{blank} is a special occasion.

As I have mentioned previously, I absolutely love the blog Enjoying The Small Things.  Today Kelle posted about the "Life is a Special Occasion" Hallmark Challenge in which she is participating.  I decided that I want to participate as well.  So I quickly scribbled out a few cards, put stamps on them, and dropped them in the mailbox.  When was the last time you received a hand-written note in the mail?  I know that when my grandparents send me cards, it completely makes my day. 

I also entered the online contest(through Facebook).  I thought I would share my entry:

Running with my fiance    ...is my any-day special occasion.

As anyone who has ever gone for a run knows, running is not always easy.  Running is a lot like life.  Some days you are on top of the world, and you know you can accomplish anything.  Other days you are struggling to put one foot in front of the other and contemplate just giving up and going back to bed.  The great joy about running with my fiance is that I know he is there to cheer me on during my "I feel like an Olympic athlete" days and to gently push me over the hurdles of the "this is too hard; I am not strong enough" days.  I love running with my fiance because I know that I am there for him during his ups and downs too.  I imagine our marriage to be like one giant ultra marathon race that we run side-by-side.  It will be full of "runner's highs" and sometimes lows, but together we will enjoy the journey.  Running with my fiance is my any-day special occasion, because it reminds me that together we can do anything.

~*~*~

I hope that you all have a wonderful day and rest of the week!  I'm off to work!

ABCs list about me

I thought I would take the time to fill out another post that has been going around the blogosphere.

A. Age: 29 (last year until what I am determined will be an awesome new decade)

B. Bed size: Queen. But I cannot wait for a king.  My handicapped kitty, Kirby, loves to sleep with us, and he prefers to take up as much room as possible. 

C. Chore you dislike:  Putting away laundry!  I rock at washing it... but then it stays in the basket forever.

D. Dogs: I really, really, really want another dog.  That being said, not until we have a yard for a dog.

E. Essential start to your day: Breakfast and caffeine.

F. Favorite color: Purple!

G. Gold or silver: I think with my hair and skin color that yellow gold looks best on me, but I love white gold too (and rose gold while I'm at it).

H. Height: 5’5”

I. Instruments you play(ed): None.  I'd love to learn the piano.  And I intend to take lessons one day.

J. Job title: Graduate research assistant

K. Kids: I love my niece!  Especially when I can give her back to her mom when she's fussy.  I look forward to having my own kids one day.

L. Live: Good ole sunny Orlando.

M. Mom’s name: Cheryl.

N. Nicknames: Jes

O. Overnight hospital stays:  Only as a baby.  I was born 2 months premature.

P. Pet peeves:  Close-minded people.  And Chris putting the toilet paper roll on backwards.

Q. Quote from a movie:  I'm terrible at remembering quotes.

R. Righty or lefty: Righty.

S. Siblings: step sister named Charlotte (29), full sister Renee (almost 27), half sister Clara (18), half brother Robert (16)

T. Time you wake up: Monday through Friday–6:30 (usually, but not always). Weekends - whenever I want.

U. Underwear: I wear it.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Peas.  Gross.

W. What makes you run late: Chris.

X. X-rays you’ve had: My hand when I was younger (some bone age scan thing I had done), teeth, foot (was not broken)

Y. Yummy food you make: Smoothies.  Random meals.  I do not have a specialty... yet.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Penguins and otters.

Blogger award! W00t!

The very lovely and talented Katy at The Singing Runner has passed on "The Stylish Blogger" award to me.  When I read it on her blog it absolutely made my day!  I love her blog and look forward to reading it, so I definitely recommend that you check it out.

The Award’s Rules:

Thank the person who gave you the award.

Tell 7 facts about yourself.

Give the award to 7 bloggers you just love.

Leave the 7 bloggers a comment telling them they won.

