Podcasts about Astara

Ghost opens episode 110 with the bombshell Axios report that Trump called Netanyahu "effing crazy" and told him "you'd be in prison if not for me" during a Monday night call that stopped a planned Israeli assault on Beirut. Ghost breaks down the game theory of why Trump chose this exact moment, maps Israel's capture of Beaufort Castle north of the Litani River as the signal that triggered the intervention, and covers both Ben Gavir and Eisenkot attacking Netanyahu for capitulating. The Iran/US ceasefire holds in name while US forces shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Kuwait, Trump tells the world to "sit back and relax," and both sides quietly agree to stop talking publicly about the war. Ghost then unveils his AI-built 3D topographic geopolitical map, walking through the Caucasus corridor, the North South Transport Corridor missing link between Astara and Rasht, and Kazakhstan's role as the key logistics hub connecting the Middle East, Russia, and China. Putin's visit to Kazakhstan and SPIEF reveals $30 billion in Russian infrastructure investment and a joint space launch complex. Russia strikes Zelensky-linked drone company Firepoint, originally a film scouting agency. The DRC Ebola outbreak is now the fastest-spreading in recorded history, with Kenya blocking the US quarantine facility.

“My doctor says it's safe, but Google says it's not… what do I do?” It's the reality so many pregnant and breastfeeding moms face when they're given conflicting medication advice.  In this episode, consulting pharmacist Dr. Danielle Plummer and clinical pharmacist Dr. Tara Birch pull back the curtain on pregnancy medication confusion and why it happens. As Tara puts it, “Pharmacists need to be utilized more than they are. We are medication specialists.”  The core message is clear: every mom needs a pharmacist as part of her care team. From preconception through the postpartum period, pharmacists bring the medication expertise that is often missing and can prevent confusion, errors, and unnecessary risk. From the overwhelm of choosing a prenatal vitamin to navigating mixed messages from providers and “Dr. Google,” they walk through what's actually happening behind the scenes and how to make safer, more confident decisions. You'll hear why “there is no one-size-fits-all prenatal vitamin,” how postpartum needs can increase during breastfeeding, and why a truly collaborative care team leads to better outcomes for both mom and baby. If you've ever second-guessed a medication, felt confused by conflicting advice, or wished you had a clear, trusted voice guiding you, this conversation will change how you approach your care. What You'll Learn: - Why pharmacists are underused in maternal care - How to handle conflicting medication advice - How to choose the right prenatal vitamin - Why postpartum nutrition matters - The risks of relying on Google or AI for medication decisions - How collaborative care improves outcomes Expert Insights: - Pharmacists in Maternal Care: Pharmacists are medication experts but are often excluded from care teams. Including them improves safety and outcomes. - Conflicting Advice: Patients often receive mixed guidance from providers. Pharmacists help clarify evidence-based decisions. - Prenatal Vitamins: Not one-size-fits-all. Needs vary by diet, genetics, and symptoms. - Postpartum Nutrition: Nutrient needs may increase after delivery, especially during breastfeeding. - Gaps in Care: Hospital care is collaborative. Outpatient care is fragmented, creating safety risks. - Preconception Planning: Medication review before pregnancy can prevent first-trimester risks. Connect with Dr. Tara Birch: https://themotherbabypharmacist.com www.instagram.com/themotherbabypharmacist/ Phone/Text: 321-609-5424 Connect with Dr. Danielle Plummer: www.HGPharmacist.com linkedin.com/in/daniellerplummer

In this Coffee Break episode, Nadine Matheson sits down with debut novelist Tara Menon to talk about her stunning new book Under Water, a story about friendship, grief, and the devastating power of natural disasters.Tara shares her experiences growing up in Singapore and the impact of two significant natural disasters, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Sandy, on her writing process and the themes of her book.As Tara delves into the story of Marissa and her best friend Arielle, who navigate the idyllic beauty of their island home before tragedy strikes, she reflects on the heavy responsibility of depicting real-life events in fiction. The conversation touches on the nuances of grief, particularly the loss of a friend, and the disparity in how different cultures respond to natural disasters. Tara also reveals the surprising characters that emerged during her writing journey and shares fascinating facts about manta rays that inspired her narrative.Watch Tara Menon's recommendation: The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+)Buy Under Water by Tara Menon Support the podcast - Buy me a cup of coffee ☕️.Buy books by my guests Bookshop.orgFollow MeBluesky | Substack | Instagram | Facebook | Threads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you prepare an entire generation for a world where AI is already shaping how we work, create, and solve problems? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I'm joined by Dr. Tara Nattrass, Chief Innovation Strategist for Education at Lenovo, for a grounded and thoughtful conversation about what responsible AI integration really looks like in K–12 classrooms. Tara brings more than 25 years of experience inside school districts, including serving as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning in Arlington Public Schools, so this isn't a theory-led discussion. It's informed by lived experience. We explore how the conversation has shifted over the past 18 months. AI has been present in schools for years through adaptive software and analytics, but the arrival of generative and now agentic AI tools has accelerated everything. As Tara explains, the debate is no longer about whether AI should be in schools. It's about how to approach it responsibly, strategically, and in ways that genuinely improve learning outcomes. A big theme in our conversation is AI literacy. Tara breaks this down in practical terms, moving beyond technical understanding to include critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and the ability to evaluate risk and bias. She shares real examples of students designing AI tools to solve problems in their communities, shifting the focus from passive consumption to active creation. We also talk about infrastructure readiness. Many school systems have bold ambitions around AI, but there is often a gap between vision and technical capability. AI-ready devices, intelligent infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data governance all play a role in making innovation sustainable rather than experimental.  Lenovo's approach, as Tara describes it, centers on building education ecosystems rather than simply refreshing hardware. There is also a careful balance to strike between innovation, privacy, and inclusion. From hybrid AI models to questions around where data is stored and who can access it, schools are navigating complex decisions. Tara shares how Lenovo partners with districts, policymakers, and organizations such as ISTE and ASCD to align infrastructure, professional learning, and governance frameworks. Looking ahead, we discuss what will separate school systems that truly benefit from AI from those that simply layer new tools onto old teaching models. Vision, educator upskilling, cybersecurity, and rethinking assessment all feature prominently in her answer. If you are working in education, technology leadership, or policy, this conversation offers a practical view of how AI-ready classrooms are being built today and what still needs to happen next. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. How is AI reshaping learning in your organization, and are you ready for what comes next?

Today we dive into Part 2 of my conversation with Tara Lafon Gooch — an episode centered on what it really means to rewire your brain. This isn't just positive thinking. It's restructuring your mindset, reshaping your beliefs, and building a stronger foundation for your leadership and your life. Tara brings us back to the starting point of the GRASP Method: Gratitude. Gratitude isn't soft — it's hardwiring. It forms new beliefs, and when you form new beliefs, the old lies lose their power. From there comes Responsibility, the essence of self leadership. As Tara says, “You can't lead a team of many if you can't lead a team of one.” It starts with us. No victim mindset. No excuses. Own your choices, and you begin to transform your future. Then comes Action — the step none of us can skip. Tara reminds us: “An ounce of doing is worth more than a pound of theorizing.” Ideas don't change your life. Action does. “Hopes and dreams,” as I said — and Tara added, “Castles built with sand” — can only stand when you build on responsibility and intention. We also dig into vision and purpose. You can't know your purpose if you can't see where you're going. Too many of us live in the rearview mirror, replaying what already happened. Tara says it perfectly: you can't drive 70 mph while looking backwards. Your power as a leader is in the next step you take, not the step you regret. We talk about forgiveness, too — why we hold onto hurt to feel in control, and why real control actually comes from letting go. And Tara shares her own transformation — hitting rock bottom, surrendering, and finally hearing gratitude in a way that changed everything. “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” And from that moment, she was never the same. Finally, Tara gives us a glimpse into her daily grounding: prayer, gratitude, Scripture, protecting her mind from comparison, and choosing family over scrolling. Small habits — 1% a day — that create long term transformation. This conversation will challenge and encourage you. It's about rewiring your thinking, reclaiming your power as a leader, and choosing the reality you want to build. Let's jump in.

In this special episode, Tara sits down with her friend and collaborator Sarah Habib from The Calm Caterpillar to share some exciting news—you're hearing it here first! Together, they've written a brand-new book, The Mindfulness Guide for Neurodivergent Learners, and this conversation takes you behind the scenes of how it came to life and why it's so needed. This episode is a must-listen for educators, therapists, and parents who want practical, neurodiversity-affirming strategies to support regulation, transitions, and connection—without compliance-based approaches. About the Book The Mindfulness Guide for Neurodivergent Learners is a 90-page, full-color, action-oriented guide designed to be: Easy to read and visually supportive Practical and immediately usable in classrooms and homes Grounded in neurodiversity-affirming, non-compliance-based practices The book includes: Real classroom photos and examples Scripts you can actually use Visual supports and calming strategies QR codes for free downloadable resources Tools for co-regulation, not just "self-regulation" Ideas for supporting transitions, calm corners, sensory needs, and deep interests What You'll Hear in This Episode How the idea for the book started (spoiler: it began with a simple message ☺️) Why regulation is the foundation for learning, connection, and communication The importance of modeling regulation strategies as adults Why mindfulness strategies should be practiced in a regulated state How to move away from token boards and "earning" regulation tools Using deep interests (like favorite characters) to support transitions and engagement Real-life classroom examples that actually worked Why consistency across home, school, and childcare matters so much The difference between compliance-based approaches and compassionate, child-centered ones A Big Takeaway This book isn't about quick fixes. It's about: Modeling Consistency Trust And honoring how neurodivergent learners experience the world As Tara and Sarah emphasize, slow burns are okay—real change takes time, repetition, and relationship. Special Listener Bonus Podcast listeners get 15% off the book!

Tara wakes up to a freezing morning and even colder headlines ❄️. From a stunning FBI misstep in the Brown University shooting to horrifying revelations about unvetted refugees, terrorists released into the country, and crimes that defy belief, this episode exposes a cascade of failures that are only now coming to light. As Tara connects the dots between years-old decisions and today's chaos, one thing becomes clear: these consequences were predicted — and ignored. ⏱️ Episode Highlights ❄️ Cold Morning, Hot Mess: Bone-chilling temperatures match the tone of the headlines

Motherkind Moment is your place for calm, connection, and a shift in perspective before the week ahead.  This week's Moment: The neuroscience behind journaling with Dr Tara Swart This week's Moment is with the wonderful Dr Tara Swart. Tara is a neuroscientist, psychiatrist, executive coach and the bestselling author of The Source. In this short but powerful clip, we dive into one of my all-time favourite tools for wellbeing – journaling. If you've been listening for a while, you'll know how much I love journaling. It's one of the simple, foundational practices that helps me stay balanced and connected every day. Tara explains the fascinating neuroscience behind why putting pen to paper is so effective. She shares how journaling helps to reduce cortisol (our main stress hormone), process emotions, and even support recovery from trauma. I found it so interesting when she described how writing – or even speaking – our thoughts out loud helps release them from our “brain-body system”, allowing us to feel calmer and clearer. We also talk about intuition, self-trust, and why we've become so conditioned to outsource our wisdom rather than tune in to our own inner knowing. As Tara says so beautifully, “We are all such powerful guides for ourselves – we just have to listen.” I hope this Moment inspires you to grab your pen, release those swirling thoughts onto the page, and reconnect with your intuition. Trust me, it makes a massive difference. To listen to the full episode with Dr Tara Swart, listen here. Click Here to order your copy of 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations' Motherkind is sponsored by Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women's supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit, visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Continue the Conversation: Join our community over on Instagram for inspiration, tips, and sometimes a bit of humour to get us through our day - @zoeblaskey Join our mailing list to receive news, updates and new episode releases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"İsmayıllıdan olmağıma və burada yaşamağıma baxmayaraq, Qaranohur gölünün varlığından xəbərim yox idi”“Turdan əvvəl ətraflı məlumat almaq mütləqdir”“Təhlükəsiz yürüş üçün xüsusi ayaqqabılar və gəzinti çubuqları zəruridir”“Qaranohur gölü Azərbaycanda ən çətin yürüş marşrutlarından biridir”“Çox iştirakçılı turlar bəzi hallarda çətinlik yarada bilər”"Dağlıq bölgədə yağış yağmayacağının təminatı yoxdur, buna görə hazırlıqlı olmaq vacibdir”Qonağımız "Tourandcamping"-in təsisçisi, səyahətçi Cavid Manaflı oldu

Our September book, EDUCATED, is a memoir by Tara Westover. The youngest of seven children, Tara recounts her experience growing up in a survivalist family in rural Idaho, living mostly in isolation with her family, no formal education, not much money, and few ties to the surrounding community. Against all odds, Tara decides to follow the example of an estranged brother who has gone to college. Her quest for knowledge takes her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University, and further divides her from the family that was once her world.Linny says this is the kind of book that Nancy and Linny could talk about for hours, laying on a bed. It was riveting and had so many components. In the end, Nancy thought it was a book about identity. Linny loved the complexity of the family's dysfunction and mental health issues.Tara is supposed to be home-schooled, but in reality, there is no schooling. Tara's father owns a junkyard and presses his children into working with him with little regard to their safety. He has a terrible temper, little regard for safety, self-aggrandizing opinions, and expectes unconditional obedience, especially from his wife and his daughters.As Tara gets older, she starts seeing cracks in her father's edifice. His prophecies don't come to fruition. She notices her mother, though extremely submissive, allows her to do things, but then won't stand up to Gene when things blow up. Instead, Tara is left to defend herself. Tara doesn't like how her family basically disowns her brother, Luke, who decides to go to BYU. The lesson is if you disobey you are expelled. Tara suffers physical and emotional abuse but even in her journals, she downplays the problems and lies to herself about the abuse she is experiencing. Her brother Shawn is like a more violent Gene who is allowed to be physically abusive to (and nearly kill) Tara, her older sister, Audrey, and his various girlfriends and his eventual wife. No one really calls him to task but instead it isn't happening. As she furthers her education and attempts to come to terms with her family's view of the world, she is basically given a choice of “believe the family stories of how the world operates or be cast out.”Linny and Nancy both say EDUCATED is a 10/10 read!

Our September book, EDUCATED, is a memoir by Tara Westover. The youngest of seven children, Tara recounts her experience growing up in a survivalist family in rural Idaho, living mostly in isolation with her family, no formal education, not much money, and few ties to the surrounding community. Against all odds, Tara decides to follow the example of an estranged brother who has gone to college. Her quest for knowledge takes her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University, and further divides her from the family that was once her world.Linny says this is the kind of book that Nancy and Linny could talk about for hours, laying on a bed. It was riveting and had so many components. In the end, Nancy thought it was a book about identity. Linny loved the complexity of the family's dysfunction and mental health issues.Tara is supposed to be home-schooled, but in reality, there is no schooling. Tara's father owns a junkyard and presses his children into working with him with little regard to their safety. He has a terrible temper, little regard for safety, self-aggrandizing opinions, and expectes unconditional obedience, especially from his wife and his daughters.As Tara gets older, she starts seeing cracks in her father's edifice. His prophecies don't come to fruition. She notices her mother, though extremely submissive, allows her to do things, but then won't stand up to Gene when things blow up. Instead, Tara is left to defend herself. Tara doesn't like how her family basically disowns her brother, Luke, who decides to go to BYU. The lesson is if you disobey you are expelled. Tara suffers physical and emotional abuse but even in her journals, she downplays the problems and lies to herself about the abuse she is experiencing. Her brother Shawn is like a more violent Gene who is allowed to be physically abusive to (and nearly kill) Tara, her older sister, Audrey, and his various girlfriends and his eventual wife. No one really calls him to task but instead it isn't happening. As she furthers her education and attempts to come to terms with her family's view of the world, she is basically given a choice of “believe the family stories of how the world operates or be cast out.”Linny and Nancy both say EDUCATED is a 10/10 read!

