<p>Great story, amusingly told! But what on earth are you going to do with 7 sleds, a year’s supply of cough drops, and a player piano?</p>
<p>COWARD winner for SURE!</p>
<p>Count me as another reader who bit her lower lip during “Because you’re pretty.”</p>
<p>Are you a single mum, oakland? Something about the independence in your voice…</p>
<p>Somebody send this in to a newspaper for publishing!</p>
<p>Oh. The story’s over? </p>
<p>This is like reading a beloved novel and slowing down with each turn of the page as you get near the end. Because you don’t want it to… end.</p>
<p>Darn.</p>
<p>As for the sleds…I have a feeling Caltech students can find a use for them…maybe it will snow at the Rose Bowl this year. The player piano will fit nicely in the Craftsman house & the cough drops…well, I might just need them: Drew Carey told us he was sick (he felt miserable and had a fever). I doubt I remembered to wash my hands after shaking his hand 2 or 3 times. Honestly, I’ll probably turn down the cough drops. (Winners all receive a post card - if we decide we don’t want a prize we have ten days to mail the post card back to TPIR to let them known which prize(s) we don’t want.</p>
<p>cheers, yes, I’m a single mum…</p>
<p>Well, kudos to you, mum. Big GIG-TRILLION kudos for raising that sweet boy, maintaining that sense of adventure up to the moment of college delivery.</p>
<p>No wonder you write so well. You obviously live well too.</p>
<p>Please, Send this report to the show. It should be published for many to read! am just so happy you saw the show, got on stage, won, and settled terrific S in a charming apt!!!</p>
<p>Better to get your chosen Craftsman house than the jeep, but it sure would have been provincial…</p>
<p>Here’s to craftsmen houses, funky road trips and sons who think we’re pretty. What a great story!</p>
<p>That was fantastic- thx. Yes, the best part was the “pretty” comment.</p>
<p><—a new empty nester who appreciates that kind of stuff.</p>
<p>Gee Oaklandmom…and to think that just last week you were worried about your son packing his “stuff”! Thanks for sharing your wonderful adventure, and DO post the day of the show!!</p>
<p>Thank you all for the wonderful compliments…I didn’t even write every detail. Off to get groceries today I remembered how when I was getting dressed at 4 a.m. before our limo arrived the “P” of Plinko fell off my home made shirt. Last year, dropping off my college freshman, I would certainly have had safety pins and a variety of glues to fix any problem. This year having left my soon to be sophomore son to pack on his own, we had no safety pins and the only glue I’d brought was rubber cement for a project I was working on (like the good helicopter mom I am, I was finishing up the last set of Japanese flash cards for S who is self studying Japanese). Rubber cement would have to hold the “P”. As we waited in line at CBS studios I kept patting the “P” which was positioned over my right breast - I was so worried it would fall off. S gently scolded me time and time again “stop touching yourself - your “P” will stay on.” It did stay on. But as soon as we sat down in the rental car, the “I” from Plinko fell into the cup holder. Indeed there are many layers to this story & much left untold.<br>
When the first tow truck driver put our car into the parking lot at the gas station, there was a family of 7, mom, dad, 5 kids ranging in age from about 2 to 8 or 9 standing against the wall behind the gas station, above the freeway. I asked the tow truck driver if it was safe for us to leave nearly all of S’s worldly posessions in the car. The driver assured me, the family was “just playing behind the gas station.” O.k…I guess there are no parks in Castaic or maybe the gas station is a safer place for kids to play than the surrounding desert? I’ll never know…S’s things were untouched. All was well. & I’m sure once my son will soon be reminding me of other parts of this multi layered adventure.</p>
<p>Oaklandmom, you have a gift. Enjoy it, and use it so we can all be the beneficiaries!!</p>
<p>Awww… what a sweet son you have, Oaklandmom. And a sense of adventure! Be sure to let us know what day the tape will run. </p>
<p>By the way, what does Plinko refer to?</p>
<p>momof2inca - PLINKO is a very popular game on The Price is Right. Its one of a handful of games in which the contestant has a chance at winning cash (up to $50,000 though I’ve never seen anyone win that much). The kind folks that work at TPIR apologized to me when when I came on stage saying “we’re so sorry you’re not playing PLINKO”) I was so thrilled just to be on stage, shake Drew Carey’s hand…I really didn’t care & I do love the player piano - its beautiful! (Though I won’t really have it until sometime after the show airs).</p>
<p>'because your pretty"…tears here</p>
<p>OaklandMom - the part that really got me going was your “I” falling into the cupholder! Now that’s funny!</p>
<p>So when is this episode going to air? We’ll all have to watch!!</p>
<p>I’d have freaked leaving all of DS’s possessions at the gas station.</p>
<p>Was missing my kids today, read this and had a great laugh and cry…thank you pretty lady!</p>
<p>Oaklandmom – what a sweet, funny adventure! Thank you for sharing. But what do you mean, no one ever called you pretty? I can’t believe it, you are a very pretty lady! Well, kudos to your son for saying such a lovely thing to you! And, I can’t wait to see the show!</p>
<p>Just read through the posts. Just heartwarming! Congrats on your win, and I hope that you have a buyer for your house!</p>