Make It Happen

Pottsgrove Wrestling Tournaments - 2011-2012

2012-01-02T12:54:00.000-05:00

We had a looooooong weekend of wrestling starting on Friday with the annual Pottsgrove Takedown tournament followed by the Holiday Tournament on Saturday. The takedown tourn is pretty unique and there aren't too many of them around. It gives the kids a little taste of wrestling and goes very quickly. Michael did pretty well at the TD tourn. He lost his first match to a really good kid. His second he dominated his opponent. In the third match he got the first takedown, gave up the second, and then ended up losing because he grabbed the kids headgear. He took 3rd place - Not bad.

The Pottsgrove holiday tourn had an unbelievable turnout - 400 kids, and they turned away at least 150 others. The place was packed and so was Michael's bracket with 13 kids. He won his first two matches with pins in the first period. His third match he won 8-6 and it was pretty tight - that put him in the finals for first or second. He ended up getting caught really quickly and got pinned in his final match. He wasn't too upset which was a good thing, but it was disappointing because I think it would have been a good match. All in all a good weekend of wrestling. Videos below:

Hunter Mountain Snowboarding - GoPro

2011-12-28T15:17:00.000-05:00

This is a little video I put together that I shot using my GoPro Hero. We tried a bunch of different mounts - head, board, pole, and I think the coolest is the pole mount. This was shot at Hunter Mountain in the Catskills of New York the day after Christmas 2011. I edited it using Cyberlink Powerdirector 9. Enjoy!

Michael Caught Dancing

2011-12-07T17:49:00.001-05:00

This is pretty funny - Michael has been listening to his iPod touch with headphones and dancing in his room. We caught him - very funny

Ultimate Cable Crossover Exercise

2011-12-06T10:52:00.001-05:00

During my 30lb weight loss over the past 2 years (206lbs to approx 176lbs) I've gotten a lot of questions about my workout routines and eating habits so I decided to post a bit about part of my routine. My schedule is 5 days weights, 1 day running then repeat. Occasionally there is a complete rest day when life intervenes, but everyone needs a day off here and there to rest. The breakdown is as follows:

Day 1 - Chest/tri's/stretching/abs
Day 2 - Back/bi's/stretching/abs
Day 3 - Legs/stretching/abs
Day 4 - Shoulders/stretching/abs
Day 5 - Arms (bi's & tri's) /stretching/abs
Day 6 - Cardio

This is a portion of my chest/tri's day. This is my "ultimate cable crossover" routine. The reason it differs from normal cable crossovers is because I begin with the rungs at the very top of the cable crossovers (#17). After each set ofcrossovers I immediately do a set of push ups using the "perfect pushups." For each set of crossovers I lower the rungs 2 notches - start at #17 then go to #15 all the way down to #1. This means I amworking every angle of my chest by starting at the top and finishing at thebottom. I do 9 sets of crossovers with approx 8-10 reps per set and additionally do 9 sets of push ups with 8-10 per set.

I dothis exercise after flat bench and after incline dumbbell press. This is a real killerand will totally rip up your chest. The flat bench and dumbbell press put onthe mass while this exercise combined with push ups shreds. After this I do 3 sets of the pec-dec machine to finish off chest. Here is a video from the middle of the routine - and yes, I am getting a bit thin on top - I didn't realize how much until watching this video - I am 38 years old :)

First Tournament of the Season

2011-12-05T12:58:00.001-05:00

Well, it's the beginning of the season - learning time. We've been back at wrestling practice for a few weeks now and Michael has been doing pretty well. We entered the Quakertown Wrestlinng Tournament this past Sunday to get back on the mat officially. This is his first time wrestling at the "Bantam" level. He weighed in at 50lb's on the dot.

Michael wrestled two matches His first he came out on fire and totally dominated his opponent. Unfortunately he made some mistakes and allowed the kid to tie him forcing them into overtime. He got taken down in overtime and that was that. His second match he also did ok in, but he lost 9-2. He was pretty disappointed, but I told him that this is really the best way to learn. It's a long season....

Leftover Turkey - Buffalo Salad

2011-11-28T13:42:00.001-05:00

I made this BIG salad for lunch using some leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. It was super easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

1/2-1 cup diced Turkey (I prefer dark meat)

2 TBS hot sauce

baby spinach

romaine lettuce

tomatoes

sliced carrots

purple cabbage

celery

radishes

sunflower seeds

dried cranberries

sprinkle of salad seasoning

bacon bits

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Dice the turkey and put into microwave safe bowl - set aside. Combine all cold ingredients together - add salad seasoning and toss. Microwave diced turkey for one minute then toss with hot sauce. Add to salad and enjoy!

