Liberty Creek Wines Supports US Troops with “Tunes For Troops”

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Liberty Creek Wines
Supports US Troops
Via Care Packages
From
Operation Gratitude
“Tunes For Troops”
Stocking up on wine for Memorial Day weekend?  Starting May 1 through July, purchases of Liberty Creek Wines will support US Troops via care packages from Operation Gratitude. Called “Tunes for Troops,” this new program will bring music downloads to service men and women overseas, providing the comfort and entertainment of music on the front lines. 

Liberty Creek Vineyards is donating $15,000 to support this Spring/Summer Care Package Drive. Additionally, specially tagged bottles of Liberty Creek Wines contain codes that consumers can enter online at    LibertyCreekWine.com to help contribute an additional $10,000. 

This is a great chance to support the troops as you celebrate with your friends and family.

Disclosure: DianeSullivan/3decades3kids was not compensated for this post.

Tough Mudder- Let’s Chat With Shan Egan

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Tough Mudder
Pennsylvania
April 28/29
May 12/13
Pocono Manor
Let’s Chat With Shan Egan
Mud Junkies 2011

I had the pleasure of interviewing Shan Egan about last year’s Tough Mudder event that he took part in. I could not wait to find out what it was really like out there! So let’s get right to it-below is my interview with Shan. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Good Luck to you and the team on Saturday, Shan! 

Diane: Tough Mudder is new to me. I have never heard about it until a few months ago. Can you tell me a little bit about it?
Shan: Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. With the most innovative courses, half a million inspiring participants, and more than $2 million dollars raised for the Wounded Warrior Project, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world.

Diane: I love how Tough Mudder supports The Wounded Veterans. Is that part of the reason you enter the event? Do you have a personal reason for entering?
Shan: Supporting the Wounded Warriors is most definitely a motivator for us, we want to show our support somehow and Tough Mudder is a great vehicle for accomplishing that. We all have personal reasons as well; it’s about turning back the clock, camaraderie, fighting through the “pains of age”, setting examples to our children and ultimately staying relevant in a society that has more excuses than ever. We want to be that tangible inspiration to our children, family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and to the masses. We want to be the motivating factor that actually makes the change, not just sit around and talk about it.

Diane: As I understand, you were part of Tough Mudder last year. How extreme was it?
What was the toughest part?
Shan: Extreme. Tough Mudder mixes up so many elements, exhausting you from head to toe. For some, the toughest part was physical, for others, the mental aspect.  You have to overcome fears and uncertainties about yourself that you may have never realized had you not been challenged.  Whether you have a fear of water, cold, heights, confined places or need a boost over a wall, you get over them with the help of your team. Camaraderie is the key, we start together and we finish together. 

Diane: Are you competing with your own team? Who are they made up of?
Is it the same team as last year?
Shan: Our Team name is the “Mud Run Junkies” (the MRJ’s) and are currently comprised of 19 members who are registered for Tough Mudder.  The MRJ’s are a diverse group of men & women mostly in their late 30’s and early 40’s from Montgomery, Chester & Delaware counties, and all but 1 have children.  Some members are the same as last year and some are new members.  Shan Egan, Michele Dougherty, Kate Stopa Solomon, Paul Solomon, Dennis Gunzelmann, Ashley Bevington, Dan Feola, Missy Salamone, Matt Snyder,  Dawn Haftl, Jason Haftl, Ian Stoddart, Liz Higgins, Nick Higgins, Stephanie Carter, Sean McCarraher, Matt Sitting, Christine Noble,  Matt Dutton

Diane: HOW does someone prepare physically and mentally for Tough Mudder?
Shan:We meet weekly to do our “terraining”.  We start our runs on groomed trails and transition onto “Mudder-esque” type terrain with mud, rocks, & roots, regardless of weather.  In addition, we all train regularly; including high intense cardio/plyometrics classes run by Shan Egan, as well as normal strength training.  Mentally, we psych each other up with positive talk and discuss how much fun we are going to have!

Diane: I am in awe of anyone that even enters Tough Mudder! Congrats on being a part of it last year. What is it like when you finish the course?
Shan: THANK YOU!  It’s the most euphoric sense of accomplishment we’ve ever experienced!

