Wedding Wednesday!

| cheriarmour

I really can’t believe it’s Wednesday, and I’m kicking myself trying to figure out where the time is going.  Is anyone else feeling like the time is seriously rocketing past us?  I will be middle-aged before we know it, and you’ll be there reading, and I’ll be sitting here writing about how it is to be working out as a middle-aged interracially married woman.

That will be fun.

Anyhoo, let’s chatty chat because it’s HUMP DAY.  Woop woop!  Sike, I’m kinda done with that joke.

Okay, so where are we in this Wedding Wednesday process?

Well, for starters, the fact that I started linking up with Kristyn, who is unfortunately taking a break from blogging has really kept me accountable for some of the things that I need to get done because I don’t want to show up on a Wednesday or a Tuesday night with nothing to show you guys. It’s not cool!  Also Kristyn,  I will miss ya girl, but hopefully you’ll be around and giving a lot of commentary!

So where am I with wedding stuff?

I’m at a really really good place where I’ve actually started to get stuff done and schedule some appointments that we’ve really been needing to have.  Weddings Bands:  For starters, tomorrow, me and Austin are going to go get our wedding bands tomorrow.  I’ve shown you guys what I’m planning to get…

photo (9)Ignore the fact that my nails were not painted for once, and check out my ring(s).  I’m doing two rose gold eternity bands, and they look amazing either on their own or with my wedding band.  Austin is wanting to go with a tungsten carbide ring, which I think is impossibly sexy, and I like it a lot.  I kind of want to see what a rose gold band would look like on him too!  So the appointment for that is set tomorrow at 4pm and then we’re going to sushi.  Best. Evening. Ever.

Save-the-Dates:  A newly-married bride friend of mine told me about inkinvite.com, a service that allows people to log in, put in their addresses, and for you to be able to easily and quickly compile them into an organized space.  It’s cool because I’ve had to do minimal hounding to get people to give me their addresses because it’s so easy!  Thank God for a service like this.

And finally….

The invite list:  This has, by far, been one of the toughest parts of the planning process.  So our venue can only hold 150 people, which sounds like a lot, but it really really isn’t when you include your family, his family, and then the friends and things you might share.  I’m terrified that I’m leaving someone off, or that someone may get insulted by not receiving an invite.  I assure you, it’s (mostly) not personal with anyone, and I really want to have every single person I’ve ever seen in my life basically at my wedding, but we’re not made of money, and the venue literally can only fit 150 people.  What that boils down to, is people we care about and people who are special to us.  No more, and no less.

::Deep breath::

How’s your Wednesday going?  Any brides out there doing the same thing as I am? 

 

 

The literal worst April Fools Day prank.

| cheriarmour

So my first job when I was 16ish or 17  was at an Atlanta Bread Company.  If you don’t know what that is, think Panera Bread-type-situations, with a different color scheme.

I started working there close to the 1st of April, and on my first night there, the manager let me take home whatever I wanted from the bakery, since we tossed it every night anyhow unless a group came through for donations.

A few days after I started, I got a call from my sisters on my flip phone…

Cell phone flipAnd Kimmy, the younger of the two started talking.

“Hey! Someone from your job called.  They said you were fired.  Something about you taking something???”

At this point I started freaking out, because I was under the serious impression that at the tender age of 16 or so, that I had be unceremoniously fired, and not only that, they had called my house and relayed the message to my sisters to let me know.

“Oh my god.  OH MY GOD!”

My mother heard all of this going on, and was starting to freak out herself, thinking that someone at the home had been murdered, according to my reaction, when my sister said it.

“April Fools!”

Not. Funny.

5 random things I’ve done since Friday.

| cheriarmour

I totally stole this idea from DC Rainmaker, except he was in France this past weekend and I was in hell, getting coldly rained on all weekend.  No joke, I literally almost took all my important things (so my dogs), put them in my car, and drove to my sister’s place in Florida.  Ugh.  But no complaints, it was beautiful enough today for me to run 15 miles with some good friends, so as long as it stays this way, I will be a happy lady.  So here it is, 5 random things I’ve done since Friday. 

1.  I ran 15 miles with one of my best friends from high school, and someone from work.  The weather was gorgeous, I had my little hydration backpack on, and my stomach held out for 15 beautiful miles.  The run also made me think of how much better a run is when you can socialize.  Don’t get me wrong, sometimes you need a run on your own to sort through some things that you might be going through, but sometimes, the best convos can be had on a long run.  Afterwords, Milania (high school bestie) and I cooked an organic cheese pizza, doused it in hot sauce, and slammed a beer while I taught her how to foam roll.

