Life

Miss Manners

| cheriarmour

I wore full makeup to work the other day.

And most of you that know me know that I’m a very strictly BB cream and mascara type of girl. And that’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with cosmetics – I absolutely love them, however, in my job, it really doesn’t make a ton of sense to do much more than the BB and the mascara.

I spend the daytime part of my job in business casual as much as I can, and then the other part of my job, especially when I’m running or teaching classes, is spent sweating up a storm, and if you’ve ever seen someone in full makeup after a good sweat session, it looks silly.

[Disclaimer: if you feel more comfortable wearing makeup while you work out, that is completely up to you, and I totally get it. Judgement-free zone.]

So all of that to say is that I rock a pretty natural look during the day. But last week, after a night of interrupted sleep thanks to the cats, I decided that not only would I go a little more heavy-handed with the tinted BB cream, but that I would even go for my liquid eyeliner, just to wake those eyes up a little bit.

Selfie

As I walked through the doors at work, someone remarked with utter shock and amazement, “Cheri’s wearing makeup!!” loudly enough for everyone on the floor to hear. She accompanied this with her mouth hanging wide open. I was really embarrassed. I get it, maybe I looked a little different. But is it absolutely necessary to point out that I look scary without makeup (evidently) and that I put in a little extra effort that day?

Two things I think Miss Manners wants me to tell you if you’ve ever been guilty of making a statement like that one…

  • Don’t comment on when you feel someone looks “tired”.  They might be tired.  They might look like shit.  But they certainly aren’t being told anything they don’t know, and are most likely hoping that no one notices how rough they’re looking/feeling.
  • There is a way to compliment someone if they put on some extra makeup and stuff.  You look really nice!  Period!  End of story!  Reminding someone that they usually come to work looking like Shrek, but today, things are different, which is a pleasant change for you, is not helpful. It’s actually rude.

So – just curious. How much, or how little makeup do you usually wear?

Addicted

| cheriarmour

It’s official…I’m addicted to quinoa.

It all started when I got a free quinoa bowl from Happy and Hale a few months back.

Photo via Bizjournal
Photo via Bizjournal

The place is a really cool concept – a very “Stuff White People Like” deal, with a full bar of fresh ingredients waiting to be combined into your delicious salad. Prior to my intro to the ‘noa, I’d kind of just avoided a ton of rice and grain, simply because the serving size on it is so small and I’d really like to eat more of something else without me getting bloated.  But I discovered the incredibleness that is quinoa, and now I just can’t get it out of my mind.

Similar to rice, you can cook it in the steamer, get a ton of fiber out of it, stay full for hours, and it’s SO plain, you can mix it with just about anything that you want.  Why I waited so long to be introduced to quinoa, I don’t know.  But I love it, and I’m not turning back.

2015 Events

Since I’ve been focusing more on the budget the past few months, even thought I’ve really wanted to sign up for races right and left, I’ve kind of held back, and as a result, I’m only signed up for Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh, and I’m so itching to sign up for something in order for me to keep my motivation and my fitness up throughout 2015.

So here are the options I’m looking at.

Rock ‘n’ Roll DC

P1160281I did this race, and since I stayed at the Westin, I ran into some cool-ass people like Carrie Keagan, who used to host Big Morning Buzz on VH1.  Still one of my favorite races, except for the killer hill at mile 6.

North Face Endurance Challenge

Since reading Dean Karnazes’ books, I’ve been really intrigued by the idea of ultra marathons (any marathon over 26.2 miles).  The idea makes my husband really really nervous, but I’m thinking about doing it just to see what I can do.  I love the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing one of these things.

Marine Corps

Marine Corps isn’t open, but the lottery opens in March.  Which means that if I got in, I would have to train throughout the summer.  In North Carolina.  Kinda blah, but I hear the race is absolutely awesome.  I also did training with a friend end of last summer, and I forgot that I don’t completely hate running long.  I just hate the heat kinda.

Nike

So this one is just sort of annoying.  The past two years, I’ve done the Nike Women’s Half marathon, and love it.  Nike canceled their DC event, and have yet to announce a spring event, leading me to believe there is no spring event.  It sucks, because these races are definitely one of my top races, but it’s also a total first world problem, and I have clean water and a warm bed to lay my head down at night, so no complaints.  Well, not that many.

