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Tandem 23 Life

by tammyvandeel February 27, 2021 No Comments

Tandem: “a group of two or more arranged one behind the other or used or acting in conjunction”….together

Nearly 10 years ago, I went through a painful, life-shattering divorce. After the divorce, and by the grace of God, I met a man who was also going through the same sort of trauma in his life. Together we attended a Divorce Care group at our church and spent many hours talking about how to navigate kids and finances and just healing from our wreckage that those storms of divorce created. That man that God brought into my life became my husband and together we are working on creating a new life; but one thing that we will never lose is the “together” that life brings. Life is better together. Storms are always easier to go through if you can do it tandem, together. Sometimes life feels like a nice ride on a tandem bicycle and sometimes the adventure is much more like a tandem skydive, but no matter what life throws at us, together is so much better.

23 – Celebration of Life: Psalm 23

Ironically both of us have birthdays on the 23rd of the month. His birthday is January 23 and mine, October 23. One time we went to the foot doctor and they asked for our birthdays. He said his was 01/23/74 and then when I was asked mine, I said 10/23/74. The doctor laughed and said, “Not HIS birthday, what is YOURS?” We have said the 23rd is a good day to celebrate. Also, we have built our life (and a BBQ business!) off of Psalm 23. The Psalm starts out talking about the Lord being a shepherd and how the shepherd takes good care of his sheep. We love having that guide in our lives. Also it goes on to say, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…” There are days in the last few years that I have been in that valley, down in the ravine where storms are ever present and so real. It is so comforting to know that I have a wonderful shepherd right there with me comforting me and holding me when times get tough. Yes, 23 is a celebration of life!

LIFE!

Flowers, French Fries, Coffee and BBQ….those spell Life! That’s what being together is all about! Life may get tough, but doing the things we love together makes life worth living. If you are going through a rough time, or just feeling down, I would encourage you to look for the things in life that you love (yes, french fries are high on my list!) and just spend time with someone you love: a spouse, a friend, a family member enjoying the things you love! That is what life is all about! THAT makes Sam Smile!

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Why I Cry

by tammyvandeel February 7, 2021 No Comments

I cry. Yes, that’s a fact. I cry. A lot. I cry when I am sad. I cry when I am happy. I cry when I see someone else cry. I cry when I am overwhelmed. I cry when I am angry. I cry when I feel sick. I cry when I am overjoyed. I cry for no reason at all. I cry when I hear a song that has a special meaning. I cry when I read a book that is emotional. I cry when a bride walks down the isle, even if I don’t even know her. Yes, I cry.

What is wrong with me?!

I have spent so much time apologizing for my tears and feeling embarrassed by my emotions. For years I wondered why this was happening to me and how I could stop it. I would sit in church or at a movie and make myself think of something like the smell of pizza or the things I had to do the next day – things without meaning so that I wouldn’t cry. So many times I would put on my sunglasses to hide the tears and black eyes showing off my smeared mascara.

Limbic Encephalitis

In the end of 2018 I was diagnosed with Limbic Encephalitis. After years of fighting these strange symptoms, I finally found a doctor who located an antibody fighting my LGI1 gene and my limbic system. Finally, a reason for the crying! Your limbic system is the system in your body that controls your emotions. My own body was fighting my emotions and my muscles and my memory. Not only did this cause me to cry, but I would get angry and forget things. I also started having “focal seizures”. Talk about scary! But finally came the relief that my crying and “messed up emotions” finally had some meaning behind them. Well, long story short, I had some strong infusion treatments and I am happy to say that the crazy antibody that was wreaking havoc in my body is GONE! Yep, you guessed it, TEARS of joy! However, the antibody is gone…..but the crying? ….Nope! – Sam still cries! A lot!

I CRY because I CARE!

