Update as of April 10: Congrats to the winner, Dusti!
“Ireland. i have always wanted to go there!
but in reality, maybe an hour long trip to the coffee shop with my laptop? that sounds like a great vacation to me!
p.s. Im new, and really liking your blog! i am also a stay at home momma, to 3 and 2 year old boys.”
It’s that time again, friends. The time when I take something that is just sitting idly in our house and give it to one of my wonderful readers who will actually use it.
Truthfully, I’m a bit torn about this item. Not because I don’t think one of you will give it a good home but because I have lots of memories attached to this bag. It went with me all over the world.
Literally.
I purchased this great REI backpack when I was in college at the University of Georgia.
I was 22 years old and had never stepped foot off American soil. Unless you count the world’s worst cruise to the Bahamas when I was so seasick I thought I had been drugged. But that’s a different story altogether.
Anyhow, I had just received a scholarship to study abroad in the UK, so I knew I needed a bag that would hold everything an American college student would “need” for one year.
There is no such magical bag.
However, this fantastic backpack has loads of space and many useful pockets. I think it was designed for the outdoorsy types. It has a padded back support and a big pocket at the bottom for…something outdoorsy.
I don’t know. I think it is the one and only thing I’ve ever purchased from REI.
Regardless, it was obviously made very well, because I used it for years and there is NO sign of wear-and-tear. It looks as good as the day I purchased it.
So, friends, who needs a wonderful bag that has seen the dry stone walls of the breathtaking Yorkshire countryside,
…has seen the infamous religious and political murals in Belfast, Northern Ireland,
…and has dined in the home of dear friends at the base of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii, Italy?
Who needs a bag that walked the same cobbled streets in Haworth as the talented Brontë sisters…
…and stood where two wives of Henry VIII lost their heads?
Literally lost their heads.
Who wants a bag that sat beside a canal in Venice and heard the sounds of the most romantic city in the world?
And smelled Italian coffee so strong it could sober the mind with a single whiff?
And turned in continuous circles in the middle of the Vatican City to ensure it wouldn’t miss a single detail?
I’ll be honest with you, this bag did a whole lot of shopping while in Europe,
but it also saw and experienced things that money can’t buy.
And it met people that will never be forgotten.
Never.
Ever.
This bag was with me through some of the most unforgettable, enriching moments of my life…
Sheesh! Someone take this silly bag before I get all blubbery and ridiculous.
TO ENTER
To enter this giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:
If this bag could take you anywhere in the world, where would you want it to take you?
RULES
One entry per person, please.
Winners will be announced Wednesday (April 10, 2013).
Winner must promise to take this bag on many more exciting adventures.
As usual, I will throw in a copy of my book Multiple Streams of Motivation and a thank you note from my husband for helping us get one step closer to being able to park in our garage again.
Giveaway 100% sponsored by Katy in a Corner.
Katy,
Love all the pictures! If I could take that bag anywhere in the world it would be where J.J., Averi, & Harper live! The 2 best places on earth!!!
Ditto to Katy’s Mama’s comment.
Gman
PICK ME!! I’m going to Europe in June.
For real.
I want Starbucks–when will you give that away?
🙂
Okay, I’ll do Starbucks next. 😉
Jennifer Zarifeh Major, your chances are looking pretty amazing right now. Why don’t people want my wonderful, 10-year-old book bag? Can’t understand it.
Make sure it is private and only goes to me. I don’t want competition!!
Maybe because we ALL have wonderful 10 year old book bags!! 😉
I KNEW I should have thrown in one of my kids with this giveaway.
lol
I already have four. I don’t envision anymore. Just send the bag… 😉
I entered!
Well, I swear I did earlier from my phone. I said I want that bag to take me to Tahiti. Make it happen, k?
I’d ask it to take me home for a brief visit, we’ve been traveling for 2
years now (Europe and US), and there is a lot of traveling ahead of us,
our dream (me and my husband) is to see as much of the world as we can,
so theres Niagara falls at the end of the month, and Brazil in 2014,
we’re keeping busy 🙂
To top all of that, I’ve been accepted for PhD in OSU, so the bag will serve for academical purpose too 🙂
BTW, my home is in Jordan, Asia
If I could take that bag anywhere, it would be to the hospital carrying all the stuff that a husband isn’t supposed to when his wife is having a baby. You know an extra large bag of Doritos, maybe a tablet to catch the game because the TV doesn’t get ESPN, and maybe an extra pillow for myself…you know because the hospital pillows are soooooooo comfortable.
Ireland. i have always wanted to go there!
but in reality, maybe an hour long trip to the coffee shop with my laptop? that sounds like a great vacation to me!
p.s. Im new, and really liking your blog! i am also a stay at home momma, to 3 and 2 year old boys.
Dusti Congrats, Dusti! You’re the winner!!! Please shoot me a message through the contact page and let me know your physical address. I’ll pop that in the mail this week!
If this bag had magical powers and could take me anywhere, I’d like to go far, far away, where I could pee in peace and not have to worry about kids fighting the second I leave the room. Do you think a place exists?
OK, I’d settle for Germany.
What a fun giveaway and a fun story to go along with the bag.
Just discovered you through “My Life and Kids”. You’re killin’ me! I’m hoping the magical backpack with take me to a world where *my* garage is clean. Almost two years ago, we bought our home, and I was adamant about a garage that I could park in. Take a guess how many times my van has been parked in my garage…