We Had The Best Childhood

Natalie Pilkinton (00:00) We are recording this episode from Lajitas Big Bend, and I'm staying in a place that some of my earliest, fondest Memories from my family's best stories. This is where my mom was a saloon girl, where I met Willie Nelson, who was like my country idol from riding from Alpine to Big Ben to Lajitas all the country road, listening to On the Road Again. It just brings back so many memories being here, like a version of me that no longer exists, a version of a lot of people that don't exist anywhere else. You know, childhood was actually free. Like we weren't tied to a digital. computer device. We didn't have Wi-Fi. We barely had phones here. You know, it's it's before we had our awkward phases, photograph, like nothing. I don't have a picture of me and Willie Nelson. we were more free. We were more present. We were able to be. Do we remember it that way because there's little evidence to prove otherwise? Or are we going back not to a perfect childhood, but to a real one? You know, the songs, the smells, the freedom, the family stories, and the things that our parents let us do that would get them investigated from CPS today? You know, KELLY (01:10) Okay. Natalie Pilkinton (01:10) welcome to another episode of Sugar Spice and Spirits. Before we get into everybody's childhood, I want to start with where I am right now because it's certainly been very nostalgic and it's bringing back memories. I was a little a giddy little girl coming to here. I've I brought my boyfriend with me as well to Big Bend and Alpine to kind of retrace my steps. So it's been super exciting and You know, before we get started, I want to say bringing it back, 99 cent Arizona sweet tea is my sip of the day. So this is what I'm sipping. Ladies, what are you guys sipping? Because Eddie Wilson loves it and he's the coffee connoisseur. KELLY (01:53) Yes, indeed. And I'm just drinking some plain coffee. I actually put my mug down up the other side of the room so I don't have it in front of me, but I had to go just straight coffee this morning. I had to get my go go juice on, so yeah. Natalie Pilkinton (02:06) Got a got a lot of plans today. So guys, I am KELLY (02:08) Yeah, yeah. Natalie Pilkinton (02:09) just so happy to be here. And I'm so happy to share like what I've gone through and what's being here because people don't understand when you have a childhood and you have to check the outhouse for a rattlesnakes, like before you go to the bathroom. Like it's most comprehension. People can't comprehend that. So it's it's been pretty fun to come back. Mindy Price (02:27) So speaking of outhouse, are you d are any of you watching is it the Madison? Have you been watching The Madison? It's another Taylor Sheridan. Natalie Pilkinton (02:35) No. KELLY (02:35) No, my mother didn't. She said it was amazing. So that's on that's on my list of things to to to watch. Mindy Price (02:41) Okay, so Natalie, I don't know if you ever had to deal with this, but in one of the scenes, I don't want to give any, you know, anything away for the people that are watching it or will watch it, but the scene is hilarious. So they don't they have running water in the houses and the cabins, but not they don't have a bathroom. So they have to go to the outhouse. And this is modern day times and the girl didn't check and there was a a hornet's nest. And so you can just imagine what ensued after that. And then seeing the poor husband trying to, you know, go and attack and kill the hornets and and everything else. So I was thinking snakes or rats. And Travis was like, he called it, he was like, it's gonna be hornets. And I I did you ever have to worry about that with the outhouses? Natalie Pilkinton (03:27) I didn't I didn't worry about hornets now, scorpions, rattlesnakes, those were my big thing. Daddy long legs were my friends, tranchulas were my friends, horny toads were my friends. It was more the snakes, and I really never came across them except when my mom worked road construction. She would bring home dead snakes because they would get killed, you know, roadkill and stuff like that. And so I remember skinning them as a girl, like grabbing the meat and pull like we'd slice down the the belly so we could get the skin and hide it and we'd s we'd put it in like a vinegar salt solution or something and let it soak. And we kept the rattlers and mom would make hat bands and stuff like that. So I remember things like that, but I don't I didn't really hornets weren't a thing, but when we were down in we went yesterday hiking, we went down to Santa Elena Canyon, which you can kind of see Santa KELLY (04:20) pretty. Natalie Pilkinton (04:21) Elena Canyon. There there were hornets that were around us. But yes. Mindy Price (04:36) Wait a minute. Timeout. What there I wasn't necessarily paying attention to the photo. I was what? What? What KELLY (04:42) Can we see the can we see the postcard again? So Mindy Price (04:47) happened? What is this new memory that created? Natalie Pilkinton (04:51) This new memory was actually at Santa Atlanta Canyon. And we walked, we hiked there. It's one of, you know, it's it's real beautiful. You've got just the you're in the canyons. You've got mountains, rocks all up and down. The Rio Grande cuts through it. Brian and I hiked to it. Brian's my now. Fiance. So he KELLY (05:11) No Natalie Pilkinton (05:12) asked me to marry him down there. So I of course said yes and so now I'm officially an engaged woman. Woo! So KELLY (05:21) Yay. Congratulations. I Mindy Price (05:21) my gosh, I've got tears in my eyes. I've got chills. And I can't believe you didn't tell us about that. And I was literally thinking, and you were ignoring me because I was like, well, and I'm over here making y'all didn't see this. We weren't recording at the time. And I'm trying to make faces because I don't know where the boyfriend is. And she said boyfriend. And so I was just like, okay, so I guess it didn't happen. You are somebody I want to take to play poker with, my friend. KELLY (05:46) Yeah. Natalie Pilkinton (05:47) It was tough. It was tough. I talked to Mindy yesterday. So we had a conversation and I I've been with my boyfriend for seven years. I wanted to get engaged. I want to get married. He's the love of my life. And to have that waiting and holding when I've just been waiting to tell. Like I've got a TikTok video I've