Improvables: Seventeenth Anniversary Show

On Friday night, the Improvables carried out our annual reunion/anniversary show at Backstage Performing Arts in Centerville. Former troupe members Ian, Liz Christensen, and Ryan, along with my siblings Biz and Steve, came out of retirement for an evening and joined Parker, Ricky, Scott, and yours truly on stage for this fun-filled event.

We had Scott, as the Karate Kid, teaching Ryan and Parker how to hula in "Party Quirks":

Liz C., Biz, and Steve put on the Shakespearean play "Are You My Mother?" in "Pieces of Shakespeare":

Parker and Steve played conjoined twins in "Meanwhile ... Elsewhere":

And Ricky pulled classic Ricky faces all night:

It was so good to get the old gang back together on stage, and it felt like old times at Rodgers Memorial Theatre, when we first started out in 2008. We are getting old and are getting arthritis and epilepsy and other not-so-fun things, but improv still brings out laughter and brings us together once a year.

Improvables: Spectrum Academy Show

On Thursday, the Improvables were invited to perform an abbreviated show as part of Spectrum Academy's Night of the Arts. This school is located just a stone's throw from our home in North Salt Lake, so how could I not volunteer to be part of it?

All grades at the school (Kindergarten through high school, as far as I know) were invited to participate, so there were a lot of people running around doing a lot of fun things. But amid the organized chaos—this wasn't my first rodeo of this kind—we found a small audience, and we had a lot of fun together with them.

It had been a minute since I had been part of a remote show to get our troupe's name out into the community! I enjoyed it a great deal. Brady, Jamie, Liz M., and Tyler rounded out the cast, and we put on a fun set of games. (It didn't hurt that a large chunk of the audience consisted of Brady's and Liz M.'s kids and other family members.)

Eight Years

On Saturday, JB and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary. It's difficult to believe it's been that long! But it's been a wonderful ride, and it seems to get better with each passing day. She is my ride-or-die, all that and a bag of chips, and every other cliche I might be able to muster.

To commemorate the occasion, we traveled up to the Syracuse temple—our first time at this beautiful House of the Lord—for a sealing session. In doing so, we revisited our covenants and also our  bounteous blessings.

Afterward, we enjoyed lunch together at Red Robin. Then, we returned home to hurkdle-durkle—a Scottish term meaning "to lounge or linger," a phrase that has lately become a favorite of ours (lest I be misunderstood)—together for the remainder of the day. Among other activities, we watched an old favorite, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, which I am legally required by the Disney Corporation to state is now streaming on Disney+.

Easter 2026

Easter weekend this year came and went, as it is wont to, with lots and lots of candy. Also, in our case, a few family gatherings. And, as a bonus, general conference on both Saturday and Sunday. We pretty much had the perfect weekend.

On Saturday, we went out to Grantsville for our two-year-old nephew William's second birthday party. Together with most of JB's side of the family, we enjoyed hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and dip, and a delicious peanut butter and chocolate cake that Nicole made for the occasion.

William received a number of gifts, including a harmonica from us. He was not able (yet) to make music with his new instrument, due to being two years old and not having the lung power to blow into it. But he enjoyed dancing along to the music that came from it. And he also loved playing with the balloons that were there.

On Sunday morning, we awoke to find that the Easter Bunny had visited both JB and me, and he had been generous with his offerings. We then gathered with the Plowman side for general conference breakfast at Biz's and Jeff's home in West Bountiful. There were pancakes, bubble buns, fresh fruit, and myriad breakfast casseroles to choose from.

The conference messages all weekend, and especially Sunday morning, were wonderful. It was a blessing to participate remotely in the solemn assembly, raising the right hand to sustain our new prophet, Dallin H. Oaks, and to receive his counsel from the pulpit.

Later that afternoon, we were joined by JB's parents for Easter dinner at our house. The menu included pork loin roast, Lion House rolls, baked potatoes, and carrot cake for dessert.

"Finding Nemo (Junior)"

On Thursday night, we traveled over to Legacy Preparatory Academy here in North Salt Lake to see our 10-year-old nephew Danny perform in their production of Finding Nemo Jr. I didn't even know that Finding Nemo was a musical ... but now I stand corrected.

Danny played Bruce, the shark, and by all appearances had a great time doing so. It wasn't bad at all for a performance starring only third- and fourth-graders.

Plowman Family Dinner/March 2026

Last night, we—the Plowmans—gathered for monthly family dinner at Steve's and Summer's home in North Salt Lake (which is, luckily, just a block west of us). Dinner on this unseasonably warm spring evening consisted of lasagna, garlic bread, salad, fruits, and veggies, with red velvet cake and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

We also celebrated March's birthdays, including JB's, Jake's (14), and Katy's (11). The kids played Pass the Parcel, and each walked away with a candy bar as a prize.

"Alice in Wonderland (Junior)"

On Saturday night, I traveled to Reading Elementary in Centerville to see my nine-year-old nephew Graham perform in his school's production of Alice in Wonderland (Junior). Graham obviously had a blast in the role of the Jack of Diamonds/drummer/ensemble.

I was joined in the audience by Graham's dad, Ben; Graham's brother, Christian; and a couple of of the Centerville Plowmans' neighbors. Though it was his fourth time seeing the show that week, Christian still had a good attitude about sitting through it once more.