'm here on you know, a little work, um, work event and yeah, it just never happened. I never felt drunk, I never even felt tipsy. I was just drinking water and juice and a splash of alcohol. It looked like they were pouring a lot, but what I think they did is I think they put water in it first, or they put some juice in it first or some sugar. They put something in the bottles and then they put the little top on it and they go. You think you're getting a lot of alcohol, but you're actually getting a watered down flavor of what it is. That's what they did. I just realized it.

Speaker 2: 18:13

I a watered down flavor of what it is. That's what they did. I just realized it, that's what they did, I solved it. Period. They're scammers, period.

Speaker 1: 18:16

And make you pay, like a crap, ton of money for that, for just water and sugar.

Speaker 2: 18:21

You can make it at home.

Speaker 1: 18:22

Yeah Dang, that's what they did. I would do that.

Speaker 2: 18:25

That's smart.

Speaker 1: 18:36

You're all about so good way to make money.

Speaker 2: 18:38

You say, hey, you can have all you can drink, you just pay me this amount of money and I'm going to just get you drunk Without getting you drunk Without getting you drunk.

Speaker 1: 18:42

Not actually going to feel drunk.

Speaker 2: 18:43

Yeah, you're never going to get there, nobody but they're going to keep coming back until they get that drunk. But they're never going to get that drunk. But they think they're going to get that drunk.

Speaker 1: 18:51

But they think they're gonna get that drunk because they keep coming back like right they're coming back to hopefully one day, yeah, meet that, meet their maker meet their maker that was my may and it was my birthday, so that was great when you went to houston too, and I went to houston, oh yeah, and I spent some time in houston with ham, spent like a week in houston. I was on a long vacay that time. Yeah, that was pretty.

Speaker 2: 19:08

You were like there for like a week so long.

Speaker 1: 19:11

Yeah, it was so long my May.

Speaker 2: 19:14

that was like the end of school.

Speaker 1: 19:17

So that was fun.

Speaker 2: 19:20

That was yeah, it was yeah. I feel like May was just getting ready for finals. It was basketball stuff, but also getting ready for finals and stuff like that and yeah, end of school.

Speaker 1: 19:32

Yeah, what about June?

Speaker 2: 19:35

Juneune we traveled, right yeah, june went to houston and came back. That was when I had a crazy like a whole bunch of as well stuff every day during summer.

Speaker 1: 19:47

Oh yeah, that was wild like every day.

Speaker 2: 19:49

It was something. We went to kent state, we went to oh yeah, we traveled to all these different colleges.

Speaker 1: 19:53

Yeah, it was something. We went to Kent State we went to.

Speaker 2: 19:54

Oh yeah, we traveled to all these different colleges yeah, it was like hours to go to, like it wasn't, like we didn't even ride a bus, like it was like I had to drive yeah like our parents had to take us like and drive us crazy to places like Kentucky didn't we go to Kentucky? That was for actual camping. Oh, we went camping oh we went, was it in june or july?

Speaker 1: 20:13

july maybe it was july. Let's stay in june though, but june we went to houston. June was. Houston was fun. We got to see family and all that good stuff alexis graduate oh yeah, alexis, my niece, graduated, so that was fun to see her graduate. She's the first niece to graduate, first niece in our, in our little lineage, so she graduated. So that was great, yeah, yeah. And then basketball, basketball, basketball basketball, basketball, basketball. Most of her life is going to be basketball guys. This episode is great, and then so July, that's when I think.

Speaker 2: 20:53

I think we did go camping in july yeah that was fun yeah, we went to this we went to kentucky on this form we actually did camp in the tent this time built a tent and slept in it yes and they on the land.

Speaker 1: 21:10

they had showers and stuff, so we definitely used that.

Speaker 2: 21:13

You're right, we were still on the bougie side Slightly glamping, slightly glamping, but it was dope.

Speaker 1: 21:21

It was real. We told ghost stories, we had campfire, we had some games we had marshmallows.

