Wedding Wednesday: the weight issue.

May 28, 2014May 27, 2014 | cheriarmour

Don’t know if you know, but there was a big wedding this past weekend…

I texted one of my bridesmaids and asked her if it made me a huge sap that I thought the two of these guys looked legitimately happy…seriously, they seem super pumped, whereas if you remember the special when she married the Hump, things were not as rosy. (Seriously, do you guys remember the fact that the two didn’t talk in the days leading up to their rehearsal dinner? Oy.

Okay, so I’ve been working on a few things on my end, this being one of those things.

I’ve got a million more jars, and a million more coming, so I’m happy, but also staring to get a little anxious and starting to doubt my ability to get all of this finished. I know I can do it, it’s just a matter of wrapping my brain around that.

But today, I want to turn my our attention to something else that I’m struggling with a little bit.

The weight before the wedding thing.

So I’ve seen this hashtag a few times over the past few months.

#sweatingforthewedding

And though I don’t have a weight problem, and I work out extremely regularly, there is this gnawing at the back of my mind, and I honestly think it’s a little bit of pressure from other brides. And the nagging, needling question is, should I be worried about my weight? Should I be pushing myself to lose 5 pounds to ensure that I look impossibly thin in my photos?

And I know the answer to that question – I’m healthy. I’m at a great weight. I take care of myself. And I still treat myself. But occasionally, those thoughts try and creep in.

Any other brides feel this way?

Fitness Instructor No-No

May 27, 2014May 27, 2014 | cheriarmour

So, I touched on this super briefly a few weeks ago, but I was super super taken aback by something that a fitness instructor said to us during an early morning Body Pump Class a few weeks ago.

Me, some teachers, and a few students at the fabulous Loretta Bates' class! — Me, some teachers, and a few students at the fabulous Loretta Bates’ class!

So that morning, the instructor, who was really only okay (her form looked a little shaky, which isn’t safe for us students), was teaching us, and as the class crescendoed to a big lifting song, she said something a little…off.

“Come on ladies, it’s getting warmer out, and it’s time to get into those bikinis!”

My neck nearly snapped off when I heard that.

But as a fitness instructor, saying something like this is a huge no-no, and had something like that been said at the Cary YMCA for example, a talking-to, and a note would probably be in the file.

Here’s why.

As fitness instructors, our job is really to be ambassadors of fitness. We present the safe, correct, and fun way for a group of folks to get their exercise in. Our concern is not with our participants’ diet, what they look like in their clothes, or how well or badly they dance, it is to safely deliver them a good class.

When something like the bikini is mentioned, the focus shifts from health and wellness, and shifts to the wrong thing, in this case, the bikini. Yes, some of us are motivated to look good, but overall when you feel good you look good, and the feel part is what we, as fitness instructors, should be concerned with.

Okay, rant completely over. I just had to get that out 🙂

Coco

May 27, 2014May 26, 2014 | cheriarmour

So over the weekend, we finally took Coco in for her comprehensive exam, because of how we got her.

So the way I got Coco (if you haven’t been around) was that a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend decided that they no longer wanted Coco, and with that, decided that they were going to take her to the pound. I heard that, and could not let that happen, and sight unseen, agreed to take her in. She was incredibly well-behaved, sweet, and got along well with my cat, so I had no issue. Her worst problem is that sometimes, when I don’t take her out every second of the day, she’ll have a little accident on the carpet, which sparked the investment in the steam cleaner.

We took her in, and found out a few things about my dear girl.

For one, she’s never had doggie dental care, and is going to have some teeth pulled. She had a few teeth broken, and is potentially in pain because of this. Secondly, she has a wee bit of an infection in one of her ears. And third, we’re watching a little bump on her chest which is probably just a fatty deposit. Whew!

The moral of the story? Send my little girl all your good vibes, because I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Coco has to live forever. Secondly, take care of your pets. It hurts me that my poor girl has never gotten some of these things that she needs and is now suffering as a result.

Okay, now tell me about your pets!

I discovered the Cartwheel App

May 26, 2014 | cheriarmour

First and foremost, with all of my usual joking aside, I hope you’re having a seriously awesome Memorial Day. Please take a second (or more) and lift your servicemen up in a thought or a prayer, because we seriously live in one of the most amazing counties in the world. We live in a country where we’re free to disagree, we have clean water, access to school, housing, nice roads, and that’s pretty incredible, especially coming from 2 developing nations (Haiti and Trinidad).

