www.ryanandbritta.com
Christmas 2003
Yea, Lord,
we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing
Oh come let us adore him!
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As I was reading last year's Christmas website to begin work on this one, I realized that 2002 was truly a packed year for us. Major life celebrations such as Ryan's graduation, moving, and our wedding kept us busy planning and preparing. Ryan's first job and a job change for Britta created an ever changing environment for our first months as a married couple. In 2003, while full and fun, we actually remained quite stable. And things may have actually slowed down. Both the stabilizing and the slowing were probably good for us. Before the whirlwind of 2004 begins, now is the time to reflect on the year that was 2003. | |
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In the News There were two big stories about Colorado this year that you may have heard about on the national news (or experienced personally as fellow Coloradans) that affected the Fisher household. One being our big snowdump in March 2003. I call it a "snowdump" because the snow did not fall as much as it was dumped on Denver and its surrounding communities. That mound of snow that Britta is measuring is the snow on top of her Geo Prism. (note: she is not standing on the ground; there was too much snow) The sideview mirror is on the bottom left of the image. 31" was the total in front of our house. Denver literally shut down for several days and it was impossible for Ryan to make it up the mountains to his job as the interstates were shut down. We enjoyed the time off, snowshoeing down Broadway (a major and busy road next to our house) and chatting with our neighbors as we all dug out. The other story dominating Colorado news lately (besides the fact the Broncos made the playoffs) was the outbreak of influenza. Many people died, flu shots were in demand, and schools shut down from lack of healthy students. Unfortunately, Ryan and I were not immune and got the flu over Thanksgiving. We were out of it for two weeks. It was a strain that really lingers and we still feel our energy level is not up to normal. We're thankful to be young and healthy enough to recover and fight it off.
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Employment Though the economy is recovering, we know several friends who remain unemployed or underemployed. In times such as these, Ryan and I are very grateful to have retained our jobs and still enjoy them. Ryan is a Software Engineer at Comprehensive Software Systems in Genesse. Ryan has continued to enjoy the pretty commute up to the foothills each day and has appreciated our all-wheel-drive Subaru Forester helping him get there. We experienced some worry when CSS reorganized and laid off one-third of its workforce. Fortunately, Ryan is still employed, still has his boss (whom he really likes), and enjoys the new department he is in. 2003 has been a year of growth in Britta's job. She was promoted as Director of Housing Justice!, has moved into a new office building and has added staff, including a person from the Urban Servant Corps. She continues to enjoy educating others and advocating for affordable housing in Colorado. |
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Travel Besides multiple trips for visits back to MN, we took one extended vacation to Santa Fe, NM, for our anniversary. We spent a little time in Taos and then golfed, hiked and photographed around Santa Fe. On the way back we explored some of the beauty of southern Colorado at the stations of the cross in San Luis and the Great Sand Dunes. At the beginning of the year, we redeemed a wedding gift certificate for a bed & breakfast outside Steamboat Springs, CO. We took some snowboarding lessons together and got hooked. Otherwise we spent a lot of time driving the Subaru around Colorado and exploring this great state we call home. We also have had the pleasure of showing it off to some friends and family. This year we were visited by Oma & Grandpa, Rachel Aderman, Betsy Anderson and Laura Stelter. If you are planning a trip to the Denver area and would like to visit, please contact us. |
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Recreation So this year Ryan and Britta picked up a new sport - golf. Ok, technically Ryan played a bit when he was younger but hasn't played in years. So far, no lessons, no holes-in-one and no bent clubs. All in all not too bad. The highlight was playing in Ryan's company tournament at Arrowhead Golf Course. This year we went hiking several times and Ryan peaked his second 14er, Quandary Peak. We found plenty of things to photograph and did a couple special trips to capture the golden aspens on the mountains this fall. One of our other favorite activities has been snowshoeing. We especially love going to Rocky Mountain National Park and playing in the piles of powder. Lest you think we're totally outdoors folk, one of our newest forms of recreation is to play video games on our Xbox. If you happen to think video games are monumental wastes of time and destroy families, you should know we've found it to be a helpful element in family bonding. You should have seen the whole Fisher family get into Tiger Woods Golf over Thanksgiving. We are also enjoying watching women's college basketball at University of Colorado - Boulder. A young woman who grew up near Britta is the star center. Yes, Tera, you are a star. |
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General Updates We feel very fortunate to still be in our cozy rowhouse near downtown Denver. We began worshiping at a new congregation at the end of the summer. It is called Hope Community Church and we enjoy the diversity of ages and colors present in the community. And we're still enjoying the married life. |
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The Outlook for
2004 2004 will be full of trips back to the Midwest for family celebrations. We have four sisters graduating from high school or college, a confirmation, Grandma's 90th, and many weddings (congrats!). Plus, Ryan's immediate family (mom, dad, sister and possibly his brother) are moving to upstate New York. Ryan's dad is already out there and the others will follow after Tabitha's graduation. This means that we will now be traveling to NY and Britta looks forward to seeing Niagara Falls. |
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Finally, It's been such a joy to read others letters and cards and receive updates on what is happening in your lives. So many things to be thankful for, weddings to attend, and life transitions to celebrate. This year has been incredible in the sheer volume of babies our friends have had (even three on the same day!). Each one special and unique and oh so cute. We've enjoyed hearing your stories, holding your children, and remembering you in our prayers. In case you are wondering about our family plans, we just bought snowboards and enjoying them is our major focus in life at this time. |
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Our sincerest wishes that you and
yours will enjoy a Britta & Ryan Fisher |
