Hello friends. I am the former Bright Future, Futurobrillante and la_dulce_vida. 

I've been keeping tabs on y'all by lurking, and wondering how CLove is doing. I was busy for a while but started checking in more regularly when I read what CLove was going through.

I've been missing StepTalk - being there got me through some rough days. I'm struggling these days, but at least it's not about stepping. LOL

I sold my airbnb house in April, and I'm now back in the townhouse my sons were living in. My youngest now has a complete 1 bedroom apartment in the basement and my eldest son has relinquished the master bedroom to me in exchange for a very small amount of rent. He's just completed his master's degree and is seeking his "big boy job." I hope he'll get that in the next few months, and then I'll have the top 2 floors of my townhouse to myself and I can have guests!

The house is a bit of a hot mess. When I sold the other house, the living room at my current house became a storage unit. It's now a living room, but I've undertaken the project of painting the first floor on my own. My procrastination is working against me. My daughter's father in law will be installing a new hot water heater for me on September 6th and I'll have my daughter, SIL, his mother and father for dinner, too. So, that should light a fire under my buttocks to get it done. I swear to all that's holy I will not MOVE AGAIN!! I'll likely call junk haulers before I move any of my crap again. 

I am happy to be back in the townhouse I bought in 2018 to escape my 2nd husband - the man whose behavior caused me to seek out StepTalk. 

It is truly my refuge. I had a HUGE shed built in March. I had the basement apartment finished in May. I treated myself to a brand new refrigerator as a housewarming gift. This fall, I'll have raised bed gardens built in the yard, and I'll build the greenhouse I got on sale at Costco. 

I'm back on my bike, but sorely behind on mileage this year.

Work is good. My sons are doing really well. My daughter is deliriously happy in her marriage. Her husband now has a green card!! They plan to start trying to start a family next year, so I may be a grandma before you know it. 

I remain single by choice. It's been 18 months now and I'm giving myself at least 2 years. I don't have the bandwidth for relationships right now. Some of my friendships are strained. There is an ever present low key malaise we're all experiencing. My peace is most often found in my home or 1:1 with a friend on a bike ride.

I'm journaling quite often - filling up books. I have 4 new ones ready to fill (there was a good sale at Barnes and Noble and I'm partial to DesignWorks Ink jumbo journals). 

I look forward to reconnecting with many of you. ((Hugs))