Naomi Meredith  00:00

You've heard me mention him here on this podcast before but my Teacher Honey, aka my fiance, is my special guest on today's episode. Well, what is extra special about today's episode is that this is being released the day that we are getting married, June 8, 2023. So if you're listening to this after that date, we are officially married and he's officially my husband. Unlike me, he's not into the podcasting and social media thing. So be sweet on him. I thought that this would be a fun episode behind the scenes of what it's like being with me, and what he's very into. This is a fun mix it up episode that I think you'll enjoy and more so for me to document a fun memory for us. 

Naomi Meredith  01:18

We'll welcome Eric, my teacher, honey to the podcast. I hardly ever use your first name. So they know you're like this secret mystery person. 

Eric  01:32

Perfect. 

Naomi Meredith  01:34

And this is your first and probably your last podcast interview. 

Eric  01:39

Absolutely. 

Eric  01:42

Well, thanks for doing this. And we have a little Frederick, we don't have video of this. But Frederick is actually sitting in the middle of us. Whenever we're together, Frederick insists he has to be in the middle. So he's not in one lap or the other. He's sitting here with a blanket, cuddling up. Poor little guy. So for those of you who don't know, my teacher, honey is actually a teacher. I'm not just saying that he's a teacher honey, because I'm a teacher. Now he really is a teacher. And he teaches high school Spanish, which is entirely different than elementary STEM. And when we first met, which we'll get into in a second, I was a third grade teacher at the time. So he's seen my whole transition from me being a classroom teacher to a STEM teacher, business owner the whole time, but that's really grown as well. And so that's so much fun for you. You get you see all the behind the scenes every day. My office when I'm when I first claimed this room as my office, I was like hey, can you can you hang up a shelf for me? And you're like, sure and then what is my office now. 

Eric  02:51

Then she took the doors out to the closet and removed the bed and yeah, now it's it's a whole it's a whole something.

Naomi Meredith  02:59

And it's like not girly at all right? Oh my god. Yeah. Oh, you like my pillow? What does my pillow say? Oh, babe cave. 

Eric  03:06

Yeah, it's definitely a babe cave. 

Naomi Meredith  03:12

Okay, so people are probably want to know. So this is behind the scenes. There's a little bit of STEM but not really. So Eric, how did we meet?

Eric  03:20

We met at Top Golf with a mutual teacher friend's birthday party, actually. And so yeah, we were we were playing golf and…

Naomi Meredith  03:30

But you were playing golf?

Eric  03:31

Yeah. You tried to play golf. Yeah. And we just it was just a natural, like, birthday party. Kinda. No, no, no app, no. Weird first aid. It was just kind of natural.

Naomi Meredith  03:44

Well, and he was so funny, because like we didn't we were not actually set up. It wasn't a setup that I know of. 

Eric  03:51

No, no, it wasn't a setup. 

Naomi Meredith  03:53

And so when it was my turn to hit the golf ball, now, I was a car girl in college. I never played golf, and never had any desire to so it was my turn to hit. Eric would just sit in this chair. Every time it was my turn. He would sit there and just start giggling at me.

Eric  04:10

You're not very good. 

Naomi Meredith  04:11

I know. And then find out later that you're a golf coach. And you gave me a zero pointers? Yeah, I'm sorry. You're not that sorry. So we've been together ever since which the whole teaching world I know was mostly Behera teachers. We've just known each other and so it was a good, good little connection and our wedding will be mostly teachers. What did our DJ say about with teachers?

Eric  04:40

They like to have the most fun as soon as summer comes? Yeah, so.

Naomi Meredith  04:44

Our DJ is super excited to to have our wedding. He's so cute. He's such a he's gonna be a good DJ, which we're recording this like three days before our wedding. So this was pretty fun. That's how much time we have on our hands for recording In your podcasts were not stressed at all. Okay, so then how how did you propose or should I say how I thought you're gonna propose?

