Pink envelopes. Silverware. How Did We Win a Free Trip to Mexico City?

Mexico City

My mother loved to enter contests.

At first, she didn’t win prizes of any great value, but she kept at it.

She submitted her entries in pink envelopes, to entice the judges to pick hers out of a bag full of envelopes.

She was an occasionally-published article author, so concentrated on writing funny and interesting stories.

What Happens Between Christmas and New Year’s?

One year, she focused on timing.

She reasoned that few people would be entering a contest during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

It was her first big win.

A local Mexican restaurant was offering a free one-week trip for two to Mexico City to the winner.

She and Dad ponied up the difference so my brother and I could go and we got to go to Mexico City that Spring.

It was the first time I’d been out of the country.

It was the first time we’d gone on a family vacation since my older brother had gone off to college.

It was the first time I got to try my Spanish where everyone spoke Spanish. I clammed up the first time someone responded to my greeting in Spanish.

What Else Did She Win?

She went on to win me a place setting of silver, which started the silver set she finished off with a polished wooden box to contain it when I married.

She won several more trips with my Dad, reminding him that he had laughed at her efforts when she started.

She continued to refine her tricks to stand out among hand-picked entries, with patterned, oddly-shaped and irregularly-sized envelopes.

But, the big win, because it was the first, was always the trip to Mexico City.

Did your Mom or Dad have any interesting hobbies?

Do you continue their interest?

Do your children or grandchildren know these stories?

To you and the fun things you do to keep life interesting with your grandchildren.

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Carol Covin, “Granny-Guru”

Author, “Who Gets to Name Grandma? The Wisdom of Mothers and Grandmothers”

http://newgrandmas.com

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How Did We Win a Free Trip to Mexico City?