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
Home Depot Dad Moment
Howdy, y'all. Welcome to another episode of A Contagious Smile Unstoppable with your host, Michael, and the sexy host over yonder, the red-headed vixen that she is, who has survived over 100 surgeries for domestic violence. The author of 43 books. I'm sorry, 44. She's working on 44.
SPEAKER_01:46. He just doesn't keep counting.
SPEAKER_00:Well, that's typical. Victoria Cure.
SPEAKER_01:My husband is trying to be all cute, sweet, and endearing because he doesn't want me to talk about the Home Depot.
SPEAKER_00:Do not, woman, I swear to you.
SPEAKER_01:So help me. I have to. Don't do it. Don't do it. You have to. Sorry. I have to. So last night, I am. So last night we go to Home Depot. Home Depot. The man's candy store, right? And we're walking around trying to get measurements and prices for stuff because our father, my father-in-law, his dad, moved in and we're having to build a wing or whatever you want to call it on for him. So we're walking around, and this woman, about 35-ish, says, Can I ask you a question to Michael? And he's like, sure. And she's like, I'm trying to put a shelf together for my grandmother's funeral flowers. And I don't know what the guess the hangers or the brackets or whatever would go on which shelf, whatever. So she sees not funny. She sees him and goes, Oh, you kind of look like my dad. Or and then he's like, What? And then she goes, You smell like a dad too. And at this point, I'm so glad that I used a weird dracar. The restroom prior to this, because I think there would have been a cleanup in that aisle. Because I would have pissed in Home Depot on the floor at this point. So then she goes, Well, you know, I just don't know. I'm trying to figure out, blah, blah, blah, blah. And she's talking and talking. And then he goes, Are you hitting on me? And she goes, Oh my God, no, you're not even my type. And I am literally just cracking up. And then she's like, Well, you understand, right? Because he's your dad. Drop mic. Drop the mic, right? First thing I think of is Dad Gummet, why isn't Faith here? This would have been classic.
SPEAKER_00:It was not funny.
SPEAKER_01:Then number two is I'm like, Dad Gummet, why am I not recording and asking to do this again? So she's like, Well, that's your dad, right? And I'm like, wait, wait, wait, hold on. You think he's my dad? And she goes, Well, yeah, isn't he? I told her she made my millennium.
SPEAKER_00:I instantly hated her.
SPEAKER_01:So he's like, that's not my daughter, that's my wife. And then she puts this face, like the really confused, what? Like the minion, what face and goes, really?
SPEAKER_00:You laughing up, buttercup.
SPEAKER_01:So I'm like, oh, I love you. I told her I was like, I love you. This is great. And so for the remainder of the time, which isn't like another hour, as all women know, as we're walking around every single aisle up and down of Home Depot, I go ahead and start calling my husband dad. Oh, dad. And when he starts to walk away from me, I'm like, Daddy, where are you going? So then we walk by and he sees the girl, the woman, again at the end of the store, and he's like, you know, I don't like you right now. So he looks at me in Home Depot. I literally have tears in my eyes. No, it's not pollen as he calls it. And he looks at me and goes, Woman, shut up. And so I'm like, Oh my god, how could you say that to me? That's so hurtful. That's abusive.
SPEAKER_00:How can you I am not abused?
SPEAKER_01:So I was like, I have feelings, you know. How could you say such a thing to your to your daughter? I mean, really, I I'm I'm calling my child, grandpa. You're in big trouble. And he was just, he was, I mean, he's as red as his shirt is right now, which was just phenomenal. So that's how our evening was last night. And I just thought, and then right as all this happens, he looks at me and goes, No. I said, No, what? He goes, This is not going in the podcast. I'm like, oh, I'm leading off with this bad boy. Are you kidding me? This is great. So from now on, he's not Michael, he's daddy.
SPEAKER_00:Do not do not call me daddy. Okay.
SPEAKER_01:Great. This is great. So I even have your dad calling you dad. This is phenomenal.
