6th Place

We entered a contest. . . a home improvement, video contest.

In order to enter the contest it took: 13 minutes of video footage, 2 computer software purchases, a miracle [I somehow managed to muddle through an editing program and figure out YouTube in under 4 hours.] and . . . lots of patience and some bribery.

I nearly lost mind. Okay, it wasn't that bad, just high drama and self induced pressure.

Our bank [AurGroup] is sponsoring this contest and the grand prize is $5,000! This afternoon I emailed over 60 friends and family. Since the voting opened today, my brain has been filled with ideas to generate votes for our entry. I even contemplated putting a huge sign in our front yard and printing out business cards to hand to strangers. Just before starting this entry, I checked the site. There are 50 entries, and we are in 6th place. This entire process has really excited the boys and me. Jack even asked if there would be a big check - as in, large in size, like those giant Publisher Clearing House checks. All boys are delighted to seem themselves on the computer. Voting lasts 15 days. The winner won't be announced until August 25th. Twenty-five days from now! That's a lot of days for 3 small boys.

So, this brings me to winning and losing. This is a contest and even though the prize is not something the boys totally understand, they are aware that there will be a winner. A winner, who very well may not be us. (vote! vote! vote!)

I've seen the entries. We do need a new retaining wall and the money would really be fabulous, but we are not fighting mold, our home is not in danger of fire or flood, we have enough space, and our kitchen, baths, and heating function fine. Winning would be great, but winning isn't everything. So, as we enjoy the competition of the next few days, I want our family - as young as it is - to see that winning would be wonderful and striving to win can be fun, but perhaps for another family winning this contest would be a miracle.