Life

12 Weeks

| cheriarmour

This isn’t turning into an annoying blog.  I promise.  But I figured that someone might like the update, and I might regret it if I didn’t update.  PLUS I feel like a lot of moms, especially ones that are further removed, get amnesia and try to act like they’ve never heard of whatever symptom you might be having.

12 Weeks

How far along:  12 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: Clementine.

Due date: Sept 3rd, 2016

Total weight gain: I’ve put on a few – like maybe 5ish the last time I checked?  My boobs are absolutely gargantuan.  I’m still waiting on a belly. So that folks aren’t just assuming that I’m bloated.  Like I care though.  I’m too tired to care.

Sleep: Constantly.  I could sleep any time of the day.

Best moment this week:  Zumba party – I felt great, and really felt a surge of energy.

Food cravings: I like pickle chips from Village Drafthouse.  But since they’re fried, they’re kind of a kiss of death.  One really really fun thing about pregnancy is that your digestion slows way down.  Food that may upset you a smidge in real life, really have an adverse affect on you while pregnant.  Beans and fried things do not feel good whatsoever.

Food aversions:  I’ve been veg for a while.  I have been eating some chicken and turkey, but it’s a little rough for me, because meat tastes pretty meaty.  But the smell of cooking meat is disgusting to me.  Red meat in particular smells bloody, and I think there’s a pretty good chance I won’t be eating that any time soon.

Symptoms: I’m just tired.  But like I said, I think that’s starting to lift.

Looking forward to: Catching up on things.  I always feel like there’s something else to be done.  I don’t think as long as I live, that I will ever feel caught up.  And more running, now that my energy is slowly seeping back in.

Big Life Things!

| cheriarmour

Hi!  I have not been posting here with my usual frequency but I have a really good reason, which I will totally get to later.  I promise.

First off, how was your freakin’ weekend?

Mine was/is good.  These posts are always kind of time warpy, because you pre-post, and you pre-write, and you’re talking about things that are kind of still happening, and you come back to unfinished stuff, and it’s just weird.  But my weekend, which is almost over, has been really really good, and really restful.

It started off like a house on fire.  Friday evening, we hosted another Zumba/Cardio Dance party at the Y, which featured like 5 teachers for two hours.  I ended up working a good bit from home on Friday, so by the time the party started around 6:30, I wasn’t completely worn down.  Here are a few shots from the evening.

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After the party, Austin was still at a Hurricanes game for some hockey sports, so I headed to the Drafthouse for some post-party food which included some pickle chips (ugh, so delicious even though I despise pickles in their true form) and veggie burgers.

Saturday was another full day.  I taught a class, went and helped Austin repair a few things we needed, and snuck a mid afternoon nap in before I hit the couch really really hard and finished the night with cartoons.  I was seriously in bed well before midnight, and slept hard until I had to come into work to help Fleet Feet out on a busy(ish) Sunday.

Big Life Thing

So here’s the deal.  I’ve been really annoying and “vague blogged” a few things here and there.

So out with it!

A day or so after Christmas, I went out drinking with some friends of mine, then we went to the gay club to dance.  I had a great time, but the next day, I was feeling…off.  Not hungover, and not sick, but like I had some vertigo going on.  Which is the best way to describe it, but probably not 100% even capturing it.  I mentioned this to a friend over text, and she responded “knocked up”.  I told her there was no way, but stopped by the Walgreens right across the street, and picked up a really, really cheap pregnancy test that came in like a box of two.

It came out positive.  So I took the next one.

Positive.

I showed Austin, who was in a veritable state of shock, and he sort of paced around the yard for a while before I sent him on a mission to pick up a few more fancy tests, the ones you see the commercials for.

Positive, positive, positive.

Of course, at this time, I’m panicking, and had send photo evidence to Chelsie (“knocked up”) who immediately replied with a “congratulations,” and some really fun emojis, photo evidence to Jill, my trainer, and photo evidence to Kaity, all mom friends of mine who I felt would have more insight on if the tests were indeed reading the way I was seeing.

All that to say, is I am pregnant and have been very pregnant since around Christmastime.  I have really wanted to share with bunches of people, but it’s kind of conventional wisdom that you don’t share before 12 weeks.  Which I really have mixed feelings about, but, I will share more on that later.

