I'll start with the big news. My DD31 and her boyfriend of a year are engaged. This happened Sunday, and the wedding plans are in full force. But the biggest news is that they'll be getting married next month!!!!! It will be a small, simple ceremony with only witnesses and parents, followed by a dinner to include siblings - a total of about 15 all together.

No, she's not pregnant. LOL

My future son in law arrived in the US at the age of 7 from Honduras as an undocumented immigrant. He has 2 younger brothers who were born in the US, so his parents had a path to green cards and citizenship that way. Unfortunately, Dream Act (DACA) immigrants have no path to citizenship unless they get married. Before anyone suggests that this is a "green card" wedding, it's not. This young man can stay in the US (unless the rules change) as long as he keeps renewing his DACA status. He's a very successful software developer and recently bought his own home. The downsides of being a DACA immigrant are that you can't apply for citizenship and the ability to travel outside of the US is VERY difficult. He could have married any woman if all he wanted was a green card or citizenship.

They had been discussing getting married in 2025 or 2026, but expedited things because of the recent election outcome. It seemed prudent to marry and start the process of him obtaining a resident alien status, which would allow them to have a real, international honeymoon in the next 8-14 months. Then, he will apply for citizenship which requires him to not leave the country for 3 years. That would fall around the time they want to start a family.

I was really impressed with their planning - they even consulted an immigration attorney. Both families are delighted. Our daughter has chosen a lovely young man, and his family is equally wonderful. They are the kind of family any parent would want for their children. I know that if anything happened to me or her father, her future husband's family would protect and provide for her.

As for me, my season of cycling events ended the first weekend in November. I don't have any outdoor adventures booked for the entire winter, so I'm going to capitalize on this boundless energy I seem to have and take on a part time job over the winter. I found an excellent weekend job working with residents who are re-acclimating to the community while being treated for mental illness. This kind of work beats working at a retail chain during the holidays!

All my activities this year have paid off with me dropping a couple of sizes in clothing (and being much more toned). Now, I'm the subject of a lot of male attention, which is very ego boosting, but I'm not really interested in anything more than flirting. Mr. Cutie Pie is still a friend. We flirt and sometimes kiss. It's nice, but it won't be anything more for me. He's still got Barbie/Pick-me girl as his friend with benefits, and I don't do casual, and I don't share. LOL

I had the eager cyclist after me for a bit until he finally LISTENED to me when I said I'm not dating. So, he put his energy into another woman he had been dating. Now they are a thing, and I'm so happy for him. He still reaches out as friends for advice, so that's nice.

Just this past weekend I had another guy ask for my number. He's a big beefcake guy just a couple of years older than me, but I found out from friends he's married. He keeps texting me to meet him for a drink. I might, but I'll be straight up and tell him 1) I'm not dating right now and 2) I know he's married, so even if I were dating, I don't date married men.

I've just accepted that the universe is giving me quizzes to test my boundaries.

Life is good. I'm going away next week for my birthday - just a casual mountain getaway with my DS28. I'll have to work part of the week, but that's fine. When I get back my girl posse is hosting a sleepover to celebrate my birthday. I love them!! It's the first year I've been super low key about my birthday (I usually take the whole month and announce it to the world), and they really stepped up to organize something to celebrate me. I'm bursting with love.

I'm hosting Thanksgiving here at my house and my ex husband (father of my kids) will be joining us. I feel bad for him as he had fallen hard for a widow who did the hot/cold, push/pull, on/off routine with him, and we kinda bonded over how tough it is to date someone who will not seek grief counseling. It's been 10 years since we divorced and we are never getting back together, but there is enough distance that I feel okay with being on more friendly terms, especially since we have a wedding next month AND will be sharing grandparently duties (hopefully) in the near future. Being on better terms has reminded me why I can't be with him ever again. He's very negative, needy and makes so many things 10x more difficult. Our daughter is so annoyed with him.

Heading in to winter, I'll be hitting the gym to keep my fitness going so that I don't have to work twice as hard in the spring to return to all of my adventures.

How do the rest of you get through the holidays and the winter doldrums without getting flabby and fat? LOL