What a lovely weekend. I hope all of you got to enjoy some nice, warm weather, and a pleasant Father's Day.

I was studying all last week for a VERY important certification exam for work. I passed said exam on Thursday and met Mr. Cutie Pie for dinner. I hadn't seen him in weeks and we met at a very nice restaurant to celebrate my achievement. We split the bill, as friends do, and after a nice meal, TWO bottles of wine and dessert, my share was about $150. That's a rarity, trust me. But, the expense was in line with the achievement. I really enjoy his company, but I know it can only be friendship. That didn't stop me from giving him a sweet PG-13 kiss good night. I have to tell y'all, it's kinda fun running around with guy friends, having a blast without the burden of relationship BS.

Friday night, after work, I had a lovely massage - much needed. All the studying had my neck and shoulders a mess. Spent the evening with my daughter who has done a 180 and remembers that I'm her mommy and I love her. She came home from work earlier in the week with a lot of pain from her "female troubles" and I did what moms do: heating pad, ibuprofen, back rubs and cuddles. From then on out, things were right as rain between us. She's currently in Japan for a two week vacation with her boyfriend.

Saturday AM, met a friend for a 20+ mile bike ride. Had a blast. Then headed home to do some yard work and other chores. I settled in for a quiet evening with the house to myself when some of my meetup girls were bugging me to go out with them. I whined and said no, but then found out they were coming to my town. I invited them over for pre-event drinks and they talked me into going out with them.

Picture some po-dunk town near you and the kind of people you might see at the American Legion. Yup. It was like that, but the band was good and the drinks were cheap, so it was a FUN night. I wish I could show you pictures. We danced and sang, and if I can be a snob.........we classed up the joint just a little bit. Although, Mr. Mullet was tempting.........NOT! The people watching was top notch, but I'm sure they had their opinions about us, too.

Sunday was super chill, but I met one of my dear friends and Mr. Allergic to Cats (A2C) for a concert in the park. The weather was glorious, the music was fantastic and the company was incredible. I tried to bring some of my meetup girls to meet Mr. A2C, but only one of the gals came along with me on Sunday. The other 3 bailed out. I told them they were missing out on meeting their future husband! LOL

Mr. A2C is growing on me. HUSH! LOL He's got a friend with a cabin in WV and he's invited me to come out with him. He's the type to invite other people and there are multiple bedrooms, so don't get any ideas. It's in a part of WV that I went to with XBF and it's a chance to create new memories. He's hiked extensively in this area and knows all the trails. I'm also familiar with the area and we share an affinity for the local music venue and enjoy the same types of music. So, my one free weekend in July might include a trip to this beautiful place, and I would be totally on board if he wants to include others.

I've got a chill week ahead with some bike rides planned as I'm going to try to complete a metric century bike ride this coming weekend. That's 63 miles for those who don't know. I think I'm ready. The only complication might be this stupid heat bubble on the east coast of the US. If it's stupid hot, I'll drop to a shorter ride but I'm really looking forward to this weekend because all of my close friends will be back from their travels and it'll be like a reunion with a few other people from our wider friend group. Most of us are staying in a large airbnb and we have friends who have a house in the area. The last 2 years, they've had us all over for dinner and drinks the evening after the bike ride. It's ALWAYS a blast.

Have a great week. And if you're living in the "heat bubble", stay cool and hydrated.