Justin: 0:00

Here's some cool little things about.

Rhett: 0:01

Elf Okay.

Justin: 0:02

First of all, Will Ferrell almost didn't do the movie. Really, he said this is either going to make me or break me and he took a risk and obviously it played well for him because it's a classic. Yeah, Another thing the character who is the store manager. Oh, yeah.

Rhett: 0:20

You know that one. He's like six inch ribbon curls. It's impossible.

Justin: 0:24

Six inches. Okay, if you look at his name tag real close, it says Wanda. Okay, that's because, oh my gosh, I forgot her last name, wanda Sykes. Yeah, wanda Sykes originally was that character and she backed out at the last minute. Oh wow, and to kind of just honor her, he still wore the name tag they had made for her. So she was the original character. So if you ever watch elf, just notice that it says one I never noticed that interesting yeah, little elf fun fact.

Rhett: 1:06

What is going on everyone? Welcome back to another episode of the podcast with your friends Rhett and Justin here at Armchair Authentic, a podcast that's designed to have real conversations about real life, stewarding stories of 39 years of friendship in a way that serves you. Today, you're in for a ride, because this conversation is all about Colonel Cookie, christmas elves and the three amigos. I know, hold on, there's more and it's coming. Before we jump into that, though, always want to take a moment and say thank you to every single one of you who have taken the time to follow us on social media. You can find us at Facebook or Instagram, at Armchair Authentic that's at Armchair Authentic. For those who are new, we'd love for you to follow us. You can also find us on Twitter, or what was formerly known as Twitter now is X. At Armchair Off Pod, that's at Armchair Off A-U-T-H-P-O-D.

Rhett: 2:09

All right, before we go any further, I always want to encourage you. If you are enjoying this podcast, could you do us a huge favor? Could you copy the link on your podcast platform and share it with a friend man? That would mean so much to us. Thank you, all right, guys. Now into our conversation. That started about nothing but actually led to something. It's a conversation about Colonel Cookie, christmas elves and the three amigos. You guys ready, here we go. What's up, justin? It's good to be back in the studio doing something a little bit different today.

Micah Solomon: 2:45

I'm at my house and you're at your house and for those who are listening.

Rhett: 2:50

They have no idea. We literally spent 30 minutes troubleshooting trying to get your microphone and stuff to work on your end. And frustrating to no avail. It's working, but it's not working how we wanted it to.

Justin: 3:03

It's not working how we wanted it to. It's not working how we wanted it to. But, yeah, we just finished up thanksgiving break. We're still kind of at our house the kiddos you got, you got family and all that stuff going on and we knew we wanted to get us an episode in and I came downstairs into, um, really, what is my studio? But it's. It's fastly become my oldest child, of course, because that's what kids do.

Micah Solomon: 3:26

Dax's kingdom.

Rhett: 3:28

And.

Justin: 3:29

I plugged in the stuff that I let him use and it was supposed to be a simple plug-in and we would have that magical microphone sound that we usually pride ourselves in in Armchair. Authentic, yeah, the radio Today. I'm just going to be authentic and tell you I could not get that mic working on my Mac, which is odd. It's supposed to be a simple plug and play.

Rhett: 3:50

And it's not because you're not technical, it's literally just something weird's happening on your end. No worries.

Justin: 3:57

We'll figure it out.

Rhett: 3:58

Well, if it sounds like I'm on the radio with my microphone and sounds like you're on a phone, well you know it's okay.

Justin: 4:05

You know, I think our listeners yeah me, me and you being on the phone, so we've always said this podcast is like one of our phone calls.

Rhett: 4:11

So and here we are hearing.

Justin: 4:13

You're hearing my voice in the true sense of a phone call yeah, absolutely well, it is officially.

Rhett: 4:18

it's officially fall in alabama. I would say it's been like 70 degrees forever and now it's like 50 something. You know, and uh walked outside this morning I don't know, maybe it was 30 something degrees earlier this morning I was like hello and you can hear it in my voice, you know, from hot to cold.

Rhett: 4:36

And I was in Idaho a few weeks ago and, uh man, it was snowing in Idaho and I was like, let's go. It's winter here and it felt like spring in Alabama. But now, by the time of this recording, it is finally fall in Alabama. Everybody's kicking out their hoodies and their beanies and their toboggans. I mean, you know, growing up, you and I used to call the things you would put on your head called toboggans. And then I moved to the Northwest and they're like well, toboggans are what you use to sled down a hill, not to put on your head so you stick that on your head?

Justin: 5:14

oh yeah, you said that's weird.

Rhett: 5:16

You, you, you chunk toboggan.

Justin: 5:18

You chunk things across the room instead of chuck, and you put toboggans on your head instead of beanies I remember reading in school, like elementary school, we'd read some of these little you know books and it would show a picture of these kids sledding and it was like here goes the kids tobogganing down the hill riding on their toboggan. Yeah, you're like what I thought that goes in your head.

Rhett: 5:46

What is this?

Justin: 5:47

Yeah, don't they get slushy.

Rhett: 5:49

It's so funny, it's so funny. But man, we're officially in December now. I mean, come on, happy holidays to you, happy holidays.

Justin: 6:00

I really can't stay. Baby, it's cold outside.

