Backroads

Welcome, @vanzantfrynd!
I fear you won't like my answer, but I'll give it anyway.  99% of engaged people could not exercise the discipline you and your fiance are managing.  I don't say that to suggest you aren't being honest - I believe you - I'm just saying that it's a very rare thing.  Once people are to the point where they're ready to commit to marriage, staying apart becomes more and more difficult (for most people).
Knowing that, and knowing the experience of many a person who has "caved" in a moment of weakness, and knowing that the sin will be worse once you have made the baptismal covenant, the Church is "playing it safe".
The following is meant in the most loving way:  Perhaps the Lord is giving you an opportunity to practice humility and patience.  Neither of those is very popular, neither is an easy virtue to develop.  The Lord often asks us to do things we don't understand or don't want to do.  Humility is one of the virtues that lets us obey.  Leaders in the Church (and fellow Church members) are mere mortals, as we are, which means sometimes they will try our patience and we will have to humble ourselves in order to do as they direct or minister to them (or even just tolerate being in the same room as them ).
Choose to humble yourself, to respect the rule that you don't understand, to acknowledge that perhaps those who made the rule were doing as the Lord wished (or at least acting based on many decades of experience - probably multiple lifetimes - I expect that rule is almost as old as the Church).  The Lord will bless you for it:
Trust God to help you through this.

Winning isn't the only issue.  Women have been getting injured by bio males in such frequency that the UN finally called for a ban.  The document is called "Violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences"
https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/249/94/pdf/n2424994.pdf
 
Section III (Manifestations of violence against women and girls in sports), item A (Physical violence), paragraph 7:
"Female athletes are also more vulnerable to sustaining serious physical injuries when female-only sports spaces are opened to males,9 as documented in disciplines such as in volleyball,10 basketball11 and soccer.12 Instances have been reported where adult males have been included in teams of underage girls. 13 Injuries have included knocked-out teeth,14 concussions resulting in neural impairment,15 broken legs16 and skull fractures.17 According to scientific studies, males have certain performance advantages in sports. One study asserts that, even in non-elite sport, “the least powerful man produced more power than the most powerful woman” and states that, where men and women have roughly the same levels of fitness, males’ average punching power has been measured as 162 per cent greater than females. 18"
The link will provide details to footnotes 9-18, if anyone is interested.
 
Here's a really, REALLY good article about problems and good solutions:
https://womeninsport.org/safe-and-fair-sport-for-women-and-girls/
 
 

Nothing this year... yet.  But I have a story that I may have told here already.
My sister got a knit sweater for me.  When presents were all opened and all, she asked me where my sweater was.  I did not have a sweater.
She looked around and saw my grandpa wearing it.  He and I have the same given name, since they named me after him.  So, they gave my present to him.
He weighed about 150 lbs more than I did.  Knit sweaters stretch.  He put it on and said "It's a perfect fit!"
We realized that it would be a punishment for him to give it up.  And a punishment for me to have to wear it after he stretched it out.

With the existence of DOGE, we hope that won't happen.  And with the team put together so far, it seems that their entire goal is to rein in spending and government overreach.  I certainly hope he accomplishes that. 
The danger here (and I hope it doesn't materialize) is that when either party can get a hold of both houses, the White House, and SCOTUS, there is a serious danger of tyranny.  Orwell warns us that the people who begin a revolution often feel sorry that they won because when the original goal is achieved, new powers continue to exercise power in a way that was never intended by the people who started it.  And this scenario has played itself out again and again throughout history.
We can only hope that the Constitution will be the shield that protects us from that.
Part of me fears that the reason the US has been so powerful, politically, socially, economically, militarily, is because we've been exercising unrighteous dominion against the world.  Was it beyond appropriate limits?  Probably.  Enough to cause us to lose that strength after we gut the government?  I don't know.
The thing is that all the concerns that we all should have because of his moral failings are compounded by his "chaos".  
I believe he wants what is best for America.  And he'll do what he feels like needs doing, especially if it is new and different.  He wants to leave his mark as someone who did what no one else did.  In today's political landscape, that is a very good thing.
But, let's say he fixes everything.  Then what?  Will he walk away?  Or will he still seek out more marks to make before his term is through?  Can he walk away from power?
If he does, then we have greatly underestimated his ethical code.  If he then takes the time to do more stuff that doesn't need doing, we'll just repeat history.

