← The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby
Reece & Will: Newlywed life, 300% pay increase, and accidentally finding fame
01:28:13
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- [00:00]
Abby
Can we all just unanimously agree that fall is the best season for fashion? As the weather gets colder, it allows for cute, cozy sweaters, boots, denims. I love every bit of it. And Quince delivers layers that last. Sweaters, outerwear, and everyday essentials that feel luxurious, look timeless and make holiday dressing effortless. Quint's has it all. $50 Mongolian cashmere sweaters made for everyday wear. Denim that never goes out of style. Summer silk tops and skirts that add polish and down outerwear built to take on the season. Perfect for gifting or upgrading your own wardrobe. Honestly, Quinn's Italian wool coats are at the top of my list. The cuts feel designer and the quality rivals high end brands, but without the high end markup. By working directly with ethical top tier factories, Quince skips the middleman and offers prices 50% less than similar brands. I love Quince specifically for wardrobe staples. I even got Matt some really nice navy pants that he can dress up for formal events that we have coming up around the holidays. And I pick myself out some shoes from Quinn's that I have been wearing a lot. As we transition into these colder months, step into the holiday season with layers made to feel good, look polished and last. From Quince, perfect for gifting or keeping for yourself. Go to quince.comUnplanned for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N c e.comUnplanned to get free shipping and 365 day returns.
- [01:26]
Will
Quince.comUnplanned she came to Dallas to be a DCC. She didn't come to be a Netflix star. It just came with it. That's crazy. That surrounded the whole dream.
- [01:35]
Reese
We really, really struggled with juggling this new reality of life. And because that was our first year of marriage, it was just like a lot thrown at once.
- [01:43]
Will
It wasn't good. It felt more like a business partnership.
- [01:46]
Doug
Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're the most followed cheerleader of the Dallas Cowboys ever, right?
- [01:51]
Reese
That is the statistic. But I never want people to think like, oh, Reese thinks that she's all that.
- [01:56]
Doug
From the articles I saw, it was 100% increase of what you get paid.
- [02:00]
Abby
That's insane.
- [02:00]
Reese
The media will always kind of like enhance things just a little bit.
- [02:05]
Doug
Today on Unplanned, we sat down with Reese and her husband Will from the hit Netflix TV show America's Sweethearts. You guys are going to love this episode. We talked to them about everything from their newlywed life. How much the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders actually get paid to what it's like becoming famous on accident. And so much more. All on today's episode. Reese and Will, welcome to Unplanned. We are so honored to have you back on the show. And Will, well, this is your premiere. This is your premiere on Unplanned.
- [02:34]
Will
All right.
- [02:34]
Doug
Unplanned debut. How are you feeling today, Will?
- [02:36]
Will
I'm feeling great.
- [02:37]
Abby
I feel like giving the people what they want. Honestly, like, I feel like we wanted more, Will, more Reese together. Like, I think your guys relationship is so sweet.
- [02:46]
Doug
And you've been married for over a year now. Yes.
- [02:48]
Abby
So basically marriage experts.
- [02:50]
Doug
Yes. How is marriage. How is marriage treating you guys?
- [02:53]
Will
It's awesome.
- [02:54]
Reese
It is. It's honestly such a blessing. I feel like often, you know, a lot of people will say when you get married, like, your life is kind of over. You're bound to that person. Like, obviously, like, yeah, you are. But there is this sweetness too. I get to go home to my best friend every day. I can't wait to share everything that happened or talk about, like, struggles and everything. It's just such a blessing. And I get to have like a sleepover with my best friend every single day.
- [03:19]
Abby
Right.
- [03:19]
Will
And I feel like if I were on the, like I was on the show last year, we'd be talking completely different.
- [03:25]
Reese
Yeah.
- [03:25]
Will
Like, because it was like, what, four or five months that we had been married when y' all had her last time.
- [03:31]
Reese
Yeah.
- [03:31]
Will
And like, completely different.
- [03:33]
Abby
Really? Like in what way?
- [03:35]
Will
Figuring out how to navigate life because, like, the show came out and y' all pretty much like, hopped on and got her on the show. I was gone for a bachelor trip.
- [03:45]
Abby
Yeah.
- [03:45]
Will
And we've just figured out how to navigate it a lot better than when.
- [03:50]
Doug
It first happened because that was probably a shocking thing to, like, wake up to. One day is like, you're famous. Were you guys married when she became famous? Okay. You were married when the show came out?
- [04:02]
Reese
The show dropped, like, right on. Oops, sorry. Right on our two month anniversary.
- [04:08]
Abby
Two months.
- [04:09]
Reese
Two months. So it was like two months. And within those two months, I'm trying out again. There's, you know, obviously busy schedules. We went on our honeymoon and then it was like fast paced into summer and then wake up and it's like, oh, wow. People know who we are and know more about ourselves than I think we know. So that was just kind of like a big shock to us. And like, figuring out, honestly, this time last year, there was so so many nuances of life. And it was kind of this toss up between, like, okay, what was. Our reality completely is different today. And we just are now establishing that we have, like, a new reality, which is crazy.
- [04:50]
Doug
Well, how. How did that affect you? Because I feel like you're probably, like, so stoked for Reese, so happy for her, so, like, so many things are changing, but it also must be, like, scary, too, when, I mean, there's, like, a lot of tension on you too, right? So, I mean, how did that all affect you personally?
- [05:05]
Will
The show dropped on a Thursday. I took her out Saturday because I was like, oh, this is big. Because she saw, like, the first two or three episodes and kind of, like, shut down and didn't tell me, like, anything about it. Like, she watched it with the team, like, maybe a week before it came out. And, like, I didn't realize how big it was.
- [05:22]
Doug
Oh, wow.
- [05:23]
Reese
I kind of, like, gave him a preface. I was like. And we didn't really know how much our filming would have been put into the show because it was brand new for everyone. And I remember coming home that night that we watched the first two episodes, and I was pretty quiet, but I was like, will, I don't think you know how much actually are the coverage of us.
- [05:44]
Abby
That's.
- [05:44]
Reese
That's actually in the series. And Will was like, it's gonna be fine. Like, we're gonna navigate it. It's gonna be fine. Like, it's probably not as much as what you're thinking. I was like, okay, I'm just gonna be quiet now, you know? And then when Will got to watch it, he was like, oh, okay.
- [06:00]
Will
So Saturday after Thursday, I took her out, and we went out to, like, two places, and I think maybe 10 people recognize her. I was like, oh, shoot. This is like a big thing.
- [06:12]
Doug
Like, getting. You're taking pictures, people are stopping you asking for a selfie.
- [06:16]
Will
Yeah.
- [06:17]
Reese
Which was honestly, like. I mean, I think my job is. Has helped with, like, taking pictures and. And all of that. But when people know you two, it's. It's very different because, one, you're trying to navigate, like, our marriage and keeping that, like, intentional intimate, like, between us. And it's like, well, people now know so much more about that side of things. And so you're like, whoa, this is just a big shock. Yeah. I mean, it was sweet, and it was really cool, but the more of a pattern of going out to get groceries or the mall or just, like, shopping, like, it was just so random. Like, I don't know.
- [06:57]
Will
It definitely like, fires up that, like, protective instinct.
- [07:01]
Reese
Yeah.
- [07:01]
Will
Because, like, I'm very, very observant. When we go out and, like, we're walking and I'm, like, just looking, and I noticed someone over here, like, that's.
- [07:11]
Reese
And I'm being more like love. And Will's like, hey, just letting you know there might be someone coming up.
- [07:20]
Will
And then, like, five seconds later, goodness gracious, watch out.
- [07:25]
Abby
They are shame, but they're sweet.
- [07:28]
Reese
I love.
- [07:29]
Will
They're awesome.
- [07:30]
Reese
I think navigating this whole thing is, like, I never want someone's interaction with me, with me to be anything that's different than what they see in the show. And, like, I hope that people see me. Like, there's no. There's no different Reese on screen than off screen. And so I just hope that every interaction that I have with someone, it's genuine, it's authentic, and people see me for me and nothing different. But I love it. I love when, you know, because I've been in those shoes of fangirling over someone, even though, like, that's a weird concept, that I'm the one that's being fanned over. That's just weird. But I've been in those shoes, and I always want girls to come up and, like, share the same experience that I've had if I've seen someone on the street.
- [08:15]
Doug
Will, what did you mean by seeing Reese shut down after the show launched?
- [08:19]
Will
So she watched the show, and I asked, like, how it was, and, like, she, like, literally was curled up in the bed and not really talking about it, like, not wanting to talk about it. She's like, this is gonna be big. And that's pretty much, like, I could tell there was, like, a lot of anxiety.
- [08:40]
Doug
Yeah.
- [08:40]
Will
With it.
- [08:41]
Reese
I'm a people pleaser. And I think knowing that I had, like, a few more weeks before this dropped, that people were going to see so much. Like, truly my whole, like, rookie experience and our, you know, navigating, trying to plan a wedding and all of that was going to be filmed. I think to me, when I do get overwhelmed or anxious or worried, I do shut down, and I do have to, like, contemplate and, like, meditate on things and think about it. And I think that was, like, my shutting down almost of, like, oh, my gosh, like, what are people gonna think about our experience and my journey?
- [09:18]
Doug
Was there a fear in there as well, or was it more just, like, so much information overload that you didn't really know what to think?
- [09:25]
Reese
I think it was, like, a mixture of both. I will Say, one thing that, like, really made me anxious and worried the most was I'd only seen two episodes, and with the exposure already on those two episodes, I was like, oh, my gosh, we have five more episodes to go. Like, what else are they gonna show? And, you know, honestly, I think we love the producers, we love the directors, we love the integrity, and, like, how much they want to uphold, like, this iconic standard and brand, like, had full trust within that. But I just was so worried about what was going to be interpreted. I just. My prayer was, like, I hope that people, like, every intention is the same, that whole thing. And so I was just like, oh, what else is gonna be shown in those five episodes? I think that's what I was most worried about, the unknown.
- [10:11]
Abby
And, like, a lot of time had passed at that, and they probably recorded so many hours. You're like, what could you piece together? Like, what moment? What weird glance? Like, I don't. I. Like, I surely don't remember yesterday. Like, what could have happened in that span of time. I can imagine that's. There's some anticipation building there. Did you end up watching the rest of the five episodes together or.
- [10:32]
Reese
We did.
- [10:32]
Will
I watched the first two when it dropped.
- [10:34]
Reese
Yeah.
- [10:35]
Will
And then I.
- [10:36]
Reese
Okay, so I do remember this, guys. I keep hitting this. I'm sorry.
- [10:38]
Doug
Oh, you're good.
- [10:40]
Reese
I do remember this. It did drop on a Thursday, and that was the first day of training camp. And so my mental focus was like, I've got to be focused on training camp. I want to make sure, like, nothing is interfering with that. And so we watched it on Saturday purposefully, because we didn't have practice then, and we watched.
- [10:59]
Will
I guess the remaining Netflix actually came and filmed us watching two or three of the episodes.
- [11:07]
Reese
But then we. We still watch them together.
- [11:08]
Will
Yeah. Yeah, we watched them together.
- [11:10]
Reese
Yeah.
