beer

My Sober June

| cheriarmour

I did it!  We made it!  Sober June absolutely flew by, and I did it without any cheating!  No alcohol for a month!

Sober June

I have to admit, I was really intimidated by the entire idea of not drinking for a month.  We’re dinks, I’m a runner, and I’ve centered a lot of my social activities around drinking for as long as I can remember.

I go to run club, run a few miles, then drink a beer.

I invite friends to catch up over dinner, we order some beers.

I’m working on the group fitness schedule for the next month, and I would pour a glass of wine to keep me occupied as I sifted through emails, making sure that we didn’t have any holes for the following month.  It was just something I did.

But I read Andy Cohen’s book when it came out late last year, and he made mention of doing a sober January, which was really curious.  Andy loves to drink, and features a drinking game on his show, which sometimes airs 4 nights per week during the high season.  But he did it!  So maybe I could, right?

So like I mentioned here, a friend posted on Facebook about 5 or 6 weeks back that he was curious about what it took to do a sober June.  I was intrigued, and after a really good hangover, and a horrendous bout with strep throat, (or strep thoat as they say here in the south). I was ready to be done with alcohol for a while.  So I jumped, both feet in, after reading a few articles on going sober for a month, and went for it.

Surprisingly, after a day or two, it wasn’t super hard!  I drank lots of other things.  Seltzers, fake beers, coffee, and tons of water, but I never felt a huge urge to grab a beer and start chugging.

A few times when it was hard?

I had a stressful day at work, and instead of heading home that night, which I really couldn’t afford, I headed to a coffee shop where beer was also served.  I really wanted a glass of wine, which I had gotten used to treating myself to, like if you get your work done, you’re “allowed” this treat.   The feeling was short-lived, and I decided on a cup of tea instead.

It was a smidge hard at first with dinner, when you just wanted a beer.

But other than that, it really wasn’t so complex. 

As I write this, it’s the first of July, and I haven’t run to the store for a bottle of wine.  Even better, I’m thinking of running to the store for fro-yo later.  I believe I plan to drink on the 4th, as I’m going to visit friends, and I’ve planned on it all month.  But one good thing about this is I don’t necessarily feel the need to drink in a social situation.  And I think that that’s what this month of sobriety has taught me.

Stay tuned for my tips on doing a sober month!

 

Friday Night

| cheriarmour

Sorry about my late post, but I woke up this morning at 6:30 on the couch.  Last night, I laid down on the couch after a long, long week around 8, and woke up around 6:30am.  Fully clothed.  But here’s a little recap of what we did to escort out a really crapptastic week.

Just to be clear, I love this blog, and nothing about this blog was craptastic.  It was just a craptastic work week, and one of those weeks I wanted to lay down on the couch for like 16 hours straight.  Which I pretty much did last night.  I stopped by the hoose (house) first to grab the camera, and snapped a quick pic of the dog, who’d shoved herself into the cat bed on my way out.  Look at that face?

DSC_0044We met up at North Hills for some drinks.

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And I met up with Matty, a co-worker, and we processed the week, and he helped me play with my camera and some of its filters.

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DSC_0055I’m living in my Fabletics Kingston Hoodie – their company is going to start thinking I am homeless and I have no other clothes.  But to clarify, I do have the sweatshirt tied around my waist now.  Oops!

DSC_0058And to finish off the night, instead of eating a real dinner, Matthew twisted my arm and forced me, under threat of grievous bodily harm (GBH for short), to eat half of his strawberry shortcake.  Oops again!

How is your Saturday going, beautiful people? 

 

Running Hungover

| cheriarmour

^^ Not something I would ever suggest.  But things happen, right?

I totally got to thinking about this after Monica over at Run Eat Repeat posted this hysterical recounting of how she ran the Palm Springs Half Marathon (in good time, I might add), after taking shots the night before.  The best part was this.  Her rationale for taking shots was that she should take shots instead of drinking cocktails or beers I’m assuming because you can never be too sure how much was in them.  Kinda right.  Kinda hysterical, right?

And it reminded me of the time I PR’ed on a half marathon after Beerfest.

So one of my best friends, Melanie, was running her first half, and I wanted to be there in some way.  And it just so happened that a friend of ours had signed up for that exact race, but hadn’t really done much to run for it.  So she was going to let the bib go to waste!  I totally couldn’t let that happen!  So I decided on a whim that I would take the bib, run the race, and get another race experience under my belt for spring.

Except, Austin had purchased us tickets for beerfest, which fell on the night before the half.

