June 28, 2026 • 10 mins
Jana and Kristen check in with their plans for the 4th of July, which leads to an emotional moment as Kristen tries to reframe the holiday to the joy she had for it as a kid.
And we hear about Jana’s plans to host Allan’s parents while they’re in town from Scotland… but she might need a translator!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Wind Down with Janet Kramer and I'm Heeart Radio podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
All right, this is our fourth of July week episode.
It's going to be short and sweet. We want everyone
to just be celebrating with their family. KB, what are
your Fourth of July plans?
Speaker 3 (00:18):
I think we're going to sneak to a Dada show.
He actually we usually do Fourth of July at our house.
It's really precious. Our neighborhood's cute. No need to go anywhere,
is how I kind of feel. But Dada is local ish.
I think he's a couple hours away, so we're going
to try. We're going to try to sneak to Dada
show on the fourth of July.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
So does he know it? Would it be a secret.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
I might have to tell him just logistics wise. I
don't like us ever on the road that long without
him knowing that we're on the road altogether. So yeah,
but I think it'll be sweet, and I just I'm
trying to rewrite Fourth of July. This might be a
little deeper than you thought it would be. But I ah,
so dumb.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
It's not dumb. Emotions are not dumb, Feelings are not dumb.
Crying is not dumb.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Well, and you know, my whole heart and every little
piece of my story. So I'm very careful to share
like almost everything on here. But you know, Fourth of
July was always like my absolute favorite growing up. It
was my favorite.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
So just the last few.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Years, July has been a little rough. I lost my
dad in July five years ago this year, and I've
lost a lot in July over the years, and I
just it's I think a little bit of me is
like grieving. I used to be like Captain America when
July would hit, like I'm your girl for the barbecue
(01:43):
and the you know, I'm the blueberry. Yes, it's the blueberry,
strawberry banana American flag making person in me. And I
I think it's tricky when I don't I don't want
to turn it over to it feeling like the calendar landmine.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
But I do feel that quite a bit.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
And I you know, obviously I tell you a lot
of things off of this podcast, and you know all
of it. But I'm trying to rewrite that so intentionally
this year, and I can just feel it's sneaking up
on me a little.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
So I think it's hard when there's been tough seasons
and it's in that month. I've got one, you know,
it's it's later in the year and it's.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
One of those.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
At the same time, No, I'm so glad I'm holding
each other up. But it's hard because though it's been
a year or years removed from it, there's still that
creepy emotion that comes up around a certain date or
a certain month that represents something that's really hurtful. And
(02:48):
I think it's okay to feel both things. And I
think each year it'll my hope, you know, even for
myself and those I've got a specific one in mind,
is like that it lightens every year, you know that
it's not as tough, but acknowledging where you are today
versus where you were then.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
And I think it is important to just like say it.
I know we're not the only ones that go through this,
and like, you know, there's I know, even this week
we've lost Like I think of even Kyle Busch's family
right like they're going into Father's Day and they don't
get to have their data, and like I just always think, like, man,
I hope this time of year doesn't always sneak up
on them that same way.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
You know, it's just really.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
At least it's honest. If nothing else, I don't have
it buttoned up. And I'm just hoping that us kind
of getting away and going to do something different will
kind of like rewrite it in my brain a little bit.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
No, for sure. I think there's so many different ways
to look at it. It's like I have my very favorite,
I mean, hands down, my favorite photo I've ever taken
is it's on my wall here in the podcast room,
and it's me on It's Fourth of July week and
it's with me in Jolie and Jace the year that
(04:02):
I got divorced, because I remember Fourth of July for
me was like the same. It's like Michigan Heart growing up,
it's my it's my absolute favorite holidays. We were always
at the lake Lake Manuka, you know, go up to
Traverse City and you know the Cherry Fast. I mean,
it was just my favorite childhood memories. And you know,
(04:23):
I remembered fearing going up north that Fourth of July
because it was gonna be the first year, you know,
just me and me and the two kids, like just
us three and not allowing that experience or that divorce
to to taint that week for me, you know, and
it's like kind of the same thing, like for what
(04:44):
you're going through. It's like not allowing what happened to
taint what you love and enjoy. Like that's why, like
I look at that photo and it is like it
gives me so much joy because their faces are smiling
and they're happy, and like there is a sense of
like such peace, and like I can feel it in
the photo, Like even in myself, I'm like there is
just like peace and there's relaxation, and like I was like,
(05:05):
I'm not gonna let what happened ruin my favorite time,
you know, and my time for my kids. And so
I think like you get to anchor in being like
you get to rewrite it. You get to rewrite your
July how you want.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yeah, And I'm going a steady like attempt to just
do that year by year. And I do think it
also just speaks to and we say this a lot
on here, but just the idea that you truly just
don't know what everyone is going through, Like, yeah, you
just don't know. I mean even the last few weeks
have just been a little heavy for me in general.
