What are the odds? (BEDA #19)

For those of us in Aussie land, there is a coffee chain called Gloria Jeans that is quite extensive. I'm not sure how it compares with other chains around the world, but GJ's does well over here by focusing on coffee and the environment of their stores. For instance, there is always a comfortable seat at their locations, and free wi-fi at most stores. Recently they were running a competition along with the 7 Network on behalf of the new series 'Amazing Race Australia' which is just as it sounds. To help promote the show they were offering free coffee's, an at home coffee pack, and a trip for two to Hawaii. All entrants had to do was purchase two coffees or a bag of nuts and text off a special code (along with their name and address).

Cut to last month when my relatives from Perth decided that they want to live in the Gold Coast. According to their flight schedule, their plane was to arrive at 7:30 am, which meant that I would have to leave home at around twenty to seven to pick up my mum and sister and get to the airport in time to collect the rest of my brood. I checked the flight times before I left home (I love the Internet) and saw that the flight had been delayed by around 20 minutes due to a late take off. When I arrived to get my mum and sister I checked the times again and they had changed-the flight was now running on time! We left quickly and made it to the airport two or three minutes before the plane was due to land but there was a catch: it had landed five minutes previously! WTF! We met them at baggage claim and discussed breakfast plans since the original plans of meeting them at the gate and eating with them there had obviously fallen through. Lucky, I had an idea: Gloria Jeans!

The closest was located next to a McDonald's so la familia could get a caffeine and sugar rush to make it through the rest of the day. In total, that day I bought six drinks and got three entries. I entered once in my name and once in the name of each of my friends who also wanted to go to Hawaii.

Flash forward to two days ago when I get a text from Gloria Jeans: I won the coffee pack!! *insert flailing happy dance here*. The package contains one of these beauties

as well as a coffee grinder:

AND a years supply of coffee! All up, the total prize value is over $1,100 AUS.

Today, the confirmation and information letter came, addressed to my friend. By some odd twist of fate it wasn't any of the other 45 (forty-frakin-five) other coffees from our usual GJ's that won us the prize, but those five that were bought on the day that I wasn't even going to go to Gloria Jeans.

What are the odds?

Has anything like this ever happened to you? Have you been lucky enough to win a prize or had what you thought was a bad event turn into something good? Let me know in the comments.

Kathy

Themes: Gloria Jeans, Coffee, Sunbeam, coffee machine, coffee grinder, I love coffee
Links: www.gloriajeanscoffees.com.au, www.sunbeam.com.au