Life

This week’s fit challenge! No alcohol!

| cheriarmour

I just wasn’t feeling it anymore last week.  I had two glasses of some cheap red wine at a social thingie, and woke up the next morning with the headache from hell.

You guys know I love my beer, so it was a tough decision.
You guys know I love my beer, so it was a tough decision.

It really shouldn’t have been enough to make me feel so sick, but the entire next day, I had the nastiest feeling, and I was just done.  And for a slightly indefinite period, I decided that I was off the sauce.

I mean, it’s truly not the worst thing in the world to happen to my diet.  Alcohol leads to drunkness, bloating, and poor life decisions, so I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on a whole lot, and I swear that my tummy is looking a little more muscular as of the last few days.

I’m no doctor, so don’t be an idiot about this, but if you’ve been toying with the idea of taking a little break from the Devil’s urine, (I kid, I kid), consider taking a little hiatus.  

I’m not sure how long I’m gonna go, but I’m feeling pretty good, more clearheaded, and I’ve been substituting beer or wine for some club soda or sparkling water with a little lime, and usually nobody asks any questions.  

Of course, two people have already asked if I’m expecting (I’m not), but other than that, it’s been relatively pain-free!

How will you challenge yourself this week? 

I’m late to everything.

| cheriarmour

Including the thing where you like make your New Years’ (or is it New Year’s) resolutions like on December 31st to start them on the 1st.  But I have a good excuse, I was traveling all over, but I have been really thinking long and hard about my resolutions for a while, and I’m just now bringing them to you.

Oh well.  Have me arrested if you’re like offended I waited so long.  But this sort of thing takes thought.  Plus blogging takes time, you dang millenials always want instant gratification 😉

So my goals for last year went as follows.

1. Spanish! I’m super annoyed I didn’t learn it as a child, because it makes communicating very difficult and I think my adult brain is far too dense to be conjugating verbs. Nevertheless, it’s something that needs to be done. I think it’s absolute ignorance that I have not done so already.
2. Positivity.  I can be extremely sarcastic, and a few years ago, a friend of mine interpreted that as me “always being angry”.  I made a conscious effort to, even when I’m not feeling like it, say nice things.  I try not to text, Tweet, or Facebook nasty or negative things, and I try to smile a lot more.  I promise, it has made the hugest difference in my happiness.  I’d like to continue on that path.
3. And finally…drumroll please? Housekeeping.  I am the worst housekeeper on the face of the planet.  That’s not to say that my apartment looks like a pigsty, it’s just to say I have to move mountains to keep it clean.  I’m like every normal person not featured on Hoarders, I like things neat, smelling fresh, and orderly, but to keep in that way is a feat of titanic proportions.  And then I have these friends like Alexa and Kelly, and you walked into their duplex any time of the day and it looked gorgeous and always smelled wonderful.  Jealous.  I’d like to work more at maintaining order around my home.

So first, how did I do?

  1. As far as my Spanish, it still sucks.  But Austin bought Rosetta Stone, we’re actually doing it, and we’re toying with the idea of spending a lot of time in Costa Rica for immersion school.  More on that later.
  2. Positivity was good, especially in the face of some really, really crappy things to happen to my family last year, including the death of my grandmother and my mother’s stroke.  But a lot of good happened this year, and I think I was able to focus on that, which is why I never like, had to be committed to a mental health institution – though sometimes I felt a little peanuts.
  3. Housekeeping.  Yikes.  I think I actually got worse with that, especially after I started working full-time.  That one’s going back on the list.

So, what are my resolutions for 2014?

