We are back!

Welcome, amplified Marriage podcast listeners. I'm Bryan I'm Natalie. We are back. It has been been a hot minute. It's been a hot minute. It's been a long road for these last nine months. Our. Episode was in February of 2022. So early, early this year. We, we had the play going on. We had new church things happening. We had all kinds of things that were happening.

You're gonna wanna grab a coffee cause we got a lot to talk about today.

We have some things we wanna talk about. And so we just wanted to say, just thank you for holding on for these last these last months. Even though we weren't here, we were still getting emails, we were still hearing from people. People were responding to us on Instagram and Gmail and just responding to all the things that were going on and we kept on, people kept on listening to the podcast mm-hmm. So it's really, really great to see that people really were just engaged and really want some tools to make their marriage better.

Yeah. And like, I dunno. Can we say this is like post covid? I dunno. It's been a weird year. Yeah, it, it's been a bit odd. And we're gonna get into a little bit of why that was, but we're still together. We still love each other. We're still married. We just really felt like, That time of the year, for me particularly, I'm a vocal director for a musical theater in town, and so our productions are in March and from February to the middle of March, it's just nonstop busy. Right. You just kind of get off your regular. Like downloading or whatever it's called. Rhythm. Yeah, rhythm. Regular rhythm. And then we were planning a big, huge trip and then it just kind of spirals. And since we finally got into, so we had the play and then that summer we took our kids to California for two weeks on a trip that we've been trying to do. We spent, it's been at like the trip of a lifetime.

Yeah. It was one of those, those dream trips that we. And then af right after that, we had a church, big church launch back into some normal volunteer service nights. And then this year was our 40th anniversary as a church. And then right after that we had more things that were happening and then the were, it's just been such a busy season for us. That's right. And then we started getting phone calls and texts and people asking, so what's, what's going on? What are you doing with the podcast guys? Like, that's a really good question. And so we kind of, we, it was, we stopped and we kind of prayed about it and Natalie was being asked by people outside of me being present with her, and then vice versa and, I think people really people that we knew really found value. Mm-hmm. and what we were sharing and how we were sharing it, and just being able to have that kind of stuff on tap. Honestly, we use our, our own podcast, and others, but we use our own podcast sometimes when we do our pre-marriage coaching with young couples or marriage, marriage, coaching with older couples, whoever it is. And just to send him a podcast just to stuff. Like one of our most famous or most famous, most popular ones, and I encourage you, I'll go back to listen to it if you start in the middle, but is unmet expectations. Mm-hmm. it was episode one. We had a, a couple that we know actually said it took 'em five months to get past that one, cuz every time they listened to it, yeah. They got more and more out of it and it sparked a lot more conversations. And what we've heard from other people is that they hear the podcast and then they fight and then, They discuss things and the car ride or the sitting in the living room is a little bit tough or a little bit different. Right. Just because they're now they're being faced with things. Mm-hmm. and we say this all the time when we coach. You don't know what you don't know. That's right. But, and you've heard us say that in the podcast, you don't know what you don't know. But the moment that you do know, now it's up to you to be accountable for your behavior. That's right. For your actions. And now you have to shift because you do know you have to make changes.

Right. I completely agree. And this is our, like, these are the things that we talk about, we talk about, we've experienced. We've walked through as a married couple. So we're drawing from our own experiences and things and, and there's still things that we, that we haven't walked through, right? And then we bring on guests for those kinds of things. And so I really encourage you, if this is your first time listening, go back. This is our third season now. Yep. And there's tons and tons of content and. Part of our nine a month break was just, you know, we didn't want to just keep a schedule and just like pump out whatever, just to keep it going. We really want to be mindful and really want to pray our way through. Like what now?

