Vision & Vows | Hello Dreamer: Chasing the Dream, Marriage & Faith

Episode description

Welcome to the very first episode of Vision & Vows. Angel and Kayla Mendoza pull up two chairs and share the story behind the show: the dark season where Kayla felt God nudge her to start a podcast, and the Amazon cart full of gear that showed up at the door before she could talk herself out of it.

From there they walk through the early years: newlywed life, youth ministry, a cleaning business, and the dream house that came with a mortgage statement so lopsided it sparked the line that opens the episode, "the American dream is such a scam." They share the fight over the for-sale sign, the book that changed Angel's mindset, the move into their first duplex, and the string of failed side hustles that taught them you only lose when you stop learning.

Along the way, Angel introduces the Five F's, a simple way to write a vision for your faith, family, fitness, finances, and fun, inspired by Habakkuk 2 and the call to write the vision down and make it plain. The episode closes with a prayer for anyone who has stopped dreaming.

If you are ready to dream again, this one is for you. Welcome to the table.

Chapters

00:00 Cold open: "The American dream is such a scam"
00:36 Welcome to Vision & Vows
02:23 A dark season and a nudge to start a podcast
05:13 Motherhood, identity, and being more than one thing
08:15 Write the vision down (Habakkuk)
09:56 The Five F's: faith, family, fitness, finances, fun
14:52 Our story: 14 years and a cleaning business
17:00 Newlyweds, youth ministry, and the first house
20:26 Paycheck to paycheck
26:01 The mortgage statement that changed everything
29:43 The for-sale sign fight
31:48 Rich Dad Poor Dad and the first duplex
34:50 Failed side hustles and what they taught us
38:44 Dream bigger than your resources
43:15 There is so much more in you
45:39 A prayer for the dreamer
47:46 What's coming in episode 2

Quotes from this episode

"There's just so much more in your marriage, in your family, in you." (43:15)

"If you can do it by yourself, then you don't need God." (39:05)

"Success leaves clues." (32:29)

Resources mentioned

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FCK7PK
Habakkuk 2 (write the vision): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Habakkuk%202&version=NIV

Connect with us

Website: https://thevisionandvows.com
Email: hello@thevisionandvows.com
Follow @thevisionandvows on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube (on X we are @visionandvows)

New episodes every week.

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

What is Vision & Vows?

Vision & Vows is where Angel and Kayla Mendoza pull up two chairs and talk honestly about building a life and a business on faith. Real marriage, real family, real deals. Each week they share what it actually looks like to raise three boys, grow a real estate portfolio in Amarillo, Texas, and keep God at the center of all of it. Expect encouragement, hard-won lessons, and practical wisdom you can carry into your own home, marriage, and work. If you want to chase big vision without losing sight of your vows, you belong here.

the american dream is such a scam.

It's such a scam. And so was just like,

It's such a scam. It is a scam.

what? I think, again, because I was just
more of ~ a sheltered kid,

I didn't understand it. And Angel's like,

this life that I now like, that I work so
hard for,

it's such a scam. And him being so angry,

And being so angry he's like, We're
selling this house I'm like,

like, we're selling this house.

like, we are not selling. You can leave,

We are not selling like you can you can
leave,

but I am not getting out of this house.

Okay. All right. Well, welcome to vision
and vows.

yeah. All right, well, welcome to Vision
and Valve.

Okay. All right. Well, welcome to vision
and vows.

This is our first episode and ~ I'm going
to be completely honest with

This is our first episode. Yay,

yes. And gonna be completely

you that we have three boys. have a eight
year old,

Eight year old a

a five year old and a seventh month old.

So our eight and five year old,

So R eight.

are, they can entertain themselves.

~ but we have to until they're hungry,

Right, right. but we have Until they're
hungry.

right until they're hungry, they'll become
knocking on our door.

So it's going to be a real podcast.

And right now I have the camera on for our

baby. ~

If you see us just run, we're gonna run

downstairs and try to find him

yeah, so this is our podcast, vision,

vision and vows. So it's really the vision
of who we are,

Vision and vows. Vision and vows.

So, ~ it's really the vision of who we
are,

of if we are business owners,

~ of we we are business owners,

we're we have children and just our vision
for what we for

we have marriage, we have children,

and just our vision for what we want for
all of that ministry.

And so

Yeah, right, right. I think so

we can only talk about where what has
worked for us.

So that's what you're gonna be hearing.

What has worked for us. We won't talk
about what we haven't tried.

Maybe we'll we'll dabble in it.

There's a lot of stuff, but what we have
tried and what has worked and what

has not worked is what you will hear in
hopes that it will bless your family,

in hopes that it will cause you to live a
different way,

to see your spouse a different way.

Yeah.

I think the vision behind what God has for
every single one.

one every single marriage, every single
household,

every single parent as an individual,

as a as a parent, as a as a half a person
to another spouse,

there's a vision that God has for that
family.

And we hope that as you see how God has
done it for us,

you can also get a get a get a dream of
how God can do it for you.

and get a view of how that's been going
for you.

Yeah. So

Yeah, so

just a little backstory back in January,

and we'll kind of get through that,

but I had gone through one of the darkest
seasons of my life of,

you know, just got hit very hard.

And I think in the midst of that,

as I was seeking the Lord, I just felt
pressed like.

Start a podcast because that's never this
has never been sorry exactly.

This has never been a dream of mine never
been on a even a vision of mine,

but I felt the Lord is saying there's so
many people that can benefit through what

people that can benefit through what
you've been through and

you've been through and what you're going
through right now and

and I remember telling the Lord like
because it was it was in the the

In the

the darkest moment that I was like,

Lord, how do you expect me to talk to
anyone right now?

I don't even want to see people right now.

But I remember telling that to my husband
and I just said,

I think I need to start a podcast.

Like, I don't know why. Like, I don't.

I don't know why, but I just feel like
maybe I need an outlet.

like I maybe I need an outlet.

