Say Cheese...

Sandy tagged me in "Say Cheese..."  that means I have to take a picture of myself (or have someone take one of me) and write 5 things about the picture.  Then I'm supposed to tag 4 more people to do the same thing.  By the way, the picture is supposed to be taken around the time when you read the post... thus the catch.

I actually read Sandy's post yesterday when I saw I was tagged, I was about to take my picture when my husband walked in from work.  Lucky for me, he was super needy because he had been working most of the day with a migraine!! So... my nasty picture of me with no makeup, hair not washed, after a day of house work just had to wait.

Wait until today... HA!!! I know, I cheated.  Here is the picture of me the second time I read the post...  Sorry, I know I ruined the fun. :o(

5 things about this picture:

1.  I don't look much better than yesterday when I should have taken the picture!

2.  I did wash my hair and I even have a little makeup on.

3.  This would have been posted earlier today but my mother-in-law and munner came over right as I saving my picture to post it.

4.  They took us out to Besso's and then when Eric got off work we went to Los Portales for a late lunch.  It was really good and nice inside!  I like that we have this in Henderson!! :o)

5.  I'm sitting on my bed and I'm wearing a yellow FHU shirt that I got when I worked there for a short time.

Ummm, I think pretty much everyone that I KNOW reads my blog has been tagged.  Isn't that sad??  If you read my blog and want to be tagged, please comment and you can definitely join in!!  Otherwise I'll just end this with me.  I think I need some more blogging friends....

Picture Header Directions

A few people have asked me how I did my picture header at the top of my blog.  So here are some rough directions.  I'm sure there are a lot of ways to get a picture header on your blog, but mine is done using the free software Picasa.  It is available for Mac and PC so you should be able to find the version that is right for your computer.

Once you have found a picture you like, save it and upload it to Picasa.  If you have a Mac, I know it will upload your pictures automatically.  After you've tweeked your picture to say what you want and look perfect, you need to export it to a file to change the size so it will fit in your header space on your blog.  Here is a screen shot from my Mac.  I believe on PC you could probably export it by going to "File" and looking for the same thing...  Export Picture to Folder.

After that you should see a window pop up that will allow you to name the folder that you are exporting your picture to.  You will also see where you are able to resize your picture.  You will probably need to do this in order for your picture to fit in the header space on your blog.  I resized mine to the second lowest tick mark.  You might want to play with yours until you get it the way you want it.  Here is the screen shot:

Finally go and put your new header on your blog.  You will need to go into your layout and edit your header.  Here is the last screen shot:

There ya go.  I hope that helps anyone that would like to add a fun header!!  If there are any directions that I missed please let me know.  If you need any help, feel free to ask. Have fun and good luck!!

Thanksgiving Thursday

Here are the things I'm thankful for that come to mind for the past week.
1.  Snow - Although I didn't play in it, I thought it was beautiful.
2.  Munner and Papa Lawrence - They are Jared's grandparents and they always let us drop in and spend the night on a moments notice when he's traveling.  It's such a blessing to have them as grandparents.  They are too good to us.
3.  Mindy's directions about how to get my picture blog header to work!!  If you knew how long I'd searched for a way....
4.  Extra days to do our Bible reading schedule at Church.  I was a lot behind, but luckily this week I have a whole week to catch up!!  AND I think I will! :o)
5.  Fast food - Although I wish Henderson had more restaurants it helps that there are a few to choose from when neither Jared or I wish to cook.
6.  Weekends home - Sometimes it's the weekends spent traveling that make you appreciate the quiet lazy weekends at home.  
7.  Traveling with Jared - I'm not working now and it is nice to be able to go with Jared to some of his events.  
8.  Sleeping in - There are some pluses to not working now... 
9.  Jared's new work car - Even though he can't ever drive it home (silly policies) at least I know he will be safer when he travels...  The other car had some problems.
10.  My hairstylist - I recently got my hair cut and that made me feel great!! :o)

iLike Music

I was searching the blogger buzz from my dashboard and noticed they added a link to a really cool music widget.  If you want to add music to your blog too, click here.  Feel free to find my music in my column to the right and listen.  I picked relaxing music for now.  I like that when trying to concentrate on blogging.  Have fun!!

