WHO ARE THEY… The_Sonian

[00:00:03] Speaker A: Where are they? They're probably upstairs. They never answer the door. Oh, wait, it's Monday night. [00:00:12] Speaker B: They're on the second floor. [00:00:24] Speaker C: Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Second Floor Sessions. This episode is going to be special [00:00:30] Speaker B: because we have a guest super special today. We have got the Sonian in the house. Burners up, burners up. Guys, this guy is a good friend of mine. Very, very close. Just like a brother. I'm so glad you guys tuned in with us. We're going to learn about the Sonian today. So we've got a lot to talk about, a lot to go over. So I hope you guys enjoy and just get in it. [00:00:55] Speaker C: Let's hear the story. [00:00:56] Speaker A: Let's hear it. But let's check on your all's mental health first. You boys, you gotta be down bad to get I. I'm your first guest. I'm your first guest. You want to get to know me. [00:01:07] Speaker B: He's the first subscriber. [00:01:09] Speaker C: First subscriber, number one cheerleader. Whatever you want to say, I love it. [00:01:14] Speaker A: I'm a podcast guy and me and Bo do know each other. But even after today, because of this man, you already know. I got you, man. [00:01:26] Speaker C: Very disconnected. We're just reconnecting. [00:01:29] Speaker A: All right, man, what are we doing? [00:01:31] Speaker B: All right, so let's just start. Let's start at. Let's do some childhood. Where'd you come from? I know. [00:01:37] Speaker C: How did it all start? [00:01:38] Speaker B: I know that that where I met him was in actually we were neighbors for a little bit, but. But we're going to start where, where [00:01:48] Speaker A: he started to that. All right, man. Morristown, Tennessee. That's where I was born. We. I'll jump into it like this. Morristown, Tennessee. I'm born 15 months old. Mom and dad split. Of course I go with mom. So at 15 months old, until probably the time I could start driving a car every other weekend was my father swapping. [00:02:17] Speaker B: Okay. [00:02:18] Speaker A: And he never missed it didn't matter how we kept, you know, every few years we'd move further and further away. 30 minute drive to come get me went to an hour, hour went to [00:02:29] Speaker C: an hour and a half. [00:02:30] Speaker A: Then we moved to loud and he started making jokes and stuff about it. But from the 15 months old till time to drive a car, man, my dad would come get me on weekends. Once I was able to start driving, I'd go up and visit. But you know, when you're a teenager and visit to get a little, little [00:02:48] Speaker C: space out, you get busy. [00:02:50] Speaker A: Absolutely. Let me do this because this is like a full circle Wild moment to me. It may not be cool. I bet you there's somebody out there listening, watching that will absolutely love this because I just turned 40 now you want to. You know, this is just kind of who I am and the way I view the world around me. But for years, this moment, this episode. Bo, Matthew the Sonian has been brewing. When I first moved to Loudon, I was in seventh grade and I moved to the house at the bottom of the cemetery. What's the road called? [00:03:36] Speaker B: Simpson. Simpson Cemetery. [00:03:38] Speaker A: Simpson Cemetery, Yep. And I was in seventh grade. Now leaving Greenville, Tennessee at the time. I was born in Morgan Greenville, and I had just finished my first year of middle school. Mom says we're moving to Loudoun, Tennessee. And boys, I just need you to know that sixth grade year old, first year of middle school Sonium is just like, what are you doing? You're taking me away from everything I've built, everything I know. I just could not comprehend or understand that. So I come to Loudoun in seventh grade. And of course, hindsight is 20 20, but you want to talk about the greatest thing that's ever happened. But when I move and we get our first house in Loudoun, there's a little kid across the street, Matthew Russell. That's part of this moment here. I'm gonna tie you in, big guy, because I'm coming down the road one day. Now, this ain't literally you, but it's just still ties to you that leads into how my brain operates and stuff. It just ties into why us three men are in this room having this episode for the world to see. Because me mom's driving, I'm in the passenger seat. Boom, boom, boom. We're coming down the road. Boom. Head on. Hit your brother. I knew that. Wow. Your brother. The old Food City. Come down through there and we're going to merge. We're in that left lane, like going down downtown Loudoun. So we're gonna go through Loudon, right? You got the little lighter stuff. And here comes that white car. I mean, it's humming. I don't really exactly remember what car it was. Neither do I. Here he come. [00:05:26] Speaker B: I thought. [00:05:27] Speaker A: Oh, oh, oh. Boom. Son. [00:05:32] Speaker C: Where did that happen at? [00:05:33] Speaker A: That was at. Yeah. You know where the funeral home is? Not the new one, but the one on the corner there where the Napa Auto store is now. [00:05:41] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:05:41] Speaker A: Loud, right there. That red light there. [00:05:43] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:05:44] Speaker A: We were turning left to go down into Loud. [00:05:46] Speaker C: You're in the turn. [00:05:47] Speaker A: And he was coming out from the middle school area up, up the hill and we were turning and boom, head on right there. [00:05:54] Speaker C: Really? So he was coming through the red light? [00:05:56] Speaker A: Oh yeah. Humming. [00:05:58] Speaker C: It was red, like he ran a red light. [00:06:00] Speaker A: Your brother ran a red light? I don't know that. I mean, I. Listen, I, I wouldn't dare put 100% blame on his end. You know, I was going to say, [00:06:09] Speaker C: because if you're cutting. [00:06:11] Speaker A: Absolutely put 100% blame on his end, [00:06:14] Speaker C: well then it's 100%. [00:06:16] Speaker A: So it just is what it is. But I just tie that, you know, that's how my brain operates. It's always, you know, gift and a curse is what I love to call it, but it's just kind of cool and neat to me because even with him being like my neighbor at that young age. There was an age. I mean it's not even our age differences now. Isn't a world of difference. By no means, but it's a. [00:06:40] Speaker C: Longer now than it was then. [00:06:42] Speaker A: Yeah, dude, if I'm nine and you're five, homie, we ain't doing much. I'm nine, [00:06:50] Speaker B: be gone. [00:06:50] Speaker A: You know, and that's just the way it was. And I remember we, we used to [00:06:55] Speaker B: get picked up on the school bus. Yeah, and you did, you, you rode the school bus? [00:07:00] Speaker A: Oh, absolutely. [00:07:01] Speaker B: Yeah, I remember, I remember when I was young being over there and. And you. I didn't know you at the time, but. [00:07:08] Speaker A: No, no, no, no. [00:07:09] Speaker B: But I remember now that I, There [00:07:11] Speaker A: were moments though, I fl. Flashback, you know, even if it was like months or whatever, even if it was a conversation across the road or something, there were little implements of moments where I was like, oh, dude's kind of cool, you know, but you get older. [00:07:26] Speaker B: But you're, you're, you're five and I'm, you know. [00:07:28] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:07:29] Speaker B: I mean, you know, I'm five and you're nine. [00:07:30] Speaker A: I mean, dude, you know, I'm girl crazy middle school, so I don't care about the young kid across the street anyway, so that happens. And I just wanted to tie that [00:07:41] Speaker C: in cuz, you know, I don't even remember that there's. Do you have any idea of how many wrecks that I would have to go through in my mind? [00:07:49] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:07:49] Speaker C: To try to remember that. [00:07:51] Speaker A: I've heard. [00:07:52] Speaker C: I cannot remember that at all. Matter of fact, I didn't even know it happened. [00:07:55] Speaker A: Yeah, no, I mean, I get it. I've heard the stuff you've talked about on here and then the stuff that I, you know, I've heard over the years and stuff. And God rest his soul, so there's no disrespect on any level. I just would. That was my tie in moment of how us three men, we've got some hair in the game, boys. [00:08:14] Speaker C: There are so many knots made by him. I mean, he's talking about tying stuff in. That's like a rope. Like a. Like you're trying to climb a rope with all them knots up. And that's. That's all my brother's little spots with so many people. [00:08:27] Speaker A: That's how I was going to tie it all in. That's, you know, childhood through the. Through Greenville. Leaving my best friends. Come to Loudon. Restart over. And I just thought, what? How could you do this, Mom? And, you know, I could go back a hundred times and not change anything. So here I still am in Loudoun. Turned 40 last week. [00:08:49] Speaker C: Happy late birthday. [00:08:50] Speaker A: Yeah, man. Thank you. Thank you. 40. It's a blessing. [00:08:55] Speaker C: So after you moved to Loudon, you're in middle school still? [00:08:59] Speaker A: Yep. [00:09:00] Speaker B: Okay, so what before we get. I mean, I don't want to just jump straight into high school. [00:09:07] Speaker A: I'm with you, but I'm just gonna. [00:09:10] Speaker B: I'm just gonna lay this out. Let's just jump. [00:09:12] Speaker A: Yeah, let's. Let's decide. Let's get it on out there. [00:09:15] Speaker B: So when. When we were in high school, I'm gonna be a hundred percent real, y'. [00:09:19] Speaker C: All. [00:09:19] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:09:20] Speaker B: I absolutely hated this guy. For whatever reason, that was just me back then. I had this. It wasn't just him, but I just had this little of course about me that I'm just like, I don't like him, don't like him. Don't want the way he look, just how you are in high school. [00:09:33] Speaker A: On the flip side of that now, [00:09:34] Speaker C: you were probably a pickerhead, though, wasn't you? [00:09:36] Speaker A: I. I mean, listen, he said something a week or two ago that really stuck with me, and I had to think about where he said, you know what? He just said he really didn't like me in high school. And now we're like, really amazing, awesome friends. Absolutely. But he says, here's the kicker. [00:09:56] Speaker B: You're the exact same. [00:09:57] Speaker A: Same. [00:09:58] Speaker B: That's what I was going to say. [00:09:59] Speaker A: You're. [00:09:59] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:10:00] Speaker A: Yeah. And. [00:10:01] Speaker B: But in high school, I mean, he was the. He was the dud. [00:10:04] Speaker A: Just. I get it. [00:10:05] Speaker B: He was the energetic, the hyper, the. The dude that's dancing down the hallways. [00:10:08] Speaker A: I'm like, yeah. [00:10:09] Speaker B: And he's dressing just like he is right now in Jersey now, man, I couldn't stand. I don't know. I just. [00:10:15] Speaker A: I don't know, I get it. It was different for me because as silly as this may sound, you know, first of all, boys, we go. You know, we go through these odd, weird phases in life, and I don't. If you can't, you know, whether with your own self, that's where I think every human should start. But if you're not doing it with your own self or the closest people in your life where you can, you know, talk about it and, like, grow to be better. My point is, it wasn't that