Christmas 2021

On Christmas Eve, the Plowbuckles met up with Mom and all of my siblings' families for family dinner in West Bountiful. After enjoying a meal featuring ham, chicken, mashed potatoes, and a number of other holiday goodies, we listened to Dad narrate the Christmas story, as told in Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke—still one of our most prized possessions. Meanwhile, the niblings acted as Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, and the animals in the manger, and we also sang a number of Christmas hymns found in the Church hymnal.

Once that had concluded, the 15 niblings (on my side) exchanged gifts with each other. This is a still-relatively new tradition for us, and we are loving it so far. It does my heart good to see the love these kids have for their cousins and the hugs and smiles that were exchanged throughout the evening. Their cousins are also among their very best friends. They got to open their gifts from Grandma, too.

Kate was very grateful to have received her Princess Tiana doll:

Then, my siblings and I also exchanged gifts; we do this part couple by couple. Steve and Summer got us some very thoughtful things, including this sign, which we will be hanging up in one of our bathrooms:

I guess it kinda speaks for itself.

After spending Christmas morning together and with Leia, the three of us trekked out to Grantsville to spend the bulk of the afternoon on Christmas Day with JB's parents and two of her siblings' families. We enjoyed a baked potato bar and tacos, and a number of those attending played board games while the rest of us talked or took naps.

Wherever you were, whomever you were with, my family and friends, I hope that your Christmas this year was both joyful and triumphant.

Improvables: Thirteenth Annual Christmas Show

Friday was a busy day for the Improvables. At noon, a group of us—Jamie, Kelley, Matt, Richard, and Ricky, with yours truly as MC—put on a lunchtime remote show for the good people of Overstock.com at their SLC headquarters in Midvale. The audience physically seated in the auditorium there never got larger than eight or nine people, because the vast majority were watching from home. For this reason, we each had to carry a mic throughout the performance so those watching remotely could hear us. This presented an unprecedented challenge for us, but it was one that our actors rose to meet, and they put on a great performance.

Then, later that evening, it was our annual Christmas show—our thirteenth annual!—at BDAC. The tacky (ugly) Christmas sweaters were abundant, and Chance, Jamie, Keenan, Megan, Parker, Tanner, and MC Ricky delivered another great evening. I participated by running the sound and music via Bluetooth in the audience (and it was fun to kick back for once and enjoy a show together with JB).

Well, that wraps it up for the year 2021! We now move into our annual winter break, with the next few Fridays off. Becoming a small business owner this year was something I never would have expected,  well, ever, but it has been very rewarding. Plus, my co-owner is my favorite person in the world, and I'm glad we are going on this adventure together.

The Santa Parade

How do you hold a ward Christmas party during a pandemic? The answer, apparently, is by organizing a Christmas parade.

For the second year in a row, Santa Claus and his elves drove right outside our house Wednesday night. Christmas songs were blasting over the speakers as a caravan also took him and Mrs. Claus to the other neighborhoods in our ward. Bishop Gough and the young men and women followed along, passing out gift and goodie bags to everyone (not just ward members).

 Yes, Virginia, Santa came to our house this year.

Arbuckle Family Dinner/December 2021

Sunday's monthly family dinner in Grantsville also marked the ninth and final day of our family Reindeer Games competition.

What do you mean by Reindeer Games? you ask? Over the course of nine days (one day/game for each of Santa's reindeer), my sister-in-law Alice challenged us all to various competitions of skill, in the spirit of the "Minute to Win It" TV show. For example, we had to flip a water bottle off of a basketball and catch the bottle before it hit the ground, as many times as possible within a minute. Or we also tried, in teams (families), to construct the largest tower of toilet paper rolls that would stand for at least 15 seconds before collapsing. We both participated and watched each other's efforts over numerous Marco Polo videos.

On Sunday, for our final game, we divided up into four teams for the final event: the Reindeer Race. For this contest, we had to dress up a chosen runner for each team in an outfit that looked like this (Tatum, our featured runner, here demonstrates):

After the costume was ready, the runner then had to go out into the very cold night and complete a full lap around the circle, all the while saying ho ho ho repeatedly.

