Philadelphia Eagles Blog

Last Weeks Game and Decorating Update!

Hey Eagles Fans!

I am so happy to say that I survived my first game as captain and that it went great! I was feeling some nerves at first, but once I was out on the field things just fell into place and we all had a wonderful time! I made sure to keep my squad moving, literally covering every single cheer and dance each quarter. Now, for those of you who were either at the game or around the area last Thursday, we had a crazy rainstorm and all of us were worried that we would be dancing in a downpour. I remember we were all standing in the tunnel waiting to go out on the field and the skies opened up and it literally poured in front of us for 15 minutes. It was pretty funny actually because we all looked at each other with these faces like “oh man, we are going to get soaked!” Amazingly though, the sun popped out the moment we went on the field and the rain held off the whole first half of the game.

Fast forward to the third quarter though and the torrential downpour! As I led my squad to our corner of the field the fans were yelling at us to “hang in there!” and “do you want our poncho?” which was pretty funny to hear…however we all smile and embraced the rain staying busy dancing, cheering and making the best of the shower-like conditions…I must say however, that I truly enjoyed the rain storm and had a ball! But before I knew it the game was over, I successfully completed my first game as captain and on top of everything we had another victory under our belt!

Now, we have about a month before the next game and we are still practicing hard, making appearances and really getting ready for the home opener and the real season to begin. Aside from cheering though, the next week is a crazy one for me! A few blogs back, I had talked about my fiancé working on an apartment above my parents garage and on Monday he finished the room! It is unbelievable and I am so blown away by his talent. Once everything was completed and I was given the “green light” I started decorating! Now that is what I love to do! I am all about the finished product, so I have been busy buying things and tying the look together! Here are some photos: can you spot the pieces I photographed from my blog “a design studio in my garage” in the apartment???

Back to Sunshine :)

Hi Eagles Fans!  I hope everyone is safe and made it through the hurricane okay.  The last few days were no fun at all!  My basement flooded a bit, but thankfully we prepared ahead of time and raised all of our furniture a few inches off the floor, so there wasn’t much damage.  Also, there are tile floors down the basement, so it was much easier to clean than carpet would have been.  At the highest point, there was about 2 inches of water down the basement.  I just finished cleaning the last of it today, so I’m glad that it’s pretty much back to normal now.  Our power went out around 9:00 PM on Saturday, and I heard that it wasn’t supposed to come back on for a few days!  Luckily, it came back on about 7 hours later.  All in all, it could have been much worse! 

How ironic, an earthquake and hurricane in the same week!  I’m sure you will all agree that it was SO nice waking up to sunshine today!   I bet many of you were at our last Eagles game in the rain too!  I was up in the club suites with the rest of my squad greeting fans during the game, so I was able to stay dry.  While in the suites, I had a few chances to check out the game and watch my fellow cheerleaders.  Even in pouring rain, the cheerleaders looked great!  Many of the fans said that they were so dedicated to be out there performing with big smiles in the rain… I agree!  Great job ladies  

Since we have a whole month until the Eagles home opener, we cheerleaders have been working very hard and learning new dances to perform during the game.  I know you will love our new quarter break dances that we just learned!  We have all been extremely busy with public appearances and rehearsals, but it feels so great to be back to football!  Here are a few photos from pre-season that I hope you enjoy! 

Well, enjoy the rest of this sunny day   I hope to see you on September 25th for the Eagles home opener! 

Go Eagles!

Jen

Dani: A week to remember . .

Hey Eagles fans,

What a crazy week it has been! I have certainly had my share of excitement this week. From starting work again, to an earthquake, to another Eagles victory at last nights pre-season game, and now preparing for impending Hurricane Irene. I hope all of you have managed to have an enjoyable week and got the chance to watch the Eagles in action last night against the Cleveland Browns.