I care. I am sensitive. I am passionate. When I see something unjust that makes me angry, I cry. When I see something that makes me elated, tears of joy stream. Sometimes the tears come from way down deep – a place where there are hurts or pains or emotions that I don’t even know are there. I am learning that we all have a story, and my tears and crying are part of my story. A big part of my story. So, are my emotions “messed up”? I don’t think so. I think the word is empathetic or sympathetic or maybe just vulnerable. That’s me, and I’m learning to be proud of my tears. I’m also learning that if something makes me cry, there is meaning behind it and I need to do something about whatever it is making the tears rush.

Do Something!

So I wear my tears with pride knowing that those tears are potentially the beginning something incredible. Matthew West wrote a song, “Do Something” where he talks about taking action. God created my emotions to bring tears to stir up an awareness of something deep inside of me….not to feel sorry for myself. As a matter of fact, I don’t cry so much when I am going through my own storms. I am a “bottler” – I keep those emotions stuffed inside (not healthy, I would NOT recommend this, and I am working on changing this) and it’s not until someone else is going through something that I feel the need to cry. I am thinking hard on those tears and trying to use my own stormy past to “do something” with those tears. I’m pretty sure that’s why God allowed those dark, tough events to take place in my life. The parts of my story where I can help others not just by crying for them, but where I actually take the time to think about the tears and what I can do about the feelings that they represent. So, Sam is a cryer, and proud of it! I’m not going to sit and dwell on the past and cry about it, I am going to “Do Something”!

YOU can Cry Too!

I love to help others…add to that the fact that I am an emotional person, I’m asking you to let ME help YOU! Please comment below (or wherever you see a place to comment on this post) something that makes you cry – tears of sadness, tears of joy, tears of struggle – it doesn’t matter! Yes, share your story and I can share mine, we can help each other and know that we are not alone in our tears – let’s not just cry, let’s DO SOMETHING! Please help make Sam Smile (and cry – lol)

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Imperfect Family… Perfect Christmas

by tammyvandeel December 26, 2020 No Comments

Here I am sitting all alone on Christmas morning, waiting for my family to wake up to open the presents that I stood wrapping tirelessly for hours the other night. My body is tired, but my heart is happy, and I can’t help but smile. While I love scrolling through Facebook and Instagram peering into the lives of perfect families and perfect Christmas parties, I sit here looking at my own kitchen and wondering why I don’t ever get those “perfect” family pictures to share with the world. Then I look around at my dirty stove that didn’t get cleaned and realize that exhausted me just couldn’t do one more thing before crashing into bed last night. Then it hit me…I realized that the stove top is dirty from the cookies I baked this week and from the amazing steak dinner that my husband cooked for me and we shared together last night in the quiet house that we had for about one hour…and I smiled.

Late into the Christmas Eve, the kids started showing up one by one and soon the chaos began. Laughter and shrieks accompanied stories and catching up and playing video games and so much more. A pizza in the oven after midnight and finally some much needed sleep. The tree lights are unplugged from the wall with one body fast asleep on the couch and the the tree skirt is in a wad under the tree from the dogs playing a game of chase and using the tree as a safety post. The pile of presents is eagerly waiting to be ripped open once the gang wakes up, and the stockings are stuffed and ready. Again, my body was exhausted, but my heart – full. Crazy, imperfect family, but perfect Christmas Eve.

The First Christmas….Imperfect Yet So Perfect

This chaos reminds me of the first Christmas. The baby born in a stable, no room in the Inn, so much chaos surrounding this first Christmas Eve. And then the baby was born. The baby that would save the world from sin. Yes, that crazy Christmas Eve brought about the perfect gift for all, the birth of the Messiah! For that I am thankful, for that I will smile.

Imperfect Family – the Perfect Christmas Blessing

My imperfect family makes me realize just how blessed I am. I have so much to be thankful for. I cannot post “perfect” family pictures because perfect is not what I was called to be. It’s through the imperfections that I can see that God is working in each one of my children’s lives in such different ways. I’m thankful to have a husband who knows what true love is and has so much to give. We have a life that is so not perfect, but we have love and each other and a family that makes us smile. The memories we have made along that way make living life possible. I am proud to say that I am part of this imperfect family and though it’s exhausting and not for one minute do I ever have my act together, all of that is what makes for the perfect Christmas. Because of my imperfect family and that first imperfect Christmas Eve, I realize that I am perfectly blessed and this will again be the Perfect Christmas. And THAT makes Sam Smile!

