Philadelphia Eagles Blog

Summer camp is starting!

Hey everyone!

Aside from being a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader, and a full-time student during the year, I also work at a performing arts camp every summer, which started up on Monday.  I’ve been working at this job for three summer’s now and it’s a seven week long camp that consists of a four week session for 8th-12th graders followed by a three week session of 4th-7th graders.  The camp is called Tomato Patch and there are different classes offered in acting, singing, and dance (which is what I teach)!  The dance classes that the kids can take includes dance styles, jazz, tap, and hip hop.  It’s hard to even call this a job, because I have so much fun teaching the kids dance all day long .  We teach them routines throughout the session and at the end of the last week the kids put on two shows for their family and friends to show them what they’ve been up to for the past few weeks.  I will definitely be posting numerous pictures and maybe some videos of the progress the kids make throughout their camp session and the final show!  Another plus about working at Tomato Patch is that the theater in which camp is held in is about a minute from where I live, so the drive is a breeze each day and another funny thing is that the theater’s name is “Kelsey Theater”!!  So I always joke around and say that it was named after me (even though it was built before I was born) haha!

A view of the theater!

As for the upcoming weekend I’m hoping to get to the beach!  I LOVE the beach and have only had the chance to go once so far this summer, so I’m itching to get in the sun and sand!

With 4th of July being on Monday I’m excited for all of the fireworks that will be going off all weekend as well.  Fireworks are another one of my favorite things about summer.  It’s so great to sit outside at night and look up into the sky and see the spectacular fireworks display’s.

Hope you all have a great weekend, and enjoy some yummy cook out food!

Happy 4th of July!

xo – Kelsey

Dance Show Celebration!

Hey Everyone!

      So, I’m glad to say that my June recital went very well! I am so proud of all my students and everyone who worked so hard to make the show look great.  We had 3 shows on Sunday, to divide up the older and younger classes, but that did not make much of a difference for me because I still ran around backstage like a crazy person, lining my students up and making quick costume changes.  As I said I would, I got a video of one of my numbers.  We danced to “Trouble for Me” by Britney Spears.   I am Britney in the number, and I guess that is why I liked it so much because I love Britney as a performer.  It took me a while to find the best costume possible!  Tell me what you think??

Dancers Elaina, Nina, and Angela with Britney (Me)

Me and Nikki ready for Acro

     – here is the Britney dance video link

     Aside of the show, I have been back in forth at the shore with family and friends, just trying to enjoy myself and have fun because come September is my senior year of college and I must be focused again!

     Yesterday at the beach I played a good game of wiffel ball with my friend and 6 boys!  It was so much fun getting competitive with the guys.  I was playing pitcher for a few innings too haha.  After the game, we were all covered in sand so we went in the ocean to ride some waves.  The water was probably the warmest it has been all summer.  After that, we grabbed some food and just relaxed for a while.  I drove back to the city last night and met up with a friend of mine to grab some food at a diner in Northern Liberties.  Nothing like pancakes at night!

     The rest of the week is unwritten for me, so I guess I will fill you all in next time I blog!

Enjoy the day,

Marissa xoxo

Erica: moving and other stuff

Hi Everyone,

So this past weekend was about me moving and hanging out with the family. Starting this week off I have to say that I am a little exhausted. When I say exhausted, I think I was sleeping with my eyes open at work but still working somehow.

So yes I have moved and I am very excited. I haven’t really set up the place fully but it is getting there slowly but surely!!! I must have been moving from 11am to 11PM (well I wasn’t moving too much, I had everybody else helping. I was doing more directing). I have attached some of the photos to get a little bit of an idea of what it looks like!! Also right down the street is a church that I may want to check out as well. Needless to say from now on when I go to church I have to bring my own Bible. The last time I went to a different church to visit, the preacher was going sooo fast with the scriptures that I couldn’t keep up. And to make it worst the bible I had wasn’t mine so it didn’t have tabs, so I must have been searching, and searching for the scriptures, but by the time I found it he was on another one!! So I will have my bible from now on that way I’m not looking crazy in church!

Besides moving I also have been hanging out with my family as well. My brother and sister are visiting from Tampa for the summer and I love hanging with them. They are sooo funny I swear they should have their own reality show. It’s funny because I tried to tape them on my phone so I can show people how funny they are especially when they are cracking jokes on each other. They found out what I was doing and they started to act unnatural, and I think thatwas even funnier!

3 Days of Peace and Music

Hey Eagles Fans!

So happy I made it to the DMB Caravan!

