Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come for You?

This morning, after getting little sleep (we all have colds and Caden has been night waking), I got myself up at the crack of dawn and drove myself to traffic safety school.  You might remember my little run-in with the law a couple months back.  

On the way there, I kept thinking, "This is going to stink.  I have a zillion other things I could and should be doing today.  Why did that cop have to be so unfair?  What if I get a ticket on the way there for some silly thing like going 1 mile over the speed limit?  OH I hope that light stays green, oh MAN it turned yellow.  Go, Go Go!" and on and on.  Yeah.  My attitude needed some help (and perhaps my driving too).

When I arrived, I checked in with my instructor and, thankfully, found him to be quite pleasant. Right after he announced my name and handed me my handbook, a friendly faced turned around from her seat and smiled.  "Happi!" she said.  "Sherri!  From the Homeschool Co-op! Come, let's sit together!"  

The funny thing is, she and I had only met once, but she remembered me (of course, it's hard to forget a name like mine....but still!).

I was grateful for a friendly face and we laughed as we swapped stories about our respective driving mishaps.

I must say that I learned some things I didn't know before.  Like:  You can get a $1,000 fine for passing on the right side.  I know I've done that on the highway at some point or another.  And, if you drive 40+ mph over the speed limit, it's a $20,000 fine, a felony, and will get you 1 year in jail!  (Don't worry, mom, I don't drive that fast!)  And, in a city near us, if you go 1 mph over the speed limit, it's an automatic ticket, as they have ZERO tolerance for speeding.  WOW.  So, while I figured the class would be a total waste of time, I found myself driving more defensively on the way home....which was, of course, the whole purpose of the class!  

Anyway, all in all, it was a good day, I got through it, I spent four hours with my new friend, and I no longer have a traffic violation on my permanent record.

But let me just leave you with these parting thoughts.  Some words of wisdom for all you drivers out in bloggyland:  Follow the rules of the road, or you too may see those lovely flashing red and blue lights in your rearview.  And trust me, it's not as pretty as it sounds.