I was arrested last night

Ok - you will not believe the day I had yesterday. I will give you the best possible story - filling in background when needed - while trying not to bore you.

I went to brother/sis-in-law's house around 6:30pm - to bring them to airport. (they were flying out to Vegas to visit parents) Ha ha ha, isn't this fun, "Carrie, do you want gas money for this?" WHAT? Don't be absurd - I would never accept gas money for bringing someone to the airport! It's my good deed for the day, yes?

Drop them off at DOOR 1 (had to fly America West) - get out of car, get bags, hugs, kisses all around. Get back in car - begin to pull away from curb - and from Airport Police car which I had parked directly in front of. (Obviously the terror alert is quite minimal - as this guy had nothing better to do than run my plates.) I pull into traffic - going SOOOO slow - and being very careful about changing lanes - and he pulls out behind me . . . he follows me for about 15 seconds before he puts his lights on - and pulls me over (on the left side of the road, btw)

I'm stunned - cuz have no idea what i could have POSSIBLY done. . .

He comes up to window, asks me if I'm "Carrie" - i say "yes" - and he says something to the effect that there is a warrant out for my arrest. WHAT???? (totally thinking stupid ex husband did something stupid - and i'm involved now!) - "Yes, warrant out for your arrest - seems you did not provide proof of insurance to St. Cloud Police."

BACKGROUND STORY:

sometime in April? May? I went to St. Cloud to visit loving cousin who had stopped into MN for a few days (from AZ). A BLOCK from the restaurant where we were meeting - a lady cop (ahem) pulls me over - cuz my blinker light's not working. Ok - and she also wants insurance. Cool. No problem. Wait a minute. I can't find it. I try to explain that I JUST got divorced (explaining name change on ID) - and JUST moved (ditto - and hoping that explains why I'm so unorganized) - and I don't even know if I have new cards yet, blah blah blah. She gives me a fix-it-ticket for the blinker - and a ticket for the no insurance - I must take care of these two things. I DID. I fixed the blinker (only $17) and FAXED my proof of insurance to St. Cloud. I even CALLED before - to make sure I could fax, rather than go in person. (fix-it was able to be done here in cities). All good, right? No! - read on:

So here I am, pulled over at the airport - cop is calling St. Cloud to see if warrant is still "live" - I'm in my car calling cousins (who are airport cops) - get ahold of one - WHAT DO I DO??? He tells me to do whatever the cop says - and that he will come down and help me out. Cop comes back - warrant is good - he has to take me "in." (dear lord!) - and asks if i have someone who can come get me and pay the $500 CASH to bail me out. (by this time, I have also told him who my cousins are - so I think that helped with only having to go to the airport jail - NOT downtown) I ask about what happens to my car? Impounded. $250 to get out. WHAT??? (I wailed) I'm going to be out $750 cuz of St. Cloud's mistake??? Can't we handle this another way. He allows me (THANK GOD) to park my car in general parking ($10 - yay!) - and then i had to get in the back of the squad car to be taken "in." (thankfully - he never put cuffs on me. . yeah. .like I look like I can hurt somebody!)

The worst was now over - as I sat in this little room for about an hour and a half - crying - calling people - pissed, mad (at myself, at St. Cloud, at this guy). Cousin and his parents came down - filled out the paper work, paid the bail - and i got to leave. I have court in St. Cloud in Sept. and Cousin thinks I'll be able to get the bail money returned (as this wasn't my fault).

The very worst part of ALL of this - Remember that first time I got pulled over in St. Cloud, didn't have insurance cards - no - but I DID have the temporary card (and PROOF of payment) in my BACKPACK because I (at the time) had been carrying around all my important papers (divorce, house sale, apt. lease, INSURANCE) - in case I needed them. So I should have NEVER gotten the first proof of insurance ticket - OH WELL! LIVE AND LEARN!

Lesson for the day:

PUT YOUR INSURANCE CARD IN YOUR CAR THE VERY DAY YOU GET IT IN THE MAIL!