Judi Evans (ex-Bonnie/Adrienne, Days of our Lives; ex-Paulina, Another World) is slated to hit Oakdale Aug. 26 in a hush-hush role, and she couldn't be more excited.

"[Manager] Michael Bruno, my illustrious god that he is, called me up one day and he said, 'Listen, I have something coming up; what do you think?' And I said, 'I need to get back to New York; I have a 20-by-20 storage unit full of furniture that I have to clean out,'" laughs Evans. "I was going to go this summer anyway, so it was very out of the blue and it was certainly welcome.

"I'm looking forward to working with [executive producer] Chris Goutman again and I can't wait to see Julie Pinson (Janet; ex- Billie, Days). I miss her. [My son] Austin hasn't been back to New York since he was 2 or 3 years old, so he's going to meet all his cousins that he doesn't remember and will see some family. It really turned out to be perfect timing."

It's also perfect because Evans is returning to the very studio where she used to film AW. "I dream about the Brooklyn studio from time to time, so I can't wait to go back and hopefully see some of the same crew that I used to work with and have that fabulous Chinese food that I had missed so much," she beams.

Of course, this new gig comes just as Wally Kurth returns to Days as Adrienne's hubb} Justin. Could she eventually follow suit? "I certainly miss Days, too," admits Evans. "I love working there, so if it were to happen, I would want to. Wally is the sweetest; he's the kind of guy that deserves only the best!"