Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger

Amy from Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger is a feature done each Saturday that introduces you to a blogger you may already know or a new blogger for you to get to know. This feature gives you a peak into the personal life of the blogger.  Getting to know the special person behind the beautiful blog.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland so enjoy getting to know these talented bloggers each Saturday.

I am excited to introduce you to Amy from Ms. Toody Goo Shoes blog.  Amy is so sweet and so fun to get to know.  She has had a very exciting career and now is home and channeling her talents into her blog.  Sit back and read this special feature and get to know Amy.  Then head over and introduce yourselves to her.

Hi, everyone! I'm Amy, from Ms. Toody Goo Shoes. First things first -- thank you, Kris, for giving me the opportunity to take center stage at your beautiful blog today...I am truly honored to be in your spotlight!

I absolutely freeze when someone says, "So, tell us a little bit about yourself." It's like I suddenly can't think of a single thing to say. Good thing Kris gave me ample lead time to come up with something!

Dad and me at the Jersey shore

Let's start with the fact that I'm a Jersey girl -- born and raised, with a 22-year interlude in New York City. Probably the most exciting thing that ever happened to me in New Jersey is that I kissed Bruce Springsteen. Let me be clear that he did NOT kiss me. He showed up at a college dance, and I was so star-struck that I went up to him, blabbered something about being his biggest fan, and kissed him on the cheek. I still cringe when I think about that. I'm guessing he does, too.

Aside from making a fool of myself at dances, I was at college to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. Deciding on my major went something like this: 

English? Boring. 

Science? Too hard. 

Math? Not a chance. 

Communications? What's that -- TV? 

I watch TV, okay, I'll major in that. 

No joke.

That "least of all evils" decision turned out to be a pretty good one. I spent 32 years working at a major TV network you've all heard of, deciding what time some of your favorite shows would air. I worked my way up from the bottom of the barrel to the corner office, and got to do some pretty cool things. For most of my time there, I absolutely loved my job -- until I didn't. More about that in a minute.

Emmy Party!

When I was 25, my mother gave me a suggestion that changed my life. A friend was looking for a roommate in New York City, and my mom said, "What about you?" 
It was a "Duh!" moment, and I ended up living there for 22 years. 

New York City

In the unofficial rule book for single Manhattanites, it is advised that one take a "share" in either Fire Island or the Hamptons, and rent a house with other single people for summer weekends. I heeded the advice, and went to Fire Island, which is where I met my husband a few summers later. When he started talking to me, I planned to be on my way after some polite conversation. But, he was so nice that I stuck around...for good! We've been married for 21 years, and he is still the wind beneath my wings!

Fire Island, NY

When it seemed that having a child wasn't in the cards, we decided to go ahead and buy a weekend home in the Hamptons, which is, of course, when I got pregnant! As Mr. Goo Shoes says, he had a contract for a house in one hand and a positive pregnancy test in the other. We bought the house (we've since sold it)...

...and Junior Goo Shoes is now 16 years old, and 6'3!"

Pardon their backs...my boys are camera-shy.

The other member of our family is our sweet cockapoo, Sadie. Look at that face!

We moved from New York City to New Jersey thirteen years ago, because our apartment started to shrink as our son got older. You know... the bigger the boy, the bigger the toys. Raising him in the suburbs was a great decision for our family, although we still enjoy going into New York City frequently.

I was a career mom for most of my son's life, but when things changed at work, and I wasn't happy, Mr. Goo Shoes and I agreed that I should leave. And so I did, exactly three years ago.

I had a list a mile long of things I wanted to do when I stopped working, with writing and photography at the top. Six months after leaving my job, I started my blog. The funny thing is, I had no idea what a blog was (really!), so I bought Blogging For Dummies, and jumped in head-first, not knowing what the heck I was doing. But, boy, was I happy! I found a place to corral all of my creative passions under one roof. And, the unexpected gift was all of the wonderful bloggy friends I've made in the process.

Many of my posts are about baking, and my all-too-frequent kitchen calamaties. And, who knew blogging was fattening? I've gained five pounds since I started writing!

I'd rather do anything but cook, so I only post super-easy recipes.

Sometimes I write about the interior of my home (but only after I've tidied up, of course).

My deck is my happy place, where I share what's going on in my backyard. 

Travel is my passion, and I love writing about our family vacations.

 

I hope you'll stop by and visit me at Ms. Toody Goo Shoes. I co-host a link party on Friday nights called Best of the Weekend, and I'd love for you to come and share your creative posts!

Thank you, Kris, for inviting me to participate in your Saturday Spotlight!

Thank you Amy for sharing your life with us.  It was fun to get to know you better.  Have a great week end everyone.

Kris

:)

-- Amy @ Ms. Toody Goo Shoes http://mstoodygooshoes.blogspot.com