I feel like this week has just been a hot mess. Well, not exactly. But close. And, you know. It's funny-- as I sit here pondering what exactly it was that made it so "whew" here at the end... I'm stumped.
Granted, there was the beginning of the SOL testing. No, I'm not being crass for those of you who are NOT from Virginia... that is ACTUALLY what some brilliant person in the higher-ups-of-education thought would be the best choice for the abbreviation of our state mandated tests. "Standards of Learning". Yah. They didn't really think that one through. (And we're the ones who are going to be evaluated each year to make sure that we are properly preparing the next generation?! Just saying...)
But I digress. Yes, there was testing. And, yes, I had minimal "free" time to recover from said testing. But that wasn't necessarily "whew" material. It must be something else...
As you may remember from my previous post, March is kind of a big deal for the music world. It's our one time when we get to
Perhaps the highlight of my week was my time in court. Yes, court. As in, "All rise..." and "No talking, no gum chewing, no halter tops, no cell phones" court.
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| No, I did not get arrested... |
For those of you who know me, I have a very strict policy: I am too pretty for prison. Sadly, the registration on my car was expired. [You might recall the "Your registration is expired... as in... uh, 'AUGUST'..." incident from my previous blog-- which also includes a toe pic!] Proudly, though, the officer did inform me that I have a flawless driving record (I'll possibly share more on that small miracle in times to come). Which is why I headed to court-- to maintain that flawless driving record. I was nervous that the judge would be mean. Or that I would cry. I don't really like to be in trouble. But God was very kind to me. And so was the judge.
But the man at the metal detector was not. Why, yes. Did you know that you are not allowed to have any sort of electronic device in a courthouse? I did not. But that "gentleman" certainly did quickly inform me that I had to take my cell phone back to my car. Why, yes. I was parked a couple blocks away. Aaaaand it WAS pouring down rain. However, tempted as I was to allow a little stress tear to squeeze out, I just took a deep breath, prayed deep within my spirit, and briskly walked back to my car to deposit my fancy little phone.
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| Fortunately, I wasn't quite like this. And I was so thankful for my umbrella! |
There were about 15 different people who went before me-- of which I was grateful (you know, so that I could prepare myself for what might happen-- and steel myself to NOT cry if needed.). Fortunately for me, many of the people ahead of me were not necessarily in the running for citizen of the
There were just a few basic questions that the judge asked each defendant as they (we *sigh*) stood before him: a) What are the charges? b) How do you plead? c) Was the defendant cooperative?
Wanna guess which of those 3 questions held the most weight? If you picked "C", you are the winner. There were a couple of guys who had to pay hefty fines b/c the officer testified that they were aggressive or argumentative. As I walked up to the bench as my name was called, I smiled and said, "Good morning." The judge read my charge (expired registration) and asked how I plead. Naturally, I was guilty... (Uh... AUGust...) He then says, [to the officer] "It's obvious she was cooperative. [to me] I assume you've gotten this taken care of?" I assured him I had, showed the dutifully updated registration to the officer, and waited for the verdict. He smiles so nicely (notice: no crying) and says, "All right. I am going to dismiss the charges, but unfortunately you are going to have to pay the court costs. I'm sorry, but there isn't anything even I can do about that." That was very nice, don't you think?
Soooo... it was rather stressful to have to drive to downtown Newport News to attend traffic court. With non-citizens of the year. In the rain. But it was a relief to know that I did NOT have 3 points put on my flawless record, and I only had to pay $66 instead of the $91 (or more!) I was potentially going to have to pay.
The highlight of my week was the rare treat I allow my children: ice cream for dinner. I figured we all had earned a little treat. There wasn't much objection. So we headed to Sweet Frog. My kiddos were thrilled. And so cute. And I didn't have to cook. Win-win-win.
Dear me, I didn't even see this post! I'm so glad your record remains clear, but what an adventure and blessing! Way to not cry!
ReplyDeleteIce cream dinners are so fun every once in a while! I've done that from time to time in the summer. Sometimes it's just too hot to eat a regular full meal.