Something new!

Happy Birthday Ryan...

Today Ryan McPhee would have turned 14 years old. Instead we celebrate his birthday w/o him. I saw his father, Rich, last weekend. He explained to me how Ryan would come home after some of his treatments and be absolutely famished. They would take him out to one of his favorite places, Perkins, for something to eat. He would then order the Tremendous Twelve and devour the entire thing! 3 eggs, hashbrowns, 4 bacon, and 4 pancakes!

Now in celebration of his birthday his family goes to Perkins and order the T12. TODAY I too celebrated Ryan's birthday and his life by going to the Perkins in Williamsport with Tyler and Alex. I ordered the T12 thought of him the entire time. He'll be with me forever. God bless you Ryan. You're in good company!

Alex's Formal

Today I drove Tyler up to Lycoming College so that he could attend his sister's sorority formal dinner/dance. She invited him a couple weeks ago and everyone thought it would be a great idea and lots of fun.

She went out and bought a new outfit complete with shoes and earrings for the occasion. We came up around 1pm and got to watch Alex's lacrosse team play. It wasn't pretty. They ran into a buzz saw vs. St. John Fisher out of Rochester NY. She started and played the whole game but it's always a bit of a bummer when they lose.

So that leaves me in Williamsport at the hotel by myself. I'm hoping to get out and get a bite to eat and then to bed real early to catch up on some rest. Tomorrow is a special day. More on that later.



Here are some pictures of Alex's game today from Lycoming.

Lacrosse has begun!

Well this has been a very, very busy and difficult week. Tyler's JV lacrosse team started games on Tuesday night. I have vowed to attend every possible game that I can whenever I have the opportunity. I know from experience that my parents did not see me play very many high school sports, and I played every year.

His team lost on Tuesday to a very good team from a neighboring county, South Carrol. The score was only 6-2.

Friday night they played one their county arch rivals, Urbana. They played very hard and came out on top 6-4!!!!! This is the 1st time any TJ High School team has beaten Urbana in lacrosse from what I can remember. I may be wrong but it was a huge win!!! Ty's been working hard and got a good amount of pt (playing time)... Here are PICTURES of Tyler's game vs. Urbana.

I've had a rough week. I came down with yet another cold on Tuesday and it really kicked my butt for 2 days. I'm still not better but at least up and around. I also have had some problems with my stomach flare up again. Seems to be similar to what I had a year and a half ago right after Chrissy died. I went to my Dr. and she prescribed something that helped before. I also went for some bloodwork for the just in case scenarios.

I've been really run down lately it seems with all the activities that I'm involved in. I'm the President of Spires Lacrosse, the Treasurer of the Western MD Lacrosse Conference, and about a month ago was elected to the board of directors of the High School Athletic Boosters. So each of those things keeps me busy with meetings and website work. I'm doing okay with it, but starting next year will have to reevaluate it all as I plan on becoming heavily involved at St. John's Catholic Prep where Michael will be attending high school. We'll see.

Summer's on the way and we have NO idea what / where we are going for a vacation. It may a simple vacation to deep creek this summer. It's been 2 years since we were there in the summer and I think the kids will like it. I can remember vividly the year we went and we rented a boat with a tube and Chrissy got on and we towed her around the lake. Yes the memories will last forever...

Lady laxers streak to victory 16-10 over Manhattanville

Box Score

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. --- The Lycoming College women’s lacrosse team used three multi-goal streaks to take down visiting Manhattanville College 16-10 and secure the Warriors’ first Middle Atlantic Conference victory of the season. Justine Titko was a scoring machine, putting up five goals, including three straight key goals late in the game.

The win improves Lycoming to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in the MAC and Manhattanville is now 4-1 and 1-1 after taking its first loss of the year.

The Lady Warriors started off strong, scoring the first seven goals unanswered. Bri Robertson started streak, scoring on an assist from Sammi Jo Bell at 28:31. Crystal Cody found the net at 20:53 on a free position shot. Titko scored the first of her five goals to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead at 20:34. Megan McIntyre and Grace Gargiulo connected on a goal as McIntyre finished the pass. Cody and Titko rounded out the run with Cody scoring twice unassisted and Bell assisting Titko.

Manhattanville answered the Warrior run with a 6-0 run of its own to round out the first half and send the teams into the break with Lycoming up 7-4 before continuing the streak early in the second half.

McIntyre broke up the run at 21:27 to give the Warriors a narrow 8-6 lead. Two Valiant goals knotted the match at 8 before Lycoming was able to put together a tidy five goal run, including Titko’s natural hat trick and Robertson scoring twice, giving Lycoming a 13-8 advantage. Kelli Morsey scored the final point of the game as the buzzer rang, locking up the 16-10 victory.

