A Very Stupid Thing to Do

Apparently my brain wasn't functioning properly this week. The kids and I were in the backyard attempting to burn a pile of brush. The fire wasn't cooperating, so I very wisely suggested that Dustin get me a little bit of gasoline to help encourage the flames to spread. Not quite sure why this didn't strike me as a dangerous course of action, but I honestly didn't even pause to consider the potential hazards. I casually tossed a little gas into the fire, and the next thing I knew, my arm was on fire, too. I can only guess that the flame followed the source and the fumes back to the small can in my hand and that I subsequently splashed the remaining gas onto my arm. Once I realized I was on fire, I tossed the can and proceeded to "stop, drop, and roll." Meanwhile, the tossed can (and accompanying flames) landed beside Dustin and caught his leg on fire. Apparently he didn't remember the stop, drop, and roll routine and ran instead. Now that things have calmed down significantly, we are both just thankful that our clothing didn't catch on fire. I can't begin to explain the pain, the regret, or the stupidity I have felt over the past several days. Some lessons are learned the hard way. This is one I really should have figured out without experiencing it, though.

Here are the pictures my family has been begging for. We didn't think to get any pictures before we went to the ER - go figure. These were taken the next day. My arm and Dustin's leg...

On day 3...

This is us today (day 4) - still in a good amount of pain. We're hoping that we will heal quickly without infection or permanent scarring. It's definitely not fun.