Thank you. Welcome to the Beautiful View Podcast, where we encourage you to look for opportunities in your life to see a beautiful view. I'm candy. 

And I'm Paul. For those of you who have never heard the Beautiful View podcast before. First of all, thank you for checking it out. 

Thank you. 

On our award-winning podcast, we discuss topics such as marriage, family, friends, travel, community and. We hope to inspire and encourage our listeners to look for beautiful views in every situation as we share our story today. 

Today we are coming to you live from River Ridge Brewing and our beautiful little Mississippi River town of Bellevue, IA. 

Yeah. 

Thank you for being here and talk about a beautiful. I don't know if you guys have looked out the garage doors yet, but kind of think we have one of the most beautiful views on the. 

Yes, it is a beautiful view. 

Yeah. 

The brewery overlooks the Mississippi River. For those of you might they might be listening online this time of year is very magical. 

It is. 

The river freezes. The bald eagles migrate through. We just, there's always something beautiful to see out these windows. 

Yes, it's pretty. Thank you for joining us. Grab a snack, grab a beverage, sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful view. 

This is our first ever live podcast. 

I. 

We're kicking the party off today with beautiful view, so it's going to be a fun, full day of a variety of podcasts. And thank you for joining us. The big this is the biggest audience we've had so far. 

Yes. 

Yes, the previous to this, the largest audience we've had was our two dogs. And I think they were just hanging around to see what snacks they're gonna get. 

Yeah, that's true. 

So. So we'll see how all of this goes. 

Yeah, you have been really nervous about this, but here's the. 

Still am I. 

I've talked to everyone in the room and they promise they won't Heckle. Mostly everyone said that I can't promise anything for Randy. 

Well, thanks. 

He's not even listening. 

So I won't lie, but when you first came to me. And you said that you had agreed to do this. I was like, what the heck? Like, do we have like, you know, a get out clause on this thing or? 

No, I just they I happen to get to the message first. I answered the question. 

So we want to give a shout out to the Man Stream podcast for organizing this event. 

Yes, thank you. 

Been working really. They were here last night setting up and to River Ridge Brewing for hosting and to the other very talented podcasters. Who are a part of today and to? Of you. Being here. Thank you so much. 

Yeah. So let's give everybody a hand. We'll just. In one go. You everyone. We are calling today's episode a season for everything, but before we get started, we just want to give you a very brief introduction to us. As we mentioned earlier, we are candy and Paul. 

Mm. 

I'm originally from. You may pick up on a slight twang. Paul is originally from. You may pick up on his slight twang, too. 

Yeah. So I'm from the motherland and I guess you could say I have a a twin to your twin. 

There you go. Our family of four moved to Bellevue in December of 2021 after 6 1/2 years of full time. R Ving and traveling the. So. 

Our story has some layers, so this podcast is a fun way for us to share our stories and also to encourage you, our listeners, along the way. We have experienced extreme highs and extreme lows in life. And but we always try to look a little deeper to find a beautiful view in every situation that we find ourselves in. 

Yeah. And we regularly get the question like, how does this whole podcast thing work? How do I find your? Well, we have made it really easy for you today. We have these awesome little. There's some down here on the table in front of us, and there's some more over on the barrel over on the side and those have a QR code to our website where you can play all of our episodes right from there. Please at any point. During this, after this, whatever feel free to grab a sticker. 

Yeah, I think so. Some, like older people are like, so you're not on the radio like, what is what? Why do you even do this? It's like, no, we're not on the radio. We're on the World Wide Web. So you know. 

It's exciting. 

Potential audiences. 

So. 

Millions. 

We're gonna jump into today, and we're gonna talk about the weather. So yesterday was an amazing day. We had a beautiful day here in Bellevue. I think we topped out at 5152°. 

Yeah. 

This place was hopping all day. 

I was busy. Busy. 

It was so much fun and I'm one of the managers here at River Ridge, so I got to be here all day. So. 

I helped. 

You did. 

Yes I helped. 