“Crash into Me”, “#41”, and “Trippin’ Billies” are among the many Dave Matthews Band songs that I love to listen to. As a fan since high school, I have not missed one of their summertime concerts yet! Surely, this was not about to change when I heard that the Dave Matthews Band Caravan was coming to Atlantic City! This three-day festival was taking place at the old Bader Field Airport, located only ten minutes from my shore house. Of course, I am not the only DMB fan, as eight of my friends decided to share the Caravan experience and spend the weekend at the festival with me.

Sunset over the Boardwalk Stage!

Arriving at the festival, I was overwhelmed with what to do first! The field was the setting for three stages, carnival games, and even a giant Ferris wheel. My friends and I decided to check out the merchandise tent first, then preceded to visit the farmer’s market and eco-village. Before claiming a spot in front of the Boardwalk Stage for Dave’s performance, I checked out the much talked about The Flaming Lips show. This band took a risk and meshed together The Wizard of Oz with Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon to create a really interesting sound, to say the least. The song played on and the fans showed their extreme enthusiasm with continuous cheering. Overall, the band sounded great and I thoroughly enjoyed what I saw of the show!

"Dave '11"

Now on to the main attraction! Overlooking the bay as the sun began to slowly fall could not have been a more perfect backdrop for Dave Matthew’s Band to play. Beginning the show with Proudest Monkey and You Might Die Trying was so exciting, as they are some of my favorites! DMB played old songs and new songs, crowd-pleasers and band-teasers. The best part of all was that the band came back for four encore performances!! My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed Dave’s set and were not disappointed throughout the rest of the weekend! To complete our fun-filled weekend, my friends took my roommates and I to breakfast to thank us for our hospitality over the weekend. This summer has been great so far…I can’t wait for what’s to come next weekend for the 4th of July!

Out to breakfast...yum!

It’s finally starting to feel like summer!

Hey Eagles Fans!

So I am just sitting here watching the past weeks’ result show for So You Think You Can Dance that I had recorded and I realized I have not told you guys about my fabulous week I just had.  Now each week in my blog I tell you guys about my busy schedule I usually have; however, recently I have been having a lot of down time which I am not complaining about.  Yes, I still had work and have everyday pack full of things to do but it has been fun and exciting things!

My dad and I at training camp last year.

The amazing gnome I gave my dad for Father's Day!

Let me start with last Sunday which was Father’s Day.  I know I am extremely late on saying this, but I would like to send out a HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ALL THE WONDERFUL DAD’S OUT THERE!  I hope you all enjoyed your special day!!!!!  My family and I kept the tradition alive and celebrated by enjoying a delicious brunch at the Cock n’ Bull in Peddler’s Village.  Each year we normally walk around to all the cute little shops that they have, but unfortunately I needed to cut the trip short and head back up to West Chester for work.  However, before I left I made sure to give my dad the best present ever which he loved!  At one of my latest appearances, I traveled to Lancaster to meet fans at the Eagles End Zone Outlet.  After our appearance was over I knew I needed to get my dad’s present there before I went home so I looked around and in the corner I saw a little box and inside was an adorable gnome that was all dressed up in his retro gear from our 1960s game we had this past year.  Now my dad doesn’t collect gnomes at all, but I fell in love with it when I saw it and I knew it was a funny and cheesy gift but it was perfect!

The next day my roommate Brittney, my manger Justine and I had a beach trip planned for the day; however, when we woke up the weather was not so great.  We didn’t want to waste our day off so we just ended up going to my roommate’s house in New Jersey to lay out by the pool.  As we arrived in Jackson I started to get extremely excited because of my busy schedule I don’t really get a chance to have a vacation.  This year though I have a few things planned.  I have day trips to the beach, a trip to Ocean City Maryland for my old dance studio’s Nationals Competition and maybe a day in Heresy Park for the 4th of July.  So far, my first day trip to the beach actually wasn’t to the beach, but it was a success.  We relaxed, laid by the pool and swam in her gorgeous pool.  After many hours out in the sun we decided to make our way home, but before we left we had dinner at a local restaurant, Surf Taco.  We chose that restaurant because Brittney’s cousin and our old roommate Val works there and we wanted to visit her since we haven’t really seen her since the end of school.  We then made our way home and all I had to look forward to was a full week of work.

Justine, Brittney and I hanging out by the pool.

