My Bad Girl Days...

I KNOW I promised this story a while back, and though I got a very small response from people interested in hearing the story, who am I to withhold my best story from those that ARE interested just because I didn't get a lot of comments. Maybe I'll get lots of comments AFTER I post it! :)

MY THREE TICKETS:

I was 17 when I finally got my drivers license. Due to my wonderful older sisters and their horrible driving records my mother made it quite clear to me that if I so much as get a SINGLE ticket she would take my license away until I moved out. Needless to say I was a pretty careful driver. SO there was this bridge that connected my hometown to a slightly bigger city, and on either side of the bridge was well, NOTHING. The teeny tiny airport was off on one side but otherwise there was absolutely nothing but a small stream and lots of over grown plants and fields... The speed limit was 45 across the bridge. Most drivers went around 60. It was January 1st, and I had been out running errands for my mom. I had my two younger brothers in one of the back seats of my moms 12 SEATER VAN (We called her Vanna White- as in Van of White...). SO here I am, 5'4" about 95 pounds behind the wheel of a HUGE white van that was probably hanging pretty close to the ground seeing as how I was carrying a load of fire wood in the back. We had removed all but one seat to fit all the wood in. Talk about a kickin' new year, huh? Hauling wood and little brothers all over town. YAY. Well, I hit this bridge going well under the expected 60, but over the posted 45. And though I was not the fastest moving vehicle on the road, I WAS the one that the cop pulled over. When he stopped me he asked me if I knew why I was pulled over. I prolly should have said, No. But I didn't. I said, "I was speeding?" He said, "Yeah. You were going 52 in a 45." And of course in my head I am like, "WHAT? You pulled me over for 7 MPH!? Are ya kidding?!" Then he says, "BUT- thats not really why I pulled you over. Your tags are expired."
"Really, when did they expire?" I ask.
"December."
(In my head, "WHAT!? YESTERDAY?!")
"Oh." I respond.
"License and registration please."

So of course I pull out my license. But for the life of me I can't find any proof that I am insured. I had only had my license for a few weeks, and though I did show proof of my MOM'S insurance, OBVIOUSLY that wasn't enough. So the jerk wrote me three tickets.
1) Speeding (7 MPH over the limit)
2) Expired Tags (BY A DAY!)
3) No (proof of) insurance

I head on my way home, and am trying REALLY HARD not to cry. I just KNOW mom is gonna take my license away. Sure enough, when I got home I grabbed my mail on the way in and what do I find in the box? The new tags and proof that I am insured! This was just too much for me. I break down crying to my mom and tell her my sad story. She just laughed. OF course it wasn't my fault that the tags and insurance weren't updated yet, so she let me keep my license. Even though I did get the speeding ticket, she figured spending ALL DAY in traffic school was punishment enough. UGH! Hope that cop met his quota for January!

MY TWO WARRANTS

Joe and I were married in December of 2000. I was still 19 (for a couple months). When we got back from our honeymoon I went and got a new license with my married name. I had moved from my home state of California to here about 6 months before, but had held off getting a new license cause I knew I was getting married and figured I would wait for that. So thats what I did! I got my license (in UT back in the day, they printed the license up, right on the spot) complete with awful picture and new name. Well, a month or so later Joe and I went to State Farm to get car insurance on our "new" vehicle (Joe's dad gave us one of his cars). While I was at work Joe went to set up the insurance. The State Farm office happened to be located across the street from my work. So, Joe shows up at work, and says. "Um, we can't get insurance yet."
"Why?" I ask.
"Um, because there is a warrant out for your arrest..."
"WHAT?! Why? What for?!"
"They wouldn't say- they just said to call DMV."

So I did! Turns out that when I got my new license they didn't charge me enough for it, and they had sent me the remaining bill in the mail. I never got it. Seems our apartment complex FREQUENTLY doesn't get mail from DMV. When I didn't pay up in time, they put a warrant out for me. Yeah- so I cleared it up and paid over the phone. When I asked how much I owed, they answered, "5 dollars."

!?!?!?!?

About a week later I got a big bundle of mail from back home in CA. When I moved out of my moms house, she started collecting my mail for me and would occasionally put it all in a big envelope and mail it off to me in UT. This was one of those times. I started riffling through all the junk mail when I came across a very official piece of mail that most people DREAD. It was a jury summons. UCK! Luckily, here I was in UT and had a great excuse for not going to jury duty! So I opened it up and thats when I noticed that the summons was 3 MONTHS OLD! I was like, "Awww, CRAP!" So I get on the phone and call the courthouse back in my hometown. I explained that I had moved to UT around 7 months earlier and had just gotten my forwarded mail. The lady I talked to kinda laughed and said, "Its a good thing you called! I'll clear up the warrant for your arrest!"

Poor Joe had no idea he was marrying a wanted woman! :)


(A picture of me about a year after the tickets, but about a year before I got the warrants)