"IF" CHALLENGE WINNER ...

Now for some GOOD NEWS ....

The winner of the "IF" Challenge is ... (drum roll, please) ....

MICHELLE RAMSAY

I decided it wasn't fair for me to choose a winner as I am not an impartial judge, so I got a friend to have a look at the entries and she chose Michelle's LO, based on her journalling ...

Her journalling reads as follows ...

IF .....

… I could start my married life over, is there someone else who I would have preferred to marry? No, because I am extremely happy to have such a wonderful husband as Dereck. I had been invited to my matric class Teacher’s wedding and didn’t have a partner and my friend arranged for Dereck to be my date. 28 years later, we are still together, having been married for 24 years. There was a stage in my live where I questioned my relationship, but that was me rather than any actual problems. Dereck is a wonderful support and I have had a lot of freedom to do the things that I have wanted to. Dereck has always been there and provided for us and we both have a lot of fun together even though our music tastes are “kilometers”apart!!

… I have to say how I am feeling about life right now, I can honestly say that I am content, happy and really satisfied with all that I have achieved.

… I could bring up my children in a different way, would I do it? No. I feel that I was strict enough but also gave them some space. I am happy with what both Leanne and Grant have achieved and I have a wonderful relationship with each of them. Leanne & I often used to go to the movies and shopping together and now that she is overseas, this is something that I really miss a lot. Leanne, Grant and I have a wicked sense of humour and have had many good laughs about someone else’s misfortune often to the horror of Dereck!

… I could go back to school, would I study harder? No, because then I would have got into University and gone and studied at Rhodes as a Phys Ed Teacher. Instead I chose to go to Natal Technikon and did a Computer Secretarial Course. In July 1999 I bought a Run/Walk for Life Franchise and felt that I had then achieved my “Phys Ed” dream.

… I had the choice of sitting at home and watching TV or going out with my friends, I would definitely choose my friends.

…. I had the choice between chicken or beef, I would chose chicken.

… I had the choice between a sandwich or a salad, I would choose a salad.

… I had to totally give up eating chocolate, I could not do it. I would have to have at least a piece in a month!

… past tense – implying that condition is not fulfilled

… the mind can dream it, the body can achieve it. This saying has kept me going through many difficult walking races that I have participated in over the years. It has also made me more determined to prove someone wrong if they ever told me that I was not capable of achieving something.

.. I had to choose between tidying up or scrapping - the tidying up would lose 100%!!

… I had to eat pigs brains, or bulls testicles to win a million rand, could I do it – NO!!

… I told you my nickname at school was “Frog” because I put a dead frog on a friend’s hair and it got tangled in it, please don’t laugh out too loud!!!

… If I had to buy a cake for a function or bake one, I would definitely bake one.

… means on the condition or supposition that

Congratulations and thanks for your heartfelt, indepth and honest journalling, Michelle - I really enjoyed reading about you - especially the bull's testicles bit (how did that enter you mind???? - too much Fear Factor, baby). Please e-mail me your addy and I will send you your FREE STASH ...

Well done to all the other ladies who entered this Challenge, I enjoyed everyone's stories ... Keep entering my Challenges ladies - the decision to choose a winner was really difficult as all were really good.

Greg has my camera in Zambia otherwise I would have uploaded a pic of the FREE goodies that Michelle will be receiving to show all of you what you are missing out on - if I could figure out how to transfer pics from my camera to my PC that is as Greg did it last time ...

I am almost finished BOM Challenge No. 4 - should be able to show you real soon and I am STILL getting around to printing my baby photo to add to Challenge No. 3 - Rome (my LO's) was not built in a day (or even a few weeks ... tee hee).

Sleep tite!!

Love,