I clipped all. Work washing dishes. It was amazing. So you know, but we know what's coming, don't we? I think it's cooling down. I think the next couple of days it's gonna get really cold. Does anyone in here enjoy the? Raise your hand if you enjoy the winter. Yes, Chuck. 

George does. 

Yeah. Listen takers, OK? 

Thank you. So me. So tell me, what are some of the things that you enjoy about winter? Cold weather and snow fair. Snowboarding. Winter sports, right? Yeah, of course. 

OK. Potential for much hurts. 

Yeah, I I do. I love. Love the winter. 

So I'm from the South, the South of England. Before emigrating to the US in 2002 to marry Candy and live in Texas, I experienced winter weather similar to Iowa. Maybe not as cold as here, but very similar. And I also remember having a shorter day in the winter, as here, after living in Texas for almost 20 years, this feels like returning to the weather of my youth. 

Mm. 

My least favorite is the shorter days. It seems like no sooner have you got out of bed than this evening again. There's the like 6-7 hours of darkness. Leading up to bedtime and that really feels like a long time. 

Yeah. As we mentioned earlier, I grew up in Texas. Winter really wasn't a thing that we had. So I can remember at Christmas time singing songs like I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. Really. I mean, but that was all I was dreaming of it. So and let it. I mean, rarely did it snow, but we always got like that week of winter where it was icy, sleet, nasty slick roads, and the whole state just kind of shuts down when that happens. So. When we first moved here to Iowa, we didn't have a clue how things. His words in the winter, we didn't know if we were going to have to shut ourselves in the House all winter long or or what Texas is just not geared up for snow. Don't know anyone in Texas that has a snow shovel. 

You could buy. Ice scraper there, but that's about it. That first winter we lived here in Iowa was a voyage of discovery. 

So we moved to Bellevue and to our House on December 13th of 2021 and it was a beautiful 53° outside in mid-december, which was amazing. 

That was nice. 

Then several days later. It started snowing and I was like. I think we're supposed to have a snow shovel or something. And so we quickly drove down to their little local hardware store, and I went in there and there was a kid working in there. And I'm like, OK. What snow shovel do you recommend? Had no idea. 

Yeah, we really had no idea what we were doing. 

We we didn't. We were so clueless. And he said, well, my mom has this one. And so I was like, great, we'll take 2. So and I'm happy to report to you that we survived that first winter. We learned a lot and I can't speak for Paul, but I really loved every second of it. And after 6 1/2 years of rving, it just felt like another, like really big adv. So. I am sure we looked like total dorks out there playing in the snow and taking a million pictures of everything. 

Yes, we did. A few days later, I called my friend in Dubuque and I asked him so. Do. Do you just kind of go out and drive? I mean, are the roads clear? He laughed at me and assured me that usually the roads are plowed and passable within a few hours of snow falling. I feel a little embarrassed about that phone call now. I'm sure he told several people about it afterwards. 

Possibly that's possible. 

I guarantee it. I so. 

I love the winter because most of the year we just go, go, go, go, go right. And that's fun too. I always love approaching January after the holidays are out of the way. January just feels quiet and calm. And the pace of life just kind of tends to slow down. Is still. Nature is at. The temperatures drop and let me tell you, I run hot all the time. 

Yes. 

So to be not hot is wonderful. And I love to curl up on the couch with my blanket and a book, and it's just very romantical. 

Yeah, I kind of get. I am grateful that I get to work inside in my office. On rare occasions I get to work outside in the cold weather, like when we got snowed in in the coconut doing a photography shoot. 

Yeah. 

But most of the time I just sit in the warm and get to watch the sun zip past the window from. To West. 

Yeah, that kind of happens in the winter, though. I feel like I have more time for hobbies and you know, those things kind of get put on the back burner sometimes for the rest of the year. I tend to cook a lot more in the winter. Because who? Like. You know, a cozy winter comfort food meal on a cold day. OK, we get lots of puppy cuddles in the winter. 

Yeah, without two dogs. 

