DAY 4

On the last day, we only had tea and coffee in the morning as brunch was being served as part of the convention. We then packed up the room and loaded the car so we could leave after the morning session. We still had a long drive home with a few pit stops on the way.

Morning Session

After a wonderful brunch buffet, the final speech was pre-recorded. Faith and Rachel gave some TikTok tips. You can find them on TikTok at @2022_winners for some quick tips.

Then the last round of prizes was given out. Neither Susan nor I won anything, but as the whole weekend had been so much fun, and I saw old friends and both of us made new friends, we didn’t care.

Then Jenn came over to see me before everyone left. I have been sweeping buddies with Jenn for a decade, and every time we attend a convention together we have a hug picture. I have no idea how the tradition started, but I love it. We had our moment, and then something unexpected happened. Jenn is extremely crafty. Something I am not. She needlepoint my winning affirmation and framed it. What you can’t see is, in glow-in-the-dark thread in between are the green words she stitched “Congratulations, You Won.” OMG! How amazing. I now have it hanging in my office where I can look at it every day.

Again, I will reiterate that the people I have met and the friends I have made since entering giveaways as a hobby are far better than any win I have ever had.

Until 2023

If you have never attended a sweepstakes convention, do not wait. There aren’t any minis left and the national is only planned until 2024. You can search my website for past conventions if you want to get a sense of what to expect. I have already registered for 2023. (You can’t register for 2024 until the next convention.) To spread out the expense of the trip I will book the hotel and buy my upgrade tickets later. Another tactic some sweepers take is to win things they can use for the trip, such as airline gift cards, gas cards, Visa gift cards, restaurant gift cards, cash, etc. Anything that will mitigate the cost of attending.

Drive Home

Of course, I had to make a stop at Trader Joe’s on the way home. If you had seen some of my previous social media posts, I was trading localized Trader Joe’s bags for Canadian candy. In the end, I got Delaware, Virginia, Atlanta, Connecticut, and Indiana. We stopped at the Bedford, New Hampshire location and the Burlington, Vermont location. The Vermont store had a Grab & Go section. Perfect for dinner. We made our purchases and then ate at a rest stop not far up the highway.

The drive to Susan’s took us through Montreal, and we arrived just in time to go to bed. I slept in as I had a lot more driving to do the next day. After I got home on Monday, I unpacked, packed things for my mother, and headed into Toronto to help my mom and aunt plan the catering for my grandmother’s funeral.

Like I said, quite the up and down adventure. I wouldn’t trade a moment.

Go to my Facebook page to see the full 33rd Annual National Sweepstakes Convention photo album. If you have any pictures you would like to contribute, please email them to me.

If you would like to attend a convention, you can find a full list on my website.