Agile Always by Officially Fenner

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When we got married, we were so young we didn't think about these key building blocks!  We WERE best friends, loved spending time together, and were very attracted to each other. We just ASSUMED we would last forever. 

But staying together for 43 years takes a lot more than that. So, we're breaking down some of the things that we figured out and can now better articulate for others to focus on...things like trust. 

How do you build trust? It's not just what you say, it's what you do. How do you communicate? (Hint: it's not just talking, but also listening.) How intentional are you about your relationship? Listen in as we dissect how we figured some of this out. 

Talking about this is therapy for us, lol,  but you get to benefit!

Thank you for spending time with us today! We hope you enjoyed our conversation, related to something we said, and learned something new along the way.  

Please give us a like and subscribe to our podcast, so you don't miss ANYTHING! 

Follow us @AgileAlways and be sure to check out our website, www.agilealways.com! 

A special thanks goes to @yancylott for producing, editing, and creating the music for our podcasts!
xo,
Robin & Rudy

This presentation and its multimedia recording and all its contents including all text, graphics, sounds, audio,  and video content are protected by copyright and are the intellectual property of Fenner Productions, LLC.  All rights reserved. This recording contains material that is protected by internationally valid copyright. No part of this recording or associated handouts may be reproduced, transmitted, publicly posted, or transcribed without the express written permission of Fenner Productions, LLC. Fenner Productions, LLC rejects any claims that transcend the clauses of the guarantee rights. Fenner Productions, LLC does not undertake any liability for the correctness of the content of the presentation. The contents of the presentation may be changed without prior notice. All trade names and trademarks are the property of the respective owners. The trademarks mentioned here are named for information purposes only.

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We celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary last summer. We have a lot of fun but no one has a roadmap for marriage that's absolute. Each relationship is totally unique. We don't know how we got here. We think there are some common threads so this is
part one of a series called "A Marriage That Lasts". 

Starting with how do you find the right person, in this episode we talk about how we met and what made for interesting challenges in their relationship. We realized the qualities that we liked in each other - things like how mindful someone is of who you are. What are the things that we found in common that we enjoy doing? What are his/her values? 

Throw in what we call "The Rock n' Roll Era", when Rudy emceed for concerts with artists like Bill Withers, Michael Jackson, The Commodores (with Lionel Richie), Smokey Robinson and so many others....and our dates weren't the same as going to McDonald's on Friday nights. They're fun stories but lead us to what we learned about loyalty and dependability. 

And then consider what's important. It's not what someone says but what they actually do that tells you what someone believes in. Do you inspire each other? Do you free each other? Do you balance each other? How do you help each other through tough times? 

Get ready to laugh along with us in this episode, (but take a few notes just in case you're trying to figure out if he or she is "the one"!).

Thank you for spending time with us today! We hope you enjoyed our conversation, related to something we said, and learned something new along the way.  

Please give us a like and subscribe to our podcast, so you don't miss ANYTHING! 

Follow us @AgileAlways and be sure to check out our website, www.agilealways.com! 

A special thanks goes to @yancylott for producing, editing, and creating the music for our podcasts!
xo,
Robin & Rudy

This presentation and its multimedia recording and all its contents including all text, graphics, sounds, audio,  and video content are protected by copyright and are the intellectual property of Fenner Productions, LLC.  All rights reserved. This recording contains material that is protected by internationally valid copyright. No part of this recording or associated handouts may be reproduced, transmitted, publicly posted, or transcribed without the express written permission of Fenner Productions, LLC. Fenner Productions, LLC rejects any claims that transcend the clauses of the guarantee rights. Fenner Productions, LLC does not undertake any liability for the correctness of the content of the presentation. The contents of the presentation may be changed without prior notice. All trade names and trademarks are the property of the respective owners. The trademarks mentioned here are named for information purposes only.

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We tried to eat well in the past and thought we were doing okay. But there were major challenges with what Rudy could digest. After his cancer diagnosis earlier this year, we committed to being more intentional about eating in a healthier way, AND we found a way around Rudy’s challenges! 

Our daughter Courtney led the charge by creating new recipes, many of which included more plant-based ingredients. On the road to eating more plant based, there are three things that we learned to get started: 

1. Meet people where they are 

2. Each person’s plan will be different 

3. Experiment with different foods and new ways of prepared them 

There is a debate about whether sugar leads to cancer or its growth. We’re not medical professionals and can’t answer that question. But what we HAVE learned, and makes sense to us, is that too much sugar CAN lead to other conditions that in turn, may lead to cancer. 