THIS IS SPARTA

2011-10-30T15:31:00.000-04:00

When Gretchen won the Spartan Race back in September, and came home with a real looking Spartan sword, I immediately decided I HAD to be a 300 Spartan for Halloween. I've been working out pretty intensely for the past 2 years and I feel like I've gotten into pretty much the best shape of my life. So I started growing my "King Leonidas" beard, I researched 300 Spartan costumes and found the good ones to be ridiculously expensive. So instead, I figured - I have the sword and if I could get a decent cape and helmet, I could make the rest of the costume myself. I bought the cape, Spartan skirt (I did not want to wear the codpiece :) ) and helmet from a Halloween store pretty cheap and then found some great online resources for making your own Spartan shield. This website also had a great way to make your own 300 Spartan Vambraces (armguards) out of cardboard and paper mache. The shield and arm-guards together took me about 2 weeks to make, but I was really taking my time and not rushing it. I think they turned out pretty dam good. The shield was made from cardboard, a disc sled, paper mache, and bronze paint. The armguards were made from cereal boxes, paper mache, wire, and bronze paint. I bought 3 leather belts from the dollar store for the "cape straps" and a belt to hold my sword up. I have leather sandals that I was going to wear, but the freak October snowstorm put an end to that, so I went with boots instead. We had plans to attend a great Halloween party, but the snowstorm also put an end to that with downed trees across the road we were driving on. So instead, we went to the Brickhouse in Pottstown as they were having a Halloween party get together there as well. Gretchen went as my Spartan Queen and we all had a good time. Some photos below of our costumes and the gear I used. Enjoy!

Nicole, Andy, and Chommy went with us. Nicole was Amy Winehouse, Andy was "Willard," and Chommy threw his costume together in 2 minutes of Halloween store shopping and went as "backwards guy" with the V for Vendetta mask - LOL. Fun...

Rock Solid Mud Run

2011-10-17T10:49:00.000-04:00

Since Gretchen and I had so much fun at the Spartan Race last month, we decided to do another mud run - The Rock Solid Mud Run in Englishtown, NJ. This one was not as intense as the Spartan, but it was definitely a fun 5 mile course with 30+ military grade obstacles. I found the running on the course to be easier than the Spartan since this was flat and the Spartan was up a mountain, but some of the obstacles were pretty tough. Starting out you had to swim/wade through a lake three times after jumping off of a 20' platform or sliding down a steep slide (which Gretchen chose). We recorded the run with my GoPro Hero video camera and took turns wearing it. It was definitely a good time and I'd do it again. Here a fun video I put together using music that Gretchen insisted on :) Enjoy and please comment!

Western Lehigh Soccer Tournament Champions

2011-10-10T12:25:00.002-04:00

Well, the girls Lightning U10 travel soccer team from Pottsgrove did it again withanother 1st place win at the Western Lehigh Soccer Tournament over the weekend ofOctober 8-9, 2011. They had two games on Saturday and two on Sunday and they dominated them all. Great job girls!

Here are the photos from the games:

PA Spartan Sprint - 1st Place

2011-09-10T16:43:00.001-04:00

Well, we did it - and Gretchen took an AMAZING 1st place! I am seriously so proud of her. Gretchen is the runner of the family - I am not. When we decided to do "The Spartan," she said she would stay with me throughout the race. Yeah, that went out the window about 15 minutes in when one of the workers told her she was the 2nd place woman at that time. She took off - I don't blame her at all and I didn't want to hold her back. We were both very impressed with the course. I was pretty nervous since they upped the distance from 3 miles to 4.8 miles, but we both did well. Gretchen finished in 1 hour and 17 minutes and I finished in 1 hour and 33 minutes. Not too bad...Gretchen came home with a bad ass gladiator sword as the first place trophy and she may get to compete in another Spartan race in Texas for a $10k prize. It was a very good day. Here is the video of Gretchen getting her "trophy."

***UPDATE***
This is the actual video of the Spartan Race in PA posted yesterday on Spartan.tv:
Pa Spartan Sprint

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

2011-08-25T17:22:00.000-04:00

I found this recipe today for roasted Parmesan potatoes and had to try them. I thought they would be the perfect accompaniment for the London broil I am grilling. I tweaked it to make a bit more than the recipe says, and they turned out fantastic.

Ingredients:
4 medium red potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
Cut the potatoes in wedges.
In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, garlic, and paprika and set aside.
Next, toss the potatoes and oil together in a mixing bowl then add the bowl of cheese and seasonings and stir to coat.
Arrange them on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes then remove from oven and turn over all the potatoes.
Bake for another few minutes until crispy and golden.

Before:

After:

West-Mont United Battle At HillTop Soccer Tournament

2011-08-21T16:39:00.000-04:00

The Pottsgrove U10 girls soccer team had an amazing weekend of soccer with a 1st place finish at the 8th annual West-Mont United Battle At HillTop Soccer Tournament. All the girls played fantastic and we are so proud of them. I took a ton of photos of the team in action. See below:

Bell Pepper Egg-in-a-Hole

2011-08-19T12:35:00.002-04:00

I just made these for a late breakfast this morning after seeing them on a blog a few days ago. Simple and cool!

