Alright, hi, this is Michael and Laura, from Michael and Laura Photography audio blog number two and we will be talking about the 36 Questions Leading to Love.

Yeah, and cue music. 

Okay, Michael really wants music. 

I do.

Maybe we can do it and we can just put it into the beginning of this for you. 

Maybe we can also have people give a suggestions with their favorite songs, or tunes or something. 

But you can’t just put any song ’cause you have to be like… 

It could be just a small… Like that’s true, that’s true.

*Michael’s dream comes true with music inserted here* (Thanks to https://www.bensound.com/)

It doesn’t matter, hey guys.. Okay, so for today I told Michael that he just had to come and I was gonna tell him what we were doing. He doesn’t know.. 

That’s correct.

I thought it would be more fun. Maybe not. I didn’t want you to pre-research the question is really what… Because I didn’t, but I thought maybe he would try, do it ahead of time. 

I would probably do that.

Introduction

Okay, so Lara Casey who is or was the editor of Southern weddings magazine who is now like the cultivate… She was a brand called cultivate.. she does power sheets. Have you ever heard of those? She posted on her Instagram the other day this article. No, she didn’t post the article, just mentioned it.  Well, just maybe about it, I don’t know. Anyways, it’s called The 36 questions leading to love, and it is a New York Times article about these 36 questions. And if you do them, you’re supposed to fall in love with whoever you talk to about them basically. 

Okay. 

It just opens you up to the other person. I don’t know. Anyways, it’s broken into three sets and I just thought it would be fun to do. The first set. 

Let’s do it. 

Okay, Michael’s closing the door, it fell open. It’s probably the dog.

Any who, PS Niles is a sleep right beside us… So if you hear a baby screaming it is him… Okay, so does this sound like a good idea.

Let’s do it.

Okay, you’re already nervous.

I’m so nervous. 

Okay, set one.  Okay, I am gonna have you, you can answer the first question and then we’ll go back and forth.  I’ll ask you a question and then you can ask me.. Does that sound good?

It sounds great. 

Okay, here we go, question number one: are you nervous? Yeah, I can tell.

I’m not good at thinking on my feet.

question 1 – 36 Questions Leading to Love

I know, but that’s why I thought it would be fun., yeah. Okay, Alright question number one. Given the choice of anyone in the world, who would you want? It’s actually whom, who would you want as a dinner guest? That’s like a lay up. 

It is?

I mean, people have asked you this question before.

I guess so. Yes, I don’t know, I don’t know, “Do I go for someone that’s more traditional? Like Ghandi or Jesus or to go for someone who has changed life recently. 

Changed your life recently? 

No change, like..

Oh like culture.  

Don’t know.. I think someone will be really fun would be Steve Carell. 

Oh, okay. Really.. why?  Well, I think, and you like a lot of comedians. So I think it’s interesting that you picked Steve Carell. 

Well, he is, he’s not necessarily a stand-up comedian or something like that.  What he does is a lot of comedy.. his personality, it seems 

I wouldn’t be a boring dinner.

And he seems genuine too. He doesn’t seem like a guy who was like, “Oh man, I gotta do this today, you know, he would have fun with it. It’s probably not a great answer. 

It was a great answer. Okay, I’m gonna just give you this and you can ask me ’cause I think it’s more fun if I don’t talk the whole time.

question 2 – 36 Questions Leading to Love

Question 2: Would you like to be famous and if so in what way? 

I would absolutely not like to be famous, that does not appeal to me at all.

Okay if you were to become famous can… Can I change the question… If you were to become famous in what way would you want to become famous? 

For like curing cancer?

Great, I love it.

I don’t know.. doing something to help other people..

question 3

Alright, question number three, before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you’re going to say?

All the time!

I literally I…

Oh my gosh, this is such a good question for you. 

Even if I know that someone’s going to call me about something specific, I know then I’ll 

You won’t answer. 

No no no no, it’s not that I won’t answer. It was like a call schedule. I know someone is going to talk to me at 6:00, at 5:45… 

You’re practicing. 