Titko finished the day with six points on five goals and one assist and Cody wrapped up with four goals and Robertson with three. IN the net, Brittany Bryan was able to make seven saves as Danielle Gargiulo played tough on defense, causing six turnovers.

The Lady Warriors are back in action on Wednesday, March 25 when they travel to Dallas, Pa. to face another conference opponent in Misericordia University. Game time is set for 4 p.m.

Lycoming Relay for Life

Alex and many of her friends and classmates walked in this year's Relay for Life held at the Lycoming College indoor athletic facility. These were 2 of the many luminaries that were there...

Alex pics...

Women's lacrosse falls in nail biter to Susquehanna 14-12

The boys and I went up to Susquehanna to watch Alex's team. They played hard but were really up and down the whole night. Alex started and played the entire game again! She did a great job on defense . I know her mom would be very proud!

Box Score

SELINSGROVE, Pa. --- Kelli Morsey scored twice under 30 seconds as the Lycoming College women’s lacrosse team fell to Susquehanna University in a non-conference match up on Thursday, March 19.

The loss drops the Warriors to 2-4 while the Crusaders improve to 5-1.

Crystal Cody scored first in the game, just 47 seconds in on a free position shot. But four straight Susquehanna goals put the Warriors in a 4-1 deficit. Cody found net again at 15:56 on an assist from Grace Gargiulo. 20 seconds later Bri Robertson scored the first of her three goals, catching and firing a pass from Megan McIntyre. McIntyre tied the game at four with 6:40 left in the first half. Susquehanna broke the tie before three more Warrior goals, two from Robertson and one from Grace Gargiulo sent Lycoming into half 7-5.

Susquehanna rattled off seven straight goals at the start of the second half to go up 12-7, taking advantage of three Warrior yellow cards. Lycoming fought back, putting in five goals in the final seven minutes of the game, getting scoring from Cody twice and Grace Gargiulo before Morsey’s final two goals, closing the game 14-12.

Cody, Robertson and Morgan Reale each had two caused turnovers while Alex DeWitt and goal tender Brittany Bryan had three groundballs a piece. Bryan made eight saves in the game. Cody was the Lycoming goal leader with four, adding one assist for five points.

The Lady Warriors will be back at home on Saturday, March 21 at 3 p.m. as they return to conference matches against Manhattanville at the Robert L. Shangraw Athletic Complex.

Lady Warrior lacrosse rally halted by McDaniel

I didn't get a chance to go but I was able to watch real-time statistics on the web which was just like being there. They played an incredible game and just lost by 1. McDaniel was ranked 20th in the country coming in...

Box Score

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. --- Despite a late surge, the Lycoming College women’s lacrosse team was unable to halt the Green Terror of McDaniel College, falling by a narrow margin of 12-11 on Tuesday, March 17. A late free-position shot by Crystal Cody got the Warriors to within one, but they were unable to complete the rally.

With the loss, Lycoming is now 2-3 overall while McDaniel improves to 4-3.

An early four goal streak by the Terror got them to 4-2 before Bri Robertson was able to connect on a pass from Sammi Jo Bell to close to 4-3. Another two goals by McDaniel put the score at 6-3. A foul on the crease allowed Justine Titko to take a free-position shot with 5:14 remaining in the first half, cutting the Green Terror 6-4. Grace Garguilo scored the final goal of the half with 32 seconds to send the Warriors into halftime down 8-5.

Both teams traded goals throughout the second 30 minutes, with neither team scoring more than two times in a row. Several small runs by Lycoming kept them in the game. Another goal by Cody with 21:47 remaining got the Warriors to within three, 9-6. Robertson and Baker were both able to capitalize on shots at 17:15 and 15:52, with Robertson’s goal assisted by Kelli Morsey and Baker had help from Robertson. Baker and Titko scored back-to-back goals with 5:50 remaining, cutting the Terror lead to 11-10. McDaniel’s Chelsea Feruzzi connected on an unassisted goal with the clock at 4:23 to go up 12-10 before Cody took her free-position shot with 2:30 left.

Cody was able to find the net on three of her six total shots and earned one draw control. Robertson and Bell both had three controls apiece while Grace Garguilo had two caused turnovers late in the game. As a team, Lycoming caused nine turnovers and the two squads tied in draw controls with 12, but Lycoming’s came late in the match, allowing them to close the gap. In net, Brittany Bryan had a nine save afternoon.

The Lady Warrior will be back in action on Thursday, March 19 when they travel to Selinsgrove, Pa. to face Susquehanna University in a night game, set to start at 7 p.m.

Michael goes to private school!

