Thursday, June 3, 2010

Birthday Story Bash: Day 3

Today is the day! I am now beginning my last year as a teenager, and I'm so thrilled I can celebrate my 19th birthday with all of you!

Just as a reminder, each day of this birthday bash includes a guest interview; movie, book, and song-of-the-day selections; and a giveaway! The main theme for the week is Toy Story, but each day will also have its own theme based off of one or more Toy Story characters.

Today's characters are . . . the members of the Roundup Gang! Thus, today's theme is the Wild West!

The Roundup Gang consists of Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete. Toy Story 2 shows the viewers Woody's famous past. He used to be the star of a T.V. show! How cool is that?

Now, there have been quite a few western-themed T.V. shows in the past, but I confess the only one I've really watched much of is Bonanza--and I am a big fan! I absolutely love the show, and I actually just watched an episode last night with my family. I love the theme song! I love the actors! And I LOVE the setting! Virginia City, Nevada is a great place to visit, and I actually wrote a paper in high school (an extended essay for my IB Diploma) on the social aspects of the town during its heyday. It was quite the place, let me tell you! There's lots of history there, and the town feels so alive with the past. As you can probably tell, it's one of my favorite places!


I have a confession to make now. I don't technically have a "guest" interview for you today. I thought I would take a shot at answering the questions I've been asking others! (But no worries! I plan on having an actual guest interview for you tomorrow!)

Question: Who is your favorite Toy Story character?

My Answer: I think my favorite would have to be Woody. All of the characters are so unique and fun, but I just love Woody's character! For a toy, he's very real. He shows jealousy and pride. But he also is a loyal friend, and he really loves his owner, Andy. Woody and Bo Beep are so cute together, and since Woody is a cowboy, of course I love him! ;)

Also, I talked with my mom about this, and I think we both agree that it's so fun to see Tom Hanks shine through Woody's character! My parents and I are big fans of You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, and Joe vs. The Volcano. Many of the Tom Hanks movies that I've seen (not all) have been very sweet/fun, and I enjoy hearing his voice for Woody's character!

Question: What is one of your favorite stories? (This can include books, movies, family stories...anything goes!)

My Answer: This really is a hard question! (Sorry to all of the people I've interviewed or will interview!) I absolutely love stories! I love the book and movie versions of The Last Sin Eater (book written by Francine Rivers; movie directed by Michael Landon Jr.). There is a lot to take away from that story! I love the first and second Anne of Green Gables movies. I enjoy certain Hallmark-type movies very much.

As for family stories, the story about my great-great-grandfather's life (on my mother's side) is fascinating! Although I have a horrible confession to make: my grandpa has written a book on my great-great-grandfather's life, and I have never completely read the book all the way through. :( I need to remedy that!

Anyway, my great-great-grandfather spent much of his life on the sea. And my grandpa, for my 16th birthday (I believe), gave me a ring that belonged to my great-great-grandmother, which was given to her by my great-great-grandfather when they were both out at sea together. I was so touched! I could go on and on, but I'll stop now!

Question: If you could be a character in Toy Story, which character would you be?

My Answer: I think I would either want to be Jessie or Bo Peep (to echo Renee!). It would be fun to be a cowgirl, and to be part of the Roundup Gang! It would also be fun to dress up and take care of cute sheep!

I also saw that there is going to be a "bookworm" character in Toy Story 3, so I could definitely associate with that character!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now for the selections of the day!

  • Movie of the day: Love Comes Softly (I love this whole series, although I think the first three/four are the best! For those who know me even semi-well, I'm sure this selection comes as no surprise!)


  • Book of the day: From a Distance by Tamera Alexander (I can't wait for the third book in this series, Within My Heart, to come out this fall! To read my review of another wonderful book of Alexander's (The Inheritance) click HERE.)


  • Song of the day: Great American Cowboy by The Sons of the San Joaquin

Here's a video I found on YouTube of another song by The Sons of the San Joaquin. You should be able to find Great American Cowboy on YouTube, as well, but I loved the video of this song, and I think it really fits today's theme!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today I'm giving away my gently-used copy of Love Finds You in Pendleton, Oregon by Melody Carlson!

Here's the description of the book from Amazon.com:"Native American beauty Sunny Westcott is not one to let her hair down. But her friend Aubrey manages to drag her to Pendleton, Oregon, and the pair arrives just as the hundredth annual Pendleton Round-Up begins. Sunny is surprised by how much she enjoys watching the rodeo, riding horseback, and getting to know Aubrey’s family—particularly a handsome cowboy named Cody. Pendleton is also home to the Umatilla reservation where Sunny’s ancestors once lived, and the trip gives her the chance to do some digging into her family’s history—a topic she knows next to nothing about. But will Sunny like what she finds? And how will skeletons from the past compete with the current drama unfolding in Cody’s own family?"