It's part of the overall criticism process, a way of showing plot holes in a script and bringing to light the importance of thinking things through when writing. 

It's a meme how often entire movies could be altered significantly, or even averted, within only 5 minutes' time. 
Like how with Jurassic Park, everything that went wrong happened because the guy spared *many* expenses when it came to his IT department despite lavishly spending on everything else. If he'd hired an actual team of IT workers and bleeding-edge tech systems instead of just trusting Nedry and a Windows knock-off the dinosaurs would have never gotten loose. 
Or how Harry Potter never actually *needed* to participate in the Tri-Wizard Tournament since, well, it's only supposed to be between three wizards and his was the fourth name that came up. If the authorities had investigated, or Harry had chosen to sit it out, Voldemort's plan would have been thwarted. 
1987's G. I. Joe: The Movie? "Hey... Lt. Falcon is the very definition of irresponsibility. Are you sure you want him as part of the guard detail for Serpentor? Barbecue and Airtight aren't doing much of anything; let's have one of them handle the overwatch."
And so on...

Nor the US - and Trump (for all his faults) is unlikely to let things slide in that department. As for Starmer though.... *shudder*

Hearing our German exchange student talk about what is and isn’t allowed there is chilling, 

So, we're in the Holiday Season.  I thought I'd take some time to discuss the lesser known facts that many of us know, but don't really think about all that often during these holidays.
THANKSGIVING
It really began when a devastating winter and epidemic killed off many of the Natives, as well as half the Plymouth Colony.  Because of this time of need, no one was in no mood to fight.
The Pilgrims had been fighting with the Pequot Tribe (known to be a belicose tribe of the area). *Note, sources disagree about this, as they do about what tribe it was.
The Wampanoag tribe was also warring with that tribe.  So, the Wampanoags sent Samoset (a Wampanoag) and Tisquantum (aka: Squanto who was the sole survivor of his own tribe) were sent to extend an olive branch to the pilgrims and set up an alliance against the Pequot.
Because the Pilgrims had women and children with them, and they were building homes in unclaimed lands, the Wampanoag believed these settlers to be different than the white men who had come earlier.
Squanto taught them how to hunt and plant crops in the New World.  It was a different terrain, climate, soil, and wilderness full of animals they were not familiar with.  Because of this education and alliance, the fall brought a bounteous harvest for all.  And, yes, they celebrated it.
For over 200 years various groups would celebrate a day of thanksgiving in honor of various traditions - not just the Pilgrim's first year.  But it became an American custom to remember that year where one-time enemies got together to help each other survive and thrive.
Finally, in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln determined that the nation was losing the trait of giving thanks to God for the blessings of America.  So, he declared it a national holiday.  Throughout the following years, people linked the new holiday with the story of the Pilgrims and Squanto.  The date moved around a bit until it was finally set as the fourth Thursday in November.
CHRISTMAS
Everyone knows the storyline.  But not everyone knows about the dates. 
As Christianity swept over all of Europe, the new converts still held some of their old traditions.  One of the most sacred to many pagan religions was the observance of Solstice.  It was a day to recognize the "return of the light".  Days got longer from that night onward (in the Northern Hemisphere).  As Jesus was known as the "Light of the World" it was easy to associate Jesus with Solstice.  So, Christmas was celebrated here and there as a quasi-observance of solstice.  The dates were not etched in stone since they didn't particularly keep track of dates during the winter months.  Everything was closed.
Christmas celebrations died down with the rise of Protestantism.  Some recognized its connection with Pagan observances.  Others revered it as a celebration of Christ.
A bunch of bad stuff happened.
Eventually, the Orthodox Churches and the Church of England wanted to promote it.  Two authors (Washington Irving & Charled Dickens) liked the idea and gave full throated support of making it a day to remember giving aid to the poor, time to family, good will to all.
The date of celebration was all over the board.  But Orthodoxy won out as they wanted to keep it near the historically recognized time of Solstice.  So, it was set to Dec 25th.
From the Bible, we know that it was somewhat after the time Caesar Augustus declared "all the world should be taxed."  This was always done at the beginning of the year.  However, the year didn't begin in January.  There was no January back then.  March was the beginning of the year.  The time between Solstice and March were simply "the winter."
So, if the decree was sent on the Ides of March (commonly a public announcement that the government had opened) and Nazareth was around 60 to 70 miles away.  It would have been somewhere around two to three weeks for the proclamation to reach Joseph and for them to respond.
I know the "official position" of the Church may or may not support "April 6th" as His birthday, depending on whom you ask.  But it still looks like a pretty good date.
TWELFTH NIGHT
Many an English student has read Twelfth Night (Or What You Will) in High School or College.  But I've never heard a teacher tell, nor student question what that title has to do with the story except for me.  And the teacher didn't know the answer.
Well, Twelfth Night was the last of the Twelve Days of Christmas (as the song indicates).  In Orthodoxy, it supposedly took 12 days for the wise men arrive to give him gifts (some may claim 2 years + 12 days).  So, orthodox churches would have a 12-day long celebration that culminated on Jan 6th. 
In the Bard's time, that final day was filled with topsy-turvy antics and festivities that certainly were not reverent.  And supposedly, this play was written to be performed for the Queen on Twelfth Night.  So, he wrote a comedy that had people going back-and-forth in their emotions and plot twists that spun your head.
So, Happy Holidays, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, or what you will.  And may your true love give you better gifts than last year.

