We brought Rachel home from her first semester of college Tuesday. We are excited to head out to Southern California to speak at a conference in a few weeks and needed to update her “I Love My Life” presentation. We’ve […]
Today, Rachel starts week two of her classes at Missouri State University(MSU.) Based on her social media posts, she appears to be living the dream and appears to be very much like other college students. I will admit that most […]
When we moved to Olathe, Kansas 10 years ago, I met the Palangi family. Their daughter Ella, who like Rachel has Down syndrome, was a toddler and has now grown into a beautiful young lady who is embracing middle school […]
It is the last day of 2018. I don’t know about you, but this year has gone by at warp speed for me. Thought we could ring in the new year by taking a look at your favorite adventures of […]
Back in October, US Dept. of Education Office of Special Education & Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) asked the National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) if they could assist in finding a self-advocate to submit a blog for their Down Syndrome Awareness Month focus. […]
It has been almost 20 years since we entered the world of Down syndrome. In that 20 years, I have a complied quite a list of phrases, comments, assumptions that I find ridiculous, ignorant, stupid (sorry but sometimes it just […]
“Thank you Jesus that my mom and dad come see me work at the Olive Garden. I love my job at the Olive Garden.” – From Rachel’s morning prayer earlier this week. “No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts […]
Conservatively, I estimate Rachel has had 45 IEP meetings. I just returned home from her last IEP meeting – almost 16 years to the day we had her first IEP meeting to discuss transition to preschool. Truly, it seems like […]
This month is Theatre in Our Schools month. In honor of this month, I’m reviving an old blog, Auditions: Paralyzed by Fear. Originally written in 2011, I talk about how Rachel became involved in theatre and her first audition paved […]
Back in September, I wrote “What Will Rachel Do Next Year?” Seemed like a smart way to communicate to everyone because it is THE question. I outlined her preferences and some of our options. I said we wanted to enjoy […]