been waiting to post because I knew Mindy would see it and catch it. So yeah, I'm super excited. And so all my friends and family. are super excited for me too because they know it's something that I've wanted and they from what I everyone tells me is they love Brian and I together. So which I love Brian and I together. So KELLY (06:22) That's congratulations. So what Natalie Pilkinton (06:25) Thank you. KELLY (06:26) so I I love stuff Mindy Price (06:26) A huge congratulations. KELLY (06:28) for for those of you that aren't that aren't watching us live, when when Natalie held up the postcard for Mindy and I to see she held it up with her now very full left hand and is like what postcard? Suddenly we didn't see a postcard, all we saw was this big giant, beautiful ring. So kudos to Brian. So yeah, if so if you guys missed it, the only other way that would have been great if we weren't look watching each other would have been if you said, I'm here with my fiance, and we would have said, Wait, what? What did you just say? Natalie Pilkinton (07:00) Yeah. KELLY (07:01) So either way, so it's be it's a beautiful ring. He did good. He did real good. So congratulations. Now you have a whole nother Natalie Pilkinton (07:08) So I'm excited. Yeah. KELLY (07:10) reason, a whole nother a whole other reason of of great memories to go back to again in the future. So that's fantastic. Natalie Pilkinton (07:18) Yeah. Mindy Price (07:18) Which I mean, it's so crazy. We we talked about this episode and childhood nostalgia and what takes you back to when you were younger. I had no idea that you were going to share this amazing news with us this way. So happy for you and congratulations. It Natalie Pilkinton (07:34) Thank you. Mindy Price (07:35) literally then, when I thought about the episode, most girls, I don't want to say all, have this fantasy when they're younger of finding the man of their dreams and getting engaged and getting married. And so it did it the it took me back to being a little girl and I can remember playing dress up and I can remember playing with my friends. And I know it sounds silly, but if you have girls you understand like you would play dress up with your girlfriends and one would play the the the boy Natalie Pilkinton (08:02) Right. Mindy Price (08:02) and the other would play the girl and it was no big deal. It was just super fun because you know we didn't have can digital. We didn't have all this stuff. We had to use our imaginations and who was there. And you know, quite frankly Tommy down the street, ooh gross. I wouldn't even and think about, you know, playing, KELLY (08:15) Yeah. Mindy Price (08:15) you know, grown ups with him. But I don't know if it makes Natalie Pilkinton (08:17) Trying to win up. Mindy Price (08:18) you think back to any of that. Natalie Pilkinton (08:22) You know, it makes me, you know, I I used to play teacher. I I always wanted to be the teacher. I never wanted to be the student. I always wanted to be the teacher. So for me, yeah. And I you know, it it's it's different too, like when you say the love of your life, it it hits different when you've been married before because you feel just like for For me, you you d don't like you kind of you just wanna be genuine. I wanna be authentic and genuine and I wanna be true. And it's like when you've been married before, you have that, like, wasn't that the love of your life? How can you have two love of your lives or how can you have this? And it's it's I think when you're younger, you fall in love with the idea, you fall in love with this whole, you know, vision of what you had dreamed or what you thought of. And then on your second go around, and I don't know Kelly if you feel this way, but on your second go round in life or chance at love or your third, you you kind of have more in tune with what you want and what your expectation is and who you want to be with because you know it's forever. You know it's it's supposed to be a lifetime and there's certain just little things you won't put up with or you won't tolerate or won't deal with again where on the first marriage, like you're like, okay. And if that person, you know, doesn't change or things don't happen. and there's no growth in the in the other person. Like usually it's like, all right, peace. And then whenever you move on. and I've talked about, you know, the five marriage counselors that we went to and everything previously. So I won't go into that because that's not what it's about, but You definitely learn the second time around, like you're not gonna tolerate and I hope you don't put up and you don't ignore the red flags. And maybe you're the red flag, maybe you need to do some self-reflection, but it definitely is is sweeter because you feel like, okay, I got it. Like this this is like this is it, I got it, you know, and we've been together seven years. So for me it's it's been awesome, like traveling and vacation and home life when when life's tough. Like it's it's he's who I want by my side. So and I don't have a second guess or a second doubt. So I I'm I'm super excited because I I really feel in my core, you know. So KELLY (10:31) I I I'm like super, super excited for you and and and I totally agree. I'm on the same page where I I think we're also blessed that God gave us the ability to love multiple people in our lives. I mean, think about it. We have multiple kids, we have parents, we have friends that we that we love very well and and those emotions are out there. So I think we're very blessed that that you do get to choose the you know, a new love of your life 'cause, you know, I Brian's amazing. And you Those that know me know that I I lost a wonderful husband several years ago who to to tie it back to the digital part, I met him in high school and then we married 18 years later after we were out of high school. So that was way before all the digital time. But this time around, after he passed away, I was blessed enough to meet Trevor, who is my husband now, an amazing man. Met him through Facebook and some mutual friends on Facebook. So it Through the the good side of the digital world is the fact that I met my now love in my life, Trevor. And I think that's also kind of how you and Brian met as well. Mindy's been married forever and a day. So, you know, that goes way back to that. So she done she doesn't count. But anyway, so yeah, I just think it's fantastic that that we have the ability to have multiple loves on on many levels. 