I wish I had a photo.

Truly.

We had our Class of 94 girls weekend this past weekend at Lewis and Clark Reservoir. The girls have been doing it for 9 years, but this is the first year I've been able to make it. My high school friends are wonderful people who literally make up my earliest memories. I've known most of them since Kindergarten or earlier! They mean the world to me, despite the miles between us and the months between visits.

This weekend our cabin's grill was on the fritz. The gas worked, but the ignitor wouldn't. Our old grill was like that -- the ignitor completely dead -- so I volunteered to start the grill, sans ignitor.

You know where this is going, don't you...

I walked out to the grill, and the gas smell was so strong. We turned it off to let it dissipate. I checked all the connections, but everything looked fine. Then I went inside to find something to serve as a long match. I decided upon a folded flat, used-up paper towel roll. Then I had to find someone with a lighter. All this took about 5 minutes. I thought that was probably long enough for the gas to dissipate.

So Joan and I approached the grill. Unfortunately out of order, I turned on the grill, then lit the end of the papert towel roll (which didn't light as easily as I had anticipated).

I slowly put the paper towel roll into the grill.

Suddenly: whoosh!!!

Followed immediately with: sssssssss.

I'm sure in the ball of flame I closed my eyes, but quickly opened them WIDE searching out just how much of my hair was on fire.

Thankfully nothing as actually aflame.

But I did singe a nice chunk of my hair on the left side of my head, my right eyebrow, and the baby hairs on my hairline.

Yikes!!! (Again, thankfully none of it's noticable - the the smell is still with me a couple days later).

Realizing that I'm OK (as confirmed by a very concerned Joan), I grinned as a plan unfolded in my mind. I quickly moved out of sight from the rest of the girls in the house. I ratted my hair up just as high as it could go. Then I took the soot from the paper towel roll and dabbed it all over my face. Joan and I were laughing so hard I was crying.

Then I went inside, tears of laughter actually looking like tears of hysteria. With my hair a mess and soot all over my face, I said, "Oh my gosh, you guys! Did you see that?!"

My friends had looks of horror on their faces. Leah came running over and shook my shoulders saying, "I told you not to do it!!! I told you!!!" Bridget looked a little bit sick and speechless. She kept saying, "Are you serious? Did that really happen? Are you OK?" Tears were in her eyes.

I kept telling them that yes, the grill blew up in my face...which it did. The horror on their faces continued.

Finally I broke down and told them the truth, that while the grill DID blow up on me, ither than a couple singed places, I was completely fine and unharmed.

I got 'em good!!! Ha ha ha!!!