For 10 hours, I waited outside a closed Krispy Kreme store in the hopes of winning a prize of free doughnuts for a year and no amount of rain or sketchiness of downtown Raleigh was going to stop me from fulfilling my dream of free Krispy Kreme.

Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. the Krispy Kreme store on Peace Street reopened after renovations caused the store to be closed for about two months. For the grand reopening, Krispy Kreme offered prizes, ranging from free T-shirts to free doughnuts for a year. The most coveted prize was for the first person in line: one dozen free doughnuts every week for a year.

My love affair with Krispy Kreme doughnuts began roughly at the age of four, when my father handed me a hot, gooey doughnut and I proceeded to smear sugar all across my face and clothes. Therefore, when I learned of this opportunity to win the delicious confections for a year, I jumped in headfirst with Operation All-Nighter. Don’t laugh. I took the Operation very seriously, even recruiting several of my friends to protect me from the evils of downtown Raleigh.

My all-nighter began at 9 p.m. Monday night with me, three friends, and one GPS which got us lost as soon as we hit Hargett Street. After using a different GPS, we finally arrived at the store only to face defeat. There were already seven people there, and they had been there since 12:30 that afternoon. Disheartened, we lugged our trunkload of blankets, pillows, activities, warm clothes and sunken spirits to the forming line.

Our hearts soared, however, when we found out the first 12 customers would win a free dozen for a year – not every week, but every month. This news came like manna from heaven because it meant I would still win the precious bounty. All I had to do was defend my spot in line for the next 10 hours.

For starters, my dear friend Jenny created a claustrophobic fort of lawn chairs and blankets, which we used as a hideout for an hour before tearing it down so we could actually sit in comfort. The fort was an interesting idea, but not very practical.

The hours passed by somewhat eventfully: a carload of friends also got lost on their way to the store, and as I was trying to get them back on track, all of a sudden I experienced hearing loss from the deafening screeches resonating from the cell phone. Apparently, a homeless man came up to their car in the middle of an abandoned parking lot and they freaked out, nearly running over the poor guy in their haste to get away. When the rest of my crew finally arrived, a gigantic game of Phase 10 ensued, a gigantic hissy fit by me over the ineptness of my friends to play a simple card game ensued, and then the rain ensued.

After soaking most of the chairs, blankets, games and people, the short shower effectively ruined the playful mood. However, we all persevered, thanks to a much-appreciated Cook Out run that brought deliverance in the form of a peanut butter milkshake.

The rest of my morning was spent chatting with a random man about life and religion, every so often opening the umbrella to avoid the rain, which became more frequent as the sky began to lighten, and eating both the fresh free doughnuts the employees brought out for us and the grilled doughnuts the first person in line grilled for us.

At 5:30 a.m. the moment of truth arrived when a Krispy Kreme employee came out to take names for the drawing to determine who would turn on the Hot Now sign for the first time since the store closed (which is a lie because they totally tested the sign around 4 a.m. that morning). Everyone that had camped out began packing up their belongings to accommodate the growing line of soon-to-be customers.

Sadly, some little girl in a pink Snuggie and rainboots won the honor of turning back on the Hot Now sign (I myself had my own leopard print Snuggie and rainboots with me). But at 6 a.m. when that sign came on, the giddy audience erupted in cheers; alas, Krispy Kreme was open for business again!

After collecting my T-shirt, coupon for a free ice-cream, voucher for my free dozen doughnuts every month for a year and my paper Krispy Kreme hat, I rushed to buy more doughnuts for my parents, who were at home expecting sugary goodness.

After dropping my friends off at home, the plan was to continue my day working at my 9-to- 5 job. That never happened. Deciding I didn’t want to see any more rain for the rest of the day, I took the day off and slept. And slept. And slept.

Operation All-Nighter was mostly a success ñ and for those who deny it, I only have to shove my voucher for free doughnuts in their faces to prove that in the end, all I do is win.