'cause our heart always has room for extra, you know. But I'm so glad that you're with the love of your life now because that's just amazing and he's he's lo and hey, let's face it, he's a damn lucky guy to have you. So there you have it. Natalie Pilkinton (12:06) That's right. That's right. Mindy Price (12:07) He he is lucky. And I noticed how neither one of you touched my story about childhood and you know, playing house or imagining, you know, getting married and all those things. Natalie talked about being a teacher. Kelly just didn't even go there. So I'm gonna be like, Girl, did you do that? KELLY (12:24) Well, you know, I I Natalie Pilkinton (12:25) She did not. KELLY (12:26) I I guess I did. You know, but I was always so I was a I was a tomboy. I had if I had the option between the pink bike and the black bike, I was going with the black Huffy bike 'cause I wanted to jump the ramps and and I was a gymnast and so we were we were riding motorcycles and everything. So I maybe as a child I didn't I didn't play that much that that that growing up and getting married role. But I'm not saying that as time went on and I saw my friends getting married, that I didn't I didn't kind of hope, you know, hope for that fantasy of, you know, of the prince and dropping down to his knee and we're gonna get married at Disney World and blah, yeah. That none of that ever happened, but it's okay. So but that just wasn't that just wasn't me as in in my childhood. But I have fantastic childhood memories. So way before digital. So Mindy Price (13:18) Yeah, digital something that I know we'll cover. But Natalie, so tell you you know, you are in this place that I'm sure brings back so many memories. So, you know, tell us a little bit more about this place, why it matters to you. And then I am super curious, what did you first notice when you arrived? Natalie Pilkinton (13:37) So I for me, this place just is happiness, like a a freedom. I didn't care. I didn't know anything. My babysitters rode across on the boat. You know, here in Lajitas, there's the river right there. And they rolled roll rode across and took care of me while my mom worked. And, you know, I just have fond memories going over to Mexico and getting the bottled Coke, the Mexican Coke. So it's just like I I think like a pure freedom, like a I I wasn't bogged down with life. I didn't worry about anything. Of course I'm, you know, four four to nine years old. What amazes me is how much I remember and how like detailed it is and where I'm like, okay, this is where this is, this is where that is. And I was in my little brain, when I really didn't pay attention, I didn't think I did, but I did. So driving in, like I was so upset when I moved to Houston when I was in third grade, our lights got turned off at the house, and all of a sudden I know my grandparents turned up and I had to throw everything in a black trash bag. And I moved to Houston and I was I was mad driving into Houston because there was a McDonald's and they wouldn't stop. But then there was another McDonald's and they wouldn't stop. And there was McDonald's everywhere. But we were getting a McDonald's in Fort Stockton, which is 30 miles away. And I was mad because they were taking me away from McDonald's. Now I don't eat McDonald's, but it was one of those things that I'm like, my gosh, like, but I had such a pure childhood here, like walking to the elementary school uphill both ways in the snow. Like showing Brian the route. Like we went and took both routes. Like what like I could have gone this route, which was the busy way, which went by the college stadium, Sol Ross State University, which is cowboy, you know, kind of more cowboys come out of that than than any like tough headmen came f came from there and just these these these stories and these these legends. But and then I showed how I I would go to the Catholic school or go up to the Catholic church and I would turn and go down to the elementary school. And like we we wazed it and it said 1.2. I'm like, no no no we need to drive it because I you know ways will be like a drone like it's 1.2 right there straight without the street. So it's been just So much fun to come back and see like where and to share with Brian like my stories. Like, this is where I was bathing outside in the trough and the old people were walking up from the R V park and I was naked outside. I'm like, Mom, Mom, Mom. And that blessed their hearts. They were scared to death too. And KELLY (15:59) Yeah. Natalie Pilkinton (16:00) you know, just these these fun. before the world got heavy, before the world, you know, and and maybe that's a thing too, digitally, you know, the kids get introduced too much to too much too soon. You know, they worry about too much. But yeah, it's the whole thing has just been great. Like I've truly enjoyed it. I've been pulled over twice in twenty four hours. Once by the sheriff of Brewster County and then once by once by the park ranger. So yeah. And she was a female. That last one, I was like, I am certainly getting a ticket. Like and I've already gotten a warning on the first one, which was a blessing. The guy in the he's living in the house that I lived in with my mom here in La Hidas. He goes, I live in that house. And I was like that's a small world. So it's just kind of funny KELLY (16:45) Wow. Natalie Pilkinton (16:46) because he's like, Why were you going 80 something? It was downhill and I'm not used to driving in hills. And so we were just going, like the speed was taking me. And I'm like, sorry. And then with the officer, because that was the first night we pulled in, which was two nights ago anyway. So then the lady pulls me over and she goes, roll down your back window. She checked the back, make sure we're not smuggling people or anything like that or whatever we're doing. And she gave me a warning as well. Thank goodness they're not on the same system because she would have already seen I got a warning, but God's favor and blessing, I'll take it. but she was really nice and I was like, wow, they have nice female cops too. That's awesome. So she I got two warnings, but it's it's still been fun. That's why I can't drive because I'm like I'm like ADHD, you know, I'm looking out the window, look, look, look, that's like, it's so green out here. Why is it so