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Did I talk too much? Can I just let it go? I was thinking so much.
C
Take a breath.
D
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A
The Birch show this is almost a dangerous game to play here, and I'll tell you why. Because it may bum you out. It may just bum you out.
D
Oh, if your story isn't. Doesn't live up to all these.
A
Well, because it happened to you and the emotions are so real for you and your story is great for you. When you hear the one that Jeff has, you may just go, yeah, maybe it's not. Maybe it's not as good as I thought it was.
D
No, it's. Jeff's story is pretty universal. Like it.
A
This is as unique as it gets. You would have. You would have to have the financial means to put together the romantic scenario that Jeff's friend put together. But I don't think it all necessarily has to do with money.
B
Okay.
A
It doesn't. It shouldn't have to, you know.
D
Well, we don't. Melissa and I don't know what this story is. So we. I mean, I can't give it my stamp of approval as the most romantic thing yet, especially if it costs a lot of money to do because sometimes I think that that's an easier way out. Right.
A
Good morning. You're on all the hits q100.
D
Hello.
C
Good morning.
A
Hi.
C
Hi. I have a story that's actually about my sister and my brother in law on their first date. He sent her half a dozen roses to work that had on each rose he had typed a label of a reason why he liked her. And then when she got home, she had another half a dozen roses waiting with the same thing. And then when he picked her up he had another dozen roses the same way. And he took her to his house where he had. He had a big covered porch in the back that he had all lit up, and he had cooked her filet mignon and all this big, nice dinner with candlelights and music, and they danced all night.
D
Hmm. That's their first date.
C
First date.
D
Wow. She was in forever. No wonder it's brother in law.
C
Exactly.
A
Although in some cases, you can show your hand a little bit too quickly that might freak somebody out. Like all that over the top on a first date.
C
Yeah, that my freaky was eating it up.
A
That's pretty good, Jeff.
B
Not even close.
A
Not even close, Jeff. Not even close.
D
It's a good story, though.
B
It's a great story.
C
Thanks. Y' all have a great morning.
D
You too.
A
That's impressive there, though. Cause, you know, every now and then, Stacey will get in that hole.
C
Tell me what you love about me.
A
List will tap at. At about 4. This guy had three dozen Reese's on a first date. Feeling a little lame.
B
You know, he had. He was on thesaurus.com. he's like, what's another word for sense of humor?
A
Hey, Kelly. Good morning. You're on the Birch Show. Hi.
C
Hi. How are you?
A
Good. You've got a tough game of, like, romantic courting poker going on, right?
C
Well, my story is he's my ex husband now, but when we were dating, we hit it off really fast and really quick. And one of the things that really put me over with him was he went out and got a tattoo of my name over his heart.
D
Whoa.
B
That's almost psycho.
A
How long were y' all going out when he did that?
C
About three months.
A
So you weren't even married? Not engaged. There was no lifetime commitment? This guy tattoos your name over his heart?
C
Yes.
D
Yeah, and he's really bummed right now because you said he's your ex, right?
C
Yes, he's my ex. But we're still friends. We ended up getting married, and we were married for seven years, and we have a daughter, but he was kind of young at the time.
A
But what did he do? What did he do with that tattoo?
C
Oh, he still has it.
A
Really?
D
He didn't turn it into, like, a snake or a butterfly or something else?
C
No, no, no.
D
He will.
A
What's your sword puzzle?
C
Yeah.
B
What's your name?
C
Kelly.
B
So you didn't change it into, like, find some other word that is, like, similar to Kelly and try to somehow modify it?
C
No, no, no.
D
I mean, talk about someone new who sees that for the first time.
A
That's hardcore right there.
B
You got a warning. They have to warn him before the first time. If he's with a new girl and they're getting intimate.
A
Yeah.
B
And then it starts to get time to where you're gonna get undressed. Do you turn all the lights out or do you warn them and go. Look, I just want to give you a heads up.
C
I don't know. I don't know. He's still chasing me.
A
Actually, I would put, like, a big old bandage over it.
B
What happened to you?
D
He got shot.
A
It's a nicotine patch. Have to have it there for the next 40 years. Jeff, does that story beat yours? A tattoo of the name over the heart. Nope, nope, nope. All right. Sorry. D9. Good morning. You are on the Bert show. All the hits. Q100. Hello.
C
Hello. Good morning. Burt Show.