I didn't like him. I just didn't like how he looked. So. And there was a. There's. [00:10:43] Speaker B: I mean, like you said, that's the way it is. [00:10:46] Speaker A: Absolutely. And it's odd because as a teenager in high school, you're like, this is it. It don't get no, I can't learn or teach nothing. And now, do you not look at them high schoolers now and just, they're kids. [00:10:58] Speaker C: Oh, they're babies. [00:10:59] Speaker A: But did you feel like a kid? Junior, senior, grown man, you know, I mean, come get it. But now I see seniors graduating and their kids. [00:11:09] Speaker C: Don't they seem so much smaller, though, don't they? [00:11:12] Speaker A: But that. That is my whole point. Like, I didn't feel. But come on. [00:11:16] Speaker C: I don't feel like I was any smarter than now, though. [00:11:18] Speaker A: They were looking at us like, I [00:11:21] Speaker C: think kids have gotten smaller through the years. I really do. [00:11:24] Speaker A: Dude. You know, when I was in, like, third, fourth grade, maybe even a younger grade, my teacher gave me an award, a class clown award. [00:11:30] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:11:31] Speaker A: And I thought how the little clown statue, everything. And I was blown away by that. I felt so. Until I got in the car to go home and mom was like, oh, that's nice. And I'm like. And, you know, I did obviously didn't understand that conversation now, but, like, to piggyback off what Matthew say, man, I get it. I get it. Because you see, like, what I reflect in who I am now versus the kid version of what we're talking about. The jerseys, the music, the loud eccentric, just. Yeah, anything. Attention seeking, you know, I can recognize and own my ADHD now. You know, that was an actual diagnosis as a child. Actual prescription medicine that I knew nothing about at that time, by the way. And as I'm older now, blows my mind. I couldn't imagine coming up in an environment where it was educational. Does that make sense? So I. I get it. His shoes, your shoes, anyone's shoes. But I like what he said. I just don't think there was ever a world where okay, you know what? What really got me going? I love the fact you didn't like me, because five minutes with me and you, if. If I'm doing it, you want to be there. If I'm going, you need to ride, too. I want to be around this dude. And I took that energy and people who were like that, and especially at that age. I mean, come on, you said, let's be real. Let's be real. At. At my time, when I was in high school, I was the kid who wanted to be black. That's who I was. You know what I mean? That boy wants to be black. No, but you know, what has happened on this planet more than anything? I'm not saying I'm the revolution with it. I never claim that. I don't think that. I just think my hour, especially our now people, we were the shift, the world. Does that make sense? [00:13:39] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:13:39] Speaker A: Let me. What I'm trying to really say is, you know, everyone always pointed at us and said, oh, yo, you this or this that. But what ended up happening is the route you took, the route you took, the route I took. Now you look around and you see the 5, 10, 15 people who's right there with you, admiring your route, accepting who you are and what you do more, more frequently. And I just think that spread across the globe like a wildfire. I never once in my single life wished I was black. Does that make sense? [00:14:14] Speaker C: Right? [00:14:15] Speaker A: So for anyone to say that to me, I'm over here like, nah, dude, [00:14:19] Speaker C: I just like, you like being you. [00:14:21] Speaker A: I like being me. I'm gonna give that to you. [00:14:24] Speaker B: Well, and see, when I was. That goes away, that was my. That was my exact thought. I'm like, dude, this dude's trying to act like something he ain't. [00:14:29] Speaker A: Something he ain't. When the whole time you find out, okay, damn, that's him. [00:14:33] Speaker B: Yeah, that's the same guy. That's not an act. [00:14:36] Speaker A: 20 years. [00:14:37] Speaker B: Yeah, 20 years later, he's the same thing. He's the same dude, same vibes, the same everything. [00:14:42] Speaker C: I can't say that any of us are exactly the same as we used to be, probably. [00:14:45] Speaker A: Lord, no, I don't mean that either. No, but. [00:14:49] Speaker B: But as a person, I mean, we still. We still. We're still friends. We're still all that. But as a person, I don't think you've changed that much. You've not changed that much since we were. [00:15:01] Speaker C: Not since we were 16. [00:15:03] Speaker B: Since. [00:15:04] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, when we were in high school, we're probably pretty close to [00:15:07] Speaker B: the same Yeah, I think we are. Absolutely. [00:15:09] Speaker C: When we were. [00:15:10] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:10] Speaker B: Ripping and roaring and carrying on. Absolutely. [00:15:12] Speaker C: I think, yeah. Sitting on the porch, ripping and roaring, [00:15:14] Speaker A: but, you know, sitting. [00:15:16] Speaker B: Sitting on an interstate bridge pulled over by the cops. [00:15:20] Speaker C: We ripped and roared a little bit, [00:15:22] Speaker B: but anyway, yeah, we're sitting on the porch at my house either way. But I don't think we've changed a whole lot. We've not. We have grown up. We don't do the stupid stuff we used to do. [00:15:34] Speaker A: So as often, as often. [00:15:37] Speaker C: Anything crazy happen in high school, when you were in high school? [00:15:39] Speaker A: Oh my goodness, you know, anything you want to tell? Let's say that, I mean, I don't care. I mean, he said he's an open book. So. Yeah, we, we won't. I mean, I don't go crazy, but I won't. I mean, I, I got in fights. We did the stuff everyone else would do, but it was never, you know, even to this day, I hate fighting. Never want to fight. Done. You know, not a bad track record is what it is, but it's just always this limit you get pushed to. So, you know, obviously I think you would understand this more being around people and stuff like how I am who I am that, you know, there's the flip side of it. Well, if he's this awesome energetic ball, what is he on the other side? So I, I hit a boy one time right here, had that class ring on and as I hit back like this and when I pulled back, I seen the red dot and the whole high school hall said, oh. And it said split his whole forehead and blood. I was like, oh man, I thought I was in trouble. But maybe, I mean, maybe that's not a good story. I wouldn't say crazy versus some of our City Co wilderness trips. Yeah, that got pretty crazy. City Co, that's not this type of podcast, but we had some awesome City Co tent trip. That's the one and only time, I'll give you that. And I spent 10 minutes in Brazil. We'll look back to that in one second. I swear on my life, the only time to this moment in my life that I knew I was going to die. Have you ever felt that gonna die? You knew? No doubt. I'm not saying, you know you're about to die. [00:17:23] Speaker B: No, I hadn't had that. I've felt that one like an almost out of body experience, like or close [00:17:28] Speaker A: to it or maybe so. No drugs. Maybe a couple of smearing off ices, something, you know, but we're young. We went camping and we had fallen asleep. I kept hearing. I mean, as I'm asleep, I think, man, that. Fires popping. That's good, man. [00:17:49] Speaker B: That's what you want if you're camping, right? [00:17:54] Speaker A: Buddy comes rushing over to the tent. They get up, they're out, man. I come out the tent and I see dark figures in the road. And I was like. And they're like, they're shooting at us. And it was just like a light switch at that moment. Oh, crap. This is how I die. And I just knew I didn't know the exact moment or how it was or this or that. I was so scared, I didn't want to get out of the tent. I think the fear of knowing you're going to die would just shock that to you. And I listen, I'm not exaggerating that. And I'm not gonna sit here now, you know, this all night long. You. But there's just no beating around the bush when you know you're going to die. It's just a different feel and weird. Somehow I come out of that and we mustered the courage, but I was so insanely scared, I didn't want to get out of the tent. Maybe I'd live longer if I stayed in that tent, but we get out, blah, blah, blah. Long story short, our buddies had came up and pranked us and threw a bunch of paint camo stuff on. They had CO2 cartridges, paintball guns, and they were firing down on them, and they had grenades, like the bombs and stuff. We had finally built up so much courage. We went off up in the woods after them. Was like, well, if this is how it's going to be, it's going to be. But until that moment, before we knew it was them, I was like, listen, we need to get in the vehicle. If somebody's messing with us, they're close here. We hit CDCO Road, like we're about to head home, and we turn that corner, and about a hundred yards down, there's just a guy in the middle of the road, you know, mossy suited up, face painting. I said, oh, you know what I mean? And I was like. But anyways, so there was that. Do you want the 10 minutes in Brazil story? [00:19:37] Speaker C: We'll get that. [00:19:38] Speaker A: Yeah, bring it up when you're ready for that, because that's wild. [00:19:41] Speaker C: Let's. So. So we're. We're through high school. [00:19:45] Speaker A: Yep. [00:19:45] Speaker C: What's the. What's the next thing you done when you graduated? [00:19:51] Speaker A: Oh, that's cool. Not cool. Two days after high school graduation, I'd only had my first cell phone for like a year. It was another thing. You're back to the kids stuff and me being the same. Me not validating anything, man. I had to, you know, like, how you guys, especially you down here in the store, you being the manager. You are now. You know how, like, you all had to go get that and shake your own world up. I went through my entire high school life without a cell phone. And that is just like, for. For my generation. That was crazy. So girlfriends, friends, it didn't matter. It was a house call. Like, how do you. [00:20:36] Speaker C: Well, you had. You didn't have friends that had cell phones, did you? [00:20:39] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Everybody had a cell phone but me. Mom wouldn't allow it. I'm the oldest, so I'm the baby. I'm the. I'm the. [00:20:44] Speaker C: Oh, you're. You're harder on than anybody. [00:20:46] Speaker A: Oh, I know. [00:20:47] Speaker C: I'm this. I'm the first. [00:20:48] Speaker A: Matt's not. I'm getting off the school bus as a junior coming home from a basketball game at 10:15 at night. Off the school bus, and I'm in trouble because it's 10:15 at night. Mom, I'm. God, it's the school. Listen. And when we clear this out now, mom was doing the best she knew how to do. I don't take that from her. She beats herself up to death over it. She probably never gonna hear this anyways. And if she does, this is exactly how I talk to her. It is what it is. She was just doing the best she knew how. But I brought all of that up because any opportunity I had to build relationships like this and to link in with people like you and stuff was slotted through a window at point some school. So when I get up, it's time to go. What am I going to do? And change and become. Be this and help build this. Because when I go home, it's. You shut down. [00:21:41] Speaker B: It's pretty wild. [00:21:41] Speaker