Catching UP with Us Meyer's

Catching up with us these days is getting harder and harder. Let's see if a brief synopsis will suffice for the past few months as an overview.

July: Mom went to IL for an extended trip. My Aunt Janet (Dad's sister) passed away and Mom made the trip to Massachusetts for the funeral and then back to IL. Dan left for an extended work assignment in Iowa and will be gone somewhere between 8-12 MONTHS. (don't ask) He got to pop over to IL one of the weekends and surprise his mama and brothers at the Walter's Family Reunion.

August: Derek turned 10 and joined the double digit club. Dan and I celebrated (separately) our 19th wedding anniversary. Mom returned from IL just in time to welcome Uncle Jerry and Aunt Marion for a quick visit in Cruces and then joined them for a visit to Idaho. Once she was finished visiting the family in Idaho, she drove through Cali on the way home to visit Dolli, RyRy and Wyatt. Tony Bean got married, and even after we'd said we couldn't come, Dan made it to the wedding and had a great time.

September: I spent 8 glorious days in Iowa with Dan to actually celebrate our anniversary. 8 days + hunky hubby + no responsibilities + first kidless week together in 18 years = BEST VACAY EVER. Period. Mom stayed with the boys (thanks Mom!) Mom them packed up and moved back to IL. I miss her desperately. We purchase Dan's plane ticket home for Thanksgiving. Pat and Derek start school.

October: David turned 18 and joined the newly adult club. (Mama K has feelings about that) Pat and David seriously consider a trip to Iowa but determine that now is not the best time. Joshua turns 27. David quits second job in favor of taking on more hours at first job. Fall Festival (I did a trunk this year) is a smashing success serving more than 8,000 people from our community. 

November: Renaissance Faire comes to Las Cruces. I opt to only volunteer one day so that I can enjoy the Faire for one of the days. Our church again does Feed My Starving Children Manna Packs. David moves out of our house and into Jay, Rachel and Maddie's apartment. Pat signs up to get his driver's permit. Hannah Ruoss comes to visit for 5 days. Patrick decides to get baptized the weekend that Dan is home for Thanksgiving...in the Rio Grande. (Brr!)  Kimberly makes plans to come visit in December. Dan decides that for Christmas, he will drive home and take Pat back with him (hooray for online school) Mama K opts for a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal of Dragon Soup, green bean casserole and pre-made pies so she can spend the extra time with Dan while he's home for Thanksgiving. Derek and Mama start making holiday plans and switch to Unschooling until after the New Year. 

See what I mean? I thought having a house full of littles was tiring and super fun. And it was. But in a completely different way than having a house full (and now not so full) of BIGS can be exhausting, exhilarating and exciting all in one day.
Thanks for trying to keep up with us. Goodness knows I can barely keep up and I live here. :)
Oh, and one more thing. For those of you not on FB (but isn't everyone these days?) my hair has undergone a small transition since Dan's departure in July. In July my hair looked like this.

In August and the first part of Sept, it looked like this.

In late September and October, it looked like this. 

And now in November, it looks like this. 

And Just Like That... {Week 18 Update}

Dan is gone.


This is hard. Hard to do on my own. Hard to process. Hard to handle. Hard to keep my head above water some days. But it's a season of growth/change and I'm trying to embrace it. I'm learning more than ever that I must take care of me so I can continue to care for others. I am learning that it's OK to put off housework and even schoolwork occasionally in the name of a much needed visit from a friend for some chatter, some tea and some prayer to keep me fighting the good fight. I've learned/remembered that I like pretty nails. I've also remembered that proper sleep habits are essential to keeping myself emotionally on an even keel. (still working on this one) Healthful eating also helps, but at the end of the day, here is my version of reality.


Dan has been gone 18 weeks. (Say that over again to yourself, really slowly and let it sink in)
Eighteen weeks.
126 days. 
3024 hours. 
181,440 minutes. And every single one of those minutes felt like a short eternity.
Now that you know I'm the most pathetic woman alive, let me tell you what else you should know about me.
That I CAN do this. That God is holding my hand and leading me down this path. And that the very same God that is holding my hand and giving me strength is also holding Dan's. We are all together on this journey. Hopefully someday, we'll be able to look back at this time that feels like a big fat mess right now as a period of immense growth. Not only in our journey as a married couple, but as individuals growing closer to our God. God is so good. He's protecting us (sometimes even from ourselves) as we jumble and stumble and bumble our way through this world. Separately for now, but soon enough back together again. May he continue to weave our hearts together in the combined pursuit of His glory.


Not as lonely as I thought in NM,
       ~Kristy~