A
Good morning.
C
I love you guys. You guys are great.
A
Thank you. This is a tough game of poker for you because you don't know what Jeff's hand is. All you know is that it's great.
C
No. Well, I at least want to share my story because it's great. Okay, well, what's romantic about my. Well, now he's my husband, but when we were dating is just how slow he took everything. We were kind of friends before in a group of friends, and we kind of noticed each other, started hanging out more, went on a date, couple of dates. And it was Christmas Eve, three months after our first date, that he told me that he loved me. But we hadn't kissed yet. And he told me, he said, I don't want to kiss another girl or give my heart away or anything like that. We've both been through really tough relationships in the past. And he said, I don't want to kiss another girl or give my heart to her until I know that I'm going to marry her. And it was that next summer, I guess it was August. We had taken a trip to the beach with a couple of our friends. And he kissed me on the beach that night and said, you're the girl for me. And we've been married for a year and are expecting our first child.
D
Well, that's fantastic. I mean, congratulations, But I. Hold on.
A
Here comes the cynic. Motorcycle.
D
No, no, no, no. It's not cynic. I'm just. I just want to make sure I got the details correct. That's all. He said, I love. He said, I love you after three months.
C
Yeah.
D
And you didn't kiss for another six months?
C
Yeah.
D
So eight months into your relationship, you never even kissed?
C
Exactly.
B
Are you sure he wasn't having an outbreak?
C
No, no, no, no.
B
He was.
C
He was just very respectful, very slow, just with his feelings, and he just didn't want to give his heart away because it'd been. It had hurt really bad in the past. So I respected him for that. He respected me. So it was just. It was such a sweet thing. Very romantic.
D
Very romantic.
A
Nine months they didn't kiss.
D
I would agree with her though, that that's very romantic because, I mean, people.
C
Thought we were crazy, you know, oh, you don't love each other. But it. It was so special.
D
It's just so opposite of like typical male behavior, you know, most male.
C
I think it was just because he had been hurt so bad that he just was so cautious with his heart. And that made me respect him even more.
A
All right, Jeff, is that better than your story? I mean, didn't kiss her for nine months. Waited. The next girl he's gonna kiss is a woman he's gonna marry and he knows that, so he waits nine months. Is that better than yours?
B
No.
A
No.
C
Oh, well, whatever. I still love him.
D
Whatever.
B
I'm not saying he's a bad person. I'm just saying that the story I have is better than that one.
D
Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm frustrated. Eight months later, not a. Yeah.
A
Yeah. I couldn't wait a long.
D
Time.
A
Good morning, Bir Show. Hey, before I kiss you for the first time, can I put in this dental dam? Hey, Jennifer. Good morning.
B
Save that. Save it, save it and use it often.
D
Save it twice.
A
Hey, Jennifer. Good morning.
C
Good morning. I think I can maybe match if not beat his friend.
D
Okay.
C
My husband and I actually met on the telephone. He worked for a company in San Diego, California, and I was here in Atlanta. And after talking for a while, he gave me his number and we talked for three months. And he said he just had to meet me. So he flew me to San Diego and took me to Palm Springs and then seven months later asked me to marry him. And we've been together ever since.
A
Long distance relationship. Has the instinct flies her out. They go to Palm Springs. Love at first sight.
D
Fate. We love at first sound.
A
Love at first sound. Say destiny.
B
It's a nice story and no disrespect to either of you, but mine's better.
C
Yours is better?
B
Yeah, much.
D
I'm just curious. He was a telemarketer. I guess she's gone.
C
No, actually, we worked in the mortgage business and he was a lender that I dealt with on a constant basis. And so that's how we met. And so, yeah, it was very romantic. It was lovely.
A
And Jeff says it was nice, but he's got the. He's got a hand that can beat that.
B
Yeah, it's a cool story, and I'm sure that the Hallmark channel would love to make a movie of it, but not if it's good.
A
All right, Lands Lindsay here. The last chance. Good morning, Lindsay.
C
Hey, guys. How you doing?
A
Knock them out. Knock them down here.
C
All right, here we go. So my husband and I both went to Clemson University, and we started dating. And a few months later, he took me to these botanical gardens and took me to this swing, like. Like a porch swing, and said, I love you for the first time, is the first time he'd ever told anyone he loved them. And then I graduated in May, and he took me. I'm sorry. He hired artists to come and paint a portrait of the swing, which he gave me as my graduation gift, and then proposed to be there a month later.