After a long and sometimes agonizing decision process on my part, Michael and I have decided that he will spend his high school career at St. John's Catholic Prep located here in Frederick.

This started back in October with an open house visit along with several interviews, and financial aid packets. It was a long process. We got the acceptance letter in February and had a month to decide if he was going to go AND be eligible for a scholarship. He and I talked alone at dinner on Sunday and we both felt that this would be a great opportunity for him. Class size is approximately 12-18 per class. Some as low as 5 or so depending on the class.

There are many, many positives that are too numerous to list and only a few drawbacks. The number 1 being I have to take him to school each day... I work from home so hopefully it won't be too bad, but as I told him, we do this together and I as well as he must work hard to ensure his success.

I know for a fact that Chris wanted this for him. This was something that we had talked about before and it is my duty to carry her desires forward as I continue on this single-parenting role!

Wish us luck!!

Haircut

Finally got a chance to take the dog in and get her haircut. She was getting a little unruly as she had not been cut since Nov 1. I've include a before and after picture for your entertainment!

Women’s lacrosse falls on the road to FDU-Florham 13-7

Box Score

MADISON, N.J. --- Seven different Lycoming College women’s lacrosse players second as the team fell in its Middle Atlantic Conference opener against FDU-Florham 13-7 on Saturday, March 14. Megan McIntyre led the team with one goal and one assist.

With the loss, Lycoming slips to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the MAC while FDU improves to 2-2 and 1-0.

Throughout much of the first half, the Warriors and the Devils traded goals. Crystal Cody scored first for Lycoming, catching and shooting a pass from McIntyre. After FDU rang a goal, Lycoming was able to put together a two goal run from Laura Carpenter on a free position shot and Kelly Morsey on an assist from Bri Robertson, sending the game into the half with Lycoming up 4-3.

But the beginning of the second half belonged to FDU, who came out of the locker room scoring six unanswered goals before Lycoming’s Chisti Karr found the net, with the assist coming from McIntyre, closing the gap 9-5. Sammi Jo Bell and McIntyre scored the final two goals for Lycoming.

In the net, Brittany Bryan made 23 saves while defender Robertson had a team-high five groundballs. Bell had four draw controls.

The lady laxers will be back in action on Tuesday, March 17 when they host McDaniel College at 4 p.m.

Lady Laxers take down Soaring Eagles 18-3

I took the afternoon off and drove up to watch Alex's game today. They played great. The weather was horrible and there were 2 lyco fans and 2 Elmira fans!!!!!! Very funny. I yelled a lot. Alex started and played very well despite the cold rain! We went to the Bull Frog afterwards for a quick sandwich before I came home. Well worth the 6 hours on the road!!!!!

Box Score

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. --- With five different Lycoming College women’s lacrosse players scoring multiple goals, the Lady Warriors defeated Elmira College on Tuesday, March 10 by a score of 18-3. Bri Robertson led in points, tallying five goals and one assist for six points.

Lycoming scored in the first 30 seconds to take the lead and never looked back. Midfielder Justine Titko found the back of the net, driving down the alley. Titko stuck another goal with an assist from Megan McIntyre to make the score 3-0. Christi Karr tallied three goals in just over four minutes, with Kelli Morsey assisting on her first of the day.

Other players scoring multiple goals included Sammi Jo Bell with four and Amanda Baker recording two. Titko assisted three times and McIntyre twice, while Robertson, Bell and Morsey all had one helper.

Much of the offensive opportunities came at the hands of the Garguilo sisters Grace and Danielle, who combined for eight caused turnovers, each recording four. Robertson led the day in groundballs, picking up four. In the net, Brittany Bryan made one save in her 49 minutes of play and Libby Stoesz made two.

Lycoming will be on the road Saturday when it travels to Madison, N.J. on Saturday March 14 for the conference opener. Game time is set for 1 p.m.

Headed to St. Marys College

Mar 7, 2009

2009 Inaugural Breast Cancer Awareness Women's Lacrosse Game Tomorrow

St. Mary's City, Md. - The 15th-ranked St. Mary's College of Maryland women's lacrosse team (3-1) will take on McDaniel College (2-0) tomorrow at 1:00 in Seahawk Stadium on PINK OUT DAY. Tomorrow's game is the inaugural Breast Cancer Awareness Lacrosse Game and the Seahawks are hoping to PINK OUT all of Seahawk Stadium. This game will be played in remembrance of Christine A. DeWitt, the mother of a player once coached by current St. Mary's head coach Kara Reber at Lycoming College, who lost her life to this disease last year as well as all individuals affected by breast cancer.

