0:00 Jennifer: Hey there, I'm Jennifer. And I'm Jackie. And welcome to Slightly Unsupervised. We're best friends, business partners, and the chaos behind testimony, a ceremony we created to celebrate the kind of soulmates who don't come with a marriage license.

0:10 Jackie: This podcast is all about that friendship energy. The deep stuff, the messy stuff, and the laugh to you snort stuff. So whether you're driving, folding laundry, or hiding in your car for some peace and quiet, you're in good company. Let's get slightly unsupervised. So today, we are going to talk about the lonely season, what it feels like to be without friends. No one talks about this enough. The quiet ache of having no one to call, no texts, lighting up your phone, no plans to look forward to. In this episode of Slightly Unsupervised, Jennifer and I will open up about what it feels like to be isolated and friendless, how women end up there without even realizing it, and why it's never too late to rebuild connection.

0:47 Jackie: Because loneliness doesn't mean you're broke, broken. It means your heart is still longing for the connection you were made for.

0:54 Jennifer: Absolutely. So um, you know, this is a good one for Jackie and I to talk about. We have different views on this, and we'll talk about each view. My view is I am, I'm not isolated, but I moved to Tennessee, and the other four of you remain in California. And even when I was in California, though, I was in a different part of California, which wasn't necessarily right next to you guys anyhow, but even more so, and now I'm in Tennessee. So it's not like if I do want to come down for the weekend, I can because it's a whole process and I own my own business, and there's variables there now that are even more isolating for me.

1:32 Jennifer: So I took a job. I didn't take a job, I moved and got a lot of chapel. But you know, when something like that happens, I know that I've had some besties at the chapel recently for some bestimonies and just the last group that was there, the girls, one of them left the state they were in and moved for a lot of reasons, I think for family and also for the cost of living. And so she was in another state from a bestie and had been with her for many, many years. And they were feeling they're feeling the distance it happens when you are in two different states and two different places.

2:06 Jennifer: And so they were just so excited to be together again. And they went, did a pestimony and they, you know, just to make sure that the other one knew that no matter what the distance was, that they were always just gonna be best friends. And it just was really, you know, something they wanted to do just to make sure that, you know, each of them felt comfortable with that. But they were sort of having that issue as well. So I can kind of relate to that as I have moved. And Jackie has a whole different type of view that I'll let you tell your side of that, Jackie.

2:36 Jennifer: I kind of gave my what I'll be looking at it from.

2:39 Jackie: But my isolation was my first marriage. He my my ex, of course, got I worked and everything when we first met and I had my freedom and could do my things. But when I started when I started having children, that's where the control really took over because I stopped working just to be a stay-home mom. And so everything was controlled. And he he definitely liked to isolate me from my friends. I was actually. I had made a few friends of, you know, mom friends, but uh they weren't like having you guys, your best friends.

3:07 Jackie: Right.

3:08 Jennifer: Right.

3:08 Jackie: They were, I mean, they were there, but they were also like one that I had as soon as he got home, she left. She couldn't handle his mood or however he would act. So that was a little like where you guys, if you were there, wouldn't have done that. You'd just be like, I could see you, Jen. Knock it off. We're going. She's lean with me. But anyway.

3:30 Jennifer: Well, I think so.

3:31 Jackie: That was my story. And I and I let that happen too. I know that. But and and I would say family-wise, he kind of did that too. Like, let's say certain things we wanted to do with family, like with my family, I did a lot by myself with them. Or if I did do, there was a few times I would get my big girl panties on and uh I'd go meet friends somewhere, but it would only be with me and my kids, and he wouldn't be there.

3:54 unknown: Right.

3:56 Jackie: So it never felt the same. If he was gone and people could come.

4:00 Jennifer: And that was later on. That was towards the end of your more relationship with him than it was in the beginning of that. So yeah, you definitely got isolated.

4:07 Jackie: So there's different ways to be isolated, definitely.

4:10 Jennifer: Yeah. Yeah. We're trying to just touch base on both of them so that you can get a grip that it's not just one isolation, it's isolation in various ways, and that any isolation. You can have a family, yeah.

4:23 Jackie: You can have a family, a job, a house, and still feel completely alone.

4:27 Jennifer: Yeah.

