Happy New Year ! Can I leave now?

This is the day that I look forward to all year  long: Vacation Request Day.

Vacation Request Day is when my team of 17 people all try to take off the same days every year.

I've had a knot in my stomach all week.

Because I have to tell all but one of them "no"

And if there is one thing I hate, it's having to tell people "no."

I was raised to be personable and accomodating. "No" wasn't really in my vocabulary.  But now, I find myself telling people "no" with more and more frequency.

And never saying "yes" for anything for myself.

It's always hard for me to decide when I should take vacation. I usually sprinkle my 21 days liberally throughout the year, starting with the second full week of January. But things have been so tight at the office, I doesn't look like I will be getting any substansial time any time soon.

Holidays are always the most hotly contested. While the Fall and Winter months are the businesses busiest time, that is also the time when most of the staff want to be off.

I would love to have the week between Christmas and New Year's off. My husband is off and my kids are all out of school.  But my boss, who's husband is in school administration, always takes this week off so that she can spend time with her husband.  I don't begrudge her that. She spends so much time at the office, I'm surprised they ever see one another.

So when I head out for the weekend, I will be carrying my schedules and my calendar and my stack of requests.

Oh JOY!