the swagger wagon lost some swagg

 Tennessee has a lot of trees.  Tennessee also has a lot of hills and a lot of really long, steep, gravel driveways with trees everywhere.  On Friday I took the girls out to my friend's dad's house to see his new puppies.  When I was leaving, I backed down this side driveway to get turned around to go down the long, steep driveway.  As I was backing up I heard a loud pop.  I turned around and saw the glass on the back window shatter.  I had hit a tree.  I was so confused because I was relying on my back up beepers to alert me if I was close (obviously I was looking behind me as well, but I was looking out the driver's side back thinking that's where most of the trees were, but my spatial awareness failed me).  The beepers never went off!  Apparently when I was cleaning out the van earlier in the week, one of the girls turned them off.  Either way, it's completely my fault and I felt like a complete idiot.  It probably wouldn't have happened if the beepers were on, but I realize now that I rely too much on them.  I took the van in but unfortunately the dent is the type they really can't get out so the rear lift gate has to be replaced.  We were thinking of just living with the dent and replacing the window but the window costs more than our insurance deductible so we are just getting the whole thing fixed.  This is the first time in my life I have ever crashed a car and hopefully it will be the last.  For now we are without the van for probably a week and a half to two weeks.  I feel so dumb about the whole thing but I keep thinking that if I am going to get in a wreck, I am glad it happened the way it did.  I mean, if I had damaged something on her dad's property that would have been way worse.  Or what if I had hit her dad's dog or one of my friend's kids or something.  Or another vehicle.  Nobody was hurt in anyway, there was no damage to the property, the van can be repaired and I am so glad I ruined something that belonged to me. Overall, it was a pretty lousy ending to a pretty lousy week!  The girls have been struggling with allergies, which means they haven't had stellar sleep and therefore a bad case of the grumpies most of the week.  My back has been bothering me on and off for weeks.  Today is the first day I feel like I can move normally.  I have also been having these really crazy nose bleeds at least once a week. I haven't had a bloody nose since I was a kid so I don't know what is going on.  They are horrible.  They will start for no reason and I will soak a few washcloths with blood.  Then an hour or two later it will start again.  I have no idea what is causing them, but if they keep happening I need to go in and see if a doctor can figure out if it's something more than changing seasons.  Here's to a fresh (and hopefully much better) week!