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.

Our Day Out with Katy 2026

On Saturday, your favorite Fun Aunt and Uncle picked up our 11-year-old niece Katy for her annual birthday outing with us. She chose togo to Target to pick up a LEGO Friends set, and she found one that she really liked.

After that, we went to Swig for drinks and other treats. We then took her back home and helped her build the LEGO set:

... by which I mean that we mostly watch her build it, while we occasionally handed her the LEGO piece she was looking for. She's getting better and better at these builds as the years go by and is basically an old pro now.

We capped off the afternoon playing Mario Kart 8 with Katy and her brother, Ike. These races went on for some time, and we were grateful to spend another hour with these wonderful niblings of ours.

"The Lion King (Junior)"

On Friday, May 8, Fun Aunt and Uncle traveled to West Bountiful Elementary School to see our 11-year-old niece Katy perform in their production of The Lion King (Junior). Katy played one of the lionesses and did a wonderful job. (We might be a little biased, but so be it.)

Given that this was a Disney production, I am legally required to state that this was the greatest elementary school production of any musical of theirs, ever.

But seriously, though, this was my first time seeing any version of The Lion King musical on any stage, and I found it to be one of the better (Junior) productions I've seen carried out. The costumes, assuming they were made on an elementary school budget, were phenomenal. Much of the dialogue and music were familiar, but it also featured additional tunes previously unfamiliar to me, including the beautiful "Shadowland," which stays in your head afterward (in a good way).

Hakuna matata!

"The Pirates of Penzance"

Last Wednesday night, JB and I ventured over to nearby Woods Cross High School to see our 17-year-old niece Kira perform in WXHS's production of The Pirates of Penzance. And I think it is honestly the most fun I have had seeing that particular classic Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. (I think this was the fourth time? Including once at Deer Valley.) This wonderful performance was also directed by my Improvables colleague and WXHS drama instructor Liz Christensen, with whom I had performed improv five nights previously in the reunion show. (See my previous post. ... I know you will stop and now look it up.)

Anyhow, the kids were obviously having a blast, as you could see by the looks on their faces and in their acting and singing, and the audience had a ball right along with them.

The narrator for "Music and the Spoken Word" was there, and he'll vouch for me.

Kira played one of the Major-General's daughters, and can I just say that this girl has pipes? Meaning, she can sing—and I didn't know just how well until this show. She had been holding out on us before this night. She had not one but multiple solos, and she blew us away. Meaning, not like TNT, but figuratively. She also had a few lines of dialogue.

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+.