A: Oh, it's nuts. [00:21:43] Speaker B: That's your. That's your. That was your means of communication then? [00:21:47] Speaker A: Yes. [00:21:48] Speaker B: You didn't have a girlfriends? [00:21:49] Speaker A: I mean, how serious could they be at school? And she's doing what she wants to do with a. A boy that's got a phone. [00:21:58] Speaker C: How old are you when you got a phone? [00:22:00] Speaker B: Oh, I had one when I was probably 13 or 14. [00:22:03] Speaker A: Yeah, dude. God, yeah. [00:22:05] Speaker C: I was in high school before I [00:22:06] Speaker B: got one, but I was in middle school, dude. [00:22:09] Speaker A: You know, I went. [00:22:10] Speaker C: Not me. [00:22:10] Speaker A: Like eighth grade. [00:22:11] Speaker C: Not me. [00:22:12] Speaker A: High school graduation. [00:22:13] Speaker C: Oh, actually, I did too, but I wasn't allowed to use it. That was back when you paid. [00:22:16] Speaker B: I'll tell you something, probably blow your mind. [00:22:18] Speaker C: That's back when you paid for the minutes. I wasn't allowed to use it. [00:22:20] Speaker A: I had it, sure, but I wasn't allowed to use it. You're right. [00:22:23] Speaker B: I'll tell you something that'll blow your mind real quick. In your, in my phone. Your contact's the exact same. It's been from that moment. I was sitting on the toilet at the grocery store. I was sitting on the toilet at the grocery store and I programmed your [00:22:39] Speaker C: phone in that you work or it that you worked at? [00:22:43] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, at the grocery store on the toilet. I was sitting there putting. [00:22:47] Speaker A: Matthew ain't changing butt. He let it ride. [00:22:50] Speaker C: Well, I ain't changed it. I mean, I still got the same number, but. [00:22:53] Speaker B: Yeah, it's the exact same number, but I'm just saying I ain't even changed. Like I put Fat Bobo. [00:22:57] Speaker A: That's what I put. That's what it is now. [00:23:00] Speaker C: Hey, I had that same cell phone company up to about two years ago. [00:23:06] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, so we went to high school practice, high school graduation two days before. And that, that, that was my first. I had my cell phone then. Yeah, that was like day one of the phone. [00:23:16] Speaker C: I don't know when I actually got a phone though, that I could use it like a phone. You know, I really don't know when that was because I didn't use it like a phone. I would go home and it'd be house phones. You'd be saying, is so and so there? [00:23:27] Speaker A: Oh, no, of course, speak with them. I mean, that's how it was for me. But you had originally said, you know, after high school till two days after high school graduation, oddly enough. The Wyeth Pharmaceutical plant up here and coming into Vonor, they built the whole building on this huge sinkhole. So I went straight into 12 hour shifts as a laborer construction crew. And they were running the drilling pipes down into the ground and sucking the grout out, pumping cement back in to expand the sinkhole and bring the building back level. 12 hour days. And that was my come. I mean, it could be like a coming to Jesus moment, but I just had no idea how long a day was and what the world consisted of. Until you work 7am to 7pm at 18 years old, two days out of high school, and you're just like, all right, I got enough time. You know, I had a cool car to me at the time. Run home, take a shower one lap around town, come back home, go to bed, do it all over again. I remember crying like a baby day one on the way to that job, thinking, whatever. I'm a real emotional Bo. You'll learn this. It is what it is. And I did that for years, off and on. Construction laborer. How pitiful. Because you just. They can call any moment, any night. Oh, need you in Roanoke in the morning. Kingsport and this and that. [00:24:46] Speaker B: I had no idea that you've done that. [00:24:48] Speaker A: Oh my God. For years. And Green Mountain Coffee, those huge silos over there off Andrew Johnson highway, they just. It's a. Green Mountain Coffee's a massive coffee. [00:24:59] Speaker B: I have never noticed it, man. [00:25:00] Speaker A: They've got 200 foot silos, hundreds of thousands of pounds of coffee just being beaned up and everything. And they've got to carry bags up through there. I spent a lot of time on construction sites. Learned a little bit about welding and things like that. These are just things that at the end of the day, just didn't carry no weight to me to where it mattered. Or I could have easily jumped into a trade and took offer and ran with it, but my mind just wasn't, you know, I couldn't see you doing [00:25:32] Speaker B: the construction thing at all. [00:25:33] Speaker A: Well, but again, in my mind, it was a way to make money and paid the bills. [00:25:38] Speaker C: You probably had somebody saying, you gotta get a job. [00:25:41] Speaker A: Oh, I was doing that from. Yeah, I was bagging groceries at Food City. 15 years old. I always had a job. And mom always taught me that. And I remember it. You want. You know why I'm crazy with money now? Because even for years, and I'm thankful for this, my mom always taught pay bills first. And I for 18 to 29, remember, okay, I got $34 till next payday. And buddy, I make $34 dancing this room. You hear me? I'm telling you, stretch, stretch. And it was often like that. And then there was times it wasn't like that. And then the housing market happened, which if y' all want me to get, maybe I'm getting a little too far ahead there. But. Yeah, that's. That's later on. We can get to that. But I just did a lot of. Any crazy long job I had. Stupidity finally caught up with me that I should have been fired from a hundred times anyways. But the boss got to know Sonian and it's just, you know, I was always that person that the boss absolutely loved because I did have a switch. So it didn't matter. As big as a jackass, I might have been that boy, get it done. I watched my Boss tear a ride up one time up in front of everyone, he had me. Dirt to gravel, son. It was over writing you up when you get done. And I said, we'll see about that. And I dropped four motors. I worked at Malibu Boats and was a motorman. Hydraulic shoved the motor down the rail. Line it up. Everything good. Drill your holes, hoses, everything. I did that for four and a half years. And I dropped all four by first break. And he came up there and said. He said, that won't happen again. I said, neither will this, giving you four motors ever again. But the places I could be, it doesn't matter. I don't live like that. I've been extremely blessed. We don't have kids born. Do you even remember life without kids? [00:27:42] Speaker C: You know, I think about that a lot. Not in a. Oh, I remember. Not. Not in, like, a negative way, right. [00:27:48] Speaker A: No. [00:27:49] Speaker C: But I think about all the time, you know, what would it be like if I wasn't coming home to this, you know? And then I'm reminded every time they're gone. [00:27:58] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:27:59] Speaker C: That's all we do is talk about them. [00:28:00] Speaker B: Yeah. You miss them every time. [00:28:02] Speaker A: I totally get. [00:28:03] Speaker B: Now. I will say. I will say, like, I do envy people like him and my cousins, you [00:28:08] Speaker C: know, you can take off and go. [00:28:10] Speaker B: They just. Just like that. All right. Hey, we're going. We're going to. We're going to run down to. To Florida this weekend. [00:28:15] Speaker C: Oh, hey, they got plane tickets for 40 bucks. [00:28:18] Speaker A: Let's roll. No, I get it. [00:28:19] Speaker C: You know, and you just take off and go. It is not like. [00:28:21] Speaker B: I don't want to compare it like this. Like, I just lost. I just lost my dog. You know, a few. You know, a few months ago, maybe, you know, six months, whatever. And the release that. That not having any animals now is [00:28:35] Speaker A: like, oh, oh, I bet. [00:28:37] Speaker B: Oh, man, that's nice. And then not. We're comparing them to the dog. [00:28:40] Speaker A: I know where you're coming from. [00:28:41] Speaker C: And it's not good that the dog's gone. [00:28:42] Speaker A: No, no, no, no, no, no. But they don't know we do. [00:28:46] Speaker C: I understand. [00:28:47] Speaker B: You know what I mean? If you can just walk out your door that morning and say, hey, honey, let's just. Let's just go. Let's just. Let's just go to the beach, you know, and you. [00:28:56] Speaker C: Oh, you're saying from a standpoint of, I ain't got to get back home, take care of the dog, let the dog out. [00:29:01] Speaker B: Yes. That's what I'm talking about. [00:29:02] Speaker A: I do get it. Because we do have A kid? Yeah, it's the dog. 2K. And thanks to my wife, you know, we had pets growing up, tied to the tree outside. Pet. There's no world I live in on this planet till I die off this planet where I will ever have a pet that I tie to a freaking tree outside. And that's where it lives. But thanks to my wife, I totally get it. And I just lost my father almost a year ago, and I do not know which one is going to be harder because, you know, I've. I'm through the dad thing. Yeah. I've settled up and I'm moving forward with life. It is tough, too, when I lose my dog. Dude, we're gonna do this again. Y' all have to console me on an episode. I'll just sit here and cry and y' all talk. It's gonna be tough, man. It will. It is. [00:29:47] Speaker C: Yeah. It means more than you think it does. I mean, I'm not a huge animal lover. My wife is massive. [00:29:53] Speaker A: Oh, mine is, too. [00:29:54] Speaker C: And my kids. My kids are. Well, that's what hurt. [00:29:58] Speaker B: That's what hurt the most when you lost them. [00:29:59] Speaker A: Oh, I bet. [00:30:00] Speaker B: And then the kid. You have to tell the kid that, you know, hey, we're going to tomorrow's. We're going to have to put the dog down and, you know, and you need to say your goodbyes tonight. Me and mom's going to handle it, you know, and that's. That's tough, you know? [00:30:11] Speaker A: Well, I only ask because I. We just listen. We were just never blessed with kids. We. Man, I may go home tonight, find out she's pregnant. I don't know. We accept that. I'm a godly man. I pray all day, every day. Good Lord keeps me around, has blessed me insanely. But we just so far were not granted the kid route. So, you know, we. It's just crazy because I love asking that question. Do you even remember life without kids? Because you, in my eyes, you guys are like super successful go getters. Imagine that. And this, Listen, this ain't taken away from your wives, from your kids. I'm huge fans across the board. I'm just saying, the shoes you have on right now, the money you make right now, and you ain't got no kids. It's over, dude. It's over. We're gold winging, you know what I mean? And I have the most amazing wife because she. You see this at times where I genuinely mean this, I spin bow. I go get it. I'm telling you, I don't care to Pay people like Matthew an extra or whatever it takes. I don't care to spend an extra thousand dollars of good customer services there. I don't care, to be honest. Life without kids. I can't spend what I make. So we just. We just do it, man. So that's awesome. [00:31:52] Speaker C: You don't have no worries coming from the. [00:31:54] Speaker A: But we do, we do. We really do. It's not like that. But we don't have car payments and stuff like that. And I got $60,000 of motorcycles at home, man. Yeah, I've