And so what he did, because he's a great
husband,

is the next day, Amazon cart was loaded up
and boxes were at my door by

is the next day Amazon cart was loaded up
and boxes were at my door by

the end of the week. I'm gonna be honest,

the end of the week. And I was and I'm
gonna be honest,

I was a little upset about it at first
because I was like,

I was a little upset about it at first,

because I was like, ugh, now I have to do
this.

ugh now I have to do this. but I think
that's that

~ But I think that was him being like,

was him dean like

you have this like dream, you have this
vision,

you have this like dream you have this
vision make sure that that comes to pass.

and I'm going to make sure that that comes
to

pass. And so here we are, that was
January,

And so here we are, that was January.

we are now in middle of July, and wrapping
up July.

We of July. Middle of yep.

Wrapping up July. Wrapping up July.

And for for

let me give you my side of the story while
you're talking about that.

And I think I've told you this before.

I for years I've asked you, like,

hey, babe, like, what do you want to do?

I have a hundred dreams by 8 a.m.

every day. And my job is I gotta I gotta
cut which ones like I can I

can dream all day and and just make up
businesses,

spend the money that that business hasn't
is that that imaginary business hasn't

already made. It's already spent.

And my role is to like in my head,

These okay, no, no, no. And so when I
would ask you year after year

of us being married, what is your dream?

What is your vision? What do you like what
do you want to do?

Yeah.

It was always not sure,

you know, and you you of course you

see you live a different world than in my
head,

but when you gave me this one especially
in that season that you were in that you

Yeah.

know we're definitely gonna get into,

I saw a glimmer of of hope.

this is the first time you tell me
something.

So I wasn't gonna hesitate. And yeah,

Yeah. Yeah.

we ordered the stuff, everything came in
and of course life always happens,

Yeah.

but it's too late, it's here. And I think
just kind of

And I think just kind of

going off of that, think as and I'm sure
many moms can relate that when

you become a mom, you kind of
unintentionally that becomes your
identity.

And so you stop dreaming for yourself and
you stop having these goals.

Yeah. And so

gosh, okay. Stop having these goals.

Is that right? No, but I think

Is that right? No. But I think

naturally that just happens like are
because we are mostly the caretakers

naturally that

takers and mostly the ones over there.

and mostly the ones that are there ~ and
so life kind of just puts

~ and so life kind of just

gets put on pause. know, I know that
because I was a stay at home mom

and I think that just kind of became my
role and I fell into that and I know

Right, right, right.

a lot of moms go back to work and they
continue on but I got stuck in the well,

stuck in the well this is my identity so
you know I'm gonna and it's my ministry,

this is my identity now until you know,

I'm gonna and it's my ministry which is
correct.

which is correct. Right. This is my
ministry in this moment.

This is my ministry in this moment.

I'm gonna raise good boys, brave boys,

boys in the Lord and ~ that's my ministry
but I love that you could continue to

boys in the Lord, and ~ and that's my
ministry.

But I love that you could continue to,

you know, question me on like there's more
in you,

know, question me on like there's more in
you,

you know, and try

you know, and try to draw that out of me.

Well I think you hit the the first thing
that I have a problem with.

Okay? Because I have a problem with being

put into you are one thing. And I grew up
like that.

Like we are and I am now a a soccer
player.

I am now a theater kid. I am now part of
the youth worship band.

And and so it's like and I am now a youth
pastor.

I am now a district leader. I am now a an
associate pastor.

And so what happens, in my opinion,

which is not right, is just like that is
your one thing.

And yes, I agree.

Yeah.

If you're doing one thing, do it well.

Everything that your hands put on,

like do it like it's as if you're doing it
for the Lord.

Yeah. ~

But it it's not, it's limiting on

who God really made us to be. We are so we
are created in the image of God.

So that means

He is all these things. And he put all of
that in us.

And I don't think that we we should limit
to one thing.

I am, and this is gonna sound bad.

I am a mom. Yes, you are a mom.

Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

And that is number one ministry.

Yes, you are a wife. But you are also.

wonderfully and uniquely made and I think
there's so many gifts that

God has put inside of every one of us for
us to be kinda like I'm just

I'm just a mom. ~ I hate when I hear that
from people.

Yeah. Yeah,

I'm just I hear I'm just a bank teller.

I'm just ~ I just work at United,

that's right.

I'm just a student. Like no, you're not
just that.

You are s so much more.

So good.

So I think ~ that's what we want people to
find out.

Yeah.

Yeah,

And I think, you know

And I think, you know,

and I think, you know,

when, when I thought about podcasting,

when when I thought about podcasting,

right? ~ when we finally started,

right, when we finally started,

you started setting up the stuff and I was
like,

gosh, this is getting serious really fast.

And it was like, what are we going to talk
about?

You know, there's marriage, there's
business,

there's kids, there's this or that,

this or that you know and you know that's
when the Lord took me to have

you know, and. You know, that's when the
Lord took me to Habakkuk to,

you know, and, know, that's when the Lord
took me to Habakkuk to to

to, and he just says, write the vision
down and make it simple.

a cat to two. Yep. And he just says write
the vision down and make it simple.

and he just says, write the vision down
and make it simple.

And I think that's what we're going to do.

And I think that's what

we're gonna do. Yep. It's it's just gonna
be simple.

It's just going to be simple. This is the
vision.

This is the vision. Yep. Vision and vows.

Vision and vows. And so through this we
will just talk about

Yep. so through this we we just talk about
the ups and downs

the ups and downs,

the goodness of God and ~ His
faithfulness.

Yep. That scripture has been key for us.

That scripture has been before ~ it's not
big right now,

I don't know if it is. Rem remember when
vision boards were like the huge thing

and everybody

Yeah.

on Pinterest was like, here's your vision
board,

do this and that. I mean, it clicked when
we saw that.

Yeah. Because

We are sitting in today, in the home,

Yeah.

in the business, in the

in the parenting. We're we're sitting in
what we wrote down years ago.