4:28 Jackie: For sure.

4:28 Jennifer: Exactly. I think there's something about the touching base with your friends that reminds you that who you are. Like we get in these processes of of living and we become wives and we become, you know, we work for people and we w we we get in these situations where our lives have changed. And then there's this whole group of people, at least in our case, that remind us that who we used to be. Like if we didn't have that, it'd be really hard to convince people of the life we had. And I just interestingly, I had dinner with my husband on Friday night.

5:02 Jennifer: I think we went somewhere. We went to some Italian place and we were eating and he was talking about something, listening to our podcast or something. And um because he can hear him downstairs while we're up here podcasting. So he said that um, you know, he's he's touching base on it. He's like, You guys talk about your childhood a lot. And I was like, Yeah, we do. And it's because it's therapy for us. I go, if I didn't have somebody in my world to reflect back to where I came from and where I'm from and why I act the way I do sometimes, or the things that I have done in a a way that if you hadn't, if you guys weren't there to say, yeah, yeah, that's the way it went.

5:41 Jennifer: Like, do you I remember that well? Did I did that happen? You know what I mean? Like some of us need that.

5:46 Jackie: And I'm just second guessing you're yeah, am I am I right about that?

5:50 Jennifer: What did that happen? Like, cause I think we forget to remember we forget a lot of things because it got where it was pretty normal. And so I'm like, yeah, we do. And there's no apologies about that because for us it's important to do that. It makes it makes you feel seen. And and that's part of this, you know, connection of people of your best friends and this idea that they're more than just a person in your life. They're a connection to a lot of things that are prior to, you know, your current marriage or your current family or your curtain.

6:24 Jennifer: Like it's like a dip back into getting to be, look back to where you came from and why you evolved. And, you know, even if it's not just your friendship, it could be just these best friends have been around for previous relationships. And you may have like weird things you do in your relationship now and be like, oh yeah, that's because of so and so or whatever. They're just a great back source to making you feel like you've been seen your whole life, right? That's kind of it. Like someone's watched me grow and seen my evolving.

6:54 Jackie: And in my my part of it too, this was many, many years ago. So it wasn't like it is now. Like we could sit and text each other. Back then we had to call each other on the phone. I did. I didn't have a cell phone. I was probably the last one. I remember my kids and my nieces asking why I was the only one that didn't have a cell phone.

7:13 Jennifer: Well, how old were you before you got one?

7:16 Jackie: Goodness. My kids were older. They could ask why I don't have one and everybody else had one. So I would say they were probably like probably like five, five, maybe six and four, something like that. Yeah. Why wouldn't you have a cell phone now? They just uh they weren't popular or just never no, just never got one, or I guess he just didn't think I needed one because you know, I was usually home. There was a house phone then. So it was like they did he just didn't get me one. Yeah. And it wouldn't have been something that I went out and got myself.

7:45 Jackie: I didn't know enough about 'em, you know? Because I know like my sister-in-law had one and they all gone through the business, and then I finally got one, which was like cool, all right. That's probably a good idea, you know, and I drive with your children all the time. And if there's an emergency such classic control of your life.

8:02 Jennifer: I mean, honestly.

8:03 Jackie: Exactly.

8:05 Jennifer: It's your damp phone. Yeah.

8:08 Jackie: But it would have been a lot different. Yeah. I mean, I would have that would have been nice to be able to text you guys back then without, you know, being on the phone or trying to call because we all worked. I mean, like you guys worked and everybody was all over the place. It's hard to connect. And if I went to call you guys, most of the time you wouldn't be home during the day when I was home when I could talk because he wasn't there. Right. So like then the evening comes, he's home. Then it'd be like, Well, what are you doing?

8:31 Jackie: You know, I'm supposed to be making dinner, getting the kids ready for the next day, da da da da and all that.

8:36 Jennifer: Right. So you were stuck. Yeah, I mean, it's it's lonely. I mean, there's a there's a difference of, you know, being alone and then just being kind of lonely. Like, I'm alone. Alone's okay. I feel like alone is okay, but lonely is like, you know, I miss my my friends too. Like, I don't have, you know, like I know when I lived in California, I'd be like, well, let's do something in like two weeks. I'll come down or whatever, or you'll come up or whatever, and you can see your friends. Like it's a connection of of you know, I see you every week basically now because we'd get on these podcasting days, we see each other.

