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A little more than a year ago, I asked my friend Judy to go to lunch. Judy is one of those very cool people whose opinion I respect very much. She's very career-oriented: after holding a variety of jobs in the newsroom, she's now the editor of our opinions pages. But I don't think there was ever any question that for Judy, family was first. When her sons were young, she reduced her hours to spend more time with them. Now that I had a little boy, I was thinking about doing the same. But it's a different world - the economy was going south, the future was uncertain, I had a wonderful job.

Soon after we sat down, I posed my question, and prepared to launch into the lists of pros and cons I had. "Do it," she said immediately. "You won't regret it for a minute."

Obviously, I did it. I traded in my job as city editor for The Bee to cover Turlock, working mainly out of my home. And City Halls. And coffee shops. And the occasional park (thank you, technology!). It's been a wonderful opportunity. I am learning so much - I've shot video, sent photos to the Web site while still working at the scene, and relearned the thrill of chasing down a good story. I do miss my old job sometimes, especially when there's something big happening and I'm not involved. And I miss seeing and interacting with my co-workers more regularly. And I miss the bigger paycheck - sometimes, I miss it a lot.

But the biggest payoff, of course, is the extra time with my little boy. And I wouldn't trade that for the world. All the books we've read, the Play-Doh sculptures we've created, the walks we've taken around our neighborhood.

As Judy's children got older, she resumed a heftier workload. And now, with them fully grown, she's back to the crazy hours of a newsroom manager. At some point, I could see going back, as well, if they'll have me. But right now, of course, as always, she was absolutely right. I haven't regretted it for a minute.