A
Whoa.
D
Whoa. I got chill bumps.
A
That's good.
D
Come on.
A
That is good.
C
Beat that, Jeff.
A
That is good.
D
Oh, Jesus. Beat that. Jab. This is my house. That is my swing.
B
I will tell you that of the stories we have heard, yours is second behind mine. Unfortunately, it's a distant, distant second.
A
That's strong.
D
That was awesome.
A
That's really strong.
D
I'm still not sure Jeff's can beat it.
B
Trumps it.
A
Jeff says he can crush it.
B
And we've had a lot of stories of great engagements on the air, and those were all awesome. And you guys always talk about how it's the effort. Well, the effort doesn't matter, I guess sometimes if it's last minute or if it's planned out way in advance. But just doing the work to make something happen, I think, you know, says a lot. And then if what happens is really big, then the story gets even better. So epic. Epic.
A
This becomes epic.
B
And this is the stuff that movies are made of.
D
Guys, you are building this up. You better follow through now.
A
This is the.
D
Yeah, you're doing the guy exaggeration.
B
It's not an exaggeration. It's great.
D
This is the epic romantic story.
B
And guys are gonna hate this because, you know, it's gonna involve paying off your credit card for the next six months. But it was still an awesome story. Jessica and I were at dinner with some friends of ours, and they told us the story of, like, when they were dating and everything. They dated and they broke up and dated, broke up, dated and broke up. And they were actually broken up at the time, but he was still interested in her. He knew he was in love with her, knew it was the girl that he was supposed to marry. She was actually seeing someone else at the time. But he knew in his heart that he was meant to be with her. And he had felt it for a long time. And he was starting to panic because I guess it was like the longest period of time they had broken up. They hadn't gotten back together. So he said, look, we gotta go to dinner. So they went to dinner. And while they're at dinner, he's selling her on how great the two of them are together and says, you know, we need to be together. And I think she had gone into that dinner prepared to say, you know, we're not gonna be together. But she started to open up to it and she started to remember all the great times they had.
D
Exes, dangerous, more dangerous than anybody knew.
B
And so they. Yeah, so they. They were having the conversation about how, you know, they were getting like. Her friends are telling her to stay away from him. His friends are. You know, he's so obsessed with her. His friends are saying, stay away from her. So they're getting all this outside influence. In the course of dinner, they decided that if they were just alone together for if it was just him and it was just her, then the relationship would be fine. So he excuses himself from the table and he makes a phone call and he books two plane tickets for midnight to New York City. And they're at dinner and he comes back to the table and he says, we're gonna get away. And she says, I can't. I have work. He goes, I'll call your boss. I'll take care of it. I'll handle everything. She goes, well, I'm dating someone. He says, call him from New York. We just decided that if it was just you and I, we could make this work. So they go to dinner, they go to a show, and by the end of the show, they decided to go to New York together. So they. It's 10:30 o', clock, you know, 10:30 at night. And she says, well, I can't go to tomorrow. He goes, we'll buy stuff in New York. Let's go. So they go to the airport, they get on a plane, they go up to New York. He'd excused himself again. He made reservations at a hotel on Central park and had the hotel send a limousine. So the limousine picks him up at the airport, takes him to the hotel that night. He says, this is not gonna be enough. A weekend In New York is not gonna be enough. He excuses himself, he calls Air France and books two tickets to Paris. So the next day she wakes up and he says, we need to go shopping because we're gonna be gone for a week. He takes her shopping and they buy all the clothes and all the toiletries and everything they need for a week in Paris. Later that day they get on a plane, they fly to Paris, they spend five or six nights in Paris. He books a direct flight home to Atlanta, they fly back to Atlanta. And while they were in Paris, they admitted there were a lot of. There were fighting. There were times where she said, I gotta go home. This is crazy. I can't believe I'm doing this. There were times where he said, go home, you belong there. She always came back. There were times that he wanted to leave. He always came back. But at the end of the seven day long trip, they decided that they were right for each other. And they have been married ever since. They just celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary last year.
A
Now, Melissa instantly put the wall up when you said that she was seeing somebody. So this makes it, this doesn't make it a romantic story.
D
Well, it depends. This is one of those stories where it depends on which side of the relationship you are on.
