Raible Designs

Happy Birthday, Abbie!

Matt Raible — Fri, 7 Nov 2025 15:57:57 -0700

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! ⛷️

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Matt Raible — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 12:36:26 -0600

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! 🥳

Happy Birthday, Abbie!

Matt Raible — Tue, 5 Nov 2024 19:37:36 -0700

Abbie turns 22 today and is thriving through her senior at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Happy Birthday, kiddo! 🥳

She's enjoying the Coach Prime Era and has even secured a job after she graduates. This summer, Abbie had an internship at Spectrum in DTC. It went so well that she got an offer to be Product Analyst in August and accepted it a few days later. She's living the good life and we're extremely proud of her!

Abbie is also a Dog Mom as of Mother's Day. Her Mom and Grandpa helped make it happen and we got to re-experience the challenge of living with a puppy this summer. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Gracie playfully attack the older dogs on our walks. 😅

Gracie moved in with her cousin when Abbie moved back to school. It's been a bit quieter around here since then. We can't wait to reunite with them over the holidays.

Happy Birthday, Abbie! We love you and your zest for life!! ❤️

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Matt Raible — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 22:23:57 -0600

Jack is growing up fast and today marks his 20th birthday. He's a sophomore at CU and loves to play basketball. In early July, we made a trip to Montana where he learned how to wakeboard and took a helicopter ride with Abbie and Baba (my dad).

He amazed us with his perseverance on the basketball court and at the gym this summer. He frequently exercised six hours a day! This could be one of the defining years of his life if he walks on to the CU basketball team. Either way, his dedication to the craft is awe-inspiring. He's in the best shape of his life. I'm impressed!

We believe in you, Jack. Happy Birthday, awesome one! 🖤💛

Happy Birthday, Abbie!

Matt Raible — Sun, 5 Nov 2023 22:44:01 -0700

Our oldest child turned 21 today! She's a junior at the University of Colorado in Boulder, living in an apartment with three roommates. Abbie is a joy to be around because she's always smiling and cracking jokes.

We journeyed up to Boulder this weekend to join her for the CU vs Oregon State game. We had a nice family dinner, celebrated the big event at her uncle's tailgate, then watched the game. We tried to take advantage of the time change after the game and do some bar hopping, but Jack couldn't get in anywhere.

Her Mom, Julie, surprised her today by giving her a new car for her birthday. Abbie had no idea and was delighted with her first VW!

Next weekend, we'll celebrate some more in Vegas. Trish and I will be going, along with Abbie, her boyfriend (Joseph), and Joseph's parents.

Happy Birthday, Abbie! We love you to the moon and back!! 🥰

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Matt Raible — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 12:06:33 -0600

Today is a monumental day in the life of Jack Raible. Not only is today his 19th birthday, but it's also his first day of classes at the University of Colorado. He moved in last week and had a week to settle into his new surroundings.

He's been playing hoops for 1-2 hours a day on our basketball court for the last six months. We recently asked him why he was playing so much, and he mentioned he wanted to play on CU's team before he graduates. I love it when someone dreams big! We'll be rooting for your success, Jack!

The whole family traveled to Boulder yesterday afternoon to celebrate his birthday. Today, both kids sent a picture before their first day of classes began.

We're so proud of you, Jack, and hope you have a wonderful college experience. Happy Birthday, buddy! 🥳

Happy Birthday, Abbie!

Matt Raible — Sat, 5 Nov 2022 08:31:40 -0600

Our awesome daughter, Abbie, turns 20 today! She's a sophomore at the University of Colorado in Boulder and lives in her sorority house this year. There are around 100 girls living in the house, and she recently ran for president. She didn't win but became the VP of Operations as a consolation prize. We're very proud of her for reaching for opportunities and taking full advantage of college life.

The photo below shows Jack, Abbie, and Abbie's boyfriend, Joseph. I took it just before the Broncos vs. Seattle game to start the season. We were all pretty optimistic about the Broncos back then. 🥴

Today, we'll be reuniting (and adding Trish) in Boulder for the CU vs. Oregon game. Our expectations are low, but our spirits are high! After all, they won when we attended the last game for parents' weekend! Yes, that was the only game they won this year.

