My father-in-law enters contests as a hobby. Ten years ago he won a Carnival cruise, which he gave to me and Mister for our honeymoon. Very nice! He won another cruise, on which he took my brother-in-law, and a trip to England, on which he took another of our friends that he sort of "adopted." Sometimes he actually enters our names, and once in awhile a package will come to the door with goodies in it. One time we got some t-shirts, and another time I got one of those really nice makeup cases with folding trays & stuff. It had a bunch of Cover Girl booty in it but since I'm a Mary Kay gal I had to get rid of it.

I have won several small jewelry prizes & other cool trinkets for Mary Kay sales. When I was in high school I won a local piano competition and got a shopping spree at the sheet music store.

The coolest thing, though, was when I was five years old. It was Easter Sunday, and Mom & Dad, my brother & I, and some family friends went to the Holiday Inn after church for Easter brunch. They were giving away white rabbits. They called several tickets and I won a little plastic bunny, but no Real Bunny, and I really really wanted a Real Bunny. The man calling the tickets came over and talked to my Dad for a few minutes, then a little while later he called another ticket... and... the numbers matched! I was going to have a Real White Bunny! Daddy's friend Buck said I should name him Lucky.

We took Lucky home in a cardboard box, where he stayed for just a little while until Daddy built him a nice hutch in the backyard, complete with a bunny bed.

I found out later that my dad and the Ticket Man rigged it so I could have a bunny. But so what. Lucky got a good home and was well cared for, and I believe he lived to the ripe old bunny age of about 5 or 6.