Speaker 2: 21:27

We didn't have marshmallows, we did have marshmallows.

Speaker 1: 21:28

I bought, y'all bought, just marshmallows we didn't have marshmallows.

Speaker 2: 21:30

We did have marshmallows, I bought, y'all bought just marshmallows. Y'all didn't buy stuff for s'mores, y'all bought, oh yeah we did just okay.

Speaker 1: 21:36

Yeah, no, I bought just marshmallows.

Speaker 2: 21:38

Y'all sent me to the store to get some stuff and I just, and you thought just to buy just what were we gonna do with?

Speaker 1: 21:45

just marshmallows like every movie in disney I've ever seen they have marshmallows on the stick. I never see what they do with it afterwards, so I just figured people eat marshmallows off of sticks and that was it.

Speaker 2: 21:59

That should be good, though I thought that'd be yummy.

Speaker 1: 22:02

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 22:03

And then Abraham, he learned how to do the actual, like the. Oh wait, whenever we went camping, that's whenever he was like figuring out how to do the burning stuff oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The first camping, oh yeah, and the campfire wasn't even working.

Speaker 1: 22:18

Yeah, at the first camping and the second one, I had to really fight, fight for our life.

Speaker 2: 22:20

We had to get some extra it was hard. It was hard, yeah, but I felt I felt challenged. I felt like camping challenge yeah, but we did it and it actually lasted a long time. It was lit for a while too it was once we figured it out. Yeah, we were like actually like. The thing is like. We were like actually in the wild. So this time I feel like I was actually a lot more scared too.

Speaker 1: 22:38

Every time I'd hear a noise I'd be like, yeah, we woke up, where we woke up and like and like went um boating.

Speaker 2: 22:46

We were fishing oh yeah, we woke up.

Speaker 1: 22:48

We didn't catch squat, but we definitely did go fishing and it it was just fun sitting outside and fishing.

Speaker 2: 22:55

Yeah, that was really fun. We woke up at, like what, three in the morning, was it four in the morning?

Speaker 1: 22:59

It was four yeah.

Speaker 2: 23:00

I think it was because stuff was dripping on us.

Speaker 1: 23:03

Oh yeah, that woke us up. Yeah, it was the first night and stuff. We had our camp to camp. We didn't know that once it get cold we get due, and then the camp tent catches due and then water drips on us.

Speaker 1: 24:56

So we were just getting wet. Yeah, during, during, uh, while we were sleeping, we both we woke up and we were just up. It was like, hey, well, I guess we're up, you want to go fishing? So we went and walked, walked the grounds to find the lake to go fishing we went the wrong way at first we did.

Speaker 1: 25:09

We took a long walk. We walked for probably 25 minutes to find the right direction that we were supposed to go. We got all the way to the end, the dead end of where we shouldn't be at, and then we was like this doesn't look like anything, we need, no. And then we walked. We had to do the whole walk again yeah to get back where we were.

Speaker 1: 25:26

But we got there and we sat on the little pew for a little bit, um, and then I think the people come back in on a boat or something before we just say let's take this boat and go out and see.

Speaker 2: 25:38

No, I think it was like we, just we, we just didn't think any of the fish were going to be there, because oh yeah, because it's cold.

Speaker 1: 25:46

Yeah, it was like the fish are not over. So let me tell youall a story real quick. I've been on Ohio for five years now and I have no earthly idea how to fish out here. I love fishing and I've researched so much in Ohio to understand how to fish fresh water. It is not the same as saltwater. Like I know how to find saltwater, I know how to fish for salt water fish. Like I can do this. Like texas fishing, I can do it. This. This midwest fishing stuff is not the same. I have not caught a fish, a snail, I haven't even caught a rock here.

Speaker 2: 26:31

His line. Every time we go fishing his line breaks.

Speaker 1: 26:35

I got caught in the trees when we went camping. Yeah, like the first time I ever went camping I got like I threw it in the river. He just caught trees on the other side of the river.