25 Random Things About Me

My friend Kim tagged me to write 25 Random things about myself.  I hope I can make it all the way without getting too boring.  Here I go:

1.  I am Korean, born in Seoul, and I'm adopted.

2.  I love music and I play the flute (although I have not played in a few years...  I'm sure I could pick it up again with some practice)

3.  I was one of 3 drum majors at my high school for around 300 band students!!  Talk about being nervous during contests and football games! 

4.  I am a licensed music teacher, but still don't really know what I want to be now that I'm grown.  A Christian of course first, a good wife and eventually mother, a loyal friend, but as to a career - I don't know.  I like office work better than the classroom.  Teaching in the Jackson-Madison School systems was very stressful for me and I didn't like it much.

5.  I feel very lucky to have Christian friends that live close by.   I know I can count on them for anything.  Jared and I are very blessed to have such a good support group of Christians in our lives.

6.  I'm weirdly attached to this stuffed pig that Jared got me after we were married.  His name is Grumbles.  Yes, I'm 25 yrs. old... HA!

7.  My favorite channel is the food channel.  I love watching those shows that show you how the food is made.  I like Rachel Ray and her various programs...  It's a channel you can watch or do other stuff while it is playing.  It is not too distracting if you are trying to concentrate on something else.

8.  I love comedies.  If I'm going to rent a movie - I want a comedy.  I HATE SCARY MOVIES!!!  I also don't do well with war movies like 300 and Gladiator... BLUGH!

I also like old movies, clean chick flicks, animated movies, and musicals!

10.  I love to read, but it sorta consumes my life once I get caught up in the story.  I think that makes me slow to want to read at times.  Especially series books...  I've had the Twilight Series for sometime now and I'm still only in the second book.  They are so good though!!  

My favorite author is Jane Austen.  

11.  Jared wanted me to add that I have the best husband ever and he has a really cool blog that you should check out...

12.  I look like an octopus.  Really, I do!!!  I was allergic to these sticky things the Dr. put on my chest to check something and now I have broken out circles all over me!!  It is funny, but not so funny at the same time.

13.  I also love Sonic drinks like my other friends.  My favorites are the cherry limeade and the chocolate strawberry dr. pepper.

14.  I'm sure everyone knows by now, but I want a Maltipoo really bad.  The Havanese that Mindy told me about are also really cool.  I might be checking on those more later...  we shall see if I ever change my mind.  I'm sure I have plenty of time to do so.

15.  I'm from Oklahoma and I like unsweet tea!!!  Especially Momma's.... yum!  I used to drink it at about every meal except breakfast!  

16.  I'm lactose intolerant, but take lactaid so I can eat and drink dairy products.

17.  I'm not a big fan of butterflies and will sometimes flinch if one lands on me.... childhood fear.... :o(

18.  The one place I want to visit before I die is South Korea.  Particularly Seoul, but I would like to see some other places there as well.

19.  I really want highlights in my hair, but I'm not willing to shove out the money to pay for them right now.  I also really want my hair to be slightly curly and long.  I'm thinking London from the Suite Life of Zach and Cody...

20.  I like to draw and paint.  I'm not bad at painting with acrylic and I love to draw portraits.  (I haven't done this in some time though)

21.  I like being creative.  I make cards, jewelry, do needle point, crochet, etc.

22.  I cry just about every time we pull out of my mom and dad's driveway to come home.  I really miss them.

23.  I have a brother who is also Korean but we are not biologically related.  He is also a musician and a much, much better one!!  He makes me look like a beginner on just about any topic of music except maybe the flute which is my main instrument.

24.  I bought an electric guitar when I was a senior.  I wanted to learn how to play, but didn't try very hard at it.  I still have it and Jared played it once at a XBX thing.  I really wish I could play guitar...

25.  Last, but first, I'm a Christian.  I want very badly to be just the kind of Christian woman that God wants me to be, but I know I am constantly falling short in so many things.

Thank you Kim for tagging me in this game!!  I am tagging the following people and I hope that you have time to join in on our list:

Jared

Arika

Mindy

Good luck and have fun!!

Picasa, Picasa, Picasa!!!

