Acknowledgments

Writing a book is a monumental task. Without the support and understanding of those close to me, my dreams for this book would have never come to fruition. Special thanks go to the following special people who helped to make this book possible and, more importantly, who give my life meaning:

Dan Balter (my incredible husband), for his ongoing support, love, encouragement, friendship, and, as usual, patience with me while I wrote this book. Dan, words cannot adequately express the love and appreciation that I feel for all that you are and all that you do for me. You treat me like a princess! Thank you for being the phenomenal person you are, and thank you for loving me for who I am and for supporting me during the difficult times. I enjoy not only sharing our career successes, but even more I enjoy sharing the life of our beautiful children, Alexis and Brendan. I look forward to continuing to reach highs we never dreamed of. There is no one I’d rather spend forever with than you.

Alexis Balter (my precious daughter and dynamite dancer, actress, and ice skater), for giving life a special meaning. Your intelligence, compassion, caring, and perceptiveness are far beyond your years. Alexis, you make all my hard work worth it. No matter how bad my day, when I look at you, sunshine fills my life. You are the most special gift that anyone has ever given me. Finally, thanks for being my walking partner. I love the conversations that we have as we walk many miles each day.

Brendan Balter (my adorable son and little actor and athlete), for showing me the power of persistence. Brendan, you are small, but, boy, are you mighty! I have never seen such tenacity and fortitude in such a little person. Your imagination and creativity are amazing! Thank you for your sweetness, your sensitivity, and your unconditional love. Most of all, thank you for reminding me how important it is to have a sense of humor.

Charlotte and Bob Roman (Mom and Dad), for believing in me and sharing in both the good times and the bad. Mom and Dad, without your special love and support, I never would have become who I am today. Without all your help, I could never get everything done. Words can never express how much I appreciate all that you do!

Al Ludington, for helping me to slow down and experience the shades of gray in the world. You somehow walk the fine line between being there and setting limits, between comforting me and confronting me. Words cannot express how much your unconditional love means to me. Thanks for always being there for me and for showing me that a beautiful mind is not such a bad thing after all.

Herb and Maureen Balter (my honorary mom and dad), for being such a wonderful mother-in-law and father-in-law. Although our paths were rocky at the beginning, I want you to know how special you are to me. I appreciate your acceptance and your warmth. I also appreciate all you have done for Dan and me. I am grateful to have you in my life.

Sue Terry, for being the most wonderful best friend anyone could possibly have. You inspire me with your music, your love, your friendship, and your faith in God. Whenever I am having a bad day, I picture you singing “Dear God” or “Make Me Whole,” and suddenly my day gets better. Thank you for the gift of friendship.

Roz, Ron, and Charlie Carriere, for supporting my endeavors and for encouraging me to pursue my writing. It means a lot to know that you guys are proud of me for what I do. I enjoy our times together as a family. Charlie, have a great time at Yale.

Steven Chait, for being a special brother. I want you to know how much you mean to me. When I was a little girl, I was told about your gift for writing. You may not know this, but my desire to write started as a little girl, wanting to be like her big brother. Now that we’re adults, I see how many ways we truly are alike.

Sonia Aguilar, for being the best nanny that anyone could ever dream of having. You are a person far too special to describe in words. Although you are no longer part of our daily lives, Alexis and Brendan will love you always. I appreciate the beautiful foundation that you gave them during their key developmental years. You are an amazing model of love, kindness, and charity.

Greggory Peck from Blast Through Learning, for your contribution to my success in this industry. I believe that the opportunities you gave me early on have helped me reach a level in this industry that would have been much more difficult for me to reach on my own. Most of all, Greggory, thanks for your love and friendship. I love you, bro!

Nicole Phelps, for being a great office manager. Thanks for making my day-to-day work life easier. Although you are my office manager, you are much more than that. You are a friend, and you are like a little sister to me. You are a very special person and deserve the best in life. Don’t ever forget how special you are!

Scott Barker, for helping me to manage my heavy schedule and for being a special friend. On a work level, I can’t express how much you help me. You treat my clients as I would and have a work ethic beyond reproach. On a personal level, you, Diana, and your family are all great friends. My children adore your family, and Dan and I adore you and Diana. Thanks for being in our lives.

Reverend Molly, for advancing me spiritually in ways that I can’t even describe. You are an amazing woman and are my mentor. I love you dearly. Thanks also to all of my church friends: Ed, Robin, Gayle, Gail, Greg, Ivette, Sharon, Heather, Jim, Sheryl, John, Rick, Janie, Sherri, Mildred, Opal, Sue, Mary, Terri, Susan, Beth, and all of the people I am forgetting to mention, for all of your love and support.

Diane Dennis, Shell Forman, Ann Sookikian, Bob Hess, Anne Weiderweber, Norbert Foigelman, Chris Sabihon, and all the other wonderful friends that I have in my life. Diane, you have been my soul mate in life since we were four! Shell, my special “sister,” I am lucky to have such a special friend as you. Ann, although I haven’t known you for very long, you are a very special friend in my life. Bob, you are always there when we need you, and somehow manage to keep a smile on your face. Anne, you are a wonderful friend, walking partner, and confidante. Norbert, you are a very special friend to me and to my family. Chris, you are not only a special friend, but you have had an important impact on my spiritual path in life!

¡Gaby Ayar gracias por todo! ¡Tú eres una amiga perfecta! Queiro que tengas una vida perfecta. ¡Te amo mucho!

Ellen McCrea, Chuck Hinkle, Diane Buehre, Dan Buffington, Silas Raymond, Philip Ochoa, and all the other special clients and work associates that I have in my life. Although all of you started out as work associates, I feel that our relationship goes much deeper than that. I am very lucky to have people in my work life like you. Thank you all for your patience with my schedule as I wrote this book.

Loretta Yates, George Nedeff, Todd Meister, and Kevin Howard, for making my experience with Sams a positive one. Loretta, I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed working with you over the past several years. You are very easy to work with, and I enjoy the personal relationship that we have developed as well. I look forward to working together for years to come. George, Todd, and Kevin, I know that you all worked very hard to ensure that this book came out on time and with the best quality possible. Without you, this book wouldn’t have happened. I have really enjoyed working with all of you over these past several months. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and your sensitivity to my schedule and commitments outside this book. It is nice to work with people who appreciate me as a person, not just as an author.