ymca

A Day in the Life (Lately)

| cheriarmour

I took the neatest yoga class yesterday.

Last week, one of the super cute girls who works on the floor at the Y invited me to come take this Hot Yoga class at this studio out in Durham.  Durham is kind of a hike for us – we are in downtown Raleigh, and during a high-traffic time, it can take like 40 minutes or more to get out there, but she assured me it was worth it.

Totally worth it, and I ended up signing up for a Beyonce-themed yoga class on Grammy Sunday.  I am super excited for that.

What I liked about this class was that, though the class was an excellent workout (I found myself a little sore the next day in some new places), the focus wasn’t on the workout.  We focused on breathing, and really being present, which is something I needed on Monday, where I felt my focus was pulled into a million different directions.

Anyways, I totally stole this idea from Taylor, a blogger who I’m insanely jealous of because she gets to live in Chicago all the time.  I’ve only ever run the marathon, and I dream about living there.  But it’s kinda cold and my sisters aren’t there, which could present some challenges…

Anyhoo, here’s a typical day (these days) for me.  I caveat this by saying “these days” because I’m still not in a great groove with the baby, and I’m not sure when I’ll get there.

7am – this is sometimes earlier, or sometimes a little later, but this is when I hear Liam start to rustle around.  He’s a morning person, so he’s not usually wailing, just kind of making sounds, and kicking his little feet around.  He sleeps in this…

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…which sorta looks ridiculous, but I don’t care. He’s sleeping, I’m sleeping, and that makes me really happy.

In that time, if he’s really smiley, I literally will jog out to the kitchen and start the coffee machine and let the dog out. I still have a teeny tiny bit of eggnog left that I’m using as creamer. I’m fully prepped to sob when that’s all finished…

7:20am –  I change a diaper and nurse my little man.  This time is super nice for us to hang out.  I’ll listen to a podcast sometimes while we do this.  Sometimes, by the end of this feeding, little man is drifting off, and I’ll have a chance to stick him back in the bassinet for a few minutes while he dozes.

8:15am – So for the last bit, I’ve probably been scrambling around the house, listening to podcasts, and collecting workout gear (for my workout and in case I’m teaching a class), work wear (slightly business casual), my lunch, and his bottles that I’ve pumped for the day.  He’s probably stirring by now, so I’ll pop him out of his sleep suit and into this really cute bouncer thing I bought for him at a yard sale for $20.  I pull it into the bathroom, just outside of the shower.  He entertains himself while I shower.  He’s pretty chill, so usually, I have time to put a little makeup on, and smooth my hair down before I get dressed.  He’s ready for a snack, so I’ll nurse him, change him one more time, put some clean clothes on him, grab a few extra diapers with diaper cream depending on his skin that day, and hustle us into the main room of the house.  This is where I load him into his carseat, throw on a hat for him and some socks or shoes, and begin the process of getting everything into the car.

9:15isham – Sometimes this is a little earlier, or a little later, depending on who’s picking Liam up from daycare.  But we’re out the door, and I drop Liam off at daycare quickly before I scramble off to work.  I’m eating a peanut butter bar thing and a coffee for breakfast.  Breakfast is my favorite thing, and I make sure never to skip it, but it’s certainly not elaborate.

11:15am – So say I’m teaching the lunch cycling class?  I’ll go back to the closet to pump, and maybe have a snack.  I’ve been snacking on boiled eggs lately (gross, but filling), so I may pump, eat an egg, and make sure I’m slamming water (since I’m prone to headaches if I don’t).  IMG_1745.JPG

I’m off diet soda, but still like something with bubbles, so I may enjoy one of these (these are great, let’s chat about them some more later), and I get myself cleaned up before class.

12:15pm – We cycle.  I like teaching this class a lot.  I teach to tempo, so I love to really think about what music we’ll be using, and build the class.  I’m a disgusting sweaty mess after, so I try to pop into the shower at work, and get myself looking presentable for the day.

2:00pm – I pop over to Liam’s daycare sometimes to nurse him.  That way, I can skip a pumping session (because pumping absolutely blows), and I get to see him a few times a week at that time.

3:00pm – It’s sort of late for lunch, right?  But since I go to Liam’s I’ve skipped lunch, but still need to eat.  I know this is against all of the nutritionist’s rules for mindful eating, but I totally take lunch at my desk most of the time, and try to catch up on emails, and take care of some work for a while.  That’s so bad.  I should not be doing that, I need to do better.