I LOVE PICASA

It is like the greatest thing ever for my Mac.  I was so upset because I could not find a good collage software for my blog.  (I was using photoscape but that doesn't work on my Mac)  One day during some "geek talk" I brought up my problem to John Bentley (he used to be my boss and he's FHU's Chief Information Officer a.k.a. computer/technology guru).  He was the one that told me about picasa being available for the Mac now.  Well like usual, he had me sold on the software once I found out all about the bells and whistles...  and the best part - it's FREE!!  If you would like to try it for yourself, here is my link:  http://picasa.google.com/mac_tools.html.

There is also a version for PC users out there somewhere.  I believe it works almost the same.  That is what was at first created before the Mac program came out.  Oh by the way, Mac users, this works GREAT with iPhoto!!  Try it out... it is super easy and fun to use.  I made a collage of some of my favorite pictures from last year as an example.  I have a lot of pictures that I just had to include.  If you click on the collage it will easily fill up your computer screen and you can clearly see all the pictures close up!! :o)

 

My Husband Has His Own Blog!!!

Yay!!  My husband updated his blog and I think will probably keep up with it! :o)  He has been blogging before me but only had two posts (which he deleted).  In fact, the title of his blog is similar to mine because I got my idea from his.  Please visit his blog, Gott It, for some interesting insights about his ponders.  If you dare you may even link to his blog...  IF YOU DARE! Ha!!

That being said, there will be no more Jared's Jibberish on my blog.

What a great idea!!  Thank you Becky for finding this and asking all of us to join in.  Thank you odelltrips for this great idea!!  If you would like to join in on Thanksgiving Thursday please go to www.odelltrips.blogspot.com and do so.  Now here is my list:
1.  Soft blankets and warm PJ's!!
2.  Cuddle time with family :o)
3.  Voting in America!
4.  A husband that helps with the house and cooking when I don't feel like it.
5.  Hot drinks:  Coffee, tea, hot cocoa, you name it!
6.  My macbook that Jared got me so I can blog...  HA!!
7.  My wonderful friends!!
8.  Thursday nights at Chad and Sandy's!  I'm HOPING to be there tonight...
9.  Telephones - These let me keep in touch with my family in Oklahoma.
10.  A God who cares about you and me.

Fish Escape

 

The above pictures are the types of fish that I have or had in my aquarium...

Last Monday night Jared and I decided to clean out the fish tank.  By "cleaning out" we mean a deep clean where we had to take almost everything out in order to get to the rocks.  We decided to put the fish in the same pot that we use for crabitat cleaning (my hermit crabs).  So in go the fish one at a time.  They were extremely hard to catch and it took me and Jared forever to catch them all!  Eventually they were all in the fish pot.  But where to put the fish pot??  

On the stove.

We slowly carried the fish into the kitchen and put them on the stove.  We thought that would be a safe place for them because Jared and I were running about getting supplies, water, and running out the back to pour out dirty water...

Sometime during the cleaning process Big Red sensed freedom and decided to escape.  Jared says he can imagine the other fish daring and double-dog daring him to jump out of the pot to freedom.  Maybe he was trying to make it to the sink...  I'm remembering that quote from the movie Finding Nemo; something about all drains leading to the ocean.  Anyway whatever his reasons were, we think he jumped out of the pot.  Maybe he did make it to the sink (I doubt it).  But wherever he is, he is gone.  We can't find him.

Yes, we checked the stove burners, we checked the cabinets under the stove, we checked all over the kitchen floor, we checked under the rugs, we even took our serving spoons out of the pitcher beside the stove and checked in that!!  No fish.  We checked all in our bedroom where the fish tank is.  We checked all of the places we had been in the house during the fish cleaning.  No Big Red.

So where Big Red is, we know not.  I hope one:  he's not in the house;  two:  if he's in the house he doesn't stink;  and three:  if he's in the house, I hope Jared finds him... hee hee!!

But it's been over a week.  Our house doesn't stink like fish and no one has seen Big Red.  The other fish are alive and happy and seem to be enjoying their new clean tank.

My letter is "M".

On some of my friends blogs, they are passing around letters and writing 10 things they are thankful for that start with a particular letter.  Well of course I wanted to be included too, so I asked my friend Arika for a letter and she gave me the letter "M".  I have compiled a listing of over 10 things I'm thankful for but I will only list 10 here.