As I did for a similar previous post, I am going to add pictures using Google search to put a different spin on things.  Here are links (1 and 2) to a few other random facts about myself.  I have to admit that I had a really hard time coming up with 7 facts that I have not already listed.  Now, here are 7 facts about myself:

My parents first child, Laura, was born 3 months premature and lived for only weeks (December 7-21, 1980).  Laura weighed only 2 lbs and 13 oz.  I was born two months premature weighing in at 3 lbs and 13 oz.  My younger sister was born on her due date and weighed 10 lbs 4oz.  Having been premature, I was always the smallest one in my family which annoyed me since I was the oldest who got the hand-me-down clothes.  My parents were told that I would most likely have a learning disability, yet I have always excelled at school.  I like to joke that I should have been born a genius.  I have donated and will continue to donate to March of Dimes to help their research to avoid premature births. [image source]

I studied Vietnamese martial arts (Vovinam) for two years.  I enjoyed it, but quit because I was too much of a wuss to do all those flips.  I hit my head once and had a mild concussion.  I am not in that picture.  [image source]

This is also not the actual picture of my car (all of those are saved somewhere), but it reminded me of it.  Luckily I only ended up with a dented trunk.  Stupid hurricane Charley.  But of the 29 years that I have lived in Florida, that was the first hurricane to really affect me.  [image source]

I am a firm believer that toilet paper should come from the top of the roll.  I am also convinced that Chris will intentionally put the toilet paper roll on upside down just to laugh when I "fix" it.  [image source]

I also believe with all my heart in pinky promises (aka pinky swears).  Poor Chris has already made countless pinky promises, which I do not remember most of them, but I would hold him to them if I did!  The only think more sacred is the newly named "ring finger promise" which I jokingly made-up when we got engaged.  [image source]

Belly buttons freak me out.  I cannot let anyone touch mine.  I do not even like to touch it.  It baffles me how I was able to get mine pierced years ago (and yes, it is still pierced).  Chris laughs at me over this.  The thought of my belly button popping out one day when I'm pregnant terrifies me!  I think this all started when I was little and my sister was born.  I distinctly remember the remnants of the umbilical cord turning black and falling off.  I am cringing as I type this. [image source]

When I was little and had the chicken pox, I had very few chicken pox.  One left a scar near my right eye.  My mom thought I would get them again, because I had so few.   I was around them plenty of times but never got them again.  [image source]

The 7 bloggers that I would like to pass the award on to are:


Kelsey at Snacking Squirrel
Tina at Faith, Fitness, Fun
Q at Q on the Move
Reta at Run, Reta, Run
Stephanie at It's All Happening
Toni at My Change Through Running
Christine at My First Marathon and Counting


I'd also like to pass it on to anyone else who would like to share 7 facts about themselves!  I love meeting new bloggers and learning more about other bloggers!

[image source]

I'm off to hang up the laundry I did not finish yesterday while watching Beauty and the Beast.  I cannot remember the last time I saw that movie, and I figured it might help put me in the Christmas spirit.

The ABC's of Me

I am borrowing this idea from the lovely Tina at Faith, Fitness, Fun.

A is for ambitious as is evident by my professional student status or analytical, which describes both my field of chemistry as well as how I think.

B is for blonde or blogger.

C is for card whore.  I absolutely LOVE cards.  This Christmas I have bought Chris two cards.  One is a sappy, cheesy card and the other a hilarious card.  But I could have also chosen curly for my hair, or chemistry for my major, for cat lady since we have three cats.

D is for dog-lover, because even though I love my cats, I will always want to also own a dog.  (We just have to wait until we have a yard before getting a dog, because I want another golden retriever.)

E is for embarrassed, because it does not take much to turn my face red.  Energetic also works.

F is for fiancée.  eeeek! or Forensic science which was my undergraduate and Master's major and my focus of my chemistry PhD studies.

G is for gabby, because I can easily talk your ear off.  And for gardenia, which is my favorite flower.

H is for honest and happy.

I is for imagination, since mine tends to run wild all the time!  One day I will utilize it to write and illustrate my own children's books (that's right, plural!  I'm thinking big!).

J is for my name, Jessica (a.k.a. Jes) and also for Jesus, who I believe in.

K is for kind, because I like to think I am kind to others.  And kid-at-heart, because I will always love playing with toys, reading children's books, watching cartoons, and going to Walt Disney World!

