Q. You recently became pregnant and expect to continue working through the pregnancy and after maternity leave. Although the initial reaction has been positive, is it possible you will face negative repercussions in the office?

I'm one of nine sisters. My parents were dairy farmers in Wisconsin. My father didn't believe in girls doing farm work. Girls did housework, and he hired young men to do farm work. I would have preferred to be outside.

As a welder's assistant on pipelines, he follows the work -- sometimes to New York or West Virginia, sometimes Pennsylvania or Ohio. He gets paid more than if he works in Illinois.