Our Day Out with Tatum 2023

So many niblings, so little time. But Fun (and Favorite) Aunt and Uncle are almost always available and will adapt their schedules to get in as many birthday outings as they can. Or, there's always cash or gift cards.

Anyhow, our latest birthday outing was on Saturday with our 10-year-old nephew Tatum. We traveled out to one of favorite places, Nickelmania in West Jordan. The niblings tend to choose many of the same kinds of games, including the motorcycle and car racing ones, as well as the basketball shooting ones. But it almost always comes down to the tickets, and this time was no exception. We won a whole bunch and then pooled our efforts together to get Tatum some fun toys.

After that, we had lunch at McDonald's and also played (more) video games back at our house. Tatum is a great kid, and we're grateful to have spent part of our weekend with him.

Kylee's & Talin's Wedding

Our 25-year-old niece Kylee was married Thursday night to her husband, Talin, in a lovely ceremony held at beautiful Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City. The early-autumn night weather was sunny and cool and basically perfect for the occasion.

Also, JB baked the cake! Kylee has some gluten-related and other dietary restrictions, so she couldn't ask just anyone to bake it. I may be a bit biased, but I think JB did a phenomenal job.

The kids had a lot of stuff around to keep them entertained, and among other things, they enjoyed wandering around and checking out the various birds in the area.

Kylee looked extraordinarily happy all evening, which really was the most important part as far as we were concerned.

We've not so much as lost a niece as we've gained another nibling. It's a bit of a strange moment when your oldest (and first) niece reaches this moment in life. They grow up so fast! We're anticipating there will hopefully be a few other weddings in the near future.

Our Day Out with Christian & Graham

After a few conflicts, family vacations, and more than one cancellation over the past few months, we were finally able to synchronize schedules to take 10-year-old Christian and his brother, seven-year-old Graham, out for their birthday outings with Fun Aunt and Uncle. They chose to go up to Boondocks in Kaysville.

Upon arrival, we divided up. JB took Christian mini golfing, while I took Graham to the arcade. Graham got right to work, winning two large bouncy balls from The Claw:

He wanted to go back to try to win a third one, but I legit thought we didn't have enough room in the car for another one for the trip home (they took up quite a bit of space).

Also, Skee-ball.

Meanwhile, JB and Christian had a great time golfing. Christian even scored a hole-in-one on one of the holes.

On our way home, we stopped by Swig for treats, because a trip out with us comes with that extra benefit, too. We had another wonderful afternoon with the niblings.

Danny's Baptism

On Saturday, our eight-year-old nephew Danny was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His father, Steve, performed the ordinance and also after that confirmed Danny a member of the Church.

It was a lovely service, held at Steve's and Summer's stake center in North Salt Lake. Danny's a great kid, and we are proud of his decision to take the plunge ... so to speak.

Arbuckle Family Dinner/September 2023

On Sunday, JB and I gathered with the in-laws for monthly family dinner at Jeremy's and Alice's home in Centerville. The weather was perfect for spending a September evening outdoors. I was grateful to just be able to attend one of these dinners for the first time in a while, since I missed the previous month due to illness and to being up at Bear Lake the month before that.

The menu's main dishes included Dutch oven meatloaf and mixed vegetables. We also enjoyed watermelon and veggies. JB provided dessert, which was both a birthday cake and peach crumble for birthday boy Tatum, now 10 years old (!):

Our missionary, Sister Arbuckle, has been out in the field for a year now! It all goes by so fast. He will soon be joined by her brother Spencer, who submitted his paperwork earlier that day.

Plowman Family Dinner/August 2023

Last weekend, we gathered for monthly family dinner at Ben's and Adi's home in Centerville. The weather was warm but not too hot, and therefore it was a lovely summer evening to spend outside together. Hot dogs, salad, fruit, and chips were on the menu.

Eight-year-old Danny is our only August birthday (at least for now). We celebrated his birthday with a cake and also had another grueling match of "Pass the Parcel" for him and the other niblings.

Tetherball and jumping on the trampoline (pictured here) were among the many activities enjoyed by the kids. Fortunately, Dallin went rather easy on five-year-old Tanner (below).

Improvables: Megan's Tribute Show

Still reeling from the loss of our dear friend and troupe co-owner Megan, we nevertheless marched forward and put on a tribute show/fundraiser for her daughter, Roxie, on Friday night at the Bountiful Davis Art Center. As they say in show biz, the show must go on. We feel that Megan would've wanted us to put on a funny show even amidst the tears that were collectively shed, and that is what happened.

We shattered out previous attendance record with more than 100 attendees in chairs. Among those present were several of Megan's family members, former students, and other acquaintances. Together, we were able to raise over $1,500, which is also by far our best fundraiser ever.

The show itself included appearances by several improvisers past and present, under the direction of co-MCs Erica and Ricky. Some of my favorite moments included this scene set in a bowling alley/shooting range in "Sing It":

... along with Richard's "Advice Panel" character Shy Jerome:

There were hearty chuckles all around, just like Megan would've wanted there to be. Her departure leaves a large hole in our troupe that will be difficult to fill.