Parking Rules Do Not Apply

I'm going to give you a break from wedding blogs for a post to talk about something else.  I'd love to tell you it's something amazing and exciting, but it's not, it's parking.  Yes, parking.  Now as many of you know, I am a rule follower (well, most of the time, anyway;  people constantly tell me I need to break a few rules and they also say it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission).  So when I go somewhere, I generally park legally.  I did once get a parking ticket for being parked in a spot that was supposed to be vacated at 8:00 because I was still there at 9:00--oops!  I did however, pay my ticket in a timely fashion.  We have assigned spots where I live so not only do I always park in my driveway and have my better half park in his spot (soon to officially be his spot and not just my second spot :-)), I always make my visitors park in visitor parking (what a concept, huh?).  Sadly, not everyone else is as rule follower.  I've lost track of how many times someone other than my fiancé or me have parked in my second parking spot.  A couple of days ago, my fiancé went to the grocery store.  He came home and pulled over to the side of the road for approximately two minutes--with the car running--to unload the groceries.  In the time he did that, someone drove past him and parked in his spot.  ANNOYING!  So I kept staring out the window to see if the car would ever leave.  It did a few minutes later so I yelled my fiancé to go move his car.  (He had moved it to guest parking as there was no other place to go).  Well, in the approximately 5-10 minutes it took him to put  his shoes on, go to the guest spot, start his car, and drive to his real spot, SOMEONE ELSE parked in his spot. Thankfully, he got down there when the person was still in sight so she moved, but seriously, people, there is a guest spot within walking distance, why can't you have your guests park there?  It's not just around here.  I go to the gym 5-6 times a week (less if it's a crazy week, but you get the point).  With the exception of snowy Januaries when everyone is back at the gym and there are snowbanks taking up parking spots, there is usually PLENTY of parking.  It's not some tiny lot.  Well, several times in the past week or two, I have gone to the gym, parked (legally) seen plenty of spaces and yet there have been several cars that just decided to randomly park on a grassy area near the entrance.  I've seen people do this at the mall too and I just wonder, are people that lazy?  And how can you be that lazy and not be able to walk a few more feet if you are GOING TO THE GYM.  It can't be handicapped people because there are handicapped spaces free (speaking of which, I find it rude when non-handicapped people park in handicapped spaces and when people leave their shopping carriages in the middle of spaces instead of walking 5 more feet to the carriage corral).   I just don't get it.  So there's my parking rant.  We'll probably go back to wedding stuff tomorrow.  Have a good night!