This is what it looked like, with Tatum followed closely by Olivia in second place:

Tatum and our team eked out the win. After this game finished, Alice presented awards to all of the winners of the other eight days of games (I came close in two of them but didn't win any) and gave reindeer crowns to all of the participants. Steve also gave Alice a bouquet of roses as a thank you from all of us for putting together the Reindeer Games.

Here is everyone with their reindeer crowns:

It looks like the First Annual Reindeer Games was a big success! JB and I sure had a great time. There was a lot of talk about holding a Second Annual Reindeer Games next year.

As for family dinner, we had that, too. The menu included ham, roasted potatoes, rolls, and chocolate cheesecake for dessert.

Improvables: Christmas Party 2021

The Improvables' annual Christmas party took place Wednesday night. It was good to be able to meet up in person this year with our ugly sweaters in plain sight after having had to use Zoom to meet up in 2020 (just like many other social events, but I don't need to tell you that; you remember those days). The snacks were plentiful and included delicious pizza, chips, churros, meatballs, and other goodies.

I made out like a bandit (I guess?) in the white elephant gift exchange, walking away with this very unique coloring book:

(JB and I agreed we wouldn't be adding this coloring book to our cache of coloring books for when the niblings come over to visit.) Speaking of whom, JB was the envy of many '90s kids when she ended up with this Tamagotchi:

Plowman Family Dinner/November 2021

On Sunday, we gathered at Steve's and Summer's home in North Salt Lake for monthly family dinner and also what essentially was our third Thanksgiving of the month. (Family dinner with JB's clan two weeks before and then Thanksgiving Day with her parents in Grantsville were the other two.)

The turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pies, and all the other fixings were delicious, and the company was also wonderful.

Nineteen-month-old Sadie seems to keep growing a few inches every new time we see her:

Dallin also remains a favorite playmate of his younger cousins:

Plowman Family Dinner/October 2021

October's Plowman family dinner was held on Sunday, October 31. It being Halloween, many of the niblings dressed up so that Grandma could see the costumes they wore for trick-or-treating and other holiday festivities.

Kylee was Batgirl:

Jake was Thor:

... and Jackson was an SCP scientist:

Spaghetti and garlic bread were on the menu for the evening. JB prepared cupcakes and cake, which were served up with ice cream. Everyone had a killer time! Family and Halloween together are always a great combination.

Trunk-or-Treat 2021

This year's ward trunk-or-treat for Halloween, our first one in two years, was held Saturday afternoon in the parking lot outside of our meetinghouse. The bishopric cooked up and served hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone while we passed out candy to the kids.

JB decorated our trunk to look like it was a mouth. I dressed up in my Blue Shirt Guy costume, inspired by the movie Free Guy. This was somehow appropriate, as we were in the parking spot next to the White Shirt Guys, aka our missionaries. It was an enjoyable afternoon spent with the good people of the Stone Creek Ward.

Improvables: Thirteenth Annual Halloween Show

On Friday night, we held our first Improvables Halloween show in two years! (Just consider the twelfth annual Halloween show to have been performed last year in spirit, I guess?)

It was great to have BDAC full again, both on and off stage, for one of our favorite nights of the year. Our players and audience members alike are both quite amazing human beings who once again brought their A-game with wonderfully creative costumes.

For example, Chance and Anne, pictured here, dressed up as Ben and Leslie from the TV show "Parks and Recreation":

Parker was Dr. Robotnik from Sonic the Hedgehog:

Tessa and Keenan did a Disney's Tarzan-inspired cosplay:

... and Tyler and Tristian were Nintendo Switch controllers:

Yours truly dressed up as Blue Shirt Guy from the summer blockbuster movie Free Guy.

After the show, all troupe members present posed for this picture:

There were laughs aplenty. There were myriad clever moments. There were brilliant songs created, with the help of Willis on keys, right on the spot. As with any improv show, you just had to be there. (If you haven't been yet, well ... why haven't you?)

Our Day Out with Tatum 2021

On Saturday, everyone's favorite Fun Aunt and Uncle went out on our latest nibling birthday outing. This time, we took eight-year-old Tatum (whose birthday was in September) to Nickelmania in West Jordan for fun and games. Mostly, this involved us playing games that awarded tickets, which we pooled together for prizes for the birthday kid at the end of the visit.