B
Right. By the way, if you're her ex boyfriend. Yeah, this probably isn't romantic.
D
And if she's not into him, that's a such an uncomfortable situation to be in. You know what I mean? It just, I mean it worked out for them and they've been together for 10 years. But yeah, the thought I had is for an ex to get there a seat in their head that they can just take, buy tickets and kidnap somebody to New York City.
A
Kidnapped?
D
No, but I'm saying that if you were someone who was not into it as much as he was. I don't know. Yeah, it just depends. It depends on which side of the coin you're on.
B
Well, yeah, this phoner, it could have easily been the most money you have ever wasted on a relationship.
A
But this one did work out.
B
This one worked out. So it's the most romantic story.
A
But when you're looking at it, see, like when I look at these things and you guys always roll your eyes and I get all cheesy romantic about it and I look at destiny. The dude that she was going out with at the time never had a chance. He was just part of the destiny of these two people being together. So it wasn't his destiny, it was these two to be together. And he was just Kind of a pawn in the whole thing.
D
I guess. I can definitely respect the spontaneity of it because, I mean, I think it takes, you know, a whole lot of guts to be that spontaneous, you know, to do something that, you know, I mean, that's a pretty emotional thing to do. Like, on a whim is, you know, to be able to do that. And he's, like, trying to prove himself to her. But as far as, like, the planning thing goes, I have to give it to the guy with the swing and the portrait.
A
No, come on.
B
Yeah, I agree on a planning point.
D
Of view, like from the planning perspective, from the thoughtful planning, you know, putting, you know, a lot of time and effort and energy behind the scenes to surprise her or whatever. I mean, I think that the swing story has a lot more that went into that than this one did. Now, this one had a much fatter wallet behind it. But I think to women, that's not. I don't know, to me, maybe to me as woman, that's not as impressive just to be able to pull out the big platinum credit card.
A
Now, Jeff, many are calling up and they are shooting a hole in your friend's story that maybe the story was good, but it wasn't as great as he made it up to be based on one thing alone. Good morning, Brian.
C
Hey, guys. How you doing?
A
Good. How are you?
C
Jeff? I got a call. Your bluff sounds good, but where are the passports?
B
He had his with him and they did go back to her house to get an overnight bag, and he told her to get it. And the detail that I forgot out left out was her boyfriend was so panicked that she was going out with an ex for the reason Melissa said, like he knew that was dangerous, that when they were getting at. In the car at her house, her boyfriend drove by slowly and saw him putting a bag in the backseat and knew that it was over.
D
Yeah. If you're. If you're. If you're a boyfriend or girlfriend comes up to you and says, you know what? I'm going to just go to dinner with the ex. I'm just going to get her. It is so innocent. Then you might as well, you know what? Go ahead and leave. Go ahead and leave.
B
And then she is in. The worst part about it, if you are the ex boyfriend, when she called to let him know that she was in New York. No, she called from Paris.
A
Oh, yeah. It's not romantic on that side.
B
Hey, where have you been? I'm in France. He decided to take me to France at the last minute in Any good.
A
Love story, somebody has to get.
D
Not necessarily, man. Look at Tyler. The Clemson story, Titanic, the Clemson story we heard about the chair involved. Nobody else but those two.
A
That's why I don't think it makes it as good as this one. This is a soap opera. This is many layers, levels.
B
You know what, here's the deal. It depends on who's producing the movie or writing the book. If it's a movie, then this is the best story because there's heartbreak and plane flights or whatever. But if you're Nicholas Sparks, paint the picture of the swing.
D
Right, right, right.
A
Hey, Jason.
B
Hey.
C
I'll take number two. I think number one, Jeff's story had too much drama, too much negative emotions going back and forth. I think the simplicity of number two and the spontaneity of just dropping the picture and getting the same results as number one, you got to give it to number two. That was simple. It was more honest, and it didn't have deceit in the middle of it. And I think with her going behind her boyfriend's back and him going around to do all this stuff and spending all this money, I don't think it was as good as number two.
A
It's become romance, idol.
B
Romance story, idol.
D
Jeff's story is only romantic because they've been married for 10 years. You know, like for me, if. If I didn't know how long they've been together, I would think, well, if he had to talk her into coming to, you know, if they had to spend seven days or nine days or however long they were together in order to talk her into being with him, then. But, you know, 10 years later is only what makes it, you know, that's what I said.
