3) Shauna Niequist’s Savor (affiliate link)
4) The full story of Laura’s move to LA and how she met and fell in love with her husband
5) Gorilla Flicks, on Twitter
Find Laura on her blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
As always, thanks to Progger for allowing us to use the song Strut! Find more about Progger on their website and at BandCamp.
Feedback on today’s show? Leave a comment below (click the Notes link) or find me on Facebook or Instagram!
02_Ep_02_Meet_Laura____Sorta_Awesome_Podcast
[00:00:00] Hey everyone, I'm Megan Teets and this is sorta awesome.
In this episode, I'm introducing you to my very long time, very dear friend, Laura Tremaine of Hollywood housewife.com. Today Laura sets the standard for awesome of the week sky high by sharing about a life-changing trip. She recently. I ask her to give us her life story in just about five minutes, and she confides in us.
The one thing she is always talking about. I can't wait for you to get to know her more. So let's dive right [00:01:00] in.
Hi Laura, how are you? Good, how are you? I am doing so good. I am so, so, so excited to get to talk to you. Me too. Thank you for having me. Yes. Okay. I'm going to give everybody just a little bit of introduction about how you and I know each other. Oh dear. Uhhuh, . I know. Be nervous. Um, you all most likely know Laura as the Hollywood housewife.
Um, I have known her as one of my closest and dearest friends since I was 16. Uh, Laura and I met through some unfortunate high school shenanigans that involved things like swapping and sometimes stealing boyfriends . Yes, we did. Yes, we did. But on the other end of that, as all great friendships prove all of that silly boy drama faded away eventually.
did [00:02:00] it. Yeah, . Thankfully it all faded away the way that, uh, friendships do when you find a true heart friend. . Um, Laura and I did go to high school together. We were in show choir together, which means that we have, uh, done things like changed in the backseat of moving vehicles together. . Yes. Probably more than once.
Yes. Um, we also went on a high school show choir competition cruise to The Bahamas. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . Yes, we did that. Was wearing sequins, by the way. Wearing sequins and red lips. Yes, I have to tell you all, if you know Laura and you know her writing at Hollywood Housewife, you know that she actually is the master of the red lip, and I mean that seriously.
I will put a link or two in the show notes so that you can also experience her, um, her mastery of the red lip, but. , what many of you do not know is that probably one of the [00:03:00] first times that Laura ever put on red lipstick, probably from a Mary Kay Tube. I was right there beside her in the show choir rehearsal room when we were, yes, but children, And a new era was born and a new era was born.
Um, okay. So yes, she is one of my dearest friends. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding. I would have been a bridesmaid in hers except for the fact that I had a three week old at the time. Uh, and that was heartbreaking for me. But we have known each other so long through so many life changes. Um, as life went on, we kind of lost touch for just a little bit, but then reconnected happily in adulthood and, um, we're closer than ever.
I think. When I started thinking about who to ask to be part of this co-host team as we get sort of awesome up and off the ground, Laura was of course a very natural choice for. The show. So again, Laura, I'm so excited that you are joining me in this so, so, so excited. Thank you. It's just gonna be fun. Fun, I can tell.
So [00:04:00] much fun. And the stories we could tell maybe through the years, maybe we'll tell stories on each other, but not today. . Or maybe not, maybe not. Let's go with maybe not . Something. Some things are better left in the closet. . Okay. , as we will every week. We're gonna start with the awesome of the week. I'm gonna kick this to Laura because Laura's awesome this week is really and truly, it's, it's one of those life-changing things.
This is gonna, I mean, honestly, Laura, you're setting your, your standard pretty high for awesome of the week on this show, because I don't know, or if you're gonna be able to talk this, it's, it's a pretty big deal. So I'm gonna kick it to you so that you can share with us what you have had going on. That was pretty incredible.
Okay. My awesome of the week is that I just got home two days ago from, um, a really pretty life-changing trip to Israel. Amazing. Amazing. With a group of women bloggers, a lot of, a lot of [00:05:00] people that, um, , I just have admired or read for a long time. And so to be able to do this kind of a trip with people like that was really amazing.
Um, we did a lot of the holy sites. We went to, um, the probable place where Jesus was crucified and resurrected, and then we went to Jesus' birthplace. Wow. Um, you know, the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Olives. . Um, we hit all of those things, but then we also had like this really deep, uh, education mm-hmm. from all walks of life there in Israel.
