Philadelphia Eagles Blog

IT’ SHOW TIME!!!! :)

Happy Friday Eagles Fans! It’s finally the weekend and I bet you all are just as excited to see it come as I am.  I just got home from an appearance this morning down in Southwest Philadelphia, where fellow cheerleader Jen and I partnered up with Habitat Humanity to give a single mother a newly finished home.  Now, our construction skills are not up to par but we were experts with paint brushes.  The experience must come from the annual Playground Build that we do with the Eagles Youth Partnership and I recently repainted my bedroom so I must said we did a great job.

An awful picture of one of the walls Jen and I painted at our Habitat Humanities Appearance.

I feel like I have so much to tell you guys in such little time.  As you know as a squad we traveled down to Mobile, Alabama to cheer

First day in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl

at the Senior Bowl which was an amazing experience.  We all had a blast and the weather was to die for!!!!  Eighty degrees at the end of January….I could get used to that.  Unfortunately though, the dream had to end as we headed back to the freezing cold city of Philadelphia.  I have to fill you in with a day-to-day recap next time we talk, right now I think we should get back to the journey to Kuwait that I have been telling you about.  I feel like its has been forever since I talked about the trip, where did I leave off?  Thats right our first ever show over in the middle east….IT”S SHOW TIME!!!

After de-boarding the Robert Smalls Army Ship we went to dinner and prepared ourselves to take the stage.  Prior to the show we were all excited with anticipation and hoped that all the soldiers would enjoy the performance, which they did!!! Many of them came up to us saying it was the best show they have seen and they throughly enjoyed every party of it, they didn’t want it to end.  The show we did consisted of a variety of different sections.  We started off with a dance portion which lasted about 15 minutes.  We then went into the game section, the best part of the show!!! It was a blast interacting with all the soldiers and getting them involved.  In the game sections, 5 of us went out into the crowed and pulled volunteers.  There was an Eagles trivia round, a push up contest, the cheer contest, and the most-loved model walk contest.  In the model walk contest the soldiers showed there true side as they strutted down the runway we made and “flaunted their goods”.  It was hilarious and the crowd always went crazy while the contest went on.  I swear I am going to see one of them in the Victoria Secret Fashion Show next year, they were naturals!  Our first show was a success and we were ecstatic!!!!!  We wanted to perform repeatedly and never wanted it to end.  Following the show we had a meet and greet right away where we got to meet everyone in the audience.  When the meet and greet concluded, SGT Benson, SGT Eder, and SGT Almary presented the six of us with certificates of appreciation.  At that moment I was in shock.  Don’t be thanking us, we thank you for everything that they are doing, they are truly the most amazing people ever!!  Our first official night in Kuwait had come to an end and I will never forget it.

Our poster that was posted all over the bases.

Certificate of Excellence !!

At the National Guard's Birthday 5L Run with the oldest and youngest member at Camp Arifjan

Tuesday started off with us waking up bright and early to cheer the soldiers on at the National Guard’s Birthday 5K run.  You would think being in the middle east it would be warm, but apparently we just missed the beautiful weather and the week we came was the first week of the cold, wintery weather.  We brought it from Philadelphia all the way to Kuwait, GREAT!  It was so awesome to see all the soldiers running, they really get into the zone.  Jess evn almost got run over by the 1st place winner and our main security guard Marvin I think had a heart attack, it was the funniest thing I have every seen.  Jess was perfectly fine, she actually felt bad cause she did not want to mess up the soldiers’ running time.  As the soldiers crossed the finished line we cheered them on and they were all so grateful for us being there.  In true cheerleader fashion, we ended the run with a delicious piece of cake which made for the perfect breakfast.  Time flies when your having fun and before we knew it, it was time to travel to LSA and Camp Morrelle.  On our way there, we got into a fender bender!!!  If you think driving in Philadelphia is bad, you have never experienced the streets of Kuwait.  Supposedly over in Kuwait they don’t really have any rules when it comes to driving, or if they do they aren’t enforced and the citizens drive however they please.  It all started when we were sitting in traffic waiting to get off the exit and a car came plowing by, literally, and swiped the entire side of the bus.  Doesn’t seem to bad, right? But he hit us while driving on the SIDEWALK and after hitting us continued his way to his destination WITHOUT STOPPING!!!  It was so crazy, we were all stunned and couldn’t believe our eyes.