Rhett: 6:06

What a crazy song. Oh dude I you know. At one point it's. It kind of reminds me I went to an 80s karaoke party one time. It was somebody's birthday and it was 80s karaoke and it sounded like fun, and it was until we started actually reading the lyrics across the bottom of the screen. I was like, oh my gosh this song says that and that's how I.

Justin: 6:27

You never knew.

Rhett: 6:28

I never knew, and we all kind of looked at each other. You know, we're like this is kind of weird. Why are we singing this?

Justin: 6:34

That's kind of how I feel with that. We never knew that we were singing.

Rhett: 6:37

No, that's how I feel with Baby. It's Cold Outside, it's like this. This is not a good thing. I don't think.

Justin: 6:44

I only knew about that song from first when Elf came out, really Like in 2003. Okay, yeah, I never knew that song before then. And then it's like when they're having that scene and he's singing it with her, yeah, but then after that I feel like I heard it on the radio. We have a local station in Birmingham, really across even further than Birmingham, but it's called Magic 96. And every Christmas, starting really in November, they begin playing Christmas music the whole time through, and so even in July they'll pop in on the weekends for Christmas in July. And so I just remember after the movie I noticed every Magic 96 holiday season it would pop in. So that song now it's like there's five, six, seven different versions.

Justin: 7:32

And we all know it. But when you really think about the lyrics, it's like there's some interesting conversation going on.

Rhett: 7:40

Yeah, some interesting conversation.

Justin: 7:42

A little persuasion uh happening. Persuasion, manipulation, Uh it's like she's she said no.

Rhett: 7:52

I mean, brother, take a hint, it's time for you to go Leave.

Justin: 7:58

It does end with, but it's cold outside.

Rhett: 8:00

But it's. But it's cold outside, you know. But it's cold outside, you know, I understand.

Justin: 8:04

But it is. It's the Christmas season and it's time now for the lightings. You know, I don't know how the listening audience is with Christmas. I know we probably have our two different sides of fanatics and those who just take it as it goes. I would say that we we're fanatical in the sense of we don't go crazy Clark Griswold on our house, but we'll look at doing like some parades. You know, right now you have your different shopping centers that began to do their lightings. Yeah, so we'll go to those and just kind of walk the. You know the. You know a shopping center like we have called the Summit or Galleria, and you can actually watch the Christmas lighting. It'll just turn on and it's just festive. So we try to go around. A couple of weeks ago there was, I mean, early in Christmas. I mean, you know, here we are after Thanksgiving, but this was before Thanksgiving and it's called Deck the Heights.

Justin: 8:57

And there is a city where we're from in Birmingham called Cahaba Heights and it's cool because they have like five or six trolleys that they rent for the day, really, and if you were to imagine this little town, there's probably not villages but four or five different stops where it's a nice little shopping space, not big but just quaint.

Justin: 9:18

It's a small town vibe. But these trolleys will take you and drop you off at these different areas and you can just get out and the storefronts will have maybe some brownies or cookies, they'll have eggnog, you know just just some fun stuff, bouncy houses, and you'll just kind of make your way around this village and you'll spend three or four hours and it's fun because you can get in your normal just tram where it's just like you just sit in it, buckle up and drive. Or there's a couple of them and there's usually this primary one. It's really like, if you think Mr Rogers trolley, like the old red or a white trolley that's decked out, you get in it and man, we would always wait for that one and we finally got on that. And Red, I'm telling you it was these two girls, but it reminded me of me and you as a kid, the way they were entertaining.

Rhett: 10:10

Okay, because they were.

Justin: 10:12

I guess they were hired to be on that trolley dressed as like Christmas elves and you talk about hamming it up. We were sitting on that tram.

Rhett: 10:22

Let's go, and they're getting everybody into it. Everybody's singing, dr Harvey, yes.

Justin: 10:28

La, la, la, la, la, la, la la.

Rhett: 10:31

I mean, I mean they had attitude.

Justin: 10:33

I mean they were like in your face, pointing like I saw Mama Kiss and Santa Claus, or like a Mariah.

Micah Solomon: 10:39

Carey song.

Justin: 10:40

All I want for Christmas is you and it's like they're going around. Oh well, they're just singing with the tracks. Okay, it was so festive and fun. But my second oldest, he's like um after after one of the elves came in, set literally next to him. I mean, that's just not his style. If he didn't want you to just come, you know, upon him like that. And so we got off and and explored one of the shopping districts and then here comes the truck, the trolley again, and we're like, yes, the trolley.

Justin: 11:12

And he's like I'm not getting on, nope.

Rhett: 11:18

This is a trigger for trauma.

Justin: 11:19

Now I'm going to be sitting in counseling several years from now. Here's all I can think of. It was his version of what colonel cookie was to me.

Rhett: 11:28

Oh wow wow, did we talk about the colonel cookie moment with you? Is that something I don't know?

Justin: 11:34

I don't think I don't know if we did. We did it in passing, but I still am traumatized by colonel cookie so, yeah, do we want to dive there?

Rhett: 11:41

go, go there for a minute.

Micah Solomon: 11:42

Go there.

Rhett: 11:43

Colonel Cookie. Yeah, church, you know the church we come to.