2.  I painted my nails this color. 

41fpjFgEZ5L._SX425_The color is Peach Daiquiri by Essie, and it’s so gorgeous for spring.  I’m obsessed with nail stuff, so my nails are always painted, but this one looks the best with my skin, and garnered a few compliments at work.  Plus since I’m wedding saving, it was a little cheaper than heading to the salon for a full mani/pedi.

3.  I ran the steam cleaner again.  My friends really make fun of me for this, but with a lot of pets, especially a new foster who’s a little nervous around the house, I had to run it again to prevent the carpet from getting stained from an accident, and to prevent that creepy ‘Hoarders’ smell.

4.  My husband-to-be and one of his best friends wore similar shirts to dinner.  Except Derek tucked his in, so I had Austin tuck his in, and made the two pose for a pic after dinn on Friday night.

DSC_0186

 

Handsome blue is my husband-to-be.  Handsome orange is Derek, a good friend.

5. I think I picked a gift for my bridesmaids.  None of which who I’ve officially alerted to the fact that they’re bridesmaids, so I hope they all say yes.  If they do, they probably will get this, or something similar.

n196gf_on_the_mark_necklace_2I love jewelry like this, and rest-assured, I will probably buy one for myself, and grab one to give away on the blog since you guys make me so happy.  What do you think of this delicate little piece?

Tell me one really really random thing about you.  

Also, stay tuned, I have a really really exciting interview coming up, and you guys will totally not want to miss this!

I’ve got a new running partner.

| cheriarmour

photoSo last week, I was doing some blog stuff, cruising the Facebook, and a picture of this sweet boy popped up on my feed.

His story?  Apparently, the Beagle mix had been dumped in Garner, and the woman who has hanging on to him was concerned, as her dog was acting aggressively toward him.  She, and some friends had posted his photo on Facebook after scouring Craigslist for his owners, and they were looking for someone to at least foster him until a wonderful home could be found.

I immediately moved on the little guy, and by Sunday morning, Nelson, as I started calling him, was happily cruising toward my home in my little Lancer.

I don’t think I can keep him in this little apartment with the cat and the dog, but he really has been a joy.  His first night, he ran about 2 miles with me on the Greenway, and hopped up on the bed with me.  I woke up early yesterday morning, and hit the dog run with him before work.

I have to admit, now that I potentially have a very kind family lined up to take him, that the thought of him not being here sort of makes me sad.  But while he’s here, he sure makes a damned good running partner. 🙂

Stuff I need (ugh, want).

| cheriarmour

I worked at Fleet Feet this past Saturday, which means, quite unfortunately for my budget, which we’ve talked about here, it starts to feel threatened and starts shivering.

For months and months, I drool and daydream about various pieces of technical running gear, until finally, I feel comfortable enough to actually purchase it without feeling guilty.  As soon as I walked into work yesterday, I spotted a few items that will  need to be made into little family members in my growing collection of running stuff that I’ve acquired over the past few years.

Nike-Pro-Sparkling-Sunburst-Mallas---Mujer-632280_709_A_PREMThis photo has been popping up on my feed in celebration of the Nike Women’s Half Marathon, and went on sale for 90 euros.  Now, I’m not the bomb with math, but that’s not looking too good for the running budget.

DSC_0187This was staring at me when I walked into the store on Saturday, and I’m a total sucker for anything that’s a 3/4 tight, and textured.  It probably does nothing for making me look svelte, but I really don’t care.  I love how fun a textured tight looks, and I’m sick of just running around in my basic black 3/4 tight.

DSC_0188And I totally wish that I could let you guys touch fabrics through the blog.  This top was lined with a really light fleece, and I think since it’s starting to get warm, it will be on sale pretty soon.

But alas, this is just a wish list.

Anything you’ve seen that you wish you could just stick in your closet?  

Legally Blonde.

| cheriarmour

tumblr_mhx6artPEr1qmn5ngo2_250So, Saturday night, I went to see Legally Blonde: The Musical in Greensboro, NC.  It’s playing for two more weekends, so if you’re interested, please go see it.  Seats sell out quickly so go here if you’re interested at all.

Onto the post!

DSC_0192So, I went to school with Elle Woods, there in the middle, I’m good friends with Stephen, there on the end who played Kyle, the UPS guy, and, down on the bottom row is Michael, who played Nikos, the pool boy.

DSC_0193Zoom in here to see some more of the show dates.

DSC_0198

DSC_0199Bruiser!

DSC_0200

These boys totally had their own moments where they each stole the show.  Michael, on the left played Nikos, and they did a hysterical song called “Gay or European,” – it was hysterical!  Michael definitely flexed his stank face muscles during this one.  Stephen, on the right, stole the show when he played Kyle, the UPS guy that Paulette is obsessed with.  He had the BEST little costume, and the way he strutted around stage had the entire crowd giggling.

