We're easy to spot!

I am always looking for interesting vanity plates when I'm on the road. I have seen so many and I soon stopped jotting them down because I could compile a book if I kept doing it and there are just too many out there. In fact, New Hampshire has the most vanity plates to the registered vehicles.

Here are some of the good ones I have come across, in no particular order of favoritism:
KICKIN
HRT&SOL
QTPIE
L8AGAIN
HOWDY
HIHWRYA
NEPATS
BBOOP
ROLLON
SW+EET
CYNFULY
BLK-BTY
HPLYMRD
+LOVE+
GTRDNE

Yesterday, I got a good chuckle in Joe's article in the Londonderry Times, a small town newspaper full of local news and events. Joe writes weekly columns for the paper and he also happens to be the Chairperson of our Town Council. Coincidentally, the owners of this paper happen to be my neighbors, just two doors down from where we live. Someday, just maybe, I'll be writing for the paper, too. In the meantime, it's nice to be mentioned, at least indirectly.

Note the reference made about the vanity plate O-BOYX4. ;-)



Okay, it's a small-town newspaper that isn't online. I don't expect you to be able to read the tiny print. Allow me:

This week's article was about the various vanity plates out there and apparently, we were spotted because we made the cut. The paragraph devoted to us reads:

----------------------
I admire those folks who praise their families through their vanity plates. O-BOYX4 on the back of a Ford SUV would appear to be a mom enamored with the fact that she has four boys. Oh, one of them might be her husband – even dads are boys when it comes down to it. It doesn’t matter though. She’s still outnumbered in the household. And no doubt spends a lot of time in her car – sometimes driving the boys around, but probably most often alone, to gather some peace of mind after spending all that time with four “boys”.
----------------------

Of course, I wanted to express my gratitude, so I sent Joe a quick e-mail. It helps that he is the current Chair of our Town Council.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello Joe,

I just wanted to thank you for mentioning me in your 'Just Plain Vain?' article
in the August 9 issue of Londonderry Times! But just to clarify -- I don't
drive a Ford SUV, but a Toyota minivan.

Unless you saw that very same vanity plate on a vehicle registered outside of
New Hampshire.

But I think I'll assume you just forgot and it was referenced to the Stanley
boys -- Tommy, Christopher, Joey, and Jeffrey.

Missed you at the TC meeting last night. See you around town.

~Kerri Stanley
mom to 4 boys
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And his response....

Hi, Kerri!

No, I believe it was your car - my wife and I collected these plates over the course of about three weeks everywhere we saw them, so our notes were a bit jumbled! I shortened the timeframe in the story so that it flowed better.

SInce then, we can't stop looking at license plates - it's become a habit; we need a life!

Thanks for being a sport about it - and if you don't yet do it, I'd suggest spending that downtime alone in the car; just for a breather! Or better yet, make sure your husband takes you on frequent dates!

Joe