Christmas 2012

I decided to retire the "Rademacher Times" this year and go all-digital instead (you can download a print version here). Here's what's new with the Rademacher family.

We just returned from Costa Rica where we enjoyed some sun on the beach and a zipline adventure in the jungle. For once, our trip went exactly as planned with no flight cancellations or lost luggage. We arrived home on Christmas Day.

In July, we spent a week in Breckenridge for the big Rudeen family reunion. We do this every three years on Karen's dad's side of the family. So great to see everyone!

Dale continues at the City of Longmont as Director of Public Works and Natural Resources. Oil and gas issues are very contentious these days and the City of Longmont seems to be at the epicenter. Dale was part of a group that traveled to Denver and met with the Governor in his office in the Capitol building. Pretty cool! Dale is also president of both the Mead Rotary Club and the board of directors of Namlo International (a non-profit agency).

Karen has big changes to report. I left my position at Northern Water. I'd been there for five years and it was a great job, but having both Dale and I work 40-hour work weeks just wasn't making sense any more. During the past year, I have developed some software and mapping technologies for helping landowners inventory and monitor their oil and gas royalty payments. So I formed my own company, RogaTracking, LLC, and set up a home office. So far, so good - and sanity has returned to our home life. In the past couple of months, I have read several books and knitted a hat. I'm looking forward to more knitting and reading in 2013!

Kyle graduated from CSU in December with a degree in Construction Management. He worked this summer for Simon Contractors and they liked his work so much, they hired him for a full-time position that starts in January. He'll be based in Cheyenne, Wyoming and will be traveling to various road, bridge and "dirt" projects in Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. This job seems like the perfect fit for him and we are so unbelievably proud!

Jeff is a senior in Mechanical Engineering, also at CSU. He did one last summer at the City of Fort Collins in their parks department, but is excited about next summer's internship at the John Deere plant in Waterloo, Iowa. He'll be working in the Power Systems Division doing "engine qualification testing". This is right up his alley and we'll be proud to support the Green Tractor Company (Rademachers typically patronize the Red Tractor Company). He'll have one last semester in the fall before he graduates.

Greg had a momentous year, starting out with a 4th place finish in the 3A State Wrestling Championships in February. This was followed by his graduation from Mead High School in May, working on his pilot's license all summer, starting Civil Engineering at the University of Nebraska in August, getting a spot on the UNL Rugby Team, becoming a cadet in the Air Force ROTC program and earning a spot in their Pershing Rifles team. Whew! We got spoiled having our other two boys so close to home in their college years; it's hard to have Greg so far away.

Katie is a sophomore at Mead High School. She attended the University of Denver music camp again this summer, and was excited to finally make it into the top Denver Young Artists Orchestra ensemble this fall. She is studying both violin and viola now. She ran cross country again and is working on getting her drivers license. She's looking forward to finding a part-time job in 2013.

Sad news for one of our pets this year. We said good-bye to Bart in November - he was our lovable lab/retriever mix who never had an unkind word to say about anyone.

We hope you and your family enjoy the holiday season.

Feel free to leave a comment below, we'd love to hear from you!

~karen

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