Raible Designs

Happy Birthday, Abbie!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

Happy Birthday, Jack!

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!

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!

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

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.