Eep!  We are nervous – this was not necessarily the most expected or most planned thing right now, but we’re in a good place for it, and there’s no time like the present, right?  I think I was more nervous before I told people because I was afraid if I told people I would jinx it, and I’m also good friends with some couples who have struggled with fertility issues, and I’ve been afraid that this would be a lot for them.  Which, for the record, has not been the case – everyone has been really rockin’ about it, and I have even had some offers for clothes and books.  Which lord knows I could use, because I really have no idea what I’m doing.

So really quickly, let me answer a few of the biggest questions people have had for me.

Your boobs are getting huge!

Not a question.  But yes, they are beginning to get out of hand.  But what can you do, that’s not something that’s going to change, right?

How are you feeling?  Have you been sick?

I have not been sick.  I have been ridiculously, hopelessly exhausted.  I have never experienced exhaustion like this in my life.  I rely solely on naps and drinking lots of water.  My doc says it will pass in the next few weeks or so, so I am really looking forward to more of a surge in energy.  I have been feeling less deathly the past few days, so I am hoping this means that maybe it’s coming.  But I have been in bed well before midnight every single night except a drag show I was at last week.

What about teaching your classes?  Will you have to cut back?

I don’t know.  As of right now, I am teaching all my regular classes except for my Friday Barre, and I feel great teaching.  In Body Pump, I have gone a lot lighter on my squat and my back weight, but overall, I’ve been doing the same.  I have cut back on my running, due to nothing other than the fact that I am exhausted, but I’m still running.  I’m not sure if that will change, especially toward the end of the pregnancy.  But, as of right now, I just don’t know.

All of that said (I feel like I just dropped a damned bomb on you), how was your weekend?  Do you have any burning questions for the pregnant workout lady?  

Valentine’s Day Plans!

| cheriarmour

First up, I know I’ve talked about this place, Happy & Hale here before on the blog, but I have to sing its praises once again.

Lots of changes going round in the Samples household, and as a result, I’ve had to work really really hard to stay on track with a decent diet and stuff.  More on that later.

But I was really in a rush on Tuesday to get a good lunch in that didn’t involve anything gross, anything friend, and was quick, and the first thought was Happy & Hale.

I did my usual, a quinoa bowl (without the onions) and here was the finished product.

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I’ve seen Katherine, the nutritionist here, a few times, and she is highly encouraging of incorporating lots and lots of color in each meal. This meal TOTALLY has it. I mean, it’s gorgeous to look at.  Unfortunately for me, this was a lot of fiber, so I had to watch the fiber at dinner and do something that was a little less psyllium-y.  TMI.

Valentine’s Day Plans. 

I think this is the first V-Day that we don’t have something special planned, but I really think I’m okay with that.

In years past, we’ve always done dinner around Valentine’s, and given little gifts, but nothing super major.  This year, despite my efforts to get to bed much, much earlier than I have, I still am battling some fatigue as I adjust to earlier start times, and we’re looking forward to dinner in and making our way around Lake Johnson that day.  It’s boring, but it works for us.

One thing I will ask my hubby really really nicely for is a mani/pedi.  That’s still one of my favorite treats in the world.  I’ll happily oblige with his favorite treats (probably a trip to Harbor Freight to buy more things to put in the shed).

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

Something to look forward to – Summer Shows!

| cheriarmour

I love live music. It’s like top 4 things I like to spend my money on. The others being food, races, savings/paying off bills, and mani/pedis. Best money spent in life (I feel like).

So when Beyonce happened to mention that she was launching dates for her Formation World Tour at Sunday’s really disappointing Super Bowl. Made less-disappointing by that fact that we had a bunch of friends over. But still. So Bey announced the tour in the most Bey way possible, by inciting a little controversy (which, I’m not here to argue about), and then running this commercial that looked like an ad for her new fragrance.

And this ceremoniously kicked off my personal tour de music for the warmer months. Which makes me hopeful because this cold weather is absolute trash and I really want nothing more to do with it.

Here’s what I’ve got so far!

April 8th – Gavin DeGraw at Red Hat – this will be my second time seeing him at this particular venue, and probably like my 5th time seeing him in real life.  Every time I’ve seen him has been awesome, and I stand by my confidence in the fact that he once called me pretty.  ::tosses hair::

May 3rd – Beyonce at Carter-Finley – this will be like my 4th or 5th time seeing her altogether.  Acquiring tickets may be tricky, so I’m going to go into this process with a really open mind and hope for the best.  But if I don’t get to see her, Bey, there’s always next time.

