Raffles are Rad

When Jeffrey and I relocated to Michigan I began compiling my ever-expanding list of things that southerners like myself would think are totally weird about the Midwest. I figured if anyone ever wanted to come visit us up here, I could send them the list beforehand so that they are not as shocked and appalled as I was when I first learned of all of these Midwestern idiosyncrasies. But just as there are Michigan things I think are totally weird, there are some that are TOTALLY AWESOME! Peep this:

It is apparently a thing around here (or perhaps just with Bowmans) to–instead of giving everyone that comes to your baby shower/wedding shower/etc a rinky dink party favor they will never use again–raffle off several huge friggin baskets of awesome stuff!  There’s a spa lady basket full of smelly lotions… a big bucket of baking supplies… a tub of all the fixins you need for a rockin Mexican fiesta… you get the idea. Of course, I have seen this before at small community festivals and fundraising events, but never for personal parties. THIS PRACTICE IS SUPER RAD. Even though I “never” win them.

Tonight, though… tonight, I really fell in love. Because this time, I won one.  And it wasn’t just any basket. It was the big, bad mammajamma filled with awesomesauce… the most coveted of them all.

BOO-YAH! A fancy lime green metal bucket filled with martini glasses, margarita salt, pretty lil drink umbrellas, and bottles of Absolut Vodka, Jose Cuervo Especial (DANGER!), sugar-free margarita mix, melon raspberry and lime pomegranate martini mixes, and the world’s best bloody mary mix, Zing Zang! Seriously, if you use some other brand of bloody mary mix, check yourself and UPGRADE.

So now when we’re ready for a lil summer refreshment, we have something other than boring-ol-beer to wet our whistles. For this, we are very grateful to Aunt Julie and Uncle Bobby, who provided these killer gifts in celebration of their very lovely daughter’s impending wedding to a super awesome dude. And while Jeffrey and I are stoked about the whole basket winning thing, we are even more excited to celebrate this marriage. Because they are some cool cats, if you ask me.

xo Em