Happy Birthday, Abbie! We can't wait to celebrate with you!! 🥰

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Matt Raible — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 23:40:58 -0600

Our youngest child turned 18 today. He's embarked on his senior year of high school and has a good group of friends he likes to hang out with. They celebrated his birthday last night at the Kid Cudi concert followed by an after-party with additional friends at the ranch. Trish had fun decorating our downstairs with his friends and surprising him when he arrived home.

Tonight, we celebrated with a family dinner, had lots of laughs, and enjoyed solving a puzzle together for a good hour. Thanks to my sister, Kalin, for sending such a fun gift!

Happy Birthday, Jack! We hope you have a wonderful senior year of high school and make many lasting memories. 😊

Happy Birthday, Abbie!

Matt Raible — Sat, 6 Nov 2021 19:34:30 -0600

Our daughter, Abbie, turned 19 this week. She's having a fun freshman year at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She's in the Business and Computer Science Program, has a good attendance record, and sends me Venmo invoices for good grades every couple of weeks. I had a "proud Dad" moment recently when she told me she wanted to learn Python and asked me how. After getting advice from my co-worker Joël, I sent her Learn Python the Hard Way.

Abbie's sorority had a "Dudes Weekend", so I drove Hefe to Boulder yesterday to participate in the festivities. She gave me a tour of her sorority and we marveled at the views from their rooftop patio.

Next, we gathered up her posse of friends and cruised down to Pearl Street. We had perfect timing to watch some of the Stampede and had a delicious dinner at Avanti. I have fond memories of my friends' parents coming to town in college. It was delightful to be that parent this weekend.

As I was leaving town, I thought to myself, "I should get some gas." I figured I could make it to Louisville, but I was wrong. The view of 36 from Hefe while waiting for AAA wasn't too bad.

Today, Jack and I ventured back to Boulder and hiked the Flatirons with Abbie and a couple of her friends. The trail was super busy and steep, but the views were worth it. We only hiked for three miles, but it took us two hours and 40 minutes. Everyone was pretty pumped when we made it to the top!

Happy 19th Birthday, Abbie! 🥳

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Matt Raible — Sat, 28 Aug 2021 16:20:27 -0600

Jack turns 17 today! He's an ambitious kid these days that's interested in going to a hard engineering school for college. He mentioned this morning that he's going to try to and get into some of the harder ones. If you have suggestions, please leave a comment!

Jack is a junior in high school, the tallest in the family, and works at Code Ninjas teaching kids to code. His sister moved out and started at the University of Colorado last week, so he has the downstairs of the Raible Ranch all to himself.

Happy 17th Birthday, Jack! 😀

I think you're going to have a fun year being the solo kid. We look forward to helping you continue to be the awesome person you are.

Happy Birthday, Abbie!

Matt Raible — Thu, 5 Nov 2020 13:30:59 -0700

Abbie turns 18 today! Our little girl is now an adult. I couldn't be more proud. 🥳

I can't imagine being a high school student right now in these pandemic times, but she's handled it well. She lost her job at the Gap this spring due to staff reductions, but she's been babysitting a lot to make up for it. She's also back into horseback riding with Trish. They both got back into it this summer at Abbie's request and are leasing a horse from a friend. They've both competed and won in the last couple of months!

Abbie has been applying to colleges for the last year and got an acceptance letter to Colorado State University last week. Her heart is set on the University of Colorado in Boulder, but she's still waiting to hear back from them. At first, I encouraged her to go out of state for college, to get away and explore the world. I reminded her about this a few weeks ago and she brought up that Boulder is the #1 best place to live. I can't really blame her for wanting to go to school in Colorado. I did and I'm still in love with the state!

One of my proudest moments of the last year was reading her essay that she's been using on college applications. It's all about our trip to Devoxx France 2016. Here's how it begins:

As I walked up to the stage of the bustling auditorium, the only sound I remember was of my heart, throbbing in my chest. If I had to define a single moment that matured me, it was my first public speaking event in Paris, France. I was 13 years old in April of 2016, and my dad insisted that I attend the Devoxx France Conference, one of his many computer programming conventions. I was beyond thrilled to experience Paris for my first time and thought nothing of the actual convention… until we boarded the airplane. My father informed me that I would be introducing him on stage. I was an anxious bundle of nerves with fearful thoughts of speaking in front of hundreds of adults from all corners of the world. The previously insignificant convention was now consuming my mind and rapidly becoming the most intimidating experience of my life.

