The Streak Continues!

I thought I was living last week when I won at bingo…  Then Monday night, we went out to trivia with Landry and Meredith and Meredith’s ticket was called and she won a shot glass.  Now, being as we have never won trivia, this is the closest we have gotten to victory of any sort at the Pub, and man did it feel good, especially after Meredith swore she had the worst luck ever and never wins anything!  She won a St. Patrick’s Day shot glass!  How’s that for luck?

Tonight, I met Wendy over at Courthouse Elementary for basket bingo.  This is a charity event, usually to benefit a school.  You play regular bingo, but instead of cash, you win Longaberger baskets.  Basket bingo is what started my love affair with bingo, but I have never won a basket.

While I was waiting for Wendy, I was looking at the baskets and I spied a honey of a basket and thought, “If I win but one basket tonight, please God, let it be that one.”  It was big enough to be a picnic basket, zipped shut around the top, leather handles, a real beaut!

The night started off well.  My name was the first name called for a door prize.  I won a garden flag, which will probably go on sale at my yard sale, as I’m not a garden flag type of person. 

After that, it was kind of slow.  Wendy and I ate our dinner, bought a couple raffle tickets for the 50/50, and settled into a winless rhythm.  The women next to us were freaking out the minute the first number got called.  For the first time in my life, I texted the person I was with and said, “Hey, this woman next to us is intense, huh?”  Wendy was cracking up, but she texted me back.

And then it happened, I won bingo!  But agony!  Someone else won at the same time!! AUGH!  And since it’s not a cash prize you can split, you go to “sudden death overtime” and the caller keeps drawing balls until one of you doesn’t have the number he draws on your card.  And I LOST!  I lost sudden death overtime!  I was devastated!!!  But I got my name in the losers’ drawing (consolation drawing) for later, so I figured, “Oh well, I got to yell bingo again!”

Then about 6 rounds later, I saw my basket, the one I had coveted in the hallway and I said to Wendy, “This is the one I want.”  Playing got going hot and heavy, I was playing with the concentration and determination of a heart surgeon.  And then it happened.  The caller called my last number, and I yelled, “Bingo!” as 2 other people called it at the same time.  DAMN IT!

So back to sudden death overtime again.  The first number he pulled, not a one of us had the number on our card.  So he’d have to call another one.  He calls I-45.  The only person who had I45 on their card was…me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I won the basket!!!!!!!!!!!!  “I WON!  I WON!” read the text I sent to my husband.  And the basket was mine—all $200 worth of it.  Yeah, that basket is worth a cool $214!  YAHOO!  And it is a honey of a basket.

So we get back to playing, Wendy and I are giddy at this point, hopped up on Diet Pepsi and cookies and the sweet smell of victory.  We’re playing a round for a basket that comes with a porcelain baking dish, and Wendy is down to one number, I-17 and she’s got it.  We can taste it again.  She says, “If I win, Matt’s going to hear me yell bingo!”  We get a little giggly.  And then it happens…I-17!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Pandemonium!!!  She yells, “Bingo!” and they come over and guess what!?  No sudden death overtime!  WENDY IS VICTORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The last round was for some sort of mail sorting newspaper holding basket set, and I am right on top of it, my numbers are being called, it’s looking good, all I need is I-74 and I’m a winner!!!  The caller is infuriatingly slow, and Wendy and I are silently willing I-74 to pop up so I can walk out with $400 worth of baskety product.  And then it happens.

I-73.

And someone else calls it.  DANG!

Still, I can’t complain too much.  Michael and I are going to use this sucker for our picnics in the park nearby.  Ain’t it a beauty?