Here’s the gang! Perfect Christmas!

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If God brought me to it, He will bring me through it!

by tammyvandeel December 5, 2020 No Comments

I was busy trying to place student teachers for the spring semester the other day, something that has posed quite a challenge this year with the pandemic in our world. When contacting a student to ask about a different type of placement than what she was thinking, she responded with, “I’m up for the challenge, I mean, if God brought me to it, He’ll bring me through it.” NOT the response I was expecting. Not the response I would have initially given. Not the response many of us, if we are honest, probably give when we are faced with a challenge. Life is so full of challenges this year, and I have to admit, although I try to smile and be joyful, doing so is extremely difficult right now. I’m so thankful for the student that reminded me that nothing is to big for God. I often think that so many things are “too big” to handle and I wonder how I am going to make it through. I know people sometimes say, “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle”…..LIE. He sure does! But as the smart student says, He will get me through anything that he puts in my path. Now that gives me peace, and maybe helps me to smile again knowing that the obstacles in front of me are NOT too big for God.

God’s “Rainbow Promise”

God promised Noah that he would never again flood the earth. What a comfort to know that in the midst of my storms, I can see the rainbow through the stormy waves. Again comes rushing the thought that nothing is impossible, and that I can get through any storm because of the promise that after the storm there is a rainbow waiting for me – I CAN get through it! So can you! Hold tight and ride out the storm. “If God brought me to it, He will bring me through it.” And even better, there’s a rainbow there to remind me. When I was a kid, my sister did a science project on prisms and how rainbows actually happen. I don’t remember much about the project, but for some reason, it brought about a fascination of rainbows and how they form. Rainbows (prisms) come from light being filtered through condensation (water!). I am not a science expert and would love to research exactly what that means, but for years I remember searching for rainbows and finding them in the most unusual places – like a puddle after a rainstorm or in my backyard next to the slip-n-slide. One thing that all of the rainbows had in common was that they were formed by water – usually some sort of water that was formed by a “storm” or a burst of condensation – and sunshine. What a cool God we have to have created rainbows! I smile when I see rainbows and know that I will make it through the obstacle and storms in my life.

Build a Bridge

Sometimes obstacles in my life seem so big that I just don’t have any idea how I am going to get through the crazy path of life where the obstacles are. If I sit back and look around I can see that God places tools in my life to “build a bridge” over the water or over the path. Not far from where I live there is a major roadway and there was a railroad crossing with old, rugged tracks where daily trains stopped traffic for hours during the evening rush hour or during the morning commute. A few years ago, the railroad company invested a large sum of money to build a massive bridge over the tracks so that they wouldn’t have to stop traffic every day. The construction took awhile and the inconveniences were rough during the building of the bridge, but it all paid off and now the problem has been solved. Sometimes, as in the picture above, it is hard to see, but the bridge is right there in the setting where your obstacle is. You just need to take a step back and look around and see what it is that God has provided to build a bridge. It may take some time, but “If God brings me to it, He will bring me through it.”

Light on the Other Side

If all else fails, and I can’t seem to find the promises and hope, I just lift my head. There’s a thing called “Faith” and I often hear God whisper to my heart, “Trust me”. Oh do I struggle with that. Over and over I need to be taught this lesson. I want to know the plan, and I want to know it now! But sometimes I need to just know that the time to “know the plan” is not now. If I lift my head just a little and sit back, I will see that there is light on the other side, and that is all that I need to know right now. That is the hope and the peace that brings the smile – the genuine, I-can-do-this smile, the broken-but-beautiful smile, the confident smile, the true-joy-in-the-moment smile. I sit on the rock and look up at the light on the other side and think to myself, “If God brought me to it, He will bring me through it”, and I smile.

