Philadelphia Eagles Blog

A Farewell Blog

Dear Eagles Fans,

I like to say that in the world of NFL cheerleading, there comes a time when each of us must hang up the pom-poms and retire. I never thought that I would be doing this after being a part of the Eagles Cheerleaders for the past three years, but it is funny how life changes and how unpredictable those changes can be. This will be my last blog as a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader and I am going to take this time to write about just how wonderful my experiences were and how this is something that I will never forget. Now it’s time for a trip down memory lane…

It is funny for me to think back to March of 2009 when I announced to my parents out of the blue, that I was going to audition to be an NFL cheerleader. I can still see their reactions to the news as a startling one especially since at that point in my life I had never been a huge football fan. Instead I was the girl that loved to perform and dance at football games instead of watching them. But, I followed through with my announcement and made a promise to myself that dancing was my passion and I was not going to give up until I was a member of the squad. It was that determination and love for performing that eventually, after the month long audition process, landed me a spot among 12 other women as a rookie on the 2009-2010 season. Even three years later, I can still remember walking in by myself and performing for the first time in front of the judges. Luckily, large auditions like that one were somewhat normal for me since after graduating college, I had taken time to attend many of the “cattle call” Broadway dancer auditions in NYC. But no matter how many times you audition for any sort of job, there are always nerves especially when you attend an audition alone and don’t have the comfort of being surrounded by your best friend, or members of your dance team from college. So you can imagine that on the big open call day, when hundreds of women were there, I of course felt like a needle in a haystack. However, I quickly made friends and reminded myself that whenever you audition for anything, whats most important is to have fun and enjoy the process because whatever comes out of it, auditions are always a great way to learn about yourself and challenge yourself. Having that mentality is by far the best advice I can give to anyone …if you can see the positive in any situation, then you have nothing to loose! I believe that having a thought process like that really helped me to enjoy the audition process and feel confident in myself and my dancing. However, it wasn’t just about applying that mentality to the auditions, moreover, it was a great way to experience all of the joys and opportunities that came along with being an Eagles Cheerleader for three years.

When I first made the team I only had knowledge of what it was like from veteran cheerleaders. I had no idea just how amazing each step of the journey would actually be. Being an NFL cheerleader is so much more than just cheering. I came to learn that we were ambassadors to the Eagles Organization. We were dancers, performers, role models and yes, sometimes even actors! It was the perfect way to combine everything that I love to do into one incredible job. Now, don’t get me wrong, the work was hard! The dance rehearsals were grueling and strenuous, but the entire team became a family and the bond between all of us was what made this experience different from any other. From the moment I became a cheerleader I gained 37 new friends who have become some of the most important people I know. I also worked alongside people I truly admire, respect and look up to including Barbara Zaun, the director and Suzy Zucker, the choreographer. Everything became a team effort and although we were the Eagles Cheerleaders to our fans, we were really 38 individuals, each with something unique to bring to the team that created such a dynamic and diverse group of accomplished women. That was something I loved most about being an Eagles Cheerleader, seeing the various talent among the women and knowing that each one of us contributed to the team in a special way.

Looking back on my action packed years, I am in awe over the many things I experienced and have come to realize just how memorable those moments were and how lucky each and everyone of us who at one point or another will be an NFL cheerleader are. Never would I have thought before making the team that I would model for a eco friendly swimsuit calendar, remove 600 pounds of trash with United by Blue from the Delaware river, work alongside some of the most wonderful charitable organizations like Tackling Breast Cancer and Huddle Up for Autism, perform live at Eagles games for 67,000 fans or even act with my teamamtes  alongside Owen Wilson and Reese Witherspoon in their film How Do You Know. But it all happened and I can remember the excitement I felt for each and every one of these experiences and how crazy it was when reality sunk in and I was able to take a step back and think about how thankful I was for being a part of something that makes dreams a reality. I really thought that being an Eagles Cheerleader initially just meant that I would continue on with my love for dancing, but I quickly learned it was so much more than that. It wasn’t just a job to me, it was a priority in my life because I loved it so much, wanted to live it to the fullest and embrace everything that came with it because as I said before, there comes a time when all great things eventually come to an end.