Jamie Oliver's Perfect Roast Chicken

2011-08-10T16:26:00.003-04:00

I cook chicken a LOT. I am always trying to find different recipes to get away from the same old chicken dishes. I grill chicken, saute chicken, skewer chicken, make chicken fajitas, chicken quesadillas, chicken tacos, and the list goes on and on. This summer has been so hot that I have rarely used the oven in my new kitchen to cook. Today the temperature was pretty moderate so I decided to try a roast chicken recipe. I found this one from Jamie Oliver (who I am a huge fan of) on his website, jamieoliver.com. I tweaked it slightly by using fresh rosemary from my garden and already peeled garlic cloves, but other than that I followed it pretty closely. I think it turned out fantastic! These are the photos of my meal (yes we eat early - helped me lose weight):

Before:

After:

Here is the recipe from his site:

ingredients

• 1 x approximately 1.6kg chicken, preferably free-range, organic or higher welfare
• 2 medium onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• 1 bulb of garlic
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon
a small bunch of fresh thyme, rosemary, bay or sage, or a mixture

method

Having learnt the things I’ve learnt about chickens over the last few years, of course I’m going to suggest that you buy free-range or organic. But if you’re a little tight for cash, the RSPCA Freedom Food chickens are very good and available in all good supermarkets.

To prepare your chicken
• Take your chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before it goes into the oven
• Preheat your oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9
• There’s no need to peel the vegetables – just give them a wash and roughly chop them
• Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled
• Pile all the veg and garlic into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil
• Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, rubbing it all over the bird
• Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife (if you have a microwave, you could pop the lemon in these for 40 seconds at this point as this will really bring out the flavour)
• Put the lemon inside the chicken’s cavity, with the bunch of herbs

To cook your chicken
• Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting tray and put it into the preheated oven
• Turn the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and cook the chicken for 1 hour and 20 minutes
• If you’re doing roast potatoes and veggies, this is the time to crack on with them – get them into the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking
• Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if the veg look dry, add a splash of water to the tray to stop them burning
• When cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so
• Cover it with a layer of tinfoil and a tea towel and put aside. Now is the time to make your gravy

To carve your chicken
• Remove any string from the chicken and take off the wings (break them up and add to your gravy for mega flavour)
• Carefully cut down between the leg and the breast
• Cut through the joint and pull the leg off
• Repeat on the other side, then cut each leg between the thigh and the drumstick so you end up with four portions of dark meat
• Place these on a serving platter
• You should now have a clear space to carve the rest of your chicken
• Angle the knife along the breastbone and carve one side off, then the other
• When you get down to the fussy bits, just use your fingers to pull all the meat off, and turn the chicken over to get all the tasty, juicy bits from underneath
• You should be left with a stripped carcass, and a platter full of lovely meat that you can serve with your piping hot gravy and gorgeous roast veg

• from Jamie's Ministry of Food

Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp 2011

2011-08-06T12:08:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp 2011, a set on Flickr.

Some photos I took this morning at Lehigh University during a practice session of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Keystone Games Wrestling 2011

2011-07-31T08:44:00.004-04:00

Over the past few weeks I have been getting multiple emails from the Keystone State Games wrestling because Michael wrestled in that tournament last year. I noticed they had an Open Masters division for 35 years and older and was contemplating entering. I asked Michael if he wanted to wrestle and told him that I would wrestle if he did, and he said "sure." It was a good day of wrestling for us both. Michael had 4 matches - he won his first match 8-2, the 2nd match he lost, the 3rd match he pinned his opponent, and the 4th match he lost. Because it was a round robin format, he took a 3rd place. I just wanted him to have fun and he did.

Since I was in the "old man" division, my first match didn't happen until about 5 hours into the tournament. I felt pretty good and won my first match by a technical fall. A tech-fall is when you win by 15 points. The final score of the match was 17-2. My second match was a bit tougher and I ended up losing 4-1. My 3rd match was pretty good and I finished winning 3-2 for a second place win. Michael and I were very pleased with the results of the day. I told him how proud I was of him and he told me the same. A good father/son bonding day. Here are the videos from all of our matches:

Ocean City NJ 2011

2011-07-26T13:38:00.003-04:00

Ocean City NJ 2011, a set on Flickr.

A medley of photos from our time in Ocean City, NJ this summer. It was a blast.

Here is the slide show:

Mya's 9th Birthday at the Water Park

2011-07-17T18:18:00.003-04:00

Since Gretchen and the kids have been in OCNY for most of the summer, Mya wanted to do the water park for her 9th birthday, so we went to the water park at Gillians on the boardwalk. The girls next door came with and we all had a blast. I used the GoPro Hero to record some footage and it turned out pretty well. The only blip was when it flew off my head at the bottom of a slide and got sucked down to the grate, but the staff at Gillians got it for me in minutes. Here is the video with some fun music:

Another Day at the Beach

2011-06-26T22:29:00.002-04:00

We had another great day today on the beach today here in Ocean City, New Jersey. The waves were the best yet. I put together a little video with the GoPro Hero. Enjoy!

