Spins the grin

A Woman I Know: Amy

A Woman I Know is a new venture for me.   Back in April, I began to work on a plan to reformat my weekly link-up which I rolled out this month.  I considered the themes that I had been both using and had wanted to use, brainstormed on a few more, and decided that I would go with four themes that would recur on a monthly basis (cuz I like patterns and symmetry and such).  Then I realized that some months would have a fifth Saturday and was stuck as to how was I going to handle that situation.  I looked back on the list of the other theme ideas that hadn’t made the cut and landed on an idea of featuring “a woman I know” which I had still considered doing but only on an occasional basis.

Many bloggers will publish posts on other bloggers which I appreciate for the introductions to other blogs and the exposure they afford to the bloggers showcased but I wanted this feature to be more personal and use a woman from my non-blogging life.  More brainstorming ensued and I came up with a list of a dozen or so family, friends, and co-workers as potential candidates.  My next step was to figure out which months in the next year or two will have a fifth Saturday and as luck would have it, this first month of the link-up reformat has a fifth Saturday.  The next hurdle was to select the first honoree and ask her if she would do it.

My friend Amy was the perfect candidate for this inaugural post and happily, she agreed without hesitation.  She was one of the first people I told about my blog when I first started it almost a year ago and she says that she reads all of my posts (I’ll tell you how I tested her on this in a bit). Amy is one of the most out-going and friendliest people you will ever meet, and not only am I lucky to have her as my friend, she is also my hairstylist, a co-conspirator in keeping the grays at bay. One day I will embrace the silver much like I did my curls several years ago but, for now, I’m not ready and Amy is my go-to gal for color.

I’ve known Amy for about 15 years and we met because my sister and brother-in-law knew her and her family from their temple.   When The Husband and I joined the same temple a year later, Amy’s youngest son Devon was in the same Hebrew school class as our daughter Jo and our niece Melissa (and to this day, these three are still really close friends).  As couples, we are also friends.  Over the years, the families have celebrated good times together and supported each other in sad times as well.  Besides being a successful and busy independent hairstylist, Amy is also a wife, mother of three, and grandmother to an adorable nearly one-year-old girl.

Amy has been such a good sport about this feature. There was the photo shoot a couple of weeks ago she found time for on a busy Saturday and then meeting with me another time for the official interview. I had sent her most of the questions in advance so that she could give some thought to what her answers would be but I saved a few for spontaneity’s sake.

A Woman I Know: A Conversation with Amy

Rena:  Let’s start with something easy.  What’s important to you?  What makes you happy?

Amy:  My family is the most important thing in my life.  My husband, my children, my grandbaby, parents, sisters and other extended family are what make me happy.  I love being with them and spending time together.

Rena:  What did you want to be when you grew up?

Amy:  I wanted to be a teacher or a daycare provider or a veterinarian.  I love kids and animals so I thought that working with either was what I would do.

Rena:  What led to you becoming a hair stylist?

Amy:  I had struggled a bit in college and I had always had an interest in makeup and hair so I started thinking about working in “Hollywood” as a make-up artist.  It was my mother who suggested I do the full program in cosmetology school and my first clients were mostly my mother’s friends.  I’ve found that being a hair stylist is a good fit for me because I’m a very social person and I love the interaction I get with my clients.  I get a lot of satisfaction from helping people feel good about themselves by making them look good.  And I get to talk a lot.

Rena:  What have you learned from your clients?

Amy:  I think that I’m like a therapist for some of my clients, someone they can talk to and share what is troubling them.  I’ve had to learn to be patient and tolerant.

Rena:  I read an article recently about hair stylist’s top pet peeves.  What is your top pet peeve?

Amy:  I love when a client brings in a photo of a hair style they would like to try.  However, sometimes I’ll have a client bring in a photo of a style that is not suited to her hair and I have to figure out how to tell her so.  It’s not always an easy thing to do.

Rena:  How would you describe your fashion style?

Amy:  I think that I’m lucky that I don’t have to dress in any certain way like I might have to if I worked in an office.  I would describe my style as casual, flowy, feminine, cute, and maybe a little bit sexy.

Rena:  How has your style changed in the last 10, 20, or 30 years?

Amy:  I like to stay current with basic trends so my wardrobe is always evolving.  I really love the cold shoulder look as you can tell by the outfits I chose to wear in the photos.  Just today I was on-line looking for more of them.

Rena:  What is your biggest shopping challenge?

Amy:  Well, you know I’m tall (5′ 10″) so often clothes aren’t in the right proportions for me.  My height is an advantage with some styles but I look to avoid those that bring too much attention to my hips.

Rena:  What do you think about the phrase “age appropriate” when it comes to fashion and style?

Amy:  I think that there are some women who don’t use enough common sense when it comes to clothes.  A little bit sexy is good but anything too short or too revealing is not good no matter how old you are.

Rena:  Congratulations on your recent completion of a six-week fitness boot camp and losing over 20 pounds.  You’ve belonged to gym and have been on WW, so why a boot camp challenge?

Amy:  As I said before, I really like being social and at a traditional gym, I would be working out alone even though there were a lot of people around and I didn’t enjoy it.  With the boot camp challenge (I still go to the workouts), I work out with a group of others who are for the most part, just like me in fitness level and with similar goals for better health.  There is a lot of interaction, moving around, and so much fun that with the music, it’s almost like I’m dancing and not working out. I have so much more energy now and it is so much easier to get down on the floor to play with my granddaughter.

Rena:  Speaking of your granddaughter, how did it feel to become a grandmother at 48?

