The phone call came - "You're a winner!" the voice on the other end exclaimed. "Third place!"

To this day, that conversation haunts me. How could I miss again? After all, I was the epitome of a road warrior. I practically lived at SFO (San Francisco International Airport); my distressed carry-on bags proved it. I had even given up hope of getting a date in my neighborhood and had set my sights on finding a cute Transportation Security Administration agent in Terminal 3. And there I was … third place. Ugh.

Well, they called it third place, but I was skeptical. After all, there were three third-prize winners, and in that group were Amie, a career contest entrant fresh off an all-expenses-paid trip she'd won in a joke-telling contest, and Ben, a witty chap who worked for an airline food-service firm. So while some say it's a hunch, I have a keen sense for the obvious and am pretty sure this simple, single-girl Road Warrior came in fifth. (So much for running off to Italy with my million miles.)

Still, how could I not be excited? While I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I'm certainly not crazy. Let's face it, a photo shoot in Hawaii … a stylist … a makeup artist … professional photographers and the magic of retouching - it's the stuff girls dream of. Especially single ones like me.

"Aloha!"
We were greeted by editor Sherri Burns and the rest of the American Way crew at Waimea-Kohala Airport on the Big Island of Hawaii. Swept away in a stretch SUV limo complete with a blue neon glow emanating from underneath, we knew it was the start of something wonderful. And later, after my celebratory piña colada with everyone in the hotel bar, I was sure this was a life-altering experience in motion. Besides, Sherri was convinced my Mr. Right was flying American Airlines and that he'd surely write in to ask for my phone number. More than three million readers a month, she told me. Six million eyeballs - many of them belonging to men. While I may not have ended up with the grand prize, these odds were in my favor.