Our ticket-tallying effort was greatly boosted by Jana hitting the 1,000-ticket Monster Jackpot with a perfect spin on this "Price Is Right"-like wheel (honestly, we waited like five minutes for the tickets to be added to her card):

Tatum showed himself to be pretty darn skilled at a number of these games, in particular skee ball and the basketball shooting one. He also really liked the driving games, like the ones with racecars and this motorcycle-themed one:

On the way home, we stopped by Swig for treats. Thus concluded another successful day out with Fun Aunt and Uncle.

"The Scarlet Pimpernel"

Last night, we went to CenterPoint Legacy Theatre to see my brother Ben perform in their production of The Scarlet Pimpernel. This is JB's favorite musical, so expectations were high; fortunately, the cast delivered a great performance. My former Improvables castmate Ben Lowell knocked it out of the park in the title role.

Tatum's Baptism

Last week, our eight-year-old nephew Tatum was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by his dad, Tyson, in a service held at their stake center in Bountiful. Afterward, Tyson also confirmed Tatum a member of the Church.

We love this kid and are proud of the young man he is becoming. He's also willing to play video games with me for hours on end, so that's an added bonus!

Birthday Card

In defiance of my wishes, I keep having birthdays. I turned another year older last week.

I had to share, in particular, this incredible birthday card that my six-year-old niece Kate brought over for me, because it demonstrates just what a thoughtful, good-hearted kid she is:

Her little brother, three-year-old Ike, helped out with some of the drawings. Her mom's (my sister, Biz) contribution to the effort was the portion inside the card. It was one of the best trolling moments I have ever witnessed:

Plowman Family Dinner/September 2021

On Sunday afternoon, we gathered for monthly Plowman (and Wood) family dinner at Biz's and Jeff's home in West Bountiful. Jeff grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and the sides included chips and veggies.

Jackson brought and proudly showed off his Eagle Scout award, which he recently received at a Court of Honor for his troop in Kaysville:

So many of our little niblings look up to our RM Dallin and love playing games with him:

Danny showed off his Owlette costume (this is a character from a kids' TV show, I'm told):

We also celebrated Tanner's fourth birthday (his actual birthday is on the 27th):

The kids played "Pass the Parcel," an old family favorite and a staple at these dinners. Everyone gets a prize of one kind or another, and there are no "losers"!

Luke and Dallin also engaged in some old-fashioned rasslin':

Our Day Out with Christian 2021

Our nephew Christian recently turned eight years old, so naturally his favorite Fun Aunt and Uncle took him out for fun and games for an afternoon and treated him like a celebrity. Specifically, we went to Nickelmania in West Jordan to play arcade games upon arcade games and tried to win a lot of tickets in the process.

As a result, C.J. was able to go home with some toys and candy. As a bonus, we stopped by Swig for treats on the way.

Madison's and Wyatt's Wedding

On Saturday, JB and I joined a number of other family and extended family members for the wedding of our cousin Madison to her husband, Wyatt. Madison is our second cousin (youngest daughter of Scott and Claudia).

It was a lovely service held at the Provo library, followed by dinner for all assembled. We got to see many of our Sanders cousins there, as well as Claudia's parents and family. Plus, we got out of town before the crowds came into town for the BYU/Arizona State game ... so, double bonus!

Adios, Amigo

It's been nearly two months since my friend Jared very unexpectedly passed away. I haven't written anything about this till now because I've been trying to collect my thoughts and use the right words. I still don't know if I have those words. But here goes anyway.

Jared was my friend. (Is there a loftier title for someone not related to you by blood who chooses to be a part of your life? I can't think of one.) I knew him for more than two decades, and with all of life's changes—his first marriage, address and job changes, health challenges, his second marriage, then my  own marriage—he remained my friend. He was interested in me and my life and kept inviting me to do things with him and our mutual friends, many of whom I wouldn't have met if not for him, through those changes.