Hanging up the pom-poms has not been an easy decision to make, but my life has changed in ways that I never would have imagined when I made the team 3 years ago. In a short time I will be married (one of the biggest changes in my life!) and my acting and modeling career is moving forward in exciting ways; and while I wish I could cheer forever (and at one point thought I would), it is time for me to chase new dreams and start a new chapter in my life. At our end of the season banquet when those cheerleader who are not returning take a moment to say a short speech, I told everyone that as difficult as it is to leave something as wonderful as this behind, it is important to look to the future and be excited about the road that lies ahead. I can’t wait to travel the world with my soon to be husband and head back up to NYC for Broadway auditions and of course, watch my former cheerleading life at an upcoming Eagles game from the stands…and while these new chapters are unwritten, I will forever have the memories of being an NFL cheerleader written in stone.

Our choreographer always said that one of the things she likes best about watching us over the years are we continue to be on the squad is seeing all of us mature and become strong women. I see that now especially when I look back over my photos and think about just how far I have come in those 3 short years….

Putting on the Vera Wang uniform for the 1st time after making the squad  in 2009!  

Winning the Dance Award at the 2010 final audition!

Offering a helping hand each year at the EYP Playground Build!

Performing with friends + teamates at this years Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama! 

Leading my very first squad as Captain in 2012! 

 For those of you who become an Eagles Cheerleader, an exciting path lies ahead of you and whenever it is you decide to hang up those pom-poms look back on your time with the team fondly and think about how it has shaped you, for I have witnessed several things in reviewing my time on the Eagles…I went from being a rookie- knowing nothing about what it meant to be an NFL cheerleader, to leading a squad as captain and guiding new rookies along the way; I grew friendships and acquired new dance techniques, and most importantly, I grew up and came to learn a lot about myself and what it means to be a confident and driven woman. It is in leaving the Eagles that I thank everyone who made my time as a cheerleader the most amazing and memorable years ever…

To my friends who are re-auditioning in the next couple of weeks, I wish you the best of luck and know that each and everyone of you will do great and really shine on stage!

To those of you who I never had the chance to meet and are hoping to become the newest members of this years team, enjoy every minute of the process and know that it is a huge accomplishment in itself to audition and make it this far!

For those of you who make the squad, cherish the moment you get the exciting news and remember every time you are at a game, an appearance or any other fabulous opportunity that may come your way, to really appreciate it and love every second of it because this will be the start to some of the most incredible years of your life!

To Barbara and Suzy, thank you for giving me the chance to be a member of the squad for 3 years and for believing in me! You both are such wonderful people and I feel so lucky to have worked with you!

To all the Eagles Fans, thanks for being the best fans in the NFL and for taking the time to read my blogs!

I wish every member of the 2012-2013 Eagles Cheerleading squad a successful and amazing year! I can’t wait to see you all at an Eagles game this fall!

GO BIRDS~

Xoxo,

Tracey

Busy as a Bee

Hi Eagles Fans!

Countdown to SENIOR BOWL……less than a week away! As you know and am sure you have read on Philalphiaeagles.com, us cheerleaders are headed to cheer in Alabama for the senior bowl and I know I mentioned it in my previous blog, however I am so excited about it and really looking forward to our time there. Since we are in the off season, we haven’t been rehearsing as much as usual so it will be a great trip where we get to spend time together, keep up with our dancing and hopefully soak up some sun and higher temperatures in the South. There still is a lot to do between now and when we leave so I am trying to take it day-by-day.

This has been one crazy busy week for me with work and such. I modeled some great Vera Bradley handbags all day yesterday and had a ball. My mom actually works for the company, so I have grown up with these bags which made me feel right at home even when I was at work! Tomorrow brings new challenges as I will be modeling a mattress..not sure just yet as to what I will be doing, but I am looking forward to being able to lie down and relax! Just one of the perks of my job I suppose haha. Later tonight though, I will be in for some PJ modeling followed by a makeup show, so as you can see, I am doing all sorts of things!

