And the Oscar Goes To...

With graduation looming, I thought it would be the appropriate time to thank everyone that has helped me over the past three years. While I'm proud of myself and all the work it took to get here, I know that I couldn't have done it without the support of many people. 

First of all, Derek, my sweet husband. Thank you for your unfailing encouragement and your belief in me. Thanks for letting me cry when it all got too overwhelming. Thanks for stepping up and being a great dad on the many nights I had to work and/or do homework (and all the time, of course!) Thanks for taking over all the cooking so I didn't have to worry about it. And most of all, thanks for being patient, for making my goals your goals, and for making an effort to understand what I'm going through. I love you! 

Thanks, mom, for believing in me more than anyone else ever has. I could have told you I wanted to go to space school and become an astronaut and you wouldn't have blinked an eye. Thanks for making the long trips up here to help out with Annabel and the house whenever it got too overwhelming. And thanks for taking your granddaughter for days at a time so I could rest! (and/or study for finals:)

Dad, thank you for your encouraging emails, Thomas Jefferson quotes, and for helping me keep everything in perspective. 

Thanks to all my professors who let me bring my newborn baby to class, my toddler to supervision, and Dr. Hudson for lending me your office to pump breastmilk! What new mother trying to juggle a thousand things could do it without your humor and grace? Thanks for making this school a mommy-friendly place. 

Thank you to everyone who has helped out by watching Annabel when I had a paper due, a test to study for, or a client to meet- (the list is exhaustive, but I'll try!)- Melissa, Yonda, Pamie, Lindsay, Fred and Sue, Angie and Caleb, Jamie, Sarah and Tasha, Marcus, the girls in the clinic, Kristy, Rita, and many more, I'm sure! What a community I have in you all! 

And a special thanks to two of my girlfriends, Shanna and Paige... in your own ways you have helped me become a better therapist and a better person. You've allowed me to vent, helped me come up with ideas, and just provided lots of support, encouragement, and friendly faces as we went through this together. It would have been impossible without friends like you girls.  

Thanks to each of my supervisors over the year- Jerry, Jennie, Dr. Gerig, Dr. Budd, Vickie, Dr. Reyes and Matt. You were all so helpful in your individual ways. Your insight and wisdom has been invaluable. 

Thanks, Annabel, for being the best daughter anyone could ever hope for. Your beautiful spirit motivates me every morning to be the best person I can be. 

And thank you everyone else for words of encouragement, emails, "been there done that" stories, and just for listening and being friends. I appreciate you all so much.