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I can fall asleep anywhere.

| cheriarmour

First and foremost, can we all thank my amazing husband (who’s gotten a lot of love on the blog this week), for doing something to my poor laptop to make it run faster?  I have this adorable pink Dell that my dad got me for my Elon graduation in 2009 – I’m trying to squeeze a few more months out of it while I save up for a Mac, and you guys better watch out for the Mac attack because I will be on that thing, editing photos and writing like a crazy person.

Moving right along.

So, yesterday, I participated in Peachy Keen’s fall fashion show.  Remember,  I did their show last spring?

Because of the fashion show (which was a blast) here’s what my day looked like.

The night before, I stupidly drank two extremely large glasses of wine, knowing full well I wanted to be up and ready to go to work by 6am (ish) so I could work for the day and then head to makeup for the show.  So I woke up, feeling awesome (absolutely not) and sobbed through a shower.  Or at least I felt like sobbing.

I worked for the day, got a 5ish or 6ish miler in, and headed to makeup for the show.

The show was Frozen-themed, so makeup was pretty, blue, and ethereal-looking.  And the second I got done with makeup, I laid down on a bench in the dressing room with a tiny pillow, and fell asleep.  I felt nothing, heard nothing, and have no idea how long I was out for, bout it was just long enough to feel refreshed and walk the show no problem.

I don’t want to spoil anything for when the real shots are done being edited and all that fun stuff, so take a little gander at this backstage…

Peachy Fall Show

Makeup was awesome, hair looks good, and the show went off without a hitch.  I even felt myself moved by the spirit, and danced a little on the runway.

IMMEDIATELY following the show, I kid you not, I asked Austin to unzip the back of my dress, and I faceplanted on the bed at about 8:45pm.  The only other time in my adult life I ever remember going to bed that early was once when I had a Zumba training that I went to after a wedding.  I promptly found myself wide awake at 4am, in a mod dress from Loft, wondering where I went so wrong in my life.

But I digress.

What are your guys’ weekend plans, especially given that this weekend is Halloween?  

Me?  Come hell or high water, I will play with this…

LetterpressThis is my new baby that I have yet to get a chance to play with!  I finally got my L-Press from Charlotte, so I would love to break it out and play with it, and in my WILDEST fantasies, get it up and running in time to shoot off some holiday cards.  I can dream big, can’t I?

Does your significant other support your running?

| cheriarmour

I try to keep my husband at a minimum on the blog.  Not because I’m not crazy about him, because I absolutely am.  But more because he didn’t ask for his life to be splashed across the interwebs.  But occasionally, I just can’t help it!

I’m running Ragnar in Las Vegas in less than two weeks, and unlike the typical Ragnar relay, we are considered an ultra team, meaning that instead of 12 runners over 36 legs, we are 6 runners over the 36 legs.  I’m so looking forward to it, and yet, a little apprehensive about running over 34 miles over a few days.

But, despite my apprehension, my body, my mind, and my legs feel strong.

In prep for the race, I’ve run at a few odd times – and last night, it was around 9:30pm.  Luckily, I live close to the state university, and can stay pretty safe running on campus during these odd times, or can call my brother to run with me.  And every time I push off at these strange times, Austin offers me a butterfly knife, and asks if it’s completely necessary for me to run at those times, in the most worried and caring of ways.

And this time, the poor thing was in no position to come with me, because he sprained his ankle terribly playing volleyball at the Y.

Exhibit A
Exhibit A

But I’m taken with how supportive Austin has been of my running. When we met, I was just doing some running for maintenance.  Despite being an avid weightlifter (which doesn’t  classically mix), he ran my first 5k with me.  Then my second.  He cheered me through my first half.  And then stood out in the cold during my first two fulls.  And now, even though he can’t come to Vegas with me, he’s been so supportive, and making sure that in the midst of all my training, that I’m staying safe and happy.

 So how does running fit into a relationship?  How should running fit into a relationship?  For you runners, weightlifters, triathletes, golfers, how does your sport fit into your relationship?  And is your significant other supportive of how you stay fit?  

For us, even though Austin has never expressed any interest in taking on the challenge of a full or an ultra, running has always been something that we could enjoy and do together.  And it makes me feel supported by him, that we aren’t in competition, but that it’s something we can do side-by-side.  Running can be so solitary, and yet, it makes me feel so close to so much and so many people.

You? 

Headphones

| cheriarmour

So, first things first. I have a dirty horrible confession to make.