9:10 Jennifer: Yes. But there's a difference between the yeah, being but then like getting together, you know, like when we go to Vegas or we're like together for a few days. It's like it's it's a real connection. It's like, you know, we eat together, we're sleeping together, we're getting up together, we're hanging out at this casino together, we're doing things, we're just getting to act how we would normally act. We working, but we're also having fun. So for me, it's like that's the connection that I miss is just my friends.

9:37 Jennifer: Like, even you girls, you guys get together once in a while and go, you know, get something to eat or see each other or do whatever. So you get kind of that connection, and it's important to have, don't you think?

9:47 Jackie: Definitely. I think when we start getting together, we should just uh set up a computer and have you there on FaceTime like you're with us.

9:55 SPEAKER_01: Give myself a beer. I'm just gonna set up the camera or the computer, you're gonna have a seat. And so whenever you can come in to say hi to us while we're got got the hibachi, you can come in.

10:05 Jennifer: Yeah, right. We like have my own beer, have my own glass of champagne, be like, hey girls, what's up?

10:11 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we'll figure it out.

10:12 Jennifer: We'll try to figure it out. If you've been watching listening to our podcast, Jackie's been waiting for the confirmations for her Valentine's Day, and they have come through. Jackie's Valentine's Day is on full, she's got full RSVP, so it was a good good week for her for. So exciting. Um, I think that you know uh people lose friendships too. Like uh, you know, I I want to touch base on that. I mean, Jackie and I have been full disclosing that we were not friends for but 15 years of our lives, and I think that's episode two.

10:44 Jennifer: If you need to marriage and yeah, yeah. But we're not the only people that this has happened to. So I imagine, you know, if you've lost friendships through just life shifts, you know, your marriages, divorces, moving, kids' careers, you've lost track of some of these people and you feel pretty lonely. This is a beautiful thing about today's day and age, because this could happen very easily in our day and age, because you've could have lost their phone number. You didn't know where they went, they moved, they, you know, relocated to a place or they had one phone number and they changed their phone number and you don't know the phone number and you don't know how to get a hold of them.

11:17 Jennifer: In today's world, it's so much easier to find these people that you may have been connected to because there's so many avenues to find them now, don't you think?

11:25 Jackie: Oh, yeah, definitely. Um, I just remember back when we started doing the I think our 10th reunion for high school, trying to find people back then. We didn't have all this. I mean, now we can find anybody we want. Someone will you can reach out and somebody knows where that person's at or can get the, you know, get a hold of them. But I remember how hard that was. You're just reaching out to everybody. You have to hand call everybody, send the, you know, we were sending out tons of mail too to try to get responses from people and you get all these returns, and it's like, now who do I get a hold of?

11:54 Jackie: Because you I didn't have the phone numbers for everybody. No, you know, at 10 years after high school, you know, that's not right. Everybody's going somewhere else.

12:02 Jennifer: We flipped open our Christine and I did that once. We flipped open my uh yearbook and we just everybody wrote keep in touch and they put their phone number in there and we would call everybody. One summer we called them all. We're like, hey, just keeping in touch.

12:13 SPEAKER_01: And they're like, okay, like weirdest conversation. For you guys, in case somebody was lonely or they're like, who we're here for you.

12:25 Jennifer: I know. This is Jen and Chrissy. Says here, keep in touch. We're just calling. They're like, okay.

12:30 SPEAKER_01: And keep in mind, everybody, that's a rotary phones that they're on. So you needed two phones to talk.

12:36 Jennifer: We did it though. But I can imagine in the 10-year reunion we could do the same thing. We could have pulled our old yearbooks out and at least tried to find their parents and been like, hey, are you still up here?

12:45 Jackie: We could that's what we would do. Yeah. Yeah. We'd send the save the date or trying to find people and send it to their parents first, the address that we would have, and then went on. But I mean, nowadays I could get find everybody.

12:58 Jennifer: Yeah. Somebody knows somebody who knows somebody. Yeah. I'm overdoing that.

13:04 SPEAKER_01: I see who I want to see now.