To get live links to the music we play and resources we offer, visit www.WOSPodcast.comThis show includes the following songs:EMI WIDE - End Me FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYAshley Puckett - Anchor FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYMAXON - Everything Is Green FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYChloe Styler - Love in a Bubble FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYLydia von Hof - She FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYCumulus - Welcome Back to Me FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYJordan Corey - 647AM FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYGinger Winn - Escape FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYMackenzie Miller - Primrose Path FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYAlison Martino - Back Here FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYDanielle Dennis - Where To Begin FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYMelanie Herrera - You're Doing Great FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYAstara Black - Invitation FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYWhym - Scene Change FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYElla Collier - ICE QUEEN FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYFor Music Biz Resources Visit www.FEMusician.com and www.ProfitableMusician.comVisit our Sponsor Profitable Musician Newsletter at profitablemusician.com/joinVisit our Sponsor Jennifer Harper at jenniferharpermusic.comVisit our Sponsor 39 Streams of Income at profitablemusician.com/incomeVisit our Sponsor Trackstage at https://profitablemusician.com/trackstageVisit www.wosradio.com for more details and to submit music to our review board for consideration.Visit our resources for Indie Artists: https://www.wosradio.com/resourcesBecome more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

"Az tanına yerlərdən biri Qanslar şəlaləsidir""Hansı bölgəyə gediriksə, həmin bölgənin yeməyini təqdim edirik""2783 metr hündürlükdə- Xarıbülbül zirvəsində olmuşam"Qiymətlər nəyə görə dəyişir?Turlarla səyahət edənlər nəyi bilməlidir?Qonağımız tur bələdçisi və səyahət bloqerləri Heydər və Sona Məmmədovlar oldu.

You can enjoy exclusive and intense erotic audio by grabbing your copy of the Wylde Erotic App on the Apple Store,or downloading the very unofficial and unapproved Android version from WyldeInBed.com In the depths of grief, love can transcend even the boundaries of life and death.Tara is heartbroken. After losing her two best friends while they served abroad, she finds herself adrift in a sea of sorrow. Seeking solace, she returns to their cherished childhood haunt—a place filled with laughter, memories, and the echoes of their unbreakable bond.But little does she know, the spirits of her friends linger there, yearning to comfort her in her darkest hour.In "Whispers in the Moonlight," Tara's tears awaken the ethereal presence of her two friends, who reveal themselves as more than just memories. As they draw closer, Tara discovers an unexpected connection that transcends the boundaries of life and death.Together, they explore a passionate and otherworldly bond that ignites desires she never knew existed.As Tara navigates the complexities of grief and love, she finds herself entangled in a paranormal MMF ménage romance that challenges the limits of her heart.Can she embrace this new reality and find healing in the arms of her beloved friends, or will the weight of her loss keep her tethered to the past?Join Tara on a journey of love, loss, and the intoxicating power of connection in "Whispers in the Moonlight".Note: This story contains mature themes and is intended for adult readers only.Explore the boundaries of love and the mysteries of the heart. Download "Whispers in the Moonlight" today and experience a tale of passion, healing, and the whispers of the spirit world.

Bonus Crossover Episode from Sound-Up Governance. For more info, visit http://www.groundupgovernance.com   TRANSCRIPT Matt Intro Hi everyone! This is Matt Fullbrook. It's been a LOOOONG time since I posted anything here on the OMG channel, and…actually I don't have any real updates for you. Sorry! I just wanted to let you know that there's some new content on the Sound-Up Governance podcast. I've just launched a short series of episodes based around a cool webinar I did last year with some experts in business design where we explored the connection between design thinking and good governance. Here's the first instalment. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow along at groundupgovernance.com    Matt Voiceover Welcome back to Sound-Up Governance. My name is Matt Fullbrook, and today we have the first in a short series of episodes that come from a webinar that I co hosted a few months back with my old friend Michael Hartmann, who's the Principal of the Directors College at McMaster University. He invited a couple of his friends to join us. Karel Vredenburg, who was the global VP of UX Research at IBM, and Tara Safaie, who's the executive Director of Health and Organizational Innovation at the design firm, IDEO. I've become increasingly convinced over the past few years that good governance is a design challenge. If you're familiar with my framing of good governance as intentionally cultivating effective conditions for making decisions and also familiar with design thinking, then you already know what I'm talking about. I honestly had no idea at first that I was talking like a design guy, but now I'm all the way bought in. Tara, Karel and Michael further reinforced this perspective in our discussion. But we'll get to that a bit later. Let's start first with some definitions. The first voice you'll hear is Michael, followed by Karel. Michael Hartmann I remember going out trying to introduce companies to this thing called design, and a lot of eyes would be like, blank, saying, what is this? 25 years later, 24 years later, it's ubiquitous. Design is everywhere. But as my colleagues will say, it's everywhere. Not done well. More often than not, we brought it into Directors College and for a couple of reasons. And we're going to explore those reasons. One, if you think about the core roles, responsibilities of board, CEO, selection, talent. Well, of course, strategy is a critical one. You know, setting the lanes for management, sometimes moving the lanes with management as well. But design is a really interesting way to think about strategy development and execution. I wanted Karel to maybe introduce some of the design. What do we mean by design? And for my colleagues around the table here, how can boards leverage design principles for better strategy? So that's a starting point, Karel, and maybe a question over to you. Karel Vredenberg Yeah, let's let me start. And some of the people that are listening, I'm sure have heard this story. If you were in my. In my session. But I love to share that I talked about design thinking at a university was an interdisciplinary lecture. The Dean of the business school said as a question later, said, we're all learning design thinking now. This is really, really good. Do we still need designers? I said, yeah, there's a difference between design and design thinking. And so the notion of design, that intentional process to research, ideate, and then actually create and then iterate on things that you're creating, whether it's websites, apps, products or services. That's sort of design and design thinking is really the, as it states the thinking, the, the way to actually take a perspective on a particular problem, to solve a problem in a, in a more intentional empathic, looking at all stakeholders and alike, more holistic sort of approach. And so that's how I see them being different. And the way that I've used design thinking in companies, both for typically the C suite I've worked with and, and then with boards, is really to open the aperture in ways that they've never thought before. There were a couple of instances where after I spent like a day and a half with, with them, they came up with a set of directions strategically where they realized that there were things that they came up with through this way of thinking that they realized there were certain things that were on their five year plan that were absolutely things they shouldn't be doing. And there were other things that were really simple to do but they'd never thought of them because they'd never used this design lens that now became their number one priority. So I think it's an incredibly powerful tool to be able to set strategy for an organization. Matt Voiceover Before getting to Tara's perspective, you'll hear her and eventually Karel refer to Agile. Now I'm no expert in Agile, so please forgive me if any of you listeners are experts and I'm messing something up. In short, it's a set of frameworks and practices originally designed for project management in software development that are rooted in certain priorities and principles. For example, it's more important to prototype, iterate and respond to change than it is to adhere dogmatically to a preset plan. Anyway, here's Tara's perspective on what human-centered design means for organizations. Tara Safaie Many of these approaches are a combination of pedagogy and methods and you know, certain steps that you're supposed to take. But they also introduce mindsets or ways of looking at and thinking about problems or context in a way that is different from how many organizations traditionally look at problems. So I think what's useful about design as a methodology, and you alluded to it, Karel, is that it often forces many organizations to think about their problems in a more human-centered way because you have to find a case for a desirable solution before you go on to actually making that solution a reality using more agile methods. Agile and design both have as part of their methodology iterative processes. So where you start in lower fidelity and progressively build your fidelity and an investment and things like that as you learn and as you fail and things like that. And so I think it's worth noting that while the methods themselves often yield great results and they are worth in many cases implementing in the right corners of an organization to yield the outcomes and the products that they can yield. And it's also worth noting where those mindsets that they're bringing to the table are most impactful so the two can be treated in conjunction with one another. And then to make them a more sustainable part of an organization's being, to make them really course through the bloodstream of an organization that requires much more kind of long tail change and a different type of approach integrating it into organizations where they're, where it's not present at the moment. Karel Vredenberg Hey, Tara, I want to just add one other thought to that and that is that of course, yeah, I always imagine it as if you think that you have this big canvas of what the solution was going to end up being. If you just do Agile, you'll start so say on the top right of that campus that solutions space. Right. And yes, you'll be able to iterate, but you're going to be roughly still in that top right quadrant of the canvas. Design thinking right at the front of it may well tell you that you really need to be in the bottom left to really serve the market. And that's whether products or services or work of a board where you want to think more deeply about what's the bigger picture view of where this company should go. Matt Voiceover So you'll already see an important intersection here with my framing of corporate governance as people making decisions in corporations, I the first and most important step in effective decision making is a clear definition of the problem we're trying to solve. As Tara and Karel are defining it, that's where design starts too. Okay, so let's start moving into some useful insights for boards. I mean the design world has in my opinion generally done a pretty poor job at helping boards to do their jobs well. With this in mind, Michael prompted our guests with a reminder that boards tend to be, well, risk avoidant. So how do we embrace design when that's our starting point? Michael Hartmann Board directors, when we query about innovation, one of the common feedbacks we get is we wish we could be more open to risk as opposed to de risking embracing innovation design. I also see that it's a really interesting way to kind of, you know, stress test and build a capacity for risk taking. And I don't know Tara, if you've got some thoughts on that. Tara Safaie Yeah, absolutely. A couple of anecdotes. One is that I think organizations that have really adopted design in a powerful way in their organization, have adopted the mindset that ideas are disposable. Matt Voiceover I just want to interject here. Imagine a world where we approached governance ideas as disposable instead of embracing them as orthodoxy. OMG, it's like a dream come true. Sorry Tara, you were saying... Tara Safaie They have right sized the investment that they put into an idea to the maturity of that idea. So what I see many organizations do, particularly my, my clients in the healthcare space, is that they are very quick to jump on the first couple of ideas that they come up with because they are so deeply expert in the area that they're working in. Like many of them have spent decades learning to be the professional that they are. That expertise gets translated into these ideas that when, when thrown into the thunderdome of the real world or of a patient's world, let's say, just don't survive the key shift that occurs with organizations that are able to adopt design mindsets, you know, kind of deeply in their organization and adopt the level of risk that it requires. Have learned how to test their ideas in low fidelity ways. And so where they are able to identify the most core assumptions that they're holding, maybe because their expertise has kind of put blinders on them, or they only work with a particular type of customer and they want to expand to a new type, they don't know that customer as well, whatever it might be, that they're a western organization designing for a non western customer base or a global south customer base, whatever it might be. And so they're able to understand what the most deeply held assumptions in their solutions are and then design tests to test those assumptions in low fidelity ways. You can't build certainty in any of the paths that you're taking, but you can build confidence. So your goal in any type of design exercise, and again, organizations that have internalized this, know this deeply, your goal is not to be certain. Your goal is to gain confidence. And so organizations that are testing their ideas in low fidelity ways are testing whether their assumptions hold. And as they build confidence, then build the confidence to slowly invest more and more as the stakes get, you know, the stakes get higher. They've invested more in the, in the back as well. And that allows them some of the agility, as we were talking about before, to then respond to a change in market context or a change in the competitive landscape or something else that might shift where those assumptions were tested initially. The risk profile that most organizations have does not necessarily preclude them from having low fidelity and therefore small investment, high risk things on the side. What they are not seasoned in doing is then transversing the space between that low fidelity and very low investment idea to the full fledged one. That's really going to require a lot of money. Karel Vredenberg Yeah, I would just add, I want to amplify something you said too, like the low fidelity idea. That's really a prototype, right. And what is a prototype precisely? It's, it's really a low risk way of exploring something. So people talk about, oh, you really should be increasing your, your, your failure rate. You learn from failure. And everybody, you know Silicon Valley loves to say that, right? Yeah, they love to say it because 90% of them fail. But in fact, if they did the kind of things that Tara and I are talking about here, doing just a small prototype, it might be a new way of working as a, as a board, let's say. And you want to just try that out? Well, you can just try it out in your meetings. That's a prototype. And then after, let's say you do, you know, sort of an off site or whatever, let's, let's see what that was like, get some feedback on it and the like as well. So it's this whole mindset of, of doing small prototypes that can fail. But you're not failing big, you're testing first, seeing if something's going to work. And then if it's going to work, then you can scale it up and do it across a whole organizational like as well. It's a fantastic, phenomenal way to de risk by taking risks. Matt Voiceover That's a wrap on the first episode in this series. Let me just say that this prototyping approach really works in boardrooms. I like to think of it as crafting a 1% intervention rather than a revolution. An intervention designed intentionally and specifically to increase the probability that we'll get a, a better result in some small part of our work together. Maybe it's a change to reporting or a shift in our agendas, or a new conversation prompt after a presentation or a different lunch caterer. Whatever it is, the consequence of failure is essentially zero and the potential for learning is high. Stay tuned for the next episode in the series coming up soon. And drop me a note to let me know what you thought of this episode. If you liked it, please consider spreading the word. Oh, and as usual, I've provided some notes on today's music on the episode post at groundupgovernance.com Catch you next time.

As Tara puts the finishing touches on her next book, on declining trust in the media, we wanted to bring you a few encore interviews that have helped shaped her thinking on the media — including today's episode.Since the election win for Donald Trump, we are seeing a renewed sense of scorn for Republican voters in parts of the mainstream media. The Guardian's Rebecca Solnit, for example, writes in her column that “our mistake was to think we lived in a better country than we do.” Our guest on today's program doesn't see it that way. She's a lefty Democrat who moved from Park Slope, Brooklyn, to Trump country — and she writes that the gift of living in a rural county is that “I keep finding reasons to see my political adversaries as human.”Larissa Phillips runs the Honey Hollow farm in upstate New York. She's the founder of the Volunteer Literacy Project, and her essay for The Free Press is, “Whatever Happens, Love Thy Neighbor.”You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

As Tara puts the finishing touches on her next book, on declining trust in the media, we wanted to bring you a few encore interviews that have helped shaped her thinking on the media — including today's episode.The period often referred to as The Great Awokening is winding down now, and we're starting to get a better understanding of what happened. My guest on today's program argues that we have seen these kinds of social justice-styled movements before in American history — and that they are in fact driven by, as he puts it, “frustrated erstwhile elites condemning the social order that failed them and jockeying to secure the position they feel they deserve.”Musa al-Gharbi is an American sociologist and an assistant professor in the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University. His book is We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite.You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

Send us some LOVE!Today, we're joined by Tara Wild, who shares an extraordinary story that unfolds during the pandemic. As Tara and her husband, Darcy, navigate the challenges brought by COVID-19, they discover the value of family time amidst the chaos. The narrative takes a heart-wrenching turn with Darcy's mysterious disappearance, prompting a community-driven search effort that highlights the resilience and power of collective support in Vancouver.Tara's story is not only one of personal tragedy but also of courage and transformation. By choosing love over fear and turning to stories of creativity and adversity, she provides a fresh perspective on grief that resonates deeply. Her book "Snapshots of my Broken Heart" serves as a beacon of hope and connection for those facing loss. Contact:www.asiliveandgrieve.cominfo@asiliveandgrieve.comFacebook:  As I Live and GrieveInstagram:  @asiliveandgrieveYouTube:  asiliveandgrieveTikTok: @asiliveandgrieveTo Reach Tara:Website:  https://tarawild.ca Credits: Music by Kevin MacLeod Support the showCopyright 2020, by As I Live and GrieveThe views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

As Tara concludes our series in Prayer, we look to the hope of God who is with us both as we pray for endurance, and also gives us the perseverance to continue praying. 

As Tara continues our series in the Beatitudes, we look at the perspective of Jesus when it comes to grieving and mourning. Jesus in the gospels reminds us that we are not alone in our grief, he invites us to rest upon him, and his comfort that is promised outlasts our darkness today.

As Tara wraps up our sermon series in the book of Micah, we are reminded of how the prophet implores God's people to love God and love others. When we fail to love God, that leads us to enacting injustice toward our brothers and sisters, and God calls us back to himself, while through our worship to God, we can be reminded of who he is in the middle of our hardship.