Years ago. And you'll you'll also hear
about that,

but it's the world copies what the Bible
has told us for years.

And they call it original, they call it
their original thoughts,

but God has been telling us and giving us
the blueprints for years on how to do it.

And I think this one's this one's number
one.

This one right here, if you can do this,

if you can take a pen to paper and write
down

Yeah.

~ whatever's inside of you. And and and we
want to give you tips.

Yeah.

In fact, I'll start right now for the
vision.

Okay. I believe in the five Fs.

Okay. So you got to copyright it right
now.

I haven't seen them anywhere else.

so you have to copyright. So we have to
copyright it,

yeah. Yep. I believe in the five Fs,

and the five F's are faith, family,

fitness, finances,

fun. Key. Fun has to be in there.

Absolutely.

Faith has to be in there. Faith is,

and here here's how you apply them for
your family,

for

your household, for your dreams.

For those five F's, I want you to write
down the craziest thing that you

can come up with. Most of you have never
thought of the crazy dream,

you've never had a crazy dream for your
family.

And so for your and starting with your
faith is like,

Okay. Yeah.

what would it look like if you were living
your faith out to the max?

That's good.

For yourself. For yourself. What would
that look like if you were living your
faith

That's good. Okay.

out to the max?

What

I mean, you kind of have an inkling.

You don't have to have it locked down,

but if if what you're seeing seeing right
now,

if you could write it down, what'd it look
like?

I am feeding a hundred families.

I am, you know, serving in the worship
team.

I am writing songs. I have a my my
journal,

my devotional prayer journal is packed
with notes.

Like that's what it looks like.

That's what it was like. Write that down.

Write that down. And then once it's
scribbled down,

then once it scribbled down,

go to f go to go to family. Family.

go to family. Family, what does it look

What does it look

like?

For my what does my family look like?

If you're at home, you know, that counts
still.

You st you're still part of a family unit.

Yeah, why is it?

What does your relationship with your mom
look like?

What is your relationship with your
siblings?

What does your family look like?

And if you're a parent, what is this?

What does my family relationship look like
with my spouse,

with my kids individually? My relationship
with my oldest looks like this.

And you just write those down.

Next is fitness. Why is fitness before
finances?

Why is fitness before finances?

And it you I I struggle with flipping back
and forth on this,

That's you but you wake

but fitness is before finances because if
you can if you can get discipline enough,

up your wife ~

it's it comes down to discipline.

The first two are require discipline
already,

but if you throw in the fitness,

the discipline of it's four thirty in the
morning and my alarm I've

hit snooze ten times, but I go.

And I everyone in the room wakes up.

The discipline making this body do hard
things when we don't want

Yeah

to is what feeds of course into the
finances.

So your dream for fitness is like,

it's a goal. You said it yourself.

I am in size I am in size. I don't know,

girls' dreams, so I'm not gonna even try.

I'm in size twenty thirty-two.

Yeah.

Thirty-four, whatever you want to call it.

or whatever you want to call it.

Like I am I look okay in a suit,

Like, I am like okay in a suit.

you know, it it's doesn't look like I'm
I'm ripping the suit apart.

It doesn't look like I'm ripping the suit
apart.

Set those goals. There it's important.

Except those roles, it's important.

Except those goals, it's important.

then of course finances, what does it look
like with a...

And then of course finances, what does it
look like with a-

And then of course finances. What does it
look like with

what does it look like with our family
trips?

What do our finances look like at our
home?

What does it look like? How much am I
giving?

And write those things down. And of course
fun is important because I found

out that through all these years of work
that we've been like we've been

in a grind hustle season. For years it
feels like.

Seriously. years.

And we have not not that it's healthy,

we have not stopped. And the only reason
we

went on a vacation one year was because my
mother,

Yeah.

Made us buy these Yeah. Paid it in advance
and we ran it.

made us buy these tickets and we paid it
in advance and and we went and

And so it just made me realize that fun,

so it it just made me realize that fun.

Like why are we doing all this if we're
not if we're not having fun?

like why are we doing all this?

We're not having fun. Yeah. Together as a
family,

Together as a family, we're not having
fun,

we're not having fun. So write these
things down.

you know. So write these things down.

Yeah. And I think especially when you have
kids like.

You know, I think we've been blessed
because we are both stay at home and now,

but for as the kids are growing up,

we've been stay at home. But that doesn't
mean that we're necessarily present with

the boys all day because it's,

'Cause it's you know, I'm typically with
them and they're like

you know, I'm typically with them and
they're like,

where's dad or his dad? He's working and
it's from like morning till evening

and they can't bother dad in the office.

Yeah.

And so I think that's also where you've
had to learn how to balance like

I need to take a one two hour break.

We need to go eat I need a and I've
appreciated that even though even last
night

we sat and we played cards with the boys
like you were exhausted like

you had worked all day and you came and
and you played you know and the boys

Yeah. The boys had so much fun.

had so much fun and so I think just that's
what's been in you being

Yep. And so I think

intentional in in the midst of all of this

Right, right. So I think you said a key,

so it's intentional yeah

it's intentional intentionality.

and it doesn't happen if I didn't have a a
vision of what I had for the family.

Yeah. So just kind of back

Yeah, so just kind of backtrack.

Kind of who are we? Yeah,

Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I guess we're episode
one,

I am. Yeah, I'm my name is Kayla and
Angel.

right? I'm my name's Kayla and We're
starting from the beginning,

Yeah, from the beginning.

nice.

Okay, ~ my name is Angel. Yeah,

Yeah, and so we've been married 14 years.

and so we've been married fourteen years.

Fourteen. We're at the year now where it's
like many years have we been married?

We're at the year now where it's like,

how many years have we been married?

Like, you know, whenever

you hit a certain age, you're just like,

wait, am I 35, 36? No, you're 38,

Yes.

honey. Like, what? I missed three years.