Essentially what beerfest entailed was going around in a tent, seeing everyone you’ve ever met in your life, eating pretzels and whatever food trucks rolled up with, and drinking every beer ever made available in North Carolina.

I just love that gif.  Cause that’s exactly how I felt.  Minus the hamburger meat.  Michael loved it.  I loved it.  We all loved it.  So my rationale is that I’m going to drink some beer, because my husband-to-be didn’t pay $60 for us to stare at each other all night inside of a dirt floor tent, take a cab home early, drink some electrolytes, and hit the hay so I could rise at 5:30, take a few cute pre-race pictures for the blog, and run the race.

Contrary to what you may think, beer has alcohol in it, and before long, my tiny frame had consumed about 10,000 tiny units of local beers.  Not sure what that adds up to in regular beer terms, but it was a lot.  So next rational line of thinking, eat a sandwich because that will cure me, and then take a cab home.  I did all of this, fixed up a nice refreshing glass of Nuun with all the electrolytes that a girl could desire, and woke up around 5:30 am the next morning to run my race.

Surprisingly, the race was beautiful, I felt fine, and I actually PR’ed on the race – I can’t honestly what tell you came over me, but I assure you, I won’t be trying my luck again.  I had enough of a hard time racing Greensboro sober to be playing with my stomach like that!

What’s the worst physical condition you’ve ever run in?  

This week’s fit challenge! No alcohol!

| cheriarmour

I just wasn’t feeling it anymore last week.  I had two glasses of some cheap red wine at a social thingie, and woke up the next morning with the headache from hell.

You guys know I love my beer, so it was a tough decision.
You guys know I love my beer, so it was a tough decision.

It really shouldn’t have been enough to make me feel so sick, but the entire next day, I had the nastiest feeling, and I was just done.  And for a slightly indefinite period, I decided that I was off the sauce.

I mean, it’s truly not the worst thing in the world to happen to my diet.  Alcohol leads to drunkness, bloating, and poor life decisions, so I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on a whole lot, and I swear that my tummy is looking a little more muscular as of the last few days.

I’m no doctor, so don’t be an idiot about this, but if you’ve been toying with the idea of taking a little break from the Devil’s urine, (I kid, I kid), consider taking a little hiatus.  

I’m not sure how long I’m gonna go, but I’m feeling pretty good, more clearheaded, and I’ve been substituting beer or wine for some club soda or sparkling water with a little lime, and usually nobody asks any questions.  

Of course, two people have already asked if I’m expecting (I’m not), but other than that, it’s been relatively pain-free!

How will you challenge yourself this week? 

My Day At Epcot

| cheriarmour

So you guys know I’ve been traveling.  I went to visit my youngest sister, who works for Disney, and she’s been begging me for months to come out to visit.  I finally did it, and I’m so glad.

I got a full night of sleep, napped with the dog, and finally made it out for a run.

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First things – Florida was supposed to be really warm. And it was last night when it came in. But when I exited the apartment to walk the dog, it was like 40 degrees. Also, my bra was out. Lovely. I am really classing Florida up. Also the fashions here are SO questionable.

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The favorite purple jacket came with me to Florida, and thank goodness, because it came in handy on the run.

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Toward the end of the run, I found a “jogging” trail (I hate the word jogging, ps), and tried it out, and it was lined with that weird bouncy stuff they started to put on playgrounds in the 90s.

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Instead of it being a great place to run, I actually was having trouble keeping my footing, and it sort of felt like sand to run in. I’ll stick to Florida roads.

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Next, since it was freezing, I dug out this slouchy sweater to embark on my journey to Walgreens, as my sister had no food suitable for vegetarian grown-ups, and I’d forgotten my toothbrush. As cute as I look, I had not brushed my teeth at this point.

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The family dog was in tow, and just as sweet as I remembered her. Gah, I truly love animals more than human beings sometimes.

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Next, my sister took me to Epcot, which I haven’t been to since I was 16, and on a choir trip.

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I insisted she take me to the nearest Starbucks, and it was literally the most insane Starbucks I have ever been in. People from every country, speaking in every language, and I can honestly say I have never been in a Starbucks so crowded in my life.

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Kimmy knew I would love anything having to do with Michael Jackson, so we waited to see this Captain E.O. show which featured Michael Jackson in 3-D. The movie finished up with “Another Part of Me” from ‘Bad,’ and we were probably the only two to clap at the end.

