An overdue update

I'm feeling the urge to use the blog again to share experiences with our family and with genealogy. So much has happened since 2019! Here's a brief update on everyone's activities: Matt is 9 years cancer free! Praise God! He's spent the last 4 years as Bishop of our awesome Grindstone Creek ward in the Far West, Missouri Stake. In 2022, he moved teaching positions from the St. Joseph Missouri School District to the small-town school the kids began in 2020 in Osborn, Missouri. There are about 10 kids in each class of that preK-high school. It was a major paycut but a good experience to be at the same school as the kids (Felicity, Klaus, and Maggie). He even got to be Klaus's 6th grade teacher which is something Klaus has looked forward to ever since he started public school with Daddy in kindergarten. But this past year Matt got offered a job for a charter school in California called John Adams Academy. It has been a pay increase and he gets to work remotely which is something he's always wanted. It's been an incredible experience for him. Hopefully he'll share more about it on the blog. We're hoping the kids will be able to join their private school when they open next year. Rhyetta (me). I got started doing family history a few years ago (that's a story for another blog post) and now I realize that it's my passion and purpose in life! I'm almost done with my Associates Degree at BYU-Idaho that I've been able to do from home. I love BYU-Idaho so much! It's an amazing educational experience! I'll have to share about my awesome internship opportunity this semester in another post as well. I help G'pa Chad in the garden each summer, keep the house running, and I worked at our local library for a couple of years. We're also grandparents now! Kian married Farren McKenzie in 2021 in Gallatin, Missouri. They have had two children: Penelope and Timothy, and Baby Genevieve is likely to be born any week now. The grandbabies are miracles in our lives! Kian works from home as a computer programmar. They live in Braymer, Missouri which is not very far from us so we get to see them lots. Abby has been through a lot the past few years but has been making so much progress. She works at Casey's on the 3 am to 11 am shift! She's earning money to pay for a neuropsychiatric exam and to move out of the house. Her goal is to move out in January to a house in Iola, Kansas with a roommate/friend. She's been serving as the Primary Secretary the past few months and doing great at it. The sisters who work with her love her so much. She is an amazing writer, specializing in fan fiction. Ella has worked for 3 years at Raquelita's, a Mexican food truck owned by a friend in Kearney. She has always been an excellent cook but now she is muy excelente at cooking comida mexicana!! We often request her to cook our birthday meals. She is now looking for a new job because Rachel needed to close Raquelita's. Ella is such a hard worker and so fun to be around. She cracks us up at dinnertime with her witty comebacks. Felicity turned 17 today! She is in her junior year, driving, and looking for a job to earn money. She just served as the backstage manager of a community play. The director said she couldn't have done the play without her! She is discovering her talents and loves seminary. She is so reponsible and I'm thankful for her being my faithful driver when I need errands done and the dishwasher of the household! Klaus in in 8th grade. He also had a role in the community play which was his first time. He has a great singing voice and plays the trumpet for the school band (there are maybe 6 kids in the band). He's a great student and the science teacher says he has to tell him to stop sharing what he knows in class. He knows everything there is to know about Pokemon and aviation. Because of his enthusiasm, our family went to the air show this summer which was the first time for our family. Maggie is 9 years old and has attended Osborn School since kindergarten. She is a great reader and has enjoyed school but has requested that I homeschool her to finish the year. So we'll be starting that soon! Maggie enjoys playing with friends, riding her bike when the weather permits, swimming, and watching "Ruby and the Well" or "Just Add Magic." We have a bonus daughter, Carolyn, living with us who just turned 18. After spending months sleeping on the couch because all of the bedrooms in this house are full, I finally asked her, "Would you like to have your own bed?!" We squeezed her in with Abby and Ella downstairs. She works at Arby's and is finishing her high school degree through homeschool. We also often have another bonus daughter at our home who is Maggie's best friend. I never know how many dishes to set on the table! Every night I have to figure out who's home and how many plates we'll need. It's usually between 8 and 11. G'ma and G'pa usually join us. They've had some serious health issues this year but they're still healthy and enjoying life. My dad works in the garden all summer and indexing all winter. My mom serves us by cooking, mending, cutting hair, etc and serves everyone in our community as the Compassionate Service Coordinator. Every day is so busy and goes by so fast. I'm thankful for this family of mine and the support we are for each other.