I have recently busied myself with various projects throughout the house. I am working on all three kids' baby books and documenting fifteen photo albums. (Yes, FIFTEEN! That's 3,000 pictures to document!) I did not have the time to do these things when Joshua and Abby Kate were babies. All that I was consumed with during those first few years was survival! Fortunately, I jotted down important dates and milestones in the twins' daily log. I have spent these last few weeks organizing that information and copying it down into their baby books. I have a box that is filled with baby shower lists and gifts, food sign ups, birthday invitations, hospital forms, and the like. While going through all of this the other day, I stumbled upon a letter that I had received in the mail a few weeks after the birth of the babies.
I had been summoned to appear for jury duty!
My original due date was set for August 24, 2004. I was summoned to appear for jury duty on August 23rd. When I received the notification in the mail I laughed out loud! I could not believe that out of all the chances to appear for jury duty, mine had just happened after the most life changing event in my life.
My notification arrived in the mail at the end of July. Joshua hadn't even been discharged from the hospital! Abby Kate had only been home for a couple of weeks. I was trying to manage my time with a newborn preemie, nursing, pumping, running up to the hospital to visit Joshua and wondering how in the world I was going to make it with TWO babies at home! To say that I was stressed, would be quite the understatement. The only thing that I could do when I received the notification was laugh out loud!!!
I did the only thing that I could do, I called to be excused. I read the fine print and I thought that surely I met the "qualifications" to be excused.
"Excuse from jury service is granted only in cases of extreme inconvenience, undue hardship, or public necessity. Any request to be excused prior to the reporting date must be directed to the person at the number listed in this summons".
I plead my case to the lady on the phone and waited in silence for her answer. Surely I would have a pass! I just gave birth to twins via C-Section. One baby was home, while the other was in the NICU. I was nursing a preemie and pumping for my baby still in the hospital. I didn't have any family in town to take care of my babies while I would supposedly sit in a courthouse room for x number of hours. I just couldn't do this. This must be some kind of a cruel joke against me! Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she sighed and said that she would excuse me!
9 comments:
Wow! I never even knew you had been summoned! I think that this is the (probably unavoidable) civic duty that I dread in my future!!!
Maybe if I was ever summoned, I could use the excuse that I can never figure out the arguments between my 2 kids to figure out who did what--let alone dole out fair consequences...surely they wouldn't put ME in charge of someone else's fate....would they???
I's hilarious now, and I'm glad you could find the humor in it at the time!
I received a jury duty summons and was due to appear the week after my wedding! I called and told them that I would not even be near the same city while on my honeymoon! She never gave me a full proof excuse, and I was worried to tears that I was going to get arrested or something. That is until my dad said, "Jamey, you won't even have the same name anymore...just don't worry about it..." If daddy says it's okay; then it's ok!
How funny! Atleast you had a really good excuse to get out of it. I dread when that happens to me. My kids will probably be old enough to where I don't have an excuse. :)
That's a funny story because my Mom was only ever summoned for jury duty just after she had my sister. She explained over the phone how she had 2 small children at home including one newborn and got out of it easily. That had been the only time she was chosen to serve until now. She was summoned again 2 weeks ago and lamented that she wouldn't be able to use the same excuse that she used 28 years ago.
For the record, I was summoned just after I had gone to college. My parents just called in for me and I was dismissed. I'm hoping that was the last time I will be selected. (now that I say that, I'll get a letter from a judge next week)
I completely forgot about all of that. That's hilarious!
I have always wanted to get summoned for jury duty! WHY??? I don't know--I'm just weird like that. All my relatives & a bunch of friends have all been summoned. I feel a little left out :( Now that I have said all that I'm sure I will get summoned & be sequestered in some scary motel for weeks. On second thought...
This happened to me right after having both of my kids!! With Sissy, it was Federal court in B'ham and she was 4 months old. Luckily, they were understanding and let me off.
Then, the same thing happened to me about 3 weeks after Bubba was born, but locally! I called and told the lady I had a 1 1/2 year old and was nursing a newborn. She said...Ok, well we'll give you a continuance for 3 months from now. Seriously. I said, Ma'am, I will still be in the same situation 3 months from now as well. She sighed and let me off, but was pretty ugly about it.
They must call all of the OBs in town and get their current pregnant patient list!
Hope you are all better!
never summoned & hope to never be. good luck with that.
haha!!! i cannot imagine. wow.
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