We heard from Christians, Jews, Muslims, rabbis, housewives, professors, um, just this generals in the army, like just this really wide interesting mix of people who. , um, local. Mm-hmm. and who are experiencing [00:06:00] life in the holy land in the midst of conflict. Right? Yes. It was so intense. I bet it's so intense. I bet.
Um, so my awesome of the week will not always be quite that awesome. Yes. But it was, it was really. I didn't know what to expect. You know, a trip like that. There's a, like a lot of high expectations. Sure, yes. Um, there's also some anxiety to do a trip like that without your family. Oh gosh, absolutely. Yes. Um, so all of those things, but now that I'm home and still sort of processing it, um, I really, really think it was gonna be an important trip in my life.
Mm-hmm. not just. . I mean, I hate to put it this way, but it's sort of touristy . Well, sure, absolutely. I've, I've always heard that, that it's amazing and, but so surreal in how it's both so, um, spiritual and, and almost mystical, but at the [00:07:00] same time, like kind of almost. Campy in some ways, in, in terms of the tourist of it, and it's, it's like almost a little bit kitchy, like mm-hmm.
there's souvenir, you know, right. Souvenir kiosks Right. Outside of where, um, the place is marked as Jesus's crucifixion. Right? Yes. To me, that was so surreal to be like, this feels. , Jesus, Disneyland, . Um, and yeah, that was weird. That felt so weird and it, and it did not feel, um, the kind of reverence I was used to upon reflection.
There is a reverence there, there is a holiness there because, um, there's so many people who have come from all over the world. Mm-hmm. Right. To. stand in that place, right? Yes. So that, that in itself is a reverence, but it's just sort of, I was expecting [00:08:00] like, I don't know, like a Catholic church type of reverence, like a silence.
Okay. And a, um, you know, um, what's the word? Like, just like a, a heavy feeling or something like that, and, right. And so I was really sort of thrown off. No one had prepared me that it was so touristy. Mm mm. . Mm-hmm. . Um, so, but they, they weren't all, not all the sites were that way. We had a beautiful day at the Sea of Galilee, um, that is, was quiet and beautiful and, um, and then also we just happened by, I think this was accident.
I don't know. But, um, we did go to Bethlehem and go to, uh, the place where Jesus was born to the manger. Oh, wow. Yeah. Right to the mentor. It, it, it had a much. It had more of what I was expecting in terms of, uh, you had to be quiet in that space. Okay. Right. And, um, it's an [00:09:00] instant, a cave and it's often depicted as a barn.
Not so much a barn, actually a cave. Just so you know. . Okay. No, I did not know that. I, it's a rock cave. Okay. It's awesome. It's really, really cool. And it's, like hay in a barn. Let me ask you this, and I am completely revealing my ignorance of the Holy Land sites. I honestly dunno that much about it. But so like for example, in Bethlehem, is that site controlled by like the Catholic church, the Orthodox church, or is it controlled by the state of Israel?
Um, like who, like sort of oversees specifically that. in, so I don't, don't, it's really interesting, um, the guide that we had explained, the history of it, I don't wanna muck it up too badly. Okay. Okay. But basically from my understanding, um, five branches of the church sort of control it. So there's like, okay.
I I can't name all [00:10:00] the Coptic Christians, the Greek Orthodox Christians, the Okay. Egyptian. I don't, I, I can't, uh, I can't name them all. Okay. Without revealing my own ignorance. But five branches share these, these sites. Okay. Um, which is why they're decorated very differently. Like, it's like one corner is decorated in a certain mm-hmm.
Um, old, old way. And another is Decorat. You know, these are just different parts of the world that have converged. Sure. Which feels very strange to an American. To an American. Sure. It feels very strange. Mm-hmm. . Um, so they sort of share this area and then for a while, I don't know if this part's is true, but for a while, , the Mus, the top Muslim clergy oversaw it just because that they were like a neutral party.
Isn't that interesting? That is interesting. Yes. I did not know that at all. Wow. And they, so the five Christian churches [00:11:00] that um, are, that um, share the responsibility, the responsibility is to keep it clean. Okay. And, um, you know, they have these different. sort of sections that they're, um, allowed to take care of.
Mm-hmm. , but then they're sort of overseen. , a neutral party, if you will. Interesting. Huh. That is so interesting. I just wondered if, um, who oversaw the specific site, um, sort of set the standard for decorum at that site? Like if mm-hmm. , you know, like if the, if the major site was more church controlled, if they could be like you, you know, like the Vatican or whatever, like here there's a certain.
