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| cheriarmour

I borrowed this from Becca Dorr, but I thought it was a good way to catch up from the holiday weekend.  That was filled with way too  much eating, and way too much stuffing.

ANTICIPATING 2016.  We’re not far off, and I just am ready to make some things happen on some things that have been stagnant.  Or not stagnant, but things I’m ready to move on.  I’m still working on our house, need to hang things, and change colors around, and I’m just ready for it.

CLEANING my innards!  I ate way too much gross stuff for Thanksgiving, and it was good, but it also feels good to eat a salad and drink a few smoothies.  I’m not used to eating that much, and at that frequency.

DREADING cold weather.  I know it’s coming.  I’m not sure I’m ready.  In fact, I know I’m not ready.

DRINKING Michelob Ultra.  Everyone makes fun of me, but I got into it when I was back at camp in Pennsylvania, and started to enjoy the taste.  That and vodka are my two nostalgic, Pennsylvania drinks.

FEELING kinda fat.  Thank you, Thanksgiving.  Lots of green things this week.

LISTENING to Khloe Kardashian read off the back of a Jif label.  #KUWTK

PLAYING “Love Yourself – Justin Bieber” on repeat.  That song is gorgeous, and I hear that Ed Sheeren wrote it.  Me and my friend Mollie have done some wild speculation on who it could be about.  Hailee Steinfeld is the frontrunner, and she said something sort of weird at the AMAs last week.

READING ok, technically listening, but I am listening to Aziz Ansari’s book.  I’ve always been into his humor.  I find it interesting because I met my husband prior to Tinder and online dating being a thing, so I never had that experience of dating in the modern age.  But I did have the experience of sort of texting…and waiting, or flirting via Facebook chat, or being on the other end of trying to ignore someone.  So I find his take really interesting.

RECOVERING from food-fest 2k15.  I know I’ve referenced this a lot, but I really don’t feel great.  I hate overdoing it.

TRYING to plan workouts and food for this week.

WAITING for my big student loan payment to come out :/ I will be so glad when I’m done with that mess.  I feel like I’m in prison paying these loans.

WALKING the dang poodle to the door so she will go to the bathroom outside instead of in the house, which she likes to do when it rains outside.

WEARING nasty workout clothes.  I did a two-fer today – went for a hike with a friend this morning, then a short track workout this evening, so I  kept the clothes on and I totally reek.

What are you reading this week?

Get to know me better!

| cheriarmour

I’ve never really met this chick, but cutie-pie over at Two-Thirds Hazel always has the best quizzes and prompts.  She posted this the other day, so I grabbed it up – feel free to laugh J Then grab these up and do these yourself!

  1. Something you will…

refuse to do for the rest of your life: Hm.  It’s hard to never say never, but I think I won’t drive a minivan.  My parents had one, but driving a minivan isn’t really me.  Also, I will never use the derogatory f-word that is used against gay people.  That word makes me feel sick.  Sorry to get heavy so quickly!

always do forever: I will always make weird voices to my pets and talk to them.  I tell Coco all the time that “Mama loves you,” and that “You da best dog in the whole world,” in this weird doggy baby voice.  I can’t help it, pets just turn me weird.

Coco

  1. Something you think is… 

certifiably disgusting: When people like snarf their snot.  I get it, you have some congestion up in your sinuses.  But that is absolutely disgusting, and I actually feel really nauseated when I hear people doing that like in a meeting or something.  Absolutely disgusting.

absolutely amazing: There is just so much.  I’m not super religious, but the way that God, that the Universe, has always taken care of me?  Amazing.  There have been things that have happened to me that I don’t always understand at the time, but when all is said and done, I’m amazed. Everything in my life, even the hard stuff, seems to have happened for a reason.  That amazes me.

  1. A compliment you’ve been given that’s made you…

feel on top of the world:  Someone told me the other day that I make them feel really special when I ask them questions about their life.  I make it a point to do that and to pay attention to the answers because I’m genuinely interested, but it was cool that someone noticed.  Also, folks have told me I’m creative before and I’m like…me?  But I’m definitely cool with that.

pretty upset: Eh. This gross guy once said “Is this the YMCA or Hugh Hefner’s house!” upon seeing me one day at work.  I was disgusted.  Who told that guy that sort of “compliment” was okay.  How would he feel if someone spoke to his mother/sister/cousin/daughter that way?

