"By the way, officer, you left your lights on..."

Nicole and I were trying to make it to our nephew’s preschool graduation last night, and we had been misinformed as to when it started. We had been told 7pm, and in actuality it had started at 6:30. Since we thought we had time, we were looking for a branch of our bank on the way, so we could use the ATM to get out a little bit of cash to put inside a card for the boy.

Some streets in Joplin start out as busier arterials, then suddenly become smaller, residential streets. This explains why we were driving (I was at the wheel) through a residential neighborhood, looking for a way out. Apparently, after crossing several identical streets with nary a sign at the corner, we happened to cross one with a stop sign...which I didn’t see (or expect to see). There happened to be a member of Joplin’s finest witness this while sitting in his squad car, and he subsequently pulled us over, handing me a $97 ticket.

So much for my perfect Missouri driving record.