Christmas Day 2019

We had a white Christmas this year and woke up to snow on Christmas Day. Fortunately, the precipitation cleared up a bit late in the morning so that we could drive out to Grantsville to spend a few hours with JB's parents and her side of the family. Nearly everyone was there except Nicole and Spencer, who spent the holiday in England. (Incidentally, Nicole served in the same mission my dad served in many years prior.)

There were not one but two cheese balls there, along with a number of other holiday goodies. (Where I'm concerned, I'm pretty content with a cheese ball for a holiday party.) The kids also had a plethora of their toys to play with, including this wickedly awesome Nerf toy gun of Tatum's (one I could only have dreamed of when I was his age):

As the snow began to fall again out in Tooele County, we were back on the road and headed home to spend the rest of the day with Leia on her first Christmas Day and to watch cheesy Hallmark movies. We hope that you and your family and loved ones had a wonderful holiday, too.

Christmas Eve 2019

For the Plowbuckles, this Christmas season was one featuring a very humble Charlie Brown Christmas tree at our home. Due to JB's unexpected surgery earlier in the month, it ended up being a big part of our decorations and good option for our otherwise less-decorated house. Plus, with Leia the wonder pup still very curious about everything and running around causing mischief, we didn't want to put up the regular tree this year and put our presents under it, both of which would have attracted her attention and would have most certainly led to problems.

So! You may have heard that the latest Star Wars movie, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, came out December 20. JB and I went to see it on opening night and enjoyed it a great deal. (I don't know what the critics were smoking who gave the bad reviews, but everyone is entitled to their opinions, and theirs is wrong.)

We went for a second time on Christmas Eve morning with members of JB's family, including Danielle's family and our niblings Olivia and Jake. It was just as enjoyable the second time through.

Six-year-old Tatum and I were twinners with our Darth Vader ugly Christmas sweaters for the occasion.

In the evening, we congregated with the members of my side of the family up at Mike's and Jana's home in Layton for Christmas dinner. JB prepared a turkey and stuffing to add to a very generous supply of food.

Following dinner, we listened to the recording of Dad reading the Christmas story in chapter 2 of Luke, while the kids took part in our annual Christmas pageant.

We then exchanged gifts. The kids opened up their presents from Grandma Plowman, going from youngest (currently Ike) to oldest. We also exchanged gifts among siblings and their families. This year, Mike and Jana drew our name and gave us this Darth Vader waffle iron, which we are hoping to break in soon:

Throughout the evening, both kids and adults were keeping tabs on Santa's whereabouts on NORAD. When he started getting dangerously close to our time zone, the party broke up, and folks headed home to dream of sugar plums and all of that good stuff.

The Gift of Inclusion

A few years ago, my sister had the keen foresight, before Dad's illness, to have him read and record the Christmas story, as found in second chapter of Luke, in a booth at the studio she where worked. Now that he has passed on, being able to listen to him read that story on Christmas Eve has become a pearl of great price for our family as we celebrate the holiday.

There are many important details in the Christmas story. Among them, I find it interesting that the Savior, who would be so sorely rejected by His own people in His earthly ministry, faced rejection on the very night of His birth. It was the infamous innkeeper on that Christmas Eve over 2,000 years ago who found no room for Joseph, Mary, and their soon-to-be-born child in the inn.

In this month's (December 2019) Ensign, the Ministering Principles article is titled "What the Christmas Story Teaches Us about Inclusion." It includes this concept:

"The innkeeper failed to make room for the Savior, but we don't have to make that mistake! We can make room for the Savior in our hearts by making room for our brothers and sisters at our tables, in our homes, and in our traditions. ...

"What better way to celebrate the Savior than to follow His example of inclusion? Remember that He invites 'all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile' (2 Nephi 26:33). Make room and create inclusion."


Recently, I read a number of Dad's old books now sitting on Mom's bookshelves, one of which is Elder Neal A. Maxwell's All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience. In this book, Elder Maxwell teaches the same concept:

"So often what people need is to be sheltered from the storms of life in the sanctuary of belonging. Such a service cannot be rendered by selfish people, however, because the response of the selfish will always be that there is no room in their inn. Chronic self-concern means that the 'No Vacancy' sign is always posted" (p. 55).