So moment of silence.

Annnnd, I’d like you welcome you guys back to the blog. I took Sunday off of writing to clean, do some wedding things, take a 5-mile trail run with a friend (where I did not sprain my ankle, hallelujah), so I hope you can forgive the absence while I caught up on life and things.

For this one, I actually put on longer socks and did some trail shoes, which seemed to help – also focused on picking my feet up to avoid tripping and twisting my ankle again.

So, I’m sure, you’ve gathered from the blog that budgeting and saving money is something that I’m starting to get into. Yes, I know it should have been something I had been into for a long time, but when I was not making as much money, it was easier to be short-sighted. Now that I’m getting married, and it’s not just me, it’s important to save, get into good habits, and get rid of that lurking student loan debt that I want gone ASAP.

So yesterday, I discovered the Cartwheel App from Target.

Numero uno, Super Target is one of the best and cheapest places, in my opinion to get your groceries. Will you get the incredible selection that you will get at Harris Teeter? Absolutely not. But I’ve been ridiculously impressed with the price, and the selection is sometimes randomly good. Additionally, it’s not Wal-Mart so that’s a plus.

So I’d been seeing this Cartwheel app pop up on Facebook, and additionally a lot of my mommy blogger friends have mentioned the app when they’re talking about saving moola.

So finally, during yesterday’s trip I used the app, and was able, between the app and picking some good stuff, to save almost $15.00 on a nearly $200 order. YIPEE!!!! Why did I never discover this awesome app before?

No matter, I think it’s amazing, and if you’re into saving money and you shop at Target, download this app and get to saving! It’s fun!

You just graduated. Now what?

May 24, 2014May 23, 2014 | cheriarmour

5 years ago, I graduated from Elon University.

The Timehop app has been rudely reminding me of this – and it’s not rude because it wasn’t a good memory or anything – but rude because of the way I looked in all the pictures.

Allow me to elaborate.

No….just. Absolutely not.

I need to understand a few things about this photo. Why am I sweating like a whore in church? Why hadn’t Vanessa Williams yet introduced me to the wonders of the Proactiv Solutions? Why hadn’t someone encouraged me to eat a few more salads instead of going to Cookout while drunk? All questions we may never know the answer to.

Well folks who graduated this past weekend at Elon, or who graduated anywhere really, I want to first congratulate you on such a huge accomplishment. All joking aside, college is a really insane and stressful time – not only are you expected to be academically successful, you’re suddenly navigating love, roommates, employment, internships, cover letters, freaking learning how to put a professional email together, all while also going through that awkward process that is the ages of 18-22. It’s a lot. So seriously, props to you guys.

You graduated, so now what?

Your parents are going to be in really really really good moods and really proud of you. They’re going to send an email out to the entire family announcing your graduation. Cherish that because they’re totally gonna not care in a couple of years what you’re doing. My parents have not always been sure what state I was in, I’m gonna put it to you that way.
Your relatives will hand you wads of money to start your new life with. Do NOT buy you and your friends shots with it because you will be feeling extra foolish mid-summer when you’re still kinda looking for a job. Take all of that cash, and put it away, just in case your end up on your butt a few months after graduation. Trust me.
Make sure you keep in touch with those professors that really stuck out to you. I have cultivated relationships with two professors in particular who really made my education at Elon special. I’ve made two incredibly smart friends, and as a bonus, I feel as though, at least for those recommendation letters for graduate school, I had some strong folks to choose from. Make sure you thank them, and keep them close to you – they are always an incredible resource to have.
It’s so tempting to relax by the pool for a month. Hey, you deserve it, right? But if you’re not going to travel or take a gap year, and you haven’t yet found a job, it’s really time to start looking. Even if you’ve got plans to head over to graduate school in the fall, there is nothing wrong with keeping yourself busy and making a little bit of cash until you move onto your next venture. Even if it’s a typical summer job, like at a camp, I would do it.
Postpartum may set in. This is completely normal. 4 huge years of your life were building up to this. And now, it’s just done. You might be weepy and sad, and really find yourself yearning for any excuse to hang out with your old crew, which is fine. This is a really, really good time to start working on yourself, especially now that there’s a good chance you might have more free time than you did before. This definitely happened to me – I was hurting after I graduated for a number of reasons. It took me too long, but I got into crafting, writing, and eventually began teaching Zumba, running, hiking, lifting, and creating an identify for myself outside of Elon University.
It’s time to create your own identity. You’re now a real grownup. You no longer have step practice or a cappella practice. You don’t have to write papers. Friends are not built into your every day – you have to actually work to begin and maintain friendships, as well as romantic relationships. There is no dining hall, no RA, and generally no free pizza on random nights. When you graduate is when it really begins. Who are you going to be?

