The Here and Now and My First Ever Ticket

I really do enjoy going through old pictures. Each one is a part of who I am and how my life has evolved into what it is now. That's one of the reasons I do those posts. I see a picture and remember everything I was doing at the time. After that wedding the hubby and I were dancing at? I morphed into Harley Chick and we went riding at night. It was so much fun.

Now onto the whole ticket thing. Well, I personally feel it was unjustified and stupid but hey, who doesn't right? Seriously though. It was around 8:30 p.m. last summer. I live in a very small town and our only grocery store closes at 9 p.m. I suddenly realized I was out of baby formula! Or close to it anyway so I needed to make a quick trip to the store. The hubby was working nights and had taken the car so I had to take the giant Suburban that we owned. This thing is huge and compared to my small body I feel like an ant driving it.

Anyway I had all four kids and we had to pile into the vehicle. I buckled in the baby into her car seat. The oldest got into the front with me and the younger two who at the time were 8 and 6 climbed into the very back. I as always instructed them to each buckle in. Normally my 6 year old would be in a car seat. Due to Illinois law I had always been told under 8 are supposed to be in a car seat. The hubby had the car though, which had the car seat. I had no choice but to make this trip to the store. The other option would be to starve my baby. Seriously...no baby sitters. I had no choice. We packed into the vehicle and saw this double rainbow in the sky over our house. It was beautiful! So the girls are all ooohing and ahhhhing over it and I pull into the store. I put the car into park and then I noticed the flashing lights. Seriously my house is like a few blocks from the grocery store. I thought CRAP. I knew I wasn't speeding? Everyone was buckled? Well the cop comes up and starts talking. It's really hot. The baby is crying. The grocery store is closing in minutes. =/ He looks at my older daughter whom he had thought was not wearing a seat belt. She was...she just pushes it off her shoulder which I always get on to her about.

Then he looks way into the back and asks how old my 6 year old is. I honestly tell him she is 6. He then informs me he has to give me a ticket for not having her in a car seat. Later I was reading up on this law and it seems that it's under 8 unless they are over 40 lbs. I could be wrong but if this is the case she is well over that. I never fought it though because this ticket required me to go to court!!! My husband had to miss work, drive around in the city nearest us with FOUR kids including my infant child while me, the hardened criminal sat in a court room for about 3 hours. I saw people getting arrested. The judge kept getting up and leaving the room. The people started to get mad and complain. The court attendant or whatever he is starting threatening people with cops. I wanted to cry. I was smooshed up against the side of these long pew type benches. People were sitting head to head. This girl next to me kept laughing and saying things out loud and wanting to leave. I was waiting for a riot to happen. The cops DID come in there and I just wanted to leave.

Finally my name was called and they said I could plead guilty or request a bench trial by jury or judge. WTF? Sorry. I didn't have the 3 to 4 hours to spare for this much less MORE time. I didn't understand the law really well anyway so I just went with it. I finally got out of there, paid $75 PLUS court costs. All of this because a mother of four desperately needed formula and her near 7 year old wasn't in a freaking car seat. We put her in it all the time and the ONE time my hubby had it. I hated even driving that suburban.

And yes that was my very first and ONLY ticket. Everyone was buckled in except my 6 year old but I never knew if she unbuckled herself at the store or not. She claimed she did but she's so far in the back there is no way I could know for sure. But let me tell you, my girls KNOW that they are to buckle up. I am strict about it and not just because the law says so but because I love my kids and want them to be safe.

I felt like a common criminal. So there...that is my only run in with the law. LOL I did manage to get the formula...as every worker and patron stared me down. I knew they were all talking about the chick who got pulled over in the parking lot. Though I was already parked...so whatever. I guess the cop had a slow night.