My memorial service.

| cheriarmour

Okay, before we get into this post, can I just tell you how many times I have wanted to punch the router at my parents’ house?  I think I said this yesterday, but it must be federal law that if you are an old person, that that wireless at your house must suck, because trying to blog here?  I have been tempted to tear each and every one of my locs out.

Moving right along.

So the reason I’m here at my parents’ house in the first place is actually kind of somber.  A friend of mine, of ours, mother passed away after a long, long battle with cancer.  Her two daughters are me and Debbie’s age, so the whole family made it out to a beautiful, beautiful service.  Seriously, this church was packed.

As soon as we walked in, displayed was a beautiful picture of Wendy and her two daughters.  As we entered, we entered to beautiful singing, and were handed the most fun program I’ve ever seen.

And the service was great.  Full of friends, the service was more singing than talking (as was Wendy’s wish,) and the talking that was done was reflecting on Wendy’s life, her smile, and most of all, her love for Christ.

The service had me thinking, what would my memorial service be like?  What do I want to be remembered for?

I haven’t gotten as far as thinking of how I want my service to be done, or where, but I do know what I want to be remembered for.

photo (23)When it comes to this, I want to be remembered for:

  • My ability to love.  I’ve always loved love.  I love so much.  I love my family.  My family-to-be.  My home. My animals.  Writing.
  • My love for animals.  I am the proud Mama of two animals, and the stepmama to a third.  That is really more than enough but I love love love them all so much.
  • My love for music.  I was named after a Stevie Wonder song.  There’s no way I wouldn’t love music.  I love it all, I sing it all, and I dance to it all.
  • My love of laughter.  Ladies and gents, I love to laugh.  I love to laugh at myself, and more importantly, I love to make fun of others.  All in good fun, of course, I’m not gonna like, make fun of someone’s cockeye or something, but I love a laugh.
  • The right thing.  I think above all, I want everyone to know that I always tried/will continue to try to do the right thing.  I may not always.  I’m human, and I’m gonna screw up, but I really, truly have always tried to do what I thought was the right thing.

Now I hope all this wasn’t too morbid for you, but you have to understand, my mind has been on this, especially with the passing of my grandmother, and now Wendy.  If you’re comfortable with it, how would you like to be remembered?

 

 

Blogmopolitan Quiz Part Dos!

| cheriarmour

I’m sorry, that quiz I posted a few days ago was so fun, so I decided to do it again, with a few changes and a few more answers.  Again, I totally yanked the quiz from Two Thirds Hazel, who is my American Idol, as far as blogs are concerned.  (Seriously, her blog is so pretty!)

Okay, here goes!

The Blogmopolitan QuizA few takeaways from this quiz?

  • I love my black eyeliner.  Seriously, when Amy Winehouse burst onto my scene, mid-college, not only was I totally obsessed with her music and amazing voice, but her tats and eyeliner were, and continue to bet the bombest of any eyeliner that anyone in Hollywood bangs with.
  • I hate mushrooms.  I don’t care how vegetarian I am, I wish people would stop putting a giant mushroom on a hamburger bun and claiming that I’m supposed to enjoy something that tastes like dirt.
  • Teen pop = delicious, and I really get annoyed by people who just hate teen pop for the sake of hating it.  Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Miley, Justin Bieber, One Direction.  I truly enjoy that music.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the classics as well, but try running the last mile of a marathon to Hall and Oates, and you’ll get what I mean about the teeny boppers.  They have their place!
  • Like 4 people call me Cher.  My college roommate, anyone from Twisted Measure, my college a cappella group, and my cousins.  If you are not one of those people, it’s probably best not to call me Cher.

Your turn!  Do ittttt!  Link me up! Link her up!  I wanna see yo answers!

End-of-weekend recap.

| cheriarmour

Hey folks!  I hope you’re having an amazing weekend, my weekend has been nothing short of insanely busy, and my life shows no signs off slowing down for the next few weeks.  But I can’t complain, I think my problem is one of the most beautiful to have, and I’d rather a little too much to do, than too little.

That said, when I finally get my house painted/get my car cleaned/get my wedding save-the-dates sent out/get bills paid, I might be a little more relaxed than I am now.

Now onto the weekend recap!

I worked at Fleet Feet North Raleigh on Saturday, which was pretty amazing.  I actually don’t dread ever going to work there – and it’s really always nice to be around like-minded, good fitness people, who you don’t really get as much of when you’re working in an office, like I do during the week.  Sometimes, it’s a little tiresome being the freak in the office when you brings salads for a lunch.  At Fleet Feet, you’d sometimes WISH someone would bring a damned Lean Cuisine up in that piece cause the little fridge would be stuffed with people’s healthy lunches!

