Extra Crispy

Sometimes, parents will adopt the old "Do as I say, not as I do" mentality. I never thought I'd be one of those parents. I sure proved myself wrong this week-end.

I'm a firm believer in sun screen. I will buy the best quality, highest SPF on the market and layer it on my children like cake frosting several times a day. So, you'd think, as I was preparing to attend an outdoor wedding this past Saturday (a lovely, blue-sky, blazing-sun day, I might add), that I'd automatically reach for the sun block before heading out the door.

Apparently, I was too pre-occupied to remember the sun block.

I didn't really notice the danger, truth be told. The ceremony was held at 11:00AM. Yes, the sun was right up there, beating down on the unsuspecting guests, but it wasn't as hot as it has been over the past few weeks, and there was a lovely breeze as well. Once the ceremony was over, everyone spread out to the few shady areas around the lawn, myself included. So, yeah, I was in the sun for a while, but not that long, and it wasn't that hot, so I should have been ok, right?

Unfortunately, the t-shirt I was wearing was lower cut than usual and had higher sleeves than I normally wear. This means that my standard farmer's tan left a few key, milky white areas on my body exposed to the cruel rays. Having never before seen the light of day, the top two inches of my biceps and the area between my neck and the top of my cleavage were left vulnerable to attack.

And an attack it most certainly was, my friends.

By Sunday morning, I was reaping the rewards of my forgetfulness. Can you say, "Ooooowwwww!"? I had barely slept the night before. Lying on my side meant that I had to put weight on one of my arms, which was an impossibility. Lying on my back had my boobs tugging at the skin on my chest, which felt like it was going to rip apart from the pressure. Sitting up only made my boobs apply pressure in a different direction. The very air around me hurt - before this night, I never realized air actually had a texture similar to sandpaper.

It's now three days later and I'm still gingerly tugging at the neckline of my t-shirt to relieve some of the stinging on my chest.

Learn from my mistakes, people. Never forget that sun screen, even if you're only stepping out for a moment or two, or if it doesn't feel that hot. The sun can be deceptively cruel. You wouldn't want to wind up like me, looking like someone's splashed a bottle of hot pink paint on your chest.
Technorati Tags: Sun Screen ; Sun Burn ; Outdoor ; Wedding