  1. A name you…

hate: I’m not sure.

love: Hm. I have always loved the name Poppy.  Poppy Elizabeth.  I’m not sure why.

  1. Something people say about you that you…

know is entirely false: I think sometimes folks think I’m dumb.  I sort of sound like Hilary Banks (Fresh Prince) when I talk, but I’m really sharp.  No one had told me I’m dumb, but sometimes, I sense that because I really like to watch reality TV and love pop culture, that my intelligence is sometimes in question.

think is on point: My sisters say I’m the Kourtney of the bunch.  I get it.  I can be into some strange things.  Kombucha, soda water, and my salads.  I get how that can strike folks as a little odd.

  1. A taste you…

can’t stand: Mushrooms.  Broccoli.  The gourds.  Hot onions.

can’t get enough of: Franks Red Hot Extra Hot hot sauce.  I love anything hot.  Mmm.

  1. A song you always…

turn off immediately:  Friggin anything by Nickelback.  What a terrible sound they have!

belt out the lyrics to: Jealous – Nick Jonas.  I sound damn good at it too!

  1. Animal you…

fear: I hate little roachy things.

need in your life right this instant: None.  Absolutely not a one.  We have too many damned pets in this house, and I am not looking to increase that number anytime soon.  Not cool.

  1. Something you…

will never ever eat:  Mushrooms.  Because they taste like shit and can be slimy.

 would eat for every meal if you were given the chance: Mexican?  Or Asian food.  I love sushi (Japan), egg drop soup (China), and making my own pad thai (Thailand!).

  1. To enhance your looks you…

would love to, but would probably never resort to:  I don’t think I would do anything.  Maybe I would get under my eyes filled if they got baggy?  But I’m relying heavily on Roc Retinol and water to keep the bags at bay.

just stick to: BB Cream, mascara, eyeliner, and a spritz of perfume.

Feel free to steal it!!  

ow was your weekend?

Four facts survey.

| cheriarmour

Thanksgiving was pretty bananas, first and foremost.  When I woke up yesterday morning, I started cooking, and did not stop until my parents arrived around 1:30.  I started freaking out that I didn’t make enough food…

Thanksgiving Dinner…that fear was unfounded, as I ate Thanksgiving Dinner for a second for lunch after I popped by work today.

But moving right along….

This thing has been making its rounds around the interwebs, and before I miss that train, here it is!  Four fun facts about me!  (A little disclaimer – I’m supposed to tag folks in these, and I always feel really weird about doing that – please just feel free to steal this and do it.)

4 Fun Facts

Four names that people call me other than my real name

  1. Cher
  2. Pickle <-my husband calls me that
  3. Poop <-also a name my husband has for me
  4. Sure-rhesé.  This was how my name has been pronounced by doctors as they’ve come into the room before.

Four jobs I’ve had

  1. Bakery staff at Whole Foods
  2. Barista at Whole Foods
  3. Fit Specialist at Fleet Feet Raleigh
  4. Now, Group Fitness Director at the Y.

Four movies I’ve watched more than once

  1. Sex and the City
  2. Knocked Up
  3. Pretty Woman
  4. This is 40

Four books I’d recommend

  1. The Help
  2. The Nanny Diaries
  3. Most Talkative (Andy Cohen’s Book)
  4. Where’d You Go, Bernadette

Four places I’ve lived

  1. Brooklyn, NY
  2. Pocono Valley, Pennsylvania
  3. Charlotte, NC
  4. Raleigh NC

Four places I’ve visited

  1. Vegas
  2. New York City
  3. LA
  4. The Bahamas <-One day, I will tell you the story of how I ended up there, and how absolutely heinous that experience was.  I will absolutely never set foot on a cruise ship again.

Four places I’d rather be right now

  1. On the beach somewhere warm.
  2. Eating food outside in LA maybe.
  3. Going for a hike/run thing.
  4. Greece.

Four things I don’t eat

  1. Mealy tomatoes
  2. The gourds.  Pumpkins, squash, zucchini.
  3. Mushrooms
  4. Beef/chicken ->Veg

Four of my favorite foods

  1. Coffee
  2. A burrito bowl type item
  3. Cheese Pizza
  4. Malted Chocolate Balls from Whole Foods

Four TV shows I watch

  1. The View
  2. Real Housewives of Atlanta
  3. Watch What Happens Live
  4. Keeping up with the Kardashians

Four things I’m looking forward to this year (I’m looking at this like 2015)

  1. Warm weather to come back
  2. Saving more money
  3. Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh
  4. My house finally coming together and being decorated.