Eric  05:12

Well, the fake one. Yeah. Oh, the first time I guess we were in Costa Rica, just on vacation. I think it was just summertime. So there was no expiration date. And we just were enjoying enjoying the beach and in Costa Rica. And so we had a lot of rain a couple days before, and it was our last night. And if you don't all Costa Rica around that time, it's like exactly like six o'clock or 610. The sun goes down. It's on the ocean. And it's like unbelievable sunsets every single night, as long as it's not raining. So we got some wine walked down there. was going to get dinner. Yeah. And for some reason, she thought because we had wine and there was a sunset, just stop. We were dressed up for dinner. So she thought I was going to propose. I don't know why she thought that photographer. Yeah. And so then a photographer, you know, just a random person on the beach, want to take our pictures, like, oh, sunsets calm, and let's get pictures of you. And I, of course, said no, we're good.

Naomi Meredith  06:18

Oh my gosh, in my head. I didn't say this out loud. In my head. I'm like, Oh my gosh, this is all part of the plan. He knows I want pictures, especially for Instagram. He knows I want pictures. I have to say yes. Like he set this up.

Eric  06:32

I said no. And that she went and found her and said, yes, we'll do it. And as I like taking pictures as much as I do in podcast. It's not the most fun. So. So we go through his photo shoot. It's super awkward for him. Yeah, it's so and then she's like, upset with me because I didn't propose.

Naomi Meredith  06:54

Well, I didn't I wasn't upset that night with I've said that night. No, but afterwards. Yes. Yeah. When we got back, were talking to friends about it. And then I just like tell you, I thought you're gonna propose me like, I don't even have the rain or anything. Like I wasn't even planning on it was all made up in her head. It was all made up. So I will post one of one or two those pictures and the links to the show notes for this because it's they're cute pictures are kind of awkward. There's one that's really cute. Okay, so that's the fake proposal. So that was like six months before you actually proposed. Yes. And so how did you actually prep? 

Eric  07:33

So then we went on a cruise, and we traveled quite a bit. So we went on a cruise for Christmas. We did it the year before and we loved it. That's only two cruises we've ever been on. No, that was our first cruise nose or silicone. Now, it was our first.

Eric  07:48

Yeah, it was our first cruise.

Eric  07:50

Yeah. And so we were two friends. And so I thought this would be perfect. I could do it i Christmas. You know, we're in the Bahamas, that sort of thing. Her two friends are there so they can like pictures of it all. And so yeah, we were just at our fancy dinner and had asked Astra friends to take a picture of us. And they they got their phones out. And then while they're getting their phones out, I just just popped the question. And he like freaked out. I had no idea what was going on. And then we find out that night that her friend Dot COVID. And this was in the middle of Congo. This is like, what was it? 2020?

Naomi Meredith  08:30

No, 2021

Eric  08:34

The boats just opened back up. You couldn't go on a cruise forever. And so then we got quarantined for 36 hours or something in our room until our COVID tests came back, which was a nightmare. And so yeah, we spent a whole entire day

Naomi Meredith  08:50

And we snuck out of our rooms too.

Eric  08:53

Well, yeah. Because we celebrated that night. It was Christmas dinner was probably I don't know, like, five, six o'clock at night when it happened. And we were out till I don't know one or two in the morning, maybe. And then we got a phone call saying we have to quarantine but we weren't exactly in the right state of mind to focus on that. And so yeah, we woke up and like we were hungry, like what did they say last night but to stay in our rooms when how do we get breakfast so we just got breakfast, and then they call us over the loudspeaker on the entire boat. I mean, a cruise has 6000 people. And they're they by name. They told us to get back to our room. And we had to sit there for a full nother day in that small little room. They do break room service all time but there was a long day.

Naomi Meredith  09:38

Yeah, I learned how to make towel animals. And we got free Wi Fi that day with her which was horrible. We actually were able to tell her family and so we got engaged. Yeah, that's good. But they found out and then like the whole rest of the trip was fine. Like we got to celebrate and to always go.

Eric  09:56

It's still good trip even though we're quarantine for that day and a half.

Naomi Meredith  09:59

Yeah like, are you sure you want to still marry me? Are you sure you'll like this? Like the true test get engaged and then get locked up for 36 hours?

Eric  10:10

In a very small room. No windows. No windows? Yeah.