Speaker 2: 26:45

Yeah, I was like man screw this, I was done.

Speaker 1: 26:48

So that's my story, like screw fishing in Ohio. I'm sure there's fish somewhere in here, I just don't know where they at. But we went we were in kentucky at that time, but the water's still the same, um, but yeah, it was real, it was really dope and and I the person that owns the grounds I said, yeah, we just put some fresh bass in there, some some catfish, and all this. I was like where the hell are they at? Because I can't. But anyways, mariah and I went on a boat and we kind of just talked and was fishing and kind of did what we used to do when she was younger we would just go fishing and not catch anything. Then either Catch a few things until you know, sometimes she caught a lot. But then you know, this was one of those times. We were just like just out there watching the sunrise and bonding and laughing and talking for hours, and I think we were out there till what? 12 something.

Speaker 2: 27:42

One something I think.

Speaker 1: 27:43

So yeah, we were there for like a couple hours, like for like five hours yeah, we were there for a long time just talking to him. He's like you know what? Let's just, we're not getting anything.

Speaker 2: 27:53

Yeah, we saw, these people on like a paddle, catching stuff too, like they're on a paddle boat. We were over here joking how they're not going to catch anything and they're being stupid because they're moving around and stuff like that. Because we were in a canoe but they were like in a paddle boat and they were like they caught stuff every time that they were pulling stuff out.

Speaker 1: 28:08

Like they were catching stuff within minutes, within not even two minutes. They would just like throw it in there and they're paddling and moving and then they catch something. They pull out a fish in the water and I'm like, let's go over there. So we paddle over there to where they at, and I cast my thing over there and not, and we sit there for so long and nothing. I was like, bro, I'm tired of this, I'm tired of this area, like I don't understand how this works, like so, yep, yep, I don't know about fishing here in the midwest, but we'll figure it out.

Speaker 2: 28:38

One day, and then we went swimming in the lake too.

Speaker 1: 28:40

Oh yeah, that was fun at first, like I was.

Speaker 2: 28:43

I was terrified. I was like are these, like these fish are gonna be nibbling on my like feet and stuff like that?

Speaker 1: 28:48

like I should be they ain't nowhere to be found, they probably wouldn't know right at this point like why would you be afraid we can, we ain't see you?

Speaker 2: 28:55

yeah, like, and the thing is like I did see like. Yeah, like, whenever we're going in, I seen them in the sun, like I can see like there were so many. They were huge, they were tiny, like it was like so many of them and I was just like and I like, if I were to put my feet in, I can't see below me, like the like the water was like, was like not like it was like dirty, I guess you know what I mean like, but I could not see below me.

Speaker 2: 29:18

So that is what scared me, because I didn't know what was under, how deep it was. But then I saw like everybody else was jumping in and all that stuff all the, all the younger kids were just living their best life.

Speaker 1: 29:26

Yeah, ain't no bitch in my blood yeah, so I jumped in.

Speaker 2: 29:30

After that it was fun and we just kept jumping in and stuff. Like even whenever we were over here canoeing and stuff like that, I mean abraham was still jumping in and stuff. So yeah, I, I.

Speaker 1: 29:38

There was a moment when I was seeing y'all play with.

Speaker 1: 29:41

You know, those were strangers right right you know, and just having fun, like playing and fighting in the water, like I really enjoy to see you being a kid, you know, know, like I know you're growing up but it makes brings joy to my heart to want to see you enjoy the present moment as a human being. You know as a little as a kid, because I've watched you since you were a baby and watch you play. I know how close to your heart that feels, you know, and so it was really beautiful for me to watch you, you know.

Speaker 1: 30:15

You know not separating and like saying, oh my God, I don't like this, I'm out of here, but more so being so present where you're throwing kids in the water and fighting with them, and it was pretty, it was pretty great to watch. I was, I was happy to see that and and really it felt good to even have, you know, one of those more you know present moments to really just like dang you know, these kids are really enjoying themselves and putting 2d in the water. He don't he?

