12.22

Saturday.  Today we were picked up in a limousine and taken to the NovaCare Complex, the Philadelphia Eagles Training Facility.  We didn't know what to expect. This was an exciting day!

We were given an awesome tour which began in the coaches locker room.  Riley had his own "locker" with Eagles clothing, hats and jackets.  Coaches gear!  AWESOME!  He shared some with his brothers and enjoyed the surroundings of the locker room.  Right outside the coaches locker room door is a hallway with several doors.  They are conference rooms for the various positions.  Linebackers room, running backs room etc.  It was pretty cool to see their process.

We checked out the conference room where the Eagles meet as a whole team.  It was just like a movie theater but with HUGE leather seats.  When I sat back in the seats, my feet didn't even touch the floor.  Yes, these chairs are made for football players!  This is the location for many press conferences as well.  I loved the carpet.  :)

Brian Dawkins and Chad Lewis, some of Riley's favorite past players.
Near this hallway of pictures was the office of the sports writers.  Many cubicles.  I could see Riley there someday :)

This was the hallway that led from the locker rooms and gym to the outdoor practice field.  We stood in this hallway and watched as the players hustled out to practice.  They were so friendly and said hello on their way out.  Our tour guide told us that Coach Reid is big on being on time.  "You do not want to be the player who walks out late!"  Then Coach Andy Reid came out of the locker room.  He spoke with us for a few minutes, greeting each one of us.  He is so genuinely kind!  He then invited us out for the practice!

 It was a walk through practice where they literally "walk through" every play.  We were not allowed to take pictures during the practice but it was really cool to watch how they do things.  Toward the end they called Riley over to finish off a few plays and introduce him and then he was able to lead the break!!  Very Cool!

Riley Cooper (number 14), yelled over to me, "Hey Mom...  take a picture... It's Riley, Riley and Nick!

Jason Abant and Riley

Coach Andy Reid, Riley and Nick Foles

Riley has been very excited to meet Foles.  He played for the U of A and Riley was thrilled when he was drafted to the Eagles!!  Riley and Nick talked about the draft and it was great to listen to their conversation.   Foles loved seeing Vince's U of A jacket and talked about how he missed Arizona and how great it was to see that "A"!!

As we were standing outside after the practice talking with everyone, Coach Reid (who was the only one wearing shorts), starting handing out something from his pockets.  They were "warm grabbers" that he said is his secret weapon.  He keeps them in every pocket of his jacket and shorts.  I wondered how he was handling the cold in those shorts!  He signed a football for Riley and mini helmets for each of the kids.  I was so impressed with how much he seemed to enjoy speaking with Riley and the little kids.  He is the nicest man!!

Riley and Duce Staley, a former player and now coach

Some of the many gloves that players gave to Riley after practice and the ball they used.  Awesome souvenirs!!

We spent the rest of the day checking out some shops for Eagles gear, we went to the home of famous poet, Edgar Allan Poe, and enjoyed the richness of downtown Philadelphia.  What a great day!  

12.21

Friday.  Today we went to Dave and Buster's for lunch and a fun filled afternoon!  The GM, Dean Sholder hosted our family for an amazing meal and game cards that took us several hours to use!  My kids and games... watch out!  They were off and running!  We had so much fun together as a family, just enjoying the time.  We loved Dave and Buster's!

We then went down to Independence Hall (building in the background), the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence. Then across the street to see the Liberty Bell.  We enjoyed the visitors center in the square and watched a movie about that time in history.

We then headed back to our hotel and parked the car and decided to walk around the downtown area.  Our great hotel was right smack in downtown Philadelphia.  We walked over to Macy's and saw the amazing light show.  Macy's in Philly is just how I imagine the famous Macy's in New York to be.  It was huge with many floors of shopping, in a great old building.  We walked around and found the line to see Santa.  As we walked through the hallways (the Santa line), we enjoyed the display of the Christmas Carol story.  This was a very fun day!

12.20

Thursday.  This was the day we had anticipated for quite a while!!  We were off to Philadelphia to see the Eagles play!  Riley's "Make A Wish" trip that, thanks to so many, our whole family was able to experience!  The limo ride to the airport at 5:30 AM was a fun experience!  The kids loved it!  The light show was a hit!!

We arrived and were greeted by Suelee, our "Make A Wish" volunteer who worked very hard to help Riley's wish come true!!

An amazing thing happened.  We found out that LaDawn and Ashlyn (Riley's Aunt and cousin) helped put together airplane bags for "Make a Wish" kids.  It was an activity day for church to help the volunteers make these bags.  It contained sports magazines, snacks and sweet notes to each of the kids.  What a small world it is and an amazing gift that Riley's bag was put together with extra love!!  Thanks Ashlyn!
The flight attendants were very good to us.  They brought us extra snacks, even the chocolate cookies from first class!!  Bryant loved getting served drinks in his seat!  Wyatt, Brenna and Bryant also loved looking through the Sky Mall Magazine.  I think everyone's favorite item was the shower head that lit up and changed colors.  :)

We had a great day of flying!  We had a layover in Chicago which allowed us to put our feet on the ground for a bit and calm the "airplane sick" tummy of Bryant before heading on to Philadelphia.  He never got sick, and only felt queasy right before we landed in Chicago, so it worked out pretty well.
It was raining in Chicago and the weather was very dark.  However, when our airplane ascended above the clouds after leaving Chicago, it was beautiful blue skies ahead!!  One of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen.  I took a deep breath and soaked it all in.

After arriving in PA., we got settled in the hotel room and decided to find a good cheesesteak.  Probably the most famous corner in Philadelphia for cheesesteaks is 9th and Passyunk in a south Philly neighborhood.  This is where 2 cheesesteak rivals are located across the street from one another.  We started out at Geno's, very flashy and hard to miss, ordering a "wiz without".  This gives you a cheesesteak with cheese wiz and without onions.  The proper way to order one WITH onions is "wiz wit".

Geno's was pretty good and then we crossed the street to try Pat's.  Ordering in the same fashion, we ordered a few "wiz withouts" and fries.  Pat's was far and away our favorite of the two places.  Really good!!  My mouth is watering as I type this!!

Pat's was in the movie "Rocky" and since we just saw the movie before our trip, we decided to go on a little "Rocky tour".  It was sprinkling a bit, but it was very fun to explore around the city and find "rocky's appt", as well as Adrian's house and the gym.  Our trip was off to a great start and we were very excited for what was to come!