Naomi Meredith  10:13

And bad Wi Fi. Yeah. It's good. And now here we are, here's our wedding day that you're listening to this in Colorado. And that's all I'm gonna say about that. Okay, so switching gears. So you're a high school teacher, and for a long time have been an elementary teacher. So based on your whole high school experience, like I know, meeting me was a big shock when it came to the elementary world. Like I would tell you things coming home, especially I had a really, really, really hard class when I taught third grade. But I Kate would come home and you would be so shocked. Like, that's what it's like in elementary. And I know, during COVID When we had to teach online, you actually got to see firsthand what it's like teaching elementary in high school, you would walk by my door, and I was teaching Kindergarten, you're like, What is going on in there? Like, my voice is all high. And I'm like reading a book or something like why in the world, but what would you think is the biggest difference between our teaching jobs so high school Spanish, verse K through five STEM?

Eric  11:29

I mean, it's not it's not even the same job. It's night and day. Like, they're so different. And to be honest, I don't know how elementary school teachers do it. i There's no way. I mean, I guess there are pluses and minuses like, they don't have to grade hundreds and hundreds of essays and tests. But to be with like, 25 little guys like that. All day, every day. I don't see how they do it is there's no there's no way I could you know, clean up bloody noses. 

Naomi Meredith  11:59

Or like tell them who was responsible the bathroom? You know, like, say, Go get your extra change of clothes. Let me wipe your face with a baby wipe. Oh,

Eric  12:09

No, you said kids trying to get high in the bathroom. Oh, that's good. Our bathroom issues are different. That's good. We do different stuff.

Naomi Meredith  12:18

Yeah, Well, elementary. Yeah, it is different. And you see a little bit too like with a neighbor, our neighbor, kids, I like to make them little STEM activities. And it's a lot more like even when I show you some of the STEM stuff. You're like that is way more than what I do for Spanish. Oh, yeah.

Eric  12:38

Yeah. So lessons you come up with are like way, way more creative. And like, they look way nicer than what I make.

Naomi Meredith  12:45

You've been stories like you write good stories. Yeah, I'm like, wow, you wrote,

Eric  12:49

But you make them all like, pretty? 

Naomi Meredith  12:52

Yes. Well, that's just how I am. We're sitting here at my table right now. And there's wedding stuff all over the table. And I've been making stuff on the computer for it. So Eric's a good fit for me because he if there's two of us in this relationship, like me, where I have, like all this creativity and all these ideas, Eric's very grounding for me, but you're very, very supportive. Thank you. Well, thank you. And here we are getting married. Okay. Okay, with that what has been the most surprising thing you've seen me do my business or something you're most proud of?

Eric  13:30

I just say like you built building, building like your little whatever we're gonna call this like, with your with Instagram and podcasts and your Teachers Pay Teachers and all they're like your business. It's not like one business. So it's like, so many different things that you do on like, from the ground up, like because you imagine you you know, money and you're ready to live the rest of your life buy or sell. Yeah, and you're you weren't gonna go to top golf because you didn't have any money. So like, you're Yeah, like, I can't even buy beer like it is. And so now you know, selling your townhome and making your business and then just not good enough where you you know, you're gonna retire from your teaching career and follow your business like to do that from like zero to nothing to where you're at now, which is like probably not even close to where you'll end up being you know, so I'm hoping so. So um, can we tie a very rich person, your business?

Naomi Meredith  14:34

Well, you're so supportive I made sale even when I first met you my business at the time. I don't know if you remember, but it was marvelous. Miss Meredith. And I gave you my business card is a really pretty picture of me and you would actually carry my business card with you do and then you had in your classroom still have in your closet? Somewhere? Yeah. And then I changed it because everyone kept calling me Veritas, which is confusing. Yeah, so that makes sense. So I just changed it to my name. But it was so sweet. Because ever since the beginning, you've actually I have always told your friends about me. And my business and your friends actually asked me about stuff too. And most of them are teachers. And I know that you're remember saying you're surprised like you had no idea. This was a whole thing like that, that you could actually do this. I had no idea about any of this. Yeah, like because high school teachers pay teacher's does it really?

Eric  15:30

Yeah. I've never heard of any of it before. So like a lot of it, too.