On this episode, Marc talks with Tara Lopez, author of “Chuco Punk: Sonic Insurgency in El Paso,” published today, June 4th, 2024. It's a fascinating history of how punk rock developed and grew in the Texas city of El Paso, and the way this opened punk up to marginalized groups. It's a story about community and self-reliance that adds a new chapter to the history of punk rock.As Tara writes, “While punk is known for its daring subversion, so too is El Paso. Indeed, in the nineteenth century, El Paso's reputation as a criminal outpost of sin was so widespread that its nickname soon became “Chuco,” a derivative of the Spanish word for “crooked” or “illegal.” El Paso was the natural staging site for a punk revolution."We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Tara Lopez!

In this WCNFluencer episode, Christopher MacLellan visits with Astara Teal Summers about her music and the power of music in healing and personal growth. Astara and Chris discuss the importance of self-awareness and self-love in creating a life by conscious design. Astara introduces her two courses, the Conscious Mastery Life Course and the Conscious Mastery Facilitator Certification Course, which provide tools and guidance for personal growth and helping others. Both Astara and Chris emphasize the importance of journaling, positive thoughts, and slowing down to connect with oneself. Astara shares her vision of a world where people love themselves and each other, creating inner peace and positive change. Takeaways Music can be a powerful tool for healing and personal growth.Self-awareness and self-love are essential in creating a life by conscious design.Journaling and positive thoughts can help in the process of self-discovery and personal growth.Astara offers two courses, the Conscious Mastery Life Course and the Conscious Mastery Facilitator Certification Course, to guide individuals in their personal growth journey and help them become facilitators of healing and transformation. Learn More at: Conscious Mastery Titles Creating a Life by Conscious DesignTools for Personal Growth and Helping Others Sound Bites "Music is healing, it's what connects people, I think, on a level that transcends the conversation.""Inner peace emanates into your home, and to your family, wherever you go. And then it reverberates out into the world.""The Conscious Mastery Life Course: Digging into the Journey of Self-Discovery and Personal Growth" Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Welcoming Astara 08:10 Creating a Life by Conscious Design 24:08 The Conscious Mastery Facilitator Certification Course: Tools and Guidance for Helping Others 30:41 Journaling and Positive Thoughts for Self-Discovery

 My girlfriend and her sister play dueling practical jokes on me.By TruthWithaTwist. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories."Sisters before Misters. It's the golden rule." Tara declared."Thank goodness you're hot" I joked, "Because that may be the most fucked-up and lamest thing anyone has ever said to me." With that, we started laughing and settled in for the rest of the drive.We got to the resort and it was everything we expected. It was a cheesy resort built for "romance weekends". They did a have a "lodge restaurant" and because it was off-season, we had no problem getting our choice of cabins and were told to come down the restaurant at any time.The guy working the front desk told us that the hot tub on the deck was usable, but suggested that we turn the heat on before dinner if we wanted to use it later. He also mentioned the romance package and asked if he could have it delivered while we dined. He said all of this unironically and without embarrassment.We made the short walk down a path to our cabin and were thrilled with what we found. It was roomy, with an oversized king bed. It had a glossy wooden floor that led to a loveseat, and two chairs that gathered by a large gas fireplace. The bed itself was a wonder to behold. A crimson bedspread was stretched across it. 6 stark white pillows were stacked at the top of the bed with a sort of long, red ribbon holding them all together. The bed itself was made of a wooden frame with large headboard.Just to the right of the bed, was a sliding glass door that went to the enclosed deck and the hot tub. The hot tub faced the lake but was still enclosed by the walls of the deck. There were instructions on the wall, and I got the heater for the hot tub started. As I was getting my bearings, the room behind me went dark for a split-second and suddenly was bathed in red."BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA" said Tara as she started playing with the light switches on a bedstand. One switch bathed the room in red. The next started a sort of "disco-light" effect. Button 3 I ~think~ was light romance...as pastel circles, and blobs sort of migrated across the walls and ceiling."What's that last switchy-thing?" I asked. Tara flipped a switch and we heard a "whirring" motion. From the bottom of the bed, a panel came up revealing a bed-width mirror."Oh, well of course it is!" We both burst into laughter. I tackled Tara and we spilled on to the bed making out and making up for lost time. Hands started to wander. She started to rub my crotch through my jeans, I was working my way up her shirt. As we took a quick pause, I spoke up."Babe. This place is amazing and I want nothing more than to fuck you right now, but I'm starving!!!! Can we go eat and then we have all night to experience the Adventureland theme park in our room?""Absolutely". Tara went into the bathroom to freshen up. For the first time, I reached into my back pocket and found the money Henry had given me. I counted out five crisp $100 bills and was suddenly looking forward to a great meal.We threw our coats back on and walked over the restaurant. We gave the waiter our "dinner coupon" and placed our order. For a half-full resort, in the middle of nowhere, with a porn set for a cottage, the meal was surprisingly good. We started with a Manhattan and a Martini and thanks to the money Henry had slipped me, we splurged on an expensive bottle of wine. We ate and drank and ordered a bottle of Prosecco to take back to the room as we left the restaurant.We stumbled back to our room and keyed back in. On the coffee table was what looked like a large rectangular box of chocolates. Upon opening it, we found out it was our romance package. There were a number of "adult' items, all discretely packaged and wrapped inside. Like a kid on Christmas, Tara began opening each one."Oh! Ok. Cherry flavored lube. That's kinda fun. Next, "Tickle her pink" arousal crème. Alrighty. We've got an Aqua-vibe! Some silicone cock rings. Massage Oil. And.." Tara then held up with great pride.... "A blindfold mask!" For the next few minutes we laughed and opened everything. Slowly, though, the mood went from humorous to sexy. We started to smell, taste and feel everything in the box. Tara got the ball rolling."Why don't I grab those robes, you grab the vibe & the Prosecco and I'll meet you in the hot tub."I stripped down to my boxers and opened the Prosecco. Tara came out wrapped in a robe, holding some towels and handed me the other robe. We opened the sliding door and I lifted the cover off the hot tub. The cold air made the hot tub seem that much hotter, but we slowly lowered ourselves in with a number of "ohs" and "ahs" until we got comfortable,As we soaked and sipped the Prosecco, the stress of the day melted away. Our hands kept wandering, gently touching and stroking each other under the bubbles. Slowly, we started kissing. It was sensual, and exploratory. I started cupping one of her breasts while she started stroking my cock and balls. As our arousal grew, Tara whispered, "Did you bring that vibe?"I reached up and grabbed the small vibe off the edge of the tub. It looked like a small blue insect -- 3 inches long with two antennae at one end. Once the vibe was turned on, the antennae started to shake and vibrate. I moved the toy under the water and started using them on her nipples that were just under the surface. Tara moaned slightly and let her head loll back onto the deck's edge. I continued going back and forth between her nipples while I gently nuzzled and kissed her exposed neck. When I thought she was ready, I had the vibe work it's way down her ribcage, eliciting a giggle. The giggling stopped when I reached her crotch. I gently pushed her legs apart and started working the vibe over her clit.. It wasn't a toy that was meant for insertion, so I figured out a way to maintain my grip with my thumb and two fingers while inserting my ring and pinkie fingers slightly insider her. It all had the desired effect. Within a few minutes, I started to see the familiar red blotches on her shoulders and cheeks, telling me she was close. I kept up the motions until she started to come.The waters started to splash as Tara's hips flexed and shook. "Uh........uh.....yes.......fuck.........don't.........keep.......yes......fuck......ah"I moved the vibe away and let Tara catch her breath. As she started to come down from her high, she said, "Let's go inside and I can return the favor." We got out, jumped into our robes, and went inside."Lay some clean towels down in front of the fire." I followed her instructions and watched her grab the flavored lube. "Now, lay down."I laid on my back by the fire and kept my eyes on Tara's amazing body. Her tits were still moist from the hot tub & her pussy swollen from her recent orgasm. As she stepped toward me, she opened the Cherry lube and began spreading it over her pussy. Once she was sufficiently covered, she took two fingers and started spreading it inside herself. She came over to me, poured a palmful of the fluid into her hand and started rubbing it up and down my erect cock. Once she was satisfied, she swung her legs over my head and pushed her cherry covered cunt on to my face. I took the hint and began licking and sucking. Tara wasted no time as she dropped down on to my cock and began licking off the lube. I was trying hard to breathe while still focusing on licking my way up and down her outer lips. As I worked my way around, I would shift up and gently start licking her clit. Every time I did, I noticed that her efforts on my cock increased. Figuring out that increasing her pleasure could increase my own -- I took my tongue and drove it as far into her pussy as a I could.It had the desired effect. Tara moaned around my cock and drove her mouth down to my balls. I could feel her tongue licking my shaft as she sucked down on my entire length. It quickly became too much for me. I grabbed down on her ass and pulled her pussy into my mouth. I latched onto her clit creating a vacuum suction while I rapidly licked it with the tip of my tongue. Tara's hips began to shake and she moaned even more. The moaning around my cock was like a tight, vibrating sheath that sent me over the edge. I exploded into her mouth and heard a cacophony of noises. My own moans, her moans, the sound of her gulping down the milky load, our combined mouths gasping for breath.....followed by two huge contented sighs.After getting her breath back, Tara spun herself around and settled into the crook of my arm & shoulder. We lay together, content and satiated. Then, slowly, we realized that our mouths were both covered in each others juices and cherry lube....and it was getting kind of gross. Tara told me to go clean off a bit. As I looked at the clock, I realized it was only 11:00, not 2am as I was expecting. I went into the bathroom, got some hot water running and soaked a washcloth in soap and the water. I washed off my face a few times until the combined stickiness was gone. Then, I got the sticky lube off my crotch as best I could. I was considering hopping in the shower real quick, when Tara started knocking on the door."You almost done? I gotta pee and brush my teeth.""Yup. Two seconds." I brushed my teeth and let my girlfriend by with a quick smack on the ass.I threw on my robe, poured some more Prosecco, and laid on the bed. Admittedly, between the drinks and wine at dinner, plus the Prosecco, I was still riding the line of "buzzed" and "drunk". Add in the sudden activity and I was worn out. "You mind if I turn on the TV, babe?""Not at all! I could use a little break" she yelled back through the bathroom door.I flipped around and found a cable show with an annoying couple trying to buy a 4-bedrrom house on 3 acres and a pool for $237K dollars. Tara came out, climbed onto the bed, and started playing around on her phone.After an episode and a half, I noticed Tara's hand was slowly snaking its way up my leg, under my robe. As she started stroking my cock, encouraging it back to life, she asked if I was ready for another round. I started to roll her over, until she put a hand on my chest."Nope. You've been amazing this weekend. For me, my family, now it's time you get your reward. But....you have to trust me.""Uh.....ok.""Seriously babe. Trust me." With that, she started taking my robe off my shoulders. Once I was naked, she put some pillows under my head and reached over the side of the bed. She grabbed the large ribbon that had been around the pillows and started tying my right wrist to the bed frame (Oh.....THAT'S why they have that ribbon....duh). She swung over me, and started tying my left wrist, so I was spread eagle with my arms. Tara then got up and went over the Romance box."I have to go in the bathroom and get ready. But before that, I want to get VERY ready." With that, she took a good dollup of the arousal gel and spread it over her clit and pussy lips. The reaction was instantaneous. "Oh fuck. That's amazing. It's heating up my pussy. Wow. I need to save this so I can get some more."With that, she went into the bathroom for a few minutes. Fortunately, I could still see Beth and Shawn complaining about the backsplash in the kitchen on the tv show, so I wasn't getting anxious. A few minutes later, Tara came back out with the robe on. "Sorry! For this part, we need one more thing."She walked over and hit the "red light" option on the bedstand. Next, off went the tv and up went the mirror."Babe, I hope you're coming right into bed. Because if you want to kill the mood....leaving me tied up to only stare at my red-bathed cock and balls....that'll do it.""Don't worry. I have a surprise for you, but I don't want you see anything yet. With that, she put the sleep mask over my eyes. I heard her shuffling around, her suitcase unzipping and the bathroom door closing, then something strange happened. I heard the latches on the front door open and I felt a blast of cold air. As goosebumps erupted on my body, I heard the door close and a pair of high heeled shoes walking across our floor. The bathroom door closed again and I thought I heard muffled voices.Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I heard the door open again and I heard Tara say, "OK. Babe, like I said, you did a lot for my entire family and here's your surprise." I then felt movement on the bed and someone straddling me.I felt a pair of wet panties rubbing across my cock. The more the pussy rubbed, the more the juices seemed to flow. All of a sudden, there was a slight shift and I felt Tara's pussy engulf my cock. It felt like Tara had pulled her panties to the side and was grinding her clit against me, while starting to ride my cock with fervor. I didn't remember her wearing panties when we crawled into bed and was surprised she put them back on just to have blindfolded sex.The fact that I couldn't see her and couldn't move my arms to reach out to her multiplied the sensations exponentially. Tara kept alternating her motions. She would slow down, then pick up speed, then she would just stop and grind for a minute. At one point, she just sat there on my cock, and I felt her long hair start to tickle my chest as she licked my nipples. Eventually she started to pick up speed, but she kept me on the edge of coming again and again. Just as I started to moan that I couldn't take much more, the mask was ripped from my face and I saw a sight I would never forget.My alcohol-affected eyes were still blurry, and the room bathed in red which made everything surreal-- but there was Lindsay, in her yellow skirt riding me. She had on her white top from the party, unbuttoned to her navel so I could see her chest and tits perfectly. Looking down into the mirror, I could see her black heels and sure enough, pulled to the side were the purple checkered panties. She was grinding on my cock, rubbing her clit against me while she pumped back and forth. Her long brown hair was down over her face, with her head bent forward and her hands on my chest. The similarities between her and Tara was insane. I felt my cock somehow get even harder which was magnified by the fact that her pussy was absolutely on fire.My still-buzzed mind was going a million miles a second as I tried to take in the crazy scene. My brain rocketed back to the "we share everything" statement at the bar. I thought about the door opening while I was blindfolded. Was this some sisterly April Fools prank going to another level? My eyes were searching the room, looking for Tara. Was she watching? Did Lindsay somehow lock her in the bathroom? Where did she go?Lindsey was riding me harder now, her pussy gripping my cock. She was so wet, I could feel her lubricating my cock with every thrust of her hips. The fluids were running down my balls as she kept grinding away. The heat coming out of her was like nothing I had ever felt before and I felt the cum building up in my balls. Lindsey was quiet but riding me harder when she leaned back, tossing her hair behind her and giving me an unobstructed view of her tits and tight body.That's when it hit me. For the first time, I was able to see the tell-tale red flush on her chest, shoulders and neck through the thin, white shirt."Babe....." I moaned."Mmmmmmm.....I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out." Tara said, "You like? Or is this too weird?""Untie me, now. I'll show you." Tara reached up and released the loops around my wrists. Once my hands were free, they went right to her top, ripping the white blouse open. Buttons flew everywhere and I mauled her tits as she increased her speed on me.All the build-up and activity caught up to us at the same time. Just as I started to feel my cock release itself deep inside her, Tara started some deep guttural moans that ran through her body. She trembled, moaned and started thrashing on my cock.If it weren't for the fact we were in a remote cabin, we would have woken every neighbor around us. Tara was screaming and digging her nails into my chest. I shot stream after stream of cum into her pussy, thrusting up trying to milk the most out of both of our orgasms.Tara collapsed on to my chest as we gathered our breath back. I started to shift so I could go to the bathroom when she stopped me."Hold on. I have to do one thing."Tara reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her phone. She wrapped her leg over my crotch and spread out her skirt a bit. She took what was left of her blouse and covered her exposed tits as she cuddled up against me. She aimed the camera into the mirror at the foot of the bed and snapped a picture.Once she was happy with her picture, I saw her send a text to Lindsey, "Meant to tell you I borrowed some of your clothes! Next time I'm home, I'll trade you for my black shirt back. April Fools!"She hit send, we both used the rest room and returned to the bed. Exhausted from everything, we both collapsed into a deep sleep.------------The first problem with a night of crazy, passionate sex in a romantic cabin, complete with toys, booze and bondage? Before you pass out, you don't think of things like pulling all the blinds and curtains closed. So, after the aforementioned night, I woke up the next morning with sunlight streaming into the room from multiple openings. I looked over to see Tara sprawled face down on the other side of the bed, but somehow she had found the sleep mask we had used the night before and she was using it for the intended reason -- to block out the light and get some sleep.I stumbled naked out of the bed, and started working my way around the room, trying to close as many of the blinds as I could. Even my best efforts resulted in the room being slightly darker, but nowhere near sleep-quality darkness. That's when I noticed the second problem with a passionate night in the cabin -- the leftover scents and smells.The room was filled with the sensory remnants of the night before, the burnt-out fireplace, cherry lubricant, lotions, stale prosecco, and of course, sex. I stumbled to the bathroom, relieved myself and wandered back to the bed. I picked up my phone to see that it was only 6:45 in the morning and flopped back into the bed, burying my head between some pillows to get some sleep.After what felt like only a few minutes, I felt Tara stirring next to me. I groaned and lifted my head to see that it was actually 9:30. My movements alerted Tara that I was awake and I heard her husky morning voice, "Morning, babe. Did I wake you?""No. I was up earlier but managed to get back to sleep. Did you happen to ask what time checkout is today?"Tara got out of bed and walked over the table where she had dropped our packet of information when we arrived. Her hair was a tousled mess, but I focused more on the movement of her ass as she walked across the room. From the bed, I could see her breasts lightly bounce as bent over to pick up the paperwork and walk back to the bed."Well, we missed breakfast. That ended at 9:00." she read as she sat down, "Checkout is at 11. I'm fine if we just want to pack up and hit the road, we can grab an early lunch on the way out. Tara then looked up at our reflection in the weird bed-mirror, "But first, I need to shower. Holy fuck, I'm a mess."She took her hand and gently rubbed the surface of her pussy. "I'm sore, too, but that arousal crème they gave us was unbelievable. I was on fire before you even touched me last night.""That was crazy, babe. What made you think of the whole 'dressing up like your sister' thing?" I asked."It's a long story and we have time in the car, I'll tell you the whole thing." Tara was still gently touching her pussy at this point. Not masterbating by any stretch, but just lazily running her hand over her mostly hairless crotch. "But I really do need a shower, I'm so sticky and gross right now." She glanced over and saw that even her slight movements were making me hard."Tell you what. We do have a little time and since we both need to clean up anyway, why don't you give me a minute or two and meet me in there?"With that, Tara jumped up and started walking toward the bathroom. Her ass seemed to have a little extra swagger as she glanced over her shoulder with a smirk, knowing I was going to be close behind her. I waited a few minutes as I heard the sink run, toilet flush and the shower start. I then made my way to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth to get rid of my morning breath and started toward the shower.Admittedly, for such a romantic room, the shower was pretty standard. It was slightly oversized, with a large glass door that faced the rest of the bathroom. Through the steamy glass, I could see Tara with her head leaning back into the water, letting the spray cascade down her head and body.I slid into the chamber behind her and started to run my hands up her sides to cup her tits. I moved her wet hair over her shoulder so I could start kissing the back of her neck as ground my cock against her ass. Tara slid forward a bit to let the hot water wash over me as she grabbed for the bar of soap in the soap dish."Here" she said, "wash my back." Tara handed me bar of soap and I used it to start washing her back. I built up a lather and worked my way back to her tits. I could feel her nipples tighten under the soap as ran my hands all over her chest. I kept building up more soapy bubbles and started to run one hand down toward her pussy."Babe, I can't. I'm still too sore from last night" she said as she grabbed my wrist and pulled it away from her sex. "Plus, I said you could wash my back." As Tara said it, she pushed back and gyrated her ass against my crotch.Taking the hint, I moved my hands to her back, but this time started working them lower. I used my slippery, soapy hands to massage and caress her ass cheeks. Thanks to our positioning, my cock was getting coated with the soap, too. I took my right hand and started to work my way into the cleft of her ass cheeks. As I started to brush my soapy fingers against Tara's puckered hole, she shifted her weight forward, extended her arms and leaned against the wall of the shower. This pressed her ass against me more and I used more soap to add lubrication to my cock and her hole. When we were both fully lubricated, I gripped my cock in my hand and started to press the head against her asshole.Tara and I were no strangers to anal play and thanks to the amount of soap we used, the head of my cock popped through her tight ring without much resistance. Whenever I slid into her ass, Tara would let loose with what I could only call a guttural moan and this time was no exception.Even though my cock had been sucked and fucked nearly raw the night before, the feeling of her tight ass wrapped around me was amazing. I didn't waste any time and started to thrust in and out of her ass, feeling the falling water splash over us while the wet sounds of flesh slapping together filled the room."Uggghhhh....fuck my ass babe. Make me your little ass whore." Whenever we had anal sex, Tara's sex drive would go into overdrive and she would go from lusty to slutty in seconds. With my slippery hands and the shower water, I was having a problem getting a good grip on her hips and we starting to slip in the shower."C'mon, Jason. Don't stop now. What happened, did I wear you out last night? You're not gonna go soft in my ass are you? Fuck me like you mean it. Dump your cum into my ass, baby."Tara's mouth and dirty talk sent me over the edge. I pulled my dick out of her ass with a pop and whipped open the shower door. I grabbed Tara's soaking wet body and lifted her up and out of the shower. As our feet hit the bathroom floor, I pushed her down on the ground so that she was laying flat with her naked body pressed against the tiles.I spread her ass cheeks one more time and thrusted into her. With the floor under her, I was able to fully work my entire length into her ass. Tara was grunting and moaning with every thrust of my cock. With the bathroom acting as an echo chamber, our cries were reflecting back on us and magnifying our every sound.Just as I felt Tara's body start to shake and tremble under me, I felt my cock start to explode in her. Wave after wave of hot cum poured into her ass. Tara was literally whimpering under me and for a minute I thought I was going to pass out. The explosion of my orgasm, the heat of the shower, and the steam filling the room all had my head spinning. I pulled my softening cock out of Tara's ass and opened the door to the bathroom, letting the cool air pour in. I sat against the doorframe as Tara continued to lay on the floor.After a few minutes, she began to stir. She picked herself up off the floor and got back into the shower. I reached over and wrapped a towel around my waist and started to clean up the room and pack our belongings. When Tara emerged from the shower, I hopped in to clean myself off.Once we were both showered and dressed, we grabbed our bags, checked out of the room and got back in the car. I could tell that Tara was exhausted and wasn't going to be much company on the ride back to school. I drove back, listening to the radio and Tara woke up as we were approaching our university."So, I have to ask" I said. "What was up with you and Lindsay and the outfits?"Tara chuckled, "I figured you weren't going to let that go. Lindsay has always been a tease around guys. As we both get older she gets some weird thrill out of teasing my boyfriends, but she never really does anything serious. Once though, a guy a was dating, Glen, tried to start feeling her up when I wasn't around. She told me and that was it for me and Glen."Every time I've spoken to her over the past month, she's talked about the whole April Fools weekend and that she would have to up her game with you. I thought wearing the blouse at the bar was it, but she went above and beyond. I will tell you, though, she came to me first thing the next day and told me you threw her out. And for the record, she wouldn't have let you fuck her. She would have pushed you to the point, then bailed.""Ok" I said, "But what about you last night wearing her outfit?""Oh! I was walking by the kitchen and saw her standing over you during the party, still teasing you. I was going to let her have it before we left, but when I saw her clothes crumpled up in her room after the party, I got a better idea."For once, I figured out a way to turn her little prank around on her and give you a bit of a treat at the same time. That's why I texted her that picture last night. Besides, you didn't seem to mind." she finished with a smirk."No" I said, "but next time, an even BETTER prank would be actually have your sister take your place, don't you think?"That earned me the final punch in the arm of the trip, the large bruise my souvenir of April Fools Day that year.By TruthWithaTwist for Literotica.

