Ep. 1656 – The Good News with Angie Austin – MICHELLE RAHN OLD FASHIONED RELATIONSHIP HABITS THAT WE SHOULD BRING BACK / Trisha Hershberger – SPRING CLEANING
In this episode of The Good News, Angie Austin welcomes the inspiring Michelle Rahn, a speaker, retired teacher, and Miss Senior America. They dive into an insightful discussion about maintaining long-term relationships by reviving old-fashioned habits. Michelle shares her personal stories from her nearly six decades of marriage, emphasizing commitment, communication, and the importance of expressing appreciation openly. Angie and Michelle explore how technology can hinder personal interactions and the significance of spending quality time without distractions. Through relatable anecdotes and practical advice, they remind us of the timeless value of being present and supporting one another in our
00:21:19 Tech Spring Cleaning with Tricia Hershberger
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to The Good News with Angie Austin. Now, with The Good News, here’s Angie.
SPEAKER 04 :
Hey there, friend. Angie Austin and also one of my all-time favorites, Michelle Rahn. She is a speaker. She is a retired teacher. She’s still out and about speaking all the time. She is a Miss Senior America and is still involved in that activity, supporting all those women. And I’m just thrilled to have you back, Michelle.
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, Angie, my goodness, with an introduction like that, you just made my day. Thank you, friend.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, we actually text with Beatrice Bruno every single day, so we’ll exchange pictures and little stories, but I used to get to see you in person once a week, so it’s such a treat for me, such a joy. I just feel like you’ve got such a wonderful walk to share and you have a long relationship with your husband. And I just thought, who better to talk about this article, 11 Good Old Fashioned Relationship Habits That We Should Bring Back, than you, Michelle Rond.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, thank you. My goodness. They were great suggestions. And yeah, lots we can learn. And we never stop learning no matter how long we’ve been married. That’s for sure.
SPEAKER 04 :
Isn’t that the truth? And Michelle is the one that taught me about field trips. She and her husband, Bob, go on these field trips. So I got my mom a real easy portable wheelchair. Now, she can walk with a cane and she can walk with a walker. But I thought if I’m going to do some of these field trips, sometimes it’s easier for me to plop her in one of those lightweight travel wheelchairs for like the zoo and things like that. And so I purchased that and we’re getting ready to start our field trips later this week. We’re debating between heading up to Boulder for something or the other option is to go to the Denver Zoo because they have some new babies right now.
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, how fun. Well, either one, just both. Just getting out and doing something and learning something is just so important. So no matter where you go, you’ll be just fine.
SPEAKER 04 :
I love it that since you were a teacher for so many years, you call them field trips. That makes me laugh. How long have you and Bob been married now?
SPEAKER 05 :
57 years. You are getting towards the 60.
SPEAKER 04 :
And I’ll never forget, Michelle told me many, many years ago, we’ve been friends for probably about 15 years. She said that Bob’s family, they weren’t huggers. And Michelle’s family, her mom, like they’re affectionate. And so Bob wasn’t like a touchy, feely, huggy kind of hand-holding guy. And you kind of let him know that like that might be something that you would like to be hugged.
SPEAKER 05 :
I did. But my gosh, Angie, it took me seven years to do that because I just kept thinking, oh, he’ll figure this out or he’ll understand or I’ll understand or whatever. But no, that never happened. So it finally worked out that I just said, you know, I just need a hug. And he said, well, why didn’t you tell me? You have to tell me because I don’t know. I really don’t know. And I think that’s our misconception about a spouse. We We just think everything’s going to be hunky-dory. The minute the minister says, and we say, I do, you know, it takes work. It takes commitment. And there’s ups and there’s downs. And to walk through those downs is tough. So this article was great. It had some wonderful ideas.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, we’re going to start with number one, but I just wanted to joke with you about, I think you remember when I saw Bob last time, it was probably a year or so ago, I said, now, I’m going to do a hug, Bob, because I know you do those now.
