oohlalalla-blog

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There are so many great little towns near us, Gig Harbor being one of them. Lots of great shops and restaurants and beautiful views!

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The weather has been seriously shitty lately, so this was a very pleasant surprise. The picture doesn't do it justice, but I thought it was worth sharing. :) Happy spring!

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Happy International Women's Day! Special thanks to these 10 women who helped make me who I am today.

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We had LOTS of rain in February and it doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon. The National Weather Service said Seattle got 8+ inches in Feb, which is only second to a 9+ inches record from Feb 1961. Funny enough, I was thinking that it hasn't been that bad. . .maybe I'm starting to like it?!?

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Wet Coast Brewing Company In true Amy and Chad fashion, we've been checking out the local wineries and breweries. This one is in Gig Harbor, which is about 20 minutes from our house. Chad's favorite: Initiative 61 (Pale Ale) Amy's favorite: Tieton Cherry (Cider)

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Town Hall-ing

Chad and I went to our first actual (non-work related) town hall last night. Our Representative, Derek Kilmer, held the event at the old Admiral Theater in Bremerton, WA. It was 1 of 5 town halls he was hosting over 2 weeks.

For the most part, it was pretty low-key. Rep. Kilmer started with a brief presentation on some of the bills he has been working on and then opened it up for questions. He is liberal, as were most of the people in the room, so there didn’t seem to be a lot of opposing view points - just questions and concerns about a lot of the hot topics - environment, education, LGBT rights and the Affordable Care Act.

Rep Kilmer was very well spoken and did a great job personalizing his answers. He showed us pictures of his kids and when discussing Social Security and Medicare pulled up a photo of him with his 106-year-old grandmother! ❤️Even the theater we were in had special meaning to him - it is where his kids take acting classes and perform in plays in the summer. So it all felt very close to home.

People asked him to attend events and speak to groups that were important to them and he agreed. He said he hadn’t missed the Kitsap Pride event since he first became our representative and didn’t plan to now.

Not only was it good to hear from our Congressman, it was also good to hear the questions from the audience and get a better sense of the people in our community.

The event lasted a little over an hour and a half. There were more than 1,000 seats in the theater and it was standing room only. While there were a few other millennials, like Chad and myself, the large majority of the crowd was 60+.

Advice from Rep Kilmer for those opposed to legislation being passed by big government: - VOTE in the next election - Reach out to your congressman by phone, mail or email to express your concerns - he said this really does have an impact - Encourage your friends to do the same - Get involved in organizations you care about by donating money or volunteering your time

I’ll be doing all of the above. 😊

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We found another park near our house. Bailey loved it!

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Happy Family Day! I love Canadian holidays. :) We went back to Victoria this weekend to visit friends. Similar climate to where we live now but these views just don't compare - Victoria is gorgeous!

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First snow storm A week ago today we got our first snow storm and the power went out for about 24 hours. The next day it warmed up, started raining and melted everything. Love it!

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Women’s March: 10 Actions for the First 100 Days

Action 1 is to send postcards to our Senators, telling them what's important to us and why.

http://www.womensmarch.com/100

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To say I was motivated by Saturday’s #WomensMarch in Seattle would be a serious understatement. It was so powerful to see so many people around the country stand up for what they believe in and to be a part of it all. 

During and after the March, I think a lot of us were feeling like, “Okay, now what?” So I was happy to see the first call to action on Sunday. Something very simple that anyone can do, regardless of his or her beliefs - send postcards and tell your senators what’s important to you and why. 

Clearly, we all have strong viewpoints on a lot of topics right now. I chose to focus on Planned Parenthood funding because women’s reproductive health is a topic that’s near and dear to my heart for so many reasons. Planned Parenthood was my first source for all of my female healthcare needs and browsing their website for ways to advocate is how I found the Women’s March.

In the state of Washington, I’m lucky to have two female Senators that share my viewpoints on funding for Planned Parenthood. But I still thought it was important to send my postcards as encouragement. 

I used Postagram - an app that I LOVE and use often. So great to be able to send notes and photos to people without ever having to go to the post office. 

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Day 2 of Trump's America - people are protesting worldwide. They are estimating 120,000 at the Seattle Women's March. Glad I was there to see so much passion and be a part of history.

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Merry Christmas from Olalla!

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December has never looked so good! It's been in the low 50s during the day and 40s at night. Yes, it rains a lot but I don't mind it. And I love the fog! Olalla life is treating us well.

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Fall in Olalla When you live next to the ocean it acts as your all natural yard waste pick-up. So you just do your regular thing in your yard and then toss it all into the ocean. Kind of weird at first, but makes sense. So instead of bagging leaves, they became fish food. This is the "after" photo of my hard work - a little different than a huge pile of bags. 😊

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Looks like rainy season starts tomorrow. Today I will enjoy the sun! ☀️

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Wishing my friends in Canada a Happy Thanksgiving on this fine Monday in October.

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Boeing's Museum of Flight Was a-mazing! More planes than you can imagine - and even space ships! Highlights: WWII planes and Air Force One But honestly, it's more than worth your time and money - totally affordable and you can spend hours here (like we did).