We've got a golden ticket!

Mike was lost.  Looking for a laundromat to clean the comforter Macy threw up on.  He called me on his cell to get directions, so I sat on the computer trying to guide him off my mapquest map not having any idea which direction he was driving.  Needless to say, he got turned around a few time and rolled through a couple stop signs in the process.  Getting pulled over the second time.  He got a ticket, a nice $250 ticket (Could have been worse.  During certain hours of the day in Austin there is a $200 fine for being on a cell phone while driving in a school zone).

This morning I got pulled over as well, for going 9 over in a school zone.  I was distracted trying to get the kids to school on time,  talking to them about if all their homework was done and still being unfamilar with the area (and with no slow cars in front of me to remind me),  I didn't notice where the school zone started (Utah has nice flashing lights to help out).  The sherrif wrote up the ticket while Ali stressed in the back seat about whether or not they were going to be late for school.  He walked away to print out my copy, giving me just enough time to tally up that Mike and I now had to come up $500 for tickets.  When he came back he let me know that he had clocked me at 900 feet away going 34 in a 25 school zone.  The school zone sign was 400 feet away, so I got a warning since he didn't clock me in the school zone.  I thanked him, got the kids to school on time and took special notice on the way home where the school zone begins.  My only hopeful thought was, "Maybe that means I was atleast within the 35 mph speed limit."  So I looked for speed limit signs further up the street.  Nope.  That street was 25 mph the whole way... no change in speed for the school zone.  So he could have just changed my ticket to speeding and didn't.  That's a miracle in my book.

Moral of the Story:  When there's no chocolate or Oompa-Loompas involved, golden tickets just aren't as much fun.