Four things I’m always saying

  1. I’m hungry.
  2. I’m going for a run.
  3. Can we turn up the heat in here, I’m cold!
  4. A-r-m-o-u-r. (Evidently folks have a lot of trouble spelling my maiden name).

So feel free to steal away and share some random things about yourself!

 

Ann Coulter

| cheriarmour

Right turn from all the marriage talk and all this talk of texts gone wrong….

So, I can’t really even dignify this by linking to her article – if you’d like to read it, Google it, but Ann Coulter made some pretty heinous remarks about the World Cup as it relates to our country.  I get it, it’s Ann Coulter’s job to say horrifying things and get paid for it, but why do people feel the need to just be so damned mean?  And I’m not gonna sit up here and call her awful names or attack the way she looks, cause to me, that’s stooping to her level.  But it almost makes my throat hurt to know that she spews venom and gets paid for it.  Like, it’s completely beyond me.

img via AP/Peter Kramer
image via AP/Peter Kramer

Which brings me to this.  Once again, feel free to Google this, and luckily I’m not in a place where I’m yet lambasted on the internet, but there is a site, called Get off my Internets, or GOMI, which is entirely dedicated to (mostly) bashing bloggers.  I poked around on the site yesterday and I was astonished by what I was seeing.  Like, talking about a blogger’s weight, talking freely about a blogger’s relationship, or referring to someone as a “skank” for posting pictures of themselves in a bikini?  Just awful just awful.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good laugh, but I feel like if I felt like something like that was going on with a blogger, I’d just STOP READING THEM.  It’s really quite simple.

Why do you think that people feel the need to be so hateful behind their computer screens?

Last 10 photos…

| cheriarmour

So, I cannot remember which blogger I borrowed this from.  But if it’s you, I totally credit you – please hit me up and I would LOVE to give you credit for this idea.  So please, help me remember!

Anyhoo, so I read this the other day, and I thought I would try it!

Here it is, the last 10 photos there were in my iPhone.  

So, surprisingly there were no selfies in there.  Bummer for you, because my face isn’t so bad to look at.

photo 1 (2)

I was kinda feeling naughty at work the other day and kinda sprinkled the floor with post-its.  🙂

photo 1

I’m too old to be shopping at XXI, but I had a sexy little romper from there, and the strap broke fright before the Twisted Measure concert, and we had to run to Michael’s to get pins to fix it.

photo 2 (2)Just kidding about the selfie!  I did a little charcoal mask the other day.  It makes my skin look stunning!

10176038_10100314959390833_1017502743551108450_nMy little muffin needs a groomer, but she hates riding in the car, so I’m not sure how we’re gonna get there.

photo 2

These adorable little earrings one of the girls was wearing at brunch on Sunday morning 🙂

photo 3 (2)

Look at my great find I made at the antique shop for my wedding.  SO exciting!

photo 3

My soon-to-be husband holds my purse link a gorilla – I cannot break him of this habit, nor am I interested in trying any longer.

photo 4

 

Could I really get any more salsa?  I use it on my eggs and it’s the only thing that rivals the Sriracha.

photo 5 (2)

My ring was looking extra pretty 🙂

photo 5And the salad I made for my lunch today!  It was so yummy!

Describe the last photo on your phone….

The no-reply blogger.

| cheriarmour

I got this on Twitter the other day.

No Reply

 

You’re a no-reply blogger.

I didn’t even know what it meant!  So my first instinct was to fall on the ground and ask for forgiveness for “not replying” to something.  I’m very literal.  But when I replied to her comment and Googled it, I found it what it means.

Bloggers pay attention! 

If you’re a non-blogger too, and every thinking about blogging, this is kind of a good thing to know anyways.  So when I Googled it, I stumbled upon this article by the super-sweet Susannah, who, with her blog, guided me through what exactly was going on.