Reduce Sugar 

One of the first things that we did was to start counting the grams of sugar in each serving of our food, and limited it to 36g a day for Rudy, and 24g a day for Robin. We found that adding seasonings and spices really helped to replace some of the flavors that we associate with the sweetness of sugar. 

Reduce Processed Foods 

We also further reduced processed foods, including processed meats! Yes, we kept some things like canned beans, but in general we made a conscious effort to reduce food that can stay on the shelf for months. As our doctor says, if you can’t pronounce all of the ingredients, it’s probably not good for us to eat it. 

Eat More Fresh

Okay, THIS had been the hitch for more than 40 years. As a child, Rudy ate some bad watermelon and since then, he was unable to digest any fresh fruits and vegetables. Even many that were cooked to some degree, caused problems for him. These foods – many of them known to have cancer-fighting nutrients – were a non-starter and he really wanted to eat them! This was so unusual that it was a mystery to his doctors. 

Rudy says that as people we need to be in community, and learn about each other’s experiences. Once his sister really understood his issues, she suggested that he might have an enzyme deficiency that was preventing my digestion of these foods. He found a plant-based enzyme that has been life-changing. And today he can eat ANY fruit or vegetable that he wants. 

Other Changes W

Thank you for spending time with us today! We hope you enjoyed our conversation, related to something we said, and learned something new along the way.  

Please give us a like and subscribe to our podcast, so you don't miss ANYTHING! 

Follow us @AgileAlways and be sure to check out our website, www.agilealways.com! 

A special thanks goes to @yancylott for producing, editing, and creating the music for our podcasts!
xo,
Robin & Rudy

This presentation and its multimedia recording and all its contents including all text, graphics, sounds, audio,  and video content are protected by copyright and are the intellectual property of Fenner Productions, LLC.  All rights reserved. This recording contains material that is protected by internationally valid copyright. No part of this recording or associated handouts may be reproduced, transmitted, publicly posted, or transcribed without the express written permission of Fenner Productions, LLC. Fenner Productions, LLC rejects any claims that transcend the clauses of the guarantee rights. Fenner Productions, LLC does not undertake any liability for the correctness of the content of the presentation. The contents of the presentation may be changed without prior notice. All trade names and trademarks are the property of the respective owners. The trademarks mentioned here are named for information purposes only.

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The past 12 months have been a whirlwind for us. One of the biggest changes that we've had is seeing our first granddaughter leave for college. Our relationship might be closer than some families because Malani and her mom lived in our home for most of her formative years. We were lucky to have that time together and were involved in supporting her as she prepared for this transition.  

We know things have changed in the 20 years since our daughters went to college, but it was really fascinating how much! Back when our girls were doing this, they wrote their own essay or two, toured some schools and with fingers crossed, applied to state colleges and universities with the hopes (at least ours as parents) of benefitting from in-state tuition and a two-hour ride from home. 

Preparing for the college application process starts earlier than ever. College consultants can assist students and parents in the application process, writing multiple essays, the common application, FAFSA forms, staying on schedule and so much more. Hint: If you're thinking about this kind of service, look for the person you want to work with while your teen is in the 10th grade. The best ones will be booked early 

We definitely learned a lot during this process and in this episode of the Officially Fenner podcast, we're going to begin a conversation about what we call "The Real Kollege Knowledge", because...it's a different world!

We're talking about the options that young adults have as they plan for post-high school life, the investment of time, patience and resources, planning, research and creating your tribe of support including family and yes, our college consultant, who I now refer to as Malani's Fairy Godmother :)

This is episode one of a series on the road to college.  If you are a parent, or grandparents like us of a soon-to-be high school graduate, tune in as we share what worked for us, and be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss upcoming episodes. We'll cover choosing the right school, paying for college, ways to save on the cost, things that we didn't expect, and the things we found that were really helpful as Malani prepared to leave.

Resources mentioned in this series include: 
College Consultant - @Geanine Thompson - http://www.thecollegeguru.com 
Kollege Knowledge: A Grrl's Guide to Surviving the First Year -  https://www.amazon.com/Kollege-Knowledge-Girls-Guide-

Thank you for spending time with us today! We hope you enjoyed our conversation, related to something we said, and learned something new along the way.  

Please give us a like and subscribe to our podcast, so you don't miss ANYTHING! 

Follow us @AgileAlways and be sure to check out our website, www.agilealways.com! 

