I don’t know what Obi-Wan Kenobi would have to say about this. In this particular case, I probably would turn a deaf ear to his tsk-tsking. Thus, I’m going to put this out there for everyone to hear — I consider myself a very lucky individual. Oh, not when it comes to games of chance or contests. I rarely win at those. Goodness, I don’t even have much luck when the odds — while not necessarily in my favor, are at least equal. Given a 50/50 chance, I rarely win!

For the past 20 years, we’ve held a pumpkin carving contest in our house. When the girls were living at home, they’d each carve a pumpkin for Trick-or-Treat Day (with Tom’s or my help when they were very young), as would Tom and I. Come Trick-or-Treat Day (the last Sunday in October), we would ask our costumed visitors to vote for their favorite pumpkins (one vote per person). When the girls were home, I’d have a 25 percent chance of winning. With both of them gone now, my odds have increased to 50 percent. (Tom has been my only competition the last three years. 😉 ) In all these 20 years, I’ve won ONCE! Yes, only once.

Who do you think would win if pitted against each other in a Hello Kitty vs. Olaf duel?

This past Sunday, I managed a come-from-behind tie for my Hello Kitty carving. I’ll take the tie. 😉

So, I don’t have much luck when it comes to contests and games of chance. That’s okay. However, I am lucky when it comes to the opportunities I’ve been given via Star Wars and Coffee With Kenobi. The people who have come into my life are a treasure to me. 🙂 Twice a month, I get to visit with you all, sharing my musings, ideas and recollections pertaining to that Space Saga we all enjoy so very, very much. Because this month marks my one-year anniversary writing for Coffee With Kenobi, I wanted to do something special to commemorate the occasion. If you’ve stopped by to read my last two posts, you’ll know that I decided to hold an Anniversary Raffle — my gift to you for all you’ve given me. 🙂 Ten of you decided to throw your names into the hat (which was a Star Wars cap, by the way 😉 )! Early this morning (I enlisted Tom’s help before he left for work), the Grand Prize Winner’s name was pulled from that cap!

The Grand Prize

Notice how I noted in the photo caption that this lovely, one-of-a-kind piece of artwork is the grand prize? Well, I have decided — because this is a very special raffle (at least to me) — I would come up with a prize for all the entrants. Yes, each of you (listed below) will receive a raffle prize. Yes, there is a grand prize winner; yet, as far as I’m concerned, all 10 of you are winners. I’d like to thank you all for being a part of this very special celebration. 🙂

What I need each of you to do, if you wouldn’t mind, is to email me at [email protected]. Please provide me with your full name, your mailing address and your email address. I will take care of the rest — packaging and shipping — to anywhere in the world. (If you live outside of the United States, I will tell you I haven’t any idea how long it will take your prize to get to you. I will email you when your package is on its way so you know about when you should start looking for it.) Please don’t delay in providing the information I have requested. The sooner I get your responses, the sooner you’ll get your surprises! 🙂

Without further ado — and before I bid you adieu — the winners are:

• Veerle — Grand Prize Winner
• Erica
• Bethany
• Michael Gary
• Eric
• Polly Orr
• Corey N
• Trevor Fournier
• 2times_mum
• Kathy G

When Luke began to have some success running through his lightsaber training under Ben’s watchful eye, Han chalked it up to luck. Obi-Wan smiled that small, knowing smile of his, and said, “In my experience, there’s no such thing as luck.” For those of us who don’t have the Force flowing through us, however, maybe luck does come into play. 😉 I really can’t say for certain. However, what I do know is that I definitely do feel lucky to be part of the Coffee With Kenobi Family, and to have this opportunity to visit with you twice each month. 😀 Thank you for stopping by, and thank you for helping me celebrate my one-year anniversary. 🙂 Thank you, Dan and Cory, for inviting me to be a part of CWK! Thank you, too, for allowing me to celebrate my first anniversary in this special, personal way. 🙂

Until next time,

MTFBWY 🙂

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