- [11:11]
Will
But they only watched. We had to wait to watch those to get. Netflix wanted our reaction.
- [11:16]
Reese
Not all five, though. But, yeah, we did watch the rest, and I think we were like, okay, let's just take a breath.
- [11:22]
Abby
Let's just take a breath.
- [11:24]
Reese
Let's take a breath. We're a second.
- [11:26]
Doug
Was there anything that was in the episode that you were maybe uncomfortable with or, like, realized, oh, wow, that was vulnerable? And I shared that. And people are watching this on Netflix.
- [11:37]
Reese
Honestly, no, I think that. I mean, I'm so grateful that they honestly, like, highlighted all of us in, like, such a sweet way. I know that there was a lot of vulnerability, and that's what we wanted to show is, like, you know, we're not only these girls that, you know, dance and have side hustles and those things. It's like we wanted to show like what goes on behind the scenes and like peeling back those layers because we wanted to be as authentic and as relatable as possible. So I don't think that there was ever like a time where I was worried about anything that I said or anything like that. I just hope that I know I did share my testimony. And that's like already kind of like a very heavy, weighted thing. But I was like, you know what? If this is the way that the Lord's going to use me, then I'm just going to trust that he has a plan and I'm just going to walk within that and hopefully it produces fruit.
- [12:28]
Doug
I want to talk a lot more about the show and I want to talk about like being a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader as, as well. Cause that's, that's such a big deal. But I think something that so many people are wondering is you've shared about your love story on the show. People, people know about you guys, but like, what's the pieces of it that people maybe don't know about you?
- [12:47]
Reese
I know last year we really, really struggled with like juggling this new reality of life. And because that was our first year of marriage, it was just like a lot thrown at once. And you wanna.
- [13:02]
Will
It felt more like a. When everything happened and everything started settling down a little bit, it felt more like a business partnership.
- [13:10]
Reese
Weird.
- [13:11]
Will
And it was. It wasn't good. I was working from seven to four. I'd come home, it'd be like a 45 minute to an hour drive. And then I'd start working on like content stuff for her, like answering emails.
- [13:26]
Reese
And stuff like that, or picking up what I, you know, left for him. Then I went to practice. So.
- [13:33]
Will
So like the hour that we had when I got home before she left for practice, it was like all business. And it wasn't like, that's high wife, like anything like that.
- [13:43]
Doug
So.
- [13:44]
Reese
And then when I would come home from practice, it was like, you know.
- [13:47]
Will
Late 10 o', clock.
- [13:48]
Reese
I'm exhausted by that point.
- [13:50]
Will
Go to bed.
- [13:51]
Reese
Yeah. And that's it. And so I think like trying to. I mean, obviously every marriage is different, but when you have your friends who are newlyweds and you're like, well, our life doesn't look like theirs and it's not supposed to. I felt like there was literally no similarity. And so we felt like it was like Will said, kind of this business partnership. And I was like, man, like, something has to give. And I don't even know if until like, after season, we really, like, changed around things. I know I stopped working at my flower shop, but I was working out, which was. Which was really sad, but, like, they are such a sweet community that they really understood everything, and I needed to prioritize one, like, my faith. And I knew that that was, like, all jumbled up within my priorities. And then also, like, our marriage, and that, to me, like, we were. Someone explained it best to me, but kind of like these sailboats that just crossed at night, and we needed to change that.
- [14:53]
Abby
Commend you guys for your vulnerability on that, because while your life looks probably different than a lot of newlyweds in their 20s with, like, everything going on, I think that's a sentiment that a lot of people feel because, like, a lot of people get married in their twenties. Your twenties are. You're usually. Your hustling years. Like, you're working really hard. You're building things. You're. You don't necessarily have a set routine. You're kind of, like, doing everything all at once. And then to introduce a marriage into that, it can feel like, like you said, like ships. We're moving. We're all, like, on different paths altogether, but working on that unity and that oneness. What were some tools that you maybe learned from mentors or that you picked up along the way that worked for you guys to kind of rebuild that and bring you closer together, even the midst of such a chaotic life?
- [15:39]
Reese
I'll say, personally, everything was just all jumbled. I felt like there was no order or structure. And I'm a very structured person, and I need that for me. And so I had a few friends who really encouraged me to speak to a counselor and just, like, have therapy and to walk through some things, like have someone who has no strings attached, who is truly, like, wanting to help and, you know, kind of. I'm gonna not quote John Deloney, but I feel like listening to John Deloney has helped us, like, with communication and asking questions. Just, like, hearing how he asked questions has helped, which I'll let you touch on him in a little bit. But I think that, me, personally, we're super fans.
- [16:24]
Abby
We are.
- [16:28]
Reese
If you're listening, we just really, really am grateful for you. You're constantly in our car.
- [16:35]
Doug
We'll have to FaceTime him after this, literally.
- [16:38]
Reese
Oh, my gosh. That's so cool. But personally, that's something that I needed to work on because, like, my mind, there was just so much happening and a lot of attacks I felt like from the enemy just with everything that was going on. So I needed to work on that in myself. And I think that translated and helped within our marriage with communication because when I would come home and I'm just so stressed, like I said, I'm a shutdown type person. Like I just need to like think about it and then I get overwhelmed where Will is. Like, I hear I'm trying to help, but I didn't know how to communicate that. So I think one like talking to someone and getting the help that I needed helped our marriage.
- [17:17]
Doug
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- [17:20]
Abby
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- [17:21]
Reese
Wow.
- [17:22]
Abby
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- [17:36]
Doug
Our kids will spill like grape juice and jelly and all sorts of things that would stain these chairs. But they're so durable, they look so nice and we're able to get the stains out every single time.
- [17:46]
Abby
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- [18:01]
Doug
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- [18:09]
Abby
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- [18:27]
Doug
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- [18:37]
Abby
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- [18:53]
Doug
I know Abby and I being newlyweds and having yeah, social media videos go viral. It's like on one hand, oh man, we got we should keep making these videos because like this is an opportunity that I never thought in a million years. I'd have to. You know, there's just so many cool creative opportunities and, you know, building wealth for your. For your future family, your kids. Like, it can change, like, generations. Right. But then, on the other hand, it's like, your marriage is so sacred and so important. You can't just, like, trade your marriage for money.
- [19:24]
Will
Like, it's.
- [19:25]
Doug
That's. That's stupid. Right? Like, you can't put a value on that. So I guess, like. Yeah. How did you. How did you find yourself out of that? Because it seems like you're probably in a place now where you feel maybe you have a lot more balance when it comes to, like, business and marriage. And hopefully it doesn't feel like your business partners.
- [19:41]
Reese
Right. Right.
- [19:42]
Will
Well, I just think it was, like, so new that we didn't have anything. Like, marriage was set.
- [19:49]
Doug
Yeah.
- [19:50]
Will
And then, like, this came in, and it was like, okay, let's just start doing this. And then we were like, okay, this isn't working. Let's go back to the drawing boards. And that's when Reese kind of stepped away from the flower shop. She actually signed on to a agency, and that took the, like, me pushing her to do stuff, like, out, and, like, someone else was telling her what to do. Okay.
- [20:19]
Reese
Also, the signing with the agency was definitely positively influenced by Matt Howard. Just FYI. He literally was like, girl, you need help.
- [20:28]
Will
She literally called me.
- [20:30]
Reese
I called Lo, and I said, matt told me I need to sign with the agency. We really need to probably reach back out to some of the emails that people have sent, because we actually really do need help. So thank you, Matt.
- [20:41]
Doug
Of course. Well, I remember I was talking to you when we. This was in your apart for, like, a year there. Yeah. We were like, we're in your apartment. You're just like, we're holding the microphones in our hands filming this first podcast episode. And when you told me that Will was, like, essentially managing your, like, brand collaborations, I'm like, you need management. So I'm so glad that someone else was able to take that off your plate, Will. And hopefully, you know, brought you guys some, like, peace with that.
- [21:10]
Abby
That's a hard dynamic to have in a marriage.
- [21:12]
Will
It is.
- [21:12]
Abby
You're like, I don't want to be your secretary. You're, like, your manager, essentially.
- [21:17]
Doug
And you also, like, that was such a quick change. Like, you had no idea how to value Reese's brand partnerships. And I'm sure we haven't talked to you. Like, this is our first time being in person since that time a year ago, but you probably Saw an uptick of revenue, too. When you had outside management telling you what your videos were worth because you were.
- [21:40]
Will
First deal that her agency got, it was, like, probably three or four of the ones that I got. And I was like, okay, you're telling me I was undervaluing her, like, massive.
- [21:55]
Reese
So bad about. I was like, will, we literally.
- [21:59]
Will
Know what I'm doing?
- [22:00]
Doug
We don't know what we're doing, but that we went through the same thing because we. I was like, brand would come to us and be like, yeah, maybe like, a couple hundred dollars or something. Like, I just had no idea.
- [22:09]
Abby
No, dude, our first one was $15 for that song.
- [22:12]
Doug
No. Yeah, I did it. We did a brand deal for $15 at one point. But no, it's just, like, they come.
- [22:16]
Abby
In and usually said souls.
- [22:19]
Reese
Yeah.
- [22:20]
Doug
So it's good. It's good to have someone that, like, knows what that's been, you know, doing that side of business for a long time to represent you and. Yeah, that's. That's awesome.
- [22:28]
Will
And they already have, like, partnerships with the brands, like, with other clients and stuff that they.
- [22:34]
Reese
That's their job.
- [22:35]
Doug
Yeah, 100%.
- [22:36]
Abby
I think it's really admirable the way that, like, when we were talking about this, you said you sought personal counseling. And, like, I think that we've seen that even in our own marriage. Like, there's a lot you can do as a couple, but it starts with, like, you as an individual, too, showing up for that marriage. And, like, you know that Matt and I, like, just, like, even we just had a recent loss. That was terrible. In that moment, I was like, matt can't be everything for me in this time. And so taking that time to do individual therapy, I just think that is really admirable that you bring that up as, like, okay, this is a step. And then it's also a good thing to point out, like, in a marriage, it's like we're two individuals that have to be whole.
- [23:16]
Reese
Yeah.
- [23:16]
Abby
To show up together and to make, like, one unit. And I think that was really cool and awesome. I'm curious. I want to know, like, what's the fun part of marriage? Like, what's the. Like, what's your favorite date night? What's your favorite. I don't know. Do you have, like, a fun tradition? You do? Like, I want to know.
- [23:35]
Will
You can go.
- [23:36]
Reese
I'll think about some things. Oh, did I just put you on the spot?
- [23:41]
Will
I like to. I like to cook. I love cooking.
- [23:43]
Abby
See, me and Will, we got so much in common.
- [23:45]
Reese
Will. Will is chef for sure. I am so grateful. Very, very grateful.
- [23:53]
Will
But now most of it is, like. So back in September of last year, I posted like, a kind of like a parody, like, I'm cooking for. I'm Reese Weaver's husband. I'm cooking for Reese. And it kind of blew up, so I just kept going along.
- [24:10]
Abby
That's awesome.
- [24:12]
Reese
From practice. And I see my tripod and my selfie light on his phone, and he's by the oven, and I'm like. I walk in the door, I'm like, what are you doing? He's like, posting a tick tock. I'm like, you have one video on your TikTok and you were posting it. He's like, yeah, it'll be fun.
