Armchair Anonymous: Meet Cute III

Summary

Armchair Expert – Armchair Anonymous: Meet Cute III

Release Date: February 13, 2026
Host: Dax Shepard (with Monica Padman)
Theme: Heartwarming “meet-cute” stories from listeners, exploring quirky and moving ways people find love and connection.

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Episode Overview

This episode is the third installment of the "Meet Cute" series of Armchair Anonymous. Dax Shepard and Monica Padman welcome listeners who share joyful, serendipitous, and thoroughly sweet stories about how they met their partners. With Dax and Monica’s signature warmth and humor, listeners recount tales of juggling partnerships turned marriages, drive-thru napkin flirtations, European adventures leading to lifelong love, and even a childhood hospital friendship blossoming into a marriage. The stories offer validation, delight, and a celebration of the “messiness of being human”—with plenty of laughter and some tears along the way.

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Key Stories & Discussion Points

1. Alison & the Juggling Meet-Cute

[03:14 - 13:40]

• Setting: Philadelphia Folk Festival, childhood passions, accidental electrifying onstage moment.
• Alison’s Background:
  • Baton twirler, juggler, musical theater nerd.
  • Struggled to fit in with her hobbies, considered a teaching career.
• The Moment:
  • At age 24, Alison attends the Philly Folk Festival.
  • Sees the famed “Give and Take Jugglers” troupe, longtime local staple.
  • During a classic vaudeville hat-toss routine, Alison catches the hat perfectly on her head and throws it back—directly onto the juggler’s head.
  • Quote:
    • “I don’t know what came over me or what gave me this confidence, but I stood up and I caught the hat on my head.” (Alison, 08:03)
• Aftermath:
  • Strikes up conversation with the performer, bonding over their shared love of juggling.
  • They juggle together, spend hours talking, and develop a quick, deep connection.
  • Alison abandons her friend at the festival to see him again; he asks her to join his act upon her return from a job in Massachusetts.
  • The two become partners onstage and in life.
• Current Status:
  • Together for 14 years, married with two children, now running the circus troupe.
  • Their kids have begun joining their act onstage.
  • Quote:
    • “When we don’t have a show for a while…it really feels like we need to do a show together to reconnect.” (Alison, 12:50)

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2. Jeremy (Cookie Boy) & Chicken Express Romance

[15:10 - 24:57]

• Setting: Chicken Express fast food in Watkinsville, GA; UGA college backdrop.
• How it Started:
  • Jeremy and his friend had a code for signaling “cute girls” at the drive-thru.
  • Sees a girl (Candace) in a BMW, decides to write his name and number on a napkin and slips it in her fried chicken order.
  • Quote:
    • “I think I’m going to put my name and number on a napkin and I’m going to put it in her to go box. We’re just going to see what happens.” (Jeremy, 18:19)
• The Reveal:
  • Candace texts Jeremy that night: “Sneaky, sneaky!”
  • He doesn’t recognize the number at first, thinking it’s a prank.
  • After some playful texting, he realizes who it is and promptly calls her.
• First Date:
  • After phone banter, Candace and Jeremy have an Italian dinner at De Palma’s and ice cream at Marble Slab—even with Jeremy choking on his waffle cone.
• Relationship Development:
  • Their connection grows; Jeremy calls Candace his “first girlfriend.”
  • They marry and have two daughters.
  • Sweet backstory: Candace still has Jeremy’s number saved in her phone as “Jeremy Chicken Boy.”
• Quote:
  • “Sometimes you just gotta put yourself out there. You gotta put your number in the box.” (Monica Padman, 22:33)
  • Surprise:
    • Jeremy plans to reveal his podcast appearance to Candace while en route to Mexico for Valentine’s.

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3. Claire’s European “Fuck Bus” Adventure

[25:08 - 37:44]

• Setting: University of Utah student, longing for adventure, group bus tour across Europe.
• Origin:
  • At 19, Claire faces a solo summer after her friend bails on their European plans.
  • She joins an 18–35-year-old tour, clueless that it’s mischievously called “the fuck bus.”
• The Adventure:
  • Claire, the only American girl among mostly New Zealanders and Aussies, decides to lean into stereotypes, falsely claiming cheerleader status, and pushing for group skinny-dipping.
  • One night, only the alluring New Zealander (eventual husband) and another man take up her offer.
  • Post-skinny-dip, Claire and the New Zealander share a moonlit, cinematic first kiss.
• After the Summer:
  • The flirtation becomes love; he moves to Salt Lake for a year, then she to New Zealand, then Australia.
  • They marry and have three children.
• Quote:
  • “We are just here to skinny dip. I’m a skinny dipping purist.” (Claire, 34:46)
  • Notable Moment:
    • At episode’s end, Claire’s New Zealand husband joins the call, playfully still searching for the “cheerleader uniform.”
• Shoutout:
  • Claire gives thanks to her best friend Hill (“She would have killed me if she didn’t get some sort of mention.”)

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4. Emily & the Hospital-Connection Romance

[37:49 - 46:26]

• Setting: Canton, OH; Appleton & Kaukauna, WI; Children’s Hospital in Baltimore; rare medical journey.
• Unique Beginning:
  • Both Emily and future-husband Cameron are born with bladder exstrophy; as children, both spend eight weeks immobilized after significant surgery.
  • Their mothers connect at Johns Hopkins’ waiting area; the kids’ first meeting is at 4 years old.
• Reconnection:
  • Years later, age 12–13, Emily finds Cameron’s family in a community directory for those with the condition.
  • Their mothers reconnect; soon, Emily and Cameron are emailing and IMing, then meet again in person as teens.
  • Begin dating after their first meeting post-reunion; she calls herself “a cougar” as she’s a grade ahead.
• Long-Term Love:
  • Together since 2006, married in 2015, two daughters (neither impacted by the condition).
  • Quote:
    • “That’s part of who I am, but it’s not who I am.” (Emily, 45:02)
• Memorable Photo Reveal:
  • Dax and Monica see wedding and childhood medical photos—Dax gets teary.
• Notable Reaction:
  • “This is the heart warmer of the century.” (Monica Padman, 45:50)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “You threw a hat on my head. What a great moment that was.” (Alison, 08:30)
• “When we don’t have a show for a while… like for the pandemic, it really felt like something was missing in our relationship. Like, this essential part of who we are as a couple and how we bond.” (Alison, 12:50)
• “I'm still in her phone as Jeremy Chicken Boy.” (Jeremy, 23:09)
• “Cut to the Fuck Bus.” (Dan Sheppard, 28:47)
• "He just dives into the ocean...I saw a flash. I said, okay, you can see a flash." (Claire, 34:00 & 34:17)
• “No one your age has known their husband...it’s just a really rare [story].” (Dan Sheppard, 46:02)
• “I don’t care for that. I think it’s just so important to live your life. And that’s part of who I am, but it’s not who I am.” (Emily, 45:02)

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Dax & Monica’s Reactions & Running Commentary

