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A Contagious Smile Podcast
A Contagious Smile is a powerful platform dedicated to uplifting and empowering special needs families and survivors of domestic violence. Through heartfelt stories, we shine a light on the journeys of extraordinary individuals who have overcome unimaginable challenges. Their triumphs serve as a testament to resilience and strength, inspiring others to rediscover their own inner light. Each episode features candid interviews with survivors, advocates, and experts who provide valuable resources and insights to support those on their own paths to healing and empowerment. Join us as we celebrate the power of resilience, the beauty of shared stories, and the unstoppable spirit of those who turn adversity into hope. Let us guide you in rekindling your spirit, because every smile tells a story of courage and transformation.
A Contagious Smile Podcast
Speaking Up: Overcoming Adversity, Addressing Domestic Abuse, and Celebrating Family Achievements TRIGGER WARNING
What would you do if you could impact someone's life by simply speaking up? Join us for a heartfelt exploration of resilience and advocacy as I share my personal journey through multiple surgeries on my amputated arm, with unwavering support from my husband, Michael. We emphasize the critical importance of addressing domestic abuse, encouraging action and awareness to help those in need. Together, we reflect on the strength it takes to overcome personal challenges while appreciating the love and support of family, even in the face of adversity.
Our conversation doesn't shy away from difficult topics, like the rare and tragic school shooting involving a young female perpetrator, which prompts reflection on unexpected family dynamics. Yet, there's room for lighter moments, like sharing Christmas wishes and a nod to our daughter, Hazel Fate Curie Solomon, who has already published five books at just 18. Our family's humorous exchanges, from joking about writing careers to dieting escapades, bring warmth to the episode. Tune in to celebrate achievements and embrace the complexities of family life with us.
Good evening and welcome to another episode of Unstoppable with myself and my amazing husband, michael. So I have my voice back. I'm sure some people are like yeah, and some people are like oh man. So my husband looks like he's got 10,000 things going on in his brain at one time, like I do all the time every day.
Speaker 2:What's up, Buttercup? Why don't you tell them how you're doing?
Speaker 1:You've seen your movie on the go. We're still recording. Uh, we still recorded. Um, I don't even know how to answer.
Speaker 2:I'm so you've been in for your amputated arm my nub your nub to get worked on.
Speaker 1:Again and I'm pleased if that's what we say. I'm giving it some more time. I've already had nerve transfers and nerve transpositions done multiple times. I've had implanted devices. I've had you name it. It feels like it's been done. This time they did muscle transfers and muscle transpositions and then they braided the nerves in through the muscles that they move somewhere else and it's supposed to help with pain. And I actually researched a lot about it and people say if they get it done a lot of the time it works. Um, it just depends on who's performing it. So I'm just hoping that I haven't had enough time yet to see the benefits of the surgery, because all in with pain, I'm out with pain. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Kind of, I haven't posted up yet.
Speaker 2:Okay. So you don't know where I'm going with this, you don't know what kind of shit I'm talking about.
Speaker 1:We're always on the same page. Okay, going with this. You don't know what kind of shit. We're always on the same page.
Speaker 2:Okay, follow this.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:In one of my old jobs there was a sign, a placard that stated if you see something say something. Okay. A lot of times, men and women, you'll see signs of abuse, especially on females, and you keep your mouth shut, way back when my wife was going through what she was going through. My wife was going through what she was going through. Had somebody said something, things could have been different. I don't know. I wasn't there and you know hindsight's 20-20.
Speaker 1:See where I'm going with this, keep going.
Speaker 2:Okay, see, for those of y'all out there who know somebody that's going through domestic, you see the bruises, you see the scars, you see the black eyes, busted lip it's kind of hard to tell with long sleeves right now, but you see people who shy away from you when you go to give the butt an attaboy or a gentle touch. Maybe, uh, the female backs away from the male. I don't know.