All my brain’s thinking is what am I going to say, how am I gonna say it.  

I actually knew that because I have had to write down some ideas for what you should say.

It’s not my strong suit. 

You’re not an off the cuff person. Sorry I’m making you do this.

No, it’s a good experience. 

question 4

Question 4: What would constitute a perfect day for you (by the way, perfect and quotations. I don’t know if you got that.)

Okay, I would wake up probably at like 8am.  Because I usually wake up a little earlier, a lot earlier than that.

I’d have coffee and like a breakfast sandwich on a Panera bagel, because those are my favorite. I’d eat it outside, in 75-degree weather.  Too specific? 

And then I’d go outside for the day, I like being outside, so maybe the beach.  Like take a walk to the beach maybe.. and then a lot of food would be involved. So sandwiches, and like a Diet Coke and..

a good book.

I’d read a book.. that would be fun. Just hang out, but not with a lot of people… just some… And then also have some time by myself, because I like that.

Is that a good answer? 

Sure. Well, what you have for dinner?

Probably another sandwich because I like sandwiches.  

What time would you go to bed? 

9:00.  Sleeping is my favorite thing, besides eating. 

question 5 – 36 Questions Leading to Love

 Okay, anyway, where are we? Question five, these questions are so good for you. It’s like I planned it.  When did you last sing to yourself?

On the walk that we were just on 5 seconds ago.  Sing to myself.

I’ve been trying to sing to Niles, but it’s really hard to just all the sudden think of a song.

I have a song I always go to. 

You have a go-to song? So what do you sing to him? 

It’s called the soldier in the Oak.. it’s about this song, and song in the person of the tree, the tree is the person singing it and he wants to grow big and strong.  But some rebel comes with a gun and he’s been injured and the Earl hangs his gun on the tree and it stays there for two years, the rebel dies there. And it stays there for two years. So the tree is no longer growing straight, it’s bowing over to the side, and all its aspirations are gone. And then one day two lumber jacks, two people come and cut it down because it’s going to make a great arch to hang a big bell in a church. So, what his aspirations… It’s like very metaphorical… What his aspirations were of growing big and strong and being this great tree.  He becomes the church. 

I’ve started singing that Jason Mraz song. umm… some have. He kinda raps it.  I don’t know.. I think of it and post it later.  

question 6 – 36 Questions Leading to Love

Six: Okay, if you are able to live to the age of 90, and retain either the mind or the body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years or life which one you want?

Oh.. Hard question, I would definitely, I guess, the mind. 

Okay.

All I’m thinking is that really sad Google commercial where the guy was like forgetting his wife. 

It pops up on the YouTube videos that I sometimes watch and I skip it as soon as possible. 

I’m starting to cry just thinking about it. 

But then also you don’t want other people to have to take care of you physically. It would be nice to be able to take care of yourself, but also it would be so sad to be not able to remember things. I guess, mind.

Then I was gonna go for body anyways. Okay, so you can then you can do the things, and I’ll just remember for us. 

question 7

Oh this is kinda dark.  Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die? 

No, but I have a hunch that it won’t be very exciting. if that makes sense. I wish it was exciting, but I have a hunch that it’s gonna be really boring. 

How would you want to die?  Like bungee jumping or something? 

I don’t know, like, you’re driving in your car or doing something very monotonous, and you pass away, you know, that would not be…  But I would be like if I was in my favorite chair and it was perfect weather you know?  

So if it was a really peaceful, nice way.

Yeah, or exciting like bungee jumping or… 

I’d prefer if you didn’t die doing something exciting. 

Okay, but what if we’re doing it together?

Sure.  That was a weird one. Next.

question 8 – 36 Questions Leading to Love

Number 8:  Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.

Okay, we’re way too similar of people. So I could list things like all day long. It’s kind of weird. I would say we both like a lot of the same things.

What’s the question again? What do we have in common, right?

Yeah, what are three things you and your partner appear to have in common. 

So we like the same foods and music and movies and that kind of thing. Yeah, is that a good amount? OK two… We are both photographers.. is that too boring? O

Our business is Michael and Laura, not Michael or Laura. 