Like this is the standard for tourist behavior here. Whereas, you know, I don't know about the other sites, um, if that had anything to do with it, but it sounds like, so it sounds like this sort of five branch. Uh, governing body, I guess you could say, um, oversees the main sites there. Is that kind of what you're saying?
They do. Okay. And they can't. So there's, [00:12:00] um, so if there's like a repair that needs to be done, like say like a stairs, a piece of the stairs is broken or something like that, they won't repair it because they can't seem to all agree on how to repair it best. Oh my goodness. Wow. , it's, there is sort of a, it's very complicated.
It's very complicated, and there's like a deadlock Mm, um, of decision making, if you will. Oh, wow. So, yeah, it's really interesting. I mean, there was a lot of little details to that that we don't even need to go into, but yeah, it was, our guide was giving us a lot of that information and it was so fascinating.
But they were like, you know, this, this is no small thing. Like this isn't like, um, you know, repairing a government building, like this is the holiest site in the world. Right? Right. Three major religions converge in Jerusalem, right? Yes. Mm-hmm. . So these sites mean something different to people. Mm-hmm. and they care about them.
Yes. [00:13:00] Yes. So it's no small decision to be like, oh, we'll just fix the stairs or whatever. Like it's not like that. Right. It's really inter It's really interesting. Wow. I mean that is, that like supersedes awesome by so many levels. Like I said, I mean, you are like setting the bar for yourself really, really high
I know, I know. It's not normal. No, it's not normal. It's, it's incredible. And like you said, a a once in a lifetime and life ta life-changing kind of trip to get to go on. So it really was, it really was. And I was with people who know the Bible far better than me, who know their current. history about, um, Israel and Palestine and the conflict there who know all of those things better than me.
So I was totally surrounded, not only but the people that we heard from, you know, as lecturing to us, but also the people on the trip where everyone was just so smart and educated and Right. I just was like soaking in knowledge at every turn, which is awesome. And also exhausting. Exhausting, I'm sure. [00:14:00] Yes.
Yes, but I mean, but what an opportunity. Right? Amazing. Like what an opportunity. I'm sure you'll be processing that for weeks to come. For sure. Yes. Okay. Well thank you for telling us all about that. That is incredible. Um, I'm gonna switch gears to my awesome of the week, which actually has a connection back to you.
I did not plan this intentionally, but it actually does, uh, my awesome of the week is a brand new release from Shauna Ni. , her newest Book Saver, which is a devotional book. The subtitle of the book is Living Abundantly Where You Are as You Are. And the way this connects back to Laura is I was actually introduced years ago.
Years ago, I feel like I was early to the Shawn Equis fan train because Laura, you introduced me to her, I feel like it was back in 2008 with her first book of collected essays called Cold Tanger. . I feel like you maybe either sent it to me or you were like, you have to read this, one of the two. [00:15:00] Oh, I've been a Shauna like advocate for so long.
Yes. Yes. Because you've known Shauna, like since you were a kid. Is that right? So, well, Al a teenager. We were a teenager. Okay. Um. , we were summer camp counselors together. And just as a side note, she's the one who led and put together my trip to Israel last week. Yes, yes. So we have stayed friends, um, all this time.
I mean, you know, the internet has helped that. But we became friends in, we were counselors together at the same summer camp in Missouri when I was 18, and she's a couple years older than me, and she was my very first exposure to.
being a different kind of Christian. Mm-hmm. . So like how we grew up, I thought that you to be a Christian woman, there was like a way. Yes. There was just the way . And to clarify, for those of you who aren't as familiar with Laura and I in our background, Laura and I grew up in a small town in Oklahoma. And I guess you could say our, our [00:16:00] Christian background would be, uh, a pretty conservative strain of evangelicalism.
Um, with some slight differences, but, um, but yeah, so that's our background. So you're saying that when you met Shauna, she sort of, um, gave you the first role model that, um, that living out a Christian life could look a little different maybe than what we had been exposed to in our tiny town in the Bible belt?
Yes. She was like a hero to me. Like she had tattoos and. Listen, you know, listen to certain music and read dark literature and all these things that I wanted to do. I do not have tattoos. PS ? Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. Not at first. Um, no, actually I have no desire to ever have a tattoo, but I had never even seen like that you could do it this other way.
So she has been a, and this was before she was even writing, right? Like writing books? Mm-hmm. years before. Mm-hmm. . Um, she kind of changed the way. changed my [00:17:00] trajectory if I'm real honest. Mm-hmm. , um, that you could, and she introduced me to Anne Lamont. Mm-hmm. at that time. Mm-hmm. . Um, and I was like, oh my gosh.