Speaker 2:My wife could tell you all these signs, but say something y'all um, you know it could have saved my wife's arm. You know it could.
Speaker 2:It could have changed a lot if somebody had said something way back then and and well, it wasn't just my arm right, I know it's other things, but you know I, I always blame that pos first, husband, some other people, but you know she can't get her arm back, guys, and it's a daily struggle for her to. You know, put on her clothes. You know, try to cook food for us. You know, just type it on the computer. Hell, try to screenshot. You know you got to hold control and screenshot on your keyboard. Come on, guys.
Speaker 1:Do that two-handed or one-handed. Planning is fun. That's my two cents.
Speaker 2:If you see something, say something. You know I know it's not fun, I know it's tough. You're thinking about your morals, your ethics. Should I do this? Should I not do this? It's none of my business. It is my business. You know I don't want to get involved. You know he may come after me.
Speaker 1:You know she may hate me forever.
Speaker 2:But she'd be around to hate you or he, she or he Right, right, so that's it, that's been two cents and so our shows are unscripted.
Speaker 1:so this came out of left field because I wasn't knowing that he was going to bring this. But how hard is it for you to look at your wife and see that you know all my body parts are?
Speaker 2:I'm still a minor let's, let's put it this way, okay, and that makes my wife to be a creep but like seriously seriously.
Speaker 2:I used to wake up, sit on the end of the bed, bitch and moan and groan and and stretch out my back because my back's hurt, my knees are killing me, they pop every time I get up because I'm an old fart and you know what, guys? I stopped one day when I turned over and looked at my wife and saw her, her, her nub, just just her nubs. You know. It wasn't doing anything, but just laying there in bed while she was sleeping.
Speaker 1:Or my face or my shoulder, or 10,000 other body parts that had to be replaced.
Speaker 2:Oh my, God, I have nothing to complain about. I complain about my back being sore, my knees being sore. Hell, at least I can stand up. Some of the folks that I run into they don't have legs. You know what? Am I gonna complain about my hand hurting my? I got glasses on my, on my thumb or whatever. I got a walk between my fingers. I don't have work y'all. But yeah, I have nothing to complain about and I'm grateful to have my wife. She does, she is absolutely amazing.
Speaker 1:The daughter is too, when she gets her head out of her ass, but we won't bring her in this.
Speaker 2:You love her, yeah, but are we talking about her. You just brought her up. We're talking about being grateful for what we have. Then you are because you're grateful for her. Don't tell her that. Yes, these are unscripted, y'all we just. Sometimes I talk out my ass. But oh my God, was there another school shooting?
Speaker 1:There was another school shooting how the, and now they're teaching the young ones how to play dead. I mean, can you imagine? Hey, I learned my ABCs and how to lay down and act like I'm dead. I mean, what the hell has this world come to, seriously, you know. And then I'm sorry, but people want to bitch and complain about oh, the school should be paying for us to have these devices that lock the door so the shooter can't get in, or whatever. You know, if I was a teacher in the school system, I would shell that money out, because whatever is a peace of mind right.
Speaker 1:The shooters are common. Now I've heard them as young as, like elementary school kids are bringing guns into school. Like kindergarten kids are bringing guns into school. I mean, that's crazy, you know. And the fact that these kids now they don't even you know when they go to school is it like a refined babysitting place now, because they're not learning spelling, they're not learning writing. The math is just don't even get me started on it.
Speaker 1:Then they literally, if you want to look something up, they look up alexa or siri. Then they go and and check everything with spell check on the, the tablet that they're using, nothing is handwritten anymore. What if the electricity, you know, gets the grid? How are they going to handwrite anything? They don't have to sign their name, they don't write in cursive. I mean, faith knows the Dewey Decimal System. A lot of kids are like the what, the what, what is that? What is the Dewey Decimal System? You know, she knows what Webster is. How are these kids going to, you know, take notes and sign letters and do other things when they can't sign their notes?