GoPro Hero - Beach Swimming

2011-06-24T10:49:00.002-04:00

We've been having a great time here in Ocean City on our family vacation. I used the GoPro Hero a few times in the water to record some swimming and body surfing. The waves haven't been that great for body surfing, but this is a cool little video I put together.

GoPro Hero - Beach Boogie Boarding

2011-06-19T07:53:00.002-04:00

Michael on the boogie board today at the beach here in OCNJ with our GoPro camera mounted on the front. It was a beautiful day!

GoPro Hero Time Lapse

2011-06-11T11:56:00.002-04:00

I was testing out the suction cup mount and the time lapse features of my new GoPro Hero and they seem to work amazingly well. I edited this together in Windows Movie Maker Live.

Spartan Race

2011-06-02T12:42:00.001-04:00

Gretchen and I are doing this Spartan race at Blue Mountain on September 10th. 4 miles of unknown obstacles...It looks awesome! Who's in!??

Memorial Weekend Camping 2011

2011-05-30T14:13:00.003-04:00

Memorial Weekend Camping 2011

We had an amazing time camping this weekend at Eagles Peak Campground in Robesonia PA. The campground was super family friendly with lots of fun activities.My buddy Steve Ayling recorded the setup process with his gopro camera. The camera took a still photo every 5 seconds for the 2 hour setup - a very cool little video:

Run-A-Muck

2011-05-22T12:57:00.002-04:00

Run-A-Muck, a set on Flickr.

Photos from the awesome run-a-much mud festival 5K run yesterday. This was my first run ever and it was a blast.

2011 Wyomissing Quarry Classic - U9 Champion Girls Team

2011-05-08T19:38:00.001-04:00

I'm very proud of the Pottsgrove Lightning U9 Girls Travel team. Gretchen and Courtney coached the girls to an undefeated season and just took first place in the 2011 Wyomissing Quarry Classic. The girls played 4 games this weekend and won all of them for a solid first place finish. Go Lightning!

2011 Vegetable Garden

2011-05-01T15:36:00.002-04:00

I've been anxiously waiting for these days that are warm enough to plant my vegetable garden and they are finally here. Over the past few years, my tomatoes haven't been doing as well in my big garden, so I decided to dig a new garden specifically for tomatoes. I used all of the sod from the the 8x4' area to patch some bare spots on our lawn in the front and it seems to be taking very well. The new garden has 8 tomato plants in a variety from husky red to big boy to a German type. I love tomatoes and I'm looking forward to harvesting already.

My big garden (8x16') has a ton of different veggies and room to grow. I put a grid down using string to section out the individual areas. I saw it done on a gardening website and thought it looked pretty cool - it seems to be working well. The garden has spinach, two different kinds of lettuce, green beans, snap peas, cucumbers, eggplant, green peppers, red peppers, jalapeños, habañeros, Thai red peppers, cilantro, parsley, dill, chives, and rosemary. I still have about 8 squares left and will be looking out for other veggies to plant over the next week or so. Bring on the hot weather!

Ripple 2001-2011

2011-04-04T14:42:00.001-04:00

These are some photos of our beloved dog Ripple. Ripple lost his short fight with cancer this morning - he was 10 years old. Ripple was a super smart, obedient, loving, and friendly dog. He was a huge part of our family and he will be missed dearly.

MAWA Wrestling Tournament

2011-03-27T16:03:00.005-04:00

It was an interesting day to say the least :) Today was my debut wrestling match after 19 years of not wrestling. I have to say that I didn't do too bad, but I definitely could have done better. I weighed in on Friday night at 177lbs and spent the weekend somewhat kind of nervous about today. The tournament was held at Souderton High School and was the MAWA (Mid Atlantic Wrestling Association) qualifier tournament. I wrestled in the Open class which meant that anyone in that class was born in 1993 or before. Of course I ended up wrestling a 19 year old who currently wrestles for Ursinus College. I held my own for the entire match and only gave up one point which cost me the win, but it was a great experience for a 37 year old. I'm glad I did it and maybe I will train a bit for it next year....Video below:

*Update* My buddy Steve filmed the match from a different angle and just gave me the video:

Some photos from the match:

2011 ICWL Championship Tournament

2011-03-14T15:06:00.001-04:00

We had a tough one yesterday at the ICWL Open Championship tournament to finish out the season. Michael wrestled very well and I am proud of the how well he did this season. I knew it would be challenging for Michael as every opponent in this tournament has at least two years experience. There were 15 kids in his bracket and Mike won his first two matches, the first by points and the second by a pin. In his third match he ran up against the top seeded kid who he had wrestled earlier this season and last year and had lost both times to him. Each time he had wrestled him the boy pinned Michael. This match was much better, as Mike lost 13-5. He is definitely improving, but after that loss his head just wasn't in it and he lost his fourth match unimpressively to a kid I think he could beat on a good day. all in all he had a great 2011 season and I am so proud of him. Here are the videos from the matches:

Winning!