So when I created my Gmail, it was May of 2009, and the contact info attached to this Gmail was my Elon.edu address, which, unfortunately, we were not permitted to keep.  This meant that when I created my blog, almost four years later, when I commented on Blogger-hosted blogs, (which is a Google thing), it would respond to them using an old, no longer functioning email address.  So when bloggers would try to reply to me, they would get a no-reply message!

Thank GOD that she let me know, god only knows how many comments I’d made that they couldn’t reply to.  So, bloggers and writers!  CHECK to make sure that when you’re commenting on blogs, you’re taking the necessary steps to make sure that you’re not a “no reply” blogger.  Any questions?  Put them below!

I wish I had a picture for you today….

| cheriarmour

But I really don’t want to spoil how great my ink for the save-the-dates looks. So in its place, I give you this.
photo 3A picture of mah boo-thang on the cover of Rolling Stone.  I was gonna steal this issue from my parents’ house, but I forgot 😦  luckily I had this to keep me company.

Yes, ladies and gents, this is the highlights from Justin Bieber’s deposition video. For a really really good laugh, and if you’re at work, fast forward to 1:50, and have a laugh at Mr. Bieber’s quote. But really, watch the whole thing because it’s incredible.

Moving right along!

Okay, so I was really really disturbed by something yesterday morning when I woke up and checked the blogs like I usually do.

So I wake up, check the blogs, and one of my favorite mom-bloggers, Natalie Hodson, had revealed that she had been the victim of girl on girl crime, that another blogger had straight-up plagiarized her work by lifting a post, and changing one or two words, and I was shocked.

Yes, blogging is a job, but it’s a fun job!  Why on earth would anyone plagiarize?  It’s not school, you don’t get a grade for it.  And I got to thinking about how casual I am with my work.  I don’t watermark my photos.  I only google myself occasionally.  I’ve freely sent blog posts back and forth (and to some really really cool bloggers) without a thought.  And I’ve put my stuff out on the internet without a thought ant anyone would ever plagiarize.

Maybe it’s cause my writing sucks.

Or maybe I’m too trusting.

But either way, that realization that people actually do that really gave me the creeps.

Have you had any dealings with plagiarism?  How have you handled it? 

I’m stealing.

| cheriarmour

I know that I usually do my Here’s What posts on Fridays but I’m not feeling particularly passionate about anything (I told you guys I had a rough day at work yesterday), and I feel like, rather than force myself to concoct a list when I’m not really feeling it, why not just chat with you guys?

First, a little news!

We ordered my wedding dress yesterday, and the sketch for my save-the-dates was emailed over to me today.  After that, all I do is take them to the print shop, and they can get sent out after it’s sent to me via PDF.  If the weekend passes and I tell you that I haven’t gathered addresses, please come to my house, kick down the door, and strap me to the couch until it gets done.  But it’s getting real, and it’s exciting and scary and so cool all the same time!  I want the day to be here and I don’t all at the same time.  Eeep eep eeep eep!

Now, I’m stealing. 

I stole this over from Krystyn at Chits and Giggles, (hope you don’t mind, babe!), but I love love loved the thought behind the post.

If you could get paid do anything you want, what would you do?

I love it because that’s the question that really indicates what you’d be doing if you could do it.

So what would I be doing?

DSC_0034Some of it, I do.  I teach Zumba classes a few times as week which I love.

But if I could do anything, anything in the world and get paid for it, I would….

….Blog mostly.  Blog and travel and read other blogs, take photos and blog some more.

DSC_0035…Run. I would run and probably run faster if I thought that there would be some money attached to the deal.

…Travel.  Since I was a kid, one of the best parts of any trip is the stay in the hotel room, and nothing about that has changed.  If I got to travel around everywhere, run and blog about it, and sleep in delicious hotel beds, I would do it in a heartbeat.

So, that brings me to this.  What would you do if you got paid for it?

I’ll make this really quick.

| cheriarmour

And I don’t like to complain.

But without violating HIPAA or disturbing any of my clients’ rights to confidentiality, yesterday was a really bad day at work.  Like, police involvement bad.

Today was an even worse day.

And I’m wondering.  Are these just bad days, or is somebody out there in the universe trying to tell me to stay at home with my laptop and make my career out of blogging?  What do you all think?