Two Stops Before We Land in OKC

We had two stops today, while we were on our way to Oklahoma. One of them, we most certainly could have done without.

Today, I got my first ever speeding ticket.

And the frustrating part is, I didn't even realize I was speeding. See, on our way up to OKC for Thanksgiving, Ben was stopped. For speeding. And he knew he was over the speed limit. But the cop saw his military ID and just gave him a warning. So, our entire drive today, because of that experience and the combination of low temperatures and a little bit of something coming from the sky, I was consistently driving 5 to 10 miles under the speed limit. About an hour outside of Wichita Falls, Ellie started whining - she needed to eat. I could have stopped at the rest stop that I saw not long after she started whining, but well, let's be honest. Stopping at a {deserted} rest stop, by myself with two kids, and getting into the back seat to feed Ellie was not my idea of fun nor does it seem very safe. I don't like scary movies and that just seems like it would be a scene straight out of one. I knew that there was a Sonic in the town just ahead, so I continued on and exited at Seymour. I couldn't remember exactly which side and how far into town the Sonic was, so I was driving slower than the last sign I saw, which was 35. I was doing 29. But, due to the now-screaming-and-hungry baby, my search for the Sonic, and my insane fear of ice, I didn't see the school zone lights. I did see the cop though. And cruised on past him doing my 29 mph, thinking I wasn't doing anything wrong - I certainly wasn't passing anyone! Just as I spotted the Sonic, I also spotted some lights in my rear view mirror... and Ellie started into full-out wails. Needless to say this was one stop along the way that I could have done without.

I wouldn't be nearly as frustrated about it if I had KNOWN that I was speeding {trust me, as an educator, I don't speed though school zones!}. I mean, I literally had NO idea why he was pulling me over. Or if the cop hadn't left me in my car with a screaming-and-hungry baby {and eventually, well..., a leaked through shirt} for ten minutes. And then made me sign it while my baby was screaming and my toddler was getting antsy because his sister was yelling in his ear.

Or if the ticket hadn't of been $180.

So much for never having had a speeding ticket.

The stop that we did enjoy though, was the stop in Wichita Falls to spend the night with Ben and then to visit our friends, the Sargent's, who recently relocated there. We hadn't seen them since about two or three weeks before we had Ellie so they were pretty excited to get to meet her. Especially Megan.

Hopefully tomorrow's trip the rest of the way to Oklahoma City will be a little less eventful.