got the titles to them things. [00:32:06] Speaker C: Yeah, you can, you can do it. [00:32:07] Speaker B: We went down, we rode motorcycles down and dude buys $2,800 worth of parts which can't even. We can't even get the parts on. [00:32:15] Speaker C: We got to ship them. [00:32:15] Speaker A: No, we got. No, I mean we put. Yeah, he helped put them on. But I'm just saying I got to get that off my chest about my wife. I. I mean that, that's not a front. Do I hear little snickers and stuff every now and then? Of course. She's the wife. At the end of the day, that's her job, man. She don't. She don't. She don't ride me. She don't. She don't tell me. No, I don't. I don't have to ask. She just supports to the fullest. I spend it same for her. But I guess that's a good thing cuz she don't. She hates spending money. So I'm like, don't worry, babe, I'll do it for the both of us. But you know, she has the same reigns of d. I just needed the world to know that the life I live and our lifestyle together thanks to the most amazing wife I have. It just works out. And is allowed that since we have no kids, I absolutely have the most perfect wife. Because if I want it on a reasonable level, four and five grand under, we just don't ask each other. And that's the same for her. Get it? [00:33:21] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:33:21] Speaker A: Talk about it at home later. And. Well, boys, be here till midnight, I'm telling you. So just move on into the next section if you want to. I love it. [00:33:33] Speaker C: All right, so you're at the. [00:33:35] Speaker B: And we also know his wife. [00:33:37] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:33:38] Speaker B: Us, I went to. I actually was raised in church with her. Her mom was a Sunday school teacher. But anyway. And we went to school with her. So she's a year behind us. [00:33:50] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:33:52] Speaker C: So you're at the sinkhole plant? [00:33:55] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, man. For a little bit. [00:33:58] Speaker C: How long did you do that? [00:33:59] Speaker A: I don't know, man. I've lost gosh knows how many jobs. Failed drug tests, smoking a little pot here and there. Who knows? I was probably there. What I want to say, a year. I think my first real job was to, like, Malibu. That was so awesome being a part of that. But of course, young, so. [00:34:19] Speaker B: Another thing, I had no idea that he couldn't imagine Steve slamming a motor in anything. [00:34:23] Speaker A: Oh, dude, I'm telling you. And that was. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Nothing towards them, but. No, no, I get it. I absolutely know where you come from. But the fiberglass would get in my hands and stuff and get insane boils, man, on my body to, like, infectious levels. Matter of fact, certain fingers. Fingerprints are rotted and that Fingers flat a little bit. I mean, there was a time where I could smash that finger completely flat. Just so infected and stuff. But, you know, the recession got me, the pandemic got me, the epidemic got me. If it's happened, it's took my career away from me. Me. And I've had to battle. I've been the underdog my whole life. I know that sounds so cliche. I'm talking with friends, girlfriends. I've only been married once. My vows remain true. I plan on riding that out to the end of this world. But just every aspect of my life, I've just always been the underdog. That I like to see where I can go and do it. [00:35:22] Speaker C: Nobody roots for an underdog. [00:35:24] Speaker A: Well, yeah, that's what you got. They don't like man. [00:35:28] Speaker B: Unless you don't like a man. [00:35:29] Speaker A: That's right. Don't like him even then, though. That's the beauty in it, Maddie, I bet you feel this. The ones who don't like me still lay their head down at night. Go. Damn. Love that guy. Promise you. Promise you they'll never admit it again. But anyway, yeah, I'm sure. Lead us on, Bo. Where are we going next? [00:35:50] Speaker C: Well. So you leave that place. [00:35:52] Speaker A: Yep. [00:35:52] Speaker C: Bounce around, get fired from other places. [00:35:54] Speaker B: Other places? Let's go to housing. The housing. That's where we were going. [00:35:57] Speaker C: What are you talking about? I guess it's gonna lead into that. [00:35:59] Speaker B: Your house? You said you said we'd get there in a minute. [00:36:02] Speaker C: Housing market. [00:36:03] Speaker B: I'm assuming this is where you're talking about, where you sold the house and. [00:36:06] Speaker A: Yeah, you know, it's just a game changer, I guess. A lot like you would. The house, Bo. Across the street from the cabin I grew up in. [00:36:19] Speaker C: And my cousins live there. [00:36:20] Speaker A: The white house up top yeah, yeah. [00:36:22] Speaker C: They bought it from you. [00:36:23] Speaker A: Oh, did they? [00:36:23] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:36:23] Speaker A: Oh, really? [00:36:24] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:36:25] Speaker A: Oh, big bow. [00:36:27] Speaker C: Okay. Well, yeah, they either bought it from you or bought it from somebody. Bought it from you. [00:36:33] Speaker A: I don't know. Where's he work or the. Your cousin? [00:36:37] Speaker C: He used to be a. A iron worker. [00:36:43] Speaker A: Yeah, I think that's right. [00:36:44] Speaker C: Used to be. [00:36:44] Speaker A: It doesn't matter. I guess he came from California. Yeah, right. Okay, so. Well, here we go. Once upon a time, I had bought that house. This is pre Mandy, which is my wife. And to be honest, it was just. [00:36:57] Speaker B: Is this the one in Sweetwater? [00:36:59] Speaker C: No, this is the one down. I rented that place down the hill from my house. [00:37:02] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:03] Speaker C: Cabin across the road. [00:37:04] Speaker A: The cabin I grew up in. [00:37:06] Speaker B: Across the road from that cabin. [00:37:07] Speaker A: Right across. I mean, if I'm standing on that cabin front porch and looking up the road there, boom. Okay. I didn't even know, but it came. [00:37:13] Speaker C: It's an old house it used to belong to. [00:37:16] Speaker B: Oh, that's the ones with The. [00:37:17] Speaker A: Had the four car garage and everything [00:37:20] Speaker B: in the first place. The YouTube videos. [00:37:22] Speaker A: Yes. [00:37:22] Speaker C: Oh, my dad knows all about that because he's old and he's around there. [00:37:29] Speaker A: That was just a big structure in the back. You want to talk about a dream garage? I had four bays. I had more bays. I closed one, put a door, made a window. Everything. Still had more garage than I ever wanted with. But the opportunity had just came up where the little small house I was renting for 400amonth at end, the time mom calls and goes, man, the house across the street's for sale. And it was going up being 700 financed after bond. I bought it for like a 100, $812,000 at the time. Lived there for. End up getting married, obviously no kids. So the start of the housing market. See, I'm that guy, you know, when everybody goes, yeah, man, that's awesome, but where are you going to live? What are you going to do? Well, I was. The guy was like, who cares? We'll figure it out. [00:38:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:38:22] Speaker A: Because I had this idea one day and I said, man, this ain't true. This ain't real. What would they give me for this place? Quarter million? I said, if you're going to give that kind of money, I'll figure it out. Yeah, well, your cousin. Here you go. I said, I'm out. And we just made it work. We did whatever that led us into Sweetwater. I loved Sweetwater. You know, my very first night in Sweetwater, we moved down there. Mom was kind enough, I guess that kind of Poked her fire a little that ended up selling out. [00:38:55] Speaker C: Selling hers. [00:38:56] Speaker A: Yep. And, I mean, there's some other life stories there, but that doesn't have anything to do with this story. But when we go down to Sweetwater, man, I go to the back bedroom that night, and I'm just, man, Mandy came over there and sat next to me, and she's like, honey, it's going to be fine. And I was just in such a. A world or a mess. I was just like, is money really worth it? This or that? And after she sat there and talked to me, the next two years was absolutely incredible. Sweetwater is an amazing place to live. I. I feel like just the community and part of it, and plus anything I'm doing today started down into there. So, yeah, man, I. I took the risk even to. And I don't know how many years ago that was, and I get so, oh, we're gonna wait till it calms down. It ain't calming down. Because remember earlier when I said we were a part of that generation where we just made everything shift and kept going? Welcome. This is the new Earth, man. This stuff ain't going backwards, not in our lifetime. Your kids might see it go backwards, but it ain't going. [00:39:58] Speaker B: I doubt it'll even go backwards. [00:39:59] Speaker A: It ain't gonna. It's just. This is the new normal. [00:40:02] Speaker B: I remember I talked to my cousin that was in real estate about, you know, about this time where we're at right now, and I was like, you think I should sell this place? He's like, you know, he said, you're. The housing's going to go up. He said, you know, he said, but more than likely, he said, I don't know that you need to sell it. He said, because, you know, it's. He said. He said, because, you know, everything was expensive and inflated. And of course, he's like, everybody's still paying for it. They're going to leave it where it's at. Yeah, it's exactly what he said. And it's. It's. It stayed right there where it's. It's maintained right there. [00:40:36] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:40:37] Speaker B: And he said. He said, you can do it, you know, he said you could probably wait, but he said, I don't think it's coming back down. [00:40:42] Speaker C: It's came down just a little bit, [00:40:45] Speaker B: but not much. [00:40:46] Speaker C: Brody's fixing clothes on his house. And where. Where the shift is there is half a million's too high enough, which is insane. Insane to say out loud. [00:40:55] Speaker A: That's my. Even then. [00:40:56] Speaker C: But half a million's too high. Now before that was s unseen paying for it. But now if you get just below that you sell for 490. [00:41:05] Speaker A: But that still don't stop Joe Blow from Arkansas who's loaded with money wants your home. Th those moments are still happening. [00:41:12] Speaker C: Well that's when we couldn't buy nothing because everybody was buying it before they even see it. You know I'd like to make an offer. Sorry, dude just bought it. He didn't buy any or. [00:41:19] Speaker B: No, he paid. He paid. [00:41:20] Speaker A: He paid 50 more. Luckily we knew the lady of the house I bought and then it wasn't hard for me to sell but that's what I'm saying. We're sitting here in this room. I vouch for you guys in Vaughn Oren Loud in Tennessee but there's a hundred million other Matthew Russell's and Beau Bradshaws and Sonians that have reflected and just shocked wave into the world and that just this is my beliefs, my thoughts. I'm not saying anything for anyone else and I just think the ripple effect in the pond literally trickled into everything to where the Matthews affected earth, the bows affected earth and it has trickled into the housing market, the grocery market, the. The old market you used to wear. It