Same Stuff, New Location

We've finally integrated our blog into amarillomagonline.com, so from here on out, reset your favorites and make note of the transition. For everything Amarillo Magazine, go here. For the latest blog, start here.

What were we thinking?

Last year, around this time, Michele and I decided to map out the entire 2010 editoral content. We left the office, grabbed some coffee and nestled ourselves in a bookstore so we could brainstorm. With pencil and paper in hand, the old-fashioned way, we sketched out cover ideas, story possibilities and general themes for every issue in the upcoming year. Upon finishing we patted ourselves on the back, returned to the office and I promptly typed all of our notes into a document. As far as we were concerned, 2010 was going to be a breeze.

I snicker even as I type this.

Little did we know that life happens and opinions change. More specifically, what we thought would be fabulous ideas last year are darn near laughable now. Needless to say we revise the 2010 plan as we encounter each month and perhaps that's just the way it always goes. We've been pleased with the results and hope the continued evolving will be to our and your benefit.

That said, we put July to bed this week and hit the ground running with August. Our ideas about August may have changed since last year, but we know you'll enjoy it just the same.

A note about July: It's been one year since we made the switch from Amarillo Uptown to Amarillo Magazine. Over the last 12 months we diversified the content and improved the design, changes that will also overflow online. As always we look forward to your feedback and suggestions.

--Jennie

The Men's Issue

It always surprises me when new readers remark, "Oh, I thought this was a women's magazine." And after I divulge the relaunch story (we were, but now we're not), I always think it'll be the last time I'll have to explain it.

What better way to make it known than to publish an entire Men's issue. It's only fair, after all, since May was entirely about and for women. At the first few brainstorming sessions, Michele and I were at a loss. Even though we know men and are each surrounded by men, how exactly were we going to pull this off? Once the initial pieces of the June cover story - "The Cool Guys [You Need to Know]" - came together, the rest was a breeze and we couldn't be more pleased with the finished product.

Look for your June issue in subscribers' papers this Sunday, or read it online now.

Of course, we'd love to hear from readers - especially men. How'd we do? Drop us a line on our website and register to win the chrome grill cart from the Outside section. (page 30)

Lastly, thanks to all the veterans and active duty military who devoted their lives to preserving our freedom. Happy Memorial Day!

--Jennie

Summer is here!

At least in magazine world, it is. As we add the final touches to our June issue, affectionately christened "The Men's Issue," we forge ahead with July, which happens to be the first anniversary of the redesigned Amarillo Magazine. You may catch a few changes in the design but the same substance and quality will be there. We've learned a lot in this last year and from all the wonderful feedback we've gotten from readers, the magazine is headed in the right direction.

To spark a little interest in the June issue, here are a few shots from recent photos shoots.

From the June Cover Story:
(photo by Jeff Harbin, Life of Riley Photography)

Staging a shot for the Dress Code fashion spread:

(photos by Bevington Studio)

Here is a snipet of the real shot:

Did you catch the May issue? If not, read it all online. Drop us a line and tell us your thoughts. Also, register to win the four movies from our Inside section (Sex and the City, Chocolat, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Breakfast at Tiffany's).

-- Jennie

The May Issue - Upload Day

Today brings May upload, which means we bid farewell to the blood, sweat and tears of another issue of Amarillo Magazine. We'll reunite in two weeks when stacks of the newly-printed issue is lovingly delivered to our office. The May issue is all about women, which means putting it together was complicated, emotional and exhausting. We consumed enormous amounts of dark chocolate throughout the last few weeks as a highly-evolved coping mechanism. It worked and we survived.

Look forward to reading the results of our How Women Really Feel online survey and the corresponding stories of four women in our community who each represent a different stage of life. There are chocolate recipes, make up tips and even a guide to buying the right kind of bra. Look for the May issue of AM in subscriber's Sunday papers on April 25. You can also read everything online.

After today, we'll throw all our energy into the June issue, which, subsequently, is all about men. Hopefully we won't require so much dark chocolate in the process.

--Jennie

Recovery Week

The past two weeks have been slammed with one photo shoot after another for the May issue, so I'm happy to say this week is fairly low key. We'll start proofing, writing headlines, captions and all the minute blurbs and tidbits that we put off until the last possible second. It's funny how I can write a 2,000-word story in an hour but spend days trying to think of a decent headline. Sounds backwards, but it's the truth.

Anyway, here's Michele watching Pam Lary work her magic last Wednesday:



We are fortunate to work with a number of great photographers and artists in town, Pam being one of them. Together, these incredible people help us create a magazine each month with unmatched quality. Amarillo is full of talented people and we're honored to know and work with a lot of them.

Here's hoping you use the information in the April cover story to plan your outdoor excursions this spring. Warm weather is coming, so go outside and play.

--Jennie

Coming Up for Air

In short, we've been busy! Thanks to February being a short month, we had a little less time than usual to pull off a few magazines, but fortunately for you, quality has not suffered. In fact, we just published what we believe could be our best issue yet. If you didn't get the April issue in your Sunday paper last weekend, drop by Hastings on your way home tonight and grab a copy.



Since April was put to bed a couple of weeks ago, we jumped right in to May, which mainly involved compiling all the data from our first-ever survey, "How Women Really Feel." The response was overwhelming (thanks, ladies!) and we're currently putting words with the numbers so it all makes sense (and trying hard to not make it read like a sociology thesis!). Sufficed to say, the women of Amarillo had are quite vocal.

If you haven't participated in our monthly contest yet, what are you waiting for? Simply fill out your contact information and you'll be added to the drawing pot. This month, you could win a Kelty hydration pack and a leather-bound journal (as seen on page 8 of the magazine). Enter today!

