Speaker 1:
0:00
Our guest that's joining us is a very special guest, probably the most amazing guest we'll ever have on this show. She's so talented, so gifted and well, let me just go ahead and say it it's my wife. My wife, shauna Curie.
Speaker 2:
0:14
Mrs Killer B. Mrs Killer B.
Speaker 1:
0:18
Yeah, and she should get loads of confetti for taking care of me all the time through life.
Speaker 2:
0:23
Amen to that.
Speaker 1:
0:25
Well, this is one of my favorite episodes because she got to experience what it's like here in the metaverse at the Killer B Studios and got to meet people that we meet all the time Meta Olivia.
Speaker 2:
0:38
And you remembered her name bonus, Bonus.
Speaker 1:
0:41
You'll hear a little bit of that story during the interview process too. That is another win. But what I loved is she gave everybody the secret behind how I process and remember people's names incorrectly, and it is quite interesting, very interesting.
Speaker 2:
0:56
Yeah, this is very interesting.
Speaker 1:
1:01
We were talking about maybe getting some merch made that actually has this formula on it, so people could buy it, and that way everybody would understand right. And what did you say? You put on it too, to make sure everybody knew.
Speaker 2:
1:11
I said it should say don't be offended if I don't know your name. I forget everyone's, or something like that.
Speaker 1:
1:18
Oh, that's great, but really the topic of the show was talking about. You know, we're getting ready to go into Christmas Like this episode is dropping right before Christmas and we wanted to talk about the treasures in life, and me and my wife shared one of the difficult seasons of our life that we faced during the holiday seasons and during Christmas time, and we wanted to share that with everybody and encourage everybody to know that there's more to Christmas than just getting presents and stuff and be able to reign people with gifts, and so we wanted to share that personal story of everybody, and with that I don't want to hold up any longer. Let's go ahead and jump into the episode.
Speaker 2:
2:01
Shauna, did he forget your name the first year of marriage? No, no, thankfully.
Speaker 4:
2:07
That would have ended differently.
Speaker 3:
2:08
So he forgot my name after our first, like it wasn't a date but it was a hangout. You know, we met at a party and talked like almost all night, but then the next day he couldn't remember my name. I had written my name on a sidewalk with chalk and he went back to that place and saw my name so that when he saw me again he would know my name.
Speaker 1:
2:31
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
2:31
That was smart of you.
Speaker 1:
2:33
Yeah, that was good, yes, and it was really I'm glad I did, because I thought her name was Amanda, so that would have been really bad Because it was so close. It was Shauna, so but now she knows just the way my brain works, like I have a hard time of names and everybody here knows that.
Speaker 3:
2:53
Yeah, you do.
Speaker 1:
2:53
Everybody here at the studio knows.
Speaker 3:
2:56
If you don't know now, you will know soon.
Speaker 1:
2:59
And do you want to tell them the trick, that kind of like the what you've learned after 20 years, of how I kind of Figure out I think this person's name is was this. Do you want to share that?
Speaker 3:
3:10
Yes. So the way his brain works is he remembers, like the letter in the middle of your name, so like, for instance, night of conquest. Later on he'll say, yeah, that guy whose name started with C. That's what he'll say, because that's the way he like, that's the way his brain works. So he always tell me, like that name started with an S. And I'll know it did not start with an S, it started with something else, and I'll try to figure it out from there.
Speaker 1:
3:38
So imagine that you imagine, deal with that. So, so, yes, yes around of applause. With that, I want to ask you do you remember the time when we were really struggling Financially at Christmas time? It was the first year, I think it was in 2010.
Speaker 3:
3:58
Yeah, I do. Yeah, I remember that you had lost your job right after I left my job on purpose to stay home with Ashton and, yeah, I mean, felt like everything was falling apart at first.
Speaker 2:
4:11
Yeah, it was like how long had you guys been married at that point?
Speaker 3:
4:15
So that would have been. You said it was 2010, right?
Speaker 2:
4:18
so that was 10 years.
Speaker 3:
4:19
Yeah, yeah, eight years and Ashton was only Wait, let's see six when that happened.
Speaker 1:
4:26
Yeah, it was six. Yeah, it got. It got pretty tough. I don't know if any of you can relate. Maybe you can. You know, let me know by raise the hands. Can you relate to like being this time of the season and things just doesn't feel so jolly, or it's a tough season, and I know last year I mean we had a tough season last year at Christmas too and we kind of just got back from getting through that. I wasn't even planning on bringing that up, but do you care if I shared just a little bit about that?
