FINALLY news you can use #21: the best thing that happens every four years - the WORLD CUP, yo

because i'm getting ready to leave you all for SO long (a whole week!!! ::gasps fill the blogosphere::), i thought it was only fair for me to show you my love by providing you with some very important news you can use!  

by now, you've probably forgotten what that even is, so let me remind you: some of you don't have time to or choose not to keep yourself in the know about important events.  no need to fear, in each edition of news you can use! i supply you with only the very best weekly news.  this news includes - but is not limited to - such important things as: world news, famies news, movie news, reality tv news, interesting and weird happenings news, things i happen to find important or freakishly cool news, and my news (aka - what's going on in my life news). i know. all really exciting stuff.  so sit back, grab a grande skinny vanilla soy latte or a bottle of wine and know you are will be more informed after reading this.  

please know that this week's edition is going to be a little different; really, the only news you can use! right now revolves around the world cup.  and of course, the most gorgeous world cup players.  i'll give a little background and some facts on the players and teams, though i'm sure hutch will be the only one who actually reads that.  the rest of you will just be looking, jaw-dropped and the pictures.  (and by the way, i'm half italian and half swiss; clearly, the italians take the cake on this whole contest.)

name: cristiano ronaldo

country: portugal

position: striker

cool facts: not only is he gorgeous, but he's an amazing player - he's the high paid footballer (soccer, for you americans) in the world.  and he looks amazing in armani underwear.  i'm sorry i can't say that is due to personal experience.

why we love him:not only is he gorgeous, but he's pretty amazing.  i don't particularly like his dating choices, but that doesn't change the fact that i like looking at him.

name: diego forlan

country: uruguay

position: striker

name: freddie ljungberg

country: sweden

position: goalkeeper

why we love him: he's swedish. he models underwear. he's athletic. he has his own blog. yep, he's got everything on our boyfriend checklist. and if he tastes anything like swedish fish, then i'm sure he's delicious.

name: fabio cannavaro

country: italy

position: defense (center back)

cool facts: he's the captain of the italian national team and won the FIFA world player of the year back in the 2006 world cup. 

why we love him: hellllllllo.  he name is freaking FABIO.  and look at him!  do i really need to elaborate????  didn't think so.

 name: carlos bocanegra

country: usa

position: defense (center back or left back)

why we love him: he's sort of kind of adorably cute.

name: yoann gourcuff

country: france

position: midfielder

why we love him: he's a bit of a newbie, but he's dang good.

have a good day.

you're welcome.

p.s. i recently joined a really sweet gym and signed up for some personal training sessions.  i'm planning to do a lot of intense cardio kickboxing courses as well as some MMA (mixed martial arts) training techniques.  my first class was last night and i can barely lift my arms today.  i'm considering taking a page out of shandal's book and posting some before and after type pics.  the thing is, i'm not sure how much my body is really going to change, at least in terms of weight.  i'm not looking to lose any weight, i'm just looking to get ripped (haha!) and really toned.  'm not doing p90x or any type of video training, so i'm wondering if i posted before and after pics would just be lame.  what do y'all think??  yea or nay??

take me back tuesday: the beginning of flash's soccer career and broken arms

so consensus has it i should do a vlog.  i hereby make a promise to you all and my bffff, squeaky, a vlog will be coming your way soon.  well, maybe soon.  depends on how you define "soon."  point is it will be happening.

now on to the whole reason why we all love tuesdays so much... the two pics below are near and dear to my heart and remind me of my early beginning at a long soccer career.

here's 8 year old (flash) on her first ever legitimate soccer team, the hotshots.  we were pink and blue because our team was made up of a bunch of very girlie girls and pink was THE color of the day.  who would have ever thought that from such humble beginnings, most of the girls i played with would go on to play division 1 college soccer and a few of which play professionally worldwide to this day.  now on to the important stuff - let me address my hair, beaver teeth, and broken arm.  until about age 8, i had rapunzel long hair.  i somehow got the brilliant idea to chop it all off and donate it to locks of love.  (i'm a giver like that.)  i also cut my own bangs.  obvs.  the teeth.  oh my gaaaawsh, the teeth.  i assume (seriously hope), we all had beaver-like teeth at some point or another.  (thank you for orthodontists and braces.)  the arm - this was my second broken arm.  by age 8, i had managed to break my left arm twice.  by age 14, i had managed to break my left arm not twice, but six times.  and i'm not talking little hairline fractions, i'm talking compound, clean breaks, some required screws.  for some reason upper body strength was never my strong suit, it seems.  wearing pink and being a little badass center-midfielder, on the other hand, was.

i hesitated even putting this picture up because it's hideous.  so feel free to point and laugh.  this was me around age 9.  age 9-12 = my super tomboy days.  hence the disgusting kate gosslin haircut.  i'm pretty sure kate got a tip out of my book and this was the haircut that inspired her own notorious wedge 'do.  same soccer team, but now instead of pink and blue, we graduated to red and blue.  less girlie, you know.  age 8, pink was cool, but now that i was 9, i would not be caught dead wearing pink.  i just now noticed the rolled up sleeves.  for some reason, i couldn't stand sleeves.  i still can't.  i always have to tuck my jersey and shorts up.  i swear i envy volleyball players in the spanky shorts and sleeveless tops.  if it were soccer protocol to wear stuff like that, i totally would.

take me back tuesday: college soccer days

seeing as though playing soccer is something i've spent a good seventeen years of my life playing, i should probably show y'all some soccer photos.  these pics take us back a few years ago while i was playing college soccer.  i LOVED it - playing soccer definitely made my college experience completely whole.  that and being a soristute.  we'll get to those sorority days another tuesday.

i think this picture is from a preseason game my junior year of college.  here i am being all fast like dribbling the ball down the field and sweating my little arse off.  it was seriously 99 degrees and 100% humidity that day.  it was always such a pleasure playing soccer in houston during the summer months and even into august and september.

this is one of my favorite pics that was taken during my senior year soccer season.  i distinctly remember the story behind this photo and it really did capture the emotion of the moment.  i was a senior, my teammate (gemma) who i'm hugging here, was a freshman who played forward.  she had been taking a lot of shots that day but most weren't on goal.  our coach was getting pissed and was about to pull her.  i pulled gemma aside and told her to calm down, shake the nerves, screw what everyone else was saying, and take a damn shot on goal.  (i was a good captain and pep talker like that.)  next play, i passed gemma a thru ball up top and prayed to God she'd do something with it or else she wouldn't see the field for awhile.  sure enough, she shot a perfect shot up top in the left corner of the goal and put our team on top.  this photo was taken just after she scored. 

p.s. oh, and something exciting is happening around these parts tomorrow.  if you like cool, free shit, i suggest you come back tomorrow.  i know you were planning on it anyways, eh?

p.s.s. or is it p.p.s?  anyp.s., i had a dream with k.stew and r.pattinson in it last night.  r.patz was missing his right hand.  it was weird.  k. stew was actually really cool in the dream, albeit a bit awkward as she is in real life.  i made out with r. patz.  he was an amazing kisser, you should know.