B
This easily could have been the most money ever spent on a failed relationship. The Birch. Morning, Zoe got donuts.
D
Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?
B
Well, I dig the mattress and I.
A
Want to be in a T mobile commercial like you teach me.
B
So, Dana.
D
Oh, no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.
B
Wow, impressive. Let me try. T mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.
D
Nice. Jeffrey, you heard them.
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T mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on.
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Us with eligible trade in in any condition. So what are we having for launch?
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Dude, my work here is done.
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Acast powers the world's.
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On his first day back in.
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The White House, Donald Trump signed a controversial executive order stating that there are only two genders, male and female, and that those genders are tied to biological sex.
D
This statement was simple and devastating, and.
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It signaled that the gender backlash had.
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Reached a boiling point.
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I'm Julie Koehler, the host of White Picket Fence.
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This season, we're examining the many faces.
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Of this gender backlash, how it's showing.
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Up in our politics and culture.
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It's a scary time, but it's also a moment for imagination. What becomes possible when we imagine a better future? Subscribe to White Picket Fence Wherever you listen to podcasts, ACAST helps creators launch.
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Grow, and monetize their podcasts everywhere.
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Acast.com.
Date: November 3, 2025
Hosts: Bert, Jeff, Melissa, (other cast: Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy – not all present in this episode)
Theme: The Most Epic Romantic Proposal Stories (and Why Jeff’s Story Is “the Best”)
This episode centers on the pursuit of the most romantic proposal story among listeners, with a build-up to Jeff’s legendary tale. The hosts and callers share stories ranging from grand gestures to slow-burning, deeply personal commitments, bantering about what truly makes for an epic engagement or romantic move. The topic produces laughter, teasing, and mild cynicism about where sincerity and "epicness" overlap.
"Because it may bum you out. It may just bum you out." — Bert (01:02)
"That's their first date." — Host (02:41)
"Not even close." — Jeff, unimpressed (02:58)
"That's hardcore right there." — Bert (04:45)
“Are you sure he wasn’t having an outbreak?” — Jeff (06:40)
"I got chill bumps." — Melissa (09:49)
"That is good... Beat that, Jeff." — Bert (09:56/09:57)
Jeff launches into his highly anticipated story, repeatedly assuring the others it “trumps” every tale so far:
"He said, call him from New York." — Jeff, on the friend’s attitude toward her boyfriend (12:23)
"They spent five or six nights in Paris... At the end... decided they were right for each other." — Jeff (13:16)
Melissa and callers push back, noting:
Listeners weigh in:
"Jeff's story is only romantic because they've been married for 10 years." (18:57)
"It could've been the most money ever spent on a failed relationship." — Jeff (19:16)
On over-the-top gestures:
"This guy had three dozen reasons on a first date. Feeling a little lame." — Bert (03:13)
On wild commitment:
"That's almost psycho." — Jeff (03:53)
On old-fashioned romance:
"No, no, no, no. He was just very respectful, very slow..." — Caller (06:45)
On Jeff’s friend’s audacity:
"I'll call your boss. I'll take care of it. I'll handle everything." — Jeff, impersonating his friend (12:23)
On hindsight:
"If you are the ex boyfriend, when she called to let him know she was in New York… No, she called from Paris." — Bert (17:32, 17:41)
On what makes a great story:
"If it's a movie, then this is the best story because there's heartbreak and plane flights... If you're Nicholas Sparks, paint the picture of the swing." — Bert (18:07)
As always, the Bert Show delivers sincere but irreverent commentary, balancing awe at big romantic gestures with ribbing, skepticism, clever one-liners, and honest debate about what romance truly is. Jeff’s stubborn championing of his story versus the crowd’s preference for simpler, more "pure" gestures keeps things fun and relatable.
This episode is a celebration—a playful showdown—of legendary romantic gestures. While Jeff’s friend’s adventure in love stands out for its grandiosity (midnight flights, impromptu trips to Paris, fate-defying persistence), many listeners and co-hosts champion quieter, more thoughtful proposals as the gold standard. In the end, the show nods to all forms of love—grand, steady, spontaneous, symbolic—as deserving of their own kind of epic.
For listeners who missed out:
If you've ever debated whether romance requires a bold, expensive move or simply thoughtful intention, this episode offers a funny, heartwarming, and sometimes critical look at just how many ways proposals can become “the best ever” (and who gets to decide).