resolutions

Coffee Date

| cheriarmour

Have you guys ever met my Jesus Shaves mug?

Jesus ShavesIt’s a mug that I purchased from this adorable shop in Cameron Village.  My mom hates it, but the way it works is that when you pour hot liquids in it, Jesus’ beard comes off and he becomes fresh-faced and clean-shaven.  People either think it’s hysterical, or they tell me I’m a heathen like my mom did.  But I honestly think that Jesus has a sense of humor and would quite enjoy a mug where he looks like he’s ready to take on any job interview that may come his way.

Let’s go on a coffee date, with my Jesus shaves mug in tow.

If I were on a coffee date, I would tell you: 

  • My pets are driving me up the wall.  I love them, don’t get me wrong, but I was asleep on the couch in the great room in the house, and when I woke up, I discovered that the entirety of one of the pet’s stomach linings had been emptied onto the couch.  I went into hysterics.  I called Austin, my voice rose about 2 octaves, and Austin had to purchase a little spot cleaner for me to fix the couch.  Verdict?  I think I’m going to have to replace that couch.  Hysterics.
  • I am doing well with some of the goals I’ve set for myself and outlined, as well as some of the goals I’ve started with myself last year.  One thing that has driven me nuts about myself is that sometimes, I put things off because I can always just “do it later”.  I’ve taken things more by the horns over the last few weeks, and it’s helped a lot with my productivity.  I like it.
  • I’m taking a break from drinking.  I drank a lot the week of my wedding back in August, the week of my sister’s wedding in December, and on New Year’s Eve.  I’m sort of over being hungover, with my GI issues, it’s not good for me.  I’m taking a break.  I’m not sure how long I’m gone for, but long enough to clean out my system is awesome.
  • I’m wondering about this winter.  I’m training for RnR, the full, in April, and I’m just wondering if the winter we have this year will be anything like last year’s.  Because ice storms may make things just a tad tricky.
  • I got these tights…

Sparkle TightsAfter I spotted the gold version on Amanda’s blog.  They’re on the clearance rack at Lululemon, so go run and grab them quick if you think you can handle them.  For me even, they’re pretty wild, but they’re interesting to look at, so I’m just gonna go with them.

  • I’m playing with the idea of an Ultra Marathon, or a 12-hour race around the time of my marathon in April.  I’m not even sure what this preoccupation with the challenge of the event is, other than I read a bunch of Dean Karnazes’ books last year, and the idea of an ultra seemed ridiculous…but almost ridiculous enough for me to do it.
  • I want to go to Greece for our honeymoon.  I got this idea in my head after I read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head for like 10-15 years now.  I’m checking on prices and rates for us to be able to head there in like August or September.

What would you tell me if we were on a coffee date?  ❤

I’m late to everything.

| cheriarmour

Including the thing where you like make your New Years’ (or is it New Year’s) resolutions like on December 31st to start them on the 1st.  But I have a good excuse, I was traveling all over, but I have been really thinking long and hard about my resolutions for a while, and I’m just now bringing them to you.

Oh well.  Have me arrested if you’re like offended I waited so long.  But this sort of thing takes thought.  Plus blogging takes time, you dang millenials always want instant gratification 😉

So my goals for last year went as follows.

1. Spanish! I’m super annoyed I didn’t learn it as a child, because it makes communicating very difficult and I think my adult brain is far too dense to be conjugating verbs. Nevertheless, it’s something that needs to be done. I think it’s absolute ignorance that I have not done so already.
2. Positivity.  I can be extremely sarcastic, and a few years ago, a friend of mine interpreted that as me “always being angry”.  I made a conscious effort to, even when I’m not feeling like it, say nice things.  I try not to text, Tweet, or Facebook nasty or negative things, and I try to smile a lot more.  I promise, it has made the hugest difference in my happiness.  I’d like to continue on that path.
3. And finally…drumroll please? Housekeeping.  I am the worst housekeeper on the face of the planet.  That’s not to say that my apartment looks like a pigsty, it’s just to say I have to move mountains to keep it clean.  I’m like every normal person not featured on Hoarders, I like things neat, smelling fresh, and orderly, but to keep in that way is a feat of titanic proportions.  And then I have these friends like Alexa and Kelly, and you walked into their duplex any time of the day and it looked gorgeous and always smelled wonderful.  Jealous.  I’d like to work more at maintaining order around my home.

So first, how did I do?

  1. As far as my Spanish, it still sucks.  But Austin bought Rosetta Stone, we’re actually doing it, and we’re toying with the idea of spending a lot of time in Costa Rica for immersion school.  More on that later.
  2. Positivity was good, especially in the face of some really, really crappy things to happen to my family last year, including the death of my grandmother and my mother’s stroke.  But a lot of good happened this year, and I think I was able to focus on that, which is why I never like, had to be committed to a mental health institution – though sometimes I felt a little peanuts.
  3. Housekeeping.  Yikes.  I think I actually got worse with that, especially after I started working full-time.  That one’s going back on the list.

So, what are my resolutions for 2014?

  1. Get better at money management.  Save a certain amount of money.  I have more concrete details on the amount, but that’s between me and my banker,  not for your nosy self!  But I have two books on money management, so I would like to read them by March 1st and begin implementing more strategies to manage better.  I should have a handle on where my money is going at my age.
  2. Be more conscientious.  Austin is incredible conscientious about everything.  He gets everywhere he’s supposed to be on time. he sends thank-yous, he pays his bills on certain days, he always knows where his keys are, and never seems scattered like his lovely wife-to-be.   I’d like to work on that by straightening up more every day, putting my keys in the same place always, and checking the mail daily so bills never come as a not-so-lovely surprise.
  3. Get up early one day per week.   I suck at anything morning related, but I’d like to get up early one day a week to run, to go to yoga, or just to get to work a little earlier than usual.  This dawdling I do has got to stop!
  4. Be a better friend.  I’m getting married this year, and even though some will change, I don’t want my friendships to fall by the wayside.  Even though we all are incredibly busy, for the friends who actually will make the effort, I’d like to make the effort for them.  Meet up for workout dates, coffee, dinners, and girl time.
  5. And finally, I’d like to stick to my healthy lifestyle, and not fall off the wagon.  I think when you work full time, you get married, and life starts to go in a million different directions the YOU part of the equation tends to get forgotten about.  I still want to take care of myself, and maybe look a little better than I did when the year started.

Tell me, what were some of your resolutions?