Again???!!!

In an effort to escape the mass chaos at my house I decided to escape to Idaho for the week-end so Grandma and Grandpa Hales could see Mark and Katie. They said they wanted to see me too but the real truth is they wanted to see the kids, and I was just an added bonus. Lauren elected not to join us on this trip because she could not tear herself away from the cousin fun occurring at my house. I loaded Mark and Katie into the car, and yes that would be my black German made car. I have to admit I was excited to drive it to Idaho, because I had not yet done a long road trip in my black German made car. We flew, and I use that term literally, up to Idaho. I do, and always will, consider Nampa home. I have too much history here to feel otherwise.

I always take the first Nampa exit and enjoy a drive through town to observe the changes to this place I still call home, but yet seems unfamiliar and removed to me. I had just turned from 16th Ave on to second street, and was making a lane change. In my nostalgic moment I did not signal my lane change. The next thing I see is the flash of familiar red and blue lights in my rear view mirror. But because the reputation of my heinous criminal conduct involving Officer 3178 has filter to Idaho, I got a siren in addition to the lights.

There I sat pulled over in my home town, by a police officer for whose law enforcement agency I used to prosecute for, suffering the humiliation of failing to signal a lane change. The officer approached, I did not recognize him, nor did I expect to. He asked for my license, registration, and insurance. I handed him my paperwork and he returned to his patrol car to verify my existence. I sat there in my car listening to the endless peppering of questions by my four year old, such as “Why does he want your license mommy?” “Are you going to jail?” “Why are his lights flashing?” “Why did we change lanes?” I contemplated my fate. Out of state driver, fancy German made car, = ticket. The ink was not even dry on my conviction for crimes against the State of Utah. I slunk down and my seat and waited and waited. The officer returned, handed me my license and insurance, and said he was going to give me a warning because I was an out of state driver and might not be familiar with the traffic laws of Idaho. He told me to make sure I signaled before making a lane change and to drive safely. I smiled at the officer and asked who his sergeant on duty was. He grinned and told me the sergeant’s name, probably thinking I was going to call him to say what an outstanding officer he was. I said “Tell Sergeant Wagoner that Tiffany Hales says ‘Hi.” Looking a little stunned the officer said he would pass the message along. I pulled away chuckling to myself that the poor officer would soon discover that the innocent out of state driver he pulled over probably knows the traffic laws in Idaho better than he does.


NOTE TO SELF: Need to make Idaho trip short. Avoid driving in areas where NPD officers hang out. Obey traffic laws. Probably an APB for a black German made car with Utah plates and a sassy blond at the helm