  1. Get better at money management.  Save a certain amount of money.  I have more concrete details on the amount, but that’s between me and my banker,  not for your nosy self!  But I have two books on money management, so I would like to read them by March 1st and begin implementing more strategies to manage better.  I should have a handle on where my money is going at my age.
  2. Be more conscientious.  Austin is incredible conscientious about everything.  He gets everywhere he’s supposed to be on time. he sends thank-yous, he pays his bills on certain days, he always knows where his keys are, and never seems scattered like his lovely wife-to-be.   I’d like to work on that by straightening up more every day, putting my keys in the same place always, and checking the mail daily so bills never come as a not-so-lovely surprise.
  3. Get up early one day per week.   I suck at anything morning related, but I’d like to get up early one day a week to run, to go to yoga, or just to get to work a little earlier than usual.  This dawdling I do has got to stop!
  4. Be a better friend.  I’m getting married this year, and even though some will change, I don’t want my friendships to fall by the wayside.  Even though we all are incredibly busy, for the friends who actually will make the effort, I’d like to make the effort for them.  Meet up for workout dates, coffee, dinners, and girl time.
  5. And finally, I’d like to stick to my healthy lifestyle, and not fall off the wagon.  I think when you work full time, you get married, and life starts to go in a million different directions the YOU part of the equation tends to get forgotten about.  I still want to take care of myself, and maybe look a little better than I did when the year started.

Tell me, what were some of your resolutions?  

 

Babies on the brain.

| cheriarmour

We’re getting married in about 7 months ::gulp cause I feel like I haven’t done anything:: and people are at it, asking those rude questions that are none of their business really, or premature.

Literally, hours after we were engaged?

“Have you set a date?”

Why would we have set a date, we literally got done calling our parents 40 minutes ago.

“Are your parents okay with you being interracial?”

Yes. But if they weren’t, do you think I’d share it with you, a total stranger?

“Did you only date white guys before or is this the first?”

First.  It’s not like I have some weird fetish.

“Can I be invited? Please?! Can I have a plus one?”

Wasn’t really planning on it.  And now you’ve made it very awkward because the venue can only fit a certain amount of people.

But the one that I’ve gotten a few questions on, and the one I’m just not sure on, is the kid question.  Do we want kids, and how many?  And quite honestly, I can say, we have no idea, and this is the one idea that we’re completely both absolutely sure we’re on the fence about.

I grew up in a big family by today’s standards – there were four of us, and I love being able to tell folks about all my siblings, and the thought of not having a full house is sorta weird, but there are a few things that terrify me, mortally, about kids, and I’m sure I need to get past this before I even think about kids.

 

  • Student loans.  Mine are not paid off.  And the thought of bringing a child into that mix is chilling.
  • Money.  In general, kids are spensy, and I’m obsessed with the idea of being extremely financially independent – something we’ll touch on a little later when we talk about my resolutions.
  • This is about to sound awful, terrible, and selfish.  And I know that, so I’m prepped to get screamed at.  But I am a little concerned about my weight and what a baby might do to my body.  I’ve been told that once you have a kid, that your priorities shift, and you may not be as concerned with your body.  But I sort of like to run.  I like to work out.  I like my abs and my arms, and I’m worried about how hard it will be to maintain that once I have a kid, or two, or four, like my mom did.

 

Kara Goucher

      I mean, Kara Goucher (pictured above) returned to her sexy Olympiad self within a year, but she runs literally like 100 miles a week.  Like.  How can I even compete?  Will my exercise participants take me as seriously if I’m not in tip top?

 

  • What if I suck at it?  No backsies when it comes to kids, ya know?  And if I suck, I’m screwing a kid up.  I can’t live with that!

But at any rate, I figure, we’ll make that decision when the time comes, but for the time being, I’m totally willing to hold your baby for a while, just to borrow, while I decide!

 

Stress Dreams.

| cheriarmour

I’m no stranger to the stress dream.

When I was in high school, I used to repeatedly dream that I was being attacked by dogs, and that my report card was straight Fs.

Once, in college I dreamt that my transcript was full of Fs and that I had run a bunch of red lights, which led me to wake up in a sweaty panic because my parents would take my car away had I ran all those red lights and gotten those tickets.

As of late, I still dream that all my teeth fall out, that I show up late to teach a class, and that I start my iPod and instead of Latin music, calming yoga music pipes through the speakers.

But the worst of all these stress dreams is the running stress dreams. The dreams where I show up late to a race, panicking about whether I can catch up to the sweeper.  The dreams where I realize my marathon is only a month away and I haven’t started training.  Those kinds.

