Headbands of Hope Photoshoot

July 17, 2015July 16, 2015 | cheriarmour

Hi! Did you miss me?

I needed a few days off, and I think summer is a good time to do that. Things at work have definitely picked up, especially since I’m working on finishing up the August schedule. I’ve started to find a really good balance, and I’m not teaching as much as I was, just once or twice a week, and as needed.

A little over a year ago, when I got my job, I was a little skeptical when Matt, my boss, encouraged me to drop my Saturday class. I didn’t understand why that would be necessary, or why it might be necessary for me to pare down, but he was right, and it sort of feels good to delegate some of my weekly classes. And when I actually do teach, it feels more therapeutic than exhausting.

But anyhoo…

So yesterday, I had the pleasure of doing another photoshoot with Jess Ekstrom, the founder of Headbands of Hope. Headbands of Hope is a really incredible organization that Jess started when she was in undergrad at NC State. I’ve mentioned them on the blog before, but if you’re not familiar with the company, for every headband purchased, a headband is given to a child with cancer, and $1 is donated to cancer research. Jess and I met while we were working at URec at State, and I guess she thinks I’m cool enough to do their shoots, so I’ve been involved with a few projects of hers.

So for the shoot, we had help from Carolyn Scott of Carolyn Scott photography, a really cool photographer here in Raleigh who has a real unique, dusky quality to all of her photos. Here’s a little sneak peek of some of the photos.

The shoot followed a bridal theme, so Caroline, of Vestique, played our bride, and provided the rompers for us, which I absolutely loved. They were so comfortable, and had that awesome flutter sleeve that added an element of drama to the look. I almost thought for a second that a romper could have been fun for my girls, but they would have absolutely killed me, right?

It was a great, amazing way to kick off the rest of the week, and when I saw the pics, I was so happy they’re going to convey how bomb HoH is.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Headbands of Hope Photoshoot – official photos!

February 26, 2014February 25, 2014 | cheriarmour

So I told you all about Jess, the CEO of Headbands of Hope on Saturday.

But if you forgot, here is the lowdown. I’ve know Jess since we were like kids in college. Insert throwback Thursday (Wednesday, sorry!) photo here:

This was when we worked at NC State Department of Campus Recreation (now URec), back in like 2010. How cute were we, right? Anyhoo, while the rest of us were being young and wild and not knowing what we were doing in life, Jess started HOH, an organization that, for every headband purchased, donates $1 to St. Baldrick’s Foundation, and donates a headband to a little girl with cancer. Cool, right?

So with the help of Peachy Keen to style and outfit us, and Amanda English, our wonderful photographer, we embarked on a fantastic photoshoot to showcase the headbands in gorgeous, 75-degree weather in Raleigh. Here are the actual photos (not just the bootlegs I took of us 🙂 ).

So if you’re interested in HOH, click here to find out more, and purchase some headbands!

Love any of our clothes? (My personal fave is that pantsuit that the model to my right is wearing!), hit Peachy Keen of Cary up here – not only do they have super unique pieces, but they also have some gorgeous jewelry, including some vintage pieces I got to see on Saturday.

If you’re interested in Amanda English photography in the Raleigh/Apex/Cary area, hit up her website/blog here, or her Facebook here – she specializes in a bunch of stuff, but if you check out her site, she’s done some really, really awesome stuff with babies, kids, and families.

If you think I’m pretty, sorry I am off the market! Tough luck.

Just kidding! Which one is your favorite photo?

Weekend recap! (Best weekend evahhh)

February 25, 2014February 24, 2014 | 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.

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

Bottomless Mimosas were $12. Yes please!

Cheers!

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

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.

Me 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!
Deb and I found the Tampax (weird) photobooth and took some really really cute pics. I’m gonna hang onto these for a while.

The 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!!!!

Demi! And the seats were really good!

She 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.

The 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?

Happy Saturday Folks!

February 22, 2014 | cheriarmour

I’m sitting in the office, writing, and looking out the window at how gorgeous it is outside.

My plans for today?

Teaching a Zumba class at the Y, a photo-shoot that I think is gonna turn out really cool, a run, and then I’ll hop in my car so I can head to my parents’ house, where I’ll be staying with the dog so I can see my lady-friend, Demi Lovato tomorrow night!

So a busy Saturday on deck.

What are your plans for this beautiful weekend?

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