And I will share always the joy and not in
(05:41):
the attempt to make everything with picture perfect, but just
like today I had actually, you know, I had posted
something about grief and how it's sneaky and it can
ambush and whether you're mourning the loss of a person
or an idea or anything, and just the flood of
people that were like, gosh, I needed this today because
it's the summer months and everyone's living their best life.
(06:04):
But there's still you know, that can still tap you
on the shoulder no matter what time or where you are.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
So yeah, no, for sure, And I think that's you
know again, it's acknowledging it, not sweeping it under, but
then going oh, you know this is uh, it's not
going to steal the joy now, and then you can
look at the growth of it later too, you know
what I mean, and see like how far you've come,
because again and remind me of that when I'm going
(06:30):
through mine.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I'll see you in a couple of months.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
I see you in a.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Couple of months. But I think it's I think it's
good to feel both and for me, like I'm I'm so,
I could never imagine Fourth of July looking like what
it's gonna you know, God, willing look like, you know,
we now that we have our lake house, and last
year's Fourth of July was a bit of a rough one.
I told I was telling Alan when we were doing
(06:53):
our check in the other day. I said, listen, I said,
you know, this is minus our wedding week because we
left for scott And I said, this is the like
the second time I haven't gone up to Michigan for
Fourth of July. And I said, and there's going to
be there is that like sadness, you know, But I
was like, I'm excited to spend it at the lake,
our new lake house. I said, but you know, I
(07:14):
my Grandma's still at Lake Minooka, and you know, my
aunts and uncles and cousins, and so I said, there
will be. It does make me sad a little bit,
but I'm excited for, you know, the memories that we're
going to start doing, you know, at our lakehouse.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
So I'm pumped about that.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
I know, I don't want to take our suite Fourth
of July episode. I'm like, Happy Birthday America, cause I'm
weeping on wine.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
No, no, I no, I think it's I think it's no,
it's it's it's uh I know someone else probably will
have something and the same thing. Yeah, yeah, I don't know.
I mean, I'm I'm looking forward to it. And then
we're going to have Alan's parents in town with us
for the Fourth of July, so they'll be still They're
going to be able to witness a fourth of July
on the lake.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
A proper fourth of July America.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
I'm really looking forward to that. And then you just
enjoying the rest of July because it's going to be hopefully,
you know, work stuff will start coming in August, and.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Yeah, that's good.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Maybe how long does his parents How long do his
parents stay for?
Speaker 2 (08:12):
They're going to be staying for a month, So I'm
going to be the hostess with the mostess Cramer.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
How do we feel? Give me a temperature read on
that optimistic.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Listen for me, it's it's a joy to have them come.
They haven't come in two years, so I'm I'm excited,
you know, to be able to host and and I
I only have one small fear. I still just don't
understand his dad very well.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Hey, this can let's make it work to our advantage,
because so I a month is a long time to
not know what somebody see.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, I know, and most of the time it's only
been like a couple days, and so I just look
at him and I'm like, I laugh, you know, but
I'm going to really I'm gonna I might you know,
maybe I'll put him on Instagram and see if anyone
else can understand him, because I'm sure as hell can't.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
I bet, I bet the longer you're with him, the
more you're gonna get it. That's my that's my wish.
But I am coming over to hang out with them
because I can't. I cannot understand Allan's dad and Alan's
dad thinks Alan's dad is so funny, and so Alan's
dad is a joke and then he laughs that big,
like big full Scottish laugh, and his sweet mom is
(09:20):
just sitting over there in the corner like, oh this man,
Bless his man. But I think that's my favorite part
about him. He's a good time just asking.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
He's so fun, yeah, so fun. So it's going to
be a blast. But we hope all of you guys
have a really safe, beautiful, happy, connected fourth of July,
and uh yeah, we'll just be praying for all you
guys that you guys are safe, whatever wherever your plans
take you and KB.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
I love you, I love you.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Before it's a July babe, let's uh this is it's
gonna be a good one.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
It's redemptive freedom in a different way.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Yes, yes, ma'am, it is all right.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Love love you, I love you, Bie,
Wind Down with Janet Kramer and I'm Heeart Radio podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
All right, this is our fourth of July week episode.