There's another way. . Yes. No one had ever told me that there was another way, ever. Right, right. So she's been a powerful person in your life. Um, when I read Cold Tangerines, I fell in love with her writing immediately. I love, I love her style of personal essay. Mm-hmm. , it's so warm and inviting and approachable, but it's never like strictly or.
overly sanitized. I feel like she does an an incredible job of talking about hard things with a way that is so it's not off-putting, but it's also not just like the Sunday school answer to things. Like, no, I feel like she just invites so much. Authenticity. I, when, when I read Cult Tangerines, I, it was one of the first times, um, that I had really approached the idea of reading something that has some spiritual background that wasn't just [00:18:00] like, wrapped up in a, a pretty bow, I mean, cult has a beautiful, um, message to it, but it wasn't just like that, you know, sort of over and over again, ending up in the Sunday school place of.
Um, no, it's beautiful. Did you read, you know, my fa I have not, I have not dug into Savor yet. I just got it. Mm-hmm. yesterday. But, um, I will say her book last year or two years ago is just one of my favorite things ever. Bread and wine. Yes. Did you read and wine? Yes. Oh yes, absolutely. Yes. So good. Yes. And so what Saver does then to go back to my awesome the week is Saver, is it takes, um, little snippets of her essays through the years through cold tangerines and bittersweet and bread and wine.
And then there's also new material that she has written just for this devotional. So what you get. For each day of devotional. I feel like it's just the right amount of devotional for me right now. It's um, it's a snippet of scripture. It's two paragraphs, again, just like things that have been taken from her past work or something [00:19:00] new.
And then there's a closing thought and all of it goes right back to that subtitle of just really living where you are and really experiencing the fullness of life as it is right now. And then again, to talk about red and. , there are recipes thrown in. One of Shauna's things that I think she does so well is talks about how pivotal hospitality is, but that you don't have to overthink it.
It doesn't have to be this overwrought thing. It doesn't have to be perfect and it doesn't have to be planned out. And certainly, you know, she talks about how this works in, in her day-to-day life. Certainly they do, um, with her group of friends, she does, you know, fancy dinner parties and. Of things that are fun and are a little bit more formal, but she really celebrates the everyday extension of hospitality.
And so that theme also runs throughout the book. I've, I just got it a few days ago as a review copy. I've been looking through it and I absolutely love it. It's really something I've been looking for for a long time. Again, [00:20:00] um, I unfortunately tend to be a little bit cynical about women's devotionals. . I have not found one that I like for a long time.
As, as Laura might know, we, we share some Syno sy here. Well, a Bonus to Saver. A Bonus to Saver is that it is, um, so pretty like on your shelf. Yes. Gosh, it's gorgeous. The aesthetic of it is beautiful. Beautiful. I know. It's the most beautiful book. I feel like it's, it's the perfect book to give as a gift because Absolutely.
It's just so pretty. It's so pretty. It really is. So, yeah, it's, it's a great thing to pick up for yourself or to give as a gift, and, and it's, when it's a devotional for every day of the year, it's, it's fantastically done and it is completely awesome. So that is why I wanted to share that this week. So that's a good one.
Okay. So Laura, what I'm doing with each of you. Wonderful. Amazing. Co-hosts is I'm asking you all a series of three questions just so that listeners can get [00:21:00] to know you all a little bit better. Mm-hmm. , um, in the opening show, I already answered these questions, so if you are curious what my answers to these questions are, you can go back to the very first show on sort of awesome and hear what I had to say about these things, but I'm making each of the co-hosts into your answering these as well.
So the first thing I would love to hear from you, and I know the listeners would love to hear from. Whether they read you regularly already or if this is the first time they're getting to hear you, I would love it if you could give us your five minute life story. My five minute life story. Okay. I can do this.
Yes. Um, I grew up in super, super small town in Oklahoma of about 4,000 people I lived out in the country. Um, and then when I. School age. I ended up going to school in the next town over, which is where I met you. Mm-hmm. . Um, it's a, a little bit bigger town, about 25,000, [00:22:00] which is about average, larger than average in Oklahoma.
Mm-hmm. . So I had a pretty conservative, um, uh, a storybook aspect to my childhood, I feel like. Mm-hmm. , a close-knit family, community, um, that kind of thing. I. went to college in Oklahoma and studied abroad in England, and that was my first kind of eyeopening opening experience where I realized I just wanted to do something different.
