Jenna's & Max's Wedding

Our niece Jenna was sealed to Max on Saturday, April 13, in the Draper temple. It was a beautiful spring day with beautiful weather, and the popcorn was definitely popping on the trees.

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a family friend of the Woodburys (he was Jenna's grandparents' mission president in San Diego), performed the sealing. He gave some very wise words of counsel along with the ordinance. But he was also not the only General Authority in the room. Kristin Yee, second counselor in the general Relief Society presidency, was also there. (She had previously served as one of Jenna's Young Women leaders.)

So, we basically had all of the famous people there. We also had this whole group of folks:

The sealing was only the beginning of our long day! We then congregated in the cultural hall at Dave's and Jessica's meetinghouse in Woods Cross for a wedding luncheon. We were served a delicious meal, catered by Cafe Zupas.

The day was capped off with a wedding reception at the lovely Eldredge Manor in West Bountiful, where Biz and Jeff's reception was held nearly 16 years ago! Way back then, Jenna was a five-year-old bridesmaid (seen here on the right, with five-year-old Kenna and nine-year-old Madison):

The refreshments at Eldredge consisted of a wonderful waffle and crepe bar. (We were basically spoiled all day long.)

JB worked very hard on the baking the wedding cake, which turned out like this:

Of course, a family wedding wouldn't be complete without our getting to take a picture along with the bride and groom:

The evening concluded with a lot of dancing, after which the bride and groom hustled off on a plane ride to Hawaii.

We are happy for Jenna and are also grateful to have Max as a new member of the family. The future is bright for these two.

Memorial Day Weekend 2020

For Memorial Day, the Plowbuckles made the annual trek up to the Smithfield City Cemetery, along with those family members who were also able to attend. It was a pretty chilly day for late May (contrast that with today's balmy, summer weather; the difference in high temps on the Fahrenheit scale is about 50 degrees!).

Dad's tombstone is still there and looking good, modeled here by the lovely Ike:

This was also our first opportunity to see and interact with our newest/youngest niece, six-week-old Sadie, whom we couldn't meet earlier due to coronavirus social distancing restrictions.

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.

Our Reception

So! As you recall from my previous post, JB and I got married last month. What inevitably follows is a reception (because this is Utah after all, and we do weddings big), and ours was held Saturday, April 21, at the Centerville tabernacle.

Family and friends from all walks of life showed up to wish us well. It was a beautiful spring evening, and the company was wonderful, too. Some friends I had not seen in person for decades, and it was great catching up with everyone.

Before the reception officially started, we gathered for family photos. Here are yours truly and JB with 13 of the 14 Plowman nieces and nephews (niblings):

This was our cake:

. . . which neither JB nor I smashed into each other's face, as per previously agreed-upon rules.

Toward the end of the reception, there was dancing. Here's JB and me during our first dance:

. . . and here's the family and friends joining in on doing "The Hustle" to the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive":

For those family members and friends reading this who may not have made it there, you were there with us in spirit. We are grateful for each one of you and for all of those who lent a hand to put together a fantastic evening and beginning to our marriage. We have been floored by the number of incredible gifts that were given so thoughtfully by so many of you.

Blue Eyes

Nearly-year-old Kate is ready for springtime, with flowers in her hair.