charlotte nc

What Koh taught me.

| cheriarmour

I hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving.  I went to Charlotte to have Thanksgiving dinner at my mother-in-law’s house, and spent a few days hanging out.  I’m actually writing now from the kitchen table in her house!

So, Thanksgiving day, I manged to not do a ton of damage – I ate a good bit, but broke up the day with a lot of walking, so I didn’t feel AS slobby as I could have, but nevertheless, I went ahead and poked around on some of the local Y sites to see what classes they were running on Black Friday.  I stumbled across a super familiar name – Koh – for Zumba, and immediately set my alarm so I could go to hear class on Friday morning.

IMG_2739

If you sorta remember that name, it’s because I ran into Koh at DCAC, and she was the first person in the history of the world that I ever took Zumba with. I went Zumba->get licensed->teach at State->teach at camp->decide I wanted to do something with my life that involved group fitness->the Y, which I love, so as I planned to go to this class, the weight sort of started to hit me, that all of this was coming full circle.

I got to the Harris Y, about 30 minutes from Sharon’s house, about 10 minutes before class started.

First, as an aside, the Harris Y is the most monstrously huge Y I have ever seen in my life. And I’m very familiar with Siskey. But this Y had a separate building for youth programs, and the grownup side kinda seemed like a small city. But in a good way, because the guy in membership who helped me come in and get settled was absolutely as sweet as pie.

Anyhoo, I got to class, and once we got started, I felt completely in my element. Koh really likes to pump her music, so once you got into each of the songs (that she ended on a pose, mind you), it was sort of like being lost in your own fitnessy world. I smiled, clapped, and at one point when we were dancing salsa, she pulled me to the front of the room with a few folks, smack-dab in the middle, to dance, while she attended to the other side of the studio.

I left that class sweaty, happy, and ready to go for a little longer. In fact, we were able to convince her to let us repeat a Michael Buble song because we’d all enjoyed it so much and felt like we could do it better than we had the first time. So she obliged!

I think the cool thing about returning to a teacher that you went to way back is that you begin to remember how it feels to be a student, and you remember the subtle nuances that you’d like to incorporate into classes to make people feel as good as your instructor is making you .

Koh Taught (still teaches!) me:

  • Be happy.  Every movement she hits, Koh acts as if it’s the most wonderful thing she has ever done.  This spreads to the class.  Maybe it’s a complex movement.  Maybe not.  Maybe it’s really really silly and might look a little funny.  She still executes it with the best attitude ever.
  • Keep it simple.  Koh is great.  BUT, she waves her wand over the classes, and it lets you know that you don’t have to be the best dancer for this class to work its magic on you.  But just in case you do want to be the best, she communicates through really really simple movements.  Things are logical – a move for the verse, a move for the chorus, and a move for the bridge.  No real rocket science there.  But it works!  So no one feels like an idiot in class because things are SO ridiculously easy to follow!
  • It’s not about you.  I’ve phrased this 60 million different ways irl and on the blog.  And I’ll say it some more.  But there is no one on earth more entitled to a big fat head than someone like Koh, who was a master presenter for Zumba® Fitness for a long time.  Her classes are consistently packed.  She could regard it as the Koh Experience.  But instead, she has made it so that you leave the class feeling like you were the star.  She’ll dance with students.  Point out when someone is doing awesome.  Allow the veterans to lead class for a little while.  Mingle during.  And generally, make it an unspoken point to communicate that she’s here for your workout, not her own.

Of course, I totally wanted more after because I was just buzzing with excitement, but I checked the schedules of the 3 Ys around, and there’s nothing super interesting going on.  Which means I’ll have to bite it and actually pay for a class and run tomorrow instead of getting into a class at the Y.

And with all that sweating, I’m not absolutely terrified to look at a scale sideways on Monday.

How did you stay fit this Thanksgiving?

Happy Monday! My sister is a wife!

| cheriarmour

I am celebrated this weekend by going down to Charlotte to witness my little sister getting married. She called me up two weeks ago and told me she was going to get married, so Godspeed dear little sis, as folks are reading this, you have said your “I dos” and you are a married woman!  BAHHH! Make sure you help me to congratulate Deb, but not too much, cause she’s super private and might kill me when she discovered that the paparazzi shots I took are all over my world-famous blog.  Pardon the photo-dump, but you didn’t think i was going to watch my little sister get married without taking any photo evidence, right? PS you HAVE to tell me if anything about this post is weird – WordPress was crashing on me left and write as I was writing it, so let me know 🙂

DSC_0731DSC_0732DSC_0733DSC_0742It was really cool to see, and it literally took two seconds.  We enjoyed some dinner later on that evening, and I had a good time exploring my parent’s new building in downtown Charlotte – since they’re almost empty nesters (they will be as of August), and they moved to a party pad downtown, so I read by the pool, lifted at their gym, and explored for a little while.  I really didn’t want to leave when it was all said and done, but I’m down to my last few days at the old job, and I have to work hard to end on a good note.