Finally, Friday had come and I spent the night in the city with my best friends since I was little and enjoyed the night out on the town.  We also had our annual recital for Kay’s Act II Dance Studio which we had to get ready for because we were in an alumni dance.  You will just have to wait until next time to hear all about it because the show just ended and I have a full day!  If I don’t get a chance to talk to you before the holiday weekend, Happy 4th of July! I hope the weekend has beautiful weather with lots of sunshine for everyone to enjoy!

GO EAGLES!
xoxoDanielle

Hey Eagles Fans!

I have just landed back in Philly after a weekend away to visit my best friend, Emmie, in Boston, MA. I must tell you that flying to Boston is really the best way to go, I found a great roundtrip deal and was there in 40 minutes versus a 6 hour bus ride. The flight home was somewhat bumpy, however, so I am happy to be back on the ground but sad that my time with Emmie seemed to fly by too quickly. Emmie and I met when I was in 7th grade and since then, we have been best friends. It is definitely hard to see each other nowadays but we made the most of our time together and stuffed plenty of activities into my four-day trip.

Once I arrived in Boston, we drove around the city and then headed to her apartment to get ready for dinner. Our “Boston” tradition is to always go for Thai food (which happens to be one of my favorite types of food), so we made sure to do that right away. We had a great time eating some wonderful food and catching up on everything in each other’s lives. At the restaurant were two enormous fish tanks, and I literally was so intrigued by how beautiful the fish were…totally random, but seeing tanks like that makes we want to become a certified scuba diver even more! Luckily, that is in the works for next May when Jonathan and I go on our honeymoon to Hawaii

Later that night, Emmie and I met up with some of her friends for salsa dancing! Now, when I think of going to a salsa club, I think of places like Cuba Libre or other super flashy places, but this place was totally different from anything I have ever seen before. We opened the doors and were immediately faced with a giant dance floor and people salsa-ing everywhere! It was like being back in High School for a Friday night dance in the cafeteria. Remember that prom scene in the movie Grease when people we standing around the dance floor waiting to be asked to dance? That’s pretty much what it was like, however with Salsa though, the number one rule is that : you can never say “no” if someone asks you to dance. That being said, Emmie and I danced the night away with every partner imaginable. From professional Salsa dancers, to the most novice learners, we had a wonderful time and even learned some new moves! Wearing a pair of stiletto’s was not the best idea however, because after an hour or so of dancing my feet were truly hurting so we called it a night.

The next day, we headed into downtown Boston to shop and have a nice lunch outside. There is nothing I love more than eating outside and watching the hustle and bustle of the city. Sipping our iced tea’s, we had some good food and great conversation. Sometimes there is nothing better than just relaxing and spending quality time with your friends so we literally ended the day watching movies and eating cinnasticks- which by the way are delicious.

My last day in Boston we went to a barbecue and then had to get our fill of  sea food, so we went to this amazing restaurant right on the water called The Barking Crab. I, of course, ordered clam steamers and shrimp cocktail and devoured it quickly! There is nothing like enjoying fresh on the water and in my opinion, it was a great way to end my visit. Here’s a photo of Emmie and I at dinner and the beautiful night time skyline of the city!

   Now that I am home, it’s back to work and to a hectic week. Tomorrow I have two makeup shows to model for and then I am headed into Philly for my very first Captain’s meeting! I am so excited to meet with the rest of the captains and our choreographer and get to work!

Later this week, my Aunt and Uncle are coming in to visit and on Friday they are taking us out for my early Birthday dinner…ps my Birthday is July 8th and I’ll be turning 25! Woo-hoo! Family dinners are always a lot of fun and we sure do have a lot to talk about especially wedding plans!

That’s all for this week though! And I’d better run because I have some things to take care of before headed into work tomorrow.

Until next time, have a wonderful week! Go Birds!

Xoxo,

Tracey

Throw Back Jerseys and Big Win

The Philadelphia Eagles celebrated their 75th Anniversary with yellow and blue throwback jerseys, that the original team called Frankford Yellow Jackets  wore.  Many thought they but they were different, I liked the colors, and Philadelphia won.

After losing the first two games in 2007, the Philadelphia Eagles exploded for a rousing 56 to 21 victory over the 2-0 Detroit Lions.  It was a wild first half with nine touchdowns, six for Philadelphia and three for Detroit.  There were some big stars in the game.

Donovan McNabb went 21 for 26 for 381 yards and four touchdowns;
Brain Westbrook, between running and catching, had 221 yards of total offense and three touchdowns;
Kevin Curtis caught 11 passes for coincidentally 221 yards and  three touchdowns;

Lions Quarterback Jon Kitna  went 29 for 46 for a team record 446 yards and two touchdowns;
Flanker Roy Williams caught nine passes for 204 yards, one 91 yards for a touchdown;  BUT
The Eagles defense sacked Kitna him 10 times for 53 yards; he fumbled once and threw an interception at the end of the first half that ended the Lions chances.  The Lions gained almost nothing on the ground all day.