Justin: 11:47

Well, first of all, let's give a shout out to a name here who is our children's pastor Early on in Birmingham, Alabama, a guy named Jim Weidman, yes, who is kind of known now as like the kid man, father of like ministry in America. People he has come after to learn how he's done children's ministry. He actually lives in Nashville now. Man, we need to reach out to him at some point. But Jim Weidman really built an amazing kids ministry at uh where we went as kids but there would be this guy from time to time who would pop in. So we did, we did the whole puppets. That was huge in the eighties, I mean, and if and if that was actually popular and it was our church had. Second to none, it was all out.

Rhett: 12:40

Well, puppets and mascots were a big deal in the 80s. Oh, huge ministry, well there was.

Justin: 12:44

There was one guy named colonel cookie. I mean he looked like a an oatmeal cream pie with legs in it and a head yeah I mean and he'd walk up in there and you know it's fun.

Justin: 13:00

When colonel cookie walked, we're all waving. But man, there's this. It was like they had a music. They had hype music going. Hype music, it danced. I mean, it was just playing loud. Here's me and Rhett and my brother. We're sitting on kind of like the back second or third row from the back because we didn't want to get too close, and you're on the outside edge, next to the arm. I'm on the outside edge.

Rhett: 13:26

And here comes Colonel Cookie, and that brother grabbed me.

Justin: 13:30

Name of this episode. Here comes Colonel Cookie. That brother grabbed me by the arms, I mean just jerking my hands back and forth like ripping it out of socket, dancing with me, and he's trying to get me with it and I'm trying to act like I'm having fun. Rhett and I was so humiliated.

Rhett: 13:50

I don't know why that humiliated.

Micah Solomon: 13:51

There's a couple hundred kids in there at the moment freaking out because this is like Barney in the room or this is like you know.

Justin: 13:56

Spongebob's hairpins to these Christian kids. And we enjoy our you. You know we enjoy attention, all that stuff, but I didn't, I don't like undo attention put on me that I'm not ready for that's completely forced. Yeah I want, I'll ham it up with you any day. If we're doing a skit, yeah, with three amigos. The movie mean you used to do my little buttercup.

Rhett: 14:18

It's one thing to be. That was so, but you don't force me onto that. That's controlled, you know, man, yeah, yeah, he's like baby, it's cold outside.

Micah Solomon: 14:27

And I'm like it's time to go.

Justin: 14:29

He's like but baby, it's cold outside, but baby, I want to dance and Colonel wants to dance. I'm just standing there still like in the aisle, and I look at you and my brother and y'all are dying laughing at me. Oh yeah.

Rhett: 14:42

And I'm embarrassed, yeah, yeah and.

Justin: 14:44

I just scoot back into my seat and it's like I'm done the rest of the service. I honestly don't really want to go back Now. That wasn't Jim's fault. That was Colonel Cookie's fault. He took it a little further. Let's be very clear, Jim. We love you man. This is brother jim there's no direct. I can't even say jim right I feel weird saying jim to me he's brother jim, brother jim. But brother jim, it wasn't on you, but colonel cookie, he really embraced that role.

Rhett: 15:09

I would love to get his perspective on the back end, as as an adult, of what jim was thinking in those moments is like oh my gosh, what did we do. Maybe there was a side conversation afterwards going look man, don't be grabbing the kids and dancing with them in front of everybody.

Justin: 15:23

This is not a good thing but you make a good point because, think about it, it was the 80s. I mean there's so many things that we I mean you see the jokes about playing on playgrounds- yeah you know, and it's like you fall off the monkey bars, oh yeah and, and you're knocked out cold.

Justin: 15:38

But someone comes up. It's like, oh he's here, are yeah, all right, and you kind of come to and you get up and you go run and play when you probably had some serious brain damage and we just never really realized the damage we went through those toxic paint chips that we used to eat on the playground.

Rhett: 15:53

We would flake those things off and we had no idea that was lead paint. Oh man.

Justin: 15:58

Had no idea. Wow, no, oh, man had no idea.

Rhett: 16:00

Wow, no, no, yeah, no, it's these playgrounds, our kids blows me away, yeah well, and I think we just didn't think anything of it.

Justin: 16:08

So whether you're traumatized by a colonel cookie, you fall out the monkey bars at a playground. Whatever it might be. It's just, it's a different day and age, but these days, to have the christmas elves and kaba heights just jump right up on you.

Rhett: 16:21

It's kind of like you were explaining Not jump on you, jump beside you, right. Okay, let's clarify. Let me be clear, sorry.

Justin: 16:29

They sit by you, they would sit, they'd scooch by you there, okay, okay. Or point at you with every word of the song.

Rhett: 16:37

They're just trying to have fun, man.

Justin: 16:41

Yeah, if you can sing Rudolph, that's fine. What?

Micah Solomon: 16:47

You know what I?

Justin: 16:47

mean? What was that?

Rhett: 16:49

Did you just hear that? Is that your phone dinging?

Justin: 16:52

Did your timer on your cookies go off it? Was my computer.

Rhett: 16:57

Yeah, yeah, that was. He's making some Christmas cookies over at the house right now.

Justin: 17:00

Okay, you hear me well. Well, let me let me go ahead and note here yeah, let me put my computer on mute, and it doesn't mute it. So that's good to know. Okay, that's good because that that was my text coming in, and I'm glad that I've muted it, because now a slew of them are kicking in. Oh wonderful, on my computer well this is either going to be.

