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Tag Archives: Philadelphia Eagles

It Was All A Dream

It Was All A Dream

 

It was all a dream

I used to read Word Up Magazine

Salt & Pepper and Heavy D up in the limousine

Hanging pictures on my wall…

(Biggie Smalls “Juicy” 1994)

Saturday, December 11, 2010 6:45am

On this day I woke up earlier than I normally would on a Saturday. I was up to take my mother to the airport for her flight to Philly. This was very common because my mother travels back to Philly at least once a month. My wife Jennifer had left about 20 minutes earlier because she had to go in to work, which is rare on a Saturday but it does happen about once or twice a year.

So I got up and just threw on some sweat pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. I brushed my teeth but I didn’t do any grooming past that because I was just going to take her to the airport and come right back home. I got my daughter up, put her coat on, and put her into the car. Normally, I would just get in the car without a coat or shoes on and just roll out of the garage and be on my way. My mother told me that it was really cold out and that I should dress warm so I grabbed my coat and hat as well.

Saturday, December 11, 2010 7:25am

We arrived at the airport and my mother was on the phone. I was getting aggravated because the police were moving us along and I was trying to figure out where she wanted to be dropped off. Then out of nowhere I see my wife Jennifer and brother in-law Jarrett come over to the car as I pulled into an empty space. At that point I was just stoically wondering “what’s going on.” I was still a little foggy because I hadn’t fully woken up yet. Then Jennifer gives me a small bag and says “Merry Christmas!”  I look in the bag to see a printout of tickets to the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys football game being played in Dallas on Sunday Night Football.

So…I just sat there and attempted to process what was going on. I’m still a little foggy and confused at this point and I can’t believe this is real. I look over to see my brother in-law with the video camera taping the whole thing and I feel like I’m being “Punk’d.” All I could say and think at this point was “Wow!”

I eventually gathered myself only to realize that I wasn’t dressed for travel, didn’t take a shower, and was totally not mentally prepared to be going on an airplane which I hadn’t done in about 4 years. Well I got over all that, got out of the car and proceeded to get on with it. My wife was super excited screaming “I got you, I did It!”

I grew up in Philly a die-hard Eagles fan. Till this day I eagerly anticipate Sunday afternoons during football season so that I can root for my team.  I don’t care who the coach is or who the players are I have always supported and followed the Eagles.

So when the Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones built this new billion-dollar stadium I set the goal to one day attend an Eagles game there. I was excited about seeing this new technologically advanced stadium and I went online several times to see its progress while being built. I figured that one day many years from now I’d be able to make the trip. It would be a sports fans dream.

You see…we have been so focused on getting out of debt that every extra dollar for the last 2 years has gone towards that effort. I had mentally deferred any type of personal indulgence such as this and only held it as a dream. But my wife had other plans.

She had been planning this trip since September when she realized that she’d have some extra money coming to her this month. My wife believes in the here and now and she doesn’t believe in deferring dreams. We usually find a way to compromise and we balance each other really well in that way. This time she decided that aggressively paying off the car can wait and instead of putting the extra money towards that goal she would make one of her husbands dreams come true…Right Now!

And I’m glad she did!  It was such a refreshing interruption of the daily grind and I really needed it.  And it went even deeper than that for me. My wife and my experience in Texas showed me that if you have your priorities in order and you are doing the right things financially that it’s ok to do some things for yourself.

She also showed me that dreams can come true… Right NOW!

Follow this link to see our pictures on Facebook. You don’t need a Facebook account.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067131&id=1288795076&l=e6c354a27d

Chillin in The Park,

Scott Speed

Michael Vick is Back… As An Eagle??!!!???!!!

Michael Vick is Back… As An Eagle??!!!???!!!

Michael Vick will take the football field for the first time since Dec. 2006 on Thursday (8-27-09) as a Philadelphia Eagle. The entire football world will be anxious to see how he performs. I wouldn’t expect much though; it has been over 2 ½ years since he has played in a game so I’m sure that he will be rusty.

When Michael Vick was freed from prison there were many scenarios discussed about what team would take a chance on signing him. As an Eagles fan I didn’t think there was anyway that they would be the team to sign Vick. I had hoped that some team would give him a second chance at a career. I felt like he did his time and deserved a chance. However, when the news broke that he signed with the Eagles I was just as shocked as everyone else.

And I wasn’t excited.

I questioned why the Eagles would take such a risk and position themselves to take so much scrutiny from animal rights activist and the media. I wondered how Donovan McNabb would react to the move and how it might affect team chemistry. It just didn’t make football or public relations since to me at all.

It has also been interesting to listen to the public response to the move. Many people are excited that he is back however many more aren’t. Philly fans seem 50/50 on the move according to a poll that was taken on Philly.com the day after the signing. Some people have the opinion that it was “only dogs” and that they are making too much of a big deal out of dog fighting. They feel that the punishment was too stiff for the crime.

Someone close to me recently shared with me that they just do not understand why so much of a fuss is being made over dogs. This person felt that the life of dogs were valued more than human lives. Then you also have the dog lovers and animal rights activist who feel that Vick should never touch a football field again and cannot forgive the things that he did to those animals.

I personally think that both sides need to expand their perspective on the situation. Vick was not only put in jail for dog fighting. He was put into jail for running an illegal gambling ring as well. I understand that he grew up around dog fighting and did not think it was wrong. I also saw dog fighting as a child and I didn’t know that it was illegal. But when I hear Vick apologist on the radio none of them mention how he brutally tortured and killed those dogs. It’s ok to support him however I don’t think that it is right to act like he did nothing wrong.

I am not a dog lover but I can see how the details of those executions of innocent dogs can deeply hurt those who are. However, I think that Vick paid for his crimes and that they should let him resume his career without so much scrutiny. He lost all of his money and damaged his career. Losing 100 million dollars and sitting in prison for 2 years away from your children will humble anyone. He didn’t just get a slap on the wrist, he paid a heavy price. Vick should not be held hostage by animal rights groups for the remainder of his life.

I’m excited now.

After all the details were revealed I began to get a little excited about the idea of having Vick as a weapon on my team. I also gained a greater respect for the coach and owner of the Eagles for being willing to step up and give Vick a chance. From a football standpoint it is great to have such a talent player added to the roster. From a real life standpoint the reality is that Vick is getting an opportunity to piece his life back together because he is an extremely talented athlete. If he plays well this will all be forgotten in about 2 years. So, for now Vick gets to go back to work and make a good living after spending 2 years in prison. I just wish all ex-cons were so fortunate.

Go Eagles!

Chillin at the Park,

Scott Speed

www.TheNeighborhoodSpeaks.com

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