First Half

Brain Westbrook ended the first drive with a shifty 25 yard touchdown run.  The Lions quickly tied.   After that the fun began.  Westbrook capped another drive with a five yard touchdown run.  Donovan made the Lions defense look foolish throwing three touchdown passes to Kevin Curtis of 68, 12, and 43 yards.    As Merrill Reese said, “this is looking so easy it’s ridiculous.”  The score was 35 to 7 with nine minutes left in the second quarter.  After the Lions scored a second touchdown, the Philadelphia Eagles went another drive.

Then came some anxious moments with the Eagles having the ball at the Detroit nine.  Blindsided, McNabb fumbled and the Lions recovered.   John Kitna fired over the middle to Roy Williams, who went 91 yards for the touchdown.  The 35 to 7 lead had dwindled to 35 to 21 and I was getting antsy.  Both clubs had shown an ability to move the ball.  Happily the game changed on the next two possessions.   McNabb screened to Westbrook for a 42 yard touchdown play.  Eagles Defensive Shawn Considine halted a Lions’ drive with an interception in the Philadelphia end zone.  The Eagles took over on the touchback and the Lions were limp after that.  The offensive fireworks ended with that interception.

Second Half

Things slowed down with Correll Buckwalter and Tony Hunt scoring touchdowns.
The Eagles put up 536 total yards to 432 for Detroit.  Final Philadelphia Eagles 56 Detroit Lions 21.

A Fun Summer Week!

Hi Eagles fans!  I hope you all had a great week!  I was telling you in my last blog that I was hoping for a fun and relaxing week before starting work again, and that’s exactly what I got   I started off the week at the Florence And The Machine concert with my best friend Desiree and my sister Chrissy.  It was at the Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing on Monday night.  If you have never heard of Florence And The Machine, you should definitely listen to the latest album!  She’s such a great singer, and she sounds even better live than on her album.  Check out the photos from the concert! 

My sister Chrissy and I enjoying the concert

 During the rest of the week, I taught a few dance classes and spent a lot of time at the gym.  When I’m not in the dance studio every day, I make sure I spend extra time at the gym to keep up with my daily workout routines.  However, I also love treating myself to some great food and relaxation every now and then, and that’s what I got to do this weekend!  On Saturday, my boyfriend and I hit the gym early in the morning so that we could spend the rest of the day on the beach.  Later that evening, we enjoyed a fun and romantic night in Cape May, one of my favorite places to visit in New Jersey.  We ate at one of my favorite restaurants along the water, and I had a ball picking on the half-dozen crabs we ordered!  I absolutely love eating crabs outside on a warm summer night; it’s one of my favorite summer dinners   After dinner, we went mini golfing and treated ourselves to frozen yogurt for dessert.  I’m sorry to say, I lost pretty badly at mini golf, but I still had a great time and our frozen yogurt sundae afterward made the loss much easier to handle.  I must admit, I’m pretty competitive when it comes to games! 

I’ve Gone Coastal!

Meshell and I

Hey Eagles fans! Welcome back to my blog page. I had an amazing weekend.  You may not be aware but I absolutely love country music; it’s my guilty pleasure.  I have been looking forward to this past weekend all year-long!  Kenny Chesney is my all-time favorite country singer.  His music is so relaxing that it just puts me at ease.  This weekend I went “Coastal” when I went to see him perform at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday with my mom Alicia, my friends Meshell, and Greg.  As we got to the Lincoln Financial Field, the atmosphere was completely different from a game day.  Everyone had their country music blaring and sporting their country attire.  We quickly started putting our paradise together.  We set up our tent and hung festive, bright-colored paper lanterns around it.  Our tent of course was the prettiest.  We had a wonderful buffet of food to eat.  Once in the stadium we trekked up to our seats on the 200 level and enjoyed the music from the opening act, the Zac Brown Band.  To my surprise, one of my best friends and her family was sitting two rows right in front of us!  I hadn’t seen them in a while so it was great to enjoy the concert with them.  It was another successful concert!  The music was great and he is an excellent entertainer.  Even Coach Reid made an appearance on stage to present Kenny with an Eagles helmet before he sang “The Boys of Fall”.  We had an amazing time.

