Screw the Friday Feast, Thanksgiving is coming up and we'll be gluttons all NEXT week.

Just got back from Costco (yep, $344 down, but that $60 bottle of Grey Goose will be my salvation during the holiday, so totally worth it) and found a letter in the mailbox from the company I interviewed with (or was telephone screened and personality-tested by). Got Stu settled in front of the boob tube so I could open it in peace.... And: opened it up, oooh! such thick paper, certainly they wouldn't send rejections on such nice stock, uh-oh, doesn't look like there is much writing on the other side,... Oh. "Thank you, blah blah, We appreciate, blah blah, We find your accomplishments impressive (oooh, nice touch), after careful consideration (oh-no), we have decided to pursue other candidates at this time."

Wait just a minute. You mean they don't want me? Unbelievable! This is the part where I would love to throw around a bunch of invectives and explain why they really missed the boat on this.... but, actually, I am incredibly relieved to not have to take it through another round of interviews and then possible emloyment or rejection. The idea of being back out in the workforce, though incredibly appealing, is also a reality that is pretty scary. Not just for me, but for the kids and my husband. If I had gotten a job that suddenly required 40-50 hours of my time every week, I'm really not sure how the family would've done it. My kids are not the kind that can be parented on auto-pilot (try as I might!). So, in fact, I am more relieved that I got rejected than anything else. And the whole experience makes me value being home with the kids that much more.

Now: Ask me how I feel about all this right after Christmas break and see if I still "value" my time at home. There isn't a doubt in my mind that I will have a few invectives to throw around then!