First things first, sorry about my sneeze on the last episode. Apparently a few listeners almost drove off the road after being surprised with that monstrous bellow!

Secondly, we've been busy living life - empty-nester style!... And what a crazy weekend for us. Not only did we stay out past 10pm, but we made it til 1am -- TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW!

An EPIC Country Music Concert (Zac Brown Band) and an even more adventurous fling with a speakeasy behind a barber shop and the 80's/90's cover bands (The 442's) that resided behind that locked door...

So we avoided talking about Trump, Greenland, Iran, Minnesota, ICE, and everything else, and instead focused on the now, being present, and living life without ruts or overwhelming routines. And, of course, we started our countdown to the BIG CANES VICTORY in the National Championship -- or so we hope!

JUST DO IT. JUST LIVE EVERY MOMENT TO ITS FULLEST. JUST BE ALIVE!

We are EMPTY-NESTING. SO JOIN US. Follow, download, enjoy, and review...

Til next time...... GAME ON!

The 442's Band: https://www.instagram.com/the442sofficial?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Beach Life Festival: https://www.beachlifefestival.com/

Igloo Festival Montreal: https://igloofest.ca/en

First off, Jen gets feisty with some really fun banter... We had a very energetic dinner discussing what to talk about during this episode...

And it spilled into the episode itself!

And that makes it extra fun!

Serious topics include:

Iran

ICE

MN

Law Enforcement

Police

Proper Training

China

And,

Then we bring it back to more fun banter. And a full-out Mic drop!

Please follow, download, enjoy, review, and spread the word!

Welcome to our second episode of this already intriguing year of 2026!

Yes, we hit on Minnesota, Iran, and Venezuela as part of our serious subjects, but... Importantly... we pivot towards more fun and enjoyable topics like the Golden Globes, our favorite films of the year, Tim Chalamet, GLADIATOR, the Sky Bar, etc..... AND, even better, Jen dives into her personal George Clooney story!

But alas, when we can't deny the anxiety filling the air around the globe and also here in the USA anymore, we remind ourselves of the importance in paying attention and relishing the BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS that often bless us, no matter where any of us live (though some may see them more frequently than others...)!

And boy, did we have a GREAT one tonight here in sunny southern California....

Until next time, please download, follow, enjoy, and review... and please spread the word too. 34 Countries and Counting......

WE ARE, PLATE & PONDER: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton

Sorry about the delay between episodes, but we were in 5th gear enjoying the final week of hanging with high-energy college kids before the... the.... super sad... send-off!...... And that, just happened, TODAY!

So what better way to get over that emotional distress than to KICK OFF 2026 with another EPIC episode of our podcast! During this 39 minutes, we cover:

THE MIAMI HURRICANE'S AWESOMENESS

JOHNNY DEPP

HARD ROCK STADIUM CAPACITY AND TICKET SALES FOR THE NATTY

BEIJING'S SOFT POWER PROWESS

MY HUMBLE BRAGS

COOL NEW SOUND EFFECTS

& MUCH MUCH MORE... Please follow, download, enjoy, and review. We are in 33 NATIONS NOW! It's GO TIME!!!!

So much to cover... So little time...

First off, we just spent 4 days hibernated with the Brodkin family in Fallbrook, CA. 4 Acres of awesome outdoor fun and a pretty darn cool pad to boot... And nothing too pricey either. The important part: Getting two families together to spend quality time together while our four, college-age kids are all home. Priceless!

No horse in this race (IE, we are not promoting this property for any other reason than it was fun, and we recommend it.), but we do want to share the link:

https://www.vrbo.com/2939116

Secondly, Jen and I play a great game of "Would You Rather?" reflecting both on life overall and the year of 2025! One item mentioned was a published op-Ed I was extremely proud of, YET NO ONE really read it - at least compared to others I have written. See for yourself (link below) why I was bummed out about that. (hint: I wrote about the BEAUTY of humanity rather than the more marketable polarization affecting humanity.)

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2024/02/08/chapman_and_combs_prove_excellence_through_unity_works_150458.html

Third, we hit upon our wishes and thoughts of what's to come in 2026...

Please follow, download, enjoy, and review!

Until next time, please have yourselves and safe and happy New Years...... And here's to a fantastic 2026 for all of us!

J & C

Phil and Katie Brodkin (w/ a cameo by Jenna Brodkin) join us again as we breakdown this past year and our excitement for the upcoming one! It's hard to believe, but yes, it's almost 2026!

Serious subjects include:

1 - What we are thankful for.

2 - Habits we want to continue and build further upon.

&

3 - The importance of both resilience and reflecting on accomplishments.

And we add some fun shout-outs and epic banter in this episode too...

Please download, follow, enjoy, and review... Happy Holidays!

Well... the day started very early... 3am to be precise... thanks to a leak in our bedroom that decided to drop H2O on Jen's beauty sleep! (Don't worry. Our home-from-college-kids slept til noon!)

Ah yes, the wonders of atmospheric rivers in Southern California... They just don't make roofs like they used to!

But other than that, Christmas Eve is moving nicely towards a fun evening with Santa, his reindeer, and gifts under the tree on Christmas day!

Our serious topics include:

1 - The latest "Avatar" Movie (and a side-note on running-times).

2 - Chris Nolan's upcoming "The Odyssey" adaptation.

And

3 - A follow-up on the Brown University tragedy and the always unfolding Adventures-in-the-Epstein-Files saga.

Please sit around the fire, grab a glass of eggnog, and enjoy the latest episode of PLATE & PONDER: Empty-Nesting with Jen & Chris Fenton!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, oh yeah, we cover Venezuela too!

After a brilliant Sunday morning surf session with family and friends, we cover some serious topics that will continue to be discussed throughout the holidays:

1 The Epstein Files

2 Brown University Incompetency (and the tragedy we must not forget that happened there)

3 And where did all this Venezuela stuff come from?

Bottom-line, we Plate & Ponder, EMPTY-NESTING-STYLE!

Please follow, download, review, and enjoy!

Happy Holidays!