SPEAKER 05 :
And he’s good with that now. He is just fine. You know, we learn every day, don’t we? Yes, he cracks me up.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right, so these 11 good old-fashioned relationship habits we bring back, the one I wanted to start with, Michelle, is number one, spend quality time together with no major agenda and no technology. Now, I’m assuming that is something that you guys probably easily do.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, you’re right, because our generation’s technology is not our language. At least it’s not mine, nor is it Bob’s. But I must say, I do rely on my phone a lot, and maybe too much. And along with the season that it is, with Easter being around the corner, I gave up… I gave up… Facebook on my computer, because I was spending way too much time with it. And so technology has entered in. And I just find it so sad to go to a restaurant and look around and there are families around me that all four members of a family are looking at their phone and they’re not talking to each other. And that’s just a common thing that I see now. It’s so easy to pick that darn phone up and And for parents out there, I just would so say, you know, phones go away at dinner, phones go away at breakfast or whatever. We’ve had to do that in the classroom, of course, because of that. Well, it’s such an obvious reason.
SPEAKER 04 :
You know, they have phone hotels now where the kids, they actually do attendance by having the kids put their phone in the phone holder on the door or wherever in the room. And so then they just go through that, and that’s how they do attendance. But some kids have dummy phones where they’ll put an old one in there and then keep their real phone. Right. I’ve heard about some schools now actually removing phones from the school where they’re not used at all or maybe they get to use it on a lunch hour, which even that I don’t think they should have. But there are – I don’t know. I’m torn on the lunch hour because there are some lonely kids that want to kind of go off and read a book on their phone or – do something else if they feel left out. And I think it ostracizes them even more if they have no escape whatsoever. But in the classroom, I don’t think they belong in the classroom in any way, shape, or form. And we, from time to time, do take the kids’ phones. They got into an argument in the car one day. And our car has cameras in the car. And so one shoved that one, and then one shoved the other, the one that’s driving. And we’re like, No, no, no, no. You lose the car and your phones. And they just couldn’t believe we took both away for a week. And they’re like, well, you have to drive us. And we’re like, well, you know what? We’re not going to always be available to drive you. So you either walk to school or find a ride with a friend or you can take an Uber, you know, because we wanted them to feel the pain of the loss. And that’s like the biggest punishment you can give them is to lock those phones in a safe. Just last night, Michelle, Faith is a really good cook. My youngest, she’s 15, 16. She just turned 16. Yeah. Anyway, she she cooks a lot like she did her whole Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving dinner. I mean, homemade rolls, homemade gravy, mashed potatoes, the whole nine yards, stuffing the turkey. But she did last night these hot honey chicken tenders from, you know, raw chicken, like the real deal with buttermilk and this, that and breading. And she made the sauces and she made homemade pickle ranch tenders. So anyways, we’re getting ready to eat. It was pretty late. It took her a long time to get everything together. It was around 10 o’clock last night. And Hope is on the phone with her boyfriend. So she’s sitting at the table with us with him propped up. And he’s playing video games, I can see on the screen. And she’s eating with her family. I said, Hope, why don’t you call him back in five minutes? And let’s have five minutes to eat our chicken tenders without you staring at your boyfriend playing video games on the phone. It’s the weirdest thing. She does dishes or does whatever, and she’s on FaceTime with them or however they do it. And they’re just like looking at each other while she conducts her life, while she’s connected to him or a friend on the phone. When she does dishes, she always has a friend. And I don’t mind that. But if we’re having a family meal, like get rid of, you know, the technology and have a conversation. And again, that was the number one tip. And you and I are going to probably have to join each other again because there’s so many tips for us. So that one, number one, spend quality time together with no major agenda, no technology. And number two is this kind of relates, Michelle, it’s be fully present when you are in the presence of others. Yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right, right. And I do remember when my girls were young and I would be in the kitchen making dinner and I’d be stirring something on the stove and my daughter would come and she’d tug at my skirt or my pants or whatever and say, yeah. And my answer to her was, yeah, yeah, go ahead, honey. But I’m not looking at her. I’m just stirring, looking at the stove. And she just kept pulling. And finally she said to me, mom, stop, look at me. And it’s just so important that we have that eye-to-eye connection. We just cannot assume that they know that we love them, that they must know that we value them. No, we have to keep reminding them and communicating. And that quality time thing is so important. I can remember teaching in the county from where I retired. And at the end of the year one time, they had a survey, and it was done with graduating seniors. And it said, what is one thing that you would change with either the school or your family? And I don’t remember the percentage, but it was a very extremely high percentage of kids that said, more time with my parents.
