I've Done Things That Have Made Less Sense...

I'm not sure how this came about, but apparently I was challenged by Carrying a Cat by the Tail to write a blog post with this title. I don't generally come up with a title until I'm done writing a post, but I'm not one to turn away from a challenge either. After all, I've done things that have made less sense than working on a blog post from the title down (which is completely BACKWARDS! Just sayin'.)

Like the time I drove my white Mustang downtown with my friend Heather. I was probably seventeen at the time. I couldn't parallel park, so I rolled down my window, asked a complete stranger to park for me, got out of the car, and trusted them to not drive off.

Or then there was the time I got a tattoo. Just because.

Oh and let's not forget about the time I said, "I do."

Most recently, I hid my chocolate that was a gift from Julia in Sweden so my kids wouldn't find it. I can't remember where I put it.

Or giving Clayton a pair of scissors.

Of course, there was the time I tried to get tan. Fast. I used a bottle of baby oil and stayed outside all. day. long.

Or the time I might have accidentally, a little bit, hit myself in the face while doing Tae Bo.

Or letting Clayton use the markers.

Dying my hair any number of times. Or getting that perm way back when. Or cutting my bangs every time they get in my face. Basically, any decision I've ever made concerning my hair.

And there was the time I drank way too much Sambuca on the fourth of July, about 20 years ago.

Letting Clayton see where I put the lighter away.

Not jumping up to investigate immediately when I heard the deafening silence from the family room. Neon red, white, and blue frosting comes out of fabric, right?

Taking my six kids grocery shopping.

Not hiding my car keys away from Clayton.

And finally, there was the time I agreed to have dinner with a man who has six kids and lives three states away.

Of course, I learned lessons from each of these things. I learned that licorice does NOT taste good the second time around. I learned that sautéing one's skin in oil is a great idea (you know, if you want skin cancer and pain!) I learned that Clayton can turn pretty much anything into a weapon of mass destruction. I learned that neon red, white, and blue frosting does not, in fact, come out of fabric, but if you smear it around, it turns a lovely shade of purple. I learned that chocolate should be eaten immediately and not hidden away, and that exercise is highly overrated (curse you, Billy Blanks!) And I learned that there's a reason why hair stylists go to school to learn how to do hair.

But the cool thing is that God can take even the dumbest things you do and turn them around and use them for good. He took the time I said, "I do" and gave me six awesome kids. I learned from my mistake and won't be making the same one again. Taking my kids to the grocery store resulted in a successful auction of Pokemon cards and a book deal for me. I know I'll do more stupid things. I'll make mistakes. I'll stay at my computer when I really should be running to see why the kids are dragging the sprinkler into their bedrooms. But it's okay. Things have a way of working out. Life's pretty "groovy" that way.