SPEAKER_00:This is so he thought it was hilarious.
SPEAKER_01:Faith thought it was hilarious. She wanted to pay the woman. She thought this was great. So that was how that started. So, dad, what's new and exciting with you?
SPEAKER_00:Seriously?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Oh man. Uh, we're in the process of building um additional wing, like my wife said, for my my dad. His daughter. My real dad. Who's taking a turn for the worst, sort of speak? But we're we're getting them better. We're trying to get them on the road to help the recovery. You know, your parents take care of you. Kids not always. Kids take care of their parents. Supposed to.
SPEAKER_01:Well, not all parents take care of their kids.
SPEAKER_00:But like a like we've told you a thousand times on this show, y'all get your day and paperwork in order, your wills, your trust, your power of attorney, your guardianship, your code of seal, what are your amendments? Your what? Amendments for amendments.
SPEAKER_01:What the heck is that?
SPEAKER_00:Amendments.
SPEAKER_01:Is it like full?
SPEAKER_00:It's like full.
SPEAKER_01:It's like full?
SPEAKER_00:No.
SPEAKER_01:No?
SPEAKER_00:No.
SPEAKER_01:Your hello, Dad.
SPEAKER_00:Power attorney, medical power attorney, all that. I slipped out of the pink or I bet you like this.
SPEAKER_01:Keep it. That's we are not from there, and that is disgusting, Dad. I expect an apology immensely, like right now.
SPEAKER_00:You just not from where? Alabama? Yeah. You can't you you are butt hurt their feelings. We're pretty dang close. Where are we here in? Where?
SPEAKER_01:How do you say the state?
SPEAKER_00:Joja.
SPEAKER_01:What?
SPEAKER_00:We're in Joja.
SPEAKER_01:Georgia. Oh my god. Georgia.
SPEAKER_00:Not in the country.
SPEAKER_01:We are in the country.
SPEAKER_00:We're in the country, but not the country.
SPEAKER_01:We're in the country. Because for the love of God, it took us three hours just shy to come home from the doctor. Yeah. One way. And it's like, huh. I mean, really? And do people these days purchase vehicles without turn signals? Because none of them know how to use them. And I seem to be like one of the only people. A, I let people out. I always let people in front of me because I'd rather do that than be in it in an accident. Two, I always wave and say thank you. And I'm one freaking armed. And I still wave and say thank you. These momos have two arms, maybe one brain cell, but two arms, and nobody says thank you when I let them in. Nobody. I'm just saying. Totally not okay. Not okay. I mean, how long does it take you to be nice? People have no problem being nasty, so why don't you try and be a little bit nice there, buddy? Because you know, it's the holidays, and try it and see how it works for you.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So what's going on with the contagious smile? Where are we at?
SPEAKER_01:Oh my god. So, okay. So I have been reached out to by many, many magazines. For those of you that do or may not know, I write for four different magazines. It's actually three to four depending, that I write for constantly. And I just did an article about Thanksgiving dinner with your narcissistic family and how to cope, how to cope with them, how to deal with them. And I made it really comical. So it's kind of in a fun, lift your spirit way on how to handle, you know, the critiquing that you get when they come around, thank God, once a year only, you know, and you and you have to deal with it where you're cooking all day long and they critique everything you do, and you know, you just want to like uh, you know, and you have to woos off for a minute. So that article's out there, and then Victoria Cure. Oh god, here we go. Thanks, Dad. So then I've been asked to do five different full page, or not I do them, but I have been asked to be interviewed for five different full page articles by the end of the year because for some reason I was voted this little award, which I'm so humbled by.
SPEAKER_00:And the title is like 25 words.
SPEAKER_01:It's not, it's international global domestic violence survivor of the year.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, way too many.