L is for loving or loyal.

M is for marathon runner, because I am training to complete my first on February 13, 2011.  It could also be for mom, as in a mom to the furry babies.

N is for natural, because I do not dye or curl my hair.  (I have used temporary dye in the past, and I'm not saying that I would never dye it... I just cannot afford the upkeep right now.  I'd love to dye it a nice dark brown!).  Also nerdy!

O is for open.  I am very open about my feelings.  I generally am and am trying to be more optimistic.

P is for purple, my favorite color.  One day, I want to take piano lessons and then I'll use pianist as well.

Q is for quirky, because I am just so strange about some things.  I cannot have my sheets tucked in, I hate cooking with wooden spoons and cannot lick Popsicle sticks, I refuse to dump out old milk and always make Chris do it.  It could also stand for questioning, because I always want to learn more!

R is for romantic, because I love romantic gestures.  Also responsible.

S is for scientific.  Not only is it what I do, but it is how I think.  And it may also be for sky diver, something I love to do!

T is for talented.  I have always been pretty good at art.  (Who do I feel the need to justify a complement? I am talented!)  It could also stand for tearful, because when I am sad/mad/frustrated/embarrassed/etc. I cry.  I am trying to overcome that as well.

U is for untidy.  I have a bad habit of not putting away my laundry and just leaving it in the basket.  And unique, because I have always felt different, in a good way.

V is for visual.  I am a visual learner.  And vivacious!

W is for worrier, because I worry far too much.  This is something I am trying to change about myself.  And one day it will stand for wife.

X is for Xenon, a noble gas that I am currently working with in the laboratory (yeah, I'm stretching it for the X).

Y is for youthful, because people tend not to believe me when I tell them my age.  I hope that keeps going for a long time!  And yummy, for the way I prefer my food to taste. LOL

Z is for zippy, because I am usually pretty lively (unless tired or hungry lol).

How would you describe yourself using the alphabet?

A versatile blogger

The amazing Quinton over at Q on the Move gave me "A Versatile Blogger Award".  I'm stoked!

The rules state that I have to thank Q first first…so Thank You So Much!  Then share 7 things about myself, and finally pass the award on to other bloggers.  

7 things about myself (using images found through Google... just to put a different spin on it):

I collect post cards.  I have hundreds!  I will buy several from every new place I visit.  I LOVE when people send me post cards.  My favorite is one from Iceland that my dad sent to me when he was on deployment when I was really young. [image source]

I was a mime once, with an old church group.  It was so much fun, but I have no idea how I managed to stay quiet.  My friends and family were all shocked, I'm sure.  I'm not even sure if I have pictures to prove it.  They are probably packed away at my mom's house somewhere.[image source]

Gardenias are my favorite flower, but I love pretty much any flower.  Irises and lilies (any of them) are runners up. [image source]

I played the xylophone in our music group in the 5th and 6th grade.  [image source]

The movie, The Goonies, scared me so bad as a kid that I will not watch it now.  I also dislike most 80s movies I've seen.  [image source]

I mostly sleep on my stomach.  Occasionally I will sleep on my side.  I try to sleep on my back, but I always end up rolling over... except, when I take a nap during the day.  Then for some reason I can stay on my back. [image source]

I LOVE gardens.  Whenever I step into a garden, I feel like I have been sucked into a children's book or some other far off magical place.  A garden brings out my inner child and gives me a sense of peace.  I have just decided that seeing as many beautiful gardens as possible is on my bucket list. [image source]

Whoops, I almost forgot to tag other bloggers!  This is what I get for starting this blog yesterday and not finishing it until today.  I will tag a few of the blogs that I love to follow:  Christine , TheFloridaFoodSnob, and
Stephanie.


And there you have it.  Later I will post about a fantastic little restaurant Chris and I discovered last night.  I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend!  Mine has been amazing so far!

Worms

This is one of those random memory posts, inspired by The Pioneer Woman's blog today.