SPEAKER 01 :
Ooh.
SPEAKER 05 :
that’s just a that was years ago so i can’t imagine what it is now because We need to be fully present. We need to give them time. And if we don’t have time for our kids, then that will show up in their lives. And it’s just so important that we try. We try our hardest.
SPEAKER 04 :
What’s that old song from the 70s? Is it Cats in the Cradle? What’s the one about the son, the son that, you know, like he wanted time from his dad, and then the dad comes around and wants time when he gets older, and then Kind of like they’ve each left each other behind at different times in their lives.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, cast in the cradle. Yes, that’s a perfect example. Perfect example.
SPEAKER 04 :
These are old relationship habits we should bring back. Michelle’s been married almost 60 years now. I’m over 20. And number three, this is a big one, I think. Expectations. Express your sincere appreciation for loved ones every chance you get. Like when Faith made that meal, I messaged the other kids and my husband. I said, hey, be complimentary. She found a recipe. She picked out every single ingredient, added it to the cart, had it delivered to the house, marinated the chicken for 24 hours, and then followed the recipes and then made homemade French fries, which I have to be honest with you, they were to die for, the homemade French fries. I agree. Yes. And so I said, give her sincere, specific appreciation. And that’s something I do for my husband. I’ll give him really specific appreciation, like when he makes breakfast on the weekends. Oh, I love the way you make the pancakes. I always like weekend breakfast because your pancakes are delicious. you know, the best, like how you add eggs or whatever, or like he is always fixing something. And I said over the weekend, wow, I can’t believe that you’ve kept that swamp cooler running for the last seven years. I thought it was on its last leg and look at how cool it is today because it had been in the 80s and he got it really nice and cooled down so quickly. I’m like, I can’t believe you have kept that thing running. Like it would have been, we would have brought a crane in here to replace that thing. Like that’s amazing. So really specific in your appreciation. I think they really like that.
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, I know they do. And they may not reciprocate, but inside their heart they know, and they’ll remember that. So keep doing it.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right. Old fashioned relationship habits that, you know, these really work. Number four, work together and help each other grow. You know, there’s a lot of things that we do as a family that have to do with some of the projects we do. And like our pets, you know, and what we do and we do a lot together. And whether it be, you know, our family vacations, we take big trips together and then each outing we do get together. Like we just went on a big spring break trip with another family and like we all went out and played like a family horse, you know, on the basketball court. We played, you know, we all went to the Cirque du Soleil shows. Like nobody’s kind of left out. Like it might not be your favorite thing, but boy, the kids really loved those shows. And then there was something called the flyover, which was like Soarin’ at Disneyland and Disney World. And the flyover, like everybody’s like, Miss Angie wants to do the flyover, blah, blah, blah. It ended up being the favorite of several people in our group of like 10. They were like, what was your highlight? I was like, I always say, what was your highlight from the trip? And I’m like, give me three things. And flyover was in a lot of people’s lists. So I thought that was really funny because I pushed for that one. But yeah, do these things together. And then when you do projects, like help each other out. Even if I can’t work on a car, I can hand somebody a wrench or talk to them or bring them ice water.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s right. Or a donut. Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
so funny or a donut Michelle let’s continue this we’re only on five because there’s like still focus on inner beauty tell the truth you know communication apologize that’s a big one so we’ll continue our conversation with these and we’ll pick up next time with number five and tell people your website you know how to reach you if they would like you as a speaker for one of their events thank you michellearon.com
SPEAKER 01 :
michellearon.com and that’s r-a-h-n thank you honey god bless you thank you you too it’s that time of year to start cleaning out your closets basement and garage by donating to arc thrift with 34 thrift stores and 15 donation centers across the front range you have almost 50 different locations to donate your gently used clothing and items you don’t need anymore or are taking up space in your home ARC will also take large furniture off your hands by scheduling a pickup through the ARC website. Any soft goods you choose to donate, you can just put in bags, while hard goods need to go into boxes. This helps ARC turn their 5,000 weekly donations per store into resellable items immediately. With spring around the corner, donate the spring and Easter clothing that is too small or just sitting in a closet to help out another family. And while you’re there, get your Easter decorations and clothing. To schedule your large furniture pickup or to find the nearest Arc Thrift Donation Center or store location near you, go to arcthrift.com.