So those races are on my radar for the year.  Any races/events you’re looking forward to signing up for to keep you motivated?

 

New Year’s Resolutioners

| cheriarmour

I have a big, big problem with us fitness people, and it centers around the talk regarding New Year’s Resolutioners, or, the reason the gym is packed with folks essentially swinging from the chandeliers in the months of January-March.  Which, I guess, for folks really dedicated to the gym, can seem sort of annoying, but this type of talk is extremely problematic for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, I used to be a little bit heavier than I was now, and I never worked out.  At some point during undergrad and into my first year of grad school, my metabolism could no longer efficiently handle the crap I was shoveling into my system, and I gained somewhere between 30 and 40 pounds.  When I finally lost it and started feeling comfortable in the gym, I was one of those new people.  Sure, my active-lifestyle awakening didn’t quite occur at the stroke of midnight on January 1st, however, had folks been rude and unwelcoming, perhaps I would not be sitting in my job where I am now.

So as you’re mumbling and grumbling about how “annoying” resolutioners are, and how you won’t worry because “they’ll be gone in two weeks anyway,” remember a few things.

  1. You didn’t pop out of the womb nailing squats on the squat rack.  At some point, you were the new kid too, and just because you fancy yourself a pro now doesn’t mean you can side-eye the new guy or gal.  Of course, if someone is breaking gym etiquette or seems completely clueless, feel free to politely inform him or her of their party foul, but play nice.
  2. They’ll [resolutioners] keep you on your toes!  So all the cardio machines are used up.  Maybe today is the day you try a new class or go for a run outside?  Who knows?  The fact that your favorite elliptical in front of your favorite tv is in use isn’t the end of the world.
  3. What about your goals?  What if someone grumbled to you that they thought your 2015 planner was stupid and that you’ll ditch the thing by March anyway, so not to bother.  That would be rude, right?  Especially given that you take that resolution very seriously.
  4. And finally, you should be encouraging of anyone who is making steps and changes to create a healthier lifestyle.  Mentioning that they’ll be gone in a few weeks anyway is negative, and not encouraging for folks just checking things out, and hoping to learn to love working out.

Don’t be a hater…

Taylor-Swift-Shake-Off-GIF

And I say this every year, but here’s to 2015 being the year that everyone nails their goal and sticks it out at the gym!  We’re looking forward to having you!

Lifelong Resolutions

| cheriarmour

I kinda never make resolutions.  I’ve always thought that resolutions are a way to set oneself up for failure, but there are some changes I really want and need to make now, not just the moment the clock strokes midnight on January 1st.  These thoughts are thoughts that sort of started out foggy in my mind over the past few months, and have become clearer and clearer as I’ve run trails and started to outline my training plans for the past few months.  To be clear, I wholeheartedly wish there was a word I could use, other than resolution to describe what it is I would like to do more of, but that’s all this is – a list of things that I’d love to do more for the rest of my life, not just for 2015.

  • Spend more time with my husband.  Me and my husband are both super active, and on a normal day, we wake up, go to work (very very hard), work out at some point during the day, sometimes more than once, and by the time we get home, it is sometimes past 8pm.  We cook dinner, and by the time all is said and done, we’ve barely spent 30 minutes together.  We went on a trail run together on Sunday, and while running, we decided that if it means that we need to get up early to work out together at least one day a week, we will do that to make sure we get to spend sometimes together.  I love spending time with him.
  • Continue being more responsible with my money.  My husband is awesome with money, and helped me start doing everything Ramsey-style.  I now operate nearly 100% in cash, and am limited in what I spend each week.  In addition to utilizing my cash envelope system, I would like to continue either working at Fleet Feet one weekend for a month, or start earning some sort of supplemental income in order to help me pay down my student loans faster, and to completely pay off my car – especially in the event that my dear 2008 starts to go and I need to consider buying a new car.
  • Grow my business casual wardrobe.  I can get away with some of my more fitnessy pieces at work, especially given that I teach a ton of classes, but I need to grow my business casual wardrobe.  I’m 27, and wearing Nike and New Balance head to toe doesn’t fly at Director’s Meetings.  IN ADDITION to this goal, I MUST get better with packing my gym bag.  So when I wear my fancier pieces to work, packing a bag with some makeup and workout clothes is a must.  Which ties into my next life goal….
  • Getting up early enough/going to bed early enough so that if I want to work out in the morning I can, and so I won’t be rushing around like an animal in the mornings like I always am.  I know I’m going to have to start with baby steps – you can’t just lay down at 9 and expect to be dead asleep, but I figure if I try going to sleep at least 30 minutes earlier than usual, even that will help me.
  • Be and stay more organized.  This means making full use of my Sugar Paper planner (which I’m not a million percent sure I’m in love with yet), and full use of my Google Calendar, which I’ve been using a ton since starting the new job.   Additionally, this means pre-scheduling a lot more of posts here.  I have made some use of that feature, and it saves so much time and allows me to focus on reading other blogs when I actually do it!  I have made baby steps toward becoming more organized, but would like to continue to grow in this area.