I’m a little obsessed with “Ew!” Jimmy Fallon and will.i.am’s single that they put out a few weeks ago.  I don’t know what it is about the single, but I really die for a star’s alter ego, so that’s probably it.  Nicki Minaj had Roman, the little British boy.  Katy Perry had Kathy Beth Terry who made her appearance in the T.G.I.F video.  Taylor Swift just looked like a dork in the “You Belong With Me” video.  And now, there’s mir.i.am and Sarah.

So judge me. A ton. I enjoyed it.

Moving right along…

So, I’ve had a terrible run with sports headphones since my second year in grad school, when someone broke into my Taurus, touched my dirty gym clothes, and stole my favorite Nike headphones which were subsequently discontinued.  Blarghhh.  From then, I lost literally like 3 pairs of earbuds, the old ones, and one of the new ones during a big race.

At that point, I started using Yurbuds, and one after another pair either went missing, or I let folks borrow them, only to never see them again.

So today, I broke my usual Fleet Feet regimen since I was near the REI, and headed in to grab a pair of headphones for a few really long training runs over the next few weeks in prep for Ragnar.

#1, the people are REI were really nice, and 2, on our little frequent REI account we had a $17 thing, so I only paid like 6 bucks for the headphones.  Holla!

What’s really cool about this particular pair of Yurbuds is that they’re gender-specific, which can be pretty stupid, like when it comes to the Bic For Her line, but this one is good because it’s a little tinier and shorter, perfect for my ears which are absolutely teeny.  So here’s to being able to hang onto this pair for longer than a day or two, hm?

Yurbuds

Favorite headphones? 

Engagement anxiety.

| cheriarmour

Being married is my favorite thing ever.  Everyone keeps asking me what I think about being married, and honestly, it has been beyond amazing.  I felt, a few days ago, for one of the first times, that we’re settling into marriage, which is a beautiful thing.  It was nice to look out of the window a few days ago, see the shed that my husband painted, and kind of smile and think, “we’re building something together!”  And I know, marriage isn’t all la la la kittens and baby turtles, but in the time that it is, I’m relishing the time and drinking it all in.

Exit

We got married at a pretty standard age I think, in fact, I’m a little older than some of my friends were getting married.  But, I think I’m starting to get into the season of my life where I’m seeing a ton of weddings and a ton of engagements, and I’m so happy for folks.  I am so pumped.  But I wonder if any of these brides have experienced any of the engagement anxiety that comes with being engaged.

The reason this came up?  A few days ago, I ran into a friend who was brand, brand, newly engaged.  I spotted her hand sparkling and asked her about it.  She raised her arm, almost zombie-like, and showed me.

“Oh my gosh,” I said!  “When did you guys get engaged???!”

“Last night,” she quietly drawled.

She didn’t seem sad.  But she didn’t seem happy.  If anything, she seemed a little…stunned?

And I think that’s perfectly normal.  You’ve just made the pre-commitment to commit to someone for the rest of your life.  That said, it’s normal to feel:

  • Stupid happy.
  • Like a grown-up.  You might not feel like a grown up, because grown ups, in your mind, are old and go to bed early.  And they never drink too much.  And all of a sudden, you’ve done something that really old grown people do.  And you might start to feel old.
  • A little stunned.
  • Tired.  You’re showing off your hand, you’ve recounted your proposal story about 400 times, and people keep asking when the date is, when you’ve only been engaged for like a week.  It’s a lot of attention.  I thought I liked attention before we got married.  Woof, that was a lot.

I can’t speak for the men, but I’m fairly certain they too go through the “oh, shit” phase before it passes and you’re married to your best bud.  So remember, my engaged friends, it’s okay to have some or all of the above feelings for a few weeks after engagement.

What was one big life change that had you stunned for a day or two?  

Proactiv Perjury

| cheriarmour

So, I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I struggled with some acne in high school.

Currently, at the ripe old age of 26. I still struggle with hormonal acne, and at certain times of the month, my forehead will erupt into angry acne.  Eventually, it goes away, but it leaves behind some hyperpigmentation that seems to take forever to get gone.  Since I had some success with Proactiv in undergrad, I went ahead and ordered Proactiv again.  And this time, the formula is even better, and more moisturizing than it has in the past.

I noticed that I was getting low, and checked my account – my package was supposed to have shipped on October 3rd, but somewhere between the old house and the new house, my package didn’t get to me.  And if I go a few days without using it, my skin is really unhappy, so I called, and tried to track down my package.

Here’s where things got a little weird.

