Day 2,377

The Lawbreakers

Can’t make this stuff up. 

So I’ve been convinced for probably 6 months now that I in fact, misplaced the tabs to the truck but that they existed somewhere between our multiple dwellings over the last year. Adam wasn’t as convinced. He however, did nothing about the issue...which were due to be replaced at the end of December 2017. So yesterday, we made a plan to deal with the potential consequences of not re-registering our truck for over a year by taking a visit to the tax collector. But first, we had a prenatal appointment at the birthing center. Following our 35 1/2 week appointment - which went great...baby is healthy and getting big! - we took a quick detour to our favorite local breakfast spot and enjoyed a yummy brunch before piling back into the truck and heading to the tax collector. We traded jokes earlier in the morning that we’d made it a whole year on expired tabs and that today was the day we’d finally get found out. We knew it was going to happen. Because: justice. And as you can plainly see in our rear window above, that’s precisely what happened...a half mile from arriving at the tax collector. We knew the officer wouldn’t believe our story, so we didn’t even try mentioning it because seriously, who’d believe it? When he asked Adam why he’d been driving on a years worth of expired tabs, Adam replied, “I have no excuse, Sir.” We then learned that the officer could’ve had the truck towed right then and there if he’d wanted to, but thankfully with three babes in car seats and a pregnant wife, his compassion overcame his justice. Thankfully. He sent us away with a $113 ticket and implored us to get the truck registered ASAP. Which we obviously did while laughing/kicking ourselves the rest of the drive to the tax collector. 

Also, just as a little FYI: if you drive on expired tabs and get ticketed for it, you STILL owe the past due amount on the tabs AND the charge on the ticket. Adam was under the false premise (jokingly) that it was cheaper to drive on expired tabs for a year than it was to register the truck, but when the tax collector lady printed out the bill, last year’s tabs were charged with this year’s tabs, just as they would’ve been if we’d done it the right way. So it’s in fact not cheaper. Uncle Sam is smarter than that, Hon. Can’t get away with nothin!! At least our foolishness served as a unique - though expensive - learning opportunity for the kids. Right?