5:00pm – So, so today’s one of those days Austin is picking Liam up from daycare, and say I’m not teaching an evening class .  THIS is when I usually get antsy.  So I’ll change into my workout clothes, and attempt to do a really really quick workout.  My latest favorite is something called the Sprint 8 program on our treadmills.  It’s an interval program that has you pushing, or sprinting, for 30 seconds, and then doing some active recovery for 1:30.  IMG_1752.JPG

I love this because I feel like intervals are the best way to mix up your cardio and make it fun and interesting without spending like an hour on the treadmill.

5:45pm – After a quick workout, I stay in my gross clothes, and head back to my office to work a little more.  It’s emails, sometimes writing blog posts, coordinating last-minute subs, and checking in with the classes going on in the building.  Our campaign season is in the fall, so we’re in a lull as far as fundraising.

6:15pm – Austin went to pick Liam up, so he brings him to work so he can work out, and I can take the baby home.  A lot of times, he’s asleep after his big day at daycare, so he sits in his stroller while I keep an eye on him, and finish some things up.

7:20pm – We’re done with work, and at home.  Usually, every few days, I try to put something in the crock pot so we have a little something to eat.  Sunday, it was a not-as-creamy wild rice soup…

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That was pre-liquid and spices, but you get the idea. Usually, Austin will come in right behind me, run and shower, while I heat up dinner. While dinner is warming up, I nurse Liam, and set him in his bouncer or his activity mat while we eat. After dinner is when things get nuts until Liam goes to bed. We start tummy time around 8. Bathe him (only once or twice a week). I slather him in coconut oil since he’s got dad’s skin. And he’s usually asleep by 9pm.

9:30pm – Me and Austin may watch a show (Blackish lately), and after a show, he’ll wash and fill bottles for the next day, while I start writing, cleaning up, and pretending I’m going to shower, when in reality, I’m not.  Unless I’m feeling really special and energetic.

11:00pm – Because I’m nursing, I usually try to empty the boobs before I go to bed, otherwise I’ll wake up super uncomfortable.  I pump, wash the parts, and will most likely forget my pump on the coffee table, so I have to figure out what the heck I’m going to do the following day.  If we don’t have a plan for dinner the following day, I’ll try to figure something out, maybe throw something in the crockpot or prep something really quickly.

12:15am – BED.  

Whew.  Where did all the time go, right?

What’s a typical day like for you?  

Like a mom.

| cheriarmour

Tonight is one of the first times I’ve truly felt like a mom.

It’s weird to say, because now I know, that even though in the past I doubted my maternal instinct, that it was always in there.  Very soon after Baby Liam made his debut, I felt right.  Sore and swollen, but right.

Tonight, I took a nap with Liam.  Austin was working from home in the afternoon, and went on dad duty while I snuck in a quick workout at the Y.  The run felt good, but I was a preoccupied with making sure everyone got out the door in the morning.  I ran by the grocery, and picked up some bread, some oatmeal, and some beer.  When I walked in, Liam turned his head to see me.  He was getting hungry, and he wasn’t particularly happy about it.  I dropped everything, wrestled myself out of my sports bra, and sat to nurse him while Austin reheated some dinner I’d made the night before, while simulataneous throwing more veggies on for my dinner.  I ate the veggies with one hand while I snuggled Liam in the crook of the other.  Austin started a bath while I started tummy time on my yoga mat.  Liam spit up all over the yoga mat.  Tummy time was not our favorite portion this evening.  Or really any evening for that matter.  Liam ate again, and promptly fell asleep. We ditched the idea of the evening bath, prayed for forgiveness from the water gods, and drained the now-cold water from the tub.  I fished the last few wipes from the bottom of the plastic container, and instead of a bath, it was a bird bath kind of night.  Austin cooed at Liam while we did a little baby massage, and wrangled him into a contraption that seems to have helped him sleep a little more soundly throughout the night.  He ate again (little man is growing), and fell asleep.  This time, it was actually bedtime, and the night felt like it was just beginning.  I collected diapers that were too-small to ship to a friend.  I put diapers, clean clothes, and wipes in the baby bag.  I washed bottles and parts to the pump, only to sit down a short time later and milk them up again.  I washed some clothes that had been spit-up on.  I charged my iPad, since I will camp in the pump room at work a few times tomorrow. Today was a big spit-up day.  I packed my breakfast, some higher-fiber oatmeal.  Because fiber is the jam. I balanced my lunch.  Lots of green things to a bit of pasta.  I brewed some tea while stuffing my manual pump into a ziplock with some paper towels.  And I tossed the tea back before jumping into the shower and falling into bed.