just doesn't matter because now it's just. You better get it because other people are going to take it. [00:42:12] Speaker B: Yeah. You got to go after it. Absolutely. [00:42:14] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:42:14] Speaker B: That's just the day and time we're in right now. [00:42:16] Speaker A: Now. [00:42:16] Speaker C: Well it so that did that. See, that's what happened to me. [00:42:19] Speaker A: I me kudos to you. I'm not cutting you off, but I know you're building awesome. I would love to do that. [00:42:25] Speaker C: I couldn't do that. [00:42:26] Speaker A: I just don't if it wasn't for [00:42:27] Speaker C: this housing market because I was able to refinance my house where I couldn't the prior year when I tried and paid for everything. I just wound up with two loans which would been, you know, so. But I was able to refinance and pay for the farm. [00:42:42] Speaker A: No, I'm with you. [00:42:43] Speaker C: So that it helped me. [00:42:44] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:42:45] Speaker C: I mean now I know I'm still in debt but I was able to put it. [00:42:48] Speaker B: Oh yeah. [00:42:49] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:42:49] Speaker A: So yeah they're going to get that no matter what. I just think people like us our entire life have been playing chess. Yeah. The rest of people has been playing checkers and then eventually realized maybe I'll start playing chess too. Folks like us have been playing chess from day. [00:43:05] Speaker B: No, I think we absolutely always. [00:43:07] Speaker A: Yeah, I think. [00:43:08] Speaker B: I think we've Been pretty successful. [00:43:10] Speaker C: We're like two moves ahead. [00:43:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:12] Speaker C: Or they're about here. [00:43:13] Speaker A: Whether it is taking advantage of a situation, I don't make crazy money. I've never bragged to that at all. But I recognize my chess game that I have to play daily. I recognize that we don't have kids. I recognize I'm a dual income household. And you know, we look at that as one big whop. Checkmate. Come on. [00:43:35] Speaker B: Yep, makes a difference. [00:43:38] Speaker C: So the housing market changed. [00:43:41] Speaker B: Sold it. [00:43:42] Speaker A: Sold it It. [00:43:43] Speaker C: Ch, that changed your world a little bit. [00:43:45] Speaker A: It sure did. [00:43:46] Speaker C: Now, when you went to Sweetwater, what'd you do down there? Was you buying a place? Renting a place? [00:43:50] Speaker A: We were just renting a place. The place I work at now, he was a supervisor there. But my one, another really good buddy of mine linked me in today. Call this guy, he's got some houses, whatever. Which actually got me the job that I have now. I'm just a forklift driver. I think I am greatly paid. We get awesome bonuses. But before that, you know, I worked 10 years at Honda and I was a shift supervisor. And that was like my first big boy chest beaten moment. Like I came in the door $9 an hour through the temp agency. And in three and a half years I was the second in command under. And you know, just the right people would lose their job and this piece would fall and this opportunity would come and that switch I was talking about earlier, it didn't matter. No one could outdo what I would wanted to do in certain moments. And then boom, I hit salary and I'm like, oh, I got people who had been supervisors for 20 years there. And if you'll remember years back, I had been a salaried supervisor for about three months. And the big wall changed. Y' all know what I'm talking about where they took your 37 and a half thousand salary a year and bumped it close to 60, your 50. [00:45:13] Speaker C: Oh, for salary workers and about the [00:45:15] Speaker B: hours and all that. [00:45:16] Speaker A: Yeah, I remember that. So now I had been, you know, we're talking about this chess game and pieces just falling in place. I finally nail supervisor after being told no three times after leaving second shift and going to first shift. But I did such a good job on first shift, they pulled me back finally. That's how they knew they'd get me. We'll offer him supervisor, he'll come back. So of course I did. But three months in, that's when the double the salary happened. So now the ones that's been there for 20 years I'm making what they make. As soon as I went back in that office, don't y' all be mad at me. Would you have turned it down? He ain't mad at you. I said, you better not. Well, you want me to do? Go up there and tell them? No, I'm good, man. [00:45:57] Speaker C: Started. Give it to them. [00:45:59] Speaker A: Oh, I want mine. I'm here. [00:46:01] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. [00:46:03] Speaker A: But that. The. The pandemic literally took that from me. Gift in a curse type situation again. I think the night the pandemic took my job from me, I just hit my 10 year vacation. So Honda paid me 222 hours of vacation on top of my 401k completely, no penalty. They gave this to me. So, yeah, it is what it is. I like where I'm at now. I love what I do. And we can dive into that whenever. [00:46:36] Speaker C: Did you leave there and go straight [00:46:37] Speaker B: to where you're at now? [00:46:38] Speaker A: No, man. You know, we sold the house and silly old me just thought, you could take 200 grand and ride this life on out. Okay, so I played golf for three and a half weeks. Spent about three, eight hundred dollars. [00:46:53] Speaker C: No, as it sounds like a dream come true to me. [00:46:56] Speaker A: I played golf for 18 days straight. I was already heavy into golf anyways. Bought new clubs, all kinds of stuff. But I really went on a stretch there. I really don't do the whole regret thing again. Life's great. To us. So I do wish I'd went back to work just a little sooner because, I mean, I see what this looks like. I can't imagine what it could have. I could have went back 40 grand sooner, you know what I mean, and really been balling. So that's just us talking and for the world to kind of get an idea of what's going on. My wife's gonna hate that. She hates when I talk about money, numbers and all that. And baby, I just told the world burners up. I didn't say too much. No, no, just us men are talking, but no, love my job, love what I do. And yeah, pandemic got me. [00:47:55] Speaker B: I didn't know that either. That's pretty wild. [00:47:56] Speaker A: Yeah, that was a tough one. I was just so committed. [00:48:00] Speaker B: Yeah, well, you've been there. I told them how long you been there? [00:48:03] Speaker A: I mean, they were offering furloughs, all kinds of stuff. They gave good ways out, man, like when you know they took care of you if you'd opted out and did this. I told them I'm riding, but he, the, the guy would never admit this. And Maybe a lot of it is my fault. I'm with that. That's another reason why people kind of end up clashing with me. Even when I'm wrong, I go to him. I'm like, dude, I know I'm an idiot. I know I'm. You know what I mean? I get it. But I'm the same Steve Smith, the Sonium. I'm the same Steve Smith no matter what. It's just most people don't recognize. Recognize. If I'm being like that with you all and other people, it's times 100 right here on me. I'm harder on myself than anyone. And he just did. This was his opportunity to do it. And now because he knew I wasn't going to wear, I would have rode that ship to the bottom falling out. And I should have went to BCI where I am now because at that time they had offered me and they were given stock away. Wow. So now you got to buy the stock. Which I did. That right. Anyways. [00:49:08] Speaker C: So you're currently working at BCI? [00:49:11] Speaker A: Yep. Drive a fork truck. 6am to 2:30. What do you think about that? [00:49:17] Speaker B: I would love that. I would love. That'd be another day. [00:49:20] Speaker A: I don't want no overtime. I don't want no extra money. I don't want your money. I want my eight hours. I want to go home. I love my home time with my wife. [00:49:31] Speaker B: Two o'. [00:49:32] Speaker C: Clock. [00:49:32] Speaker B: I just blows my mind. [00:49:33] Speaker A: Oh, I really blow your mind. Clock in at 6. First break, 8:30, lunch. 11:00am last break, 1:00pm Clock out 2:30. 95% of the time that's Monday through Friday. There are the occasional, oh, we're working tens this week. Drives me up a wall. No reason all 55 of us should be working 10 hour shifts. But little Ray Ray up here on the meat ochre push machines having a hard day. So now we all got work tension. I got bite my tongue, golly bum. But I accept it. I take that. I really do enjoy it. I like it. But no, I don't want no overtime, man. I don't. [00:50:15] Speaker C: What do they do there at bci? [00:50:16] Speaker A: We just make corrugated cardboard boxes. [00:50:21] Speaker C: So you're moving, you're moving those around on pallets. [00:50:24] Speaker A: They push through a big machine. Cut, die, cut, whatever. However the order is prompted. Grown exponentially self made millionaires in the building from the stock program that was given. No lies, real facts there. And I took my opportunity and chance to get in when the stock was 490A share and we just got our letters last week. It jumped up to 1140 a share. So just awesome. But, you know, you had people who have 4, 5, 600 shares over the past 20 years that's been given to them when it was $2 a share. You've got 500 shares and it's worth 1100 and $40 a piece. You do the math. I get it. Just not how it unfolded for me. Get in. Why? I can grab it while it's hot and just see where it can take you and go, I want my 6:00am I want my 2:30. I want to go home. I want to do what I do on weekends. Live life. [00:51:26] Speaker B: And it's. [00:51:27] Speaker A: That's so much more. [00:51:28] Speaker B: I have literally worked since I was 11 and always got home. Always got home. [00:51:35] Speaker A: I've heard y' all's episode. [00:51:37] Speaker B: No, no. Earlier than like six. And then when we worked in Knoxville, I mean, we would be seven o'. [00:51:42] Speaker C: Clock. [00:51:42] Speaker A: So does that give y' all a late bedtime? Oh, gosh, I do. [00:51:47] Speaker B: I don't have late bedtimes. No, I'm 9:30. [00:51:49] Speaker A: I'm. I'm with you. You know, that's late to me, though. Like, we'll go to bed like 8 o', clock, bro. [00:51:54] Speaker B: Be texting. You'll be texting this guy. 8:15. [00:51:58] Speaker C: He takes you next five. [00:52:00] Speaker A: Sorry, man. I was asleep. What? No kids? I get more rest through the week than I do weekends. No doubt. Oh, yeah, no doubt, dude. There's some weekends. I get six hours all weekend. Yeah, it's crazy. [00:52:15] Speaker C: Well, ever, ever, ever. Not with kids. It's like they've had an order from the freaking governor stay up till now, you know, no matter what they're making it till now. [00:52:24] Speaker A: You know, we really would mine. Bless her heart. You know, we. We had our stage where the wife, you know, she had a hard time with it about the no kids. We've made peace now. But you let me tell you what ends up really happening, and she'll love this and respect this. You get to the point where we are now, or I'm 40, she's 35, 36. And you. You look up now and go, hey, you still. You still want that kid? Like, where I'm not that it wouldn't. If that blessing happens, man, bring it on. Let's rock and roll. We'll shift and change and keep continue playing chess. I'm just simply saying all. All cards on the table. Me and hers had this talk, you know, do you want that kid at 