 |
It's much saner. During the campaign, I was living here (in Washington) but Heather was still living in Colorado, and I was going home on weekends. Now I get up in the morning and usually go to the gym or for a bike ride and go to (the) office at AOL. I come home and maybe take the dogs (two Labs) for a walk. And that's about as exciting as it gets.
Your home life sounds wonderfully normal.
It is. It's wonderful.
You met Heather playing ice hockey?
I was a goalie and she was a defenseman. I think she scored on her first shot because I was really bad.
What do you and Heather do for fun?
It's usually an outdoor activity. We both love the mountains. We both love to snowboard, and out here we've done a lot of mountain biking. Now we're going to get into kayaking.
How about fishing with your dad?
Growing up, probably about once year starting when I was 12, my dad I would go on pack trips through Wyoming. I was maybe 3 when my (paternal) grandma first put a spinning reel in my hand. My dad's the one who taught me how to fly fish.
He also taught you to hunt?
My dad and I go hunting a couple of times a year for pheasant and quail.
Who bags more?
That is the source of constant father-daughter competition.
You've also been remodeling your home. How's it going?
The first thing to go was the pink shag carpet. Heather is doing a lot of the work herself. She and my mom have these lengthy conversations. They ordered the furniture for our living room. I'm sure it will look wonderful.
Your dad reportedly is the family chef. Do you take after him?
I love to cook. I am really good at turkey. My dad taught me how to do his turkey with all the trimmings and all the stuffing and potatoes from scratch and giblet gravy. I haven't mastered my dad's spaghetti sauce yet. He pretty much does it by feel. Usually the rule is the more garlic, the better.
Do you see herself carrying on the family political tradition?
I did not get that bug.
Now that you're speaking out about same-sex marriage, will you become more of an activist and take to the ramparts?
I'm not a ramparts kind of girl. I have respect for anyone who is an activist on any issue, anyone who believes in an issue and wants to direct their time and energy toward that single issue, but that's not the path for me. I think my contribution comes from being just the best person I can be. And a big part of that is being open and honest about who I am.
To read an excerpt from Mary Cheney's book, Now It's My Turn, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
JOSH & FERGIE: ROCKED BY SCANDAL
Did he cheat with a stripper?
Married less than a year, the couple denies an Atlanta woman’s claims that she and Josh had a fling
Note that this week’s cover of PEOPLE may differ regionally