Happy 18th Birthday, Abbie! You're super awesome!! 🥰

Happy Birthday, Jack

Matt Raible — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 13:31:53 -0600

Yeehaw - today is Jack's 16th birthday! 🎉 He's been driving a lot in the last year and has a driver's license driving test this afternoon. If he passes, he'll be getting his license next week. I feel like it's a big milestone because a driver's license has the notion of freedom, especially when you live out in the country as we do.

Jack is a sophomore this year and started school last week. Both he and Abbie attend in-person classes two days a week. They do school work remotely the other three days. Jack was just starting to blossom last March when he joined the track team, but they shut things down before the season really got started. I hope he'll try it again — I really enjoyed doing track when I was in high school. He's an excellent boater and happily rowed a couple of days on our Desolation Canyon trip last month.

Happy 16th Birthday, Jack!

For some photos of Jack through the years, see my Jack Turns 16 album.

Happy Birthday, Abbie!

Matt Raible — Tue, 5 Nov 2019 14:03:25 -0700

Abbie turns 17 today! It's hard to believe, but true. For those that've followed me since the early 2000s, you might remember I announced her birth on this very same blog. It's crazy to think that I started this blog just a few months before she was born. Enough about me, what about Abbie?

You could say she's all grown up. She has a part-time job at the Gap, gets excellent grades, and is thinking about college. She's done a couple of college tours in the SE region of the US, and we're touring Tulane when we visit New Orleans in January. She's had a steady boyfriend for a while now. He even joined us on our family vacation in Montana last summer.

Happy 17th Birthday, Abbie! You're awesome!! 🥰

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Matt Raible — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 21:54:35 -0600

Wahoo! Jack turned 15 today and got his learner's permit for driving!! His first DMV experience was short and sweet, and the drive home was nerve-wracking (for both of us). He was terrified to be behind the while, during rush hour traffic, turning onto a three-lane road. I was determined to maintain tradition and have his first drive be down Parker Road to Dairy Queen. The good news is we made it, and I got to see a lot of emotions he's been suppressing in his teenage years. 😅

Jack is a freshman this year and he's adjusting to high school nicely. It helps that his sister is a junior and offers advice daily. You can tell they're pals in their first-day-of-school picture.

Jack is now taller than me by a couple of inches. I'm OK with that since he's been helping me record Denver meetups lately. I especially like the one he did of Venkat's talk on Kotlin for Java Programmers at Denver JUG earlier this month. He and Abbie also taught a Devoxx4Kids Denver workshop in July. What can I say ‐ I'm a proud dad!

Happy 15th Birthday, Jack! We had a ball celebrating with you tonight.

Happy Birthday, Abbie!

Matt Raible — Mon, 5 Nov 2018 22:14:21 -0700

OMG. My daughter, Abbie, turned 16 today! We celebrated all weekend with her grandparents in town and lots of smiles. Abbie hosted a birthday party at our house on Saturday night with a bunch of balloons, a campfire outside, and a plethora of friends around. On Sunday, we took my parents and both kids to the Broncos game, and tonight we celebrated again at Abbie and Jack's mom's house.

The highlight of the weekend was when Julie (her mom) and Dave (her step-dad) surprised her with her very own car. It was a complete surprise to her and very well executed by Julie and Dave. Let's just say it was an emotional event that won't soon be forgotten.

Abbie's favorite thing to do these days is to hang out with her friends. She's got a good group of girls and guys that she pals around with. When she's not giggling with them, she's horseback riding with Trish. Trish has had an incredible influence on her life, and I'm amazed at how good they are at riding. We have several walls in our house that are lined with ribbons from the two of them.

Abbie is a sophomore in high school this year, with excellent grades, and an eye on what's next after high school. It sure is fun watching her grow up and become an awesome woman.

Happy 16th Birthday, Abbie!

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Matt Raible — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 21:35:00 -0600

Jack turned 14 today. Last weekend we celebrated with his friends at our local Topgolf. I'd never been before, so I was eager to go, and we all had a great time.