Experiences in both my growing up younger years and my adult years have taught me that the gift of including others is indeed a gift of the spirit, and a rare one at that. How few truly possess the ability to lift up the hands that hang low, to include others within their spheres of influence.

Growing up here in Our Lovely Deseret, I found it more common to be excluded than included by my peers. I wish I could say that has changed as an adult, but truth be told, it is not really any different. I look at the past and the present and see far more acquaintances than friends. It is not from a lack of trying. When people and/or groups continually show indifference to your efforts, it ends up not being worth the effort in the long run.

This is not to say I am lonely or entirely without friends. I'm just saying that life's experiences teach you who your friends are, largely by who shows up for things and who wants to be a part of things. The Lord has blessed me with incredible friends. They have been answers to specific prayers.

There will always be those who will exclude, I suppose. For all I know, they will go on excluding into their days in the old folks home. The thing is, I can't do anything about them. People are gonna do what they're gonna do. Their circles will stay the way they have always been.

This Christmas, and going into the new year, I am asking for the gift of inclusion. I am hoping to renew my efforts to minister to those in my family, my neighborhood, my ward, my workplace, and my community. Heaven knows there are those who need it.

Plowman Family Dinner/December 2019

Earlier tonight, we gathered for monthly Plowman family dinner at Biz's and Jeff's home in West Bountiful. The menu was breakfast for dinner, which included bacon, pancakes, breakfast casserole, and French toast. So, it was basically everything you could want in a wonderful dinner.

We celebrated our two December birthdays, Mike's and Kylee's, with cheesecake from Costco.

JB and I provided the goodies for Pass the Parcel, via a shopping spree to Dollar Tree. The Fun Aunt and Uncle know where to get all of the best swag for the niblings.

Lighting the World 2019

Unfortunately, JB and I were not able to make the annual trip down to the Conference Center for the First Presidency Christmas Devotional this year, as we have for the past three years, as one of us was recovering from unexpected emergency surgery. Fortunately, we're past all that now, and last night we made it downtown to see the lights at Temple Square together.

On our way, we passed through the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and actually had to wait in line (20 to 25 minutes or so) to use one of the Light the World giving machines. We purchased three chickens (internationally) and 100 meals for the Utah Food Bank (locally).

There are few sights more beautiful than Temple Square at Christmas time. It was a cold but lovely evening out and a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.

Improvables: Christmas Party 2019

On Wednesday night, members of the Improvables gathered for our annual troupe Christmas party at the Bountiful Davis Art Center. We enjoyed a delicious waffle bar and one of the best white elephant gift exchanges of the holiday season.

One of the most coveted gifts of the evening was this Nicolas Cage pillow, which ended up in Ryan's possession (after several other gifts were stolen from him):

Parker was the one to unwrap the Christmas Story leg lamp night light I contributed, but it was later stolen from him, as were a number of other gifts.

Yes, we steal a lot in the white elephant process. This is how we roll. (However, Parker ended up with a telescope with which he was very pleased.)

This is me with the hair conditioner and shower music player I unwrapped.

And here's our whole motley crew toward the end of the evening, ugly sweaters and all:

Fixing Leia

Our sweet puppy, Leia, whom we've had in our home and in our care for over three months now, had her suspicious organs removed Monday. JB took advantage of a short work week and took the rest of the weekdays off to stay with her and care for her in her recovery.

This is a shot of our brave girl on the car ride home from the animal hospital, wearing the cone of shame as she came out of anesthesia:

Since then, we've removed the cone of shame and replaced it with a much more comfortable onesie that has prevented her from licking or biting her stitches. She's doing really well today, and we've enjoyed this small Thanksgiving at home that we've spent together.

Plowman Family Dinner/November 2019

Plowman family dinner for November, aka our second Thanksgiving of the month (everybody with me so far?), was held Sunday evening in West Bountiful. We contributed mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin cheesecake to a meal that also included turkey, candied yams, and many of the other holiday goodies.

I got roped into a game of Sequence for Kids, and it turns out that the kids are pretty well trained in playing a game that is intended for kids.

