FEELING LIKE IT WAS MY LUCKY DAY

You know the drill? Your cruising along, radio jammin', and all of a sudden...you see them. You see the lights in your side view mirror on your car door.
You turn down your radio ASAP and then check your rear view mirror to see if he is "really" there or to see if you maybe - just maybe - you only imagined him to be there. Then, after you determine that he is "really" there, you are then playing Russian roulette with your brain on whether or not he is technically after "YOU" or if he is just trying to get around you to reach the guy or car ahead of you.And finally - it's official. HE WANTS YOU!

The lights are spinning and the sirens are roaring. You. are. humiliated. You pull over - wondering how long he has really been behind you until you realized his presence. As you reach for your drivers license and registration, your heart is pounding. You have shortness of breath and decide that you might just be dying. ;)

This was how my morning played out today as I made a quick jaunt down the street on our new side of town to go find a dunkin' donuts of all places - for the kids, Brent, and I. I had Kenidi with me in the car but Brennen stayed behind back at the house with Brent. I was in another world and truly had no idea what "ALL" I had done to receive this wonderful wake up call this morning from Mr. Friendly.He approaches my window and was nothing short of "furious!!!" I say that with every exclamation point possible. I mean livid. Talk about shortness of breath - he was ticked! He apparently didn't like how I made a hard dart left to capture a turn that I needed to make way back about 2 miles before. Then, he didn't like how once I made the left turn into the office park I was cutting thru, that I pretty much rolled thru a stop sign rather than coming to a complete stop. I'll confess - I'm a sinner - big time - when it comes to stop signs. Stop signs and I usually have a pact together...if its a dead area - and no cops are around - I'm good just to roll on thru. However, this time, Mr. Friendly was behind me when I did the infamous roll thru and I didn't have any idea. Why? Well, lets just say that Kenidi Grace and I were rockin' it out to my Ipod, sun roof open, feeling the sunshine on our faces, and enjoying this stunningly beautiful Sunday morning. I also had my rear view mirror turned cockeyed and downward from the night before when I was reapplying my lip liner and lip gloss in it. My rolling of stop signs never even really registers because I'm so bad about doing it. Again, I'm confessing. Forgive me father for I have sinned. :) The hard left turn was and is an everyday thing when someone has just realized that they are about to miss their turn.

However, his main frustration came from how long it apparently took me to realize he was behind me. So, let me just re-cap for you. I made a hard left turn that he didn't like. I rolled thru a stop sign and he didn't like that. Then, it took him about a mile and a half - 2 miles to get me to pull over because I HAD NO IDEA HE WAS EVEN THERE. Bad Angie, Bad Angie! Dang Ipod! That thing is going to land me in jail one day. I'm surprised I didn't look up and find a county full of police officers and sheriffs behind me given how long it took me to realize he was there. He was probably radioing for backup as he finally got me to stop.

Good G-A-W-D! I was mortified. Thank heavens they didn't whip out the stop sticks on me.

So, he pulls me over and basically asks me what in God's green earth I was thinking. He tells me every infraction and law I've just broken. He then asks me again in so many words...what on God's green earth were you thinking, etc. It was at that moment that I realized how much trouble I was in. This wasn't just your typical speeding traffic stop. I had literally accomplished breaking just about every traffic law possible in about 2.2 seconds of time. But wait...there was more.

When I realized how much trouble I was about to be in, aside from the praying to God I was already doing to please let me off without a citation today, I quickly realized I had to change this officers "state." Yes...change his state. Brent taught me that line years ago after listening to Tony Robbins (Anthony Robbins) motivational speaking tapes for years on end. Changing peoples state of mind when needed. It's proven to be pretty effective at times but I had no idea whether it was going to work today or not. I needed to change his state of mind or I was doomed! So, I began to kill him with kindness. I apologized 50 times all while explaining that I was new to the area in the past week and just got turned around while trying to find a certain place. (No, I didn't dare tell him I was looking for a dunkin' donuts!) I admitted my law breaking and said that I honestly had no idea that I was even doing it. I was truly in another world and told him that. When he asked me why I wasn't stopping, I said that my IPOD and this beautiful sunny day had gotten the best of me and that I was listening to my radio quite loudly. I then pointed out to him how my rear view mirror was turned down toward me rather than facing the road behind me and that I never saw him until I caught a glimpse of his lights in my side mirror.

He eventually asks for my drivers license and registration which I already had in hand - ready and waiting. He goes back to his car and sits for a few minutes like they always do. Again, I'm praying. Dear Jesus, please don't let this guy give me a ticket today. I'm sorry. So sorry God. I'm repenting and promise that I'll pay better attention next time. Again, we all know the drill right?

Then, my heart begins pounding again as I see the officer swing open his car door and step out. Here he comes. I'm trying to tell whether he has a ticket in his hand, a warning slip, or what. Low and behold...he comes back to my window with just my license and registration. He proceeds to tell me that even though I'm NOT wearing my seat belt and I committed multiple traffic offenses back there, that he is going to let me off the hook today. He said he was glad to see that I had the decency to have my daughter buckled up properly in the back seat. (See, I told you he was ticked) I began thanking him repeatedly and assured him that I would pay better attention next time. He assured me that I had best not pull out of that parking lot without my seat belt on as we drove away. I was free! Thank you Jesus! It apparently was my lucky day. God was obviously looking out for my checkbook this morning. ;)

As I called Brent from my cell to tell him that his morning donuts were going to be a bit delayed and why...he conveniently reminded me that I had an expired drivers license. It had expired back at the end of June on my birthday but I was waiting to have it renewed once we got here - in the new house - with a new city, address, etc. We had been in Florida from the end of June until the beginning of August so I knew I couldn't get it renewed even if I had wanted to - until I returned to Indy. So...not only did I make a hard left turn, roll thru a stop sign, not stop in a timely fashion for the officer and was failing to wear my seat belt, but I was also driving on an expired license. WOWZERS! Thankfully, the officer must have never even noticed because he didn't say anything to me about it. Maybe he did notice but still decided to let me go given all of the other issues too. What's one more? Who knows? All I know is that God was on my side this morning and shouldn't have been. Just like most times in life, I was in the wrong and God shouldn't have been there to save me or bail me out so to speak. But time and time again, he is. There is no other explanation for it. I'm thanking him and my lucky stars this morning. Needless to say, Kenidi Grace and I drove home with the music "off" and remained quiet.

Until the next drive and the next jam that pops up on the Ipod anyhow...ha ha!

Hugs, Angie