I feel like I’ve lived 89 lives.  I feel like a mom?

A day in the life!

| cheriarmour

I’ve talked about it here, what I do for work.  My work as Group Fitness Director is awesome.  I think one of the coolest things about the work, besides getting to teach a ton of group fitness classes…

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Me, after an early morning class.

…is that no two days are the same. And I think when I “became an adult,” a phrase I really use loosely, one of my biggest fears was that I would get sucked into a profession, where I was doing the same thing every single day. The thought of doing something that wouldn’t allow me to be on my feet or would be the same drudgery day in and day out really scared me, and thinking back, it’s something that has scared me since childhood. I distinctly remember being in high school, where the most variety we had was A-day B-Day scheduling, being terrified that this was what real life might be like. Thankfully, years later, the Y presented itself as an amazing opportunity, and it was clear that no two days were the same.

Which is mostly really cool.

Mostly.

Tonight, I closed the building, which all directors do once a week. I don’t mind, and usually, instead of sitting in front of my laptop the entire night, I run around, doing little projects or putting out little fires. So tonight was no different. I set up the prenatal yoga class, tore it down, visited the Zumba, Vinyasa, and Cycle classes, and checked on the kid downstairs who came in last minute for us.

Close to closing though, we ran into a rather large snafu. Somewhere along the way, someone gave a member the wrong keys, and the member took the keys home, leaving another member with the wrong keys.

Launch full-blown investigation.

From the wrong keys, I was able to gather  that the member was actually a member of a Y in Greater Charlotte.  I called the Siskey YMCA and begged for them to call the members emergency contact based on the info I gave them.  They did.  His parents confirmed that those were their son’s keys, and gave me their blessing to call him.  I called, we figured out that he had the wrong keys, and in a snap-decision judgement, I took off, went to the members home, and swapped out the keys.

To say that today wasn’t dull is the understatement of the entire century.  Here’s to tomorrow being the most boring, mundane, and dull day January 2016 has ever seen.

What do YOU do for work?  

What does your day consist of?

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.

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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?

What I do.

| cheriarmour

I posted this picture to social media yesterday.

Alexander TrainingAnd I realize that I’ve always sort of vaguely alluded to what it is that I do, but it’s not really clear to you folks what exactly I do (other than eat and run a lot).  And I’d love to hear what is is you guys, my readers do.

So I am a director at a central Y here in Raleigh.  More specifically, I am the Group Fitness Director.

What does that mean?

Have you ever belonged to a larger gym and taken a group fitness class?  Ever scrolled through the online schedule and cherry picked exactly which class it us what you wanted to take?  Wonder who updates the app?  That person is me!

So, as a Group Fitness Director, there isn’t really a “typical” day, because so much goes into a day and coordination there.  Which I was told when I was interviewing for the job and did the part where they ask if you have any questions.  And what you really want to ask is “how much Ima get paid,” but that’s so rude, you can’t.  And let’s be real, none of us work in nonprofit for the cash, so it really only matters that you can pay your rent and student loans, and most of us are happy!

So there is not a typical day.  But I’ll use today as an example.  Today, a Monday, I’ll try to wake up early and get in a quick workout.  Sometimes that means driving to the branch, parking my car, and doing a short run from there.  Sometimes it means meeting friends over at the state park and busting out some trail miles.  And sometimes it means popping downtown for a HIIT class at a boutique up there, only a few blocks from work.

After this workout, usually I head home, shower, and am in the office between 9:30 and 10 am.  I’ll set my laptop up, and get to answering emails.  On a Monday like today (and this is why it might seem like I’m ignoring your texts on a Monday), I will log into a special program to make sure that my staff (of about 80 instructors) gets paid on time.  If this work isn’t finished, it’s really bad, so you never really want to take a “critical Monday” off of work, and if you are, you need to make sure your boss knows and can sign off on some time sheets.

Usually when I get done with payroll and am sure that any hiccups on the time sheets is fixed, it’s about lunchtime.  Sometimes I’ve thrown something together in a lunchbox and will head down to the lobby with my office mate to eat lunch and chat about life.  Sometimes I go home to eat and let the dog out, and head back to work.

