2018 Round Up




Well what a year 2018 has been and seriously why has it gone so quick. I never thought at the end of 2017 that just a year on I would be where I am right now. Just a few days into the year me and Liam put an offer in on a lovely 3 bedroom house... and the offer was accepted straight away. We finally moved in March and since then things have been focused on decorating the house to how we want it. I really didn't expect us to have the majority of the house finished by the end of this year but we have really surprised ourselves and created ourselves a lovely cosy home. This has also meant a lot more time with Liam which has been perfect after living apart for so long of our relationship, most nights are spent just enjoying each others company whilst sat in the games room playing on our PC's or consoles, it has definitely become our most used room. I have also discovered this year Liam is actually a really good cook and for that reason he does all the cooking in our house (although I want to try get involved more). 


I think this one may also tie into moving out and having my own space as my mental health has gotten a lot better. Things have been going great, the only set backs have been if things weren't going right with the house and I was getting stressed, but luckily I had Liam on hand to calm me down and reassure me of how things would work out, which they definitely did. 2018 has really taught me how responsible I can actually be too, I aren't wasting money as much as I used to and not once have we struggled to pay bills etc. which is something I was told I would struggle with when I entered the real world, I am so glad I could prove people wrong.

 People always told me to live my life before moving out as things would change and I wouldn't be able to afford the things I have always done. However, in 2018 I have been to 3 of my all time favourite concerts, I saw Nickelback once again who seem to get better and better every time I see them. Me and my auntie also went to see Britney Spears who is someone I have loved for so long so this was absolutely fantastic, she really does put on a brilliant show. Finally I saw Demi Lovato the one person I had waited over 10 years to see, and what a fantastic show that was she is fantastic live and it was definitely worth the wait, poor Liam got dragged along to this one with me but I think he enjoyed himself too.

Football played a big part in 2018 too, we obviously renewed our Bradford City season tickets and although the start of this season has been terrible things may slowly be turning around for us. There has been plenty of women's games throughout the year we have been watching too. Including us taking my parents to some of their first Man City women's games, which they loved, in fact my dad actually said he preferred it over watching some of the men's games. He has since gone on to follow most players on Instagram and actually started paying attention to what is going on in the leagues I just can't seem to get him interested in the American leagues. From this we even went to our first England women's game, even though we lost it was a great experience as I finally got to see Rachel Daly play.

One of the worst parts of 2018 for me is the fact that the blog has been seriously lacking, this is mainly due to me spending more time doing work on the house. However, I already have plenty of ideas sorted for 2019 and can't wait to get to work on them. I can't see anything stopping me from blogging in the new year, I am hoping for more days and nights in which could definitely double up as blogging days.

See you soon,
Lucy

Under Armour Haul

It has been decided... I am back in the gym next year. At my last physio appointment I was told I could go back as long as I didn't over do it so come January I will be hitting the gym 3 times a week, I am determined to get my strength back in my leg along with finally loosing weight and getting fit once again. I am just hoping that 2019 doesn't have too many set backs as I really want to get back on track. Alongside the gym I will also be doing some football training in the garden or on a local field once the lighter nights come back.

Since I was last working out I have gained a lot of weight therefore my workout clothing doesn't actually fit me any more which give me the perfect excuse to go out and start putting together my new workout wardrobe. So here is what I have picked up so far...

I seem to have fallen into a love of Under Armour clothing, so I knew I was going to be all kitted out in this brand. The clothing just looks so simple but is really good for exercising in. Not only would I wear this for the gym and football but I would also wear this for when I go to my physio appointments. DW sports had some pretty good offers on over the weekend so I managed to pick up this t-shirt for just £20 which I think is really good value for your money. I absolutely love how it is black but with the grey accents on the edge.
 I also picked up these shorts for £22 as they match the t-shirt a little as they have the grey logo on the black shorts. I can't cope with shorts from the women's department as they are just too short, which is why I love the Under Armour ones as they come in a variety of sizes and these just fit me much better.

Sports socks are my favourite, either ankle socks or crew socks, my drawers are full of Nike one in all colours but I really fancied trying some new ones as the Nike ones are close to being thrown out. These Under Armour ones were £8 a pack and you get 3 pairs in a pack which is brilliant. They are nice and thick and super soft which is just what I need for the treadmill and training. 
Finally we went to TK Maxx and I was surprised to find this 1/4 zip Under Armour top for £16.99, I had been looking at one the same for a lot more in DW so there was no way I was leaving this behind. It is a really thin material but is really soft. It will do for the journey to the gym or when I am training outdoors, I may even wear it whilst I am in the gym on colder days. The colour also goes with the rest of the items I managed to pick up.