- [24:30]
Abby
That's so cute.
- [24:32]
Reese
Yeah.
- [24:32]
Will
So I kind of, like, made it as, like, satire, and it kind of blew up, and then I just kept doing it. But I love cooking, and I love cooking for her. So that's, like, I guess a fun thing.
- [24:47]
Reese
Like, I guess not really tradition. That's a great thing, but it's also a fun thing. Yeah.
- [24:51]
Abby
Yeah. So do you cook every night?
- [24:53]
Will
Just about. Yeah.
- [24:54]
Reese
Yeah. That's saving money.
- [24:56]
Abby
Yeah, I know. I'm Rice.
- [24:57]
Reese
Rice.
- [24:59]
Doug
Are you guys at the apartment that we were at when we visited a year ago, or are you guys in a new place?
- [25:03]
Reese
We're actually in a new place, and we are renting this sweet home that's, like, on the outskirts of where we were. Okay. But it's so nice. We have a dog now, so we have a backyard.
- [25:13]
Will
And we have a backyard. So I have grills.
- [25:16]
Reese
Yeah.
- [25:17]
Doug
What do you like?
- [25:18]
Will
Everything.
- [25:19]
Doug
I like to grill salmon. Do you grill salmon?
- [25:22]
Will
Most of the time. I sear it.
- [25:24]
Doug
Okay.
- [25:24]
Will
Okay.
- [25:25]
Doug
Yeah, that sounds fancy.
- [25:28]
Will
Venison steak. I've done a couple briskets. I'm in Texas, so I gotta do briskets.
- [25:33]
Doug
You have a smoker?
- [25:34]
Will
Yeah. Smoker.
- [25:34]
Doug
Yeah.
- [25:35]
Will
I have a green egg.
- [25:37]
Doug
Our grill actually has a smoker feature.
- [25:39]
Abby
I've never used it.
- [25:40]
Will
What kind of y' all have?
- [25:41]
Doug
We have a Lifetime, like, hybrid grill smoker.
- [25:45]
Reese
Okay.
- [25:45]
Doug
And Lifetime even sent me the chips to use in the smoker, and I still haven't used them.
- [25:49]
Abby
I don't think this. The chips made the move with this.
- [25:51]
Doug
Yeah.
- [25:52]
Abby
I was like, he's never gonna use.
- [25:53]
Doug
Yeah, maybe Abby got rid of the chips. He got rid of my smoker chips.
- [25:57]
Abby
I don't know. They might be in the garage still.
- [25:58]
Doug
Oh, my gosh.
- [25:59]
Abby
That's funny. Wait, I want to hear about the dog. We have, like, gone Back and forth so much recently about a dog, but we're kind of intimidated. It feels like a bigger hurdle than a kid. Like, I'm like, a dog. Can't travel with us, but we can just take our kids with us.
- [26:14]
Reese
You know what?
- [26:14]
Will
I don't know. We've been traveling a lot with Ruby. Yeah, we don't. Yeah, you're right.
- [26:20]
Abby
Just road tripping with Ruby.
- [26:22]
Reese
Road tripping. She is honestly got so lucky. But she is the best traveler. The best dog traveler for sure.
- [26:28]
Abby
Wait, what kind of dog is she? Get a doodle?
- [26:30]
Reese
She is a red lab. Oh, she's a English lab. So she's a little bit stocky or a little chunkier. Love her.
- [26:37]
Will
But she's got, like, that, like, the yellow labs, but, like, a burnt color red.
- [26:44]
Reese
Her, like, title is a fox red. English lab is what they call, like, fox red.
- [26:48]
Abby
How did this happen? Was it something you were, like. It was a spur of the moment. You just got a dog, or were you thinking about it?
- [26:53]
Reese
We definitely are two dog lovers. Like, as soon as we got married, we're like, so dog. When are we gonna get that? But us being in, like, a one bed, one bath, when we were younger or younger, when we just got married, like, we knew that we wanted, like, a big dog. It was just gonna be hard living in an apartment. We wanted a yard for training, like, potty breaks, all the things, so.
- [27:15]
Will
And also, like, the fact of, like, us only seeing each other a little bit. And then Reese working, me working, coming home, and then Reese going back to work again. When Reese decided to, like, do content full time and be home, that's when we kind of decided, like, okay, we have time to, like, pour into the dog and not just, like, put it in a cage and stuff like that. And then about that time, we were like, okay, let's find a place where we can have a backyard. And then that's when things started kind of started moving on, getting the house and then getting Ruby. We got. We moved into the house on January 3rd, and then we picked up Ruby on January 28th. So it was like we had a few weeks without a dog.
- [28:04]
Reese
She, like, moved in with us.
- [28:05]
Abby
What was the puppy stage like?
- [28:07]
Will
She was awesome.
- [28:08]
Abby
Really?
- [28:09]
Doug
Yeah.
- [28:10]
Reese
Puppies, like, they're a lot, but so fun, and they're so cute, so sweet. It's so fun to see them, like, grow and learn and, like, adapt to things. But, I mean, she was a really great puppy, too.
- [28:24]
Will
I think the only night she, like, kind of, like, whimpered the whole night.
- [28:28]
Reese
Was the first night oh, the first two weeks are potty is potty training and stuff. But, like, y' all know, you know, you wake up, feed baby, put them down, like, change diapers, all those things. But I think, like, I don't know, we haven't experienced that. That life yet. But I think the. The potty breaks and all of that is. You know, we took. This is almost like our first kid.
- [28:53]
Will
Not discrediting kids at all. Not just crediting kids at all, but they can't immediately run out of the house.
- [29:00]
Reese
So puppy's like, no, ready to go.
- [29:02]
Will
Yeah, she was. She was. When she was disobedient, she was running around, but she got out of that.
- [29:08]
Reese
Shoes in the mouth, other things.
- [29:10]
Doug
Do you guys see children in the future? I saw a lot of people asking questions about that in my. I put up, like, a question box up on Instagram. So you said absolutely.
- [29:19]
Reese
Oh, yeah. No, absolutely. I think. You know, it's funny. I was just in my friend's wedding this past weekend. Like, we talk about a lot of my. A lot of the bridesmaids were talking about how post college, you have no idea what's in store. But, like, when you were in high school, college, you're like, okay, what's the next four years or five years look like? And it's like, oh, what's this? It's this. And. And then post college, you're like, what is my next five years? Like, what does that look like? And I feel like we're in the stage of, like, wait, our next five years could be, you know, kids? And I think that's such a sweet, like, I don't know, something to look forward to, but.
- [29:56]
Will
And that's another thing. We wanted, like, to have a dog before kids so they can, like, kind of grow up together. We see the videos of, like, the older dog. Like, that's the kid laying on it.
- [30:07]
Reese
But it would be really sweet for, like, our kids to have, like, a puppy, too. Like, that'd be fun.
- [30:13]
Doug
Yeah.
- [30:13]
Reese
So I think multiple dogs in the future, and definitely she.
- [30:16]
Will
She wants one of each color lab.
- [30:22]
Reese
That's a lot.
- [30:23]
Abby
But wait, how many dogs is that? How many colors are there?
- [30:25]
Reese
Well, there's silver, too. I have a chocolate lab back home in Florida, and I just, like, she's my pride and joy, and I just can't think about getting another chocolate lab in a while. But maybe our. Maybe black lab next.
- [30:39]
Doug
Oh, okay.
- [30:40]
Reese
Yeah.
- [30:41]
Abby
So you want a lot of dogs?
- [30:42]
Reese
I think so. Maybe animals.
- [30:44]
Will
Howling cows.
- [30:45]
Reese
Yes. We want land one day.
- [30:48]
Doug
But kids are like, a Five year. Like, you're gonna. Like the next five years, you're gonna be dog parents. And, you know, maybe.
- [30:55]
Will
Yeah, we don't really know.
- [30:56]
Reese
Yeah. Honestly, as y' all know, it's day by day. We literally don't know what tomorrow's gonna bring. So maybe five, 10 years. We'll see. But 10 years seems like a lot. Maybe like, five, eight.
- [31:09]
Doug
Is there one of you in particular that has more of, like, that quote, unquote, baby fever? You were that way, Will. That's always so interesting to me because, like, Abby wanted babies. Like, day one that we were married. Yeah. Before we even dating, she wanted babies. So it's like.
- [31:25]
Abby
It's always interesting to me. Gotta wait so long.
- [31:29]
Doug
Talk to me about that.
- [31:29]
Will
We both went to college. We went to Alabama. As you can tell. Yes. Roll ties.
- [31:35]
Doug
As you can tell, we went to.
- [31:38]
Will
College during COVID My grandpa told me, because I got stuck in rent when Covid happened and school got canceled, everything went remote.
- [31:48]
Doug
Right. Okay.
- [31:49]
Will
My grandpa told me. It was like, hey, school's gonna get canceled again. Don't get rent. Just, like, commute. Which it's about an hour drive from my small town to Tuscaloosa.
- [31:58]
Doug
Okay.
- [31:59]
Will
And I was like, okay, let's do that. And I ended up having schedule where I had classes all Thursday and Tuesday. So it was two days. And I was commuting Taylor and Lindley, our mentors, they were like, hey, just come and stay with us on Monday night and Wednesday night so you don't have to drive from Morris before your classes.
- [32:22]
Reese
Shout out, Morris, Alabama.
- [32:25]
Will
And I started living with them. And then the next semester, I had classes every single day because that's just the way the schedule worked out. So I started living with them, and they got pregnant. They had Beckett, who was stillborn. And that's part. I think you talked about it on the last podcast about Beckett's blessing box, and it's just really near and dear to our hearts. But then they had Rikers, and then they had twins, and we kind of lived with them, or I lived with them throughout pretty much all their pregnancies. It was awesome. It was so much fun.
- [32:58]
Reese
And went to school with kids, like.
- [33:00]
Abby
Yeah, he's so sweet. Yeah, that's so cool.
- [33:05]
Will
When Lindley had cravings, I would, like, drive to the. The gas station to get Cajun boiled peanuts and stuff like that.
- [33:12]
Reese
It was awesome.
- [33:13]
Doug
Isn't that funny how, like, being around kids just makes you want to have them? Because that similar thing for me, we used to live in Hawaii, and there's a lot. We accidentally moved five minutes away from the LDS Mormon temple in Hawaii.
- [33:25]
Abby
Last baby. There we go.
- [33:27]
Doug
We have a lot of LDS friends, a lot of friends from Utah. And, you know, it's like a stereotype, but, like, Mormons have a lot of kids, and we're just always around their kids and becoming friends with these people. And I'm like, man, they're just like, they're so fun and happy and it's just so fun to have, like, a big family. And so then, like, sure enough that one of our, you know, towards the end of living in Hawaii is when we got pregnant and started our family.
- [33:49]
Abby
That's sweet, though. You know, he's going to take very good care of you whenever that time comes.
- [33:54]
Will
Anything she wants, I'm cooking it for.
- [33:58]
Doug
Man. Look, you got a dream husband right here.
- [34:01]
Reese
I know. No, I really, really do. So, so blessed.