At this point, I’ll send a few more emails, and then get bored enough that I need to do a lap around the building.  I’ll visit my boss, my bosses boss, the HR lady, some of the people in the youth office, and I will head allll the way down to the ground floor to check on the studios.  I’ll pump up some Bosus, check on the bikes, and check the mics.

This time of year, were are gearing up for the annual campaign, our campaign to raise money for our programs, since we are nonprofit, and that means lots of meetings, lots of phone calls, and lots of hustling to make sure we make our goal.  Right now, and today, I am hustling to get volunteers and to encourage folks who may want to volunteers for the campaign, kicking off next month, to learn more.

Mid-afternoon, I usually answer any phone calls I may not have caught, especially while I was working down in the lobby or lapping the building.  And after that, I am usually only left with enough time to quickly change close, and head downstairs to teach one or two classes.

Like I said, my day is rarely repeated.  So while this may be a Monday, a Tuesday may mean that I have a program that I’m running with a local doctor’s office, a Gentle Yoga class to sub, or a broken mic I need to deal with.  Sometimes I feel on top of the world – like every single lick of work I can do has been accomplished.  Sometimes I feel like I have way way more to do, and that I shouldn’t even consider going home, let alone enjoying time to be creative, and write and work on the blog.

I’ve been working to find that balance.

But I will leave you with this.

When I was looking for a job in 2011 and having a really really hard time, my father seemed really really confused as to why I simply wouldn’t just take a job a a local credit union or in finance, the way a lot of my friends at school had.  I couldn’t do it because I was sure I would be miserable, and the thought of sitting at a desk all day, without an opportunity to get up and move around paralyzed me.  You see, our parents grew up in a time where you didn’t have to necessarily enjoy your work, so long as it made you a living.  Call me, call us a bunch of entitled, bratty millenials, but I knew what I wanted.  And the Y was  the perfect marriage of programming, nonprofit work, and a practical teaching piece.

Now, enough about me.  What do you do?  Do you enjoy your work?  

How I Landed My Job

| cheriarmour

Hi! (Whenever I say that, it makes me think of this vine).

I hope you guys had a good 4th. I went to Atlanta with some friends from Elon, while my husband headed to his mom’s to help her move some stuff. It was really cool to see my friends, some of whom I haven’t seen since Elon Homecoming last year. Everyone seems like they’re doing well, and we all get a huge kick out of giving each other a hard time.

Elon ReunionPeep how cute this high-waisted bikini I snagged from ModCloth is!

ModClothI appreciate the vintage style, and I snagged this bikini because I saw this style on a few girls at the beach last week, and was impressed by how forgiving it was.

How I Landed my Job

First off, I totally stole this from Kristyn at Chits and Giggles, who took us through how she landed her gig at Coca-Cola.  It was really interesting because I too came to my job in a fun way, and I’m always interested to see how other folks land their jobs.

So, I am a Group Fitness Director at a Y here.  The job is amazing, incredible, and I feel often like I’m living a dream with the position.

So the way I got it.

I’m not sure I even quite realized that being a Group Fitness Director was a thing until I worked for UREC at NC State.  Suddenly, what I wanted to do started to become clear.  My heart was in group fitness, teaching, weight loss, nutrition, and counseling, and I wasn’t really sure how to do it.

One of the best things I ever did was to get a job with Fleet Feet Raleigh shortly after I graduated, and I’m so grateful that Bob (owner) took a chance on me, and I’ll tell you why in just a minute.

So, in the summer of 2012, the woman who was in my position moved on from the job, and I applied for the position a clueless 20-something with not a whole lot of job experience.  I think I remember the interview going well, but not having networked a ton around Raleigh, and not having a ton of job experience, the position went to another candidate, and I was devastated.  For a few days after I got the news that I didn’t get the job, I took the hit extremely personally, and cried for days.

After crying, I think I wasn’t entirely sure what my next move should be, and I asked people around me what I should do.  A few people were angry on my behalf, and told me that I should quit teaching my classes and sever all ties with the Y.  And I think deep down, we all have that desire in there, but the thought of not teaching my classes anymore there was really even more devastating.  I made the conscious decision to stick it out there, stick with Fleet Feet Raleigh, and begin applying to jobs, learning about the field, and networking with the hopes of eventually becoming Group X Director.