What's next? Also, also addressed address things that people are struggling with. Yeah. Now, because like there's a lot of things that changed over covid. For sure, like the way we communicate, the relationships that we have, how we respond to each other. There's sometimes and a lot in, in some cases of couples that we know throughout Covid, the relationship actually got stronger. Yeah. That was the case with us and our, actually our children and some of our really close friends is our relationships got stronger like Natalie and I's marriage got better. And, but that wasn't the case for everyone. And then some people that had their marriage got tougher during Covid, actually when Covid got out. And then you're faced again with regular schedules, regular work every day. You're not at home, you're having to do things differently. The kids are back in school, or you're having to now make work trips or what things are going on then, then the relationship starts to to shift again, and you just got over a shift for two years and now you're having to make another one. And it just adds more stress on there. And then over the last of a while, the economic status has changed for people. Groceries are more expensive, gas is more expensive. Housing is more expensive. Living is just more expensive. Yeah. And so we really wanted to make sure that the ideas and the things that we're presenting to the people that need this the most are things and discussions and conversations and problems that are real, real world problems. Real word, real world struggles. Right. Things so we can actually, that are pertinent, that are pertinent to the situation at hand. And so we really wanna make sure that as we come back, that when we come back, this is just like a, our trailer to the coming back. Like That's right, yeah. Is gonna be filled with a lot of really good content that we've been talking about and planning about, talking with some of our friends about things that are going on in their marriages mm-hmm. and their struggles and things like that. And so we're really excited for what the season is gonna.

Totally. And I mean, part of one we needed a break because you know, you work full-time. I work partly full-time, partly full. Well, I am a full-time mom but I also work outside the home and I vocal direct and so and. We're pastors in a church, and so there's a lot going on. And we're kind of split in several different directions. So really wanting to make sure that we, we take care of ourselves right, and do some self care. And part of this, you know, year of creating this memory with our children was absolutely essential. It was necessary for us to do that. And you know what we didn't realize, because, I mean, we're. Fairly frugal. I'd say. We're not out frivolously, you know, we don't do lavish holidays and you know, we generally stay local. And we had been planning this trip for a long time and it was one that really felt out of reach for the majority of our marriage. We took our kids to Disneyland and like I have never been to Disneyland. I don't think you have. No. And our children certainly haven't. So it was a first experience for us all, and I didn't realize, I knew we needed a holiday. I didn't realize how important this one was going to be, and so we. Knuckle down more than I think we ever have in order to be able to make this a reality. Right. Finally. And we could not have done it without our brother-in-law and sister-in-law. So shout out to you too. You know who you are, right? So grateful. So grateful. We went with Brian's sister and her husband and their four kids and my mother-in-law, and it was just, It was incredible. Yeah. And when we came back and we all love each other and we all get along really great and our kids get along and people were like, you guys like holiday together? Oh my gosh. And it really, we were like, yep. I think we, we were gone for 10 days. We got back, we skipped a day, and then we were right back to family dinner and stuff like that. And it was like Yeah.

People thought we were weird. Like, you guys didn't take a

break. All weird. We're like, duh, we like these people.

Well, yeah. That and the, the cousins were. Excited to see each other again, even after that one day break. Oh, so great. Like it was this and that's, that's like living, living life together, living community together. And, and it was, it was such a good memory. It was also like making up for a previous two years of like the very first year of the pandemic, my son turned 16. Yeah. And we had a trip planned to Alberta to go to the zoo, to go to the drum Heller dinosaur museum. Yeah. To go to the arena to do all this stuff. His big things. I wanna go to, was it Boston Pizza? Yeah. His big, I don't know what entertainment in Boston. Pizza in Alberta, but he's like, I wanna go to Boston. Pizza in Alberta. Yeah. And we had this whole thing planned out in, it was April of that year. Yep. And we got shut down in March. Yeah. And then we had to, we had plans already in advance for my other son's birthday and my daughter. And every one of those plans got shifted and then we thought there, like the government just dangled the little carrot of hope in front of you and the next year. And then it got started and shut down and started. And started and shut down. And it was just so tough. To be able to manage through that. Yep. And again, had plans, tentative plans, like this time you're a little more gun shy, but tentative plans. Yep. And you couldn't make the plans and so you shoot them down again. And so this last year we did what it took to be able to well's the

scripture like hope deferred, makes the heart grow sick. Is that a scripture or is that

just a It's a hundred percent. Is that just a Chinese proverb? Look it up. I'm gonna look it up while you talk.

And isn't that true? Where, you know when, and I know that our hope is not in a trip and our hope is not. Our hope is in Jesus, but that whole idea of if you are in a situation where it feels hopeless, and for a lot of us this pandemic really felt hopeless. I mean, we were super fortunate that we still had our jobs. Mm-hmm. and like that wasn't well there was always a risk, but Oh yeah. We were

faced with all

the time of, you know, we, yeah. And there was all of these. Of like the bank saying, Hey, if you need to, like, what's that? Like, defer your payments or, or whatnot. And we were just like, Nope, we're not doing that. We're just gonna keep plugging away, keep watching our money. Mm-hmm. and keep just watching it. Leave the bank account. Right. But you know what super grateful that it did not have an adverse effect like it did on so many people. Yeah. So. This trip was essential for our mental health, honestly. Mm-hmm. And it was like, it was sketchy with all of the restrictions and things like that. And, you know to go to the states here in Canada, you need to be vaccinated. And so you know, Brian and I had talked about Novavax, which is a protein based vaccine, and. just the timeline to get that done beforehand was really sketchy. Yep. And we didn't know if we'd, if we'd be able to in time, because you know, the kids can get away with not being, but there was just a lot of hoops to jump through. And I'm so glad that we did mm-hmm. and that we were able to make that a reality. Yeah.