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FEAR…A LIAR?

by tammyvandeel November 15, 2020 No Comments

There’s a line in a song that says, “Fear, he is a liar…” Makes me think. Is there truth to that? As I think about fear, I struggle with this lyric….

“Logical Fears?”

Yes, I have a fear of spiders! Is that a “logical” fear? Maybe. Sometimes. But mostly No. My fear of spiders is not due to the fact that the spiders in my basement are poisonous and I might die if one of them bites me. There ARE poisonous spiders, and they can make people very sick, and some are even lethal, but my fear is…ummm, that they will crawl up my pants, and I will maybe dance and scream and look like a complete weirdo to the neighbors and anyone that might see this hilarious-yet-mortifying scene.

“Help, I’m falling!” Have you ever woken up from a dream falling, falling, falling, just about to hit the bottom and WHAM! you wake up? The fear of heights, the fear of falling….this seems like a “logical fear”.

My son has a fear of heights (well at least he used to until he started working on rooftops). I remember him as a little child walking far away from the edge of a railing just to not have to look down; there was NO chance of falling in this case. No, the fear of heights is not a “logical fear”. However, the fear of heights saves lives! It causes people to be cautious when hiking in the mountains or near a dangerous ravine. It has also saved people from jumping to their death when looking down from a tall structure or bridge. In this case, I’m thankful for that fear.

FEAR OF FAILURE!

….And there it is, the BIG one, the FEAR OF FAILURE! This is the one I struggle with most. I believe that all the other “fears” in my life stem from this one. They all go deeper. My fear of spiders is really a fear of failure, failure to be able to put on the mask and “suck it up”. These days society looks down upon failure of any sort. You have to be strong, you have to be successful, failure is NOT an option. That terrifies me! I have failed so many times and in so many ways. Sam’s Smile is often a mask, a fake smile. I hurt, but I smile. I say that “I’m fine” when I’m not. Yes, one more failure to add to my list.

A few years ago, my husband and I started a business, “Tandem 23 BBQ”. We had big dreams for this business and went to the accountant, bought a trailer to house his massive smokers, and made it a reality. After doing a few tiresome events, with Dan working 60 hours a week on the railroad and chronic illness stepping into my life, we had to shut down shop….failure. However, a few days ago, we sat looking back at pictures of the events and the joyful times we had with our kids all serving – there were genuine smiles all over the place in those pictures and in our memories. Was it really a failure? In the books (and our pockets) yes, but this “failure” taught us so much and brought us so much joy.

Chronic illness….ugh! Failure at it’s best. I have had 2 different diagnoses – one found in the midst of 50 plus scans and tests, and one found by blood work which turned out to be “false positive”. The total in scans and tests has reached nearly 70! and I can’t even count the number of times my poor puny veins (and I mean that – stinks to have tiny veins!) have had to be poked. After treatment for the first diagnosis, limbic encephalitis, the antibody wreaking the havoc and causing scary, horrible symptoms disappeared – Praise God – I’m cured!…..until about 6 months after my last treatment….here come the symptoms back again….my greatest fear, my failure! “I must suck it up and put on a smile because I can’t do this search again” were the constant thoughts running through my mind. Fast forward a year later and another diagnosis (proven false positive by one of the best doctors at Mayo Clinic) and I am still struggling to understand the havoc going on in my body. Constant strange things continue to haunt me. So much fear of the unknown. HOWEVER, again, through this process, this failure, I look back and find so much joy. I have learned so much through this uncertain time of “failure”. Not only that, my marriage has grown and I have realized the love that my husband has for me – real love, and that surely brings joy. We make the best of the doctors appointments and find many new “hidden” places of enjoyment along the way. It’s been a roller coaster ride, that’s for sure, but I’m so glad to be on this roller coaster with my best friend. This fear of never feeling like my “old self” again may never go away, but the fear of failure in this case is a liar…..