• Both are repeatedly moved to tears by the warmth and vulnerability of the stories.
  • “I don't know if I can do this show anymore because I'm just crying so regularly.” (Dax, 46:43)
• Take frequent detours to joke about circus acts, “commedia dell’arte,” and nostalgic college rituals.
• Monica’s love for the prompt shines:
  • “I love this prompt. It’s a very sweet prompt.” (Monica, 00:08)
• Dax encourages listeners to seek connection:
  • “You gotta put yourself out there, both of you.” (Dan Sheppard, 24:23)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:14] Alison’s meet-cute at the Philadelphia Folk Festival
• [15:10] Jeremy (“Cookie Boy”) shares his Chicken Express napkin story
• [25:08] Claire’s European trip and the infamous “fuck bus”
• [37:49] Emily recounts meeting her husband in a hospital at age 4, and reconnecting years later

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Overall Tone and Takeaways

• The episode is light, heartfelt, and brimming with optimism.
• Dax and Monica’s empathy and humor keep the stories both grounded and entertaining.
• Listeners learn that love truly comes in all forms—sometimes in a circus ring, a drive-thru window, a moonlit European beach, or after a shared struggle.

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Final Thoughts

“Meet Cute III” beautifully reinforces the podcast’s core: a celebration of “the messiness of being human” and the deeply individual ways we forge connection. Unapologetically sweet, sometimes quirky, and always sincere, each story offers a little hope and a big reminder that the magic of love can appear in the most unexpected places.

Transcript

[Dan Sheppard]

Welcome, welcome. Welcome to Armchair Anonymous. I'm Dan Sheppard and I'm joined by Monica Padman. Hi. Your favorite prompt.

[Monica Padman]

I love this prompt. It's a very sweet prompt.

[Dan Sheppard]

This one was extra sweet. It has one. And I had to immediately tell my children at the dinner table, yeah, yeah, there's a very sweet one.

[Monica Padman]

We're not gonna spoil it. But you guys, you can listen to this one.

[Dan Sheppard]

You can listen to it and prepare to have a lot of sweetness. Yeah, these are sweet. And they're life affirming and positive Hellenic studies. Please enjoy. Meet cute. We are supported by Quints.

[Monica Padman]

I love quints.

[Dan Sheppard]

Who did we just run into that said they were buying quints because of our show? It was on the red carpet, wasn't it?

[Monica Padman]

It was.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, we were getting interviewed.

[Monica Padman]

Yes, yes.

[Dan Sheppard]

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[Monica Padman]

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[Dan Sheppard]

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[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Hello.

[Claire]

Hi.

[Alison]

How's it going?

[Dan Sheppard]

Wonderful. Where are you?

[Alison]

I'm in Philadelphia.

[Dan Sheppard]

Ah, the great city of Philadelphia.

[Alison]

Yeah, we have a snowstorm right now.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, yeah. Do you have enough supplies?

[Alison]

Oh, yeah, we're all set.

[Dan Sheppard]

You got power.

[Alison]

Clearly got power. Thank goodness. And the kids had a snow day today, so that was very exciting for everyone.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, there's nothing better.

[Alison]

I know.

[Dan Sheppard]

Okay, so tell me, where did this meet cute take place?

[Alison]

All right, so it took place in Philadelphia. And first, just a little backstory, a little information about me as a kid and a teenager. I was a baton twirler and a juggler and just an all around musical theater nerd. So those are my big hobbies.

[Dan Sheppard]

Maybe your high school is different than mine, but I don't remember the baton twirler and the juggler being like the belle of the ball necessarily.

[Alison]

You're right. Musical theater was kind of separate, a little cooler. And the baton twirler and juggler was really my own thing that my friends didn't really understand.

[Monica Padman]

Were you in pageants?

[Alison]

I wasn't. I just enjoyed the fun of it. I didn't want to compete.

[Dan Sheppard]

Now I could see that hobby bringing you into other cultures. Like because the Grateful Dead people were so into different hand to. I could be like, well, fuck, maybe that's my home.

[Alison]

Object manipulation, they call it.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, object manipulation.

[Alison]

So if there was like a school talent show, that was my jam. So my story begins in 2011 in Philadelphia. I was 24 and I was fresh out of college, figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go in. And I thought maybe I wanted to be a teacher, work with kids. I had all these part time jobs, seasonal jobs.

[Dan Sheppard]

What degree had you picked up?

[Alison]

I had a degree in music and English, so neither one super useful. And I was thinking about going back to school to get my teaching degree. But at this point, I was about to leave for an outdoor education job that was going to be in Massachusetts for three months. And before I left, I got this call from an old high school friend and she told me that she had extra tickets to the Philadelphia Folk Festival the next day. Her parents weren't going to use their tickets and wanted to know if I wanted to join. And I said, sure, that sounds like fun. So I go to this folk festival. And the Philly Folk Festival is really fun. It's folk music, banjos, guitars, lots of hippies wearing tie dye.

[Dan Sheppard]

There's no overlap with a Renaissance festival, right? You're not eating turkey drumsticks and throwing axes or anything?

[Alison]

No, none of that. It's more about the music and camping. It's still kind of dirty and hot and people get into it, but it's a little different than the Renaissance fair vibe. So at the folk festival, there's also this family friendly area where there's like kids activities and kids music, and it's in this nice shady, grassy area. And every year at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, this circus troupe called the Give and Take Jugglers perform. And I had seen them throughout my childhood. Over the years, they performed, were kind of like a staple in Philadelphia. They would perform at school assemblies and camps and my girl Scout troupe, and they were this really good natured, family friendly, rotating cast of jugglers. And they put on this vaudevillian classic circus show. They had this calliope they would crank and that would play music, and they'd bring kids up on stage and juggle around them. So they just had this timeless, magical quality that was really fascinating to me. And so at the festival, I was excited to watch them and like relive. So I park myself in the audience, kind of up this hill in the back of the audience, and they're performing down at the bottom of the hill. The show starts and this man comes out on stage who I didn't recognize, he had long hair, and he starts to do this routine with his hat. And it's just to music. There's no words. And he's flipping his hat and doing hat tricks. And then he throws his hat to someone in the audience and he mimes to them to throw the hat back like a Frisbee and try and get it on his head.

[Monica Padman]

Okay, love.

[Alison]

So he throws it to them, they throw it back. It doesn't work. It goes off to the side. It lands on the ground. It's comical. He hams it up, He Throws it to the next person Again, they don't know how to throw a Frisbee. It goes somewhere else. And the more he tries, the more comical it gets. The tension is building. Everybody keeps missing and missing. So finally, he works his way down the crowd, and he locks eyes with me.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, you're the perfect gal for this mission.

[Alison]

Oh, yeah. And so he launches this hat up and over the crowd, and I see it sailing towards me. And I don't know what came over me or what gave me this confidence, but I stood up and I caught the hat on my head.

[Monica Padman]

Wow.

[Dan Sheppard]

Wonderful.

[Alison]

The audience gasps, and he reacts with surprise. And I'm surprised at myself. I didn't plan it or anything. And so I took the hat off and I launch it back to him, and it sails over the crowd, and it lands perfectly on his head.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, man, man, man, man.