green? It's never this green and they've gotten a lot of you know, it just It's it's fun going back and I'm I'm just I don't know if it's a paramenopausal brain or what, but remembering stuff back then crystal clear and I can't even remember what we did yesterday. You know, it's like things like, what's going on? So KELLY (17:52) Well you know, what's so what's Mindy Price (17:52) Well that KELLY (17:53) so funny? I I'm sorry, Mandy, what what I think about is, you know, when you were coming into town, I I remember going to see my grandparents, which was up up right outside of Lubbock in Denver City, which is a huge oil country. I mean, every every twenty feet there's the the black pump jacks. And I could all it was a such a long drive, but I can always remember laying down in the back seat. And I knew we were close because of that sulfur smell, that oil smell. And I'd be like, We're close to Denver City, aren't we? Yes. And I that was when I'd pop up in that back seat and I'd look around. Of course, there was absolutely nothing to see because it was up, like I said, up near Lubbock and flatlands. But when you think about some of the things that you see, because let's face it, when you haven't been there in a long time, I would imagine that there visually there's a lot of things that have changed. But I just wonder if when you came into town, like you said, you're probably not the one to be driving because they probably think you're drinking and driving because you're swerving all over the place trying to look right and trying to look left. But other than that, were there certain certain smells or did it bring back a song or I mean, obviously Willie Nelson and everything, but did a rush of these memories come to you? Cause I will tell you right now, I when you talk Going back to what you said earlier, the hornets and and everything and outhouses, I would not have been a very good pioneer woman. I will just tell you right now. But when I think about going back to my grandparents' house and and all those memories that rush in, I realize how much we did. It didn't matter what the temperature was. It could be scorching hot, it could be freezing cold. And we were outside and we enjoyed it and we and we loved it. But I'm I'm curious if those types of memories also. kinda came rushing in and all of a sudden a song popped in your head or where were you when when this happened and when you saw that that that landmark right there, did a certain song pop in your mind or something? Because you're right, our long term memories are so deeply embedded. And yeah, I don't remember if I even ate yesterday. So I I'm I'm with you on that part. So just curious. Natalie Pilkinton (20:01) So a couple of things. I lived on 905 East Avenue Ion Alpine, which is the cemetery road. And we lived in an Adobe, which the Adobe is tore down now, and there's a trailer. And the Adobe storage or shack or I don't know, like storage unit she shed, he shed, whatever is next to it. That's still there. I remember standing at the gate as funeral processions would go by, and I had my little green Bible. And I would read John 3 16, for God so loved the world. That he gave his only begotten son. And I would like yell it at the cars going by. I don't know. Only child, you know, grew up. I I was just I was witnessing, I guess, some preaching to the cars going by. I don't know if anyone ever heard me. They probably said that crazy girl screaming at us. KELLY (20:47) speed up all of a sudden if if the funeral procession came shooting out there's that little girl again. Natalie Pilkinton (20:52) Yes, yes. and then watching the rain come come in because you know you're in the mountains, you can see the valley, you can see different things, and the smell of rain, that hasn't happened, it hasn't rained here, but I I miss the rainstorms like the the clouds and all of that. And then as far as songs like yeah, Willie Nelson on the road again. Absolutely a hundred percent because you only had like two country stations and they both played that song on repeat because you only had like three artists. Don Williams, another one of those. And KELLY (21:19) Yeah. Natalie Pilkinton (21:21) like looking for love in all the wrong places that song. So those KELLY (21:25) I mean, yep. Yep. Natalie Pilkinton (21:26) Those are the things that I remember, but you know, from way back when, but that's really, really I didn't have a sulfur smell, yeah, they have those. Brian calls them something, and I don't I don't know what they are, but all the, you know, oil jacks are out here. It's it's not as many here in Terlingua but driving from Midland Odessa, like, you know, it's KELLY (21:44) Yes. Natalie Pilkinton (21:45) a complete industrial just warehouse after warehouse after warehouse you know and it's the I don't know it's fun it's so good to be back here I am just I'm loving it I wouldn't live here like I let me paraphrase I love to visit I wouldn't live here and the golf resort so here they took Lajitas they don't have the hitching post anymore which they used to have where you would have to tie your horse up but they took those out and it's beautifully landscaped now and they created It's the number one golf course in Texas, they said. And it's just a green oasis. I'm gonna try and get a TikTok, see if the porter can take us down there tomorrow. But they have all these statues that people were trying to destroy. They're they're there, like so they've preserved some history. And it's just It's it's completely different, but it's it's still neat and nostalgic to it's hard to believe that they have the number one golf course in Texas in the middle of the desert and there's a little airport, so all the private cha planes that fly in, it's literally right next door to this. So it's like for big money, oil and gas people and they're they're coming in and they're golfing and they're paying four hundred around. So KELLY (22:52) Wow. Yeah, you definitely need to get a picture of that. Mindy Price (22:54) So how crazy is it that where you are staying right now, because I do know this is a fact, you told me you're going to be staying there, that your mom was actually a saloon girl in the building that you're in right now, where I think you said you can tell us about it. They there's another bar, restaurant or something, but tell us about like where you're actually staying. Natalie Pilkinton (23:17) So I am staying in the Lajitas Resort. So it's the hotel part. So this is the they have newer sections that they've added, but this is the actual hotel. And it is old school. Like it looks haunted. It looks like there were brothels here. Like people would come up and I don't know. Like I can imagine the women lining up on the top and the the cu cowboys coming in and be I'll take her. Let's go to bed. You know what I don't know. KELLY (23:44) Ha ha Natalie Pilkinton (23:44) I'm just I and I don't know exactly when it was built, but they've retrofitted for fire and stuff like that. And it's got lots of great AC. Everything is good. it's just I can imagine just because of the history. Here's the picture of my mom for those that are looking. That my mom is in the red, and then Gary Busey is the actor from Barbarossa, the movie that was filmed down here. And then Millie is her friend in the yellow. So when we left Alpine, because we drove in from Midland, because you fly in there, and we drove, you know, an hour and a half to get to Alpine. My girlfriend, who is her son's the one getting married, she's like, Hey, stop by for dinner before you head on down. And I'm like, Okay, so we stopped by for dinner. And then we had to drive from Alpine to Lajitas, which is an hour and a half of pure black. Like you don't have light pollution, you don't have anything. And that's the stars, you can see the Milky Way. can see like it's it's beautiful we're talking to mom before we get out of town so we can we have service to talk to her and she's like yeah that's where my friend died and I'm like your friend what she's like yeah she was driving at night and the free range cows and she hit one of the cows and she died my friend that I Millie and I she's like or she's like I don't remember her name I was like Millie she goes yes and I was like thanks mom thanks for telling me that right before we drive on this this long trip to, you know, in the middle of darkness. So yeah. And then so that's it really is like you're in the middle of nowhere. And so it's like if you break down, you can you don't have triple A because you don't have phone service. So it's I don't know. It's the whole thing is just fun. And I I do think, you know, a lot of people discount Big Bend or they forget about it. They don't even realize that there's mountains. in Texas and it's so expansive. You drive in Big Ben for, you know, from one destination to the next and you're driving for 45 minutes, even though it's 12 miles away. So it's it's it's so fun. today we're going to Mexico and I'm wearing my Hope for Ali going to Boquillas which you walk across and you take a donkey into town, or you walk into town, but it's like a a mile down or a mile and a half down. So it's just things are different here. Things are slower. The the restaurants they may close for like two weeks and then all of a sudden they post, we have somebody coming to sing and the pizza joint's full. Like it it's like, that's been closed for two weeks. they must have just opened up. So like they don't even like function like a business. It's like They pay their bills with it. And then they I don't know. It's just so, so different and laid back. It's it's it's been fun. And I do think everyone should experience it. We met a couple from Italy who was there. We met a couple from France who was, you know, just hiking with us on the trails. And they were like, America's so amazing. America's beautiful. We I want my kids to come here. And her little like the Ital Italian lady, Christina, her kids are sitting there and they're like, they're gonna go to college here in the States. You know, it's It we don't realize what we have. And I think more people need to come. And you know, one of the big things, and you know, I I try not to get too political. I am conservative, but one of the things that they have here is they have the wall, like the battle of the wall. Like where's the wall gonna go? Is it gonna come? Is it not gonna come? You've got these huge canyons, you've got the river, you've got the desert. And you still have people that are running, you know, people across coyotes with their stashes along the way to get to I ten. So the big concern for the community and for a lot of the smaller businesses that do the activities, the river floating and all of that is is the wall and how that's gonna impact the environment, impact local ranchers and farmers. You know, it's like So it it's neat to come down here and just see the struggles of the local people and, you know, their concerns and just gives a different perspective. Just like when you go to any other other country, but this is our own. This is Texas. This is it's it's awesome. Mindy Price (27:43) So I want to take you back. Not back to childhood, but back to something you said. And if somebody didn't watch our episode with JoAnn Ali's mom, you're wearing the shirt that's hope for Ali Lowitzer. And she asked people to wear those to take Ali with them. And her childhood was, as she knew it anyway, was ripped away from her. We don't know the story. Ali went missing 16 years ago. She was 16 years old. They didn't actually name her, they named her a runaway instead of a missing person up until she was 18. And her mom's had to do a lot of the work herself and trying to find her and to get answers. Somebody knows something. And that I just wanted to explain the shirt that you have on and has her face. And you were the one that introduced JoAnn to us and in her story because that happened in your neck of the woods, like right around the corner from you. Natalie Pilkinton (28:33) Yeah. Yeah. So somebody knows something somewhere, you know, in a sense. so hopefully we can help the the this family find closure, find answers, find something. You know, it's kind of the same with Becky Beard's case. Somebody knows something. So Mindy Price (28:47) Yeah, Rebecca Beard out of Brazoria County. So definitely want to keep that going. We do have episodes on that. So going back to childhood and nostalgia and all these memories that you have flooding in as you're as you're there, things were so different back then. You know, Kelly, you mentioned digital, how you know you couldn't you didn't find people online when you were dating. I've been married 25 years, come next May. I didn't find I mean I found my husband from high school, but you know, we we broke up and we