So Sunday, I had to head home with a friend for a memorial service, so I put Coco’s Thundershirt on her, packed her in the car, and headed home.

photo 2photo 1She was a really good sport, and endured the trip pretty well, which is good because we’re going to the beach next weekend, and she’s gonna have to hold up for a few hours.  But we’ll stop for lots of coffee and bathroom breaks for her, and we’ll get her a little more used to the car.

photo 3I walked into my parents’ home, and looky what was sitting on my dad’s bar!  So I promptly took it to read while I was running my 5 on his treadmill.  I still love Bieber, and I know he’s gonna pull through this rough time.

photo 4And now, here I sit, blogging to you all from the relative comfort of a McDonald’s dining room, because the WiFi at my parents’ house needs life support.  Is it a law that that WiFi at all old peoples’ house has to be horridly spotty at best?  It really doesn’t seem to bother them!

So the plan tomorrow before I pack it in and head back is to wake up semi-early, run, spend some time with my Moms, and head out to Raleigh with the dog before we get more snow.  This blasted snow is going to cause me to kick a hole in a wall, I swear it.

How was your weekend, beautiful folks? 

 

 

 

Happy Sunday!

| cheriarmour

I don’t think I’ve been so tired in a minute!

As I blog, I’m laying in bed at 10:57 pm on a Saturday night, so early because I want to run in the morning.  I’m headed home tomorrow after my run to attend to some family business, and I can honestly tell you guys, I have not been so tired in long time.  I’m tired.  My feet hurt.  I finally got my apartment clean after nearly a week of it looking like a small bomb detonated in here.  And all I’m hoping for is an early bedtime tomorrow at my parents’ house.

photo-2To ease you into this week, I give you, this hot hot pic of my heiny, lookin’ oh so fabulous in my winter tights as I foam roll my hip, which has been talking to me since I taught 2 classes kinda of sick early this week.  I think I was trying to compensate for the fact that I didn’t feel well by dancing the hardest I could and flopping about like Beyoncé when I knew good and well that each mucusy minute, I felt that I was knocking at death’s door.

Nevertheless, I’m feeling far, far better, and I am attempting a 16-miler today prior to my drive to Charlotte.  Wish me luck, and I’ll chat with you guys after I get to Charlotte tomorrow!

 

The Blogmopolitan Quiz

| cheriarmour

Numero uno, do you guys know that my girl Khloé Kardashian is on the cover of Cosmo this month, and she’s looking great, post-divorce from Lamar Odom.

1393349859000-Cosmo-Khloe-KardashianMy job is not to sit up here and bash a person pretty obviously struggling with addiction, but as far as this blogger is concerned, Lamar screwed up and needs to be working, day and night to get this beautiful and very funny lady back.  She’s my favorite Kardashian.

Now speaking of Cosmo, how much do you love their quizzes?  Well, thanks to Erin, over at Two Thirds Hazel, you guys have a Blogmopolitan Quiz on the best celebrity of them all, MICHAEL JACKSON me! 🙂

The Blogmopolitan Quiz.jpgMy takeaways?

1. I asked other people.  Apparently, I’m a Carrie, and I’m not sure how to feel about that, especially given that she screwed Aiden.  I mean, the movie was great and all, but do you think Aiden would have left her at the alter?

2.  I love love.  It’s probably my first love, with animals and physical activity as a close second.

3.  Running and blogging is what I’m supposed to be doing.  I will do this until blogs are lame, the same way MySpace went.

Are far as personality goes, who are you?  A Carrie,  a Charlotte, Miranda, or Samantha?

 

 

Nasty LinkedIn Lady

| cheriarmour

You guys.

So I’m not sure if you heard about the Nasty LinkedIn Response, but here’s your rundown.

(Also this is not running related, but you will deal because you’ll like this 🙂 )

This subject is one that near and dear to me because I spent a good chunk of time after grad school job searching, starting out timidly at first and afraid to network, and eventually getting more and more bold.

The story: So 26-year-old Diana Mekota was planning on moving to Cleveland last summer, and from all accounts, it looks like she did the right thing. She reached out to Kelly Blazek, who runs an online Job Bank, by emailing her a short email detailing what it was that she was looking for, and basically asking for information, any information, or leads on job prospects. There was really nothing wrong with the email, and this is what she got in response.

