Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Let's Play Tag and 20 Questions

Super sweet friend and fellow indie author Meghan Gorecki (A Northern Belle) kindly tagged me for the 20-questions post that's been going around. (Thank you so much, Meghan!) I couldn't resist joining in on the fun, so here are my responses...

1. How tall are you?

I think I'm still 5' 1". I've been that height for pretty much forever. It's not so bad. :)

2. Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?

Well... "I would love to become a professional whistler. I'm pretty amazing at it now, but I want to get, like, even better. Make my living out of it."

(For all you Madagascar 2 fans out there. Anyone else besides me? Anyone?)

Perhaps my hidden talent has to do with my response to Question 7. Not sure if I'm really all that talented at either, but hey! At least I have fun.

3. What's your biggest blog-related pet peeve?

Maybe an overabundance of ads. Or a lack of interaction with readers. Or those silly, difficult to decipher CAPTCHA verifications and the spiteful spamming that necessitates them. Grr.

4. What's your biggest non-blog-related pet peeve?

The ways I too-often thwart myself with greed, materialism, and misplaced priorities.

5. What's your favorite song?

I love music so much that I don't want to name a favorite favorite song. But John Denver's songs always remind me of coming home, and "Sunshine on My Shoulders" has been dear to my heart through the years.



6. What's your favorite Etsy shop that isn't yours?

Christy's Belle on a Budget has been my go-to Etsy store for gifts for myself and others. :) Such sweet and fun jewelry!

7. What's your favorite way to spend your free time when you're alone?

Singing along to music. And dancing around my apartment, like a certain character or two from my upcoming release. :)


8. What's your favorite junk food?

Ummm...all of it? Well, maybe not quite, but still. Let's go with chocolate. I have an insatiable sweet tooth - just ask my coworkers.

9. Do you have a pet or pets? If so, how many, and what are their names?

There's a cat who lives at my grandparents' house that's my baby. My grandparents bought Mr. Murphy for me when I was ten, and I love him so. He's so sweet and such a great listener. :) Sadly, I live in a practically no-pets apartment, so I couldn't bring him with me. Since he's now thirteen and content with roaming my grandparents' property, it's probably for the best. But with my grandparents' house on the market, it's a difficult thing.

At home with my parents and sister, there's Muffin Man (another cat) and Candy (the bunny). And a kitten has been added to the family since I moved out - a sweet thing named Paris that I'm eager to meet sometime!

10. What're your number-one favorite nofiction and fiction books?

These are always the hardest questions to answer. I'm going to cheat by directing your attention to my "favorites" shelf on Shelfari.

11. What's your favorite beauty product?

I don't really wear much makeup, so I guess it would have to be cover-up (does one ever completely outgrow acne? *sigh*) and good ol' chapstick.

12. When were you last embarrassed? What happened?

I get embarrassed frequently. One of the more recent incidents was at the young-adult group associated with the church I've just started attending. Let's just say that my sister got all the artistic genes, and who knew my attempts at drawing an ape for Pictionary would have everyone guessing that it was some sort of bear? No point for our team that round. *hangs head in shame*

13. If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Probably low-fat milk. Or some sort of juice.

14. What's your favorite movie?

There are a couple of Hallmark movies at or near the top of the list. Also, Always. You've Got Mail. Tuck Everlasting. IQ. Kate & Leopold. Anne of Green Gables and its sequel. The Journey of Natty Gann. Brother Bear.

15. What were you in high school? Prom queen, jock, nerd, cheerleader, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, prep?

Valedictorian. And prom queen. Okay, maybe not the second one (just in my own mind). ;)

16. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

There are lots of places I'd like to travel to, but as far as living... Well, I'm really quite happy right here in Oregon for this season of my life.

 At the Sea Lion Caves on the coast of beautiful Oregon

17. PC or Mac?

PC. I'll leave the Macs to the designers in our marketing department.

18. Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boyfriend, or spouse?

Is it just me, or does this question feel like a land mine for those who aren't in a relationship, no matter if there are "crush" and "date" options? I'll step very carefully around it and just say "a listening ear." Having someone express genuine interest in what you have to say can be such a meaningful gesture, friend or otherwise.

19. Favorite celebrity?

Hmmm... I guess some of my favorites would be Adam Young (AKA Owl City), Scotty McCreery, Zachary Levi, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, and JJ Feild (who played Henry Tilney and Henry Nobley - *swoon*).

The sweet little owl my mom bought me on her last visit :)

20. What blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with?

Is "all of them" an acceptable answer? ;) Seriously, I'm so grateful for my blogging friends, including the awesome and ever-thoughtful Rissi (Dreaming Under the Same Moon) and the fantabulous, kind-hearted Kara (Flowers of Quiet Happinesss). And there are so many colleagues and former clients I'd love to meet in person!

***

I now tag lovely bloggers Emily (Zerina Blossom) and Ganise (RĂªves Bleus), if they'd like to participate. :)

8 comments:

Rissi said...

