Exclusive Interview with Reclusive Blog Author Amy Wright
Hi, Amy. Let me be the first to say welcome back to Amy Writes. The blogosphere has seemed dark and vacuous in your absence.
Wow, dark and vacuous? Well, I don't know about that - but I do appreciate the kind words. It's nice to be back.
How about we start at the beginning: Where have you been since May 4?
May was a pretty crazy month for us. At least, I think it was. I have trouble remembering back that far. After the auction I was craving a change of scenery, so we spent Mother's Day weekend in Orlando. Nothing says "Happy Mother's Day" like SeaWorld at 92 degrees. The rest of the month just started spinning out of control after that - all of the end of the year activities piled on top of each other. You know ... last week of Bible Study, last week of piano, last week of school... everything involves some kind of preparation and multiple parties. Oh, and I taught Chloe how to swim, which was basically me holding her in the water for 6 consecutive days, waiting for the Department of Children and Families to show up inquiring about the screaming child. But, we made it through and (as far as I can remember) had a great couple of months.
Didn't you take a road trip in early June?
Yes, yes we did. Boy did we. After a couple weeks of preparation, involving meticulous packing and snack planning, we snatched Eden out of school and drove 9 hours to middle Georgia, where we got to spend about 36 hours with Matt's wonderfully awesome family. We dragged the girls away from their cousins there to head north to the Atlanta area, where we attended my cousin's wedding. In Atlanta we were able to visit with numerous friends and other family members before heading on to Greenville, SC for a long-overdue stay with my best friend of 30 years. Greenville is a beautiful city! You must get there sometime.
Having picked as many berries as possible and enjoyed a fantastic visit at Chez Mason, we ventured south for our first trip to Savannah, where one of Matt's cousins and his family have taken up residence and are opening a Melting Pot. Can't wait to get back there! Savannah is old. I adore old.
We landed in Gainesville for the final weekend, partying with family and friends until it was time to head home. 10 days, 1800 miles, 40+ family members... it's nice to be home.
So how are you spending the rest of the summer?
It seemed really daunting at first, to have this whole blank calendar in front of us. How was I going to entertain these children for 12 hours a day? But, it's been falling into place. We've been hitting the beach as much as possible - Eden has taken up snorkeling and Chloe is becoming a mermaid, so it's a crowd pleaser. We also take advantage of the free movies, spend a lot of time at the library, go to the pool and do art and science projects. The days go better when the girls know the schedule, so last week we made a big calendar and they held me to it.
But not blogging?
No, apparently not. Just in the course of writing this one blog I have been interrupted 127 times. I have, however, taught myself to crochet, which is easier to put down and pick back up than a blog.
I'm sure that you're not spending ALL your time with the kids. I mean, they have to sleep, right?
Yes, yes of course they do. We've spent some time with friends, which is always lovely. We were supposed to go see Aersomith last night, but Steven Tyler strained his leg - occupational hazard of being a 60-year-old rockstar. But mostly, Matt and I have been ravenous film watchers this summer. Between Netflix and the library, we've been catching up on the last 75 years of Hollywood glory. Did you see John Adams? We obsessively changed our facebook statuses regarding where we were in our John Adams consumption. It was like we were hearing America's story for the first time, we wanted to tell everyone. That has been a highlight of our summer on the couch.
Your summer on the couch? Sounds healthy.
I know, right? Lethargic gluttons that we are. No, after 6 years of trying to figure out how to exercise in Florida heat with children, we "invested" in a treadmill, and it is one of my favorite things we have ever purchased. I love a good sweat, and running on a treadmill in a Florida garage is a good way to experience one. Furthermore, it has an ipod dock, so we can just plug in and go. No pesky earphones.
Furthermore?
Furthermore. Really. Who says that? But seriously, it is cool. I've been listening to sermons by Joel Hunter, the pastor at Northland Community Church in Orlando. He is thoughtful and funny and intelligent and they are all about 30 minutes...exactly the right length for a good run. I think when I get through them, I'm going to start an audiobook.
Speaking of books, have you been reading much this summer?
Not exactly "much." I read The Shack out of curiosity, and I read The Time Traveler's Wife on a very strong recommendation. (Loved it!) I just finished The Friday Night Knitting Club, which I think inspired the desire to crochet. Well, it inspired a desire to knit, but after a little research I determined that crocheting would be more practical for my "needs."
Finally, how do you feel about Michael Jackson?
Oh, MJ! I am very, very sad. Not so much because I was a superfan (I wasn't), but because I think it's such a powerful example of what our celebrity-worshiping culture combined with the generally judgmental spirit of the Church can do to a person. We killed him, really. Sure we can blame his dad for throwing him on stage too young or his own weird personality or whatever, but if we don't stop this idolatry, we are going to devour all of the genius that God sees fit to bless us with. Michael was a genius, and I think he was probably a pretty nice guy, whose lyrics often expressed a clear understanding of the role of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Woah. Tell us how you really feel!
Sorry. I keep doing that. I'm in a Bible Study this summer with 3 other girls my age and about 10 women my parents' age, and I keep hearing myself saying what I really think - which is almost never what anyone else is thinking. My gut feeling is that these women find me unnerving. There may be a few that would say "refreshing," but I'm betting the majority is unnerved, and sorry to have invited me to the "invitation only" study. Ha!
So will you be blogging anymore this summer?
I hope so! It's nice to finish a sentence. We'll see what kind of response this gets, and if I can fit it into our calendar, so that the girls will let me do it.
Wow, dark and vacuous? Well, I don't know about that - but I do appreciate the kind words. It's nice to be back.
How about we start at the beginning: Where have you been since May 4?
