Hi, I'm Dani, and I have a parking problem.

Just a scratch. Or ten.

I do many stupid things. Everyone pretty much hears about all of them, since I'm such an outspoken person online. The latest was backing out of the garage and scraping the side of my van on the side, also slightly damaging the trim of the garage. Hey- at least the door still works!

Anyway, I was thinking about parking, and how many times I've had a costly issue. I really do suck at it, and what I discovered while having this trip down memory lane is that every time it happened, I was IN A VAN. You would think after 20+ years I would learn, or at least own a smaller vehicle!

* 1990. The place? Slide Rock, Sedona. Yes, this newly-driving 18-year-old, with a van full of her fellow tired teen friends, forgot that there was a concrete divider separating the parking spaces. So instead of backing out, I went forward. And stopped. Then continued moving forward, grimacing at the scraping sound underneath us. I almost made it home free too, until my foster Dad came in from outside the next day and asked, "why is the license plate bent?"

It's not as bad as it looks. Really!

* 2004 (I think). The place? San Diego, CA. My sister Katie and I were there for our friend Tasha's baby shower. Katie had rented a van. She was also pregnant at the time. The one time she asks me to drive, the van is in a parking garage next to one of those big concrete supports. You guessed it- scraped the side backing out. 

*2006. The place? DT Tempe. I was meeting someone for lunch, and parked my new van where? THE PARKING GARAGE. Well, I parked it after I went too wide turning and hit the concrete support next to the space. That one we just left alone, and were very lucky it wasn't noticed when we traded it for the current one.

This time though, not so lucky. Personally I don't really care how it looks, but I guess at some point we'll get rid of it and it needs to look ok. Bret didn't like my Sharpie idea, so tomorrow I will go get an estimate, and keep my fingers crossed that if it comes out under our deductible, that it's WAY under. 

Obviously, I need to stop driving altogether. Or just hire a valet. Maybe this guy is available? He's got enough money, he would totally work for free, right?