Midshipman Maggie

I totally lifted this photo from Katie Herbert's Facebook page -

it's of John David, Maggie and Abby. I told Katie she should post it (she showed it to me on her phone), but I'm not sure she has internet access right now... So I decided I would! Katie stopped by Mom's house the other evening when Celia and I happened to be over for dinner (Andy's off fishing in Canada), and we all visted in the backyard - I think Mom has photos of Katie and Celia and me to post later... Anyway, Katie shared Maggie's address in Annapolis, and said that Maggie's on crutches after having been twisted in ropes and gotten her legs bruised. And, Katie said Maggie might be a little homesick; she's been at the Naval Academy since early July, and was allowed to make her first phone call this past weekend. I just sent her a quick note today, and I'm sure any of her siblings will share her address with you, if you'd like to write to her. I think Katie was going to make and send Rice Krispie treats; what a sweet big sister!

Chip and Diana's Sharkfest Adventure

Well, we trained hard and we felt ready. The water was 57 degrees, the swells and chop were stronger than the crowd expected...and still, WE JUMPED OFF THE BARGE HOLDING HANDS. Chip was brave and strong and quietly began about the task of swimming; Diana treaded water and carried on very loudly about how cold the water was. The good news is: after about 15 minutes, our hands and feet were numb and didn't hurt anymore.

Then we never saw each other again until it was over. We both made it about half way....and while our dreams of bounding out of the water at the finish line were not realized THIS YEAR...we had great fun. Truly, preparing for this event was an experience unto itself. As for me, I've never had a bib # at all, let alone one on both hands, and the microchip strapped to my ankle was kind of cool looking. I almost forgot that it's there so they can find your body if you don't return to shore....oh, and to mark your swim time (so they say). Take a look at our web page to see the story unfold: http://www.stevers.org

Year is half over!

Sup folks? I hope the summer heat isn't keeping you down.

First off, a matter about this word, blog. As you can see at wiki (one of my favorite website, btw), it's merely a combination of the words "web" and "log"...a weblog...or as with the evolution of so many words, shortened to blog.

So, on to bigger and better things. I managed to finish Seafair marathon yesterday in a respectable manner, though not quite the result I was hoping for. I ended up with a 3:31 after I cramped at about mile 21, and had to slow down a lot. Fortunately, I am actually recovering fairly well so far. Good thing too, since I've decided to run Portland at the beginning of October, so the quicker I can get back on the road the better.

In other news, as long as I can't run for a few days, I ended up buying the video game Rockband...and I have successfully wasted a solid 6 hours of my life since Sunday night. If anybody wants to play online (PS3) my username is Grinch17...I'll play whatever instrument you don't want too, but I won't sing. I hate to brag, but I'm pretty good...kind of a big deal.

So, that's pretty much it. I'm headed back on the road tomorrow for a 10-day trip, which really blows since I'll miss the 4th, a really sweet Foo Fighters concert that I've been waiting to see since March, and most importantly a really good friend's wedding (and bachelor party of course) that's here in town. But, at least I get to see my parents and Becca (plus the rest of the Granger clan) at the end of the month in Michigan.

And, since I don't have a very good camera and haven't taken any pics since the last post, here's a pretty cool pic of two C-17s in Kuwait.

Oh, and Kathmandu sounds aiight.