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EARLIER in the sum- mer, I got a phone call from a woman I did not know asking me to be a student judge for the Garden Club of Virginia Rose Show.

At first I thought, "Are you kidding, I don't have time for that!"

Then she mentioned that a party was being held for the judges and that they would send me a list of inns to call for a room.

I suddenly had visions of staying in an inn all by myself and going to a party held in my honor, in the middle of a school week. How decadent!

I told the nice lady to sign me up and that's how I ended up in a gorgeous room in Urbanna last week.

Now, normally, for me, Tuesdays involve swimming car pools, football practice, homework and somehow coming up with something to eat that's acceptable to most of my family.

However, on this Tuesday evening, I spent a leisurely hour propped up on the many fabulous pillows on the pristine bed thumbing through some of the nifty magazines thoughtfully provided by the inn. My husband kindly took care of all the kid stuff.

When it was time to get ready for dinner, I only had to worry about making sure I was presentable. There was none of the perennial "go find a collared shirt" or "make sure you put the dog away" business.

A little bus came to pick up me and some other judges who were staying at my inn.

These were no ordinary judges either. Several of them were from the American Rose Society and got to wear spiffy medals with their party clothes.

The bus whisked us to the headmaster's house at Christchurch School in Christchurch. Lights twinkled on a tent set up for the party.

I felt like Cinderella as I got to talk "big people" talk and didn't have to worry about inhaling my food before someone got bored. Best of all, the ladies of the Garden Club of the Middle Peninsula, sponsors of the Rose Show, are great cooks.