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Living life to the fullest.

| cheriarmour

Sometimes, I complain about really stupid things.  Sometimes I am a grump.  Sometimes I take for granted the fact that I have a roof over my head, a warm bed, and more than enough food and resources to make things work.

And then the universe will yank you right back to reality to remind you that all the stupid, petty, ridiculous crap you’ve wasted energy on just isn’t worth it.

There is a tiny adorable elderly woman who has taken my Zumba® classes for over two years.  Two-and-a-half years ago, when she was taking my class, I thought she might be too frail, and am ashamed to say, that sometimes I doubted that she could do it.  But she always powered through, and at the same time, would let me know what she thought about everything.  When I got this position, she could not be happier, and she let me know.  A few weeks ago, when I was subbing a Toning class, she literally squealed when I walked down the hallway to see her.  I would hug her.  And over the last few months and weeks, she’s gotten smaller and smaller, colder and colder, and we realized that something was the matter.

A few months ago, after a bout with bronchitis, my teeny friend went to the doctor and found that she did not have bronchitis, but lung cancer, and that she would be leaving us within months.  Yesterday, when she woke up, she could not breathe well, and we in the community, have been keeping each other on a text thread, hoping that she pulls through, but realizing, that at 86, this may be the end of the road for her.

Simultaneously, one of my best friends suffered a tremendous loss this week.

I hate it, that anyone ever has to suffer, or that me, being a selfish human being, sometimes waits for these moments to remember how grateful I should be for the blessings I have.  But the sadness for my dear friends has reminded me that we, that I, have so much to be grateful for.

This Friday, here’s to being grateful for how beautiful and fragile life can be. 

What are you grateful for today? 

Fitbit

| cheriarmour

I blogged a few weeks ago about how I was in a little bit of a running slump.  And almost as soon as I wrote those words, I went on a run the next evening that felt like my breakthrough.  A friend and I comfortably ran nearly seven miles and chatted, and I felt a little bit of my old running self coming back.

I’ve also found that sometimes, when I’m in a slump, if I buy myself a new toy, I seem to be able to overcome the slump rather quickly, since I’m focused on whatever new pair of shoes/jacket/shorts/watch, and it kind of kicks my motivation back into gear.

Well I’d been thinking about a Fitbit for a while, and going back and froth on weather the purchase would be a worthy one, since I’m pretty active.  But last week, after a particularly rough day at work where I’d received a ranty email (is ranty even a word!?), I was feeling very sorry for myself, and went and picked up a Fitbit off of my wedding registry at a cool 15% off (yay!) and I got to setting it up.

Fitbit

I think the original reason why I went back and forth on the Fitbit is that I wasn’t sure what it could offer someone like me who’s super active – buuut I will admit, the thing is pretty darn cool.  A few points?

  • It comes in a pretty sleek design, and isn’t super obtrusive, which is one of the main reasons I can’t wear my GPS constantly.  I don’t feel uncomfortable popping it on with my business casual during the day, and it fits in with my workout clothes just fine.  (As a point of reference, it sort of looks like one of those Livestrong bracelets folks were rocking in the early 2000s, and it’s not a whole lot heavier).
  • It was really really easy to set up.  You take it out of the box, put it on, and you just kinda go!  There’s a little dooder so you can sync it with your computer, and there’s a super simple app for your phone.
  • On aforementioned app, you can track your calories that you’ve eaten.  Not that I’m a super-stickler about my caloric intake, but it’s something that I loosely like to keep an eye on, and that tool was invaluable when I was losing some college weight – being able to keep track of everything I put into my mouth.
  • If you’re at all competitive, or like big round numbers, Fitbit sets a goal of 10,000 steps per day for everyone, and it encourages you – even on a day where you’re taking a break – to get up and move.  Just because it’s your day off doesn’t mean sit around for hours and hours, and Fitbit sort of reminds you of this.
  • …But I can see how this amazing little piece of technology can make obsessive folks such as myself, well, a little more obsessive.  If I feel like I haven’t hit my steps, I will move heaven and earth to make sure I hit those steps – I have to watch that in myself.
This is not indicative of my usual - I'd run over 7 miles, taught a class, and worked at the store that day!
This is not indicative of my usual – I’d run over 7 miles, taught a class, and worked at the store that day!