Naomi Meredith  15:34

I mean, I never knew I'd have a podcast either. Yeah. But all of this. Yeah, I had like inklings of it. But I like Thanks for noticing. Oh, that and even like, yeah, it's just really fun. And you know that I love doing it too. Like, I'm just very passionate about. Like, if I like if I really, really like something I really dive in if I really don't like doing something like cleaning the house. He never do. I know. He knows. So that's yes. That's really sad. Okay, so you've already mentioned we travel a lot, but and we have a very fun honeymoon planned. And we're going to Europe for a long time. And you're going through all that stuff before we started recording. So a lot of the time we like to go to zoos, aquariums and museums. And we both like to learn about the world and just learn about our surroundings. Learn just we are teachers at heart, we love to learn. We've done some really cool things that have influenced both our jobs and just help us be better people. So out of this list. So I've picked three places we've been to which one which STEM experience. Did you like them? No. So we have San Diego Zoo, we went there on Christmas Day, which is so funny, because we got engaged on a Christmas. So we have that one. So big, beautiful museum, it was raining. That one, we have the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, and we've been twice. So we went one time when it was really, really cold. And we spent the whole day there. And we did. We each took a class at the same time. So I took a 3D printing class with all these little kids. And I was the only adult in there. And I told the instructors like I just want to learn how adults teach children 3D printing, and then you were doing like a video or something.

Eric  17:30

Yeah, you did something. Oh, it was on?

Naomi Meredith  17:34

Yeah. But it's not. I think it's not like about Colombia.

Eric  17:36

More was Yeah. Yeah. Cuba, Cuba, Cuba.

Naomi Meredith  17:41

Yeah. So you did that. And then we spend the whole day there. And then we went back again, because they had the art of the brick LEGO experience. And I really, really wanted to see that. I'm going to post some pictures of this, you guys. And then Okay, those are your two options. And then one more the Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC. And there's so many of them. I just said General. So out of that list, which one of those three is your favorite STEM experience?

Eric  18:11

They're all good. I mean, the zoo zoo is unreal. You know, most people know of it. I've got one to a zoo my entire life as a kid like me. That's how my mom like, babysat. So one of the zoo every week. Again, I'm from Chicago. So the Museum of Science and Industry, I think is one of the best museums around. She couldn't believe it. Like, we literally spent like eight hours there. I mean, it's a whole day experience with a submarine exhibit. I mean, spend two hours does that they want to exhibit we probably did and we didn't go into it. But the Smithsonian museums, I mean, we it was three or four days just checking out museums. And we can we can go on to see for another week and see toy different stuff in Washington. Yeah. I mean, this is kinda like a loaded question while the Smithsonian so I mean, there's like 20 Some museums or whatever. So that's kind of beat out. Just you know, smaller. Yeah, museum or one zoo, you know, so I'd go Yeah, and Washington DC was the best.

Naomi Meredith  19:12

I know. He really really likes that trip. Oh, that was a Christmas trip to

Eric  19:16

Think so. Just because I have a small family center Zona near family is in Utah. We don't have any family out here. So we're just gonna travel.

Naomi Meredith  19:24

Yeah. And it's like, are we like quality time? We don't really buy gifts. Well, I buy you a little things here. But we don't like Nitro. Yeah, we try to gift. Yeah, we travel. So yeah, I liked that one. Yeah. Well, all those there.

Eric  19:40

They're all good. Yeah. But I mean, like, we can obviously go back to Washington and see a totally different experience. And that's the one one of the same things.

Naomi Meredith  19:49

It's been a whole week there. Yeah. I mean, it's good. And it's funny because he'll take a lot of pictures of things for your class or like, Oh, I could talk to my students about this. Or I even take care pictures like I go through my phone and you're like, don't upload these in our shared folder. But I like taking pictures of different exhibits or things that can inspire STEM projects or even when we went to meow wolf, the first that there was actually something a STEM thing in there. I don't know if you remember, but there was like this dinosaur thing and it had these ribs. And then you played the ribs like with a mallet and it made noise. Do you remember that? Yeah. And it was above your head. And that reminded me of this STEM thing called a Makey Makey. And you actually can connect it to things that are conducted and when you press it, it makes it sound. So reminded me of a STEM. So it's I'm always thinking about this stuff. Like Trust me, I relaxed, but it's always in the back of my mind when we're traveling. Especially zoos, aquariums, and what? Museums. So if you're ever stuck on ideas, head up to your local zoo. Okay, pop quiz. I hope you've had you too. What does STEM stand for?

Eric  21:06

That was easy. Science, technology, engineering and math

Naomi Meredith  21:10

Wrong. 

Eric  21:12

What? 

Naomi Meredith  21:12

It's right.

Eric  21:16

STEAM has art.