But the worst of all the stress dreams came after I got off the plane from Atlanta, and laid down for what was supposed to be an hour-long nap.  I was asleep instead for nearly 3 hours, and apparently worked through the entire REM cycle because the dream I had seemed to last forever, and it was completely, completely bananas.

In the dream:  I was running my usual, but by myself this time on Monday evening in a pair of Vibram 5-Fingers.  Pictured here for reference.
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The terrain was more naturey than it usually is, and I was running through rivers and woods and over logs and all of that.  I was running, in the Vibrams and jumping tree branches and logs and all that.  All of a sudden, as I was running through the river, a fork that had been littered into the water goes into my toe, and punctures it deeply.  So for the remainder of the run, I’m crawling as my toe bleeds all over the place and I try to get folks to help me call 911. I woke up from that terrifying nap with a horrible pain in my toe, like I’d fallen asleep weird and somehow managed to cut circulation off to it – but no blood.  Yikes!

Do you ever have stress dreams?  Describe some of them! 

The final leg of my journey – Atlanta!

| cheriarmour

After my big day at Epcot, the sister and I headed back to the abode, and finished off the night with a viewing of the Rock Horror Picture Show, which I haven’t seen in years, and yet I could sing almost every number.

RockyThis movie was way before it’s time, and I’m not sure why my parents ever allowed us to watch this, but I’m sure glad they did.

So the next day, I headed to the airport to go to Atlanta to visit a friend for her housewarming.  Number 1, I flew on something called Silver Airways, which I’d never heard of.  Number 2, the plane looked like a toy.  I’m not kidding.  After waiting forever in security, and sprinting, once again to my gate (thank you Lord for running), I was directed out directly onto the tarmac, where I was met with this.

Plane

 

I boarded the flight and felt comfortable that, should my life end, that I’d lived a full and good life.

Finally, I made it to Atlanta, and in search of a gym because it was wayyyyy too cold for my Raynaud’s behind to be running out, I found a Fitness 19.

The best part of being at a gym where no one will recognize you is that  you can kind of do what you want.  I ran.  I lifted.  Hard.  I did a few hip-opening stretches.  And I got hit on by a guy who’d skipped one too many leg days.  Yikes.  But I left feeling like the soreness would be delicious (anyone else like being sore?), and had a blast for the rest of my time in Atlanta.

Today, I’m thankful to be home, and ready to start a fresh new week.  What are you looking forward to this week? 

I’m looking forward to looking at a few houses in Raleigh with hopes of moving on soon from apartment living.  Here’s hoping!

 

My Day At Epcot

| cheriarmour

So you guys know I’ve been traveling.  I went to visit my youngest sister, who works for Disney, and she’s been begging me for months to come out to visit.  I finally did it, and I’m so glad.

I got a full night of sleep, napped with the dog, and finally made it out for a run.

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First things – Florida was supposed to be really warm. And it was last night when it came in. But when I exited the apartment to walk the dog, it was like 40 degrees. Also, my bra was out. Lovely. I am really classing Florida up. Also the fashions here are SO questionable.

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The favorite purple jacket came with me to Florida, and thank goodness, because it came in handy on the run.

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Toward the end of the run, I found a “jogging” trail (I hate the word jogging, ps), and tried it out, and it was lined with that weird bouncy stuff they started to put on playgrounds in the 90s.

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Instead of it being a great place to run, I actually was having trouble keeping my footing, and it sort of felt like sand to run in. I’ll stick to Florida roads.

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Next, since it was freezing, I dug out this slouchy sweater to embark on my journey to Walgreens, as my sister had no food suitable for vegetarian grown-ups, and I’d forgotten my toothbrush. As cute as I look, I had not brushed my teeth at this point.

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The family dog was in tow, and just as sweet as I remembered her. Gah, I truly love animals more than human beings sometimes.

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Next, my sister took me to Epcot, which I haven’t been to since I was 16, and on a choir trip.

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I insisted she take me to the nearest Starbucks, and it was literally the most insane Starbucks I have ever been in. People from every country, speaking in every language, and I can honestly say I have never been in a Starbucks so crowded in my life.

