I think I’m done being mad at Lululemon now.

January 15, 2014 | cheriarmour

I walked into Lululemon yesterday for the first time since this gem, in which the CEO and co-founder of Lululemon, a high-end specialty retail store that caters to mainly young women, yogis and runners, implied that ::ahem:: some women’s bodies were not made for his yoga pants. Read: the founder just called us too fat to wear his pants.

I mean, I don’t pay nearly $100 for your pants for you to insult me and call me fat. Plus I get all my running and yoga apparel for the most part from Fleet Feet, so it wasn’t a huge deal to quit paying Lululemon visits.

But yesterday, I decided I was over being mad at Lulu, especially since they put the gag on the co-founder, and now, former CEO, and stopped in to see what was going on. I made a few observations, that I adored! For one, the girls who work there are adorable, which I forgot. I don’t ever remember being that cute when I was working retail, so color me jealous!

These sweatpants which felt like heaven.

And I decided I need a gym bag. I real one. I’m tired of shoving my planner next to sweaty tights and sweaty pairs of underwear – it’s time (now that I’ve been working out consistently for like 4 years), that I graduate to a real gym bag with real pockets for the dirty clothes and pockets for my phone and for my sneaks and stuff.

So the iPhone went into selfie mode, and I took a selfie with my two favorite by the most glorious full-length mirror the store had to offer.

So the real question here is is…

Are you still mad at Lululemon? Why or why not?

Which gym bag do I get out of the two pictured above?

I think it’s important…

January 14, 2014January 13, 2014 | cheriarmour

To note those little things that make you happy. They can be stupid as all get out, but they’re not stupid if they’re important to you right? And here it is, my list of little things that have made me incredibly blissful as of the past few days.

This song, called the “Story of my Life” by One Direction. It kind of sounds like Phillip Phillips, and I’m not shy to admit that it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I told you guys earlier that I’d added that song to my running playlist, so you know it’s serious.
These two Redboxes I got, Behind the Candelabara and the One Direction Movie. I watched them on nights when I was doing a kind-of “Cheri” night, and it’s so nice to lay around and watch movies that you can dance and sing along to.
This cat.
This ring I found on Etsy the other day and I can’t find anywhere else. And if anyone feels inclined to buy this for me, I would love it. I’d ask Austin, but he recently bought me another ring – I think there must be some sort of statute on how long I have to wait before I ask him for more of my finds.
Clean workout clothes. None of which I have right now. I need to throw a load in, but I’m busy chatting it up with you all! But I did make a New Years Resolution to be a better housekeeper, right? ::sigh:: Being a grown-up without a housekeeper totally blows.
This brown microsuade blanket I bought when I was in college on clearance from Target. As cold as it’s been, I’ve pulled that thing out of the guest bedroom, and I love waking up with the under-blank temp between 75-80 degrees. Caliente!
And finally, this trashy television that I’ve DVRed. I’m a sommelier of fine tasty reality television, mainly anything that Andy Cohen has touched, but I really don’t have a whole lot of time to watch it during the week. Laying on the bed with the cat, with Austin puttering around while I catch up on all the bad telly I’ve missed during the week makes me so insanely blissful.

So what’s making you happy this week?

Happy Monday!

January 13, 2014 | cheriarmour

Total brain dump for you all today.

The weekend was really good, but once again, I left it feeling like I didn’t get anything that I wanted to done, in part because all day Saturday, after I finished teaching class, I was laid up with a headache, so I ended up sleeping most of the day.

Ah well, I will just have to put in a little extra work this week to make sure house gets cleaned/dinner gets made/workout gets worked etc etc.

So anyhoo, a few items of brain dumpage.

This hair. Obviously, I’ve been rockin the locs for a long time, but these, these are a feat of majesty and wonderment. I’m not sure if my hair could take the color, because I work out too much and that already stresses my hair, but I can definitely work to grow it out a few more inches and crunch/curl them so they look all wild and cool like this. I love.

I was back in the store yesterday, and trying on all the shoes. Still waiting to try on the Brooks Trascend (the new mushy model Brooks is releasing), but for yesterday, I went with the New Balance Minimus Road 10, a Minimalist shoe. One of these days, we can talk all about minimalist running, but today is not that day. All I can say is that these shoes are really cute, and I wish my right achilles would allow me to even consider running in this shoe, cause the colors are cute.

I had to drop my little boy, Martin off to get his neuter today, and I was a total wreck. The doctor said he did really well, but they said he still had a few fleas (GAH) and conjunctivitis in his right eye. Poop. So they send him home with a few medications.

And by the time I got to him, he was so out of it. But, even in his medicated state, he was really really loving, and kept nuzzling my hand.

He was back to his normal self the following morning, and had managed to break his collar within moments of us purchasing it for him. Gah what the heck.

And that is it for today’s brain dump.

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?

This week’s fit challenge! No alcohol!

January 12, 2014January 12, 2014 | cheriarmour

I just wasn’t feeling it anymore last week. I had two glasses of some cheap red wine at a social thingie, and woke up the next morning with the headache from hell.