Speaker 2:I just wonder about the statistics as far as these preparatory schools versus the public schools. Whom is having the most school shootings?
Speaker 1:This one was at a Christian school. It was a Christian-based school.
Speaker 2:Because I'm sure that if a lawmaker or a governor or senator had their kids in school, that they're going to make sure that procedures are in place to prevent all these atrocities.
Speaker 1:I, I don't know I just don't understand how it keeps happening I don't understand how they're letting you know our kids die.
Speaker 2:You know, the, the, the hammer should can't come down and uh, you know, put, like I keep telling y'all, put some canine officers in there, let the dogs go around, let the dogs search the students, you know, let the dogs search the classrooms. Them dogs are going to find gunpowder, they're going to find the residue, they're going to smell it.
Speaker 1:Now, something that I have to say is definitely different when it comes to this specific school shooting was the majority of the shooters are male nine, I don't know the exact percentage, but it's like 98.9 percent are male. This was a 17 year old girl that was the shooter. This time it was in Wisconsin at a Wisconsin Christian school. The 17-year-old was responsible for shooting. She killed a teacher and another student and wounded others. I mean, it's very rare that I hear about a female shooter.
Speaker 2:I wish we didn't have to hear about any of them, absolutely so, for those of y'all who have been going to our website, we are currently down. So if you go to contagioussmallcom, we are currently down please don't go there. Please don't email us at the emails under the contact us. So thank you.
Speaker 1:And where do they go instead?
Speaker 2:You tell them.
Speaker 1:Email 1015 at Gmail is the way you guys can get us right now. That's the best way of finding us at the moment. They don't give you any time. They just say you know we've had the domain for years and years and this hosting site and everything. But you know, everybody knows that groceries are so expensive right now and everything else is so expensive and everything that we've had going on. And you know it's a lot of money to keep everything up and running and we're having to make some choices and we have to do what we have to do.
Speaker 2:That's a good time to plug in, if you want to donate.
Speaker 1:you can't you can't, they can.
Speaker 2:The gofundme still up oh is it, it is okay.
Speaker 1:Well, that would be nice y'all and then we have some classes that will be coming out soon. You know, the average uh response that we get when we put something out is millions within just 24 hours, and we don't have a marketing department.
Speaker 2:We have looking at her.
Speaker 1:We don't have that. We don't have, um you know, a plethora of people who are generating any of this stuff. I've been doing all of that stuff.
Speaker 2:And um so I am teaching how to accomplish those of this stuff.
Speaker 1:I've been doing all of that stuff and looking at them too, and so I'm teaching how to accomplish those. I've done I don't even know how many classes, courses, all of the hours. I've spent learning how to do all this, and now you guys can learn from me on how to obtain what works and what doesn't.
Speaker 2:I'm actually looking at 99% of our company.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:Isn't that great.
Speaker 1:Sure. So what is your Christmas wish for the year?
Speaker 2:For you to tell me what the heck you want for Christmas. I don't Stop being selfish.
Speaker 1:When have I ever been selfish?
Speaker 2:Well, you're not telling me, so you're keeping it to yourself.
Speaker 1:I've never been told I was selfish. Tell us what you want for Christmas. I don't know Exactly. I want to make a golf Christmas tree.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's for your grandparents.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's what I want.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:What do you want for you?
Speaker 2:I don't know, because I never asked for anything. I'm asking you what do you want?
Speaker 1:for you and I to write a book together okay don't write the one part of time, the end. Don't do it. The beginning, the middle, the end. Stop it. See, we're always on the same page. I know what you're going to do.
Speaker 2:We make a great book together. That's your Christmas list, the whole thing.
Speaker 1:Think how wonderful it'll be. It'll live on forever.
Speaker 2:When do we start it? Christmas Eve.
Speaker 1:We can start it whenever, but you actually have to participate. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Not in the snoring chapters. I like my old man naps. Every guy should have a couple old man naps. No, there's Saturday and Sunday. That's four right there.