[Monica Padman]

This is so sexual.

[Alison]

The show goes on, and I kind of forget about him. And then after the show is over, I see the performer talking to someone who I was already acquainted with. So I felt comfortable kind of barging in and interrupting their conversation. And I said, hi, you threw a hat on my head. What a great moment that was. And he, like, looks at me mysteriously and he goes, we were just talking about moments.

[Monica Padman]

Okay.

[Dan Sheppard]

It's like the Middle Ages.

[Monica Padman]

He was trying to say sim, but juggler style. Yeah.

[Alison]

I was like, ooh, who's this cute guy? So we talked, and I told him that I was also a juggler, which was interesting to him. So we juggled together really quick.

[Dan Sheppard]

When you juggle together, are you both independently juggling? Are you juggling, like, tossing back and forth to each other?

[Alison]

Yeah, we were tossing back and forth to each other. Yeah. We were passing clubs.

[Dan Sheppard]

That has to be so euphoric. I was just with Aaron last weekend, and we were talking about how much we missed playing catch with just a ball and a glove. And we were talking about the weird magic of that should not be as enjoyable as it is, but, by God, is it soothing. So I imagine you put six, seven balls in the mix. It's gotta be downright euphoric. Insect tinge.

[Monica Padman]

If you're good. No one's good at that.

[Alison]

When you get it going, you get in the flow. It feels really good. We started talking, and before we know it, two hours had gone by, and it was time for him to do the next show. So we part, and I go home, and I immediately stalk him online and come back the next day. I had totally abandoned my friend who had brought me to this festival. In the first place. And I just hang out with him the whole day. We hang out every single day until I have to go to this job in Massachusetts for three months. One of those days, we are getting lunch and he asks if I would consider being his juggling partner when I got back and doing the show with him.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, yes. You've been dying to join the circus.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Yes.

[Alison]

I had never considered it as a career, but I had all the skills and I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. So I thought that sounds like a much better idea than getting a regular job. So let's give it a try. When I got back from Massachusetts, I started performing with him and dating at the same time. And we slowly took over the troupe and we've been performing together full time for 14 years.

[Claire]

Oh, my goodness.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, my goodness.

[Monica Padman]

And you're married.

[Alison]

And we're married and we have two kids.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, my gosh.

[Monica Padman]

What a great story.

[Dan Sheppard]

Is this activity taking you overseas? I could see you guys going to Europe with this routine.

[Alison]

We haven't gone overseas with it. We stay pretty local. We're in Philadelphia and so we travel kind of up and down the eastern coast. We do a lot of school assemblies and fairs and community events and things like that. So it's nice because especially now that we have kids, we can stay home, be home at night. Don't need to take anybody on the road with us.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Do the kids juggle?

[Alison]

Well, my daughter is 7 and my son is 3, so they're not quite at the juggling level yet. But my daughter's really into gymnastics and fun tidbit. We still perform every year at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, and last year was the first time that both kids joined us on stage for a routine.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, how cute.

[Alison]

Yeah, it was really full circle and made me so happy to bring them to the place where we had met and the whole story started.

[Dan Sheppard]

That's how Buster Douglas got his start. He was a prop in his parents vaudeville act.

[Monica Padman]

Buster Keaton.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yeah. What did I say?

[Monica Padman]

Buster Douglas.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, that was a boxer who knocked out Tyson for the first time. Yes. Buster Keaton. And they called him Buster. I think it was Buster because they would throw him. You're done. You're over Buster.

[Monica Padman]

No, we already knew it.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, you already knew that?

[Monica Padman]

Everyone here knew that David Blaine episode.

[Dan Sheppard]

I love that. When I'm hearing I'm watching a Guillermo del Toro movie, I want there to be a really cool show about juggler carny type folks.

[Monica Padman]

I think it's a neat one. I think you're thinking of that movie with Bradley Cooper. Did.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yeah, but like the uplifting version.

[Claire]

Sure.

[Alison]

Well, if anyone wants to do a movie about us, that'd be great.

[Dan Sheppard]

Well, first of all, when it becomes a job, does it affect how much you do it for fun?

[Alison]

Yeah. There's this juggler's club and it's once a week and we have yet to go.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.

[Dan Sheppard]

And then the other thing I was imagining is you could maybe also track and plot the natural ebbs and flows in a relationship by how much you two are juggling together. You could go like, man, we haven't juggled in the backyard in six months. That's a bad sign when we don't.

[Alison]

Have a show for a while. Like if we take a break. For some reason, like for the pandemic, it really felt like something was missing in our relationship. Like this essential part of who we are as a couple and how we bond. We go out, we do the show, we put in all this hard work. We have to use a lot of teamwork and figuring things out together. And then we go out to dinner afterwards, we kind of have a date. It's this whole ritual when that was missing in our life. It really feels like we need to do a show together to reconnect.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yeah, I bet it's like Sonny and.

[Monica Padman]

Cher, but the good version.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Where he doesn't take all your money.

[Dan Sheppard]

Well, funny enough, right? The only thing they enjoyed doing together was working together. Yeah. Well, Alison, this was really heartwarming. I like star crossed jugglers.

[Alison]

Thanks for having me so much, you guys. This was a real pleasure.

[Monica Padman]

Good luck in your storm.

[Dan Sheppard]

Snowball Juggles.

[Alison]

Yeah, we'll juggle some snowballs. That's a great idea.

[Dan Sheppard]

All right, take care.

[Alison]

Bye.

[Monica Padman]

Do you know that I was a clown?

[Dan Sheppard]

I know. You had a clown class, right, as part of your training?

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, it was part of my training was a clown class. Well, it was a semester on. Was it a whole semester? I can't remember. I think it was a part of my movement class, but I was really good at it.

[Dan Sheppard]

I think the French is part of their acting program, are really into clown and mime work, and that would be real rough for me to get through.

[Monica Padman]

No, it's really fun.

[Dan Sheppard]

It is.

[Monica Padman]

And I mean, you know, Commedia dell'. Arte. No, it's improv.

[Dan Sheppard]

Is this what Marcel. Marcel was or whatever the famous clown's name?

[Monica Padman]

Maybe Commedia is a improv troupe and there's set characters that have tropes like this Is the messy one or whatever. And you go to commedia shows. And it was like the first time I saw improv. I didn't audition because I was scared.

[Dan Sheppard]

Well, someone was telling us about this. A guest of ours was talking about commedia.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah.

[Dan Sheppard]

Cool. Are the seven Dwarves, or do they represent the archetypes in chlamydia?

[Monica Padman]

No. Be respectful.

[Dan Sheppard]

Okay. Okay.

[Monica Padman]

Anyway, it's cool. And I was a great clown. Cookie boy.

[Dan Sheppard]

We got a cookie boy in the house.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

I had to represent.

[Monica Padman]

I am so pleased. Do you remember the whole debacle?

[Dan Sheppard]

I do. Jeremy, you're a man after Monica's heart.

