Pick Us!

I can't believe I'm admitting this to you guys, but this is my forum of expression and I'm kind of proud of it. Alright, so let's rewind to yesterday morning. I'm sitting on the couch watching The Bonnie Hunt show and she reminded her viewers to register for her 'Rock The Soap' contest, which ended yesterday at 9 PM. I was instantly captivated, because I have always been intrigued with soap operas, as they are my mom's one guilty pleasure in life, just like 'For The Love of Ray J' is my latest one. (Seriously, people this show is amazing, on so many levels. It's so scandalous, but I just love it. It's like watching a car wreck happen in front of you. Can. Not. Stop. Watching.) Ok, back to the issue at hand.

Bonnie's contest entails a three night cruise to the Caribbean with your favorite soap stars. 'Say What?' I thought. My mom would kill to be on that ship. Literally. So what did I do? Well, I entered her of course. Here's my award-winning story to Bonnie:

Dear Bonnie,

I wanted to thank you personally for bringing sparkle and shine to each one of my mornings, especially this one. When I heard about your "Rock The Soap" contest I literally spit out my morning coffee, because my mom would kill to be on that boat. So, I am writing this story for her:

Growing up, my favorite thing to do with my mom was watch soap operas. She was a teacher at my brother and I's middle school and after we got home from school, she would feed us a snack, and settle in front of the T.V. with a few loads of laundry eager to find out the latest drama to unfold with her beloved characters on General Hospital, All My Children and One Life to Live. I would sit right next to her and help her with the laundry and pretend I wasn't really interested in the soap. Back then, I didn't think it was cool to watch the same show that my mom so blatantly enjoyed, but looking back, I would give anything to be back on that couch next to her again.

I just graduated from college and moved away from home, and I will forever cherish those memories of listening to her tell me all about the characters with such passion and intensity (as if they were her best friends and confidants), and how she had been following them since 'she was my age.' "Can you believe that after all these years, some of the same characters are still on the show?" she would say. "Cool, mom." I would sarcastically chime in. However, I think she knew that I secretly enjoyed hearing all of her stories, because every afternoon you could find me right next to her.

To this day, the woman still gets antsy about her soaps and has finally succumbed and subscribed to Soap Net. I don't know how my poor father does it because she usually watches them in bed late at night. She lives vicariously through these characters, and I think my brother, dad and I are secretly okay with her obsession because of how happy she is when her soap is on.

I know my mom is at work right now, and a force greater than me pulled me to apply for this contest. She is a wonderful mother and soaps are her one indulgence in life that she is able to treat herself to every day. I can't think of a person more deserving of this contest, and I would love nothing more than to see the look on her face when I tell her she is going on a cruise with her favorite soap stars. I can just see her saying, "You did this for me? I thought you didn't like soaps!"

I so desperately want to prove her wrong. If this is the one thing I could do for her in life, I would feel somewhat validated for everything she has ever done for me, even if I'm only allowed to talk to her during the commercials when her soap is on.

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.