the so-so present idea

While at the gym I saw an advertisement on television for personalized puzzles. All you had to do was go to the website, type in an address, and the puzzle would be centered on that address and extend outward approximately a mile in each direction..a colorized satellite view! Coming from a family of puzzle lovers (working a jigsaw puzzle is a Christmas family tradition) and marrying into one meant this was a GREAT idea!!!

So I ordered a puzzle for Mrs. Bryan, and one of the church Dad pastored while I was growing up (and where my parents, 2 sisters, an aunt, and 2 cousins all got married) for the holidays. Mom and Dad's puzzle was actually for their anniversary (Dec 27), but I gave it to them on Christmas Eve so we could all work on it Christmas Day. A 400 piece puzzle would certainly be finished by the time everyone left Christmas Day, right?

3 Days and countless reworks later, the puzzle was complete (minus 3 pieces). It was an absolute nightmare to put together. We don't know what happened to the missing pieces, either. My sister's dog could have eaten them, they could have been knocked off the table and picked up with all the wrapping paper, or maybe they weren't sent (though that's not very likely). All in all, this little 400 piece puzzle is the HARDEST puzzle I have ever worked in my life.

Aunt Linda and Mom examine the non-interlocking border pieces.

Jennifer and Niki tackle the roads and streets.

The "finished project" (Cordova, AL) with three missing pieces. Had it not been for the railroad tracks we might not have ever got this puzzle together. Not what I intended, but this puzzle will definitely be one for the memory books!