Our two dogs are attached to us like Velcro. 

Our golden retriever and our little black lab mix. 

Yeah. Yeah, they do. 

Like the turtles? 

I love spending time getting organized and planning adventures that we get to go on the rest of the year. I live for the downtime. 

I think we drink a lot more. Hot tea in the winter for. 

For. 

Sure. It's also nice to come down here to the brewery a couple times a week and visit with friends. 

Of course, I remember when we first moved here to Bellevue and we were like kids. Like just taking in each new thing with excitement and awe. 

Yes. 

We posted pictures on our social media accounts and several of the locals said to us like how much they really. Appreciated seeing things through our point of view because you know, they said it reminded them of like, really how beautiful this place is even in the winter. 

We visited a lot of places for periods of time on our travels and I think that's the case. Anywhere you go, you know when you live somewhere, you tend to get into a routine and you forget just how unique the place that you live is. 

Yeah. That is so. We're even guilty of doing that here. Now that we've lived here for three years, we find ourselves doing that. 

That's just one of the reasons why I love walking with you to and from work. 

Yeah. 

It means I walked the two blocks from our house and there's one of the largest rivers in the world, like right here, right here in front of you, the mississ. 

Yeah. 

Right here, yeah. 

It was always a dream of mine to see the Mississippi at some point in my life, but now I get. Live by. Yeah, I think that's so cool. 

It is cool. 

But if I don't get out and walk by the river and just stay at the house during the winter, I might as well be anywhere. 

Yeah. Yeah. And you know what the new does wear? But I don't feel like I've lost that excitement for, you know, each new season. 

No, we haven't. 

I love the changes that come with each season here. Even the winter. There's a season for everything, and I think that's true about life in general, don't you? 

I. There's a time and a place for everything. 

It's crazy to think of all of the circumstances that led us to this day and this place. 

Yes it is. 

We have experienced times of trial times of healing times of great joy, times of success, times of failure, that each was a season that shaped us. Each place we visited, each person we met along the way, every experience we had led us to right here and right now, sitting here at River Ridge Brewing, talking to all of you. Every experience we have in life sets us on course for exactly where we find ourselves today. 

So I asked you the other day. Do you remember? Like we we do you ever get like, an experience of a reality? Check like where you suddenly say to yourself. 

Hmm. 

Hang on a second. I live in. How? How did that happen? 

Yeah. Oh, I do that all of the time because I feel like, you know, when you first moved over here from England and you kept saying you felt like a foreigner because everybody made fun of the way that you talk and they, you know, they pointed out how you. 

Yes. Oh yeah, yeah. 

Like Whataburger or whatever you said. 

Whataburger. Whataburger. 

So I kind of feel like that a little bit here, but I also you know it also feels like home. So it's pretty cool. 

So we had played with the idea of moving here a little bit like when we used to stay here during the summer and we just used to like be like, so where would you live? 

Yeah. 

If we lived here, where what part of town would you want to live in? 

Yeah. 

And we kind of quickly came up with the downtown thing. 

We all, we would always say we want to be right in the middle of everything, be right in the middle. 

In the middle of everything. Yeah. So, so we we bought the house downtown. 

Yep, that's true. 

And didn't think at the time like it was just kind of like a fantasy. Like he plays play things out just to see how it sounds. 

Yes. 

I didn't think it would actually happen, but then it did, yeah. 

It did. 

Yeah. 

So we've we've had a chance to meet some of these other awesome podcasters that are here and will be here today simply because we made a decision to put ourselves out there and become a part of the Iowa Podcast Awards in Cedar Rapids. This past year. 

Mm. 

We were very excited to meet fellow podcasters and to learn from them. 

Yes, and podcasters are a very eclectic group, as you will see today. 

Very eclectic. 

But we love, we love meeting people who aren't exactly like us. 

Aren't you? I. 

What makes life interesting? And what a fun experience that was at the podcast awards. 

