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Guest Drive: Amy Peck of InherentPassion.com
Aug 11 2009 by Kristin Varela
While I was welcoming to Chicago the sassy bloggers who carpooled to BlogHer’09 in all-new Chevy cars, I was shocked to come across a fellow Denverite, Amy Peck of InherentPassion.com. Driving from Denver to Chicago in a car with several other bloggers? Uh, Amy is a lot braver than me! (I flew there…with only my US Weekly magazine and an iPod for company.)
I’ve since become familiar with Amy’s blog, but I have to carefully choose when I’m going to read it. Not only is it easy to get sucked into her deep, insightful posts, but it’s also emotionally charged for me. You see, Amy is in the early stages of her transition into single parenthood. She blogs on topics that for me — as a single mom having gone through the same process a few years ago — are still as raw as bloody meat (sorry for the visual). I told you she’s brave.
It’s becoming an odd sort of therapy for me. I’m reliving some of those early days through Amy’s eyes and finding that despite the initial pain, I’ve managed to pull through on the other side, just as Amy will.
Here’s a (lighter) look into Amy’s mom-life where she hauls her two sons, ages 7 and 9, in a 1999 Ford Windstar minivan that’s affectionately known as the “Mother Ship.”
1) Which characteristics of your car embarrass you or your kids?
Luckily, my kids haven’t gotten to that age yet of being embarrassed by their car. I’m not sure I would call it embarrassing, but it would be nice to get the windshield fixed and replace that missing hubcap.
2) If you could design your own car, what would it look like and what types of features would you add?
My dream is to one day own a completely environmentally friendly car. My favorite automotive manufacturer is BMW, so if something with the look and feel of a BMW X5 that was completely electric or ran on trash — “Back to the Future”-style — became available I would jump on it. Feature-wise, I loved the OnStar feature with the Chevy Traverse I drove to Chicago. I love the idea of hands-free cell phone usage and plugging in my iPod without an adapter. Oh, and the built-in DVD player!
3) What kind of terrible mess has occurred in your car? What fixed it (or what didn’t), and do you have any suggestions for our readers?
Having gone through the baby and toddler years and now in the elementary school years with two boys, I suppose you could say any and all items of food and drink that would be consumed by children of those ages has been spilled or scattered about the car. There is some sort of gum or candy that is so affixed to the middle seat that I haven’t found anything that will get rid of it. It’s just a part of the car now; it’s like the barnacles on the faces of the crew of The Flying Dutchman from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies. I’ve tried at least a million times to outlaw food and drink in the car, but I never stick with it. I’m a softy.
4) Does your family have a favorite pastime to endure long road trips? What sure-fire road trip tricks can you share with us?
A couple of years ago we drove from Denver to Southern California with the boys for spring break. The DVD player absolutely made that trip a dream. I would never go on an extended car trip — I’m talking more than an hour — without one ever again!
5) Describe the view and the passengers in your ultimate joy-ride:
Winding mountain roads with a good friend and a beach destination at the end of the trip. On the ultimate joy ride, I would have to leave the kids at home.