So that’s my list of changes I’d like to make.  These are so important to me, not fulfilling these goals is not optional at all.

What are some of your goals for the next year, or maybe, the rest of your life?

14 Big Moments of 2014

| cheriarmour

Um.  So 2014 is over?  When did that happen?

So it was a big year, for things both good and bad.  And here, in no particular order, are some of the biggies from 2014.

14.  Coco.  Coco the poodle came to us from a friend of a friend.  She’s an older dog, so she was probably not going to get adopted, so without much thought, we took her in.  It ended up being a pretty sweet deal, because she’s a sweetheart, and a joy to have.  She came to the beach with us, and visited with my mom when she was sick.

13.  We went to Fripp! This was one of my favorite memories. My friend, Kelly, invited me and Austin for a weekend. We drove down to SC, and had a blast of a weekend. One of my favorite memories of the year!

IMG_0913

12.  Snow, snow, snow!  Remember snowpocalyspe that rendered Atlanta crippled?  About two weeks after, Raleigh got a similar storm that left Austin stranded for hours after work.  Melanie, another friend got into a little accident.  And my current boss’s boss had to run home in the storm.

11.  I made this, than caught a stomach flu.  I’m pretty much a straight-up vegetarian, not a pescatarian now.

photo (2)

10.  I modeled a little bit here and there.  I did some shoots for Headbands of Hope, did two shows for a local boutique.  I’m hoping to do some more jobs here and there to help pay off my student loans!

9.  We bought a house!  Which is kind of a relief, we had a few weird experiences renting, the latest of which was when a man tried to break into the girl’s apartment downstairs in the middle of the night to do her some sort of harm for not calling him back.  

Us the first Saturday when we came to scrub the house.
Us the first Saturday when we came to scrub the house.

8.  A close friend lost her mother to cancer.  The experience was jarring, to say the least, and a really painful reminder that our parents are getting older.

7.   We acquired a foster beagle.  After Mel’s mother passed, an older female beagle was left behind.  We are hanging onto her until she finds a new furever home.  If you’re interested….

Beagle

6.  I saw Stevie Wonder live!   And in good seats!  Stevie Wonder announced tour dates in September of 2014, and I went on the hunt to find affordable tickets, which was no easy feat.  Seriously, the scalpers had bought up all the tickets, and I was lucky enough to find tickets that only cost me about $300.  We had seats on the floor, and I feel like I can officially cross seeing one of the greats off my bucket list!

5.  I ran….far…in Vegas!  My first trip to Vegas was not some drunken slob-fest – rather – I ran an Ultra relay in Vegas with Bondi Band.

4.  I literally got my dream job.  I may have told this story here before, but if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, mother effin’ try again.  I’d had my eye on this job as a Group Fitness Director for over 3 years.  The first time I interviewed for the job, I made it through a few rounds, and didn’t get the job.  I was devastated (and remember, this is all taking place back in 2012 when my ego was already wounded from learning that jobs aren’t super plentiful), and I stayed in bed for days.  A few years, and some more professional development later, the job was open, and it sort of fell into my lap.  It worked out probably about a month before we got married.

3.  My sister got engaged, then married!  Deb and Luigi had been dating sort of on and off, and they decided, in the late spring, that they were going to make it official.  They got engaged, then married pretty quickly in South Carolina.  They celebrated with a reception just a few weeks ago.

