SPEAKER_01 0:01

Cheers. Cheers.

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome back to another episode of Just an Epic Life. Ah tastes good.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

We never podcast with cocktails and or usually we don't podcast if we have had cocktails. You want me to take care of you want to keep it going?

SPEAKER_00 0:20

And we were we just finished recording an episode.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Yeah, we did.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

And you know, I poured the cocktail and like we can do another.

unknown 0:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Because it's fun.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

So we just moved outside.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

The camera is inside. Uh so you have a door between you and I.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

Uh well, you the listeners and uh us the yes.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

The camera has this glass door. Oh, I probably put smudges on the door.

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Oh, you probably did.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

My bad. My bad. Yeah, we're on the on the balcony. Uh we are in uh you can call it the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of America, depending on what year you are listening to this. Uh there's some oil rigs behind us. That's unexpected.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

And we saw what we thought was oil in the water, maybe. We're not sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

We don't know. It looked there was a filmy, murky thing on the top, and just a little bit of use.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

We've seen flying fish.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

We did see flying fish.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

We saw uh a turtle on our first full day when we woke up. The turtle came up to sail it to us.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

We were in shallow water at the time, probably less than a hundred feet of water. Uh in the turtle just came up. We've seen a bunch of dolphins, especially in the port of Galveston. Oh yeah. They were so happy that we the moment that our cruise ship churned up the whatever. I see you looking at us in the reflection instead of looking at the camera. Yeah, I kind of look at the camera.

Why Try Traveling With Strangers

SPEAKER_01 1:44

I was looking at you. Oh okay, so we thought we'd do a podcast about traveling with people you don't know. Because if you travel, you probably travel with people you know. Uh like if you do a family trip, you know your family. And if you don't know all of your family, because you have a huge extended family, then you know most of your family, and you learn the rest of them. Uh, and three years ago, two years ago. Two years ago, we did something crazy, and we booked a trip to Cancun, and my parents were coming with us, and uh Liliana said, My friend's family wants to come too. And I was like, Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:28

They've been friends, best friends, since first grade.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

They've done sewing classes together, they've done tumbling classes together. Did we?

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Maybe. Well, if if we did, then we're doing it again.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Well, I bet this one is even better.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

Even better. And you can decide which one.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

So So we knew them, we'd had conversations, you know, when we because we would carple with the kids, we would during during, you know, they would do sleepovers and then parent pickup, and you know, we'd be kind and cordial and have conversations, and the kids would i encourage us to prolong our conversations that way they could spend more time together, and then but it it was just we were friendly, but we wouldn't call ourselves friends.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

Hardly acquaintances, if I'm gonna be honest. Yeah, like and uh her mother and I would text back and forth, and we'd we'd parent texting back and forth and ask, like, what do you think about this?

SPEAKER_00 3:22

and uh Hey, there's this new friend. What do we think about their family? Do we need to be concerned about sleepovers? Oh, sorry about the announcement that you're about to get.

SPEAKER_01 3:31

They only heard the ding-dong, they're not gonna hear the rest of it. So uh what very similar parenting styles, expectations of the children, which is important to me. So uh, anyways, so somehow uh we all decided we were gonna go on vacation together.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

And uh and I think people asked them why the heck they'd consider it more than they asked us because we at least had your parents with us.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

We didn't ask, we weren't asked. I just remember people saying to me, Oh, who are you going with? And I'd say, Oh, my parents, and then Liliana's friend's family, and they were like, What? And I'm like, Oh yeah, her, her best friend, her mom and dad, and her brother. And they'd be like, um, you know them? Have we spent time with them? I mean, I would say that collectively before that vacation, we maybe spent five hours with these people. Yeah. And the girls have been friends since what'd they say, second grade?

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Yeah, something like that.

The Cancun Blind Vacation Story

SPEAKER_01 4:23

Yeah. So uh we traveled with strangers. We traveled with strangers, and I will say that first night in Cancun, we hung out. Like that was the night the kids almost got electrocuted by the light waves. That was amazing. The video's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 4:39

We have a great still photo of the girls being on the sand and lightning hits behind them, but it's a good zigzag.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

Well, all four of the kids.