FEAR….HE IS A LIAR!

After adding up all the different fear in my life, I have come to a conclusion that, logical or not, fear IS a liar! Sometimes it’s necessary to feel the fear, but listening to his voice and dwelling upon it is dangerous. I also realize that speaking your fears out loud is healthy and helps not only for growth, but to find what you are passionate about. Passions lead to success, NOT failure! Now that’s a reason to smile!

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Daffodil or Narcissus?

by tammyvandeel September 15, 2020 No Comments

Flowers make Sam Smile. Through a lot of trials, I realized that seeing, smelling and taking care of flowers is amazing therapy for the hurting soul, mind, and body. There are certain flowers and certain colors that really speak to me, especially when I am down. The daffodil is one of them. Any yellow flower speaks sunshine and smiles to me, but the daffodil holds a special place in my heart. The daffodil is one of the first flowers to bloom in the midwest in the spring. It brings one of the first signs of life after a sometimes long, cold, rough winter.

The Language of Flowers

A few years back, while sitting in the waiting room at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, I began surfing the internet perusing flowers and their colors and meanings. I realized that there were so many different meanings for each flower, depending on which website you studied. A friend of mine led me to a very intriguing book of a girl who had nothing – no possessions, no money, no home. Through a series of mishaps, she was drawn to flowers and through this fascination and an observant foster mom, she realized the joy and the hope that came from flowers in many ways. Homeless and rolling in the flowerbeds led her to discover the tranquility and deep-seeded raw emotions that the flowers brought to her lonely life. It was while reading this book that I realized that flowers had meaning, and depending on the time (era), the color, and the viewpoint, many flowers had true meaning that would give me joy and hope in the midst of some difficult days. And of course…smiles!

The Color Yellow

To me the color yellow signals light. Light in the darkness, sunshine and warmth. Yellow is a warm color and makes me feel happy. I think of the smiley face emoji’s when I think of yellow. Yellow is a bold, illuminating color that spreads cheer wherever it shows up in life. Yellow also signifies caution, like in the center of the stoplight – yellow means proceed with caution. This makes sense because the human eye processes the color yellow before any other color, and it is the most dramatic and stands out on the color spectrum. Did you know that in China, adult movies are called “Yellow Movies”? or that in Japan yellow represents courage? Just like the daffodil flower is also called a narcissus, yellow is complex and has many different and somewhat opposing attributes in just a sole unique primary color.

The Daffodil

The meaning of the daffodil breathes creativity and inspiration. The flower symbolizes awareness and inner reflection. A bunch of daffodils begs for forgiveness and suggests rebirth and new beginnings. In other countries, it symbolizes good fortune and joy. In France the daffodil is a sign of hope, and the Arabians look to the flower as a cure for baldness. In the United States, the American Cancer Foundation uses the daffodil to represent hope for a cure from the dreaded disease. It is also the flower of the month of March in America.

The Narcissus

Although the narcissus flower is the same flower as the daffodil, the ardor of the narcissus is quite the opposite. The narcissus flower brings about narcissism and is thought to be egocentric. It predicts misfortune in the future and self-obsession. Even though there are these negative attributes and meanings of the narcissus, it still signals new birth and new beginnings, just with a bit of a different twist! The positive twist is a meaning of self-confidence and ambition.

Mixed Messages

There is a theory that suggests that if you give a single flower – daffodil OR narcissus – there is an indication of wishing “misfortune” but if you give a bunch of the flowers, you are offering “happiness” and “joy”.

One Flower, Two Names, What a Mystery – Makes Sam Smile!