DSC_0742

2.  My best friend suddenly lost his brother.  Probably one of the worst phone calls I’ve ever gotten in my life was this phone call.  Austin and I made the quick decision that the weekend of the funeral, we would drive to Philly and back to pay our respect’s to Michael’s brother.  I’ve never seen my best friend in pain like that, so it was hard, and I’m trying with everything in me to support him as best as I can through this really really trying time.

1.  We got married on August 23, 2014.  It was the most incredible day ever, and when I woke up on August 24th, I wanted to keep my eyes closed and bottle the feelings that the wedding gave me.  It was elation, happiness, and the joy of seeing old friends meet new friends all wrapped into one.  If you could shoot that feeling directly into an IV and take it, I totally would 🙂

Exit

Serial (OMG!)

| cheriarmour

First and foremost, I hope your Christmas was a good one.  I spent my first Christmas with my husband as a married couple, and it was really very nice!  We were able to sneak in a run downtown, and spend some time with one another, which is not something we get a whole lot of time to do together.  Fun fact:  you would think as a married couple you’d be all up in each other’s grill all the time, but when you both work full-time, and you both work out an have to manage four pets – sometimes spending time can be tricky.  All that to say, our time was lovely and very, very much needed 🙂

So, I’ve taken to listening to podcasts while I’m running.  I love, love, music, and am constantly reworking my running playlist on Spotify so I’m not horribly bored, especially on long runs.  But truthfully, I’m starting to feel like there are only so many times you can listen to Chandelier…

…before you can sing every ad lib on cue, and you can perform the music video, frame for frame, on a long run.  I know this because I did it in Vegas when I was running my first leg at the Ragnar Relay.

So I started by downloading a few of my faves.  Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me, This American Life, and The Read, a podcast so funny, that I’ve had to stop myself from falling off of the sidewalk from laughing so hard.  So I started on the hunt for some more podcasts to keep me entertained, especially considering that training for Rock ‘n’ Roll starts in like two weeks.  And I found two that were like omg, the funniest things you have ever ever heard of in your entire life/the most riveting pieces of literature (?) I’ve ever heard.

Psychobabble with Tyler Oakley

So, if you’re into hystericalness, this is the podcast for you.  This podcast is done by Tyler Oakley, a YouTube celeb, with a wicked sense of humor.  Often he and his friends discuss pop culture, his love for Lady Gaga, and the epi is sprinkled with wise little nuggets of feminist goodness – which you don’t think you could typically get from two dudes, but they’re very socially aware.  My only complaint is that it’s only about 30 minutes.

Serial

Serial Logo

I just finished the last episode of Serial, and all I can say is OMG. Slash, I need someone to discuss it with. Slash, what is going to happen to Adnan?

So if you’re a fan of the storytelling style on This American Life on NPR, you will most likely be a fan of Serial, which is an amazing story of a murder that occurred nearly 15 years ago in Baltimore Country, Maryland.  I promise, you will be hooked.

And if anyone is done with Serial and would like to discuss it with me here the comments, please feel free to do so.

So these are the ways that I’ve managed to keep my mind occupied while working out – how to you keep your mind active while you work out?

Did you/have you/are you listening to Serial?  

Rent the Runway!

| cheriarmour

This is not a sponsored post, however, this post contains affiliate links.  All opinions are completely my own!

Approximately two weeks before my sister’s wedding, I realized that I didn’t have anything to wear, and I wasn’t feeling particularly inspired to purchase anything.  Everything I saw didn’t quite grab me.  I remembered that a friend of ours, for our wedding, had doing something called Rent the Runway, a neat merchant who allows you to browse designer collections and have them shipped to you the day before a big a event.  You get to go to your fancy event in your dress, ship it back (in a container that RtR sends you), and you’re not stuck with an expensive dress that you can’t wear again.

So for Debbie’s wedding, because she was having her wedding at a pretty nice museum, I went with something that was longer, and appropriate for a black or white-tie event.  For some reason, I had the idea that sequins would be fun, especially with the event being so close to Christmas.  I was able to sort dresses by size, by color, by length, and by the fanciness of event.  Once I found the dress that I had my heart set on, I picked a pair of earrings for them to throw in, and I picked the dresses in two sizes, that way, if one didn’t fit, I would have a backup.

