About the Oak - Douglas Kretkowski
Douglas is a Gen Xer who grew up in northern New Jersey and graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. Somewhere between the beakers and Erlenmeyer flasks of organic chemistry, Douglas met his wife Dona. Shortly after beginning his career as an engineer, he metamorphisized an interest in the the Internet into a new career. Dona and Douglas were married in 1998 and shortly thereafter they moved to central New Jersey. Douglas is currently an Assistant Vice President at JPMorgan Chase working as an applications developer. Dona worked in the life sciences as a technical marketing manager before staying home to raise their first "acorn."
Douglas enjoys spending as much time with his family as possible, including the occational jam session playing Rock Band. Douglas has served his community as a volunteer firefighter/company treasurer for over four years and has donated his programming experience in creating and maintaining web sites for various non-profit organizations.
About Acorn #1 - Hannah Kretkowski
Hannah was born at 10:04 pm in mid-March of 2005. Hannah was born 6 pounds 4 ounces and 19¼ inches tall. Our pixie enjoys singing and dancing to her favorite Noggin shows and playing with all her little friends. Most of all, Hannah loves being a big sister to her baby brother.
About Acorn #2 - Andrew Kretkowski
Andrew was born at 10:56 pm in late November 2007. He was 7 pounds 7 ounces and 20 inches tall, though he tried to join us early at 30 weeks. Through the great skill of Dona's doctors and nurses, we managed to keep him baking for another eight weeks. Andrew is an active toddler and will probably think his last name is "No" for many years to come.
About Honorary Acorn #3 - Riley Kretkowski
Riley was born on October 22, 2003. Although his official papers claim that he is a Chihuahua, Riley has few features of the breed (he tips the scale at 11 pounds). Riley loves playing around with his little brother and sister; we are still waiting for him to grow out of his hyper puppy stage.
About Grow Strong, Live StrongerTM
We are as much a part of nature as any plant or tree. Just like a seed, we have little chance of thriving without a proper start. Therefore, look to nature for the answers to a strong, healthy life. First, we all need deep roots to establish a firm hold on life. This includes everything from powerful family bonds to common ties to one other as a united, global people. Next, we all need balanced nutrition, including proper quality and quantities of food and water. Therefore, honor your body by only exposing it to healthy foods and water in reasonable and adequate portions respectively. Working in conjunction with our physical growth, we need to continually feed and exercise our mind as well. This is not only to remain sharp but to constantly better ourselves, which, in turn, will enhance the rest of society. Lastly, while plants and trees can only bend in the face of stress and danger, we humans have the ability to move out of harm's way. We all need to take responsible, timely and appropriate actions not only to survive but to protect each other. If you consciously live by these fundamental principles, I guarantee you will grow strong and live stronger!
