Am I smarter than a third grader?

I volunteered to help with our annual Public School fundraiser (way back in November, before I learned how to say "no") and I got sucked into this all-consuming vortex for three weeks, which I was finally spit out of on March 11th (the day after the event was finally held). I was in charge of the classroom art project (pictured below,) the classroom basket and, last but not least, I had also volunteered to help furnish and decorate the event. Translation: Alienation of entire family. I made El Misterioso (AKA my husband) attend the event and we had a great time. Partly because my involvement with this extravaganza was over and partly because we had a fun table of friends to eat, drink, and be merry with.

I'll get to the point. The Chair of the event decided to hold a raffle (selling 100 tickets for $100). The winner of said raffle would be allowed to select any item that was up for grabs in the silent or live auction! Everyone, on a first come, first serve basis, could chose their ticket number or numbers -- if you purchased more. I decided to add all our birthdays together and I came up with the number "56," which I eagerly purchased for 100 bucks. There was a palpable buzz of anticipation in the minutes leading up to the draw. It was great.

Well guess who won the lucky ticket?!!! Meeeeeee! When they called it and called my name at dinner, I lept for joy, hooting and hollering, I couldn't believe it. I quickly huddled with EM and after a very short debate between picking a suite at Dodger Stadium for twenty people or a week in the Bahamas, we quickly decided on the vacation. Yeah, Bahamas!!! Anna-Nicole, here we come!

I danced up to the front, pumping my fists triumphantly, to receive this huge "Bahamas" placard which I marched back to my ecstatic husband and applauding crowd. All 260 pair of eyes were on me -- and apparently, the back of my dress, WHICH WAS SOAKING WET! Can you say, "embarrassed?" Can you say "mortified?" There was no rock for me to crawl under, no Scottie, to beam me up. My seat was wet. I just groaned.

Why can't things just happen to me in a normal fashion? So typical. Classic Isabelle. I'm used to the regular embarrassment of having lettuce stuck between my teeth. I'm defective that way. But a wet dress? I quickly wrapped the pashmina around my waist and, beet-faced, side-stepped my way to the Ladies', desperately hoping to air-dry myself, FAST.

Later, after I downed my glass of Chardonnay to dull the pain, my hubby asked me how I came up with the number and I told him about the birthday math and he nodded, pleased... then he turned to me, incredulously, and said: "the sum of our birthdays (Mak, Jack's, his and mine) is 54, not 56"! Duh, he was right of course (I hate that). I messed up. But my error still won us a family a vacation, right? This was all about karmic payback for the volunteer work I had just completed, right? This was not a reward for being smarter that an third grader, which apparently, I'm not.

But I am lucky!!!!

Is - off to see the world!

PS: When Jack found out that we were the lucky winners and that we hadn't selected "Principal For A Day" he pitched a hissy fit. Principal for a day? Are you kidding me?