Rhett: 17:19

Yeah, some people are like, um, I'm not sure either they're tuning in or tuning out. I don't know, we're just having some fun here. It's the first week of december, we're talking to happy holidays we're talking christmas. You, you were talking about the movie elf, you know. Are there any christmas movies that you have to watch during the holidays? Is this a like? Oh yeah, you can't have a christmas unless you watch ab of whatever movie we put up the tree.

Justin: 17:44

I think it said this we did it early, probably three weeks ago, four weeks ago, yeah, not us.

Rhett: 17:49

And we watched Elf.

Justin: 17:50

We watched Elf as we were doing it, and then I got to tell you one of my favorites are Christmas Chronicles on Netflix.

Rhett: 17:55

Oh, that's a good one. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Justin: 17:57

Kurt Russell. The first one was great. Kurt Russell, the first one was great. The second one was it's okay, the one where they're at the beach. Yeah, I don't want to give the whole thing. Beach and Christmas, that's tough.

Rhett: 18:09

I think I would enjoy that. I think I would enjoy it one time.

Justin: 18:11

Did you enjoy a little Hawaii? Oh man, One time. Yeah, one time.

Rhett: 18:16

I could do it yeah.

Justin: 18:18

I'm with you. So those are definitely movies. I'm kind of. You know the nostalgic side. I like some of the old Once Upon a Christmas, the Mickey Mouse ones. Okay, that is very. I had no clue what that is Awesome. From back to back to back to back it's different characters from Donald to Mickey, to Goofy, to Minnie and Daisy having, like this, ice skate off.

Rhett: 18:45

Okay.

Justin: 18:45

And it's, I mean, it's classic.

Rhett: 18:47

There you go.

Justin: 18:48

And so it's a good one to watch. Get the get some hot chocolate, gotcha, just have everybody.

Rhett: 18:52

Yeah, mine's Tim Allen, santa Claus the original. Oh come on.

Justin: 18:58

oh man, those are must watches oh well, my favorite believe it or not is part three uh, with martin short jack frost.

Rhett: 19:05

Oh man, that's my least favorite one really that's so funny.

Justin: 19:09

Oh, I just love it. He's like would you like to be my own?

Rhett: 19:11

no, that's like he's so annoyed, yeah what she's singing.

Justin: 19:16

She's like jack frost nipping at your nose. Yeah, see all of that. Oh, sing that line. Again Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Oh, man, that one, that one. Again Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Oh, you're a lark. Would you like to be my elf? No, I mean he's just so. Well, hey, red. It's funny because on the outtakes there's a part where there's like a part where it's like God, I just love Martin Short and Tim Allen together because it's like where they're wrestling on the ground to get the Santa suit. Tim's trying to put it on, but he's trying to put it on and he tries to get it, um, and he says what are you doing? You're not Santa and but, but, but it's like a mess up and and he goes like well, I am. I mean, you'd have to go back and hear how he says it. But as a family it's like one of our little go-to words that if someone says something, I didn't know that you were Santa, well, I am.

Justin: 20:23

Yeah, tim, and it was the way he came back and said it. I mean, martin short can't keep a straight face, and so the outtakes are probably my favorite part.

Rhett: 20:31

I mean, I could only imagine how crazy and funny that was, with him actually filming that fighting on the ground over a Santa suit, how many outtakes, how many times they had to do that to get that right shot without them like losing it.

Justin: 20:45

You know? Oh, man, because Martin Short is a nut. He's so good he's a nut, he is, he is, he's awesome. But you know, that was Martin Short. Going back to referenced earlier Three Amigos.

Micah Solomon: 20:55

Yeah.

Justin: 20:56

You know, when me and you used to watch movies, we would my brother too. We would call the. You know, our role was whoever called the character first on whether you saw a poster, yeah, or a preview whoever called the character got to be that character for the movie and that was a real, that was such a big deal to me, deal to us for some reason in our like, I mean we would get emotionally bonded state mind yeah, well, because I, the one of the ones that I remember is Young Guns.

Rhett: 21:23

Yeah.

Justin: 21:24

First of all, I don't know how many you got to go see that in the theater, I know.

Rhett: 21:27

That says a lot about our wonderful parenting we had.

Justin: 21:30

Yeah, they would drop us off For lack thereof.

Justin: 21:33

They'd drop us off and we'd just hang out and knock out a couple of movies. Yeah, we found out you could walk from one to the other and they didn't. They didn't check your face though, anyway, um, but I remember on young guns you and bo saw the preview before I did. Okay, yeah, bo saw it first and at that time charlie sheen was like a renowned. I mean, he was like the up and coming stud and bo's like I'm charlie she. And then you watched it and you're like I'm Emilio Estevez. Yep, well, I remember thinking you and Bo got this thing down because Bo got Charlie Sheen, rhett got Emilio Estevez, who is Billy the Kid, who the whole movie's scripted after.

Justin: 22:14

Yeah, and then I'm watching a preview and I see the guy from the old movie the Lost Boys we used to watch and it was like I saw that was keeper sutherland. Yeah, and I called him. I'm like I'm keeper sutherland. Well, the funny thing is, I remember me, you and bo went to go see it at the theater and like halfway through the movie they killed off charlie sheen bo's like oh man, and bo's just staring like he can't be dead and me and you were leaning up, looking at each other, trying not to laugh, and Bo was finally like, fine, I'll be Lou Diamond Phillips.