Speaker 3:
4:50
No, yeah, go ahead, of course.
Speaker 1:
4:52
So last year at Christmas time we my, my wife's father, my father and all passed away unexpectedly December 2nd, wasn't it? It was December 2nd, yeah, and it was unexpected. And and then at the same time, after the funeral thing last year, we got COVID and was down all the way up till Christmas like I had it for 24 days. We got stuck out of state. It was just a hard time and even going into this Christmas season this year it's like it's a different feeling for us and we just got back from you know, rekindling that and remembering your dad and stuff, as we got back from Ohio just last Sunday right, it was a last Sunday or Monday, it was my day, yeah and I share that because I want you guys know like we relate.
Speaker 1:
5:34
It's not always jolly, a jolly season for everybody. During this time and during our time when we struggled financially in 2010, it was. It was definitely a difficult one for me and let's let you guys know how bad it got for us. Now. It got bad, but it was still good. It was like that was the beginning of the whole shift in our life that we were learning to to trust God and you know, to kind of give you an example, like she said, she left her job to take care of our son and we had moved out it was only was almost to Indiana and we we had a beautiful house like this was the place we're gonna live. But it got tight and at Christmas time I don't know about you, but I see like at that time I was seeing all these posts. It was during the economy crash, if you remember.
Speaker 1:
6:16
In 2010, a lot of people are losing jobs and I saw on the news feed, on Social media stuff. I just saw all these posts of everybody sharing pictures of all these presidents around their tree and and I even saw a post of Spouses praising their sprouts, their spouse, and like all the stuff that they've given them and stuff, and I was really struggling with it personally inside because I, to be honest with you, I felt I felt ashamed, I was discouraged and I was really struggling with that. I don't know if that's anything that during that season from us, from a spouse point, is that anything that you were missing out on as well? I mean, was these things? Were these some of things you were thinking of?
Speaker 3:
6:56
I know we haven't even talked about this side of it, but during that time, so, as far as I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything by you not being able to buy things, I felt like a little sad that we couldn't buy Ashton all the things that we wanted to, but on the other hand, it also felt like a very rich season to me because we had so much time together and we were able to, like, do fun and creative things that you know I don't think we would have thought about or had the time for if we had both been working at that time, like, for instance, once and I don't remember exactly if this was right by Christmas time, but I do remember it was cold outside, so it was definitely winter, the electricity had been turned off and but we had a fireplace in the house. So we would put out a bed, like you know, pile up blankets in front of the fireplace and we would sleep there and you know Ashton thought it was just a blast. I mean he was six years old.
Speaker 3:
7:51
We told him we were camping. You know, you know I look back and he thought it was fun and we were like, okay, well, let's just make the best of it. You know, god provided in that season and that electric bill was paid. You know, I think we're only out of electricity for how long? Less than a week, right?
Speaker 1:
8:06
It was about, yeah, it was like a little bit over three days, and I don't think that's one thing. I don't know if you guys, if you guys caught, I don't know if you even said that, but we actually were living in a house that the electric, the heating was like 600 bucks a month to heat it and again, I had no job. I couldn't get a job, tried to get jobs and I was going out and working every little job I could do cleaning toilets, I was working at farms, I mean it was just. It was crazy, the stuff that I was doing just to get money, you know, put food in the table, but it was what we had to do. And when she said we had no electricity, we had no electricity because we owed like $970 to our to the electric company and they shut it down and it was cold outside and thank God we had the fireplace and that's that's what we talked about, like we didn't want to just we didn't want to be a burden to people, so we didn't say anything, but we just prayed. We prayed about it and God did provide in a miraculous way and but, yeah, we all huddled around that fire. It was great memories that we made, even though it was during a really dark time. See, like you could do the wah-wah because we had no power. Wah-wah, it was a dark time, but no, it was. It was tough and I know I make jokes about it, but it was definitely it was. It was a tough time, but we look back and it was a treasured time.
Speaker 1:
9:16
When I was going through those thoughts and I shared this with you. If you remember, during that time I was really struggling because, again, I was looking at social media, seeing all these posts and I started praying to God about like God what the heck Like, what did I do? Like, how do I? I can't get a job. Like I was. I was upset, I was frustrated.