As we arrived at the base we met up with Major Engle and Chief Hippler.  We started our visit with a commanders call and learned that the entire base was made up of tents which is where all the soldiers spend there nights.  It was a base made for transitioning soldiers.  This means that any soldiers that are making there way home because their tour is over, come to LSA to spend their last 2 nights in Kuwait before heading home.  The bases main responsibility is to keep track on all soldiers entering and exiting Kuwait.  After the commanders call we were invited to go and observe a special mission called Blankets for Kabul.  Kabul is the largest city in Afghanistan and the soldiers were packing boxes with blankets and supplies that are no longer in use for the war and donating them to the citizens of Kabul.  It was extremely touching and showed us how all the troops give back to the countries in the middle east.  We continued our visit by going over to Camp Morrelle to greet the Navy Seabee’s.  The Navy Seabee’s are construction battalions who go into an area to construct Forward Operating Bases (FOB’s) for the soldiers to use.  This was one of the coolest meet and greet we did over there because we were just given an hour and half to just hang out and get to know all of them on a personal level.  We got to learn each of there stories and where they have had tours.  It is very popular to write your travels on the inside of you hat consisting of dates and where you went so you could always remember.  Before leaving Camp Morelle, we left a package for a fellow Philadelphian who was based there but was out on a mission, so we were unable to meet him.  His mom had reached out on the Eagles Facebook page and just wanted us to tell him that they love and miss him and to give him a hug for her.  It was so amazing to know that we were part of that and were able to make both mom and son happy, it was another memorable moment I will never forget.

After the meet and greet, we had a few hours of free time before our show.  We walked around the base where we found

Jess and I in the bunkers!!

bunkers and got to take pictures on an MRAP that just happened to drive by.  Since we started the day so early we went to Green Beans, which is considered to be there Starbucks.  On the way we met two Black Hawk Pilots who were on their way home for the holidays.  Kevin and Darrel were also on there way to Green Beans and insisted on treating us to our coffee.  Just like the meet and greet with the Navy Seabee’s, this was an opportunity for us to get to know the soldiers on a personal level and hear their incredible stories, especially doing the job they have.

Following our coffee break, it was time to get ready for our second show.  Again it was a success and the model walks were outstanding!!!  This show was especially memorable because of the changing area we were given.  Instead of a locker room or a bathroom which we normally change in, we were given our van that we have been traveling in.  It was a challenge being in such tight corners but we pulled through and again had a blast with it.  Another funny part to this show was that in the opening dance portion of the show, Paige came on stage ready to perform with the wrong set of poms and didn’t realize it!!!! The entire time she didn’t even know, mean while we were all cracking up at the huge, bright green 1960s pom’s that don’t look anything like are regular pom’s.  But hey, just like our choreographer Suzi always says, “it’s live theatre, anything can happen” which did and made this show special in its own little way.  After the show we had another meet and greet with hundred of soldiers that came out to see our performance.  The next thing we knew we were back at Camp Arifjan, signing more cards and getting ready for the next day’s activities.  Camp Buehring he we come!!!!!!

Alright guys I think I am going to go do some laundry since that is what I am supposed to be doing right now.  Make sure to bundle up this weekend, I hear snow is in the forecast. Hope to talk to you soon!!!

xoxoDanielle

HEY EAGLES FANS!

Sorry its been so long, it feels like forever!! So I actually just got home from my very last rehearsal of the season.  I am sad to see it end, but at the same time happy for the much-needed break.  We have about a month and a half off until auditions for the new squad starts up.  This does sound like a long time; however, it goes by super fast.  This is the time where I take the long hours spent for the football season and spend them in the most-loved placed in the world, the GYM!  Each year we still have to audition with the other beautiful, talented women, in hopes of keeping our spot on the squad.  It would seem like it would get easier as the years go on, it’s actually the complete opposite.  So like the other future women looking forward to the auditions in March, I also will be working extremely hard, making sure I am 100% ready, both mentally and physically.

At an Eagles Game this past season.

Now we were officially done the season in the beginning of January which is also when our practices concluded.  Despite the early end to the football season, we still do have one more game to cheer for before the official end of the cheerleader season.  If you haven’t heard yet, the Eagles Cheerleaders are making the trip down to Mobile, Alabama, where 21 of us will be cheering at the annual Senior Bowl.  We will be cheering on the North and South to see who will win this years game.  We will be leaving Thursday morning, bright and early, and returning home Sunday.  While we are there we will be doing many appearances in anticipation of the game that will be played on Saturday afternoon.  This is the first time the Eagles Cheerleaders are appearing at the Senior Bowl, so it is a very exciting time for all of us and I can’t wait to go.  This will also be my first time visiting the state of Alabama and supposedly the weather there now is amazing.  I personally enjoy high 60’s low 70’s instead of this freezing, snowy weather that we are having now.