However, the real highlight happened when we were cruising home in our '66 VW Bus amongst a gaggle of Lamborghinis. We had all his friends in the bus when four Lambos and a Bently pulled up alongside us. We cruised with them for a couple miles, grinning from ear to ear.

Jack's favorite thing to do these days is to play video games with his buddies, specifically Fortnite (a.k.a. "fork knife"). He's got some basketball skills too but doesn't play on a team. He excels at skiing because we make him go all the time and he's only a centimeter or two shorter than me. He's sure to be taller than me soon!

Jack is in 8th grade this year. This was the first year he traveled across the pond to visit Europe. He's getting in some miles: Paris in June, Crete in July, and we're heading to Ireland next week.

Happy 14th Birthday, Jack!

Happy Birthday Abbie!

Matt Raible — Sun, 5 Nov 2017 18:18:15 -0700

Abbie turned 15 today. About a month ago, she said she didn't want a birthday party, so we decided we'd surprise her with one. Her mom did most of the work, inviting her friends, gather food and drinks, and hosting the event at her house.

We told her we were going out to a family dinner, and we needed to pick her mom up along the way. We found out later that she knew about it the whole time, but the same friend that showed her the Evite told her it was next weekend. So she kinda knew. However, when I put a tie on, Trish got fancy, and Jack dressed nice for dinner, she figured "Oh well, I guess it's not tonight."

We had a great time surprising her with a fondue dinner with friends. She's an excellent kid, and we're happy to have survived 14!

Abbie still rides her horse, Tucker, a couple of times a week and she's won several ribbons at all the shows she's been in. She's a freshman in high school now. It's incredible to look back and see that I started this blog just a few months before she was born.

Happy 15th Birthday Abbie!

Happy Birthday Jack!

Matt Raible — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 16:05:14 -0600

Thirteen years ago today, my son was born. Jack has grown up to be a wicked smart and fun kid to be around. He started the 7th grade this year and is into Xbox, basketball, hanging out with his friends, and exotic cars. He dreams of driving a Lamborghini one day and enjoyed pretending he owned a bunch of Ferraris a few weeks back.

This weekend, I cleaned up Hefe to chauffeur Jack and his buddies to Dart Warz for an afternoon of fun with Nerf guns.

As expected, the boys had a great time. A few of his friends had a sleepover Saturday night and competed to see who could stay up the latest. They made it pretty late, but no one saw the sun rise.

My parents drove down from Montana to help revel in Jack's birthday. We had a wonderful time visiting with them and celebrating with his mom and her husband, Dave. Thanks to Julie and Dave for being such awesome co-parents!

Happy 13th Birthday Jack!

Happy Birthday Abbie!

Matt Raible — Sat, 5 Nov 2016 19:04:52 -0600

Abbie turns 14 today and she's celebrating in style. Her brave parents allowed her to have a slumber with all her friends. There's 11 teenage girls in our basement right now, screaming, giggling and making lots of loud noises.

I'm really proud of the young woman Abbie has become. She's a straight-A student and loves horseback riding and sleeping.

Trish and she bought a new horse a few weeks ago. His name is Tucker and they traveled to New Mexico to find him. He's a thoroughbred paint, with hunter jumper skills. We'd love to keep at the Raible Ranch, but we want to see what the winters are like first. For now, he's at Friends of Horses, which has an indoor arena. Next year, the girls plan to compete and hopefully bring home lots of trophies!

Happy 14th Birthday Abbie!

Happy Birthday Abbie!

Matt Raible — Thu, 5 Nov 2015 06:37:43 -0700

We now have a teenager. Abbie turns 13 today and we're celebrating with smiles in the Raible household. Abbie is in 7th grade now. She's a straight-A student and still loves to pick on her little brother. She's old enough that she's picked up an after school job babysitting and often has more money in her back account than I do. Trish takes her horseback riding a couple times per week and she recently competed in her first horse show competition. You can tell by the photo below that she enjoyed the experience.

If you're a long-time reader, you might remember the day she was born. I started this blog only a few months before.

Happy Birthday Abbie! Most people are scared of their children's teenage years. We're not. You're an awesome human and we love your fun-loving spirit, your kindness and your ability to rile up Jack like no other. We can't wait to experience your teenage years with you and support you in whatever challenges you take on. 😋

Happy Birthday Jack!