13:06 Jennifer: Right. As a lot of you don't want to find everybody. You're like, well, we'll find you when we need you. I mean, we have a pretty good we have a pretty good class. We were small, so we were very, very close to each other. But yeah. But yeah, I mean, you know, it's not easy as an ad as an adult to make new friends. So, you know, there's al so many ways to reach out to people and to find people and to maybe get yourself out of this self-protected, I don't need anybody mode that we get into sometimes when we get lonely.

13:34 Jennifer: And can't can't stress enough that as you get older, you definitely need your friends. I think they're important to have because life's gonna start changing for all of us and having some navigation around us besides just our current family and our current situation is always good because you don't know what you're gonna need as you get older and how important that that support system becomes. I know a lot of women that I hear a lot of women actually that say, Oh, I don't have any friends because I'm on like all these friend chats or whatever that are on Facebook groups or whatever because I am in the business of best friends and stuff.

14:09 Jennifer: So I follow some of that stuff, but I read a lot about it. I was like, I didn't like women then and I don't like women now, and I don't get along with them, and they're so catty, and I feel bad for people who who say that because I was just gonna say that, and I'm that's so sad that they haven't been able to find somebody. It's a cover-up for you didn't get the best friend that for me I feel bad for them because I'm like, oh, you didn't you didn't find a best friend in life. You you know, maybe you tried earlier and you just don't get along with women, or you know, they have excuses about why they're not with women or they don't like women or women are bad.

14:43 Jennifer: And I'm like, I don't have that opinion at all. I feel like women are like a sisterhood, like you know, for us, especially us group, our group of friends and five, none of us have a sister, or at least one we didn't grow up with. So we are each other's sisters, really. I mean it's interesting that five of us that remain really good friends are sisterless. Like nobody has a sister. Definitely. So, you know, it's not it's like having a sister, it's having a best friend, it's having someone to talk to, it's having somebody to bounce something off of.

15:13 Jennifer: You can get very isolated and lonely. And I know, especially when you were in that situation, Jackie, you had nobody to help you navigate what was right and wrong. You got isolated into thinking that was the role that you were meant to play. Like you were meant to be isolated from everybody and you had nowhere to turn to to even see if that was the truth, right? Like you could get yourself-I was lonely.

15:37 Jackie: I remember. And I mean, until I got out of it, like you said, I I just felt that's what I was supposed to be doing. Like this is this is what what it is.

15:45 Song: Right.

15:45 Jackie: But I was a very, very unhappy and lonely and because I was, you know, I was isolated with his family too. That's all talk, that's all that we did things with, you know.

15:55 Jennifer: Right. Because it controls.

15:56 Jackie: That's a different thing too. You can't complain. Yeah.

15:59 unknown: Yeah.

16:00 Jennifer: Yeah. You can't complain about your husband or your situation because it goes right back to him, right? So and that's not complaining. You know, we people don't complain about I want to take that out of the word because it's like complaining's a bad word, but you need someone to bounce a thought off of that isn't necessarily just your spouse because you're going to run around into the same circle. It's going to be the same results all the time because that's a met that's a process of how you function together and stuff.

16:27 Jennifer: So, you know, you get the same you get the same response all the time from somebody. Once you've kind of, you know, looked for a solution on something, your husband will give you the same solution over and over again. And then it gets frustrating, right?

16:39 SPEAKER_01: Stop that or stops giving anything. We've talked about that. They're just like, All right, I've heard the side, just fix it.

16:48 Jennifer: So for all you lonely girls who may be listening to this that don't need women and don't need a friend, beg to differ. I think that maybe you've put yourself in that situation or you've thought that way. And and that if you reach out and had some friends that you once had, or even meet new friends, but you know, open your heart and open your mind up to the idea that there's a lot of great women out there and there's a lot of people that need friends and you know, they're looking just like you are.

17:14 Jennifer: And there's you know, there's got to be a way to connect these people together that um, you know, can put you back in a place where you don't so lonely.

17:24 Jackie: A movie, movie Mark and I just um watched this weekend, a series. We started and we finished it. We started last week. It's called um It's her fault. It's her fault. I think it's on who Peacock on Peacock, I believe. It's all her fault. And there's two two women that in it, you know, they're they're it's kind of like I, you know, like when I was in the PTA and you know, they're trying to get you to go in and do all this stuff, and all these other moms around you, you're just like, okay, I have nothing in common with you.

