And the Winner is...

Lady of Luck. Princess of Prizes. Goddess of Giveaways. Dame of Drawings. Mistress of... ...the Mini-Fridge.

It all began a couple of years ago. I was minding my own business one afternoon, running errands or doing some other mundane task, when my phone rang. I believe I fumbled around in my bag for a moment or two, managing to answer it right before my voice mail picked up. "Kristin?" the unfamiliar voice on the other end asked. "Yes..." I trailed off suspiciously. "Congratulations! This is (insert random grocery store employee). Do you remember the drawing you entered at our store? Well, your name has been selected as the winner of the Bud Light Mini-Fridge!" I hadn't entered any drawings. But I'm no fool, so I feigned excitement as I racked my brain, trying to figure out how I'd won a contest I didn't even sign up for. The mystery was solved shortly after I returned to the house. No sooner had the words, "I got this strange phone call about winning a mini-fridge..." left my mouth than my brother leapt off the couch and did an impromptu jig...or something resembling a dance. "I won a fridge, I won a fridge!" Apparently my brother had entered the names of everyone in our family, therefore increasing his chances of winning. "Now, wait a second," I said, stopping his dancing. "Since technically my name was the one drawn, doesn't that mean that I'm the rightful owner of the fridge?" We went back and forth for awhile, although I knew that the mini-fridge was his all along. Besides, I didn't think a stainless steel refrigerator emblazoned with the Bud Light logo would be appropriate in my classroom. Nice little story, huh? It would be pretty inconsequential...except for the fact that I received a near-identical phone call from the other major grocery store in town about a year later. "Congratulations, Kristin! Your name has been drawn as the winner of the mini-fridge!" Another fridge, another contest I hadn't entered. This time I was a bit more prepared and knew--from experience--just how to manuever the unwieldly appliance into my car. Not surprisingly, my brother tried to stake his claim on this mini-fridge as well. After all, he had been the one to fill out the entry form. However, no one needs two mini-fridges. While I maybe could have gotten away with sneaking this fridge into school, as the Chiefs logo usurped the beer one, I had no intentions of keeping it. (For the record, I gave it to my other brother as an "engagement present.") The end of the story? Afraid not. Just this past summer, my brother actually had his own name drawn for a change. He is now the proud owner of an over-sized patio umbrella (also from a beer company).

And that's not all. Less than three weeks ago, my mom got in on the action and won a sizable gift card from the same grocery store. What are the odds? Pretty good, apparently.