SPEAKER_00 4:48

Yeah, yeah. Is it all four?

SPEAKER_01 4:50

Yeah, all four of them. And they were taking like a TikTok or something.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

So, yeah, so we're just an epic story. So the parents, so us two and and the other two, we hung out. I feel like we got to know each other. Um, it was very talk about like forget like a blind date.

SPEAKER_00 5:06

This was like a blind vacation.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

It was it, but you're but you're stuck with people for seven days. So it could have gone many different ways. And it was great. Yeah. And these people are we now call friends. Oh, yeah. So this vacation we're on is not one I planned, which by the way, that's not normal in our world. Everybody knows I plan it, I just I come up with an idea, or they come up with an idea, and then I make it happen. So, uh, so Ever's mom says, um, hey, we're gonna go on a cruise. You're coming with us. And I'm like, no, we're not doing this. Isaiah's got something, we're too busy, can't do it. And she's like, no, no, you're coming. And I and I think multiple times I said, No, which by the way, we also went to Puerto Rico with them last year. Uh they whether they came with us.

unknown 5:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

So when I tried to get out of this vacation, she literally texted me and said, No, you are coming. Well, so she also didn't plan this vacation.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

Correct.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

One of her best friends planned this vacation.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

Traveling with strangers.

First Night Airbnb Etiquette And Rooms

SPEAKER_01 6:17

So here we are again, traveling with strangers. And and uh so Clinton Maureen and family land the latest. We land first because we came in on a Thursday evening into Galveston, uh, into Houston. We stayed in a hotel, we get to the Airbnb first. We arrived first knowing that the other family, the strangers, would be coming anytime soon. So I said, Hey, we're gonna go to the gas station, let's take our time there in hopes that they will arrive.

SPEAKER_00 6:43

Let's keep our suitcases in like right by the door. Yeah. Because we are firm believers in whoever books the trip has first choice of bedrooms.

SPEAKER_01 6:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

Always.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

That's I'm good. That's that's our thought, anyways.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

So and they booked it, they should get to pick it.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

Yeah, she they researched it there. Yeah, yep, 100%. So I uh we we get there, we go to the gas station, we get water, we get a few other things. Um, we had done some shopping when we were in Houston for any last-minute things that we might need or wanted to have for comforts of the first night in the Airbnb before we leave for the cruise. And we get back and they're still not back, they're still not there. So we, I mean, it was fine. I we just enjoyed the place until they got there. And when they got there, we asked what we could do to help. And she walks in and she's like, Okay, did you already scope it out? What rooms are what? And I'm like, Oh no, you booked it. You, you, we, we are, we are your guests, so whatever you say, we'll do. And I think she was a little taken back. She was, I mean, that was my perception. She's like, Oh, because I'm guessing most people are like, Well, I got here first, so I'll just pick the room. Dibs, which I I don't, I mean, maybe some people want that decision making, some maybe some don't.

SPEAKER_00 7:52

So, anyways, it was cool because then we probably had three or four hours of our two families getting to know each other before Clinton Maureen and family got before the connector, that that that peace in them in between our families.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Oh, and I'm so glad we had that evening to be together because I don't know that I'd be able to recognize everybody on the boat. That sounds terrible, that's not what I mean. But like But if you met on the ship, then we would have dispersed quickly.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

Hey, I think that's them. Is that them? Yeah, versus the kids.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Yeah, I can pick out all the kids, I can pick out and I see the kids.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

And I yeah, and I see them around. I learnt. Yeah, I know who they are.

Cruise Friendships With Space Built In

SPEAKER_01 8:29

Yeah. So uh also delightful and wonderful to be able to grow our travel buddy pool. Um, because like Maureen said a couple of times, it's easier now to travel with us because the kids hang out. Like, of course, our girls, but then the guy the boys hang out too, and and it's easy. And then there's parental alone time, and there's adult time and kid time, and I mean on this show. Liliana doesn't even want to hang out with us.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