So overall, I’m loving this little gadget that I’ve thrown into the mix.

Do you have an Fitbit?  An app?  How do you keep track of your activity? 

Something bad happened to my Kindle.

| cheriarmour

I got my Kindle a few years ago.  I was kind of having a really tough year – I had just broken up with a boyfriend, was feeling a little meh, and in the mail from my younger sister Debra was the coolest invention since the iPhone – an Amazon Kindle.

I dressed my Kindle up – I bought a skin for it to jazz it up, and got it its own little sleeve holder to go in so I wouldn’t step on it on drop it in its off-time.  The Kindle took me through that breakup, through a summer at a camp in Virginia, though hurricane Sandy, through my employment at the bakery (it was great for breaks), and through time at the pool.

168161_639164452333_6251416_n
One of the only pics of me and my Kindle, when it was still living.

Last Sunday, while my husband was trying to bore me by forcing me to watch NFL, I went to flip on my Kindle, and something just wasn’t right. The screen was weird and frozen, and I immediately, immediately got on the phone with Amazon Kindle support.  To their credit, Amazon has absolutely incredible customer support, and they were super helpful, but after a few “tried-and-true” fixes, I had to resign to the fact that my Kindle wasn’t coming back, and that Amazon no longer manufactured that old-school style.

They were great.  They’re sending me a refurbished model and I only paid the difference for them to ship it to me.  I will have to ship the old one back, and in the meantime, I’ve honestly felt a little bit lost.  I’ve been reading bits and pieces off of my iPhone screen, and patiently stalking the mailman for the day when my package gets here.

What’s one piece of technology you feel attached to? 

The rehearsal dinner.

| cheriarmour

At this point, we have been married for a little over a month, and this month has been one of the best ever.  It’s been a month of change, a month of emotions, and a month of getting to know one another better.  I absolutely love being married, and I really hope I can maintain this feeling like everything is awesome forever.

So, as far as #weddingwednesday, let’s talk the rehearsal dinner!

I wasn’t a million percent sure what the purpose of a rehearsal dinner was going into planning the wedding, very similarly to how I wasn’t sure what the purpose of engagement pictures was.  But as we planned, it became clear – despite the fact that my parents were absolutely more than willing to meet each other, because everyone was working and living their separate lives, there wasn’t a whole lot of time for our folks to meet each other and bond before the big day.

So, as we were trying to figure out how and where we would do our rehearsal dinner – someone on an online forum someone pointed out the absolutely obvious, that we should use the services at our amazing hotel, the Proximity in Greensboro, and set up our rehearsal dinner there.

And what an amazing suggestion that turned out to be!

So the Proximity is a green hotel in Greensboro, and I can’t describe to you how incredible it was to walk up to that building.  The service was spectacular, and at about 7:30pm the night before our wedding, I walked into a room that looked like a dream.

Lights, a beautifully set table, food, and all of our best family, friends, and bridal party in the same space.

There were a few tears, especially when my sister made a really sweet speech about my time spent at home for when my mother got sick last year.

But long story short, as you kind of go through some of the expenses you want to spend/don’t want to spend, a rehearsal dinner is definitely one of those things – it helps you to get your mind right and relax with friends and family before the big day.

Speaking of the tears that I shed at my rehearsal dinner, when was the last time you cried?  

 

 

Sweat Hope 5k – small but mighty

| cheriarmour

Earlier this month, I told you guys about the Sweat Hope 5k, and this weekend was the big event!

So Saturday morning, after about a week straight of rain, I woke up and the running Gods smiled on Raleigh, and I woke up to nothing but straight sun and beautiful temps.  I headed down to Wake Med Soccer park in Cary, and easily found my way to the race, where Whole Foods, Sola (a local coffee shop), Headbands of Hope (obviously), and a few other local vendors were set up.  I got my bib, and lined up with a little over 300 other runners to run the 5k, which started promptly at 9am.

