Run Run Run Run Run....aaaand Breathe

Needless to say, it's been a pretty whirlwind four days. I've driven diagonally across a state to Redmond Washington, driven down the length of Washington to Hillsboro Oregon, from Hillsboro to McMinnville and back. I'll done three sit-in's and one interview/oral exam in two different dispatch centers. I've had my hair cut at a local beauty school that was populated by students brandishing more tattoos and piercings than I've seen in a biker bar.

...wait, I've never been in a biker bar.

You get the point.

I've taken a freeing run through a beautiful wooded park in the heart of a metropolitan area, where you would never know you were in the middle of the city...and I have the mosquito bites to prove it. I loved the dirt paths that didn't wreck havoc on my poor knees, and the way that I could groove to my music without people giving me funny looks. I'm definitely going back this afternoon after it cools down from the current 81 degrees.

I've tried my first box wine...Pinot Evil (pronounced Pee-No) complete with the three "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil" monkeys on the box. It made me laugh. Plus hey, it was the equivalent to four bottles of wine for the price of two cheaper bottles. A no brainer in my eyes, and it was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wine.

I've discovered that I want, more than anything, to get the Redmond job and settle our family up there. I fell in the love with the area, with the people in the Police Department, with the dispatch center. It's the first place I've visited on my list of "potential employers" where I felt at home. Funny, I never thought a place that close to Seattle would win my heart that way. So I have resolved to do anything in my power to get this job, and I believe I'm well on my way.

Eventually I will post a more in depth description of my times at both Redmond PD dispatch and Yamhill County (McMinnville) dispatch, but those are going to take up an entire post in themselves. Suffice it to say that I still don't really know where I stand with McMinnville dispatch, even after having a talk with the director. Redmond, on the other hand, I know exactly where I stand with. According to Matt (one of the recruiting officers for the PD), I not only passed the oral exam, I probably got the second highest score out of the four applicants they tested. There is one position open right now and another one coming open at the end of June when a dispatcher retires. Which means I have a very good chance of getting one of those spots.

Back home, both the boys have been fighting fevers, runny/stuffy noses, and now double ear infections. Poor Levi even had a ruptured ear drum. So they are both on antibiotics and are now doing much much better. They even slept most of the night last night, giving Nathan a chance to sleep for the first time in three days. Can I just say, my husband is a freaking rock star. He's somehow managing two sick infants on his own while I make my wild trip through two states. Only 4 days until I'm home, honey!

Quick correction to the earlier mentioned temp here in Hillsboro...it's now 88 degrees. Blech.