SPEAKER 05 :
Glamdale, thanks for tuning in to KLTT, the mighty 670.
SPEAKER 04 :
Hey there, friend. Angie Austin here with the good news. You know, I like to share good news stories with you when we have time and when we have a break from some of our guests. You know, we’re very much into health and we’re into good news stories and we’re into inspiration. stories of people beating the odds, and I just wanted to share a couple of these good news stories. Now, one has to do with a police officer overcoming his fear of heights to save a kid, and then another has to do with elephants, and then also a foster-slash-family adoption family who are called Angels on Earth. Now, I’m going to start with a super easy story to tell you. It has to do with those… I don’t know if you’ve seen the video, but there are elephants at the San Diego Zoo, and they have cameras on them, of course, and an earthquake was moving in, and the elephants sensed it, of course, before it was officially there, per se. And so the elephants all ran together and gathered, and then… They turned like in a circle and they all faced outward to watch for danger. And then they encircled the younger animals. So the zoo camera caught the elephants circling and protecting their young, putting the young in the middle and then facing outward in the circle, expecting danger because they felt the vibration from the earthquake. I mean, they’re highly intelligent animals and very protective of their own behavior. I just thought it was such a cool video. So Google that. San Diego Zoo elephants protecting young during earthquake. The other one I thought was neat is a Philadelphia police officer. So he’s afraid of heights. And, you know, that’s something that, you know, could be pretty serious for, you know, people. It just can be debilitating. And Officer Eric Robbins was on patrol there. And it was a two-story house. He got a call from the neighbors saying a child was walking on a very high-pitched roof. And the child didn’t seem fazed by that 30-foot drop awaiting him. Robbins could feel it, though, even from the ground as he has a self-professed fear of heights. I just knew I needed to get him off that roof, he said, gaining entry to the house immediately. So they released a body camera footage, shows him charging up the stairs to the second floor, climbing out the window and obviously afraid, but still going out to grab the child. He realized that, you know, his presence there as an officer might spook the kid and he might fall off the roof. So he kind of snuck up on him a little, which I’d be nervous to do that, too. The family didn’t want to talk to police, but they did thank him for his dedication to serving others and overcoming his fear of heights to get the kid. And, of course, they have it on the dash cam footage. And it’s a really steep roof, so not only dangerous for the kid, but also dangerous for the police officer. Okay, here’s my favorite good news story of the day. I just got back. I think I told you I was down in Tennessee. I love the people of the South. I love that it’s the Bible Belt. I love how people are. unapologetic about their Christian faith and just really, I don’t know, it’s fun. It’s fun to go to church down there. I’m excited my daughter’s going to be going to school down there. I just love how warm the people are. I love the barbecue, the food, the music. I just love it. So anyway, this is a mom and dad in Tennessee. They’ve been called Angels on Earth. Now, they had a son with some really serious heart issues. It’s Caleb and Ruchella Bone. And their son, Griffin, was born with a heart condition, and he spent much of his early life in the hospital. Well, they decided that, hey, you know what? Kids like this are difficult to care for, and they found out that they were sick. lots of foster kids with these real complicated medical issues, and they had no one to give them the kind of round-the-clock care that’s necessary. So they decided that they would adopt another child with similar heart issues to their own child. Now, Griffin needed open-heart surgery at three months old, and they were at Vanderbilt University, and they said whether through a belief in God or simply at the urging of their own moral compass, they decided to do something about these at-risk kids. And in 2022, they adopted a little boy