Naomi Meredith  21:22

Extra credit. Good job. Very good. He's smiling on that one. He's there fanning the whole time. And now he's smiling. Okay. Okay. Two more questions. Why do you think STEM is important for kids?

Eric  21:40

I mean, those are all areas that the world works on. But I think I think there's other stuff that's super important too. That's why, you know, I think STEM is awesome as like maybe a class but not just a school only focus on that I think the arts are important, or the performing arts, right? Fine Arts, I think PE is super important how to, like we are kids, in order to graduate have to learn how to swim, I'm going to talk about a life skill. So we I mean, there's so much more than just those four. But those four are obviously huge areas that you need to know, in most jobs, or just how how the world really functions with science and engineering and, and everything. You know, technology's obviously huge, and you need math to do most of those things. And even

Naomi Meredith  22:23

like those, like little skills that they work on, and you probably see this in your students they need to work on is being able to collaborate with each other. Critically, think through a problem not giving up the first time when it's hard, being able to persevere even thinking creatively through problems. Like even in your with your students, like Spanish assignments, even when they're creative with their writing assignments. It just like adds like another level of fun things.

Eric  22:51

The reason a lot of colleges want you to have high level math and high level world language is because it's that processing skill that you know, a lot of people have trouble with getting to the upper level math, and we're language because it's easy to pass, you know, algebra one, maybe geometry, Spanish one in Spanish, you are pretty easy to get through that to get through like Spanish four, and pre Calc and those upper level things. You have to be able to do a lot of problem solving and a lot of figuring out things even on a foreign language because there's so many things they don't know, but you can figure it out by the context and everything.

Naomi Meredith  23:27

I try to when we go get Mexican food, figure out the context. When we travel I do okay, do okay. I do okay. But by the end of the trip, I do better like you kind of pick up on a loss of just a week you can pick up a lot. Yeah. Which I mean, hence you studied abroad and learned a lot.. 

Eric  23:45

We try to go to places where they speak more Spanish and English. We try not to do the just to Cancun resort. We try to Costa Rica trips. A Spanish you know, Costa Rican resort? Yeah. Are they speak Spanish first English second.

Naomi Meredith  24:00

Let's go practice. test my skills can yours. Okay, so this is airing on our wedding day. So if people are listening to this, I'm putting out a pretty jazz so much fun. What is something you're most excited about?

Eric  24:20

Besides the actual marrying of you?

Naomi Meredith  24:24

Yes, you should be excited to marry me.

Eric  24:26

Oh, no, I think I think the food and wine is going to be unbelievable. We're at the winery. And so it's gonna get the food is so good there. And the wine is really good. I think that's gonna be great. You know? Having you know what not it's not a big one but having a lot of our friends there and family. It'll be it's gonna be a good day.

Naomi Meredith  24:46

Okay, you took mine so I'm so yeah, if you took mine away. We love this place because we've been going there every once a month every month since our wedding. Since a year ago yeah. Uh, what I'm also excited about is our video guestbook, and our DJ, our DJ, it's just so much fun and he has some fun games plans and different things for us to do. And we were talking with him and we have a video guestbook. And so instead of signing the globe that I originally had planned that will probably look horrible with people's signatures. I'm not doing that. Um, he his wife does a photo booth, and then we have a video guestbook, so people can leave messages throughout the night. So that we find the same people after Yeah, and to see their outfits and what they have to say, I'll probably be really cute at the beginning and then crazy towards the end. But I'll be really good. Yay. So finally, we're recording this we're fiance's. But then when this airs will be husband and wife. Excited exciting.

Eric  25:56

Kinda cheesy, but yeah,

Naomi Meredith  25:58

it's true, though. You've been engaged for a while? Yeah. Yeah. Sounds good. That's good. Yeah. Glad. Well, anything else you would like to share? I'm good. You did a good job. I got you to talk for about 30 minutes. So good job, Eric. Well, we probably won't ever hear from Eric again on this podcast to you guys. But he's always he's actually a big part of why this can happen. He was just very supportive and fast to record something after school or meet with the guest where it's later at night because the time zones and everything. He's a big supporter of why I can do all the things that I can do for you guys. He's just definitely, definitely believe in me and you. I appreciate everything that you do. Well, thank you so much. And yeah, you're good. You're good. You did a good job. Thank you. I will thank you so much, and I'll see you in the next episode as an official wife.