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My boys are now officially WA state junior troopers. I didn't get a sticker, though. Just a ticket. 

Here's the story - mostly so that I can have a record of it. And for those of you that want to know more.

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My first time being pulled over resulted in a ticket. It was a little hard to believe, and even harder to write out that check to Yakima County. I was driving through Yakima on my way home to Seattle (a route that I never take). The speed limit went from 70 to 60, so I set my cruise at 64. Everyone goes at least four over, right? I was just over a mile from my exit. I came over an overpass and remember seeing brake lights and cars merging all over the place. So I stepped on the brake and then saw the patrol car parked on the median with his radar gun pointed at me. My first thought, "Oh crap, I'm getting pulled over."

I got in the right lane, and saw him pulling out onto the freeway. He turned his lights on to get other cars out of the way, and then flipped them on right behind me. So I pull over, with the boys asking, "why are we stopping?" "why are you getting pulled over?" This had never happened before to us, so they were a little nervous. And, so was I, to be honest!

The trooper came up to the window and said that he clocked me going 64 and asked if there was a reason for my speed. I told him I was just trying to get home to Seattle. He mentioned something about how he used to work on the west side. He said "hi" to the boys and asked them if they liked stickers. He also asked me if I was okay with that, which I was. That was kind of him.

He took my license, registration, asked if I had insurance and then went back to his patrol car. The whole time we're sitting there, the boys are rattling off questions about what is going on, why we stopped, why was I speeding, etc etc. 

About 10 minutes later, he comes back to the car and hands me a ticket. "I only ticketed you for going five over, so it's going to cost you $93. It is a construction zone, so I could double that, but I'm not going to. That would have been $240."

So he handed me the ticket, told me to give my regards to the west side, and instructed me on how to get back on the freeway. One mile later, I get off at my exit, and while I'm waiting at a stoplight, I glance at the green piece of paper. "55 in a 50" was written on the ticket. Huh? I didn't see the speed decrease to 50 mph. I didn't even think to ask him at the time what the speed limit was, because I knew that it was 60 mph. So I was going 64 in a 50, in a construction zone. I'm grateful that I got a nice patrol officer who didn't want to slam me with a $240 ticket.

And, the first thing Tyler that heard when we got home?

"WE GOT PULLLLED OVER, DAD!!"