40 and the life we built and stuff now versus 10 years ago when you're like, oh, I really love kids. Well, honey, if it happens, it does. You know, Are there other. Can you adopt? Of course. We've talked about all this stuff, but I don't think that card's gonna unfold for us. And we're really enjoying and loving what we do. [00:53:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:53:24] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:53:24] Speaker C: My wife's cut off. Was 30. She wanted to have two kids by the time she was three kids. Three is what she really wanted. [00:53:30] Speaker B: I. [00:53:30] Speaker C: After the second one, I'm like, Nah, right? You ain't getting three. [00:53:34] Speaker A: Not for me, I'll tell you three. [00:53:37] Speaker B: Two is. Is. It's. It's. You can play, you can even. It's even. And you. But three. [00:53:44] Speaker A: My buddy came out circus. My buddy came out after his third one. I'll never forget this. Boy, I really messed up. Now. That was after his third child and my sister just had her fourth. I got four nieces and nephews. [00:53:59] Speaker B: They said after four it just. It's just your third. That third is just. The fourth's normal. Because third. Third screws you up. I mean, it just does. It throws everything out of rhythm. It throws everything. [00:54:11] Speaker C: I feel like if I had a kid, a third kid right now, I feel like the. The other two would be. Become whatever it is they're going to become because I would be like, baby, you know, it's like, go away, go away. Get away from me, baby. Because I can't do all this now. [00:54:27] Speaker A: I'm. [00:54:27] Speaker C: I'm too old at this point for me, that's how I feel, man. I just. I couldn't do it. You know, Boone's got four now and it's just. [00:54:36] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:54:36] Speaker C: I couldn't imagine. Try going somewhere without them. How are you going to do that? How are you going to talk? You got to talk four different people and watch them one. [00:54:44] Speaker A: You know, I'm already just crazy. Just me and mine. I can't imagine some kids and toddlers running around. But. Yeah, that leads us up to recently. I'd say it's wild. [00:54:57] Speaker C: All right, so we're. We're at BCI now currently. [00:55:03] Speaker A: Currently still there. [00:55:05] Speaker C: So that's like. Sounds like my dream job. [00:55:09] Speaker A: I get it to me. I think it is for me, too. [00:55:12] Speaker C: I'll tell you what I really want. And I. I don't think I've said this on here, but I say it all the time. I want a job where all I answer for is me. [00:55:22] Speaker A: Yeah, ma'. [00:55:22] Speaker C: Am. Because I know that I'll do a good job. You know, Everybody will get 110 from me. Absolutely and right now, oh, I do a good job. It takes like anywhere between eight to 12 people doing a good job for me to have a good day. You know, I want to be in control of my good day. [00:55:40] Speaker A: The four years I've been there, there's no doubt on any level, even if boss man was to ever see this, this isn't a bragging anything. But I feel like there's often times he goes, steven's on it. Don't worry, you know, Steven doing this, doing that. And I always aimed anywhere. I was just. I used to be younger and stupid, man. So it doesn't matter now. It's just different. Everything I do today I know is allowed through my job. And I think it's my dream job. We get four bonuses a year. Four ain't never been nowhere. And one of them bonuses is as much as 10 year Honda was doing for me. So to get the shift and everything work out the way it is. Yes. Now my weekends, hell, you may get wild on weekends. That's a whole nother story, buddy. [00:56:28] Speaker C: Well, that's where, that's where it leads to. Next. So what, what do you want to tell us about the Sonia? Next. [00:56:34] Speaker A: So my name's Stephen Smith. My full name is Stephen Tyler Smith. Aerosmith. Yeah, mom did that. Dad wanted to do Wolfgang. I thought that was the craziest stuff for years. It makes a little more sense now. But, you know, we've all heard of the Smithsonian museums. So I just built this character and this Persona of everything. I always carrying this crazy head and mind around and, you know, my last name's Smith. I thought, man, I'll just call myself Smithsonian. Smithsonian, you know, everybody knows Smithsonian. And dude, I tell you what, is [00:57:18] Speaker B: this where we're going? [00:57:18] Speaker A: We're in the motor. [00:57:19] Speaker B: Let's go, let's go. Let's go to the YouTube, Lord, let's go to the YouTube. [00:57:23] Speaker A: We're into it all. Let's, let's. So before I fully dive into that, I've always been the guy where I feel like, you know, I mean, you got to think, dude, I used to record games and stuff on my VCR and playback. I DJ the high school dances and stuff. So I always had a knack for videoing and this and that. But I bought a 2022 GSXR, brand new showroom, Florida, drove it home, went for whatever birthday it was. I'm going to say 35th since I just turned 40 and a few dudes went with me and I thought, thought, man, this is awesome. This is awesome. And I knew right then I just wanted to build something and document it. But instantly, no doubt, no hesitation, I knew the use were out there. Just how do you find it and get it and go through what you got to go through to get to what it is now? And I thought, well, if we rode all year long and we set goals and we could do like this big thing at the end of the year. So for anyone who doesn't know, we, we ride on weekends, it's. I guess the further we get into it, Bo we. I won't say there's more separation, but you know, we do get older, kids get sick. I have things, you know, lost my father last year and boy, you want to talk about a lot show. Everything changed. I created Sony and Spectrum, went from there. People like this guy continued to kind of poke around and be around. And now we, we'll just say we still ride weekly. [00:59:10] Speaker B: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:59:11] Speaker A: Things happen. We know that. But we raise money throughout the year, through the season. And this coming November will be the fifth annual Sony and Spectrum Toy Run. And son, when I tell you, I knew were you at the very first one. Yep. I thought so. We did that at Hemp's barbershop parking lot. And I looked around and I said, oh, this is going to be crazy. I just knew. But I also know that they just don't hand you that you got to kind of go and put into it. And so for now into year five consistently, and this guy's even really lit a, a fire recently with him creating his YouTube. We've had some, some amazing conversations. I absolutely love it. It's made me think, I can't believe I've ever did an offseason. But you know, an offseason BO would be, you know, when the toy run comes around now it gets cold outside. Why the heck rides in the cold? [01:00:06] Speaker B: Not me. [01:00:07] Speaker A: They got gear and this and that, but I always. Doesn't matter what I put and did on YouTube. Then there'd come a five, six month gap. Nothing. Well, what if I gained a hundred people that was liking it. Now I just lost them. Yeah. Season two film for six months, put it all out there, raising money, toy run, nothing. Dad dies. This is season four last year. Dad passes away 12 hours later. Watch this. This is crazy. 12 hours later, I go to the Greg McFall's poker run. That was a year and a week ago. No, not a year, because maybe so. No, that was. Remember, because she did it later. I said that too. May 30 will be dad's one year passing. But last year, 12 hours later, after he passed, I went to the great McFalls poker run. And I have not let my foot off the gas sense. I don't know if he's with me. I don't know if he's pushing me. I don't know if it was like him just giving permission or this or that. And we had some talks and stuff, but there ain't no off season. There ain't no nothing. And I say that about Matthew because it's different when you do something for so long. And even if he was, you know, same for me, it doesn't matter. You got all these people around you just watching you and listening to you. And I'm gonna do this or I'm gonna do that, but all I ever did was encourage anyone to film or do this. You know, give. Give the world other views of what we're doing and this and that. No one ever did. You get comfortable, you settle in and you just go, oh, man. You know, just routine gets so crazy and you get someone come along, it really starts offering their side of things, their world, and it just. Rather than see any negative in it, just grab the positive and challenge yourself. I mean, as men, we'll leave the brotherhood, friendship out of it. Us three as men, aren't we supposed to, like, inspire and push you? Just. Especially if we care about each other. Like now, now we'll bring the friendship, brotherhood stuff in. We're supposed to encourage and like, lift up, lift up and challenge. And you, you shouldn't have said that, girl, in that grocery store or, you know, just anything. So I just think it's so awesome. I can't imagine what some people think. I do get it. Look back, it ain't been a year since I bought a brand new Harley by the Gold Wing. The good news is I've had that camera on from day one and I worked my tail off to get the community's respect. I think I'll start there. [01:02:59] Speaker B: But then like, yeah, because Loudon is on you. I mean, they're on you and with you for sure. I mean, he is Loudon. I mean, it is. [01:03:08] Speaker A: There's no doubt about that. But I. I think I give that back to them as well as. As far as, like, I don't go anywhere and beat my chest or anything like that. It's never that. I mean, if there's rewards and perks in it, that's not my fault. You know, if it comes with the program, then cool. It is what it is. But I'm never that. Oh, the Sonians here, this or that. But these people, this man. Bo, I'm gonna after, especially after tonight. I promise you, you watch, I'll be on you. Because I've heard about your interest in the toy run and it's cut. Whether it's now or whenever, it's just going to continue being. Dude, we helped over 800 children and families have a better Christmas. That's nuts, man. That's insane. And there's so many people I've asked to be a part of and this, that. But let me tell you 100% what's happening and going to happen. It'll get to this end, same awesome level, and I'll have to beat them off of me with a stick. But I'm. [01:04:16] Speaker B: Well, you already, you already have. You already have. The people that, that, that, that, that don't like that, that think that they don't, you know, they don't like me or whatever, but they're, they're actually in the closet watching content. I mean, that's just the way it is. [01:04:29] Speaker A: You know, Everyone gets the same chance with me. Not that it's a game or anything like that. I totally get that. If I've got someone of his caliber saying something like he's the exact same stuff, I don't think I'm out of the way with anyone. I don't think I do anyone wrong. But I do think this right here happens. And I think you two have had it in your life the whole time. So I would just bet high amounts of money you have examples. Here's what happens, guys, is people are so drawn to folks like us, then they start hanging around us. And I got hanging out with this guy. Oh, I'm going to open me a store too. Until they realize they can't keep up with the parts store. Until they realize they can't run a shop the way Bo runs a shop. Until they realize, dang, he