I fully intended to write some blogs about Rachel’s transition time and gap semester. But, I have been distracted. That’s the only word I can find. I love fall because of college football, the beautiful colored artwork God paints in […]
Distracted
Guest Blog: Rachel’s ABLE to Save Message
It’s National #ABLEtoSave month! Rachel joined Matt Syverson, Financial Planner and Dad to a daughter with Down syndrome, Tom Treacy, Kansas State Treasurer’s Office, and me in sharing about ABLE accounts at the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City […]
A Hometown Treasure – The Honeysuckle Mercantile
Since Rachel’s school doesn’t start until January, last week she and I spent the week on Joy Mountain. Nestled in the foothills of the Ozarks, Joy Mountain is the beautiful community where I grew up. Most of the people I […]
Rockin Rachel Wins a Scholarship
Two weeks ago I wrote about Rachel receiving her college acceptance letter inviting her to be a Missouri State Bear Power student. Her college adventure begins January 2019. That video has had almost 70,000 views! It was a big week […]
What Will Rachel Do Next Year? Hogs & Hawks & Bears, Oh My!
For way over a year, the big question has been “What will Rachel do?” Of course this is a common question for incoming high school seniors, but the answer and discussion is far more complicated when you have an intellectual […]
Last Year as a Teenager! Happy Birthday, Ms. Rachel!
Today is Rachel’s 19th birthday. If you are anywhere near her, you know that. The girl loves her birthday, and celebrates it for at least a month if not the entire year. Forget that she just had a really big […]
“A Diploma, Just Like My Friends”
May 20, 2018 was a momentous occasion for Rachel and our family. She was one of 563 members of the Olathe South Class of 2018. Thousands across the country are members of the Class of 2018. We celebrated before, during, […]
Rachel’s Graduation Day
“This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. ” Nineteen years ago we were awaiting the arrival of Rachel Nicole Mast. We had known for five months that she would be born […]
Appreciating Excellent Teachers and a Meeting with the New Super
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Rachel has just five more days of high school and two of those are finals. It has been a journey for sure. In grade school, each year I would write a note to her classroom teacher […]
It is Finished: Rachel’s Last IEP Meeting – EVER!
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 […]