You guys know I love my beer, so it was a tough decision.

It really shouldn’t have been enough to make me feel so sick, but the entire next day, I had the nastiest feeling, and I was just done. And for a slightly indefinite period, I decided that I was off the sauce.

I mean, it’s truly not the worst thing in the world to happen to my diet. Alcohol leads to drunkness, bloating, and poor life decisions, so I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on a whole lot, and I swear that my tummy is looking a little more muscular as of the last few days.

I’m no doctor, so don’t be an idiot about this, but if you’ve been toying with the idea of taking a little break from the Devil’s urine, (I kid, I kid), consider taking a little hiatus.

I’m not sure how long I’m gonna go, but I’m feeling pretty good, more clearheaded, and I’ve been substituting beer or wine for some club soda or sparkling water with a little lime, and usually nobody asks any questions.

Of course, two people have already asked if I’m expecting (I’m not), but other than that, it’s been relatively pain-free!

How will you challenge yourself this week?

What are you listening to?

January 12, 2014 | cheriarmour

I have a very visceral reaction to music. The first time I ever heard Waka Waka by Shakira, I welled up and got all teary. I think I was also going through a breakup and I also get like hyper-emotional when I work out, so it may just be that but whatevs.

The other day, I was riding to dinner with the husband-to-be and one of those cheesy countdowns of the top 5 songs was on. I typically only listen to the Beyoncé CD in my car, most specifically Yoncé/Partition, but I decided that Queen Bey could use a break.

I heard this song.

And I kind of started feeling weepy. I make no bones about the fact that I am 25 shit 26 years old, and a full-fledged Directioner (Zayn is the best, and the movie was hilarious and fantastic).

This song was immediately added to my running playlist, no questions asked.

Now here’s my question for you.

What song have you recently added to your running/workout playlist?

Babies on the brain.

January 7, 2014 | cheriarmour

We’re getting married in about 7 months ::gulp cause I feel like I haven’t done anything:: and people are at it, asking those rude questions that are none of their business really, or premature.

Literally, hours after we were engaged?

“Have you set a date?”

Why would we have set a date, we literally got done calling our parents 40 minutes ago.

“Are your parents okay with you being interracial?”

Yes. But if they weren’t, do you think I’d share it with you, a total stranger?

“Did you only date white guys before or is this the first?”

First. It’s not like I have some weird fetish.

“Can I be invited? Please?! Can I have a plus one?”

Wasn’t really planning on it. And now you’ve made it very awkward because the venue can only fit a certain amount of people.

But the one that I’ve gotten a few questions on, and the one I’m just not sure on, is the kid question. Do we want kids, and how many? And quite honestly, I can say, we have no idea, and this is the one idea that we’re completely both absolutely sure we’re on the fence about.

I grew up in a big family by today’s standards – there were four of us, and I love being able to tell folks about all my siblings, and the thought of not having a full house is sorta weird, but there are a few things that terrify me, mortally, about kids, and I’m sure I need to get past this before I even think about kids.

Student loans. Mine are not paid off. And the thought of bringing a child into that mix is chilling.
Money. In general, kids are spensy, and I’m obsessed with the idea of being extremely financially independent – something we’ll touch on a little later when we talk about my resolutions.
This is about to sound awful, terrible, and selfish. And I know that, so I’m prepped to get screamed at. But I am a little concerned about my weight and what a baby might do to my body. I’ve been told that once you have a kid, that your priorities shift, and you may not be as concerned with your body. But I sort of like to run. I like to work out. I like my abs and my arms, and I’m worried about how hard it will be to maintain that once I have a kid, or two, or four, like my mom did.

I mean, Kara Goucher (pictured above) returned to her sexy Olympiad self within a year, but she runs literally like 100 miles a week. Like. How can I even compete? Will my exercise participants take me as seriously if I’m not in tip top?

What if I suck at it? No backsies when it comes to kids, ya know? And if I suck, I’m screwing a kid up. I can’t live with that!

But at any rate, I figure, we’ll make that decision when the time comes, but for the time being, I’m totally willing to hold your baby for a while, just to borrow, while I decide!

Stress Dreams.

January 6, 2014January 5, 2014 | cheriarmour

I’m no stranger to the stress dream.

When I was in high school, I used to repeatedly dream that I was being attacked by dogs, and that my report card was straight Fs.

Once, in college I dreamt that my transcript was full of Fs and that I had run a bunch of red lights, which led me to wake up in a sweaty panic because my parents would take my car away had I ran all those red lights and gotten those tickets.

As of late, I still dream that all my teeth fall out, that I show up late to teach a class, and that I start my iPod and instead of Latin music, calming yoga music pipes through the speakers.

But the worst of all these stress dreams is the running stress dreams. The dreams where I show up late to a race, panicking about whether I can catch up to the sweeper. The dreams where I realize my marathon is only a month away and I haven’t started training. Those kinds.

