Mikaela's New York Adventure and Mindy's Anniversary

Mindy and Mikaela talk about Mikaela's time in New York. Also Mindy talks about 25 years of marriage and celebrating it. 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hey and in New York State ofMind, Mikayla. That was planned because

(00:04):
guess where Mikayla just got back fromConcrete Jungle where dreams are made of?
Thank you, Hannah. Wow.I mean, I got back yesterday,
and thank goodness I did, becausemindy, I would have been just a
blob today on this program. Ireally wanted to play New York, New
York. But songs about New York, right. We looked them all up

(00:27):
as we were driving into the cityand we played them one after the other.
Because we actually drove to New YorkCity, I can see that I
would do that, I mean,and it was fine. It was absolutely
fine. If you can navigate Chicago, folks, and even Columbus at it's
worst, you can navigate downtown Newor really. I totally think so.
Now, yes, I didn't thinkit was possible. But as we were
going in, we had Sinatra.Sinatra was the first one. We had

(00:51):
Alicia and jay Z on the songthat Hannah just played, and we had
Taylor Swift Welcome to New York.So it was those three songs that we
played going into the city. That'spretty cool. The last time I had
to drive around New York City iswhen I went to the Today Show for
Channel four to interview John Waters,the band director at Ohio State, and

(01:11):
so I wasn't driving obviously the photographerwas that I was with, and I
remember thinking to myself, Oh,I would never want to be I could
never drive around this city myself ina car. I wouldn't want to do
it. You know, it's notit's not great, But Marcus did it.
And you know it costs like fiftydollars a day to park, no
joke. So we put our caraway. We used the subway, and

(01:32):
I think you saw me say this, This is a testament to what we
see on media. Folks. Youknow, everyone had told me before we
left, and I had seen itmyself, including me. I was worried
about her. And Melinda Peters Elliottalso was there, believe me. And
I've seen the media, National guardsmeninside the subway, police out of control,

(01:53):
needles coming out of arms. Isaw absolutely zero of that. And
we rode the subway Tuesday through Friday, daytime or night time. We rode
in the night. Oh yeah,we rode in the night twice. You
saw nothing like you felt one hundredpercent safe. I ran into kind of
a belligerent homeless guy at one pointwho was making noise. I don't find

(02:14):
that anywhere, but no I saw. I mean, it smelled kind of
bad at a couple spots, butno I saw it. No, you
can probably find that anywhere too.I saw no drugs, I saw no
violence. If anything, the peopleon the subway were really kind. My
kids are really anxious because when youhaven't had that kind of experience before exposure.
Yeah, yeah, and you know, Marcus and I messed up a

(02:34):
couple of times, got on thewrong train and had to get off get
on the right one, and sowhen that happened a couple times, it
did. I had New Yorkers tellme they saw my kids be like,
mom, dad, what are youdoing? And they said, hey,
you want to get off at thisstop and go to this train. I
can't believe you of them, Ican't believe it. I can't believe it
really, because I have seen imagesof the crime. I have family who
live in Long Island and they won'ttake the subway anymore because of the things

(02:59):
that they've seen them selves. Personally. Now, I will say this,
though, I think people have leftand are leaving New York and droves.
Just seventy eight thousand people left lastyear in New York City. Seventy eight
thousand people have left New York Citybecause of the crime. So maybe it's
getting a little better because the peoplearen't quite there as much as they used
to be. Or it's in pockets, right, So maybe maybe I wasn't

(03:20):
between the Financial District and the UpperWest Side and all the streets in between.
Maybe that's not where you see it, Mandy. I don't know.
Or maybe they just saw your glowingface and thought, you know what,
she's a Midwesterner. We're going tobe nice to the Taylor and her family.
But you guys did so much.I looked at these pictures and I'm
like, what didn't you do inNew York City? You saw the Statue
of Liberty? We did, whichwas amazing. Have you ever seen it

(03:42):
in person? I've been in it. Yes. When we would go visit
our family in Long Island, wewould go down to New York City.
Isn't it amazing? You know,because you hear about it so much,
But to then go I don't thinkthey do allow people to go. We
used to go all the way upto the top. They started to do
it again. Okay, but they'rebooked five months out. You can't get
to the crown right now that way. But when you look at her,
her face looks like she's a cgiin a movie. I mean, when

(04:06):
you're right there in front of it, you're like, I can't believe she
looks like this. So we didthat. We did on the nine to
eleven museum, which was incredibly emotionaland powerful. So the very last time
I went there, we went withthe group because it was when Cammy was
on an official visit for softball atRutgers, and we took the train in
so I didn't have to drive aroundlike I did, you know with the

(04:29):
Channel four photographer. We took thetrain in with different recruits and just to
see the city and everything and tosee that it's, man, it gives
you goosebumps the whole Did you seethe dove like the Dove Monument? No?
Did you see the fountains like theI did go to the pools?
Yeah, in the pools we wentin. I didn't see the dove.