The folks at Proactiv, who are generally pretty nice, told me that in order to send me out a new package (and I’ve been autoshipped up to this point), that I would have to SIGN AN AFFIDAVIT stating that I had not received the shipment under threat of perjury. Threat of perjury.  Woo!  They are not messing around up there.

I mean, I get it!  Evidently, there are some clowns running around claiming they never received product and ruining things for the rest of us who just want clear skin.  Additionally, they offered, once they receive my statement, to refund the two months I’ve been paying with no product.

I’m certainly not here to bash Proactiv, but I’m more asking for all of us to look at our behaviors as they affect others.  Working in running retail, we ran into this issue a lot.  Folks returning shoes they’d been wearing for over a year.  Folks returning socks so old, that the artwork on the packaging had changed.  Folks returning used clothing items that had clearly been worn to work out in.  And finally, clearly, folks returning empty bottles of an expensive skin-care product.

So next time you’re like “why the heck are running shoes so expensive,” or “why does this company make me jump through hoops to get a replacement [blank],” remember, one, you could be made to sign an affidavit swearing that you did not receive said product, and two, it’s these jerks running these streets that are ruining it for all of us.

Phew.

What’s your best/worst experience with customer service? 

A Ludacris weekend.

| cheriarmour

So, over the weekend, I celebrated Elon University’s homecoming.

First and foremost, if any of my readers have kids that are thinking about schools right now, Elon is fantastic if you’re looking for a small liberal arts school where you’ll form amazing relationships with your professors?  Elon is the spot.  I went to a big state for graduate school, and the experiences were night and day for a student like I am.

Anyhoo, so the time has flown, and I’m celebrating 5 years since I graduated from Elon University.  And each year, homecoming has blossomed – from an intimate celebration in the parking lot on the north side of campus to a full-blown tailgating experience where all of the student organizations are represented.

So on Friday, I arrived on campus juuuust in time to pick up my packet and tickets for the events I was registered for.  I had a little time to burn, so I explored a little bit, and found some food.  Side note: there is a Biscuitville on Elon’s campus, and I thank the good Lord above that that wasn’t a thing when I went to school there, because there is a distinct possibility that I would have gained like 60 pounds when I was in school there.  Woof.

I went to the step show, which is really more about seeing who is at homecoming, and socialized a little bit before hitting a bar that allowed smoking at one point when we were in school.  Things have changed – thank you North Carolina!

Saturday, we hit the tailgate, and enjoyed some insane food at the Elon Black Alumi Network (EBAN) tailgate, before making our way over to the Twisted Measure tent where my barefoot singing buds were chilling so hard, that we realized 30 minutes after the game started that we hadn’t made the game.

And Saturday night, we hit the Ludacris concert which actually was the literal bomb.  He was SO good, and I was ridiculously impressed with his intelligence, and his performance.  I was totally hoping to meet him, so my heart was just a teensy bit broken when I saw his Escalade pull off.  Maybe next time, Chris Bridges?

Wanna see a few grainy pics I was able to take before the mosh pit swallowed me up?

IMG_1436IMG_1437 IMG_1434

A few quick facts about Elon Homecoming 2014?

  • I lost my Fitbit on Friday night!  I was dancing at the step show, and it slipped off my wrist.  I’m pretty sure someone picked it up and just saw a silicone bracelet and they were like “Omg ew TRASH!” and threw it away.  I’m obsessed with it, so I ran out to Target when it opened the next morning, and replaced it.  I’m in the process of contacting their customer service department now to see if I can get a small rebate or something – I get that it’s not 100% their fault, but evidently this sort of thing happens with this product – there are a few desperate forum posts to support that.
  • Luda is awesome.  The concert was so so good.  Minus the fact that I had to get a little buck on this chick that was shoving in the front.
  • I got to hear our wedding song performed again by Twisted Measure.  They killed it. I cried a little.
  • I ate Cookout. Delightful.  I will also be running like a million miles a week to work this off.  Woof.

How was your weekend?  

Paper Buzz

| cheriarmour

Over the course of getting married, I became absolutely enthralled with paper.

I started frequenting a place in Raleigh called “If it’s Paper,” and I became absolutely enchanted with all of the products they had on the shelves.

They had beautiful cards, beautiful envelopes, pads of paper for lists, blank card stock for you to print on, recycled envelopes…you get it.  My desk at work is full of Le Pens (the felt-tipped pens that don’t smear) and cute pads.  The thought of being the envy of folks while I’m at a meeting makes me cackle.

