Raible Designs

Cruising the Danube on the Riverside Mozart

It was near the end of ski season. Captain Trish and I were facing a bleak rafting outlook for the summer after a dismal winter in Colorado. We applied for river permits via recreation.gov in January, but no one from our rafting family won a lottery.

We'd talked about doing a river cruise in Europe before, but hadn't looked into it much. Trish decided this was the year to make it happen. "If our rivers aren't great, let's go play on someone else's!" she said. Then she went to work. Before we knew it, we had a family trip booked down the Danube. Jack had a prior commitment, so it ended up just being Trish, Abbie, and me.

Our ship was the Riverside Mozart. It departed Vienna on June 14, cruised to Budapest, then returned through the Wachau Valley. You can read more about the week-long route at Danube Serenade: Iconic Capitals & Wachau Valley.

Arriving in Vienna

We started our adventure on Friday night, June 12. We'd timed our vacation to align with Trish's sister and family. Our brother-in-law went to high school in Vienna, and their family visits often. We met Claire, Doug, and James for dinner the day we landed.

A Not-So-Fond Farewell to the 2025-26 Ski Season

The 2025-26 ski season was a dud. It teased us with a promising start when Trish and Abbie spent Thanksgiving weekend in Winter Park.

We didn't get enough snow at our house for backyard cross-country skiing until early December. When I skied the Fraser River Trail on December 15, there was plenty of frozen dirt mixed in. It was cold enough that it didn't stick to my skis, but it was still an ominous preview of the winter ahead.

My stats for the year: 5 cross-country outings and 14 downhill days. Trish may have logged even more downhill days, which is a great sign that her ankle has recovered nicely!

2025 - A Year in Review

What a year 2025 has been! From Trish's continuing recovery to Abbie's graduation and Jack's 21st birthday, from epic summer travels to family gatherings across the country, this year has been filled with gratitude, growth, and gorgeous moments.

From last year's review:

I have only one goal for 2025: be grateful.

This goal felt crucial given Trish's injuries at the end of 2024. Her wrist and ankle healed gradually, and by spring she was back to skiing and living life to the fullest. Watching her resilience and determination reminded me to be grateful for our health.

I'm gonna review 2025 using the following perspectives:

• Personal
  • Hefe the Bus and Stout the Syncro
• Professional
  • Community
• 2026

Happy Birthday, Abbie!

Abbie turned 23 this week and is adjusting to life as a young urban professional. She moved back in with us to save on rent, which means we got two new roommates: our daughter and her dog. They both bring a lot of joy into our lives.

Gracie likes to wake me up with a lick on the face at 6 a.m. sharp. She barks at me when I don’t walk her by 8. It’s been good for my mornings, but it can be rough on the weekends.

Abbie's company has been treating her well, from learning opportunities to yoga on Tuesday mornings, to Rockies games with her team, to golf lessons on Wednesday afternoons. She even got to play in a tournament at Arrowhead Golf Club as part of a work event!

This week, we celebrated with a family dinner at A Perfect Landing on Wednesday, then capped it off with the Broncos game last night.

Happy Birthday, Abbie! I’m looking forward to shredding the slopes with you this winter! ⛷️

The Summer of Travel (2025 Edition)

This summer was filled with beautiful views and remote work from the mountains to the sea. We were only home three weekends between Father's Day and the last day of summer! From living in Fraser for a month to rafting Utah's remote canyons, Montana family time to music festivals, we packed it all in.

Fraser Living in June

I kicked off the summer by moving up to Fraser for the entire month of June. I brought the zoo (two dogs and a cat) with me. The Fraser River Trail became my daily escape, with gorgeous views and warning signs about a local moose. We got a new singletrack trail too, which made the mountain biking even better. Those Fraser sunsets never get old.

Happy Birthday, Jack!

It's hard to believe Jack is 21 today. He had a summer internship writing code for an outfit in the UK and now has a part-time job at CU. He switched his major from trying to get into the Engineering school to Information Science. He still plays basketball quite a bit, but also has a new favorite person in his life: Alex.

They've known each other for a couple of years, and they became a couple last November. She's into photography, skiing, and Jack, matching our family values quite well. They spend so much time together, we call them Jalex.

I visited Jack in Boulder this morning to give him some birthday cards and the mini keg of Fireball his grandma gave him. He sure is a handsome fella!

Happy Birthday, Jack! We can't wait to celebrate with you in Vegas in a couple of weeks! 🥳

Farewell to the 2024-2025 Ski Season

The 2024-25 ski season was a bit delayed due to Trish's injuries and a lack of snow. I didn't even get a cross-country day in until mid-January, shortly after we returned from Puerto Rico. My stats for the year: 10 days of cross-country and only seven days downhill.

My first day on the slopes wasn't until February 8th, when I skied with my good friend The Fesser.

In March, our nephew James visited for his spring break. We had a beautiful afternoon on the Fraser River Trail before hitting the slopes the next day.

Paradise in Puerto Rico

My parents live in northwestern Montana, where the winters are cold, and seldom does the sun shine. To combat the winter doldrums, they have an affection for "chasing the sun" trips in mid-winter.

Trish went to high school in Puerto Rico. She has fond memories of her family, friends, and equestrian competitions there. I've been begging her to take me to Puerto Rico ever since we met almost 15 years ago.

This year, she finally took me! Abbie, Jack, and my parents joined us for the grand adventure in early January. My mom's 75th birthday landed on the weekend before we left. We celebrated with much pomp and circumstance! 🎊

We had a direct flight from Denver to San Juan that took just under six hours. Our hotel, Isla Verde, was conveniently near the airport and the beach.

2024 - A Year in Review

Last year brought a few challenges and misfortunes. From changing companies to broken bones, Trish and I learned more about ourselves and our abilities than we ever anticipated. I had seven months off from the beginning of February through the end of July. Trish returned to her passion for horses and started competing near the end of my funemployment. A few months later, her saddle malfunctioned, and she found herself with a broken wrist and a broken ankle.

From last year's review:

I only have one goal for 2024: breathe.

I had plenty of time to breathe, so this turned out to be an excellent goal. Whether it was on the ski slopes or mountain biking, I had lots of heavy breathing in the first half of the year thanks to a nice severance package and a zest for adventure.

I'm gonna review 2024 using the following perspectives:

• Personal
  • Hefe the Bus and Stout the Syncro
• Professional
  • Speaking
  • Community
  • Projects
• 2025

Life Update: New Job, Same House, and Same Awesome Family!

It's been over eight years since I wrote a life update blog post. At that time (2016), we'd just moved into the "Raible Ranch", the bus was finished, and the kids were in high school. I'd just started one of my few-and-far-between full-time jobs at Stormpath.

Fast-forward to today. Our kids are in college at the University of Colorado during the Coach Prime Era, we're empty nesters with an affection for live music, and our pet zoo is cuter than ever.

You probably know me. But in case you don't, my name is Matt Raible, and I'm married to a fabulous woman named Trish McGinity. She's been a hero in my life ever since I met her in 2010. She dazzled me so much, I asked her to marry me at Versailles in 2011. We married in my hometown (Condon, Montana) in 2013, on the most beautiful lake you've ever seen.

When I met Trish, I was an independent consultant, and she was in cybersecurity sales. On a fateful night in 2010, on a friend Jarvis's birthday, I asked her what she had done for a living. She said, "Have you ever heard of OWASP?"

My heart lifted and I felt a moment of joy. This woman was speaking my language! 14 years later and Oh My!, Trish has had an incredible influence on my life and career.