On the home front though, wedding planning is going smoothly as is our newest home decor project! I am totally an interior designer at heart and have been busy purchasing some new decor for our house to match our new…reclaimed wood wall! Jonathan found these amazing slabs of old barn wood and has been working hard everyday placing them on a wall in our house and above the fireplace to transform our house into a real rustic oasis! It looks amazing so far and I am really excited to see how it turns out. Plus, it feels great using recycled material  in creative ways to design our house. Here is a photo of one of the walls thus far…

On another note, my latest quote of the day seems to be that “planning a wedding is a full time job”. Between that and actual work I am one busy bee! A lot of it is fun, don’t get me wrong, but what I am really looking forward to is the actual day when we can enjoy all of our hard work and relax! The good news is that it is fast approaching so I am getting excited.

Well, it is time for me to run, sorry for the short blog but I am in between shows and have to get ready. I hope you all tune in and watch the senior bowl and cheer for your favorite team. Until next week, enjoy the sunshine and have a fabulous weekend!

Xoxo,

Tracey

It’s 2012 Y’all!

Hi there Eagles Fans!

Since my last blog, we have entered into a New Year and so far it has been great! As you know, we had our last home game on New Year’s day and we won which was an incredible way to finish off the season. My parents and fiancé came to watch the sporting event and had a wonderful time and my fiancé brought his camera and took some amazing shots of both the football and cheerleading action.  Here is a photo he took…looking at this picture reminded me of what a beautiful day it was for the game! I still am baffled by the fact that it was 54 degrees on January 1, 2012!

Since the game, I have been busy with wedding plans…we are getting a lot accomplished as the big day is approaching, but no matter how much you “cross off the list”, there is always more to do! It sure is a busy job, but I am really enjoying the fun things like invitations, flowers and of course styling myself and the bridal party! Tomorrow, Jonathan and I will be working on some more registry items and then we are taking a trip to get a sneak peak of what the groomsmen outfits will look like! I have come to realize that it is very important to see your vision come alive and make sure everything works well together.

Speaking of working well together… 2012 and my job brought some great news for me in terms of work. I will hopefully be working more in the petite fashion and accessory world of modeling! I am so thrilled with this and really looking forward to new opportunities that may come my way

More exciting news though…countdown to our Senior Bowl debut is T-Minus 12 days!! We are all really looking forward to going to Alabama for the game and of course spending time with each other at appearances and such. With the trip less than 2 weeks away, we are still going strong and will be rehearsing during the week so that we are all geared up and ready to perform some awesome dances! I hope you all watch the game and be sure to cheer on your favorite players and your Eagles Cheerleaders as well!

Well ,it is time for me to run, I have a busy day tomorrow! But before I go, I wanted to leave you all with a super cute photo of my cat Louise a.k.a Weezie, hamming it up for the camera in front of the fireplace..she is so adorable:)

Until next time, have a great week!

Xoxo,

Tracey

A California Christmas!

Greeting Eagles fans!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed time off to spend with family and friends. I just returned from Los Angeles yesterday and am really missing that 75 degree weather right now! I had a fantastic trip and spent six days with my fiancé and his family, along with my family and my sister’s husband and his family. We like to say that this year for Christmas, all three families came together for a wonderful celebration.

Before heading out West however, my parents, Jonathan and I decided to do an early Christmas so we didn’t have to travel with presents, so take a look at our “pre-Christmas” celebration! We even dressed up our pets for some great photos

 You may also recognize the photo on the left… it is only natural to provide my dad with a new Eagles hoodie and of course Jonathan with a great retro #12 Cunningham jersey!

