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Minn. Oprah Fan Will Be On Trip To Australia

By Esme Murphy, WCCO-TV

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Have you ever seen those Oprah shows where the audience ends up getting some amazing gift? Odds are it left you wondering how did those folks get so lucky?

Kristin Bujida, a young Twin Cities mother, got an invitation to the premier of Oprah's last season. Everyone in the audience, including Kristin and her husband Leo, are going with Oprah to Australia for 10 days in December.

The couple had no idea that there would be a prize. They just though Kristin had won tickets to the show for being a super fan.

It's been a tough year for the couple. Their second son Joey was born through emergency C-section and had to have heart surgery to save his life.

"We just got our life taken out from underneath us," said Kristin.

Shortly after the successful surgery, Kristin, on a whim, entered an ultimate fan contest for tickets to the Oprah Winfrey show.

"I loved her forever," she said.

Kristin's husband Leo, who is a native of Croatia, said Kristin is devoted.

"She quotes Oprah daily," he said.

Kristin won tickets after telling an Oprah producer her biggest fight with Leo was over having no room on their DVR because it is full of Oprah episodes.

"She just thought that was really funny," said Kristin.

As they stood in line for the show last September, she heard an earlier audience won Kohl's gift cards.

Kristin remembered thinking, "a gift card from Kohl's would be pretty cool."

But then as Kristin sat in the audience, Oprah started saying...

"We're going to go bigger, we're going to go bigger," recalled Kristin.

"It was so loud when she said Australia, that we just couldn't believe it. And my husband thought we were leaving right then and there and my husband and then he said 'We have to call the sitter,'" said Kristin.

Then Oprah brought out actor John Travolta who will help pilot the plane to Australia.

"We were dumbfounded. 'Are you serious right now?'" said Kristin.

"We never went on a honeymoon and so this is going to be like our honeymoon, seven years later," said Leo.

"You hear about this stuff happening. But you just never think it would happen to you," said Kristin.

Kristin and Leo will leave for the 10 day trip in December. And grandparents will watch over their two boys. Joey has fully-recovered from his heart surgery.

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