[Monica Padman]

That's right.

[Dan Sheppard]

It's a shame this is a meet cute story. Because this could probably be a meet cute story.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

It could be. And I think this one might hit a little close to home for Monica.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, I can already tell from southern.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Yeah. So I am born and raised in Athens, Georgia, and story takes place just outside of Athens in Watkinsville.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God. Well, have you had the strawberry cake?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

I have had the strawberry cake many times.

[Monica Padman]

So good.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

More of a white chocolate cheesecake fan myself, but the strawberry cake is phenomenal.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, I love this. This is great news today.

[Dan Sheppard]

Did you go to college there? Is it weird to go to college in your hometown?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

No, not at all. And Monica and I were actually in school together at the same time. So I was at UGA in 2008 and 2000.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God. Do we have any classes?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

I don't think so. I was sports management. But I do often think to myself, I'm like, I wonder if she was ever beside me on the Orbit bus. And I just don't know it.

[Monica Padman]

I bet, so.

[Dan Sheppard]

Or at one of the bars. Did you booty bump?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Of course, I wasn't much of a booty bumper, but.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, you never went to Firehouse?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

I went to the bars. I had the fake id, but it wasn't really my scene. I was more of a house party kind of guy.

[Monica Padman]

Okay. Oh, I love this.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

All right, before we dive in, did you ever make your way over to Watkinsville and eat at Chicken Express?

[Monica Padman]

I don't think so. I'm really sad to say. I want to lie, but I'm not gonna.

[Dan Sheppard]

Tell me about Chicken Express.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

All right, so Chicken Express is where the story, the meat cute actually takes place. So I worked at Chicken Express fast food restaurant. Think Zaxby's, churches, KFC kind of thing, Fried chicken, chicken fingers, chicken on the bone, whole nine yards. So I worked at Chicken Express from the start of college through the end of College. My best friend and I kind of had this routine. He and I worked together. So we had a routine where anytime cute girls would come through the drive through, he was always stuck in the back cooking. I was up front taking orders. So we had man code that I would go back and tell him, hey, curb, we got a cute girl in the drive through.

[Monica Padman]

Okay, so no like secret.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Oh yeah. We would go out and we would take the orders in person, which makes it kind of unique. So we would actually walk out, take the orders and come back in. So I was able to kind of set the stage. November 2007, he and I were both working. It was kind of a quiet, slow night, Buildings for a customer to come through. And I see it's a BMW. And I was like, okay, Kirby likes girls in BMWs, so I'm gonna scout it out. So walk out there and I'm like, yeah, that's a good looking girl. So the bat signals going up.

[Dan Sheppard]

Wait, can I just say really quick, what if you're like a grandma and you're in the drive through and you like, you see that they went to your car and took the order and then you pull up and it's like, wait, where's this person? And it's like, oh, I guess I gotta use this telecom.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Oh, it happened all the time.

[Dan Sheppard]

Sure. Ye, like, why don't you guys change your system?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

It's who knows?

[Dan Sheppard]

Pointless.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

But anyway, I give him the code. He knows to dump out his drink cup so he can go over to the drive thru and fill it back up. So he checks her out, scouts her out. He was like, pretty good looking girl. I was like, yeah, I agree. And I said, you know what? I think I'm going to put my name and number on a napkin and I'm going to put it in her to go box. We're just going to see what happens.

[Monica Padman]

This is great.

[Dan Sheppard]

Now really quick, I got a hunch you were kind of maybe coming towards the end of your time at Chicken Express because you're rolling the dice, you might get fired.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

I wasn't really worried about it. The owner wasn't that hands on, so.

[Dan Sheppard]

Okay, okay.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

It was all college kids working there, so we kind of had free reign to do whatever.

[Dan Sheppard]

Okay, great, great.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Go to our office. I get a napkin, sharpie. Just write Jeremy my cell phone number on the napkin, throw it in her box. And then of course, the butterflies settle in. So I'm like, man, as I'm walking up to the window, I'm like, please God, just don't Let her open this at the wind. That will be beyond demoralizing. So thankfully, she doesn't. She's kind of flirting a little bit. What I thought was flirting. It turns out she's just really kind and friendly. But I took it as such. I don't think anything's going to happen with this. Go on with my night. When we get to the end of the night, I go get my cell phone out of our office, and I see I have a text message from a 912 area code, which I did not know at the time. Savannah. So my roommate at the time was working with me. I was like, hey, can you search 91 2, see who that is? So the text just said, sneaky, sneaky with an exclamation point.

[Dan Sheppard]

Good start.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

I will be totally honest. In my mind, it was out of sight, out of mind. I never expected to hear from her at this point. So I'm like, you know what? We're just gonna move on. So I have him look up the number. I see it's Savannah. I'm like, oh, maybe it's a prank call. Like, who knows what's going on here? So I send back, and I said, who is this question mark? And she writes back, guess I think it's one of my friends just messing with me. So I write back. I was like. Like, I have no idea. She was like, well, you're gonna have to give me something. I go to pump gas. I'm heading back home, get back in my truck. And there's another text that says, no guesses, question mark. I was like, sorry, no clue whatsoever.

[Monica Padman]

You're getting annoyed.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Yes, absolutely. I really was.

[Dan Sheppard]

I'm about to block you.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Right? So I send back, and I was like, sorry, I have no clue. She said, so your name and number just so happened to make its way into my box tonight. I was like, oh, my God. So I did the dreaded call after someone's texted, but I'm like, it's warranted at this. Have to apologize to this girl.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yes.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

So I get on the phone, we have a great conversation. We talk for probably 30, 45 minutes. I was like, look, I apologize. I never expected to hear from you, but really glad I did. I'd love to take you out on a date. This was Thursday, the night before the Auburn Black.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, wait, 2007.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

2007.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, I was definitely there.

[Dan Sheppard]

Wait, you gotta let us know what you guys just said.

[Monica Padman]

Big deal.

[Dan Sheppard]

Okay, so you heard Blackout?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Everyone wore black, and it was a night game, so the whole stadium was Blacked out. And the players wore black jerseys, I believe.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Correct. So they came out in red jerseys, but they changed when pre game in the locker room and came back out black.

[Dan Sheppard]

Guys, you got me. I'm now really jealous. I wasn't.

[Monica Padman]

It was a night game. So you tailgated all day from like 6am everyone was so wasted.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Going back to my whole lack of partying. The night that we talked on the phone, she did invite me out. She was 21 at the time. I was 20. I did have a fake ID, but there was also a really good college football game on Thursday night. So I was like, let's do Sunday if you're free Sunday. So went to De Palma's for our first date.

[Monica Padman]

Love it.

[Dan Sheppard]

What's that? What's the vibe, guys?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Italian. So Athens staple. It's been around for a long time.

[Dan Sheppard]

You blew like a week's worth of wages from Express Kitchen to take her there.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Maybe two weeks.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, that's a nice place.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Calzones are not cheap.

[Monica Padman]

That's like if your parents come to town, you go there.