Mekota
Peep that subject line. No honey….

Uhhhh. Jigga what? (Also, quite shocked by the response, Diana, our young, bright-eyed job hopeful, sent a very sweet email apologizing just in case she had somehow offended Kelly).

As someone who job searched for a hot second before she found her gig, I take some special friggin insult with this email.

So a few months ago, I had a heinous interview with Athleta with a woman named Mary, who treated me like dog crap, and acted like she didn’t want me there. I sent her an email later, and she claimed that she didn’t know what I was talking about, and she called it a “misunderstanding,” and that she had actually been impressed with my job presentation. Coulda fooled me by the way she told me to redo my résumé and from the way she told me, “well this went a lot better than I thought it would,” before she stared at me down her mean glasses. But it all brings me to this. I genuinely don’t understand why it is that people in positions of job power feel the need to abuse young hopefuls.

Grownups tell us to network, tell us to put ourselves out there, to email, to utilize our resources, but how can we feel comfortable doing so when people in power (admittedly occasionally) make us feel like garbage for doing so? The woman was in a teaching position, her job is to be a mentor, and yet, she felt it appropriate to berate and humiliate a job hopeful. And if she truly didn’t want to connect, she could have hit ignore. Her generation would know what an ignore button was if they took a second to stop calling us millenials entitled. (I kid, kinda).

On the real though, tell me guys. What are your thoughts on this nasty LinkedIn mess?

Here’s What + Rock ‘n’ Roll USA

| cheriarmour

Don’t you guys worry.  No matter how many times I post on my wedding, how many times I whine about how my throat hurts this week, or how often I blog about my dog, rest absolutely assured that I will never, never forget how and where this started.  And that was a running blog.  That said, if you’ve missed my last few “Here’s What:  What Three Things am I Obsessed With” posts, here they are!

1/31/14

2/7/14

2/14/14

2/21/14

So this week was the week from absolute hell at my real job, and that’s all I will say.  So Happy Friday, beautiful readers!  Now Here’s What Three Things I’m Obsessed with This Week!  

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  • Numero uno is powered by Rock ‘n’ Roll, and yes honey bunnies, I am running the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA 1/2 Marathon, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it!

wiigroll

First off, DC is one of my favorite cities in the US, so that certainly doesn’t hurt a race weekend.  Secondly, Rock ‘n’ Roll USA has made some pretty sweet changes this year, a few of which I’ll list for you, real convenient-like!

  1. The 5k.  For folks who feel like they don’t have the time at this point to register for the 1/2 or the full marathon, or for those of you new to what Rock ‘n’ Roll is all about, the 5k will give you a little taste of what Rock ‘n’ Roll does.  At 3.1 gorgeous miles, you’ll still have the cheerleaders and the music to push you along, without necessarily having to commit to a scary distance just yet.
  2. The race is run entirely in the district, which means that you get to run with some amazing monuments as a backdrop.  Seriously, if you’ve never run a race in DC, running with the history of our nation passing you by is a really incredible feeling.
  3. The race is on a Saturday, meaning that it’s not gonna eat up your entire weekend.  And that’s pretty darn cool!

So if you’re interested in signing up, click here.  I will be there, and I will be talking about this race up til the big day, Saturday, March 15th.

  • Speedwork.  I’ve never really put much stock into speedwork before this marathon training (I’m running another Rock ‘n’ Roll in Raleigh in April,) but I’m finding that even though I have to drag myself, kicking and screaming to do it, that once I get started, I love the way I feel, and I totally love the way I feel afterward.  Seriously, I think the endorphins go into overdrive cause I am really, really feeling myself when it’s time to be done with speedwork!
  • Sleep.  I am slightly sick this week, with a little sore throat and some congestion, and all I can think about is sleep.

Early this week at work, I had to go into the utility closet for something, and I fantasized about going all the way to the back of it and napping for a while before my senses took back over.  Sleep, I just wanna hold you.  Mama loves you so much!

Your turn!  What three things are you obsessed with?  

[Full disclosure lady bugs!  I was planning to run Rock ‘n’ Roll USA in prep for April’s marathon, and as a member of the media, I was comped an entry by Rock ‘n’ Roll.  But have no fear because every last opinion is my own, and I will be giving my honest, heartfelt opinion!]

