Blogger photo upload problems

Is anyone else having blogger picture uploading problems??  I keep getting "server rejected" errors.  Ugh!

30 Days of Self Love - Trusting your body & Love from others

Today is a wonderful relaxing day.  I am going to do some work on my candidacy, be lazy and look at silly wedding websites (hehe), and hopefully go in the pool later.  And what makes this even better is that I plan to do it all again tomorrow... with a run perhaps.  I love long weekends!

I have two days of Self Love to post about.  I am absolutely loving the 30 Days of Self Love!

Trusting your body

In what area do you know you need to trust your body more? How do you plan to do so today?

I need to trust my mind more.  I know that I am capable of solving all kinds of problems, but sometimes grad school can be overwhelming and I start doubting my abilities.  I realize I have mentioned this previously, but this is really the area of my life that made me want to participate in the 30 days of self love.  I need to have more confidence in my abilities.  I am going to build this by continuing to remind myself that I can do whatever I set my mind to accomplish.

Quote:

Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack. ~Henry Miller

Love from others

Reflect on who loves you and what they see in you. Do you have trouble believing it and accepting what they see whole-heartedly? Try to think of all those wonderful things about you that others care for and use those to fuel your day.

I honestly have to say that I feel loved by all of my friends and family.  I have surrounded myself with amazing people, and I could not imagine my life without them.  I feel completely loved, supported, happy, and safe.  I am so glad that all of my friends and family are in my life, because they make each day special. 

Quotes:

Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek & find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. ~Rumi

If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth. ~Mitsugi Saotome

Running-related:  Last night I ran 3 miles as my third run for the week.  I ran the first 1.7 with Chris, then stopped for water and finished the last 1.3 by myself.  I had a cramp most of the time but was still relatively happy with my times.  Yay for negative splits!
Mile 1: 9:54
Mile 2: 9:41 (water stop at 0.7, stopped Garmin during water stop)
Mile 3: 9:19

This finished week 7 of marathon training with 16 miles of running.  I'm sad to say that I did not do much yoga and zero swimming, but I did get a lot of good research done for school.  Yay!

Check out the GU Energy Give-away at Endurance Isn't Only Physical.

I hope you all are having a wonderful and safe Labor Day weekend!

30-DSLR - Intrinsic Beauty

Yet again, Tina has posted an amazing 30-DSLR blog!  Be sure to check-out her page.  Today's blog for me needs to be short and sweet so I will keep it that way.

From Tina's blog Faith, Fitness, Fun:

Take a few moments to think how you showcase intrinsic beauty. What positive qualities describe you. Search deep. Through the day consider these qualities. How do they showcase in your life and make you beautiful?

My beauty is shown by the company I keep.  I have such amazing, thoughtful, kind, and brilliant friends.  Being around people that I care about and love make me glow from the inside.  I avoid those people that make my inner light dim.

Quotes:

"People are like stained-glass windows.  They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." ~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross 

"The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart." ~Helen Keller

"Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes.  It is not something physical." ~Sophia Loren

Happy Friday!!!  I hope everyone has a fun and safe Labor Day Weekend!

30 Days of Self Love Reflectance – Gifts of the Body

30-DSLR:  Today's reflectance is about our own bodies.  I am supposed to reflect on my body's gifts then make declarations for each.  I gave this some thought during my solo run this evening.   

I thank my legs for allowing me to run!  Running not only helps me relieve stress, but it leaves me in a wonderful mood.  I love that my legs have been able to carry me through 13.1 miles and will eventually carry me 26.2 and maybe even more!  If it wasn't for running, I never would have found little Zacky and probably would not own the three little kitties that are my "babies".

I thank my fingernails for growing so long!  I know that sounds extremely silly, but it's true.  My nails have always grown long without any upkeep.  It is one of those things that make me feel girly and cute. 

I thank my "heart" for allowing me to love!  Even after the very painful time of losing my dad, I am grateful that my heart was able to heal and allow me to continue to love life.  It has also allowed me to love the amazing man that is my fiance, Chris.  I am grateful that I have a heart that is open to the love of family and friends.

Quotes:

Take care of your body.  It's the only place you have to live.  ~Jim Rohn

Your body is a temple, but only if you treat it as one.  ~Astrid Alauda

Non-running-related:  Today was a rough day.  Every September 2nd is rough.  .  Luckily I have amazing friends and family who help me through each day.  I am so very grateful for them all!  I could never have made it to where I am today without their love and support.

Running-related:  I did a solo 3 mile run.  I started out too fast and had a cramp for most of the run.  I did the first mile and a half then stopped my Garmin for a walk break and water.  Then I ran back a mile and a half.  While I love running with my friends, it was nice to get lost in my head. Today that was especially needed.  My overall time was 28:48.

September 2nd... I miss you, Dad.

"Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy." ~Author Unknown, inspired by an Eskimo Legend

Dad,


I love you and miss you so very much!  I know that you are so very happy for me and Chris.  I wish you were here to walk me down the aisle, but I know that you are always with me in spirit and have a special place in my heart.


I love you. I miss you, Dad. (5/23/57-9/2/05)


Love Always & Forever,
Your daughter,


Jessica


I had some more pictures that I wanted to upload, but Blogger only let me upload 2 before saying saying "server rejected" on all the rest.  According to a search, this seems to be an issue with Blogger at the moment.  So for now, these are the only two pictures I could upload.  The first is from my undergraduate graduation, taken just under a month before my dad passed away.  It is one of the few last pictures I have of him.  The second shows what I was and always will be... Daddy's Girl.