[Dan Sheppard]

Okay. Okay, great.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Took her to Marble Slab after that to get some ice cream. Got choked on my waffle cone. But she still agreed to do a second date.

[Dan Sheppard]

How do we explain why she was in town from Savannah? Was she going to UGA as well?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

She was. So we have a smaller community college in Watkinsville that's kind of a feeder school into uga. Used to be Gainesville State College, now it's North Georgia. So she and I were both in school at North Georgia at the time. I had already been accepted into UGA but was not starting till January.

[Dan Sheppard]

Got it, got it, got it.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

One thing kind of led to another. We went on quite a few dates after that. Kind of started dating hot and heavy, probably mid December. And then she is now my wife of almost 16 years in May. We have two beautiful 28 year old daughters together. Emerson and Henley.

[Monica Padman]

What a great story. Sometimes you just gotta put yourself out there. You gotta put your number in the.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Box to add to it. She was my first girlfriend too.

[Emily]

Oh, I love this.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

She's an amazing person. She's actually the reason that I'm an armchair. One other thing to add to the story that's pretty cool. So the night that she plugged me in her phone, her roommate basically begged her to text me. She was on the verge of not texting and she was like, I'm plugging him in your phone. So even if you don't text him tonight, you're gonna do it at Some point. But she put me in her phone, Jeremy Chicken Boy. And I am still to this day in her phone as Jeremy Chicken Boy.

[Dan Sheppard]

I gotta give her a lot of credit because if I'm her and you put this napkin in my thing and then my roommate says, you gotta reach out. And then I reach out, and the guy's like, what? Who dis? My assumption would be this motherfucker puts a napkin in every girl's bag. He can't even keep straight which one of the girls I am.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

I was asked about that several times with my coworkers, and I will go on record saying it was a one and done.

[Monica Padman]

It was meant to be.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

It was.

[Dan Sheppard]

It's an honor to have you on Cookie boy shirt.

[Claire]

It is.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

You're representing.

[Monica Padman]

I feel glee.

[Dan Sheppard]

Is she around?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

She is not. And this is a surprise. So our friend group knows that I'm on here. She does not yet. So I'm assuming when this airs, we are going to be flying to Mexico. I'm assuming it'll air Valentine's weekend. So I am going to surprise her and let her listen to it on the way to the airport.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, wonderful.

[Monica Padman]

You guys are the best.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

She actually just tried to call me a second ago, so I think her ears were burning. But she will be a little upset that she wasn't here to listen to it. But I'm in a lovely tent of my own making at Walt Disney World right now, so she's not anywhere nearby to say hello.

[Dan Sheppard]

You're clearly handy. It's structurally sound.

[Monica Padman]

What's her name?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Candace.

[Monica Padman]

Candice. Shout out.

[Dan Sheppard]

I'm happy for both of you.

[Monica Padman]

Me, too. This is a beautiful story.

[Dan Sheppard]

Way to put yourself out there, both of you.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

I appreciate it. Is that okay if I give a couple quick shout outs?

[Dan Sheppard]

Yes, please.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Our little friend group we're going to Mexico with, We had four of us last year. We've grown to three couples this year, so six of us going down. So our little ohana, as we call it, but also call ourselves, the Cool Kids. All of the cool kids will be listening together at the same time. And then shout out to Candace and my sweet girls, Emerson and Henley, obviously. And my best boss for letting me come to Disney World for a few days during our busy season. So shout out to Amy as well.

[Monica Padman]

Incredible.

[Dan Sheppard]

God, you're surrounded by great gals.

[Monica Padman]

We love it.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Well, thank you guys so much. I appreciate y' all being a bright spot in everybody's day and bright spot in my day every day, too. So thanks.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, thanks, brother. Take care. All Right.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

It was a pleasure. Pleasure. Hi.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God.

[Emily]

It's happening.

[Dan Sheppard]

You're like a mouse, too. There's two mice in the house. Does he look like Minnie Mouse?

[Monica Padman]

Yeah. You're very cute.

[Claire]

I would be so honored to be a mouse. I would love to be a mouse.

[Monica Padman]

Are you like six feet tall?

[Claire]

I am five four, But I can be diminutive and be smaller.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, five four makes the cut. Anything under five' five, five' five is probably borderline, but anything under five' five, we'll count it.

[Claire]

I love it.

[Dan Sheppard]

Should we do, like, a mouse house? We need to think about some kind of merch for your crew.

[Claire]

I would totally buy all those things.

[Dan Sheppard]

Where are you at, Claire?

[Claire]

Salt Lake City.

[Dan Sheppard]

Wow. Did you listen to the Elizabeth Smart episode?

[Claire]

Loved it. And I was 11 when it happened, so it was such a pivotal story for me. And I was like, that's an option that someone can come grab you in your home.

[Monica Padman]

Did you ever see her on the street, do you think?

[Claire]

No, I did not. But nine months later, when it came out that she was just so close, it was so mind blowing. It was really crazy.

[Dan Sheppard]

And the fact that that bozo had been arrested and shit for stealing beer, the whole thing is impossible. Amount of bad block.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Claire]

It's so true. And she had such an amazing story. And I really loved your interview, so it was really awesome.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yeah, we did too. We did, too. That was a very special one.

[Claire]

Yeah.

[Dan Sheppard]

You grew up there and you didn't leave. Did you go to byu?

[Claire]

No, went to University of Utah. I went some other places, but that's part of the meet cute.

[Monica Padman]

Let's hear it.

[Claire]

Having set up, probably the most exciting thing that happened in Salt Lake City was the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping. Growing up, I wouldn't call Salt Lake City an exotic locale. Destination. Very tame. And so when I went to University of Utah, my best friend and I, we were like, kind of craving some adventure. We wanted some excitement. We wanted to really spread our wings. So we decided, let's go to Europe and let's ride the rails and just go to hostels so we get the big maps, we're making our routes.

[Dan Sheppard]

What age is this?

[Claire]

18.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, this is before you start college.

[Claire]

So we start planning while we're in the dorm room. And it's going to be the summer after our first year of college. We're saving up our money. It's like the daydream I have every day in class. About six months before, my best friend came to me and she said, I don't want to go.

[Dan Sheppard]

I don't want to. Not even. I can't.

[Claire]

I talked to her today and she was like, I don't think I saved any money. She wasn't a saving mouse.

[Monica Padman]

She didn't keep up her.

[Dan Sheppard]

She wasn't a pharaoh.

[Claire]

I am devastated. I'm like, what am I going to do? It felt too overwhelming to go by myself and ride the rails.

[Dan Sheppard]

You make it sound like a hobo returning home from war. Ride the rails.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Ride the rails.

[Dan Sheppard]

I know.

[Claire]

Around that same time, my dad came across this brochure that it was a and it was 18 to 35 year olds camping in Europe. And I'm like, this is perfect. I have some structure. This is what I'm gonna do. I did not know it at the time, but this bus is affectionately called the Fuck Bus.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, wow, wow, wow. Really quick. Are you not Mormon? This seems like a trip that wouldn't normally happen.