Speaker 1:And every other day that ends in Y.
Speaker 2:And at least one throughout the week.
Speaker 1:A day A day, it's Y and at least one throughout the week. A day, a day it's ridiculous.
Speaker 2:Yeah, is that too little? It's too much.
Speaker 1:Should we go more?
Speaker 2:What do you want, henry? 4570. Lever action Rifle.
Speaker 1:This is not a porn site.
Speaker 2:Big boy edition. This is not a porn site. Big boy edition. This is not a porn site.
Speaker 1:What are you talking about?
Speaker 2:Because it's just not. You know, we got to keep PG-13.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, ho, ho, ho, Really.
Speaker 2:What, like some of your daughter would say.
Speaker 1:Now she's mine again. She always be mine. What did you think of the poems that she wrote?
Speaker 2:she, y'all she's. We're gonna turn a lot of her poems in a book. Did I say that properly? A book? Um, she's writing some phenomenal stuff y'all really amazing and she's really. We see these phases and y'all see these phases with kids. They go through these phases and the last one we were dealing with was kind of a little morbid yeah, a little morbid, and we slow, we're slow, we're slowly seeing her come out of that she tells me last night that her biggest fear is something happening to me, and she's petrified of something happening.
Speaker 1:And so, she said, when I was in surgery she sat there and just kind of thought about it and, you know, just consumed herself with thought while she was playing her phone or whatever, trying to play it off. But so she wrote me this beautiful poem about what it would be like if she lost me. And when she read it to me last night like I literally had tears in my eyes and she goes I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry, I didn't mean to make you cry and I'm like that is so unbelievably heartfelt and scary at the same time. I mean it's absolutely stunning, her words are stunning. And then she wrote another one about our relationship, bond and everything we've been through. Am I boring you?
Speaker 2:No, no, please proceed, ma'am.
Speaker 1:And everything that we've been through Am I boring you? No, no, please proceed, ma'am and everything that we've been through as a team. And Stucco is saying hello and it's just amazing. Her work is so amazing. And you know, she says I want to help other people, I want to help, I want to help, but then I'm like you know, know your poem could really resonate with other people. They could make a big difference in other people's lives. And she's so humble about everything you know she.
Speaker 2:She doesn't want attention, she doesn't want money, she just wants to irritate you yes now, you did do something kind of crappy today, I have to say.
Speaker 1:She, yes, you too, no, no. She wanted to go down there and decorate. Y'all have this room. You guys did together to do your artistic whatever you want to call it and so she went down there and literally worked and fixed it up and made a bunch of trips up and down all the stairs and everything else to try and no, it was more than that Like to get this all together. She actually did send me some videos that was kind of funny which you have not seen. And then we leave for a little while and then you proceed to tell her you'll be home and that you will be redoing the room, and she was pissed. I mean, she was like plotting things in revenge.
Speaker 2:Did she tell you what I did?
Speaker 1:There's nothing changed.
Speaker 2:She didn't go in there.
Speaker 1:We did, but the light was off. You didn't do anything different. She didn't look no, we did, but the light was off. You didn't do anything different. She didn't look. No, what did you do?
Speaker 2:So our daughter's a little OCD.
Speaker 1:Only on certain things.
Speaker 2:She had her sketch pad perfectly in the middle of the desk, right With her pencil on the right side. She had all her colored pencils strategically placed right above the pad and they were all neat and organized. And she has these two little fashion dolls sitting out there, I guess for inspiration. So everything left when I left the room was askew and it's going to drive her crazy. If she doesn't already know, she's about to know. Are you ratting?
Speaker 2:me out, you dirty rat what are you going to do to me? I'm going to go eat some ice cream at this podcast.
Speaker 1:No, you're not. Yes, I will what. You can't tell me what to do. Yes, I can. No, you can't. Why can't I? It's not Thursday, but we do everything on the same page and we're all happy, happy. I don't understand why you're telling me I can't say anything to her. Why? So? What did you do with everything?