17:49 Jackie: Right. But you know, you're around people. But then you have these two moms that literally don't know, like don't have a friend. Like the one actually says in it, I don't have any friends. Like and by the end, they are best friends. Right. Like they found that they had a lot more in common with each other and they needed each other. And yeah, it's an interesting if no one's seen it, it's really, it's a it's a crazy, it's really good.

18:13 Jennifer: So did they both not have friends or just one of them didn't have friends?

18:16 Jackie: No, both of them.

18:17 Jennifer: Oh, okay.

18:17 Jackie: They're like workaholics and just never clicked with any, you know, the mom type things, and then all of a sudden they met up by going to like a you know, a class meeting with with all the parents, you know, because you have that one mom that's organizing everything and wants everybody part of everything. So she's bringing everyone in at you. And through that, through them, you know, these little catty ones, these two became friends. But it's kind of it's kind of what we're talking about. So if you see it, if you watch it, Jen, you should really, I mean, I'd advise it's a really good series.

18:47 Jackie: It's quick, it's only eight, eight episodes, I think total, but it's really good. But it is about friendship. Wow. And the one's like, mm-hmm. Yeah, but it is. It's about someone that she's like, I just don't have friends, and yeah, same kind of thing. And then by the end, they're like best friends. There you go.

19:01 Jennifer: So there's a movie out there if you guys are looking for some inspiration. But you know, I'm sure there's some of you that just think women are the horrible and you can't get around them, and you know, you don't want them around you. And and maybe you have your own backstory and you have your own traumas from that, and I get it. But some of you are just convincing yourselves. The ones that are convincing themselves that they really don't need a friend. Maybe this is something that, you know, if you have a connection with somebody, you're just yeah, yeah.

19:26 Jennifer: It's okay to reach out.

19:29 Jackie: It's okay to admit that that you miss having a friend. It's okay.

19:34 Jennifer: It's okay. And it's okay that I'm hundreds of miles away from my friends now, and it's okay for me to say it is isolating to be here when you all are there and getting to do what you want to do together. And I get to skip out almost all of it, really. Because I I know and we miss you. Yeah. So it's good to have connection. It's, you know, it's not it's okay to feel like you don't have that and reach out, do podcast with your best friend. Honestly. I mean, if you want to get connected with somebody, just podcast with them all day, you know, every week.

20:05 Jennifer: So all right. Well, let's move on to the bestie rapid questions, Jackie. Ready? Who's more likely to isolate when they're struggling? Probably both of us don't. Uh yeah.

20:15 Jackie: I I I could do that. I can do it too till I till I finally just need, yeah. You know me. Everything just builds up in me till I do something about it. So yeah.

20:26 Song: Until you break it.

20:28 Jackie: Yeah, exactly. And then I'm good again. I just need a little bit of time. I just need to talk to you. What's the first sign your bestie might be withdrawing?

20:36 Jennifer: Slow to respond, normal little like normal patterns of how you behave, and then just the noticing of it, you know what I mean? Or short answers sometimes when you're like, mm-hmm. Probably you would be more answering that.

20:48 Jackie: Well, with you, short answers could be because you're working and you get a wedding, but I can kind of look at your schedule and get an idea if you oh hey, she does not have a wedding right now.

20:58 unknown: Yeah.

20:58 Jennifer: Jackie has benefit of spare of spying on my life. She can get in and look at my schedule and she's like, she's busy today. So, you know, if I'm being short and there's no weddings, then Jackie's like, what's up? It's kind of like a it's kind of like a detective game with me. So, anyways, all right, who reaches out first when there's silence between you? It just depends on who feels the silence.

21:22 Jennifer: If you feel like you did something, maybe or you had a weird conversation and then there's some silence, I'd probably be like, hey, we're we're good, you know, and I'd reach out and like move get beyond it. I wouldn't get stuck in it necessarily, it would just be like, you know, we're the age where we just don't get that offended anymore. We've been through enough to know that we're gonna be with each other no matter what. So you just kind of move past it. But I could see that if you thought you you did something upset me, you'd probably reach out a little bit more.