The older I am, the more I've realized what a rare blessing it is to have friends like this. So many others become either mere acquaintances or strangers; and though you might see them on Facebook or other social media channels once in a while, they otherwise disappear completely from your life. My experience has shown me that it's not that common to count on friends to continue to show up in your life over the years.

He had his quirks. For example, there was the time we were playing ultimate Frisbee, and the disc got thrown into and lost somewhere inside a tall patch of weeds; Jared got in his car and plowed into the middle of the weeds to retrieve the Frisbee. There were also group games we'd play, only with Jared around, like "Spin the Body" (trust me, you had to be there). Or the night of playing Balderdash when every answer turned into made-up trivia about John Denver (sorry, Kirsten).

If you knew him, you knew that Jared sometimes did other odd things and could sometimes rub people the wrong way. (Nobody's perfect.) In spite of that, Jared also possessed the ability to reach out to and include other people—people who often wouldn't be included by others—in his activities, parties, and game nights. It is a trait which I admired greatly and have tried to emulate in my own life.

I don't know if he quite knew just how important video game nights playing Halo, Rock Band, or San Francisco Rush 2049 were to me during a period of my life during which I was severely depressed. Very few people in my life know just how bleak things got for me, and it didn't get better for a long time. Yet one constant was video game night every other Friday night at Jared's house, and it gave me something to do and got me out of the house when little else could.

Jared was also among those who made it out to see me perform improv, a unique accomplishment considering many friends and acquaintances have had other plans on literally every single Friday night for the past 13+ years I’ve performed in Davis County. (No, I’m not calling anyone out. Just sayin’.)

The photo below is from a murder mystery dinner Jared, mutual friends of ours, and I participated in on February 15, 2003. The theme was "Roman Ruins," which is why we're all dressed up in togas and such. I played Caesar, ergo the crown of leaves:

About a year-and-a-half ago, Jared and I had an argument online. Why and about what—that's no longer important. I felt like he was the instigator and had said some things that were uncalled for and also weren't true. After that, we didn't speak for several months.

Then out of the blue, around Christmas time last year, he contacted me to apologize. He was sincere, he frankly admitted he had made what he called an "inexcusable" mistake, and he asked for my forgiveness. How could I not say I forgave him? I felt his request was in earnest, and. freely, I told him I did forgive. Between people who had been friends as long as we'd been, I told him I owed him the to never bring up the matter again.

I'm so glad, so incredibly relieved we had that talk. Had the silence between us gone on much longer, it might've been too late to make amends in the here and now. Regret is a painful emotion. Fortunately, I will have that memorable experience to look back on at future Christmas seasons.

This experience led me to recall the sage counsel of President Howard W. Hunter, which was given at Christmas time but is applicable throughout the calendar year:

"This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love, and then speak it again."

This is wonderful advice. I know from firsthand experience that it matters a lot. If something like this is unresolved in your life, I invite you to do what you can to make amends today, and to do it now. It may be too late tomorrow.

I Have a Garden 2021

It's been a few years since I wrote anything here about gardening. At that time, we were helping Mom with growing some new fruits and vegetables in her yard. (You'd think I'd know something more about gardening when you consider what my last name is and what my ancestors did for a living for generations upon generations.)

Today, Mom no longer has that house nor her garden. But anyhow we have tomatoes! We found a little spot in our tiny backyard, which is in reality smaller that most of your walk-in closets. It's also Leia's personal bathroom, so the compost is an added bonus ... I guess?

My multitalented wife has been caring for these crops all summer long. I must say, they look pretty good.

Weekend at Bear Lake 2021

Last week, we embarked on our fourth consecutive annual family trip up to beautiful Bear Lake. That is to say, the majority of the family but me embarked, since I was unluckily home all sick and yucky for the first two days while everybody else went out and partied. But, fortunately, after a covid test and a couple of days' rest, I felt well enough to join the gang on the third and final day of our stay in Garden City.

On the way up, I stopped at Paco's Tacos in Logan. Like you do. I don't know if they really have San Diego's best burritos or not (see the sign), but they do have some of the best in Logan.

Upon arriving at our Airbnb rental in Garden City, I found this chalk art near the front door:

That's when I knew I had been missing out on a great party! Better late than never, I guess.