Speaker 1:I just told you you um well, I don't know what skew means. It means I made it crooked. You sound like that anyway. What are you trying to do? So she was going to do this prank to you, but she didn't think you'd fall for it. She was going to put like three pair of sneakers around the kitchen and then each shoe put a bottle of water and call you and say there's water running from the dishwasher. But if she called you and said, dad, there's water for running out of the dishwasher and you weren't home, she said you'd never fall for it and I said he would. She's like no, no, you wouldn't, but she decided not to. She also, now that it's getting cold again, she wants to put all your blue jeans outside so you'll have clothes and pants.
Speaker 2:Great.
Speaker 1:I think it's great. I love how y'all prank each other. I think it's fantastic. I think it's adorable, and Abby will be here soon to prank more.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 1:God, what are you? Oh Godding? I can't wait for her to get here, can't wait for you to get here.
Speaker 2:Y'all know, uh, my daughter is a published author. She's written five books. You can go check out anything she's wrote written Wrote Uh-huh, amazon, hazel Fate, curie, solomon, you're kind of proud of that name, huh. She's written some good stuff y'all. She's 18, so I'm proud of her. My wife's sitting over here. I've only written like 41 books.
Speaker 1:Well, I have journals and workbooks and other books. How many of my books have you written?
Speaker 2:crickets, crickets I didn't read that book crickets I don't have a book called crickets.
Speaker 1:How many books of mine have you read? None not only you read an art art not front of the cover. No, give me your review on it. No, why? Because you didn't like my writing.
Speaker 2:I liked your writing and what the I didn't mind helping you either.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, what are you talking about? Helping me?
Speaker 2:I mean, I did like co-author that book, I edited that book, so I'm like your manager. Okay, hold on.
Speaker 1:So because I've never taken pain medication after surgery, did you elect to take it? Because you've got to be on drugs?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I'm not taking your prescribed medication. How dare you Allocations?
Speaker 1:I've never taken it, so I don't know where it is, yet alone I know where it is.
Speaker 2:Where is it? I'm not telling you.
Speaker 1:I don't even know where it is because I haven't taken it. I know you won't take it. You won't take it. You were like take an Advil no.
Speaker 2:How many of y'all would get your arm cut off and not take a pain med?
Speaker 1:I don't take it when they redid both my jaws.
Speaker 2:Well, I don't know how. I can't see how painful that was 26 pieces of metal in my face.
Speaker 1:That made me look like Frankenstein. That made me look like Frankenstein.
Speaker 2:Don't use his words.
Speaker 1:That was Freddy Krueger and the Elephant man. That's his words.
Speaker 2:Connect the dot.
Speaker 1:That was. If you were bored on a Saturday night, you could take a sugar cane marker and lift all the dots and be entertained for years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was probably in your book, yes, in your art news there.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:So y'all go read those books.
Speaker 1:And they're wondering why you read them.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to read them. I'm not going to read the first one. I tried to read her first book, y'all.
Speaker 1:Who Kicked?
Speaker 2:You Right by Victoria Curie, and I could not.
Speaker 1:You didn't get through a page.
Speaker 2:I couldn't get through a page and a half.
Speaker 1:It was too much pollen. The second book.
Speaker 2:I did sit here and assist her by going over some of the things I suck at grammar. But you know, a second pair of eyes does.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can see how well it does. Oh my God.
Speaker 2:It helps, uh-huh. So that's all it did, but it was all her.
Speaker 1:And what'd you think of it?
Speaker 2:You have to learn a lot more about your narcissistic parents.
Speaker 1:Those are your in-laws.
Speaker 2:No, I'm not claiming them If you can't even say they're your mom and dad, they're my sperm and egg donor.
Speaker 1:See, you don't claim your parent, you don't claim your mom, I claim my dad. Okay, I claim your dad, but you don't claim your mom.
