No one told me I'd need tissue.

We had the September photo cover shoot yesterday, and flanking the shoot I scheduled two of my four interviews - a seven year old actor with the Amarillo Little Theater and a 12 year old dancer with the Lone Star Ballet. During both interviews it was all I could do to keep my face dry. Neither child has had the easiest of lives but both are determined, passionate and mind-bogglingly strong. I'm toying with the idea of a first-person story angle, if only to fully capture and translate the emotion and story behind these kids. I have two interviews left, and now that I know better, I'll be stuffing my purse with tissue.

Feedback on the August issue continues to flow it, and we're so pleased to hear readers love AM. Michele and I brainstorm daily for ideas, coming up with content we think you want to read about and see. Getting a thumbs-up from you is the affirmation and fuel we need to keep going, so thank you - and don't stop.

Check back soon for behind-the-scenes photos from our shoot at the AMoA.
--Jennie

Behind the Scenes look at September

Even though the August issue comes out tomorrow, you might be surprised to know that we're already half way done with September and brainstorming October and November. And while it may seem like we're doing a great job being ahead, all it takes is a few rescheduled interviews and photo shoots to make us feel like we're falling behind.

We hope you enjoy August, and, again, we look forward to your feedback. As part of our ongoing efforts to have a strong presence online, we've started uploading more behind-the-scenes photos from various interviews on Facebook. We know you're curious.

--Jennie

August Delivers

The August issue of Amarillo Magazine arrived yesterday, which gave me an instant high. There is nothing like seeing the result of hard work look so beautiful and glossy. And despite my very long To Do List, I immediately started flipping through each page and scanning it for mistakes (which what you do when perfectionism is a second skin). I won't disclose the little jewels I found, but instead, I'll say that the August issue is completely fabulous. Look for it this weekend in the Sunday paper, or pick it up at any number of our distribution spots around town. (Don't forget AM Online.)

It's our job to make this magazine reflect all that is Amarillo, and it's much easier when we have your help. That said, we welcome all your feedback, story ideas, and general ego stroking.

--Jennie

The First Amendment

I just got back from a long weekend in Washington DC, a place I visited frequently as a child since my grandparents live there. While I saw them for brunch on Sunday, the purpose of the trip was to catch up with my best college girlfriends, a three-times-a-year tradition we've maintained successfully since 2000.

Because we became friends while working together at the university newspaper, it was only fitting that we tour the Newseum. Just blocks from the White House, the Newseum is an interactive walk through the ever-changing face of journalism, from the printing press to the online world. Exhibits range from Pulitzer Prize winning photos and a large display of front pages the day after 9/11 to an indepth look at how certain events - like the Oklahoma City Bombing - were captured by the media. For newsies like me and my friends, every exhibit was fascinating. We stayed until the lady over the intercom told us to leave.

Aside from the tear-jerking photos and powerful headlines from September 12, 2001, my favorite exhibit was the First Amendment Gallery, which explores how freedom of the press is an essential foundation for which so many other freedoms can stand. Unfortunately, many people don't know what five freedoms we're given in the First Amendment, and so you don't have to Google it, here ya go:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The First Amendment is also posted outside the Newseum, etched in stone and larger than the building itself. As an American, it fills me with pride to see the words big and bold, and reaching to the sky. As a writer, it gives me courage.

--Jennie

A Quick Look at Divot

On Monday, I interviewed the new owner of Divot, the abused horse who was up for adoption through the Human Society and was featured as part of our March issue. Elaine Smallridge originally fostered Divot, whose name reflects the gash in her skull from being beaten, but after a couple of weeks, she realized Divot wasn't going anywhere. She was home.

Look for the full story of Divot on our website in August. Until then, here's a teaser:

When school supplies replace patio furniture, you know summer is almost over.

I made a quick stop in Target last night (all right, it wasn't quick, but I intended for it to be...) and as I meandered around the perimeter of the store, I quickly realized that my oldest son will be starting Kindergarten in a month. They've stripped the back corner of their lovely patio furnishings and replaced the shelves with notebooks, backpacks and pencil boxes. Summer is almost over.

My oldest actually started kindergarten last year while we were still living in Tennessee, but upon moving to Texas in December and realizing the birthdate cutoff is a month earlier, he got demoted to Pre-K mid-year. Come August 24th, he'll have a second first day of Kindergarten and we'll repeat the photo by the front door smiling with his new backpack. Same story, different town.

The point is - summer is flying by and, if I'm not mistaken, the break isn't as long as it used to be. When I was in elementary school, summer vacation lasted from Memorial Weekend to Labor Day, which translated to a full three months of sleeping in, watching game shows all morning, riding bikes all afternoon and staying up late catching lightning bugs in the backyard. There was time to breathe, time to rest, and even time to miss school. (Yes, I was one of those students.)

With just five weeks left to enjoy, I hope to make it fun for my boys - because life is hard as a kindergartener, you know. (Naps and recess, and all.) And once that season of life begins for him, he can't ever go back.
--Jennie

But it's a dry heat.

I heard Texas was hot. In fact, when I'd tell people back east that I was moving to the Lone Star State, the first thing out of their mouths was almost always, "It's so hot there," and then they'd make some remark about tornados (which I ignored).

My faithful stand-by response was always, "but in the Panhandle, it's a dry heat!"

And here I sit in the dead of summer looking a the three-digit temperature on Weather.com. Man, 101 degrees is just hot, dry, wet or in between.

However, it's not lost on me - that muggy suffocation that comes with east coast humidity. I fully remember walking out the front door of my North Georgia home last summer and my make-up melting off (and running down my shirt) by the time I got to the car. Or my inability to breathe on an August afternoon when the moisture in the air was so thick that it stuck like glue to the inner lining of my lungs. Or waving the white flag in the battle to straighten my curly hair, a battle I seem to have won back since moving to Texas.

Fortunately, everything I read about Amarillo summer nights is true - there's nothing like sitting on my back porch when the temperature drops to the 70s and a warm breeze swirls around the yard. It's pleasant and peaceful, and the sunsets are equally as enjoyable.

Now if we can just do something about that wind.
--Jennie