Justin: 22:49

Yeah, that's right, and he was Chavez. And all three of our characters live until part two.

Rhett: 22:57

I wonder if anybody else ever did that growing up or if that was just an us three thing? Yeah, you guys, let us know. Send it to our socials or email us. I wonder if anybody else ever did that growing up or if that was just an us three thing kind of deal. Yeah, you guys, let us know.

Justin: 23:03

Send it to our socials or email us. We'd love to hear if you've experienced that, because what even got me on that? We were talking about Martin Short. Yeah, and there's a scene in the movie the Three Amigos which is Chevy Chase, martin Short and Steve Martin. Same thing happened. Rhett and my brother saw the preview to it first. Same thing happened Rhett and my brother saw the preview to it first and my brother called Chevy Chase, which he was so big time with Christmas Vacation Obviously before that it was the European Vacation and like Wally World Bo calls Chevy Chase, you call Steve Martin, who was he was coming off big from like the movie called the Jerk. I mean, there was so many things he was doing and I picked the third Cause.

Micah Solomon: 23:44

that's all I was left with.

Justin: 23:45

And I'm like who is?

Micah Solomon: 23:46

this guy and I called it Mark.

Justin: 23:48

I'll be Martin short. But Martin short proved to be the fastest gun gunslinger in the West. He got the girl in the end, I mean. So it was really cool that I didn't get first in line and I got probably the best character in my mind. But there's a scene where it's martin short and steve martin and obviously chevy chase. They go into a bar and these um, I mean these it was these german. I mean they're like mafia type guys, they're sharpshooters. Yeah, they're. This one guy had already come in and shot up the place. Uh, when they made fun of him and he leaves, they're scared of him. He says I have some friends coming into town and they're not as nice as I am.

Rhett: 24:32

And granted, you got to remember this guy took everybody out, so he leaves.

Justin: 24:36

And then in happenstance, the three amigos, who are really just hired actors, who this Mexican country or Mexican city hired them because they think they're real life heroes. Yeah, they think they're on a job. They come into this bar and the bar is quiet because they're scared to death, because these are more.

Justin: 24:58

These are the killers. The three amigos think, okay, oh, they're in shock, they're meeting their heroes, we're Hollywood actors. So anyway, they think that they want them to fancy on the tune. They play a song called my Little Buttercup and there's a scene where literally it's the most cheesy song that gets you shot in this bar previously and they have everybody eating out of their hands because people are scared. Well, there's a there's like this uh dance that uh, steve martin and martin short have and me and literally memorized that yeah, we did yeah, do you remember that we we just one time at my family's house.

Justin: 25:40

It's like when all the cousins were there and bo got by the piano acting like he's playing it, and then we're singing my Little Buttercup. Yeah, and we do, the entire reenactment and the family just do that again. And that became a thing that anytime me and Rhett would come somewhere, people were like do the Little Buttercup thing? It all started with naming our character on a movie. My Little Buttercup had the sweetest smile Naming our character on a movie my Little.

Micah Solomon: 26:07

Buttercup has the sweetest smile, Dear little buttercup won't you stay a while.

Justin: 26:24

You and I will settle down in a cottage built for two. Dear little buttercup, sweet little buttercup, my little buttercup, my little buttercup, I love you. Oh man, that's so good. Everybody.

Rhett: 26:42

And then they leave Everybody's super quiet. They don't even clap because they think, okay, these guys are about to kill them. And then they walk out. And then the real guys walk in. There's two of them. Look at these two little sissies and they're like pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.

Justin: 27:01

And then the bartender says does town get too rough for me?

Rhett: 27:09

Man what a great movie if you've never seen the three amigos, man, I'm telling you dude we can't condone it, I don't know, but it's good at the end it Martin Short's hanging on by a thread up above the the El Guapo crew. At the end he got stuck in a piñata.

Justin: 27:27

Yeah, he got stuck in a piñata. Somehow His foot did. He was swinging. He went up he missed it and his foot got stuck in a piñata, so he's hanging above these kids.

Rhett: 27:38

He's hanging up here holding on for his wife. He's like what are these? Are these guys falling from the sky?

Justin: 27:46

And then he slips, he slips, he falls and then his right hand man Javi says yes, el Guapo amigos falling from the sky that was also the first time we learned what the word plethora meant, because, remember, el Guapo was turning 40. Would we learned what the word plethora meant Because, remember, el Guapo was turning 40. Would you say, I have a plethora.

Rhett: 28:10

Yeah, would you say.

Justin: 28:12

I have a lot of piñata. He's like oh yes, el Guapo, you have many piñata many, many piñata. Hey, jaffe, would you say. I have a plethora. And he looks at him like what he saying. He goes oh, here's your wabbo. You gotta prep bro.

Rhett: 28:30

Hey kathy, what is a flat oh man, you're killing me, dude, that's so funny. Oh, if you've never watched the movie. This may not be funny, but it is hilarious. You got to go. This is the time of year, man.

Justin: 28:50

This is when we've gone to the movies. Historically, Thanksgiving through Christmas I mean Back to the Future 2. We did that right during a Thanksgiving holiday when we were kids. I mean, this is just such a great time of the year to get out and do some stuff.