2011-03-03T14:43:00.001-05:00

Upper Perkiomen Wrestling Tournament - 1st Place

2011-02-26T13:02:00.002-05:00

Great day of wrestling today for Michael! This was Michael's final novice tournament at 45lbs and he won all three matches. The tournament was held round robin style, so there were four wrestlers including Michael in his class. In the first match he pinned his opponent. The second match was against a kid he had wrestled back in November at the Kutztown Tournament. The kid caught Michael back then in a cement mixer and pinned him. Michael has definitely improved since that tournament and soundly beat him 7-3 (much to the dismay of the boy's father). His third and final match he also won by a pin, although he came off the mat with some bruises and scratches. I'm very proud of how hard he has been wrestling this season and we look forward to the ICWL Open Tournament in two weeks which will be his final tournament of the season.

Pottsgrove, Perk Valley, Hatboro-Horsham @ Pottstown

2011-02-25T16:38:00.002-05:00

These were two matches from last weekend at Pottstown. It was a tough one as Mike lost both matches by points. Both were pretty close - This was a good learning experience that all matches are not easy. What was really frustrating for Michael was that the second kid he wrestled, he pinned the week before at the Upper Morleand Tournament. Oh well...Upper Perk Tournament tomorrow.

Great Weekend of Wrestling

2011-02-13T18:49:00.001-05:00

We had an excellent weekend of wrestling. Saturday was the Pottsgrove Tri-meet at home vs. Coatsville and Upper Merion. Michael & the team did very well. Michael won his first match 12-3. His second match was a lot closer and he frustratingly lost 4-2. It was good one though. Today was the Upper Moreland wrestling tournament. We had a total of 7 boys wrestling out of about 30 schools. Amazingly our team took first place in points and we won the first place team trophy. It was a surprising treat. We finished with 3 first place wins, 2 second place finishes, 1 third, and 1 fourth. The great thing was that other schools had many more entrants than we did and we still won the tournament. Michael took a solid second place winning his first two matches and losing in the championship bout. Here are the photos & videos from the weekend:

Souderton Wrestling Tournamant - 3rd Place

2011-02-06T20:53:00.003-05:00

A loooooong day of wrestling at the Souderton wrestling tournament, but a great day of wrestling for Michael with a 3rd place finish. Michael ended up having 4 matches and going 3 & 1. He pinned his first opponent - lost his second match 4-2 (looked at me during the match and said he had to go to the bathroom - #2 - ugh) I really think he could have beaten this kid, pinned his 3rd opponent and then won his final match in an exciting overtime finish. He tried his best and did fantastic and I am very proud. Videos below:

Wrestling Tri-Meet Conestoga and Wissahickon

2011-02-05T15:40:00.002-05:00

A good day of wrestling for Michael today at the Conestoga Wissahickon Pottsgrove tri-meet. Michael lost his first match 7-2 and then came back with two very nice wins by decision. Tomorrow is the Souderton Novice Tournament. Michael took third place there last year - stay tuned....Matches from today below:

Wrestling Tri-Meet

2011-01-29T19:18:00.002-05:00

We had a pretty good day of wrestling today at the Interborough tri-meet. The three teams were Pottsgrove, Interborough, and Media. Michael wrestled two matches and went one and one. His first match he won 10-0 followed by his second match against a kid who just pinned Michael's wrestling partner Sean in the first period. It was pretty close until the 3rd period when Michael got pinned. I think he could have beaten this kid, but he felt like he was being choked a few times during the match so it was tough...Oh well - next weekend we have a tri-meet Saturday and the Souderton Wrestling tourn on Sunday. Last year Michael took 3rd place there. Here are the videos from today's matches:

Steamboat Springs Colorado Trip

2011-01-19T15:58:00.003-05:00

Even though Gretchen and I decided not to get each other anything for our tenth wedding anniversary back in October, she surprised me with plane tickets to Steamboat Springs Colorado. I surprised her with a new snowboard...Perfect. One of my best friends, Fred, has lived in Steamboat for the past 12 years and offered us the condo he rents out to skiers and snowboarders for the long 4 day weekend. The trip started out a bit rough as Gretchen does not enjoy flying and the airlines lost every one of our bags - Gretchen felt much better once we were on solid ground and our bags were eventually delivered to us late the first evening. The snowboarding was amazing and the trip was a blast. Here is a video I made using a Flip-like camera called the Vado - there are also a bunch of photos we took below:

3 Wins at the Wrestling Tri-Meet

2011-01-08T21:31:00.001-05:00

Another great day of wrestling for Michael and the Pottsgrove Wrestling Club. We wrestled against my home town school, Neshaminy, along with Upper Moreland. Michael had 3 matches today and won all 3. His first bout ended with a decisive 12-4 victory and the next 2 he won by pins. His first match was pretty tough - the second was against a girl who put up a good fight and the third he really hit his stride and pinned quickly. The rest of the team did fantastic. It was a long day but Michael did great and was very happy with his wins. Videos of the matches below:

Howard Stern on the Sirius iPhone App

2011-01-03T07:11:00.002-05:00

Howard is finally on the Sirius iPhone app. It's been a long time coming.