Okay, that’s my commencement speech for all of you beauties that have graduated over the last few weeks, or are planning to do so.

**One last thing**

Discouraging things may happen over the next few months. You might not get an interview right away. Your college boyfriend, the one who you thought you might marry? It might not work out. The girls you could not be separated from may move to Texas and leave you behind. You feel like you have no friends. You’re in a new city. Whatever. Keep your head up because it gets better. Discouraging things can’t happen forever. Things will look up for you. So keep it up with the persistence, and make sure you keep your ears open to learn from those who have done it before you.

Ok! Done!

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

May 23, 2014May 22, 2014 | cheriarmour

I was inspired by this post yesterday on The Importance of Being Reese – this chick is actually kinda close to me and I didn’t know until I started reading her blog! Cool huh?

So anyhoo, obviously, as the resident veg in charge, I couldn’t do a chicken tortilla soup, but I used my noodle, and whipped up a quick and delicious veg tortilla soup, totally packed with protein and deliciousness for you to enjoy.

Soooooo here goes, my little poodles.

What you’ll need:

A thingie of low-sodium vegetable broth

1 can of black beans

1 can of corn

1/2 can of diced tomatoes

Some paprika

Some cayenne pepper powder

A tad bit of cilantro

A some crushed tortilla chips

What you’ll do:

In a soup pan, dump your can of black beans, juice and all in there. Now drain your corn, and dump that, along with the tomatoes in there too. Paprika, cayenne, and cilantro to taste, along with with a pinch of salt. Add a little bit of vegetable broth. Make it as juicy or as thick as you want, and heat on high til you see a boil, and then let it simmer for about 20 minutes. As you serve it, sprinkle some tortilla on top, add some guac, or add a spoonful of rice.

Seriously delish.

What do you think?

This weekend’s to-do list.

May 23, 2014May 22, 2014 | cheriarmour

First and foremost, I totally am feeling much more confident without makeup, because I started using Proactiv +, and my skin isn’t quite as horrid as it’s been in the past. So I did the blogger thing, and I took a makeup-free selfie. This is after a workout too 🙂

I’m feeling so much more confident, and who knew that a little forehead fix would give me confidence to post a selfie without makeup?

Okay moving right along!

I’m not sure about you guys, but the only way that the things on this to-do list are actually going to get done is if I lay it out, and if you guys yell at me on Sunday, which is when I’m giving myself til, to get this stuff done.

What’s at stake here?

I will let myself get a VENTI caffe espresso from Starbucks, courtesy of Austin’s wallet, should I be able to complete these tasks in a timely (and complete) fashion. So I don’t feel guilty, I will do it with skim milk and no whip. UGH. You guys are no fun!

So…here goes.

>>I’ve got to vacuum my carpets. There is pet hair everywhere.

>>I need to shampoo my carpets because someone had a little accident behind the table in the breakfast nook. And no, it’s not what you’re thinking, it was not me.

>>I need to order some more brooches of of this Etsy store I found.

>>I’ve got to email the girl who’s doing our invitations to see how things are coming along. Cause I need to get those suckers printed and in the mail in the first week of June or so!

>>Update our wedding website.

>>Schedule a date (probably next weekend) when me and Austin can go down to Greensboro and then to Charlotte to taste some food for the wedding/rehearsal dinner.

>>Pour a few candles to test out my candle making skills for wedding favors.

>>I got this weird-ass call from one of my student loan people, so I will be needing to give them a call this week which is what I’m dreading 😦 😦

>>Make a list of all of the little one-time bills I have that are coming up due.

Okay, I think that’s it (ugh) that I need to get done for the weekend.

What’s on your to-do list?

I must confess!

May 22, 2014May 22, 2014 | cheriarmour

That my loneliness!

Is killing me now-how-how-how-how….