Daffodil, Narcissus – it doesn’t matter! The shared feeling of new beginnings is a reason to smile. There are so many things in my life that have the potential to drag me down, it’s refreshing to think of warm yellow flowers that boast joy. I am in the middle of writing a book about narcissism and dealing with difficult relationships and this post reminds me that although narcissists are self-centered and difficult to relate to, there often is another side to them if we can just look deeper and understand that other side. In my research, I have found that sometimes the best way to handle a narcissist is to just smile and walk away knowing that God created everyone different. And please don’t ever give me a single narcissus – I’ll know what you are trying to say. Give Sam a bunch of daffodils, and you will definitely see Sam Smile!

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Are you hurting? Can I make you smile?

by tammyvandeel September 5, 2020 8 Comments

Are You Hurting….?

Are you hurting? I know you answered, “YES” to that question. Everyone has some element of hurt in their life. Right now, so many things in our world are just plain depressing, and I could spend days listing the ways that people are hurting. It makes me sad when others hurt. But, for some odd reason, when I see a person who is in pain – emotional pain, physical pain, or even hidden pain, I feel an incredible drive to encourage that person. I have a passion to see the truly downcast face find a way to smile. My grandpa used to always say, “Turn that frown upside-down!”

Can I Make You Smile…?

So, did you smile when you saw that monkey posing in a wedding dress holding flowers like she is a bride in a wedding? Ok, so maybe you don’t have the love of all of those things like I do, but I bet you smiled at least a little. I mean, who doesn’t love monkeys?! I just love the monkey house at the zoo – they are the funniest, most joyful animals! I just love watching them. And even though I cry like a baby every time I sit in a church and watch a beautiful (although this monkey really isn’t beautiful, which makes this even cuter!) bride walk down the isle, I can’t help but smile. And if you know Sam, you know that I love flowers AND my favorite color is red – Nuff said!

Smiling is extremely therapeutic for hurting people. I can’t even begin to tell you things that have happened in my life that have made me hurt. I also can’t tell you the amount of things in my life that have made me smile. I have a “bag of smiles” piled up in case I need to grab one in the midst of a trial.

Better Yet, How About a Good Laugh…?

Sometimes I catch “Big Papa” sitting on the other side of the couch just laughing away with his head buried in his phone. He has discovered that there are really funny videos on the internet and tiktok. His laughing is contagious, and I often can’t help myself but laugh along with him even though I have no idea what’s on the other side of the screen. Another thing we do is we watch the game show, “Family Feud” together. Ok, if you don’t laugh when you watch that show, you need to attend my “Learn to Laugh” class (well, I actually don’t teach that class, but I’m getting ideas!! – insert smile). Other times we just sit down and think of all the crazy adventures we have had in our six short years together and we just have to laugh – stick with me, I’ll be sharing some of those – trust me, you will laugh too!

Are You Up for a Challenge….?

So, hurting people need to smile. That’s it. I challenge you to think of all the things that make you smile or laugh. Look around your house, look outside, in your car – find them all! You will be amazed at how many things there are in your hurting, depressing life that will make you smile or laugh if you will allow them to. Things that have been special to you in some way or another, or maybe it’s the thing that was the biggest “oops” in your life that you can look back at and laugh till you cry about now that brings a smile to your spirit. Take a few minutes to pause and think about these things.

Create Your Own “Bag of Smiles”….

Now that you have thought about the things that make you laugh and smile, make yourself a list of those things….an old fashioned list with pen and paper. Cut them apart and put them in a bag. (I did this with my students once and we wrote them on popsicle sticks and put them in a jar – maybe you like that better!) There WILL be a time that you are so down that you just need to smile and this bag (or jar) will come in handy!

Make Sam Smile!

Finally, I have said it before, seeing other people smile fills me up. Please comment on this post and let me know some of the things that make you laugh or smile! Sam needs to add to her “bag of smiles”. Thanks for helping Sam Smile!

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OCEANS

by tammyvandeel September 1, 2020 No Comments

“Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders.” The song, “Oceans” speaks of trust and bringing me to a place where I trust without borders. There are three pictures above. Each picture displays what my “ocean” has been at different times of my life. I often think of the ocean as a beautiful, vast body of water with a warm sand beach (you can’t see me sitting on the side with a tall, ice-cold, fruity drink in my hand). I listen to the song about the ocean and it calms me and comforts me knowing that it is a beautiful place to sit beside.

