Okay, the bottom line is I'm a poor loser! So I'm not willing to even start on the outcome of last night's primary election. I want to talk about winning. Good fortune has smiled on me from time to time, and I've experienced some pretty "big" wins. Last fall Randy and I participated in the "Giving DuPage" project to commemorate 9/11. Our job was to gather seeds and seed pods from indiginous prairie plants. The surveys we filled out at the end were put into a container for a drawing, and "TaDa", I was the winner. The prize was a canvas tote-bag filled with numerous dandy items such as key chains, a frisbee, luggage tags, a computer mouse pad and a t-shirt, all emblazoned with the DuPage County Forest Preserve logo.
For my other "big" win, I have to go all the way back to Jr. High. I entered a party-planning contest sponsored by Seventeen Magazine. You had to choose a theme, plan out the invitations, decorations, refreshments, activities, etc. I don't recall what my idea was, but growing up in a family that didn't even have birthday parties, I'm sure I must have been a deep untapped well of clever ideas. I didn't win the $100 prize, but I did get "Honorable Mention," and the prize for that was, believe it or not, a bottle of A1 Sauce. Whoohooo! That's something that a fourteen-year-old can really get excited about! The day that prize arrived in the mail will long be remembered. Well, actually, it has been remember by me for a long time. Now that you understand the thrill of winning that I've experienced, perhaps you can better understand why losing is so difficult for me!
For my other "big" win, I have to go all the way back to Jr. High. I entered a party-planning contest sponsored by Seventeen Magazine. You had to choose a theme, plan out the invitations, decorations, refreshments, activities, etc. I don't recall what my idea was, but growing up in a family that didn't even have birthday parties, I'm sure I must have been a deep untapped well of clever ideas. I didn't win the $100 prize, but I did get "Honorable Mention," and the prize for that was, believe it or not, a bottle of A1 Sauce. Whoohooo! That's something that a fourteen-year-old can really get excited about! The day that prize arrived in the mail will long be remembered. Well, actually, it has been remember by me for a long time. Now that you understand the thrill of winning that I've experienced, perhaps you can better understand why losing is so difficult for me!
To be continued . . .
6 comments:
I won a $2,500 shopping spree at the CambridgeSide Galleria when it opened!! It was SO fun! They didn't have a baby/kids department or electronics so it was all clothes. My brother was getting married so I got a suit for him. I also got 4 dresses ($200/each) that I never would have touched had I not been the grand prize winner. A Coach bag. Nylons. Scarves. A London Fog coat. Lots of cool things. After that my friends called me "Lucky".
Ellen,
You ARE lucky. I can't even imagine how much fun that must have been! I keep trying. Last week I filled out a card for the Talbot's drawing.
At the end of my high school graduation party there was a drawing for those still remaining (ie not our partying). Students were winning things like refridgerators, stereo systems, TVs, VCRs, and I won $15 to the 7-2-11 convenient store. I tried to be grateful but somehow...I struggled.
Haha! Mom, your post is hilarious... I love A1 sauce!
So, since our conversation tonight, I've been trying to think if I've ever won anything. I've come to the conclusion that, NOPE, I've never won anything... Oh well :)
It's great to read your blog entries!!
I will have to think if I've ever won something.
I love reading your blogs. They are very enlightening! :) A1 sauce...what an awesome prize!
Hey, you were always a winner in my book, even before I knew about the A1 sauce!
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