Back to School!

Annie & Emily heading back to school today ... and while Maggie had her backpack on and was ready to go, she is still a few years away. Best of luck on a great year !!

The Yurgosky's go to Washington !

Bob Hope once said, "I always like to go to Washington D.C. It gives me a chance to visit my money."

Well ... we took the kids on a whirlwind tour of Washington DC monuments so we could visit "our money". Of course the City of DC grabbed us for even more money buy hammering me with $200 worth of parking tickets. What a great way to encourage people to visit your city.

Spending the week with Ed & Sarah and the kids at their family's house on the Chesapeake Bay. Very relaxing atmosphere ... a little piece of heaven on earth. The views at sunset are amazing!

Fishing on Lake Onterio !

Left the confines of Newton Lake and headed north today to do a little fishing on Lake Ontario. Had a perfect day for fishing and caught a bunch of fish. Fished aboard the Maverick with Capt. Chris LoPresti and his son Christopher. Great time was had by all !!

Summer of 2010 !!

Another great summer day on the lake with the Fawcett's ... got this great photo of the girls jumping from the pontoon boat... and I also got a once in a lifetime picture of Marion holding a fish!!

She's on a Boat !

Here is Marion taking on the role of ship's captain. Just another beautiful day here on Newton Lake. The weather this summer has been amazing !

Great time... Great friends at BOS 40 !!

Had a great time out with friends last night ... while celebrating BOS 40 !! Even though we don't recover like we use to, every now and then you need to unwind. Great time was had by all !!

Summer Keeps Getting Better !!

Spent another great day on the lake with the Fawcett's ... the weather this summer has been perfect ... water temps in Newton Lake are around 80 degrees. Hot temps ... cold beer ... cool water = Great Summer !!

Sleeping Under the Stars !

Annie & Emily decided they wanted to camp out side tonight. Weather was perfect... however the 4th of July weekend here at Newton Lake sounds like the middle of a war zone with all the fireworks going off. But despite the noise we had a great night !!

What a Summer !!

Fawcett's and Yurgosky's 4th of July at Newton Lake


In what has been one of the best summers I can remember, we spent the entire day on the pontoon boat. Then went back out in the evening to watch the Newton Lake fireworks display. It was a perfect night !

P90X Before & After

Well ... I did it ... I completed P90X and I can honestly say it lives up to the hype ! Here are my before and after pics. If you follow the program and watch what you eat you will get results.

My final weight loss was 16 lbs. and I have to say it feels great ! Kudos to Beachbody CEO, Carl Daikeler for creating a great company and a great product. Also to Tony Horton... you are an inspiration!

Going to take a few weeks off and then hit it again for Round 2!!

Early start on the Lake!

Spent a gret day on the lake with the Fawcett's and the Mancuso's. This raft was a great investment... kept the kids off the boat and allowed the adults some time to relax. I hope the weather stays like this and not like last summer.

Tis the Season !!

Hit the lake this morning to do some fishing. Had a busy morning as the fish were biting. I love summer at Newton Lake !!

Time to Hit the Lake !

Memorial Day Weekend and the weather at the lake was absolutely perfect !

Water temperatures are already in the 70's, so the girls took advantage and jumped in the lake to cool off. Here is Annie jumping off the dock !

It sure feels like summer !

Marion and I got all our summer flowers planted today ... with temps in the high 80s today and not a cloud in the sky, it was a great day to be outside! I know it's only May but it sure feels like summer ! I hope this weather is just the beginning of a great summer season !

Happy Mother's Day !

I want to wish all the moms out there a Happy Mother's Day today !

Today The Scranton Times had a special column written by Joby Fawcett remembering his mom. If you have a few moments, take the time to read it.

Remembering Mom on Mother's Day

There are times when I can still hear her voice. The echoing sound of encouragement from her frail and weakened body came through loud and clear as she sat beneath an umbrella even when there was no rain.

As the finish line grew closer, her words sounded stronger. And even as it hurt, she rose to her feet.

Soon after, to her delight, I would point to her location, and her smile was my greatest award.
Mother's Day is always special. It's a day to recognize the most wonderful people in our lives.
Today, I will visit my mother, Jean Fawcett. I will offer a casual hello, gaze up to the heavens, and put my hands on my daughters' shoulders as they ask questions about their grandmother.
My answer always begins with her being the greatest, most loving person in the world.
I will remember how she would somehow, against all odds, get to Lakeland Stadium to watch me and my brother play football or run track. Or to see my sister cheer.

See, in her life, that was a victory. Because the only thing that could conquer her will was the devastating and debilitating effects of Lupus.

I will continue to tell my two daughters how much she loved her children and how much she loved sports. There were days, oh yeah, there were days when I just simply didn't like to go to practice.

There were many days when running 400-meter sprints for a workout, honestly, weren't fun. In fact, they hurt.

"Hey, running track is supposed to hurt," she'd tell me.
There were days when losing wasn't much fun either. I'd put my head down and pout. And rather than comfort and offer compassion, mom would look me straight in the eyes and tell me to "work harder."

Then came the love.

"Losing is all right," she'd stress, "but accepting defeat is not."
It hadn't occured to me then, that those where the words she told herself with each passing day.
All I needed to do was to watch her at a dialysis appointment, come home, drained of what little bit of energy she had left, her shining hair falling out in clumps, a rash covering but not hiding her movie-star looks, and yet she still insisted on cooking dinner.

That was where I learned about competing, and the value of life.
My battles on the football field and on the track paled in comparison to what she and millions of moms battle with when their health is put at risk.

But in mom's mind, it was all that mattered. That's what I'll tell my daughters as we touch her grave, and celebrate her day.

So athletes across our region, remember your moms today and forget about wins and losses.
Lavish her with flowers. Take her to brunch.Thank her for all she has done, from changing diapers, to wiping your nose, to patting you on the back or kicking you in the behind.
But most of all, if you can, give her a hug.

Because there are many, like me, who will wish they could today.
Contact the writer: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com

Great job Joby ... I know your mom is smiling today !

Corky's 2010

Emily's softball season is again in full swing. Here is hoping for a great season. We have a great bunch of girls and look forward to a fun season. I know by June I will be wishing the season was over but for now we are going to have a great time!!

P90X - Half Way There !!

Reached the 1/2 way point of P90X ... Day 45 ! It's been a pretty good ride so far. I really enjoy the program. I weighed in at 158 this morning, so I have already surpassed my goal of getting to 160 lbs. Even had a couple of people ask me if I had lost weight ... woo hoo !

Looking forward to the second half of this program. Wish I could get Marion to share my enthusiasm :(

P90X Four Weeks Down - Nine Weeks To Go !!

Marion and I completed our 4th week of P90X. Not sure I could really consider this past week a "recovery week", it was just as gruelling as weeks 1-3.

While I did not follow the P90X advice to take measurements when I started.( now kind of wish I did ). I can tell my waist is a few inches less than when I started. I am now pulling my belt 2 inches more than I did fefore I started, and I think I am noticing more definition in my abs, shoulders and arms, although that might be in my head.

Also, I am down 10 lbs. which feels great. I honestly do not want to lose anymore weight, and for that reason I think I am going to switch from the Lean to the Classic program for Phase #2.

P90X Yoga ... Again

Did the P90X Yoga tonight ... I have to admit I am doing much better at it then when I started. I still find it somewhat repetitive and boring. However as I learn the positions I don't have to keep stopping to look up at the screen to see what Tony Horton is doing. That makes it much easier and obviously more beneficial. Some of the stretches at the end of the program are awesome.

So on to Core Synergistics tomorrow as I work through my "recovery" week. I hope everyone has a great week !