- [34:04]
Abby
What a cool experience too, like, for you, like, being in the stage of, like, college, but getting to, like, look to them, like, just like, it's like, I feel like a lot of times we look at our parents who are like, you know, a generation ahead, but to be able to look at, just peek over the fence, like, then, right then, the very next stage, that was first of all, really awesome of them to, like, have you. But then also, I'm sure it was such a blessing for them, too, to have you there.
- [34:27]
Doug
Thank you to ORA Frames for sponsoring today's episode. Are you struggling to come up with a gift to give your parents this holiday season? Because chances are they just want you.
- [34:36]
Abby
That's true. I feel like our family is always just like, we don't care. Don't get us anything. We just want to say, spend time with you. And we love that about our family and.
- [34:44]
Doug
Yep. And that's why you should consider getting your parents and your grandparents an aura frame this holiday season, because you can send pictures and videos right to their aura frame so that they can keep up with what's going on in your life.
- [34:55]
Abby
Yes. Aura Frames is a beautiful digital picture frame, and it also allows unlimited free photos and video. You just download the Aura app and connect to WI Fi to start uploading.
- [35:04]
Doug
You can even preload photos before it ships. And that way, when grandma opens the gift on Christmas morning, she'll have pictures of you and your beautiful family right there on the frame.
- [35:16]
Abby
They love receiving pictures of our kids. Videos of our kids.
- [35:19]
Doug
Yes.
- [35:20]
Abby
And it's such a sweet surprise because it's also located in their kitchen so they can show friends that come over they love showing off their grandkids what grandma and grandpa doesn't. Every frame comes packaged in a premium gift box with no price tag, so you can't wrap togetherness, but you can frame it for a limited time. Visit Oraframes.com and get $45 off Ora's selling Carver mat frames named number one by Wirecutter by using promo code unplanned at checkout. That's a U R A frames.com promo code unplanned. This exclusive Black Friday Cyber Monday deal is their best of the year, so order now before it ends, support the show by mentioning us at checkout.
- [36:00]
Doug
I didn't tell Abby I was gonna do this, but we usually don't do segments on our podcast. But I kind of want to try out a segment with you guys because, like, you're basically newlyweds. You've been married just over a year.
- [36:10]
Will
Yeah.
- [36:10]
Doug
I have some, like, rap fire newlywed questions for you. I think it kind of pg, Matt. They're pg. We're pg. Okay. These are clean. We talked about who cooks the most, but, like, who. Who cleans? Who's the cleaner in the relationship?
- [36:23]
Reese
I would probably say me. I feel like we have our own roles.
- [36:26]
Doug
Okay.
- [36:27]
Reese
Like, taking out the trash.
- [36:28]
Will
I'm like, taking out the trash. Washing dishes.
- [36:32]
Reese
Right.
- [36:33]
Will
Laundry. It just depends. I try to stay away from her. Like, DCC laundry and stuff.
- [36:38]
Abby
I don't feel like I don't wanna mess that up.
- [36:39]
Will
Yeah.
- [36:41]
Reese
I probably clean the most. Like, I'm a constant. Like, how's the couch? How's the countertop? Like, my island? I'm like.
- [36:48]
Will
It's more of, like, less cleaning, more putting stuff away.
- [36:50]
Doug
Okay.
- [36:51]
Will
Because, like, I leave stuff out a lot. And I'm also a messy cook, y'.
- [36:54]
Reese
All. Oh.
- [36:55]
Doug
The best ones are who talks to the neighbors? Who's the Chatty Cathy that likes to get in long combos with, like, the neighbors across the street?
- [37:02]
Will
Not really.
- [37:03]
Reese
I feel maybe could. We don't really know our neighbors.
- [37:09]
Abby
We don't really know our neighbors.
- [37:10]
Will
I know our neighbors. I guess I'm the only person that's ever talked to our neighbors, so that's probably. That's probably me.
- [37:16]
Reese
Probably. Will, to answer the question, Will.
- [37:19]
Doug
Hey, it's okay. We've been in our neighborhood for a year, and I still. I'm working on alerting all of our neighbors, so. Hey, it's all right.
- [37:24]
Abby
Matt talks to every neighbor.
- [37:26]
Reese
I love that. I think if we're out, though, both of us, it could be like, oh, I'm waiting for Will. He's chatting up. Or, oh, I'm waiting for Reese. Like, she's chatting to her or whatever.
- [37:37]
Doug
Who's the impulse shopper? Anybody, like, have a quick. Like, oh, I want that.
- [37:41]
Will
It's situational.
- [37:43]
Doug
What do you mean by that?
- [37:44]
Will
Like, tonight we're throwing a Dancing with the Stars party.
- [37:47]
Doug
Okay.
- [37:47]
Will
There's been, like, eight things show up at the door.
- [37:50]
Reese
I was the impulse shopper. Like, for sure, for sure.
- [37:54]
Will
But, like, for that, like, it just got to, like, hunting season just came in, and I bought, like, a couple of things for hunting. So it's just a situation.
- [38:05]
Doug
It's like, will, did you spend $5,000 on shotguns? Like, what? I don't know.
- [38:12]
Reese
Like, you know when Amazon comes in and it's like, oh, for. I have, like, both recent Will, like, our names on it, but his will just be Will.
- [38:20]
Will
Yeah. So she knows, like, okay, this is Will.
- [38:22]
Reese
Got some stuff coming in.
- [38:24]
Abby
Oh, it's just Will.
- [38:25]
Will
I'm also. I'm very, very impulse. If it's a gift.
- [38:27]
Doug
Okay.
- [38:28]
Reese
Yeah, yeah.
- [38:28]
Will
Like, if it's a gift, I'll, like, just immediately get it. Like, I've gotten her, like, three or four Christmas gifts already, and then I just. We just ordered my sister's Christmas gift. It's hilarious.
- [38:39]
Abby
That's fun.
- [38:41]
Doug
Who handles. Who handles the finances? Will. Okay. I like it.
- [38:45]
Reese
That's a blue job.
- [38:47]
Doug
Who is. Who's the handyman who fixes the things around the house? Okay. Not surprised when you mentioned hunting. I'm like, this guy probably knows how. He doesn't call a plumber if the. If there's a plumbing issue. He actually.
- [38:58]
Will
Now, if there's, like, a serious plumbing issue, I will. But, like, okay, I can. I can work my way.
- [39:04]
Reese
Way around the hair out of the drain.
- [39:06]
Will
The hair out of the drain? Yeah, yeah.
- [39:08]
Reese
There's all those things.
- [39:09]
Doug
Abby's dad and I are both not that way, so we just. We just call someone to fix it whenever.
- [39:15]
Reese
I know growing up with my dad.
- [39:16]
Abby
Like that, I was literally like, I gotta marry someone who knows how to do some of this stuff.
- [39:20]
Doug
She married a tiktoker.
- [39:21]
Abby
You married a tiktoker? Gosh dang it.
- [39:23]
Doug
Yeah.
- [39:24]
Abby
Gosh. They're not handy.
- [39:25]
Will
Who.
- [39:26]
Doug
Who has better fashion sense?
- [39:28]
Will
Oh, I've been getting better.
- [39:31]
Reese
I'm also trying. I feel like some of my friends, I'm like, wow. Like, I'm so inspired. Like, how do you just do all that? But out of us do. It would be me.
- [39:40]
Doug
Do you buy Will's clothes?
- [39:41]
Reese
Oh, no, no, no. Will. Will buys his own clothes, mostly Alabama stuff.
- [39:47]
Abby
Pretty soon you're gonna lose that privilege. Because I feel like the longer we've been married, the more I've been like, let me just. Just take care of this for you.
- [39:53]
Reese
I think, like, when it comes to shopping and, like, gift giving, I'll. I have my own taste, and I think that kind of probably helps.
- [40:01]
Will
I get the hint that I need help. Yeah.
- [40:04]
Reese
Like, this is cute.
- [40:05]
Will
I think one of the first, like, weddings we went to, I had a brown belt and black shoes. And she was like, no, absolutely not. So blaby.
- [40:16]
Abby
Blavy happens sometimes with him.
- [40:17]
Doug
Who's more likely to forget an anniversary or like a birthday or something like that? That's also more of like a question for a couple that's been together for a decade. I feel like you don't forget that.
- [40:27]
Abby
Stuff when you're moving on.
- [40:28]
Reese
Yeah, we know things now. I probably meet the other day, we.
- [40:32]
Will
Actually both just missed our, like, anniversary.
- [40:35]
Reese
Like, dating anniversary.
- [40:37]
Will
Yeah. But technically it was never, like, a solid anniversary because I asked her to be my girlfriend like, four or five times, and she said no every single time.
- [40:46]
Doug
Wait, what?
- [40:47]
Will
Yes.
- [40:48]
Reese
Wait, wait, wait.
- [40:48]
Doug
I didn't know this story.
- [40:49]
Will
Yes.
- [40:50]
Doug
Do people know this? That you turned Will down four or five times?
- [40:55]
Reese
Some people probably know I never dated anyone. So I was like, oh, I don't know, like I'm nervous kind of thing. And then actually Taylor, our mentor, announced it at church. He was like, and we've got Reese here.
- [41:07]
Will
We got Will's girlfriend in the back.
- [41:09]
Reese
Yeah.
- [41:09]
Abby
And I was like, oh, I guess.
- [41:11]
Reese
We'Re boyfriend and girlfriend.
- [41:12]
Will
Cause, like, we were at. We were hanging out at Taylor and Lindley's house. House, essentially. So Reese would get done with Bama, dance team practice at, like, 9 o', clock, come over, we'd watch the Office or something on Try to watch Harry Potter.
- [41:25]
Reese
And I was like, you can't get me into this. But now I just finished Harry Potter, so let's go.
- [41:29]
Doug
Isn't it great?
- [41:32]
Reese
We need to revamp or sophomore year. I was like, I can't. This is not for me.
- [41:37]
Abby
This is not for me.
- [41:38]
Will
But Taylor and Lindley, like, so we had their living room, their room, and then the room that I stayed in. And they were always asking. She said yes because they knew, like, I was asking. I was telling them everything. And, like, Wednesday night, Taylor's like, I got you, dog. I got you, dawg.
- [41:56]
Reese
So, like, I'll just announce it.
- [41:58]
Will
October 14th, he announced her as my girlfriend. And she looked over at me and I was like, oh, oh, we're boyfriend, girlfriend. And I was like, I don't know.
- [42:09]
Abby
If you want to.
- [42:10]
Reese
I mean, I've asked you several times, so I guess.
- [42:12]
Abby
That's sweet.
- [42:13]
Will
That's October 14th was our, like, anniversary date until we now have.
- [42:19]
Reese
Yeah, we just missed it.
- [42:20]
Will
So.
- [42:20]
Doug
And was it. And so was it, like, then when you started dating that you guys decided your wedding was gonna be on 4 20? Is that when she told me the wedding date?
- [42:29]
Will
And so I proposed to her on tax day.
- [42:33]
Doug
That's so random. That's funny that you know that too.
