Friends and family,
Merry Christmas! Wow, what a year. While we all continued to cope with life in a pandemic, there were still many moments that made us smile, learn and grow. Here are a few highlights from our year.
Our Wedding
On July 31, 2021, we tied the knot in a small, rooftop ceremony near downtown Denver. We are so grateful to the friends and family that made the trip out here to be with us on our special day.
Mother Nature had other plans in store and gifted us with a downpour just as we arrived at the venue after taking pictures in the park. Needless to say, our guests arrived wet, and we delayed and moved the ceremony to the covered area of the roof. Despite it, we had an amazing time celebrating with loved ones. After all, we had drinks, delicious desserts and pizza to warm our spirits, and plenty of love to fill our hearts.
We haven’t planned a honeymoon yet, but plan to go somewhere international once travel has opened up more. And we hope to make it to Minnesota for another reception soon!
Time with Family
The pandemic prevented us from seeing friends and family as much as we had hoped, but a few friends were able to visit us in Denver throughout the year, and at our wedding. This past fall, we finally traveled together again, first to Iowa in October where Amanda’s cousin got married.
— and the best scalloped potatoes that Amanda won’t stop talking about.
Then, we road tripped to Indiana for Thanksgiving where Dick was finally able to meet Amanda’s family and another childhood friend. While we were there, we visited the Studebaker museum to learn about South Bend’s history and involvement in the auto industry.
The Cats
We now have three kitties living with us in our Denver apartment. Harvey and Stanley were both adopted in 2020, and in May 2021, we added Letty to our family.
Letty is the little gray kitten, and she fits right in with the boys. She and Stanley love to play and tumble around the apartment together while Harvey observes the action from afar.
Last year, Stanley was diagnosed with a fatal disease called FIP, and we didn’t think he would make it past kittenhood. But thanks to an experimental treatment and a wonderfully supportive vet, he made it! After three months of daily medicine last summer and fall, he became cured in February of this year.
We look forward to throwing him a cured anniversary party this year, shortly before Letty turns 1 and gets to wear her brothers’ hand-me-down party hat.
Our Work
In May, Amanda began a new job working from home as an editor of a b2b automotive magazine. She loves being able to spend all day with the kitties, and we’re lucky that our apartment has a built-in office nook just off of the kitchen — which means easy access to coffee and a commute that can’t be beat. Three trade shows took her to Las Vegas, Pittsburgh and San Jose.
Dick is still working as a field engineer for an environmental measurement company, and has traveled quite a bit this year. He even climbed his first wind turbine after many years working in wind energy. Jobs took him all over the continental U.S. and even to the Bahamas, Aruba, Hawaii and Alaska. Some locations were beautiful, but unfortunate to travel to when much of it was still closed.
For Fun
When we weren’t working, we laid pretty low for most of the year, though we did get in a couple day trips around Colorado, and had a few meals and game nights with friends.
Amanda had plenty of time to catch up on reading, puzzling and rewatching the Golden Girls and The Circle.
Dick likes to cook and showed off a few of his skills when making homemade pasta for bolognese and ravioli, and using the sous-vide for homemade ice cream. He was excited when a new Nashville hot chicken joint opened up in our neighborhood, in walking distance from our apartment.
Cheers to the New Year
We are looking forward to 2022 and crossing our fingers that the world health situation improves so we can travel again and see more of our friends and family. If you’re ever in Denver or want to visit, our guest room is always open to a friendly face — just make sure you’re not allergic to cats!
With much love,
Dick & Amanda
Amanda Huggett 