Goodbye 2009!

It's become a habit of mine to write down the best things that happened to me during the year. It's so easy to forget what we've accomplished or suffered through in a given year, but I like writing it down, for the sake of memory.

I can't believe I've been blogging since 2006. In retrospect, that's not very long. But I really didn't expect it to last more than a few months. I get bored easily... at the same time, I get busy and drop things (like crocheting, sewing, crafting, etc.) I've tried to keep a real journal, and I just don't fill it up. Or I get mad and spit venom in it, and then feel ashamed and rip out the pages... so, this online thang is working out so far. Plus, I don't have to tell the same stories over and over to my family because they can read my blog! Ha! Love you guys!

Anyway, I usually write down the best 10 things... I think this year, I'm going to write the top 10 significant things...

#10 Buying a scooter. This is not me and my scooter... but Thuy Dam (former owner of So You Boutique.) She sold her scooter to me, and it changed my life! I love scooting around town, wearing the scandalous helmet she gave me, and using so little gas! It's a gas riding it... though there were two things that went bad. 1) I hit and killed a bunny on it. 2) It was stolen out of my front yard... but it is getting fixed and should be better than new come spring!

#9 My friend Tracy got married, and I overcame a huge fear of mine-- public singing. Now, crazy karaoke singing does not count... which unfortunately, many people have witnessed from me (yes, Eternal Flame is really my song.) Anyway, Tracy asked me to sing Ave Maria. I was honored. Then I started getting freaked out. My friend Amanda has a fear of public speaking--in college, it was the point of crying-- so we were both SCREWED. Sadly, I asked Amanda's boyfriend to sneak us in those little whiskey bottles that cost you an arm-and-a-leg in the hotel room. I downed them right before I sang to get rid of the nerves. Didn't mean to be disrespectful, but I get weird lip quivers if I'm nervous and that throws me off pitch. I was really happy with my "performance", and I didn't ruin my dear friend's wedding, so I think it was the right (though slightly immoral?) decision in the end...

#8 New set at KSPR: What can I say... our news set went from embarrassing to awesome. To the eye of the viewer, it seemed like it was overnight. For us, it was two to three exhausting years. The old building had its perks-- we were autonomous and could do whatever we wanted. We were like on this little island, far away from our management company... I was certain we were a fire code nightmare (joke.) Now, we can only have two mini-fridges in our new newsroom, and we have to walk 5 minutes to get to the nearest microwave. Still, it's definitely worth it. I honestly like our set the best. We still have some kinks to work out, but I think it looks very professional and it certainly boosted morale.

#7 Professional recognition: Since we're talking about my workplace... I want to talk about my work. I was nominated for a regional Emmy for a story I wrote and edited about an online company accused of being a scam. The story received recognition from the Missouri Broadcasters Association, and it also won the Gold Award from the Kansas City Press Club. I had the wonderful opportunity to be a presenter at the Emmys this year because of my nomination, and it was a nice way to be recognized and get my favorite call letters (K-S-P-R) out there again...

#6 Job promotion, life changes: I actually almost forgot to mention this one... I began co-anchoring KSPR News at 10. In November, I also added KSPR News at 4 to my duties. I'm not trying to talk about my job that much... BUT HERE'S WHY I AM: My weekends are now free!!!! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 8 YEARS!! More if you count my college days (because I was always interning on the weekends!) My hubby and I can actually hang out on the weekends!! O.M.G! (*except, I work Sun-Thurs... so technically, we can hang out Friday and Saturday nights... but not Sunday nights...)

#5 I added another sister to the mix: If you're counting now, I have no legal siblings, but I have 3 biological sisters and two sister-in-laws... LOVE IT! Jim's brother Ryan asked his girlfriend Tiffany to marry him (she's on the right. Jim's sister Erika is on the left!) Technically, they got engaged on Christmas Eve 2008... but I feel like we should count that in 2009 since we've spent this year focusing on the wedding. And yes, I'm a bridesmaid. And yes, I have to lose weight. And yes, I will tan for it.
#4: Meeting my biological aunt (IMO!) and my Uncle Stacy! We had a lot of great adventures in San Francisco, including riding bikes from Haight Ashbury to the ocean, but the highlight of our trip was meeting more birth family. I had known about my imo for several years, but for some reason, I had never visited her. Shame on me. But I won't let that happen again! In fact, I'm going to SF in a few months to see her again. She and Stacy are really great people, and I hope I can get them to SGF sometime!

#3: Saying Goodbye to my Grandpa, Norman. We called him Normie when we were being silly. He was spitfire and a little hard to handle at times, but he was a huge influence in my life. He died the week of Thanksgiving, and it was hard to see him go. But, I did get to spend some time with him at the hospital, and he did recognize me. He said he was proud of me, and it made me cry. I didn't let anyone see me cry at the hospital--which is an odd thing for me to do. I rarely hide my emotions... but I just didn't want to cry in front of him or my grandma. I wanted to be strong for him. It's so weird how your best memories with your grandparents are usually from your childhood. I'm going to work on that with my grandmothers...

#2: We brought home Minnie Margaret. Yes, she is a rottweiler. No, she's not dangerous. Rottweilers are one of the smartest breeds in the world. NO JOKE! Originally bred for herding cattle, they are a great working dog. My neighbors were scared of her when we brought her home (look at that face!), but now they LOVE her. She greets them every time they're outside, and Minnie REALLY loves the little girls who live next door. We think it's sweet. That being said... please train your dog, big or small... unruly rottweilers give the rest of us bad names. By the way, Minnie has eaten more pairs of shoes than thought possible. She also ate my digital camera... she sleeps on her back and likes her belly rubbed. She also has been babied so much that she doesn't now how to jump. We say, "UP" and she'll put her two front paws in the car, but won't jump in... she also won't jump out. OH, I love her so much. It's sick. Check out her YouTube channel...