- [42:35]
Will
Yeah. But I graduated in December of 22, and she was in, like, the peak of their UDA dance season. So she had practice. Like, she came to my graduation and then immediately had to go. Her whole family was here. My whole family was here. I was like, hey, I'm proposing on this date. Because the weekend prior was. It was final four. If Alabama went to it, she would have been going.
- [43:03]
Reese
Everything revolves around everything.
- [43:06]
Will
She would have been going to the final four with the dance team if. And then it was tax weekend, and then the next weekend was Easter, so it was like, the sweet spot.
- [43:17]
Doug
Nice.
- [43:18]
Will
So I proposed on the 15th, and then a couple weeks, months later, she was like, hey, we're getting married on 420. And I was like, okay. And she was like, why are you laughing? I was like, you don't know about 420.
- [43:31]
Reese
I was like, 4, 20, 24. It's cute. She's like, okay, do you want me to tell you what that means?
- [43:37]
Doug
I didn't realize that. So you picked out the date because you thought it was cute, having no idea that it was.
- [43:41]
Reese
Well, no. It was also the only weekend, obviously.
- [43:45]
Abby
No fail.
- [43:46]
Will
Yeah. The only weekend available at that venue.
- [43:48]
Abby
I said, I'll take it.
- [43:50]
Doug
Yeah.
- [43:50]
Reese
But with our time and schedule, it went down.
- [43:52]
Will
Also, at this point, she didn't know that she was going to be going into her second year on the team.
- [43:57]
Doug
Okay.
- [43:57]
Will
Because she planned on trying out for her first season, and then she made it. And then that was also the sweet spot. Like, if she makes the team or if she doesn't make the team and.
- [44:08]
Reese
She wants to try out the team again.
- [44:10]
Will
Yeah.
- [44:11]
Reese
April's kind of busy, so I feel like we need to go, like, middle.
- [44:15]
Will
Yeah.
- [44:16]
Reese
So, yeah, this wasn't rapid fire, so we had to explain all that.
- [44:19]
Doug
No, you're good. No, I got derailed because I heard, you know, you tried to ask her out four times and she turned you down. So that's five.
- [44:27]
Abby
Let every man know that persistence.
- [44:31]
Doug
Well, yeah, I think. I think that's just a testament to your persistence. Right. Like, you didn't give up.
- [44:35]
Abby
Perseverance. That's what I'm looking for.
- [44:37]
Doug
It's.
- [44:38]
Will
Technically, she never said yes to marrying me either.
- [44:41]
Reese
Oh, my gosh.
- [44:42]
Will
When I proposed, she just did. I never heard a verbal yes.
- [44:46]
Abby
I said thank you. After Matt proposed, we didn't even kiss. We were literally just hugged and I said thank you. I didn't know. I just, I was like, how do you do this?
- [44:58]
Doug
Did you, like, become overprotective when you found out she was going to be like a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader? Was that ever, like, a thing? Maybe not. Maybe overprotective is not the right word.
- [45:07]
Abby
Sounds negative.
- [45:07]
Doug
Yeah, it's. It's almost just like. Or. Yeah.
- [45:09]
Will
Protective, I would say so Bama dance team and like being like part of like the Alabama Spirit squads one thing. And like you have like a hundred thousand people watching you at Bryant Denny Stadium. But I feel like here, because she didn't know that Netflix was going to be filming when she was trying out. But like, obviously before she tried out, we were watching the. The CMT one.
- [45:32]
Reese
So there's like another show that they did making the team and to like, the Dallas Cowboys shooters have always just been so iconic and they've been in.
- [45:40]
Will
Like the public eye like, for a long time.
- [45:44]
Reese
So, like, there's gonna be a bigger scale than Alabama that's gonna recognize and know me that Netflix was like an international scale.
- [45:51]
Will
And you're like, whoa, it turned my like, protective instincts on, I would say. And then when Netflix dropped, it was even, even more so.
- [45:59]
Abby
I should have asked this question earlier, but I've been wondering it like, you not knowing how they were going to piece together all the footage they had, especially in season one. Did it ever cause any kind of like, awkwardness amongst you and the other team players not knowing that you were going to be such a focus of season one and like such a, like, main character of the show? Did that ever make things awkward or tense amongst you and the other girls?
- [46:25]
Reese
I know, like, filming wise throughout before they even dropped the docu series, it no one knew really, like, the intentions. Like, no one knew really who was going to be highlighted. Like, obviously in the back of your mind you're thinking like, oh, well, they're going to like, follow a few people. But this was so new to us and new to our organization and our program that no one really knew how this is going to be drawn or Pictured. And so I think everyone that were being filmed kind of thought, like, everyone's getting equally in the amount of film coverage, and then it'll go into the hands of editors and they'll figure it out then. So not like the filming process before everything aired afterwards. I'm so grateful for the sweetest teammates who are so supportive. And I think everyone was more willing to help me navigate through it all, even though, like, they probably couldn't understand maybe to the scale of what I was experiencing, but they could. They could empathize and, like, try to help. And so I think, like, there wasn't this, like, awkwardness, but it was more, I don't know, maybe just like, trying out for the team. You already kind of thought in the back of your mind, like, you're promoting a brand and, like, marketing for it and being an ambassador, that now it just, like, the scale went up 10 notches of marketing and putting people in different rooms and putting people at different tables, if that makes sense. And so I think everyone was understanding. But for me, as a people pleaser, it did cause this anxiety of, like, oh, what. What do. What do my teammates think? Like, are they okay? Like, I don't want them to ever think, Like, I now think I'm all this. Like, that's never the case. And so I think, like, one. It came out of, like, personal conviction for making sure I was intentional with my teammates and showing up for them and showing that, like, I'm not anything different. You know, I'm trying to navigate this, and I think that they could see that I. I trust that, like, my friends were just trying to be as supportive as possible.
- [48:28]
Doug
And you're so humble. So I know you would, like, never voice this yourself, but you, I feel like, are essentially the face of the team now. Like, if you look at the show, right, like, season one blew up. Like, everyone was watching the show. I remember when we interviewed you a year ago, I was so excited for you guys because it was just like everything was exploding and your following was growing. And I just, in preparation for this interview, looked at your Instagram and I'm like, holy crap, you hit a million followers on Instagram. Which is, like a really big achievement. So correct me if I'm wrong, but you're the most followed cheerleader of the Dallas Cowboys ever, right? Is there. Is there another cheerleader from the team that's ever had that many, that large of a following?
- [49:12]
Reese
I mean, I think, like, all of us right now are. Everyone is following. And I mean, obviously, as a little girl, they can look up and be like, oh, my gosh, I look like so. And say, like, I'm gonna follow her. And we share same similarities and stuff like that. So I think we're all growing naturally. But I would say that that is the statistic. But it is just kind of, like, super surreal because I never want people to think, like, oh, Rhys thinks that she's all that. Like, that's not the case. I just hope that, you know, what I'm sharing across the board is, like, the same Reese you would have seen before all of this, and the same Reese you're seeing now.
- [49:48]
Doug
The reason that you are. Excuse me. I'm like, my throat's getting weird. Like, I think the reason. The reason, like, that people like you guys and like you is because of that very reason. Because I think they can tell that you have these, like, high, high morals and that you have this humility to you, to where they want to follow you, and they want to, like, cheer for you, and they want to see you succeed, and they're stoked that you are at a million followers on Instagram because that, like, in a way that. That shows them that anybody can do anything, you know, that there's that, like, the little guy, the person that's doing the right thing, the person that is, like, being good to people and, yeah, has this high moral standard, can succeed. Like, I think that gets people fired up.
- [50:36]
Reese
Yeah.
- [50:37]
Abby
And while we're gassing Rhys and we're.
- [50:38]
Reese
Up, I will say, if I could.
- [50:41]
Abby
Think of, like, one word when it comes to you and you two together is like, it's so refreshing. Because I think that in media today, it. It's easy for negativity or something that's shocking or flashy or self absorbed. All of that tends to perform right. But to see a role model like you get this platform is so refreshing. It's like, you are someone that we want to see more of. We want our children, younger girls to look up to. And it's like, it's really. I'm proud of America, honestly, for giving a platform to someone like you. Because it is so good to see and, like, it just. It's an inspiration.
- [51:29]
Doug
Thank you to Cozy Earth for sponsoring this portion of today's episode. Are you still struggling to figure out what to give your friends and family for this holiday season? Because I've got a gift idea for you, and it happens to be something that is literally on my bed behind me right now. That is Cozy Earth sheets. They're so cozy.
- [51:48]
Abby
My guess is that if you Were to ask any mom with little kids in the house what they want for Christmas, they would just say the gift of really slowing down, feeling cozy and getting some quality rest in. And that's exactly what Cozy Earth delivers you guys. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets are temperature regulating, a guarantee to give you a comfortable night's sleep. We always talk about this. I feel like there's always one person in a marriage that sleeps hot and.
- [52:13]
Reese
One that sleeps cold.
- [52:14]
Abby
And then somehow they find each other and get married and then someone's always a little bit temperature dysregulated at nighttime.
- [52:20]
Doug
Yeah, that is right.
- [52:21]
Abby
And that's what's great about Cozy Earth sheets. They also have a cuddle blanket that is so luxurious, you guys. We have one draped on our couch downstairs. It's the perfect combination of comfort and style.
- [52:32]
Doug
And the great thing about Cozy Earth is that it's a risk free purchase because they have a hundred night sleep trial. Try them out and if you don't love them, return them hassle free. But trust me, you won't want to. They also have a 10 year warranty because once you feel this level of comfort, you'll just want it to last a decade.
- [52:50]
Abby
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- [53:25]
Doug
I love it.
- [53:25]
Abby
I was like, please show more, Will. Like, this is so sweet.
- [53:28]
Will
Yeah.
- [53:29]
Doug
Were you guys surprised that there wasn't more coverage of you in season two? Because I think Abby and I were shocked. We were expecting.
- [53:35]
Abby
I think your mom was shocked.
- [53:36]
Doug
My mom was, was disappointed with netfl.
- [53:40]
Abby
She's the one who warned me because I was like, I still need to see season two. She was like, they did not show enough, Reese. She was like, you're gonna be disappointed.
- [53:49]
Reese
No, I don't think I was shocked. I mean I know that every season's gonna be different and they're gonna. I mean my thing too was like one trying to Just like, understand, wrap my head around, like, that they wanted to follow me. Like, that's just a silly, crazy concept. But I have 35 other girls and teammates that are so cool and have such great stories that I was excited for it because I was like, oh, the world needs to see my teammates and how cool they are and my friends and, you know, everybody works and sacrifices their really entire lives to make this team. And like, those stories need to be shown. So I'm grateful and excited that they, that they did that. I was really happy with, like, the outcome in that way.
- [54:34]
Doug
It was a big deal when, when season two ended that they gave you guys a big salary raise. I think we talked about last podcast. You know, what you get paid if the numbers were legit. And then I, I said 75,000 a year. And then you were like, actually, that's not what we get paid. But you guys, from, from the articles I saw, it was a 400% increase of what you get paid. Like, what?
- [54:59]
Abby
That's insane.
- [55:00]
Doug
That must be amazing. Like, talk to me about that. That's a big deal.
