life

I had a total meltdown.

| cheriarmour

I came home on Thursday night SORE.

My throat was sore.

My body was sore, on account of the fact that I woke up to run 4 miles with a coworker, and then I taught class around 6:30.  And I fantasized about the bath I would take that night, complete with a book with actual pages, and epsom salts.

So I turned on the water, and this is what happened.

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If you can’t tell what exactly is going on here, I can fill you on.  When I turned the water on, water filled with a black ash waterfalled, and I watched, in disbelief, as my clean bathtub started to become smeared and smutty.

And I lost it.

Regina-george-screaming-2-oI called Austin about 4 times.

I texted him.

And then I started to freak out.

My throat hurt. My body hurt. And I couldn’t get my warm bath.

So I screamed. I told Austin that I was going to kick down the door of the front office.  Austin called and asked if I wanted a hotel room to take a bath in.  I said I didn’t and that I’d rather just punch everybody.  I screamed for so long and laid on the floor for so long that Austin looked really worried. And then, like a child who had just thrown the most epic of fits, I fell into a deep sleep.

I threw a fit. And I’m sorry. We live in the greatest nation of the world, and I’m throwing a fit because I can’t take a bath when I want it?  I need to grow up. No, I didn’t get my bath, but I went to sleep in a warm bed, I have folks who care about me, food in my belly, and I think they might have fixed the water. So I might even have a bath. I’m lucky. And happy 🙂

Here’s What! What three things are you obsessed with?

| cheriarmour

I literally don’t understand why in the world it’s Friday again.  Here I am, sitting in the living room with the world’s worst-behaved animals at midnight, and I’m writing to you all.  Love!

If you missed the last few weeks’ “Here’s What”, please educate yourself on the things that I’m obsessed with…

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And now, onto the list!!!

1.  Wedding crafting.  If there was a legit opportunity for me to quit my job, and just blog and do wedding stuff all day, I would totally do it..  Tonight, I spent the entire evening working on little invites for the bridesmaids and for the groomsmen. I’m really excited to see what our folks think about them, but here’s a little sneaky peeky.

photoAre you dead?  Mama did this with some card stock, some craft paper, my hot glue gun, and some glue sticks.  Hashtag dead.  Hashtag when is the date again?  Hashtag oh yeah, it’s right there, bottom right.

2.  I found a new place in Raleigh where I can spend all my money.  I was looking for a lot of buttons, and I went to this cool place called Ornamenta in Raleigh.  The coolest store ever.  Jewelry, charms, chains, a work station for you to make jewelry at.  And all I could think was cool stuff I could make for you guys.

DSC_0203 DSC_0204And yes babes, I took that photo.  I am available for hire après my wedding.

3.  Waking up early to get stuff done.  I wouldn’t say necessarily I’m into waking up early, like it doesn’t get me all hot and bothered, however, since the foster Beagle’s been here, I’ve been so down to wake up early and walk him and the Coco, and take them out to walk, poop, and play.  I also get to vacuum the floors before work which is also a plus.

Those are mine.  What three things are you obsessed with on this warm Friday?  

 

 

I’m running late…

| cheriarmour

To everything this morning.  My posts, which normally go up before you wake up, was not to be this morning.  I was late to work.   I had to find a sub for my Zumba class.  And yet, I’m feeling so rested and happy with my life, which feels like it’s been thrown into a completely beautiful state of chaos.  And along with the chaos, I present to you, the most beautifully random mess of things today.

1.  I’m still feeling the 15-miler I did on Monday.  I think this is for a few reasons, and one of them is the beautiful weather we’ve been having.  My body, my muscles, and my state of hydration are not used to the relative heat, and 15 extra hilly miles did its work on me.

2.  That said, running with friends > running Raleigh hills by yourself.  I literally remember running one of those hills a few Sundays back and feeling so defeated.  It was a completely different feeling with two friends to chat with through them, and I swear, the hills felt less jerky with the friends.

3.  This top knot. 

photo 2 (5)A few questions here.  Is it a top knot still if you’re loc’ed up?  Is it still a top knot if you’re in desperate need of a retwist?  Is it still a top knot if you only did it because your hair is dirty and you didn’t know what else to do with it?

3.  We picked our wedding bands yesterday, which I will tell you all about next Wedding Wednesday.  I also think I picked our caterers, but again, I’ll tell you all all about it next Wednesday.  Are you feeling suspenseful?  Suspended?  What would be the appropriate word here anyways?

4.  Thinking about that second pet?  Think about it long and hard.  You know, I’m fostering the best beagle in the whole world, right?

photo 1 (7)But lord, between him, the cat, and the dog, they are giving me a damn run for my money.  Here, Beagle climbed into my lap, thinking he’s the same size as Coco.  But he’s totally not.  My house has descended into a state of circus.  I kinda love it though, I really think I thrive on insanity.

Tell me one random thing about your day!

 

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.

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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!