Speaker 1:
9:33
Again, I was ashamed and there was a scripture that I read and it was in Deuteronomy 14-2. And this is the verse that that God gave me. It says you have been set apart as holy to the Lord, your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure. And I was reading that when I read this verse and going through all this, what God showed me during that time was that line that says his own special treasure and what that did for me at that time.
Speaker 1:
10:00
It changed my whole, my whole attitude, my whole outlook on the whole situation and what I wish I could do, because at that moment God showed me if you are, you are one of my treasures. All of you are a treasure to God. Not only are you a treasure to me, you're a treasure to other people, and all the people that I've brought into your life are treasures that I'm giving you. If they're more valuable than anything you can buy and stick underneath a tree, I'm like wow, if God says that we are his special treasure, his own special treasure, then what does that mean for all of us, for each other?
Speaker 1:
10:35
And that changed my whole perspective during the Christmas season, during that time, that we didn't need all that stuff and I looked around and saw all the connections that we were volunteering at church there and we had grown a pretty big group of friends, friendships, and made some amazing connections of people that were like man, what a blessing we've had this year. And you remember me and you and me talking about at the end of the year, after all the fireplace stuff and we're trying to stay warm and have fun. I asked you how happy have we been this year and do you remember what you said?
Speaker 3:
11:07
Happier than ever before.
Speaker 1:
11:08
Yeah, Well, and the beautiful thing was, there was a time that we were both working and making like over $100,000 a year and every year we'd say, if we could just make a little bit more, if we could just make a little bit more, if we could make a little bit more, we'd be happier. We'd be happier. And I asked her how happy we'd been, because I wanted her to realize how much God, how much we had lived on within that entire year, during that time, and we were able to be a blessing to people. And we both agreed that it was the happiest year we've ever had and we lived on a total of $19,000 a year. So the verse in the Bible right talks about learning how to live with being a little and also living with being a lot.
Speaker 3:
11:49
Yeah, be content with a little or content with a lot.
Speaker 1:
11:53
That became a reality for us and I wanted to talk about that because I wanted to encourage anybody here today that if you're going through this season and you might see things on social media and you might be in beat times with what other people are doing or you wish you could do this, just know that the best gift you can give your family and the people around you is you, your presence.
Speaker 2:
12:36
I was just going to say going off of the social media thing. I actually came across this video on TikTok the other day where this woman she had a ton of presence around her tree and she had posted a picture of it on Facebook and people were like whoa, you must be really rich or you had a great year, blah, blah, blah. And she's like I just wanted to show you an example of what social media is like. And she's like we have been struggling financially so bad and all of these gifts were donated and by people, so I did not even buy these gifts, but everyone was commenting like must be nice to be so rich and all of this stuff.
Speaker 2:
13:24
So it was just a good reminder again that we have no idea what the picture actually means and all of that, and someone honestly could wrap up a bunch of empty boxes if they wanted to show off and we would have no idea. But we're looking at these pictures and judging ourselves off of these things that 99% of the time is not reality. So, that was just really good to hear for myself, so I wanted to share that.
Speaker 1:
13:59
Yeah, that's good. That's good. I didn't think about the empty box wrapping. I should have thought about that. That's a great idea.
Speaker 3:
14:05
That was the first thing I thought of. That's where I thought you were going with that story. I thought you were going to say they were all empty boxes.
Speaker 1:
14:11
Do you do that? Do you do? Have you done that with Nate, with your husband?
Speaker 2:
14:16
No, but you want to know. This is not a serious story. But you know, brian's birthday is Christmasy of everyone, but mine is December 29th, so I like to pick out my own presents or whatever. So I had seen what I got. Nate showed me and I went out with my friends for brunch. So I came home and there were a ton of birthday presents wrapped. I was like, oh my gosh, I'm so excited Nate got me all these presents. They were the presents that I had already seen, and all of that.
Speaker 4:
14:55
So he had just wrapped them up, even though I had already like bought them.
Speaker 1:
14:59
That's great, yeah, so that was a real big disappointment. That's great. That's great. Yeah, it's fun to have a holiday. Does anybody else have a holiday birthday around here? Does anybody else have a birthday around the holidays? No, no, okay, all right, yeah, yeah, so Olivia knows this A Thanksgiving birthday, but it's not a birthday. Yeah, that's right, she does.