It's going to be short and sweet. We want everyone
to just be celebrating with their family. KB, what are
your Fourth of July plans?
Speaker 3 (00:18):
I think we're going to sneak to a Dada show.
He actually we usually do Fourth of July at our house.
It's really precious. Our neighborhood's cute. No need to go anywhere,
is how I kind of feel. But Dada is local ish.
I think he's a couple hours away, so we're going
to try. We're going to try to sneak to Dada
show on the fourth of July.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
So does he know it? Would it be a secret.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
I might have to tell him just logistics wise. I
don't like us ever on the road that long without
him knowing that we're on the road altogether. So yeah,
but I think it'll be sweet, and I just I'm
trying to rewrite Fourth of July. This might be a
little deeper than you thought it would be. But I ah,
so dumb.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
It's not dumb. Emotions are not dumb, Feelings are not dumb.
Crying is not dumb.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Well, and you know, my whole heart and every little
piece of my story. So I'm very careful to share
like almost everything on here. But you know, Fourth of
July was always like my absolute favorite growing up. It
was my favorite.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
So just the last few.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Years, July has been a little rough. I lost my
dad in July five years ago this year, and I've
lost a lot in July over the years, and I
just it's I think a little bit of me is
like grieving. I used to be like Captain America when
July would hit, like I'm your girl for the barbecue
(01:43):
and the you know, I'm the blueberry. Yes, it's the blueberry,
strawberry banana American flag making person in me. And I
I think it's tricky when I don't I don't want
to turn it over to it feeling like the calendar landmine.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
But I do feel that quite a bit.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
And I you know, obviously I tell you a lot
of things off of this podcast, and you know all
of it. But I'm trying to rewrite that so intentionally
this year, and I can just feel it's sneaking up
on me a little.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
So I think it's hard when there's been tough seasons
and it's in that month. I've got one, you know,
it's it's later in the year and it's.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
One of those.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
At the same time, No, I'm so glad I'm holding
each other up. But it's hard because though it's been
a year or years removed from it, there's still that
creepy emotion that comes up around a certain date or
a certain month that represents something that's really hurtful. And
(02:48):
I think it's okay to feel both things. And I
think each year it'll my hope, you know, even for
myself and those I've got a specific one in mind,
is like that it lightens every year, you know that
it's not as tough, but acknowledging where you are today
versus where you were then.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
And I think it is important to just like say it.
I know we're not the only ones that go through this,
and like, you know, there's I know, even this week
we've lost Like I think of even Kyle Busch's family
right like they're going into Father's Day and they don't
get to have their data, and like I just always think, like, man,
I hope this time of year doesn't always sneak up
on them that same way.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
You know, it's just really.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
At least it's honest. If nothing else, I don't have
it buttoned up. And I'm just hoping that us kind
of getting away and going to do something different will
kind of like rewrite it in my brain a little bit.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
No, for sure. I think there's so many different ways
to look at it. It's like I have my very favorite,
I mean, hands down, my favorite photo I've ever taken
is it's on my wall here in the podcast room,
and it's me on It's Fourth of July week and
it's with me in Jolie and Jace the year that
(04:02):
I got divorced, because I remember Fourth of July for
me was like the same. It's like Michigan Heart growing up,
it's my it's my absolute favorite holidays. We were always
at the lake Lake Manuka, you know, go up to
Traverse City and you know the Cherry Fast. I mean,
it was just my favorite childhood memories. And you know,
(04:23):
I remembered fearing going up north that Fourth of July
because it was gonna be the first year, you know,
just me and me and the two kids, like just
us three and not allowing that experience or that divorce
to to taint that week for me, you know, and
it's like kind of the same thing, like for what
(04:44):
you're going through. It's like not allowing what happened to
taint what you love and enjoy. Like that's why, like
I look at that photo and it is like it
gives me so much joy because their faces are smiling
and they're happy, and like there is a sense of
like such peace, and like I can feel it in
the photo, Like even in myself, I'm like there is
just like peace and there's relaxation, and like I was like,
(05:05):
I'm not gonna let what happened ruin my favorite time,
you know, and my time for my kids. And so
I think like you get to anchor in being like
you get to rewrite it. You get to rewrite your
July how you want.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Yeah, And I'm going a steady like attempt to just
do that year by year. And I do think it
also just speaks to and we say this a lot
on here, but just the idea that you truly just
don't know what everyone is going through, Like, yeah, you
just don't know. I mean even the last few weeks
have just been a little heavy for me in general.
