Hi everyone, Hope you are well. Blog updates are few and far between these days as Kai is living his best life as a junior in college! His major is music theory and his minor is jazz drumset. The college is still fulfilling all of his accommodations and he’s really happy at UGA.
Kai and his guide dog Pride have hit their stride together as a working team and Kai loves the companionship. He says that other students saw his cane as a barrier to conversation but Pride is a conversation magnet and his social life is going strong. He has recently taken over as leader of a jazz consortium in Athens, Georgia called Swing Theory. A group of local jazz performers who get together to jam and gig at local venues. You can read more about it by clicking here.
Kai and Pride live with two roommates just off campus. They can easily walk to campus and then use the university’s transit system to get to class. If the weather is terrible or he needs to be someplace early, the university sends a paratransit van to assist. He’s still encountering some unfortunate discriminatory issues with rideshare (you can read more about that here) but otherwise no complaints.
Our oldest son Cash and his girlfriend, Sydney, are geologists working in Guyana, South America. In their time off they are exploring the globe. In the past year they visited Thailand, Big Bend National Park in Texas, Washington, Colorado, St. John’s Canada, and Costa Rica. Next, they are headed on a trek in Nepal. I love that they have jobs that allow them to travel extensively.
Chris is still busy teaching high school and is three years from retiring. Unfortunately, he suffered a stroke in November which was very scary. While hospitalized they found that he had a congenital hole in his heart that they believe was the cause. He had a procedure to close the hole and he’s gaining strength each day. He hopes to return to work this spring.
As for me, I wrote a book! The working title is BLUR and it’s a memoir about our family’s experience navigating chronic illness and blindness in rural Georgia. I was fortunate to sign with a literary agent who is seeking a publishing partner. I hope to have good news about that soon. If you are interested in knowing more about the book please click here and sign up to receive updates. My goal is to publish in paperback, Kindle, audio, and braille.
Thanks for all of your support! You can find the most current updates on our Instagram page and our blog’s features page. You may reach us by completing the contact form.
Take good care and keep in touch, Kim
Navigating Blindness 