Crazy but True

So I have a crazy story to tell. It might end up being long, but worth reading to the end!

I have had a cold and cough for 2 1/2 weeks now. After the 2 week mark, my cough started getting worse. (This was on a Sunday.) I coughed so hard so often, that I started having pain in my chest, side and back. I decided since it seemed to be getting worse instead of better that on Monday I would go to the doctor. I left my kids with my Mom and headed to Idaho Falls. While I was driving, I started to cough really bad and it hurt, so I was trying to hold my side and cough and drive all at the same time. I ended up pulling over and stopping until I could get my cough under control.

I started back on the road and drove for a while and my cough started up again. This time, I was in road construction and there was only a single lane of traffic. I didn't dare pull over so I just tried to do the best I could to stay on the road. Up ahead, I could see a cop car kind of hiding behind a piece of equipment that was part of the construction crew. I looked down and saw that I was going 65 mph. I knew the speed was 55, but during my cough attack, I must have sped up. The cop started to pull out before I even passed him. He got behind me with his lights on and pulled me over. I was still coughing my head off when he walked up to the window. The first thing he said was, "Are you okay?" I said, "Well not really. I'm on the way to the doctor and I started coughing so bad that I must not have been paying attention." He proceeded to ask for my license, registration, and insurance, which I gave him. He went back to his car and I strategically placed my bag of cough drops on the passenger seat where he could see them, and my Kleenex and water bottle in my lap. I guess I was trying to prove to him that I was not lying about my coughing and trip to the doc.

He comes back to my window and I was kind of surprised, but he hands me a ticket. I asked him what to do next time I need to pull over in the construction zone and he says, "Just pull over." I asked him a few more questions about that and then before he walked away he tells me to "Drive Safe." So I said, "Well I was trying to, but when I started coughing so bad, I was just trying to drive straight..." and when I said the word "straight" tears started to well up in my eyes. As I was fighting back the tears, he walked back to his car and I pulled back onto the road. I realized he had pulled me over right at the end of the construction zone because the first thing I saw was a 75 mph sign. So I sped up and started to pass a car.

I admit that I cried a little bit. I was mad that cop was doing his job. I was mad that I had sped in a CONSTRUCTION ZONE so that increased my ticket to $91.50. I was mad that now after being pulled over, I was going to be late for my doctor's appointment. I was just getting ready to pull back into the right lane after passing a car when I looked in my mirror and saw this:



My first thought: YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!

So thoughts in my head go from, "He's not pulling ME over" to "What did I do wrong this time - did I speed up too fast before the 75 mph sign?!?!" So I slowly merge over to the right lane and HE follows me! AHHH! So I pull over and the cop car pulls up behind me and stops. I couldn't tell if it was the same cop or not. When he gets to my window, I see that it IS the same cop except for this time he is not wearing his ranger type police hat. He says, "I don't know what it is about you, but I'm just going to give you a warning today. If you'll hand that ticket back to me, I'll take care of it." WHAT!? Not only did I get pulled over and get a ticket, but he pulled me over AGAIN to take the ticket back!!

I couldn't wait to tell everyone my story - even the receptionist at the doctor's office got a good laugh out of it!

And by the way - the doctor is treating me for WALKING PNEUMONIA! Yikes!