Christmas Time is Puzzle Time

The title of this post was coined in 2007 when the family got together in Bear Lake, Idaho. Justen and Sterling were fairly new additions to the Wisniewski Family and had never really spent much time together. Both of them are quite reserved until they get to know someone and so the first impressions were interesting.

As Jaycia tells the story now, Justen wasn't exactly sure what he thought of Sterling until...the puzzle was opened. That is when Justen discovered how intensely focused Sterling can be. Sterling worked on the puzzle from the time it was opened until it was finished. People would be getting dinner and Sterling would be working on the puzzle. People would be sitting around visiting and Sterling would still be working on the puzzle. I assume you can see the pattern and this is how "Christmas time is puzzle time" came to be.

This year proved Justen right. We got three puzzles for Christmas and Sterling and mom finished two of the three while the family was out here visiting. I never stayed up long enough to witness their obsession but Joseph did tell me that on at least one occasion (although it was probably more) Sterling and mom stayed up until 2:00 am working on one of the puzzles.

Thanksgiving in Chicago

This year Sterling's birthday was on the Saturday following Thanksgiving so we decided to take a trip to Chicago and celebrate. Sterling was going to be in Chicago the week previous so it just made sense to spend it there.

The preparations for the week vacation started with a detailed plan of our dining. I compiled a list of restaurants where we would be dining for the week. I planned the week around our dining experiences as that did seem like the most important aspect of the trip.

We ate at some amazing restaurants and when we weren't eating we were enjoying all that Chicago has to offer. We walked around Millenium Park and attended the Adler Planetarium, the Science and Industry Museum, the Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Christkind Market and of course the best of all, Wicked.

Desire, Not Motivation

Shyla asked a valid question, does a couple of days actually mean weeks? Perhaps I shouldn't have misled you by saying "a couple of days." Anyway I am now updating the blog so I hope that all of you that read this pathetic blog are pleased. Where do I begin?

Sometimes We All Need a Little Nudge

Thanks to Emily I will be updating our blog within the next couple of days. I have been lazy lately and blogging seems so difficult. Perhaps I need to remember that a post doesn't need to be wonderful it just needs to be posted.

Thanks Em!

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.