Matt Raible — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 14:41:19 -0600

My son Jack, or "J Jackson" as he liked to be called, turns 9 years old today. In the last year, he's grown up quite a bit. He learned how to play basketball last fall, snowboard last winter and became a Webelos Scout in the spring. This summer, he learned how to ride a motorcycle and had a blast whitewater rafting with us. He did a fabulous job being my Best Son in our wedding.

This past weekend, we had a birthday party for Jack -- complete with a huge inflatable water slide. Trish and I flew in from our honeymoon 10 hours before the party started, but still managed to oversleep from jet lag. Nevertheless, we made it in time for some good fun and had a great time celebrating with the whole family and new friends from his new school. Below are a few choice pictures. The rest are on Flickr.

Jack's favorite thing to do is play Minecraft or watch YouTube videos about it. His sister still knows how to push his buttons, but he's learning to ignore her. This is a big year for Jack as he's starting a new school and making a bunch of new friends. I know he'll do great and I look forward to helping him adapt and enjoy it. Happy Birthday Jack!

Related: Jack's 8th, 5th, 4th, 3rd and 1st birthdays.

Happy Birthday Jack!

Matt Raible — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 12:12:46 -0600

Eight years ago today, Jack was born. Today, it's hard to even imagine him as a baby or a toddler. But then again, we all looked quite a bit different back then.

These days, Jack has his own website and prefers to spend his free moments playing with Beyblades or his new Nintendo 3DS. He started 3rd grade this year and has excellent math and reading skills, even though he's the youngest in his class. As he grows older, he's starting to like the same things I do, particularly fishing, skiing and golfing.

Last weekend, we threw a birthday party for Jack at Julie's house. He invited some of his close friends from school and had a Beyblade tournament. Fun was had by all and you couldn't wipe the smile off his face when he went home.

This fall, Jack will be playing lacrosse again and might even pass up his sister in height. He sure is a handsome kid. Happy Birthday Jack!

Related: Jack's 5th, 4th, 3rd and 1st birthdays.

Abbie's 8th Birthday and Other Happenings

Matt Raible — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 06:45:30 -0700

This past weekend, we celebrated Abbie's 8th birthday. In the wee hours of the morning on November 5, 2002, I became a father for the first time. It's hard to believe my little girl has grown up so fast. As a 2nd grader, Abbie is into singing in the shower, playing piano, anything pet-related and teasing her brother. She also excels at school where's she's won a couple awards and recently got published in a book of poems.

In addition to last weekend being a wonderful weekend of celebration, it was a weekend of introductions. You might remember my "super-fun friend Trish" from the Epic Weekend in Estes Park. Trish is an Amazing Woman I met this summer and someone I've nicknamed my Double Rainbow because I've been so mesmerized with her. Yeah, it might sound a bit over-the-top, but that's somewhat the mantra of our relationship. This weekend was the first time I introduced Trish to Abbie and Jack. The meeting went smooth as butter and I'm relieved to say everyone got along great.

In other news, Jack recently lost his first teeth the same way Abbie did, by getting them yanked. He had his first adult tooth coming in and had 4 baby teeth that were getting in the way. Before and after pictures are below:

Coincidentally, when I wrote about Abbie getting her first tooth, I spoke at the Colorado Springs Open Source User Group and visited The Bus. Just over two years later, Jack got his first tooth and I spoke again in the Springs. I tried to visit The Bus on that same trip, but ran out of time. To make up for it, I drove down last weekend, met with Motorworks Restorations and formulated a plan (911 engine, airbags, 5 speed tranny, Porsche wheels and brakes) for finishing the restoration. With any luck, I'll be driving it next summer.

On the work side of things, my co-workers and I recently moved to a new office in LoDo. The new space has been awesome so far. Next week, I'll be traveling to Devoxx with Trish. The following week, I'll be at The Cabin. Then it's off to The Rich Web Experience in Florida. If you happen to be in Antwerp, Northwest Montana or Fort Lauderdale in the next few weeks, maybe I'll see you along the way.

Happy 8th Birthday to this blog!