21:48 Jennifer: Um same vice versa. I think that's how it works. Right.

21:52 Jackie: Yeah, definitely. So what's the text that always pulls you out of a funk?

21:57 Jennifer: Just friendship stuff.

21:58 Jackie: I think it's not just I think more more of the um the little videos or the little um what do you call emoji things, whatever.

22:07 Jennifer: The memes, the memes between us. The memes, yeah.

22:11 Jackie: Those are always good. Those could get me laughing like all of a sudden. Yeah, it takes we find some good ones, definitely.

22:17 Jennifer: Yeah. Some ones where they're you know where it makes us remind us that we're pretty much, you know, can be little bitches behind the scenes and then we feel better. We're like, yeah, yeah, that's right. We get we would get returned if we got kidnapped, and these are the reasons why, because we're, you know. Those are always good ones for us too, right? All right, who's the better comforter? Words or action? I'm pretty good with words, I would imagine. I think you're a better comforter with action, don't you?

22:42 Jennifer: I'll do something more indefinitely. Yeah.

22:46 Jackie: I think that yeah, because my words just go on forever and they don't uh ever end and they don't don't land.

22:52 Jennifer: Right on the plane, Jackie, you're trying to get out here.

22:59 SPEAKER_01: Okay, Jackie, let's land this. That's so funny.

23:02 Jennifer: Sometimes when I cut Jackie off, it's because I think she's circling the problem too long. Like what she's trying to say here is this, and then we move on. So it's just kind of a joke between us. So I think it's funny too. That's good though.

23:13 SPEAKER_01: I understand. I don't take it personally, I'm good with it. It's me. I'm not as good with my words. Yeah. I know what I'm thinking. I just can't put it out there sometimes. I know.

23:23 Jennifer: Sometimes I'm like, I know what you're trying to say, and here's what she's trying to say, and let's move on.

23:27 SPEAKER_01: I appreciate that. Sure. Who's more likely to overthink a friendship issue?

23:32 Jackie: Me. You.

23:33 Jennifer: Yeah.

23:34 Jackie: I overthink a lot, yes.

23:36 Jennifer: Yeah. You have more anxiety.

23:37 Jackie: I try to turn that off, but it's really hard.

23:40 Jennifer: It is. I know. Also because it's definitely me. I think for you too, like I'm more like in your face. Like, I'll just say it and move on. But like for you, you do that a little bit in life. Like you try to sidestep things a little bit. So I think for you, honestly, is probably you are like, that's what she's saying, but here's what she's meaning. Because in your world, sometimes that's how you are. So you think everybody's like that, where I'm just like, F you, bye, good night, and move on. And I think that's why you overthink things.

24:11 Jennifer: Because you're like, I know what she says, but I know what she's really thinking, kind of thing. Don't you think that's true?

24:17 SPEAKER_01: Yes, I believe. Yes, definitely.

24:19 Jackie: I'm not in denial at all anymore.

24:21 Jennifer: I know, right?

24:23 Jackie: I'll admit it. Yep. Okay, what's the weirdest way you've ever met a friend?

24:27 Jennifer: I have a good one. So my what um my stepdaughter uh was dating this boy, and they were at our house and they'd go to his house or whatever. And so one day I ran downstairs or something. I cut my hair or something, I was like freaking out and just kind of going crazy or whatever. I think that they just were like, you know, our moms would be really good friends. Like they're kind of weird. That's what they said. Kind of weird. We were just kind of like, you know, like full of emotions, I guess. And so they I think what they did is they got us a they did.

25:00 Jennifer: They bought us a thing at Christmas, like a paint party, wine paint thing where you go to a have a glass of wine and paint. And they bought it and they gave one to her and one to me, and they told us to go together. So we did, and then now we're still friends. Like we ended up being really good friends, and we did have kind of that connection, and they broke up and then it got awkward because it was like, are we still friends? Because we're friends now, and they're separate from them, so it kind of got weird, but she's one of my good friends, and we're still friends from it.

25:29 Jennifer: Do you have any weird ways that you uh met a friend?

25:32 Jackie: We just meet people, you know me. I can meet people anywhere, like a friend. Not a good friend, but a friend that I yeah, do things with. I swear anything me and my husband do, we end up meeting somebody. You do.