 December 21st: time to fast forward to the west coast…

 December 22nd: my first day in LA, I went shopping for a Jr. bridesmaid and flower girl dress for my soon to be nieces. I am really excited to have them in my wedding and they are also really looking forward to getting to be like the “big girls” AKA my bridesmaids. We ended up finding perfect dresses for the girls and with the help of my soon to be “sister-in-law”, we chose the perfect complimentary color to the bridesmaid dresses. After a very successful trip there, we met up with my “groom-to-be”, and his groomsmen to review some tuxedo options. That turned out to be easy as pie as well, and with those appointments successfully finished, I was able to cross some major things of my “wedding to do” list.

December 23rd: With Christmas rapidly approaching, we also spend a lot of time cooking, decorating his parents house with fresh garland and enjoying each others company. One of the nieces is really into the comic stories of Tin Tin and so on the 23rd we all went to see the movie, which by the way, is incredible! It was also Jonathan’s mothers birthday, so it was a really fun way to celebrate and be with everyone. Now, with the holidays comes a lot of eating, as I am sure you all know, so we finished off the night with honey baked ham, cake and a bunch of Christmas caroling. Jonathan comes from a very musical and talented family, so it was really nice to sit back, relax and get in the holiday spirit by singing some of our favorite songs.

December 24th: ”T’was the night before Christmas”…and as you can imagine we were all very excited for Christmas morning! I helped the nieces write a letter to Santa and put out carrots, eggnog and cookies and then we all finished up last-minute gift wrapping and headed to bed to wake up early the next morning.

December 25th: Christmas Morning!!! Do you have any Christmas morning traditions? For my family, we always had to eat breakfast before any presents were open and so I was happy to see that it was the same for Jonathan’s family. At 9am we sat down to a wonderful breakfast of fresh eggs and chocolate croissants then headed to the family room to open gifts! It was awesome to see what everyone got and I was so happy to receive a great home decor book.

Later that day, my sister, her husband and his family came over, along with my parents and we all celebrated Christmas some more with great food, gifts and songs! My sister even gave me beautiful vintage emerald earrings and I cannot wait to wear them! Later that night, we gathered around the piano again and sang songs my dad even had a solo singing “Frosty the Snowman” and my sister’s husband belated out “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer”! To finish off the night, Jonathan’s dad and siblings sang a song written by Jonathan’s dad that they will be singing in our wedding so it was a very special and emotional moment for all of us.

December 26th:  last day in California= beach day!

While the weather in Philly may have been frightful, the weather in CA was so delightful and when it is beautiful and sunny, where does one decide to go? The beach! It was strange to me that the day after Christmas I was swimming in the ocean, however it was cold, yet super refreshing! After hitting the waves, we all grabbed some lunch and warmed up in the hot tub at my parents hotel. Needless to say, it was the perfectway to end the day and my trip out west.

Now, I am back home, had rehearsal last night and tonight and on Sunday it’s our last home game of the season VS the Redskins! I cannot believe how fast the season flew by but I am looking forward to being able to cheer on the field on New Years day! I am also astonished that 2012 is almost here! There are a lot of big things happening this upcoming year that I cannot wait for…the most obvious one is my wedding!

Well, it’s time for me to head to work so I have to wrap this blog up. I hope you all had a magical Christmas and I am looking forward to seeing you at the game in 2012..January 1, 2012 that is

Xoxo,

Tracey

In a New York, Eagles and Christmas state of mind…

Hi Eagles fans!

Boy has this week turned out to be a great one! I returned on Tuesday from my 3 day trip to NYC and had a wonderful time. This year, my fiancé and I really wanted to treat each other to fun experiences rather than packaged gifts for Christmas, so we hopped on the bus and took to New York  for some great fun and sights.

On our first night in the city, we met up with one of my good friends from college and her boyfriend. The four of us met at the beautiful Rockefeller Christmas tree so we could snap some cute photos. However, getting to the tree turned out to be quite a production. The city was so crowded and of course so was this location. We were slowly making our way through the masses and the insanely long line to ice skate under the tree and gold angel, and finally were able to find them.