Along with getting ready for the trip this weekend, I started my spring semester of my junior year at West Chester University.  I have been working hard for the past year so I could finally declared my major.  I officially started my major classes and I’m ecstatic!!  When I first came to West Chester University I was a Nutrition Major which I did enjoy, but I decided that it wasn’t the right pick for me as a career and began the process of switching to Marketing.  Same as last semester, I have classes only two days a week.  Every Tuesday and Thursday for the next 16 weeks, I will be sitting in lecture halls from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. working towards my degree in Marketing.  Today was my first day of classes and I’m actually excited to get the semester started.  Now we just went over the syllabus today in all my classes so the actually learning didn’t begin, but they all seem interesting which will help keep me awake through the long hours.  I am a little behind in the major because I switched so late, but I planned it all out and I will still graduate on time; I am actually in the process of looking for an internship for this summer.

"I've learned that your college friends become kind of family, you eat together, you take naps together, fight, laugh, cry, and do absolutely nothing together until you can't remember how you ever lived your life without them in the first place."

Well it’s getting pretty late and I still need to finish packing and get some beauty sleep, so I will talk to you guys next week when I get back from Mobile.  I will give you all the details from the trip and hopefully continue the journey to Kuwait that I have been taking all of you on.  GOODNIGHT

Until Next Time…

xoxoDanielle

Cheer’s to the New Year and to the Military!!

Welcome to the new year Eagles Fans!!  I hope your first week into 2012 was amazing, especially coming off of that awesome win last Sunday.  Sad to say Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins was our last game of the season and I can’t believe it came and went so fast.  Every end is a new beginning and since our season has concluded, we do get some rest from the crazy, hectic schedule that comes with the football season.

Today I did an amazing appearance right here in Northeast Philadelphia, where I have lived and grown up my entire life.  Me and

The gift we received from the cheerleaders

three other cheerleaders traveled to Excel Academy North High School, where we got to meet and chat with the schools newly founded cheerleading squad.  These young women were unbelievable, it was definitely one of my top appearances I have done as a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader.  When we first arrived we were given a performance of a few cheers from the squad and they were so good, I couldn’t believe that this was only their first year with the squad!  We then all sat in a circle and talked for about an hour about all different topics.  At appearances throughout the season we get to meet all the fans and talk to them but to get the chance to really get on a personal level like we did today was unforgettable.  The girls were so gracious they even gave us each a gift before we left which was so thoughtful and amazing.  Not only were the women on the squad incredible but the faculty and the actually school was also amazing.  Excel Academy North is an alternative high school for students who have come from rough backgrounds and were on the verge of dropping out or have started their own family already.  This high school welcome’s everyone with open arms and strives for teaching young adolescents the importance of life.  We all had so much fun with all the girls and did not want to leave at all, we could have stayed there all day.

The last time I blogged I started to show you all a glimpse of my trip to Kuwait.  Now were on to Day 2 of the journey.

Fernando, The Philadelphia Eagles Fan!!!

We started the day off by all waking up around 6:30 am and traveling to our first stop which was the Colonel Robinson’s 325th Combat Support Hospital.  As we arrived LTC Medd greeted us and gave us a tour of the hospital, where we were able to meet the entire hospital staff and most of the patients.  The one patient that stood out to all of us was Fernando, who was actually born and raised in Philadelphia.  Being a huge Eagles Fan he was so excited that we were there and we all were so happy to sit down and spend some time with him.  We actually got to spend more time with him a few days later when he was all better.  He was able to come to one of our shows and meet and greet at one of the other bases.  It was so amazing to hear that he felt better and to see a familiar face from earlier in the week.  As we left the hospital we were all given one of our first coins that we received that week in a the form of a handshake.  Next stop was our commander’s call, which happened at every base we visited.  During the call we got to meet with the commander of the base, learn all about the base, what they do and ask any questions we had. This was the first one of the week so it was all new and exciting and we got to learn so much information.  LTC Baurer explained the meaning behind the military coins and shared his amazing stories he has experienced throughout his many year with the military.  We also had a lesson about the country of Kuwait and all the military bases.  The call was ended by LTC Baurer presenting us with a certificate of excellence which was a shock to all of us and will be remembered by all 6 of us forever.