DSC_0201There’s Elle in the middle, who did a fantastic job.  I loved her hot pants costume the best!

DSC_0202And finally, I met my style icon at the show.  She was wearing a bump it and rocking it, and one of her friends complimented my outfit.  Swoon.  But seriously, she might be the inspiration for my wedding hair!

Seriously, go see this show.  They didn’t pay me to say that.  Kinda wish they did.  But whatevs.

Okay, whether it’s the movie or the musical, what was your favorite part of Legally Blonde?

Just cause Mama loves to talk about herself.

| cheriarmour

Jk!

Kinda?

Okay, it’s Sunday evening, and this link-up seemed fun 🙂

SocialSundayNew

So follow Neely and Ashley, and here are this week’s questions!

What is your ideal way to relax? 
My ideal way to relax?  I love a run with friends, followed by a really nice hot shower, followed by a really nice cold beer, followed by a snuggle with my pets and my husband-to-be.  Also sushi can be involved, and I’m really very okay with this entire fake day of relaxation that I’ve set up here.

Where is your favorite place to be?
My favorite place to be is very lame, but it’s at home with my pets and my man-friends.  I like spending time with people I love, and I associate my home, whether it’s in Raleigh or if it’s at my parents’ home, I think that’s my favorite place to be.

Who do you consider your biggest role model?
Geez, that’s a really tough one.  I really look up to Austin, my man-friend.  My dad is pretty dank too.  Damn, this is hard!

What does your life look like in three years?
It’s so silly to try and predict your life.  I will be married with a lot of pets, and hopefully, a house.  I would love to run a really fast marathon at this point.  And a fast half.

If you could go back and change one thing, what would that be?<
I really don’t do regrets.  Everything in my life happened for a reason.  I truly believe that.

YOUR TURN! Link up!

I got my car towed.

| cheriarmour

This weekend is nuts.  Absolutely nuts.  And I know that you missed me a lot, I could tell.

So let’s recap Friday.

I was super tired from the week, but I got home after work on Friday, and, inspired by another blogger who’s a mom, I straightened up, went for a run, and headed out to a birthday party late, because Selena was on telly.  Woops. That movie is good as hell though.

So we headed to Trophy Brewing Company in Raleigh for beer, pizza, and a shot of Fireball to celebrate the birthday of Adele Gregory, a good friend (who’s also really crafty and excellent at baking).

DSC_0184Trophy (for those of you local folks) is down on Morgan Street and features a lot of beer, pizzas, and good times.

DSC_0171DSC_0174The birthday girl was the only one who didn’t  stuff her face to its capacity – she stuck to a salad.  She was better than I was!
DSC_0172

Pizza!

DSC_0181
Birthday shots!

Then my car got towed. 

So when we left the brewery, I walked out to where I was pretty sure I’d parked my car, in a lot that was designated as okay to park in after 5:30 pm.  Or so I thought.  When I came out, the car was gone, and we figured it’d been towed.  As it turns out, I was completely in the wrong, there was another sign that stated that the late was for folks in an apartment complex across the street.  That was totally cool, I’d screwed up, and I was willing to pay the consequences for my mistake.  But when we called the tow yard to get the car, a woman rudely told us that no one was there and I couldn’t get my car until after 11:00 pm.  Which is fine, but we knew for a fact that it was mandated that someone is supposed to be there, and that cars had to be released within 45 minutes of you getting there.  Which wasn’t happening.

Long story short, we called the cops, the cops called the towing company, and magically, they were really really apologetic and released my car, all to the tune of $100 cash.

So if you’re wondering where my favorite lady was, instead of writing I was in a creepy part of town waiting to get my car out of a creepy yard.  How was your weekend?  

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Things you do when you’re broke.

| cheriarmour

My sassy boys over at Class and Trash and me were group texting, and discussing that fact that as it was getting close to the first, and we were waiting on pay day to come save us.

broke-2

 

And here I present to you, the things you do when you’re broke/waiting on payday. 

  1. You pack all your lunches.  There is no eating out.  The only eating out you will do will involve a Starbucks gift card that you dig out of the back of your wallet.
  2. Speaking of Starbucks, your morning coffee?  Not a thing, you will be enjoying the coffee from the break room.
  3. Free stuff starts feeling kinda good.  Go for a run!  Go to Lululemon for a free yoga class!  Sit at the coffee shop and blog – maybe without ordering something.  That sounds fun, right?
  4. Your $16 hot yoga class downtown is not gonna happen for another two weeks.  
  5. And finally, when your friend asks you for drinks, you totally make an excuse to postpone it for another week or two. 

To be perfectly clear, I’m not like broke and decrepit, times just get hard for a day or two after I make my car payment.  How does your spending change close to payday?