Amy:  I’m was thrilled.  I had always hoped that I would become a grandmother before I turned 50 so that I could enjoy while I was still young.

Rena:  Ok, now here’s your test question to see how thoroughly you’ve been reading my posts.  What is finger mouthing?

Amy:  Finger mouthing?  Uh, never heard of it and I’m almost afraid to ask.

Rena:  It’s an Instagram thing some of the younger celebs are doing.  In their selfies, they pose with one of their hands near their mouth to show off a ring or mani.  There was a link about it in my first Wednesday’s Whatevers post.

Amy:  Oops, sorry.

Rena:  No problem, I’m just so glad you agreed to be my first A Woman I Know. Is there anything else you would like to share?

Amy:  I was honored that you asked me.  If any of your readers are local and would like to book an appointment with me, they can contact me at amyyaffe@gmail.com and if anyone would like to send me a picture of themselves and of a style they’d like to try, I will give my honest opinion as to whether it would be a good look on them.

Rena:  Thank you for being such a good sport and willing guinea pig.  And remember that time our boobs touched as we posed for the pictures by the shampoo bowl?

 

Let’s Wrap This Up

Now, onto the Fine-Whatever link up for this week. My featured contributor from last week’s In Real Life themed link-up is Jaymie at Shop Your Closet By Jaymie Ashcraft. Jaymie has a fun, laid-back, and “real life” style and she has been a supporter of my link-up since the first one back in January. Thank you, Jaymie.

FWE - awik Amy 073016 contributor

I hope that you have enjoyed meeting my friend Amy. Who are the awesome women that you know? The next month with a fifth Saturday is October so be warned my other friends and family, I may soon be calling to ask you for a favor. Please consider saying yes.

FWE - awik Amy 073016 last pic

Let’s connect! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, love, pin, stumble … all options are available and waiting for you. I look forward to hearing from you.

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34 Comments

  2. shelbeeontheedge1

    What a great idea for a theme, Rena! And you are so lucky to have such a lovely friend in Amy. She is beautiful with fab style and seems like an amazing person, indeed!

    Shelbee
    http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com

    • Rena

      Jess, thank you for letting me know that you liked the post.

  4. jaymieashcraft

    It was so fun to get to know Amy!!! Thanks for the feature!! 🙂 Have a great day! 🙂

    • Rena

      You are very welcome, Jaymie. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.

  5. robjodiefilogomo

    There are so many women in our lives that make an impact (and hopefully we make good impacts on others).
    Thanks for introducing Amy!!
    I love that she is wearing the open shoulder shirts—how fun!!
    jodie
    http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
    ps…I didn’t know the finger mouthing either—of course, I’ve heard you have to hear/read things 7 times before you remember them!!

    • Rena

      Jodie, you’re right. There are a lot of women who influence our lives that are not famous or publishing blogs. I wasn’t sure how this would be received. I’ve only gotten positive feedback so it looks like it’s a hit and not a miss.

    • Rena

      Thank you, Anna, for your encouragement and I’m glad you like the concept of this post.

  7. Andrea@WellnessNotes

    I love that you’ll be featuring some women you know in your “real life!” It was fun to get to know Amy a bit! She sounds like an amazing woman and a great friend!

    Thanks for the link up & Happy Sunday!

    • Rena

      I’m glad you like the feature. It was a lot of fun to do and it pushed my creativity in a new way. Thank you for your continued support.

    • Rena

      I’m glad you liked the feature and thank you for letting me know.

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  12. Suzy Turner

    Amy looks and sounds like a fabulous friend, Rena. I love her style (her hair, especially – it’s gorgeous!). The photos of you two laughing after your boobs touched are hilarious!!
    Suzy x
    http://www.suzyturner.com

    • Rena Post Author

      Thanks, Suzy. Amy is a fabulous friend. As for us laughing, it took us a bit of time to back under control and all the while my husband was taking pictures.

  13. Ada

    What a great interview and introduction to your friend Amy. She seems awesome. She rocks that fun hairdo and looks fabulous in cold-shoulder tops. Love the patterned one the most. Also, great vest you have on. And I love Jaymie. She is this week’s co-host for my linkup. I woul love to have you co-host sometimes too.

    • Rena Post Author

      Thank you, Ada. I would be honored to co-host. Send me an email with details.

  15. Colleen

    How lucky you both are to have each other! The tops she is wearing are so flattering and she looks great !

    • Rena Post Author

      You’re right, Colleen, I am lucky. Thanks for reading and commenting.

  16. Jennie

    I really enjoyed reading this interview with a real woman in your life. Amy’s style looks so fun!

    • Rena Post Author

      I’m glad you enjoyed the post and thank you for letting me know. Amy does have a great style.

  17. Shelly

    Ahhh…I love this! I had a similar type linkup last year called Queen Bees and I loved featuring friends and family bloggers and non alike. Always so sweet to read about all the areas of our lives that make us who we are. Thanks for linking up with Ageless Style!

    Shelly||The Queen in Between

    • Rena Post Author

      Cute name for a link up. I’m getting a lot of positive respond on this post so it must be striking a cord with a lot of readers.

  18. nikkifrankhamilton

    How fun! I love learning from blogs that I visit, but I love even more getting to know the blogger behind the blog. Although you interviewed your best friend it tells a lot about you too.I love how respectfully you speak of your friend an the stories that you share about her. Can’t wait until the next 5th week of the month!

    • Rena Post Author

      I’m so glad you enjoyed ‘meeting’ Amy and the concept of the post. I’ve already got my next three women lined up and I’m excited for you and the other readers to meet them as well.