Marty-
A family vacation! The contest was to take a photo of your family doing something representative of your dream vacation, and the prize is about $10,000 towards that! WAAAAAAAY cool. :-)

God, we need numbers if we're going to win this, and nothing is too difficult for you. I don't want to be self-serving, nor treasuring something foolish, but it would be a gift to us to go, and it seems within reach to have this, but only with your help. So, I am asking for the numbers we need to win, and for the necessary help to do so. There is far more out of our control than in our control, and this is one of those areas way out of our control. We ask for Your administration of this situation, just as we ask for Your administration of the adoption situation, our home, our lives and our children's lives. Have Your way, in and through us, and if it is within Your will for us to win, please make it happen, thank You. In Jesus' mighty and gracious name I pray, amen.

This is what you are looking for, for an image I believe

They tried to obfuscate the location so it may be that they didn't want direct links

I'll answer what I can, but I'm not a myChurch representative.  Just a web guy.

1) You can't just browse to an image on your computer here because that's not how it is set up. :)  Actually in all fairness most places aren't set up like that.  There are a couple, but they have their own hazards.  And you don't want the image linked to your computer because you don't want to give people access to your machine.  There are ways to get images into myChurch (photos specifically).  Since you have photos I'm going to assume you know how to do that, but I don't think that's what you were asking.

2) Image URLs.  The easiest way to do it is the following.  Find the image you want to link to.  Right click with your mouse (if you have a Mac or a similar one button mouse, control-clicking simulates a right click).  Depending on your browser you will see "Copy Link Location" or "Copy Shortcut".  In the edit menu (the thing that shows B I U ABC items) there is an icon.  Clicking on that allows you to paste in the URL you got earlier.  You can type alternative text (like "Please Vote For Us!") in case anyone does have issues viewing the image.

3) myChurch from what you describe (and digging a bit) I understand uses Google adsense.  I'm guessing that's what you're seeing.  If you find objectionable content, I would contact Joe.  I'd link to his profile, but this post also contains information.   Honestly I've been using Firefox and Adblock for so long that I had no idea that Google adsense was being used here.  (It's not that I'm trying to block myChurch ads per se, it's just how the "subscription" portion of Adblock works)

4) Thanks for the compliment on my profile.  I'm in the process of updating it and asking for new questions.  If you want to ask something (or know someone who does) to be answered, check out this post.

Don't know the link to your Yahoo blog, however if you use step 2 above, you should get an image showing up in your comment or blog.  Once that image shows up you should be to click on it and then click on the "chain link" image in the edit menu and then enter the URL that you want the image to go to.

And as I warned above, there are sites that don't like "hotlinking" and thus won't let you link images from their site.  That's what I was talking about with the obsufication above.

Sorry for the length of the response. 

I was obfuscating obfuscating?

I love the word obfuscating because it plainly describes what it is I want to describe.  I don't like that word because it's too hard to say and spell.

Not just moms (although I wouldn't make a good she-bear).  I know a dad or two who have come this close to putting threatening things into orbit.

As a matter of fact, the joke with the 1 1/2 year old girl at our house, is that she's never going to get to date because her boyfriend will have to get through two brothers (currently 10 and 14 and both wrestlers) and then a dad.

I'm considering the need to buy a shotgun in preparation of that time. :)

Oh oh.  I sense an answer that I won't be able to answer correctly.  If I say yes I am hunting rabbits, I think you're going to get your shotgun (which isn't good because *I* don't have a shotgun (yet))

If I say "No", you might think I am against going hunting, which in practice I guess I am... but only because I used to go fishing with my dad and I got to the point where sitting and waiting for an animal (or fish) to show up bores me to tears.

So did you buy anything at these yard sales?  Or did you just show up and say "SURPRISE!" Do you catch stray joggers or people out walking their dogs?  :)  I think I need to insert a *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge* here because I'm not sure the kidding will come through.  I imagine not too many people walk their cats.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooo!  Just had a great idea.  You should get a spot in your town parade!  

I think I subconciously stole this idea* :(  I promise I hadn't been over here since last night and I don't know whether it just bubbled up when we were driving for 10 hours today. :p

*Not the votes part, the geography/states thing.