We continued the day with our first meet and greet which we are all used to because that is what we do at all of our appearance; however, this meet and greet was way different then all the others I have attended.  We were told to expect a large number of soldiers, but none of us could have imagined the crowd that collected to see us.  We walked into a room full of soldiers and all looked around at each other with amazement and shock.  For them to take time out of their day to come meet us was astonishing and getting to meet all of them one by one was an amazing experience and opportunity given to us.  I saw myself pausing for a minute, just glancing around at where I really was and taking it all in.  It was so surreal that I was in the Middle East, in Kuwait, surrounded by hundred of Military members, men and women that give so much up for me to live a normal life in safety.  You truly don’t realize it until you see it first hand, the trip truly touch me and will never be forgotten.  It was an honor meeting everyone over their and has had an impact on my life in so many different ways.  After the hour was up we took off to the next base, Camp Patriot, where we performed our first show of the week!

At the Hospital

Our first coin we received

We drove for about 45 minutes before arriving at Camp Patriot where we started the visit in another commander’s call.  Camp Patriot is both an American and Kuwaiti military base and is mostly used for training Kuwaiti soldiers for battle.  As we exited the bus we were greeted by SGT Benson, SGT Eder and SGT Almary, a.k.a. “Snake”.  They greeted us with opened arms, took us on a tour of the base and then to the commander’s call.  During the tour we got a look at the living facilities of the base and their base pet which was a turtle names Brutus.  It was so cute that they had a pet and they even had a little bio posted outside of his pond which stated that his hobbies consisted of swimming around his pond and laying on the rocks in the sun.  Also, he aspires to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and hopes to one day stand beside the action heroes.   He was unfortunately shy the day we visited so we did not get the chance to see him, but had heard multiple stories about him which were hilarious.

On our way to Camp Patriot!

What is interesting about Camp Patriot is that it also serves as a Naval Base.  While we were visiting the base we got the chance to have a tour of the Robert Smalls which is a Logistics Support Vessel operated by the U.S Army.  Prior to the visit we were all unaware that the army had any boats and that the primary mission of the army watercraft is to provide maritime logistical and rescue support to U.S. and allied forces.  The Robert Smalls is a very rare ship and only has one other ship like it, which is its sister ship and is located in Pearl Harbor.  As we toured the ship we found that it was a lot larger than what we had expected.  In a previous appearance I have done with the Philadelphia Eagles, I had the chance to travel to New York during Fleet Week and board the USS Iwo Jima which to my surprise was a lot different from the Robert Smalls.  The USS Iwo Jima was probably just as large but while walking through the ship they had very large cargo spaces and was very confined in all the other sections.  The Robert Smalls had the cargo space outside and the inside of the ship was equipped with its own hospital and kitchen and was very spacious compared to the USS Iwo Jima, especially in all the hallways.  During our tour we were informed that a “secret mission” was occurring so we were not able to get any pictures unfortunately, but it was super cool that we got to see one of the missions happening during the removal of the troops from Iraq.

The Robert Smalls Army Ship

From the tour of the Robert Smalls it was show time!!  We had about an hour and a half to eat and get performance ready.  As our first show, we were all extremely nervous, yet excited at the same time.  We all had worked so hard practicing and making the the show perfect and didn’t know if the crowd would enjoy it as much as we did.

Well Eagles Fans, I feel like this blog has gotten a little to long so I can’t wait until my next blog where I can reveal the outcome of our very first performance over in Kuwait!!

Until then Eagles Fans, enjoy the rest of the week and make sure to stick to your New Year’s Resolution!!!  YOU CAN DO IT!

xoxoDanielle

DAY 1: A long, long day of traveling

As-salam Alaykum Eagles Fans, which means “Hello Eagles Fans” in Arabic, the native language of Kuwait.

KUWAIT!!

Come with me as I take you on a journey of a lifetime, traveling overseas to the middle east to a country called Kuwait.  It all started when I woke up at 8 a.m. on Saturday, December 10th.  While getting ready and finishing up my last minute packing, I couldn’t believe that I was really going overseas to visit our troops.  Excitement and anticipation overwhelmed me on my way to the airport.  The six of us have been waiting for this moment for over a month and for it to come so soon was unbelievable. Before entering the Philadelphia Airport I gave my dad my last hug before taking a trip that would change my outlook on life forever.  We went through security in a timely manner, so we all enjoyed our last meal in the states at the famous Chickie and Pete’s.  We boarded the plane and I swear we all had smiles reaching from ear to ear.  Forty-five minutes later the plane landed in Washington DC where we met up with our amazing tour guide, Jody.  Jody had gone on the previous tour to Kuwait and Irag with some of the other cheerleaders from the squad.  The stories we had heard about how awesome

Many miles traveled before reaching our destination, Kuwait City.