- [55:03]
Reese
Yeah, so I will say that I think the media will always kind of, like, enhance things just a little bit. But. But I will say that, like, we are so grateful with the outcome. I think, like, this truly our whole, like, motive and goal with this is like, we didn't want to just do this for ourselves. We wanted to do this for so many women across, like, corporate America and then obviously for other NFL teams too, to feel insp. To, you know, recognize and see the cheerleaders for who they are. I mean, like, again, they sacrifice so much, and we do carry a lot and juggle a lot. Like, whenever you see a team at a pep rally or something, you're gonna bring your cheerleaders. Like, yeah, these, these women and, and men do go to two appearances. And it's like you're talking to a five year old and then you're talking to an eight year old, 80 year old in a retirement home. And it's having to, you know, adapt and be on 24 7. Like, there's so much more than what we do than just dance on the sidelines. And so I think that we wanted to really push that and encourage other people to get behind us and support us with that.
- [56:13]
Doug
So is the salary increase not 400%?
- [56:17]
Abby
It's.
- [56:18]
Reese
It's definitely. It's more like 300%. I really don't know all the behind the scenes on how it all works out, but what I can say is that it has been, like, such an improvement and a very big increase than what we have seen in the past.
- [56:34]
Will
They've changed, like, the structure of, like, how they pay around. So we'll see at the end of the year, like, obviously how, like, the percentage increase.
- [56:43]
Doug
Oh, so you haven't seen it all come in. Like, you don't actually know the full.
- [56:46]
Reese
Number when we do get paid, obviously it is a significant increase. But how, like, the avenues of how it's being drawn out. Like, I don't. I mean, I'm not really behind those or in those conversations. So you're not, like, quite sure what.
- [57:01]
Abby
The bottom line is.
- [57:01]
Reese
Okay, yeah.
- [57:02]
Doug
Help me understand because, yeah, I was reading different articles about it, and I didn't know what was true, what wasn't true, and obviously I want to be respectful of, like, what you can and can't say, so if I'm overstepping, let me know. But it seemed like you guys used to get paid 200 a game in US dollars, and then they increased it to 400 a game, and then. And am I speaking gibberish at this?
- [57:25]
Reese
To be honest, I really don't know all of it. I honestly can't speak too, too much about it. I will say that in preface.
- [57:34]
Doug
Yeah, I respect that.
- [57:35]
Reese
But I will say, like, games are now, like, the hourly pay is completely different.
- [57:42]
Doug
Okay.
- [57:43]
Reese
And so, like, games are like, like a huge improvement to what they were in the past. Nice. I will say a lot of the girls that led this had more years on the team, so they saw improvement every single year, whereas I only saw two years if really, even if that, like, which is showing, like, all the totals and stuff. But the girls that really led this were like our leaders that were fifth years and fourth years and girls that have been on the team for a lot longer than I have, and they seen more in history in that time span. And so I just kind of was like, man, I'm on board with this. This seems so encouraging, and hopefully this is going to inspire so many other generations to come. But I will say this is just like a stepping stone. I think that there's always more work to do, but I think, like, this is, like, such a great step in the right direction.
- [58:33]
Doug
Yeah, no, that. That's really cool to see. I think everybody was.
- [58:37]
Reese
Was.
- [58:37]
Doug
Was stoked to see that you guys got a salary increase. Except I will say I got in, like a. In an argument with a family member this summer because someone. I think someone was like, I don't know, like, is that now I almost feel like they're overpaying. Then I'm like, overpaying them. I'm like, do you know what the athletes on the field get paid? I'm like, these are athletes. I mean, okay, maybe you could say, I guess you could say that the, the actual players in the football game are, quote unquote, from a capitalistic business standpoint, more valuable than the cheerleaders. Fine. But like, but I, I was like going to bat for you guys, so.
- [59:11]
Abby
I'm like, they deserve a debate.
- [59:13]
Doug
Yeah, they deserve every bit of the salary increase that you guys got, so.
- [59:17]
Reese
Well, I will say if you put it into perspective, what our whole motive was is if the water boy and really like people that are on the sidelines, like doing more of those type jobs are getting paid way more than the cheerleaders are, and we maybe sit down like two, three times in the game and that's like one example. But I mean, there's so much that we do throughout our season and even in the off season after football, we are doing so much more of shows, appearances, events, like, so much more to keep like the Cowboys in the eye and not.
- [59:55]
Will
There really is no off season, there's.
- [59:57]
Reese
Really no off season. So I think like, when we brought that to the drawing board, it was like, yeah, this is, this needs to happen.
- [60:08]
Doug
So that's what I was telling my family member because they were like, well, they only, you know, they're working the games and it's not like a full time job. I'm like, full time job. Like, they have to do all this physical training to be like, able to do the thunderstruck dance. And then there's all the, yeah, all the different specialty things that you guys do. That's kind of like saying, oh, a football player in the NFL doesn't deserve a full time salary because they're not working full time. And it's like, what about all the stuff they do off the field?
- [60:35]
Reese
Right?
- [60:35]
Doug
You know, like, they only work on Sundays.
- [60:37]
Will
Yeah, technically.
- [60:38]
Abby
No, they wait for training.
- [60:40]
Doug
Yeah, you need to pay people what they're worth. And when you have this, you know, like, multi billion dollar franchise, the Dallas Cowboys, I think it's silly that in the past the cheerleaders weren't paid enough to, you know, pay their, Pay their bills. People had to get additional jobs. So I'm stoked that you saw a pay increase. I'm curious though, Will, what's your take on this? You were kind of quiet there for a little bit.
- [61:04]
Will
I have a lot of different takes, but I'm gonna respectfully decline to answer.
- [61:10]
Doug
You're gonna believe the fifth.
- [61:12]
Will
I am the biggest Reese fan, and that's all that matters.
- [61:16]
Abby
It was a big topic of season two was the pay. If there was ever, like, a time where you felt like you had to pick a side the team, like, do I join these efforts or do I just, like, stay quiet? Or was it just easier to not feel like you had to be in the middle because you were only, like, in your second or second year at that point.
- [61:31]
Reese
Yeah. So I. I felt more of that middle area, but also, like, we had so much support that it was like, we can do this. I mean, so many new eyes, and we brought a whole different audience to our team and our. Our program and to the Dallas Cowboys in general after the show came out. And I was like, if there's a time to do this, it's. It's now. And I think that that was really encouraging. And I really wanted to be a part of, like, history being made and then also, too. I mean, I was living it out. I mean, I was experiencing these things. I was like, you know what? Like, it would be nice to be a part of something that's going to change not only, like, my trajectory, I guess, financially, but also, like, to support my teammates in that way and the women that have come before us and the women that are going to come after us. But I did feel like, you know, I. I couldn't say much because I wasn't in, like, my tenure as much as, like, other girls, but I just finished my rookie season, so it was also like, well, I'm still on cloud 10 and I am still to this day. But it was like, I was still in this, like, middle situation. So I wanted to, like, respect, like, the leaders that were really putting a lot on the line of going into those meetings and talking about these issues. Whereas I also still wanted to respect, you know, I am only a second year. I just started my second season. I just finished my rookie season, so I felt I was kind of, like, in the middle. I wanted to respect both sides and be kind of like the middleman.
- [63:00]
Abby
Yeah. You're like, I remain neutral.
- [63:02]
Reese
I remain neutral. I will. I am ready for anything. Like, I'll go.
- [63:06]
Abby
I'll gladly accept the increase, and I will cheer you on.
- [63:10]
Reese
Yes. Yes. That's kind of like how I was. And I would say, like, our class, too, was the same way. We were just like, we'll go with anything. Like, just let us know what we need to do. But also, like, we did just finish.
- [63:21]
Abby
Our rookie season yeah.
- [63:23]
Doug
What do people get wrong about the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders?
- [63:28]
Reese
Maybe this is a little bit more like of a personal standpoint, but I would say that from what I have learned out of this experience, with the exposure of what our team has experienced over the past two years with the show being out people. And this might just be generally across the board, but people have so many assumptions about who you are, like your beliefs, your morals. Like, if you believe in this, then you probably X, Y and Z believe in these things. And it's like you don't really know all this sides to the story. And I think that I've seen that, you know, with. With being more in the public eye, you know, people getting into your DMs and sending, like, more negativity and hateful comments. It's like all this is assumptions, and you're just assuming that I am this because I believe this or because I do this or because I say this. And I think our whole team is experiencing that. And I think that's actually a really heavy topic and that we have had to go through this season with, with the exposure, obviously more eyes, more people, more opinions, how we navigate what the outsiders say. Obviously we want to respect people's opinions because they have the right to them, but also we are human beings that have, you know, standards, morals, like, all these things, but you also don't know all sides to the story. And so I think that's something that is probably a misconception amongst our team and something that I have personally experienced this year.
- [64:54]
Doug
Like, are you saying almost putting you in a box as far as, like, religious beliefs or, like, political beliefs or just like where people kind of see a little snippet of you online or in the show and then they think they. They know who you are and everything about you.
- [65:08]
Reese
I would say, like, across the board, like, anything, every angle, any. I mean, it could be as minor as, like, I love to do florals. And so, like, doing like, I do, like, this little series called Floral Fridays that I post. And it could be as simple as that where, like, someone comes in, it's like, well, she just only does this thing because of X, Y and Z of like, her political standpoint, her religious beliefs or what she said. And it's like, that's really not the case. Like, I don't know. It's just like silly things like that. And I don't let those things affect me, affect me. But I do think that some come out of very strong side and they do kind of pierce right through us. And then, you know, it's kind of like a rabbit hole effect. Everything just kind of leads to one thing.
- [65:58]
Doug
And how could someone send a negative DM to you guys? I don't understand that.
- [66:02]
Abby
Not on the floral Friday.
- [66:04]
Doug
Yeah, not on floral Friday.
- [66:05]
Reese
Come on Fridays, guys. It's just flowers.
- [66:08]
Abby
Just flowers.
- [66:09]
Reese
Flowers.
- [66:09]
Doug
Hey, if you're sending a negative DM to Will or Reese, you gotta rethink your life, okay? You're picking on the wrong people.
- [66:16]
Reese
People.
- [66:16]
Doug
All right.
- [66:17]
Abby
That's funny. I'm curious. There's not a lot of.
- [66:19]
Reese
Are there.
- [66:19]
Abby
Well, I guess I'll ask you this. Are there a lot of teammates that are married?
- [66:23]
Will
A good bit of them.
- [66:24]
Reese
There are, I would say, like, either serious relationships, engaged. We have a lot of girls that are engaged, or like a handful that are married. So I feel like maybe in general, we have a lot of girls that are in relationships and have spouses, but then we also have a lot of girls that are single. So helping some girls out there. We have very high standards, though, which are set in place for a reason, on purpose. For a purpose. So, yeah, it's a mixture of both, I would say, of status.
- [66:54]
Doug
Thank you to Everyday Dose for sponsoring this portion of today's episode. When Abby and I started dating nine years ago, she turned me into a coffee person. And if you're like me, I don't have time to do research and buy ingredients to try and enhance my daily coffee routine. And that's why I'm a big fan of Everyday Dose. It's coffee plus benefits. They combine powerful ingredients like lion's mane, chaga, collagen, protein, and nootropics to fuel your brain, boost focus, and give you clean, sustained energy all day long.