The dress showed up the day before the event, and I immediately tried it on to make sure it fit!  I sort of forgot that designer clothing is really true to size, so I ordered a 4 and 6 Long.  I tried on the 6 first, sure that it would fit like a glove, and since I’d ordered the 4, I had the backup to wear to the wedding!  The finished product was here…

Rent the Runway

The dress was a Badgley Mischka, and normally retails for $700 – I was able to get a dress and earrings all for about $100. I did not stop getting compliments on the dress, which I promptly shipped back, easy peazy, the day after the wedding.

Once again, my experience was so good I rented again for some holiday parties I had last week…

Rent the Runway 2The second rental was a Slate and Willow romper, the Jessica.  This one was really fun. It allowed for me to show off some leg, and still be holiday-esque without going full-on Beyoncé.  This one, I rented along with some earrings as well.  This beauty retails for about $470.  Once again, I was able to get the outfit for about $100, and this time, I rented for about 8 days, so I could be super cheap and wear it to multiple parties.

As a girl who mostly live in workout clothes, it’s so nice to splurge, even a little, and look like a million bucks, even if for a night, all to the tune of a benny.

So if you’re interested, the holidays are an awesome time to try this out. Use promo code HAPPY2015 to receive 20% off your order’s subtotal of $50 or more here.  If you’re down for a free backup size, head over here.  And for $40 off of an order, $100 or more, head here!

What’s your favorite way to do a fancy outfit on a budget?

The best pizza in Raleigh.

| cheriarmour

Friday, I went to lunch with a friend who is getting ready to make a big decision about his job.  He’s in social work as well, so I totally understand his frustration.  When I was working in social work in its classic sense, I consistently felt really anxious, and it was a combination of us not having enough resources, and me being sexually harassed by a client who once told me that my unwillingness to have sex with him was seriously making him reconsider his thoughts on my sexiness.  I wish I was exaggerating, but that was a conversation we seriously had upon me reporting him to my boss and our company’s version of HR.

So, my friend is going through something similar, and is being pushed to the edge of his sanity.  Social work is a thankless job, and it’s really painful to watch him go through this.

All this to say, that Friday, the two of us met up for coffee, and then walked across the way to Lilly’s Pizza, a local pizzeria that offers a ton of vegetarian and gluten-free options.  Now, out of all the unhealthy foods in the world, pizza is definitely me fave, and to date, one of my favorite meals at fat camp was pita pizza, which we would eat on Fridays.

Lilly's Pizza

I ordered a slice of cheese with a Mich Ultra, and asked for some hot sauce on the side, which I did on mine and Austin’s first date.

Literally, when I bit into that slice of cheese, my world shifted.  It was delicious, not at all greasy, and the crust was to die – a little sweet, and dry.  It absolutely puts any chain pizza to shame, and just shat on Whole Foods’ pizza (which I really love a cheese slice of).

It was cool to eat that delicious amazing pizza, and let myself go while enjoying a delicious junk meal.

Where is your favorite place to get some fresh junk food in your city? 

My year in music.

| cheriarmour

I’ve used Spotify for years – love it so much that I actually pay for a premium account, and have access to all my faves on all my devices.

Spotify has been with me at every single race I’ve ever run, and now, at least since last year, Spotify has been analyzing your listening patterns, and it makes December a little more fun when you get to remember specifically what you were listening to, with numeric proof of how obsessive your personality is.  Here’s a little bit of info about what I was listening to in 2014.

My top artist?

Demi

None other than the gorgeous and talented Demi Lovato.  This is two years running now, and my obsession shows no sign of slowing down.  Even though I do wish that she would break if off with Wilmer and then maybe she and I could be good friends.  Maybe more than friends.  Idk, we would take it slow, just see where it goes.

My Favorite Artists

My faves

Like I said before, Demitria obviously came in at number one, followed by Ariana Grande, who ruled the charts in 2014, followed closely by my friend and confidante,  Gavin DeGraw.

Gavin DeGraw and your peeps truly!
Gavin DeGraw and your peeps truly!

See! I told you! Friend and confidante!

The most fun analysis of them all!  Top 100 Songs of my 2014?

Top 100We got Magic’s Rude, we got Bailando, and really weirdly enough, we have Popular Song by Ariana and Mika.  And I’m not mad at it.

The coolest little thing about what Spotify did is that they went ahead and made a playlist of your Top 100, which I was having fun with on a boring treadmill run the other day by clicking around and taking a little jog (at six miles per hour) down memory lane.

What made your top lists in 2014?