It is a lot of fun. So hang on, just so I got this right. Me a minute here. So we've been talking about winter, the shorter days, the cold weather, and then we're comparing that to life somehow. Are we saying about that? 

Yeah. So let's think about this for a minute. There are Four Seasons in each year, right? Spring summer fall. We probably everyone in this room has their favorite scene. So, but each season has its own beauty and it has its own. So the summer, yes, you get to be at the river, you get to go out on the boat, you get to go fishing, all the things. But sometimes it can be really hot and brutal, right. So. 

Fun times. 

Life is kind of like that. We have seasons in life that are beautiful and some that are harder to get through, but if we look hard enough, we can find beauty in every season. 

OK. I got it. So we have to live through for the seasons. If we're constantly living for and hoping for our favorite season of the year, then we have the possibility of missing the beautiful views that are of. Available in our least favorite season. 

Yeah, and you'll be disappointed the other three seasons. 

OK, OK, I understand it. 

Sounds really. Yeah. What a bummer. 

So so how we approach the seasons of? Both literally and metaphorically depends on our attitude and perspective. 

Yeah. 

Yes, if we can teach ourselves to look beyond the suck of hard seasons and pay close attention to the uniqueness of the little details, we can find something beautiful to focus on regardless of our circumstances. 

Everything that we experience in our lives eclipses us for our own unique special purpose. Whether you're currently on the mountain top and loving every second of life, or if you're walking through a tough valley, we're all sitting here together this afternoon. Enjoying a. 

Yay. 

View of each others company and some really good beverages so. 

Cheers. Cheers everybody. So you know. That's got me all in the fields, so here's what I want everybody to do. I want you to look at the next the person next to you, and I want you to tell them they're beautiful. 

Go on, tell them they're beautiful. 

Beautiful. 

Ohh no, you're beautiful. 

So here's the. Here is the whole end of the game here, so let's focus on this today. I want everybody in this room to be present with the people around you today. Be attentive to all the little minute details. Maybe it's cold outside and you hate the cold, but you know. Your heart can be so warm on an afternoon shared with friends and loved ones. It's the perfect day to soak up all the beautiful views around. 

So thank you for joining us for this very special live episode of the Beautiful View Podcast. It's been a pleasure sharing with you today. We hope you feel like you know us a little bit better. And we would love for you to come introduce yourself and grab a sticker when we wrap up in a few minutes. You may also have noticed our cool hoodies. So candy you have a dark grey hoodie and yours says. Remember to always keep an eye open for opportunities in life to see. Beautiful view. 

That's. That's one of our. So and then you have a Navy blue hoodie and it says life is a journey. Enjoy it. That is one of the names of one of our episodes along the way. So yeah. 

So we we now have these and other items available in our new online merch store. 

Yay. 

So you can simply come up and you can scan the QR code in this little picture frame here. And it'll take you right to the store. And for those of you who are listening online, we've included a link in our show notes. Or simply go to shop.beautifulviewpodcast.com. 

Yeah. Our hope is to always inspire and encourage our. So we hope this episode encouraged you to think about the beautiful views in your season of life. If you don't already follow Beautiful View podcast, you can find us on your favorite podcasting platform. Or simply visit us at Beautiful View podcast com to find all of the links. Follow us on Facebook or. Feel free to share our posts or share the link to our podcast with your friends and family. Beautiful View Podcast is also in video form on YouTube. 

As we conclude each episode, we always like to give the topic for the next one. So what are we going to be talking about next time? 

Well, our next episode is gonna be in time for Valentine's Day. You know, we didn't win the best Wellness and relationship podcast for nothing. 

Oh my God. 

So we're gonna call it love. Herb, in this episode we will discuss what true love is, whether you are single, married or it's complic. We are confident there will be a few laughs and a beautiful view for you in this episode. 

I know I get to see a beautiful view on Valentine's Day when I wake up next to you. Thank you once again for joining us live at River Ridge Brewing today. We hope you have a great rest of. Day. Remember to always keep an eye open for opportunities in your life to see. A beautiful view. 

Thank you guys.