This is an iHeart Podcast. There's nothing like sinking into luxury. At washablesofas.com, you'll find the Anibay sofa, which combines ultimate comfort and design at an affordable price. And get this, it's the only sofa that's fully machine washable from top to bottom, starting at only $699. The stain-resistant performance fabric slip covers and cloud-like frame duvet can go straight into your wash.
Perfect for anyone with kids, pets, or anyone who loves an easy-to-clean, spotless sofa. With a modular design and changeable slip covers, you can customize your sofa to fit any space and style. Whether you need a single chair, love seat, or a luxuriously large sectional, Anibay has you covered. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your home. Right now, you can shop up to 60% off store-wide with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Shop now at washablefas.com. Add a little. to your life. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. Want to feel more creative but don't have the right laptop?
Lenovo.com can help. Look through our legendary lineup of AI-powered PCs and devices and find the one that fits your passion. Our PCs powered by Intel Core ultra-processors as well as cutting-edge AI tools allow students to focus, learn, and create with ease. That's the power of Lenovo with Intel inside. Plus, college students and teachers can get 5% off their order.
Shop now on Lenovo.com. The future's waiting, and it needs you. Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start? Thumbtac knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint finish or satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is?
With Thumbtac, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top-rated pros, see price estimates, and read reviews all in the app. Download today. This message is sponsored by Greenlight.
With school out, summer is the perfect time to teach our kids real-world money skills they'll use forever. Greenlight is a debit card and the number one family finance and safety app used by millions of families, helping kids learn how to save, invest, and spend wisely. Parents can send their kids money and track their spending and saving while kids build money confidence and skills in fun ways. Start your risk-free Green Light trial today at greenlight.com/slash iHeart. That's greenlight.com slash iHeart.
Toa Ina. We all know that water is life. An average American household consumes over 300 gallons daily. 40% of Navajo families residing on a reservation the size of West Virginia struggle to survive on less than 10 gallons of water per day. Yearly St.
Bonaventure Indian Mission and School delivers over 1.5 million gallons of clean water to these families. You can help support St. Bonaventure's water delivery program by going to stbonaventuremission.org. Uh This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories: the show where America is the star and the American people. To search for the Our American Stories podcast, go to the iHeartRadio app.
to Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. On the morning of September 11th, 2001, Peter Braxton was the first military pilot in the air. over the burning twin towers in New York City. It was his first day on the job. Here's Peter sharing some stories from a few of his first jobs, including those before and after.
Serving in the Air Force. There's a um Like a pitch and putt golf little thing with a little ice cream and miniature golf and driving range and I don't know. I think my like high school whatever girlfriend or something like that got me the job and we're both working there and I mean, this is before, I don't know, they had tractors picking up golf balls.
So I used to go out there and scoop them up with a little scooper on the drying range and then run over to the ice cream shop and You know, try to make a twirly ice cream cone, or, you know, and I'd eat the mistakes. I was a kid, I was 14 or something like that.
So I lasted a little while there, but that's a seasonal job, right?
So you can't do that in the winter.
So then I worked at I applied for, I got the job at Burger King. And I lasted three weeks. At Burger King. And the reason I lasted three weeks is I was like bored. I was, my brain was atrophying.
I was making these burgers in the back and fries, and they were like, oh. Yeah, I'll just promote you to the window, you know, the drive-thru. I was like, no, I don't do that. Like now, you watch. Yo, I have to have the cashier.
Do you want to be a manager? I was 16 years old. I was like, no, no. No, no, no, no. It's hard work, actually.
I mean, I don't know if people understand this. This is labor. I mean, it's lunchtime. I mean, these things are flying off the. You know, the buns are going everywhere, the burgers are flaring up, and you know, you're running out of cheese, and obviously.
It's fast food, so you gotta synchronize. You gotta drop the fries, and then the alarm goes off, and it's. I was like, I don't know if this is, you're right. Like, I don't know if this is where I was built to be. I didn't last three weeks at that place.
It was, that's the issue. That was it. It was grueling work. You had to be perfect. People get upset.
They're spending $3.99. They want every penny of value out of that stuff. Hard, hard work. You got to be there on time. It gets pace hectic.
People, you know, expectations, unmet expectations communicated or not is the root of all conflict. If the burger doesn't show up with out the pickles or whatever, there's conflict. The expectation isn't met. I think it was a good lesson. And I learned about People.
You know, people.
So I got a job at a grocery store as a bagger. And this is back in the day where they like tip you a buck or something like that. in the 1991, I don't know, 1990. And I remember this woman came in. Furious.
'Cause I put the bananas on the bottom of the bag and, you know, she had brought 'em home and You know, these $1.98 bananas were smushed. They were, they weren't. They were deformed and. I mean got in my face and it was like I'll buy you a banana tree. I'm sorry.
Like, I didn't, I apologize. I wasn't, you're right. You're right. I'm sorry. And I remember they like put me on like.
Punishment.
So my punishment was to return all of the things that people don't buy. and go find where they're supposed to go back on the shelf. And I did that for a while. you know, in Roman New York it snows a lot and You know, one night we have this snowstorm and nobody was coming. I mean, it was just like, why is this door open?
