Wine Together

In this week’s episode, Brooke and Deb talk about fashion. Brooke admits she does not follow „old rules“ regarding her fashion choices and she feels confident in her choices. Brooke also recognizes that she only began seriously focusing on her fashion in the last few years. From hair to make-up to clothing, Brooke is „all in“ on being a fashionista. Deb… not so much, never has been, likely never will be… and that is ok.

They both admit that living so close to Milan has been a lesson in fashion trends whether they like it or not. Both Brooke and Deb are confident that their fashion choices will change as they continue their journey… to wherever. 👗 👠

Today Brooke and Deb talk about Summertime! What a funny word, huh? Summertime. It is the time of year when the weather is usually hottest… the sun is usually brightest… and people are sometimes quite happy. Students are not in school, families take vacations, and people like me (sun worshipers) sit in the sun for pure enjoyment. Brooke and Deb both admit that they like summertime.

We like the long days when bars by the water are open late… we spend time near or on some water for entertainment… and our skin gets a little golden brown. We hope that everyone who watches and listens has a safe and fun summer. Thank you.

Book mentioned:

The Sun and The Star

by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

Brooke and Deb continue to celebrate Pride Month alongside their own family members who are proudly a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Today’s topic is Etiquette. The comparison of different cultures helps one understand that this topic is not the same between people in different countries, states… and as we discovered while chatting… different generations.

Books mentioned:

All Boys Aren’t Blue

by George M. Johnson

The Culture Map

by Erin Meyer

Happy Father’s Day! And also, Happy Pride Month!

This episode is a shoutout to all who celebrate either as a father or as one who loves their father.

We appreciate all that Todd has done over the years as „Dad.“

Book mentioned:

What’s the T?

by Juno Dawson

In this episode, Brooke and Deb share their personal routines for self-care, both physical and mental. Brooke shares that she is noticing changes to her skin and needs to change her routine skincare because of these changes. On the physical aspect of self-care they talk about skincare, hair care, and healthy eating/drinking. On the mental aspect of self-care they both share their concern for others and the importance of caring for and showing respect to others.

Care for and respect for others was a primary component of Dr. Deb‘s research in educating autistic students in higher education. However, the same principle applies to how we react to and with everyone in our everyday interactions.

At the start of Pride month we want to say that our care and respect reaches beyond the members of our own family in the LGBTQIA+ community. We see you, we hear you, we care for and respect you.

In this episode, Brooke and Todd recap the 2024/2025 season!

This week Brooke and Deb tackled conversations regarding cultural differences in regard to compliments to strangers and food preparation. (Please people, a salad deserves more than a partial cherry tomato!)

They also mentioned generational differences around drinking alcohol. There was mention of alcoholism.

The takeaway is… don’t judge others… just be kind and caring. There is enough divisiveness without adding fuel to that fire.

Ton Holland’s non-alcoholic beer brand is BERO.

Podcast mentioned by Brooke:

Reddit on Wiki

On this special episode at the end of May our guest is Crystal Kirkus. Crystal is Brooke’s sister-in-law/Deb’s DIL… and the mother of two awesome kids who are gonna make the world a better place.💜

We shared fun experiences we have had at amusement parks … and full disclosure… Brooke forgot that she had visited a park other than Disney World. When Brooke was in middle school, her dance group performed at King’s Dominion in Virginia.

The conversation was definitely family-centered. Deb seems to always find a way to make most conversations about her family.😁💜

We thank Crystal for joining us and hope to be with her face-to-face for another episode later this year.

The parks mentioned in the show:

Carowinds

Disney World

… and forgotten to be mentioned:

King’s Dominion

This week Brooke and Deb reminisced about some of their favorite markets, restaurants, and trips they have had the past few years while living abroad. As usual, books and television watching came into the mix!😁

Deb shared that she just started watching The Morning Show and Reacher while Brooke mentioned again how much she enjoyed Sunderland ‘til I Die.

Some other shows and movies mentioned:

House

Over the Hedge

The Dark Knight Rises

Shark Boy and Lava Girl

Welcome to Wrexham

The James Bond Movies

Some favorite actors mentioned:

Robert Sean Leonard

Alan Ritchson

Fun store mentioned:

The Flying Tiger

We hope you enjoy watching and listening.

In this episode of Football Friday, Brooke and Todd learn about the transfer window!