Reflections at the top: Gov. Palin rewinds her first year as Alaska's chief executive.

• Author: Grenn, Ben
• Position: Sarah Palin

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It's not on her resume yet, but "juggling" may soon be added to the list of job skills and accomplishments that Gov. Sarah Palin has performed during her first year as Alaska's top executive.

She was handed the task of running the state's business last December, as she became the first female governor to reside in the mansion in Juneau. Her husband, Todd, is away much of the time on the North Slope, working at a full-time job with an irregular schedule, which was to be on a week-on, week-off basis. She's constantly on the go--Blackberry in hand, traveling around the state and overseas on governmental business; making guest appearances at special events, sharing the load of raising four children, three of whom are teenagers. The governor is constantly making last-minute adjustments to her business and social calendars; tussling daily with tough decisions that will impact Alaskans for generations to come and, oh yes, ... squeezing in time for some of life's leisure moments.

It's all a part of being Alaska's 11th governor, a mother and a wife.

"I love my job," said Gov. Palin, not wasting a breath. "I absolutely love this job."

Despite all the headaches that inherently come with the lofty position, Gov. Palin feels comfortable in her new role. But she is quick to point out that just because she is the governor, she hasn't, and won't, shirk her other responsibilities or duties.

"When you elected me as governor, you also got a mom from Wasilla," said the former two-term mayor of the Mat-Su Borough town.

"Other than maybe joining us for morning cabinet meetings, our children, (Track, Bristol, Willow and Piper) are by our side at many of the functions that need my attention as governor."

With all her many years of public service and being in the public light, Palin's new job as governor means being in the public eye even more.

"We were at the fair (Alaska State Fair in Palmer) this summer and folks were stopping me and asking questions or making comments. But during a brief, quiet moment, Piper tugged on me and asked, 'Mommy, isn't there anywhere we can go and it just be us."

Palin says she wouldn't trade the experience for anything as her first year in office winds down, but life as governor isn't always glamorous or a bowl of cherries for her or Alaska's first family.

There has been upheaval in the legislature, including legislators from her own party, where several former Republican lawmakers have gone to trial amid...