A special thanks goes to @yancylott for producing, editing, and creating the music for our podcasts!
xo,
Robin & Rudy

This presentation and its multimedia recording and all its contents including all text, graphics, sounds, audio,  and video content are protected by copyright and are the intellectual property of Fenner Productions, LLC.  All rights reserved. This recording contains material that is protected by internationally valid copyright. No part of this recording or associated handouts may be reproduced, transmitted, publicly posted, or transcribed without the express written permission of Fenner Productions, LLC. Fenner Productions, LLC rejects any claims that transcend the clauses of the guarantee rights. Fenner Productions, LLC does not undertake any liability for the correctness of the content of the presentation. The contents of the presentation may be changed without prior notice. All trade names and trademarks are the property of the respective owners. The trademarks mentioned here are named for information purposes only.

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The summer’s one of our favorite times of the year with warm weather, longer days, concerts and more. However this summer has been very different: Rudy has been dealing with an unexpected health challenge that’s actually taken us back to things we talked about in our Fitness Roadmap series (Season 1) - LIFE. IS. COMING!  We can't control everything that happens to us but we CAN control how we prepare ourselves so that whatever we face, we're in the best possible position. 

In this episode of our podcast, we share Rudy's recent cancer diagnosis - one that nearly took our breath away. He's fit, eats well, and doesn't smoke, drink or engage in behaviors that you might associate with this kind of diagnosis. But like so many others, here we are.

Thankfully, we have an amazing medical team and as always, we're leaning on God to bring us through.

The road isn't easy but fortunately, the outlook is very promising. Rudy done very well and is  almost done with treatment. We look forward to good results when he is finished. 

We think there may be some things that we're experiencing that will help others, so we’re sharing story here. 

Music and Production by @yancylott

Thank you for spending time with us today! We hope you enjoyed our conversation, related to something we said, and learned something new along the way.  

Please give us a like and subscribe to our podcast, so you don't miss ANYTHING! 

Follow us @AgileAlways and be sure to check out our website, www.agilealways.com! 

A special thanks goes to @yancylott for producing, editing, and creating the music for our podcasts!
xo,
Robin & Rudy

This presentation and its multimedia recording and all its contents including all text, graphics, sounds, audio,  and video content are protected by copyright and are the intellectual property of Fenner Productions, LLC.  All rights reserved. This recording contains material that is protected by internationally valid copyright. No part of this recording or associated handouts may be reproduced, transmitted, publicly posted, or transcribed without the express written permission of Fenner Productions, LLC. Fenner Productions, LLC rejects any claims that transcend the clauses of the guarantee rights. Fenner Productions, LLC does not undertake any liability for the correctness of the content of the presentation. The contents of the presentation may be changed without prior notice. All trade names and trademarks are the property of the respective owners. The trademarks mentioned here are named for information purposes only.

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As we noted in our first episode on this topic, Marvel productions drive a lot of our dinner table conversations. Who knew that the Marvel franchise would be this generation's "Andy Griffith", "Fresh Prince", or even "Modern Family" in way that it draws families of all ages together to enjoy movies and shows, and continue to talk about them later? 

In this episode, we're continuing our exploration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and its impact across generations. Today's guests are Marvel aficionados, our son-in-law David (@yancylott), and our granddaughter Malani, who help to round out Marvel perspectives from different generations. We're sharing ideas on what's the best way to watch this franchise, favorites, highlights, why Marvel doesn't seem to get love from the
film industry awards, comparisons to D.C., and more! 

Whether you already love the MCU, or wonder what the heck is the big deal, you won't want to miss this fun conversation as we break it down right here. Tell us what you think! What are your favorite movies, characters, and actors and why? 

And as always, thanks for checking us out. Please be sure to like and follow!

Thank you for spending time with us today! We hope you enjoyed our conversation, related to something we said, and learned something new along the way.  

Please give us a like and subscribe to our podcast, so you don't miss ANYTHING! 

Follow us @AgileAlways and be sure to check out our website, www.agilealways.com! 

A special thanks goes to @yancylott for producing, editing, and creating the music for our podcasts!
xo,
Robin & Rudy

This presentation and its multimedia recording and all its contents including all text, graphics, sounds, audio,  and video content are protected by copyright and are the intellectual property of Fenner Productions, LLC.  All rights reserved. This recording contains material that is protected by internationally valid copyright. No part of this recording or associated handouts may be reproduced, transmitted, publicly posted, or transcribed without the express written permission of Fenner Productions, LLC. Fenner Productions, LLC rejects any claims that transcend the clauses of the guarantee rights. Fenner Productions, LLC does not undertake any liability for the correctness of the content of the presentation. The contents of the presentation may be changed without prior notice. All trade names and trademarks are the property of the respective owners. The trademarks mentioned here are named for information purposes only.

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Have you or your family ever found yourselves itself in the midst of something and then realize, “This is bigger than us”? That is an attempt to describe this Officially Fenner podcast.