Isn't this great? The book talks a lot about the Pendleton Round-Up, and today we've been talking about the Roundup Gang from Toy Story! Fun, huh? =)

To enter the drawing, just leave a comment letting me know you would like to be entered. You must have a U.S. mailing address, and you must leave your e-mail address in your comment.

To read my review of this book, click HERE.

Have a great day full of adventure, and at the end of the day may you ride off into the sunset! Yee-haw!

(Toy Story picture from the Pixar website. Bonanza picture from the TV Land website.)

24 comments:

Julia M. Reffner said...

I would like to read this one. I'm a Melody Carlson fan.

julesreffner(at)gmail(dot)com

Bluerose said...

I also love the Love Comes Softly series! I taped them all off TV one day for my momma to watch. That's awesome about the ring! I just love those sentimental items that are passed down through family! :)
You've had great books this week!
bluerose_shelnut(at)yahoo(dot)com

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

Happy Birthday!!!! Enjoy your teen years while they last (WOW I sound old) it's true that things get tougher as you get older LOL!

You have some good choices as your favorites! I love Woody too and the Anne of Green Gables books even though I've never seen the films you mentioned. My brother just loves Bonanza so needless to say most of the time while I'm blogging I hear the Bonanza theme in the background on tv. :-P

I think it is soooooo awesome that you have your great great grandma's ring! You need to post pictures of it. I LOVE antiques!

I would love to be entered for the book too, I would like to give it a try.

XOXO~ Renee
steelergirl83(at)gmail(dot)com

Casey said...

I would love to read this book, so please include my name.

I LOVE the Love Comes Softly series too, some of the movies weren't the best, but still great stories. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Bluerose said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! After only 3 hours sleep(oh, the joy of children;), i was thinking it was still Wednesday. I even saw your post up there, but it wasn't clicking. :P I agree, enjoy that last teen year. Time flies the older you get!!
I hope you have a great 19th Birthday!!

Anonymous said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMBER!!! :) I really like that we got an interview with you, by you, on your birthday!

Great answers on your favorite stories! I just re-read The Last Sin Eater a few weeks ago! And I like the movie version, too. Not to mention The Anne of Green Gables series - I love the books as much as the films.

I hope it's a terrific 19th year for you!

Cerella
www.cerelladsechrist.com

Ariel Wilson said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :DDDDDDDDDDD

How exciting that you are 19! Just the other day I was saying I'll be 20 in less than a year! How the time flies! Enjoy it while you can :)

I would like to enter this one too!

pinkdaddysgirl@msn.com

Angie said...

Happy Birthday, Amber! Hope you have a great birthday. :)

Enjoyed learning more about you. It's neat you know some of your family history.

Please enter me: sundaisy920 at gmail dot com

Amber Holcomb said...

Hello everyone! :D

Julia: Thanks for your entry! I think I've only read two of Melody Carlson's books, but she does write well and really seems to know Oregon! (The two books I read were the Love Finds You ones she wrote.) :)

Bluerose: Thank you for the birthday wishes! (No worries! It's funny--I realized once again that I'm not a morning person today when my sister brought her cat in to my room to tell me "Happy Birthday," and I told him "Happy Birthday" back!) ;) Anyway, I so love the Love Comes Softly series, too! And it is nice to have sentimental things in the family that can be passed down to future generations. :) I'm glad you've been enjoying the featured books this week! Thanks for your entry!

Renee: Thank you so much!!! Thanks for taking the time to stop by--I know you're going on/you're already on vacation! (Hope that's fun for you!) :) I'll have to remember to post pictures of the ring; it's very beautiful! And you should see the Anne of Green Gables movies--they're very well done and oh! so sweet! Also, that's so great that your brother is a Bonanza fan! I would love to hear the theme song music when I'm blogging. ;) Thanks for your entry, too!

Casey: Thanks for you entry, and thank you for the kind birthday wishes! :D I know what you mean about the movies...they started to get away from the books more and more as the series progressed. But I still enjoy watching all of them because they're sweet and they have good messages (although the first few will always be my favorite!).

Cerella: Thank you so much for stopping by today and for the birthday wishes! :D I'm glad you enjoyed the interview--I was hoping it was OK that it wasn't technically a "guest" interview. ;) The Last Sin Eater is a wonderful book, and Anne of Green Gables is a wonderful movie (and its sequels!). So glad you agree! Thank you again for your kind words!

Ariel: Thank you for the birthday wishes! Time sure does fly, doesn't it? ;) Each moment we have is precious, and I hope my birthday will remind me of that! Thanks for your entry, too! :D

~Amber

P.S. Thank you again to all of you for your kind words! I just can't thank you enough! It means a lot to me! :)

Amber Holcomb said...

Angie,

Thank you so much! I appreciate the birthday wishes, and I'm glad you stopped by! :D

I'm also glad to hear again that interviewing myself was alright! I thought today would be a good day for that. ;)

Thanks for your entry, and thank you again for giving away books on my blog this week! (The others should be featured tomorrow.) :)

~Amber

karenk said...

