The other night I was following a car that was going 25 in a 30 mph zone. It’s not that slow but at 930p after a long day at work, a session immediately right after and keeping up with preschoolers for about two hours it’s SLOOOOOOOOW.

At first I thought it was a cop car. But through the street lights I realized it wasn’t and immediately thought of a way to get in front of her so I could get home. I told my husband if I was a police officer I’d turn on our lights and cite her for driving under the speed limit. I even went as far as to have my husband hear my awful siren noise. He got a good laugh at it.

Single lane opened up to two lanes, saw my opening and off I went. Immediately after getting back into the lane I started in lights flashed behind me. Bloody hell. I’m definitely not outrunning the law, so I pulled over. But, this Police Officer was uber nice. I was left with a warning and the realization on how to get out of a ticket…

1. Immediately correct your mistake – I knew as soon as the lights flashed that I was caught for no blinkers. Twice. I put my blinkers on to pull over.

2. Ask to pull your phone out – In the state of Washington it’s illegal to even touch you phone whilst driving. So, I waited for Ms. Police Officer to come over and asked if I can use my phone to pull up my insurance card. Brownie points!

3. Say yes ma’am. – Police Officers deserve our respect. And yes, I get it, some aren’t always good. But, majority of them are. Since I broke the law I made sure I respected her for catching me. But, you know, with the most innocent, sincere, apologetic voice I could muster.

4. Have worship music playing. – Didn’t I already explain my long day? I’d like to say God had my back, but in all honesty, He was probably laughing because I deserved a ticket for breaking the law. But, I do think my music helped soften Ms. Police Officer. Maybe not?

5. Use doe eyes. – The kicker. Feign innocence. I immediately had doe eyes and said I was sorry as soon as she told me what I did wrong. Because you know, being all elegant/prim and proper or a know it all won’t help matters here.

1 through 5 got me out of a ticket. Ok, maybe not really. Highly doubtful. She was just nice enough to give me a pass. But, I could have gotten more than one ticket that night. For my blinkers. And for the fact that I’ve lived in Washington for three years and still have an Oregon license plate. I was also on the verge of stepping on my gas to speed home when her lights came on. Gees louise, Pearl, will you get with it? Luckily, she was in the holiday spirit.

The story goes on with her going to her cruiser, she came back with a smile and explained she’d give me a warning, explained the law and the cost of breaking it and wished me a Merry Christmas.

I got lucky.

Moral of the story? Don’t take your chances. The police officer pulling you over may not be so Merry Christmas-y. Don’t pull a Pearl. Also, be nice to all the officers, because, like, they keep you safe. xoxo