Last Sunday marked a very special day.  I’m definitely a Daddy’s girl; I have an amazing relationship with my father.  We have always been really close and when I moved away from home it was a big adjustment not seeing him every day.  He always calls to check-up on me and keeps up with everything I’m doing.  Last Sunday I took him out for a Father’s Day Brunch.  My dad absolutely loves food, so this was a great treat for him.  I have the best dad in the world.  He has supported me through everything and I could not ask for a more loving and caring father.  I love you dad!

Mick getting ready for bedtime.

This week has been busy, which is always good, but I love being home with Mick.  We took Mick for a run on the beach; he loves all the free space to run around.  He is my protector.  Everywhere I go he is right by my side.  In the morning when I get ready for work he lays in the hallway just to be close to me.  I love my Micky.  When I am doing the dishes, he always watches out for me.  He will sit at attention right behind me and watch everything that goes on behind my back until I am done.  Now that he is getting a little older and listens so much better, I’ve been letting him sleep upstairs next to my bed – don’t tell Dave.  As soon as I turn off the downstairs light and say “Micky let’s go”, he grabs his bone and heads right up the steps.  He is the best kind of friend.  I would highly recommend getting a dog.  It is the best feeling when I come home and he gets so excited to see me, like I’ve been gone forever.  We call it his “coo coo time” because he gets so crazy when we get home.  It’s nice to know he misses us.

Mick

Well Eagles fans, thanks for stopping by to read my blog!  I’m looking forward to another beautiful weekend and eventful week!

See you out there!

Jessica XoXo

Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back!

Hi Eagles Fans!

I’m so excited to update you all this week, because this weekend was a very special weekend for my family and I. Each year, my family raises money all year long to raise money for the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life.” For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Relay for Life is a 24-hour relay where teams raise money year long, and come together during the last weekend in June to celebrate those who’ve survived cancer and remember those who’ve lost their battle. The idea is to have at least one person from your team on the track at all times for the entire 24 hours, symbolizing the constant attempt to fight back cancer and “walking together until we find a cure”. It’s an emotional, exciting and rewarding experience that I look forward to each year.

My Aunt Norene! A proud cancer survivor!

Every year, I relay in memory of my grandmom, Judy Dekoyer. She was an amazing, high-spirited woman who taught me so much during the short time I knew her. She lost her battle to cancer when I was 10 years old, but her memory and presence will always be with my family. I also relay in honor of my Aunt Norene, who survived cancer 4 years ago, and now proudly walks the track each year cancer free! I also walk in honor of my good friend, Jeff Gorti, who had cancer as a child and overcame his battle. Today, he walks the track as a 16-year old survivor! Although we are still working to find a cure, I’m so thankful for the scientific advancements that occur each year that lead us closer to the cure. Thanks to these scientific advancements- such as chemotherapy and early detection, some of our loved ones remain with us today as proud cancer survivors.

At relay, all of the cancer survivors wear purple shirts that are given to them prior to relay. On the back, the t-shirts read “I’m living proof!” During relay, we do a “survivor lap,” where all of the survivors and their caregivers take a lap together on the track. It’s amazing to see how many people were able to overcome this horrible disease. This lap is definitely one of my favorite parts of the relay!

Luminary bag for my grandmom- Judy Dekoyer

At night, all of the participants come together for the luminary ceremony which is the time dedicated to honoring and remembering all of those affected by cancer. A slideshow presentation is projected onto a big screen listing the names of everyone’s loved ones who either lost their battle to cancer, or survived it. The track is lined in paper bags filled with sand and one tea light- each bag has a different name. It’s certainly an emotional hour of relay- realizing just how many families have been affected by cancer in more ways than just one is really unbelievable.

Walking the track with my little brother and sister!

Although I only got about 3 hours of sleep in this year, relay turned out to be a wonderful success! At the end of the 24-hours, all of the exhausted participants turned in their final fundraising money to the committee to be totaled and handed to the American Cancer Society. Our family was able to turn in $4,500 this year! In my next blog, I will get back to you with this year’s grand total. Our family’s team will begin fundraising for next year very shortly and I’m already looking forward to Relay 2012!

I can’t leave this blog without giving you a short update on my mini-vacation I had earlier this week. My Aunt Maria owns and place in Wildwood, NJ, and my family got together to spend time down the shore. It was so much fun spending the nights with my cousins on the boardwalk and spending the gorgeous days on the beach! I can’t wait for our next visit! I also have to give a quick shout-out to my friends on Morey’s Pier, we had a blast playing the games and riding the rides!

Well Eagles fans, that’s all for this week! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Talk to you all next week!

Xo,

Arielle