Matt Raible — Sun, 1 Aug 2010 15:48:38 -0600

Eight years ago today, this blog was born in the wee hours of the morning. I was inspired to start it after reading Dave Johnson's article on Roller. I have to say, it's been a great ride and I remember the early days like they were yesterday. Many of the Java bloggers wrote daily and shared short tips, tricks and snippets on their blogs; much in the same way we do on Twitter today.

A lot has happened in my life since this blog was started: Abbie was born, Jack was born, I started AppFuse, wrote Spring Live, had some really cool gigs and gained a whole new perspective on my life.

For those long time readers, you might've noticed the vacation posts have picked up recently and the technology posts have subsided somewhat. The good news is this indicates I'm having a lot of fun; the bad news is I'm not learning as much as I'd like. Hopefully that'll change soon and I'll be writing about developing apps for the online video space in the near future. There's a good chance the posts about my life and how much fun I'm having will continue, especially as Abbie and Jack continue to grow into world-class skiers.

As usual, I have many ambitions for this fall, including helping Apache Roller, finishing AppFuse 2.1 and learning how to play the guitar. Along the way, I'll be helping build/release some kick-ass software for a major cable provider, building a sauna in my basement and enjoying the hell out of Devoxx 2010. You can sure I'll be blogging about these along the way, as well as many years into the future.

Thanks for reading all these years, it's been a fantastic experience.

Happy Birthday Abbie!

Matt Raible — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 11:22:06 -0700

Today marks the 7th anniversary of Abbie's Birthday. Happy Birthday Kiddo!

I have to say that this year is quite a bit better than last year, especially since I got laid off on her birthday last year.

To commemorate this special occasion, I pulled out some pictures from the archives. Here's one of her and I on her first weekend, as well as her first cheerleader outfit.

To see how Abbie has grown up over the years, see past Happy Birthday posts: #1, #3, #4, #5 and #6.

Happy Birthday Jack!

Matt Raible — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:12:45 -0600

Five years ago today, Jack was born. I remember it like it was yesterday, even though it feels like it's been ages since he was a baby.

We were renting the house next door (while ours was being remodeled), I was just finishing up a contract with Open Logic (when it was just Rod and Eric) and Julie's contractions had begun. I finished my last hours with perfect timing (around 4:00). Julie was sitting at the kitchen table negotiating with a guy about some house-related stuff (our General Contractor had died and Julie took over 8 months pregnant). She told the guy she "had to go" because she was in labor and off to the hospital we went. The good news is it was only a few blocks away, so we made it there in short order. Our friend Tonya drove us.

Miraculously, Julie was able to "hold Jack in" until her sister flew in from San Diego. He was born just after midnight.

A few days later, my good friend Ryan called me out of the blue (hadn't talk to the guy in years). He asked me what I was up to and I told him I was a father for the 2nd time and just had a baby boy at Porter Hospital. He said, "No way - I just had a baby girl 2 days ago!" Turns out, his daughter Sophie was born 2 days after Jack, only a couple doors down. We'd left the hospital only a few hours before they arrived.

This weekend will be filled with multiple birthday parties, happy kids, and lots of good memories. I love this time of year.

Happy birthday Jack!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Matt Raible — Sun, 4 Jan 2009 12:08:28 -0700

For the last couple weeks, I've been enjoying a great Christmas vacation in Oregon with most of my family. Abbie and Jack didn't join me, but they got to spend 3 weeks in West Palm Beach, Florida. Poor kids.

I made sure the end of my vacation would land on a very special person's birthday. My Mom. Not only is my mom one of the coolest people in the world, she also has an excellent job title: Burn Boss. Growing up in Montana, I was always proud that Barb Raible was my mom. She was famous for her kindness in the Swan Valley. I hope she's always famous for her story about nailing a bear's nuts to a tree.

My mom is a Montana Native who wasn't afraid to raise her kids in the backwoods at her family's homestead. It sounds like a crazy idea to me, but she made it happen - cooking over a wood stove every day and working at the Swan Valley Ranger Station to make ends meet. She was responsible for getting us out of Montana and onto Oregon. She went back to school in her early 40s, got a degree in Forestry from the University of Montana and moved the whole family to Oregon for a job with the BLM.