When I was in the sixth grade, our teacher would give us a topic on the chalk board and we had to write in our journal about it.  Being creative, I made each day a poem.  My teacher actually submitted one of my poems, and it was published in a young writers anthology.  I'm pretty sure they accepted any submission, but I will never forget the day the book arrived.  My dad ordered multiple copies.  I will never forget his expression.

I'd like to think I wrote much more age-appropriate and more serious poems back then, but here is the poem that my teacher submitted (I mean really, how inspiring can the topic "worms" be?).  My really silly poem:

Worms

Worms are slimy,

Worms are gross,

Worms are sticky

like jelly on toast.

Worms dig holes 

the size of their skin.

Their ears are smaller

than a hole made by a pin.

Worms are really nasty.

They're gross from the inside out.

Just looking at them makes me pout.

There is no other term for worms except

EWWWWWWW!!!

Follow your heart...

This post was inspired by Caitlin @ The Healthy Tipping Point.  She asked in her post this morning "What dreams do you want to achieve?  What things have you ticked off your bucket list?"

In regards to "what dreams do you want to achieve?"... I am currently working on the dream of getting my PhD, so that is nothing new.  One day I want to will write and illustrate a children's book.  That has been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember, and I look forward to making it happen. 

The very first thoughts that came to mind for the bucket list question were skydiving, grape stomping like in I Love Lucy, and following my heart. 

I'd like to elaborate on the last.  I always told myself that I wanted to follow my heart for the important decisions; however, I am one of those people who is very much always "in my head".  When I was nearing the end of my Master's degree, I was trying to find a job.  That same year I started dating Chris.  We had only officially been dating for about 3 months when I went on a job interview in Georgia; however, my heart wanted to see where things would go with Chris.  I had never felt so happy with someone.  While it was an awkward conversation for me to bring up, I told him that I loved him and wanted to continue to see how things progressed with us.  It was awkward to start that conversation, but the actual conversation was not awkward.  He agreed.  After that conversation, everything seemed to fall into place.  My adviser suggested I go for my doctorate, and that he would have funding for me.  That was another life-long dream, so I was very excited!  A few weeks later I got a call telling me I was one of the top finalist for the job, and they were going to begin the background check.  I told them not to bother, because I had decided to pursue my doctorate degree (and what I didn't tell them but was thinking... I decided to pursue my heart.) By deciding to follow my heart I not only ended up pursuing my dream to get a PhD, but I am now engaged to the most amazing man in the world.  I think that life has a funny way of working out, don't you?
 

I have what seems to be endless dreams and bucket-list items, which I will continue to share.  What about you?

10 Random Things About Myself

I was tagged by the lovely Christine @ My First Marathon.  I promise a real blog post or two this weekend.  I have been insanely busy working on my candidacy as well as making time for family/friends and working out.  I promise, as soon as my candidacy is complete, I will back to regular postings.  For now, I am going to take a quick break in writing to tell you 10 random things about myself.  I would like to tag anyone else who wants to participate. (o:

1. I have mentioned this previously, but recently had a discussion about it so I thought I'd share it again... I absolutely cannot stand Popsicle sticks in my mouth!  The very idea is making me cringe as I type this.
2. I am the oldest child and cousin on both sides of my family.  I only have two step-cousins who are older than me.  I feel old now.
3. My Godson's middle name is Danger.  I love it!  I love his parent's for giving him such a rock-star middle name!
4. I collect sea shells.  Every time I go to the beach, I have to return with at least a handful of shells that I put into a giant glass container.  My favorites are the shells that are broken with some unique feature about them.
5. I have been asked on more than one occasion where I grew up in Europe, because I apparently have some mysterious accent.  My family and friends agree with me that I do not have an accent, yet that question has been asked several times.  Go figure.  I like the idea of being from somewhere exotic.
6. I love, love, love pumpkin!  Especially pumpkin smoothies!
7.  I absolutely hate, hate, hate cockroaches or any of their cousins, especially palmetto bugs!  I will scream like a little girl and stand on furniture and throw things at it, hoping I will somehow develop great aim and will be able to kill it.  If I do have bug spray and am brave enough to approach the bug, I will cover it in a mound of bug spray until the bottle is pretty much empty. 
8. As part of my undergraduate internship, I viewed autopsies and visited many crime scenes.  I could handle that, because for me it was both scientific and a way of helping bring justice to the deceased.  But I cannot stand watching gory movies or anything remotely "scary" that may contain zombies or some other fictitious characters.  That scares me.  I will have nightmares for weeks.  Fake blood completely grosses me out!
9. The coolest thing I have ever found while running was a few day old kitten that only weight 3 oz.  I had to bottle feed him and assist him in going to the bathroom.  He now weighs over ten pounds.
10. I love skydiving!  I have been 4 times now, and the first was a static line jump where I got to jump solo, but my line was attached to the plane so there was no free fall.  I would skydive more often if it wasn't such an expensive hobby.  But I honestly don't know if I will continue with it after I have kids.  For some reason the risk seems greater then.