When I tried to take her picture, 16-month-old Sadie gave me this scowl:

It turned out that she was just tired and needed a good nap. Aunt JB worked the kind of magic that she works with the kids, and before long, our youngest nibling had dozed off:

Beyond these highlights, there were raspberry shakes, games indoors and in the backyard, hot tubbing, a viewing of That Thing You Do! (one of our family favorites), and a whole lot of other good times.

Thus ended another fantastic weekend up at Bear Lake. Who knows what summer 2022 will bring? I might be able to be there for two or more days next time.

Christian's Baptism

Our nephew Christian recently turned eight years old. On Saturday, August 7, his dad—my brother Ben—baptized him into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at their stake center in Centerville. Ben also later confirmed Christian a member of the Church in an additional priesthood ordinance.

After the service, we adjourned to Fiiz and then Bountiful City Park, where we got all sugared up. Meanwhile, the kids, who don't actually need sugar to have an overabundant amount of energy but still consume it in copious amounts, goofed around on the playground.

Christian is a great kid, and we are proud of the young man he is becoming.

Improvables: The Improvables Strike Back

After an absence of almost a year-and-a-half from the BDAC stage due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Improvables are back with new, family-friendly improv as of August 6! Our first post-pandemic show before a live audience was an absolute blast. It was great to once again share the stage with Heather, Jamie, Keenan, Lorin, Parker, Richard, and Willis.

Below: Jamie, Parker, and me, in "Dueling Plays"

One thing different about this version of the Improvables is an ownership/leadership change. Cassie let the previous LLC (and other red tape items) lapse, so JB and I stepped in to get things running again. That's, right, we are now small business owners! She has become the business director, and I am the managing director. We are also lucky to have Megan aboard as an assistant managing director.

I can't think of anyone I'd rather run a business with than these good people. My better half is pretty much exactly that in almost every way imaginable.

Arbuckle Family Dinner/July 2021

On July 11, we congregated in Grantsville for monthly family dinner with the in-laws. We were missing a few people, including five of our seven niblings on that side of the family. But wherever family members are, there is always a good time.

Our menu on this afternoon included summertime goodies like corn on the cob and ribs. Our crafty little puppy, Leia, nearly wrestled one of my ribs away from me when I accidentally dropped it on the ground (Five-Second Rule and all that).

Seven-year-old Tatum was anxious to show off this Wall-E costume he built for himself with a little ingenuity and a couple of cardboard boxes:

Rise of the Fun Uncle

I shared a post here last week about one of our recent family dinners. One of the pictures showed my oldest niece, now age 23, playing with one of my younger nephews. I sent a copy of this photo to her and told her that I've observed how good she is with her little cousins and how much they look up to her. In return I got this reply:

"I love them (these kids). You were the same way with me! I remember having so much fun with you and Biz." (Yes, this post is also for you, sis.)

This was just about the best compliment I've ever received (wipes away tear). If these are the kinds of memories I can leave with my nieces and nephews, then hopefully I'm doing something right.

Almost as important, I can also leave them a large collection of Star Wars DVDs and LEGO video games in mostly-good condition.

Independence Day 2021

We observed this year's Independence Day over the course of a few nights this past weekend. Due to state restrictions and guidelines—we are, in fact, in the middle of a severe drought—we did not shoot off any fireworks. I cried for, like, three seconds about this, but somehow I got over it.

Anyhow, we did get together as a family, and we did barbecue and such, which is one of the truly great things about living in America. Mike and Jana brought one of the desserts, which was a twist on the usual American flag dessert cake:

I guess this is how you celebrate the 4th when you have a British mom!

It was so hot out that Sadie celebrated with just a diaper on:

Plowman Family Dinner/June 2021

For the first time, we met for monthly family dinner at Steve's and Summer's new home in North Salt Lake. It's just a few blocks away from their previous home, so it turns out that they are still members of the same LDS ward.

Tacos and nachos were on the menu. We provided the dessert; it being the summer, we brought popsicles and ice cream bars.

I love watching these kids have "Cousin Time" and seeing how well they get along together and enjoy each other's company.