As I mentioned, I started work again this week. I was incredibly busy trying to get my classroom back into tiptop shape for my new class of 3^rd graders. I spent hours in my classroom every day this week including on Tuesday when the earthquake took place. I was standing in my classroom trying to get things organized and I suddenly began wondering why on my Earth my Smart Board was shaking as if it were going to fall off the wall. The next thing I knew, I felt the vibrations under my feet and my entire room was shaking. I have to admit I was a little shocked and rather panicked about what was going on. Luckily, my principal came over the intercom and informed us an earthquake had occurred. After determining my fellow colleagues were okay, I immediately called my family to ensure they were also safe. Thankfully, all were safe and I was able to finish getting my classroom ready for the start of school on Monday. I am so excited to share the following pictures of my classroom with you. I hope all of you will find it as bright and inviting as I do.

A view of my classroom

If going to back to work wasn’t exciting enough, we also had another pre-season game last night. It was so exciting to watch our team defeat the Browns. It rained quite a bit and we were soaked head to toe, but nothing can come in the way of the squad cheering on our team. Rain or shine, there is nothing more incredible than being on the sidelines cheering on our team. Speaking of rain, how about Hurricane Irene? I find it rather remarkable the East coast encountered an earthquake and will now be affected by a hurricane all in the same week. I hope anyone who has to evacuate is able to do so safely and there is not significant damage. I just read online that Hurricane Irene is causing Atlantic City casinos to shut down for the first time in over a decade as well as causing a shut down of New York City subways for the first time in history.

Even though my husband and I don’t live close to the coast, we are also preparing for the storm. I never remember seeing the grocery store as packed, as it was this afternoon, but we were sure to stock up on water, candles, and batteries in case we lose power.

All right Eagles fans, I need to cook dinner and work on some lesson plans. I wish you all a safe and happy weekend. Before I go, I have to share this adorable picture of my nephew Lucas wearing the bib I purchased for him

Lucas in his new bib

Until next time . . E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!

Xo-Dani

Bells Across the City

Later I’ll mention views of Philadelphia and surrounding towns and state my preference for these overlooks on Sunday evenings.  This is also when I like to hear bells ringing over the city.  These bells at that time have no competition from cars, pedestrians, buses, and trains    They can be clearly heard and  echoes prolong their life.  It is as if the bells are trying to restate or emphasize certain key points at a time when the city is most quiet.    In other words, when there is the least amount of pressing business, why not think about ideas.  The two bells I am referring to are City Hall in Philadelphia and the Robert A. Taft Carillion about half way between Union Station and the Capitol in Washington.  Each carries separate but somewhat related meaning.

City Hall

William Penn looks on a northeasterly direction atop City Hall.  Since he walked up there in  1894,  his view has remained broad and intact.  It is a good thing Penn was not looking west;  all those new buildings in Penn Center over the past 20 years would cause him some problems.  Those bells remind me of certain principles of Quakerism and how liberal, even radical, they were at the time.  To be specific:

1. Peaceful Treatment of the Indians. Benjamin West’s painting of William Penn and his treaty making with native Americans was romanticized.  Nevertheless, the Quakers paid or made some amends for all of the land taken.  The Philadelphia area was one of the few places in the country with minimal  problems fighting Indians or atrocities from either side. 

2. Universal Public Education.  Quakers established education for all children,  recognizing that a well informed citizenry is the best safeguard of liberty.

3. Religious Tolerance.  Quakers founded Philadelphia for freedom to practice their religious beliefs. Unlike  other colonies, they extended this freedom to other religions.    Every citizen could without fear follow a religion or have none at all.   By contrast in Boston,  Puritans also came for religious freedom but did not allow it for anyone else.

4. Urban Planning.  Quakers laid out the city in an  easy to travel grid and made provisions for sanitation, police protection, and street lighting.

At the time of our separation from Britain , Quakers were advocating

5. The Abolition of the Slavery.  They, like everyone else, were white supremacists and did advocate colonization of former slaves in Africa.

6. Universal Female Suffrage.  They believed in extending the franchise to  women with no property restrictions.
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Congress dedicated the Robert A. Taft Memorial in the spring of 1958.  He holds a place among the five great Senators in our history;  the four others were Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Robert LaFollette.  Personally I consider either Taft or Senator George Norris of Nebraska the best Senators in the 20th century.  Both were midwesterners, Republicans, men of high ideals, but far different in  outlook.