And so they, you know, Pete, you're going to go out and shovel. you know, the sidewalks and clean them off and I was like, well, why isn't Bethany doing that? Like, you know, no, Pete, you're going to go shovel the. Shovel the sidewalk.
So I go out and I shovel So I'd walk at this grocery store and I'm like, Where am I going to put all this snow? And I covered Bethany, my this my classmate from high school, her car up in snow. And I thought it was the funniest. It was like King of the Hill, right? Like it was the funniest thing.
I just buried her car in snow and And we were I mean, if she ever hears this, she'll remember this. And she started laughing. Yeah, she wasn't, she was like. complaining, laughing, crying all at once and Bettina, if she's around, she was like the manager. I mean, I was.
16, Bettina couldn't have been 22, but I thought she was like 48, right? Like she was in charge. She's like, you're gonna go clean off her car and you're gonna clean it all the I was like all right. Yeah.
So I went back out in the snowstorm, cleaned off Bethany's car, I cleaned off Bettina's car, I cleaned off my car. I mean, nobody was coming into the store. Um You know, you have two hemispheres of your brain for a reason, and one is more logic and math, and the other is art and. creative thinking and You know, for me. I kind of felt like my I don't know if it's left brain or right brain, but the creative thinking side was kind of atrophying.
A little bit. And so I remember walking out, I was at Credit Suisse and I walked out, and it was in a suit tie, you know, the whole Swiss banker look, and I was. I walked by this art store. And I looked in it. It was like a movie.
I stopped, I looked in the art store, and I went in. I bought these big canvases, huge, like, you know, I don't know if they're four by sixes or something like that. And I never painted anything, but I hung the canvases up. And so I remember, you know, I guess the party trick with, you know, I'd bring, maybe if I brought a date, Home to cook her dinner or something like that, you know, they'd see the canvas. You know, some would say something, some would say like.
Oh, you don't see it? Yeah.
Don't see the art. There's nothing on. I mean, there's nothing on this thing. I just never got around to doing it. But what I did do to kind of fulfill that was to cook.
So I like to create things and here's the good news, you get to eat it. And a terrific job on the editing, production, and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler. And a special thanks to Peter Braxton for talking about his first jobs, including those before and after serving in the Air Force. And the one before just made me laugh because my first job was at Roy Rogers, and I lasted a very short time because it is brutal work. It's like an assembly line, and it's 110 degrees, and people are screaming at you all the time.
The story of first jobs in the end, that's what this really was, and work in general, and what we learned from it, and some of the things we don't learn. And especially what we really learn, what God's made us to do. Peter Braxton's story of his work before and after his service in the Air Force here. on our American stories. Here at Our American Stories, we bring you inspiring stories of history, sports, business, faith, and love.
stories from a great and beautiful country that need to be told. But we can't do it without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make. If you love our stories in America like we do, please go to ouramericanstories.com and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot.
Help us keep the great American stories coming. That's ouramericanstories.com. Time for a sofa upgrade? Visit washablesofas.com and discover Anibay, where designer style meets budget-friendly prices, with sofas starting at $699. Anibay brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space effortlessly.
Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anibay is the only machine-washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain-resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy. Liquid Simply slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high-resilience foam lets you choose between a sink-in feel or a supportive memory foam blend. Plus, our pet-friendly stain-resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years.
Don't compromise quality. Quality for price. Visit washable sofas.com to upgrade your living space today with no risk returns and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get up to 60% off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop now at washable sofas.com.
Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. From the executive producers of Outlander. To be parted from your true love comes a new Outlander story: Blood of my Blood. I'm Brian Fraser. My father detests Adairs.
If you don't go to him, it'll haunt you forever. Series premiere, August 8th. I know it. I swear it. Only on stars and the stars app.
What if you never find her? I will stars the home of Outlander Every day has a to-do list, but adding enjoy Belveda to yours can help you knock out the rest of it. Belveda breakfast biscuits are a tasty and convenient breakfast option when paired with low-fat yogurt and fruit that provides steady energy all morning, while Belveeta Energy Snack Bites give you the perfect mid-morning refuel. Best part, they both taste great.
So make the most out of your morning with a bite of Belveda. Pick up a pack of Belveda at your local store today. Every business has an ambition. PayPal Open is the platform designed to help you grow into yours with business loans so you can expand and access to hundreds of millions of PayPal customers worldwide. And your customers can pay all the ways they want with PayPal, Venmo, PayLater, and all major cards so you can focus on scaling up.
When it's time to get growing, there's one platform for all business: PayPal Open. Grow today at PayPalOpen.com. Loan subject to approval in available locations. Toa Ina. We all know that water is life.
An average American household consumes over 300 gallons daily. 40% of Navajo families residing on a reservation the size of West Virginia struggle to survive on less than 10 gallons of water per day. Yearly, St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School delivers over 1.5 million gallons of clean water to these families. You can help support St.
Bonaventure's water delivery program by going to stbonaventuremission.org. This is an iHeart podcast.