Speaker 3:
15:20
She does have a Thanksgiving birthday.
Speaker 2:
15:22
Any holiday, birthday is not the most fun, yeah.
Speaker 1:
15:26
And then I told Mettolivia it's fun, because then I have an identical twin. So there's not only one of us, there's two of us at Christmas time. So it's, you know, it's like we always. We always joke around about the. We always get the same thing, except for minds and blue, and his is in red, so it's. We'd always used to just rip the presents apart real quick and then we'd shout out oh, I got a blue guitar strap and they're gonna be like God dang, I got a reg guitar strap. I don't have to even open it, we already know what it is before we get there.
Speaker 1:
15:49
But you know, talking about the treasure and stuff too, it helps remind me, like you remember, in Luke, chapter 12, verse 34, it says where your treasure is is where your heart will be also. And I thought that that was such a good thing to remember, because where we're spending our time during the holiday season, we might say that our family is most important. But just remember, like, wherever your time is spent can say something differently. So that's where your heart is. You know where your treasure is where your heart will be also. So look at the people in your life and ask well, what can you do besides present and let. What can you do to really show them that you value and care for them this season? In Meadow Libby, when it comes to the Christmas season for you, you said that your husband is a special treasure to you. Is there things that you guys like to do together?
Speaker 2:
16:38
I mean, every year we always get a special Christmas ornament for our tree, an angel ornament, because Nate's mom used to have an angel tree and so we. His dad gave it to us when we got married, and so every year we add to the angel tree like a different angel.
Speaker 1:
16:58
That's awesome. That's cool. That's cool. Yeah, I'm going to bring down the mic If anybody wants to share something that is a treasure to them this year. If you guys want to share that, go click the kiosk button.
Speaker 4:
17:10
One of the things I wanted to share with them everybody that my special treasure is my wife. I've been married for 36 and a half years and we have a wonderful relationship. God's blessed us with two wonderful boys and they're married and they have wonderful wives. So that's what I'm thanking God for for that and saving my life earlier this year when I had a cardiac arrest. I can be spending more time now with my family and also be here in the metaverse with you guys. So I just thank God for everybody here in the metaverse and the friends that I made here. So awesome.
Speaker 1:
17:46
Thanks a lot. Thanks, man. We're so thankful for you. So thankful for you too. Man Cops, I got to bring the microphone back down here for you.
Speaker 5:
17:56
So treasure? Let's think so. One thing I treasure, and I've been doing it, oh my gosh, ever since I remember every year we go cut down a live Christmas tree and the whole family does it. It's my parents, my sister, her four kids, her husband, the nieces, the nephews, my aunts, friends from church.
Speaker 5:
18:18
So we have this huge group that every year goes up. We might not go to the same tree farm every year, but we've done it ever since I can remember, and my parents are getting old they're 76, 75. So this year they were really contemplating should we go, because they're my father's having some major knee issues and really having a hard time getting around. And then we kind of decided, no, let's just not go this year and we'll just buy it off a Wal-Mart lot or something my father's like. He later then said you know, it was a couple days later nope, nope, nope. We're not breaking tradition, we're not, you know, and we're going.
Speaker 5:
19:00
So we all got the group together and we went up and it's just something that I treasure every year with my family. It has a lot of memories and you know, my dad can no longer get down with the tree. So I've got the saw and I'm chopping away at the tree. So you know, it's just. I am living in that moment and I'm appreciating that moment because I know I'm not going to have them forever, they're not going to always be there and I'm going to live in Olivia or no. Who was it, mrs Killer B? It's your father that had passed.
Speaker 5:
19:34
I am so sorry, yeah, so sorry for that I can't say that I understand because I've never lost you know a parent, but I am really trying to consciously take the time and be in those moments with my parents.
Speaker 3:
19:49
So yeah, I'm really sorry for you both. That's such a beautiful thing, thank you. That's really a beautiful story and a beautiful treasure you have, having so much of your family around you too. But it is the memories that, like get you through those hard times. So you know, you're going to be thankful that you made the time to do that.
Speaker 5:
20:06
Yeah, the other thing too is, you know when the time comes for my parents. You know if they're going to pass before me, because, who knows, maybe I'll pass before them. I don't know, sure, but if it happens that they pass before me, which is normally the cycle of life, I have hope that I'll see them again. You know, this is not the end, and that's what gives me strength, I mean, I, just at the thought of losing them, I cry, you know, and I'll be upset, but knowing that is how I'm going to get through it, you know. And leaning on Jesus.