Senator Taft has the name Mr. Conservative or Mr. Republican with ample justification.   The Senator viewed all federal expenditures with suspicion saying they must pass the test of valid need.  This was true of defense as well as social legislation.  He was especially skeptical about  welfare programs and coined the term “creeping socialism.”

Nevertheless, Taft was never doctrinaire in his approach.  He co-sponsored  The Taft-Ellender-Wagner landmark  Housing Act of 1949 and additional legislation involving education, veterans benefits, and medical care.  Never a good speaker, he still made his points clearly in Senate debate and was a tough negotiator.  The ultimate test of his fortitude was when Congress passed  the Taft-Heartly Act over President Truman’s veto in 1947.  This intent of this law was to curb excesses in labor power that occurred during World War II and was a reaction to a series of strikes in the coal and steel industries. thereafter.

After the bill’s passage, Senator Taft could have gone to his home town of Cincinnati, one of the most conservative cities in America.   His supporters would have arranged a meeting among business leaders.   Senator Taft  could have given one of his rather dry speeches on the importance of the free enterprise system and tell these people how great they were. 

Instead he visited the industrialized cities of Youngstown, Akron, and Steubenville under death threats to explain the law to workers.   He had one bodyguard which was like scrubbing the kitchen floor with a toothbrush.  I do not know how many workers Taft convinced he was not anti-labor; yet no one doubted his courage. Senator Taft was an authentic conservative who believed in the separation of church and state, a balanced budget, individual responsibility, and the government’s role in helping every American to get a better standard of living.  

The eerie sound of bells reminds me that constant vigilance, even in slack periods, is the price of freedom.   Lose sight of that too often and we will realize  that one day they have eroded away.      

School supply shopping, tomorrows game, and much more !

Good afternoon,
     I am very much looking forward to tomorrow’s game. I will be on the sidelines cheering on our beloved Eagles. I think that Tracy’s squad will be great & I’m excited for a new season with all new girls in the squad. Hopefully some nice pictures will be snapped of us so I can post them on my next blog .

     Can you believe there are only 2 weeks left of summer? Wow, where did it go! I’ve had a very enjoyable summer so I cannot complain. In a way I am sort of ready to go back to school and the studio to keep myself busy. I went school supply shopping today. I get so excited color coordinating my notebooks, folders, and pens. Staples had some really cute stuff! Like rhinestone staplers and pens! I hope I like my professors for this semester. I’ll be sure to update you guys on that as well.
    

     The past weekend at the shore was somewhat calm, I think it is setting in that summer is almost over and everyone seems to be saving their energy (and money) for Labor Day Weekend. On Saturday, my house decided it would be nice to have a girls’ night out so we did dinner in Atlantic City. Sometimes a girls night out is needed!! Here is a photo of us all dressed up! 

     My brother Michael (the one who I wrote about last time) is doing better. I actually made him drinkable pancakes last night! I cooked the pancake and then added melted butter, milk, water, and syrup to the blender and it was liquefied. I tasted it first to make sure he would like it and it was amazing that it tasted so good. He agreed it tasted just like a pancake! I’m happy I could make him feel a little better in such an unfortunate situation.

     Yesterday I finally made it to the mall to do some birthday shopping. I have not been to the mall almost all summer so I had many presents to buy including one for my mom! For Christmas, my brothers and I had bought her a Pandora bracelet with several charms so we decided to get her a few new ones for her birthday. They are very pretty & I am certain she will love the addition.
    

     Tonight I have rehearsal, we are finished with everything for tomorrow’s game so tonight will are working on new dances. I am so so sore from last night’s rehearsal so I hope Suzy gives us a good stretch!  And I will end my night probably with some birthday cake for my brother Matt’s birthday which is today.  Happy Birthday Matt!

–Until then,
Xo Marissa

Hey Eagles Fans!