#1: We went to Korea!!! We went to Korea to support my 2nd oldest sister, Hyun Jeong, during her wedding to Glenn! Turns out, our Korean family wanted us to have a Korean wedding, too. It was beautiful... it was too much... I also got to meet Won Hoo, my youngest sister's baby. He was a freaking trip! I met my oldest sister's husband, Eun-Eop. We traveled the country, we even touched ground in North Korea, we learned more about my adoption, we learned about the beautiful culture in Korea, and we spent time with my Korean family. I love them so much, and I feel so blessed that I've had the chance to get to know them in my lifetime. The mystery has been unveiled... and we are the Park Family! But I'm also the Sherwood Family and the Van Dillen Family... just so we're good. It's amazing to have a good family, but words can't describe what it's like to pick up family along the way... or reunite with them... or whatever you want to call it. Hyun Jeong and Glenn's marriage truly changes my future with my birth family. They are such special people, and I can't wait for them to come to the United States! Oh, verklempt.

THINGS THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE LIST BUT SHOULD BE NOTED:

My parents, Charles and Sharon are healthy and happy. They are my favorite. I love them so much, and I want to make an effort to see them more in 2010! My sister, Yeon Jeong, just had another baby--this time a girl! Tae Hoo! I can't wait to see her. Jim started taking mixed martial arts- type classes... I re-learned then forgot how to sew... and crochet... um, my brain stopped working.

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2010!

Someone Stole My Scooter!!!

OMG!

I woke up this morning because there was a knock on my door. I didn't recognize who it was, and I was half asleep, so I ignored it.

Then, a few minutes later, I decided to get out of bed and go to the gym. As I walked outside, I realized my scooter was gone.

I ran back inside. I called for Jim. "Did you put the scooter away last night?" No.

Damn.

So, then I called the police. The woman on the phone asked for a VIN number since the scooter doesn't have a license plate (49cc.) I had to go the bank to the safe deposit box to grab the VIN number and the policy information.

When I got back home, the same man who knocked on the door at 8:00 a.m., was talking outside to my husband. Turns out, he's our neighbor and found my scooter while walking his dog. I asked, "How do you know it's our scooter?" He said it's because it's pretty distinct.

So, Jim and I said thanks and drove to the location where our neighbor found the scooter. There it was-- on its side, in an alley.

The scooter had been hijacked. Someone tried to hot wire it, and the ignition was a mangled mess of metal. I couldn't get my key inside the ignition to start it. Plus, there was structural damage--I saw many scratches and scrapes, including the seat, which I thought was a bit odd, even for thieves. Since I couldn't get it started, I had to walk the scooter home in the rain this morning.

I called the police and made a report. Then, I called the insurance and made a claim. Great.

I just need to say a couple of things:

1) I thought my stuff was safe in my neighborhood.. Rountree is such a quite, cute place to live.

2) Jim thinks they scoped out my bike because they obviously had the tools ready to steal my bike. Jim said they probably knew what time I got home and everything. And that would make sense since my bike has recently been parked in the front because of its frequented use.

3) Since it was stolen and found in my neighborhood, I'm guessing that someone near my neighborhood or inside my neighborhood stole it. Jim got a suspicious vibe when he saw a certain group of people watching him this morning pick up the pieces of the bike strewn across the alley.

4) I feel really violated! Seriously! There's just something about someone taking your stuff from your yard... that REALLY gets your blood boilin'. Infuriating! I wish we could've caught the knuckleheads in the act! Or better yet, I wish Minnie would've caught them. ARGH.

AND YES, I HAVE ASKED THAT CHARGES BE FILED! The police asked me if I would press charges, and I said yes. But from a journalistic standpoint, doesn't a prosecutor press charges? I feel like that's something they only say in the movies... but who cares... I WILL ENCOURAGE THAT CHARGES BE FILED.

I can't stand thievery. Those turds outta be ashamed of themselves.

My Scooter!

Ode to Thuy, her dog Cosmo, and her former Malaguti.

I flipped the switch.
I've gone totally Asian.
I bought a scooter!

I bought the scooter from my friend, Thuy, who is moving away from Springfield to find peace and happiness in a much higher altitude. (I'll let you tell her where she's moving.)

Anyway, I feel guilty because it is such a sweet ride...

but all of my friends joke about my Asian-ness coming out on the scooter! ha~

It's a Malaguti Yesterday, which is an Italian-made scooter.

It is no longer imported to the U.S., but it has a great reputation.

I'm thrilled to own it.

It is 49 ccs, and it can fit two people on it!

Jim and I took it to the Bears game on Valentine's Day.

Thuy has such a dynamic personality. She put bumper stickers on it like "scooter trash" and "bite me"...

and her helmet she passed on to me has a big eagle on it with stickers like "Ain't Nobody's Old Lady."

Love it! I'm keeping it all!
Now the challenge is to find an equally cool helmet for Jimbo.

So far, I've driven it to work twice!

It has a one-gallon tank.
It cost $1.59 to fill up.
Talk about going green!

And, Mom, in case you're reading...

I'm really safe on it, and I only take it on side roads.