Speaker 1:
20:42
So, yeah, amen, amen. When I hear the story of Jesus at the Christmas story, it leaves me speechless and in awe to think that God, he sacrificed his son for all of us, and it's something that's and I know you're probably going to have a hard time reading this- I'm going to try my hardest, I know you're going to try your hardest and you're going to do amazing.
Speaker 3:
21:04
But this story, this story really moves me, so and I want to encourage you guys.
Speaker 1:
21:08
If you guys, after the show, after she reads it, we're going to go ahead and do an outro and wrap up the show. We're going to take down the security wall so you guys can jump up here. We would love to take a selfie of everybody. But this story I asked my wife to come and share this because it means so much to us and it is a beautiful, beautiful story. So we're in the Christmas story from the Jesus' storybook Bible and the author is Sally Lloyd Jones. This is an amazing book. Amazing, and if you have kids, get this book. If you don't have kids, get this book.
Speaker 3:
21:37
It's so beautiful.
Speaker 1:
21:39
And this is just a tiny, tiny little piece of the story that the book will go through. So with that, do you feel ready to take it away? All right, let's go.
Speaker 3:
21:50
Everything was ready. The moment God had been waiting for was here at last. God was coming to help his people, just as he promised in the beginning. But how would he come? What would he be like? What would he do? Mountains would have bowed down, seas would have roared, trees would have clapped their hands, but the earth held its breath as silent as snow falling. He came in, and when no one was looking, in the darkness, he came. There was a young girl who was engaged to a man named Joseph. Joseph was the great, great, great great grandson of King David.
Speaker 3:
22:28
One morning this girl was minding her own business when suddenly a great warrior of light appeared right there in her bedroom. He was Gabriel, and he was an angel, a special messenger from heaven. When she saw the tall, shiny man standing there, mary was frightened. You don't need to be scared, gabriel said. God is very happy with you. Mary looked around to see if perhaps he was talking to someone else. Mary, gabriel said, and he laughed with such gladness that Mary's eyes filled with sudden tears Mary, you're going to have a baby, a little boy. You will call him Jesus. He is God's own son. He's the one, he's the rescuer, the God who flung planets into space and kept them whirling around and around, the God who made the universe with just a word, the one who could do anything at all was making himself small and coming down as a baby. Wait, god was sending a baby to rescue the world. But it's too wonderful, mary said, and she felt her heart beating hard. How can it be true? Is anything too wonderful for God? Gabriel asked. So Mary trusted God more than what her eyes could see and she believed. I'm God's servant. She said whatever God says, I will do. Sure enough, it was just as the angel had said.
Speaker 3:
23:49
Nine months later, mary was almost ready to have her baby. Now Mary and Joseph had to make a trip to Bethlehem, the town King David was from. But when they reached the little town, they found every room was full, every bed was taken. Go away. The innkeepers told them there isn't any place for you. Where would they stay? Soon Mary's baby would come. They couldn't find anywhere except an old tumble down stable. So they stayed where the cows and the donkeys and the horses stayed. And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows and the quiet of the night, god gave the world his wonderful gift, the baby. The baby that would change the world was born, his baby son. Mary and Joseph wrapped him up to keep him warm, they made a soft bed of straw and used the animals feeding trough as his cradle. And they gazed and wonder at God's great gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
Speaker 1:
24:48
Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, a manual, which means God has come to live with us, because of course he had I hope this season, as you guys go into Christmas season, when I heard the part even about Mary, that even though Mary couldn't see, she believed. She believed in what God was doing, what he said he was going to do. Sometimes in this season it might be tough and it might not make sense. I don't know. I don't know. We're all real people. That's in here, this isn't you know.
Speaker 1:
25:20
We laugh and joke and see on social that people talk about like this is like a game and stuff. But this is more than a game. Each one of you is a real person behind a headset and I wanted you to walk away from this day at Killer Bee Studios knowing that, no matter if it doesn't look and make sense to you trust that God has got something great for you. And even if you get into the world like hearing that story again to think about, can you imagine going to the manger trying to find a place to stay and they didn't have room? There was no room. God made room. So even if you're at a place in your life where you're like people just don't have room for you, people don't have time for you, it doesn't feel like that God does.