This must be a relatively new rule because back in the 1990s when I was investigating LDS, sister missionaries visited me many times without there being anyone other than me and them present. This was before I was married, when I lived on my own (aside from my cats). This happened over several years, with at least three different pairs of sisters, and in two different stakes, so you cannot argue this was a one-off lapse. The last time sister missionaries visited my home was in 1998, and they sat together on my couch without anyone else other than me present.
And no I didn't invite them into my cellar. (For one thing I didn't have a cellar.)
Having said that, this movie serves as a cautionary tale about why this rule is probably a good one.

I have to admit that I don't quite understand the appointment of RFK Jr. to HHS head.
He's an anti-vaxxer which for the purposes of COVID, I can get behind.  But apart from that, I don't really see anything in his background that would make him a good fit for that position.
My guess would be that he was only a political pick.  He was able to remain on the ballot in some very tight races and drained just a few thousand votes from Kamala.  So, he had to have a position in the admin.

I don’t think RFK jr is one of the “people left behind by the democrat party”. He’s still pro choice, anti death penalty, pro gun control… 

Loved the original. May need to pick this one up. 😁

Maybe. But I see MGTOW as something far more insidious. Like feminism itself, MGTOW's foundational assumptions and claims are not completely specious; on the contrary, many such claims are exactly on the mark. This fact makes MGTOW, like feminism, more dangerous rather than more true.
It's easy to see the excesses and evils of feminism. Just look around. It's not as easy to see the evils of MGTOW, because our society is not yet conditioned to look for them. We may be with MGTOW today at the point that feminism was with the US population in the 1960s, with a lot of people nodding and saying, "You know, they have a point." Feminism has proven to be one of the most malignant societal cancers of our time; much of the corruption and decadence of today's United States can be laid at feminism's door. MGTOW, if left unchecked and unchallenged, will be as cancerous as feminism, and might well complete the evil that feminism began: The dissolution of the relationship between men and women, and the resulting utter destruction of the family. This is and always has been feminism's ultimate goal. Honestly, MGTOW is no different.
This is a bitter pill for me. I recognize the truths that MGTOW preaches, and some part of my mind and spirit rejoices that, finally, someone is willing to point and state openly that the emperor has no clothes. But mainstream MGTOWism is not merely a rejection of western feminism; it is a dismissal of the feminine altogether, a proclamation that women are nothing but vaginas to be used at will but never bonded to. Ironic, really. Modern feminism glorifies women as of inherent, intrinsic worth, requiring no other condition besides a vagina to be revered and protected, while MGTOW accepts the value of women as being that same vagina, and nothing more.
It's easy to say that feminism brought MGTOW on itself, but that's like saying your skin cancer brought on the bone cancer, so good riddance to both. As alluring as MGTOWism might be to many men, it is not the correct response to modern feminism. It is ultimately a furthering of the same evil that feminism represents.