Get Shiggy Wit It.... and Tag, You're It!

Kyle was most definitely not joking about the shiggy! To the right is a picture of my nasty shoes and socks that I took this morning after last night's hash (I was so tired I left them in the bag to be dealt with today... and the socks went straight to the trash).

The hare (Kyle) started running a few minutes after 7 pm. The rest of us began ten minutes later, following the trail of flour and toilet paper. Now we are not supposed to use flash lights, but it would have been terrible without one. We ran through a narrow path in the woods which eventually led to a muddy path. The muddy path soon turned into a swamp! Just before having to wade through ankle to knee-deep water (in the dark remember), a little snake swam past me... that was a bit unnerving. Eventually we reached a boardwalk, but not before my foot got stuck in the mud. The hare was eventually snared (which means someone caught him before he made it to the end), but it wasn't by myself. I was definitely slow yesterday. During the run my hip was pretty sore, but today it feels great! Maybe running through mud and water is the cure for a sore hip.

After the run we participated in "circle" and ate delicious chili and pasta. It was fun being with the new hashing crowd. There were some really hilarious hashers there. By the end of the night I was freezing and ready to get out of those disgusting shoes and pants. Despite the mud and cold, I really did enjoy the hash. It was a lot of fun. I cannot wait for the next one! And here is a map of the route the hare took (we of course ventured off this during "checks"). I was told by the hare that the trail was 2.92 miles. It seemed a lot longer to me.


Jess over at 21 Days tagged everyone to list 5 random things about yourself, so here goes...

1. I cannot lick Popsicle sticks. Just the mere thought makes me cringe!
2. I broke my best friend's nose when we were kids after I watched the movie Dirty Dancing for the first time... we tried to do the dance move that involves one person going under the other person's legs, but she ended up falling on her face. We both laughed hysterically until she realized her nose was bleeding.
3. I used to be in a fencing club. I even own all my own gear.
4. As a kid I would eat mustard sandwiches... just mustard and bread. Nothing else. I still do on occasion.
5. I never believed in Santa Claus as a kid.

Now I am tagging all of you. List 5 random things about yourself, and have a great rest of the week! (o:

What do you mean I'm not a superhero?!?

My homepage on my work computer is set to MSN.com. Every day I glance over my horoscope. If it says something that I like, then I'll tend to hope it comes true or agree with it; however, if I don't like what it says I brush it off and tell myself that horoscopes are silly nonsense. (Don't you love my logic?)

Here is today's horoscope:

Virgo (August 23 - September 21)

Once you stop dreaming about having "super powers" you will feel a lot better, dear Virgo. You are not a super hero and you never were. For that matter, no one is. On the other hand, you surely have capacities that you have exploited in the past, but now you seem persuaded that they are of no interest. It is time to rethink this issue.

Okay, okay, so I know that super heroes may be fictional (according to Wikipedia), but I could still be one. How do you know that Grad-student/Thrill Seeking/Runner Girl/Dorky Jes isn't just my secret identity?

Personally, if I could have any super power, it would be the ability to fly! I am absolutely obsessed with flight! (Hence my love for skydiving, hang gliding, and my desire to have a pilot's license.) How about you? What super power would you have? And would you use it for good or evil? Would you be a Super HERO or a Super VILLIAN? And how about that super power... I'm sure you can think of ways to use it both for good and bad. For example, with my super power of being able to fly...