HoH 5k1

I’m almost ashamed – I’ve lived in Raleigh on and off for the past fourish years, and until Saturday, had never run at Wake Med Soccer Park.  I was surprised!  The trails were really packed down, well-maintained, and ridiculously hilly!  For 3.1 miles, we ran up and and and up and down and up again – easily one of the most challenging 5k courses I’ve run.

HoH 5k

Overall, the race was a blast, incredibly well-done, and I would totally do it again, and hope to again next year!

*****

So in my secret life, I sing and recently recorded a song with an extremely talented local rapper for the purposes of performing it at a show on Sunday night.  So me, the husband, Marc “Franchise” Jusino, and a bunch of spectators hit the stage on Sunday to compete in a show.  Spoiler alert: we didn’t win, but we totally should have, but I have a lot of respect for the guy who did win.  Excellent excellent performer.

ShowBut we totally should have won!

What’s one cool thing you did this past weekend?

 

I know better.

| cheriarmour

So a few days ago on my lunch break, I packed up my clothes and my shoes, and headed out for a run with a friend before I had to take off to teach a Zumba® Fitness class.  The weather is starting to get gorgeous here – yesterday, the temp must not have gotten over 80 degrees, and for the first time maybe since the summer kicked off, I didn’t feel like death following the run.

But I made a critical error.

I know so so much better than this, but I grabbed an old pair of Glycerin 11s, a pair from last October (almost a year ago), and did a short run in them.  My feet hurt.  My knees ached.  And as an employee at a running speciality store, I knew SO much better.  I know old shoes can make the difference between a good and uncomfortable run.  I know that they contribute to foot cramping and knee aches.  I know that looking at gross worn-out shoes is probably not helping me to pull out of this running slump whatsoever.

But I did it anyways, and only rethought it when, after only three miles, my feet were aching, knees aching, and when a co-worker from Fleet Feet walked in, took one look at my flattened out shoes, and started laughing.  We can tell these things.

So today, reflecting on my slump and how discouraging my achy breaky run was, I went to the store, picked up a pair of Glycerin 12s, and went for a little under 6 miles with a friend.

GlycerinThey felt really really great, and the just-under-six really didn’t feel as slumpy as all my runs have been in a while.  A few contributing factors to that?  Pretty new shoes, decent fall weather, a good friend to chat with while we powered through the gnarly gnarly hills of Raleigh.

Oh, and I registered for a half at the end of next month.  I’m sure that didn’t hurt my motivation since now I have to show up and kick some ass.

What do you do that you know is no good for you?  

 

Running Slump

| cheriarmour

I’ve felt this way once before. Last year, right after my grandmother died, I hit a little running slump.  I was tired, my motivation was low, and when I was running, I felt slow and consumed by anxious thoughts, which really took away from my running.

This time, I think the reasoning for the slump is a little different, but the symptoms are largely the same.

In the span of two months, I got a new job, got married to my love, and we bought a house.  And none of it was planned to all hit at once.

With the job, I got a call in May, interviewed throughout the month of June, and was offered the position in early July.  The wedding had been set for August 23rd for some time, and the home came available, and honestly, the inventory is so low in Raleigh that it would have been silly to have forgone that home.

So we dove in headfirst.  And I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my entire life.

And like I do anytime I’m faced with any major life changes, I felt this exhaustion come over me.  It hasn’t affected my work, as I’m still in that phase where I’m killing myself to impress everyone, but it’s definitely affected my running and my motivation.  Rather than constantly being raring to go for those runs, I’ve had to pull out every trick in the book to make sure that I make my workouts.  I invite friends, I try new workouts, I make sure that I am scheduled to take one of my instructors classes, all in the hopes that I don’t fall behind on my workouts.  But motivating myself to go when ALL I want to to is lay around in the bed and watch reruns of Sex & the City is hard, and I’m really trying.

Honestly, the last time I felt like I was in this slump a year ago, I pushed through it, but had a few tricks to help get me through.

  • I went to a lot of hot yoga.  Granted, one of the times I went, a pose we got into tapped right into my emotional side and I finished out the class sobbing for whatever reason, but I sure felt good after.
  • I ran.  And I revamped my runs.  I listened to Motown the Musical, Les Mis, and sometimes, nothing at all, all different from my usual playlists.
  • I read Dean Karnazes books.  Which is really good cause he’s an ultra marathoner.  So it kind of made you feel like your little 26.2 wasn’t that bad.
  • I vomited my way through the Greensboro Marathon.  But the fact I finished convinced me I was a lot stronger than I thought I was, and rekindled my love for running.