May 11th – Pentatonix – I have never seen this group live, but I’m so looking forward to this.  Can’t Sleep Love ended up being one of my standout faves from the album, and I desperately adore Mitch and Scott.  Avi is bae.  I would love to have dinner with these guys.  INTERVIEW THEM FOR THE BLOG?  Even though as I say that, I have no idea what the heck I would ask them, and would probably just creepily sit in the corner as they filmed Superfruit, laughing my head off.  Just a guess.

July 2nd – Demi Lovato – I saw her once before in Charlotte, and she was really awesome.  The show was full of tweens, but I think we’ve established that I really am not super affected by the audience.  She was really good.  I think my fave was Nightingale, because she through in a BANANAS key change after the bridge.  YAS!

July 6th – Justin Bieber – This will be my second show with the Biebs.  I actually just went back and listened to the singles off Believe, and I am so stoked for the show.  Love him or hate him, he put out some good stuff with Purpose and I’m here for all of it.

Wish List:  These are artists I’m really needing new music from/would love a tour from sometime this summer.

Allen Stone – he is at Bonnaroo this year.  Something tells me I won’t be making it to any festivals this year, so I’d love a small show.

Katy Perry – I’m ready for a tour AND new music.  I’m very much a Teenage Dream fan, so I’m ready for another album with FIVE hit singles on it.

And this is what I got!

What shows are you excited about seeing this summer?

What’s the most you’ve ever (you would) pay for a concert ticket?

Photo Dump

| cheriarmour

Hi!

I think it’s time for a photo dump, so you see where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing.  I’ve struggled a little bit with writing the past few days for the sole reason that I’ve been a little frustrated with some bits of my work and not necessarily like it’s okay to write about it.

One thing I’ve come to realize (that I think is okay to write about).  There are some people in life who truly feel that their lives and their problems eclipse yours and everyone else’s.  It’s astounding, and even more so when it comes from people who should be a lot more self-actualized than I am at my age.

Ok, so photo dump.

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I’ve taken on teaching Body Pump. I went through training (again) back in November. I submitted and passed my video, and have been teaching this particular format once or twice a week. The hardest thing is memorizing the choreo at the beginning of the release. I have had a few early mornings where choreography has completely flown out of my head, and I’ve had to make do. Lots of practice! And weight lifting has been really good for me!

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This is completely counter intuitive, but I went to the local doughnut shop after I taught my class last Thursday morning. I’d only been once since it opened since I don’t want to get into the habit of going there nonstop, but I went, and got a raspberry jelly and this hash browny thing. Really good. Can’t be a habit.

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Since the snowpocalypse, Austin and I have been really bad about, on weekends, staying in and watching Netflix and not really socializing. Not his fault at all. It’s all I’ve wanted to do. But I forced myself to go out and socialize over Pho. I should have gone here when I was suffering with a lingering cold a few weeks ago.

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We went to a nursery this weekend. A few weeks ago, before the snow, Austin built some raised garden beds, as he’s been really interested in growing peppers. I want to partake, so I bought some flowers, and we will do some flowers, some tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce. Some of the things we will start inside, and transplant after the last frost.  Which according to the groundhog, shouldn’t be too much longer, but I’m hearing something about a Polar Vortex again?  What is that?

What are you up to on this hump day?

Snow Day(s)!

| cheriarmour

One really neat thing about North Carolina and southward.  When it snows (or ices) here, everyone (rightfully) freaks out, and sometimes, we get a snow day!

Let me back up.  If you’re one of those super obnoxious people who’s like “I live in New York and we don’t freak out over a few inches of ice/snow, I want to say this to you.

Congratulations.  You are better than people in the South.  You are smarter, and more wonderful, and your handling of snow and ice is absolutely more appropriate, making you superior to our kind.  Feel good?  Okay.  Annnd before you cuss me out in the comments, I’m a native New Yorker who very much enjoys my snow days.  I’ll take ’em!