10 Things They Didn’t Tell You About Life After College

| cheriarmour

I am literally crying. This is so true. I am SOBBING with laughter right now. As I write this, I am sick at my job because I know I’m taking a day off work next week and I can’t afford to miss today…

classandtrashshow's avatarClass And Trash Show

Hey y’all!!! Almost Friday…PAYDAY FRIDAY!!!!

laganja

Onto the post!

Remember that time when you waited to the last minute to finish a project in college. You were hyped up on coffee and energy drinks. Your eyes were burning from staring at the computer screen for so long. Blackboard crashed and you couldn’t submit your assignment. You flung your arms up in the air and screamed….”I CAN’T WAIT TO GRADUATE COLLEGE AND NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS CRAP ANYMORE! I’M TIRED OF THESE STUPID CLASSES. I’M TIRED OF THESE STUPID PEOPLE.”  Immediately after, your cheap laptop crashed and your life was over.

Listen. Ask any college graduate and they would tell you that they would do ANYTHING to have this life back! So here are just 10 things (I could go on forever but…) they did not tell us about life after college.

1)  8 AM classes too early for you? Oh…

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Runner Pop Quiz

| cheriarmour

Happy Thursday afternoon, beautiful people!  Hope your runs are going well.  Mine are good, save for a little bit of a stuffy nose and a sore throat that I’ve been nursing.  But this hot and cold weather is good weather for getting sick in, right?

Anyhoo, remember pop quizzes?  I think the last one that I took was in religion sophomore year in college and the joke was on Tripp York cause I actually did the reading.   And I can actually recall what the reading was about – about Disney.  Scary.

So I stole this pop quiz from J at Skinny Chick Blog, but she said we could steal it, and she’s a runner too.  I kept the pink font in her honor.  Onto the quiz!  

1.  What weather do you refuse to run in?

I refuse to run when it’s icy out.  We don’t do ice too often here, the sidewalks never get cleared, and as someone who has (very painfully) broken a bone before, I have no interest in doing it again.  

2.  What distance is your “short” run?

My short run is this like, 3 miles loop through downtown Raleigh.  I think Jillian Michaels said one that 3 miles is what you need to stay fit, and I’ve always taken that to heart.  I always have 30 minutes to pop a 3 miler in.  

3.  How do you stay hydrated while running?  Water fountain, carry your own etc.

I carry my own, and sometimes stop at coffee shops and the Whole Foods to fill up my little bottle.  I haven’t worn my backpack in a long time, and I’m just not yet in the mood to wear it.  Handheld it is!  

4.  Music or no music?

Usually music.  Sometimes not if I need to be alone with my thoughts.  

5.  Do you ever run nekkid?  {Without GPS, not literally silly}

Sometimes. When I forget to charge my watch.  But I love it.  

 6.  What is the first thing you do after a run?

Grab some water, and walk the dog, since I know she’s usually been waiting on me for a while.  

7.  What’s your favorite running shoe ever?

You know what?  I’m kind of in a shoe rut.  I work for Fleet Feet, and I have every running shoe at my disposal, and I was a Brooks girl,  I’ve been a Brooks girl for a while.  But here’s me here….

photo-1

 

In a NB (and the review is coming soon!) and I’m still not sure which way I’m gonna go with shoes.  I’m running a half in March, and a full and a half April, and I need to figure it out ASAP, cause I don’t want to be without toenails!

8.  Do you make deals with yourself to finish a tough run?  What are they?

I think usually I just think about food and Austin to get me through the run.  I think about pasta, beer, toast, wine, beer, and my husband-to-be when I’m toward the tail end of a long run.

9.  Two things you can not run without besides kicks?

A good bra.  There’s nothing better than a good bra.  

Boobs!

 

Boobs!

10.  Running has helped me ___________.

Be confident in myself – who I am, my skills, my abilities.  I wouldn’t have had the balls to do a lot that I have in my life without running.  

11.  Are you following a training plan?  If so, what does your weekly routine look like?

I’m following the Hanson method.  Sunday I run long (but not longer than like 16). Monday I run 5, Tuesday a speed run that’s been adding up to like 8ish miles the last few weeks, Wednesday I take a break, Thursday I run 8 fast, Friday I run 5 easy, Saturday I run 5 easy and then I do it all over again.  Mama is TIRED, mmkay!

12.  Be honest, do you regularly stretch + foam roll post run?

I stretch.  And I foam roll a few times a week, but definitely not as much as I should.

So how’d you do on the pop quiz?  Feel free to lift it, answer one or two of these, or just drop in and say hi to me!