I moved to Oregon on June 14, 1990 driving a '73 Plymouth Duster with a homemade International trailer in tow. We certainly looked like we were from Montana when we rolled into town. We moved into a house on Felony Flats. My sister and I got jobs at McDonald's (Dad's advice) and started school at North Salem High school in the fall. I met many good friends at North Salem - Jess, Matt, Clint and Michelle becoming favorites over the years.

For New Years, Jess, Clint and I rented a condo in Bend, Oregon. Matt joined us on Friday after most of us experienced an Epic Powder Day at Mt. Bachelor. It was the first time we'd all been together in 9 years. We had a blast.

This vacation in Oregon has been very special to me. I've reunited with many old friends, enjoyed 2 epic powder days and had a great time with my Mom, Dad, Sister and her fiancé Mya.

As much fun as I've had, I'm looking forward to getting back to Denver and hanging out with my kids. January 2009 is sure to be one for the books. I start a new gig at a new office tomorrow. On Wednesday, the kids return from Florida to a mountain of presents at my house. My parents are coming to town next weekend, followed by a trip to Tahoe and a weekend in Steamboat to finish out the month.

Yeah, 2009 is going to be a lot of fun. Maybe I'll see you on the slopes.

Happy Birthday Abbie!

Matt Raible — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 06:42:55 -0700

Today marks the 6th anniversary of Abbie's birthday. Happy Birthday kiddo!

To see how Abbie has grown up over the years, see past Happy Birthday posts: #1, #3 and #4, #5. To celebrate, I'll be getting off early and having lunch with Abbie's class at school. After that, we'll be embarking on a Daddy/Daughter day where she gets to pick everything we do. I did this with Jack on his birthday and had a lot of fun.

Happy Birthday Jack!

Matt Raible — Fri, 5 Sep 2008 18:37:33 -0600

Jack's birthday was last Thursday (August 28th) and only now am I getting a chance to wish him a Happy Birthday on this blog. I told you it was a busy week last week.

Happy Birthday Jack!

On his birthday, I picked him up from Kindergarten at 11 and let him run the show for the day. Needless to say, we had a good time.

On Saturday, we had a party to celebrate at my house. It was a great time with many old friends and lots of crazy kids.

I woke up to quite the disaster area the next day. I was also quite impressed when Abbie showed up with her ears pierced.

The rest of the weekend I spent quite a bit of time enjoying A Taste of Colorado. When work began on Tuesday, the week intensified as I was the "Release Owner" for LinkedIn this week. We made a number of backend changes to reduce statefulness and improve performance. I'm proud to say it was one of the smoothest releases I've been a part of, mostly because of the high quality people involved.

As far as my schedule for the rest of the year, it seems like I'm going to be busier than ever. I have to complete my presentations for CSS this week. In two weeks, I'm speaking at the Colorado Springs Open Source User Group Meetup. The following week I'm heading to Munich for Oktoberfest. If I live through that, I'll be implementing Memcached, speaking at CSS, hunting with my Dad, celebrating Abbie's birthday, traveling to Costa Rica/Panama and keynoting the JavaEdge Conference in Israel. If you happen to be in Colorado Springs, Munich, Mountain View, Keystone, Montana, Costa Rica, Panama or Israel in the next few months, maybe we can enjoy a beer together. Cheers!

Why such a busy week?

Matt Raible — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:54:18 -0600

Lance sent me the following e-mail this morning:

Just saw your status message, I think you'd better blog an explanation!

"Matt Raible is getting ready for one of the busiest weeks of his life."

I couldn't think of a good reason not to blog an explanation, so here goes.

I'm currently sitting at Denver's airport ready to hop on a flight to Mountain View. I'll be at LinkedIn's HQ for two days helping tidy up plans for a release in early September that I'm in charge of. It's my first time being a Release Owner, but it should be pretty painless so I'm not too worried. Whenever I travel to Mountain View, I always have a good time, but I'm constantly being pulled into meetings, or arranging meetings myself. I have a presentation to write that I'm delivering on Wednesday. It describes the changes we've made to make the backend of LinkedIn much more stateless and therefore better and faster.

In my hotel room at night, I'll be writing my presentations for the Colorado Software Summit. Having to write 3 presentations in one week always makes me feel super-busy.