he was were all right on the dot.  I can honestly say, traveling over 6,000 miles for a week with six women is not the easiest job, but he completed the task perfectly, all while keeping a smile on his face.  Now, the 45 minute flight from Philadelphia to Washington DC was nothing like the flight to Kuwait.  After sitting on a plane for 11 hours, I definitely needed to stretch my legs.  We flew commercial, but it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be.  The long hours went by rather quickly as because of the large movie selection they had given us on our own personal screen.  These movies came in handy because for some odd reason Dani and I were the only ones on the entire flight that were not able to fall asleep.  From the time difference, we arrived in Kuwait around 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon and made our way through the airport to get our visas and baggage.  When we finished in the Kuwaiti airport, we traveled by land to our home for the next week.  After an hour of driving, we finally arrive at Camp Arifjan.

The plane we traveled in from Philadelphia to Washington DC.

Camp Arifjan is one of the larger bases in Kuwait that houses thousand of soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines and is divided into 7 different zones.  As we exited the bus, it really hit me where I was and I couldn’t wait to meet all of the troops.  The first people for us to meet were our amazing security team that protected us for the week and actually ended up becoming more like family by the end.  Marvin, Lawrence, Ramos, Oscar and Manny were extremely shy at first, but we definitely broke their silence by day three and by day 7, we had them doing model walks and reciting our intros from our performances we did each day.  They truly made the trip unforgettable and not once the whole week did I have to think about my risk or safety.  The five guys showed us to our rooms and we had about an hour to get settled in.  The hour was up and we met in the lobby to go to the D-FAC, where we had our first meal ever in Kuwait!  The D-FAC is where we would eat breakfast, lunch and dinner for the week and it kind of reminded me of the dining hall at my school; however, the food was not the same.  Don’t get me wrong, the food at West Chester University’s dining hall is good, but the food served in the D-FAC in the middle east was great.  The six of us enjoyed going everyday to get food, despite what the soldiers said, we thought the food was awesome.

As we ate our first dinner we made our way around to the tables and talked to all the soldiers.  Everyone there was so polite and nice, they welcomed us with open arms and made it feel like home.  Everyone we passed thanked us for coming overseas to visit but we didn’t understand why they were thanking us when we were the ones that should be thanking them.  As a soldier they give up so much and are so brave to fight for our country like they do.  You have to be extremely strong to do the job they do and I can’t even express the honor we all felt getting the chance to be over there meeting them.  During our first dinner we met a soldier whose birthday it was and of course as cheerleaders, we encouraged everyone to sing “Happy Birthday to him.  Little did we know that the song “Happy Birthday” would become our most very popular song that we performed throughout the week.  As we finished up our meals we said goodbye to our new friends we had just made and went back to our housing where we got ready for the next day and got some beauty sleep, that was much needed.

Day 2 started the busy itinerary we had, as we got to see a lot more of Camp Arifjan and Camp Patriot.  Check back in as I continue to share my trip through all of the military bases over in Kuwait.

Happy New Year’s to everyone and good luck to our Eagles as they play their last game of the season tomorrow!!  I definitely feel a victory coming; what a great way to start off the new year.

On our way to Camp Arifjan from the airport.

Some more Kuwaiti home we saw on our travels.

Ma’a Salama (goodbye)

Let’s Go Eagles!!

xoxoDanielle

Hello Again…

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EAGLES FANS!!! Only 3 more days until the New Year!

Corinne and I at the Kids Club Halloween Party

Hmm… Let me think where we last left off, it’s been awhile.  Oh yeah, that’s right I explained my crazy, hectic schedule.  Well since then a lot has happened!  We had that crazy freak blizzard in October, right in time for Halloween.  I decided to be a cowgirl, which I think was perfect.  I swear I secretly am one at heart because I ended up absolutely loving the plaid flannel which has been my biggest fashion statement this winter season.

In November I got to dog sit for my mom while she went on vacation and had a blast running around, playing with a little puppy.  His name is Chase and he is a chiweenie, that is half chihuahua, half dachshund if you didn’t know.  He describes himself as spunky and outgoing and his hobbies include eating treats, leaving little puddles around the house and playing fetch with his tennis ball.  Thanksgiving came next and I very much enjoyed consuming the large turkey dinner with my family.  I also participated in the 6ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade that morning, where 19 fellow cheerleaders and I walked the parade route and ended the show with a performance in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum with Iyaz to his hit single “Pretty Girls”.  The day started off super early but it was amazing and brought me back to my

CHASE!