May was a pretty crazy month for us. At least, I think it was. I have trouble remembering back that far. After the auction I was craving a change of scenery, so we spent Mother's Day weekend in Orlando. Nothing says "Happy Mother's Day" like SeaWorld at 92 degrees. The rest of the month just started spinning out of control after that - all of the end of the year activities piled on top of each other. You know ... last week of Bible Study, last week of piano, last week of school... everything involves some kind of preparation and multiple parties. Oh, and I taught Chloe how to swim, which was basically me holding her in the water for 6 consecutive days, waiting for the Department of Children and Families to show up inquiring about the screaming child. But, we made it through and (as far as I can remember) had a great couple of months.
Didn't you take a road trip in early June?
Yes, yes we did. Boy did we. After a couple weeks of preparation, involving meticulous packing and snack planning, we snatched Eden out of school and drove 9 hours to middle Georgia, where we got to spend about 36 hours with Matt's wonderfully awesome family. We dragged the girls away from their cousins there to head north to the Atlanta area, where we attended my cousin's wedding. In Atlanta we were able to visit with numerous friends and other family members before heading on to Greenville, SC for a long-overdue stay with my best friend of 30 years. Greenville is a beautiful city! You must get there sometime.
Having picked as many berries as possible and enjoyed a fantastic visit at Chez Mason, we ventured south for our first trip to Savannah, where one of Matt's cousins and his family have taken up residence and are opening a Melting Pot. Can't wait to get back there! Savannah is old. I adore old.
We landed in Gainesville for the final weekend, partying with family and friends until it was time to head home. 10 days, 1800 miles, 40+ family members... it's nice to be home.
So how are you spending the rest of the summer?
It seemed really daunting at first, to have this whole blank calendar in front of us. How was I going to entertain these children for 12 hours a day? But, it's been falling into place. We've been hitting the beach as much as possible - Eden has taken up snorkeling and Chloe is becoming a mermaid, so it's a crowd pleaser. We also take advantage of the free movies, spend a lot of time at the library, go to the pool and do art and science projects. The days go better when the girls know the schedule, so last week we made a big calendar and they held me to it.
But not blogging?
No, apparently not. Just in the course of writing this one blog I have been interrupted 127 times. I have, however, taught myself to crochet, which is easier to put down and pick back up than a blog.
I'm sure that you're not spending ALL your time with the kids. I mean, they have to sleep, right?
Yes, yes of course they do. We've spent some time with friends, which is always lovely. We were supposed to go see Aersomith last night, but Steven Tyler strained his leg - occupational hazard of being a 60-year-old rockstar. But mostly, Matt and I have been ravenous film watchers this summer. Between Netflix and the library, we've been catching up on the last 75 years of Hollywood glory. Did you see John Adams? We obsessively changed our facebook statuses regarding where we were in our John Adams consumption. It was like we were hearing America's story for the first time, we wanted to tell everyone. That has been a highlight of our summer on the couch.
Your summer on the couch? Sounds healthy.
I know, right? Lethargic gluttons that we are. No, after 6 years of trying to figure out how to exercise in Florida heat with children, we "invested" in a treadmill, and it is one of my favorite things we have ever purchased. I love a good sweat, and running on a treadmill in a Florida garage is a good way to experience one. Furthermore, it has an ipod dock, so we can just plug in and go. No pesky earphones.
Furthermore?
Furthermore. Really. Who says that? But seriously, it is cool. I've been listening to sermons by Joel Hunter, the pastor at Northland Community Church in Orlando. He is thoughtful and funny and intelligent and they are all about 30 minutes...exactly the right length for a good run. I think when I get through them, I'm going to start an audiobook.
Speaking of books, have you been reading much this summer?
Not exactly "much." I read The Shack out of curiosity, and I read The Time Traveler's Wife on a very strong recommendation. (Loved it!) I just finished The Friday Night Knitting Club, which I think inspired the desire to crochet. Well, it inspired a desire to knit, but after a little research I determined that crocheting would be more practical for my "needs."
Finally, how do you feel about Michael Jackson?
Oh, MJ! I am very, very sad. Not so much because I was a superfan (I wasn't), but because I think it's such a powerful example of what our celebrity-worshiping culture combined with the generally judgmental spirit of the Church can do to a person. We killed him, really. Sure we can blame his dad for throwing him on stage too young or his own weird personality or whatever, but if we don't stop this idolatry, we are going to devour all of the genius that God sees fit to bless us with. Michael was a genius, and I think he was probably a pretty nice guy, whose lyrics often expressed a clear understanding of the role of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Woah. Tell us how you really feel!
Sorry. I keep doing that. I'm in a Bible Study this summer with 3 other girls my age and about 10 women my parents' age, and I keep hearing myself saying what I really think - which is almost never what anyone else is thinking. My gut feeling is that these women find me unnerving. There may be a few that would say "refreshing," but I'm betting the majority is unnerved, and sorry to have invited me to the "invitation only" study. Ha!
So will you be blogging anymore this summer?
I hope so! It's nice to finish a sentence. We'll see what kind of response this gets, and if I can fit it into our calendar, so that the girls will let me do it.
Comments
I haven't read The Shack yet, so I'd be interested in hearing what you thought. I loved the Time Traveler's Wife, too - although the end was rough for me.
And great thoughts on Michael Jackson. I find you...refreshing. :)
Book recommendation for you: Debbie Macomber's "Blossom Street" books. Knitting is a common theme, although there are a few characters who crochet. I've read 3 of them, I think.
"The Shack" was certainly interesting, wasn't it? An "out of the box" perspective on the person of God. There were some good principles in there, and a compelling plot, but I don't think it's a worthy foundation for doctrine.
I am just getting back to the blogging world after about a month off...and trying to catch up with some reading!
See you around!