On Wednesday night, I fly home late (likely after a game of hoops with co-workers). Thursday is Jack's birthday, so I hope to take the day off and spend the day with him. Thursday night is sleepover night. Being a single parent with two kids is never easy, but always fun. Friday it's back to work, wrapping up things for the week (status reports, bug fixes, etc.) and likely marveling at the traffic from the DNC.

Friday night there's a 9-hour cocktail party with a good friend from Vancouver, BC.

Saturday is the super-busy day. It's time for Jack's birthday party and if last year is any evidence, it's one of those 8-hour cleaning and decorating situations.

I'm sure I'll have a busier week sometime in the future, but this one will surely be one to remember (especially since it's blogged into history now ).

Awesome Birthday Present: A Kegerator

Matt Raible — Tue, 5 Aug 2008 21:01:20 -0600

I'm proud to say I have the best parents in the world. For my birthday this year, they bought me a kegerator. It was delivered last week, but I didn't get a chance to put it together until this weekend. I've never had so much fun putting together an appliance.

Since it's summer and I'm in Colorado, I decided to get a keg of Sunshine Wheat to start things off. So far, there's issues with 1) too much head and 2) it's not quite cold enough. I think the first can be fixed by playing with the CO2 tank and settings. The 2nd might only be fixable by moving it inside. If you have a kegerator and have advice on how to fix these issues, please let me know.

Why did your parents buy you a kegerator?

There's actually a good reason for this. A few years ago, Julie and I made an agreement that I could buy a kegerator when I paid off the last of my student loans. While Julie and I aren't a couple anymore, it still seemed like a good idea. I paid off my last student loan in June. However, it wasn't my loan, it was my Mom's. When I was applying for colleges way back in the early nineties, my parents said I could go to DU, but only if I paid for it.

My Mom took out quite a few loans over the years to help with tuition, and I finally paid them all off. When I was with my parents over the 4th, I joked that they should buy me a kegerator since I was paying off their loans. Lo and behold, my subliminal messages worked and I ended up with a tap at my house. I couldn't be happier.

Update: Speaking of birthdays, this is the first post I've had to start the 7th year of this blog. My first post was on August 1, 2002.

Update 2 on Friday: I haven't had a beer from the kegerator since Sunday. This evening I poured a fresh one and I'm happy to report the head and temperature issues seem to be fixed.

Happy Birthday to Me

Matt Raible — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:57:50 -0600

Today I turned one year older. It's strange to look back and see that I didn't blog about my birthday in 2007 or 2006, but I did in all previous years. Reflecting back on things, my birthday celebrations have gotten better over the years (we do a golf tournament every year now), but the working-on-my-birthday thing has gotten worse.

From my first birthday post in 2003:

Ever since I worked at eDeploy.com, where they gave us our birthday's off, I've continued to take the day off.

As a contractor, it's pretty easy to say "I'm not working on Wednesday, it's my birthday". Last year was the beginning of the downturn - when I started working on my birthday. I'd just started working at LinkedIn the week before. My birthday was on the Tuesday of the 2nd week I was on-site. I found it hard to say, "I need Tuesday" off, so I worked through it. This year, as an employee, I worked through it again. I don't recommend it.

If you can, take your birthday off. I'm going to see what I can do at LinkedIn to make it a company policy that employees get their birthday off. Wish me luck.

Happy Birthday Abbie!

Matt Raible — Mon, 5 Nov 2007 12:37:24 -0700

5 years sure goes by quick when you're a parent. It's hard to believe that 1) I started blogging over 5 years ago and 2) Abbie turns 5 years old today. It's pretty cool to be able to look back at previous birthdays: the birthday, #1, #3 and #4. I don't know what happened for #2, but I sure feel bad for not blogging the event.

Congratulations kiddo - you've turned into a beautiful (and awfully smart) little girl.

P.S. Don't tell her I called her a "little" girl - she's obviously a "big" girl.

Happy Birthday Jack!

Matt Raible — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 20:53:03 -0600

Today marks 3 years since Jack was born. He's grown up quite a bit in that time and seems destined to be a train conductor or a hockey player. Too bad he broke his foot a couple weeks ago - he was signed up to start skating lessons next week. Happy Birthday little buddy!