Speaker 2: 30:40

won't remember.

Speaker 1: 30:41

Yeah, but um, but yeah, so that was, that was july, and uh, and it was august, uh, school started back for you. I had a lot of band stuff in august yeah, oh yeah that's what camps and all that stuff, like, oh my god, those were busy times for you and me because I had to be in a lot of places and me, so that was. That was a really busy time. So august. Broke in august oh yeah, that was the end of that one.

Speaker 2: 31:07

Yeah, it's been how long? August, September, October, November, December. It's been four months. I haven't had my phone in so long, guys, but overall, like I think August was pretty.

Speaker 1: 31:21

yeah, August was pretty busy. I don't really remember anything amazingly great that happened in August. Yeah, no, september came, that was your birthday.

Speaker 2: 31:31

Yeah, that was my birthday.

Speaker 1: 31:32

When you went, turned 16, turned up. Yeah, turned 16,. Jesus them um september came.

Speaker 2: 31:33

That was your birthday. Yeah, it's my birthday. We went turn 16, turn up turn 16, jesus.

Speaker 1: 31:37

Um, we went um. What was that? Paintballing with your, with your friends? Um, that was fun. Yeah, oh, I got to shoot.

Speaker 2: 31:46

I got to shoot people oh my god, I was, I was going off, like you were going crazy I didn't.

Speaker 1: 31:52

I crazy. I only lost the first game. I've only paintballed twice in my life, but I only lost the first game. After that, I was a stealthy black ops character. I'm over here sliding on the ground. I was ducking down, I was shooting from random holes. I was on the other side of the you. I was ducking down, I was shooting from random holes. I was like on the other side of the field. I was. I was targeting people. I was jumping on the walls. Yeah, I did. I did backflip off the wall and shot somebody on top of the head because they were chasing me. I said you know, you, and it was slow motion and I was looking on top of the head and then I just landed behind him and I looking on top of the head and then I just landed behind him and I'm joking.

Speaker 1: 32:38

That didn't happen but it could. In my head it could. It could have happened if it was a thing, if they were running after me, I would have tried it.

Speaker 1: 32:41

Yeah, I'm a little older now you did it well, but yeah, it was. I definitely would have hit some kind of flip. I don't know if it would have been black backwards, it would have been like daggers or something, but nah, that that time was really fun. I really got to, you know, bring out my inner kid and shoot kids. Some of these kids I like, some of these kids I didn't like, and so I got to shoot the ones I didn't like and put the ones I liked on my team yeah, you like separated everybody.

Speaker 1: 33:06

I refused to be on the kid I didn't like steam, just so I could shoot them yeah it came down to a moment where I got to shoot this kid. He was the last person standing and I just and I snuck on, I snuck around the bin on him and I just lit him up that was. I lit this kid up. It was great.

Speaker 2: 33:27

It was fun guys yeah, uh, for all the dads out there, for all the dads.

Speaker 1: 33:35

Yeah, september was great, and then and there was October, and then October Halloween time. That was great. We went to the very expensive neighborhood.

Speaker 2: 33:47

Yeah, they had some big candies. Yeah, we got mad candy Went crazy Insane.

Speaker 1: 33:53

November Thanksgiving. What did we do? We went to Alma's family house, alma's family house. That was a pretty unique experience to spend time with their family.

Speaker 2: 34:06

I remember Mariah was playing some games we were playing some spoons yeah, spoons and I was playing, we were doing spoons, but the spoons were breaking, so we changed the straws oh yeah, I play straws.

Speaker 1: 34:17

That was fun that was scary game to hear, to listen to yeah I, I was playing chess with kids, beating them all, you know, stroking my ego that's funny. That made me feel good to be to beat 10 year olds at chess over and over again all day long.

Speaker 2: 34:40

I thought the worst part about it was that, like you needed money to play the games, like oh yeah, they were like yeah, they were they real gamblers out there?