childhood.  As a young dancer my studio took part in Fantapulous and performed a tap routine in the parade with hundreds of other young dancers from the area.  On Wednesday night while we were waiting to have our dress rehearsal for the parade, I saw all the dancers walking down the street in their matching sweatshirts that you get has your costume.  It made me smile and think, “wow that was me 10 years ago”.  After the performance I tried to rush and get home in time for turkey dinner and I couldn’t find my car!!  I must have still been half asleep when I arrived early that morning because I couldn’t remember what street I parked on.  Thankfully, I am a visual learning and remembered the scenery around my car and after a half an hour of walking around searching for it I finally found it, thank goodness!  The famous black friday came around and I never go out and shop that day, to many crazy shoppers out for me to handle.  I usually take that day to relax inside watching movies and digesting the large dinner from the night before.  Unfortunately, I could not do that this year because I had to work.   Working in retail, this is the busiest day of the year and I was scheduled prime time.  It was a hectic day, but I got through the long lines and started to get excited for the next day.

Fantapulous

It’s a tradition in my family to go get our Christmas tree together and we always make a day trip every year.  We start the day

Mark and I at Christmas Village.

normally around 11 a.m. and take an hour drive up to a tree farm in Shartlesville, Pa.  We must choose the best tree so we tend to look around for a while before cutting it down with a saw.  After cutting it down, we walk it down the big mountain and start the process of tying it on the roof of the car.  Now, since we go with my whole family we normally have anywhere from 3-6 trees that go on the roof so if you could imagine, it definitely takes awhile to get them secured.  Our next stop is Roadside America, created in the 1940’s it is known as the world greatest indoor miniature village.  As a little girl, I remember being memorized by all the trains and houses in the display and going around the village pushing the buttons to make the trains and people move.  Now, after 20 years of going it doesn’t excite me the same but it has been a tradition in my family for a long time and it wouldn’t feel right not going.

Finishing the day is my favorite part because we go to Christmas Village.  Christmas Village is an old farm that the owners turned into a Christmas attraction.  You walk through the farm dazzled by all the gorgeous christmas lights surrounding you.  There are also mini shops to begin your holiday shopping, glass windows you can look into that show you a display of Christmas in all the different parts of the world and stories on lawn displays as you make your way through the small village.  It has always been my most favorite part of the trip and I enjoy looking at all the lights and seeing if I can tell which parts they have adjusted or added from the prior year.  This tradition has been start by my uncle’s grandfather and continues to this day and I am 100% sure that when I have my family I will continue the tradition.  Making this trip is the perfect way to start the holiday season.  The next weeks were packed with things I needed to accomplish.  Finals were near and I also had to get myself ready for a trip of a lifetime!

The Long Journey to Kuwait.

In the beginning of November, the squad received some news regarding a possible goodwill tour to Kuwait.  I can remember the excited that came over me when I read the email.  I had heard stories, watched videos and studied the photos from the previous trips that the other cheerleaders have made in the past.  The opportunity to go over seas to visit all the brave men and women of our country would be an honor.  There was no doubt in my mind that I would give this chance up.  I handed in my paperwork and hoped that my name would get chosen.  As our director Barbara stood in front of the squad revealing the names of the women picked my heart dropped.  One by one she called as the ladies stood up, Lauren, Paige, Dani, Jessica, Casey, all stood waiting for the final name to be called. I wished that I was the next one to be called but thought to myself that if this wasn’t my time to go, I knew there would always be another chance for an experience such as this one.  Then, all the anticipation was over as she finally called my name and I stood.  I was so happy words can’t explain how I felt, I knew how amazing this opportunity was but never thought it would have such a huge impact on my life as it did.  We started preparing for the long journey by perfecting the performance we were going to be doing each day there, preparing ourselves mentally and psychically and finishing up the dreaded packing!  We left the city of brotherly love on December 10th and spent the next 7 days on a journey through Kuwait on an experience of lifetime.  A trip that the 6 of us will never forget.  I will continue to fill you in on our experience in my next 7 blogs, as I show you the life of a soldier one day at a time.

Stay Tune!!

GO EAGLES

xoxoDanielle

P.S. I hope you all had an amazing holiday!

Sunday is almost here!

Hey There Eagles Fans!

My week has been crazy, especially with the home opener coming up this Sunday!  With the summer being over my school year has

Sam, Brittney and I

started full swing.  This year I start my Junior year at West Chester University pursuing a degree in Marketing.  I have been working hard in my classes making sure to stay on track with all my studies.  My class schedule this year is very different than years prior.  I amazingly was able to make my schedule so I only have classes on Tuesday and Thursday.  Even though I only have class two days out of the week, those days are extremely long ones.  My classes begin at 8 a.m. in Public Speaking.  From there I continue the day without a break going to Accounting, Calculus, Economics and Management which concludes at 3:15 p.m.  So far I like the way my schedule is, but I will see how I feel a few weeks into the semester.  Being my third year in school and my second year on the squad I feel very comfortable being able to balance the hectic schedule I am given.

