Staycation

Rather than embarking on a family trip up to Bear Lake this summer, we decided to do something different (and a little less expensive) and opted for a "staycation" instead. Said staycation would include local outings and activities we could do together as a family, and then we could separately return to our homes at night and sleep in our own beds. Not a bad deal, huh?

Well, I was sold on the idea from the start. Our collective staycation began on Thursday, July 16, and this first day consisted of a trip up to the Pineview Reservoir in Ogden for swimming and other aquatic fun. Someone (OK, it was me) had a couple of doctor's appointments at that same time, keeping the Plowbuckles away from this event.

We were, however, there for everything on Day 2. Friday, July 17, found us up at Boondocks in Kaysville, where we first ate lunch together. Our meal consisted of pizza, chicken fingers, and other goodies. Three-year-old Sam kept us all entertained with his impromptu karaoke performance of Benson Boone's "Beautiful Things."

After lunch, we bought our respective four-hour passes and started off with a variety of outdoor activities. JB, my siblings, and a number of the niblings played on the water boats while I watched and statyed relatively dry. Ben broke a bat in the batting cages. There was also a rope course that looked pretty daunting from the ground below.

JB and I completed a course of mini golf, and we also joined Jana 1, Sadie, and Graham for a session on the go karts. In this pic, I'm not looking at JB's phone because I was too busy trying to get untangled from my seatbelt and arm belts and was seeking the aid of the ride operator:

Our afternoon together concluded with a massive game (over 25 people) of Laser Tag, something I hadn't played in years; my tally sheet at the end attested to this. Eighteen-year-old Jackson blew everyone away with his laser-shooting prowess—literally and figuratively, I guess?

In the evening, we congregated at Ben's and Adi's home in Centerville for a barbecue, which included Steve's custom-made fat burgers, fresh watermelon, and other delicious treats. After eating, we set up a screen for an outdoor movie, the family-friendly new release Sheep Detectives.

Day 3 fell on Saturday, July 18, and it brought us up to Syracuse, where we rented out a private swimming pool and pickleball court. Due to my sore right foot (see the boot I'm wearing in the pics below), I didn't get in the water nor did I play any pickleball. But everyone who did had a great time, and I was content to watch on the sidelines and eat lunch (a sandwich and other snacks).

This "pickleswim," as it came to be called, was a great success. (It was JB who discovered this wonderful location and got us interested in going there in the first place.)

Our staycation was capped off later that evening at Steve's and Summer's home in North Salt Lake, featuring food and games. Yours truly was dealing with a migraine and stayed home, but JB went and had a good time with the whole gang.

All told, I'd give the staycation concept 9.5 out of 10 stars. The activities were fun, and the company was even better. Perhaps we will do another one next summer?

Independence Day 2026

This year, Independence Day got off to a bad start. Like, a really awful, painful one. Specifically, the culprit was kidney stones, the likes of which I had been through previously a few years ago.

It began on Friday night, July 3. That old feeling of being kicked in the groin came back and stayed for an uncomfortably long while, making minutes feel like hours and hours feel like a day. Bless her heart, my sleep-deprived, longsuffering wife took me to the ER at 2 a.m. to get checked out. The doctor and the CT scan confirmed a kidney stone that was, thankfully, on the way out of my poor, tired body.

0 of 10 stars, would not recommend.

So, after declaring my independence from that kind of discomfort, I was released to go home. Under the circumstances, JB and I decided it best to stay home from the family Cul-de-Sac of Fire and BBQ down at our cousins' home in Lehi while I recuperated. We instead watched a few patriotic favorites on TV—Rocky IV and Independence Day among others—while I kicked back and rested. We were sad to miss out on the family gathering but were also glad to be home with our dogs while a few random fireworks went off.

Speaking of which, the state of Utah had banned the use of private fireworks this year due to extreme drought conditions and the prevalance of a number of wildfires being fought across the state. So when I mention that a few random fireworks still went off, they weren't really supposed to.

Anyhow, I was feeling slightly better the next day, Sunday the 5th, and so JB and I made it out to Biz's and Jeff's home in West Bountiful for June family dinner with the Plowmans. (June's family dinner had been delayed a week because of number of the families were out of town or had previous commitments the week before.)

The food was delicious, and the company was great. To fulfill our food assignment, JB made these American Flag Jell-O jigglers for dessert:

Our Day Out with Christian & Graham 2026

On Monday, June 22, Fun Aunt and Uncle were out on the town for another birthday outing, this time with 10-year-old Graham and 13-year-old Christian. They picked Fly High, the trampoline park (?) that we earlier took Danny and Tanner to for their birthday outing last year. Because their cousins Arthur and Lauren were visiting from Rhode Island for the week, they and Adi joined with us.

The kids had a great time. Certain parts of me, like my back and knees, ached to see them moving around so easily, but the important thing is that they had a great time.

After our session ended, we went to Handel's for ice cream.

Our Day Out with Sadie

On Saturday, June 20, everyone's favorite Fun Aunt and Uncle picked up six-year-old Sadie for her annual birthday out on the town. She chose to go to Bountiful Nails for a pedicure.

We were more than happy to get pedicures ourselves, as it is one of our favorite "treat yo self" activities. JB and Sadie both chose to get their toenails painted with patriotic colors for the coming Independence Day holiday.

Following this activity, we capped off our excursion by stopping at McDonald's for ice cream cones. (Fortunately, their ice cream machine was working.)

Another Golden Anniversary

On Sunday, June 14, we gathered for family dinner on JB's side of the aisle at Jeremy's and Alice's home in Centerville. Not only was this monthly family dinner, but we also celebrated Mom A.'s and Dad A.'s 50th wedding anniversary, which occurred earlier in the same week (June 10).

It was a sort-of surprise party in that JB's parents were expecting family dinner but were not aware of an anniversary party per se. (It's the thought that counts, I guess?)

To celebrate the occasion, we roasted hot dogs and bratwurst over the fire for our dinner, followed by s'mores later on in the evening. JB also prepared Sunday Chocolate Pie, an Arbuckle family favorite, for dessert.

Chalk Art Festival 2026

This year's Bountiful Chalk Art Festival, held the first week of June, was yet another showcase of the immense artistic talent in our community. Naturally—and biased though we might be—we gravitated specifically toward the chalk art pieces created by our family members who participated.

On Friday, June 5, we found birthday girl McKenna hard at work finishing her fish picture:

On the same row as her creation, we also saw my sister, Biz's, Harry Otter, along with our 11-year-old niece Katy's Zazu rendering:

The talent apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, at least for these three!

Memorial Day Weekend 2026

Last weekend, JB and I paid a (belated) visit to Mom and Dad up in Smithfield at their final resting place. The Smithfield Cemetery is always peaceful and picturesque.

We took a peek at the forthcoming Smithfield temple site, and it is looking gorgeous. We can't wait for the open house and dedication.

Naturally, we had to stop at Gossner's for squeaky cheese and other goodies while we passed through Logan. And, as an added bonus, we stopped for a late lunch at the Maddox Ranch House in Brigham City on our return trip.