Trouble with the Law

I'm in trouble with the law.


It's actually a quite bogus story.

Let me tell you how it all began....


Rachel, my friend, invited us to the park one morning two weeks ago. We were up and at'em so I told her sure, we'll be there in 30. We load up --which is no easy task with three, about the time one is dressed and ready, another needs to nurse or go potty or get disciplined, so I was pretty impressed with myself that we had made it out of the house.

Driving along...

Ahead of us was a corner notorious for security forces (base police) with their radar guns. Today was different only in the fact that their vehicle was packed in the most obvious spot imaginable. As I drove by I thought, "haha, they aren't going to catch ANYONE speeding today." I get to the corner, stop and proceed.

Then, out pulls the SF car which promptly turns on it's lights.

What in the world?

I pull over, officer approaches, informs me that I did not stop at the stop sign. I disagree politely. I mean, as politely as you can when you are telling someone they are incorrect. It didn't matter. I hand them my driver's license, military ID card, proof of insurance, proof of registration, marriage license, living will, all three children's birth certificates, title to our vehicle... wait. Well, most of that.

They leave. 20 minutes later. Yes, 20 minutes. Not exaggerating. Hot car, screaming baby, Ty, and friends waiting on me at the park.

Twenty minutes.

Then they come back, inform me that my state driver's license has expired a couple months ago on my birthday.

Great.

They leave again.

Then come back 5 minutes later with two tickets. I'm informed that I need to give the tickets to my husband when he gets home and he will go tell the first Sergeant. The ticket for running a stop sign (pleading not guilty) will result in 3 points against my license, if I get too many points my driving privileges will be revoked. I'm told there is no penalty for the expired license, but I must renew it immediately.

Ok. Well, as is natural, I was upset about the tickets, mostly because I thought I DID stop at the stop sign. Mike talks to the shirt and is told that if I get stopped with an expired license again that I could get my license suspended for 6 months to a year (on base). Yikes. The next day I'm in line at the DMV 15 minutes before it opens. Twenty-two people were ahead of me in line. But I did it, renewed the license, cute picture and all.

A week later...

Mike comes home at lunch and says, "Becca, we have a problem." I look up, "Do you mean me and you have a problem?" "No," he replies, "We're on the same side." Oh good. That'll be easier.

"The problem is," he continues, "There is paperwork in place to have your license suspended."

"What!?"

Apparently, the way the ticket was written up caused someone in Security Forces to find it necessary to recommend to the Missions Support Group Commander that my license be suspended.

BTW the "Missions Support Group Commander" is a rather high ranking official, rather, meaning one of the highest on the base. You never want them to hear your name until you're say... a light Col. Otherwise it's best that they don't know of you.

Soon I will be served with paperwork and will no longer be allowed to drive on base.

The only other option is for Mike to put a package together with the hopes that we can get a waiver for me to continue driving. He will need copies of the tickets, signatures from his boss and his bosses boss (another guy that shouldn't hear about you this way), then he will write up a statement explaining why it is so important that I keep driving. He'll probably mention that I've been driving 12 years and have never had a moving violation. Ever. He'll probably mention that He deploys a lot and I need to drive the kids around. He'll probably ALSO mention that we LIVE on base.

So within a couple weeks we will know whether the Group commander is going with the recommendation of the Security Forces or if he will accept the waiver and I get to continue driving.

And if we don't get the waiver?

We will have to move.

Or...

This will be me.



BTW this is not a joke. No one at my house is laughing about it.