Description:Our story begins as our heroine contemplates her fate. What were the odds of a little nobody from Van Buren, AR winning a major scrapbooking competition? "Pretty slim..." she said to herself. But when the rules for the Paperkuts Power Team contest came out in January 2005, she couldn't stop thinking of the feeling of accomplishment that would come from winning this coveted title. Night and day, she had battled with the idea. Which would be worse? To enter and not win? Or to never know if she had what it took to make the Team. She'd chickened out in the past and had to live with her decision to sit on the sidelines. She knew she didn't belong on the bench. With no time to waste, her decision was made.
As the entry deadline drew near, a dreadful misfortune would befall our heroine. Forced to put away her work for several weeks due to a sudden illness, she withered under the clutches of evil. Could this spell doom for our leading lady? After much thought, she resigned... it was not her time. If she couldn't perform at the top of her game, she would have to sit this one out. She announced to her confidants that she would not be entering the contest after all.
Slowly, as friends offered consolation, she began to feel renewed. Her strength was returned, her concentration was recovered, and her courage had not been squelched! Could it be that with just two weeks before the entries had to be mailed she would be redeemed? "There's still hope," she thought as she counted the days until the deadline. "Sleep and a clean house are highly overrated," she decided. With fierce determination, she completed her entry and sent it off just in the nick of time.
The weeks following were no less than torturous. More sleepless nights waiting for the calls to go out. And at this point, she was somewhat embarrassed to admit how much she thought about the contest. She never truly let herself believe she could win.... but something told her it was worth it all.
When the moment of truth finally arrived, she was speechless. Now that she had accomplished her mission, she began to wonder what the future would hold. Did she really have what it takes to fill this position? Only time would tell…