We were she's like, no, I have such a tricky. We were streaming at a TV show today, and it was just fun. The two of us, not the four of us, although we did have some quality for four people watching our show, and we had some quality time with Clinton Maureen, and we've had some time with the other couple as well. And then the traveling with strangers, our kids were on a cruise ship, have befriended other people. Uh so like we were up here on the balcony looking down, and he just uh Liliana was like, Oh, that's that that person, that's that person. That I and they have, you know, we've been on this floating city for the last five seven days. Uh so they've traveled with strangers.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

Well, and they've made friends, which when we did the cruise, the Christmas cruise a couple of years ago, they were uh the other mom said, What did she say? They're clean clean cling kids. Clean kids. They're clean kids. Her children are cling kids, which is like hanging on to them, which I now having heard that term, I would agree that our our first cruise, we said, Hey, you should go do the teen club, you should go experience it.

SPEAKER_00 10:03

And they're like, Nope.

SPEAKER_01 10:05

No, they didn't want to. What and and part of me goes, Do you force them to go or do you hang out? I mean, these are our last moments with them, right? It's Isaiah's last summer, and that that was two years ago. So I didn't want to say, No, you have to go. And there wasn't anything we were missing out on by having them with us. So we had dinner together, we hung out together, we watched movies together. Oh, my favorite day in that whole cruise was the day we stayed. I I we were supposed to pour in Turks and Caicos, which made me so mad that we missed out on it's a place I've wanted to be. Um, but instead we watched a movie on the bed with in the king bed, and I think we all ate in it, which by the way.

SPEAKER_00 10:42

I think that was a that was a yeah, we missed Turks and Caicos because of the weather, and the boat was feeling it.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:47

So, like being in the dining room with all the smells was a little uncomfortable for me, and and I think at least one other of the kids. But to be able to order a room service and have French fries sitting on the bed in our room, that was comfortable. It was comfort food.

SPEAKER_01 11:04

Yeah, so when she said clean kids, I'm like, okay, that's I get that. And so because now there's seven of them, they are out from ages 14 to 15. I will say the two oldest, the two oldest are not. So Isaiah and then their oldest, who has just graduated high school, they're not a little out of place, but yeah, they're kind of doing their own things.

SPEAKER_00 11:26

They know what they want, and what they want doesn't align with the 14 through 15 year olds. And that's okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Yeah, it's totally fine. And yet, like it's cool because I've seen him out and about. I we've seen him out and about, and it's just checking in saying hello.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

You want the binoculars? Oh, he lunch them. Reaching over from his balcony.

Trying New Foods And New Comfort Zones

SPEAKER_01 11:46

Do you see something cool?

SPEAKER_00 11:48

He's just looking at the oil rig stuff.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Okay. All right. Yeah, so don't be afraid to travel with strangers and make friends with new people. I mean, this is how we meet people, right?

SPEAKER_00 11:57

Yeah. Uh and I think what something that's really cool is at the beginning, it wasn't the uh, okay, we're gonna do spend all this time together. We're gonna be best friends, you know, the spending all the no, it's that's cool. We're going on the same ship. Let's do dinner together.

SPEAKER_01 12:14

Yeah. That's it. We've done dinner together.

SPEAKER_00 12:17

Like when we've seen each other on the boat, you know, it's usually just a quick wave. It's not, it's not dedicated, hey, I see you, so we're gonna spend the next two hours together. No, not at all. That's never been expected.

SPEAKER_01 12:28

No. In fact, we had lunch with Clinton Maureen, and when we've and I didn't intend to, and yet we were there and it was cold. I mean, it was cool inside and the food was hot, and we sat down and we hung out, and then I was like, okay, go get your suntan on and we're gonna go.

SPEAKER_00 12:43

Yeah, that's been really cool with this group of 13 of us.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

It's 13 of us, yeah. That's a lot.

SPEAKER_00 12:49

Spending moments together and then the rest of the time apart and being cool with that.

SPEAKER_01 12:55

Yeah. Well, the girls are spending dedicated time. I mean, like packing, and she's like, it's gonna take me a long time. And then I have stuff to do, Mom.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

Yeah, so like I have two together. She's having withdrawals from her people. She's true. I would have withdrawal from you.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Oh, there's also sorry if I just made you wrong. Oh, no, you're not.