Realizing it was too crowded to even attempt to make it closer to the rink, we decided to head over to the restaurant early. We ate at this great italian place which was known for their veal. My fiancé and I split an amazing caprese salad with prosciutto (my absolute favorite!) and then each had some wonderful entrees. To finish the night off, we of corse ordered dessert and the chocolate mousse cake we had was out of this world, delicious!

Our second day however, was a real picturesque and perfect day in New York. Our first stop was Columbus circle right near Central Park for a Christmas village shopping excursion as well as seeing my mom who was in the city for business. Afterwards, we walked from 8th- 5th several times to pick out the perfect horse and carriage to take us for a ride through the park! It was such a beautiful day and my fiancé decided to treat me to a romantic carriage ride. We had a great time taking photos and just enjoying each others company.

After the carriage ride, it was time for a quick sushi lunch, then a brisk walk back to the hotel to get ready for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular show! When I was younger, my family and I would sometimes celebrate Thanksgiving in NYC and on black Friday, we would always go and see the Rockettes. It became sort of a tradition and because Jonathan had lived in LA his entire life until moving here, he had never seen it. Therefore, I saw it as the perfect opportunity for us to go and see a great show and also get us in the Christmas spirit. It was a wonderful production and this year even more numbers and costumes were added. However, I have to say that the nativity scene they do is so magical and a great way to remind all of us what Christmas is all about. And the Rockettes…the kicks are amazing and the toy soldier dance is always going to be my favorite number! While it may look like maybe I could have a future career in the show, look closer at my lack of height…Do you know how tall you need to be to even audition for a Rockette? If you guessed 5′ 6”- 5′ 10″ you’re right! Lucky for me though, as an Eagles Cheerleader we do kick lines and there is no height requirement So it is the best of both worlds!

On our last night in NY we had dinner with one of Jonathan’s long time friends and her husband then met up with my mom and some more of our friends back by Central Park. There is something so wonderful about New York City at Christmas time and I am so happy we were able to fit a trip in before the holidays!

Now onto the highlights of this weekend. It was a very busy one full of appearances and then rehearsing for the game on Sunday. However, it all paid off because what an incredible game it was! Can you believe how many touch downs we had! I seriously felt that every time I turned around, it was time to go and perform the fight song again. It was also great to see our teammates that had just returned from their military tour in Kuwait. I cannot wait to talk more and hear their incredible stories.

Tomorrow I am headed to the spa to get a much-needed massage and then it’s time to pack because on Wednesday my fiancé and I are headed to California to spend Christmas with his family and my family as well! This year, my mom and dad, sister and her husband will all be traveling to CA to celebrate for the first times with all of our families joined together. It’s going to be wonderful having quality time with everyone and of course singing lots of Christmas carols.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I will blog with updates on our Christmas once I am back! Until then, I hope Santa brings you exactly what you hoped for Christmas!

HO-HO-HO!

Tracey

Tis the Season…

Hi Eagles fans!

Where did I leave off since my last blog? Oh, that’s right, a snowstorm in October?! Since then however, many things have happened as well as many holidays! For Halloween, I dressed up my dog as a basketball player while my cat, Louise, donned a black and orange Halloween dress. Chessy and slightly ridiculous, I know, however, they looked extremely cute!

After Halloween came a very hectic and exciting Eagles schedule filled with rehearsals, 4 games and many appearances…including our performance in the 6abc Thanksgiving Day Parade! This was my 3rd year walking and performing in the parade and I was really happy to be a part of it again. Every year we perform with a different artist and this year it was rapper Iyaz- he has a hit on the radio and we all had a blast dancing along side him and spreading holiday cheer. What I really enjoyed about this years parade however, was that we were located in front of our very own Eagles drum line, so we were able to dance and cheer the entire length of the parade, which really got the crowd excited, and because we were walking instead of riding on a float, we had a lot more fan interaction which was really memorable.

Once we finished our performance we all rushed home to celebrate thanksgiving. Luckily for me, this year thanksgiving was at my parents home in the city so I was able to walk home!