Countdown to our next pre-season game….T minus 1 day! I cannot believe that it is game #2 and boy am I excited. This upcoming game will be my first official game as a captain where I will be leading my squad in cheers and sideline dances, something which we have all been working very hard on. I would be lying though if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous, but that comes with the territory. I know that my squad is pumped to be out on the field cheering and I am too because once we are in front of 67,000 fans, it’s a whole new world and a very exciting one at that!

I will of course blog next week about the outcome of my first captain game, but until then, let me fill you in on this past week. This whole summer, Jonathan and I have been trying to plan a BBQ/ house-warming party but because our schedules are always so over the place, we were getting worried that it may not happen. Luckily we had one Saturday free and deemed that one our party day. I was in full on party mood on Friday busy buying matching plates and napkins along with cleaning the entire house and finessing the last-minute details. Isn’t it funny how spotless you can make your home when you are having guests over? I told Jonathan that we need to have people over more often because I then I would vacuum all the time haha! On a funny note though, we live in a development and every few weeks people come to mow the lawns and keep up the landscaping..well, it had been a month and the grass was looking ridiculously long and unkept and with our party on Saturday which was outside, we began thinking this grass may not work out so well…That being said, Jonathan woke up extra early on Saturday morning and ran to home depot to pick up a push mower, there he was outside for 2 hours mowing our lawn himself! Ahhhh, just another reason why I love him so

At 5pm on the dot, our friends arrived and we had a wonderful time. It was great being able to see my sister, Courtney, and her husband along with my closest friends and neighbors. On top of great company we all enjoyed the burgers, hot dogs and ribs my fiancé cooked up along with wonderful side dishes and desserts that people brought with them. We ended the evening sitting around this bon fire contraption we have and listened to the brave ones sing along with some acoustic guitar action. Below are some photos from the party, enjoy!

My sister Courtney and me

On a side note, I must say that being a hostess is a very tough job! I felt like I was all over the place trying to talk to everyone, mingle, eat and enjoy myself..it made me think a lot about my wedding and how I am definitely going to be exhausted after all the festivities that occur along with visiting with each guest. I always say that because I smile so much my cheeks start to hurt, so good thing I had this BBQ to practice!

After the weekend was over it was back to work on Monday but for me I love work because it’s always something new and most of all it’s fun! During part of the day on Monday I had a photo shoot for different hair styles and it was really neat to see how different the artists could make me look. They literally curled my hair so tight that I looked like I had the true “Annie” style hair-do! I found it rather amusing too because the dress I had on made me feel like Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing, so with the hair styled like her too, I was ready to go, all I needed was a stage to leap off of! Here is a photo I took of my hair how curly was it?! I am still in shock and eager to try this look out on my own sometime soon.

After work, I raced back into Philly to meet up with Jonathan, my good friend Courtney and her boyfriend at Morimoto (where I celebrated my 25th birthday!) Courtney is one of the makeup artists I work for and she always does an amazing job with my makeup! We had a great time at dinner and of course ate way too much sushi which is my favorite food! I must say it again, if you have never been to Morimoto, definitely go, the atmosphere is incredible and the food is so full of flavors and fresh, that you would not be disappointed! Here are some photos from Monday night to entice you to experience it for yourself!

Courtney and Me at Moritmoto!

Jonathan and Me- look at how cool the inside of the restaurant is!

Well, it is time for me to run and get back to my “to do” list for today…but I hope to see you all at the game on Thursday cheering on our amazing team! Have a great week and GO BIRDS!

Xoxo,

Tracey

Cat: Another Week, Another PreSeason Game!

Hey Eagles Fans!

Cat here, with another busy week preparing for yet another preseason football game at the Lincoln Financial Field! It is going to be another busy week, with practice tonight and tomorrow, followed by my second game as a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader! It is funny to think that even though I was on the field, and I now know what it is like cheering at an NFL football game, my nerves are STILL through the roof! Of course I am excited, but I have no shame in admitting that the nerves are still there!

Mid-Game Suspense!