Rhett: 29:04

My favorite part of that movie, while we're talking about it, is the singing bush. You've never seen it. They're like they're trying to. You know they're trying to find this, whatever city or this place in any way like you got to go to the singing bush and like what's the singing bush? And like well, you'll know it when you see it, kind of thing that's where you summon the invisible swords.

Rhett: 29:24

That's right they're in the middle of the desert and all of a sudden you kind of hear, fading off in the background, there's hi-ho, blow them in now. Hi-ho, blow them in now. I mean you're like what is going on? And then the closer they get to it, instead of like Moses and the burning bush experience, it's a bush that's shaking back and forth and it's singing.

Justin: 29:45

I love the question. He's like you think this is a singing bush? Uh yeah, you'll be riding six white horses when she comes you'll be riding six white horses when she comes.

Rhett: 29:58

The bush is just singing and they're like, then they have to like, do some stupid chants and supposed to fire up in the air, and then Chevy Chase fires, I think, at the butch.

Justin: 30:11

And then you hear it oh great, you killed the invisible swordsman.

Rhett: 30:16

Oh, man, that's so funny.

Justin: 30:21

Well, how did I know where he was? He clearly says to say it and point up, you're supposed to shoot up.

Rhett: 30:37

Oh my gosh.

Justin: 30:37

I mean it's just the movie's stupid movie, but hilarious anyways, it obviously hit a chord with us at some point. We hope it brought a little bit of joy to you today talking about our our little movie deals and Colonel Cookie.

Rhett: 30:47

Oh man, Tim Allen in the Santa Claus was great. But then the last movie is Elf. Of course you got to watch Elf, you cannot watch Elf.

Justin: 30:57

Oh, it's classic. I mean the fact that he walks into that room and she's like Walter I think you have a Christmas gram, yeah and he sends him in. Aren't you going to sing something? Uh sing yeah. Anything for you to I mean it's just great. I love watching. If you, if, now that we've seen it a million times, do you ever just watch the people in the background?

Justin: 31:23

Oh, yeah, yeah, so he's singing this all the time, yeah I love watching the faces in the background when they quickly realize this isn't a christmas gram, like I mean dad what would he say? I forget the song he's like I'm here with my dad and we never met and he wants me to sing him a song, and I was, but you didn't know, I was born so. I'm here now. I found you, daddy, and guess what? I love you.

Micah Solomon: 31:53

I love you, I love you.

Justin: 31:55

This is awkward moment. And he's like oh, that was weird.

Micah Solomon: 32:02

That was weird. I mean it's just so here's.

Justin: 32:04

Here's some cool little things about health OK. First of all, will Ferrell almost didn't do the movie. Really he thought it was going to ruin his career. He said this is either going to make me or break me. And he took a risk and he did that and obviously it played well for him because it's a classic. Yeah, another thing the character who is the store manager.

Rhett: 32:29

Oh yeah.

Justin: 32:30

You know that one. He's like six-inch ribbon curls.

Rhett: 32:32

It's impossible Six inches.

Justin: 32:36

Okay, if you look at his name tag real close, it says Wanda. Okay, that's because, oh my gosh, I forgot her last name, wanda Sykes. Yeah, wanda Sykes originally was that character and she backed out at the last minute. Oh wow, and to kind of just honor her, he still wore the name tag they had made for her. That's awesome Because she was the original character. So if you ever watch Elf, just notice that it says Wanda.

Rhett: 33:01

I never noticed that Interesting.

Justin: 33:03

Yeah, a little Elf that interesting. Yeah, little elf, fun fact. Any other christmas trivia red you'd like to share as we wrap up? I have no christmas, christmas episode.

Rhett: 33:11

I don't even, yeah, I mean, what was this episode?

Justin: 33:14

this was laughter and just randomness, which is great colonel cookie, the three amigos, colonel cookie, and the three of me.

Rhett: 33:22

Oh man you know you go from interviewing entrepreneurs to grammy award-winning artists, to this I love.

Justin: 33:30

This is what I love about Armchair Authentic, because this is literally our conversations, man listens to everything or not, but her favorites are not the interviews we do, even though she thinks those are great. She loves when we just she loves when we get tickled, when we have this high-pitched laughter. I'll hear her in there just loving it and it's like that does something to me. I'm like she reminds me why we did this in the first place, because it is I know it's the joke that you're making, but we're doing these amazing interviews of people just world changers made a huge maximum impact, yeah, which we want to keep doing that as we move in to the next year and as we begin to talk about you know how great the year has actually been and what some accomplishments we've had this year, and we'll do that in a couple of weeks, yeah. But it does remind me when I get to hear you know, hear Summer just tell me her favorite stuff is when we get tickled and it is. That's kind of the magic, that's the scalability for us.

Justin: 34:33

I think that's the only way that we do this at the level we do once a week, right now because we can get serious and we can have a lot of fun, and we do hope that you guys get to experience some of the joy, and not that it's not about us, it's, but it is a conduit for maybe you to look back and reflect with some of your old friends that y'all can maybe get on the phone in the next week or two, and just why don't you run the nest with some of the people that have been in your life for so long? Cause if you're like me and Rhett, you have a friend that you've gotten to have for this long. Um, my goodness, count your blessings, because I am, you know, as we just finished Thanksgiving me and Rhett were talking about that, obviously on that episode but so grateful to have friendship and if you have that, guys, you've got gold and just enjoy every, every minute of it, because it will talk about. Hey, I love therapy for everybody. I think many people should be going through it, so keep that. But there has been so many things that has kept me sane, based on my relationship, Obviously, with my wife I can say anything to, and I have some great friends, and obviously I'm highlighting you right now, Rhett, the stuff that we have been able to talk about.

