Sacrifice Brings Forth the Blessings of Heaven

This morning at 3:15 the alarm clock on my cell phone was the last thing that I wanted to hear. I laid there for a little bit longer before Sterling finally made me get out of bed. At this point many questions were running through my mind. Why did we choose the morning shift? Were we thinking when we accepted the calling? Is this real or am I dreaming? Am I really awake at 3:15 am? Will Sterling hate me at the end of the day because I am so crotchety?

Well I couldn't sit and ask questions all day I had to get for our first day as ordinance workers in the Nauvoo Temple. Our first experiences were wonderful and I finally feel like I am using my brain again. We can already see what a blessing this is going to be in our lives and we are looking forward to the next year of service.

I loved interacting with the elderly ordinance workers and I have made a few friends already; I was always better at interacting and making friends with people older than me. One of my new found friends has even invited us to stay with her whenever we would like so that we don't have to wake up so early. Our immediate bonding can be attributed to the fact that she lived in Hawaii for 30 years, married a Tongan man and misses Hawaii dearly, however I like to think it is because I am just that charming.

So as I said before we enjoyed our first week and we look forward to the upcoming year of service and sacrifice. So even though the our experiences will be of a sacred nature and we may not be able to share much, we will do our best to share what we can.

When You're the Best of Friends

I was once told that some of the best and truest friends I would ever have would be the members of my family. I was young when I received this counsel and at that point I couldn't imagine how true that statement would be.

As I have progressed from child to teenager and teenager to adult my parents and siblings have been faithful, committed friends. They forgive my weaknesses, correct my faults, laugh with me at my mistakes and love me no matter what. Perhaps it is because we are family and therefore we are stuck with each other but I like to think it is because we are the best of friends and that is what friends do.

My Best Friends

Angels Among Us

This is a picture of my paternal grandmother, Grandma Bina, Granny, Bina-Bina or Mom. Ninety-four years ago the world was blessed with one of the most amazing people that I have ever known. She is a person that possesses and exemplifies qualities such as kindness, patience, humility, purity of heart and mind and above all unconditional love.

When I think of my grandma I generally think of the words to a song by Alabama.

"Oh I believe there are angels among us. Sent down to us from somewhere up above. They come to you and me in our darkest hours. To show us how to live, to teach us how to give. To guide us with a light of love.

When life held troubled times, and had me down on my knees. There's always been someone there to come along and comfort me. A kind word from a stranger, to lend a helping hand. A phone call from a friend, just to say I understand. And ain't it kind of funny that at the dark end of the road. Someone lights the way with just a single ray of hope."

One more than one occasion I am sure that Grandma Bina has been the stranger that lends a helping hand, the friend that calls with words of comfort and she is always the ray of hope that people like you and I need in this life. So today I thought I would list ten of the many reasons that I love my Grandma Bina so dearly.

1. Grandma is a wonderful cook.
2. Grandma has a keen sense of humor.
3. Grandma gives great hugs.
4. Grandma was an exceptional wife and mother.
5. Grandma is an amazing teacher because she teaches by example.
6. Grandma's challenges in life make her better, not bitter.
7. Grandma always sacrifices her own wants and needs.
8. Grandma loves the Lord.
9. Grandma loves her family.
10. Grandma loves unconditionally.

These are only a few of the reasons that my grandma holds such a special place in my heart. If I end being half of the woman that she is, I will call my life a success!

We are Family

I just wanted to post a picture of our wonderful family. This is the Whining Wisniewski Traveling Troop in all of its glory. I can't believe how much we have changed over the years in terms of size because I kid you not that when it comes to traveling together or just being together for that matter we are all still a bunch of whiners.

This is the whole fam damily minus Samantha and Sharli.

Day Spa Gone Awry

We recently went home for Jaycia's wedding and Uncle Sterling and I were awarded a free trip to the children's day spa. Sterling is extremely popular with the nieces and nephews because of his patience and his inability to say no while I am only popular because I happen to be his wife.

Anyway, the day spa was conveniently located on the stage in the cultural hall so that while the adults were visiting the children could play. There also happened to be two big rolls of carpet that make an excellent spa bed for the customers while still providing equal customer access for all aspiring employees.