So we're at that age in marriage.

was like, babe, how many years have we
been married?

I know. I I'm

So.

happy when that's not me asking the
question.

Yeah, this is true. This is true.

So I I I was like, usually the guys.

Yeah, the other day I was like,

wait, how

many am I? He was like, ~ since 2012,

I'm like, yeah, but how many years,

Angel? And he was like, I caught him
still.

so fast smash. Yeah, so again.

He didn't know. ~ So any, yeah,

so ~ again, with this podcast,

I think we're just gonna kind of take you
through our journey and how we have

~ seen just,

gosh, open our life in every season.

And we've been business owners for four
years.

Four years, right?

moment

we got married we started cleaning
offices.

This is true. So we've been a we've been
in business since fourteen years now.

This is true. We had our, our,

yeah. Yes. So yeah,

Before we were married we were already
working together.

we had, that's

true. We started cleaning offices and we
were doing that.

Um, and so we did that gosh for probably
about

Forever. Until

10 years. Yeah.

11, 11. Cause we were, okay.

We did it okay.

Here's why here's why we're stuck on this.

Yeah.

We could not let those offices go.

No. Okay, so back to our story.

Okay, back to our story. Gosh,

we can go all over the place.

Right, we can't go. That's another thing.

So if you're in the comments, just be
like,

hey, I'll need to keep track. So,

Keep track, yeah, stay focused.

Finish the story.

yeah, so 14 years we've been married.

We started cleaning offices prior to.

And...

Keeping

up the family legacy, your mom cleaned
houses,

my mom cleaned houses.

Yeah,

and so we had an apartment we moved into.

were excited. so,

yeah, we started cleaning these offices.

let's talk about the five F's,

okay? So as a family, we got married,

we were in our twenties. Mom said,

your mom said and your dad, you cannot
have her until she's done graduate until

she's finished with school. And so she
graduated in April.

in April.

No. When did you graduate? When did you
have to do a celebration?

Shout out to Southwestern University,

now Nelson University.

And but but we were married in okay,

yeah, you were married we're we graduated
in April.

We graduated in April,

And we got married got married in June.

got married in June. Got married in June.

Yeah. So as soon as we could. soon as we
could.

Yeah. So as soon as we could As soon as we
could.

As soon as we could. We were married.

Yeah. OK. And so then we became our own
family.

Okay, and so then we we became our own
family.

Yeah. Yeah. And then. It was fun.

Yeah. Yeah, and then it we had so much fun
the first year of

We had so much fun at Yeah.

marriage. Like the first

Like the first

year of marriage is we lived in an
apartment,

our cars were paid off, and so it was like
our fun year.

We were kids. We would play Xbox every
night.

Like I had a cousin call me the other day.

I had a cousin call me the other day
asking something about marriage,

and I was like, Angel and I live like
piggies.

Like we didn't like, we were kids.

We didn't like We're kids we were kids.

Like seriously, we live like little
piggies.

Like seriously, we lived those piggies,

I'm embarrassed we just like genuinely
enjoyed

I'm embarrassed to say now, but like we
just.

like genuinely enjoyed life. Had fun,

we'd go work out, come home eat.

Because you're just figuring it out.

Yeah. Yeah.

There is no preparation for what marriage
is.

Two worlds collide. And so we were
married.

Yeah. So it's just fun. But it didn't
always stay fun.

Just throwing that out there. But it
started out fun.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. Well and then we were leaving
the church.

And we were like, Hey, we're about to head
out.

We want to try something new. I think
we're trying s something fresh.

And we got called into we got called into
a meeting and they're like,

These are the conversations that you're
having and this is what's going on.

And we want you guys to stick around and
help us run the youth ministry.

So then you're one of marriage,

we start running the youth ministry.

No kids.

Yeah, first year marriage, running a youth
ministry,

And then we're running youth ministries.

no kids.

Learned

a lot. So got a lot of experience running
youth.

That was fun as well. I should give you
the links to our old YouTube videos

of how we promoted our our monthly series.

not for nothing but we we had we we have
fun easy ministry yeah

We had we have that was fun. We have funny
ministry.

Yeah. And then became associate pastors.

Still cleaning offices, a lot

yeah

of offices on the weekends. Was helping
pay the bills.

And paycheck paycheck.

Yeah, and living paycheck to paycheck

at this time. Actually in the negative
every month.

Yes. Living paycheck to paycheck.

Actually in the negative. Correct.

Always in the negative.

Right.

Yeah. We finally take a swing at the
American Dream.

And we buy our first house. Yeah.

And then we saved up enough to,

like I said, get a little down payment and
bought our first house.

And then we bought a Mercedes.

And then well I'm telling you,

I'm telling you we were kids

we were kids.

when we got this is like our first three
years of marriage like we just

we knew nothing Yeah, yeah,

Because it's what you're supposed to do.

Yeah, I guess so. You're supposed to go
buy a house with a white picket fence

so Yeah, yeah,

and have a puppy. And and when we did get
a puppy.

I did get

a puppy yeah That's you're supposed

And so that was the b because that's what
you're supposed to do.

And so

to do

we have an expensive car with an expensive
house that we were already living

paycheck to paycheck on. And

This is where the entrepreneurial journey.

It's always been in in you, but I think in
me and us.

But it it only comes when you're sick and
tired of being sick and tired.

And we were sick and tired of a weekly,

like month to month, and we were doing the
American thing.

We had our house, we had our dog,

we had our car. And do you want me to talk
about how we got into this?

I guess we're here.

Got it. part?

we can. Yeah.

Just kinda like how we we sold everything
because it was it was in the negative.

Anyway, we got tired of living paycheck
and paycheck,

so we started looking into business.

Found we tried everything.

Yeah,

Yeah, we tried Amazon affiliate.

we tried Amazon affiliate. We wow,

we were so close. We were early before it
became a popular thing and we just

Yeah. When I say,

ran out of money before we could bring a
shipment in.

we really we got this house because I feel
like guys tend to do this.