Um mm, mm-hmm. . So I, as soon as I graduated college, I moved to Los Angeles. Yes, you did. So unseen. I had packed, been here, packed the car, and went out. And past my brother's diesel truck, by the way. That's right. Yes. I forgot about that. You did all, all of my belongings in a old refrigerator box in the back of my brother's [00:23:00] diesel truck, and we drove out here.
I had never been here. I did not know anyone here. I did not have a job. I, I was completely clueless. I don't know why I did, said, said things, but I. and that was August of 2001. Okay. And then obviously in September of 2001, um, was September 11th where I had only been here a month. I was still jobless.
Mm-hmm. , I still barely knew anyone and, you know, had this sort of, was our country going to war? Should I go home? I'm so far away from my family. Right. . And that ended up being a really big moment for me when I decided to stay. Yes. Pivotal? Yeah, pivotal. Pivotal because I think I could have gone home easily.
Mm-hmm. and made and made a beautiful life and had babies and it would've been a different happy ending. But, um, I decided to stay and then by the end of that year I got a job at mt. A quick, like a short term job at mtv, [00:24:00] um, just as a production assistant, which is like the. Mm. Rung on TV ladder. Yes. And my producer on this little tiny show for Tom Green, um, asked me to come do a movie for Paramount that he was doing after the first of the year.
And I was so starry-eyed to do a feature film for Tennis Paramount. And so I said yes, like barely, without even knowing what the project was. . and I came back, um, after Christmas that year to start that movie. And the movie was Jackass. Mm-hmm. . Yes. I was horrified, , because I just need to clarify for everybody really quickly.
Laura is one of the most clean cut people in terms of, well, in terms of a lot of things, but I have, again, have known her for many, many a year. I can count on one hand how many times I've heard her use any. crass [00:25:00] language and I would still have fingers left over. I mean, it's, it's very rare. So I can just imagine the whole thing playing out as you find out what the project is.
I'm pretty prissy and proper. Yes. Less, probably less. I mean, definitely less. So now, and I'm 35 years old and yes, whatever, but at 22 I was, yes, very prissy and proper. Um, and so I was just, just absolutely beside myself to be. It's dirty, dirty show. It's dirty, it's filthy , which is basically like men doing very like potty humor and yes, naked humor and just, I just potty humor more.
Yes. Disgusted . Um, but there was a really cute director, . This is so cute. The director is such a, so cute, so charming. Uhhuh , and. Oh, I just got a big old [00:26:00] school, school teacher type crush on him. Yes. Not right away. I, I'm summing up kind of years of, yes. Not years, but, you know, I worked on that movie and got to know him a little bit and, um, we just became friends for a couple of years and then I went on to work with, um, Jeff, is his name
He's gonna be, who in this story will become my husband? Yes. . Um, He, after the, after that first year of making that movie, which was, which was his first movie also, um, he did TV shows and I went on to work on those and eventually we started dating and then eventually we got married and. I had done a lot of TV by then.
I had worked on some shows for Fox and the CW and, and lots of other reality TV shows, and I was very burned out on it. I did not want to, to do television production anymore. Right. So he and I got married, um, and because his work schedule is so intense, we decided I would not work at, at the beginning of our marriage.
And, um, [00:27:00] We had two babies. I have a five-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son. Yes. And they're also darling, they are beautiful if I do say so myself. Yes. And we, um, live in Los Angeles in a neighborhood called Los Feas. It's sort of East Hollywood and, um, and that's it. He's, my husband's still making TV in movies.
I'm blogging and traveling and momming and wiping and yeah. And here you are, the Hollywood housewife. Yeah, that was five minutes. You're good. That was really good. Oh yeah. Perfect. . So, so when people tell, so I, when I meet people and they ask about my blog or whatever, and I say it's called Hollywood House Life.
And I think people just sort of blank stare for a minute, but it's literal. I'm like literally, literally, You are the Hollywood housewife. , yes. Yes. Love it. Love it. Um, yeah, and one of the things, I can't remember where this is on your blog, or even if it is [00:28:00] still on your blog, but you talk about being married to your husband, just kind of like in a, you just kind of toss up the statement who's nothing like you would expect.
Didn't, didn't you use that phrasing to describe him on the podcast? I do use that phrasing to describe him, and I do have to say that too. Um, Jeff, He's incredibly charming and so personable, and I think, you know, anybody who's familiar with his movies, um, may think that he, um, sort of has a, a sort of single-minded interest in a certain kind of humor.
But in reality, Jeff is just like super interested in people and their stories and that that shines through so much in person. He, he's one of those people that has that gift where when he's speaking to you, he, you know, or when you're just in conversation with him, he can make. , like open up and feel like he's really interested in what you're talking about.
