Full Steam Ahead!, 2nd Edition

A Real Beginning

I stood before the doors of Carpenter Insurance Agency, at the threshold of a new world. At thirty-eight years old, I had never worked a day outside the house. I had been a top student in college, heading toward a rewarding career. During a summer internship at an accounting firm, I’d met Doug, a handsome, up-and-coming CPA. Our plan was to marry as soon as I graduated. Then I’d go to graduate school, earn an MBA, and get a great job. We’d have a couple of children, and with our two incomes we’d have a large house, a nanny, fun vacations, and a great life.

We did marry and I did begin an MBA program at a prestigious school. But two things happened that weren’t in the plan: we got pregnant unexpectedly—twins, no less!—and Doug ...