Never a Dull Moment

I think that sometimes I must be partially insane - when I look at some of the things that happen to me, and then I contrast it with the lives of those around me, who all seem to be having perfectly normal, lovely, uneventful lives - not to say they're BORING - but that things run a natural course, repeatedly without interruption - and my life - well this is a fast moving train, and I never seem to know where it's going. (I am having insomnia tonight - it is 12:39 and I normally can't hold my eyelids open much past 11 - so this may be a weird post I delete in the morning - hopefully before anyone reads it!)

JenIG's post entitled "Weird People are More Creative" got me to thinking the other day - about how many times I have experienced absolutely unusual things - and when I tell the story to others, they just can't believe that really happened. For instance, a friend and I with our five children got lost last March (2004) on the Appalachain trail only miles from our home - but with children who were overly tired that we couldn't carry anymore, we simply could not find our exit. I used the very last of my cell phone battery to talk to my husband who sought help for us, while we cuddled up the seven of us underneath emergency blankets by a felled (is that a word?) tree singing any song that came to our head. AND the rescue party sent out to find us never did - we were found by my friend Christin's husband Dan - whom to this day is my "big hero". He took us back to their cozy log home and gave us hot drinks and a short reprieve before going home. That Sunday at church we were presented with certificates from our Pastor in recognition for our great service in increasing the Intercessory Prayer lives of the members of our congregation (or something like that) - and for worship they thought it would be funny to sing "Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?" Here's how clueless I am - I am ON the worship team and didn't get that they chose that song to pick on us! DO OTHER PEOPLE HAVE CRAZY LIVES LIKE THIS??? I don't think so.

Okay so all of this to segue into the story about last night. I had taken my kids and a couple of tag-alongs (as usual) to Christian Skate Night in a neighboring county last night. Like I said, I am not usually up that late - preferring in my older age to be a morning person - whereas in my twenties I used to be a night-owl and a morning person. (I know I'm rambling but bear with me, there is a story here - I think I used the wrong "bear" homonym didn't I?) Okay, so anyway, since we have only one car and were out of bread and milk, I had to stop off at the store on my way home at 10-ish (it isn't easy to get four teenagers moving in the same direction - even though skating ended at 9:30) - and then I had to drop my daughter's friend, Tayva off at her house which is quite a ways away from my own - so we're at around 11ish now - after the store and the friend's house. When we get near town, I remember that my husband and I had showed the kids this big old house we had dreamed of buying before we bought the one that we did, and I thought I would swing in through that neighborhood on the way home so they could show another friend, Devan who lives closer to our house - whom we hadn't dropped off yet. In so doing, I thought I had arrived at the road where I wanted to turn very suddenly, and made a very quick left - even though the direction of our home would have been to continue straight. I drove up an unfamiliar hill rather quickly, and suddenly found that my car went off the end of the road and I was in a grove of trees. It was so strange - and as I was trying to explain it to the kids, even 8 year old Kullen said, "Mommy this isn't where we live." I realized what I had done, and started laughing so hard that I couldn't tell them it wasn't the road I thought it was, but that I did turn left on purpose. It was one of those eyes watering so bad you can't see, sides hurting from laughing so hard, snorting, hysterical "I can't catch my breath" moments. We were all in absolute hysteria! I know the people that lived in that little neighborhood thought there was a demon possed, drug crazed driver who drove up their street, off the end of the road, and now sat, unable to drive in the car screaming - with laughter of course - but who knows if they could tell that!

What is the moral of this little story - life is never dull in our family - but maybe I am the one creating the chaos. I know I am weird, but I promise I am not trying. One of my daughters had a scrolling screensaver not long ago that said something to the effect, "Calling me normal is an insult". They just want to be identified as a part of our family!!! Aw, I'm having a warm fuzzy moment - could that mean I am half-asleep and should go to bed now? Do you think this weird post will help me earn points in JenIG's contest? I wasn't trying - but hey, maybe I'll sneak over there and try not to wake her and ask her to check it out!