On this occasion, the kids played "Pass the Parcel" and had their choice of holiday-themed prizes. We also celebrated Luke's 14th birthday, the sole family birthday of November.

Divinely Assigned Guardians

I remember when the Church's Family Proclamation was first announced. It was September 1995, and I had been serving in the mission field in Peru for just over four months. President Gordon B. Hinckley read the document in the women's meeting prior to general conference.

Among other principles, the Proclamation, just the fifth of its kind ever produced by the leaders of the Church, read that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God" and "gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." Our mission president loved every word of it, and so did we. He gave us several copies of it so each companionship in the mission could distribute them to the people with whom we came in contact on a daily basis. It opened a lot of doors for us in our work.

The thing of it is: Everyone we met agreed completely with its teachings and accepted them as universal truths. Nobody had any problem with it, be they members of the Church or non-members.

Flash forward to 2019, not even a quarter of a century later, and we're in a completely different world. Merely repeating the teachings of the Family Proclamation is basically now hate speech and bigotry in the view of many of those in the Great and Spacious Building. I'm disappointed to observe that many of those upset with the Proclamation and the Church's teachings are those who would describe themselves as active members of the Church.

President Dallin H. Oaks speaks on this subject frequently, including at the latest general conference just a few weeks ago. In his latest "controversial" message, "Two Great Commandments," he taught:

"Marriage was ordained by God! And to this day it is defined by Him as being between a man and a woman. God has not changed His definition of marriage. ... Eternal life includes the creative powers inherent in the combination of male and female."

For those familiar with the doctrine of the Church, there are no new concepts here. And yet the backlash came, almost predictably, of Church members critical of Pres. Oaks and apologizing for the Church, its leaders, and its teachings. I observed a number of these conversations on social media, and when I dared speak in defense of Pres. Oaks, I was told by multiple people I was "behaving reprehensibly," that I was not following my covenants to love others, and worse.

It's almost as if Isaiah foresaw this when he wrote: "For they shall be ashamed of the oaks" (Isaiah 1:29).

A friend of mine---one who, like me, sustains Pres. Oaks---wrote: "I believe Pres. Oaks has chosen to follow the example of Abinadi, being a willing sacrifice, laying his life and reputation on the altar for the cause of truth, taking the heat (pun intended) for unapologetically declaring the truth to a hard-hearted people."

It's hard for me to disagree. I recently re-read Abinadi's words in my own scripture study. A few passages stood out to me:

Abinadi's opponents claimed that "he pretendeth the Lord hath spoken it. ... O king, what great evil hast thou done ... that we should be condemned of God or judged of this man?" (Mosiah 12:12-13).

Abinadi said, "I must fulfil the commandments wherewith God has commanded me; and because I have told you the truth, ye are angry with me. And because I have spoken the word of God ye have judge me that I am mad. ... My words fill you with wonder and amazement, and with anger" (Mosiah 13:4, 8).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell spoke prophetically in 1978 when he said:

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters; in the months and years ahead, events will require of each member that he or she decide whether or not he or she will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions (see 1 Kings 18:21). ...

"This is a hard doctrine, but it is a particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ."

We certainly have arrived at that day and will be there for some time, I think.

Moroni also spoke directly to those of "the holy church of God": "Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies---because of the praise of the world?" (Mormon 8:38).

I suppose Pres. Oaks keeps speaking on this topic because people aren't getting the message. The number of those murmuring about it speak to this. I suspect he will continue to speak on it for the same reason.

"They did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them" (1 Nephi 2:12).

It's clear to me how the two great commandments work together: You must love others while simultaneously upholding the truths contained in the scriptures and taught by the modern prophets. You don't have to choose only one or the other, in spite of what the world teaches.

In his talk, Pres. Oaks spelled it out, and I don't think he could have spoken more plainly: We will all inherit a kingdom of glory, but only those who will strive to keep all of the commandments will inherit the highest, which is exaltation with our Heavenly Father. Teaching the true nature of those commandments and inviting others to inherit this kingdom is an act of great love, not of condemnation. Conversely, knowing the true path while also teaching others that remaining on a path that leads to lesser things is an acceptable option seems like an act of betrayal.