Blog Happenings.

| cheriarmour

I’m squatted on the couch right now, because I’m still a little queasy from having some sort of stomach bug + that half marathon this weekend.  Usually, a marathon or a half wouldn’t wipe me this much, but the stomach thing that got me last week (and also got a lot of my clients) kinda doubled up on the ass-whooping and I’m a little worn out.  Seriously, wash your hands often, because that bug is no fun.  It will last for like 24 hours and you will feel gross for a few days longer than that.

All of that said, I’m excited for this week.  My sister is coming to visit this weekend so that we can perform at a dinner together, and the last time I saw her was for a memorial service, so it will be better to see her in happier times.

And this came today.

1966747_10100289945603663_146569336_nI’ve been really looking forward to getting a more expensive camera for the blog to shoot some events with, and my sweet future MIL, Sharon bought us one as an early wedding present.  As soon as it arrived, I busted it out, strapped it up, and started shooting pics of the cat until it was time to put it away and do some work for the evening.  I’m really looking forward to posting photos from this baby 🙂 

What is your week shaping up to look like? 

 

The worst date ever. [Reader Discretion Advised]

| cheriarmour

So this post is part of a link-up with Life of Bon – and I love love love this idea!

Granted, I have not been on a date in some time, as I’ve been with the same guy for a while, and I didn’t date a whole whole bunch before that.

But, even without a ton of experience with bad dates, when my close close friend, we’ll call her Tina, called me 20 minutes after this truly awful date, I knew that this had to be, hands down, the worst date in history.  Shall we?

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So Tina was spotted by Creeper one day in her building.  He informed her that she was the most beautiful women he’d ever laid eyes on and that he’d like to take her out to dinner.

Her reaction.

So, that Friday, he sent a box of bagels to her office and told her something to the effect that he was so so excited to go on this date with her.

Date night.  They go close to work, to a local Mellow Mushroom to have dinner.  And within 10 minutes, he tells her that he’s into feet.

As in, feet are something that turn him all the way on.

45 Ridiculous And Amazing GIFs Of Nene Leakes For Her Birthday

Tina told me at this point, she was really perplexed, and asked him a few questions out of ignorance about the topic.

“So like, in the spring time, when everyone is wearing flip-flops, what do you do?  Are you just going crazy with all the feet?”

He explained to her that it didn’t work that way, and continued on to explain that additionally, he was into some more interesting stuff. 

And finally, as if she wasn’t looking horrified enough, he explained, on the first date, at the dinner table, without any prompting, that he was into something called breath play, where he fashioned for the lady in question a suit made out of pantyhose, and asphyxiated them while they got down.

Tina, obviously horrified at the very definition of oversharing on a first date uttered, “Isn’t that dangerous?  Like can’t you pass out from that?”

“Well, yeah, it happened to my last girlfriend and it really turned me on.”

So all of that said, after the date was over and Tina was safely stowed at home, the texts began.  And Tina didn’t answer a single one.  He wanted to explain, that he wasn’t a monster, and that she should give him and his plastic grocery bags a chance.  He begged her for 5 more minutes of her time.  He sent her his rap music in hopes that this too, would win her over, and finally Tina asked that he never contact her again.

And that, my friends, was the worst date in history.

[Now a little disclaimer, what everyone does in their personal time is really their own business, however, within the first 10 minutes of a date at Mellow Mushroom is not the time to share your deviance.]

What was your worst date ever? 

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?

 

 

I’m the Kind of Girl Who…

| cheriarmour

I totally stole this idea from I Wore Yoga Pants to Work  and Hey, Hollywood: – but I absolutely loved it so well I had to!

So.  I’m the kind of girl who..

…despite my vegetarianism, there are so many vegetables I hate.  I mean, I really hate so many.  These include, but are not limited to, mushrooms (and that’s what people always try to offer vegetarians when there is no other option.  Kill me).  I also hate cauliflower, the gourds, and certain peppers.

…naps like a damn champ.  When I was in college, I used to nap multiple times a day,  Now I’m an adult and I really almost never get the change to nap.  So when I do get the chance to nap, once or twice a month, I nap for like a thousand hours for the day.

…gets a little obsessive about certain things.  Lately I have been shampooing my carpets like the world is going to end.  Just did it again last night.  And I loved it.  I may have a disorder, and I’m completely okay with that.

…works out a ton.  I didn’t used to be, but I got sick of being annoyed with my body, and I started working out.  It’s amazing.  I try and do something every day.   I run, I yoga, I do Zumba, I lift, I try and do something, or I go crazy.

…gets in weird moods once in a while.  My weird moods usually mean I want to just lay on the couch and do nothing, or I want to pick a fight because I feel kind of irritable.  Two nights ago,  I was in a weird mood, so I took the dog, and sat on the patio at a sushi restaurant.  It really did my soul a lot of good.

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…is an awesome cook despite the fact that people say skinny girls can’t cook.  I love taking comfort foods, like Mac + Cheese or a Grilled Cheese and turning it healthy.

…loves bright colors.  Bright, deep, amazing colors.  They make me happy!

…is getting married in a little than 6 months, and is surprisingly relaxed about the whole deal.  I honestly can’t wait!

Enjoy, and link up with these bloggers, or link up in the comments below!

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!