Dealings with the "Blue"

I decided to throw in a random area of my life: my personal interactions with the police...

First ticket was for speeding, of course. I was in grade 11 and had just received my report card. Probably the first one of the year because I was euphoric. My marks/grades were always best at the beginning of a school year. My enthusiasm always waned as the year went on. Anyway, I remember going up a hill and pushing the car faster and faster. At the top of the hill, I actually got some air! Of course that's when I noticed the cop car poking out of the alley. When those lights went on, I was mortified. I pulled over, trembling with fear. It took all my self-control not to cry while talking with the officer, but I did not cry. Perhaps I did later but I can't recall. I got a ticket for going 74 in a 50 zone. Whoops. I even thanked the officer. Parent programming at fault.

My second ticket, still in grade 11, was for failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign. This has got to be both the easiest and lamest ticket to get. Cops handing these babies out have no pride. I was on the way to volunteer at the hospital (no joke) and got pulled over. The worst part was that the volunteer I worked with passed by whilst this was occuring. It was a fun night.

My third encounter was the result of a fender-bender. I was still in grade 11 (I never noticed this pattern until now!). I hit a car that then hit the car in front of it. That front car was waiting to turn left so thank goodness he wasn't pushed into oncoming traffic! I was ticketed for following too closely. I took it rather than clarifying the circumstances. In actuality, I was speeding and not paying attention. Once I noticed the car stopped ahead of me, I applied the brakes but hit some ice and slid right into them. I had been coming back to school after taking off during a spare (at least I wasn't skipping). Unfortunately, it was an unauthorized outing with daddy's car.

Sometime right after high school, I got a warning for, once again, not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. The cops in Rexburg must be more lenient than the ones in Red Deer.

Fast-forward several years. I got a ticket on Valentine's Day for not noticing that I was in a school zone. This was ironic to me because I was on Elbow Drive and knew there were always cops there and so was making sure I didn't go over 50. Bryan Adams distracted me. Please forgive me. I also got a warning for not having my current address on my driver's license. Beware! You only have a week or so to take care of that after moving! Anyway, the kids were in the car with me and Taylor was so excited about the police car. At least one of us was.