Speaker 1: 34:47

they were not playing. They said hey, because I was like, oh, I want to play. It was like, no, you got to pay money to play. I was like, oh, no, I don't, I don't have it I don't have that.

Speaker 1: 34:56

I don't have that thing I'm not gonna do that, um, and I don't trust my skills in any of those games, so I was like but yeah, that was fun, that was thanksgiving. And here we are in december, creating, doing off on a shelf and living our best life and ready to end this year off on a high note, with this beautiful time we have off and you know all that good stuff. Yeah, what are you most excited about for christmas?

Speaker 1: 35:24

like, like the gift or like just overall, just Christmas, the Christmas day, Like what? Are you excited?

Speaker 2: 35:30

I think I'm excited to see how happy everybody is with their gifts.

Speaker 1: 35:34

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 35:35

Like, I'm like, I'm excited to feel the excitement.

Speaker 1: 35:38

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 35:38

I don't know if that makes sense, but to be excited when you wake up and we're like I feel like I'm not even gonna be able to sleep like I hope I'm gonna be able to sleep I hope you're able to sleep shit I love christmas, but like I really hope I'm able to sleep, because then it would kind of suck, because then I'd be tired all day and then I don't like the waking up at 12 am thing I'll be honest with you because you know how like some people like, oh my god, how like I mean I think I used to do when I I was a kid.

Speaker 1: 36:03

But now waking kids up at 12 am to open up their gifts because Santa came at 12 am.

Speaker 2: 36:12

What if you open one gift?

Speaker 1: 36:14

I used to count down to 12 am for Christmas.

Speaker 2: 36:18

Really.

Speaker 1: 36:20

But there were some of these that I counted down and I didn't get nothing, so it stopped happening.

Speaker 2: 36:24

That's sad, it got dark.

Speaker 1: 36:25

I'm sorry.

Speaker 2: 36:32

That is sad, like I feel like. I feel like like I feel like opening like one gift is fine, but I feel like opening all of your gifts at 12 is kind of like sad, it's like bad, because you wake up, then what?

Speaker 1: 36:38

then what? You're gonna have to go to sleep after you use them and you're gonna go to sleep till five sometime. We didn't go back to sleep right, we real about it, but yeah, so we're not doing that.

Speaker 1: 36:47

I, yeah, I gotta keep my sleep schedule, but um, but yeah. So I'm excited to enjoy the excitement and, you know, and and exchange gifts and, like you know, share love. Because the beautiful part about this christmas is that we, like you said in our last episode, was like we, we like did things leading up to this day instead of like trying to just wait for christmas to give the christmas day, to give us joy, but more so, building up all the fun and excitement by the doing things during the season yeah, that was yeah, that's been the pinnacle of this.

Speaker 1: 37:20

I'm really appreciative of alma for, like you know, her excitement for Christmas and just wanting to create these images for us to be a part of, so I'm really excited we got videos and pictures of you guys' excitement and experience.

Speaker 1: 37:35

So I'm excited for Christmas, I'm excited for that, and then I'm excited for New Year's to like really lock in. For me, I don't have any. I have crazy goals, goals, but I have to solidify them before the end of the year and that's. We're going to talk about that at a later episode, but this was the recap 2024. You have anything to add about 2024?

Speaker 2: 37:58

um, that was a good year it was a good year for everybody yes, great learning.

Speaker 1: 38:02

Experienceed a lot about myself as a parent. As a dad, that's the same thing. As a man, I've learned a lot of new things, a lot of great things and new things about myself and appreciation for myself and appreciation for my family and appreciation for you, mariah. Yeah, yeah, thank you for joining 15 minutes with dad again, if you've taken anything out of this episode, please share it with somebody that you like. Make sure you go to your favorite podcast streaming site and you rate us and give us a comment and you can also um. When you rate us, you allow other people to see the value of our podcast as well. So, love, peace and chicken grease y'all. Y'all. Take care, have a safe holidays.