You might wonder how I shake the nerves of having about 76,000 people look at me dancing and cheering, and my answer is to stay focused, be prepared, and do something fun to keep my mind off of my nerves! With summer coming to an end, I wanted to be able to do something fun outdoors since I know in a few months I will have to stick to indoor activities to help me have fun and get my mind off of the pressure . Before my first game, my boyfriend Chris took me out mini-golfing with his brother and his girlfriend Carolyn, and his sister and her boyfriend Brent.

So Happy I Made A Whole In One!

It was the perfect way to enjoy the outdoors, and stop my worrying about the game! I had a blast and it really helped my nerves to be outside and laughing with everyone. I am definitely not a golfer by any means, but I took me and Chris’s team to 2nd place by getting a HOLE IN ONE! I was so surprised, but not as surprised as everyone else! After picking on my boyfriend saying that I was carrying our team, we all relaxed to some milkshakes and I was able to go home with a smile and be excited, not nervous, for the game.

Over this past weekend, to keep my energy channeled towards dance, but still enjoy myself and keep my nerves down, my sister Leigha and I traveled to Norristown where we were able to see the 2nd annual Norristown Dance Festival! It was at a great venue called the Center Theater in Norristown, PA, and we really enjoyed getting the tore of the newly furbished venue, and seeing all of the neat dance pieces. There was work produced by companies and artists from New York, Philadelphia, and Brazil! Being a dance major in college, I know how hard dancers work to get their message across in their pieces, but now that I am a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader, I really had a great appreciation for how much each dancer was committed to performing their movement, and applauded them for their dedication!

The 2011 Section of the Timeline Wall!

Walking around the theater, my favorite spot was a hallway that had children that had participated in an arts camp, all hand-printed on the wall! The hall became a timeline as I walked through, viewing each small print on the wall next to the year of the camp. So neat!

Something else that is keeping me busy this week is my car search! Boy is that exhausting! For someone whose only knowledge is what she has read on the internet, it is very difficult to understand what a good model and price point is for a new car. Luckily, with the help of my Dad, I am getting down to the wire with my options and have now narrowed down the brand and model of the car. All I have to do now is choose my color! Instead of just listening to my friends and family, I thought it would be fun to have you guys help me choose!

Here are my options:

1. Metallic Red

2. Coated Silver

3. Robin’s Blue

Type in your choice above, and press ‘Submit” to let me know your thoughts! I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks, and then hopefully next week I will be able to pick up my new car, and post a picture so everyone can see the color that won! Maybe you will even see me driving it to and from the games!

Well everyone I am off to get my things together for practice! I want to leave early since there may be traffic caused by the earthquake today (what are the odds!). I hope everyone has a good rest of the week, and don’t forget to watch the Philadelphia Eagles PreSeason Game, Thursday on 6ABC. Kickoff is at 7:30PM, but don’t forget to watch the pre-game starting at 7:00pm which will include team warmups and interviews! As always, GO EAGLES!

-Cat xoxo

Courtney: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! :)

Hey Eagles fans!

So I’m having just about the busiest week ever — classes start tomorrow, and then we have a preseason game on Thursday against the Cleveland Browns (I’ll be up in the suites for this game!).  I just wanted to take a minute to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful mom!!!  The best mom in the whole wide world.   There isn’t a soul in the world who knows me as well as my mom does — I can confidently say that she knows me better than I know myself!  I’m so lucky to have a mom who supports me, cares for me, looks out for me, and is a great friend, too! 

She’s always my biggest cheerleader in ANY of my pursuits — no matter how ridiculous a dream of mine might sound.  I’ve never met anyone who always thinks of others before thinking of herself, and I can’t imagine what kind of woman I’d be without her.  My mom always pushes me to be better than my best.  She’s definitely the most influential person in my life, and I can’t think of a more fitting person to have that role because I look up to her in more ways than I can name. I’ll never be able to put into words how much I love my mother, but I just wanted to give a happy birthday shout out!

I love you, Mom!  Happy Birthday!!!

Love, Courtney

A weekend filled with friends!

Hey Eagles fans!