We would never want our daughter or our sister or our wife or our mother to be treated as MGTOW often portrays. If we see women, even feminists, as sisters and daughters, we can perhaps see through MGTOW at what we should really be striving for.

The B.H Roberts foundation is a pretty interesting bunch of folks.  In a lot of ways, it's the younger generation LDS folks, to whom the us GenXers have passed the apologetic torch. 
Here's another one of their publications from their more culturally-focused online apologetic outreach-to-the-younguns project, Mormonr:

I'm glad to see the next generation rocking their testimonies in culturally mainstream ways. 
 

I would quite happily accept a few pounds of butter even without that life-saving "contains milk" warning. I mean, if the article hadn't informed us that butter is nothing more than churned milk, I might never have known!
PS: Based on the reported comments, it's not the world that's stupid - it's the FDA (and lawsuits based on this sort of thing).

I wish I had that arrangement.  I'd eat the food myself.  I've eaten worse.  My family may not want it. But I'd be living high.

Costco forced to recall 80,000 pounds of butter for the dumbest possible reason

I have a 14 year old son who look like he is going to develop the build for a line backer.  He also has the mental capacity of a non verbal toddler...  So yeah a special needs kid..  Your comments hit.
We love (and he loves) going to school.  Its a nice change for all involved.  All of last week he was sick (Schools are still germ factories) and we kept him home and this required adjustments.  I have been fortunate that I can work remotely (A good thing from COVID) but last week I was traveling out of state. My wife has started going back to school, she had to miss the in person classes and do what she could do remote to cover the time he would have been in school.  Most extended family are also busy with there lives and family so not much ability to help there.  Grandparents are retired but they are also old and winding down.  They just can't keep up with him for more then an hour or two at a time.
My family and I are fortunate/blessed to keep things covered but it wouldn't take much to put us over the edge.

My brother works for the church office and apparently was sent to see this for work to scope it out.
He enjoyed it. Also agrees with @Ironhold and also found the end silly.

In that regard, I doubt we'll see much difference in funding, as the federal government never bothered to give the funding it promised.

I didn't realize that.  Back when it began, it was mostly private.  I haven't kept up after our first semester.  It was fine for one semester.  But there were aspects that made it a bad fit for us.  So, we left.
OTOH, I do believe it is acceptable for special needs children (if they truly are special needs) to have a state funded education.  But I believe it should be at a state level, not a federal one.  So, get rid of the Federal DOE.  States can continue.

I shouldn't, but when I encounter that accusation of hypocrisy I bring up my cousin's Satanist ex-husband who uses to beat her.
No! They say. Only Christians would do that kind of hypocrisy!

Of course.  Don't you know that all religious people are closet hypocrites?

This is where I'm trying to get comfortable and I'm not necessarily there yet in many ways beside philosophically.
I like the idea of people having to complain to closer organizations than the federal government.
I'm willing to detox from China.
I'm still not entirely sure about other things. A lane change here, but education. No one has approached of how ending the Department of Education benefits special education.