 My girlfriend and her sister play dueling practical jokes on me.By TruthWithaTwist. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories."Sisters before Misters. It's the golden rule." Tara declared."Thank goodness you're hot" I joked, "Because that may be the most fucked-up and lamest thing anyone has ever said to me." With that, we started laughing and settled in for the rest of the drive.We got to the resort and it was everything we expected. It was a cheesy resort built for "romance weekends". They did a have a "lodge restaurant" and because it was off-season, we had no problem getting our choice of cabins and were told to come down the restaurant at any time.The guy working the front desk told us that the hot tub on the deck was usable, but suggested that we turn the heat on before dinner if we wanted to use it later. He also mentioned the romance package and asked if he could have it delivered while we dined. He said all of this unironically and without embarrassment.We made the short walk down a path to our cabin and were thrilled with what we found. It was roomy, with an oversized king bed. It had a glossy wooden floor that led to a loveseat, and two chairs that gathered by a large gas fireplace. The bed itself was a wonder to behold. A crimson bedspread was stretched across it. 6 stark white pillows were stacked at the top of the bed with a sort of long, red ribbon holding them all together. The bed itself was made of a wooden frame with large headboard.Just to the right of the bed, was a sliding glass door that went to the enclosed deck and the hot tub. The hot tub faced the lake but was still enclosed by the walls of the deck. There were instructions on the wall, and I got the heater for the hot tub started. As I was getting my bearings, the room behind me went dark for a split-second and suddenly was bathed in red."BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA" said Tara as she started playing with the light switches on a bedstand. One switch bathed the room in red. The next started a sort of "disco-light" effect. Button 3 I ~think~ was light romance...as pastel circles, and blobs sort of migrated across the walls and ceiling."What's that last switchy-thing?" I asked. Tara flipped a switch and we heard a "whirring" motion. From the bottom of the bed, a panel came up revealing a bed-width mirror."Oh, well of course it is!" We both burst into laughter. I tackled Tara and we spilled on to the bed making out and making up for lost time. Hands started to wander. She started to rub my crotch through my jeans, I was working my way up her shirt. As we took a quick pause, I spoke up."Babe. This place is amazing and I want nothing more than to fuck you right now, but I'm starving!!!! Can we go eat and then we have all night to experience the Adventureland theme park in our room?""Absolutely". Tara went into the bathroom to freshen up. For the first time, I reached into my back pocket and found the money Henry had given me. I counted out five crisp $100 bills and was suddenly looking forward to a great meal.We threw our coats back on and walked over the restaurant. We gave the waiter our "dinner coupon" and placed our order. For a half-full resort, in the middle of nowhere, with a porn set for a cottage, the meal was surprisingly good. We started with a Manhattan and a Martini and thanks to the money Henry had slipped me, we splurged on an expensive bottle of wine. We ate and drank and ordered a bottle of Prosecco to take back to the room as we left the restaurant.We stumbled back to our room and keyed back in. On the coffee table was what looked like a large rectangular box of chocolates. Upon opening it, we found out it was our romance package. There were a number of "adult' items, all discretely packaged and wrapped inside. Like a kid on Christmas, Tara began opening each one."Oh! Ok. Cherry flavored lube. That's kinda fun. Next, "Tickle her pink" arousal crème. Alrighty. We've got an Aqua-vibe! Some silicone cock rings. Massage Oil. And.." Tara then held up with great pride.... "A blindfold mask!" For the next few minutes we laughed and opened everything. Slowly, though, the mood went from humorous to sexy. We started to smell, taste and feel everything in the box. Tara got the ball rolling."Why don't I grab those robes, you grab the vibe & the Prosecco and I'll meet you in the hot tub."I stripped down to my boxers and opened the Prosecco. Tara came out wrapped in a robe, holding some towels and handed me the other robe. We opened the sliding door and I lifted the cover off the hot tub. The cold air made the hot tub seem that much hotter, but we slowly lowered ourselves in with a number of "ohs" and "ahs" until we got comfortable,As we soaked and sipped the Prosecco, the stress of the day melted away. Our hands kept wandering, gently touching and stroking each other under the bubbles. Slowly, we started kissing. It was sensual, and exploratory. I started cupping one of her breasts while she started stroking my cock and balls. As our arousal grew, Tara whispered, "Did you bring that vibe?"I reached up and grabbed the small vibe off the edge of the tub. It looked like a small blue insect -- 3 inches long with two antennae at one end. Once the vibe was turned on, the antennae started to shake and vibrate. I moved the toy under the water and started using them on her nipples that were just under the surface. Tara moaned slightly and let her head loll back onto the deck's edge. I continued going back and forth between her nipples while I gently nuzzled and kissed her exposed neck. When I thought she was ready, I had the vibe work it's way down her ribcage, eliciting a giggle. The giggling stopped when I reached her crotch. I gently pushed her legs apart and started working the vibe over her clit.. It wasn't a toy that was meant for insertion, so I figured out a way to maintain my grip with my thumb and two fingers while inserting my ring and pinkie fingers slightly insider her. It all had the desired effect. Within a few minutes, I started to see the familiar red blotches on her shoulders and cheeks, telling me she was close. I kept up the motions until she started to come.The waters started to splash as Tara's hips flexed and shook. "Uh........uh.....yes.......fuck.........don't.........keep.......yes......fuck......ah"I moved the vibe away and let Tara catch her breath. As she started to come down from her high, she said, "Let's go inside and I can return the favor." We got out, jumped into our robes, and went inside."Lay some clean towels down in front of the fire." I followed her instructions and watched her grab the flavored lube. "Now, lay down."I laid on my back by the fire and kept my eyes on Tara's amazing body. Her tits were still moist from the hot tub & her pussy swollen from her recent orgasm. As she stepped toward me, she opened the Cherry lube and began spreading it over her pussy. Once she was sufficiently covered, she took two fingers and started spreading it inside herself. She came over to me, poured a palmful of the fluid into her hand and started rubbing it up and down my erect cock. Once she was satisfied, she swung her legs over my head and pushed her cherry covered cunt on to my face. I took the hint and began licking and sucking. Tara wasted no time as she dropped down on to my cock and began licking off the lube. I was trying hard to breathe while still focusing on licking my way up and down her outer lips. As I worked my way around, I would shift up and gently start licking her clit. Every time I did, I noticed that her efforts on my cock increased. Figuring out that increasing her pleasure could increase my own -- I took my tongue and drove it as far into her pussy as a I could.It had the desired effect. Tara moaned around my cock and drove her mouth down to my balls. I could feel her tongue licking my shaft as she sucked down on my entire length. It quickly became too much for me. I grabbed down on her ass and pulled her pussy into my mouth. I latched onto her clit creating a vacuum suction while I rapidly licked it with the tip of my tongue. Tara's hips began to shake and she moaned even more. The moaning around my cock was like a tight, vibrating sheath that sent me over the edge. I exploded into her mouth and heard a cacophony of noises. My own moans, her moans, the sound of her gulping down the milky load, our combined mouths gasping for breath.....followed by two huge contented sighs.After getting her breath back, Tara spun herself around and settled into the crook of my arm & shoulder. We lay together, content and satiated. Then, slowly, we realized that our mouths were both covered in each others juices and cherry lube....and it was getting kind of gross. Tara told me to go clean off a bit. As I looked at the clock, I realized it was only 11:00, not 2am as I was expecting. I went into the bathroom, got some hot water running and soaked a washcloth in soap and the water. I washed off my face a few times until the combined stickiness was gone. Then, I got the sticky lube off my crotch as best I could. I was considering hopping in the shower real quick, when Tara started knocking on the door."You almost done? I gotta pee and brush my teeth.""Yup. Two seconds." I brushed my teeth and let my girlfriend by with a quick smack on the ass.I threw on my robe, poured some more Prosecco, and laid on the bed. Admittedly, between the drinks and wine at dinner, plus the Prosecco, I was still riding the line of "buzzed" and "drunk". Add in the sudden activity and I was worn out. "You mind if I turn on the TV, babe?""Not at all! I could use a little break" she yelled back through the bathroom door.I flipped around and found a cable show with an annoying couple trying to buy a 4-bedrrom house on 3 acres and a pool for $237K dollars. Tara came out, climbed onto the bed, and started playing around on her phone.After an episode and a half, I noticed Tara's hand was slowly snaking its way up my leg, under my robe. As she started stroking my cock, encouraging it back to life, she asked if I was ready for another round. I started to roll her over, until she put a hand on my chest."Nope. You've been amazing this weekend. For me, my family, now it's time you get your reward. But....you have to trust me.""Uh.....ok.""Seriously babe. Trust me." With that, she started taking my robe off my shoulders. Once I was naked, she put some pillows under my head and reached over the side of the bed. She grabbed the large ribbon that had been around the pillows and started tying my right wrist to the bed frame (Oh.....THAT'S why they have that ribbon....duh). She swung over me, and started tying my left wrist, so I was spread eagle with my arms. Tara then got up and went over the Romance box."I have to go in the bathroom and get ready. But before that, I want to get VERY ready." With that, she took a good dollup of the arousal gel and spread it over her clit and pussy lips. The reaction was instantaneous. "Oh fuck. That's amazing. It's heating up my pussy. Wow. I need to save this so I can get some more."With that, she went into the bathroom for a few minutes. Fortunately, I could still see Beth and Shawn complaining about the backsplash in the kitchen on the tv show, so I wasn't getting anxious. A few minutes later, Tara came back out with the robe on. "Sorry! For this part, we need one more thing."She walked over and hit the "red light" option on the bedstand. Next, off went the tv and up went the mirror."Babe, I hope you're coming right into bed. Because if you want to kill the mood....leaving me tied up to only stare at my red-bathed cock and balls....that'll do it.""Don't worry. I have a surprise for you, but I don't want you see anything yet. With that, she put the sleep mask over my eyes. I heard her shuffling around, her suitcase unzipping and the bathroom door closing, then something strange happened. I heard the latches on the front door open and I felt a blast of cold air. As goosebumps erupted on my body, I heard the door close and a pair of high heeled shoes walking across our floor. The bathroom door closed again and I thought I heard muffled voices.Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I heard the door open again and I heard Tara say, "OK. Babe, like I said, you did a lot for my entire family and here's your surprise." I then felt movement on the bed and someone straddling me.I felt a pair of wet panties rubbing across my cock. The more the pussy rubbed, the more the juices seemed to flow. All of a sudden, there was a slight shift and I felt Tara's pussy engulf my cock. It felt like Tara had pulled her panties to the side and was grinding her clit against me, while starting to ride my cock with fervor. I didn't remember her wearing panties when we crawled into bed and was surprised she put them back on just to have blindfolded sex.The fact that I couldn't see her and couldn't move my arms to reach out to her multiplied the sensations exponentially. Tara kept alternating her motions. She would slow down, then pick up speed, then she would just stop and grind for a minute. At one point, she just sat there on my cock, and I felt her long hair start to tickle my chest as she licked my nipples. Eventually she started to pick up speed, but she kept me on the edge of coming again and again. Just as I started to moan that I couldn't take much more, the mask was ripped from my face and I saw a sight I would never forget.My alcohol-affected eyes were still blurry, and the room bathed in red which made everything surreal-- but there was Lindsay, in her yellow skirt riding me. She had on her white top from the party, unbuttoned to her navel so I could see her chest and tits perfectly. Looking down into the mirror, I could see her black heels and sure enough, pulled to the side were the purple checkered panties. She was grinding on my cock, rubbing her clit against me while she pumped back and forth. Her long brown hair was down over her face, with her head bent forward and her hands on my chest. The similarities between her and Tara was insane. I felt my cock somehow get even harder which was magnified by the fact that her pussy was absolutely on fire.My still-buzzed mind was going a million miles a second as I tried to take in the crazy scene. My brain rocketed back to the "we share everything" statement at the bar. I thought about the door opening while I was blindfolded. Was this some sisterly April Fools prank going to another level? My eyes were searching the room, looking for Tara. Was she watching? Did Lindsay somehow lock her in the bathroom? Where did she go?Lindsey was riding me harder now, her pussy gripping my cock. She was so wet, I could feel her lubricating my cock with every thrust of her hips. The fluids were running down my balls as she kept grinding away. The heat coming out of her was like nothing I had ever felt before and I felt the cum building up in my balls. Lindsey was quiet but riding me harder when she leaned back, tossing her hair behind her and giving me an unobstructed view of her tits and tight body.That's when it hit me. For the first time, I was able to see the tell-tale red flush on her chest, shoulders and neck through the thin, white shirt."Babe....." I moaned."Mmmmmmm.....I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out." Tara said, "You like? Or is this too weird?""Untie me, now. I'll show you." Tara reached up and released the loops around my wrists. Once my hands were free, they went right to her top, ripping the white blouse open. Buttons flew everywhere and I mauled her tits as she increased her speed on me.All the build-up and activity caught up to us at the same time. Just as I started to feel my cock release itself deep inside her, Tara started some deep guttural moans that ran through her body. She trembled, moaned and started thrashing on my cock.If it weren't for the fact we were in a remote cabin, we would have woken every neighbor around us. Tara was screaming and digging her nails into my chest. I shot stream after stream of cum into her pussy, thrusting up trying to milk the most out of both of our orgasms.Tara collapsed on to my chest as we gathered our breath back. I started to shift so I could go to the bathroom when she stopped me."Hold on. I have to do one thing."Tara reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her phone. She wrapped her leg over my crotch and spread out her skirt a bit. She took what was left of her blouse and covered her exposed tits as she cuddled up against me. She aimed the camera into the mirror at the foot of the bed and snapped a picture.Once she was happy with her picture, I saw her send a text to Lindsey, "Meant to tell you I borrowed some of your clothes! Next time I'm home, I'll trade you for my black shirt back. April Fools!"She hit send, we both used the rest room and returned to the bed. Exhausted from everything, we both collapsed into a deep sleep.------------The first problem with a night of crazy, passionate sex in a romantic cabin, complete with toys, booze and bondage? Before you pass out, you don't think of things like pulling all the blinds and curtains closed. So, after the aforementioned night, I woke up the next morning with sunlight streaming into the room from multiple openings. I looked over to see Tara sprawled face down on the other side of the bed, but somehow she had found the sleep mask we had used the night before and she was using it for the intended reason -- to block out the light and get some sleep.I stumbled naked out of the bed, and started working my way around the room, trying to close as many of the blinds as I could. Even my best efforts resulted in the room being slightly darker, but nowhere near sleep-quality darkness. That's when I noticed the second problem with a passionate night in the cabin -- the leftover scents and smells.The room was filled with the sensory remnants of the night before, the burnt-out fireplace, cherry lubricant, lotions, stale prosecco, and of course, sex. I stumbled to the bathroom, relieved myself and wandered back to the bed. I picked up my phone to see that it was only 6:45 in the morning and flopped back into the bed, burying my head between some pillows to get some sleep.After what felt like only a few minutes, I felt Tara stirring next to me. I groaned and lifted my head to see that it was actually 9:30. My movements alerted Tara that I was awake and I heard her husky morning voice, "Morning, babe. Did I wake you?""No. I was up earlier but managed to get back to sleep. Did you happen to ask what time checkout is today?"Tara got out of bed and walked over the table where she had dropped our packet of information when we arrived. Her hair was a tousled mess, but I focused more on the movement of her ass as she walked across the room. From the bed, I could see her breasts lightly bounce as bent over to pick up the paperwork and walk back to the bed."Well, we missed breakfast. That ended at 9:00." she read as she sat down, "Checkout is at 11. I'm fine if we just want to pack up and hit the road, we can grab an early lunch on the way out. Tara then looked up at our reflection in the weird bed-mirror, "But first, I need to shower. Holy fuck, I'm a mess."She took her hand and gently rubbed the surface of her pussy. "I'm sore, too, but that arousal crème they gave us was unbelievable. I was on fire before you even touched me last night.""That was crazy, babe. What made you think of the whole 'dressing up like your sister' thing?" I asked."It's a long story and we have time in the car, I'll tell you the whole thing." Tara was still gently touching her pussy at this point. Not masterbating by any stretch, but just lazily running her hand over her mostly hairless crotch. "But I really do need a shower, I'm so sticky and gross right now." She glanced over and saw that even her slight movements were making me hard."Tell you what. We do have a little time and since we both need to clean up anyway, why don't you give me a minute or two and meet me in there?"With that, Tara jumped up and started walking toward the bathroom. Her ass seemed to have a little extra swagger as she glanced over her shoulder with a smirk, knowing I was going to be close behind her. I waited a few minutes as I heard the sink run, toilet flush and the shower start. I then made my way to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth to get rid of my morning breath and started toward the shower.Admittedly, for such a romantic room, the shower was pretty standard. It was slightly oversized, with a large glass door that faced the rest of the bathroom. Through the steamy glass, I could see Tara with her head leaning back into the water, letting the spray cascade down her head and body.I slid into the chamber behind her and started to run my hands up her sides to cup her tits. I moved her wet hair over her shoulder so I could start kissing the back of her neck as ground my cock against her ass. Tara slid forward a bit to let the hot water wash over me as she grabbed for the bar of soap in the soap dish."Here" she said, "wash my back." Tara handed me bar of soap and I used it to start washing her back. I built up a lather and worked my way back to her tits. I could feel her nipples tighten under the soap as ran my hands all over her chest. I kept building up more soapy bubbles and started to run one hand down toward her pussy."Babe, I can't. I'm still too sore from last night" she said as she grabbed my wrist and pulled it away from her sex. "Plus, I said you could wash my back." As Tara said it, she pushed back and gyrated her ass against my crotch.Taking the hint, I moved my hands to her back, but this time started working them lower. I used my slippery, soapy hands to massage and caress her ass cheeks. Thanks to our positioning, my cock was getting coated with the soap, too. I took my right hand and started to work my way into the cleft of her ass cheeks. As I started to brush my soapy fingers against Tara's puckered hole, she shifted her weight forward, extended her arms and leaned against the wall of the shower. This pressed her ass against me more and I used more soap to add lubrication to my cock and her hole. When we were both fully lubricated, I gripped my cock in my hand and started to press the head against her asshole.Tara and I were no strangers to anal play and thanks to the amount of soap we used, the head of my cock popped through her tight ring without much resistance. Whenever I slid into her ass, Tara would let loose with what I could only call a guttural moan and this time was no exception.Even though my cock had been sucked and fucked nearly raw the night before, the feeling of her tight ass wrapped around me was amazing. I didn't waste any time and started to thrust in and out of her ass, feeling the falling water splash over us while the wet sounds of flesh slapping together filled the room."Uggghhhh....fuck my ass babe. Make me your little ass whore." Whenever we had anal sex, Tara's sex drive would go into overdrive and she would go from lusty to slutty in seconds. With my slippery hands and the shower water, I was having a problem getting a good grip on her hips and we starting to slip in the shower."C'mon, Jason. Don't stop now. What happened, did I wear you out last night? You're not gonna go soft in my ass are you? Fuck me like you mean it. Dump your cum into my ass, baby."Tara's mouth and dirty talk sent me over the edge. I pulled my dick out of her ass with a pop and whipped open the shower door. I grabbed Tara's soaking wet body and lifted her up and out of the shower. As our feet hit the bathroom floor, I pushed her down on the ground so that she was laying flat with her naked body pressed against the tiles.I spread her ass cheeks one more time and thrusted into her. With the floor under her, I was able to fully work my entire length into her ass. Tara was grunting and moaning with every thrust of my cock. With the bathroom acting as an echo chamber, our cries were reflecting back on us and magnifying our every sound.Just as I felt Tara's body start to shake and tremble under me, I felt my cock start to explode in her. Wave after wave of hot cum poured into her ass. Tara was literally whimpering under me and for a minute I thought I was going to pass out. The explosion of my orgasm, the heat of the shower, and the steam filling the room all had my head spinning. I pulled my softening cock out of Tara's ass and opened the door to the bathroom, letting the cool air pour in. I sat against the doorframe as Tara continued to lay on the floor.After a few minutes, she began to stir. She picked herself up off the floor and got back into the shower. I reached over and wrapped a towel around my waist and started to clean up the room and pack our belongings. When Tara emerged from the shower, I hopped in to clean myself off.Once we were both showered and dressed, we grabbed our bags, checked out of the room and got back in the car. I could tell that Tara was exhausted and wasn't going to be much company on the ride back to school. I drove back, listening to the radio and Tara woke up as we were approaching our university."So, I have to ask" I said. "What was up with you and Lindsay and the outfits?"Tara chuckled, "I figured you weren't going to let that go. Lindsay has always been a tease around guys. As we both get older she gets some weird thrill out of teasing my boyfriends, but she never really does anything serious. Once though, a guy a was dating, Glen, tried to start feeling her up when I wasn't around. She told me and that was it for me and Glen."Every time I've spoken to her over the past month, she's talked about the whole April Fools weekend and that she would have to up her game with you. I thought wearing the blouse at the bar was it, but she went above and beyond. I will tell you, though, she came to me first thing the next day and told me you threw her out. And for the record, she wouldn't have let you fuck her. She would have pushed you to the point, then bailed.""Ok" I said, "But what about you last night wearing her outfit?""Oh! I was walking by the kitchen and saw her standing over you during the party, still teasing you. I was going to let her have it before we left, but when I saw her clothes crumpled up in her room after the party, I got a better idea."For once, I figured out a way to turn her little prank around on her and give you a bit of a treat at the same time. That's why I texted her that picture last night. Besides, you didn't seem to mind." she finished with a smirk."No" I said, "but next time, an even BETTER prank would be actually have your sister take your place, don't you think?"That earned me the final punch in the arm of the trip, the large bruise my souvenir of April Fools Day that year.By TruthWithaTwist for Literotica.