[Claire]

So I grew up Mormon, but I was friends with all non Mormon people. And so I kind of prided myself on being like, I can hang. This is fun. But I did not know it was called the fuck bus.

[Dan Sheppard]

Nor did your father, probably more importantly.

[Claire]

Yeah, he did offer, like, take some condoms, but I'm like, no, dad.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, wow.

[Emily]

So he's cool.

[Monica Padman]

He's progressive.

[Claire]

Yeah, yeah, he was pretty progressive. I was still very sheltered, so I was like, that would never happen.

[Dan Sheppard]

Cut to the fuck bus.

[Claire]

I know. Cut to the fuck bus. So I, out of like 50 people, I am the only American girl. It's mostly Kiwis and Aussies. Aussies on the tour. So I am like the exotic one. So summer comes around, I fly to London and I am so stoked. And I am also so hoardy.

[Monica Padman]

Wow, this is great. Condoms.

[Claire]

I was as horny as a 19 year old Mormon girl could be. There are things in the Utah Mormon culture called nickmos, which stands for non committed makeout, which is the Mormon version of a one night stand. I'm like, I'm gonna nick mo all over the place. I am so excited. I get on the bus and I'm like, ready for my summer hookup. So I sit down and I just see all the talent coming down the aisles and there's just like hot Aussies, hot Kiwis. And then there's this one guy, broad shoulders, green eyes, tan, looks like he could surf. And I'm like, ooh, Aussie New Zealand.

[Dan Sheppard]

Okay, that's what I get for stereotyping. All right?

[Claire]

And I'm like, I'm gonna keep an Eye on you.

[Dan Sheppard]

You.

[Claire]

So, something to know about campsites in Europe. It's how European middle class people travel. So it isn't like a campground, like we think of. There's like a bar, there's a restaurant, there's a pool. And it's really close to the city. So we get to the first stop and all of the key and Aussies, like, head straight to the bar. Like I said, I'm trying to be cool. I'm trying to, like, show that I can hang and Monica, I'm so sorry. I don't want to get you offside, but I totally leaned into the American girl thing and I lied and said I was a cheerleader.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, yeah, Good for you.

[Monica Padman]

Okay, I understand. I actually find that flattering.

[Dan Sheppard]

Of all the appropriation that she would be tolerant of, that would be the one.

[Monica Padman]

By the way, that's what I was doing. I was trying to be an American girl, so that's why I went into cheerleading.

[Claire]

I need to, like, have something that is semi cool to these people, because Mormon girl from Utah is not.

[Monica Padman]

What if they said prove it? Did you know any cheers?

[Claire]

I feel like I could have pulled something out. You know, I could clap.

[Monica Padman]

You saw Bring it on.

[Claire]

I also leaned into the other thing that I was pretty loose about at the time, which is my friends and I, we would go streaking and skinny dipping. So I became Will Ferrell from old school. I'm like, let's go streaking. Like, this will be so fun.

[Dan Sheppard]

I gotta tell you, you're sh. All my stereotypes of a young Mormon girl.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, I'm really glad. I'm glad you're here.

[Claire]

I like hanging out with these people for 30 days. Like, I want to show them, like, I am not a wet blanket. So I think that put them a little bit at ease. Unclear. I'm sure I was not very subtle. So we keep going. We're touring Europe. We go down to Monaco. It's the south of France, and it's near the beach. So our campsite is right near the beach. And so I am like, this is my time to shine. So I'm like, guys, we are young. It's summer. We're in the south of France. Let's go skinny dipping. And we're at the bar, and everyone at the beginning of the night is like, yes, that sounds like a great plan. But as you know, enthusiasm starts to wane. You know, people are like, it's cold outside. I don't want to walk far. But I have, like, kind of painted myself into a corner you are the.

[Dan Sheppard]

Cheerleader of this mission.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God.

[Claire]

I am the cheerleader. So I say, I'm going skinny dipping. Anyone want to come? And only two people. And there are two dudes. I am like, oh, no. I thought this would be like a group activity. I did not mean for this, like, to be a date. There is a South African guy and then there is my tall broad, New Zealand.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, good, he volunteered.

[Claire]

Okay, he's on board. They kind of look at each other and then one of them backs down. The South African backs down.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, perfect. Okay.

[Claire]

Suddenly it's just me and this cute New Zealand man. And I am half excited and scared. No man has ever seen me naked, much less a man that I think is cute.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, you really.

[Dan Sheppard]

Wow. You wrote a check. Your ass in cash is what happened.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, which sometimes works out.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yes, it does.

[Claire]

Exactly. Right? So I'm like, well, too late now. We have to keep going. So we start making our way to the beach. On the way there, there is this carnival where with a Ferris wheel it up and this man is just like laying on the charm. I didn't realize it at the time, but he is also slightly intoxicated. So he's like telling me he's David Hasselhoff's stunt double. And I am just eating it up. And I'm like, you're so charming.

[Dan Sheppard]

The bar's so low at night.

[Monica Padman]

Everyone's lying. She's lying.

[Dan Sheppard]

He's lying.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Yeah, everyone's full of shit.

[Claire]

So we kiss. I feel like I've died and gone to rom com heaven. I'm like, this is one of the best kisses I've ever had. And then he rolls me out and I'm like, oh, fuck, I have to get naked with this guy. We make our way closer to the beach. And I'm like, how am I going to navigate this? What am I gonna do? And suddenly he starts sprinting away from me and starts, like, taking off all of his clothes. And then I see his cute ass. And then he just dives into the ocean.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, what? Instead he's a little dolphin.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Oh, my God.

[Dan Sheppard]

Big dolphin. Yeah.

[Claire]

So he turns around and he's got like this shit eating grin on his face face. And he's like, all right, ready to skinny dip? And I'm like, oh, no, no, no, no, no. This is not. This is not what we're doing. Oh.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, boy.

[Claire]

And he's like, well, you saw me naked. And I said, I saw a flash. And then I said, okay, you can see a flash. So then I say, Turn around. And so then I get undressed and then I say go. And then I jump into the ocean like starfish. And then I pop back into up he goes, that was the best three seconds of my life. And then he starts swinging towards me, like to make out with me. And I'm like, oh, no, no, no. I'm a skinny dipping purist. We are just here to skinny dip.

[Dan Sheppard]

It's hard to navigate these situations when you're a boy. You're like, hold on. Kissing. You said, let's go skinny dip. And I'm so where? What do I do here? I like that he's coming or going.

[Monica Padman]

He's following your lead, though, which I like.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yeah, so far in the story.

[Claire]

It's so true. So, yeah, we have this like, lovely moonlight skinny d. I can't really remember how we disembarked from the skinny dip, but that started my very, very sexy summer with more than Nick. Mo's started drinking cocktails.

[Monica Padman]

Wow.

[Dan Sheppard]

I want a time machine. I'm getting my time machine feeling.

[Claire]

And then 19 years later and three.

[Monica Padman]

Kids were still with that guy.

[Dan Sheppard]

How did you make it all work?

