So a little something happened to me today at work....

I can't tell you how stoked I am about this. Nothing like this ever happens to me, and believe me, I've tried many times. Vegas. Reno. Lottery. Various raffles throughout the years. I've done it all, and I've never come out a winner.

Today was my work's community support campaign raffle basket drawing. Basically each department creates a basket and then everyone buys raffle tickets and then there is a raffle, and I never win.

Because I've been participating for 8 years now, and haven't won, I was feeling rather sour about the whole thing this year. The baskets weren't the greatest, although two were basically winning money. And who doesn't love money? I'm always trying to get some. Money is nice.

So one basket was a $350 gift card to Target (Tarjeeey) and another one was a $300 Amex gift card that was supposed to be for commuting (as in, use it to buy BART or bus tickets, yeah, okay, like anyone is doing that.). A week or so ago I brought a check with me to work to buy six tickets for each money basket because you just never know. And then I talked myself out of it because I do, in fact, know. I know I wasn't going to win them so why bother. I'm giving to several charitable organizations this year and donated some time and always give money at Pet Smart for homeless pets and even at Safeway for all the different fundraisers. Every so often throughout the year I give money to different organizations that strike my fancy, including nonprofit news groups. I have done and will keep doing my part. No guilt here for not buying a ticket or two. No siree.

Today was the last day to buy tickets and the day of the raffle. I contemplated buying some tickets, but I just didn't feel like finding someone who was selling them, so I sat on my butt instead. Then, about 20 minutes before the raffle was going to be held, a lady was walking around asking if anyone wanted to purchase last minute tickets. I thought, well, I might as well. She came to me...I still have the check...okayfineallIbuyticketsfinefinefine. If I can't go to Vegas or Reno, this is the next best thing, I guess.

I went to the raffle. I didn't win the commuter basket. Darn. A couple other ones were drawn. Then the Target gift basket winner was drawn. I saw the ticket as it was being pulled out and I knew that was my handwriting, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. Then my phone extension was read off. Then my name.

Yeah, okay, so maybe I screamed a little bit. And maybe most of the people were like, who? And the other chunk were like, noooooo...me, I should have won! And maybe I really loudly said that I wanted to go buy overnight diapers. And maybe I told my husband I'd buy him a pretzel because it's Target and yeah, I could buy him something nice, but there are so many things to buy at Target that I think I only want to share a dollar or so with him.

And the really weird thing? All these people who I don't normally talk to but have talked to here and there, for different reason and while doing a different job, they told me they were....wait for it....happy for me.

Me? Little old me with the nasty attitude?

And I'm so stupid, I would respond, "Thanks! I'm happy for me too!"

I'm really not that self-centered. I'm just amazed that I actually won something that will really help us out this Christmas season. Even though I've bought most of Mateo's toys, there are other kids to think of along with friends and family. How nice would it be to not worry about how much we're spending? And not feel so Scrooge-ish? (And I do get Scrooge-ish at a point but it goes away, thank goodness.)

The only problem is that I tend to hoard gift cards because I want to ensure I'm spending my free money wisely and stretch it out as far as I possibly can. But I think this time I'll actually spend it before next year. In fact, I think we're going tomorrow....