Pulled Over.

2 weeks ago I was driving home from a playdate at my friend's house at about 5:30. She lives in the next town over, SR. The girls were in the back seat & I was asking Kate what she wanted for dinner. We come to a red light & I was stopped, waiting for the light to turn green.

Kate (like she always does when we are in the car) kept taking out the bow in her hair & was trying to hand it to me. Just as the light turned green, I turned around to grab her bow because I was waiting for the car in front of me to proceed through the intersection.

I grabbed the bow as we were going through the intersection & put it on top of my center console.

About 15 seconds later, as we are passing In-n-Out, I noticed there was a SR police officer behind me with its lights on.

Surely, he wasn't pulling me over, was he?
As I pulled over, I got super nervous.
What did I do wrong?!?
I wasn't speeding...I was JUST stopped at a signal.
I didn't make an illegal lane change...I didn't change lanes.
Is my tail-light out again? Am I going to get a fix it ticket?
Why am I getting pulled over?!?!

This was the 2nd time I have ever been pulled over.
(The first time was 8 years ago when I was driving from Colorado to Missouri to work at Kanakuk. I got pulled over in Kansas. I was speeding. Going 80 in a 65 zone. Oops. My ticket was only $139, but for a poor college grad, that was rough!)

Anyways, I digress. Back to my current story.

So, the officer walks up to my car & the conversation goes like this:

Officer: License & Registration, please
Me: Hi, Officer, may I ask what the problem is? (fumbling in my purse to get my wallet with my hands shaking).
Officer: You were talking on your cell phone. (for those of you NOT from California, since July 1, 2008 it is illegal to talk on your cell while driving unless you use a blue tooth or hands-free device).
Me: ummm, Officer, I can assure you I was absolutely not talking on my cell phone.
Officer: I saw you talking on your phone as you driving through the intersection.
Me: Sir, I was not talking on my cell phone. When I was going through the intersection my daughter had taken out her hair bow & was handing it to me, so I reached back & grabbed it. (I pick up Kate's bow & show it to him).
Officer: No, you were on your cell phone.
Me: Officer, I PROMISE you I am telling the truth. Here is my cell phone (I pick it up & show it to him). Please check my call log.
Officer: I need your license.
Me: (give my license to the officer)

The officer takes my liscense & goes back to call it in.
Meanwhile, I am FREAKING out.
First, I am thinking how MAD I am going to be if I get a ticket for something I didn't even do!!!!! Secondly, I was pulled over on a main boulevard by our house & I was going to be really embarrased if someone I know (or one of my students!) sees me while I was pulled over. So, I put on my sunglasses to disguise myself. haha.
The officer returns about 1 minute later & gives me back my license.

Officer: So, you are telling me that you were NOT on your cell phone?
Me: Sir, I PROMISE. Please check my call log. I am insisting that he looks at my phone.
Officer: Do you have a blue tooth?
Me: Yes, here it is, (fully charged and sitting in my cup holder). But, I honestly WAS NOT on the phone. I had my daughter's pink bow in my hand, it wasn't Really, you can check my call log.
Officer: I don't need to check your phone. You are really insistent that you weren't on your phone. Everyone else I have pulled over for cell phones gives in by now.
Me: Sir, I wasn't on my phone.
Officer: Okay, I believe you. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I hope I didn't make you late for anything.
Me: It's okay, sir. Have a nice evening.

I drive away, STILL shaking for being pulled over.
I am ASSuming he thought Kate's bow was my cell phone and the motion of my hand reaching back to grab the bow & putting it down in my center console caused him to think it was a cell phone that I was putting down? I don't really know....but I do know that it so nerve-wracking when you get pulled over even when you did nothing wrong!

This happened to me 2 weeks ago, but I figured I should just post it here because I have told it so many times! And, the day after it happened, our across the street neighbor Jim, told me he SAW me when I was pulled over. I guess putting my sunglasses on wasn't a good enough disguise. My SUV gave it away!

While we are on the topic of police officers, I want to share a HYSTERICAL police blog with you. I went to high school with his wife.
Warning: The language can be a little colorful, but the blog is so entertaining. He is a great writer & has some funny stories. Enjoy!
http://motorcop.blogspot.com