named Maurice who needed a kidney transplant. And, you know, he’s happy and healthy now. The Bones now have either fostered or adopted four children with complicated medical issues. There’s a foster program in Tennessee called Youth Villages, and they give in-depth training to the families to be able to care for these kids. So they go through training at the hospital. It can be rather daunting because this care is very, And they have to be pretty highly trained to care for these kids. Some of them have to be certified caregivers. So they go through the full medical training so they know how to care for their medically needy foster child that in some cases they adopt. Isabella, they came to the couple just five months old having already received open heart surgery. And the ongoing medical care is taken care of through the state’s 10 care in Tennessee program. And then they get, you know, a little stipend as foster parents and some other assistance. You don’t get rich off of being a foster parent. It takes care of your needs. But fortunately, the foster program pays and the TennCare program pays for their medical needs. Because as you can imagine, open heart surgery on a child is, wow, hundreds of thousands of dollars. So they’ve been called angels on earth for decades. the extra care and the time that they’re putting into these little kids. And they’re a young couple. And what a beautiful, beautiful family they have. I’ve got a picture of their family. So again, that’s the Bone family in Tennessee. I just love it when people go the extra mile to, I don’t know, I just love, foster families just totally touch my heart. All righty. So let’s talk a little bit about spring cleaning. Many of us are spring cleaners, many of us not so willingly. But have you ever heard of a tech cleanup? Well, there is something. If you’re just joining us, this is Angie Austin with the good news. And spring is here. It’s time to do a little tech spring cleaning. And with Earth Day around the corner, joining us to help is one of our favorites, Amazon contributor Tricia Hershberger. Welcome back, Tricia.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hi, Angie. Thank you so much for having me. It is always such a delight to chat with you.
SPEAKER 04 :
I feel the same way. All right. So spring cleaning, you know, I’m not a big fan of cleaning. I told my husband before we got married, I just want you to know I’m no Martha Stewart and I’m no great cleaner. So he was warned, but I think I could do some tech spring cleaning. How do we do this?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes. So tech spring cleaning is all about decluttering, right? So taking some of that used tech you’ve just had sitting on your shelf for ages and And either upgrading or recycling it this spring. That’s what we mean when we say spring cleaning for your tech. Because the average U.S. adult, get this Angie, the average U.S. adult is sitting on over $2,000 worth of unused tech. Can you believe it?
SPEAKER 04 :
Ew. That’s kind of scary. That’s sad. Wasteful.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right, we just have it sitting around, which is kind of sad to your point, especially with Earth Day here right now. So let’s go ahead and kind of fix this problem, right? If you are looking to sell some camera tech that you might have lying around, and by that I mean cameras, lenses, MPB is the leading reseller in the U.S. for this type of tech. And sustainability is at the core of their business. They are all about recirculating, and they recirculate over half a million cameras and lenses a year, not only extending the life of the camera, but extending its creative potential as well. Those cameras and lenses still have stories to tell. So let’s go ahead and find them a new home if you’re not using them in yours. So if you’re looking to sell camera gear, you can get a free instant quote at mpb.com. And if you’re looking to buy a used camera or lens, Rest assured that MPB experts inspect all the items before reselling them so you know you’re getting a quality item even if it’s been lovingly pre-owned before.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, so is it N or M? Give me the website because I couldn’t quite understand if it was N or M.
SPEAKER 03 :
Sure, yes. The website is MPB, as in Mary Paul Bryan.
