My Ad Page for Nationals

Thank you to Laura Hunter at Beyond Photography for putting together my ad page for Nationals.

Ferndale Old Settlers Parade

Lisa Bluhm, Mrs. Pacific Northwest, Jessica Riggs, Mrs. Snohomish County, Laura Hunter, Mrs. Whatcom County, and Isabelle Banks, Little Miss Washington 2009, before the parade. Our float won 4th place.

Students from Pioneer Meadows Montessori School.

"Cash for Clunkers" starts today

The Car Allowance Rebate System, informally called "Cash for Clunkers", was passed by Congress in June to help jump-start struggling auto sales and to improve the environment. This program allows car owners to trade in their old gas-guzzlers for more fuel efficient models.
Approximately 56 percent of energy related carbon dioxide emissions for Washington State comes from the transportation sub-sector. Within the transportation sector, gasoline consumption was the main source of carbon emission at 51 percent. Based on this, if Washingtonians drive more fuel efficient cars, it will have a large impact on reducing carbon dioxide emissions in Washington State. Click in for a link to the report.

UPDATES
Top "Cash for Clunkers" Trade-ins and New Cars
"Cash for Clunkers" buyers agree: Credit came at a perfect time
"Cash for Clunkers" program runs out of gas
"Cash for Clunkers" extension signed into law

Sandblast Festival

I spent a fabulous afternoon at the Sandblast Festival in Duvall. My amazing friend Lisa Tario organized the festival. Lisa introduced me on-stage and I was able to give a brief talk about my platform. The festival featured music, local arts and crafts and a huge sandcastle on the beach.

Miss Oregon America 2009

With the gorgeous Sandra Herder, Mrs. Oregon International 2009. Good luck at Mrs. International Sandra!

With the newly crowned Miss Oregon's Outstanding Teen, Amanda Gonzales Merrill. What a sweetheart. Good luck at Miss America's Outstanding Teen Amanda!

Alexandria Henderson, Miss Portland 2009, Top 10 at Miss Oregon.

Jamicka Jones (Mrs. Fife), Rakiya Johnson (Miss Portland Outstanding Teen), Alexis Miller (Miss Portland Princess), Mrs. Washington, and Kristina Gadler.
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Jamicka, Kristina and I made the 4 hour drive to Seaside OR to support the contestants of the Miss Oregon America pageant. Congratulations to CC Barber, the new Miss Oregon America.

Swanky Soldered Rings class at Impress

Class members show off some of the fabulous rings we made. We had a great time and Lisa was a fantastic teacher. I learned a great technique that I will be able to apply to my own jewelry designs. Thanks Lisa B!

This morning I headed down to Impress in Tukwilla for a Swanky Soldered Rings class taught by Lisa Bluhm, Mrs. Pacific Northwest. Lisa is the owner of Simply Swank L.L.C. and author of Simple Soldered Jewelry. She won the title of Outstanding Business Woman of the Year award for 2009 and made it to the Top 8.

WBE Breakfast

Lisa with her book "Your Career, Your Way!" which was also recently published in Korean. We also collected donations for MENC.

Nancy Scholl, President of WBE.

Lisa Quast, guest speaker.

This morning I woke up early and joined Lisa Quast, Mrs. Issaquah, and members of the Women's Business Exchange for breakfast at the Washington Athletic Club. Lisa was the guest speaker and did a fabulous job. She gave an inspiring speech based on her book "Your Career, Your Way!: Personal Strategies for Achieving Your Career Aspiration". This group of women was very warm and welcoming and it was a pleasure to spend my morning with them. Thank you Lisa for inviting me as your guest.

Celebrate Kirkland! - 4th of July Parade

My sister Lori and I waiting in the shade for the parade to start.

Penny Sweet is Founder and President of Celebrate Kirkland Inc., the non-profit organization responsible for the City of Kirkland's annual 4th of July celebration. Penny is also running for Kirkland City Council Position 3. She is co-owner of The Grape Choice, a wine retail shop located in Kirkland.

Going "Back to the Future" in one of the DeLoreans entered in the parade.

The theme of the Kirkland parade this year was Red, White, Blue and Green All Over - Reduce/ Reuse/Recycle. The City of Kirkland is committed - through many "green" initiatives - to preserve, protect and sustain their natural resources. Through a variety of efforts, the City is also addressing sustainable development, green buildings and climate change.

Write-up in Snohomish County's Countywide Pride

Transition Towns

Today I met up with Stef Frenzl to discuss some of the ways I might be able to help out with an initiative he is putting together in Everett, WA. Transition Towns is a social experiment on a massive scale. It includes local communities raising awareness around peak oil and climate change and creating a process to rebuild resiliance and reduce carbon. At this time there are 185 official Transition Towns throughout the world, including 33 in the United States. I am really excited to have the opportunity to work with this group and am looking forward to sharing ideas on a community level.