As always, your feedback helps us create better content, so leave us a note with your comments, suggestions and story ideas.

--Jennie

How Do Women Really Feel?

In preparation for the May issue, we're conducting a ladies-only survey to find out how Amarillo women really feel about a variety of issues. The survey is up and running on our website, and it only takes a few minutes to fill out. Be honest, girls - how do you really feel about being married (or not married)? About working (or staying home) and having kids (or not having kids)? What do you secretly believe, and if there were no consequences, what would you want to get away with?



While online, submit your entry to win a sushi-making set and a gift card to United for your ingredients.


Have a great weekend, dear readers, and if you haven't picked up your March issue of AM, run by a Hastings today for a free copy!



--Jennie

Coming in March

As we wrap up the March issue of AM, we hope you'll be inspired by six locals who we feel set the bar for personal style. Confident and bold, we also feature some of their favorite pieces from shops around town.

We also interviewed Julian Reese and Jon Lyles, the quarterback and head coach of the newly re-named Amarillo Venom, the city's indoor football team. We talk about their individual journeys to Amarillo, how the team wants your support this year, and what's coming up in the 2010 season.

As a reminder, check out our dining guide, complete with restaurant descriptions, dish recommendations and our restaurant feature of the month. For March, we tell you about El Tejavan, where the dishes are always authentically mexican and tenderly made from mama's recipes.

Grunt work or valuable learning experience?

Meet our intern, Andrea:

She's only been with us for a month but already she's been so helpful. Whether it's running errands, writing blurbs or helping the brainstorming process, we're happy to have her. We hope that, in the process, she's learning something about the magazine world - like, sometimes you have to crawl around on the floor at photo shoots.

--Jennie

Thanks to salt and lots of scraping...

...I've been dug out of the snow. Sufficed to say I didn't leave my house for four days. While snowed in, I caught up on chores, watched movies and became very attached to my pajamas. I also got behind on work, so now that it's back to the grind for me I wanted to remind all of you that the February issue of Amarillo Magazine is out. (If you didn't leave your house all weekend either, take a shovel and go dig the Sunday paper out of your front lawn. AM mingles with the ads.)

We hope you'll appreciate our alternative look at love this month, sharing stories of people whose passion defines their lives. There's also a fabulous bridal spread and yummy fondue recipes for a Valentine's night at home.

If you have comments, suggestions or ideas for Amarillo Magazine, feel free to email me at jennie.miller@amarillo.com or leave us a message on our website.

Enjoy!

-Jennie

Moving on to March

Now that February is quietly put to bed (the cover story is seriously one of my favorites so far - be sure to grab your copy on Sunday), we are moving on to March. Without giving too much away, here's a photo from our special feature interview with Dusters QB Julian Reese:



But let's get back to February. Inside the Love Issue, you can read about a woman who traveled across the globe to adopt her children, about two sisters whose business brings joy to others, and about two volunteers who donate literally hundreds of hours of their personal time for a passionate cause. We give you fondue recipes for a stay-at-home Valentine's dinner and stepfamily expert Ron Deal shares how you can find harmony and passion in a remarriage. We even show you how to give your favorite pet a Valentine of his own.

If you don't subscribe to the Sunday paper, check out Amarillo Magazine online.

--Jennie

Haiti

After already suffering a magnitude-7 earthquake last week, Haiti was hit again with a lesser 6.1 aftershock this morning. More than a million people are already homeless and tens of thousands are injured, but there is one layer of this tragedy that I can't shake from my brain.

Haiti is a country from where many American families adopt, and since the earthquake, all the parents and children who've been waiting to be placed together will now have to wait even longer - that is, if the children are still alive and if the paperwork can be sorted out. As an adoptive mother, I cannot imagine the pain and anxiety I'd feel if I were sitting stateside knowing my child was in Haiti. Is she in the hands of a caregiver, or is she even alive? Phone calls, news reports and photos from the disaster zone would haunt me.

As adoption agencies sort through the mess of the aftermath, my hope is that the heartache of this earthquake will be lessened by the uniting of adoptive families. In the meantime, remember them in your thoughts and prayers.

--Jennie

The Proofing of February

If you walked into the AM office on any given day this week or next, you'd see a mess of papers scattered around our work table sprinkled with scribbles, arrows, rewrites, and cross marks. It's proof week and that means we're arranging stories on the page, rechecking checked facts and hoping we have everything spelled correctly. (I know we're missing something!) We debate about what photos to use and how to caption them. We come up with headlines, subheads, and taglines. By the end of proof, we're comatose from too much reading and too much coffee.

It's always a difficult task choosing what photos are printed and which ones are filed away for later use. Such is the case with this photo which was taken on the day of our cover shoot. That is me on the bed with my new best friend, Louisa.


In the cover story we introduce you to ordinary people who have found a way to express their love in extraordinary ways, and I couldn't help myself from getting attached - quite quickly, in fact - to this adorable three year old. Tragically, our sweet photo didn't make it in the magazine, and it's just as well. This simple shot only scratches the surface of the fun we had that day. You're totally missing out on my Pippi Longstocking pigtails, courtesy of Louisa.

--Jennie

For all the Brides-to-be

Here's a glimpse behind the scenes at February's "Dress Code," which is all about finding your perfect wedding gown.

Michele straightens the meshy mess of tulle underneath this princess-style gown:

Elisa, our stylist for the shoot, and I add the finishing touches before capturing our favorite image:

A romantic photo isn't complete without lit candles:

February's issue comes out January 31st.

--Jennie