Yes to all of your Blogger pet peeves. I get the whole need for the codes to prevent spammers, but sometimes Blogger makes them really difficult - you swear you're typing in what they show but it won't take. *sigh* It's not in any way the blogger's fault and spammers are annoying, it'd just be nice if Blogger had a more clear cut system.

As always, your posts aren't just fun to read through, they're thoughtfully put together as well, Amber. Loved reading this and thanks for the shout-out - I feel the same about you and Kara! You two are fantabulous and wonderful, kindhearted people. :)

...and I love your question of it being acceptable to say "all of them." That's how I feel too.:)

Amber Holcomb said...

Rissi,

Glad we agree on those Blogger things! ;) Aren't some of those codes ridiculous? It's all fine and dandy when you can easily make out the words, but when the image is too faint or the letters/numbers too distorted, it's super frustrating. Like, seriously, are you testing to see if we're robots, or if we're super-human with mind-reading powers? LOL.

Anywho, I'm so glad you enjoyed reading this, and I'm touched by your encouraging words about this type of post. :) *Hugs* And of course - you more than deserve a shout-out, friend!

I so love this blogging community, and the chance to connect with awesome reading & writing friends. ♥ So blessed!

~Amber

Ganise C said...

Nice to read your answers, Amber!

Pets : If I were to get one it'd be a cat as well :) Aren't they cute?

Music : Currently listening to the song ''Sunshine On My Shoulders.'' Awww. It's sweet - in a bit of a sad way I find... But I can see why it reminds you of coming home. It definitely conveys longing.

Nomination : Thanks, friend, for nominating me! I appreciate it - I participated in this back in August. Here's the link if you're interested.

http://revesbleus.blogspot.ca/2014/08/20-things-you-might-not-know-about-me.html

Anonymous said...

SO glad you accepted The Tag, Amber! ((hugs)) SO glad we're friends even though our email-letters are way overdue. Know I think and pray for you often and we *will* catch up soon!

Amber Holcomb said...

Ganise,

Thank you for taking the time to read them! :)

Yes, cats are awesome!

I think a lot of John Denver's songs are like that - sweet in a slightly melancholy way. They really touch my heart!

And oops! I apologize for the double nomination, then, although I'm happy to give you a shout-out. :) Your responses are great!

Song: OK, I'm thinking we might have listened to that song in Zumba class on Monday! SO fun. Now I know where I can find it online to listen to for those impromptu living-room dance parties. ;)

Junk food: Oooh, fries is a great answer! I love fries. I even mention them in the prologue of How a Star Falls, haha.

Books: Can't wait to read Meant to Be Mine - sounds so good!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Meghan,

I was totally happy to! Thank you again so much for nominating me. :) *Hugs back*

And goodness...I am SO behind on emails. *sigh* But yes, we must catch up sometime soon! I'm sorry I haven't done a better job of keeping in touch. I'm really blessed to know you've been praying for me, though - thank you, dear friend. ♥

~Amber

Kara said...

Oh my! I get a shout out and I'm terribly late to know it! But thank you, my dearest Amber. I feel exactly the same way about you! *hugs*

And I'm so glad you joined in. This tag is such a fun way to get know our internet friends better. :)

I constantly sing along to music as well. And I must say that I sound absolutely amazing in my head! Now whether I do out loud on the other hand....

Yay for chocolate!

Ah, You've Got Mail is the BEST! And I loved our twitter party with it. We've gotta find time to do that again sometime soon! (Also on that note, I DID get your card in the mail. THANK YOU! I realized that I hadn't really responded (bad Kara!), but I loved getting it. I am planning to actually respond with real mail soon. Just so you know! Promise. :)

You know, I just heard this awesome sermon the other week. And the minister said "Where would you be if you could be anywhere you wanted right now? You'd be right where you are. Because you've made choices that have led you to this particular spot in this particular moment." I hadn't ever thought about it that way, but he is so right. The choices we make, letting the Spirit guide us, lead us exactly where we want to be. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing all depends on the spirit we're listening to.

Okay! Enough sermonizing. But I thought you might appreciate that thought. :)

Amber Holcomb said...

Kara,

Never too late to accept a shout-out, right?? ;) *Hugs back*

These tags really are a lot of fun! I love that blogging for us is more than simply cranking out reviews...it's about sharing thoughts and forming friendships along the way. ♥

Yay for singing along to music, eating chocolate, and watching You've Got Mail! We totally have to plan our next Twitter-watching party. Perhaps we should do a Christmas-themed one? Although I'm eager to do a watch-along for Austenland, too. :)

No worries at all about the snail mail! I don't want to ever pressure you/stress you out. I'm glad that you received the letter, though - I'll have to send you another one sometime! I haven't been writing as many letters recently... But I picked up some pretty cards at Target the other day, so I'm eager to use them. :)

I love what you shared from that sermon! What a great way to look at it. Reminds me of the song "Trains I Missed" by Balsam Range. Encouraging! Thank you for sharing. :)

~Amber