Now I do not know about what you enjoy to do at the holidays cook, entertain etc. but every year I decorate the thanksgiving table. It is pretty much my own tradition and because I do not know how to cook/ am terrible at it, decorating seems to be my perfect fit. I took a photo for you all to see what I did. I especially liked the little place cards I made with the help of some mini pears. The day turned out great and it was a real treat to spend time with my family, fiancé and friends. How was your thanksgiving? After a day of turkey, did any one venture out for the big sales on black Friday?

Fast forward now to December. Time to decorate the Christmas tree, swap out the fall scented candles for some new “fresh balsam” ones and of course, blast “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” on your iPod all day long. Jonathan and I decided to decorate early so that we could have more time amidst our holiday home since we will be in CA for Christmas, so we chose a day when the weather was nice and decorated both indoors and out. Here is a great photo of our tree, and me attempting to put the angel on top:

Back to whats happening now and the next couple of weeks with Eagles! I have had a lot of appearances this past week and many more coming up! Two really neat ones that I did were for the Philly Sports Fans awards and the USA vs. World fencing tournament. It was great to be a part of these two wonderful events and it was really cool to see up close and personal viewing some fierce fencing!

This upcoming week all of us Eagles cheerleaders are going to be very busy and if you check out philadelphiaeagles.com, you can see what appearances we are doing, so I hope to see you there!

Tomorrow though, I am off to the big apple with Jonathan. I really wanted to go up to NYC one more time before Christmas and take part in some traditional Christmas activities: carriage rides in Central Park, photos by the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, seeing the Rockettes and of course the famous windows at Saks’ Fifth Avenue. Once back from NY, it’s game time though on the 18th, so I hope to see all of you Eagles fans out there cheering!

Until next time, have a wonderful week and check back for more blogs!

Xoxo,

Tracey

A Blizzard in October?!

Greeting Eagles fans!

It might as well have been Christmas morning today, because when I woke up and looked out the window, it was snowing like crazy! It is still coming down strong and I think we now have about 3 inches of snow! Talk about a trick or treat for this Halloween!

Here are some photos I took this morning as I attempted to take my dog out for a very chilly and snowy walk. In the second photo you will notice my pumpkin…it’s a good thing I didn’t carve it yet! But how funny is it to see this bright fall item covered in snow?!

This snow seems to have everyone confused right now. I feel like I should be decorating our Christmas tree and listening to Christmas carols, but instead I am trying to figure out when my fiancé and I can go and get candy for the trick-or-treaters on Monday! Mother nature truly surprised us this time

Now, onto tomorrows game! I hope those of you who will be joining us at the stadium have your snow suit ready! I am sure that the stadium will be cleared out as best it can, but I wouldn’t leave home without your gloves and snow boots just to be safe! I packed my suitcase for the game last night and even threw in all my under armor gear just in case we need it! Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that the snow will subside and we will see some sunshine tomorrow!

But how excited are you for the biggest game of the season?! Eagles vs Cowboys the moment we have been waiting for! I am feeling pretty confident that we will play a great game, so lets keep those fingers crossed that we have a victory on our hands!

Well, I better go and get the fire-place up and running it is getting chilly in here! See you tomorrow at the game…. GO BIRDS!

Xoxo,

Tracey

Fall Festivities!

Hi there Eagles fans!

Happy fall to you all! Now I do not know about you, but fall is definitely one of my favorite seasons especially because there is so much to do and enjoy outside. When the leaves start changing and the vibrant colors appear, it makes me so excited to pull out my fall clothes and hats, start sipping pumpkin lattes and eating caramel apples. I am also a huge fan of taking part in any and all fall festivities I can get my hands on which is why yesterday was a wonderful day! My fiancé and I decided to take some back country roads to a great farm that was open for pumpkin picking. When we arrived we actually stopped first to watch a PIG RACE! Not only did we learn some fun facts about pigs, which by the way are the 4th most intelligent mammal behind humans, monkeys and dolphins; but we were able to watch them race around a ring and see which pig would take home the prize! It was a neat experience and we had a lot of fun watching them “wee-wee-wee all the way home”.