30 Days of Self Love - Confidence (and a 10 mile run!)

I have decided to join the 30 Days of Self-Love Reflectance (30 DSLR) movement which I read about here, at Faith, Fitness, Fun, where 30 DSLR is described as:

The 30 DSLR is to bring a positive change into each of our lives one day at a time. Each day will feature a new topic and message to reflect on and motivate positivity throughout your day and, hopefully, beyond.

I think it s a wonderful idea!  Plus, Day 1 (September 1st) is "Confidence" which is something I have been lacking in certain areas of my life lately.  I know very well that I am capable, but then I start to doubt myself.  I also tend to take things too personally and get overly upset over "silly things".  This is something that I have been wanting to change, and I believe that I can do that by starting with building my self-confidence. 

Day 1's mission (straight from the link above):

Take a few moments to quietly reflect on confidence and recognize what you have to offer. You have something! Focus on that throughout the day. Whenever you feel down, remember who YOU are and what you have to be proud of. Don’t negate it!
What do you have to be confident about? Proclaim it...and don’t forget that affirmation!

What do I have to be confident about?

• I am absolutely loved!  (Clearly demonstrated by my very recent engagement to the love of my life!  But also by my amazing friends and family!!!)
• I am smart!  This is the area where I feel myself lacking recently, but I need to keep reminding myself that I am going for my PhD in chemistry.  That is not easy.  I love a great challenge, which is why I decided to go back for my PhD rather than accepting an un-challenging job.  I do not know everything, but I know how to ask for advice when necessary, research, and work my way through finding the answers.
• I am a runner!  Not only can I run, but I am confident that I will be able to complete my marathon in February.  I am so excited!

For those who know me personally and are friends with me on Facebook, you know that I LOVE Quotes.  I post a new quote as my status every day, because they make myself and other happy and they promote positive and/or deep thoughts to start the day.  I plan to find a quote (most likely several) for each day of 30 DSLR to share with you all.  


The first quote and image above are also straight from the link above, but I love them both.

It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not.  ~Author Unknown

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.  ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right.  ~Henry Ford

You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.  ~Michael Jordan

Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance.  ~Bruce Barton

Sex appeal is fifty percent what you've got and fifty percent what people think you've got.  ~Sophia Loren

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The best way to gain self-confidence is to do what you are afraid to do.  ~Author Unknown

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, as children do.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.  ~Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles," 1992 (commonly misattributed to Nelson Mandela, 1994 inauguration speech)       

 ~*~*~*~*~*~

In running-related news, Caitlin, Ryan, and I ran 10 miles yesterday!  My longest run this year and Caitlin's longest run ever! Woo-hoo!  Our time was 2 hours and 2 minutes.  Our first half was at a really great speed.  Caitlin and I split a GU (strawberry banana is good!), and we were feeling great.  The second half ended up slower due to some complications in our run, but it's all good because we ran 10 miles!  I am certain our time will improve with our next run, but at least we got in the distance. 

Unfortunately, my knees are really sore right now, so as I am typing this blog post I have had ice balancing on them.  I took an ice bath after our run yesterday, but it was really late and I was hungry so I wasn't in there for very long.  Does anyone know how long an ice bath should last for optimal results?  I really am not sure.  Since my knees were causing me so much grief today, I ended up taking a rest day.  I had many different work-out plans, but sometimes rest is what is necessary. 

I hope that you all are doing wonderful!  I am still on Cloud 9 and could not be any more happy right now!  Thank you all for the wonderful comments about my engagement.  You are the best!

I'm engaged!!!!!

On Friday, August 27, 2010 the love of my life, Chris, asked me to marry him.  I immediately said yes!

Friday afternoon we headed to St. Augustine for a romantic mini-vacation.  We checked into our bed and breakfast, had lunch and some wine.  In the evening Chris suggested we go visit the beach.  We headed to Vilano beach, which I have always been fond of since I used to take my dog there.  The beach was pretty empty since there was a storm moving in, but we walked along the beach while I collected shells.  At a deserted spot Chris bent down and wrote his name in the sand, then I added "& Jes".  While I was writing that and taking a picture of it, he bent down and started writing "Will you marry me?" in the sand.  When I saw it I looked at him and he was on one knee and asked me out loud if I would marry him.  I immediately said yes! and wrote my response in the sand.  Then I kept saying, "Are you serious?!  Oh my gosh!"  I was soooo excited and was jumping up and down.  He pulled out an absolutely beautiful ring and put it on my finger.  Just then a light rain started to fall, which made the moment feel even more magical.  We captured the moment as best as we could with my little camera, then a family was walking by and took a few more pictures for us.  I have never been so happy!  I am engaged to the most amazing man in the world!

I saved the shell that he used to write the message, and it now has a special place on our dresser.  I will post more pictures from St. Augustine later.  I just had to share our wonderful news! 

We both wrote this right before he proposed.

The proposal!  and my answer!  The dent in the sand above the yes is from his knee when he was down on one knee.  All the other marks are from me jumping around like a crazy happy and excited person!

Capturing the moment as it starts to rain.

So completely happy!!!

Saving the moment.

My handsome fiance, Chris. (o:

A wonderful family took a couple pictures for us.

Sign containing the name of the beach

Celebratory champagne in the only glasses in our bed and breakfast.  My favorite champagne that we discovered on a New Year's Eve when he first told me he loved me.

My grandparents were married on August 25,th my parents on August 26th, and we got engaged August 27th.