I apologize for it being so long. The last update was on Christyna’s 49 anniversary of her bornt day. It’s been a busy and rocking holiday season! I’m here to wrap up this endeavor and launch the new way to keep up-to-date with the life and shenanigans of your favorite Dynamic Duo! Yes, I am being that presumptuous that all y’all’s love Christyna and myself more than Batman and Robin. Comment below and subscribe to our Substack to disagree.

We had Thanksgiving in there. The plan was to go to Christyna’s army family for Thanksgiving before the summer of healing. We didn’t go to Oklahoma. We went to a good friend’s house. CiCi/Scott and family were crazy generous and welcoming. In the first week after Christyna’s double mastectomy, CiCi cooked and brought us gallons of mung bean soup which nourished and fueled Christyna in her early recovery. Nutrient rich and easy to digest, it kept us going on several occasions when we were running low. We closed out the healing phase of recovery with some of the people who got us here. We got so many invitations that I got overwhelmed. Thank you all for the love, support, food, encouragement, and words through this.

Christyna’s Mama, Shannon, came through Houston and stayed with us a few days on her way from Oklahoma to Florida after Thanksgiving. Mama got to lay hands on Christyna for the first time since her diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. I had a colonoscopy with the colonoscopist the day after Mama left. Shannon baked a pie for me when I was on a liquid diet. I gorged for days after! Both mother and daughter sighed with relief being in each other’s arms. I cannot provide a mother’s love, nor would I want to.

Christyna has been calling this period her “recovery from her healing.” Healing took a lot for both of us. Christyna has gotten orders for physical therapy. I commented to her on our walk today, how wise it was to get PT going in the new year and that she had the forethought to advocate for it. She’s gotta re-learn how to move. Since July 10, she’s been pretty sedentary. The surgery was more invasive than either of us imagined. Then there were the wounds and the wound care. Months of slow and deliberate movement. She’s adapted. Now, Christyna is committed to correcting.

Now Christmas has come and gone and a New Year is upon us. We are currently in Austin, Texas, cat sitting for friends. We spent Pesach with them and shared Seder with them. It will be a quiet NYE for us. We got bubbly for tonight. We are in a place of love and acceptance to launch 2026!

We’ve been at work completing 2025 and the year it was for both of us! Inside of that work, we have laid the foundation for 2026. Christyna has a tradition to have a word of the year. Our first year as a couple, Christyna chose “Tend.” 2025 was “Welcome.” We have chosen 2026 to be “Institute.” It’s so deep! It’s both a noun and a verb. It’s a place to be and do! We’ve created a spreadsheet for how INSTITUTE will look and show up for 2026. It’s expansive! It’s big enough to hold and accommodate each and every one of you (and your people), too! I invite you to INSTITUTE a word to hold your INSTITUTE for 2026. See what I do there!? It’s a real invitation! 2026 is gonna be wild based on 2025 and the little microcosm we have access to. The more possibility abounds, the better.

There is so much to share to complete here, with you. I don’t have the gumption to do it now. You’ll just have to migrate over to

https://substack.com/@bundustu?r=68pve3&utm_medium=ios

And

https://substack.com/@econgrrl?r=68pve3&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile

to get all the low-down-blow-by-blow-up-to-date-nitty-gritty details going forward. I’ll be composing the first post over there tonight. I’m brand new to that platform. I have viewed my posts here as screaming into the void. It’s blown me away how many people read the journey of the summer of Christyna. She had to prod me to write at first. Stephanie kept me sane and posted what I texted her during surgery day. Now, when I meet you IRL, I blush when you know who I am. Keep doing it! Whether you commented on these posts or not, you gave me a voice. You gave me support. You got me through this. 

Thank you. A friend of mine declared me “Remarkable Contribution on Loud Speaker.” I strive to leave others empowered, enabled, and present to their own greatness. I hope I have done that. The space you have given me has pulled these updates, ramblings, and what-have-yous out of me. You, I am speaking to you, the person reading this, empowered me and Christyna to take on this challenging summer. Thank you. 

Christyna loves when I cry. I am crying right now. I am in touch with the miracle my life has been this summer. Miracles are unpredictable and unexplainable by science and logic. When I moved to Houston in March, whole and unbroken, Christyna was whole and unbroken. We both close out 2025 whole and unbroken. You did that. Yes, we did that too, but without your support it would have been soooooo much harder. Thank you for being part of my miracle. You delivered Christyna to me. 

You are a miracle! You delivered me to me and to Christyna. From one miracle to another, thank you. Keep it up! There is someone else out there who needs you. Go be a miracle like you were for me and C. It won’t go unnoticed. 

Until we meet again IRL or on another platform. I love you. Signing off. 

Ryan