When our 7-year-old granddaughter asked, “When are we going to see the new Spider Man movie?”, it was such a Deja vu moment! That's because I said the same thing about Morbius! 

Our 17-year-old granddaughter said the exact same thing about Dr. Strange's Multiverse, and our son-in- love who’s thirty-eight has said that about several Marvel movies. We thought about it and realized how the MCU (aka the Marvel Cinematic Universe) consistently captivates audiences that span generations. 

So we invited David (our music and technical producer) and Malani (one of our granddaughters) as our guests, so you really get the multigenerational perspective!

What is it about a franchise based on superheroes that receives few critical accolades, but rose from the ashes to become the biggest movie franchise in history? Why do we spend so much time dissecting characters, plot points, and what’s next? What is it about Marvel? 

We decided to talk about this in our own multiverse…the Officially Fenner podcast… and we invite you to listen in and let us know what you think! And what do YOU think is the underlying theme that ties us all together?

Be sure to subscribe and follow us so you don't miss Part 2 of this conversation!

Thank you for spending time with us today! We hope you enjoyed our conversation, related to something we said, and learned something new along the way.  

Please give us a like and subscribe to our podcast, so you don't miss ANYTHING! 

Follow us @AgileAlways and be sure to check out our website, www.agilealways.com! 

A special thanks goes to @yancylott for producing, editing, and creating the music for our podcasts!
xo,
Robin & Rudy

This presentation and its multimedia recording and all its contents including all text, graphics, sounds, audio,  and video content are protected by copyright and are the intellectual property of Fenner Productions, LLC.  All rights reserved. This recording contains material that is protected by internationally valid copyright. No part of this recording or associated handouts may be reproduced, transmitted, publicly posted, or transcribed without the express written permission of Fenner Productions, LLC. Fenner Productions, LLC rejects any claims that transcend the clauses of the guarantee rights. Fenner Productions, LLC does not undertake any liability for the correctness of the content of the presentation. The contents of the presentation may be changed without prior notice. All trade names and trademarks are the property of the respective owners. The trademarks mentioned here are named for information purposes only.

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In the first two episodes of the "Kitchen Chronicles" series, we shared our recent experience with our kitchen renovation. Today, we have the pleasure of introducing our guests, Janice Harvey of Janice Harvey Designs, and Shereen Farahani of Premier Floors and Home, who worked with us on this project!

In this conversation Shereen and Janice share how they started working in design and what makes a renovation like this work so well. They also explain how trusting the innovation of your team can result in a genuinely individualized space. You won't want to miss hearing them discuss some of the creativity and trends used in home renovations and how one of the things that made our experience go so well is the working relationship they have with each other.

Thank you so much for listening! To see the bonus “Before and After” photos of our project, please visit our “Officially Fenner” channel on YouTube. The images are at the end of the conversation.

To keep up with us between podcasts,  follow us here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officiallyfenner/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/officiallyfenner

To talk to Janice and Shereen about YOUR next project, reach out to them here:

Janice Harvey
Janice Harvey Designs, LLC
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/janiceharveydesigns

Shereen Farahani
Premier Home Center
45714 Oakbrook Ct #140
Sterling, VA 20166
Phone: (703) 421-4339

Products used:
Cabinets - @designcraftcabinetry and @waypointlivingspaces 
Dishwasher - @mieleusa 
Refrigerator - @dacorkitchen 
Microwave - @lgusa 
Double Oven - @geappliances 
Sink - @kraususa 
Faucets @kraususa 
Cooktop - @fulgormilano_na 
Floors – Lexington

Thank you for spending time with us today! We hope you enjoyed our conversation, related to something we said, and learned something new along the way.  

Please give us a like and subscribe to our podcast, so you don't miss ANYTHING! 

Follow us @AgileAlways and be sure to check out our website, www.agilealways.com! 

A special thanks goes to @yancylott for producing, editing, and creating the music for our podcasts!
xo,
Robin & Rudy

This presentation and its multimedia recording and all its contents including all text, graphics, sounds, audio,  and video content are protected by copyright and are the intellectual property of Fenner Productions, LLC.  All rights reserved. This recording contains material that is protected by internationally valid copyright. No part of this recording or associated handouts may be reproduced, transmitted, publicly posted, or transcribed without the express written permission of Fenner Productions, LLC. Fenner Productions, LLC rejects any claims that transcend the clauses of the guarantee rights. Fenner Productions, LLC does not undertake any liability for the correctness of the content of the presentation. The contents of the presentation may be changed without prior notice. All trade names and trademarks are the property of the respective owners. The trademarks mentioned here are named for information purposes only.

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Our recent kitchen reno was a big job that a lot of people can relate to, so we decided to start with a mini-series that we call The Kitchen Chronicles.