SPEAKER 04 :
Perfect, MPB. That’s great, because my son just bought, just obviously, I mean, ironically, came yesterday, a film camera. And then he’s like, oh, gosh, I don’t know. It’s hard to get film, he said, and maybe I should go digital and blah, blah, blah. Maybe I’ll have to sell it. And so I’ll give him that info, MPB.com. Excellent. All right, how about anything else we should recycle? I understand you have some ways for us to get crafty as well.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, so when it comes to tech to help you get crafty this spring, oh my goodness, you can personalize your kids’ outfits or toys or personalize your home decor to fit each season with the new Cricut Explore 4. This is the next generation of Cricut’s fan favorite machines. It is now two times faster, and you can craft bright springtime decorations, full-color stickers, cards, T-shirts, hand towels. You can even create fun party favors for adults if you’re having a big themed party. Now, you can upload and cut your own designs. Or choose from the easy-to-learn Cricut Design Space library with over 1 million images and licensed designs, allowing you to express your creativity and really level up that celebration in a very personalized way.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, so it’s a cutting machine. It can do paper, but then you said it can do decorations for, like, if I’m making, if I want to do something to my kid’s shirt or jeans, because that’s really big now at ThriftCon with kids putting all kinds of stuff on jeans. So you can do fabric. Is that right?
SPEAKER 03 :
So it will cut out a variety of different materials. So if you think, like, iron-on… sticky materials that you can then put on to fabric if you so choose.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. I just looked it up. That’s pretty cool because I have a friend that does these like highly specialized like animal blankets. And that would be so cool because she could put the animal’s name on each one.
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely. Yep. I have a friend who makes all the kids custom t-shirts for their birthday each year that say their name and have like a little picture of something that they’re really into. It’s adorable. And she uses these Cricut machines.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s so cool. All right. And then you told me to ask you about MESH and that you’d explain to me what MESH is. What is M-E-S-H?
SPEAKER 03 :
That is a great question, Angie, because it’s a brand new standard in the toy industry. MESH stands for mental, emotional, and social health. And it is all the rage right now, so much so that Amazon has a dedicated mesh product page on their storefront right now. So this is what parents are looking for. And I have an award-winning puzzle cube that is STEM and STEAM inspired, but it also meets this new mesh standard that we’re talking about. It’s called Shishibo, which is short for shape-shifting box. And it supports cognitive development, stress relief, and social play by encouraging focus, patience, and hands-on engagement. It is the original magnetic puzzle cube and it transforms into over 70 unique shapes with a satisfying click each time. And with over 50 stunning designs to choose from, it really is a work of art. Now, you can find Shishibo on Amazon’s dedicated mesh product page that I had mentioned earlier. And it is a number one bestseller in the toy category for Amazon and has been now for, gosh, years at this point. It is really, really popular.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. I’ve never even heard of it. I just looked it up. So is this for fun or am I solving something? Like, am I decorating? Am I like, oh, okay.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah. So if you want to challenge yourself to get the Shishibo into a certain shape, then it becomes more like a puzzle. But if you just want to play with it to see the different shapes you can create and discover, you can use it that way as well. My son is eight years old, and he and I were playing with it for quite a while last night. And he kept saying, you know, Mom, how do I get it back into a box? And I said, I don’t know. Let’s keep trying until we figure it out. Or if you combine different Shishibo cubes together, you can make bigger ones.
SPEAKER 04 :
shapes as well um i’ve seen it where people have combined like four or five cubes to make a really cool big sphere it’s really awesome that’s neat because you can actually buy them in a bundle too so you can get you know it’s a little discounted if you buy like three at once etc oh that’s cool all right i’ve never even heard of that you told me some new things today so where do we uh go to get more info on all of this tricia
SPEAKER 03 :
If you want more information on anything I’ve discussed today or maybe more info on that new Nintendo Switch 2 that’s right around the corner, you can always head to DailyLounge.com.
SPEAKER 04 :
DailyLounge.com. Thanks, Tricia. Talk to you next time.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you, Angie. Have a great day.
SPEAKER 02 :
You too. Thank you for listening to The Good News with Angie Austin on AM670 KLTT.