Justin: 35:43

Being able to talk about that has kept me sane, knowing that I can say whatever I need to and get it kind of off my chest so that I can actually grow and be different the next day or the next week or the next year, and you never come back and say, but I thought, you thought this, You're able to, you're able to. Let me rest in it, knowing that I don't say that to everybody. I say it to you because I need a sounding board. Yeah, and we all need sounding boards, and I hope during this Christmas season that you would think about that in your relationships because it will save your life and it really will help you maximize the impact that God's called you to Not the best. I love how Pastor Randy said that earlier this year yeah, Don't go try to be the best. I do think that we talked about that a lot, Rhett I mean just not we, but in general you hear everything hitting out there like go be your best self, and I don't want to take away from that. But we do forget sometimes that just because we can do best over here, God still might have us over in this other area.

Justin: 36:46

God's best is our best, and that's been one of those conversation table topics that me and you've always had together, that I think I've found with me. There are natural abilities that I have that I express in certain domains but I don't in others. But yet God has used me. We were having a conversation about that, you and I, or just yesterday on one of our random phone calls that I've had to put down my flesh, if you will, or my wants and my desires and what I think I would want to have, and I haven't been able to always get it and I've had to kind of surrender it. Sometimes it's by dragging my feet or crying and not happy about it, but I ultimately submit to whatever it might be. But yet I've noticed God's favor rest in those quiet, hidden places a lot of times where I feel not the maximum impact in the sense of the enormity of Justin's done this. But I've sensed the impact that God created me to make in these places where yet, ironically, I'm hidden and I would have always preferred that maybe I'm not. I don't need to be hidden.

Justin: 37:51

Hey, I want to. I want to be the main character. I want to call out that main character on the movie. Yeah, it's like man Rhett and Bo over here called Chevy chase and Steve Martin. I'm stuck over here with Martin short and I feel like in my life there have been times I haven't got to go be those Steve Martins and Chevy Chases and I had to settle for. Well, I guess I'll do this and it's funny because I became my Martin Short in some of these areas and just submitted and God smiled upon it so much and it's like in the end I still got to be the fastest glenslinger and in the end I still got the girl. And it's like in the end I still got to be the fastest gunslinger and in the end I still got the girl. And it's kind of that parallel. How God does that a lot with us. What we thought I would have wanted to be the gunslinger, I would have wanted to have gotten the girl. If you will and if I would have tried, I never would have.

Justin: 38:40

But you let yourself be in the place that God's best is for your life not what you just think must be the best and you will have more of a fulfilling, impactful life than you can ever imagine. And, Rhett, you've been such a part of my life to. Let me talk through those things. And you've gotten to hear the vanities. You've gotten to hear the I wish this and I'm going to make this happen. You've gotten to hear all that and I appreciate you because you've not held me to that. You've gotten to recognize that. I've gotten to grow out of that over all these 20, 30, 15, 10, 5, 4, 3 years, 2 years, and that's just the beauty of having somebody in your life and that's why I really do. I think that, people, you've got to have somebody and you will really be God's best version. Yeah, he created you to be.

Rhett: 39:28

Well, man, thank you for sharing that. That means a lot. That's always encouraging and it's just being available, I think. More than anything, I think that's what friendship is just being available. So my hope and my prayer is that if you don't have a friend like this man, just to pray and ask God. You know, I think I love that the scripture and James said if you lack wisdom, ask God he's. He's so generous to give it.

Rhett: 39:55

But that just doesn't apply to wisdom, blaster relationships as well. So don't do life alone this season, you know, find community. It's out there and there's nothing like having somebody that you can laugh with. And I think that's the joy that I get from our friendship is the fact that it's not always serious. In fact, 99.9% of everything we do is really what you guys just experienced there. It's reminiscing on stupid movies. We watch memories, moments, those kinds of things, and there's a lot of joy from that. And you know, it's that joy and that laughter that is good medicine. I know we've mentioned that before and today. For me it's just good medicine, you know, cause, honestly, man, I'm, I'm, I'm tired, I'm worn out and came off a long, long week, you know, in Idaho.

Justin: 40:42

Which we didn't even get to talk about that. Yeah, that's an episode in itself, right there, yeah.

Rhett: 40:48

And a lot of you know, and I'm just kind of like today's, one of those days where I feel like it's all catching up to me and just getting rest and so getting some moments of laughter and just some what I would consider nonsense, but honestly it's what's feeding my soul in a very healthy way, what I was taking away from what you were saying about your best. Sometimes we feel like I don't know, I can't say this for other people, but I feel like we can paint these pictures of perspective that our best is circumstantial and our best is when things are comfortable. Our best is when things are going the way we want them to go or in the situation that we think. Whatever that best is and I'm just reminded, our best it has nothing to do with circumstantial, it has everything to do with what's happening on inwardly, inside of us, and oftentimes God will put our best to get our best in places that are uncomfortable or places where there's perseverance that has to be had in order to grow character, integrity and and really grow the best inside us, so that what's happening inside us will eventually come outside of us.

