Sylvia Gaffney:  

Where did the last 30 years go? I look back on the time and wonder where did it go? What did I do? What do I have to show for it? One thing is for sure I spent way too much time working. I view my life as 2 chapters ¿ BK and AK (before having kids and after having kids). I had my kids later in life at age 36 and 38. I missed our 20 year high school reunion because I had just given birth to my daughter. I look back fondly on my life before I had kids and honestly wonder what I did with all of the spare time I had on my hands. I wasted it on sleeping in, working longer hours in the office, climbing the corporate ladder, going on leisurely 50 mile bike rides, hosting extravagant dinner parties with copious amounts of red wine, hanging out with friends, shopping, getting my nails done, obsessing about my weight and trying to achieve the ultimate Ban de Soleil tan. After having kids, I didn't have time to sleep in. Working late was no longer an option with little baby birds waiting to be fed at home. Long weekend workout sessions were crammed into 2 hour segments (the maximum time for child care at the gym). Dinner parties turned into quick BBQs with limited alcohol because who wants to be hung over when you have to get up before the crack of dawn with kids. Shopping was accomplished on the Internet during my work lunch hour. Manicured nails? Forget about it. Not a priority. And, I stopped looking at the number on the bathroom scale and focused on the time on my watch to see how many miles I could run or how long it would take me to swim a mile. Forget about the tan. I now pile on tons of sunscreen and spend entirely too much on anti wrinkle/skin care products that promise to turn back the clock. I am living my dream. I live in Carlsbad, a coastal suburb of San Diego County, California. We are about 4 miles from South Ponto Beach if you want to Google us. I am married with 2 kids (ages 11 and 9 1/2), a golden retriever, a gray tabby cat and 20+ black molly fish. I am an attorney licensed to practice law in California, Maryland and Ohio. I primarily work on corporate transactions, contracts, real estate, corporate governance and compliance matters. I am the Associate General Counsel for National Shipbuilding Steel Corporation, a business unit of General Dynamics, which constructs large oil tanker vessels mostly for the Navy. I wo...Expand for more