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Kimmy knew I would love anything having to do with Michael Jackson, so we waited to see this Captain E.O. show which featured Michael Jackson in 3-D. The movie finished up with “Another Part of Me” from ‘Bad,’ and we were probably the only two to clap at the end.

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We rode the “Finding Nemo” ride, and I got to see some dolphins, that I was so content to sit and watch for a long time.

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And then the big ‘ol Manatees, who just ate lettuce all day long.

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The Manatees were rescues, one was an orphan, the other was injured and his poor tail was chopped by a boat. They both were so sweet to watch.

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Can you tell I stood here for a long time?

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Next up was some vegan beef for dinner, which cost me $20. Yikes! I paid $6.50 for a beer. Help!

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The beer in question.

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And finally, after I’d chattered with a French man who sang Stromae in the World Showcase in French and tried all the wines, we came home to find that the dog had ripped apart a candy wrapper that smelled like food.

Today was a good day.

I hope your day was good!  Happy Saturday you guys!  I’m feeling mushy and gushy from all this family and Disney time!

I know, I know, I’m so late with a post!

| cheriarmour

I’m sorry.  But if it makes you feel any better, here is a picture of my cat.

photo-8You can’t be mad at me, most especially when I’m giving you photos of my dear sweet Martin, right?

But I have a good excuse.  I’ve taken a trip down to see my sister in Orlando (she works for Disney), and I will be running in actual balmy temps for once come tomorrow!  Eep!  I’m so excited.

But with all the nasty weather in the country, a trip that should have taken me only half the day, took all day.  I slept on the plane between Raleigh and Charlotte, and thank you Jesus for my running abilities, because, due to the delays, I found myself running in heels through Charlotte Douglas, and quite hungry I might add.

I hunted the airport for something edible that wasn’t Moes or Sbarros, and came up with this, which cost me $6.38.

photo-9Needless to say, Mama was still quite hungry when she finished her expensive “dinner,” and I immediately asked my sister to find me some dinner as soon as she picked me up from the behemoth of an airport that was Orlando’s airport.

So after a harrowing day of travel, Kimmy (the youngest sister) provided me with a glass to ease my travel troubles.

photo-11

 

And the best part?  This is the only wine glass she owns.  I’ve taught her nothing.

So don’t be mad, I promise, I will update you with all the things tomorrow.  But in the meantime, I’ve got a serious question for you. I did my 5 miles on the treadmill at the gym yesterday, January 1st, and the gym was totally dead.  Where was everyone?  When are you starting some of your New Years Resolutions? 

 

 

Happy New Year!

| cheriarmour

Goodbye 2013.  I’m not too sad to see you go.  And I feel like everyone I’ve talked to had one of the most intense years in their life.  And for me, it was no different.

But enough about all that.

Last night, we threw one heck of a New Years Eve party to say goodbye to 2013 (good riddance kinda), and usher in 2014, in what I hope will be one of the best years ever.

NYE
We made some nachos that we (I) inhaled for the festivities.

This is all we have left of a night that was full of laughter, music, champagne, and these amazingly stunning cupcakes that a friend made and brought.  They were tangy and champagny and awesome.

Cupcakes
The guest who brought these said she was planning on these for her sister’s shower. Can I get an invite please? They were so licious!

I only had one of these.  I also stole two extras and hid them in the fridge where no one could find them.  Woops!

So I’m embarking on my first run of 2014, and feeling loved, happy, and extremely hopeful about the upcoming year.  I am so thankful for good friends, good cupcakes, good running, and good alcohol.

 

I’m trying to convince my mother to open an Etsy store.

| cheriarmour

Not cause she’s like hard up or poor or anything, but when I was at home for the past few days, I was tooling around on my mom’s iPad, and I found the cutest picture ever.

Monkeys

 

So for years, Nadege has been a wonderful knitter, but this time, she’s truly outdone herself!  Not only has she knitted some incredibly friendly-looking monkeys, they’re playing the piano too?! This is really too much.

So while I work on her about this Etsy store, help me to convince her.

On a scale of 1-10, 10 being like “ABSOLUTELY YESSSSSS,” how much should my mom open a store of her cute handmade toys? If the answer is anything less than a 10, seriously, don’t bother answering.