So when I was at my parents’ in Charlotte, I dragged my mom to the paper store, Paper Source to pick up some pens for a guest book that we needed them for later that day.  If If it’s Paper was special, this place was even more so, in the way that featured workshops – and I found a papercrafters holy grail – an L-Press Letterpress machine.

My mom indulged me because she’s into things equally as corny as I am – she is an avid knitter, and has gotten so skilled, that she hooks it up with not only with the hats and gloves, she’s made clothing, blankets, and toys for kids in need.

On the way to my parents’ we hit the Wells Fargo towers, and scooped up my dad for lunch.

“We went to the paper store!”

Papa Cheri sort of laughed, realized I was serious about my excitement, and then goes,

“What is this obsession with paper?!”

He’s right, I’m a little obsessed, but really pumped to learn more about it, acquire a little letterpress for me to start pressing some projects, and to eventually open a little Etsy store.

But now the question is, now that I’m starting to legitimately get into weird-type hobbies, how the heck am I going to find time to do everything?  Because as of right now I’m obsessed with:

  • Reading my Kindle.
  • Running/Working out
  • Blogging
  • Paper
  • Making our new house presentable for my parents when they come for Thanksgiving

I really need to come up with a plan so that I can thoroughly enjoy these hobbies without  losing lots and lots of sleep.

What are your hobbies?  How do you manage your time? 

Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh

| cheriarmour

So I ran Raleigh’s Rock ‘n’ Roll race last year, the half.

The race was amazing, extremely hilly, but an awesome representation of our city.  I tried to capture it all when I actually ran it last spring, but when I run now through downtown, I remember little things.  Like when I started tearing up at the mile at Dorthea Dix’s Campus when there were pictures and American flags with our fallen soldiers on it.  Or when the priest near the start was blessing us.

So anyhoo, I registered again.  For the full.

God help.

If you’ll remember, during my last full marathon, I woke up with a stomachache, ran anyway, and proceeded to vomit from mile 18 on.

Come to find out later, I’d developed a gnarly case of gastritis after my grandmother passed…

HospitalAnd I sort of didn’t run anything intense after that, save for a few half marathons last spring, for fear that I would be vomiting on someone’s front lawn once again.

But I’ve braved the registration, and I did it.

And now I suppose I’ve got to train.  Humph.

Also, sorta thinking about an ulta. A 50k!  Eep!

Have you signed up for any races this spring ??

45

| cheriarmour

Before we get all silly –

I alluded to this last week, but unfortunately, at the close of this week, I will have attended two funeral services.  Cancer absolutely sucks, and prayers for folks that I consider family would be greatly greatly appreciated.  And forgive me if I’m extremely weepy this week.

********

So, the other day, I posted a photo from Buzzfeed’s timeline of Jennifer Lopez.

I’m gonna let you feast your eyes for a second.

Jennifer Lopez 45If you’re not aware, this is Jennifer Lopez, of “In Living Color” fame.  She also was partner to Sean “P-Diddy” Combs, had an excellent MTV diary, married Marc Anthony, and starred in Selena, Enough, and The Wedding Planner.  I still have questions about the vocals from time to time, however, J.Lolas doesn’t have student loans so I’m just being a hater.

One thing I’m not hating on?  Her body!  At the age of 45, she looks better than I do having had 0 children.  To review, Juannifer has a set of twins.  That grew inside of that stomach.

But, upon checking out some of the Facebook comments on the picture, one of my biggest pet peeves started to rear its ugly ugly head.

Catherine Claridge REMINDER: Jennifer Lopez is a celebrity with a team of nutritionists and personal trainers on her payroll. Fuck off BuzzFeed.

Okay.  A few questions for this charming commentator.

  1. Does Jennifer’s team of nutritionists force her to eat the right things?
  2. Do Jennifer’s personal trainers run on the treadmill for her?
  3. How about her lifting?  Does someone else do her lifting?
  4. And under this assumption, this would mean that all famous folks with teams of personal trainers and nutritionist have similar bodies and never struggle with food.  Stars that have had very public battles with food, our Carnie Wilsons, our Janet Jacksons, our Oprahs, are just not a thing?

Laura Miller It’s also her only job too.

  1. Jennifer Lopez has no other job than to work out and look amazing?
  2. Isn’t she a mom?
  3. Isn’t she an actress?
  4. Isn’t she a singer?
  5. Isn’t she a judge on American Idol?

The point of this is all to say: working out and staying healthy is hard, AND we should give credit where credit is due.  Mama looks good, and we should celebrate that.

Do you look up to any celebs for their exercise and healthy eating habits?