Rhett: 41:53

I don't know if that makes any kind of sense, but I'm really just trying to say that circumstances have nothing to do with God's best. Sometimes that does happen where it seems like, oh, my situations are lining up in such a perfect way that it's just so comfortable and so wonderful. But, man, 90% of the time that I've experienced on 47 years on this planet is that God sees fit to put us in situations that oftentimes don't seem perfect or our best. But it's interesting that if we'll allow Him to do a work in us and through us in those situations, how really the best does come out of us. And in hindsight, when you look back, you're like, wow, that really was God's best for me to allow me to go through some stuff to develop the things that I needed in life.

Rhett: 42:42

Had I not been through those situations of discomfort, I might not have developed God's best in me Right on. I hope that's making sense. Oh, no, yes, yes.

Justin: 42:53

I mean big time. Yeah, it's the hardships that we suffer are the very things that prepare us for what we actually need to be prepared for. If we got what we wanted all the time, we would be weak Totally. We wouldn't be able to stand the weight of what God really has for every one of us. The endurance is the beauty of it. We don't see that as part of it.

Justin: 43:14

But the pain, the grieving, the loss, all this stuff is part of the Christian journey. It is a big part of it If we're going to read the Psalms like we do, if we're going to read these weeping prophets and the stuff that they had to do to proclaim God's word, and it wasn't like roses and chocolate and all these happy thoughts always. And I do think that you know, as we've referenced many times on this podcast, that it. You know we do kind of have that Western view a little bit and it's about that. We have been blessed with so much resources here, a land of opportunity, and it's easy to get that mixed in with our journey and our walk with Christ, but that's something completely separate. And so endurance when you have to overcome obstacles, rhett, I mean the stories you know, as we'll get into it more next year.

Justin: 44:06

But the stories that you've been through and that I've been through, I never asked for any of these hardships on my life Right and I hated them in the moment. I never wanted them. But, man, now that I'm on the other side of it I have drawn so close to my relationship with Jesus because it's allowed me to realize my dependency is on him and it's allowed me to realize this place is not our home. We will not experience perfection till later. So by enduring it does kind of keep this longing to always know. I cannot wait for eternity Now. I want to be everything God created me to be here. But even in my fullest it's still going to require endurance and it's going to be to endure loss and pain. Not that we're trying to avoid going through that, but that we'll actually figure out On earth. That was part of the process to even enjoy Jesus, to enjoy the Father through those times more than anything. So even when you said that, I mean I got you. I mean endurance is powerful.

Rhett: 45:12

Yeah, man. Well, what a joy. This year has been amazing. When I think about this time last year, I know we didn't launch the podcast until like the end of January of 2024, but you and I actually started recording episodes.

Rhett: 45:30

I don't remember the exact week, but it was around this week, I believe, if not the last week. But I'm very grateful. I know we're going to have another episode, probably near the end of this year, kind of reflecting back but just thinking of the journey of perseverance of us, just with how busy our lives are doing this hobby and stewarding our relationship and these stories and I'm glad you mentioned what you did earlier about just coming back to really what this podcast was all about. It's just our story, stewarding our relationship in a way that serves people and and to take time from time to time to just to laugh and to be goofy and to be who we are. I mean, it's armchair, authentic and this is truly who we are.

Rhett: 46:10

So people are getting a glimpse of you know, whatever behind the scenes looks like for us but wherever you are, whoever you are, we're, we're so grateful that you would come along on this journey with us this year. If you're just now diving in and this is your first episode, man, welcome to the crazy circle of friendship that is Rhett and Justin. We're glad that you're along and we look forward to hopefully having you stick around and enjoy some more laughter, as well as leadership and other things along the way. But this is just kind of the flow, man, so it's been good, justin. I love you. Dude, I'm looking forward to next episode.

Rhett: 46:45

But until then, man, we hope everybody has a great week. God bless, and we'll talk to you soon.

Justin: 46:53

Coming up on the next episode of Armchair.

Rhett: 46:56

Authentic, the one and only Micah Solomon.

Micah Solomon: 46:59

We would literally sing all the time. We worked hard, we took that series, so we got up there and Rhett blew the pitch pipe. He was a pitch pipe blower. Thank you for your ministry you're welcome man yeah, you were phenomenal pitch pipe.

Micah Solomon: 47:12

Justin was always in the middle, he sang lead, and so Rhett and I are waiting. And uh, because Justin started a lot of songs and, yes, rhett and I are like humming pitches and like doing everything in the world, putting our arm around him rubbing his back, you know, like hey, buddy you got this. You got this man like you.

Rhett: 47:29

Everybody thought it was a skit, because we were, we were fun guys I thought we were mixing it up a little bit mixing it up I'm.

Justin: 47:35

So, yes, I just appear with my hands in the air.

Micah Solomon: 47:37

It's a little embarrassing for me and I'm like come on, man dude, we only practiced 759 times on this song seeing the was a mind-block Sing the dang note, you know, and miraculously Justin finds the note and starts to sing and the whole place erupts, stands on their feet. We start having church on this song and we have revival yeah, Literally brought the house down.

Justin: 48:01

We're really looking forward to that episode, but in the meantime, if you enjoyed this episode, would you do something for me? Would you take out your phone, would you copy the link and send it to a friend? We would really appreciate that. Thank you.