Then…the storm comes! During these storms, the ocean is not the comfortable, beautiful place with the warm, sandy beach, and I find myself thrown in the middle of the stormy waters trying to keep my head afloat. Now that trust is much more difficult and I pray for borders and some relief.

Finally, the waves calm down and I begin to see the sun breaking through the clouds. The ocean is still large and the waves are still there, only now they are smaller and if I look really hard, I can see a lighthouse in the distance.

I am thankful to know that it was God who was my life preserver when the waves were so treacherous that I didn’t know if I was going to make it. He has never left my side regardless if the waves were great big or if it was calm and I was sitting on the beach. And the lessons I have learned about myself during the storms have been truly inspiring and almost worth the waves.

Dan, “Big Papa” has a completely different view of the song. God seems to communicate to him that everything is going to turn out when he hears the song. There have been so many different situations that he has been searching for an answer or doubting himself and the song comes on the station. It is amazingly cool how God does that for Dan.

Sam Smiles? Yep, even in the stormy ocean, Sam smiles! Many times I smile through tears, but I smile because I know that God created the ocean and he is beside me to help me handle any wave that may come along. Even better yet, I know that God will use my ocean to help others – now that’s a reason to smile!

I’d love to hear about your ocean or your storm. I’ve said it before, Sam loves to help or pray for people; that really fills me up and makes me smile. Please comment below about your ocean and how I can pray for you!

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Therapy Time….

by tammyvandeel August 1, 2020 2 Comments

Sam loves it when prom comes along! I started putting together prom bouquets when my sweet daughter was in high school. Like many frugile mothers, I realized the cost the boys were having to spend by going to the florist to get bouquets made for the girls only to find them dumped next to the dance floor halfway through the night. Back track to a rough roller coaster time in my life when I realized that tinkering around with my own flower pots in the summertime was true therapy for me and this all just fit together! Soon, my sister and a few others realized this therapeutic event for me could be beneficial to them and their kiddos and….WALLAH! Sam’s flower shop opened – bonus! Actually, double bonus, because not only does it make Sam smile, but I LOVE to see the smile on the faces of the girls as they see their flowers and nothing makes Sam smile more than to see other people smile! Yep, in so many ways, flowers make Sam Smile!!

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Brain MRI in a cute outfit – makes Sam Smile!

by tammyvandeel July 30, 2020 No Comments

So this starts Sam Smiles 411…a brain MRI in Arizona! This is a bit backwards, but sometimes I feel that is how my life is – backwards! I hope to start at the beginning and tell of all of my adventures of the last few years, but sometimes doing that, makes me a little downcast (I’ve learned to NEVER say depressed or the doctors will leave you with that – a depressed, anxious person and often stop listening). So, THIS picture was the last brain MRI that I had (I think I have had a total of 6 to date) and it made me smile! And that makes all of this crazy adventure that I plan to tell you about in this blog worth it. OK – for the story….so, usually you get this ugly, pale and depressing, light blue gown to wear during a scan. Well, this nice lady at the Mayo Clinic in AZ brought in this cute outfit – every girl loves pink – AND white jogger-like pants. Sam was stylin and smilin! Oh yea….and the socks…..

Smiley Socks

Mayo Clinic always gives you these no slip socks to wear in the scans. They have a smiley face on them that looks you right in the face as you are lying in narrow little tube. Your head is strapped into this big device and they shove earplugs in your ears (like that does anything for the noise). BUT if you open your eyes and peer down the tube towards your feet, you can see your feet at the very end of the tunnel. How can you not smile when you see that cheesy grin lookin at you?! The best part is they let you take them home – I have about 4 pairs of smiley socks! There is nothing better than snuggling up by the fireplace on a cold winter day with a great book and a smile! Yep, Sam Smiles!!