Fleet Feet Raleigh

I’d like to take a second here to talk about my time with Fleet Feet Raleigh (FFR), which I really need to credit for a lot.  Fleet Feet Raleigh is a running specialty shop, specializing in running.  Running shoes, apparel, nutrition, and hydration is our bread and butter.  I have to credit FFRal with helping me to grow as a candidate.  In my time there, Bob (our fearless leader), encouraged and supported my foray into this blog, provided me leadership opportunities, allowed me to learn and play with social media, and really provided me the tools I needed to become more marketable in this field.  He and his wife, Kathy, are truly the bomb.

So, last year, in the thick of us preparing to get married, I received word along with the monthly schedule requests that our Group Fitness Director was moving on elsewhere.  I wanted to go for it again, but I was honestly afraid of how humiliated I might feel if I didn’t get the job again.  One night, walking around the mall parking lot, I asked Austin about what he thought.  He was supportive, told me to go for it, and reminded me that if I didn’t get it for whatever reason, that I shouldn’t beat myself up, and that it didn’t mean that I wasn’t valuable.

So I sent Matt, my current boss, an email, and explained that I had applied for the position once before, and hadn’t gotten it, but was still interested.  He responded, and called me within the next few days, and asked if I’d like to set up an interview.

!!!

I really don’t remember a ton about that first interview to be honest, because I was trying to approach it as chill as possible.  Matt called me a few days later and asked me to come back for a second interview, this one an interview with maybe four people there.  That was was intimidating, but I really tried to speak from my heart.  I talked about my passion for group fitness.  I talked about not getting the position before and the grown I felt like I’d had in the 2(ish) years since.  I just was really honest.

Again, a few days later, Matt called and asked me to come in to meet with our branch director.  This interview was really more like a chat, and Dan was really warm and welcoming to me.  Again, I was really trying to be chill about this whole thing, so I tried not to get too excited, and with each meeting, I made sure to send a thank you and remind myself that if this didn’t go my way, there was probably a reason why it wouldn’t work out.

Matt stayed in touch with me.  He assigned me to evaluate a class one weekend.  He checked in with me regarding salary.  And finally, one day when I was at work, I recognized Matt’s phone number.

“Hey Cheri!  Is now a good time?”

Is that a trick question…

“We just want to thank you so much for going through this process with us..”

Oh dammit.  He’s breaking up with me…prepare for it…here it comes…

“…With the passion and the growth you’ve demonstrated…and…we just wanted to go ahead and offer you the position.  Now we don’t want you to answer us today, I want you to take a day or two to think about it..”

!!!

One fist went up in the air.  But I had to keep it together so I wouldn’t look like a jerk on the phone and so I wouldn’t distract from the regular day going on at my job.

Needless to say I took the job.  And I have not looked back.  I truly feel like I’m living my dream.  I get to teach classes, schedule classes, supervise a large staff, and develop my skills at a nonprofit – all things I feel truly passionate about.  I actually enjoy going to my job, and can see myself there for a long time, and hope that they feel the same about.

So all that great big long post aside:

What do you do (work-wise)?

How did you land your job?

I removed my work email off my phone, and no one died.

| cheriarmour

Months and months ago, a friend asked me, over coffee, what my biggest struggle was.

I told him, quite simply “balance“.

It’s a well-know fact that within my family, we don’t really do anything halfway.  I don’t just exercise a bit, I do it for a living.  I don’t just sort of like Gavin DeGraw, I’ve seen him on like 5 separate occasions.  It’s kind of why I don’t do drugs.  Because I’m not a casual do-er of anything.  It’s really all or nothing.  Which is why balance can be an issue in my life.

I want to do it all, run it all, work all the time, and still fit in time to teach, work out, and play with my friends.  But that becomes a little challenging when you realize that there are only 24 hours in a day, and that sleeping is a must.  And not getting my work done isn’t really an option either.

I started to notice a month or two back that I would noticeably become agitated  and anxious around 7 a.m. when some of my instructors would wake up and start sending messages.  Typically, the messages themselves were perfectly fine, but I would feel the need to immediately respond to them before my feet even hit the floor to get ready for work, and there’s something a little weird about that.

So last week, my 4s started to grind to a halt, and I swapped my phone over to another, functioning 4s so that I could squeeze a little time out before I have to take the plunge and buy a new phone.  Because of this, I never got around to the convoluted system there is to set your work email up on your phone, so in essence the only time I’ve had access to my work email is when I’m on my work laptop.