They leave out a lot of the details.

~ But so we got a house. We were really
excited with our,

you know, first house. And, you know,

we didn't realize all these ~ other.

It's expensive to buy live in a house.

Yeah, it's expensive to live in a house.

And I think you had gotten like a little
bit of a pay cut at the time.

There was something had happened.

Anyways, we started struggling real bad to
where it was like.

We've got we've got nothing and I had
gotten let go for my job as well.

So it was like man,

we are really struggling. So it was it was
one of those things were like surely

there's more right and like there's more
so Angel started going up

more, right? And like there's more so
angels started going up the

the avenue of like maybe I should do real
estate maybe and he started reading these

books and

You know, it was, yeah, it just became a
struggle of like,

man, life is life. now we can't be playing
these video games anymore.

Like this is, this is serious.

serious now we gotta put that to the side
because first three years were awesome

Now we got to put that to the side because
first three years were awesome

and they were great. And now it's life and
I think that,

and they were great. And now it's life.

And I think that, you know, whenever you
get married,

you know, whenever you get married,

yes, it's, you know, a lot of times,

not always, ~

not always, ~ but for us, this was the
case of like,

this is something mommy and daddy didn't
tell us or warn us about.

Yep, yep. It it was it

was frustrating when a tire would get
flat.

It was frustrating when you know when
every year the inspection sticker would

come.

Yeah.

It's time to renew your tags. And and

How we dreaded that, like, ~ we gotta go
pay for an inspection,

seven dollars, and we gotta go pay them
the D V,

we gotta send them money and and for how
many years we would still

go like months where like got expired tags
hopefully we don't

get pulled over because it was just like I
don't got it.

I'm sorry, Texas, I don't got the money to
pay for my inspection and

so what what would

What were you feeling in that time?

I think ~ as the head of the household,

I had a

you are more seen as you're the provider.

Husbands don't come in with that thought.

At least I didn't. Maybe, you know,

there's manly men out there that the first
time they come in,

like I'm this is falls on my shoulders.

I think it's a thought that you are aware
of,

but you don't know what it feels like.

So if I was feeling it,

I didn't I couldn't paint more like,

this is the stress that's on me.

But because again, you just guys,

kids.

You know, I've have so much grace for the
the kids,

they th they just don't know what they
don't know.

And I think we were just doing what living
life,

I guess. Living life. And we thought I had
a bigger I had a bigger tolerance for it.

I think we stayed there a little bit
longer than we should have because that's
kinda

h I I grew up struggling. Not that

That sounds bad. ~ I grew up where it
yeah,

it just w in ins and outs, you know,

up and down, up and down, up and down.

So Is that him waking up? Yeah.

No. So it just felt like this is normal.

~ okay. ~ so it just felt like this is
normal.

Yeah. And I think for me,

Yeah. And I think for me

it was, I grew up with...

the dad handles the stress really and
nobody else knows.

And I grew up more,

I guess privileged would be the word and
where we didn't struggle so much.

But if we did, we didn't know about it.

You weren't gonna know about it.

The kids didn't know about it.

Right, the kids didn't know about it and
we were more sheltered in that.

And so for me, this stage was very like,

stage was very like, what is what is
struggle?

what is struggle? I was very new to this.

I didn't think I'm very new to

like, what is struggle? This is help dad.

like what a struggle this is help dad you
know and so I remember when when

this. What is struggle? This is

And so I remember when the day my dad gave
me where he sat with me,

So I remember when when the day my dad
gave me away he stopped and he's like

the day my dad gave me where he sat with
me he's like me have you ever need
anything

he's like, me, have you ever need
anything?

I was like I did it I did it

And I was just like, dad.

I did it, I did it. But I remember like,

but I I remember like whoa I don't you
know and

whoa, don't, and yeah,

and yeah I remember feeling like this this
is different and I don't know

I remember feeling like this is different
and I don't know.

to navigate and I think that yeah I think
early on it started to cause maybe

a strain a little bit in the marriage yeah
yeah

It did. It did. ~ money at the beginning
is the you know biggest thing that causes

yeah yeah

problems in marriage. That was a big one.

And well I'll also talk about that.

But I think that's what led us into
business.

We kinda fell into it. I did a lot of
reading,

did a lot of studying and and I found we
could probably get ahead with real estate

and so we bought our first duplex.

We sold our dream house.

Yeah. We sold our dream house.

Yeah. Which we were not happy about.

Which you were not happy about.

I was not, okay, because we bought this
house,

I was not okay, 'cause we bought this
house.

right? And it was a smaller home.

And it was a cute home. But we lived there
for two years,

for two years I think. you turned it up
like I turned that into just

I think. But I turned that into just,

It was a castle. I loved it. I

I loved it. I loved my home. We painted
it.

We put the little fixtures I wanted.

Just totally turned it around.

and i remember angel coming home one day
and him just being so upset like

So upset like he had gotten the stuff the
statement for the house mortgage.

he had gotten the stabs of the statements
of for the house mortgage and

For the house mortgage. And at the three
years we had or two years we've been
living

at the three years we had for two years
we've been living there going

there. going on three, we had paid this
mortgage company forty thousand dollars

on three yeah put

of of my forty hours

you know that pit in your stomach

that I would go to work. And they had
credited

Yeah.

four thousand dollars. No, eight thousand
dollars.

8,000, yeah.

They had credited

our balance eight thousand dollars.

So for all those three years, is

That's crazy.

if you know the way it works and I think
that's what eight

And I think that's when

Angel came home and he was like...

the american dream is such a scam.

It's such a scam. And so was just like,

It's such a scam. It is a scam.

what? I think, again, because I was just
more of ~ a sheltered kid,

I didn't understand it. And Angel's like,

this life that I now like, that I work so
hard for,

it's such a scam. And him being so angry,

And being so angry he's like, We're
selling this house I'm like,

like, we're selling this house.

like, we are not selling. You can leave,

We are not selling like you can you can
leave,

but I am not getting out of this house.

this conversation's sh

already on my shoulder.