I realize that there are strong feelings about this topic. But I also believe there is a way for every son and daughter of God to obey this and every other commandment that has been given (see 1 Nephi 3:7). I believe a loving, wise Heavenly Father can and will provide a way for all who wish to find it.

I also find it significant that both the initial announcement of the Family Proclamation and President Oaks's latest talk on the subject occurred in the women's session of general conference. When Pres. Oaks mentioned the "divinely assigned guardians of the eternal family," he was speaking to the women of the Church. In a world that will teach the next generation, including my nieces and nephews, the philosophies of men, mingled with scripture, I will point them toward God's truth and not the world's counterfeits for it.

"Notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God" (Moroni 9:6).

Droids

Fun Aunt and Uncle were over at Ben's and Adi's home in Centerville for dinner Sunday. While we were there, we were introduced to the droids Christian and Graham got to build on their recent trip to Disney World.

Christian and his droid, Sparkle:

Graham and his droid, BB Blanket:

Uncle Paco may have been a bit jealous about this, but he'll live.

Our Day Out with Tatum

Our nephew Tatum turned six years old a couple of months ago. We finally got around to having our birthday outing with him Saturday, when he picked an afternoon at Nickelmania with his dependable Fun Aunt and Uncle.

Tater boy was focused on playing the ticket-producing games, including this one I spotted him an JB enjoying together:

We amassed more than 500 tickets altogether, and, as a result, a very happy boy redeemed them and walked out with an armful of toys.

Arbuckle Family Dinner/November 2019

On Sunday afternoon, we traveled out to Grantsville for monthly family dinner with JB's parents, siblings, and niblings. That's a lot of family members, but even with so many running around, it's always a good time.

Leia came with us, and she enjoyed all of the extra attention she received. Spencer is especially good with her and keeps her humble.

One of the benefits to having in-laws is two Thanksgivings, and that's what was on the menu for this day: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, a pumpkin roll, and all of that good stuff.

"M.A.D. about Hogwarts"

The acting bug continues to repeatedly (but kindly) bite various members of the family, including our 11-year-old niece Kira. She appeared this past week in CenterPoint Legacy Theatre's youth production of of M.A.D. about Hogwarts. JB and I attended the show Friday night in my old stomping grounds, the black box theater, along with several other family members.

Afterwards, Kira and the other members of the WX Plowmans showed off their jazz hands:

Plowman Family Dinner/October 2019

On Sunday evening, we gathered for our Plowman/Wood monthly family dinner and birthday party at Biz's and Jeff's home in West Bountiful. JB provided the desserts, including a pumpkin roll and this delicious chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting:

Tanner was among the many who enjoyed her baking.

October is a busy month for birthdays in our family, including those of Kira, Jana, Steve, Ike, Ben, and yours truly. It also marks a year since Dallin, our current Elder Plowman, left for the mission field in New Hampshire. It's incredible to think that his two years are already halfway gone.

Improvables: Eleventh Annual Halloween Show

The Halloween season and Improvables together have been a winning combination for 11 years now. It's hard to believe that it has been that long!

For the first time in five years, I was not in the scheduled lineup of players for our Halloween show, which was A-OK by me. Others in the troupe need the chance to perform in the Halloween show, after all, and I'm also in the middle of some physical therapy on both aforementioned shoulder and foot injuries.

Nevertheless, JB and I attended the performance in our costumes, which were inspired by the TV show "Parks and Recreation": yours truly as Ron Swanson and JB as his true love, America/bacon and eggs. We enjoyed watching my colleagues perform from the audience, alongside our fans. Chance, Heather, Keenan, Landon, Lorin, Richard, Truman, Tyler, and MC Parker did not disappoint, as we knew they would.

After the show, we all posed for a group photo together with everyone who attended in costume.

Obedience School

Last week, Leia completed a six-week obedience school course at Coddled Critters, located near us in North Salt Lake. JB did the grunt work in finding out the details, signing her up, and taking her to all of the classes, and I joined in attending for about half of them.

Here's JB and Leia on graduation night:

This doesn't mean we have a perfectly behaved puppy, of course, but she has gained valuable skills through this class, and we hope to build on them at home.