How was your weekend? 

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?

 

 

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? 

 

 

 

Weekend recap! (Best weekend evahhh)

| cheriarmour

So, after the photoshoot on Saturday, I ran, and hopped in the car to head to Charlotte because I got me and Deb some tickets to see Demi Lovato. So first things first, after a 10-miler at my parents’ I met up with Deb and some of her work friends at a place called Georges Brasserie in the Southpark neighborhood of Charlotte.

P1160212

P1160202

The place was super nice, and turned out to be a French place, which means the menu was baller.

P1160203

Bottomless Mimosas were $12. Yes please!

P1160206

Cheers!

P1160204

We started off with an order of beignets for the table….

P1160205

And literally, almost every single girl at the table ordered the French Toast which was AH-maze. Go to Georges, and tell them I said hey!

So next up, the Demi Lovato concert!

If you guys know anything about you, you need to understand that I am ride or die for Demi.

P1160215

P1160216Me and Deb found giant Demi before the show, where the median age was like 15.  Seriously, besides moms, we were like the oldest people there.  But I knew every word so suck on that tweens!
photo-1Deb and I found the Tampax (weird) photobooth and took some really really cute pics.  I’m gonna hang onto these for a while.

P1160218The hot one from One Direction?  Zayn?  His lady-friend is in this group.  They were really cute, and played a bunch of adorable covers from the 90s, including a TLC cover of ‘No Scrubs’.  No one but us and the moms knew this one.

And finally!!!!

P1160223Demi!  And the seats were really good!

P1160219

P1160220

P1160221She was amazing.  Seriously amazing.  She seemed really happy, and sang strong for the entire time.  It wasn’t super overproduced, and the show really boiled down to her and the music.  Demi played the new stuff, the old stuff, and played the drums, the piano, and the guitar.

P1160225The coolest thing?  The Neon Lights app that you could download before the show.  During Neon Lights, the app created this really cool effect on everyone’s smartphone blinked to the beat of the song.  Such good energy!

So overall, that concert was amazing, and I actually found myself boo-hooing during her incredible rendition of ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen and ‘Nightingale,’ where she threw in this amazing key change at the last chorus.

So a photoshoot, a long run in beautiful weather, time with my sister, time with my parents, mimosas, and a Demi Lovato concert?  I’m now exhausted, but what a fantastic weekend.

What was the coolest thing you did this weekend?

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite scar.

| cheriarmour

I talk like Hilary Banks, and I’ve been asked many, many  a time, if I’m from California.  I can’t help it.  But that leads most people to believe I’m too la la la foufy to actually do anything or actually get hurt doing stuff, you’ve not spent enough time with me.  So I bring you this – my favorite scar. 

photoSo see that line on my thumb?  The story behind that scar is so weird.

When I was in 6th grade, after a particularly riveting CCD sesh (points for anyone who knows what that was), I was making a can of Chef Boyardee to eat for a late dinner.

Side note:  Despite how hard my parents worked to keep me in church (CCD, etc),  I am still a heathen, as well evidenced by my “Jesus Shaves” mug.

photo (2)Holla!

Anyhoo, so my scar.  Back in the day, when I was eating Boyardee, the way you opened the cans was just like a regular thing.  There were none of those easy like pop top cans like they have now.  So I used one of those old-school can openers, and got to work trying to open that can!  I shoved it open with my thumb and it started to open, then got stuck halfway.  And that’s when all hell broke loose.  The momentum from the shove kept my finger going, and before I knew it, I’d sliced my thumb wide open on this can.

I knew it was bad, so I close my eyes and started wailing.  With a kitchen towel sopping up the blood, my mom took me to the hospital where my brother’d been born, and once we got there, they stitched that sucker up.  I think a bunch of stitches on the inside, and some more on the outside to seal it up.

Evidently, when I sliced my finger, I got it pretty deep because I have nerve damage in the finger.  Even now, if I push on the thumb, I get this horrible sensation like I’ve hit my funny bone, so I just avoid it, and I’ve learned to type so I don’t hit that part in my finger.

And that, my dear friends, is the story of my favorite scar.

So tell me friends, what’s your favorite scar!  I want a good story!