Hey don't worry about asking for help - that's what we are here for :)
Firstly, I always use joomla fck editor these days as it makes this sort of thing much easier.
www.joomlafckeditor.com/
Second you will need to adjust your black list/white list settings for JoomlaFCK - check this article:
www.joomlafckeditor.com/why-does-some-ht...icles-
in-version-158
The above article is probably why your HTML is dissapearing - Joomla is removing for security.
Anyway you do not have to use FCK editor but I reckon it rocks and the embed flash and image functions make life a whole lot easier - I also love the way you can switch between source/wysiwyg view easily.
Hope this helps.
Big Bear