First of all, you should never feel stupid for feeling proud of yourself. Getting a job offer from any top technical company is an accomplishment, let alone fro

First of all, you should never feel stupid for feeling proud of yourself. Getting a job offer from any top technical company is an accomplishment, let alone from a company whose work you admire. It's obviously not something you should let get to your head, but our society doesn't give us nearly enough time to enjoy and appreciate our accomplishments and how they reflect on our hard work - this sounds like a perfect time to do so. Seriously, congratulations. As for the decision, well, I'm in a very different place in my life - 26, single, etc. I can't exactly give first hand experience. (I can say that living in cities is often cheaper than it seems, especially if you or your kids can take advantage of public transit - car insurance and gas adds up quick!) I think the important thing to remember is, all getting a job offer does is give you more options, not less. Whatever you decide, I'd take your offer as a vote of confidence that with or without working for Google, you'll do just fine.