Which has been, in a word, glorious. 

At first I was nervous.  Nervous that I would miss something important, or that someone would be upset with me for my less-than-immediate response to their questions.  But that has not happened.  I have responded to emails once I’ve opened my laptop in the order that I’ve received them.  Nothing will fall to the wayside.  No one has been upset.  And it has been such a blessing for balance and such a blessing for my sense of well-being.

How have you worked to bring more balance to your life?  

Miss Manners

| cheriarmour

I wore full makeup to work the other day.

And most of you that know me know that I’m a very strictly BB cream and mascara type of girl. And that’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with cosmetics – I absolutely love them, however, in my job, it really doesn’t make a ton of sense to do much more than the BB and the mascara.

I spend the daytime part of my job in business casual as much as I can, and then the other part of my job, especially when I’m running or teaching classes, is spent sweating up a storm, and if you’ve ever seen someone in full makeup after a good sweat session, it looks silly.

[Disclaimer: if you feel more comfortable wearing makeup while you work out, that is completely up to you, and I totally get it. Judgement-free zone.]

So all of that to say is that I rock a pretty natural look during the day. But last week, after a night of interrupted sleep thanks to the cats, I decided that not only would I go a little more heavy-handed with the tinted BB cream, but that I would even go for my liquid eyeliner, just to wake those eyes up a little bit.

Selfie

As I walked through the doors at work, someone remarked with utter shock and amazement, “Cheri’s wearing makeup!!” loudly enough for everyone on the floor to hear. She accompanied this with her mouth hanging wide open. I was really embarrassed. I get it, maybe I looked a little different. But is it absolutely necessary to point out that I look scary without makeup (evidently) and that I put in a little extra effort that day?

Two things I think Miss Manners wants me to tell you if you’ve ever been guilty of making a statement like that one…

  • Don’t comment on when you feel someone looks “tired”.  They might be tired.  They might look like shit.  But they certainly aren’t being told anything they don’t know, and are most likely hoping that no one notices how rough they’re looking/feeling.
  • There is a way to compliment someone if they put on some extra makeup and stuff.  You look really nice!  Period!  End of story!  Reminding someone that they usually come to work looking like Shrek, but today, things are different, which is a pleasant change for you, is not helpful. It’s actually rude.

So – just curious. How much, or how little makeup do you usually wear?

Your first CD.

| cheriarmour

I know it’s really early to call it, but I think I love my job.

So last week, I had my first official day of work here in Raleigh as the Group Fitness Director of the YMCA here in our area.  I’ve said this before, but I’ve had my eye on this position for a while, and it seemed as if it sort of just fell into my lap in May when I got a call to come interview again for the position.

So now, I feel as though I’m living in a dream when I get to go to work at a place I’ve been dreaming about for the last two years.

My first day there was a doozy, I arrived and immediately got to work teaching a modified fitness class to bunches of kids.  I was literally so amped after that day that I couldn’t sleep that next night, and nearly overslept the next day in the office.

Over the next few days, I have been in my new office, meeting people, sending lots of emails, going to tons of meetings, and taking a TON of fitness classes so I can meet my staff and evaluate their classes.

So today, at my first director’s meeting, I participated in a tradition where as a director, I had to sing the song of my choice at the first meeting, while the rest of the directors cheered me on.  Another director hollered as I was standing in front of the room, “SING SOMETHING THAT WAS ON THE FIRST CD YOU EVER HAD!”

And immediately, I busted out into Christina Aguilera’s amazing second single, ‘What a Girl Wants’.

My first CD. 

So years ago, I had this little grey boom box, and my mom had some kind of subscription service, and allowed me to pick a few cds out of it.  One of them was Destiny’s Child – The Writing’s on the Wall, and the second was Christina Aguilera – Christina Aguilera.  To say that I was obsessed with both of CDs wouldn’t do what I did with them justice.

via Wikipedia.org
via Wikipedia.org

Peep the horrid makeup and the zig-zag part!

via Wikipedia.org
via Wikipedia.org

Peep the cornrows! Hellow, late ’90s!

And yes, that’s Mrs. Carter down in the front.

I can, to this day, sing every song, starting on the write note, and kill all the ad libs without skipping a beat. Since then, Queen Bey kicked everyone out of the group, has gotten married, and has a kid. Aguilera is engaged and pregnant with baby number two. Try that one one for making you feel old!

Tell me what your first CD was!!