1. Marriage- I'm thankful for this.  It is not for everyone, but I'm happy that it is for me and that I'm married to the smartest, most handsome, helpful, understanding, funny, upright, most wonderful man.  He is my best friend and I am very lucky to have him as my husband.  I know most of my family/friends would think of their husbands in similar terms so I don't feel bad for putting Jared on such a high pedestal. 

2. Momma and Mothers- I'm thankful for my Momma.  I can talk to her about anything and she's the best mom in the entire world.  She is my favorite gal pal and I love hanging out with her.  I also included mothers in with my momma because I have a wonderful mother-in-law and a mother I don't know.  Jared's mom is "Mom Gott" to me.  I know I can also go to her for anything and I'm so blessed to call her mother as well.  She has always treated me as a daughter and I'm very proud to be part of her family.  I am extremely lucky to have ended up with such a great mother-in-law when I married Jared.  The next mother I'm thankful for is a mother I don't know and probably will never know.  This lady is my birth mother and I'm happy that she had me.  She, for some reason could not care for me and decided to give me up to someone who would love and care for me.  I don't know much about her, but I know that she cared enough to see to it that I was born in a hospital and taken care of after that.  I am thankful for her and the choices she made regarding myself.  I have found joy in all aspects in my life and I hope by being here I have brought joy to others as well.  I wish today that Dad started with "M".  I am thankful for them as well.  But I will go on and save "D" for someone else.

3.  Mercy- I am thankful for God's mercy to us.  Our God is a merciful God and it is because of his mercy that we are here and that we can one day be with him in heaven.  We fall so short so many times of what he wants us to be, but still he has mercy for us and forgives us when we come back to him.  I am thankful for God's mercy.  I hope that I can be merciful to others as well as so many are to me.

4.  Money-  Although this may sound shallow at first, we all should be thankful for money.  I am thankful that God has blessed us with enough money to live on and share at times with others.  I am thankful for Jared's job.  I am thankful that my family had enough money to raise me and Chandler and put us through school.  I have never known want and I've always lived in comfort.  I'm thankful for the money that I have been blessed with to live in comfort beyond which I deserve.

5.  Music-  I was excited when I thought of this one.  Not only do I love music so much that I majored in it, but it is also the name of my Papa.  Goebel Music is his name and I'm thankful for him and the work he has done for the Lord.  I am very very proud to be his grand-daughter and I want everyone to know he is my Papa even though I know it is not proper to go up to people and shout - "Hey, Guess what??  I'm Goebel Music's grand-daughter!  Isn't that Great??"  Most people don't know I'm related to him because one I don't go around telling everyone; two my Mom is his daughter and since she is married Music is her maiden name; and three I'm asian and I think most people think my parents are asian.  Although Papa did a lot of mission work in East Asia he is not Asian. :)

6.  Maroon and Gold-  These are the colors of Freed-Hardeman University.  It is where I went to college and where I met my husband and closest friends.  It is because of this University that my husband has a job.  And it is from this University that my husband is getting his MBA.  (Which also starts with M)  I'm thankful most of all for the University's stand for a sound Christian education.  I hope that it stays strong in such wavering times.  

7.  Medicine and Medical Help-  This is of a particular concern to me, because I am not feeling well.  I'm not going to write about my symptoms as of yet, but I am thankful that we have medicines to make us better and educated Doctors to find out what are problems are.  We are blessed to live in such advanced medical times.  I shudder to think how short my life could be if I had lived 100 years earlier.

8.  Military-  I'm thankful for our military that keeps us safe.  There are many brave young men and even women that are enduring hardships, torture, and death, to keep our country free and safe.  War is not pretty or fun.  The book, The Red Badge of Courage is coming to mind right now.  I think it may talk about the ugliness of war.  I'm thankful for these men and women that give of themselves to protect a country that they believe in.  I pray that they are kept safe and that they are able to come home quickly.  I also pray that in the present and future this country will still be one worth fighting for and that we can still believe in it.

9.  Microwaves-  I am thankful for microwaves.  They make it so easy to zap the food that I am too lazy to cook or thaw.  

10.  Maltipoos-  I am thankful for these cute and cuddly dogs and I can't wait when it is my turn to finally own one!!