I am one of these people who can't mix and match their brands whilst working out, I need to stick to just one as I think it just looks better so you can definitely expect to see more hauls coming very soon as I have quite a few bits I want to pick up and I can see most of it being Under Armour.

See you soon
Lucy

Last Week #28


Christmas is getting nearer and I am getting more stressed out. All last week was spent doing bits of Christmas shopping. The bad weather also arrived Saturday, we went to the football and ending up coming home at half time, which I don't think we have ever done before but there was no way we could have sat out any longer. It didn't help I fell on the ice when we were setting off. Quite a bit of shopping was done but it wasn't just for Christmas, I have struggled with my body image this week so me and Liam have decided that we will be joining the gym in the new year as well as eating better, I need to cut back on takeaways and actually get in the kitchen cooking, due to this we went out and got some bits for the kitchen and gym gear. So here is what I had....

Been Watching: In a week I have completed the first season of One Tree Hill and it is just as good as I remember. I really need to get some Christmas films watched though as I have usually watched a lot by now but One Tree Hill has consumed most of my time.

Been reading : I really got back into reading blogs last week. My favourites to be reading at the moment are gift guides and anything fitness related. 

Been listening to : I hadn't even been listening to Christmas music last week, I just constantly had Tegan and Sara on repeat, they announced they have a book coming out soon which I really can't wait for.

Bought : I went a bit crazy on the Christmas shopping, I got quite a few presents for family members, including the chef's knife in the above for Liam. I also got a few bits to get some kitchen organising done.

Plans for this week : I want to get the kitchen sorted out this week including all the cupboards and fridge, things just need organising as I keep forgetting where to put things. I also need to get all my Christmas presents wrapped and cards wrote. The wardrobe also needs a really good tidy, I am thinking of lining the shelves to stop damage happening to my clothes. If I have time after all this I want to get some Christmas films watched and look into the gym we will be going to as well as looking at a few bits I want for when I get to the gym.

Last weeks posts : Unfortunately there hasn't been any posts due to how crazy it has been in the run up to Christmas however, I have a few posts I am working on.

So there you have it that was my week. What have you guys been up to?

See you soon
Lucy

The 1st Female Ballon d'Or


Finally in 2018 the first ever female Ballon d'Or has been awarded. This award has been awarded every year since 1956 by France football for the men's game however this year it was finally introduced for the women's game. The France football award is selected by a select group of journalists with one representative per country. When voting there is 3 main criteria which is the individual & team performance throughout the year, fair play and the players career to date all very valued parts of the game.  

The inaugural winner for the women's Ballon d'Or was no other than Lyon and Norway's Ada Hegerberg. At just 23 year old Hegerberg is has always in my opinion been one of the stand out players of the game. Just watching her play for Lyon you can just immediately see what she brings to the team. A prominent goal scorer for the club she can also provide plenty in the build up of play and creating opportunities for other players. I was actually lucky enough to see her play back in April this year, when Lyon played Manchester City in the Champions league. Although that game ended 0-0 honestly the way Lyon played especially the likes of Hegerberg I am surprised there wasn't a couple of goals for Lyon, the way she plays she is determined to give 100% just like the rest of the Lyon. 

The way Lyon play it is no surprise that there were actually 7 members of the team nominated for the award, but Hegerberg stood out from the rest and came out on top. Not surprising really seen as at just 23 year old she has already won the Champions League 3 times (even more impressively these wins all came consecutively).  

Most nominees are regulars for their countries as well as clubs (some have picked up injuries but bounce back to the squad once fit), which makes it even more incredible that Hegerberg has won the award as she hasn't played internationally for Norway since 2017, she took a break due to a belief there was a lack of respect for the women playing football for the country. Since this break Norway now offer equal pay for the male and female footballers however, it is still unknown when Hegerberg will return to the Norway squad. With the 2019 world cup coming up and Norway having qualified (without Hegerberg on the field) it is a question of will she be a part of the biggest tournament or will she stick with her break. 

So here is how the results stood for the first ever female Ballon d'Or:

1. Ada Hegerberg (Lyon)
2. Perniller Harder (Wolfsburg / Denmark)
3. Dzsenifer Marozsán (Lyon / Germany)
4. Marta (Orlando Pride / Brazil)
5. Sam Kerr (Chicago Red Stars / Australia)
6. Lucy Bronze (Lyon / England)
7. Amandine Henry (Lyon / France)
8. Wendie Renard (Lyon / France)
9. Megan Rapinoe (Seattle reign / United States
10. Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns / United States)
11. Lieke Martens (Barcelona / Netherlands)
12. Saki Kumagai (Lyon / Japan)
13. Amel Majri (Lyon / France)
14. Fran Kirby (Chelsea / England)
15. Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns / Canada)

