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

Edit, Proof and Move on.

The fireworks show on Saturday night was my first in Amarillo, and surprisingly, some of my pictures actually turned out. Thought I'd share my favorite.

We're editing and proofing the August issue of AM this week, and I'll tell you what - it's seems like just as soon as we wrap up one issue, we're starting on editing the next. We work four to six weeks ahead and it's no easy task. Honestly, we're already working on September, October and talking about November and December.

Speaking of which, we would love to hear from readers on topics you'd like to see covered in upcoming issues. Feel free to leave a comment on the blog, send a message on Facebook or direct-message us on Twitter. We're all over the place now -and it's about time, huh?

You're not from around here, are you?

To date, nearly every interview I've conducted has taken the same detour in a different direction. Whether it's the way I talk, or a follow-up question after a truly Texan answer, I almost always get a curious look followed by, "You're not from around here, are you?"

No, actually, I'm not. How did you guess?

Was it because I didn't know which Texas football teams were rivals, or that I didn't know I could get sunburned at 10:30 in the morning? Perhaps it's because I still carry an Amarillo city map in my car and refer to it almost weekly?

Don't get me wrong - Amarillo is growing on me. In fact, I can name a handful of things right now that I really love (such as the lack of humidity, the beautiful sunsets and the fact that, geographically, this city is pretty easy to navigate). But I'm a southern girl, born on the Georgia coast, raised all over the southeast, and a recent transplant from east Tennessee. Summers were suffocatingly humid and barbeque only came as a pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw. Neighbors stayed divided by their fanatical allegiances to Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama football and I could get to Washington DC, Disney World or an Atlantic coast beach house in a brisk eight-hour drive.

I keep thinking about what someone told me in an interview last week. He said, "If you buy a pair of boots and stick around long enough to wear them out, you'll never leave Texas."

In the six months I've lived here, I've come to appreciate the slower-paced lifestyle, the fierce dedication to all-things Texan, and the passion folks have to support local business. Writing for the magazine has been the catalyst for me to embrace this city, and with each issue, I've come closer to calling Amarillo home.

This weekend I'm playing tour guide to my first friend who's visiting from back east. We're going to see "Texas" in the Canyon (which is a first for me - special thanks to Alvin for giving us the tickets!), and then we'll catch the fireworks show Saturday night at John Stiff park. Perhaps, after showing another east coaster the ropes around this windy town, I can send her back home without desperately wishing I could join her. After all, I have brisket to taste and boots to buy.

--Jennie

Just 20 days left to register!

The entries are pouring in, but since we're gluttons for punishment and don't mind flooded inboxes, we wanted to remind you that there's still time to enter to win one of the 28 prizes our advertisers donated for the anniversary issue. It's good stuff, people. Don't be shy.

We've also continued to receive wonderful feedback from readers who've been wanting a magazine with features like the restaurant guide and calendar of events, not to mention all the other cool stuff we've added. Essentially, Amarillo Magazine has long been what this town needs, and we're happy to oblige.

With the August issue coming to a close and September content creeping at our door, we hope the second issue will be even better than the first. Drop us a line, send us an idea, and let us know what else you'd like to see featured.

A Hearty Thanks!

So far, so good.

Many of you have commented via email, Facebook and Twitter - and even in person - that you've enjoyed the inaugural issue of Amarillo Magazine. It's good to know you approve considering we've been actively working on it since April. It's been a collaborative effort, one that's clearly paying off.

The website, too, has been a labor of love. One brainstorming session after another and look what was created! Hopefully you will find amarillomagonline.com much easier to navigate and more enjoyable to read.

While you're on the site, take a moment to register to win one of the 28 anniversary prizes. Our advertisers have been quite generous and if it weren't against the rules, I would've registered myself. Also sign up to receive our newsletter so you can stay up to date on changes with the site.

On a personal note, I want to reiterate something I learned after interviewing the six locals for the July cover story. Whether I mentioned it in the articles or not, every single person commented on how lovely the people of Amarillo are. Repeatedly I was told how kind you are, how helpful, how polite. I've only lived here for six months and, to be honest, I couldn't agree more. So hats off to you, Amarillo. Thanks for making this city a great place to live.

- Jennie