Happy Birthday Amber :)

I always enjoy visiting your blog :)

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Michelle said...

Happy Birthday Amber!!!! I hope it's a great one!!

I've read several of Melody Carlson's books, and enjoyed them.

I went through a stage of watching a lot of westerns while I was growing up. I liked Bonanza a lot, but I loved Gunsmoke. If you ever get the chance to watch it, do so.

I've enjoyed the Love Comes Softly movies too. I've not read the books though, Janette Oke's writing sytle has never appealed to me.

Have a wonderful day!

mchapman (at) windstream (dot) net

Amber Holcomb said...

Good afternoon! :)

Karen: Thank you so much! That is so sweet, and I'm so glad you like my blog! :D Thank you for your entry!

Michelle: Thank you for the kind birthday wishes! :D And thank you for your entry! I think I've seen a little bit of Gunsmoke on TV Land before, but maybe I should watch it some more. :) But I don't know if I can like any Western more than Bonanza! Also, it's nice to meet another Love Comes Softly movie series fan! I have to say that it's been a while since I've read many of the books, but I love the sweet romance in the stories! I have some of the series, and I personally enjoy the ones that I have, including the last few ones. :)

Thank you both for stopping by!

~Amber

Ashley (Ibreath2read) said...

Oh HaPpY BiRtHdAy, Amber!!!!I hope you had just a perfect day!
it's funny cause, my sister jennifer's 19th birthday was just yesterday, what are the odds?LOL;)

I like Woody (definitely love Tom Hanks, for sure)and Bo Peep. I think they are such cute couple together.LOL;)

Anne of Green Gables and The Love Comes Softly sage are major favorites around here. I could watch those movies over and over and never tire of them.

And I would LOVE to enter your giveaway, Amber. Thank you so much for offering such a great book. I love and am collecting the whole Love Finds You series. It's so much fun leaning about little off-the-main-drag towns.

Love Ya,
Ashley
i95fahrenheit[at]ymail[dot]com

Amber Holcomb said...

Ashley,

Thank you so much! :D My day was very fun! I just got back from dinner and bowling with my family, which was really nice! I also got my hair cut today. :) I love it!

And that is so funny about your sister's birthday! ;) I hope her birthday was wonderful, too!

Sounds like we have similar taste in movies! Yay! :) I know what you mean about being able to watch those movies over and over. I love them!

Thank you for your entry, too! The Love Finds You books are very neat, and I agree that's its fun to learn about different little towns across the U.S.!

~Amber

Elyssa said...

Please enter me! I've never read any books by Melody Carlson, but I hear she's really good!

lubell1106(at)gmail(dot)com

Jennifer said...

I'd love to read this book! Please enter me!

jennycohen104(at)gmail(dot)com

G.R.I.T.S. said...

Bonanza is awesome! Happy Birthday (a day late). Hope you had a great one!

Please enter me to win,

Rae
raebyuel(@)gmail(.)com

Emily said...

Looks like an amazing book. Please enter me!

Emreilly303@gmail.com

deb said...

Looks like a good read!

Please enter me!

Dreilly316@gmail.com

lindsayw said...

Ooh, new hair cut? I'm sure it's adorable! Happy birthday, a day late!! I'm glad to hear you had a wonderful day.

I love the story about your g-g-grandfather! (haha it looks like I have a stutter) Oh, and I love the song, too, how they whisper all those famous cowboys. :) Great blog, today!

Please enter me for the book! These "Love Finds You" books sound so cute, I read a similar type of book with three different love stories from Texas. I love reading books that are centered around places I'm familiar with, that are real. Would love to read this one!

Amber Holcomb said...

Good morning everyone! :)

Elyssa: Thank you for your entry! I've read two books by her, and I think she writes well and describes places and people in a very real way.

Jennifer: Thanks for your entry!

Rae: So glad you agree about Bonanza! :D It is awesome! Thank you for the birthday wishes, and thank you for your entry!

Emily: Thank you for your entry!

Deb: Thank you for your entry!

(Sorry to sound so repetitive, everyone, but I really am enjoying having all these entries!) :)

Lindsay: Thank you for the birthday wishes! And I do so love my haircut--shorter with more layers! :D It's fun! Thank you for the compliment about the blog post, too! I really enjoyed writing this one! And thank you for your entry! (Wow! Lots of "thank you"s!) The Love Finds You books are lots of fun--sweet romance stories set in great-named towns all across the U.S.! Hope your summer is going well, Lindsay!

Thank you all for visiting!

~Amber

Michelle said...

Hope you had a fabulous birthday!!!

Thank you for entering me in the drawing!

Michelle
scraphappy71 at sbcglobal dot net

Amber Holcomb said...

Michelle,

Thank you! :D I did have a wonderful birthday! And I just keep being blessed by having such sweet family and friends!

Thanks for your entry!

~Amber