But the worst of all the stress dreams came after I got off the plane from Atlanta, and laid down for what was supposed to be an hour-long nap. I was asleep instead for nearly 3 hours, and apparently worked through the entire REM cycle because the dream I had seemed to last forever, and it was completely, completely bananas.

In the dream: I was running my usual, but by myself this time on Monday evening in a pair of Vibram 5-Fingers. Pictured here for reference.

The terrain was more naturey than it usually is, and I was running through rivers and woods and over logs and all of that. I was running, in the Vibrams and jumping tree branches and logs and all that. All of a sudden, as I was running through the river, a fork that had been littered into the water goes into my toe, and punctures it deeply. So for the remainder of the run, I’m crawling as my toe bleeds all over the place and I try to get folks to help me call 911. I woke up from that terrifying nap with a horrible pain in my toe, like I’d fallen asleep weird and somehow managed to cut circulation off to it – but no blood. Yikes!

Do you ever have stress dreams? Describe some of them!

The final leg of my journey – Atlanta!

January 5, 2014 | cheriarmour

After my big day at Epcot, the sister and I headed back to the abode, and finished off the night with a viewing of the Rock Horror Picture Show, which I haven’t seen in years, and yet I could sing almost every number.

This movie was way before it’s time, and I’m not sure why my parents ever allowed us to watch this, but I’m sure glad they did.

So the next day, I headed to the airport to go to Atlanta to visit a friend for her housewarming. Number 1, I flew on something called Silver Airways, which I’d never heard of. Number 2, the plane looked like a toy. I’m not kidding. After waiting forever in security, and sprinting, once again to my gate (thank you Lord for running), I was directed out directly onto the tarmac, where I was met with this.

I boarded the flight and felt comfortable that, should my life end, that I’d lived a full and good life.

Finally, I made it to Atlanta, and in search of a gym because it was wayyyyy too cold for my Raynaud’s behind to be running out, I found a Fitness 19.

The best part of being at a gym where no one will recognize you is that you can kind of do what you want. I ran. I lifted. Hard. I did a few hip-opening stretches. And I got hit on by a guy who’d skipped one too many leg days. Yikes. But I left feeling like the soreness would be delicious (anyone else like being sore?), and had a blast for the rest of my time in Atlanta.

Today, I’m thankful to be home, and ready to start a fresh new week. What are you looking forward to this week?

I’m looking forward to looking at a few houses in Raleigh with hopes of moving on soon from apartment living. Here’s hoping!

My Day At Epcot

January 4, 2014January 3, 2014 | cheriarmour

So you guys know I’ve been traveling. I went to visit my youngest sister, who works for Disney, and she’s been begging me for months to come out to visit. I finally did it, and I’m so glad.

I got a full night of sleep, napped with the dog, and finally made it out for a run.

First things – Florida was supposed to be really warm. And it was last night when it came in. But when I exited the apartment to walk the dog, it was like 40 degrees. Also, my bra was out. Lovely. I am really classing Florida up. Also the fashions here are SO questionable.

The favorite purple jacket came with me to Florida, and thank goodness, because it came in handy on the run.

Toward the end of the run, I found a “jogging” trail (I hate the word jogging, ps), and tried it out, and it was lined with that weird bouncy stuff they started to put on playgrounds in the 90s.

Instead of it being a great place to run, I actually was having trouble keeping my footing, and it sort of felt like sand to run in. I’ll stick to Florida roads.

Next, since it was freezing, I dug out this slouchy sweater to embark on my journey to Walgreens, as my sister had no food suitable for vegetarian grown-ups, and I’d forgotten my toothbrush. As cute as I look, I had not brushed my teeth at this point.

The family dog was in tow, and just as sweet as I remembered her. Gah, I truly love animals more than human beings sometimes.

Next, my sister took me to Epcot, which I haven’t been to since I was 16, and on a choir trip.

I insisted she take me to the nearest Starbucks, and it was literally the most insane Starbucks I have ever been in. People from every country, speaking in every language, and I can honestly say I have never been in a Starbucks so crowded in my life.

Kimmy knew I would love anything having to do with Michael Jackson, so we waited to see this Captain E.O. show which featured Michael Jackson in 3-D. The movie finished up with “Another Part of Me” from ‘Bad,’ and we were probably the only two to clap at the end.

We rode the “Finding Nemo” ride, and I got to see some dolphins, that I was so content to sit and watch for a long time.

And then the big ‘ol Manatees, who just ate lettuce all day long.

The Manatees were rescues, one was an orphan, the other was injured and his poor tail was chopped by a boat. They both were so sweet to watch.

Can you tell I stood here for a long time?

Next up was some vegan beef for dinner, which cost me $20. Yikes! I paid $6.50 for a beer. Help!

The beer in question.

And finally, after I’d chattered with a French man who sang Stromae in the World Showcase in French and tried all the wines, we came home to find that the dog had ripped apart a candy wrapper that smelled like food.

Today was a good day.

I hope your day was good! Happy Saturday you guys! I’m feeling mushy and gushy from all this family and Disney time!

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