- [67:25]
Abby
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- [67:45]
Doug
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- [68:07]
Abby
Thank you to Haya for sponsoring this portion of today's episode. If I've learned anything thing about toddlers in my time as being a toddler mom of two is that they love a good routine. We don't love stepping outside the routine. They love to know what to expect. I think it makes them feel safe and also gives them something to look forward to, especially when it's a fun part of their routine. Like our kids when it comes to taking their Hya vitamins. And we're happy as parents because Hiya is good for them. Typical children's vitamins are basically candy in disguise filled with 5 grams of sugar, unhealthy chemicals and other gummy junk growing kids should really never eat.
- [68:42]
Doug
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- [68:57]
Abby
The kids even have their own Haya jars that they got to decorate with their stickers that we refill with our new vitamin packets every time they run out.
- [69:04]
Doug
And are you tired of battling your kids to eat their greens? Haiya now has Kids Daily Greens plus Superfoods, a chocolate flavored greens powder designed specifically for kids. Packed with 55 plus whole food ingredients to support brain power development and digestion. Just scoop, shake and sip with milk or any non dairy beverage for a delicious and nutritious boost, your kids will.
- [69:28]
Abby
Actually enjoy the same multivitamin that more than a million kids and parents love are now available with Disney's the Lion King with a new Lion King unboxing experience including Lion King bottle and Lion King stickers. We've worked out a special deal with Haya for their best selling children's vitamin receive 50% off your first order. To claim the deal you must go to hiahealth.com unplanned this deal is not available on their regular website. Go to H I Y A H E a l t h.comunplanned and get your kids the full body nourishment they need to grow into healthy adults. It must be fun, like having group of girls like everyone can kind of like look. You can look to your single friends and be like oh this is like a really special thing about your stage of life you're in right now that you don't even realize is like unique or special and they can look up to you and be like man, like that season of life looks so fun. Yeah and all. But do you find that being married with a bunch of girls in the Team not being married that it causes, like, it makes it hard on your friendships with them sometimes.
- [70:31]
Reese
You know, there's times where, like, some girls might want to, like, do this, and I'm like, well, I haven't seen Will a lot. Like, I want to be intentional with us. And, like, in our kind of just, like, moral code, it comes faith and then marriage, and, like, that tops anything else. And so I feel like when it comes time to, like, oh, I have this weekend free, I want to spend it with Will and be intentional and, like, growing and strengthening our marriage. And so I do think that sometimes, like, there comes times where I'm like, this is hard. Like, I have to balance. But I also want to be an intentional friend and, like, show up for my friends. So it's just balancing, like, you know, oh, if there's, like, a birthday, like, we're gonna go and celebrate that girl's birthday. And, like, usually they open it up for boyfriends and fiances and husbands to come. So I think it's like, I don't know, sometimes I feel that pressure. I probably put it on myself. But, yeah, we're also all so busy, so I think everyone understands, like, our side.
- [71:29]
Will
I will say, if there is, like, a relationship like that, like. Or like, a couple that wants to hang out, we're more apt to hang out with, like, them and, like, a group date reach just going out with someone.
- [71:42]
Abby
Group days are so fun.
- [71:43]
Doug
Isn't that fun having, like, married couple friends when you're married and you can just chill?
- [71:48]
Abby
I love that talk about marriage.
- [71:50]
Reese
Yeah.
- [71:50]
Doug
And then you're like, wait, you guys fight about the toothpaste, too?
- [71:54]
Abby
It's like, oh, my gosh, what are we fighting about? Toothpaste?
- [71:56]
Doug
We've never fought about toothpaste, but it just kind of like, it just puts things into perspective. And you're like, ah, like, we're all humans.
- [72:03]
Reese
Yeah. And we're not alone.
- [72:04]
Will
That's the thing.
- [72:05]
Doug
Will, talk to me about what it's like to be the husband of a dcc. DC Of a dcc, you guys. Of a dcc.
- [72:13]
Reese
It is. That is. That's.
- [72:15]
Doug
What is it like? Let me say that again. We can leave all this in. You asked the question.
- [72:19]
Abby
You're, like, laughing.
- [72:20]
Doug
You say it again.
- [72:21]
Abby
Will, what's it like being a husband of a dcc?
- [72:24]
Will
It's really cool. It's so good, like, so cool to be able to, like, go and support her and, like, see her dream come to fruition and then do it every Sunday or Thursday or Monday.
- [72:41]
Reese
Why Am I crying?
- [72:46]
Will
Don't cry. It's okay.
- [72:47]
Abby
It's okay.
- [72:50]
Will
But, like, she's been working for this since she was, like, 3 years old. She didn't know that this was the goal that she was pushing for. But when she started dance and, like, we came out to Dallas in 2020 when Alabama played Notre Dame, and she walked into Jerry World, and she was like, I'm gonna try out for the Dallas Cowboys. And, like, I was like, okay, let's do it. And, like, we weren't engaged or anything. We were just dating at that time. And as we kept dating and got engaged, like, the dream became reality, and it was just really, really cool because it was her dream for such a long time. And then, like, seeing it, and not just seeing it, but being in the middle of it it and, like, seeing the good and the bad about it, because, I mean, everybody's gonna have dreams. And, like, there's good parts to the dream, and there's also probably some bad parts to the dream too.
- [73:50]
Reese
Struggles, responsibilities, sacrifices, all those things.
- [73:53]
Will
Like, and most people just see, like, the Instagram side of the dream.
- [73:58]
Doug
Yeah.
- [73:58]
Will
But seeing the background and, like, actually the, like, the push that they have to. They have to make and the. The struggles that go with it and, like, the anxiety and fears that come with it, too. Because, like we said earlier, she came to Dallas to be a dcc. She didn't come to be a Netflix star.
- [74:19]
Doug
Yeah.
- [74:19]
Will
It just came with it. And that's crazy. Fear and anxiety just, like, like, surrounded the whole dream man. And, like, we've been working through it, and it's been. It's been really cool to push through it.
- [74:33]
Abby
I'm curious how you encourage Reese. You've said yourself you struggle with people pleasing, and I'm sure that combined with a lot of people looking at you and your life and your decisions, I'm curious, well, how you encourage her in those moments. Like, what has worked for Reese?
- [74:48]
Will
I've kind of learned how to ask the right questions. We've been whenever, like, we can tell that, like, things might be, like, bottling up. We go on walks and just talk and, like, leave our phones and just talk. And that's the. Like, we unplug from everything. Like, she might be like, oh, this was really, really hard this week, but really, it's something much deeper. And, like, I've been able to kind of navigate in how to ask her the right questions.
- [75:23]
Reese
Yeah.
- [75:24]
Doug
What's an example of a question that you might ask to, like, figure out the route or figure out, like, how you can best show up for your wife.
- [75:32]
Will
It might be a week where she has like three or four things that she's got to post content wise and then she's got practice every single night. And then something that she just got booked on for dcc. And I might be like, are you feeling spread too thin? Are you just tired? And then like, maybe it's like she was booked on something for New York and she feels guilty because it's another opportunity for her that someone else didn't get the opportunity for because she is in like, like you said, like, she's very humble. She's never gonna say it. Like, she's the face of DCC in my eyes as well. So she is gonna get pulled in, in many, many different directions for dcc. And being a third year, a fifth year might not get the same opportunities and they've been here longer. And she feels that guilt deep down and being able to ask the questions around the surface level things of just like being spread too thin and don't have time for this this week. That's the root of it. Just feeling guilty. And like, I don't want to like, just talk about like your guilt and anxiety or anything like that. But like, that's just like one example.
- [76:52]
Reese
Yeah. Like trying to ask, I guess really like the right questions or like trying to ask multiple questions until we get to like, to the root of it.
- [77:01]
Abby
Yeah, I think that's great. I think sometimes like, husbands, from talking to like our other friends that, that are married to like, husband's tendencies seem to seem to be like the fixer. Like they have. What's that, like, sketch that they have? Like the wife. I don't like this sketch.
- [77:15]
Doug
I will say, yeah, it really makes.
- [77:17]
Abby
Women just look dumb. But like, a wife has a nail in her head and she's like, I just have this like, headache and it's like piercing. And the husband's like, I think it's because the nail in your head, she's like, why do you never let me just. I'm talking about how it feel and like, the husband just wants to fix it.
- [77:35]
Doug
There is a nail in your forehead.
- [77:38]
Abby
It's a dumb picture, but I think it grow. It builds on a thing that happens across a lot of marriages where husbands will like, love the idea of a simple fix. Like a quick, like, just patch up the surface level of this and just like find that that's a solution. Now we can just move on. Whereas, like, there usually is like, you're saying a deeper rooted issue going on. Like, Maybe even all the way, like. Like to the heart level. Like, that's. That's just brewing. And so I think it's sweet that you're, like, being intentional about, like. Okay.
- [78:04]
Will
No.
- [78:05]
Abby
Even though my tendency may feel like I just want to, you know, put a band aid on, like, let's carry on, like, to just ask more questions and to just really. Just giving her a space that's safe to talk about it.
- [78:15]
Doug
Okay. Other question people are wanting to know. Are you guys planning on staying in Texas long term? Is this your forever home?
- [78:23]
Reese
That's a good question. Our forever home, I think, is going to be Alabama.
- [78:27]
Doug
Oh, you think you'll go back to Alabama one day?
- [78:29]
Reese
I think so, yeah.
- [78:30]
Doug
But you're not even from Alabama originally, right?
- [78:33]
Reese
No, I just, like, fell in love with one. Like, our college town. Like, and I know that sounds so silly because I feel like a lot of families, like, don't go back to their college town. And, like. No, I love our college town, but it's so special. And, you know, like I said, like, his family is there. It's a lot closer for my family to drive. And also, like, our mentors are there, like, our church home. There's just, like, so much community that's already built there. And, like, yeah, we do love Dallas. Like, there's still so much to do out here, which is great, but I think what we really miss is just that, like, atmosphere of just community.
- [79:07]
Abby
Is there land around there, too?
- [79:09]
Reese
There.
- [79:09]
Will
There is.
- [79:10]
Reese
Yeah, there is. So I think, like, that's another thing is, like, I think, like, our lives will look the same, but we can go home to, like, a place that. That's different. Like, peaceful and quiet.
- [79:22]
Will
Like, it would be like. Like, out here there's such, like, a lifestyle creep that everybody is, like, people.
- [79:29]
Abby
Are fancy in Dallas.
- [79:30]
Reese
I will say, don't you hate the Keeping up with the Jose?
- [79:35]
Doug
And I hate that we've even, like, in some ways fallen into that. Like, I don't know. I. I like when we used to live in Hawaii, people. I would go to the grocery store with no shirt on, in my swim trunks, wearing flip flops.
- [79:45]
Reese
Wow.
- [79:46]
Doug
Like.
- [79:47]
Abby
Like. And I love that Matt just hates us. Wear shirts.
- [79:50]
Doug
Shirt now. Yeah. And now I have to wear a shirt to the grocery store. Can you believe that? Like, how ridiculous.
- [79:55]
Will
No, I get what you're saying.
- [79:58]
Abby
I definitely get what you're saying.