1st Place at the 2010 Pottsgrove Wrestling Takedown Tournament

2010-12-31T13:12:00.002-05:00

Michael had another great day of wrestling yesterday with an impressive first place finish and no takedowns were scored against him. It was the 7th annual Pottsgrove Takedown Tournament and he had 5 kids including himself in the 45lb Pee Wee division. It's run as a round robin tourney, so he had to wrestle all 4 opponents. The first 2 he wrestled are actually on his team and are both first year wrestlers, so he quickly won those. The last 2 kids were second year wrestlers like Michael and he also beat them soundly. His final match was against a kid he had wrestled a few times last year and they always had a good battle. I am so proud of how he is doing and I hope he keeps it up over the coming years. We have another tournament tomorrow hosted by the Pottsgrove Wrestling Club - The 2011 Pottsgrove Holiday Wrestling Tournament. The videos from the tournament are below:

Family at Bear Creek

2010-12-29T09:19:00.002-05:00

Lunar Eclipse - Winter Solstice

2010-12-21T08:11:00.003-05:00

I took these at around 3:15am last night during the lunar eclipse/winter solstice. They are no where near as sharp as I would have liked due to the wind. I used a tripod and long exposures, so any slight movement effected the image. Not too bad though...

Exeter Reading Wrestling Tournament - 1st Place Win!

2010-12-19T17:15:00.002-05:00

An amazing day of wrestling (and a great Eagles game to boot)! Michael wrestled 45lbs in the Pee Wee division of the Exeter Reading Round Robin Wrestling Tournament. There were 5 kids total in his division which meant he would wrestle 4 matches. He pinned the first 3 opponents in the first period leading up to the final bout. His opponent in the final match also pinned the other 3 wrestlers, so it was an exciting match. The match went into overtime at 4-4 and Michael got the take down in overtime sealing his first place victory. I am very proud of him and he was very happy with his trophy. A great day. Video below:

Family Snowboarding

2010-12-19T14:40:00.001-05:00

This was our first day out of the 2010-2011 season snowboarding together. Both Gretchen and Mya weren't feeling too well today so we only stayed for a short time, but the kids did pretty well. You can see at the end of the video that Michael doesn't like me videotaping him. I think he'll appreciate it when he gets bigger :)

homemade fish tacos

2010-12-17T13:03:00.002-05:00

Made some tilapia fish tacos and salsa from scratch for lunch today. Delish!

Mya Snowboarding

2010-12-11T19:05:00.002-05:00

This is a short clip of Mya snowboarding at Bear Creek today. At the end she takes a bit of a fall and smacked her head. She was fine though. A good day of riding...

2010-12-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

5 more years of Howard!!!! And he's on the Sirius iPhone app now. W00t!!!!

Mya's Orchestra Concert

2010-12-07T14:25:00.001-05:00

This was from Mya's Orchestra concert last night. She has been practicing very hard to learn the two songs they performed pizzicato on the violin and we are very proud of her. The songs were "Jingle Bells" and "The Dreidel Song." Luckily the beginners went first because Michael's wrestling practice was taking place simultaneously down the hall, so I was able to sneak out after they were finished :)

Kutztown Wrestling Tourney 11-28-10

2010-11-28T14:43:00.004-05:00

Well, it was a tough one today. It's a good thing that the season is just starting. Michael had a rough couple of matches at the Kutztown Wrestling tournament today. He started great in both matches, but kept getting caught in "cement mixers." It looks like we'll be drilling "how-not-to-get-caught in cement mixers at practice for the next couple of weeks. He did very well in both of his bouts, but ended up losing them both because of that move. Oh well - it was a good learning experience.

My New Ride

2010-11-17T17:00:00.002-05:00

2010 Explorer. Sweet.

JibJab Holiday Heavy Metal Music Video

2010-11-16T15:45:00.004-05:00

This is funny

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T14:16:00.002-04:00

My little army girl and marine boy. Not sure why they chose military costumes, but they looked cute. The paint on Mya's face was a last minute add on and I think it made the costume perfect. :)

The fall photo session

2010-11-01T10:57:00.002-04:00

We had some fun raking the leaves yesterday for a nice fall photo shoot...Lot's more raking to be done :)

Halloween 2010 - The School Parade

2010-10-29T16:58:00.003-04:00

Here is some video of the Halloween parade at Mya and Michael's school today along with a couple of photos - My army girls and then Michael and his buddy Shane.

Michael and Mya

2010-10-25T08:49:00.001-04:00

Michael and Mya, originally uploaded by d13vk.

A beautiful fall foliage background on the golf course at Aunt Annie's house...I love fall.