ain't kidding. Damn. He's riding for the 18th straight week in a row and he's asking for more money. Gosh, I told you what I'm doing. I am going this way. And anybody on the planet can come with me. But if you come off of that ride, I'm not going back. Dude. Mama, daddy, wife, whoever, I'm going this way. Come with me or get off. But if you get off, I will not turn around and come back. And there's where the problem comes in. You did everything you had to do to get to this store. This is pre Coop, by the way. Then Cooper happened. Happens. Yeah. Well, I don't know enough about you to give you a powerful example, but you know enough about that to be like, you know what I mean? And people get so upset at the fact that you are going to do what you say you're going to do, then they really get their mind blown when you do it. [01:06:16] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [01:06:16] Speaker A: God dang. [01:06:17] Speaker B: You have to. You have to put that stuff in front of you. [01:06:19] Speaker C: Yes. [01:06:19] Speaker B: You have to put that stuff in [01:06:20] Speaker A: front of you and then just get tons of closet watchers. Yeah, tons of closet. [01:06:27] Speaker B: I know that. I know. [01:06:28] Speaker A: But we need you at the toy run, man. I'm telling you. [01:06:31] Speaker C: So for viewers and listeners. [01:06:34] Speaker A: Absolutely. [01:06:34] Speaker C: Okay. Toy Run is not enough. Let's hear exactly what you're talking about. Tell. I like, tell the viewers and the people exactly what you have done there and what your goal is, who you've helped, how many blah, blah, blah, blah. How do you get to that point, your season, where you start and where you finish that season with the toy run, how does that work out? [01:06:56] Speaker A: First and foremost, just by you saying that out loud. I wanted to tell you earlier, you nail hosting this show because, respectfully, Matthew Russell's never going to do what you just did. Does that make sense? [01:07:10] Speaker B: Oh, absolutely. [01:07:10] Speaker A: So that is. I recognize and see that, too. So here's your answer to your question. I just wanted to know. You do a really good job of breaking stuff down like that and dialing back into. Into it. So we fire a season up. There's a method, a rhythm, and a way that we upgrade every year of ones who do not know. Once upon a time, There was probably 20 or 30 of us, club or no club. It is not a club. It will never, ever be a club again. It is what it is. Lesson learned. And it has trickled down to probably three, maybe four humans that I only tell what I'm doing and invite to ride with me. I don't ride with anyone else. I don't do that. And Matthew is one of those humans, and I say that like this. So you're going to be the example here. We're grown men. We want to impact and change the community the best way possible. So we're way past the hey, let's go have fun and ride our motorcycle stage. If we're going to meet up and ride on our bikes, we're going to pull a little bit of dollars out of our pocket. I just thank the men who are around in what we do, the world we've built. The way you all work, I'm kind of that friend that's like, quit playing, man. I know you got it. Give me 20 bucks. But here's the good news in that. So we build that, we saved that all year long and we put that toward, towards toys at the end of the year. But what has happened, Bo, is now we got people that when that end of the year comes, they're just giving their money up. My company has given me a thousand dollars back to back years and now we can take money that we save throughout the year, which Matthew doesn't even know this part here. So we could do like a breaking news part here to where I think I'm going to take it easier on these guys moving forward about money out of their own pocket. And that's not to benefit them because respectfully, they're the ones who continue to show up. You know, all those people we used to have and stuff, I don't have to ask these guys. We go, right, and they come up to me with the money. [01:09:19] Speaker B: That's, that's just, that's a given. It is, you know, but you have to be, I mean, you have to know what the end goal is. It's not like exactly, well, Steve's riding, he's gonna want 20 bucks. I'm not riding, you know, so you got to cut all that stuff out. [01:09:32] Speaker A: And that's never once, never once him or the other two or three being like, where's the money? Well, like I said earlier, I film it all anyways, but it's never been shut off. It's never been hidden. At any moment they can ask the fund. So we, we started to create a fund so that if something happened, like, remember the young man we helped, Thomas? [01:09:55] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:09:56] Speaker A: Okay. He just lost his mother. So I talked to Thomas last night after his mother passed, and we're going to do a hundred dollar gift card to them. But we can't do stuff like that, Bo, if we don't have a fund. But for the first two or three years and even year four, we raise money all year long. We can't really spend that money or we can't. If we do, we can't buy toys at the end of the year. But now it's turned into this thing where I'm willing to roll the dice a little more and know that people are going to show up at the end of the year and be like, no, we got you. Here's some sponsor money. Here's this, take this. Buy toys and we can focus on helping all year long. So like Bo was saying, we Ride weekly. We. We collect money, we keep it. When things happen, we put it to. To good use. [01:10:42] Speaker B: We could roll up to a store and. And pay for people's gas. [01:10:45] Speaker A: Yes. At the moment. [01:10:47] Speaker B: Or we'll get somebody. If somebody in line in front of us, we'll get there. [01:10:50] Speaker A: And we've done this stuff, man. [01:10:52] Speaker B: We really have some of that stuff, say on camera, off camera, it's, you [01:10:56] Speaker A: know, there's a lot of tough decisions there too, because you do want to help people. We're in no world or way so big, you know, you. We say, I promise you. I say, no way more than we say yes. How could you not? We ain't got that kind of stuff. But then the toy run comes around at the end of the year to where I prep, plan, and promote to the fullest. And I mean, the. If no one can say. If people wonder, well, I don't know what that guy's good at. Well, they know. Without a doubt, they. They're the ones who can't stand me know, without a doubt. Like Matthew says, closet watchers, a hell of a promoter. Going to make it happen, going to put it on. And it just all comes together where I really think last year there were just moments we literally had over a [01:11:49] Speaker B: million dollars worth of cars sitting there. [01:11:51] Speaker A: That's nuts. [01:11:52] Speaker B: Lamborghinis. [01:11:53] Speaker A: Lamborghini, yeah. I mean, you name Porsches, people coming out. And that was last year. Now that he started a YouTube. See, I kind of just. In my world, you got to think, for four straight years, I put these videos and stuff out. Some of them videos got 68 views, man. I mean, it just, I. I didn't start that for none of that. If that ever happened, how awesome would that be? But now it's like, now I'm fully monetized. Matthew knows this. I finally hit the thousand subscriber mark, which is nothing, you know, not saying that, but for me it was. And then it went to 1500 and, you know, there's just no telling what doors can open now. This guy's got his foot in the door. And I marked my words on this second Floor Sessions podcast. The toy run will have subscribers from other states this year. I believe that in my heart of hearts, you're going to look up y. And there's some other things I'm not allowed to speak on that wouldn't be any type of betrayal or anything that if I know ends up happening. We could end up having like a new location and everything, man. And it just. I just think it's going to because [01:13:16] Speaker B: this year was, it was, it was stacked this year. [01:13:18] Speaker A: Yeah. You know that's a quick fix too is we just got to play the outer ring and keep the ones you get the policemen even more involved where we're running side by sides. Like people need to park at the bottom of the hill and take you a little side by side right up to the event or walk if you're capable and handy. But I'd love and I've told him this to get some someone like you with your statue, what you've built your management ship and see what kind of bears you can poke. Because before we know it, it'll be here. Before we know it, we're going to need all the help we can get. And before you know it, we'd love to have another load of toys show up courtesy of your shop. I just don't say the name because you ain't said the name but then I'm realizing you're wearing the shirt so I might as well said the name. You know what I mean? But I'll let you say the name if you want to see. Say that. [01:14:05] Speaker C: So. [01:14:06] Speaker A: Okay. [01:14:07] Speaker C: And so you. You gave me a compliment earlier about this cool man. [01:14:12] Speaker A: So. [01:14:13] Speaker C: And I think constantly about the viewers of the listeners and understanding about a podcast and when I listen to podcasts and whatnot and trying to understand what they're saying. [01:14:21] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:14:22] Speaker C: So to lay that all out, you work for a year straight of getting money donations, if you will. [01:14:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:14:30] Speaker C: We really towards this toy run at the end of the year, what happens? [01:14:35] Speaker A: So we set a date which is what. What has worked and happened is the weekend before Thanksgiving. We've done that two straight years in a row. Weekend before Thanksgiving really opens up the entire table to where after the event is over, which is the Sony and Spectrum toy run. It's usually about an hour to two hour event when we kick it off. All this is on YouTube by the way. Can I plug. [01:15:03] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. [01:15:04] Speaker A: So if you want to go to the Sonian T H e underscore S O N I A N on YouTube you'll see a boatload of what I call Maddie Ice Iceman and all four toy runs are on there. And that'll really give you an idea. Anyone intrigued wants to deep dive into it. But Bo, what you're asking is we. We put the toy run on that allows enough time between let's say a week before Thanksgiving through Christmas to where families in the community can go. We take the entire load of the event. All the toys that show up in those Two hours. I mean, dude, remember car. Carla, who pulled up in the trailer? [01:15:47] Speaker B: Carvana. [01:15:48] Speaker A: Carvana pulls up with a $35,000 van or Jeep full of toys. You know, this is what's happening. And unf. And they were. As they were leaving, they couldn't wait to get back next year. And, you know, you look up, and we make a loop around Loudoun. And then all the toys go to the city of loud and police and fire. And we fill this back room up, that back rooms and all the videos, watch that room grow. Oh, yeah, watch. Watch the first toy run ever. Burners up backers toy run. Watch season two, watch season three, and then watch last year. Nuts, man. And I just think it's incredible to, like, you're saying, work all year long, put a goal out there, have this big toy run event, and then the. It just doesn't stop from there. Because then what we did after last year's toy run was we get it. Some people just