Speaker 2:Hey dad.
Speaker 1:Dad, his dad. You call him dad, call him, I call him dad. Carlos told me I could call him dad. Okay, yeah, he said that you actually got one he liked for once.
Speaker 2:Oh, Beautiful redhead Looks freaking awesome. My wife's on this happy journey. Right now she's dieting.
Speaker 1:I've plateaued and I can't. I'm not doing it with shots. I'm not doing it with any medication prescription pills, nothing. I'm doing it.
Speaker 2:With me.
Speaker 1:PG-13. Just finish your sentence. I'm not dieting with the assistance of medication that's right or shots or anything of that nature, and I've kind of like plateaued and I haven't lost anything in a few days and I'm not happy about it. So of that nature, and I've kind of like plateaued and I haven't lost anything in a few days and I'm not happy about it.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah, yeah, and I'm supporting my wife yeah, uh-huh.
Speaker 1:Do you know many women who are already moody, yet alone. You better be glad I'm not moody, because a lot of women would have swacked you. This isn't moody. This isn't moody for being like okay, you know how, every once in a while, you go to the grocery store and, like Edmunds, have those like little bite sized donuts and it's like four donuts equals 250 calories. Well, I know every calorie that I intake and so I have a headache. I have secondary concussion syndrome, so I get headaches really bad. And I have to have my unsweet tea for caffeine. That's my only vice is my unsweet tea.
Speaker 1:And so I tried to eat half of one donut, which equals 25 calories, because I broke it down and my husband who any other woman out there who's ever been on a diet would have absolutely made him eat their foot he was like you're not going to open it, are you? You're not going to eat half a donut, are you? You're not going to? No, babe, babe, don't you want me to support you? You don't want to eat half that donut? No, you don't, don't do it, don't do it. And I showed him it was half a donut and he put me on a guilt trip. Should have packed my bag half of a freaking donut. Hey, rusty bear, I got it.
Speaker 2:He is winking at me, sweet baby boy the old adam west batman series that's where you got schwat from Sweet Baby Boy. The old Adam West Batman series that's where you got SWAC from.
Speaker 1:I've never seen that series. You've never seen the series SWAC.
Speaker 2:How do you say it SWAC?
Speaker 1:How many words do you make up in the redneck dictionary?
Speaker 2:SWAC is not a redneck word, jeff, jeff.
Speaker 1:Get Jeff on the phone. Rusty is Faith's service dog and just the sweetest, most loving gentle giant ever. He's a big game retriever. He's a big boy, but he's a sweet boy. And then there's my over here, who's just as sweet as he can be.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm. And then there's my over here, who's just as sweet as he can be, all right. So we want to thank y'all for continuing to follow us, and those of y'all who have donated in the past. Thank you, those of y'all who actually go out and buy the books that we shamelessly plug here. I'm very proud of my wife. I wish y'all would read her books and then review them. Apparently, one of them can be life-changing. I can't speak for my parents because I'm not going to read it. I can't read it. It's way too tough. So I just want to say thank you all to you Megan's out there who are listening and continue to support us, even though our website's down right now. So there, can I help you Take us out? No, no, help you take us out. Woman, our listeners want to hear you.
Speaker 2:Yes, they do, no, they don't what was the last celebrity interview you did or conversation? Dana in your series who's there? Series conversation Dana Dana Mm-hmm. In your series Dark Narc who's there?
Speaker 1:Help. I'm Gasping for.
Speaker 2:Air yeah, series, yeah, and then who was the celebrity before?
Speaker 1:that Is that your word?
Speaker 2:of the day. Who was it?
Speaker 1:Scott.
Speaker 2:Hamilton, scott Hamilton. Thank you again, scott, for coming on the show. Bye, so thank y'all for listening and we appreciate it. We'll let you know about the website. Contagious Smile Unstoppable Is off the air.