(04:51):
I did not, but it lookslike a dove. But we went inside
the museum and got a tour ofall the fire trucks that, oh my
gosh, it just the stories.We decided to do a tour guide a
tour group inside, and we areso glad that we did because he was
a fifth generation New Yorker and thestories that Lee told us just it choked

(05:12):
you up. And my boys,I think have a better understanding of nine
to eleven now than they had fromschool. Well, they're a different age
right now where they can grasp itand they can understand it, and hopefully
they will remember that for the restof their life. I'm glad you did
it. What a great spring breakfor you and your family. It was.
It was It was not a layon the beach spring break. We
got in fifteen thousand steps a day. That's how much we want. You

(05:32):
probably need a vacation now from yourvacation. I do, and I am.
I missed Wednesday nights. I testedyou Wednesday morning. People as you
were. They said, where's Mikayla. I can't believe she's not at your
anniversary celebration. I would have beenthere. I happened on vacation with my
family. I mean, you lookstunning. You look like it was you

(05:54):
look so happy, and it wassuch a great group. It was outstanding.
You know, you can't get everybodydo you want on a Wednesday night?
And I understand that, and somany people you know, and Boots
wanted to give a toast. He'slike, I want to give your toast.
I'm like, okay, that's fine. And during the toast he's like,
I kept saying to Dre or whyare you doing it on a Wednesday
night? Because you're cheap. Youdon't want to do it on a Saturday
night. No, I had todo it Wednesday for two reasons. It

(06:15):
was our actual April third anniversary datewhen we got married, and Cammi traveling
with a high state softball She's busyevery Saturday. I can't not have my
daughter there. Makes so much sense, and I'm so glad that my kids
were part of that because everything thatwe experience in life, we experience with
our kids. But what don't theyget to experience our wedding day? So
now they got to see us relivethe exact same place at Beautiful Valleydale had

(06:41):
the exact same caterer, Scott,who I love catering by Scott, And
he looked up twenty five years ago. What our meal was that night that
we served, He served the exactsame meal. Are you kidding? No?
So it was. And instead ofhaving my mom and my dad walked
me down the aisle or down thestairs, across the dance floor up onto
the stage of Valley Dale, becausewe had everything there, our wedding and

(07:02):
reception all in one. We didthis twenty five years ago, so we
just relived it. And instead ofhaving Mom and dad, I think they
were there with my heart and inspirit, we had Kylon and Cameron escort
me down and walk up on stagewith Randy and we both exchanged vows and
those two said something, and Ijust kind of told the crowd, you
know what, Randy is the besthuman that I know, but hands down,

(07:25):
and if I had the opportunity,I would marry him all over again.
And then you see these when I'mwearing in my ears, I'm getting
ready because at valley Dale, youknow how many lifelong legendary performers have been
there. Yes, well, theyhave this massive makeup room where everybody can
get ready. So Cammy and Reaganand Kirsten we're all getting ready in this
room, and I'm going from oneend a room, sitting down. I

(07:46):
got up to plug something in atthe other end. When I went back
to the corner where I was sittingin and there's a little black box there
with a note from Randy and hegot me these diamond earrings. Yeah,
beautiful. So I'm like, oh, Kylon goes, well, Mandy,
what did you get Dad? I'mlike this party, But I'm so glad
that they got to see what itwas like to see with their mom and

(08:07):
dad, you know, the lovethat we have and saying our vows.
Twenty five years later and we hada slide show you were in. I
made a video presentation. I've beenaround enough I would be in it,
you know, don't you think thatlooking back on twenty five years and Randy
is just he is. He's afantastic person. Don't you think that's one
of the most important choices someone canmake in a mate, like just a

(08:28):
good, good person, like absolutelythat. Just do you know how many
marriages don't work fifty percent and youhave to marry the right person. And
there's no doubt in my mind there'sno one who I've met later in life
that I thought, oh, Icould have probably ended up with him.
Maybe I should have chosen that.No, I believe in my heart of
hearts and this sounds so corny.If I didn't marry Randy twenty five years

(08:48):
ago, of course we dated sixyears before that, he kept waiting for
something better to come along, Idon't know if I ever would have become
married you. Really, I reallyfeel that way. You are such a
good match, and he is sucha good man. And to your point,
I don't think people necessarily always investigateas much as they can how good
of a person where their partner isbefore marriage. What I said that night

(09:09):
on our anniversary celebration party, Isaid, you know, Randy is the
calm to my crazy, and hereally is. And I said, we
have so much in common with ourfaith and with we always put each other
before ourselves. We put our kidsbefore ourselves, we put the people in
our lives before we do ourselves.That's stuff we have in common. But
the stuff we don't have in common. He is the quiet, well reserved,

(09:31):
just patient, calm. I'm thehyper loud, obnoxious he's like he
goes. I like to say,I'm the back of the room. Mindy's
the front of the room. Sowe got done talking like that, and
Tyler, the guy who Cammy isseeing, says, Mindy, I'm the
back of the room and Cammy's thefront of the room. I'm like,
I know, Tyler. Let's takea phone call from Dick real quick,
Dick, we are almost a commercial. But what is on your mind?

(09:54):
Happy anniversary, miss Mendy. Well, thank you, Dick. Great.
Yeah, yeah, as Boots wassaying, you know you, I'd listened
to your first that you can havetoo many friends in the you know,
in the environment, because you knowI in the music wield, It's just
you meet so many great people,and I've met some. So I had

(10:16):
a friend down here she retired fromiHeart and we had a picture together.
But it just shows that the bestbought I coverage, and you and Boots
and everybody are just deserve so muchhappiness. And you know, twins twenty
five years is a lot dig fora marriage. I mean, Randy and
Mindy are a testament. Well,thank you for call, and we appreciate

(10:37):
we always appreciate you listening every Sundaytoo. Thanks. But that was what
we wanted to do, mikaylab Wewanted to give everyone in our lives,
who have been a factor of theselast twenty five years, our gift of
dinner and dancing and drinks. Wewanted to treat everybody for making this marriage
work, because everybody played a rolein it at some point, and you
too. As much as you putpeople in front, like your kids and

(10:58):
other people, you also prioritize eachother. And I don't think enough people
necessarily do that, and you're anexample of that. We we're break.
We'll tell you about what's coming upon the show in the next segment because
we had a lot to talk about. This is what Matters on six ten WTVN