Throughout last week, we got reports of a weather event by the end of the week, but we weren’t really sure what it was.   Every since Snowpocalypse ’14, where we actually did handle significant snowfall pretty poorly, resulting in folks be stranded on the roads for 6+ hours, I think we’ve done a better job of heeding predictions, and dismissing folks from school/work in a fashion that doesn’t put folks at risk for accidents and being stuck on the road on account of work or school.

So as the reports came in, we listened, and finally, on Thursday evening, I got up with my boss’s boss (boss was pushing off to go on vacation), and we agreed that she would contact us after the branch closed with some updates.  But by about 8pm, the area’s public school system had already called school, so that was a decent sign to us that we needed to assess for the morning.  We decided to close for at least the early morning.

When we woke up on Friday, there was a light dusting with a layer of ice over it, and it was pretty clear that it made no sense to, at least from my end, require instructors to come in when we could be putting them at risk.  We decided to close on Friday based on deteriorating conditions.

Wanna know what I did all day?

  • Sent a few emails.
  • Slept.
  • Showered.
  • Went to Food Lion to pick up a few things that we could eat for dinner.
  • Watched Bob’s Burgers on Netflix.
  • Did not run 😦 (which I was kind of bummed about)

Saturday was very much of the same except the ice layer was thicker. We had a few guests since power was out at my brother’s and we sort of hunkered down while the lights and heat flickered.

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Some freeze on a bush in front of our house.  Very pretty, but a little scary once ice gets high up, weighs down trees, and shuts down power.  

Again, I didn’t get a chance to work out, and I’m really bummed about that. I’m hoping to sneak into the gym for a little while for a short run followed by some time on the bike so my body doesn’t forget what fitness is, and I don’t die when I teach my classes next week. Eesh!

So, what’s the weather at your house like?  Let me know if it’s warm, cold, freezing, and tell me if you’re enjoying any time off of work!

A day in the life!

| cheriarmour

I’ve talked about it here, what I do for work.  My work as Group Fitness Director is awesome.  I think one of the coolest things about the work, besides getting to teach a ton of group fitness classes…

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Me, after an early morning class.

…is that no two days are the same. And I think when I “became an adult,” a phrase I really use loosely, one of my biggest fears was that I would get sucked into a profession, where I was doing the same thing every single day. The thought of doing something that wouldn’t allow me to be on my feet or would be the same drudgery day in and day out really scared me, and thinking back, it’s something that has scared me since childhood. I distinctly remember being in high school, where the most variety we had was A-day B-Day scheduling, being terrified that this was what real life might be like. Thankfully, years later, the Y presented itself as an amazing opportunity, and it was clear that no two days were the same.

Which is mostly really cool.

Mostly.

Tonight, I closed the building, which all directors do once a week. I don’t mind, and usually, instead of sitting in front of my laptop the entire night, I run around, doing little projects or putting out little fires. So tonight was no different. I set up the prenatal yoga class, tore it down, visited the Zumba, Vinyasa, and Cycle classes, and checked on the kid downstairs who came in last minute for us.

Close to closing though, we ran into a rather large snafu. Somewhere along the way, someone gave a member the wrong keys, and the member took the keys home, leaving another member with the wrong keys.

Launch full-blown investigation.

From the wrong keys, I was able to gather  that the member was actually a member of a Y in Greater Charlotte.  I called the Siskey YMCA and begged for them to call the members emergency contact based on the info I gave them.  They did.  His parents confirmed that those were their son’s keys, and gave me their blessing to call him.  I called, we figured out that he had the wrong keys, and in a snap-decision judgement, I took off, went to the members home, and swapped out the keys.

To say that today wasn’t dull is the understatement of the entire century.  Here’s to tomorrow being the most boring, mundane, and dull day January 2016 has ever seen.

What do YOU do for work?  

What does your day consist of?

Sick

| cheriarmour

This weekend was not as wild and crazy l as I would hope for it to have been, considering I’m still young and fun. 

And I realize that there are some things too sacred for the blog, such as horrid pictures of me laid up with pimple cream betwixt my eyebrows where my body is rejecting winter/being an adult. 

Thursday, I had a little familiar tickle in my throat, matched with some gnarly fatigue. Friday, it was a little worse, and by Friday night, there was no denying that I had a full-blown cold.

Congested on one side. Sore throat. Couldn’t really taste a whole bunch. And the distinct feeling that though things could be worse, that I really wasn’t interested in finding out what that was like. 

