Acknowledgements
Never in my wildest dreams did I know what I was getting into when I began my dissertation! As a woman who is the queen of saying, "I can handle it all," this was one of the largest curveballs of time, persistence and dedication that I have ever undertaken. The quote “It takes a village to raise a child” is the best that I can sum up for my dissertation experience. My daughter and this project have been handled by a village of wonderful caring people who have our best interests at heart.
To begin, I must thank GOD. A million prayers have been sent and answered. Next to my husband, this will be the fourth graduation that you will experience with me. For the past 15 years of our relationship, you have always been my biggest cheerleader in my pursuit of higher education and ways to better myself. Thank you honey for your patience and support. How about law school next? To my darling drama queen daughter, there is nothing harder than to work all week and then turn to you on Saturday morning and say, "Mommy has to work on school all weekend." It killed me to leave you time and again to work on this Ph.D., but I had to believe that it would benefit you in the long run. I love you my "little bug."
My next biggest supporters have been my extended family. My mother moved over 6 hours away from her home to become a nanny to my daughter, and she has been a rock. Never complaining and always telling me how proud she was of me, thank you Mom! Additionally my father has been extremely tenacious with his encouragement of my completing this degree. He becomes extremely emotional discussing his daughter, the doctor. Thank you Dad! And my amazing brother, Tyler, had to hear my daily grumbling about how overwhelmed and exhausted I was, juggling my life. He never complained just kept me focused on the goal. Ken & Tillie, thank you for calling me your “pretty nerd” and supporting my desire for this degree – even when it kept you from having grandchildren. Mema, thank you for keeping me grounded and for being so loving.
To my girlfriends, what would I do without you? First, Erin, you came with your own special name for my dissertation and would e-mail me weekly to ask about my progress. Your pestering and humor helped me get to the finish line. Lynsey, the editor to end all editors, you are so detailed where I often only see the big picture. Thank you for your endless hours and your insight. Somer, you were constantly involved with finding me resources and using your journalism training. Allison, Cortney and Mary Alice, thank you for being editors and cheerleaders along this rocky road. Sorry for always giving you an earful of frustration. You are all such strong women that make me who I am.
To my doctoral cohort, what a long and strange trip this has been. So many twists and turns in our lives to get us to this point, and I have learned something from all of you. Loralyn, thank goodness we had one another to keep motivated. I miss all of you.
To my doctoral committee and professors, thank you for your extreme patience, knowledge and support. Dr. Bradley, you have been so understanding to my thinking out of the box of counselor education as well as to the significant life changes I have experienced and have supported me throughout. Dr. Parr, Dr. Duemer and Dr. Crews, I want to express my sincerest appreciation for your expertise and time through this process. Most of all, I want to express my gratitude to the research participants that made this project possible!
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