How was everyone’s weekend?  My fun all started after a very productive rehearsal on Wednesday night when I followed cheerleader Sarah down to her beach house to stay with her for a few days!  That night when we got to her house it was pretty late and we were tired from rehearsal, so we went right to bed and got some much needed rest.  The next morning though Sarah and I woke up bright and early and started our day off with a nice long run .  It was so nice to get some exercise in first thing, because doing so always sets a good tone for the rest of the day.  After that we decided to go visit cheerleader Danae at her work.  For the remainder of the day we lounged by the pool (and even snuck in some shopping!).  It’s so great to have made such great friends on the team and be able to spend some quality fun time with outside of our busy schedules.  As night time approached cheerleader Marissa joined Sarah and I and we all went to Ocean City to go to the boardwalk for a little.  We had a yummy dinner at this cute Hawaiian grill and went in some boardwalk shops.

Now i’ve mentioned before how I love watching the Food Network and there is a new show that follows a family working at their cookie shop that just happens to be located in Ocean City, NJ!  So since us three girls were right there we decided to venture off the boardwalk and find the cookie shop that the show is based on.  Well we found it and we were not disappointed!  Here are some examples of the cookie flavors they had…smores, almond joy, cranberry white chocolate chip, reeses pieces, and the list goes on but how amazing does that sound?!  They were delicious and I was so excited we got the chance to go there

The cookie shop!

Marissa, Sarah, and I outside Crazy Suzan's Cookies!

After our night time adventures we got some sleep and woke up to a beautiful day where we spent it relaxing on the beach.  It is always a lot of fun and laughs when we get together, and there will be many more fun times to come!

Now for the next topic…is everyone ready for Thursday’s pre-season game??  We will be spending the next few days rehearsing and preparing, so that we are all ready to help you all cheer on our team!

Let’s end with a chant… E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!

Enjoy the nice sunshine and have a great week!

xo – Kelsey

Family, Fun, and Traveling

     Hi Eagles fans!  I hope you all had a great weekend!  This weekend was a very busy one for me.  On Friday morning, my boyfriend Jesse I drove to Pittsburgh, PA to attend one of his cousins weddings.  It was a 6 1/2 hour drive, and during the last 45 minutes, we drove through a horrible storm.  Thank God Jesse was driving through that part, because I get so nervous driving in bad weather! 

     We made it to Jesse’s aunt and uncle’s house early Friday evening and headed off to the rehearsal dinner with the rest of his family.  Then we stayed with his family on Friday night and woke up early Saturday morning to play a “family softball game” before the wedding.  I’m happy to say that my team won the game   I always thought it would be fun to be on a softball team when I was younger , but of course, dancing did now allow me enough free time to play sports.  So needless to say, I was thrilled to be on the team this weekend, and it was also a great way to bond with the rest of Jesse’s family.  On Saturday evening, we went to the wedding and had a great time.  Of course, I was one of the few people who danced for most of the night!  Check out a photo from the wedding reception.

     On Sunday morning, we woke up at 6:00 AM to drive back to New Jersey.  My family had a big barbecue on Sunday to celebrate my Uncle Mike’s 60th birthday.  So after driving 6 hours (and getting very little sleep the night before), we went straight to the barbecue to spend the afternoon with my family.  It was an exhausting trip, but it was well worth it.  I wouldn’t trade quality family time for anything  

     The barbecue was especially fun when my whole family decided to “skype” my mom’s cousin Michele (pronounced Michael) in Italy.  My mom was born in Italy, and all of her extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins) still live there.  My sister had the idea to skype with him and thought it would be great idea to do it when the whole family was present.  It was so great to see my mom and my aunts and uncles sitting around the table, speaking Italian to their cousin who they haven’t seen in years.  We also introduced him to each family member who he hasn’t met yet, including myself.  He thought it was so cool that I was an Eagles Cheerleader too!  I’m hoping that my family and I will go to Italy sometime in the near future so I can meet the rest of my mom’s family. 

     Well, I’m going to hit the gym now and get ready for another busy work week.  Hope to see you all at the Eagles vs Browns game on Thursday!

Jen