And then we both, I don’t know, like to travel, we like other countries, and I guess that’s like things we like..

We’re both very spontaneous.

Are we?

Yeah, we’re just like, “Oh my gosh, we should be doing this” and then we just go do it. 

We love a project. Yeah, yeah, sorry. I could list things all day, so I… 

That’s okay, good answer.

We’re probably too similar if I’m honest with you.

We like Family Feud … If you didn’t get that reference. We like referencing things. 

question 9 – 36 Questions leading to love

Okay, for what in your life do you feel most grateful?

Probably my childhood is a big one. Where I got to grow up in Kenya. In case you guys haven’t read. I spent 14 years there. And yeah, I think it’s shaped a lot of my thoughts… 

What do you think is your biggest takeaway from living in Kenya? How did it change your life the most?

Maybe just how lucky and how blessed I am, compared to other people and what they have.  Cultural differences are things that people do, always pick up on, and I think it’s very important.

question 10

Alright, number 10, if you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

Oh, well my mom listens to this, I’m just kinding… I don’t know, I think I had a great childhood. I think the thing I was most bitter about when I was a kid, is that I had to go to a different high school, but that’s how I met you sooo whatever. 

Yeah, I was also bitter about going to different high school. 

I lived in the same house my whole life. I think it’s cool when people lived in other areas, but I also think it’s kind of like endearing that I’ve lived in the same home. But that’s hard. What would you change?

Oh my gosh, can you hear Niles snoring? that’s hysterical. 

I think it’s like I feel like they’re getting harder and harder, so I’m just stressed for the next question.

Okay, so that’s amazing that you said that, because I didn’t tell you that before because I didn’t want you to get stressed, but he premise of it is that each question is harder than the one before. But I’m only having us do the first set and there are three sets. So imagine if I had to do the third set.

Which if you guys like this, I’ll make him keep going and do the second and third.

question 11 – 36 Questions Leading to Love

Question 11 take four minutes, you don’t have to take four minutes, that’s a long time and tell your partner, your life story in as much detail as possible.

I was born in England moved to Kenya when I was three, I broke a lot of light bulbs playing soccer in front of my neighborhood.  I don’t know, I went to a Kenyan school and then I went to British school, and then I went to American school, and then I spent a year in England. 

Then I moved to Midlothian, Virginia, so I… And was supposed to get rides from someone to high school.

Spoiler, it was me.

It was and I was so angry my parents were moving that I made them drive me the first year.

So he didn’t meet me. 

Yeah until next year, in government class. 

And we played a lot of Sudoku. 

And then I don’t know went to college, VCU, for three years and then met you at a missions conference, re-met at a missions conference in St. Louis

I was definitely over a minute and I couldn’t think about anything. 

Well, you were supposed to have four so… And a life story in a minute is kinda hard… 

question 12 – 36 Questions Leading to Love

Okay, alright, last question: if you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability what would it be?

I would want to be able to speak another language, maybe would be fun. Just be like smarter… is that a thing? 

That could be a thing.. I mean, it’s not like an ability or quality, you don’t have…

What if it wasn’t even a real tangible or… 

Oh, I want to be able to transport myself into other locations.

That’s great, I like that one

But I don’t think that’s what it means. 

No, it’s not, I just want to make it more fun.

Yeah, so something travel-related.

I’d probably choose the ability to be fit. 

Oh my gosh, like motivated? I do with I was a more motivated person when it came to my health. 

Or if I just wake up and have the ability of being fit.

Well you already have the ability to be fit… It’s the motivation that we lake.

Okay, that was the whole thing. 

It wasn’t too bad. 

There is a set two and a set three out there.  But here’s the thing, you’re not allowed to go pre-research. 

Oh, I’m just glad that the first set’s over. 

Anyways, I just thought that would be fun. One, you can get to know us a little bit better, but something that you could go take and do with someone that you love.

Thanks to Lara Casey. 

And it’s a Times New York Times article, but I will post it for you.

Well, that’s it. And we will see next time! 

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