Well, I guess I won't start working in January ...

I learned today that the invites for the January A-100 class have gone out.  People lower than me on the register got invites. I did not, because I am not technically on the register. After 2 years my clearance needed to be "re-upped" so I am currently under investigation yet again. This time it feels slower than any previous time. We had really been planning on me starting work in January, so this is an enormous blow. Please, if anyone's reading this, think good thoughts for this to be done in time for the March class (assuming there is a March class).

Gratitude #26

26. Today I am grateful for family. Since we've been back in the USA we have spent more time with family - immediate, extended, biological and not - from both sides than we had in at least 7 years. I am excited to see my one big brother I haven't seen in more than 3 years when he comes for Thanksgiving, and my mother might just faint when all her children and all her grandchildren are under one roof.

The first lost tooth!!!

Extra, extra, read all about it! After two teeth have already come in - behind the baby teeth, oy can we say orthodonture? - Alex has FINALLY wiggled and waggled that one very loose tooth to its very end. It happened about 10 minutes past bedtime so there are no photos as yet. Now we need to find the tooth fairy's special present (a light-up toothbrush) and figure out her going rate ($1.00, I think).

And now we can start wiggling and waggling the one not-very-loose tooth, because I think these adult teeth will eventually need to more forward.

Gratitude #25

25. Today I am grateful for the kitchen cart my mom got us for Hanukkah (yes, it was given early. I'm Ok with that.)  It has seriously transformed my kitchen experience, and given that I make dinner 9 nights out of 10, cook something for breakfast several days a week, make bread, yogurt, applesauce etc etc I spend a LOT of time in that very small space. Not having to take out half a cabinet to get to the one thing I need that got pushed to the back not because it's less used but because everything is often used is a joy. Not having to wash every single dish or pan before starting the new project because there is zero counter space is another joy.

Thanks again, mom!

Gratitude #24

24. Today I am grateful for good fortune and good habits. A short while back, Terry went to the doctor and during the course of the exam the doc performed a test on him. As it turns out, the test isn't covered by insurance and doesn't even come out of the deductible or out-of-pocket expenses (that is the part that truly blows my mind). So it's just cash we're out. Hundreds of dollars.

I'm annoyed, and frustrated, and angry. But I am NOT: scared; worried; anxious. This extra unforeseen cost doesn't change our Thanksgiving, Hanukkah/Christmas, shopping habits or family activities. The number of Americans for whom a situation like this might just push them right over the brink they have been teetering on ... it's more than I want to think about.

It's also a two part blessing, as I see it. Yes we have and have had jobs that allowed a better than hand-to-mouth existence. But we've also always saved no matter what we've earned. And for those things, and the heat in my house turned down because Terry is freakishly hot all the time and not because we can't afford to turn it up, I am grateful.

Gratitude #23

23. Today I am grateful to receive good customer service. It really does happen sometime, and (as a piece of advice to any business) it really does engender a sense of loyalty to the store that provides it. One of the kids' Hanukkah presents was not in the Fat Brain Toys box even though the packing slip said it was. I called with little hope. They sent out the item the same day. We already loved Fat Brain and now will be sure to use them and recommend them to everyone we know.

Gratitude #22

22. Today I am grateful for naps. I don't know how 10-20 minutes of sleep during the day can make a person feel like they got an extra 1, 2 or even 3 hours' sleep the night before - the math doesn't seem to compute properly. And yet, it works.

Gratitude #21

21. Today I am grateful for the DS customer service guy I spoke with yesterday. I have been diligently calling to check my clearance status every 2 weeks since September, only to be told every time that it's "under investigation" and not one word more. The target completion date has passed. Finally, today, the guy I spoke with said that he wasn't seeing what he expected to see for how long my case has been in the works and "not for me" (he was very clear about that) but for his own curiosity he's getting in touch with my case manager to see if something's up. He promised to call me within 24 hours with any information that he can tell me. It may be nothing but at least someone is actually looking into it!

Gratitude #20

20. Today I am grateful for the neighbor's teenage daughter who came by last night to offer her babysitting services at a totally reasonable rate. Do I hear "date night" calling?

Wordless Wednesday