Before/After Weight Loss

2010-10-18T07:44:00.004-04:00

I've been working out pretty hard for the past year and eating much healthier then I used to. I hit the gym 5 days a week M-F and have cut out a lot of junk. I still eat anything, but in much greater moderation. Both of these photos were taken at my Grandmother's house approximately 10 months apart. In the first photo I weighed 200lbs - In the photo taken yesterday I weighed about 180lbs. I'm pretty happy with the weight loss and I feel good. Gretchen still looks as great as she always does :)

Family Weekend

2010-10-17T18:06:00.002-04:00

A great time was had this weekend with the Krueger and the Bostwick clans...

Pottsgrove Soccer 10-16-10

2010-10-17T09:04:00.002-04:00

Mya's soccer game from the weekend. The team played very well.

Flag Football - 10-15-10

2010-10-17T08:56:00.002-04:00

A shot of Mike running with the ball before the game. Here are some photos from the game:

Shrimp Tacos

2010-10-08T18:10:00.002-04:00

Unreal

Dorney Park 10-2-10

2010-10-03T19:40:00.004-04:00

We all had a great time at Dorney Park yesterday to celebrate Mya's good friend Skylar's 9th birthday. Here are the photos...

Michael's Football Run

2010-10-01T19:32:00.002-04:00

Mike has a great run in his flag football game.

Hat Day

2010-10-01T08:48:00.002-04:00

Mya and Michael wearing their cool hats to school on "hat day."

Camping - Mt Vista Campground

2010-09-27T10:32:00.004-04:00

Here is a short video and some photos from our weekend camping trip in the Poconos. We ate, drank, hiked, and even deep fried a turkey :)

Good time.

Pottsgrove Lightning - Girls Soccer Game

2010-09-18T16:35:00.003-04:00

This was from Mya's soccer game today. Great game - they won 6-5.

Delilah

2010-09-13T13:44:00.002-04:00

Our 6 month old "Morkie" Delilah. She's a maltese/yorkie mix.

Homemade Chicken Ginger Eggrolls

2010-09-12T13:01:00.003-04:00

Sliced chicken, shredded cabbage, green onion, Ginger, and carrots wrapped in egg roll wraps. About to bake for 25 mins to be ready for football kickoff.

Ingredients:
1lb of sliced chicken breast
shredded carrots
shredded cabbage
minced ginger (1Tbs)
3-5 Tbs of diced green onions
Asian Ginger Sauce
Egg Roll Wrappers

Cook chicken in wok or large skillet on high with about 2-4 Tbs of vegetable oil. When chicken turns white (2-4 mins) add a few splashes of the ginger sauce, sliced cabbage, carrots, ginger, and green onion. Once the cabbage wilts (2 mins or so) remove all ingredients to a bowl.

Spoon the mixture into the egg roll wrappers and fold accordingly. I actually put mine into the fridge until it was close to game time. Brush a very small amount of sesame oil or a little veggie oil on the outside of the rolls and then bake at 350 until golden brown. Serve with duck sauce or some ginger sauce and enjoy!

Giant Pot of Chicken Soup

2010-09-12T11:57:00.002-04:00

Making a nice Matzo Ball/ chicken noodle soup. Perfect fall football food.

2010 Flag Football

2010-09-09T18:12:00.002-04:00

Michael's 2010 flag football photo

1992 - Neshaminy Wrestling Team

2010-09-08T18:46:00.001-04:00

1992 - Neshaminy Wrestling Team, originally uploaded by d13vk.

I just dug this photo out because my high school wrestling team is having a reunion with some of the coaches at a bar this weekend. I wrestled 152 my senior year and actually sucked down to 145 for 1 match - they took photos that day...Needless to say I was a bit emaciated. By the way - I am in the middle back row 5th from the left.

1st Day of School

2010-08-30T09:19:00.004-04:00

Mya and Michael's first day of school for the 2010-11 year. Michael is starting first and Mya starting third grades. They were both very excited.

The rest of the photos from this morning's shoot are here:

Camping in the back yard

2010-08-28T18:20:00.001-04:00

Perfect weather for a backyard camping adventure with the kids

Netflix for iPhone

2010-08-26T13:38:00.002-04:00

I've been waiting for this since Apple announced it months ago. Netflix is finally available on the iPhone and it looks fantastic. I tried both wifi and 3G and I was very impressed. The only thing that is a bummer is that you cannot yet access your disc queue. I imagine that will be in a future update. Very cool. See some screen grabs I took below:

Eastbound & Down

2010-08-26T12:21:00.002-04:00

I love this show. Can't wait.

Vibram 5 Finger - KSO

2010-08-23T09:51:00.002-04:00

Vibram 5 Finger - KSO, originally uploaded by d13vk.

They just came from the UPS guy. Trying them on for the first time and guess what? They fit like a glove :)

5k Run - Kids 1/2 Mile Run

2010-08-21T16:38:00.003-04:00

Today Gretchen and the kids ran in a fun run. Gretchen and our friend Courtney ran in a 5K run. Gretchen came in with an impressive 24 minutes. The kids ran in a 1/2 mile run and Mya finished in under 4 minutes - Michael finished in 4 minutes exactly. A good day of fun running...

