Good News!

On Friday Nick had his board of evaluators. This meeting was to determine whether or not he passed his finals. I know he was nervous and so was I. He called me on the way home to tell me that he passed with flying colors! MPO (Master Police Officer) Mann was his evaluator and he said that Nick was "pretty good," which is very high praise coming from Mann, apparently. That night Nick was given his own squad car and was pretty much on his own. MPO Mann showed up at a few of his calls, but Nick did everything on his own and that is the way it will be from now on. Nick was on cloud 9 and still is, while I . . . well I am nervous, but I know it will just take a little while to get used to the idea of Nick being by himself. He can handle it, but it's still a bit nerve-wracking. Now we begin the rest of his probationary period, which will end at around the last week of November.

In other news, I am on spring break and Nick has a few days off during this week, so we are going to be taking a few trips. Tomorrow we are going to Leavenworth (at least, that's the plan). We're going to take the scenic route and take lots of pictures and just be together, which is very exciting for us. We really need to get away. The real vacation begins on Thursday though. Nick will work Tuesday night and Wednesday night and then we are going to . . . wait for it . . . HOOD RIVER! Haha, like that's a big surprise to anyone who knows us. We always go to Hood River, but we always have a great time, so why break tradition? 

I almost booked us a last minute flight to Vegas, but with just 3 days off, it wasn't going to be enough time, especially since Nick's never been before. Instead, we will be staying in the historic Hood River Hotel for the millionth time. We got a great deal on a riverview room, which looks out onto the Columbia River. The Book Stop and Artifacts Books are on our to-do list, of course, along with the vintage clothing store and 3 Rivers Grill. But the thing I am most excited for is the ricotta blintzes at the Cornerstone Cafe in the hotel. Best breakfast ever! And now for some photos of our favorite vacation spot.

Here's Mount Hood, visible from anywhere in Hood River:

This is Multnomah Falls, one of the beautiful waterfalls on the way to Hood River:
This is part of downtown on the hill, looking toward the Columbia River:
This is the front of the Hood River Hotel, established in the early 1900s and voted one of the most romantic getaway places to stay in the Pacific Northwest:
Here's a view of downtown from the one of the surrounding hills:
A restaurant and bar on the hill. Behind this is the residential section of Hood River, where Nick and I are hoping to buy a vacation home one day:
The main street in Hood River:

The toll bridge connecting Oregon and Washington across the Columbia:

If you like history, museums, bookstores, antiques, and anything on the river (we love kayaking!), Hood River is a great place to go. We are so excited to go back!