NYE 2010

I usually give my top 10 things of 2010... but I'm too busy right now! Erika, Mike and Jim are here right now... this morning, we ran the Resolution 5K at the beach!

Happy New Year!!

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!

TOP THINGS OF 2008

I always like to sum up my year in a blog post. Why not? (Here's 2006 and 2007 in a nutshell...)

By far, this has been the best year of my life. And thank God, because the last couple have been pretty crappy. I can't even remember why they were crappy... I mean, I didn't have anything majorly bad happen, but I recall being in, oh, let's say... a 4-year-funk or something.

Anyway, there are given things that go unmentioned on 2008's list, though they're very important (ie: health, family's health, having a job, etc.) Nonetheless, here goes:

10. This was probably one of the most significant things that happened in 2008, but it was also one of the worst. That's why I'm putting it on the bottom: saying goodbye to Jasmine. She was the best girlfriend... and dog. Ask anyone, and they'll say how smart and quirky she was. You could put a treat on her nose, and she would just sit there and shake her butt from excitement until you said, "okay"... then she would throw the food up in the air and catch it. She was a big rottie, but she was also a big baby... and I never met anyone who didn't love her.

9. Discovering Facebook. Sounds kind of lame to have on my list, but I didn't really want a FB page. Now, I'm on it everyday and catching up with old friends. LP was right: FB is not that bad. It's low on the list, but still important.

8. Being recognized locally... and Jim on the Daily Show. Thanks to GO Magazine and Q102 this year... they made me feel so special.
And then, there's Jim was on the freaking Daily Show... he called this work!








7. Getting in shape. I may have griped a lot in my bootcamps, but whatever. I can actually do push-ups, I ran my first 5k this year, and I know I can be more active if I want. Which reminds me...Kate, I miss you!




6. Working at the Park Central Library. I never thought I'd have a second job on top of my full-time job, but you know what? I really enjoy it.

The people in the library district are wonderful, creative, and intelligent. And, it's really given me a new perspective on the community the district serves. I am proud to be involved with it.



5. Working at KSPR. At first, it was a truly difficult adjustment... not because of the job itself, but it was hard to leave something old for something new. And honestly, I was surprised and heartbroken to learn that some people were not very supportive of my decision to be a part of a new opportunity. This year has been much better, and I'm the happiest I've been since moving to the Ozarks in 2003. Plus, have you heard? We were #1 on election night...and our ratings are steadily increasing to help make us the fastest-growing station in the area. Not very many people get the chance to be a part of so much exciting growth.

4. Buying a house. My friend Joanna (who also bought a house in 08) says she gets it, now. She understands why buying a house is so cool, yet frustrating...why you put your heart and soul into it...and now, I get it, too. We love our house, we love our neighborhood, we love our stranger-kitties, and we love being able to walk or ride bikes with ease from our house to downtown Springfield to Tea Bar and Bites and Zen 3. Who wouldn't?

3. Being more in touch with my birth family. I am so relieved, excited, and balanced now that I am in near-everyday contact with my sister Hyun Jeong through Twitter and Blogger. I can't wait for her to marry Glenn (a white guy from the upper Midwest!) That means she helps balance out the Park Family-- two girls married Korean guys... two girls will marry, um, whities. My kids will have something in common with her kids, and our future as a family just became more real. I really like Glenn; he seems creative, smart...and cute! I just know those two will have a lot of great adventures ahead.



2. Going along with #3--my nephew was born this year! Won Hoo (Hae Ssal is his nickname, which means sunbeams.) He is the cutest little baby I've ever seen. Honestly. Let's be real. He's the first grandchild on the Park side. He belongs to my sister Yeoun Jung and her hubby!


1. Getting married. I know everyone says their significant other is the best--but they're lying! I love you, Jim! I am so excited about our future! The wedding was pretty kick-ass, but the marriage is so much better!

Happy New Year!!

I hope you all have a safe and happy new year...and I hope that 2007 is the best year yet!

My top 10 things of 2006...aside from the givens: friends, family, health

10) The Green Machine (newly discovered today)
9) Grey's Anatomy dinner night with girly friends, my boyfriend and sometimes Greg
8) Soo's Korean Restaurant, the kalbitang is my favorite
7) Guitar Hero II (I totally kick ass...on medium)
6) YouTube
5) Blogger
4) my new laptop
3) Being in GO magazine this year, and then going to the GO party where my boyfriend stole my thunder
2) Going surfing in Hawaii and not falling off the board
1) A new found sense of peace, don't know why it's happening...