Christmas 2020

In spite of covid's plans (and a hillion jillion other things that could've gone wrong, this being 2020), we still observed Christmas this year.

Our sister-in-law Alice recently took some pics of JB, Leia, and me at Creekside Park. (In case you happen to be in that neck of the woods, it's a beautiful, still very new little park just south of the Bountiful High School campus). This is how our annual family Christmas card turned out:

There was no in-person Christmas gathering with my in-laws in Grantsville, though we did meet up briefly over Zoom on Christmas Day. We did, however, trek out there Wednesday to spend the afternoon with JB's parents.

Leia was grateful for the extra attention:

On my side of the family, we were still able to get together on Christmas Eve, though we had to make sure everyone sat apart, everyone wore masks, and no food was served or eaten to avoid any possible spread of planet Earth's favorite pandemic.

Biz once again put together the Christmas program, which included a number of well-placed scriptures, Christmas hymns, and a recording of Dad narrating Chapter 2 of the Gospel of St. Luke.

This was followed by presents/pandemonium. Many of Mom's youngest grandkids received Spider-Man pajamas. When they put on their PJs, it looked something like this:

This reminded the grown-ups a little bit of the classic meme of multiple versions of Spider-Man pointing at each other. So, we re-created it with the kids:

The kids were perhaps most excited to spend Christmas Eve with their oldest male cousin Dallin for the first time since 2017 (before he left on his mission). A significant portion of the night passed with Dallin good naturedly wrestling with them, which looked a lot like this at certain intervals:

Then on Saturday (Boxing Day), we had another family Zoom meeting, this time with many of our British cousins in England joining in on the call. It was wonderful to reconnect with so many of them, including Brian, Denis, Linda, Lynn, and their spouses/kids/grandkids.

Thus concluded our celebration of my favorite holiday of the year. Currently, it's 362 days till next Christmas. The countdown has already begun.

Improvables: Christmas Party 2020

Covid may have postponed or canceled many things throughout 2020, but the annual Improvables Christmas party was not one of them! We met up over a Zoom call last week to play some games online and to open our randomly distributed white elephant gifts—always one of the highlights of the Christmas season for me.

One of my favorite moments was Richard opening JB's contribution, which was a Jane Austen action figure (yes, really):

He then deadpanned (improvisers, amirite?), "I was hoping for one of the Bronte sisters."

I ended up with a brand-new copy of Monopoly: Longest Game Ever (somebody found a way to make Monopoly last even longer, I discovered), while JB obtained this lovely Darth Vader wall ornament:

Altogether, it was a fun evening for everyone involved. I miss seeing and performing with these people, though we are hoping that we will be able to safely return to the stage at some point in 2021.

Christmas Lights

Even in a world battling covid, we have found that we are still able to venture out and do a few things safely. Like go outside and look at things, which you can do only so much of indoors.

With Temple Square under construction right now (and for the foreseeable future), we still have a few good local options for seeing Christmas lights. Centerville's Founders Park is a good example of one, and it's just a stone's throw from us.

Leia, in particular, enjoyed seeing other people and, of course, their dogs.

Thanksgiving 2020

Thanksgiving this year, like pretty much everything else in 2020, looked a lot different than it has in years past. But still JB and I made the best of things and had a most enjoyable meal between the two us. The menu included turkey breast cooked on our new pellet grill (easily the best turkey I've ever eaten on Thanksgiving), candied yams, mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberries, and JB's award-winning stuffing.

I have many blessings to be grateful for, and it was good to take time out to remember them over the holiday.

Our Day Out with Graham

Our nephew Graham turned four years old on April 1, but due to covid and social distancing restrictions, we had to reschedule our birthday outing with the April Fool's Kid for this past weekend.

Graham chose Blacksmith ice cream, a new favorite of ours, for a treat.

Afterward, we took him back to our house for video games and snacks. He's a great kid, and we are lucky to be his favorite (you guessed it) Fun Aunt and Uncle.

Dallin's Homecoming

And just like that ... two years have come and gone.

Our missionary, Elder Plowman, returned home Friday. Due to social distancing measures during this time of coronavirus spikes, we had to make an appointment to go up to Layton and see him yesterday (which was a very good idea). Since Dallin had encountered a number of strangers on his flights home, we all wore masks the entire visit.

My oldest nephew is so grown up! He also seems very happy, and he should be; he's done very good work in the New Hampshire Manchester Mission. JB and he had a lot to talk about, as they now know many of the same people and places in that area.

He delivered his homecoming talk earlier today. Under the circumstances, we were not able to attend in person but watched via YouTube.

Mother's Day 2020

COVID-19 didn't cancel Mother's Day this year, fortunately, and the Plowbuckles honored the day the best we could. I got to spend the day with three wonderful women whom I honor on the Mother's Day holiday.

Following church services at home, including a study of the week's Come, Follow Me lesson about the prophet Abinadi, we stopped over in West Bountiful to spend some time with Mom in the backyard on a nice, cool May afternoon. (Leia loves that backyard and had a blast running herself ragged all over the place.)

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We also got to spend some time with my wonderful mother-in-law (and the rest of the in-laws) for another Zoom family dinner and game night.

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I also managed to catch this candid glimpse of my amazing wife, hard at work at her sewing machine; she can often be found working selflessly on blankets, capes (you know, for kids!), quilts, and other creative projects for her loved ones: 

Socially Distant Family BBQ

With warmer weather on the way, BBQ season is also fast approaching. Even with social distancing guidelines in place, the Plowbuckles (JB and I) were still able to gather with Biz and Jeff, Ben and Adi, and their kids Friday night in perfect spring weather for a BBQ in West Bountiful.

We brought Leia along, and she had a great time running around the spacious backyard there. She was also a big hit with the kids (not as big of a hit with Kuma, Ben's and Adi's dog, however) and got in a lot of "Fetch," one of her favorite games.

The kids, likewise, had a great time playing together. Not only are our wonderful nieces and nephews cousins to each other, but they are becoming good friends.

The menu for the evening included hamburgers and cheeseburgers, along with pasta salad, chips, and other goodies. JB provided cookies for the dessert.