After the race, we fed some goats and lambs and then proceeded to make our way to a massive corn maze. Jonathan took liberty in reading the map to ensure that we didn’t get lost, however that was inevitable and a little while later we made our way out and back to the farm. We ended the day with a hayride out to a pumpkin patch where were picked some unique looking pumpkins and headed home to decorate our house with our new Halloween items! 

Not only was yesterday a great day to be outside, but as our Eagles have proven, it was a great day to win some football! My parents were really getting in on the excitement and kept texting me the plays and scores since I was out an about all day, which was great to keep tabs on the game even while feeding the farm animals  After an awesome victory, Jonathan and I headed into Philly for his pre-birthday celebration with my parents, but it wasn’t until  later when it was time to get our “spook on” as we headed over to the Eastern State Penitentiary for their annual ‘Terror Behind the Walls” Halloween extravaganza! This was my 4th time visiting the attraction and each year it gets even scarier! Even though the actors are not allowed to touch you, several of them seemed to love following me throughout the maze which in my opinion is even more freaky! Needless to say, we made it out alive and have decided to go and do a haunted hayride at Bates Motel this week. I have to admit, I’m not so into Halloween, but visiting some haunted attractions are a must this time of year.

Tomorrow, it is back to rehearsal and some more wedding planning as we are about 7 months away from my big day but only 2 weeks away from our next home game against the Cowboys! I hope to see you all at the game cheering on our team and hoping that we can have another great game and victory!

Until next week, enjoy the photos from our day at the farm and to my fiancé, I wish you a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! 

Xoxo,

Tracey 

Happy Birthday Dad!

Hey Eagles fans!

First and foremost, I have to wish my dad a very happy birthday! Lucky for him, his big day fell on this seasons home opener last Sunday, September 25th! Talk about a great birthday celebration! He and my mom both came to the game and had a great time cheering on our team. In my family, we are big on stretching birthdays out and making them more of a “weekend event”. I have always been the one to joke that my birthday is a month-long, so as you can imagine, celebrating is something we like to do.

On Friday, I had to work for 27 hours straight with several makeup shows, so unfortunately I was unable to join my mom and dad out for a great dinner at Davio’s in center city, but I was able to join them on Saturday night for a fabulous italian dinner at the super cute restaurant Radicchio. Luckily, my super long work day went by quickly, mostly because we all had a lot of fun on and off the set. I did have to get some rest though, and I think in the span of 27 hours that I was in the building, I slept for about 2 hours! A funny story though- one of the models brought her air matters on the set so we could get some shut-eye, and after about sleeping for an hour, I realized that the mattress was deflating! It was pretty funny because I remember I was moving around a lot trying to find pockets of inflation, however it was a lost cause.

Needless to say, I needed up staying awake the rest of the day into night before passing out on my super comfy blanket that I bring with me on these long shifts. All the other models said I was sound asleep because they were standing over me and trying to do things to get me to wake up, but I didn’t budge! Here are a couple of photos of me and my 3 closest friends that I work with, Brenda, Deanna, Me and Christine. I look super short next to them, but hey- that’s the beauty of being a hair and makeup model height doesn’t matter haha and how about being awake, or at least looking like it after we were about 26 hours in….Boy, was I tired!

After finishing work, I went home and slept for a solid 11 hours before packing up my game day bag and heading into Philly to meet my parents for my dad’s birthday dinner Saturday night! I mentioned earlier that we went to this great restaurant called Ridicchio located near 3rd and Arch in center city. It was a small place, but the food was amazing and we were able to sit outside which was wonderful because the temperature was perfect! We shared amazing grilled calamari and my mom and I both ordered the Veal Limone- which was so delicious! My dad ended up ordering this awesome pasta with proscuitto..so if you love to eat, like I do, I highly recommend this restaurant!

