Maddie's foot problem

What a weekend.

My beautiful 17 year old daughter decided she wanted to go to her Grandma's house.  Todd and I had too much going on to go, but she talked us into letting her take all of the rest of our posterity on a 3 hour car ride to my parents house.

Me:  "Maddie, you realize you have my entire life in the car with you?!  Please (in a begging tone) be soo careful!"


Maddie: "MOM!  I know how to drive (in a very teenaged annoyed voice)!"


A few hours later, in a corner of the house...


Todd: "Maddie... I am begging you not to speed.  Please (in a threatening voice) don't get a ticket!"


Maddie: "DAD! I don't speed!"

So... I said a prayer and let her go.

I trusted that things would be OK.

And they were, until Maddie got pulled over for going 15 MPH over the speed limit.  Unfortunately for my sweet girl, it is her 3rd speeding ticket in about 18 months.  The child has a lead foot.  She is always in a hurry to get where she wants to be and is slightly unaware of her tendency to speed.  We thought her having to pay for the first 2 tickets would be enough.  In fact, after the 2nd ticket, she was grounded from her car for 1 month.  But, that lead foot got the best of her...

So, Maddie is no longer a licensed driver.  Well, she is still licensed, but she no longer has a car (she is selling her car to Tanner-ultimate punishment) and no longer has driving privileges.  It sounds like she is going to either have to pay $1,000 dollars a year to stay insured with our family OR give up her license.  It turns out that if you have a license, you must have insurance even if you are not driving.

I think she is going to turn her license in.

What a crazy dumb thing to happen to my daughter right as she is going away to college to start her adult life.  So sad to see your kids suffer consequences, but, we realize it is for her own good.

She has been a dream--no whining or begging for another chance.  She knows she messed up.  She is realizing how lucky she was to have a car, be insured, and have the freedom that comes along with a car.  We all feel like maybe it is a blessing in disguise.  No worries about gas, repairs, or accidents.  She will be the cute little coed on the beach cruiser down in Cedar City.  I can just picture her now with her cute bike, a little basket of groceries on front, a little bell to ding-a-ling at the cute boys in her way... Seriously, it will be awesome.

But, in all seriousness- There are lots of ways to get around in this life.  The following are examples of ways that Maddie has gotten around and can still use to get from place to place without getting a speeding ticket.

She almost biffed it here.

But.. NO speeding tickets this day!

I forgot when I picked this picture that about 10 minutes after

I snapped this shot of her and Todd, she rolled the 4 wheeler down a ravine.

But, no harm, no ticket.

Sledding--what an efficient way to move.

Obama would be so proud.

Another very successful motoring of her own body to another location.

This is my favorite.

I think I shall send her to SUU with a bonnet and a hand cart.

All of my worries would be over...

no sunburn & no boyfriends.

This would be an option if she wasn't horribly allergic

(to taking care of an animal)

This would be helpful if we lived in Waterworld with Kevin Costner

So.. on Monday she bummed a ride to school with a friend.  Another friend brought her home on Monday afternoon.  On Tuesday, another bummed ride and in the afternoon she jogged home from school (about 3 miles away).  DO NOT JUDGE ME!  What are we teaching her if we rescue her??  By the way, judgers, if she comes up with no way to get home and does not have her running shoes with her, I will come get her.  Tomorrow, I have to take Todd to a colonoscopy (yummy) right by her school, so she will get a ride tomorrow morning.  Tender mercies are flowing to Madison.

It is going to be an interesting few weeks until graduation.  Maddie might just be ready to run a marathon at the end of this month with all of the miles she is going to be putting on her legs.

And to all of my followers who are yet to have teenagers...

Laugh it up, Chuckles!  Let's talk when you have a teenaged daughter and a teenaged son.  I am sure you won't be laughing so hard at my plight. Yeah, enjoy your sweet children who drive toy cars and who only want to go one place... McDonald's for lunch.  Just you wait...

or...

If you find yourself judging, just STOP IT! Those immortal, timeless words from a month or so ago will never get old to me.  You may have perfect teenagers and they drive perfectly and smell perfectly and behave perfectly and I would just say to you... You are boring and I bet no one laughs at your blog.

I love my Maddie-her lead foot and all.  She is a beautiful, lead-footed, smart girl who is going to do something wonderful with this life she has been given.  It is not going to be centered on operating a motorized vehicle of any sort, but it will be wonderful.  Maybe, I am wrong.  Maybe she will use that lead foot of hers to become another Danica Patrick.

Heck, that would be OK with me.  Totally redneck enough for my side of the family.  Or maybe she will become a famous rich person who only rides around in a limo. Which I guess would be OK as long as she was able to get in and out of it without showing her privates to the photogs trying to get a shot of her.

Or maybe she will be the perfect lead-footed Maddie that she is right now...no license, no car, but ... hey, she still has her looks!

Luckily, I think I know what Maddie's future is and it does my heart good...

MOM JEANS AND MINI VANS!!

YOU GO GIRL!! JUST TAKE IT A BIT SLOWER!!