SPEAKER_00 13:17

Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_01 13:18

I your your thing about having time together and then time apart is is valid.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

And which really works on a cruise ship.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

Yes, and we have had time just the four of us. Like uh, you meet Isaan Liliana.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

If we were in an Airbnb and you know, you have a vehicle, that's it's doesn't really work that way.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Still a little awkward.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

You're still if you're if you're chilling at the Airbnb, you're still chilling in the same living room as the other people.

unknown 13:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:44

Versus on the ship, where it's just like, hey, I'm chilling, but you could be in any of the public spaces. Yeah. Or on the balcony in your room or whatever. It's it's been nice.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

Well, when we traveled with Clinton Maureen and family last year in Puerto Rico, like we had days where we did our own thing and they did their own thing.

SPEAKER_00 14:02

Yeah. Like we did like a w waterfall hike stuff. We're like, hey, would you like to go? They said no. We're like, peace out. Yep. And it wasn't like, oh, I wish they said yes, they could spend time with us. Now it's okay, cool. We have four of us.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

Well, and uh something I thought was cool when it happened the first time, I didn't know how to handle it because I feel like I'm such a planner. And yet they picked a place they were gonna go to dinner, and they're like, hey, we're going to dinner. And like literally, they made the decision on their way they went. And I remember going, now Liliana, this is my problem because she is my like, we gotta make everybody happy. And by everybody, we mean Liliana needs to be happy. And so she's like, I think she's happy in the car right this minute because they're going. We need to go right now. And I was like, Whoa, yeah, there was some. Like, I needed a minute. She created some pressure, and it was fine because I was like, sweet, we'll go. And they made the decision on where we were going, and so that was easy. Also, it was Thai food, which is nice.

SPEAKER_00 14:55

It was very odd for us to be like, hey, is it okay if we come?

SPEAKER_01 14:59

And they're like, Oh, yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_00 15:01

And it wasn't like the oh they asked, so we have to be like, Yeah, of course. No, I think it's a genuine, like no, they know how to say no. You would like to come, please.

SPEAKER_01 15:08

Yeah, yeah. And so that they brought us into their world with that. Yeah. Because we, I don't know the you have had Thai food before this. I had probably had it once or twice. I don't know that Isaiah's ever had it, but Liliana had had it when she'd be with them. So I feel like they brought us into this Thai food world, and it was really fun because of course we get there and I'm like, I have no freaking clue what to order, plus I'm gluten-free. And so I'm like looking at the menu, going, actually, Thai food's very gluten-free. Um, and so I'm like, well, what do I order? And they're like, Well, we like this and we like this. I can't imagine going to a place like that and not having somebody help me understand what I want to eat.

SPEAKER_00 15:44

The first place I ever got Thai food, and the place I kept going back to, I would simply look at the menu and go, what doesn't have egg? That's what I'm having. And it turned out to be really tasty, and like, I shall always get that. Not saying all Thai food has egg, but on that menu, the pad crao, however you would say that, did not have egg.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Well, even last night, so uh uh Maureen orders like vegetarian Indian food at the at the main dining room, and I said, Can I have a bite of that today? So she puts like a little bit, well, she started scooping. I'm like, I said a bite. Can you like just do and so a mousse? Yeah, like a little bit. So perfect. She's like, it's been so good, you're gonna love it, which is fine. It was great. But also last night was lobster tail, so I had that in.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

Dude, the table ordered you like four lobster tails.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

I only had three. Okay. I only had three.

SPEAKER_00 16:36

But that was not with judgment.

SPEAKER_01 16:38

I had yours, Liliana's, and mine.

SPEAKER_00 16:39

All right.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

It was happiness. And Isaiah ate a lobster tail, so probably. We did.

SPEAKER_00 16:42

So yes, we ordered four, but Isaiah ate his.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:45

So that was not a fourth.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

I will neither confirm nor deny that I also had prime rib. I did not have more than.

SPEAKER_00 16:51

You had some bites.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

I yeah, I had like four little, yes. But it was cooked perfectly.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

Now, tonight we are probably opting to not eat there because the the design the cuisine is a different well it doesn't it doesn't necessarily fit what we're looking for, but also I might have the not exotic exotic.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

Molten lava cake. Can I please have that?