joke around, sewed our wild oats and then got back together. But every boyfriend that I had wasn't because I met him online, it was because of, you know, just getting to meet people. And when we were kids, we didn't have all of these things. Like you think about your memories. You know, you talking about the outhouse, Natalie, it made me think about well, when I went camping and I I wasn't even this these memories just start popping in my head when I went camping and we had this pop up. trailer as one as our fur we well first there was a tent and then we had the pop-up trailer either one of those have restrooms and depending on where we were camping and how far it was to the the family style restroom you could use to shower or whatever you just went in the woods so of course you're looking around for snakes but then I thought we were high class when we got one of the Grandma's chairs, you know, the chairs that you put over that have the armrest and you actually got to sit on something, but you still had to look around because spiders could get up and you know, underneath the seat and just these these crazy memories that some of our kids, if we even told them that they had to do that, they'd be like, What? Like, It is kind of crazy, just the stuff that the things you're saying. I'm sure you too, Kelly, you're having like memories of when you were four and five. I cause were you there from four to nine or four to eleven? Four to nine? Natalie Pilkinton (30:25) Yes. Four to nine. I'm so in third grade is when I moved to Houston. Mindy Price (30:29) Such an impression impressionable age, if you think about it. KELLY (30:32) Yeah. Natalie Pilkinton (30:32) I I don't I don't know if it's childhood trauma, but after that I don't really remember much. I'm like, and I'm you know, I went to 13 different schools. So moving a lot from but I was I was stationary, you know, through third grade and then I moved to Cy-Fair and I don't know if it's childhood trauma. I don't know what, but are you just start knowing more and learning more. You know, I guess around that age you start becoming more aware too, as I'm seeing in my my child Paxton, you know, just being what you become aware of when you start questioning things when you start asking. So I don't know. It's been it's been fun and it's been real, but I I do wonder if it's just me, like with a short term memory loss, or do you guys remember your childhood like in detail? Like or KELLY (31:16) So I it it's here's what's so neat about what I think you're experiencing and what you experienced as a child is because I you know, I'm I'm about nine or ten years older than both you guys. And so I I grew up in I I grew up in Houston as as a baby and then we moved to Lubbock, which is right outside of Midland, Odessa. I spent a lot of time in Midland, Odessa on at gymnastic meets and everything. So but and and in in Lubbock was still a city. And so even though I was, you know, from my from my four to nine, I moved to down here to Lake Jackson area in sixth grade. And so a lot of my younger childhood up in Lubbock, we we didn't ride horses. Now my friends had horses, but we didn't ride horses to the local saloon. And and I mean it wasn't it wasn't as less developed, I guess, as what you got to experience. So I I think what I think it's just so amazing what you got to how you got to live for a period of time back when because we all look we all watch Westerns on TV and we're like, okay, one minute there, one minute there in a buggy, the next minute here comes this little Model T car, and I don't know the dates, but this the little car and then here comes the hot rod. And so it the I never got to experience growing up the way you did, even though I'm ten years older than you, you would have thought that things might be kind of like that for me. But I think it's all about location. And I I just think it's amazing how you you get to carry that with you. The other night we were sitting there and my my little my little grandbaby Teia she wants us to help her do some gymnastics in the living room. And so, you know, Macy and I were over there helping her do back bends and everything. And and Macy talked about when she used to tumble and Macy said, wait, KK, which is they call me KK, used used to tumble. And it was so funny that they popped in. First, I I had to go find the DVD player because let's talk about now we don't even have DVD players because everything is on demand. I had to go find the DVD player and plug it into the TV. And I have this this video of called Kelly's Childhood Memories. And it's me and all my gymnastic meets. And it's when I was little bitty and and and growing old. And it shows some of my old vacations. But they were taken on Super Eight. video where you had to carry like the big, huge, god-awful camera on your shoulder. Whereas now you've got things on demand and we use our phones and it reminds me of what you said a minute ago when thank goodness you have all these memories because you don't there's not just that instant photo that you can take and look at it and send it to people. So you have to be able to describe to Brian what makes that place so special. And and why why you encourage people to come back and see what made your heart so full. And you know, like the smells for me and and and the gymnastic memories for me back up in Lubbook, and then for you, and then I'm sure you know Mindy has, I'm sure, amazing memories, you know, growing up where she grew up, but it just makes you realize that those things that are so special growing up, we have to make sure that for our kids, and that's what makes me so upset these days. was we did the forts, we played outside, which and tying into to the whole Ali thing, my parents never like early on when they said my our parents wondered where the heck we were sometimes. And it was like when the when the street light comes Natalie Pilkinton (34:42) Straight line. KELLY (34:43) on, your butt better be back in this house, or at least I oughta see you coming down the street on that bike, going as fast as you can. And now, as parents, it terrifies us sometimes if our kids even get get out of our sight at the grocery store. And I I look back at at at those types of things where the times were simpler. And sometimes I think slower is so inviting because everything is so fast paced. So I I missed those days when we didn't we couldn't just do everything at at the at the you know snap of your finger and it's done and it's out there. And As much as I love to stay connected digitally with my friends, I mean, look at look at us three. We're doing this, we're not even in the same room, much even the same town, and we're getting to share our experiences and hopefully hear from others about their experiences and their memories, thanks to th the digital world. But, you know, how great is it to come together. I would love for all of us to be sitting one night when it's a little cooler, sitting around a fire and telling each other about where we grew up. 