MCL Puzzle Tournament

My husband and I participated in another speed-puzzle competition this past week. Word of the tournament has definitely spread. By the time the event started, the room was PACKED and every table was occupied. The organizer learned their lessons from last time and the selected puzzle for this event was larger (550 pieces) and featured a more complex design. The image has bright sections here and there which made it good for a thorough sort upfront. 

Once we sorted as much as we could, we then start working on each of the sorted piles as smaller puzzles. We ended up finishing in 1hr 6mins which is pretty good being a team of just two people. We came in a respectable 6th in teams overall and 1st in pairs.  It was quite interesting to note that the teams that did beat us were teams of 4 or more and we also finished ahead of all the other pairs teams by several good minutes. 

I was really pleased with how we did. My husband has been such a great sport being my to-go partner and support. I think this event confirms the fact we just honestly need more man/woman-power if we want to come out in the top.  Next time! 

North NJ Jigsaw Puzzle Swap

This past weekend I hosted my very first puzzle swap and it was a huge success. 

The closest swap to me is a 3-hour round trip south...I know NJ might not seem like a big state, but it is big enough. I couldn't in good conscience drag my whole family out there with me just to be there for one hour. However I had a voracious appetite for puzzles and needed more. 

A few months ago, I was thinking to myself how awesome it would be to have a local swap event nearby. After scouring the local FB groups and seeing nothing, in very typical me-fashion, I thought "Why not just host it myself?" I reached out to my local library and asked about reserving a public meeting room. To my delight, they were excited and happy to have us there. With date and time details confirmed, I put my plan into motion and spread the news in the local jigsaw puzzle FB groups. I had a ton of feedback and people planning to show up but, in all seriousness, you never know until you get there...

Well the event went off without a hitch; it was a textbook perfect day.  

I had around 30-40 people show up at various times throughout the 1.5-hour event which made it feel very manageable and sane. There were few were old-timers who obviously knew each other from other swap events. Others were brand new, like me, and attending for the first time. Everyone was so kind and friendly though. Many were quite impressed that this was my first swap and first-time hosting. 

As I was the host, I made a point to walk through and personally check-in with as many people as possible. Along the way I had so many meaningful conversations, and it was heart-warming to hear everyone's stories. We all started doing puzzles for various reasons. Some did it to connect with friends near and some far away. Others were looking for puzzles to share with their young kids or for their aging parents living alone at home. We all had our reasons. 

At one point, I said to someone that I found my tribe.  

Even though I didn't really intend to trade as I wanted to focus on hosting, I still ended up coming home with a ton of new puzzles to do! At the end of the event, a couple folks volunteered to help me clean-up which was so greatly appreciated. After getting home, I checked my messages and was inundated with comments saying how much fun the event was and thanked me for the role I played. 

For me, I was simply happy that I found a whole community of kind, like-minded people who genuinely enjoy a hobby. If things work out, I think I'd like to try hosting another swap in the near future. 

Vernon Township Puzzle Hustle

I've always been an avid puzzler and puzzle-lover. Puzzles have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It may have started years ago, when my mom saw that the local township community hall was hosting a contest for with an age category for grade schoolers. My mom pulled out all our puzzle boxes and timed me while I practiced on the kitchen floor of our first family home. 

I ended up placing top 3 at the event. My mom was so proud and couldn't stop telling everyone about it. 

Before my husband and I bought our own home, I never had the space or a proper location to keep puzzles out long enough to complete them. Then for my birthday last year, my husband got me this thing of beauty:

Since getting my puzzle table, I've been completing around 1-3 puzzles a month. Since becoming a mom, I've been actively striving to find and make time for myself and working on puzzles has become my main me-time activity in the evenings when both kids are down for the night. 

My husband has always been a strong supporter of allowing me time to do my hobbies...and even though he's not a huge fan of puzzles, he generously indulges me. Earlier last year, I signed us up for a team speed puzzle competition at a local library. My husband and I came in second; the first-place team had 4 adults so it was a slim chance we were going to beat them...but holy moly, I had so much fun. The thrill from competition is addictive and I was bitten by the speed puzzle bug again.  

Since then I've been keeping my eye open for other speed events, and earlier this month I managed to get the last slot to the Vernon Township Puzzle Hustle team competition and also found a local teammate for the event while my husband stayed home with our kids. 

There was an incentive to get to the event early and on time as the first two teams to check-in would receive a 1-minute pause card to use against another team of their choice during the event. I somehow managed to get to the venue as the second team to arrive so we got the second, and last, pause card in play. 

My teammate L showed up about 10 minutes later. We picked out our puzzle table and did a fun mini puzzle to warm-up while we waited for the other teams to arrive. Looking around the room, we were the smallest team there with only 2 people, while others were around 3-5 people. No worries though, we were in it to have fun...but let's be honest, who doesn't like to win?  

At the 5-minute warning, we went over our game plan one last time. When time started, we opened up our tote bag and hit a huge snag...Our puzzle, new in box, was already completed! We immediately flagged down an event organizer and they quickly handed us a different puzzle to work on. The other teams thanked us for being honest and not cheating. 

L and I were definitely a little thrown off by the surprise, but we were able to hit our stride and moved along as planned. She's faster at certain things and I'm faster at other elements so we complemented each other pretty well.

Before we knew it, 500 pieces were done, and we came in first with a time of 56min 52sec.

Finishing under an hour was pretty great, and we were very happy with how we placed with just two people. It was such a nice feeling getting back into speed puzzling again. I'm excited to do more events soon!