This first photo is actually from July – in the six weeks since it was taken, he has grown approximately two feet.

So after not racing (or, at least, not finishing) either of the two races I alluded to when we last spoke, it was off to Home Depot, Office Max, and the grocery store for a few last-minute supplies for Star Island, where Steph and I led the Senior High youth group.

For the second year in a row we did human powered waterskiing, pretty much the best activity in the history of ever.  Our youths built waterskis out of plywood (thanks, Home Depot!):

And then, with a combination of brains and brute strength, hove each other several hundred feet up to the swimming beach.  I want to reiterate that this actually worked, and I cannot recommend it highly enough, both for its entertainment value and the sense of accomplishment it brings:

We also played an amazing variant of speed scrabble (shout out to Sarah Day, if you ever read this, thank you for teaching me this game) – Steph decided we could play human speed scrabble.  Imagine fifty people running around with letters on their heads, trying to form themselves into a crossword.  We also played scandal jeopardy (“This depression-era scandal was short and stout.”), and had The Mother Of All Scavenger Hunts.  This last item deserves revisiting, another time.

Stephanie and I also got engaged during polar bear (that is, dawn) swimming on Monday morning.  Truly I never thought I would have the following conversation:

“Will you marry me?”

“Are you bullshitting me?”

But it turned out for the best, as she did, after the initial shock, say yes!  Sorry, Steph, for catching you so off guard.  Actually, I take that back, I’m not sorry at all, it was awesome.

Naturally, all of that excitement left me with a prodigious apetite, so I tried to eat her head. NOM NOM NOM.

And now it’s fall, we’re back home and working.  I am deep in to my preparations for the Hawaii Ironman now, but I will try to update a little more often!