want to give cash. So we turn around and do what? Three families. [01:16:51] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:16:52] Speaker A: Yeah. Because the Donovan. So we did. Took three families out last year. And usually, you know, it gets kind of tricky. You want to be careful, and you don't want to force nothing on anyone. Nine times out of 10, you know, when we first started, it was just a couple gifts here and there. Again, the fun that we don't have. Right. But now it's just gotten to the point where we. It's been so successful, we've been stocking the entire home. [01:17:16] Speaker B: We ain't just buying mom's. [01:17:18] Speaker A: Dad, would you need new Italian sheets? Get them. [01:17:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:17:21] Speaker A: Get the cashmere. [01:17:22] Speaker B: You need an ice maker. Get you. We'll get an ice. [01:17:25] Speaker A: Hey, listen. No, listen. I didn't need to keep it real with planet Earth here. That ice maker about took me on out of here last year. That was my only moment in five years where I thought, God dang. $240 for an ice maker. But I was committed. They wanted it, didn't they? And I thought, lord, we ain't got it. [01:17:46] Speaker C: Like, so you guys. [01:17:47] Speaker A: So, you know, I'm trying to manage it, too. Does that make sense? I really don't mean to sound like that. [01:17:52] Speaker B: No, no, no, no, no, no. In a good way. I mean, that's. It has to happen. [01:17:56] Speaker A: I brought you here to spend a thousand dollars on you. [01:17:58] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:17:58] Speaker A: You want to spend seven quarter right now? [01:18:01] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah. [01:18:03] Speaker C: So you guys promote and you advertise this toy run. [01:18:07] Speaker A: Absolutely. [01:18:08] Speaker C: Right before Thanksgiving. [01:18:10] Speaker A: Yes. The whole month. Yeah. And. [01:18:13] Speaker C: But there's a. There's a date. Oh, yeah, there's a date when the run happens. [01:18:17] Speaker A: Yep. [01:18:17] Speaker C: And that's when everyone from anywhere you want to come from. [01:18:21] Speaker A: Absolutely. [01:18:22] Speaker C: But a big part of the community comes just bikes. [01:18:25] Speaker B: You can drive your car. [01:18:27] Speaker C: Anybody can show up. Anybody can show up and donate money. [01:18:30] Speaker A: Absolutely. [01:18:31] Speaker C: Or toys. [01:18:32] Speaker A: Or toys. [01:18:32] Speaker C: To this toy run. And what goes on at the toy run, like when they get there, is there anything going on there? [01:18:38] Speaker A: He hooks me up with a speaker and microphone and I go to work, son. All right, here you have a car. [01:18:46] Speaker B: A car show. [01:18:46] Speaker C: There's a car show. [01:18:48] Speaker B: We got car show bikes. We've got. [01:18:49] Speaker A: Have you seen any of the videos? Food trucks. [01:18:53] Speaker B: Yep, absolutely. [01:18:54] Speaker A: Right. Food trucks. [01:18:55] Speaker B: Yes, all. And our main, you know, our main food truck. [01:18:59] Speaker A: Well, shout out them. Last year was the first year we didn't have a food truck. We have a Sons of Smoke come out every year. And let's just give them the congrats. It is. They sell barbecue sandwiches and chips or whatever, and then whatever amount of money they make, they turn right over and hand it over. They didn't sell a single sandwich last year. He had just had some kidney surgery or something. He had some health issues and he still pulled up and donated a thousand dollars. [01:19:28] Speaker C: Boom. So. And at that point, you take the toys, they go to the fire and police department and they do what? [01:19:36] Speaker A: Well, they have a simple pro. I actually like this. I get it. You know, most people would just be like, oh, we can just pull up and get what we want. Well, we could do that, but do a little screen. Yeah. It. It's just simple. You go down there, you fill a little paper out. That way we're understanding that you're in need. What? That you're need. What part of the community is taking advantage? Not at all. There's not. This ain't no society security check. No numbers, no nothing. Just come fill this paper out so that we understand what we're spending money on and where it's going. [01:20:06] Speaker B: The people like that that are more fortunate, you know, just that have. That could make means and get their own toys, which we. If you go in there and fill that out. [01:20:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:20:17] Speaker B: They're still going to give you toys. [01:20:18] Speaker A: Absolutely. [01:20:19] Speaker B: If you feel okay doing that, then go for it. But. [01:20:22] Speaker A: Yeah, we're not going to tell you no. Yeah, no, we're not in the business of telling anyone no. And honestly, that opened me up. [01:20:28] Speaker B: I. [01:20:28] Speaker A: He's 100% correct. If you're okay with getting by and doing that, that's fine. But when I mentioned earlier, more Harder on myself. I do want to say this. I'm not siding with this. I'm just saying I kind of, the older I get, understand even the rich need a break. And I think what we're building and offering up is what was so heavily promoted as struggling families and needy children is just an event now to where we want to create some peace and joy in your life. So if you have to drive your hundred thousand dollar GMC Denali out here because you just made the $2800 car payment and now you don't have money for Christmas, well, the good news is the Sony inspector and toy run is so freaking awesome that drive that truck on down here and get you a load of toys. We're not asking, asking questions and we ain't going to tell you no. [01:21:22] Speaker C: Okay. [01:21:23] Speaker A: We just think people have a lot of real demons out there and we just try to help fix that. [01:21:27] Speaker C: That's good. That's good. So are you guys down there as they're giving toys away? [01:21:32] Speaker A: No, no, no, no. We could be, but it's just such a process. 800 people throughout that time. You know what I mean? [01:21:41] Speaker B: From end of November to Christmas, you've [01:21:44] Speaker C: done your work right there. [01:21:46] Speaker A: That's the beauty. Yeah. [01:21:47] Speaker C: Because you've done your job. [01:21:49] Speaker A: We could fill this up, but I mean, we would have already filled this head to toe. [01:21:53] Speaker B: Oh, I should have. No doubt. [01:21:54] Speaker A: That's the beauty in it. City rallies behind us. They love it. They offer us a place. And while we work our tails off all year long. And he knows, he knows. He bo. When I tell you it's a nose dive into the depths of whatever, I go and I don't stop until the end of the toy run. And it's awesome to do all of that and gather that and respectfully just dump it off on them and let them take it from there. Yeah, I mean, it's a huge help. I could not imagine if we were responsible. [01:22:29] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [01:22:29] Speaker A: No. [01:22:29] Speaker B: I don't know. [01:22:29] Speaker A: For the hand. I don't know what part. 800. [01:22:33] Speaker B: I mean, I don't know. Yeah, we'd have to have JD sleep down there. [01:22:37] Speaker C: You still got your own lives you got to do. Even though you take. [01:22:41] Speaker B: And the good thing is with the fire department, they're somebody 24 7. [01:22:45] Speaker A: Absolutely. [01:22:45] Speaker B: So it works. [01:22:46] Speaker A: It works out. Really? You didn't even think about it like that. [01:22:48] Speaker C: And that's tax dollars paying them. Let them work for the people. [01:22:51] Speaker A: No, absolutely. [01:22:52] Speaker C: People's company works out perfect. [01:22:53] Speaker A: Absolutely. Come out, write your little paper down. Get the process Started. Boom. [01:22:58] Speaker C: And how many families? [01:23:01] Speaker A: The number that was relayed to me was over 800 children. I just tied in with families because unless these kids are like, you know, just coming up by themselves, I just deem it in. I mean, of course, an exact number on families. There could four. Four of those kids. You know what I mean? [01:23:16] Speaker C: Eight hundred and something kids. [01:23:18] Speaker A: Right. That's incredible, man. And then like, year one, two, and three was like maybe 800 collective. Where. [01:23:28] Speaker C: Where was you at on year one? How many. How many kids? [01:23:31] Speaker A: Oh, gosh, like 213, if that. [01:23:35] Speaker C: 213. [01:23:36] Speaker A: I. I want to say something like that. I've got a little short up or a video when we were in the parking lot last year where I had exact number details. But let me put it to perspective. Like this. The year one toy run. Anyone that wants to run to the YouTube and check this out. We filled. This is the toys we did in one hour. Four days of planning, by the way. Four days. I called Scotty Newman. I said, hey, I want to do a toy run. He said, let's make it happen. I said, I got a plan. Four days later, we had that toy run. We filled, you know, the. The loud and cop trucks with the beds. We filled a truck bed and a half up. That was the first annual Toy Run. The fourth annual Toy Run that just happened supplied over 800 children with Christmases, and I'm almost willing to bet would have filled this room twice. Oh, yeah. Full of tools. [01:24:27] Speaker B: Absolutely. [01:24:28] Speaker A: It just nuts. And we got some heavy hitters now. Yeah. Friends of the community pulls up doing what they do. And that's the beauty in it. Like, you know, we have a competition. Fun with it. But now you got to match it. I've always matched it. If I did it like this, that means I did it like this the next year. And then that following year, I did it like this. [01:24:50] Speaker C: Yeah, it'll just double. [01:24:51] Speaker A: So now friends of the community shows up and. And puts an absolute smoke show on. Gotta match it. That's what we want. We never want to win the toy run again. We have a friendly competition with it. You can't out toy the spectrum. That's right. [01:25:07] Speaker C: All right. [01:25:08] Speaker A: Yeah, dude. [01:25:08] Speaker C: Well, there you have it. That's. Love it, you guys. Anybody listening can contribute to that. I mean, you could be part of the. The help there. Those kids need at any point. If you are too busy, you don't have, you know, time to go and shop. I hate shopping. Yeah, absolutely. Can't stand it. [01:25:27] Speaker A: We'll do it for you. [01:25:29] Speaker C: Yeah, you can donate money. It's just a simple stop by, donate, give whatever you want. Anything helps. Because a little bit by everyone is a lot. So. [01:25:39] Speaker A: Amen. [01:25:40] Speaker B: That's right. [01:25:41] Speaker C: But you know anybody listening who's interested? Go to his channel, check it out, you'll see what they do. I mean that's amazing. First 219. 13. 213 to 800 and something families. Can you imagine being a struggling family and having somebody to help you? Huge. [01:25:57] Speaker A: That's awesome. [01:25:58] Speaker C: Huge. [01:25:59] Speaker A: Please subscribe to the channel the Sonian. Thank y' all man, that was awesome. Bo, you're good at what you do and you're an awesome friend. Y love these guys. Check out their show. Second four sessions. [01:26:13] Speaker C: First episode with a guest in the books. Sky's the limit now. Thanks for tuning in. We'll see y' all Monday. [01:26:23] Speaker B: See you guys next time. [01:26:27] Speaker C: Burners out.