All these players on the list are well deserving of the nomination, I was expecting with it to have a few more American players on the list just to get it a little more noticed but I am glad the players that deserved it are well represented. Some players on the list to watch out for in the future are Sam Kerr, Lindsey Horan and Fran Kirby. 
Sam is doing so well at the Red Stars, I can't wait to see how she does in her 2nd season with the team, also it will be great to see how she performs with Australia at the world cup next year as due to Sam's striking ability and their connection as a team they are actually one of my underdog teams who I think will surprise a lot of people.
 Lindsey is a player who had a fantastic seasons with the Thorns scoring plenty of goals, being solid in midfield and creating plenty of opportunities for those around her, when she links with the likes of Emily Sonnett and Tobin Heath, not much can go wrong. Lindsey is another one I am hoping goes to the world cup as she really deserves the opportunity to prove the world class player she is becoming, plus her headers will be a huge help for the USWNT just as they have been for the Thorns. 
As for Fran, she is the best forward England have at the moment in my opinion, we just need to keep her injury free in the run up to the world cup. Fran has great technical ability and a brilliant goal scoring ability, she helps lead Chelsea to countless victories and always gives it 100%, she really is becoming a household name within the English game (she is one of the only ones my mum can remember), I may be a Man City fan but Fran is one of my favourites and I can't wait to see what she can do next year.

Some possible future candidates in my eyes are Tobin Heath, Steph Houghton and Kelley O'Hara. Yes I am aware that 2 out of 3 of these are American but they just have such a good team going on at the moment they are really hard to ignore especially with the world cup fast approaching. 

Tobin is a player who suffered her fair share of injuries throughout 2017, but she came back and helped the Thorns to a Championship title. She then had a brilliant 2018, leading the Thorns to another title and becoming a huge part of the USWNT over 2018, she has even been nominated for player of the year for the USWNT in 2018 which is well deserved. Lets just hope she stays injury free in 2019.
Steph Houghton is both captain of Manchester City & England and an absolutely solid defender. Steph gives 100% every game and is a crucial player in defence for both club and country, she really isn't afraid to put her body on the line. Not only is Steph brilliant in defence but her free kicks are brilliant along side her plays that come from set pieces, Steph can definitely provide her fair share of goals. Again as long as she can stay injury free for the world cup Steph surely has a guaranteed spot on the England world Cup Roster.    
Kelley O'Hara, striker for Stanford defender for the USWNT, over the years Kelley has been put in plenty of positions on the field but plays really well in them all. She provided a goal in the 2015 world cup against Germany (the flying squirrel as I still refer to it) which was a brilliant goal and helped the USWNT progress to the final, she also provides crucial tackles when required proving to be a brilliant all rounder. Kelley joined the Utah Royals last season and was playing so well until unfortunately injury hit and kept her out for a while however when she came back to both the Royals and the USWNT she slotted back in as though she had never picked up the injury. She has had ankle surgery in the off season so lets hope she stays fit ready for the 2019 world cup. 

These players could definitely be contenders next year if they can do well for both club and country. With the addition of the Ballon d'Or it really does raise the question of where is the women's game going to go next? Things are only getting better for the game and I am excited to see what the future holds as 2018 really has been a good year for the game. 

See you soon,
Lucy

Last Week #27


Last week was a bit of a relaxed one again, I was off work to go Christmas shopping with my nanna on Monday, where I spent a fortune and got a huge chunk of shopping out of the way. The rest of the week consisted of work with night just relaxing. Saturday was a day spent inside cleaning and just getting some general jobs done, where as Sunday was a day of Christmas decoration shopping and gaming. So here is what I had....

Been Watching: We have finally finished Making a murderer and I am already wanting a 3rd season. Thanks to this I ended up watching a lot of different crime videos over on YouTube. I also started re-watching season 11 of the Big Bang Theory.

Been reading : I managed to catch up on a lot of blogs throughout the week which was great as I have actually missed reading them.

Been listening to : There were the odd few Christmas songs playing throughout the week however, Tegan and Sara have been on constantly, I just really wish they would bring new music out soon.

Bought : I got a lot of Christmas presents for people throughout the week and a lot of decorations (which I will do a post about soon), I did however manage to finally get some new jeans and tops. Liam treated us to a Nintendo Switch and Pokémon Lets Go so I managed to pick up Fifa 19 for it and a case.

Plans for this week : I really want to get more posts up on here as my motivation is returning. I am also hoping to have a pretty relaxed week which will include decorating the house for Christmas. I might even get my Christmas shopping completed too.

Last weeks posts : Unfortunately there were no posts as I was really struggling to find motivation. Although I think that motivation is creeping back now.

So there you have it that was my week. What have you guys been up to?

See you soon
Lucy