SPEAKER_00 17:13

But like tonight is when you're, you know, like the frog legs and you know the different the different things that we don't typically consume in our home in Peoria, Arizona.

SPEAKER_01 17:22

Well, and a cruise is where you try things.

SPEAKER_00 17:24

Absolutely. I tried frog legs on a cruise. I tried uh um bun bunny. It's not called bunny, it's called rabbit.

SPEAKER_01 17:33

Did you just say bunny?

SPEAKER_00 17:36

I tried bunny for it. Let's go pin up the bee and that's the pop and uh I tried bunny.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

Uh when I think back to Cancun, you talked about like having our own time. Cancun, we were pretty close together most of the time.

SPEAKER_00 17:55

I would agree.

Building Friendships On Purpose

SPEAKER_01 17:56

I mean, we had it was a big enough resort we could get lost, but are these clouds like rain clouds? I don't know, man. It's so cool. There's so darkness. Yeah. Yeah. Uh so importance of travel buddies.

SPEAKER_00 18:08

Because I absolutely travel buddies is cool. And uh a fun glimpse into my psyche and who I am. Uh New Year's Eve. You know, we we make resolutions. My New Year's resolution this year, for this year, was to work on my friendships outside of this. This is this is my number one. But if all I have is this, he's pointing to me in case you're missing it. If if all I have is Kesley, I'm missing out. No offense.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

No, 100%. I have a friend. Yeah, I well, I have many friends.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

Yeah. So I and I made the new year's resolution that I would focus on friendship uh this year. So doing continuing the travel buddy has been cool. And even like you we did a first Friday karaoke thing for your birthday, and I I intentionally invited people that I that I wouldn't have.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Random, and I feel like I have too. Intentionally invited the most random people because I'm like, there are people in my life in our world. Well, so there are people in my life that I think are acquaintances or or somewhere between acquaintance and friend, like acquaintance and without that classification, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:17

And then to find out that they're they're viewing the relationship they they're taking it more serious, they're more invested than I am, and that's me being selfish, and or not giving the opportunity to build that relationship.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

So yeah, yeah, like that you're the the one person you reach out to who came, like that was so much fun. And it was funny because he said I had to practice before karaoke because I was coming to the Hallian's house, and and I'm just like that that that's not what we're here for. We're here just to hang out and build the relationships and fun fun memory in in case he listens to this.

SPEAKER_00 19:53

Uh he was in a band. Uh, and he was also he worked at the high school that I worked at. Uh and when I someone's trimming their thumbnails.

SPEAKER_01 20:01

I know I can hear the I know his thumbnails.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

So he invited me, just like whenever he played a gig, you know, he sent out a text message blast to all of his friends. Uh and he, you know, this is one time that I actually showed up and he told me later that day that, you know, he's up on stage playing guitar, playing piano, whatever, and he looks up and he's like, holy crap, Nick Alanan's here. And like he says, I don't get nervous, but you walked in the door and everything just like flooded. It was just fun. It was just fun. It was very cool.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

I love it.

SPEAKER_00 20:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

Yeah. So build relationships, channel with friends.

SPEAKER_00 20:42

Yeah.

Wrap Up From The Gulf

SPEAKER_01 20:43

Yeah. Cool stuff. And we hope you enjoyed. We decided to do a second one because it was cool outside.

SPEAKER_00 20:50

Yeah. Usually you walk outside and you're just dripping.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

Yeah, because it's so it's been so hot and sunny.

SPEAKER_00 20:55

That's not the case today.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

No, it's gorgeous. Well, it's not the case right now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

We're we're we are out of the Caribbean area. We are getting closer to the coast. And tomorrow morning we'll be back at Galveston, Texas.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

The the water is so still. So, so still.

SPEAKER_00 21:11

Like that calm before the storm feel?

SPEAKER_01 21:13

Yeah, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 21:14

It'd be so cool if we had a storm.

SPEAKER_01 21:16

Three hour tour. Anyways, well, thanks for hanging out with us. Whether you're watching or listening, it was fun. And we hope that you come back and see us again.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Yes. And uh and cheers.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

Cheers.

SPEAKER_00 21:28

And enjoy an epic life.