Earlier on in the year, the Seahawks sold pink St. Mary's College of Maryland lacrosse t-shirts to PINK OUT Seahawk Stadium. Tomorrow, the Seahawks will be accepting donations and doing a 50/50 raffle with all proceeds going to Climb for Hope, a division of breast cancer research that Christine believed in very strongly.

Climb for Hope was organized to raise and channel funds towards targeted and promising research in the fight against breast cancer. Its mission is to find a viable treatment for breast cancer within the next three years. In the past two years, the organization has raised over $550,000 for a vaccine being developed at Johns Hopkins University by Dr. Leisha Emens. This research will one day allow patients to successfully battle the disease using a specialized vaccine in conjunction with lower doses of chemotherapy. Not only does the vaccine address some of the most aggressive and lethal forms of breast cancer, but the research is expected to promote treatment advances for many forms of cancer as well. (www.climbforhope.com).

Youths attending tomorrow's game will also have a chance to win a deBeer's lacrosse stick at halftime as the Seahawks will sponsor a halftime shoot-out.

Lyco wins their first...

Lady Lax defeats Marywood 23-6 for first victory

- 3-7-09 -

Box Score

SCRANTON, Pa. --- The Lycoming College women’s lacrosse team picked up its first victory of the season as the Lady Warriors defeated the Marywood University Pacers by a score of 23-6. Justine Titko set the bar high with two goals and five assists for seven points on Saturday, March 7.

With the win, Lycoming improves to 1-1 on the season while Marywood falls to 0-2.

Sammi Jo Bell started off the scoring for the Warriors, putting in the first two goals. Bri Robertson assisted on the first, and Bell’s second goal came on a free-position shot. Lycoming went 5-for-5 in free positions shots on the day.

Titko picked up the first of her goals on another free position shot, putting Lycoming up 5-1. The Warriors saw every player on the field, with 13 different Lycoming players finding the back of the net. Robertson and Bell lead with four each, Grace Garguilo, Kate Isennock and Christi all scored twice. Lyz Logan, Kelli Morsey, Crystal Cody, Jackie Calbi, Amanda Baker, and Laura Carpenter found the goal once.

On defense, Danielle Garguilo picked up four grounds balls and caused three turnovers. The goalies split time, with Brittany Bryan playing the first half and making six saves while Libby Stoesz played in the second 30 minutes, making five saves.

Lycoming will be back in action on Tuesday, March 10 as it hosts the Soaring Eagles of Elmira College at 4 p.m. at the Robert L. Shangraw Athletic Complex.

Lady Warriors fall in season opener to York 11-9

Box Score

Alex's lacrosse team had their first game today. A tough loss for them. She was exhausted. She was a starter and played the entire 60 minutes. Spirits are high. This game was a non-conference game.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. --- In its home opener, the Lycoming College women’s lacrosse team fell to York College of Pennsylvania by a score of 11-9 on Tuesday, March 3. The Warriors’ Bri Robertson led the team with four points on two goals and two assists.

Lycoming slips to 0-1 overall, while York picks up its first win of the season to improve to 1-3.

York started the scoring, putting in the first two goals of the game at 25:42 and again at 24:29. Sammi Jo Bell got the Warriors on the board at 24:09 on assist from Amanda Baker. Robertson tied the game 2-2, cutting to the crease and receiving a pass from Justine Titko. The Spartans scored two more goals, taking a 4-2 lead into halftime.

At the start of the second half, Lycoming rattled off three unanswered goals from Titko, Megan McIntyre and Crystal Cody, giving McIntyre the assist. The Spartans and Warriors battled, trading goals at 23:50 and 22:52, with Cody scoring her second of the day on a Robertson assist, knotting the score at six.

The Warriors rallied back but a five goal run by York would put the game out of reach for Lycoming. Robertson scored her second goal of the game on a free position shot and Bell scored her second on a pass from Kelli Morsey. Bell scored the final goal of the game with 28 seconds left on the clock.

As a team, Lycoming picked up 25 groundballs to York’s 20 while the Warriors’ Brittany Bryan recorded six saves. Both teams were even at the draw, each winning 11.

The Lady Warriors next game will be Saturday, March 7 when they travel to Scranton, Pa. to face the Pacers of Marywood University. Draw time is set for 1 p.m.

Alex home

Alex came home on Thursday for the weekend. She had bought tickets for her and I to go to the Caps Hockey game. We had a fun time and the seats were pretty good too!

She needed some home time and we pretty much just hung out around home while she was here. I think she misses my home cooking!

She went back on Sunday morning and is now starting her spring break! Next week is her 1st game of the season vs. York at home.

Of course today we are getting hammered with snow today. Lacrosse season starts today for all the area teams, high school and youth. I've already had to cancel our practices for tonight and of course school is closed today.