Out and A-boot

One of the fun things about getting older is that muscles and bones start to ache randomly. Such as the peroneal tendon in my left foot. (Don't know what that is? Neither did I.)

As a result, I get to wear this lovely boot for the next few weeks, which makes me look as if I'm about to administer corporal punishment in some far-off country.

Bathing Leia

LEIA UPDATE: Tomorrow marks two months with our four-month-old mini-golden doodle, Leia. Every day is an adventure. We're going through all of the growing pains of pet ownership and are enjoying the highs while enduring the lows of it.

One of the fun things has been bathing Leia. Since she's so small (eight pounds currently), she is small enough to fit in our kitchen sink for a bath.

If you had said she looks like a giant rodent this way, you'd be spot on.

Arbuckle Family Dinner/October 2019

Admittedly, I don't take as many photos of the family dinners for JB's side of the family. But I'm working on doing better at it. (I now get to try to do my part in capturing two family histories.)

Most photogenic of all are the kids, of course, and some are opening up to their newest Fun Uncle at different rates than others. It's a labor of love, though, and the Grantsville family dinners are always a good time.

This past Sunday, we saw Zack and Spencer re-create the "Shoulder Angel" from the BYU-TV sketch comedy show "Studio C."

"Bad Seed"

My niece McKenna did a stellar job in one of the lead roles, playing Christine Penmark, in Bad Seed at Davis High School in Kaysville this week. Mom, Steve, Summer, and I attended the Saturday night performance. We may be a bit biased in this assessment, but nevertheless it's true.

(JB, in the meantime, hosted a girls' night for her side of the family at our pad, so things worked out well for both our schedules.)

I had seen the Bad Seed movie years ago but never had seen the play before this night. It was engrossing and came with a twist ending.

Plowman Family Dinner/September 2019

We gathered for family dinner for the first time at Biz's and Jeff's (and Mom's) new home Sunday evening in West Bountiful. It was a beautiful, cool evening, so Jeff barbecued pulled pork and mac and cheese, and we ate outside.

This week marks Tanner's second birthday, so we had a birthday cake for him, as well as for Biz, our other September birthday.

As you can see, the smiles and good times were plentiful.

Our Dinner with the Bays

It was great to meet up with my old mission companion Bill Bay and his wife, Kristen, for dinner Wednesday night. They live in Florida but were in town for both vacation and to drop off their daughter Gabriella at BYU-Idaho for school.

We went to Rocoto (where else?) in Woods Cross for some Peruvian food. I'm glad that companionships go beyond those mission months and years and that I get to share these moments with my eternal companion, JB.

While I Was Sleeping

After dealing with a sore shoulder all summer long, and after having tried both physical therapy and a cortisone shot to remedy it, my doctor and I made the decision to proceed with surgery. I ended up having torn labrum cartilage, so it's a good thing we did.

My surgeon said it would be a relatively simple surgery.

Narrator: 'It was not simple."

On Tuesday, September 3, I went in to the surgical center to get prepped and wheeled into the operating room. The last thing I remember before passing out from the anesthetic was JB leaving the room to go out into the lobby to wait.

I awoke two or more hours later in what I assumed was the recovery room at the surgical center. Instead, I learned that I was in the emergency room at Lakeview Hospital. JB was there by my side. I asked how the surgery went, and she replied that it was successful. There was one complication, however. She said three words that have forever changed my life:

"Your heart stopped."

Well ... that was humbling news. I missed all of the fun when I was asleep, apparently. I also missed my first-ever ride in an ambulance, because I was snoozing for that, too. In JB's words in a text message she sent out to family members, here is what happened:

"Jon went into cardiac arrest (not a heart attack) during his surgery this afternoon. His heart stopped beating for less than a minute, and they were able to quickly revive him. He was brought to the ER at Lakeview, and they ran tests to be sure everything was OK. All of the tests have come back positive, but he is being kept overnight for observation. His oxygen levels are a bit low, so he might come home on oxygen if that doesn't improve. At this point, they still aren't sure what caused the cardiac arrest. The hospital doc thinks the sleep apnea contributed, but the anesthesiologist from his surgery was just here and said Jon's heart rate just dropped rapidly, and he thinks it was a result of the anesthesia. There will probably be more tests down the road."