 My girlfriend and her sister play dueling practical jokes on me. By TruthWithaTwist. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. "Sisters before Misters. It's the golden rule." Tara declared. "Thank goodness you're hot" I joked, "Because that may be the most fucked-up and lamest thing anyone has ever said to me." With that, we started laughing and settled in for the rest of the drive. [[MORE]] We got to the resort and it was everything we expected. It was a cheesy resort built for "romance weekends". They did a have a "lodge restaurant" and because it was off-season, we had no problem getting our choice of cabins and were told to come down the restaurant at any time. The guy working the front desk told us that the hot tub on the deck was usable, but suggested that we turn the heat on before dinner if we wanted to use it later. He also mentioned the romance package and asked if he could have it delivered while we dined. He said all of this unironically and without embarrassment. We made the short walk down a path to our cabin and were thrilled with what we found. It was roomy, with an oversized king bed. It had a glossy wooden floor that led to a loveseat, and two chairs that gathered by a large gas fireplace. The bed itself was a wonder to behold. A crimson bedspread was stretched across it. 6 stark white pillows were stacked at the top of the bed with a sort of long, red ribbon holding them all together. The bed itself was made of a wooden frame with large headboard. Just to the right of the bed, was a sliding glass door that went to the enclosed deck and the hot tub. The hot tub faced the lake but was still enclosed by the walls of the deck. There were instructions on the wall, and I got the heater for the hot tub started. As I was getting my bearings, the room behind me went dark for a split-second and suddenly was bathed in red. "BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA" said Tara as she started playing with the light switches on a bedstand. One switch bathed the room in red. The next started a sort of "disco-light" effect. Button 3 I ~think~ was light romance...as pastel circles, and blobs sort of migrated across the walls and ceiling. "What's that last switchy-thing?" I asked. Tara flipped a switch and we heard a "whirring" motion. From the bottom of the bed, a panel came up revealing a bed-width mirror. "Oh, well of course it is!" We both burst into laughter. I tackled Tara and we spilled on to the bed making out and making up for lost time. Hands started to wander. She started to rub my crotch through my jeans, I was working my way up her shirt. As we took a quick pause, I spoke up. "Babe. This place is amazing and I want nothing more than to fuck you right now, but I'm starving!!!! Can we go eat and then we have all night to experience the Adventureland theme park in our room?" "Absolutely". Tara went into the bathroom to freshen up. For the first time, I reached into my back pocket and found the money Henry had given me. I counted out five crisp $100 bills and was suddenly looking forward to a great meal. We threw our coats back on and walked over the restaurant. We gave the waiter our "dinner coupon" and placed our order. For a half-full resort, in the middle of nowhere, with a porn set for a cottage, the meal was surprisingly good. We started with a Manhattan and a Martini and thanks to the money Henry had slipped me, we splurged on an expensive bottle of wine. We ate and drank and ordered a bottle of Prosecco to take back to the room as we left the restaurant. We stumbled back to our room and keyed back in. On the coffee table was what looked like a large rectangular box of chocolates. Upon opening it, we found out it was our romance package. There were a number of "adult' items, all discretely packaged and wrapped inside. Like a kid on Christmas, Tara began opening each one. "Oh! Ok. Cherry flavored lube. That's kinda fun. Next, "Tickle her pink" arousal crème. Alrighty. We've got an Aqua-vibe! Some silicone cock rings. Massage Oil. And.." Tara then held up with great pride.... "A blindfold mask!" For the next few minutes we laughed and opened everything. Slowly, though, the mood went from humorous to sexy. We started to smell, taste and feel everything in the box. Tara got the ball rolling. "Why don't I grab those robes, you grab the vibe & the Prosecco and I'll meet you in the hot tub." I stripped down to my boxers and opened the Prosecco. Tara came out wrapped in a robe, holding some towels and handed me the other robe. We opened the sliding door and I lifted the cover off the hot tub. The cold air made the hot tub seem that much hotter, but we slowly lowered ourselves in with a number of "ohs" and "ahs" until we got comfortable, As we soaked and sipped the Prosecco, the stress of the day melted away. Our hands kept wandering, gently touching and stroking each other under the bubbles. Slowly, we started kissing. It was sensual, and exploratory. I started cupping one of her breasts while she started stroking my cock and balls. As our arousal grew, Tara whispered, "Did you bring that vibe?" I reached up and grabbed the small vibe off the edge of the tub. It looked like a small blue insect -- 3 inches long with two antennae at one end. Once the vibe was turned on, the antennae started to shake and vibrate. I moved the toy under the water and started using them on her nipples that were just under the surface. Tara moaned slightly and let her head loll back onto the deck's edge. I continued going back and forth between her nipples while I gently nuzzled and kissed her exposed neck. When I thought she was ready, I had the vibe work it's way down her ribcage, eliciting a giggle. The giggling stopped when I reached her crotch. I gently pushed her legs apart and started working the vibe over her clit.. It wasn't a toy that was meant for insertion, so I figured out a way to maintain my grip with my thumb and two fingers while inserting my ring and pinkie fingers slightly insider her. It all had the desired effect. Within a few minutes, I started to see the familiar red blotches on her shoulders and cheeks, telling me she was close. I kept up the motions until she started to come. The waters started to splash as Tara's hips flexed and shook. "Uh........uh.....yes.......fuck.........don't.........keep.......yes......fuck......ah" I moved the vibe away and let Tara catch her breath. As she started to come down from her high, she said, "Let's go inside and I can return the favor." We got out, jumped into our robes, and went inside. "Lay some clean towels down in front of the fire." I followed her instructions and watched her grab the flavored lube. "Now, lay down." I laid on my back by the fire and kept my eyes on Tara's amazing body. Her tits were still moist from the hot tub & her pussy swollen from her recent orgasm. As she stepped toward me, she opened the Cherry lube and began spreading it over her pussy. Once she was sufficiently covered, she took two fingers and started spreading it inside herself. She came over to me, poured a palmful of the fluid into her hand and started rubbing it up and down my erect cock. Once she was satisfied, she swung her legs over my head and pushed her cherry covered cunt on to my face. I took the hint and began licking and sucking. Tara wasted no time as she dropped down on to my cock and began licking off the lube. I was trying hard to breathe while still focusing on licking my way up and down her outer lips. As I worked my way around, I would shift up and gently start licking her clit. Every time I did, I noticed that her efforts on my cock increased. Figuring out that increasing her pleasure could increase my own -- I took my tongue and drove it as far into her pussy as a I could. It had the desired effect. Tara moaned around my cock and drove her mouth down to my balls. I could feel her tongue licking my shaft as she sucked down on my entire length. It quickly became too much for me. I grabbed down on her ass and pulled her pussy into my mouth. I latched onto her clit creating a vacuum suction while I rapidly licked it with the tip of my tongue. Tara's hips began to shake and she moaned even more. The moaning around my cock was like a tight, vibrating sheath that sent me over the edge. I exploded into her mouth and heard a cacophony of noises. My own moans, her moans, the sound of her gulping down the milky load, our combined mouths gasping for breath.....followed by two huge contented sighs. After getting her breath back, Tara spun herself around and settled into the crook of my arm & shoulder. We lay together, content and satiated. Then, slowly, we realized that our mouths were both covered in each others juices and cherry lube....and it was getting kind of gross. Tara told me to go clean off a bit. As I looked at the clock, I realized it was only 11:00, not 2am as I was expecting. I went into the bathroom, got some hot water running and soaked a washcloth in soap and the water. I washed off my face a few times until the combined stickiness was gone. Then, I got the sticky lube off my crotch as best I could. I was considering hopping in the shower real quick, when Tara started knocking on the door. "You almost done? I gotta pee and brush my teeth." "Yup. Two seconds." I brushed my teeth and let my girlfriend by with a quick smack on the ass. I threw on my robe, poured some more Prosecco, and laid on the bed. Admittedly, between the drinks and wine at dinner, plus the Prosecco, I was still riding the line of "buzzed" and "drunk". Add in the sudden activity and I was worn out. "You mind if I turn on the TV, babe?" "Not at all! I could use a little break" she yelled back through the bathroom door. I flipped around and found a cable show with an annoying couple trying to buy a 4-bedrrom house on 3 acres and a pool for $237K dollars. Tara came out, climbed onto the bed, and started playing around on her phone. After an episode and a half, I noticed Tara's hand was slowly snaking its way up my leg, under my robe. As she started stroking my cock, encouraging it back to life, she asked if I was ready for another round. I started to roll her over, until she put a hand on my chest. "Nope. You've been amazing this weekend. For me, my family, now it's time you get your reward. But....you have to trust me." "Uh.....ok." "Seriously babe. Trust me." With that, she started taking my robe off my shoulders. Once I was naked, she put some pillows under my head and reached over the side of the bed. She grabbed the large ribbon that had been around the pillows and started tying my right wrist to the bed frame (Oh.....THAT'S why they have that ribbon....duh). She swung over me, and started tying my left wrist, so I was spread eagle with my arms. Tara then got up and went over the Romance box. "I have to go in the bathroom and get ready. But before that, I want to get VERY ready." With that, she took a good dollup of the arousal gel and spread it over her clit and pussy lips. The reaction was instantaneous. "Oh fuck. That's amazing. It's heating up my pussy. Wow. I need to save this so I can get some more." With that, she went into the bathroom for a few minutes. Fortunately, I could still see Beth and Shawn complaining about the backsplash in the kitchen on the tv show, so I wasn't getting anxious. A few minutes later, Tara came back out with the robe on. "Sorry! For this part, we need one more thing." She walked over and hit the "red light" option on the bedstand. Next, off went the tv and up went the mirror. "Babe, I hope you're coming right into bed. Because if you want to kill the mood....leaving me tied up to only stare at my red-bathed cock and balls....that'll do it." "Don't worry. I have a surprise for you, but I don't want you see anything yet. With that, she put the sleep mask over my eyes. I heard her shuffling around, her suitcase unzipping and the bathroom door closing, then something strange happened. I heard the latches on the front door open and I felt a blast of cold air. As goosebumps erupted on my body, I heard the door close and a pair of high heeled shoes walking across our floor. The bathroom door closed again and I thought I heard muffled voices. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I heard the door open again and I heard Tara say, "OK. Babe, like I said, you did a lot for my entire family and here's your surprise." I then felt movement on the bed and someone straddling me. I felt a pair of wet panties rubbing across my cock. The more the pussy rubbed, the more the juices seemed to flow. All of a sudden, there was a slight shift and I felt Tara's pussy engulf my cock. It felt like Tara had pulled her panties to the side and was grinding her clit against me, while starting to ride my cock with fervor. I didn't remember her wearing panties when we crawled into bed and was surprised she put them back on just to have blindfolded sex. The fact that I couldn't see her and couldn't move my arms to reach out to her multiplied the sensations exponentially. Tara kept alternating her motions. She would slow down, then pick up speed, then she would just stop and grind for a minute. At one point, she just sat there on my cock, and I felt her long hair start to tickle my chest as she licked my nipples. Eventually she started to pick up speed, but she kept me on the edge of coming again and again. Just as I started to moan that I couldn't take much more, the mask was ripped from my face and I saw a sight I would never forget. My alcohol-affected eyes were still blurry, and the room bathed in red which made everything surreal-- but there was Lindsay, in her yellow skirt riding me. She had on her white top from the party, unbuttoned to her navel so I could see her chest and tits perfectly. Looking down into the mirror, I could see her black heels and sure enough, pulled to the side were the purple checkered panties. She was grinding on my cock, rubbing her clit against me while she pumped back and forth. Her long brown hair was down over her face, with her head bent forward and her hands on my chest. The similarities between her and Tara was insane. I felt my cock somehow get even harder which was magnified by the fact that her pussy was absolutely on fire. My still-buzzed mind was going a million miles a second as I tried to take in the crazy scene. My brain rocketed back to the "we share everything" statement at the bar. I thought about the door opening while I was blindfolded. Was this some sisterly April Fools prank going to another level? My eyes were searching the room, looking for Tara. Was she watching? Did Lindsay somehow lock her in the bathroom? Where did she go? Lindsey was riding me harder now, her pussy gripping my cock. She was so wet, I could feel her lubricating my cock with every thrust of her hips. The fluids were running down my balls as she kept grinding away. The heat coming out of her was like nothing I had ever felt before and I felt the cum building up in my balls. Lindsey was quiet but riding me harder when she leaned back, tossing her hair behind her and giving me an unobstructed view of her tits and tight body. That's when it hit me. For the first time, I was able to see the tell-tale red flush on her chest, shoulders and neck through the thin, white shirt. "Babe....." I moaned. "Mmmmmmm.....I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out." Tara said, "You like? Or is this too weird?" "Untie me, now. I'll show you." Tara reached up and released the loops around my wrists. Once my hands were free, they went right to her top, ripping the white blouse open. Buttons flew everywhere and I mauled her tits as she increased her speed on me. All the build-up and activity caught up to us at the same time. Just as I started to feel my cock release itself deep inside her, Tara started some deep guttural moans that ran through her body. She trembled, moaned and started thrashing on my cock. If it weren't for the fact we were in a remote cabin, we would have woken every neighbor around us. Tara was screaming and digging her nails into my chest. I shot stream after stream of cum into her pussy, thrusting up trying to milk the most out of both of our orgasms. Tara collapsed on to my chest as we gathered our breath back. I started to shift so I could go to the bathroom when she stopped me. "Hold on. I have to do one thing." Tara reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her phone. She wrapped her leg over my crotch and spread out her skirt a bit. She took what was left of her blouse and covered her exposed tits as she cuddled up against me. She aimed the camera into the mirror at the foot of the bed and snapped a picture. Once she was happy with her picture, I saw her send a text to Lindsey, "Meant to tell you I borrowed some of your clothes! Next time I'm home, I'll trade you for my black shirt back. April Fools!" She hit send, we both used the rest room and returned to the bed. Exhausted from everything, we both collapsed into a deep sleep. ------------ The first problem with a night of crazy, passionate sex in a romantic cabin, complete with toys, booze and bondage? Before you pass out, you don't think of things like pulling all the blinds and curtains closed. So, after the aforementioned night, I woke up the next morning with sunlight streaming into the room from multiple openings. I looked over to see Tara sprawled face down on the other side of the bed, but somehow she had found the sleep mask we had used the night before and she was using it for the intended reason -- to block out the light and get some sleep. I stumbled naked out of the bed, and started working my way around the room, trying to close as many of the blinds as I could. Even my best efforts resulted in the room being slightly darker, but nowhere near sleep-quality darkness. That's when I noticed the second problem with a passionate night in the cabin -- the leftover scents and smells. The room was filled with the sensory remnants of the night before, the burnt-out fireplace, cherry lubricant, lotions, stale prosecco, and of course, sex. I stumbled to the bathroom, relieved myself and wandered back to the bed. I picked up my phone to see that it was only 6:45 in the morning and flopped back into the bed, burying my head between some pillows to get some sleep. After what felt like only a few minutes, I felt Tara stirring next to me. I groaned and lifted my head to see that it was actually 9:30. My movements alerted Tara that I was awake and I heard her husky morning voice, "Morning, babe. Did I wake you?" "No. I was up earlier but managed to get back to sleep. Did you happen to ask what time checkout is today?" Tara got out of bed and walked over the table where she had dropped our packet of information when we arrived. Her hair was a tousled mess, but I focused more on the movement of her ass as she walked across the room. From the bed, I could see her breasts lightly bounce as bent over to pick up the paperwork and walk back to the bed. "Well, we missed breakfast. That ended at 9:00." she read as she sat down, "Checkout is at 11. I'm fine if we just want to pack up and hit the road, we can grab an early lunch on the way out. Tara then looked up at our reflection in the weird bed-mirror, "But first, I need to shower. Holy fuck, I'm a mess." She took her hand and gently rubbed the surface of her pussy. "I'm sore, too, but that arousal crème they gave us was unbelievable. I was on fire before you even touched me last night." "That was crazy, babe. What made you think of the whole 'dressing up like your sister' thing?" I asked. "It's a long story and we have time in the car, I'll tell you the whole thing." Tara was still gently touching her pussy at this point. Not masterbating by any stretch, but just lazily running her hand over her mostly hairless crotch. "But I really do need a shower, I'm so sticky and gross right now." She glanced over and saw that even her slight movements were making me hard. "Tell you what. We do have a little time and since we both need to clean up anyway, why don't you give me a minute or two and meet me in there?" With that, Tara jumped up and started walking toward the bathroom. Her ass seemed to have a little extra swagger as she glanced over her shoulder with a smirk, knowing I was going to be close behind her. I waited a few minutes as I heard the sink run, toilet flush and the shower start. I then made my way to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth to get rid of my morning breath and started toward the shower. Admittedly, for such a romantic room, the shower was pretty standard. It was slightly oversized, with a large glass door that faced the rest of the bathroom. Through the steamy glass, I could see Tara with her head leaning back into the water, letting the spray cascade down her head and body. I slid into the chamber behind her and started to run my hands up her sides to cup her tits. I moved her wet hair over her shoulder so I could start kissing the back of her neck as ground my cock against her ass. Tara slid forward a bit to let the hot water wash over me as she grabbed for the bar of soap in the soap dish. "Here" she said, "wash my back." Tara handed me bar of soap and I used it to start washing her back. I built up a lather and worked my way back to her tits. I could feel her nipples tighten under the soap as ran my hands all over her chest. I kept building up more soapy bubbles and started to run one hand down toward her pussy. "Babe, I can't. I'm still too sore from last night" she said as she grabbed my wrist and pulled it away from her sex. "Plus, I said you could wash my back." As Tara said it, she pushed back and gyrated her ass against my crotch. Taking the hint, I moved my hands to her back, but this time started working them lower. I used my slippery, soapy hands to massage and caress her ass cheeks. Thanks to our positioning, my cock was getting coated with the soap, too. I took my right hand and started to work my way into the cleft of her ass cheeks. As I started to brush my soapy fingers against Tara's puckered hole, she shifted her weight forward, extended her arms and leaned against the wall of the shower. This pressed her ass against me more and I used more soap to add lubrication to my cock and her hole. When we were both fully lubricated, I gripped my cock in my hand and started to press the head against her asshole. Tara and I were no strangers to anal play and thanks to the amount of soap we used, the head of my cock popped through her tight ring without much resistance. Whenever I slid into her ass, Tara would let loose with what I could only call a guttural moan and this time was no exception. Even though my cock had been sucked and fucked nearly raw the night before, the feeling of her tight ass wrapped around me was amazing. I didn't waste any time and started to thrust in and out of her ass, feeling the falling water splash over us while the wet sounds of flesh slapping together filled the room. "Uggghhhh....fuck my ass babe. Make me your little ass whore." Whenever we had anal sex, Tara's sex drive would go into overdrive and she would go from lusty to slutty in seconds. With my slippery hands and the shower water, I was having a problem getting a good grip on her hips and we starting to slip in the shower. "C'mon, Jason. Don't stop now. What happened, did I wear you out last night? You're not gonna go soft in my ass are you? Fuck me like you mean it. Dump your cum into my ass, baby." Tara's mouth and dirty talk sent me over the edge. I pulled my dick out of her ass with a pop and whipped open the shower door. I grabbed Tara's soaking wet body and lifted her up and out of the shower. As our feet hit the bathroom floor, I pushed her down on the ground so that she was laying flat with her naked body pressed against the tiles. I spread her ass cheeks one more time and thrusted into her. With the floor under her, I was able to fully work my entire length into her ass. Tara was grunting and moaning with every thrust of my cock. With the bathroom acting as an echo chamber, our cries were reflecting back on us and magnifying our every sound. Just as I felt Tara's body start to shake and tremble under me, I felt my cock start to explode in her. Wave after wave of hot cum poured into her ass. Tara was literally whimpering under me and for a minute I thought I was going to pass out. The explosion of my orgasm, the heat of the shower, and the steam filling the room all had my head spinning. I pulled my softening cock out of Tara's ass and opened the door to the bathroom, letting the cool air pour in. I sat against the doorframe as Tara continued to lay on the floor. After a few minutes, she began to stir. She picked herself up off the floor and got back into the shower. I reached over and wrapped a towel around my waist and started to clean up the room and pack our belongings. When Tara emerged from the shower, I hopped in to clean myself off. Once we were both showered and dressed, we grabbed our bags, checked out of the room and got back in the car. I could tell that Tara was exhausted and wasn't going to be much company on the ride back to school. I drove back, listening to the radio and Tara woke up as we were approaching our university. "So, I have to ask" I said. "What was up with you and Lindsay and the outfits?" Tara chuckled, "I figured you weren't going to let that go. Lindsay has always been a tease around guys. As we both get older she gets some weird thrill out of teasing my boyfriends, but she never really does anything serious. Once though, a guy a was dating, Glen, tried to start feeling her up when I wasn't around. She told me and that was it for me and Glen. "Every time I've spoken to her over the past month, she's talked about the whole April Fools weekend and that she would have to up her game with you. I thought wearing the blouse at the bar was it, but she went above and beyond. I will tell you, though, she came to me first thing the next day and told me you threw her out. And for the record, she wouldn't have let you fuck her. She would have pushed you to the point, then bailed." "Ok" I said, "But what about you last night wearing her outfit?" "Oh! I was walking by the kitchen and saw her standing over you during the party, still teasing you. I was going to let her have it before we left, but when I saw her clothes crumpled up in her room after the party, I got a better idea. "For once, I figured out a way to turn her little prank around on her and give you a bit of a treat at the same time. That's why I texted her that picture last night. Besides, you didn't seem to mind." she finished with a smirk. "No" I said, "but next time, an even BETTER prank would be actually have your sister take your place, don't you think?" That earned me the final punch in the arm of the trip, the large bruise my souvenir of April Fools Day that year. By TruthWithaTwist for Literotica.