With the home opener coming up, I have been preparing myself for our first performance of the season!  Working out, eating healthy, practicing the routines we have been learning and stretching are only a few things that I have been doing to get ready. I absolutely can’t wait for the game to come!  We have been learning a brand new pregame and quarter breaks for it, which are all amazing.  I also just did two super fun appearances last week.  After having practice on Tuesday and Wednesday night I continued my packed full week by going to Fort Dix Army Base on Thursday night and Chickie’s and Pete’s on Friday.  At both appearances I met a ton of Eagles fans anxious for the game coming up on Sunday.  Being able to meet the variety of people and hearing their perspective of the upcoming season is great.  Philadelphia definitely has the best fans and its amazing how passionate and dedicated we are for the team that we love.  I was born and raised as an Eagles fan so to be a part of the organization is a privilege and everyday I appreciate the opportunities that have been given to me.

The awesome view of the field as the 2010 home opener begins!

Well, back to my Calculus homework before practice.  Hope the weather this weekend holds out for game at Lincoln Financial Field so we can all stay nice and dry.  I’ll see you on Sunday!!

Let’s Go Eagles

xoxoDanielle

Connecticut and College

Hey Eagles Fans,

I just got home from work and have a few hours before the start of practice so I decided to check in with you guys.  The weather this week is horrible and hopefully it stops raining so the sun can come out.  My year has officially started and from the looks of it, there’s no vacation in the near future for me.

Lake Compounce Amusement Park in Connecticut

With the start of the season, appearances, and school my schedule has been crazy, but it’s been lots of fun so far.  The number of appearances that I have been doing has doubled!  Each time we go out into the community it is for a different reason, sometimes for charity, to a local 7-11 to meet fans, and then there are the few that are totally different from any other ones.  I recently was given the chance to take a four and a half hour drive with 7 other cheerleaders and Swoop to Lake Compounce Amusement Park in Connecticut.  We left from NovaCare at 11:30 a.m. and didn’t arrive back there until 2 a.m.  It was an extremely long day but totally worth it!  The appearance was for ESPN and Back To Football.  We met with tons of football fans and performed multiple dances for the crowd.  After we were finished with the appearance the great staff was able to let us ride their most popular and best ride in the park. The

All the girls and I on the best roller coaster ever!!

roller coaster was the best one I have ever been on, and I have been on hundreds!  It was an old, wooden roller coaster that went through the woods with tons of twists, turns and hills.  Amanda Grace and I were the brave ones that rode in the front seat, which personally I think was the best seat on the ride.  After flying out of my seat for the whole ride we collected ourselves, brushed our hair and continued our trip by having a family dinner.  We were able to find a hibachi restaurant near and went to enjoy a delicious dinner together after the hard work we did.  We all left the restaurant stuffed and enjoyed a long nap on the way back to Philadelphia.  The day was amazing, definitely one of the best appearances; however, the next day full of classes starting at 8 a.m. was not the easiest to get through.

Showing our school spirit for West Chester University's homecoming 2010

 

Besides all the appearances I have been doing, I have recently begun my Junior year at West Chester University.  I will have to tell you about all the details within my normal day of classes the next time I blog.  Off to practice I go, enjoy the rest of your week!

It’s a great day to be a duck!

xoxoDanielle

And The Season Begins…

Hey eagles fans!

I’m so excited to say that the new season is in full effect again and I can’t wait until the first game! As the summer dwindles down, the rush of being on that field again makes it all worth it.  Football, I would have to say is my favorite sport and what way to root for your team then to be on the field next to them cheering them on to victory.  The pressure is on to beat the clock because we only have approximately two weeks until the first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens and have so much to accomplish before then.  However, the group of women that we have on the squad are all amazing and I firmly believe that we can pull it off successfully.

Performing at a game last season

HUGE TROPHY !