SPEAKER_01:That's like eight words, not 25. And so that, and we were awarded first trauma-informed survived academy worldwide. And we got like six awards in the last few months, and so I was reached out to and asked if they could do like five different articles for five different publications, and then I've had a bunch of other, I don't want to name names yet, publications that also want to do some articles as well, which is really exciting because I'm hoping that what it does is it brings awareness to maybe some people who also want to donate during this holiday time so that we can continue to offer free opportunities for healing and growth to those that need it. So that's kind of what it I'm hoping for there. In the process of that, doing lots of paperwork, lots of research, lots of cleaning up of other people's dirty messes.
SPEAKER_00:Remember that paperwork I told y'all to take care of, get it in order, and notarized with witnesses that are not your family members.
SPEAKER_01:And don't have a notary sign something that happens to be your family because they can't notarize something that they could benefit from.
SPEAKER_00:Just anyway. If y'all haven't, jump on a Contagious Mile website and click over to the Academy and check out the 1240 something courses in there. 134. Okay, I was close.
SPEAKER_01:I haven't written one. This is the longest I've gone without writing a course. I'm failing withdrawals. I'm just saying.
SPEAKER_00:Like me too. We haven't been to the gun range.
SPEAKER_01:Man, I'm missing that something fierce.
SPEAKER_00:We should have went today. Well, we can't.
SPEAKER_01:But and not only that, but it we've been in the ER quite a bit with our dad here lately, and then getting all this other stuff in order and getting ready for the addition and incompetence and ignorance of companies. I want to just talk. Sorry, I'm gonna do it. I don't give a shit. Beep. I'm just saying, okay, God forbid something happens to somebody in like the workforce. Because what are you about to do? Don't pull my thing. So, anyway, so PG. I'm keeping it PG. Listen, here's the thing when I had an executive position in the corporate world, my assistant was diabetic and she ran out of time off, right? I gave her some of my time. And HR was like, yeah, and some of HR was like, well, you know, you get like 10 times a year what she makes. Okay, well, you know what? Then one of my days should equal a week for her, and so give it to her. Because sometimes things are well without your knowledge or you know, your control. Thank you. So, for instance, if you have a loved one that's sick or you have a loved one that uh passes away, you know, there's bereavement for a reason. You know, you're not limited to, oh, you can't have but one family member pass away a year or whatever. Anyway, this is just a little tidbit of what could be coming because our my husband lost his sister not long ago, and then his mother-in-law passes away very suddenly out of nowhere, not even a week after his dad had a brain bleed and was in the hospital. And we end up rushing down to be there with him, and my husband doesn't even take bereavement from the passing. But let's also remember that I'm special needs. Faith has had, you know, some life-saving, altering surgeries because we almost lost her two years. I can't believe it's almost two years, coming up on two years now. And my husband is the number one highest ranking five-star person at his company. He has over a thousand five-star reviews. Okay, shit happens, right? Shit happens. But when you have to take off work because you are rushed by ambulance, your father is rushed by ambulance to the hospital, and there's major life-threatening stuff going on. You know, how about a little compassion, some understanding? Now, in all fairness, you know, I I play devil's advocate and look at both sides. Now, in fairness, you know, my husband doesn't get paid if he doesn't work. Well, for at least a couple months now, they haven't had hardly any jobs, and they have a ton of people doing his his technical work. So even though when they're all there and he didn't take off work, he was still coming home around lunchtime because there were no jobs. Now, my husband, being my husband, calls every single day. Do you have work? Do you have work? Do you have work? Do you have work? Do you have work? And they don't have anything. So he ends up going home, right? So you still have that many technicians out there, and it's this is the slowest time of the year. And I have yet to go forward and mention names of company or anything else, and I am CYA at the moment, at the moment, right? So there are a lot of ocean laws here, there's federal laws or state laws, things like that. Like the instance, you can't, you know, the perception, don't judge me. I have freedom of speech.
SPEAKER_00:Just don't tip your hand right there.