^^Finish the above lyric, and you get a prize.

By prize, I mean no prize btws, cause I’m just too tired to do a giveaway at this particular juncture. Maybe I will do more giveaways when I’m married and I have all the time in the world (ha ha to that) but not today.

Also, remember when Britney Spears ruled the world? And then 2008 happened, poor thing. I’m glad she’s just bopping around now, recording when she feels like it and making it work. My personal favorite in her discography was…

61hxhuuPN3L._SY300_ — image via Amazon.com

Followed by…

Okay, enough of me blathering on however, let’s move onto my confessions. I’m feeling chatty again this week, so you guys get more confessions from me!

>>I’m starting to fall for trail running. I went out to the state park twice this week with a friend, and I love it, except for it’s a lot more technical than just running around the city, and I tripped a lot.

>>I twisted my ankle running the trail yesterday, but since I was a friend, and didn’t want to look like a huge baby, I didn’t want to stop, and it really felt better after we got going for a while. But it is really tender today!

>>My carpets desperately need to be vacuumed and shampooed (thank you pets and pet hair). I need help!

>>This week, and honestly, the past few weeks have been really tough at my job. Like almost breaking-point tough. But running, and focusing on other things has made it bearable, but only slightly so.

>>I love this blog. I love blogging. I hope to do it til the wheels fall off 🙂

>>I went to work with no makeup on. I was running late (surprise surprise), and no one had a comment, so I think I will try the no-makeup thing a little more often!

>>I started Proactiv + last week, and I think it’s clearing up the mess on my forehead. It’s drying, and I knew that my skin can be sensitive to that, so I’ve only been washing with it once a day, every other day, and I’m feeling the results!

>>I went to bed in my clothes again last night. Please don’t judge me. I woke up in a beautiful dress this morning and actually considered going to work in it if I threw a blazer over the top.

Yo turn! What do you confess? The only rules are there ain’t no rules 🙂

The definitive list of the 5 best foods ever.

May 22, 2014 | cheriarmour

First and foremost, you guys are amazing. The responses I got on yesterday’s post were nothing short of amazing, and you guys let me know what the hell foods would ruin your entire day. I have to say, the top food had to be mayonnaise, which ruled supreme as the creamy white food that you guys absolutely love love love to vomit to. I swear, you guys had me absolutely cracking up.

After this post from the other night, I can’t have you guys thinking that I’m just this negative Nancy who won’t eat anything, so I bring to you, the definitive list of the best foods ever.

5. Grape leaves.

I appreciate a lot about Mediterranean culture. But one of those things that I appreciate more than anything else, is stuffed grape leaves. These delicious little green cylinders are, in my humble American experience, typically stuffed with a rice creation, and so refreshing. So usually, if I’m at the mall, and I can’t find anything vegetarian to eat, I will find a Greek Fiesta and order a side of these to tide me over until I figure something out.

4. Wine

Red wine is a food group, right? You are mean and rude if you say it is not. Please leave. (Just kidding!) (Kinda!)

3. Donuts.

I maybe eat a donut once every 3-4 months. But when I do, it’s really amazing. And I’m not ashamed. Had one (two) on Sunday, and I promise you, I felt the earth move.

2. Mashed potatoes.

800px-MashedPotatoes — image via wikipedia.org

Yassss honey! Unfortunately, because I don’t have a potato masher, I only eat mashed potatoes like twice a year – once at Thanksgiving, and once again at Christmas. I also ate them two years ago when I got my wisdom teeth out from K&W cafeteria, cafe to the stars. My favorite way to eat them is to mix my corn into them and crunch my way through them. Thank you God, for this perfect, perfect human interpretation of potato.

1. Mac & Cheese.

Not the boxed kind either. The black kind, that you bake and there’s cheese going everywhere, the kind that makes you do a dance while you eat it, that’s what’s the best to eat. Thank you Lord, once again, for this amazing invention.

Honorable mentions go to….

>>Chicken friend tofu. Since I don’t eat chicken, this is about the only friend protein I can do. And it’s awesome.

>>A cold salad with balsamic vinaigrette on it. Backflips.

>>Biscuits. One of the things the south has gotten correctly.

>>Nachos. No explanation required.

>>Green beans. I can eat these any way you fix em. Except with bacon on them.

So let’s hear it! What are you favorite foods!?

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