I know so

I will never forget he started like
talking to a realtor and He was like,

you know, I talked to this realtor and all
the upgrades we've done to this house

We can get this and that there's a duplex
for sale and you know,

let's let's say like let's get moving to a
duplex.

I'm like Okay, so I kind of went along
with it for a little bit.

He takes me to this because I think this
house

Nineteen

seventy eight hadn't been touched.

dupe to duplex when we lived in a early
2000 home so my

you are you are bringing me backwards not
forward and I remember walking

in this home and I was like

cringe. It smelled old.

It smelled old, it looked old,

It looked old. It was dated and he and
then he has the audacity to say what

it was dated. And then he has the
audacity.

you did to our other home. You can do and
I was like I felt the blood instantly boil

instantly boil and I just like,

and I was just like.

I don't want to do that to this home.

Don't want to do that to this home.

I'm happy with my

other home and he says listen listen like
we live on one side the other people live

other home, and he says listen listen like
we live on one side The other people live

on the other side they pay for our
mortgage and I'm like I just for me I'm
like

on the other side they pay for our
mortgage,

and I'm like I just for me I'm like I am
happy where I'm at and Because

I am happy where I'm at and Because it was
my home

And Because it was your home. Yeah,

it was my home

not not because you were being any kind of
way.

I think it was your home. And so

Right.

I I didn't understand that then.

I understand that now.

then.

I did translate it then as like you're
being bratty.

When he this is the first time I say that
out loud.

Wow. I'm glad you didn't tell me that.

Right, I'm glad you didn't tell me that
then because I don't know if we'd be here.

But you might

just used to this high life and blah blah
and then so my head's like

I'm trying to do this for us. But ~ it's
funny now,

it's now

yes.

But I didn't know that then so I wouldn't
know how to s say it to you then.

Right. But but okay, so then one day I'm
on I'm sitting at home and you're

at work and a car drives up to our house.

This is what not to do in marriage first.

This is this is not this is this is not
how to do it,

This is what not to do in marriages.

for sure. For sure. Don't do it like this.

So someone a truck parks in front and I'm
just like watching

A truck parks in front of your house.

and they put a freaking for sale sign at
my on my house and I

calling Joel right away. And I don't know,

I'm sure there was a few choice words in
all of that.

I was so

angry of like, are you doing? And he's
like,

I understand. But the the realtor I was
talking to was like,

because we didn't have a down payment for
you know,

whatever. And he says, Well, the debiliter
I was talking to says we have $25,000

of equity we can use towards the down
payment of this duplex.

And I was like, I didn't want this duplex.

And I was so and he was just like,

well,

we're gonna do it. And I again,

We're gonna do it. And I again this is
early in our marriage.

this is early in our marriage,

Yes, yes, yes. Which again spiraled into
lots of

which again, spiraled into lots of
arguments,

I'd say. Very unhappy.

We are very unhappy. Very unhappy.

And

~ so the household pretty quick.

Yeah. Yeah.

So let's talk about how because of the

great work that you did, we had only lived
in it for viewers can see that

that my viewers can see the face,

read my face.

for three months. Because of the work that
you have that we did

I cause you did it you did the design,

I did the work. In three years

She didn't finish one of the rooms,

I just want to throw that out.

we had built equity into it. Considering
the super the three point

which typically

doesn't happen. Yeah.

Which does not happen considering this

little money that we put into it to get in
it in the first place.

Yeah.

We had covered like it was it was just a
testament to the gift you

had inside of you, right? And so

Mm-hmm, he's trying to better me up.

listen, go listen to Rich That Poor Dad.

For years I've tried to get this woman to
listen to Rich That

Okay, yes. And I still have it.

Poor Dad, and it's never happened.

I gave up.

One day will. Tomorrow.

you don't have to anymore. It's

Rich dad, poor

dad is what changed his mentality.

So I don't know if to thank them,

Correct.

him, the author, or to be angry at him.

We're figuring that out still.

Yeah,

yeah.

So it leads us to the buying our first
real estate or duplex and what it did was
it

Yeah, but what it did was that

book, ultimately it changed your
perspective on,

we don't have to live in this,

like, what would you call this?

So the easiest way is success leads clues.

So the easiest way is success leaves
clues.

And so there are

Okay. And so there are.

successful people out there that have done
certain things

and have accomplished certain goals and
they give you the roadmap if

we just go looking for it. And so the
roadmap was there.

And I just started following the steps.

And so and yes, you don't have to live in
this American dream.

That which is the American dream is a
scam.

Yeah. The American dream is a scam.

It's

a scam. And

And it was very scary.

Very scary.

And it was I don't know if it's gonna
work,

but we're gonna take a swing at it.

And I'm grateful for you because you
eventually eventually

He should be.

came along and that has been the journey
of all of our entrepreneur business.

Yeah. Where we just We got married okay,

so we got married in twenty twenty twelve.

we got married okay so we got married in
2012 and

Twenty twelve.

selling the house and moving into this
duplex happened in 2018 2018 right yeah

Yes. Yep.

so just to put in perspective the years in
between

Yep. Yep. still cleaning offices.

And we're still cleaning offices.

Because

and we're still cleaning offices.

eventually that that you know,

we got our pay raise because we weren't
paying for our duplex anymore

or a little piece of it. And at at this it
just we're

And at this point, just where

I'm at, like, I'm now doing full-time
ministry.

Now doing time ministry. Yeah.

I'm traveling with ~ Pastor Alexa,

our pastor's wife, and she went out
ministered.

So at this point, that's kind of where I'm
at.

And it wasn't a paid position.

But to make up for that, we were all still
cleaning these offices.

Yep, yep.

Yeah.

And that's when Airbnb came around.

Yeah. Well then we had a baby.

Yeah, well then we have a baby.