SPEAKER_01:Like, you know, it it's it's like a a myth that cops have to write so many tickets, right? And there's like this myth, oh, it's the end of the month, that's why there's cops everywhere, they gotta get their quota in, right? Well, apparently companies do the same. They don't care if you're elderly, you're on a budget, you have to make, you know, you're living penny to penny. They don't care, they want your money. This is what a ticket's supposed to be for every job, period. Well, if things keep going the way they're going, I am gonna be like one of those, what do they call those investigative people that like on the news where they're like, oh, we got down to the heart of it, and really just yeah, because my husband was put on probation, and there's no reason for it. And they told him that because he's on probation, he can't miss another day of work, and that's all I'm gonna say. And he's had to miss another day of work. You can't help it if you know your dad is having medical emergencies. You can't help it. And they punished him, they sent him two and a half hours away, knowing his dad was in the ER and having test after test sending him for CAT scans, imaging, MRI, x-rays, blood work. I mean, the man, God bless his thump and gizzard, looks like a pen cushion, right? Yeah, and that's all I'm saying right now. So it's an investigative report that's gonna go live if shit doesn't get straight. That's all I'm gonna say. And things will get real, and that's not a threat. As you know, in a way, I'm a journalist because we report to the people, right? And they have a right to know what's going on. And if that's the case and they want to know what's going on, then they have every right to know what's going on. And I will, and anyone who knows me knows I will praise somebody for doing a good job a thousand times over. I will go to their boss, their boss's boss, whoever I can to say thank you. They've done an amazing job. Thank you for what you have done. Because today, everybody's so quick to point their finger and bark at you and talk at you, not to you, and just want to rip your pants, you know, your head off and piss down your throat. Sorry, it's basically what it is. Then to say, hey, thank you for what you're doing, right? Thank you. And when you treat someone with respect, you get it in return. It's tenfold. But also when you do someone dirty, you don't use scare tactics. And a lot of us have spent our life hiding from those individuals or hiding from the repercussions of scare tactics. And you know, freedom of speech gives journalists the opportunity to be 1000%, you know, apparent and factual, and that's what I am, and that's what I do. I get told all the time you have way too much evidence, you have way too much proof, why do you have so much? Is because I want to make sure that whoever I'm talking to doesn't have a doubt in their mind of the hundred percent authenticity of what we're discussing. So that's a tidbit of what could be coming. Just you know, now I want to hear what my husband has to say because he's just looking at me as he's playing with his fingernails.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we'll see, we'll see how that goes. But yeah kind of piggyback off getting your paperwork in order because you never know what's gonna happen. I feel the same thing with with your loved one. You don't know what's gonna happen. You know, one day you're fine, next thing you're you're falling down the stairs, you can't go to the bathroom, your your legs are so weak you have to be picked up, you know, your your siblings or or your your children's changing, you know, your your clothes or your diaper, so to speak. You don't know what's gonna happen.
SPEAKER_01:And try to do it with some humility for them and you know, and just kind of explain that it all happens. You know, I always tell people a lot of time of this little quick story I'll share. My grandmother was the epitome of everything I wanted to be as a woman in my life, like everything. And as she got older, she had a an ostomy bag. And you know, for those people who don't know what that is, it's a bag that you poop in, basically, right? And so I knew about this. And one night we had gone to dinner, and the bag had opened up and gotten on her, and she was humiliated, she was embarrassed, she was unsure as to if everything was okay, if anybody noticed it, if anybody saw it. And that's embarrassing. And so I had gotten the waitress's attention and I asked for some chocolate milk, right? And I was younger, I wasn't even a teenager really at the time, I don't believe, at that point. And I grabbed the chocolate milk and I poured it all over my lap. And she looked at me and she's like, Why did you do that? And I was like, accidents happen, right? She used to tell me all the time all the time, if it's not messy, it's not, you know, okay, you know, like cooking or eating if you drop something. You know, some people get all upset if you've dropped something or you cook and made a mess. I mean, you know, things happen, it's life. That's why there's an eraser on the end of a pencil for crying out loud. And so to not embarrass her, because she was embarrassed, I spit I spilt chocolate milk on my lap. And so when we walked out, we matched. And it's just the humility of making sure that they, you know, have their esteem intact. I mean, it's something that can happen to any one of us at any time. And just, you know, with respect, make sure that you just let them know that they're not alone, it's not something to be embarrassed about. Things happen. Just, you know show love to them and let them realize that you know, these things happen. It's not a big deal. That's what a washer and dryer are for.