Even with all the craziness going on around with the NFL news I still had a chance to travel to Ocean City, Maryland to enjoy a week at the beach.  I drove the 3 hours with my best friend Colleen, who I have mentioned before.  We left after I finished up practice last Wednesday night and arrived Thursday morning at 2 a.m.  It was a long day with practice and driving but to wake up the next morning at the beach was well worth it.  My old dance studio was actually down there for a National Competition which I watched for the last two days and they did absolutely amazing!  Their talent has grown so much and I miss dancing next to them up on stage.  They received above 4 stars for all their dances and two of the dances even made it to what is called, “Battle of the Stars” which is such an honor.  Only 87 our the 1700 dances made it to that competition and they were selected as one of them.  Also, for their one dance “Heads Will Roll” performed by the teen team won they won a HUGE trophy and when I say HUGE I mean HUGE.  :) The trophy was so big it was taller then the studio owner who is 6 feet tall!!  The trophy that they received was only given to 4 dances that entertained the judges the most out of all the 1700 dances in the competition.  The Battle of the Stars competition came the next day and they were all so full of nerves and excitement.  As I watched the dances being performance I was amazed by all the teams, there were a ton of studios that did such a great job.  Our dances were up next and all the parents and friends in the audition went crazy, including me.  I was so happy watching them up there, it almost brought tears to my eyes.  At the end of competition we got 4th and 6th in their category which was good and we were all happy even to make it to Battle of the Stars, they definitely worked extremely hard all year and deserve to get that far.

Awards at Battle of the Stars

One of the dancers on the team was my teammate at once, but she also has a special place in my heart.  Alexis is 10 years old and is an amazing person and dancer.  She is Colleen’s little sister  but I also considered her to my little sister.  I was there when she was

Alexis and I after competition

born and watching her grow up is so amazing.  She has danced with both Colleen and I since she was 4 and has grown so much as a dancer it is unbelievable.  To see just a little girl have so much power and performance on stage is crazy.  I am so proud of the young girl she is growing up to be and able to consider her family.  I am sure she will be a huge part of life for years and years to come.

After the competition ended on Friday, we continue the vacation in Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.  I was able to stay until Monday to get some beach time in but I will have to give you the rest of those details in the next blog.

WERE BACK TO FOOTBALL EAGLES FANS!!

Stay Tuned…

xoxoDanielle

What a wonderful recital and weekend !!

Hey Eagles Fans!

So it’s been a while, I must fill you in on all the amazing things that have been happening.  I have been loving summer and I wish it was longer because I have had such a packed schedule with fun things to do and don’t want school to start again.  I have told you guys about my participation in my dance studio’s recital and I can say that it was a success and had a blast seeing all the wonderful dances and getting that feeling of performing again, I miss it so much!

My last performance with Kay's Act II Dance Studio

Now, the recital was at the end of June and the process all began on Thursday night.  I arrived at The College of New Jersey, where the recital is hosted every year and got ready to begin our dress rehearsal.  The night concluded around 10 and then we all moved over to Applebees to have a big family meal.  It’s a tradition for the dance team to go out to eat for a family dinner after the dress rehearsal.  I have danced at my studio ever since I was a young girl and was always considered a second home of mine, my fellow teammate were more like sisters than friends.  It was definitely a late night but I prepared myself for it and had such a great time.  Friday was our day off so we could relax before the shows began.  Saturday night was the opening night and it was crazy back stage.  The show was a hit and I actually was able to sit and watch majority of it since my dance was at the end of the show.  Watching the dances that my friends were in made me a little upset because I wish I was up there along side them dancing on stage.  Over the years they have grown so much in both there personal lives and their dancing.  I am so proud of all of them and they have become beautiful young women.  Sunday was the last day of the busy weekend and that was also taping day.  The recital is always taped so each student could buy the DVD to keep as a reminder of the amazing year they had.  All the hard work paid off because the recital this year was amazing and a success!

The dance team I grew up with!

The week after was full of long days of work but it went fast and I was given the chance to finally make it down the beach for the holiday!  I drove late Saturday night after work to Ocean City, New Jersey where we spent two nights.  Feeling the sand between my toes was great because of my busy schedule I never get the chance to see the ocean every summer.  My best friend, Colleen and I took an extremely long walk on the beach in Wildwood which ended up taking an hour and a half.  We enjoyed the nights walking some more along the boardwalk and going out to dinner.  We headed home on monday during the day, which I was nervous about because I didn’t want to get stuck in all the traffic.  Surprisingly though, there was absolutely no traffic which was amazing and we got home a little over an hour.  Monday concluded with a delicious barbecue at Colleen’s house with beautiful fireworks.

I am getting lucky this summer because I am traveling down to Ocean City, Maryland this time next week for another vacation.  I am going down with my dance studio to watch them for Nationals and then also getting a little fun in the sun and maybe a tan.  I hope this week goes fast so I can get on the beach again, I miss the amazing view of the ocean! Hope you guys can get out in the sun as much as I am!

xoxoDanielle

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