After coming home from a birthday celebration, we headed straight home where we laid on the couch and watched a little Netflix. 

Saturday morning, I was positive I was going to die when I woke up. Crusty face, I was slow-moving, and of course, I had a class to teach. It was one of the few days in my life, including the day I passed out in front of a full Zumba class, that I considered the possibility of not being able to show up for this class. I swallowed a mouthful of Trop 50, and made it through just fine. 

Saturday afternoon was a blur of me drifting into and out of of a disturbed sleep, while Bravo chirped in the background. I told Austin to enjoy a playoff game since I was so sick, and I watched Sex & The City, the first movie, for the millionth time.  I ventured out only for some egg drop soup and some cleaning supplies from Target.  Plot change: I skipped the cleaning and opted for a shower with a few drops of eucalyptus oil and some essential oil shampoo. I twisted (my locs) as well since I was gonna be stuck in bed for the night again. 

Sunday, I, once again, woke up so sick, that when Austin took me to brunch, I couldn’t finish my food. I COULDN’T FINISH MY FOOD. 
I haven’t been sick like this in a while, so here are a few of my tips for you active chciks when the germs for you down. 

  • Water water water. Warm, cold, indifferent. Drink up. I had a hard time with this one because my stuffy nose made me feel like I was drowning, but I did my best. Alcohol is not your friend in this case.
  • Essential oils. For congestion and headache, a few drops of eucalyptus in the shower or in a pot of boiling water that you breathe in is so awesome at temporarily unclogging your nose. 
  • Your humidifier.  I don’t have a super nice humidifier, but the $30 Austin bought me when I got sick a few years ago does it fine. It has a spot where you can put a few more drops of essential oils. It’ll sort of clear your nose and keep you from getting that horrible dry feeling in your nose and throat. 

And finally….especially for you active folks. 

  • Rest. I didn’t work out at all this weekend. It wasn’t intentional, but I was sleeping a bunch, and I felt so crappy that I had flashbacks of when Kourney fainted on the beach when she was overdoing it after Mason came. It happened.

I’m feeling better tonight, and I think I should be back to life by the time work and meetings hits full force on Tuesday. 

What are some of your sick day tips? 

“Time is Money”

| cheriarmour

Time for a little story.  I’m sort of trying to become a morning person for the sole fact that I’m like…an adult, and I keep reading all of these articles that say like the main successful people in the world wake with the sun and make sure they get breakfast and a workout in before they do anything else.

Honestly, the times I’ve been waking up early, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, I have missed the part about waking up early where you actually have to go to bed at a reasonable hour the night before.  In part because both Austin and I always get into projects around 10, sweeping the floor, writing posts, or throwing in a load of laundry, and in part because I flip on Bob’s Burgers and get caught up looking at emails and texting friends.  Totally my fault.  I know it’s doable to go to bed early, but I need to make concessions for it.

But anyways, I’ve been waking up on Thursdays early, around 5am, to teach a class.  I took the class on because I thought it would be an impetus for me to get up and try to get in bed early.  I’m working on it.  So this morning, I woke up at 5:20, managed to pull on clothes with my eyes closed, and was out of the house by 5:30pm, with enough time to turn on lights and get set up for class.

Of course, an instructor’s worst nightmare happened, and I went to flip on the stereo, and I could not get the dang thing to turn on!  I ended up having to grab someone from the front desk to help me (which I’m sure they loved at 5:45am), and I ran out to the car to grab some backup speakers I just happened to have.

Anyways, in the midst of all of this happening, someone, presumably, who wanted to participate in the class, came and started to set her station up.  I explained that we were running only a few minutes behind due to the stereo issues, but that I would get them their full workout and still manage to get them out on time.

She seemed pissed.

“Time is money,” she said.  And she continued on, being aggravated.  Which I get, I mean, I wasn’t super thrilled about waking up to faulty equipment.

A minute or two later, we started class with the other participants, and she’d left her station set up, and was working out outside of the room.

I can’t say I was super disappointed, more a little lost as to why this really slight delay would completely sideline someone’s workout.  I am glad however, that she very obviously didn’t allow the hiccup to allow her to leave the gym and say “better luck next time!”

I’ll chalk that “time is money” up to the fact that she was annoyed to be up at nearly 6am.

I know I was.