***UPDATE***

Both Mya and Paige were on the front page of the Pottstown, Mercury today.

Hiking at Jacobsburg State Park

2010-08-14T12:59:00.004-04:00

We took the kids and Ripple to Jacosburg State Park to do a bit of hiking. The trails were nice and sceninc and there were lots of people on horseback. We had a nice picnic after a couple of hours of hiking. Good day.

The Fellas

2010-08-08T09:33:00.003-04:00

Skate, Fred, me, Bri, and Bruski chillin after BBQ'n

After

2010-07-29T15:54:00.002-04:00

Before

Before chopping

Delicious fresh salsa

Tomatoes from the garden

2010-07-28T17:30:00.002-04:00

I have been eating at least 6 tomatoes a day and I just can't catch up with what the garden is pumping out. Gonna have to make some salsa soon.

2010-07-26T19:34:00.001-04:00

Playing original Super Mario Bros with Michael. He asked if I ever played this game before...haha

Ocean City - July 4th Weekend

2010-07-25T21:37:00.001-04:00

This is a few clips from the shore house and some fireworks on the beach from the fourth of July weekend in Ocean City, NJ. A good time had by all...

Naval Academy Wrestling Camp - Wade Schalles

2010-07-25T08:33:00.003-04:00

These are a few videos I recorded of legendary wrestler Wade Schalles teaching the kids at the Naval Academy father/son wrestling camp I took Michael to last weekend. He is an amazing teacher, wrestler and coach and I would love to try to get him to come to and teach a clinic for our Lower Pottsgrove wrestlers.

Keystone Games Wrestling

2010-07-24T19:09:00.003-04:00

Michael had a good day of wrestling today and came out with a second place medal. It was his first real live wrestling experience in almost 6 months and he pinned the first kid and lost to the second kid. There were only three wrestlers in his bracket of 42lbs Pee Wee. It was a good experience for him to get back in the wrestling groove. Here are the videos:

Keystone Games - Match 1

Keystone Games - Match 2

2010-07-24T07:06:00.001-04:00

driving to a wrestling tourn with Michael in York PA - The Keystone Games

Fresh Summer Salsa/Salad

2010-07-22T15:57:00.002-04:00

I just put together this fresh and tasty chunky salsa/salad. Fresh tomatoes, jalepeños (from my garden), diced cucumber, red and white onion, avacado, black beans, cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper, and garlic. Super tasty as a side dish with dinner, or as an appetizer with tortilla chips. Yum!

Bar Golf - Nov 2009

2010-07-20T14:22:00.007-04:00

I finally got this video online :)

This video is a group of friends on a bar crawl. It was put together as "Bar Golf" with games set for each destination, but as the group gets more and more intoxicated, it becomes just a fun event to hang out and drink. I didn't really edit this together, I just threw the clips together so I could finally get it online for the group to enjoy. Enjoy :)

Naval Harbor

2010-07-16T19:08:00.002-04:00

Mike and Jayden

Naval Harbor

Mike and I

2010-07-16T13:49:00.001-04:00

Heading to the Naval Academy in Annapolis for the weekend for a father/son wrestling camp with Michael.

The Social Network

2010-07-15T13:27:00.006-04:00

As a social networking geek myself, this looks pretty cool -
the trailer for the new movie "The Social Network"

Top of Camelback Mountain

2010-07-14T09:58:00.003-04:00

Before Camel Beach

Baby Birds

2010-07-13T15:18:00.002-04:00

Updated photo of the baby birds living in our hanging fern on the porch.

Motionbox Acquired by HP's Snapfish

2010-07-13T11:09:00.003-04:00

If I've recommended @motionbox to any of you, forgive me. Snapfish acquired Motionbox and IMO Snapfish is weak and will not offer the same great features I loved about Motionbox.

In the meantime, I need to scramble to download all of my 100+ videos and put them somewhere else and replace all of the embed code with new embed code on my website. Fantastic. Just what I wanted to do. I stayed with Motionbox because I believed they would be sticking around and would not screw over their customers. YouTube it is.......

Bacon Vodka Bloody Mary

2010-07-10T12:43:00.002-04:00

I finally finished the bacon vodka in this pre-game poker bloody mary.

Beer Can Chicken

2010-07-09T16:52:00.004-04:00

I just can't stay away

2010-07-09T13:52:00.001-04:00

Swim club bound w/ the fam, then chicken dinner followed by Toy Story 3 w/ the kids while Gretch goes out w/ the girls...

2010-07-04T19:23:00.002-04:00

4 Cousins

Michael, Ben, Mya, and Shane at the beach house

OCNJ - Krueger Family 2010

2010-07-03T18:04:00.002-04:00

Family photo on the beach

Crab Stuffed Portabella Shrooms

2010-07-01T16:07:00.002-04:00

Just prepped these lump crab meat portabella mushrooms to cook for dinner. I used a can of lump crabmeat, sauteed onions, peppers, and garlic - an egg, bread crumbs, and seasoning. Mmmmmmmmmm