Cheryl (Alford) Milton writes: "I am currently the mental health division chief of the Macon Judicial Circuit office of the public defender in Macon, Ga. My son Matthew is in 8th grade at Mount DeSales Academy.

Clint Kennedy writes: "The two big events at our household this year are that both of my sons, Robert and George, began attending Carleton College this fall. Earlier this summer, the boys and I completed our second trek at Philmont Scout Reservation, more than 70 miles up and down mountains, fending off bears and watching blue birds and humming birds. This time, I didn't carry 65 pounds of gear. Though it was useful for making brownies for a scout's birthday on the first trip, I did without the iron skillet this time."

Jack Norton writes: "Having spent 26 years in commercial banking, I found in 2000 that my position had been eliminated. Turning to a totally different environment, I found myself applying my financial skills as finance director in a municipal arena, specifically the Village of Westchester, a community of approximately 17,000 in the western suburbs of Chicago. I cannot remember anyone at Kellogg bringing up fund accounting, which is a totally different accounting animal. Realizing that I would need some additional skills and education, I started the master of public administration program at Illinois Institute of Technology in August 2002 and completed my MPA in May 2006. In June, I was named deputy village manager for Westchester."

Rhonda Salins writes: "I am a senior vice president of investments at Smith Barney in Deerfield, Ill., and just celebrated my 27th anniversary with the firm. My husband and I reside in Highland Park, Ill., and we have three children in college."

Steve Weinstein writes: "My firm, Altair Advisers, recently celebrated its fourth anniversary. We are an independent investment counseling firm, focusing on high net-worth individuals, families and foundations. We have 28 employees and approximately 160 clients, and we advise on more than $2.1 billion. I was named for the fourth consecutive year to Worth magazine's list of top 100 wealth advisers in October. I was also named in September to the Who's Who in Chicago Business list published by Crain's Chicago Business, the second year in a row for this honor."