'Cause those those are the special memories too before we had all the, you know, all the luxuries of of the digital age. So and I'm sorry I got totally off on a tangent on a lot of that, but I think it ties in so many different ways to what you're what you're showing us and telling us about how how happy that place makes you. Natalie Pilkinton (36:07) Well, one thing I want to add too, because I have, you know, one kid that's digitally attached. my twenty one year old that doesn't leave the room, that plays, you know, he's been a professional gamer, trader, everything else. He made a comment to my oldest son, like he's like, I feel like I've wasted so many years of my life. But yet he's still attached. He's still attached. He's he doesn't leave the room. He doesn't he has memories. Like he's online playing and he has friendships. And but it's not the same. So as with the bonus baby, Paxton, we're trying to get him detached from the brain rot and everything that's on his on his little computer. He doesn't have a phone. He's asking. him for a phone. He has my tablet. So you know it's it's just it's I'm like go go down to the bayou, build a fort. Like get in trouble. Like do something. Like I don't like ride your bike somewhere and have some fun. He's like, well I don't know how to build a fort. Yeah, right. You don't go figure it out. Like get your friend ride down to Hank's house and get Hank and y'all go do something. Go. Go have some fun. Go do go figure it out, whatever it is. And that that free range thought process, our kids don't ever have that because they're always attached. They're at the restaurant, they're scrolling, they're bored, they're they're getting on, they're they're scrolling more. It's like they don't have time to free think and to get these ideas and and to be able to process and go. It's like I don't know. It's it's you're you're not allowed to it's not that you're not allowed, it's just because it's so easily attainable. It's getting that dopamine hit from scrolling and doing and even as parents, I think we have to model. being better and not being so digitally connected, not being so enthralled with what's going on. Like I've detached from a lot of the news stories, I've detached from a lot of what's going on worldwide because in the in the big scheme of things, the only thing that matters my relationship with Jesus Christ and my family and how that all works together. So I think, you know, as as we are raising our kids and even older kids, like we can still model and be better and detach ourselves because we are even as a society immersed in this digital age and we're robbing our children of and I don't know, our parents thought we were too fast, you know, or thought different things too. And yeah, you know, it's I don't know. Are we robbing them? But I d I don't think that they get that free flow thinking where they can actually problem solve and and do things which is which is important. KELLY (38:40) agree Mindy Price (38:40) Yeah, I was I speaking of TikTok, my future daughter in love, daughter in law, she posted something and it was about 2010 and it had a bunch of little flashes of glitter sticks and glue and all the fun things that they they played with and you know that was nostalgic for her. And here we are thinking about stuff when we were younger and what we had. And then fast forward this morning, I'm getting ready and I'm listening to a podcast from a a national news station and they were talking about data centers and how you know everybody was like, well if you can't build one, go build it in Texas. And now our governor Greg Abbott has said, hey, we need to put a halt on this. Like our power grid can't handle that. There's a lot of things that need to happen. I mean, that's a whole nother episode, very different from this. But you think about what is happening with not just we we keep talking about digital. We're talking about social. We're not talking about AI. We're not talking about the impact that it has. So think about like Paxton being 10, your other child that you were talking about being 21. And then of course there's others, and mine being 19 and 23. And Kelly, you know, you've got Macy, but then you've got the grands. So what is it gonna be like 10 years from now? What is that going to look like? It's gonna be very different. The things that we're talking about, what are our kids gonna be talking about? You know, more than likely, Kelly. Macy it will have her own baby and you know, and then she'll have her her stepdaughter too. And thinking about, my gosh, these things that you're de or that she's talking about. I wish they had my childhood, things that we're taking for granted that they actually love and saying, I wish they had this. Now we're stone ages, y'all, you know, at that point. We're we're talking about our stuff. But we Every generation, of course, is different and it it looks different. And I just I can't even I can't even imagine when you fast forward. I do think there is some very precious memories that we have that are protected because we didn't have that digital age. We didn't have you know, the videos. Natalie, when you were talking about having your little green Bible and reading yelling John three sixteen, people would have been filming you, you know, you would have had people who were praising you and people who were making fun of you. That's just, you know, where KELLY (40:56) Yeah, but you also would have been famous 'cause you would have gone viral. Mindy Price (40:59) Yeah. KELLY (41:01) So I mean, you know Mindy Price (41:02) So you know there's that. There's just there's there's just so much. We were protected. Natalie Pilkinton (41:08) Then we won't talk about the time I cut out a trash bag, like the paper bags, and I