SPEAKER_00:If y'all give me just a second, I'm gonna step out and assist my dad real quick. And let me tell you how great my wife predolen.
SPEAKER_01:And like let me tell you how great our dogs have been.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, yeah. Talk about Rusty.
SPEAKER_01:Rusty has been just this, he's outside right now with him. And last night, our his father, I call him my dad, was having a problem in the bathroom. And it was in the middle of the night, and we put call buttons everywhere throughout the house, even in both bathrooms, that he would use. And he couldn't reach it. I don't know why, because they're within reach. But anyway, Rusty, who is Faith's service dog, happened to have been out there with him. She's Rusty's very fond of him, and so is Stucco. And so Rusty is out there, and he goes and gets us and lets us know that something is going on and we need to get up and and get moving. And it was just so sweet because these dogs are so smart, and they're not pets, these are family members. Rusty and Stucco are our family. And he let us know, and he's the sweetest, they both stay around us all the time. But at night, a lot of times, Rusty will sit down there and just lay at his feet and be right by his side. And it's sweet, and it's so good for your loved ones because I'm sorry, you just can't be around a sweet golden retriever and not just fall in love because they they just bring you such joy and happiness that it's just such a gift to have these sweet, sweet babies by your side, and they do let you know, they let you know if something is necessary or needed or wanted, and so that makes it a really big deal, and it makes it really, you know, a good relationship as well. So, with all that, you know, and then you have the holidays coming up. I was telling how great Rusty was right with him the whole time. I was up there watching that Rusty was right there beside him, and it's so sweet how both of them are. I mean, they're family members, they're not pets.
SPEAKER_00:So golden retrievers are just freaking phenomenal. Really? Yeah, okay. I was helping dad, but I was snuggling my wife, snoozing this morning after breakfast, and and and our dog started barking. Now, my my initial reaction is to yell at my dog, shut up, dog, I'm trying to sleep, you know.
SPEAKER_01:You don't yell at him like that, because I would never have it.
SPEAKER_00:That's my we have come to learn now that hey, there's something wrong. There's something going on. We need to get up and check it out. If it's not somebody at the front door package or somebody like that, we still need to investigate because this is what the third time, second or third time, our dog has alerted us, and you know, they're just freaking phenomenal. Their empathy towards, you know, someone who is ill or or there's something wrong. They they just know. So I'm very proud that my wife has chosen golden retrievers years ago as our service animals.
SPEAKER_01:Well, not just that, but when I came home from my amputation, Stecka was only a couple months and had had no training at all. And he came right up, and I was I was nervous because he's a big boy, and I was worried he was gonna jump up and go on that limb, right? And he didn't, he never touched it, he smelt it, but he never touched it. He smelt, he smelt, and he just laid there and he was so sweet and c and cuddly and affectionate and just loving, you know, just loving. And then it's it's sweet because when I go upstairs, stucco always goes first, and Rusty follows suit. He follows behind me, and Rusty will never go in front of me. And then when I come into the office, they one stays behind me and Stucco stays at the door. What are you looking at? Oh, yeah. We're gonna have to cut this short today because we have someone here that's here 30 minutes early, and so I'm gonna take us out really quick and apologize for the shortness. We thought we'd have another 15 minutes, so I apologize. We will do a podcast for Thanksgiving, and so we want to wish everybody a great week and we will talk with you guys soon.
SPEAKER_00:Thank y'all.