Then we had a baby.

So anyways, I think that could be

a start to our episode two of kind of the

ups and the downs of starting our
business.

Yeah.

I know.

Stick around. I think there there's a lot
of gems.

We're we're we're kinda talking fast
through this life.

Yeah.

Because if you're here, you're here.

And if you're checking it out checking it
out years in the future where

you finally want to know what where Angel
and Kayla came from,

this is it.

Yeah, think this is kind of just.

the you know the business side of who we
were and really just to kind

of pay to picture of man there was really
real struggle and I know that there will

be money viewers on here that perhaps
you're in that same situation of

we know that there's more to my husband
and I than an eight to five job

or and maybe those who are happy in their
careers that's that's great

for you're not not knocking any of that
but some people because I've we've

Right, not everybody 'cause I we've had
conversations with

had conversations with people and it's
like I know I'm not called to

an eight to five job and I think

that's

something that you and I have also felt
like we're not like eight to five

job is really that's not what we feel for
our lives

Yeah. And

you know and but to find our like you said
find our niche I think that's where

it was just like we started we did so many
businesses ~ that finally led

us into the Airbnb game but like you said
earlier there was the Amazon

Amazon embroidery

business, digital graphic design business.

embroidery we try to pick it we try to
picnic business we did so many care edit

A picnic business. Credit repair.

I still have my real estate license.

repair easy and he said

it's a just put in perspective of it
really there was so many things

It really there was so many things out
there while we are honestly just trying

out there while we are honestly just
trying to make it and

to make it and to to prove

to to prove like

You don't have to work necessarily this
eight to five job to really have this.

Yeah, if that is you.

If that's if if that is you. If that is
you.

I I think, you know, I've really quickly
found

out that there are there are those that
are entrepreneurs and there's those that

don't want to be entrepreneurs and that
that's how God made them.

And so that that's how God has wired them
and again,

there's nothing wrong. I'm again that's
not the end,

that's not the only thing that they are.

And I guess that's why I mean it's not a
this we will speak from

the entrepreneurs perspective of in in
that area,

but

I think that just stick around.

I I think we we have we've done a lot of
struggling,

we've done a lot of falling, we've done a
lot of a lot of fumbling

our way through things. Fumbling is the
right word.

Fumbling is the right word. Yeah Yeah Yeah

Fumbling is the right word.

Fumbling our way through things,

but each one of them built up for the next
season.

And we didn't take the you know,

they say you only lose if you don't learn.

And we would learn from every single
failure.

I'm

gonna say that from failing.

Failure starting the business,

doing the whole brand, putting it out for
the world to see,

and nothing coming out of it. And I think
this time around we were

not looking to show off to the world where
we're at and what the brand is doing.

But now it feels like a duty.

For people so that them so that they can
catch a vision.

And I think that's the that's the entire
goal.

If anybody's gonna flex, it's God helping
us through the failures

and bringing us here. But you have a
vision inside of you,

and you have a purpose inside of you,

and go forth and fumble and fail

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

and learn and

And and dre and and don't be afraid to
dream again after the the the

the the vision fumbled or failed because
God is faithful to his promises.

And one thing that he's told us is I will
promise to be with you.

I will promise to protect you,

to bless you, to take care of you,

and he has. Doesn't look like always look
the way that we think it should look,

but we're standing, we're breathing,

we're sitting here together and

And we made it. So we're we're and and
there's There's still greater things to
come.

There's still greater things to come.

So vision, vision, vision.

Yeah,

So so important. If you do anything today,

so important.

daydream about this vision that God has
for

you, for your wife, for your kids.

Yeah. If you're a youngster, start
dreaming.

Yeah.

if and I'm gonna put it to you like this.

Yeah

If you can do it with your with your
strength,

with your creativity.

With your own resources, I challenge you
that you're not dreaming big enough.

I challenge you and tell you that you are
not dreaming big enough.

If you can do it by yourself, then you
don't need God.

And I I dare say God has something even
bigger.

I mean it should make you shake in your
bones on how big your dream is.

Because God is with you.

I know, I going back to the vision board
that you're talking about.

I think it was in 2022.

We did our vision board. 2021 21 and we
did a five year vision board.

We did one in twenty twenty one.

Twenty one and twenty two. Yeah.

Yeah. And we did a five year vision board.

Yep.

And at this point, we were, you we were in
our duplex.

And I remember the second one we had

That was the second vision board.

The first one we had a full

meeting at the first house that we had
with the family.

And like this is what a barndomanium is.

This

Yeah.

is what this and we had a whole like you
know me at life presentations.

And it's like here's all

Yeah, yes.

the numbers, this is what it looks like.

That was the first time we put that piece
in the vision.

Yeah, but at this point too, Angel was
showing me,

But at this point Angel was showing me

~ it'll all make sense eventually,

but he had introduced me to these new
concept that people were building,

Yeah it's

these barn-domainium houses.

And they were so cool. There's these big
homes,

you know, whatever. So with the second
vision board,

he'd be like, we need one, we need one.

And I'd be like, no, I just want a house.

Like I am simple. am. I am really I've
learned even though I think I right.

I grew up more of like the privilege.

Like I am very simple. And an angel

is very like he's.

My dreams are big. My head is my my he my
head is simple.

Yeah, his dreams are big and I'm I'm very
simple.

I'm very d easy to please. I'm very
simple.

I'm

very easy to please. I'm very simple.

I'm just get me a house I'll you know,

except don't take me back to the 1970s
house like anyways,

so I started kind of getting on board with
this barn to manium and

So I remember like on this stream where we
sat and I put this on the board

is a five-year plan and I remember sitting
back and thinking that will never happen

I specifically remember like that

Eek.

never happen but I'm gonna just put it on
here and

gonna just put it on here and

~ I remember writing a book is there as
well which coming soon hopefully

~ and a few other things that you know but
I remember specifically the barn

to mania and I was like that doesn't
happen to us like we we are not we're

not there we don't have that

you we're here in Amarillo and for us the
dream here is you work at Pantex

or you work in the oil field or you know
you're in the medical field

of some degree and then you can have a
house like that so for that wasn't

us and so I think that was like neither
one of us are in either

one of those departments or any of those
departments like that's never gonna
happen.

let me throw this let me throw this mix in
there.