made eyes and armholes and I stapled a bunch together so I had a dress and I went on all rust gray and was just waving at cars as they drove by just because I was bored. Only child, nothing to do. You know. So I'm just waving at cars. Mindy Price (41:24) I think that's amazing. Natalie Pilkinton (41:26) Random stuff. I'm sorry. Thank God there weren't cameras. KELLY (41:26) Again. Again. Viral. Viral at the time. But you know, and and and you're right. Yeah. Right. But y I I think about times when you know, when our kids would do funny things and we just immediately couldn't couldn't whip out our phone and record that and it'd be something for ourselves to remember, but then the whole the whole world. I mean, now we film our dogs and our cats and our, you know, and funny things on the side of the road. I mean, I showed Mindy a picture yesterday of this cute little lady, I mean, flying down the road on her scooter. I mean, like her wheelchair scooter. And she was like she was taking no prisoners. She was like, I I don't know where she was going, but she was on a mission and she was in the flow of traffic. Now it was it was, you know, in the in the back roads a little bit but it was I I thought I could get a picture of this. Why I I didn't show it to anyone, but it was just something that you have the luxury of being able to to do that. So but but yeah, it it is gonna be funny because I remember my mom used to tell me, you know, my mom grew up back in the days of like happy days like the Fonz and and the and the fast cars and the leather jackets and and the cigarettes rolled up in your in your sleeve and she said, I I can't imagine not living back in that era and And I mean it looks great. I mean, all the poodle skirts and and everything. But then she thought walking in my room and seeing, you know, rock and roll posters on the walls. And and one day I walked in and shalked in and I had this big silver lightning bolt. Me and my friend Brooke Atkins, I'm calling you out, Brooke, had had taken spray paint and painted a silver lightning bolt from floor to ceiling. And my mom walked in and she said, Well, if you want to live in a creepy room, that is up to you, but keep the damn door shut. And she turned around and shut the door. And sh, you know, she just thought that we were just fast and furious and never slowed down and this and that and this and that. And I think where I was back then, compared to the kids now, I feel like we were not near as fast-paced as the kids are now. Because if you wanted to do something, you had to communicate through word of mouth or or or cruising around. And yeah, I mean, now my daughter Macy growing up in high school had so many more friends than I did because from from other school districts because they all connected through social media and and and let's face it social media can be your your best friend or you know it can be your worst enemy I mean it it can be a place to bully I mean if someone had if someone had the guts to really get in your face they had to get in your face or they could ha they had to call you on the phone and then you could slam the phone down. They couldn't hop online and just blast you to everyone And you know, there's there's a lot of good goods and bads to it, but yeah, I don't know. But it just thinking about that, it it it makes me laugh 'cause my mom thought she lived in the best era. And I'm like, Well, I think I live in the best era. And then I'm sure the kids now, I'm sure Macy's gonna be telling her kids, we had it so great when blah blah blah was going on and I'm and we're gonna be like, Yeah, good try. Nah, it didn't compare to ours. So, but I think Mindy Price (44:31) So remember earlier when you said bikes, you would choose a black bike over a pink bike, and then we're thinking about all these things. I remember I I I was like, if there was one thing that I could take back from my childhood, what would it be? Y'all, I had this bike that you remember that bike that had those big U handlebars, you know, those? I can remember riding that bike. I loved it. It was tan and brown, by the way. And I can remember riding it by a house and there was this. Boy, that maybe I had a crush on, maybe I didn't. He was really a jerk because he didn't help me. My handlebars pop off. I fall, I scrape my knee, I scrape my hand, I'm bleeding everywhere. I'm so embarrassed. But I laugh at that. But if I could go back and have something and bring it back with me, it would be that bike. I loved riding it everywhere so much so that the handlebars literally fell off, probably from us doing tricks on them and having people ride in it. But nowadays, thinking of how things have changed, that was a way to get exercise. Now they have these electric bikes. You see people that are healthy and you see people that are unfit and they're not doing it. They're just riding their electric bike. I understand it could be because it saves on gas or whatever, but the conveniences that just make it so easy not to exercise, not to take care of yourself. I know that's you know a tangent, but I just I had to throw that out really quickly because there's a just a lot of different things. Natalie Pilkinton (45:53) So maybe childhood was not better in every way. We had less information, fewer protections, and very little proof of where we had been and what we had done. We also had long afternoons. coming back to Big Ben, Lajitas, Alpine, it's reminded me of places that can hold pieces of our stories long after we leave them. Sometimes we return physically, sometimes it's a song, sometimes it's a smell, it's photography or our family story takes us back without warning. maybe we do not miss a world without technology as much as we miss the people, the places, and the versions. It's deep versions of ourselves that existed before life started moving so fast. So we want to hear from you. Would you return to your childhood for one week if you if you could not change anything? Tell us what age you would choose, where you would go first, and why. I want to thank you for joining us for Sugar Spice and Spirits. We appreciate you. And cheers to you ladies and cheers to everyone out there. KELLY (46:55) I don't have Mindy Price (46:55) Cheers. KELLY (46:55) my cup. Natalie Pilkinton (46:57) I'm cupless. Thanks everybody. Mindy Price (46:57) Yeah. Natalie Pilkinton (46:58) Don't forget to like and subscribe.