OH DUCKY DUCK has life gotten stranger than fiction and I can say that because I'm the one who makes up the fiction!!!

So gather around, Noodle because you will not believe the wildness that my life has become. Remember how last time I left you with my first date?? Yeah, in that mini saga there was only one male character in play, I am now dealing with 5 male characters! Haha yeah, I told you things have gotten nuttier than crunchy peanut butter!

Let me introduce them to.

Roman - MMA fighter, best friend, and my constant texting companion.

Tim - Skateboarder and the guy I introduced to Muay Thai.

Alex - Golfer, the one that got me actually interested in the game and made me decide to buy a tennis dress.

Thomas - Military guy and runner with a pet dog named Jax.

Pai - Fellow Mauy Thai trainee and... yeah, the one I like.

Haha honestly, I don't know where to start. Yes, it's a lot and to be clear, I'm not dating any of them but they are the men in my life if that makes any sense. Okay I'll start from the top so it's clear.

Roman...Roman is probably the most interesting and complicated person to explain. He's someone I am the closest with but the man is a wild card. I won't ever date Roman, even though looks-wise he is my type and personality we match extremely well.

Stop, I know what you're thinking: 'Joy, what are you even saying? We know how this story ends, we've read it a million and one times; the girl and the best friend, that's just her type, always get together in the end.'

Yeah, but not this end, Roman's heart is in too many broken pieces. And it's not that I wouldn't help him pick them up if he asked but he doesn't want them picked up. He's in the place where he'd prefer it if his heart was not attached to his body since it's caused him enough pain. So, I'm his friend, someone who he calls a best friend, and for me that is a wonderful thing to be since I don't have a ton of friends in my life.

Next Tim. Tim is wonderful, he's from South Carolina so he has that beautiful Southern gentleman manner. He loves to skateboard and for our first date he taught me the basics. So yes, that meant I got to hold his hands the entire time. Haha I had suggested he teach me because I was curious to learn.

No! When I suggested it, I didn't think about the detail of getting to hold his hands the entire time, but if I did, it would have been a smooth move on my part. Tim is wonderful, but Tim also moves around for work and so he's not going to be here much longer. So even though it was a fun first date, it was our last.

I did get him to join Muay Thai and that was fun since he got to see what I love. Also, it didn't hurt that he got to see me fight another guy and I handled myself pretty well. That was a cool feeling, very empowering.

Alex, how do I even describe Alex? Flirt has to be the biggest description since the man is smooth, has a dimple, pretty brown eyes, great hair and uses all his charms for evil intent. Okay, not really evil but he definitely used them to make me smile a lot. The best part about getting to know Alex is that he's an incredible golfer and has taken me on the course with him. Safe to say, I am not a golfer but I do look cute in a golfing outfit, haha so you know, gotta know your strengths and weaknesses.

So naturally the question is why not Alex? Seems like a perfect candidate! He has merits of that but at the end of the day he's leaving in the fall too and so it just isn't going to work. But still, I got to experience a golf course and all the bougie-ness of it, so that was fun!

Thomas, is an old soul with a heart for music like I haven't seen before. This guy doesn't listen to an album here or there; he does full deep dives into artists, listening to their entire discography. He's currently in college as well as going through military training. I met him where I work because he comes to the gym here and he asked if I wanted to go on a run one day and I said yes. Though he's a little young to date, he's now become my running partner. Plus, his dog Jax is adorable!

Now to Pai... Pai is Taiwanese, he came to the states 10 years ago, he's an AI engineer and really cute. My sparring partner Laura connected us. The three of us went out to dinner together and it went well but... haha it's one of those situations where he's shy so I have to do a bit of the reaching out, but I like him. He's smart, attentive, interesting, a fellow Muay Thai lover, and cute on top of it all. But I don't know, he's hard to get a read on. I would like to get to know him more but I'm also aware that I don't want to chase after someone if they aren't interested in me.

*let's out a deep breath* So yeah, as you can see my life is fuller than I ever imagined and has that fictional complexity that as an author makes me so curious to see where this plot goes.

Haha I promise to come back when I have more to report or new developments to share!

I hope you are doing wonderfully! I hope life is giving you reasons to smile and surprises that keep it interesting!

If you have a minute, I'd love to know how you're doing!

Despite not being here as often I love you, Noodle! Thanks for caring about my wild world!