And he's a fantastic storyteller. And I know that, um, that storytelling in general is something that you guys, um, are both interested in. Um, one of many shared interests for sure. He is [00:29:00] wonderful. He is a much people judge him because of his work is, you know, naughty . But I am like, no, no, you have it wrong.
He is a much better person than I am. . He is so non-judgmental. He would invite anybody. Anybody. Absolutely. Since you are home, home into our life, he's very. Solid. Absolutely. Like when you meet him, you're just like, this is who you call when your car's in a ditch or whatever, like Oh yeah. He's incredibly solid, steady, wonderful person.
And I just basically, Lucked out. I, I wouldn't call it luck by the way. I you, you added a little hustle in there to, if I lucked out, I mean, manipulated him into marrying me
Oh, okay. But so even though here you are the Hollywood housewife and you have, um, a, a wonderful life and a beautiful home [00:30:00] with gorgeous children and, and an incredible husband, even you, the Hollywood housewife, you have c. That you face in your life every day. And so that is the next thing I wanted to ask you about, like just what are some of the things that you find are really challenging you right now, whether they're situations or um, philosophical things.
What are you up against right now? That's a challenge. Um, we have a lot of challenges. And, and, and then personally I have two. I have one sort of shallow level and one deeper level. Um, , my deeper level is my faith is changing a lot. Mm-hmm. , and it has been for a long time, but I was just able to ignore it.
Sure. Um, when life got busy and when you have little tiny babies and, um, I had just put a pause on the things about my faith that troubled me. , I am unable to do that any longer. So I am just [00:31:00] experiencing, I'm trying to read a lot and, um, correct, yes. And pray and meditate and talk to people who I value their opinion on these topics.
Um, and I'm just wrestling with that these things are changing and letting go of, um, how I felt in the. Right. The letting go has been a lot harder than the clinging to the new. Interesting, interesting. I'm, it's a scary thing thing. It's so scary. Yes. Um, it's was, it's easy for me to clinging to, uh, new things.
I'm embracing new schools of thought. It's harder for me to admit that I, um, might have been wrong or misguided about things in the past. That has been, that's very difficult for me. Sure. , that's an ongoing process, and I don't even wanna speak to it in detail because it is so deeply ongoing, but Right.
That's, but it's been hard. I mean, it has been, it has been really hard for me [00:32:00] in the past couple of years. And then on the lighter note of challenges, um, as anyone else who might have a husband who's in freelance work or u unsteady work or seasonal work,
We just have logistical challenges. My husband may shoot a movie this summer. He may not. Mm-hmm. , it's not up to him, and we don't know. You know? Right. Yes. , the commercials that he makes, and a lot of the things that he creates, the schedule of those things and where they shoot in the country or in the world are not up to him.
Right. Always. And so we are at the whim of someone else saying, and now you have to go here for two weeks or longer. Right, right. Yeah. So, um, a lot of the projects that he has lined up from now until the end of this year are just in the air. And so we can't plan much. It's really. . We can't plan family things, we can't plan.
Um, you know, we're sort of just always, and it's, it's [00:33:00] always that way, right? This is, yeah, that's normal. That's the way it's normal. But I'm sure even though that's how it's always been and you don't foresee it ending, that doesn't make it any less challenging, right? No. Actually does not get, it's not, you do not get used to it.
Well, I mean, I guess maybe some people do. I do not get used to it. and it is the biggest source of, of stress for me is just not know. Right. What next week is gonna look like. Right, right. Yeah. That's, that's a pretty huge thing to have open-ended all the time is like literally not knowing where your husband will be in the country or on the planet in some cases.
Um, and then you're at home and you're trying to manage your own professional work. You're managing your family schedule, um, the kiddos and all of those types of things. Um, to never really be able to like concrete know. , this for sure is happening at this time. Yes. Yeah. And things have to [00:34:00] change, you know, I mean, Jeff has had to miss family vacations.
He's had to, um, you know, we've had to change big major trips or life events. We've had to rearrange them at the last minute. Um, so that is, is, you know, on the one hand it's a, it's a blessing that he, in this economy and in this town where it's difficult to work that. has an abundance of work that, that we have to Sure.
Stuff around for. Absolutely. Yeah. On the other hand, with tiny children and, you know, busy lives outside of his work, we are constantly reshuffling and I'm constantly apologizing to people and, you know what I mean? Like it, that's, I, that's our, our shallower. Logistical challenge in my life right now. Right.