Up till now, my closest brushes with death, I believe, were a number of frightening taxi cab rides I somehow survived in the sprawling metropolis of Lima, Peru. I believe I had a guardian angel (or angels) looking out for me then, when I was a missionary. I believe I had at least one looking out for me on the day of my surgery.

As JB wrote, the tests (including a heart ultrasound and chest X-rays) conducted at the hospital fortunately came out positive. I spent the night in the hospital (also a first for me) for observation, and, thankfully, my vitals and all other signs looked good enough that I could go home to rest and recover the next day. Both my surgeon and the anesthesiologist visited me and caught me up to speed on what happened. According to the surgeon, he was "99 percent" done with everything he wanted to do during the operation when the cardiac arrest occurred, so at least the original goal of the surgery was accomplished in the process.

And in the two weeks since then, well ... honestly, I'm still dealing with a few emotions. I'm in a little bit of shock and awe at it all. I rested at home for eight days until returning to work last week. The most (physically) painful part of my recovery wasn't my shoulder but instead has been a great deal of bruising around my sternum, oddly almost in the shape of an Iron Man Arc reactor triangle, where CPR was administered. It has  gotten much better since, and I've mostly resumed my usual day-to-day activities.

Through that time, the overwhelming emotion has been gratitude. I'm grateful to be here still. I'm grateful to the surgical staff, EMTs, doctors, and nurses who took such good care of me. I'm grateful my patient, caring wife was there by my side and that she'll always be there, no matter what trials or health problems may befall me or us in this mortal existence, as long as I live worthy of the covenants I have made and we have made together. I'm grateful for a loving family who visited and prayed for me and for JB and our little family. I'm grateful for good neighbors and ward members who minstered to and watched out for JB while I was in the hospital, who prayed for us, and who were over in our home the first few nights back to bring dinner and well-wishes with genuine concern and fellowship.

To my Heavenly Father, I'm grateful for the very gift of life itself. Having been given this realization of just how fragile life can be, I am trying to be more appreciative of some of the simple things I used to take for granted: sunsets, sunrises, waking up each morning, and especially a heart that beats throughout the day and night.

My perspective on several things has also changed. I make sure to say "I love you" to those closest to me with more frequency, and I also am trying to do and say things that will show it.

A day will come, hopefully decades from now, when my heart will stop beating again and won't start back up this time. I'm keenly aware of it now. Until that day comes, I hope to keep these important lessons in heart and mind and to make my life worth saving.

Danny's Fourth Birthday Party

On Sunday night, we congregated up at Mike's and Jana's home in Layton for (belated) August family dinner. Upon this occasion, we also celebrated my nephew Danny's birthday, he being the only family birthday in August.

And so ... there was cake and all of that good stuff. Strange but nevertheless true.

Improvables: Sixth Annual Shakespeare Show

One of the Improvables troupe's favorite nights of the year is our annual long-form Shakespeare show, now in its sixth year. I got to be part of the cast Friday night at the Bountiful Davis Art Center as we put on "The Tragedy of Candy," per the audience's suggestion.

As you can clearly see, theater magic ensued. Keenan, Matt, Megan, Parker, Richard, Ryan, and Tyler rounded out the cast for the evening, with Lorin as MC and Willis on the keys.

If you missed it, well, the moment is gone. So goes improv.

Westley's Blessing

On Sunday afternoon, most of the Plowman clan headed north up to Dad's hometown of Smithfield for the LDS baby blessing for Chantel's and Jordan's son Westley. (Everybody got that? Good.)

Venturing into third cousin territory is a bit of a new thing for us, and it's pretty cool! We may have set a new record for size/number of those in the Melchizedek priesthood circle for this blessing. After the ordinance, we enjoyed a potluck meal together, complete with a lot of Italian food, courtesy of the baby's grandma (Claudia) and many other generous folks.

Here's Mom with baby Westley:

Sunday was also my nephew Danny's fourth birthday.

Leia

I now have two curly-haired brunettes in my life.

We picked up Leia, a mini golden doodle who is much more doodle than golden, Saturday morning. In the days since, we have been going through the growing pains (separation anxiety and potty training) of pet ownership together, but we've also had a lot of fun along the way.