- [80:00]
Doug
So, yeah, sorry I interrupted, but it sounds like there's some Keeping up with the Joneses in Dallas and in Alabama. You don't feel that as Much.
- [80:07]
Will
Yeah. It's, like, very. Very materialistic out here. And, like, we want land and animals, which I guess land is part of, like, that's pricing. Materialistic. It's also something like, you can, like.
- [80:22]
Reese
It's generational, too. Like, I think. What's so special. Will actually proposed to me on his grandfather. Grandfather's land, and I think it'd be so fun to, like, plant, like, hydrangeas there or, like, something and, like, have, like, you know, generational. Like, something where, like, if our kids, like, if we have a son and wants to, like, propose in the same area he did, like, to us, like, I don't know, it'd just be really cool to like, keep that and just make it, like, I don't know, something that we can work on and invest in and all that.
- [80:55]
Doug
Are you a big. Are you big into hydrangeas?
- [80:57]
Reese
I love hydrangeas. I just love flowers in general, but will propose with hydrangeas.
- [81:03]
Will
I know she loved hydrangeas. And then my grandmother also loved hydrangeas.
- [81:09]
Reese
They also do really well in Alabama.
- [81:10]
Doug
So I'm like, no way.
- [81:12]
Reese
He's so sweet. I want to be this sweet grandmother that has, like, hydrangeas everywhere.
- [81:15]
Doug
That was my great grandpa's farm in Illinois. Like, we'd go out and visit, and my mom's a huge fan of them because of, like, my grandpa would plant them everywhere. What color. What color were they? White.
- [81:25]
Will
I used blue. Blue and white.
- [81:27]
Doug
That's. They were blue. Oh, my grand. Because they don't. They don't. They, like, take up the color based off of the soil.
- [81:34]
Reese
Yeah. Yeah.
- [81:34]
Doug
Because on my. They were, like, right next to this super old shed that. That my uncle wanted to, like, tear down, but my grandpa was like, absolutely not. Like, this shed has been in the family. And, like, I don't know if it was, like, the. The stuff coming off the shed, but they were. These were, like, bright blue hydrangeas.
- [81:49]
Reese
You have to keep them for the hydrangeas.
- [81:50]
Doug
They're cool flowers, aren't they?
- [81:52]
Will
They are.
- [81:53]
Doug
Okay. We talked about a lot today, but I know. I. I feel like the question everyone's dying to know is, is there going to be a Season three? I feel like you can't even answer that, so I don't even know why I'm asking it. But, like, what do we know about that?
- [82:04]
Reese
That. No, it's already public knowledge now that.
- [82:06]
Abby
There will be a Season three.
- [82:08]
Will
Yeah.
- [82:08]
Reese
But actually, I will say that they. When did they.
- [82:12]
Will
They announced it right around in August. Right around. Wow.
- [82:17]
Reese
But it was like, one little video.
- [82:19]
Will
So, yeah.
- [82:22]
Reese
No, a lot of people ask that question, but I'm like, well, it's already out, but I don't know, like, how much, like, we've talked about it.
- [82:28]
Doug
You heard it right here. Exclusive on the unplanned podcast. Season three of. Of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is coming back. By the way, what's the official title of the show? Because I keep calling it Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Is it America's Sweethearts?
- [82:40]
Reese
It's America's Sweethearts. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
- [82:43]
Doug
That's the, like, the full name?
- [82:44]
Reese
The full thing.
- [82:45]
Doug
Is there, like, a shortened version that.
- [82:47]
Reese
People say probably just like, America's Sweethearts.
- [82:49]
Doug
America, Sweethearts. Okay.
- [82:51]
Abby
Do you intend to go many more years on the team?
- [82:55]
Reese
I really don't know the answer to that question because I feel like every day is, like, always new. There's always so much. And also, we are such, like, we are so busy right now. So, like, I mean, I would love to go as long as I can, but also, like, it is just so, so busy. So I really just, like, don't know the answer to that right now. I'm just, like, trying to be present and enjoy every single second like, that I can. Because it does go by so fast.
- [83:20]
Will
Because earlier in the conversation, we talked about, like, traditions.
- [83:24]
Doug
Yeah.
- [83:24]
Will
And, like, she's working on Thanksgiving. Last year, she was working right around Christmas.
- [83:30]
Doug
Yeah.
- [83:31]
Will
Like, we just can't. Like, it's hard to make the traditions when you don't know what's going to be going on. So it's like, they sacrifice a lot, like, to be able to do this in the time that they do. So just really depends on what decision she wants to do.
- [83:47]
Abby
Yeah, that's awesome. I think that's also, like, wise probably to take a year by year. It's such a. It's evolving so rapidly. Even since your first season. It's like, well, you don't know what it's going to look like a couple years from now. And a year also is a long time at this age. Like, I think about two years ago, I'm like, oh, my gosh. I'm a completely different person. Like, I think about things differently.
- [84:06]
Doug
We did a podcast earlier today when we. And a question we forgot to ask the couple that we interviewed.
- [84:11]
Abby
We're going to end on Preston.
- [84:13]
Doug
Yeah, we're going to end it on this.
- [84:14]
Abby
Reese is too sweet.
- [84:15]
Doug
Preston and Brianna, go check that episode out if you guys haven't seen it yet. But do you guys fart in front of each Other. Is that something that you do?
- [84:24]
Will
Yeah, absolutely.
- [84:26]
Reese
Wait, what was that?
- [84:28]
Will
We were driving back from Alabama and we had Deloney's questions for humans. On a scale of like 1 to 10.
- [84:39]
Reese
Can't remember the question.
- [84:40]
Will
Or something like that.
- [84:41]
Reese
On a scale of not comfortable or like, extremely comfortable, how comfortable are you.
- [84:47]
Will
To fart in front of. They're like, extremely obvious. Normal.
- [84:53]
Doug
Yeah.
- [84:54]
Abby
Yeah.
- [84:54]
Doug
Okay. Number two, is that something that you do in private or is that like, okay in front of each other?
- [85:00]
Will
Oh, no, I don't do it in public. I try not to. Or like. Or not. Wait, what are we talking about?
- [85:06]
Doug
No, like, it's funny.
- [85:07]
Reese
Your spouse in front of us.
- [85:08]
Doug
Like, if you're in the bathroom together and you're getting ready, like, will you just. Will you go number two? Like, by your spouse? You have to close the door.
- [85:14]
Will
Oh, so it was a sore subject.
- [85:19]
Reese
That's all we need to say is close the door.
- [85:21]
Will
But last year when y' all interviewed us at the OR interviewed her at our apartment, like, there was one toilet. And oh my gosh, like, she was in there getting ready for practice. And I come home from work and I'm like, I'm so sorry.
- [85:35]
Reese
I gotta get another mirror.
- [85:37]
Abby
I gotta get another mirror here. Yeah, like, that's so funny. Cuz maybe that's like a year three thing.
- [85:43]
Doug
Yeah, no, maybe once you have kids.
- [85:44]
Abby
Together, you're like, there is certainly nothing to hide around. But I swear, I would love a little privacy. But I swear every time I have to go number two, he has to say, and it's just like right there. I'm like, you know what we get. We don't have to get used to this. We don't have to live like this.
- [85:59]
Doug
Popping each other's pimples, is that something that you guys partake in?
- [86:02]
Will
She's never done that.
- [86:04]
Doug
Abby is a huge fan of that and it's weird.
- [86:06]
Abby
I'm sorry, you don't really.
- [86:07]
Doug
I try to get her to stop. Okay.
- [86:09]
Will
I'm a huge fan of, like, popping her back. Like, I, like, pick her up and like, just crack the back. That's. That's one thing.
- [86:16]
Doug
I feel like I'm a chiropractor, not to be tmi.
- [86:19]
Abby
I agree. I can't look at it every.
- [86:22]
Doug
Like, I'm like, I swear every time she goes to pop my pimples, it's like we're about to do stuff that only married couples do. I guess other people. I guess unmarried people do it too, but, like, we're about to freaking get it on it's like, can I pop this?
- [86:34]
Abby
I'm like, why are you under the blackhead? A lot of things are made aware to me at that moment. That's tmi.
- [86:41]
Doug
She's like, you have a blackhead in between your eyebrows. And I'm like, great. Can we just leave it, like, no, no.
- [86:48]
Reese
No popping pimples here.
- [86:49]
Abby
I'm like, okay, well, at least you have some boundaries.
- [86:53]
Doug
Yeah. Well, hey, I'm glad that you guys at least fart in front of each other. That's awesome. Good for you guys.
- [86:58]
Reese
It's human, right? Duh.
- [86:59]
Doug
Anything else that we haven't discussed? We've talked for so long. Anything that you're dying for the world to know?
- [87:05]
Will
We are expecting what? This episode would be really great.
- [87:11]
Reese
Yes.
- [87:12]
Abby
This is gonna be amazing.
- [87:13]
Reese
I was gonna just say, like, this is probably more of, like, the sentimental side, but, like, we are just two human beings, like, trying to figure it out, and life is always, like, throwing something at us. But I think, like, what's so special is we could go into so many outlets. My brain is like, okay, stick to one reason. Truly, I'm so grateful to have my biggest cheerleader. No pun intended, but just to find someone that truly is for you and is gonna support you no matter what. Like, the ups and downs. Like, I'm so grateful for that. And I know everybody deserves, like, to have, like, your cheerleader, too. So, so grateful for that, but also, too, like, we're two humans beings just trying to figure it out, and we're gonna fail a lot. But I think what's so special is we have, like, our teamwork and our. Our partnership.
- [87:58]
Will
That's really cool.
- [87:59]
Reese
I love that.
- [87:59]
Abby
America's favorite cheerleader and her cheerleader.
- [88:03]
Reese
Yes.
- [88:04]
Abby
Biggest cheerleader together. Well, thanks, guys, so much for being here, and this was really special. I was looking forward this conversation a lot, so I appreciate you taking the time.
- [88:13]
Doug
Guys, go follow Reese and Will on Instagram, TikTok all the socials. Hopefully, next time we have you on, you'll be at 2 million. We'll see.
- [88:21]
Reese
Well, I don't know about that.
- [88:22]
Abby
We'll see. Sam Kendrel right where we're at.
- [88:24]
Reese
Yeah, we're good.
- [88:29]
Will
And, Doug, here we have the limu.
- [88:31]
Doug
Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.
- [88:44]
Reese
Uh, limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us. Cut the camera.
- [88:48]
Doug
They see us. Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com Liberty.
- [88:51]
Will
Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.
- [88:53]
Doug
Savings Ferry unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates excludes Massachusetts.
- [88:57]
Reese
This is an Etsy holiday ad, but you won't hear any sleigh bells or classic carols. Instead, you'll hear something original, the sound of an Etsy holiday, which sounds like this. Now that's special. Want to hear it again? Get original and affordable gifts from small shops on Etsy. For gifts that say I get you shop Etsy, tap the banner to shop.
- [89:21]
Abby
Now.
- [89:23]
Doug
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- [89:42]
Will
Applying for no Ding Decline cards won't.
- [89:44]
Doug
Hurt your credit scores. If you aren't initially approved, initial approval will result in a hard inquiry which may impact your credit scores.