25:44 Jennifer: You know what you know what I was just thinking about is your friend that you met on the airplane to Mexico that you're friends with. I'm friends with her too, actually. So yeah, yeah.

25:52 Jackie: It's kind of a weird we're going for a wedding with a whole nother group of people. And we were just on the plane together and started talking, and oh, that was the best plane flight. It was so funny. Everybody else had like the worst plane flights down there, and we went a week, we went like a bit earlier to have a little more of a vacation for before the wedding. Right. And uh we met they the the um airline actually paid for all of our drinks on the way down. They were like, the drinks are on us.

26:16 Jackie: We're like, yes. Why was there anything wrong with that? All having free drinks. No, everything was fine. It was just they were just a really good like crew, and everybody was just in a good mood, and it just all was great. And then they were staying at the same hotel as us, and then we met at the pool and we did dinner, and so we had this group of friends, and the group was coming in for the wedding. Oh, how funny. And then when we came back home, they were from California, so we hung out.

26:39 Jennifer: Yeah, yeah.

26:40 Jackie: Went I'm friends with them too. Camping with them and Jen met her. Yep, we went to Vegas she went to Vegas with us on one of our girls' trips on my birthday.

26:48 Jennifer: Yeah, we share friends, everybody. We find friends, and then we bring them into the group, and then we're like, Oh yeah, you're friends with her too, you know. Like I think the person I think about all the time is my friend Stephanie, and um she was my childhood best friend. Uh and then I moved to the mountains where everybody was at. So she was my friend then, but she was always my friend, she's always been my friend, she's always gonna be my friend. But everybody has a story with my friend Stephanie, right?

27:14 Jennifer: We had some wild stories with my friend Stephanie, but all my friends know her, everybody's been around her. She showed up at our prom one time, it was a totally weird thing, but yeah. Um we should we tend to share friends, and I like that because Michelle's the same thing. Like Michelle's friends are our friends too, Chrissy's friends. What who's ever friends? Because I do believe that once one of us likes somebody or is friends with somebody that we almost guarantee the rest of us will like them too, because we know that that they wouldn't like them if they weren't the kind of people that we like.

27:43 Jennifer: You know what I mean? Like we all kind of like to- So I think that's funny. All right, what's the one small thing that instantly makes you feel connected again?

27:51 Jackie: I think it's just getting together, just talking, yeah. When we get into our conversations, yeah.

27:57 Jennifer: I think just hanging out, just getting back together and being in the same space or whatever, like you know, I definitely think in the beginning next year we need to have a Vegas trip. I'd like to go and just it's a good central place for us to go and hang out, and it's away from your world and away from my world, and we can be together and you know, we have this podcasting now, so we can podcast anywhere. So yeah, I think that just is a nice way to feel connected. I'd like for the other girls to go too.

28:21 Jennifer: I haven't seen them in a while. I see you more often than I see them, but yeah, right.

28:26 Jackie: That would be good. Yeah. Okay, one word your bestie makes you feel instead of lonely. One word your bestie makes you feel. That's a good one.

28:36 Jennifer: Yeah. Heard heard. Let's just go on that. Seen felt, heard, touched. I mean to go through all the sensory. Love it.

28:47 Jennifer: All right. So, anyway, so loneliness, loneliness doesn't mean you're unlovable. It's just your soul asking for a connection. One brave conversation, one friend, one honest truth at a time. That's how we find our way back. There you go. If this episode hitching the fails or made you laugh way too hard, we consider that a win. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your write or die. And when you're ready to make your friendship official, book your bestimony at rhinestoneweddingchapel.com.

29:12 Jackie: Because the best love stories don't always come with a ring.

29:28 Song: We stick together right or die to the moon, and no amount of space could ever come between us two. Reuniting's like we've never been apart, and every single time we're out of eye and heart to heart.

29:55 Song: There's not enough words to describe what you made a make. To put eggs and ups and dance and like you stayed right next to me. I'll bottom make you laugh time.

30:22 Song: It's good.

30:29 Song: It's good.

30:44 Song: We're writing a story. Every day we'll keep on going.

32:03 Song: Trust that loyalty.