Well Scotty B since you are having a record year you can fly me down out of the snow for that beer over the holidays lol.
I think this has been your best update yet. I do caution you into not reading anything into your STBXWs attorney not responding.
Personally I don’t think there is anything wrong with you dating as long as you are upfront about where you are at right now. I do think a relationship is out of the question for you right now because I think it’s very important for you to learn to be alone. Like with CW it makes me cringe when I read posters who struggle with being alone for one night.
If you want a good read on what happens when you move too fast read Wolfmans sitch in Surviving D.
I think you need to decide what you want moving forward. Do you want a blended family? Do you want to wait until your kids are grown?