And I will share always the joy and not in
(05:41):
the attempt to make everything with picture perfect, but just
like today I had actually, you know, I had posted
something about grief and how it's sneaky and it can
ambush and whether you're mourning the loss of a person
or an idea or anything, and just the flood of
people that were like, gosh, I needed this today because
it's the summer months and everyone's living their best life.
(06:04):
But there's still you know, that can still tap you
on the shoulder no matter what time or where you are.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
So yeah, no, for sure, And I think that's you
know again, it's acknowledging it, not sweeping it under, but
then going oh, you know this is uh, it's not
going to steal the joy now, and then you can
look at the growth of it later too, you know
what I mean, and see like how far you've come,
because again and remind me of that when I'm going
(06:30):
through mine.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I'll see you in a couple of months.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
I see you in a.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Couple of months. But I think it's I think it's
good to feel both and for me, like I'm I'm so,
I could never imagine Fourth of July looking like what
it's gonna you know, God, willing look like, you know,
we now that we have our lake house, and last
year's Fourth of July was a bit of a rough one.
I told I was telling Alan when we were doing
(06:53):
our check in the other day. I said, listen, I said,
you know, this is minus our wedding week because we
left for scott And I said, this is the like
the second time I haven't gone up to Michigan for
Fourth of July. And I said, and there's going to
be there is that like sadness, you know, But I
was like, I'm excited to spend it at the lake,
our new lake house. I said, but you know, I
(07:14):
my Grandma's still at Lake Minooka, and you know, my
aunts and uncles and cousins, and so I said, there
will be. It does make me sad a little bit,
but I'm excited for, you know, the memories that we're
going to start doing, you know, at our lakehouse.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
So I'm pumped about that.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
I know, I don't want to take our suite Fourth
of July episode. I'm like, Happy Birthday America, cause I'm
weeping on wine.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
No, no, I no, I think it's I think it's no,
it's it's it's uh I know someone else probably will
have something and the same thing. Yeah, yeah, I don't know.
I mean, I'm I'm looking forward to it. And then
we're going to have Alan's parents in town with us
for the Fourth of July, so they'll be still They're
going to be able to witness a fourth of July
on the lake.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
A proper fourth of July America.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
I'm really looking forward to that. And then you just
enjoying the rest of July because it's going to be hopefully,
you know, work stuff will start coming in August, and.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Yeah, that's good.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Maybe how long does his parents How long do his
parents stay for?
Speaker 2 (08:12):
They're going to be staying for a month, So I'm
going to be the hostess with the mostess Cramer.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
How do we feel? Give me a temperature read on
that optimistic.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Listen for me, it's it's a joy to have them come.
They haven't come in two years, so I'm I'm excited,
you know, to be able to host and and I
I only have one small fear. I still just don't
understand his dad very well.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Hey, this can let's make it work to our advantage,
because so I a month is a long time to
not know what somebody see.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, I know, and most of the time it's only
been like a couple days, and so I just look
at him and I'm like, I laugh, you know, but
I'm going to really I'm gonna I might you know,
maybe I'll put him on Instagram and see if anyone
else can understand him, because I'm sure as hell can't.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
I bet, I bet the longer you're with him, the
more you're gonna get it. That's my that's my wish.
But I am coming over to hang out with them
because I can't. I cannot understand Allan's dad and Alan's
dad thinks Alan's dad is so funny, and so Alan's
dad is a joke and then he laughs that big,
like big full Scottish laugh, and his sweet mom is
(09:20):
just sitting over there in the corner like, oh this man,
Bless his man. But I think that's my favorite part
about him. He's a good time just asking.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
He's so fun, yeah, so fun. So it's going to
be a blast. But we hope all of you guys
have a really safe, beautiful, happy, connected fourth of July,
and uh yeah, we'll just be praying for all you
guys that you guys are safe, whatever wherever your plans
take you and KB.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
I love you, I love you.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Before it's a July babe, let's uh this is it's
gonna be a good one.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
It's redemptive freedom in a different way.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Yes, yes, ma'am, it is all right.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Love love you, I love you, Bie,
Host
Jana Kramer
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