At the day spa you can get pedicures, manicures, massages, you can have your beard washed with wipes and on occasion you can even have your entire head waxed if you so desire. I was the first customer and I received a pedicure and foot massage which was a combination of actual foot massaging and stabbing forks into the bottom of my feet. Sterling was the second customer and as you can see he received a variety of services that were not available to me.

Sterling enjoyed most his time at the spa and though the children are not licensed they are quite thorough. After ten minutes behind the curtains of the day spa, my dear husband approaches me to show off his new and rejuvenated self. His beard was clean, his arm hair was brushed and in place, his eyebrows were waxed and the top of his head was bleeding from the head waxing.

I guess the star employee Michaelee was waxing what hair he has left on his head with a fork, a new tool used in spas, when Sterling asked if he was bleeding. She said "No," took one more stroke with the fork and then said, "...but you are now." At this point the day spa appointment came to an abrupt halt and Sterling was wiping the blood from his head with the same wipe that cleaned his beard minutes earlier.

I didn't get a great picture of the damage that his head sustained but here is the picture that I took. He wiped away the blood a few seconds before I took the picture so it doesn't look that bad.


The moral of the story...don't go to a spa where the employees are not licensed; especially if they are children with forks, spoons and knives.

Gifts that Keep on Giving

This post is long overdue considering the fact that the gifts I am talking about are gifts that Sterling bought me for my birthday. For any of you that know when my birthday is, you are aware that it is two months to the day.

Sterling really went above and beyond this year for my birthday. I had been asking for a lot of things and he delivered on most if not all of them. So I will start by listing everything that my dear husband gave to me this year.

1. Electric Keyboard Piano

2. Bread Machine

3. Jack Johnson CD

4. Ice Age and The Jungle Book

The two gifts that I want to write about are the keyboard piano and the bread machine. They both continue to give and add to our lives but in very different ways.

About five months ago we were in church and one of my favorite little girls in the ward was having a really rough time. Her mom was teaching the Sunday School lesson and her dad was doing everything in his power to calm her down. Neither food nor toys could console the heartbreaking fact that her mom was not going to be sitting by them during Sunday School. All of a sudden her dad picked her up, sat down at the piano, started playing "A Child's Prayer" and singing to her. She immediately stopped crying.

I decided then that I needed to be able to do something like that with my children someday. I wanted to be able to console them with music if nothing else was working. Quickly it was brought to my mind that I do not possess a single musical talent and if I wanted to do something of the sort I would have to soon acquire one talent or multiple talents. 

Considering the fact that I took piano lessons for a few months in junior high I decided I would begin there. I began begging for either a piano or a keyboard. I would obsessively search the Internet for good deals on one or the other and I started doing research into what is the best for starters. 

Sterling and I decided that we would start with a lower end keyboard because if my desire to play the piano now lasted as long as it did in junior high then there is no reason to spend so much money and then have it wasted.  This is the reason for the keyboard.

How does the keyboard bless our home? Well I don't know if I would call it a blessing, it is more annoying than anything. I sit in the spare bedroom, sometimes for an hour at a time, plunking away at hymns in the "Hymns Made Easy" book and then when I start to get proud I move on to the hymnal only to be humbled again. My talents have not increased exponentially by any means but I can now play "Come Follow Me" and "God Speed the Right." Please do not go directly to the hymnal to check out the difficulty of either hymn as I had strategically chosen them based on simplicity.

This gift, I hope, will continue to give in the future. The development of my ability to play the piano will bless our family as I play the hymns in our home and teach our children a love of music.

The bread machine has been the gift which has given back the most at this time. We bought it because we ate at the Sheffield's (Abe and Erin) home one day and they made some of the most delicious dinner rolls that my taste buds have ever known. We asked how they made them and they confessed that they used their bread machine. 

I am sure that Sterling saw the excitement on my face at the thought of having a machine produce such goodness. Of course, just like the keyboard, I began searching the Internet for bread machines and reviews on each machine. I looked at the really expensive ones and at the not so expensive ones and tried to justify why I need the biggest and the best one on the market. Though I didn't think that I could live with one of the cheaper bread machines, ours has proven me wrong. We have made pizza, cinnamon rolls, bread and of course the delicious dinner rolls.

Look and behold the goodness!

I have to say that the best gifts are the ones that keep on giving! Granted the bread machine may be giving more to my thighs, hips and gut than I would prefer but the memories and fun will always surpass my weight.