Sunday, I woke up bright and early and headed to the stadium for our home opener! Because it was my dad’s birthday, I wanted to have a gift waiting for him at the pro shop, so I bought him an Eagles shirt so he could pick it up and wear it for the game! You can never have enough eagles gear, right?!  Anyway, since it was the home opener, nerves were in the air! I was feeling anxious and excited to be out on the field and perform what we had been working so hard on in the previous weeks. Also, because it was only my 2nd time on the field as captain, I was looking forward to gaining more experience and facing the challenges that we have as leaders. Luckily everything went smoothly and the game turned out to be a lot of fun, even though we lost- we still made some incredible plays and my squad did a wonderful job!

Now, this week we are preparing for another game on Sunday and will be rehearsing hard both tonight and tomorrow. On Friday, Cheryl and I have an appearance in West Chester, then its back for work for me pretty much straight though to the game! I can tell it is going to be another tiring week, but as I always say “C’est la vie”!

I hope you all join us and cheer on our Eagles either at the stadium or from your home next week. Until then, GO BIRDS!

Xoxo,

Tracey

Ps: enjoy this great photo my dad took from last weeks home opener!

From the 2011Emmy Awards to our Home Opener!

Hey Eagles fans!

I am back home after a wonderful (almost 2 week) trip to Los Angeles. I took the red-eye in super early Tuesday morning and an an action packed day before practice, so as you could imagine I was, and still am, somewhat tired. It was rather funny because after rehearsal finished I rushed home to get to sleep only to have a burst of energy kick in so I started to re-organize my closet! Keep it mind, even though it was 12am, to me it only felt like 9pm since I was still on “west coast” time, but still, I felt somewhat crazy for not getting immediate rest.

Looking back on my time in LA I had some wonderful experiences. On my day off last Sunday though, I had the chance to visit the red carpet for the 2011 Emmy Awards! Luckily enough, the work studio I was at overlooked the entire red carpet! I took thousands of photos and was able to see tons of celebrities like Heidi Klum and Seal, Katie Holmes, Paula Abdul, Ryan Seacrest, Kate Winslet and Gwyneth Paltrow! It was really neat being able to see them up close and take a look at some of the fabulous fashion on the carpet.

 Here is a look at the red carpet from where I was!

It was so different than what I imagined it would be! Basically everyone walks down this huge carpet in a mass then one by one, they enter another carpet where tons of photographers are yelling for them to pose for a photo- it was crazy, but really exciting to see!

One of the coolest moments of that evening though was actually getting to hold an actual Emmy that a producer I know had won previously. He actually has 3 of them back home! I was a little nervous to hold it (truth be told), but it was incredible to see it up close and in my hands! Here is a photo of me on the set at the studio holding an Emmy award!

  Overall it was an incredible night and I am really grateful that I had that opportunity. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, so on Monday, I spent the day packing and tried to relax a bit before heading back to Philly. I made sure that on the days I wasn’t working to go over our choreography for this Sunday’s home opener against the Giants! Are you as excited as I am??? The season has officially begun and I can tell you that there are 38 women who are eager to be out on the field in just 3 days!

We have a great new pre game dance prepared that I think you will like and we also have some new quarter break dances that we have been working extremely hard on. Not to mention, there have been a lot of appearances this week including pep rallys to get everyone excited for the game. I actually just came back from an apperance at 7-eleven and it was neat to see just how many Eagles fans turned out for the 2 hours we were there. Some lucky fans even won raffle prizes and walked away with some great gear to wear to this Sunday’s game!

It is time for me to get some rest though because tonight at 8pm I am headed into work for the next 27 hours! I literally will not be coming home until 11:30pm tomorrow night! I have a bunch of makeup shows that are going to be airing all day tomorrow on the tv shopping network that I work for, so if you are channel surfing maybe you will see me!

Until next week though, lets put our game face on, bust out our green and black eagles gear and cheer on our team!

E-A-G-L-E-S…EAGLES!

Xoxo,

Tracey