 My girlfriend and her sister play dueling practical jokes on me. By TruthWithaTwist. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. "Sisters before Misters. It's the golden rule." Tara declared. "Thank goodness you're hot" I joked, "Because that may be the most fucked-up and lamest thing anyone has ever said to me." With that, we started laughing and settled in for the rest of the drive. [[MORE]] We got to the resort and it was everything we expected. It was a cheesy resort built for "romance weekends". They did a have a "lodge restaurant" and because it was off-season, we had no problem getting our choice of cabins and were told to come down the restaurant at any time. The guy working the front desk told us that the hot tub on the deck was usable, but suggested that we turn the heat on before dinner if we wanted to use it later. He also mentioned the romance package and asked if he could have it delivered while we dined. He said all of this unironically and without embarrassment. We made the short walk down a path to our cabin and were thrilled with what we found. It was roomy, with an oversized king bed. It had a glossy wooden floor that led to a loveseat, and two chairs that gathered by a large gas fireplace. The bed itself was a wonder to behold. A crimson bedspread was stretched across it. 6 stark white pillows were stacked at the top of the bed with a sort of long, red ribbon holding them all together. The bed itself was made of a wooden frame with large headboard. Just to the right of the bed, was a sliding glass door that went to the enclosed deck and the hot tub. The hot tub faced the lake but was still enclosed by the walls of the deck. There were instructions on the wall, and I got the heater for the hot tub started. As I was getting my bearings, the room behind me went dark for a split-second and suddenly was bathed in red. "BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA" said Tara as she started playing with the light switches on a bedstand. One switch bathed the room in red. The next started a sort of "disco-light" effect. Button 3 I ~think~ was light romance...as pastel circles, and blobs sort of migrated across the walls and ceiling. "What's that last switchy-thing?" I asked. Tara flipped a switch and we heard a "whirring" motion. From the bottom of the bed, a panel came up revealing a bed-width mirror. "Oh, well of course it is!" We both burst into laughter. I tackled Tara and we spilled on to the bed making out and making up for lost time. Hands started to wander. She started to rub my crotch through my jeans, I was working my way up her shirt. As we took a quick pause, I spoke up. "Babe. This place is amazing and I want nothing more than to fuck you right now, but I'm starving!!!! Can we go eat and then we have all night to experience the Adventureland theme park in our room?" "Absolutely". Tara went into the bathroom to freshen up. For the first time, I reached into my back pocket and found the money Henry had given me. I counted out five crisp $100 bills and was suddenly looking forward to a great meal. We threw our coats back on and walked over the restaurant. We gave the waiter our "dinner coupon" and placed our order. For a half-full resort, in the middle of nowhere, with a porn set for a cottage, the meal was surprisingly good. We started with a Manhattan and a Martini and thanks to the money Henry had slipped me, we splurged on an expensive bottle of wine. We ate and drank and ordered a bottle of Prosecco to take back to the room as we left the restaurant. We stumbled back to our room and keyed back in. On the coffee table was what looked like a large rectangular box of chocolates. Upon opening it, we found out it was our romance package. There were a number of "adult' items, all discretely packaged and wrapped inside. Like a kid on Christmas, Tara began opening each one. "Oh! Ok. Cherry flavored lube. That's kinda fun. Next, "Tickle her pink" arousal crème. Alrighty. We've got an Aqua-vibe! Some silicone cock rings. Massage Oil. And.." Tara then held up with great pride.... "A blindfold mask!" For the next few minutes we laughed and opened everything. Slowly, though, the mood went from humorous to sexy. We started to smell, taste and feel everything in the box. Tara got the ball rolling. "Why don't I grab those robes, you grab the vibe & the Prosecco and I'll meet you in the hot tub." I stripped down to my boxers and opened the Prosecco. Tara came out wrapped in a robe, holding some towels and handed me the other robe. We opened the sliding door and I lifted the cover off the hot tub. The cold air made the hot tub seem that much hotter, but we slowly lowered ourselves in with a number of "ohs" and "ahs" until we got comfortable, As we soaked and sipped the Prosecco, the stress of the day melted away. Our hands kept wandering, gently touching and stroking each other under the bubbles. Slowly, we started kissing. It was sensual, and exploratory. I started cupping one of her breasts while she started stroking my cock and balls. As our arousal grew, Tara whispered, "Did you bring that vibe?" I reached up and grabbed the small vibe off the edge of the tub. It looked like a small blue insect -- 3 inches long with two antennae at one end. Once the vibe was turned on, the antennae started to shake and vibrate. I moved the toy under the water and started using them on her nipples that were just under the surface. Tara moaned slightly and let her head loll back onto the deck's edge. I continued going back and forth between her nipples while I gently nuzzled and kissed her exposed neck. When I thought she was ready, I had the vibe work it's way down her ribcage, eliciting a giggle. The giggling stopped when I reached her crotch. I gently pushed her legs apart and started working the vibe over her clit.. It wasn't a toy that was meant for insertion, so I figured out a way to maintain my grip with my thumb and two fingers while inserting my ring and pinkie fingers slightly insider her. It all had the desired effect. Within a few minutes, I started to see the familiar red blotches on her shoulders and cheeks, telling me she was close. I kept up the motions until she started to come. The waters started to splash as Tara's hips flexed and shook. "Uh........uh.....yes.......fuck.........don't.........keep.......yes......fuck......ah" I moved the vibe away and let Tara catch her breath. As she started to come down from her high, she said, "Let's go inside and I can return the favor." We got out, jumped into our robes, and went inside. "Lay some clean towels down in front of the fire." I followed her instructions and watched her grab the flavored lube. "Now, lay down." I laid on my back by the fire and kept my eyes on Tara's amazing body. Her tits were still moist from the hot tub & her pussy swollen from her recent orgasm. As she stepped toward me, she opened the Cherry lube and began spreading it over her pussy. Once she was sufficiently covered, she took two fingers and started spreading it inside herself. She came over to me, poured a palmful of the fluid into her hand and started rubbing it up and down my erect cock. Once she was satisfied, she swung her legs over my head and pushed her cherry covered cunt on to my face. I took the hint and began licking and sucking. Tara wasted no time as she dropped down on to my cock and began licking off the lube. I was trying hard to breathe while still focusing on licking my way up and down her outer lips. As I worked my way around, I would shift up and gently start licking her clit. Every time I did, I noticed that her efforts on my cock increased. Figuring out that increasing her pleasure could increase my own -- I took my tongue and drove it as far into her pussy as a I could. It had the desired effect. Tara moaned around my cock and drove her mouth down to my balls. I could feel her tongue licking my shaft as she sucked down on my entire length. It quickly became too much for me. I grabbed down on her ass and pulled her pussy into my mouth. I latched onto her clit creating a vacuum suction while I rapidly licked it with the tip of my tongue. Tara's hips began to shake and she moaned even more. The moaning around my cock was like a tight, vibrating sheath that sent me over the edge. I exploded into her mouth and heard a cacophony of noises. My own moans, her moans, the sound of her gulping down the milky load, our combined mouths gasping for breath.....followed by two huge contented sighs. After getting her breath back, Tara spun herself around and settled into the crook of my arm & shoulder. We lay together, content and satiated. Then, slowly, we realized that our mouths were both covered in each others juices and cherry lube....and it was getting kind of gross. Tara told me to go clean off a bit. As I looked at the clock, I realized it was only 11:00, not 2am as I was expecting. I went into the bathroom, got some hot water running and soaked a washcloth in soap and the water. I washed off my face a few times until the combined stickiness was gone. Then, I got the sticky lube off my crotch as best I could. I was considering hopping in the shower real quick, when Tara started knocking on the door. "You almost done? I gotta pee and brush my teeth." "Yup. Two seconds." I brushed my teeth and let my girlfriend by with a quick smack on the ass. I threw on my robe, poured some more Prosecco, and laid on the bed. Admittedly, between the drinks and wine at dinner, plus the Prosecco, I was still riding the line of "buzzed" and "drunk". Add in the sudden activity and I was worn out. "You mind if I turn on the TV, babe?" "Not at all! I could use a little break" she yelled back through the bathroom door. I flipped around and found a cable show with an annoying couple trying to buy a 4-bedrrom house on 3 acres and a pool for $237K dollars. Tara came out, climbed onto the bed, and started playing around on her phone. After an episode and a half, I noticed Tara's hand was slowly snaking its way up my leg, under my robe. As she started stroking my cock, encouraging it back to life, she asked if I was ready for another round. I started to roll her over, until she put a hand on my chest. "Nope. You've been amazing this weekend. For me, my family, now it's time you get your reward. But....you have to trust me." "Uh.....ok." "Seriously babe. Trust me." With that, she started taking my robe off my shoulders. Once I was naked, she put some pillows under my head and reached over the side of the bed. She grabbed the large ribbon that had been around the pillows and started tying my right wrist to the bed frame (Oh.....THAT'S why they have that ribbon....duh). She swung over me, and started tying my left wrist, so I was spread eagle with my arms. Tara then got up and went over the Romance box. "I have to go in the bathroom and get ready. But before that, I want to get VERY ready." With that, she took a good dollup of the arousal gel and spread it over her clit and pussy lips. The reaction was instantaneous. "Oh fuck. That's amazing. It's heating up my pussy. Wow. I need to save this so I can get some more." With that, she went into the bathroom for a few minutes. Fortunately, I could still see Beth and Shawn complaining about the backsplash in the kitchen on the tv show, so I wasn't getting anxious. A few minutes later, Tara came back out with the robe on. "Sorry! For this part, we need one more thing." She walked over and hit the "red light" option on the bedstand. Next, off went the tv and up went the mirror. "Babe, I hope you're coming right into bed. Because if you want to kill the mood....leaving me tied up to only stare at my red-bathed cock and balls....that'll do it." "Don't worry. I have a surprise for you, but I don't want you see anything yet. With that, she put the sleep mask over my eyes. I heard her shuffling around, her suitcase unzipping and the bathroom door closing, then something strange happened. I heard the latches on the front door open and I felt a blast of cold air. As goosebumps erupted on my body, I heard the door close and a pair of high heeled shoes walking across our floor. The bathroom door closed again and I thought I heard muffled voices. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I heard the door open again and I heard Tara say, "OK. Babe, like I said, you did a lot for my entire family and here's your surprise." I then felt movement on the bed and someone straddling me. I felt a pair of wet panties rubbing across my cock. The more the pussy rubbed, the more the juices seemed to flow. All of a sudden, there was a slight shift and I felt Tara's pussy engulf my cock. It felt like Tara had pulled her panties to the side and was grinding her clit against me, while starting to ride my cock with fervor. I didn't remember her wearing panties when we crawled into bed and was surprised she put them back on just to have blindfolded sex. The fact that I couldn't see her and couldn't move my arms to reach out to her multiplied the sensations exponentially. Tara kept alternating her motions. She would slow down, then pick up speed, then she would just stop and grind for a minute. At one point, she just sat there on my cock, and I felt her long hair start to tickle my chest as she licked my nipples. Eventually she started to pick up speed, but she kept me on the edge of coming again and again. Just as I started to moan that I couldn't take much more, the mask was ripped from my face and I saw a sight I would never forget. My alcohol-affected eyes were still blurry, and the room bathed in red which made everything surreal-- but there was Lindsay, in her yellow skirt riding me. She had on her white top from the party, unbuttoned to her navel so I could see her chest and tits perfectly. Looking down into the mirror, I could see her black heels and sure enough, pulled to the side were the purple checkered panties. She was grinding on my cock, rubbing her clit against me while she pumped back and forth. Her long brown hair was down over her face, with her head bent forward and her hands on my chest. The similarities between her and Tara was insane. I felt my cock somehow get even harder which was magnified by the fact that her pussy was absolutely on fire. My still-buzzed mind was going a million miles a second as I tried to take in the crazy scene. My brain rocketed back to the "we share everything" statement at the bar. I thought about the door opening while I was blindfolded. Was this some sisterly April Fools prank going to another level? My eyes were searching the room, looking for Tara. Was she watching? Did Lindsay somehow lock her in the bathroom? Where did she go? Lindsey was riding me harder now, her pussy gripping my cock. She was so wet, I could feel her lubricating my cock with every thrust of her hips. The fluids were running down my balls as she kept grinding away. The heat coming out of her was like nothing I had ever felt before and I felt the cum building up in my balls. Lindsey was quiet but riding me harder when she leaned back, tossing her hair behind her and giving me an unobstructed view of her tits and tight body. That's when it hit me. For the first time, I was able to see the tell-tale red flush on her chest, shoulders and neck through the thin, white shirt. "Babe....." I moaned. "Mmmmmmm.....I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out." Tara said, "You like? Or is this too weird?" "Untie me, now. I'll show you." Tara reached up and released the loops around my wrists. Once my hands were free, they went right to her top, ripping the white blouse open. Buttons flew everywhere and I mauled her tits as she increased her speed on me. All the build-up and activity caught up to us at the same time. Just as I started to feel my cock release itself deep inside her, Tara started some deep guttural moans that ran through her body. She trembled, moaned and started thrashing on my cock. If it weren't for the fact we were in a remote cabin, we would have woken every neighbor around us. Tara was screaming and digging her nails into my chest. I shot stream after stream of cum into her pussy, thrusting up trying to milk the most out of both of our orgasms. Tara collapsed on to my chest as we gathered our breath back. I started to shift so I could go to the bathroom when she stopped me. "Hold on. I have to do one thing." Tara reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her phone. She wrapped her leg over my crotch and spread out her skirt a bit. She took what was left of her blouse and covered her exposed tits as she cuddled up against me. She aimed the camera into the mirror at the foot of the bed and snapped a picture. Once she was happy with her picture, I saw her send a text to Lindsey, "Meant to tell you I borrowed some of your clothes! Next time I'm home, I'll trade you for my black shirt back. April Fools!" She hit send, we both used the rest room and returned to the bed. Exhausted from everything, we both collapsed into a deep sleep. ------------ The first problem with a night of crazy, passionate sex in a romantic cabin, complete with toys, booze and bondage? Before you pass out, you don't think of things like pulling all the blinds and curtains closed. So, after the aforementioned night, I woke up the next morning with sunlight streaming into the room from multiple openings. I looked over to see Tara sprawled face down on the other side of the bed, but somehow she had found the sleep mask we had used the night before and she was using it for the intended reason -- to block out the light and get some sleep. I stumbled naked out of the bed, and started working my way around the room, trying to close as many of the blinds as I could. Even my best efforts resulted in the room being slightly darker, but nowhere near sleep-quality darkness. That's when I noticed the second problem with a passionate night in the cabin -- the leftover scents and smells. The room was filled with the sensory remnants of the night before, the burnt-out fireplace, cherry lubricant, lotions, stale prosecco, and of course, sex. I stumbled to the bathroom, relieved myself and wandered back to the bed. I picked up my phone to see that it was only 6:45 in the morning and flopped back into the bed, burying my head between some pillows to get some sleep. After what felt like only a few minutes, I felt Tara stirring next to me. I groaned and lifted my head to see that it was actually 9:30. My movements alerted Tara that I was awake and I heard her husky morning voice, "Morning, babe. Did I wake you?" "No. I was up earlier but managed to get back to sleep. Did you happen to ask what time checkout is today?" Tara got out of bed and walked over the table where she had dropped our packet of information when we arrived. Her hair was a tousled mess, but I focused more on the movement of her ass as she walked across the room. From the bed, I could see her breasts lightly bounce as bent over to pick up the paperwork and walk back to the bed. "Well, we missed breakfast. That ended at 9:00." she read as she sat down, "Checkout is at 11. I'm fine if we just want to pack up and hit the road, we can grab an early lunch on the way out. Tara then looked up at our reflection in the weird bed-mirror, "But first, I need to shower. Holy fuck, I'm a mess." She took her hand and gently rubbed the surface of her pussy. "I'm sore, too, but that arousal crème they gave us was unbelievable. I was on fire before you even touched me last night." "That was crazy, babe. What made you think of the whole 'dressing up like your sister' thing?" I asked. "It's a long story and we have time in the car, I'll tell you the whole thing." Tara was still gently touching her pussy at this point. Not masterbating by any stretch, but just lazily running her hand over her mostly hairless crotch. "But I really do need a shower, I'm so sticky and gross right now." She glanced over and saw that even her slight movements were making me hard. "Tell you what. We do have a little time and since we both need to clean up anyway, why don't you give me a minute or two and meet me in there?" With that, Tara jumped up and started walking toward the bathroom. Her ass seemed to have a little extra swagger as she glanced over her shoulder with a smirk, knowing I was going to be close behind her. I waited a few minutes as I heard the sink run, toilet flush and the shower start. I then made my way to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth to get rid of my morning breath and started toward the shower. Admittedly, for such a romantic room, the shower was pretty standard. It was slightly oversized, with a large glass door that faced the rest of the bathroom. Through the steamy glass, I could see Tara with her head leaning back into the water, letting the spray cascade down her head and body. I slid into the chamber behind her and started to run my hands up her sides to cup her tits. I moved her wet hair over her shoulder so I could start kissing the back of her neck as ground my cock against her ass. Tara slid forward a bit to let the hot water wash over me as she grabbed for the bar of soap in the soap dish. "Here" she said, "wash my back." Tara handed me bar of soap and I used it to start washing her back. I built up a lather and worked my way back to her tits. I could feel her nipples tighten under the soap as ran my hands all over her chest. I kept building up more soapy bubbles and started to run one hand down toward her pussy. "Babe, I can't. I'm still too sore from last night" she said as she grabbed my wrist and pulled it away from her sex. "Plus, I said you could wash my back." As Tara said it, she pushed back and gyrated her ass against my crotch. Taking the hint, I moved my hands to her back, but this time started working them lower. I used my slippery, soapy hands to massage and caress her ass cheeks. Thanks to our positioning, my cock was getting coated with the soap, too. I took my right hand and started to work my way into the cleft of her ass cheeks. As I started to brush my soapy fingers against Tara's puckered hole, she shifted her weight forward, extended her arms and leaned against the wall of the shower. This pressed her ass against me more and I used more soap to add lubrication to my cock and her hole. When we were both fully lubricated, I gripped my cock in my hand and started to press the head against her asshole. Tara and I were no strangers to anal play and thanks to the amount of soap we used, the head of my cock popped through her tight ring without much resistance. Whenever I slid into her ass, Tara would let loose with what I could only call a guttural moan and this time was no exception. Even though my cock had been sucked and fucked nearly raw the night before, the feeling of her tight ass wrapped around me was amazing. I didn't waste any time and started to thrust in and out of her ass, feeling the falling water splash over us while the wet sounds of flesh slapping together filled the room. "Uggghhhh....fuck my ass babe. Make me your little ass whore." Whenever we had anal sex, Tara's sex drive would go into overdrive and she would go from lusty to slutty in seconds. With my slippery hands and the shower water, I was having a problem getting a good grip on her hips and we starting to slip in the shower. "C'mon, Jason. Don't stop now. What happened, did I wear you out last night? You're not gonna go soft in my ass are you? Fuck me like you mean it. Dump your cum into my ass, baby." Tara's mouth and dirty talk sent me over the edge. I pulled my dick out of her ass with a pop and whipped open the shower door. I grabbed Tara's soaking wet body and lifted her up and out of the shower. As our feet hit the bathroom floor, I pushed her down on the ground so that she was laying flat with her naked body pressed against the tiles. I spread her ass cheeks one more time and thrusted into her. With the floor under her, I was able to fully work my entire length into her ass. Tara was grunting and moaning with every thrust of my cock. With the bathroom acting as an echo chamber, our cries were reflecting back on us and magnifying our every sound. Just as I felt Tara's body start to shake and tremble under me, I felt my cock start to explode in her. Wave after wave of hot cum poured into her ass. Tara was literally whimpering under me and for a minute I thought I was going to pass out. The explosion of my orgasm, the heat of the shower, and the steam filling the room all had my head spinning. I pulled my softening cock out of Tara's ass and opened the door to the bathroom, letting the cool air pour in. I sat against the doorframe as Tara continued to lay on the floor. After a few minutes, she began to stir. She picked herself up off the floor and got back into the shower. I reached over and wrapped a towel around my waist and started to clean up the room and pack our belongings. When Tara emerged from the shower, I hopped in to clean myself off. Once we were both showered and dressed, we grabbed our bags, checked out of the room and got back in the car. I could tell that Tara was exhausted and wasn't going to be much company on the ride back to school. I drove back, listening to the radio and Tara woke up as we were approaching our university. "So, I have to ask" I said. "What was up with you and Lindsay and the outfits?" Tara chuckled, "I figured you weren't going to let that go. Lindsay has always been a tease around guys. As we both get older she gets some weird thrill out of teasing my boyfriends, but she never really does anything serious. Once though, a guy a was dating, Glen, tried to start feeling her up when I wasn't around. She told me and that was it for me and Glen. "Every time I've spoken to her over the past month, she's talked about the whole April Fools weekend and that she would have to up her game with you. I thought wearing the blouse at the bar was it, but she went above and beyond. I will tell you, though, she came to me first thing the next day and told me you threw her out. And for the record, she wouldn't have let you fuck her. She would have pushed you to the point, then bailed." "Ok" I said, "But what about you last night wearing her outfit?" "Oh! I was walking by the kitchen and saw her standing over you during the party, still teasing you. I was going to let her have it before we left, but when I saw her clothes crumpled up in her room after the party, I got a better idea. "For once, I figured out a way to turn her little prank around on her and give you a bit of a treat at the same time. That's why I texted her that picture last night. Besides, you didn't seem to mind." she finished with a smirk. "No" I said, "but next time, an even BETTER prank would be actually have your sister take your place, don't you think?" That earned me the final punch in the arm of the trip, the large bruise my souvenir of April Fools Day that year. By TruthWithaTwist for Literotica.

