football | This Northern Belle

This was quite a year. It was filled with a lot of firsts. We had vacations, guests come and visit, concerts, parties, and more. I’d say 2014 was one for the books. I’m grateful for being able to blog through most of it and sharing it with you. But I must say I’m looking forward to making 2015 even better! Here is a glance at the incredible year David and I have had! January: The year started with plenty of snow storms. At the time, we were at our old apartment and I believe there were several days that we ended up snowed in. Although I’m not complaining because there is something very cozy (and a bit apocolyptic) about being snowed in! Other January adventures? David crashed his car :/ On that snow that I just stated that we “love”… February: Friends came and visited and we started to really feel at home in our new-ish home. It was a great feeling. We also picked up a new hobby of finding open houses on weekends and going to pretend we were in the market for a new home. There is never a dull moment with David. Plus our first Valentines Day together! David surprised me with dinner, chocolate, flowers, balloons, I’m talkin’ the works! Now the pressure is on for next year ;) March: In March my whole family went to see Flogging Molly, courtesy of my sister and brother-in-law for Christmas! We are Irish through and through so you can imagine we got very into this concert. Looking back at these pictures is making me miss my long hair! April: This year I had a big reunion with my household from college. #Stella. It was pure bliss seeing all my best friends and girls I haven’t seen since graduation. I wish I could have a reunion every year. We also spent Easter at the hospital this year to be with my aunt who had been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. As of now?!? She’s cancer free! God is good. May: My sister, mom and I ran in our first (official) 5k. And let me just say… it felt good. It was an Ovarian Cancer run for my aunt and I have to say it was much more emotional than I thought it’d be. Even injuring my foot was well worth it. I also got to start up on my very first garden this year on our little balcony. It was simple and small but it did the job. We had fresh basil for pesto and tomatos for sauces in no time. I may or may not have killed off some peppers by accident… June: What happens in June?!? We celebrate my birthday of course! And I was really gettin’ into this whole getting healthy thing. Weights became my game. Let’s just say it was a love/hate relationship. July: This was definitly one of our busier months of the year! To celebrate David’s birthday and the 4th of July, we went up to Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes in Northern Michigan. Apparently climbing the dunes was a much bigger feat than we had expected. But we did it and were proud of it… Although that may be the only time we climb them… We ALSO made another annual trip up to Mackinac Island with the fam! This year was a weirder year for us and had a hint of the drama but it was still well worth the vacation time. August: My mom taught me how to make jam! Good ole’ fashion strawberry jam. AND I went to camp for the first time in my life! Well… I went as a counselor but who can complain when your horseback riding, swimming and crafting for a whole week in beautiful northern Michigan? Not this girl. September: Fall is here. And ya know what that means?!? Cider Mills. We went to a fair amount and sampled plenty of doughnuts and cider. Oh… and we made a big decision. To move or not to move when the lease is up. Well you probably already know. We started looking for a new place to call Home Pt. 2! October: This is almost always one of my favorite months. But for different reasons then when I was a kid. This year we celebrated our One Year Anniversary! Plus we made the BIG (and hectic) MOVE! We left our first home as a couple and headed into our current town home. I’d rather wait a while before we move again. Not exactly a fun experience. Oh, and I got promoted at work! And of course we did some Halloween-y type things… November: Another busy month for us! We visited friends, ran in the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, just started to get settled into our new home, AND I got my wisdom teeth out. This month I was thankful for General Anesthetics. December: This December was a little crazy, a little hectic, but a lot enjoyable. I even finished my 25th book of the year! Getting closer to my 50 books in a year goal! Also this month David and I went to see Wicked at the Detroit Opera House, we visited an NFL exhibit and got to see a REAL Lombardi trophy (see our reflection below, we just don’t take normal pictures), went to see a Houston Texans game in Indianaplois (the Texans lost though, still a sore subject with David;) and we spent some quality time together. It has been the perfect way to end 2014. There is a lot I will miss about 2014. But I really don’t like living in the past which is why I’m hoping 2015 will be it’s own kind of wonderful. I made goals this year and I crushed goals this year. I made meories and I captured memories. 2015 has a lot to live up to, although it’s at an unfair advantage because 2014 was a lot of David and my firsts. BUT all the more reason to make 2015 just as good, if not better than the last. Here we go! Happy New Year, friends! See you next year!

I have not always been the biggest football fan. Growing up I would roll my eyes when my dad or brother had it on TV, just waiting till I could change the channel.

But over the years (I think high school football was the change) I have slowly started associating football with fall, and even started paying attention to the game. Thank goodess I did, too, because when I met David, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.

He’s from Texas. Where football is bred in kids from a small age. So when David and I started dating, as with most couples picking up on each others interests, I started becoming more interested in football (mostly so I could understand what he was yelling at the TV). Now I’ve grown to love the sport, not as much as David, but enough to go to all the NFL football stadiums to see the Houston Texans play (and to head to Indiana in December for a game).

With that said, we are a split household. David is a Texans fan. And naturally, I’m a Detroit Lions fan. But because we are in different conferences and barley play each other, this hardly ever seems to be an issue. So I tend to root the Texans on too, as he also does with the Lions.

If you are looking for any NFL jerseys this holiday season I would suggest looking to Fanatics. They are a great company for purchasing your jerseys from, as you can get any from the high end of jerseys to the more moderatly priced ones and all teams in between. But when I was putting together my outfit, I couldn’t just do one, now could I?! I had to support both of my teams.

So here are a few outfit ideas if you are heading to the big game this Sunday. Obviously if you’re heading to a Lions game you’ll want to bundle up a bit more, hence the sweater for underneath. And I figured with the Texans you could get away with some lighter layers. Let me know which outfit you’d wear! And yes, you can base it on which team you root for…

I had to represent my boy JJ Watt for the Texans. He.Is.An.Animal.

But be sure to check out Fanatics for all your jersey needs! This is a perfect Christmas gift for the NFL lover in your life. And I’m sure you’ll find something in your price range, too!