[Claire]

When everyone went home, we had this like hot summer. And then it was like, when can I see you again? And he had just finished his degree, so he's like, I can do a gap year in Salt Lake. So he moved here.

[Dan Sheppard]

What a.

[Monica Padman]

How did he do that as David Hasselhoff's?

[Dan Sheppard]

Well, he was doing a lot of work up there in Salt Lake. Now look at no disrespect to Salt Lake. It's a wonderful place. My father in law lived there for a minute. It's so beautiful. You're so close to so many great things. And if I'm coming from New Zealand to live in an American city, there's a few I might try before Salt Lake City.

[Claire]

I totally agree. I was like, are you sure? And he's like, yeah, let's do this. So he lived here for a year, and then I lived in New Zealand for a year and then we both lived in Australia for a couple years.

[Dan Sheppard]

What city in New Zealand?

[Claire]

Auckland.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, wonderful.

[Claire]

And I do want to say, Dax, I want to defend you. They do put eggs on weird things.

[Dan Sheppard]

Thank you.

[Monica Padman]

No, that's not the issue. The issue is soft boiled.

[Dan Sheppard]

No, poached. It's poached. I've always said it was poached. I don't even know what a soft boiled egg is. I would never report. I wouldn't know how to identify a soft boiled egg, but I know What a pool is.

[Monica Padman]

I had one the other day actually.

[Dan Sheppard]

Poached egg is very good. Primarily poach, right?

[Claire]

Yes. Lots of eggs everywhere. And also in Australia, lots of beats. So those are the two weird things. Well, and I actually have the lumberjack sexy rugby guy over here if you want to see.

[Dan Sheppard]

Of course I do.

[Claire]

He was the original armchair. Hello.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

This is crazy. Hey, nice to meet you.

[Dan Sheppard]

How are you?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Good. Welcome to my closet. Still looking for that cheerleader uniform.

[Monica Padman]

Wow. Well, that was such a lovely story.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Turned out pretty well. Very happy with what happened.

[Dan Sheppard]

Do you have children?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

We do. We've got a three year old, five year old and a seven year old. So we're the thick of it.

[Dan Sheppard]

God bless.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

God bless.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, wow. I love this story.

[Monica Padman]

Thanks for being an armchair.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Of course. Thank you guys. I love what you're doing. Can I give a quick shout out?

[Dan Sheppard]

Yes, of course.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Okay, I'm going to shout out to Claire's best friend, Hill, who's also an armchair. And I think she would have killed Claire if she didn't get some sort of mention.

[Dan Sheppard]

Okay, great, great. What's her name? Hill.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Hill, yeah. Like Hillary.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, Hillary. There's a lot of cute stuff happening up there.

[Monica Padman]

I love this.

[Dan Sheppard]

Well, delightful meeting you. We love Claire. You got lucky. She's such a cute mouse. I did.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

She's the best.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, I love it.

[Monica Padman]

Thanks for chatting.

[Dan Sheppard]

Be well.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Appreciate it.

[Claire]

Bye.

[Emily]

Hi, guys.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh my God, Emily, you're floating in a void.

[Emily]

I have this really terrible fort going on right now, so I just wanted to make sure you guys didn't see it.

[Dan Sheppard]

We always see terrible forts. In fact, do you think any of the forts we've seen have been nice? They're always blankets strewn over chairs.

[Emily]

Well, ask and you shall receive.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, let's see, let's see. Oh, I love it. Yes.

[Monica Padman]

What's wrong with that?

[Emily]

My daughter's Christmas blankets.

[Dan Sheppard]

I was going to say this is how we learn a little bit about you because clearly there's some children in the mix. Cuz that's way too cute of a blanket for an adult.

[Monica Padman]

And we know you're a perfectionist because you think this is great.

[Dan Sheppard]

This is actually. If we had to rank all the forts we've seen, this is in the top 10%.

[Emily]

Great. Thank you.

[Dan Sheppard]

Where are you at?

[Emily]

I am in Canton, Ohio. So during the snow apocalypse, we're currently.

[Dan Sheppard]

Having Canton, that's office 75 or no, 77. Okay, and how bad is it there? You got power.

[Emily]

Obviously we have power, but we have about a foot of snow and I have kids home from school.

[Dan Sheppard]

They're supposed to be in the front yard building the snowman and ice skating on the sidewalk.

[Emily]

Yes, maybe later, but it's negative two outside.

[Monica Padman]

It's freaking cold. Negative two.

[Dan Sheppard]

They can handle it. They can. That's child's play for us Midwesterners. Yeah. I'm so jealous of them at snow day. God, there's nothing more fun for them.

[Emily]

Not me.

[Claire]

I know.

[Monica Padman]

You just got out of Christmas break, and then they're home again.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yeah. Psych.

[Emily]

The joy of my life.

[Dan Sheppard]

So, Emily, are you from Canton? Have you always been in Canton or did you move to Canton?

[Emily]

No, I moved to Canton. I'll get into it. A little bit of my story, but I'm originally from Appleton, Wisconsin area, so we're friends with the Michiganders. For sure.

[Dan Sheppard]

Good stock up there in Wisconsin. Okay, so hit us with your meet. Cute.

[Emily]

Yes, I am from Kaukauna, Wisconsin, originally a little town outside of Green bay. Back in 1991, I was born the third of three daughters. My parents didn't know what they were having. In the delivery room, my mom naturally asked, is it a boy or a girl? And they said, we don't know.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, interesting.

[Emily]

So come to later find out. I was born with a birth defect called bladder extra.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, tell me about bladder extrophy.

[Emily]

Yeah, lots of catheters. I thought you'd be interested. When I was born, my bladder was on the outside. Wow.

[Alison]

Oh, wow.

[Emily]

Everything was outside. So they couldn't determine if I was a male or female. Shortly after birth, I was transported to a children's hospital where they put it back in and stabilized me. And when you're four years old, maybe a little earlier, your parents are starting to think about potty training you and achieving continence. Something that with bladder extrophy, kids, is pretty. There are specialists out at Johns Hopkins in Maryland, where my mom did a lot of research, and that's where the best surgeon was. So we traveled out to Johns Hopkins when I was 4 years old and got ready for what's called a bladder neck reconstruction. So basically what that is is kids with extrophy, they're born, their hips are too wide. So what they do is they break your hips.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, boy, oh, boy.

[Emily]

Push them back together and then secure them them with steel pins. So your bladder is supported and you're laying on your back for about eight weeks. You have to lay flat and your legs are in traction for a good amount of time. So they're up in the air above your body in Baltimore, you know, I'm a four year old with my mom. I was in a wagon the majority of the time, just laying flat in a Fisher Price wagon. My mom and I had to find some fun things to do. Our surgeon said, hey, there's a mom and another little boy about her age here. He just got the same surgery a few days before.

[Dan Sheppard]

Boys can have this as well.

[Emily]

Yeah, girls and boys can have it. Boys have it a little bit tougher than girls, just from a complication perspective. So we met these wonderful people, became friends, spent our eight weeks together, went our separate ways. I went back to Wisconsin. They went back to where they're from. A couple years later, before Facebook, social media, we get this phone book. So it's the association for Bladder Extrophy Community.