And so, You're not wrong. Proverbs 1312. There you go. Wanna read it? You think as a pastor I'd know these things, but sometimes it sounds like a Chinese proverb when really it's verse Proverbs 1312 is where you can find the phrase hope deferred. Makes a heartsick. But a longing fulfilled is a tree of life, right?

And obviously our longie fulfilled is in Jesus. But you kind of get a visual right of, of when you, when you're just going through life and it just seems. Everything keeps compiling on each other and it's never gonna get better. We're never gonna get outta this cycle. It can be really draining and really waning on relationships.

That being said as this is just like a, a welcome and we're saying thank you to you. We just wanna give you a little heads up of what this next next season looks like. Season three looks like we're gonna be starting into a series, I believe it's probably gonna end up being a two part series on what you've heard in the news and what you've been seeing on Twitter and things like that, and Facebook and Instagram. This idea of quiet, quitting. I know the people think that this is a, like the definition is the definition work related is, is work related, but it also really pertains to our relationships. But the people also think that it's, it's, it's a new, a relatively new thing like this generation's like, oh, that's work quietly quitting. This has been around for 50 years. Mm-hmm. this isn't new. This isn't even it's first or third or fourth or fifth time wave that it's kind of come up in culture. Yeah. And so we're really gonna tackle that one and what that looks like in marriage, how that affects your marriage and how that it, it. It really is subversive in the fact that it, it sometimes just creeps in and you didn't know it was there and all of a sudden you're not really putting effort in.

And some of the stressors that sort of amplify that, like amplified marriage, right? For that slippery slope, right. Of quiet quitting. And you might just be like, well, this is. The norm, right? But hopefully we'll be able to identify some of those for you, and then it can at least spark a conversation if if you take away anything from our podcast, let it be, let it be the start of a conversation and that that could then, you know, you fan the flame and that that can really assist you in bringing. Some change.

Absolutely. So that's where we're starting. And then we're gonna be doing, I think we're gonna do an update on our unmet expectations because we get lots of actually that's one of the main things that we're seeing in, in especially over covid. Yeah. And the pandemic. And is people struggling with not. Before, it's almost like you're so busy you could forget about expectations. Yeah. But over covid, when you're at home and you're faced with it, like I was at home too, we're faced with it now. You really are. Are having to deal with that unmet stuff and talk about it and it be right in your, like it's right there. And if you don't talk about it actually is worse because now you're in the same space all the time. Yeah. And things are, and so we're, I think we're gonna get back into the that a little bit. We have some friends of ours that have really had some really great struggles that we're gonna bring on the podcast. They're gonna talk about dealing with pornography and things like that in their own relationship. So we have some things that we really want to touch on this year. Mm-hmm. That are from real world, people that have struggled with things in their marriage that are, are pertinent to the things that we're dealing with currently and the things that we're going on. That's right.

So lots of, lots of series coming up. We're launching with quiet, quitting. Yeah.

And absolutely. So we're looking forward to being able to connect with you. To hear from you to hear what you have to say, what you want to be a part of. We have some ideas for some really cool segments on the show that we want to add to it. And so we know that you like this podcast because you've been a part of this. You've downloaded this, you've been Moving forward in the things that you've, that are in this and paying attention and being with us. And so it means a lot when you actually share. Now we're getting back into this. Let people know that we are on Instagram and that's gonna be up and running soon. You can follow us on Instagram and on Facebook. And again, if you have those questions mm-hmm. and you want to know about where you can ask those questions or give us an idea or a fresh thing, you can email us at amplified. And wow, it's been a while since we said this. Amplified marriage gmail.com. That's right. And as you heard her say, and you're gonna keep hearing us say, we believe that marriage can be reset, refreshed, recharged, and restored. We're so glad that we're back and we get to be with you all. Thanks for listening. Talk to you

soon.