At the same time, I think, like you said, that I think a lot of people can relate to that depending on what each person or family has going on. That that is, um, that can be a really big thing to try to work around and, and try to, um, try to have [00:35:00] just like some, some. Feelings of stability or maybe you have to create your own stability in the midst of that type stuff.
So, okay, so last question and then you're off the hook for this week anyway. Right. Ready? Last question, all of us have are things that. We are just like super into, I mean, I think every person, once you dig a little bit, and I love to do this to people, is to kind of find out what their thing is. Uh, that the, the thing that they really dig, that they just are always talking about, whether they even realize it or not, it's always coming up in conversation to the point maybe they're, they're friends and family are sometimes like rolling their eyes like, okay, and here we go with this again.
Um, and so I know everybody has one. I would love to hear, Laura, what is your thing that you're always talking about? Or do you have more than one thing? It's blogging. Blogging. I am always talking about blogging it . You know what, it's so funny now that you say that I, I did not know you were gonna answer that and I, but I [00:36:00] mentioned that you and I reconnected in adulthood.
Do you remember that? When I still lived in Texas and I had been blogging for maybe, , I don't know, two years at that point that you called me and that was like our first long conversation that we had had in a long time. You were like, tell me about blogging , and it's been something that you and I have talked about basically nonstop for the past, I don't know, seven years or so.
Megan, I am obsessed with blocking. I'm obsessed with it and not just my own blog, although I can definitely obsess over my own blog, don't get me wrong. Um, but just like blogging as a medium, other people's blogs, the, the blogging temperature, like what's happening? Yes. And blogging as a whole. Mm-hmm. , I can nerd out about blogging, in fact, in Israel last.
um, Tish Oxen Rider, yes. Was on that trip as well. Mm-hmm. . And we'd had this whole week of like heavy topics, war and [00:37:00] religion and all this. Yes. And I sat next to her at a dinner and we ended up talking about blogging and I was so happy. I bet. I was like, oh, yay. Let's talk about advertising and at subscribers, like, I was just giddy.
And what podcast do you listen to about blogging, about blog. Yes, we talk, we talked about logging for an hour and I was, I was completely rejuvenated. I bet, I bet. And what's funny is I am significantly scaling back on my own blog. I haven't posted in two weeks, which I think is like, I think that is the longest I've gone for you.
Oh my goodness, yes. The longest I've gone in like five years maybe. Yes. Without, um, like setting an intention. Yeah. Yeah. And, but even, even as I'm scaling back on my own blog, because I'm trying to pursue. Uh, bigger writing projects. I, I'm still, I find that I'm still passionate about like, the general topic of blogging.
I think that it has changed [00:38:00] communication. Yes. Um, and social media too. Blogging and social media, those things, I sort of see them as hand in hand really? Yes. I'm a real advocate for women and I think that it has changed the way that women tell their stories. Oh, that's a great point. Yeah, definitely. Even, even more than men.
Um, although I'm men are definitely affected by blogging and social media of, of course, too, but I've seen it so much in women and moms and, yes. Yeah, I just think it has radically. given people a voice who thought that they didn't have a voice. Mm-hmm. . Yeah, absolutely. Or who never even considered wanting a voice, but now that they have one, they realize they have things to say.
Yes. Um, and I just think it's changing. I think that it's blogging and social media that's changing all these conversations that's happening in our country with race. You know, different political [00:39:00] questions, environmental things. I mean, all, every big conversation that's happening in America right now is, is happening online in some capacity.
Yes. And I. Like to just observe. I participate in it daily, but I also really like to observe it as a whole. I, I just nerd out about it. I, my family, no, no one in my family has any care of social media. No care. So no care. The care is zero. And not even Jeff, right? Like that is not even his realm. Is that right?
Like in terms of. Jeff has three website. He checks every day and that's it. Yes, he does not do social media even though he has for his businesses and and TV shows and things. Those things have really. wide fan bases. Sure. Yeah. And he does not, I mean, he's not on Twitter, right? No, he is not on Twitter, which is so surprising to me because so many people in, in that industry, like that's, that's sort of the backbone of their [00:40:00] presence.
But Jeff is just like, no, thanks. His, now his production company is mm-hmm. , um, his production company is called Gorilla Flicks. Yes. And they are on Twitter and they tweet things. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . But that's mostly, , you know, people who write for him or work for him, and sometimes it's him, but it's not like him.
He's just maybe telling them yes what he just is not into any of that. And I just bore him to tears. Literal, please stop talking tears. Over my love, my love of all things internet. Yeah. I mean, it's fascinating and, and the amazing thing about it is it's so self-renewing in that there's always the next thing to be talking about.