I’d love to thank Shan for taking time out of his busy life and preparation for Tough Mudder to conduct this interview. I wish him and the team the VERY best! What an inspiration to us all! 
This weekend I have the pleasure of attending one of the toughest events in the country, maybe in the world called Tough Mudder.  Tough Mudder is an event that takes places on a about a 12 mile course filled with extremely tough obstacles. The course consists trudging through mud, fire, ice water and 10,000 volts of electricity. There are also 12 foot walls and underground tunnels. Tough Mudders never go it alone, they work as a team. To date Tough Mudder has raised more than 2 million dollars to donate to the Wounded Warrior Project.  I will be at the Tough Mudder Pennsylvania this weekend. You can check it how to sign up in PA or anywhere Tough Mudder takes place in the world by clicking here. 
Disclosure: Special thanks to Tough Mudder and Shan Egan. All opinions are that of 3decades3kids/DianeSullivan. Email: ELGeorgia@aol.com Twitter: @3decades3kids 


Tough Mudder Pennsylvania April 28/29 May 12/13

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Tough Mudder
Pennsylvania April 28, 29
May 12,13, 2012
How Tough Are You?
3decades3kids Takes An Inside Look Into
Team: Mud Run Junkies

This weekend I have the pleasure of attending one of the toughest events in the country, maybe in the world called Tough Mudder.  Tough Mudder is an event that takes places on a about a 12 mile course filled with extremely tough obstacles. The course consists trudging through mud, fire, ice water and 10,000 volts of electricity. There are also 12 foot walls and underground tunnels. Tough Mudders never go it alone, they work as a team. To date Tough Mudder has raised more than 2 million dollars to donate to the Wounded Warrior Project.  I will be at the Tough Mudder Pennsylvania this weekend. You can check it how to sign up in PA or anywhere Tough Mudder takes place in the world by clicking here.


I was lucky enough to have the pleasure of meeting Michele Dougherty and Shan Egan online. They are part of the team, Mud Run Junkies and will take part in this year’s event on April 28th in PA. This is what they had to say about their team and Tough Mudder. Some of the members of the team also competed in last year’s Tough Mudder and are coming back for more. Now that is TOUGH!! Congrats Team! You are inspiring and I, along with others, wish you the very best this weekend! Go get em and be Tough!

For the Love of Mud
A Few Words from the Team
Mud Run Junkies
 Pictured above: left to right: Matt Snyder, Jason Haftl, Shan Egan, Paul Solomon, Dan Feola, Ian Stoddart, Steph Carter, Christine Noble, Kate Solomon, Missy Salamone, Michele Dougherty

Sounds crazy, but that’s what it is; and that’s what it is for us, The Mud Run Junkies (a/k/a MRJ’s).  The MRJ’s are a diverse group of men & women mostly in their late 30’s and early 40’s from Montgomery, Chester & Delaware counties who have realized the benefits of health and exercise and have chosen to challenge our minds and bodies in not just any mud run, but THE TOUGH MUDDER. 

It’s about turning back the clock, camaraderie, fighting through the “pains of age”, setting examples to our children and ultimately staying relevant in a society that has more excuses than ever.

We think we are speaking not just for the MRJ’s but for everyone who is wired that way to put their body through this.  Maybe it’s a realization, as you look around; I don’t want to become that person who is no longer relevant; relevant to anything that you want to be or do in your life.

We want to be that tangible inspiration to our children, family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and to the masses. We want to be the motivating factor that actually makes the change, not just sit around and talk about it.

The MRJ team was started by Kate Stopa, a flight attendant for USAIR, and Michele Dougherty, a Title Insurance Agent.  They were given their name by Shan Egan, a personal trainer & lead singer in a funk band.  It is the ability to connect with those around them that generated such a huge interest in being a part of this fun, highly motivated, energetic, goal oriented team. We realize that we need goals, something to train for, so much so that we are already registered for the October Tri-State Tough Mudder, it’s the “what the “blank” are we gonna do now” attitude. 

Camaraderie is the key, we start together and we finish together.  This group meets regularly to do our “terraining”.  We start our runs on groomed trails and transition onto “Mudder-esque” type terrain with mud, rocks, & roots, regardless of weather.  In addition, we all train regularly; including high intense cardio/plyometrics classes run by Shan Egan, as well as regular strength training. 

Of the 17 current members, only 1 does not have any children, our youngest member.  There are 8 women and 9 men.  We would like our children to embrace the lifestyle that we have chosen and the most effective way to do that is to lead by example.  This is truly a “do as I say, and do what I do” attitude.  We would all agree that we would like to have our children someday run Tough Mudder with us so they can strive for that sense of accomplishment, stay strong, and continue to be relevant so they can raise their hands, and say, “I’m a shirt wearin, flag bearin Mud Run Junkie.


Pre-Mudder dinner pic: Michele Dougherty, Ashley Bevington, Dan Feola, Nick Higgins, Jason Haftl, Ian Stoddart, Shan Egan, Liz Higgins, Matt Snyder, Kate Solomon

Disclosure: Special thanks to Tough Mudder, Shan Egan, Michele Dougherty and team Mud Run Junkies. All opinions are that of 3decades3kids/DianeSullivan.
Email ELGeorgia@aol.com 
Twitter: @3decades3kids