With a sigh of relief...

Friday was in so many ways Good Friday to me! Not only was it the day to remember the amazing sacrifice of my Lord Jesus Christ, it marked the end of a long journey for me.

I spent Friday morning defending my doctoral dissertation. I am proud to say that everything went well (much better than I anticipated) and I am now officially Dr. Prairie Burgess!!!!!!!!!

This accomplishment comes after...

*Two years of course-work (which I LOVED)

*5 address moves (one being a move to a new state)

*Giving birth to The Wee One

*Dealing with a mild post-partum depression

*Editing & proofing The Husband's dissertation and supporting him through his completion

*Struggling with serious focus issues

*Teaching part-time

*Mothering/Wifing (yes, it's now a word) full-time

*Traveling with The Husband and The Wee One (probably much more than we should have since I had this dissertation to get done)

*A series of loans

*And a multitude of little activities and issues that arise in daily life.

All of that and 183+ pages later, I have completed my formal education and can proudly call myself Dr. Burgess - not that I expect anyone else to call me that (after the first month of course...hahahaha).

One of the things that I was looking most forward to during this process was writing my acknowledgement's page because this path would not have been possible without the love and support of several individuals. I want to share it...


"The journey to complete this dissertation has been filled with challenges, but through the support of certain individuals, I have been able to reach this point of completion. I feel truly blessed to have a Lord who knows me well enough to provide the necessary people in my life to carry me over the rough roads and reach the other side. It is very honestly through His grace and mercy that I am able to accomplish anything.

My dear husband was the ultimate inspiration and support for me to pursue this degree. His love is unconditional, even when I am emotional and nervous about the expectations and unknown of life, including this dissertation. During this process, he has served as a sounding board, a proof-reader, a cook, a cleaner, a baby-sitter, a friend, and a rock of support. I could not have done this without him.

I am fortunate to have a wonderful circle of friends who are genuine, loyal and lucky for me, very intelligent. They have offered advice, helped me work through my thoughts, and given me love and encouragement in all areas of my life, thereby making this that much more attainable. These ladies are my Circle Up family.

Knowing I have the encouragement of my family is something I treasure. My mother has always been a cheerleader for my life, but she also taught me the benefits of determination and hard work. Watching her dedication to education throughout my life has been an underlying current leading me to this point. I am forever grateful to hear and the rest of my family for their encouragement and support.

Finally, I want to offer my appreciation for the professionals I have been so fortunate to work with in my life. First of all, to my wonderful advisor Dr. Michael Miller and my dissertation committee, Dr. David Deggs and Dr. Daniel Pugh, thank you for your patience and encouragement. I would like to thank Dr. Flavius Killebrew and Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart who first introduced me to the concept of civic engagement. Lastly, I would like to extend a special thank you to Mary Anne Minto, my grade-school grammar and writing teacher. Her countless hours spent working with me on run-on sentences and grammatical formats have finally paid off."

There are several individuals who have helped me along the way through practical and emotional support that I could thank...I'm sorry I missed any of you in the recognition page - it was written at 7 in the morning after an all-nighter so I don't know that my mind was 100% percent. Actually I know it wasn't. : )

The picture was actually taken 2 years ago when the school let me walk early. At that time I really thought I would be done within the year...HA! It was nice though since The Husband and I could walk together and only ask the families to sit through that once.