Right? I mean, it's not, it's so non-static that it's a new conversation every day practically. There's, I know. Which, if you're into it is so exciting. Yes. Like it's always changing and sometimes for the good, but. [00:41:00] Even if it, the tide changes in a way that is. quote unquote bad. It's still fun to talk about.
I still wanna talk about it. Yeah, absolutely. So fun. You and I have been to two blogging conferences together. I know you've been to more certainly. Um, and those have been such fun trips because I also can completely, and I mean completely nerd out about all things social media. So those were really fun trips that we took together because, uh, we spent a lot in our, I mean, a lot of time talking about the ins and outs of it.
You know, it's so fun when you connect with people that share your thing, because you would think eventually that we would get tired of talking about it and be like, eh, let's move on to something else. But so far that has not proven to be the case. That is not true. We just keep talking about it. We text each other.
Yes. Yes. Almost daily of like, did you see this? Did you read this? Yes. Um, yeah. Or if I think maybe you haven't seen it, I let you know. You need to go [00:42:00] see this. Yes. Yes. It's a huge touchpoint in our friendship, which has been, I mean, we could certainly probably do a whole show about that, about how engaging in social media, uh, can both foster and maybe in some cases hurt friendship.
But that, again, we're running out of time, so we'll, we'll, we'll, we'll chase that rabbit down a trail another day. We should. Cause I have big, I know, big fat thoughts on that. It's a completely fascinating topic, so we'll make a note. We'll, we'll come back to that. But in the meantime, That's the thing that you're always talking about is blocking every day.
Every day. And the great thing too is because of the way the internet works, you can find people like you can find you. And I have found our own little like sort of secret corner of the internet where there are other people who are equally enthusiastic about talking about this stuff. And it's, yeah. Yes.
But I also encounter people who are not enthusiastic and who stare at me like I am. . [00:43:00] The dumbest W . Yeah. . So when you find someone who does not think that your passion is dumb and clinging, cling to that person, flinging is all you got. Yes. Yes, yes. Okay. Well, okay, now, so speaking of online life, uh, let's run down the list of where people can find you on the internet, starting with your blog, which is, my blog is Hollywood Housewife.
It's hollywood housewife.com. , where else do you And I am there. Uh, in general, I'm there several times a week. Right now. Like I said, I'm been traveling, but in general, I'm there several times a week, but I'm also daily active on Twitter and Instagram, where my handle is Hollywood, H Wife. Mm-hmm. . Okay. On both of those, right.
And mm-hmm. . Twitter is more off the cuff. I'm sort of more, more current events. Instagram is, um, I, I love, I. Obviously a visual diary, kind of of our family life. And [00:44:00] then, um, I'm also a huge Facebook lover and my Facebook page is facebook.com/the Hollywood Housewife, the Hollywood Housewife on Facebook.
Okay, Laura, thank you so much for taking the time to do this. I know you are super busy. I know you're still trying to settle back into your time zone. Traveled across the world and you're getting ready to do some more traveling. So I am so, so, so thankful that you took some time to do this today. This was so fun, Megan.
I loved it. This was so fun. And we have many shows ahead of us to discuss all of the awesome going on in life. So I think that's it. Do you have any other things to throw out there for, for people, or did we cover all the bases for. We covered all that my brain can handle on this. Awesome. Perfect time to wrap up.
Okay. So we will talk to you again very, very soon. Great. Okay. Bye bye.[00:45:00]
So everyone, thank you for joining us here at Sorta Awesome. Just as a reminder, you can head on over to sorta asa megan.tumblr.com for today's show notes, which include pictures from Laura's trip to Israel, as well as a link to her story of moving from Oklahoma to Los Angeles and how she met and fell in love with her husband.
While you're there, click on the Ask us link to submit your questions for us to answer. In an upcoming episode, Laura and I would be thrilled to tackle your questions on friendship and fashion, makeup recommendations, and the entertainment industry, books and blogging. You can follow the temper for updates on the show or sign up for the mailing list at tiny letter.com/sorta.
Awesome to join the discussion on today's episode, find me on Instagram at Megan. That's T I E TZ or facebook.com/sorta crunchy. I have to give a shout [00:46:00] out to the band Proger for allowing us to use the song Stret, as in and Out music. You can find out more about them and their nasty beats and pretty chords@progermusic.com.
I'll meet you back here next time as we explore, discover, and discuss all the things that make life sorta amazingly.
