A Kick in the Head

This weekend we loaded up the kids and our overnight bags, and drove an hour and a half to visit some friends for their son's 2nd birthday party, and also some fun adult time after the kids went to bed.

The trip started off with a bang, literally. I was standing next to the truck, bending over to help Noah zip his coat. As I stood up, I banged my head quite squarely on the open passenger door behind me. That may not sound like a big deal. It was. I struck right at the base of my skull, I think on the corner of the door, and immediately developed a goose egg the size of a golf ball.

I stood for a moment in some type of shock, then belted out a strangled "AUURRRRGGGHH!" and then dropped to the ground. Now, understand, I wasn't knocked to the ground by the force of the impact. Instead, it was some kind of instinctual move. I told Ben later that I just felt like it was important that I get down as low as possible. So I ended up half in and half out of the truck, my upper body laying on the floormat on the passenger side, my legs in the driveway, one foot planted firmly in the snowbank.

I laid like that for a minute or so, moaning strangely and still somewhat dazed. Ben, who had been buckling Sophie in on the other side of the truck, and who was not able to come over to my side because of the combination of both doors being ajar and the massive snowbank alongside the driveway, called to me stupidly. "Diane? Um, Diane? Are you okay?" as I lay groaning amidst the discarded straw paper and random loose change on the floor of the truck.

Finally, I stood up. Ben still didn't quite understand what had happened. He tried to ask me, I started answering him, and then burst into uncontrollable laughter. I seriously couldn't stop laughing. At the same time, I started feeling like my tongue was too big for my mouth. So here I am, laughing hysterically, still trying to answer Ben's questions, and rolling my tongue in and out of my mouth like a flipping idiot. I looked for all the world like I had lost my marbles.

A few minutes later, I was able to compose myself. That's when we discovered the gigantic knot on the back of my head, and Ben wondered aloud whether he should take me to the hospital. Really nothing they would have done for me there, except warn me about a concussion and tell Ben not to let me fall asleep for the next few hours, so we decided to forego any medical care and foraged on our way. I had a raging headache for a few hours, but overall nothing too bad.

Birthday party was a success, kids and adults had a very nice time, and I didn't pass out or throw up or anything.

Victory.

Travis, Noah, Katie, Sophie, Holly, Ganon, Tanner

Edited to add this picture of the kids at the party, watching a movie before bedtime. How cute is that?