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We rode the “Finding Nemo” ride, and I got to see some dolphins, that I was so content to sit and watch for a long time.

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And then the big ‘ol Manatees, who just ate lettuce all day long.

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The Manatees were rescues, one was an orphan, the other was injured and his poor tail was chopped by a boat. They both were so sweet to watch.

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Can you tell I stood here for a long time?

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Next up was some vegan beef for dinner, which cost me $20. Yikes! I paid $6.50 for a beer. Help!

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The beer in question.

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And finally, after I’d chattered with a French man who sang Stromae in the World Showcase in French and tried all the wines, we came home to find that the dog had ripped apart a candy wrapper that smelled like food.

Today was a good day.

I hope your day was good!  Happy Saturday you guys!  I’m feeling mushy and gushy from all this family and Disney time!

Happy New Year!

| cheriarmour

Goodbye 2013.  I’m not too sad to see you go.  And I feel like everyone I’ve talked to had one of the most intense years in their life.  And for me, it was no different.

But enough about all that.

Last night, we threw one heck of a New Years Eve party to say goodbye to 2013 (good riddance kinda), and usher in 2014, in what I hope will be one of the best years ever.

NYE
We made some nachos that we (I) inhaled for the festivities.

This is all we have left of a night that was full of laughter, music, champagne, and these amazingly stunning cupcakes that a friend made and brought.  They were tangy and champagny and awesome.

Cupcakes
The guest who brought these said she was planning on these for her sister’s shower. Can I get an invite please? They were so licious!

I only had one of these.  I also stole two extras and hid them in the fridge where no one could find them.  Woops!

So I’m embarking on my first run of 2014, and feeling loved, happy, and extremely hopeful about the upcoming year.  I am so thankful for good friends, good cupcakes, good running, and good alcohol.

 

Okay, okay, enough about my birthday.

Image | | cheriarmour

Okay, okay, enough about my birthday.

I promise, I’m not one of those birthday extravaganza people who feel like I should get a bounce house for my 26th birthday party. I recognize no one cares about that day after like, age 21, but this was too good to share. On my birthday night, I went to a local bar with my sister and some friends, and we ran into a group of older gentlemen, ready for their night on the town. One, to whom I made very clear I was happily engaged and excited to get married, and not at all interested in anyone but my future husband, could not get enough of me, and honed in, especially once I mentioned to someone else that I just completed my second marathon. What ensued was the best picture to ever be captured by man.

My sister’s boyfriend managed to catch the guy not-so-subtly checking out the goods in a photo. I’ve censored it, but enjoy!

I made a horrifying discovery at Food Lion the other day…

| cheriarmour

I was in the breakfast aisle, when I happened upon a newer flavor of Pop-Tart.  Frosted Confetti Cupcake.

Confetti Tart

 

I’m repulsed because generally, I eat pretty healthily, and I cannot wrap my mind around what would possess Kellogg’s to do something like this to our kids.  Like our kids don’t have enough problems without being given a Confetti Cupcake flavored Pop-Tart.  Sorry about global warming, wars, our national debit, and gun violence.   Have this Pop-Tart, and allow me to further ruin your life!

On the other hand, runners really love to eat and drink.  Runners love beer, bread, and dessert.  Anything carby is like runner’s ambrosia.  So maybe Kellogg’s is onto something genius with this?

So obviously, after my stomach stopped roiling, (like three days later), I got to thinking I might buy a box, since they were on sale.  I secured a good home for the box after I ate the one, and went for it.  So I look at the nutrition facts.  Bad deal.  There are 190 Calories in one.  Curiously, two come in a package, so god only knows why they package it that way.  Pull it out.  It looks sorta like a confetti cupcake, so its gotta be moist and good right?  Wrong.

I was dead. Wrong. I bite into the pastry (if it’s not blasphemy to call it that), and it tasted like they filled it with the frosting that comes out of the can.  After it’s sat in your fridge for a few days months.  I kept going.  Still dry.  Still tasted like fake cake.  I just consumed 190 calories of something that tasted like it was made in a test tube, Kellogg’s sorry conceptualization of what cake is thought to taste like.

Please note the approximate length of the ingredients list...I'm frightened for what I've consumed...
Please note the approximate length of the ingredients list…I’m frightened for what I’ve consumed…

Generally, my nutrition posts on here will consist of posts about gels, Gu’s, waters, electrolytes, and all of that, but I just couldn’t  resist!

So have a little laugh at my expense, and don’t you friggin dare buy one of these idiotic excuses for a breakfast pastry.