Dang wind.

We were having a Murdock Pumpkin Carving party. It was being held in Tara's backyard. The moon was full and bright and the wind was really blowing. We had tiki torches all around the yard and some six foot tables set up on a bricked in area towards the back fence. We kept lighting, and re-lighting the torches because the wind kept blowing them out. Most of the grand kids were out at the tables doing their best to scrape out pumpkin guts and cut out crooked smiles. Aaron was helping Jessica and Adam, who were working especially hard. Auntie Tara had been helping someone remove some pumpkin guts and was at the table watching with great amusement as Jessica was becoming exasperated with the amount of wind. It kept knocking over her partially cut pumpkin. After about the third time of the pumpkin being blown away from her, Jessica looked up at the sky, waded up her fist and shook it in the air as she exclaimed loudly and with great clarity, "Damn wind!". Aaron's eyes bugged out of their sockets and he gasped with horror, "Jessica, Where did you HEAR that?!?". Jessica immediately pointed and accused her teacher, "Adom". Adom was even more shocked that he was being implicated and shouted back , "I DID NOT!". By this time, Tara could not even stand up any more. She was doubled over in fits of laughter! Aaron hurriedly chided Jessica with comments of "we don't say things like that" and "don't do it again". But the damage was done. Nothing else could be done but spread the story to everyone who was not privileged enough to hear it. Tara, after gaining the use of her legs, made her way to the back porch and recounted the events that had just happened. Jayson went into a fit of laughter, almost as crippling as Tara had. Dad was laughing so hard his eyes were tiny slits with tears running down his face, and his hand claped over his mouth. It was the topic of conversation the rest of the evening.

Of course, the story has become infamous. The phrase is used, to this day, by many to illustrate a frustration. But to the credit of everyone and the desire to NOT swear. The phrase has been diminished to "Dang wind." If you mention it to Aaron, he still gets a little sheepish looking and a laugh soon follows.