I was I was I I didn't wanted to say it to
get away.

I was it I was a wet bag, but I was
undocumented.

I was undocumented. So that was another
thing going for us.

That was another thing. Yeah, that was
that was that was part of

Like all all the scholarships,

all the sort of part of the struggle was
more early early on is I didn't exist

the struggle as well. Early on,

early on is. Yeah, Angel was undocumented.

in the United States.

And so for the first four years,

five years of our marriage, it was working
on the paperwork.

So I think that also goes back to job of
couldn't he had to work only certain jobs.

And so that, that also played a big role.

So. Of.

But all tied back to that thought.

I mean

you you've you recently said that to me
that I d I didn't know that

at that time that that's how you were
feeling that this is all cute stuff.

And we're following the trend of making a
vision board.

But it doesn't really happen to me.

Right, yeah. It doesn't really happen to
me.

Like, putting certain things on,

Or it happened to us. Yeah, yeah.

yeah, it doesn't happen to us because
we've been married,

you know, at that point, you know,

eight years or so and it's just like,

it just doesn't happen to us. And...

And you know, I went along with it
because,

you know, being the supportive wife,

but he's always been very big on vision
boards.

And again, this is why it's vision and
vows,

because really it is who makes us us.

It's the vision of there's just so much
more in your marriage,

in your family, in you. And then the vows,

the you know, we'll also get to the the
vows.

A vow is a promise. A vow is a covenant.

Yeah.

A vow is,

you know, something that God is so
intentional on on who he partners you
with.

You don't even know the vow that you're
you're that you're putting with with your

with your spouse and how God is so perfect
on who he puts you with

and it all ties back together to
everything.

Yeah, yeah.

But I feel it so deep

in my heart right now.

Okay, I don't know how we're gonna end
these podcasts.

This is podcast number one. But if I may,

I would like to pray for that.

I wanna pray for that. Because how many
people walk like that?

Every Sunday they get a great word from
their pastor.

Every Sunday when they open their Bible,

they're looking at they're reading
promises that God is speaking over his
children.

And they sound great.

And the hootin' and the hollering and the
preaching and the worship is great.

But deep down inside, in your mind,

you're like, That's cute. It's not for me.

It can't happen for me. It can't happen
for me.

That could yeah that part it can't happen
for me Yeah,

That

It will get there again. This is this is
us

That marriage is so cute. That's so cute
that marriage,

yes That miracle can happen to that
person,

but that's not for me. That miracle That
miracle

but a miracle will never happen to me

Yeah. And and that's that is a lie from
the pit of hell.

Because if he can if he can plant seeds of
doubt in your brain and and

And doubt is there. To the I mean,

right now I I still can tell you,

yeah, I can doubt sometimes. So that
that's not the problem.

The problem is I don't believe God can do
it.

Like you

That's where I'm scared. Like,

Yeah

I don't want you to live there.

Like, I don't believe God can do it for my
marriage.

My marriage is so far gone. My family,

my fan finances are so far gone.

My kids are so far gone. My my I can't
dream.

Like, whatever X reason you have on there,

my God is bigger.

And that you really need to understand
that.

Yeah You really need to understand your
bodies.

You really need to understand who your God
is.

And that's a perspective, that's a that's
a mental breakthrough you need.

And that's perspective, that's a mental
breakthrough you need.

That the God who parted the seas,

the God who who rose from the dead,

the God who has done endless miracles,

the God who showed up for a wedding to
turn to provide their beverages.

He showed up to a wedding to provide
beverages.

Like he's he's working on our behalf.

He you matter, you care, he's got this.

And and so, Lord, in the name of Jesus,

thank you for including us in your plan.

Thank you for including us in for allowing
us to be a part of your vision

for for this planet, God. You created
every single one of my brothers

and sisters with the with a purpose.

No one is average.

No one is simple. You, my God,

made us uniquely and wonderfully made in
your image.

So right now, Father, I just pray a
release of new vision over

my brothers and sisters that are tuning
in.

A new release of revelation from you,

my God, of what you have for their life.

And that our ears would not turn death
when you are coming to speak to us.

And that our imagination would open up to
hear when you are whispering to us

you

the secrets.

Of you. Father, that we could dream for
our families,

Hmm.

that we can

dream for our faith, that we can dream for
our fitness,

that we can dream for our finances,

and that we can dream for fun.

I come against the enemy speaking doubt.

I come against the enemy speaking worry.

I come against the enemy speaking dread.

I come against the enemy that just wants
to pour in hopelessness.

In the name of Jesus, you are bound,

you are held back by the mighty blood that
was shed on cross of Calvary.

In Jesus' name I declare this new vision,

new revelation for my brothers and
sisters.

Amen.

Amen. Yeah, so thank you for tuning in for
our first episode.

And like I said, we will try to make this
as often as possible.

No, we are. Yeah. We're going to be
intentional.

No, we are. We're going to be intentional.

Yeah. No, we are. Because we're gonna be
intentional.

We're going be intentional. It's on our
vision.

We're gonna be intentional. We're gonna be
intentional.

We're going be intentional. It's on our
vision.

It's on our it's on our vision.

Yeah.

episode two where we talk a little bit
more about how we fell into business

and if those of you who are interested in
in business and we

and if those of you who are interested in
in business and we'd

we would love for you to tune into episode
two and how it all ties

in together business and marriage and
family but thank you for tuning

Yep. Business and marriage. Business and
marriage,

tying it together. Yep. Thank you.

in yeah amen yeah

Thank you for watching. Amen. We'll back.

Talk soon guys. Bye.

up.