[Dan Sheppard]

Like a director.

[Claire]

Yes.

[Emily]

Parents have registered for this, said, hey, my kid has this. If you want to connect and share stories, share experiences, here's my phone number. So I look up their name and I say, hey, mom, they're in this phone book. Can you reconnect with them? I'm too nervous to call, so my mom calls.

[Dan Sheppard]

How old were you at this point?

[Emily]

Probably about 12 or 13.

[Dan Sheppard]

You're starting to think about boys?

[Emily]

Oh, yeah, Very boy crazy. Very early.

[Dan Sheppard]

Okay, good for you. I like my mom.

[Emily]

And his mom reconnected and then I got his email address and his AIM screen name when that was really cool. And we would message back and forth and then come to find out. I was a freshman in high school. He was in eighth grade. I like to call myself a cougar. Cause I'm a little bit old.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yeah, good for you.

[Emily]

His mom called and said, hey, he's not doing well. His name is Cameron. His bladder perforated. Just want to let you know he could use some well wishes. So long story short, he recovered, but it was a long recovery process. So I finally said to my mom, hey, I want to go out and see him. I haven't seen him since I've been four years old.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my gosh.

[Dan Sheppard]

And where did they live?

[Emily]

They lived in Ohio.

[Dan Sheppard]

Okay.

[Emily]

We reunited. I was a freshman. He was in eighth grade, and we became boyfriend and girlfriend shortly after.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, my goodness.

[Monica Padman]

And you've been together ever since?

[Emily]

Yeah, 2006, we started dating. We got engaged in 2012.

[Dan Sheppard]

You've been together 20 years?

[Emily]

Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

Wow, that's so sweet.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, my God.

[Monica Padman]

And you've known each other's names? You were four.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, my Lord. This is the earliest me. We've never had a meek. You were four year olds. Matt, I love this Story. Me too. Now, can I ask a really hard question?

[Emily]

Sure.

[Dan Sheppard]

Which is, if I had gone through all of this stuff and I know the challenge of it, and then my partner has gone through it, my thought is, wow, genetically, maybe we're pretty much guaranteed for our children to have to go through it. Was that in the mix of consideration with children?

[Emily]

Absolutely. So we got married in 2015 and then shortly after started thinking about having babies and had a lot of conversations around genetics and just we wanted to be responsible about it and, you know, not cause anyone pain because we've been through it, but also thought, hey, who better to take care of a child that has this than two people who have been through it?

[Dan Sheppard]

You're there valuing your own life and you're like, yeah, that was a challenge. But I like my life. I'm glad I'm here.

[Emily]

The amount of times I think that I have it throughout the is next to zero. So truly, it's not very impactful to my life now. But we were concerned about it, had a lot of specialist conversations and got pregnant with our first baby in 2016, and happy to report she did not have it.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, did you have so much relief?

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Yeah.

[Emily]

We had scans a lot. And they were finally able to visualize the bladder filling up and emptying and that was the sign that the bladder was inside working properly. And then I had another successful pregnancy in 2021. So we have two little girls.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Yay.

[Emily]

They're the best.

[Monica Padman]

What a great story.

[Dan Sheppard]

I love it. I'm a little teary eyed from that story.

[Monica Padman]

And everyone is doing well. You and your husband doing well.

[Emily]

It's so unimpactful to our day to day. And I just think that's so important with anything, you know, you're stamped with a diagnosis and some people, they put it right on their name tag when they introduce themselves. I don't care for that. I think it's just so important to live your life. And that's part of who I am, but it's not who I am.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Emily]

We both live our lives very similarly like that and teach our girls the same kind of morals.

[Dan Sheppard]

So we have photos. Oh, there's the happy family. They're still Green Bay fans.

[Claire]

Oh, my God.

[Monica Padman]

Cute.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, look how cute this is with him fucking got his fist in the air kissing you on your wedding day. That's so cute. Oh, no, you are so fucking cute, Emily. I can't believe it. Look at these little kids. Oh, my God.

[Monica Padman]

In your wagons.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, no. You ready to see them all get that egg.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, is this framed in your house? This better be framed in your house.

[Emily]

Yes, they are all framed and they actually. The wedding one is right behind me.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, my God. Four year old soulmate.

[Dan Sheppard]

This is the heart warmer of the century.

[Monica Padman]

Maybe I should go back and think about who I knew when I was 4.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yeah, why not? I mean, widen out the net a little bit.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, widen it out. Thank you for sharing that beautiful story.

[Dan Sheppard]

Wow. No one your age has known their husband. I mean, it's just a really rare.

[Monica Padman]

Yeah, it's rare. It's cool.

[Dan Sheppard]

I like this story.

[Emily]

It's pretty cool. I tried not to get to the punchline too soon.

[Dan Sheppard]

No, you did a very good job. I'm like, she better not meet his friend on this trip to visit him.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, that would be a twist happen.

[Dan Sheppard]

You could, like, meet his best friend.

[Monica Padman]

That'd be a big twist, but that'd be really sad. Well, thank you so much for chatting with us.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yeah, that was lovely.

[Emily]

Thanks, guys. It was great to meet you. I appreciate everything you do.

[Dan Sheppard]

Our pleasure. And I hope you get through this snow day alive.

[Emily]

We'll try our best.

[Dan Sheppard]

Okay, take care there.

[Monica Padman]

Oh, I love cute so much. They're really heartwarming.

[Dan Sheppard]

I don't know if I can do this show anymore because I'm just crying so regularly.

[Monica Padman]

You cry a lot.

[Dan Sheppard]

I know. It's like getting completely untenable and I'm like, I wouldn't want to watch a show where the host couldn't go five minutes without.

[Monica Padman]

Well, they can't see you in this one.

[Dan Sheppard]

At least that's helpful, I guess. Yeah.

[Monica Padman]

You really opened a vow.

[Dan Sheppard]

Yes. Well, there was so much back pressure.

[Monica Padman]

I think it's lovely.

[Dan Sheppard]

Do you?

[Monica Padman]

I do.

[Dan Sheppard]

Sometimes I don't know.

[Monica Padman]

No, I do, I do, I do, I do. It's very cute.

[Dan Sheppard]

What's the down?

[Monica Padman]

It's good to have feelings. Exactly. What's the problem? I mean, dehydration. Got to make sure you're getting your electrolytes.

[Dan Sheppard]

Luckily, I hydrate compulsively, so that's all fine. All right, I'll keep crying. Maybe I'll start wearing sunglasses during the interview. I love the interview.

[Alison]

Go.

[Jeremy (Cookie Boy)]

Do you want to sing a tune or something?

[Alison]

One of a theme song.

[Dan Sheppard]

Oh, okay, great. We don't have a them song for this new show, so here I go, go, go. We're going to ask some random questions and with the help of arm cherries, we'll get some suggestions on the fly rhyme dish. On the fly rhyme dish. Enjoy.