So the slump sucks.  I don’t like the way it makes me feel, and it scares me – makes me feel like I will never love to run again.  But slowly and steadily, I will be back to exactly where I was before, maybe even better!

What do you do when you’re in a running slump?

The world is going nuts.

| cheriarmour

First and foremost, how are you feeling today?  Better than I am I hope.  With the move to the new house last weekend, trying to set the house up, and a possible trip to Brooklyn this weekend to visit a family member who is ill, my energy is zapped, and it completely freaks me out.

I know in theory, I should be allowed to have a break, and it’s okay, but it worries me and makes me feel like I will get out of practice if I take too much time off of working out.  But I truly don’t feel like I can work out and have a safe and effective workout today, and I need to completely learn to be okay with that.  Right now, I’m focusing on eating well and getting some rest – the excitement from moving, getting a new job, and getting married in a 3-month span has definitely taken it’s toll on my circadian rhythms.

Moving right along however…

Does anyone else feel like the world is going crazy right now?

And I try to keep the blog fairly light, but the world is INSANE right now.  And a few days ago was no different, when I opened up my Facebook, and Urban Outfitters was the number one trending topic.  Now in my mind, there’s only one reason that Urban could be a trending topic, and that’s simply because Urban has made a regular practice out of manufacturing extremely offensive clothing.  So that’s pretty much what I expected – but I wasn’t expecting the depths that they took the word tasteless to.

So reportedly, over the weekend, Urban Outfitters found themselves to be caught up by the screenshot when this photo made its rounds on Twitter.

Urban OutfittersWhen you take a peek, you’ll realize that Urban Outfitters is selling a Kent State Uni sweatshirt decorated fully with blood stains.

Who on Earth thought that this was a good idea?!

They’re all sitting around a marketing meeting, and not a single person thought, “Hey, making light of the senseless killings at Kent State is probably a disgusting thing to do, so I’m going to say something so this doesn’t end up on the website to embarrass me, my department, and my family.

Between this, those idiots (and there are too many to count) in the NFL, and the vast universe of idiocy that is a lot of Washington, I’m really at my wits end.

How about you guys?  What’s the most idiotic thing you’ve heard all week?

Bucket List Item

| cheriarmour

I hope you all had an amazing weekend.  My energy is gone after we spent the weekend moving to our new house.

I strongly believe in “choosing your attitude,” so I did my best to not be nasty the entire weekend.  Not to be upset, annoyed, or be short with my husband, even though I think moving can bring out the worst in folks.  Additionally, I can’t complain because I was so fortunate to have not only my husband helping me carry all the big stuff, but a good friend and my brother helping to get things from the apartment to the house.

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

My Bucket List

I was named after a Stevie Wonder song.  I walked down the aisle with my father to “My Cherie Amour”.  After me and Austin were pronounced husband and Cheri, we recessed to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”  Basically, what I’m saying here is that Stevie Wonder has been a part of my life since I was in utero.

When I was a kid, my dad had this album called “Natural Wonder,” which was a live concert album that Stevie Wonder released I want to say in 1995.  The album was magic, wonderful, and featured a few new songs on it.  It was really cool to hear the audience, a Japanese audience, go crazy over his songs, and sing the words like English wasn’t no thang to them.  Which it probably wasn’t – I sometimes feel like every other country in the world gets this ridiculous to learn their first language and English as a second, so that foreign students always seemed so much cooler than we do, swapping effortlessly back and forth between their language and English.

So all the above to say that seeing Stevie Wonder perform live has been a bucket list item of mine basically my entire life.  And Thursday morning, Mr. Steveland Morris announced that he would be touring his 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life.

This is so epic.  Beyond epic.

So naturally, I called my father, and called my sister and immediately put plans into place for us to make the Atlanta show on November 22nd.  And like that (provided I can get my butt to Atlanta) I believe I’m on my way to crossing an item off my bucket list.

What’s one item on your bucket list?