Superhero Jes would use her powers of flight for good in the following ways:
* To save kitties/children/other random creatures from trees when they get stuck
* To catch people as they randomly fall from high places (unless of course they have a parachute attached their bodies)
* To save the environment by flying to places instead of driving
* To carry bad guys someplace tall and leave them stranded there

Super villain Jes would use her powers of flight for evil in the following ways:
* To stick kitties/children/other random creatures into trees where they will be stuck
* To cut the cords on parachutes
* To randomly swoop in and scare people driving cars so they swerve all over the place
* To carry the good guys to the top of tall buildings and leave them stranded there

Now, being the avid MySpace user that I am, I am well aware of the presence of online quizzes that determine what type of SuperHero/Kisser/Pirates of the Caribbean Character/Disney Character/Girlfriend or Boyfriend/Personality Type/Etc you are. So I googled "Super Hero Quizzes" and came up with the following results:

First quiz:
Spider-Man
You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Next quiz
You scored as The Invisible Girl, A gifted scientist, Sue Storm is the "Invisible Girl." With her ability to turn invisible and project force fields, Sue is a valuable member of the Fantastic Four. She feels like she is always mediating between the others, settling Reed and Ben's disputes and making her younger brother Jonny behave. She is often frustrated with Reed's distant attitude and inability to express his true feelings.

Next quiz:
Spiderman
You are a little on the geeky side, but you love saving that special someone, you jump from rooftop to windows trying to save the people of your town!
(Really, Spiderman Again? Seriously, why not someone who can fly???)

Okay so the next quiz states:
You are Wonder Woman!
A princess from the Amazon with all the grace and style that goes along with it. You're independent but selfless, always helping others before taking care of yourself. You're open to finding love — you just have high expectations. To top it all off, you fight crime in a bustier and boots. You're bitchin'.

Then I took that same quiz again, changing one answer (the date/bank robbing question) and got SPIDERMAN!

You are Spider-Man!
You are the reluctant superhero. You're a bit shy and definitely nervous — especially when dealing with that girl next door you've been crushing on. Truth is, you'd rather be photographing crime scenes, not creating them. When that skintight Spidey suit goes on, the world is your stage, and you live to rock it.

(Note the crime scene part? Intersting...
By the way... This quiz totally cracked me up! I definitely recommend this one if you are looking for a way to kill time!

And another quiz...
Your inner superhero is Spider-Man / Catwoman
There's a dark side to you, but you always end up doing the right thing. With great power comes greater responsibility, so don't be fooled by the glitz and get caught in a web of evil.

And apparently my super hero lover would be:
None other than Spiderman!
72.4% Match
Spider-Man is perfect for you. He's totally nerdy and always cracking jokes. And cute! A date at the museum or a movie would be right up his alley. Don't expect to spend the whole evening together though, Spider-Man's known for ducking out early.

(hmmm.... I just hope I'm not dating myself!)

And my Super Villain personality is...
The Joker
The Clown Prince of Crime. You are a brilliant mastermind but are criminally insane. You love to joke around while accomplishing the task at hand.

Well I do like the "brilliant mastermind" part.

And that concludes my super hero rant. Take that MSN! And yes, today is one of those days "horoscopes are stupid" days.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Just so I have something work-out related in this blog...

After yesterday's 10 miles I was feeling sore. Not just any sore... no no. We're talking walking-with-a-limp-while-whimpering-every-other-step-decided-to-go-out-and-buy-medicine-at-10:30pm sore! However, thanks to some Ibuprofen (Thank you Ali and Tom for the tips!) and my amazing foam roller, I am feeling much better!

I even went to spinning tonight! It was good to be back!!!

Tomorrow I am scheduled for an EASY 3 mile run and pilates. I can't wait!

Oh yes, and I had a question about my pumpkin oatmeal... I just add canned pumpkin to my oatmeal mix (I like the cinnamon flavored oatmeal with it). And then I'll add some extra pumpkin pie spice to give it more flavor. (o: