Michael finally was able to find employment working part-time as a cashier at Walmart after being unemployed for nearly nine months. He has also been officially accepted to community college next year. We are hoping he can keep his anxiety under control as he seeks balance between working part-time and going to school part-time. His ultimate goal is to become an elementary school teacher. We are also proud of him for being involved in Pathway (a distance-learning program from BYU-Idaho) and Institute of Religion this year, and each semester he has maintained straight A's.
It only took two years of appeals and us changing our medical insurance three times before we finally found an insurance company (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) that would cover Joseph's facial and oral surgery. Sometime later this year (most likely next summer), Joseph will have a mandibular advancement. The oral surgeon will break his upper jaw and move it back and break the lower jaw and move it forward. The same surgery I had when I was fifteen years old, although when I had the surgery my mouth was wired shut for six weeks, but I understand that is no longer the case. First step, wisdom teeth extraction for a child who was blessed with six wisdom teeth. Yes, you read that correctly. . . six!
Lots of changes and opportunities for the Riener family ahead, and if anyone knows where we can locate a money tree, please let us know.