I'm still calling it a GREAT SUCCESS!

18 hours shy of the ETBR (Estimayed Time of Big Reveal) I had to tell Dawn the big secret. Considering that I've had the big secret for over a week and that all the kids knew the big secret, that's pretty good. So like I said, GREAT SUCCESS!

What had happened was . . .I went to the store late yesterday afternoon. When I came back Storm was on the phone with Janie, his first little girlfriend. We LOVE her! Dawn laughed and told me that she had called to ask if he is Filipino. We have no idea why she wanted to know or what led her to believe that. Anyway, Dawn went on to say that she and Janie's mom had planned a playdate (hate that word!) for this afternoon.

FLASHING RED LIGHTS! FLASHING RED LIGHTS! Channel President Clinton's look-you-in-the-face-and-lie-convincingly powers!

That, of course, is not what happened. I stammered, blushed and hid in the fridge until I came out with a half-downed beer. The beer was an Abita, because I was just feeling it, you know? No, you don't know. Just give me a second and it will all become clear. In all but complete panic mode, I put the beer down in front of Dawn and said, "Here's your first clue." Her hands were covered in shrimp juice so she just stared at the beer and kept peeling shrimp and kept talking about the playdate (hate that word!)

After she got the shrimp going and I had worn one of those pacing ditches in the floor, she went to the computer. I peeked around the corner and saw that she was on Abita.com. She got a very confused look on her face and slowly turned around. She saw me before I could snatch my head back around the corner, so I smiled coyly. She said, "Are we going to New Orleans?" I nodded.

Happy? No. Excited? No. Those words don't do her reaction justice. She was both laughing and crying. Spinning me around and a little unsteady on her feet. I let her ramble on about the zoo and the aquarium and all the kid things for a few minutes before I said, "Sans Kids."

Her beautiful green peepers just about popped out of her head.

So get ready for lots of pictures on Monday! Wish us a great weekend and Dawn a Happy Birthday!