In our last episode, we talked about why we renovated the kitchen, what we were up against in terms of time,  our pain points with the old kitchen, and figuring out whether we would piece-meal the work on hire a full contractor.

Here, in episode 2, we cover "Living Through Construction". Yep, we didn't have access to that space for over five weeks,  during Covid, with a slow supply chain, and a six-person household, which included a new baby!

We couldn't move out, so we had to figure out how to create and live in very limited part of the house when our primary space wasn't available.  We also had to think about meal prep beyond takeout, cleanup, having a dog with all of the commotion, and deal with other inconveniences.
Our family of 6 was so patient, but there was still stress, especially when time was lost making corrections so we could pass inspections.

There are extra things to budget for too, like periodic lunches for the crew which are nice to offer to the team that's working super hard in your home.

But we made it through and here we're sharing what strategies worked!

Please watch and be sure to give us a thumbs up and "Subscribe" so you don’t miss anything! 

You can also follow us here!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officiallyfenner/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/officiallyfenner

Thank you for spending time with us today! We hope you enjoyed our conversation, related to something we said, and learned something new along the way.  

Please give us a like and subscribe to our podcast, so you don't miss ANYTHING! 

Follow us @AgileAlways and be sure to check out our website, www.agilealways.com! 

A special thanks goes to @yancylott for producing, editing, and creating the music for our podcasts!
xo,
Robin & Rudy

This presentation and its multimedia recording and all its contents including all text, graphics, sounds, audio,  and video content are protected by copyright and are the intellectual property of Fenner Productions, LLC.  All rights reserved. This recording contains material that is protected by internationally valid copyright. No part of this recording or associated handouts may be reproduced, transmitted, publicly posted, or transcribed without the express written permission of Fenner Productions, LLC. Fenner Productions, LLC rejects any claims that transcend the clauses of the guarantee rights. Fenner Productions, LLC does not undertake any liability for the correctness of the content of the presentation. The contents of the presentation may be changed without prior notice. All trade names and trademarks are the property of the respective owners. The trademarks mentioned here are named for information purposes only.

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When people listened to our Fitness Roadmap podcast during the past year, some heard more than fitness stories – they heard about us as a couple and suggested that we expand our conversations beyond fitness.  We thought about it and decided to do just that!
 
 We’ve renamed this space  “Officially Fenner” to share more of our personal lives.  We’ve been married for 42 years, with three adult children, sons-in-law (including David, our producer!), and 4 adorable grandchildren. We’ve been working parents trying to figure out life, ourselves as individuals, each other, marriage, parenting and more. I’m sure you can imagine that there’s a lot that can happen in 42 years!
 
 It’s not that we have it all figured out, but we hope to share some things that might be helpful to others who are navigating life. 

“Officially Fenner" is an ongoing conversation on doing the family thing. No conversations are off limits, on, from kids to kitchens, great moments to bad habits. If it happens in the family, we talk about it.  

Like our fitness conversations, we’ll talk about what’s worked or hasn’t worked so well in sustaining these relationships! AND, we’re not taking fitness off the table because it’s really part of our lifestyle. So, you’ll still hear about that too.

We’re kicking Season 2 off with a three-part series called “The Kitchen Chronicles”. If you’ve been following our social media lately, you probably saw that we just fully renovated our kitchen, in a three-generation household, that includes a new baby...during Covid. 

How did it go? Start by checking out Season 2, Episode 1!

Be sure to  subscribe so you don’t miss anything!

Follow us here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officiallyfenner/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/officiallyfenner 

Thank you for spending time with us today! We hope you enjoyed our conversation, related to something we said, and learned something new along the way.  

Please give us a like and subscribe to our podcast, so you don't miss ANYTHING! 

Follow us @AgileAlways and be sure to check out our website, www.agilealways.com! 

A special thanks goes to @yancylott for producing, editing, and creating the music for our podcasts!
xo,
Robin & Rudy

This presentation and its multimedia recording and all its contents including all text, graphics, sounds, audio,  and video content are protected by copyright and are the intellectual property of Fenner Productions, LLC.  All rights reserved. This recording contains material that is protected by internationally valid copyright. No part of this recording or associated handouts may be reproduced, transmitted, publicly posted, or transcribed without the express written permission of Fenner Productions, LLC. Fenner Productions, LLC rejects any claims that transcend the clauses of the guarantee rights. Fenner Productions, LLC does not undertake any liability for the correctness of the content of the presentation. The contents of the presentation may be changed without prior notice. All trade names and trademarks are the property of the respective owners. The trademarks mentioned here are named for information purposes only.