Modern Pilgrims

September is almost here- we are looking forward to a little warmer weather and a little less fog. I wanted to include a postpartum Tummy Ticker today, you know just so the blogging faithful know where things ended up 6 weeks after the fact. However, reason and common sense have prevailed and I did not make such a request. Anyways, things right now are busy- but good. I have been working to finalize things with my research project and the boards are less than two weeks away. Needless to say there is stress in my life. My beautiful wife makes it all better though. Except when I am trying to study in the other room and she is busy severing Ryder's fingers... but I'll let her post that experience herself. (You would all be very proud of me. I have refrained from calling her escapades the 'San Francisco Nail-Clipper Massacre' or other clever spins off gory horror movie titles. At least to her face.(Blogging doesn't count because its not real) Sensitive. Thats how its done folks.) Ryder is growing at an exponential rate. Because he is so tall he really doesn't look fat, but he is gaining 2 ounces/day. At this rate he will be 34 lbs by birthday #1 and 850 lbs when he gets to be my age. We find all sorts of treasures in his rolls- baby fat seems to have an incredible affinity for lint.

So the name RYDER has caught on with me and I did not have to come through on any of my threats last week when we blessed the lad. You see, I told Jenny that I had the final say... when I blessed him I could disregard some of the sissier names that she had suggested and give him a name like Tank or Champ or Bruiser- to be permanently recorded in the Book of Life (and on the records of the Church). Ha, Man triumphs. But Ryder works- trendy enough for the misses and man enough for dad.

Three weeks until Fairbanks Family Pilgrimage 2006. No we are not off to Mecca, or Jerusalem, or Salt Lake City for that matter. We are taking Ryder to trace his roots in the Holy Land ... of Canada. What a lucky duck. Yeah, we figured that after I took the boards we could do something fun at the end of this- the longest summer break in American college history. We are pretty stoked.

Well, we have been here in the City for 1 year now. Time flies. And believe it or else, Jenny and I also recently celebrated the end of season 2 of Todd and Jenny. Wow. The best part is that she is yet to figure out that she settled. Big Time.