our blog

Celebrating 25 Years

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:40:53 -0700

We thought long and hard about how to appropriately celebrate 25 years of marriage. It seemed like the occasion for a real blow-out, but with kids heading off to college, we finally decided on a more sedate celebration. We took a few days and headed up the coast to San Luis Obispo where we stayed at the Apple Farm Inn.

Christmas Letter, 2009

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:01:00 -0800

Christmas greetings from The Five Fischers! Time for the annual year-in-review. No one else volunteered to write this year (I think they were hard-pressed to top last year’s letter from Roxie), so Dear Old Dad will have to attempt the recap.
Anna (12) keeps us supplied with home-baked cookies, and continues singing as she goes about her day. She got to go to summer camp at Hume Lake for the first time this year. She also hosted her Book Club again this summer for six or seven of her friends, but since school started (seventh grade) she has been busy with Eastern Hemisphere countries, dendrochronology (look it up), and math. She also continues her flute lessons, and earned her senior orange belt in Kajukenbo (mixed martial arts).
Joe (16) had a couple big trips this year. Over the summer he spent a week in Jamaica on a mission trip with the High School group from church, and in September he and Lori spent eight days traveling in Ireland. He continues to play guitar in a couple of groups at church, and helps lead a small group Bible study for some high school and college-age friends. In school (10th grade) he’s reading lots of classics in his British Literature class, learning Spanish, and studying meteorology. He won the Student of the Year award and earned his blue belt in Kajukenbo, and also helps out with the younger kids’ classes.
Jamie (19) is working as a host at California Pizza Kitchen and as a librarian in the church library, as well as teaching ballet and voice. In her spare time she is a sophomore at Citrus College (and on the Dean’s List no less). She’s looking at a couple different universities for next year, but may take a year off for an adventure (stay tuned).
Lori got to spend some time in October with her sister Lynn, visiting from Indianapolis. Lynn was with us for a week or so, and then the two of them traveled to Hilmar (near Modesto) to spend some time with their dad and his wife. As mentioned above, Lori also got to travel to Ireland with Joe, and reveled in the stark beauty of the island’s more rural west coast. On the home front she continues to home school Joe and Anna, as well as teach a Spanish class for several other home schooled high school age kids with Western Christian Schools.
Jeff is wrapping up his first year as an Elder at church (guess the gray hair is good for something). He continues to work for Union Bank as an IT Enterprise Architect, and is thankful for the prudent leadership there that steered them clear of all the turmoil in the banking industry this year.
Well, that about does it for 2009. We did manage to give the family web site a face lift, and have posted some more pictures and stories up here, so check it out when you have the time. As always, we look back in amazement and thanks to God for His care and provision for us. We feel extremely fortunate, especially considering how hard this year has been for many others. May 2010 be a year of blessing for you and yours.

Celebrating 20 Years

Wed, 27 Apr 2005 14:25:18 -0700

The last week of April, 1985, found us honeymooning on the east coast of Mexico, in the (then) up-and-coming resort city of Cancun. So it seemed fitting that 20 years later, we would be on the opposite side of that country, cruising the “Mexican Riviera” cities of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.
We had never been on a cruise before, so the seven-day, local departure jaunt down the coast and back seemed an ideal way to give it a try. It was wonderful! Fabulous food, great entertainment, impeccable service...just like in the ads. If you’ve never been, you ought to try it at least once. Our travel agent recommended we sail on Holland America, as opposed to some other, more “party”-oriented lines (not sure if we’re getting old, stuffy...or both). It turned out to be an excellent choice. We would definitely go with them again.

Vacation 2004

Sat, 16 Oct 2004 19:29:49 -0700

Certainly the highlight of this year was our 10 day trip through five of the western national parks. We enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation, and (believe it or not) each other’s company!
Our trip started in northern Arizona at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Mom and the kids got to ride burros on a trail near the canyon’s edge (the heavy-duty burros were unavailable, so Dad had to sit that one out).
Next stop was Zion, and then Bryce Canyon, both in Utah. Finally we went through Grand Teton on the way to the “big daddy”: Yellowstone. That is truly an amazing place.
I only put a couple pictures up here in the blog post. There are lots more in the photo album, and we even put together a little video of the trip.

The CD is Done!

Fri, 20 Apr 2001 13:26:34 -0700

We have had the privilege of watching one of Lori's dreams come true. You can read the story below in her words. If you're interested in getting your own copy, you can visit the ordering page. If you want to hear a few sample tracks, you can download them here:
‣ Baby (1.6MB)
‣ Jamie's Song (1.5MB)
‣ Where You Belong (1.4MB)