El golfista barranquillero, Ricardo Celia, será uno de los representantes de Colombia en el Astara Golf Championship 2024, que hace parte del Korn Ferry Tour, avalado por la Professional Golfers' Association of America, PGA, el cual se jugará en el Country Club de Bogotá, a partir del 8 de febrero del 2024.

Astara Raven spent much of her adult life as an architect and is well-versed in the synergies of landscape and environment. A move from the San Francisco Bay area to Omaha was the catalyst for change, and now as a pragmatic mystic, she utilizes these same skills and gifts to help people get all systems firing and operate at a new frequency. Sasha knows firsthand the power of healing activities and shares her story of how Astara helped guide her out of her darkest days. As you listen, think about the landscape of your life. If you are feeling unsettled, cracked or stuck, remember,  “it only take a minute to change your mind, connect to your heart, and fly yourself to a whole new frequency.” – Astara Raven, How The Stars Tell TimeConnect with Astara:astararaven.love Schedule a free call to learn more at here contact page! astararaven.love/contact Find her book How the Stars Tell Time on amazon a.co/d/2F0bGqNConnect with us:betterbeings.netIG: @be.a.better.beingMichelle: @betterbeingsusSasha: @sasha.patriciaYouTube: Michelle Zellner - Be A Better Being Podcast playlist

Over 4.5 million mothers and babies die each year from preventable conditions during pregnancy, birth or in the few weeks of life; 95% of these in lower-income countries. Maternal health supply chains are a key element to ensure medicines and equipment reach those who need it. Last mile delivery of medicines to hard-to-reach places is critical to addressing maternal and baby deaths. This Social Impact Pioneer podcast delves into the transformative partnership between Global Financing Facility (GFF), MSD for Mothers, the Mozambique Government, the USP Foundation and a caste of other public and private actors. Their ground-breaking collaboration focuses on improving maternal health supply chains, particularly in Mozambique. Listen in to this podcast to learn how public-private partnerships can tackle complex health issues effectively and exemplify the power of shared information for good. Social Impact Pioneers - Jeffrey Jacobs and Tara Tagmyer have both dedicated their careers to solving complex health challenges. From vaccine design to last-mile delivery of medical supplies to remote health facilities. During this conversation expect to learn first-hand, practical ways to bring big organisations together to share expertise and importantly complex data sets in order to create health provision solutions. As Tara explains the crucial role of AI in strengthening these supply chains underscores the synergy of technology and healthcare. Links: Business Fights Poverty and our collaboration with the Global Financing Facility on the role of business in delivering healthier futures for women, children and adolescents, available at: https://businessfightspoverty.org/gff-delivering-healthier-futures-for-women-children-and-adolescents/ Jacobs, J., LinkedIn Profile, available at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-l-jacobs MSD for Mothers, Who We Are, available at: https://www.msdformothers.com/who-we-are.html Statista 2023, Infant Mortality Rate 2023, available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/264714/countries-with-the-highest-infant-mortality-rate/ Tagmyer, T., LinkedIn Profile, available at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-tagmyer-b7bb154b/ UN WHO, 2023, A woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth: UN agencies, available at: https://www.who.int/news/item/23-02-2023-a-woman-dies-every-two-minutes-due-to-pregnancy-or-childbirth--un-agencies WHO, 2023, Global Progress In Tackling Maternal and New-born Deaths Stalls Since 2015, available at: https://www.who.int/news/item/09-05-2023-global-progress-in-tackling-maternal-and-newborn-deaths-stalls-since-2015--un.

In the dark morning hours of February 23rd, 2022, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Tara Pakanich was awakened by a loud bang. Warm under her blankets, still groggy from a sound sleep, the startling noise seemed like it could've been only one thing: the storm door. As Tara got out of bed to investigate, she noticed the lights still on in the basement, where her 24-year-old son, Shad Thyrion, had been hanging out for the last couple of days. But no one was down there now. As she headed back up the basement stairs, something strange suddenly caught her eye: a bucket with a beach towel draped over top. How to support: For extra perks including exclusive content, early release, and ad-free episodes - Go to - Patreon How to connect: Website Instagram Facebook Twitter Please check out our sponsors and help support the podcast: Zocdoc - Go to zocdoc.com/MADNESS and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today. Many are available within 24 hours. Better Help - This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp - Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/MADNESS and get on your way to being your best self. Babbel - Get up to 55% off your subscription when you go to babbel.com/Madness PDS Debt - PDS DEBT is offering free debt analysis to our listeners just for completing the quick and easy debt assessment at www.PDSDebt.com/mad Vessi - Click vessi.com/MADNESS and use code MADNESS for 15% off your entire order! Free shipping to CA, US, AU,JP, TW,KR, SG Hello Fresh - Go to HelloFresh.com/madness50 and use code madness50 for 50% off, plus your first box ships free! Manly Bands - There's no better time to invest in a Manly Bands wedding ring than right now. We're offering a 25% discount on all wedding rings at ManlyBands.com with code MADNESS. Rocket Money - Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses the easy way by going to RocketMoney.com/minds Liquid IV - Grab your Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier Sugar-Free in bulk nationwide at Costco or get 20% off when you go to www.liquid-iv.com and use code MADNESS at checkout. DAVE - Download Dave today at Dave.com/madness. You could get up to $500 in 5 minutes or less! No credit check. No late fees. Research & Writing: Nicole Colin & Katherine Thomas - Epigram Literary Group Editing: Aiden Wolf Sources: gofundme.com google.ca/maps  world-weather.info world-weather.info  friendsofthefox.org dnr.wisconson.gov dnr.wisconsin.gov 2 en.wikipedia.org  en.wikipedia.org 2 embed.documentcloud.org wbay.com  webmd.com facebook.com facebook.com 2 facebook.com 3 facebook.com 4` newcomergreenbay.com yahoo.com yahoo.com 2 oxygen.com heavy.com heavy.com 2 heavy.com 3 greenbaypressgazette.com msn.com dailymail.co.uk dailymail.co.uk 2 psychologytoday.com psychologytoday.com 2 readykids.com.au psychcentral.com lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com 2 the-sun.com the-sun.com 2 meawww.com insideedition.com insideedition.com 2 insideedition.com 3 insideedition.com 4 insideedition.com 5 legacy.com Eauclairecriminaldefense.com police-codes.com youtube.com youtube.com 2 youtube.com 3 youtube.com 4 youtube.com 5 youtube.com 6 youtube.com 7 youtube.com 8 youtube.com 9 youtube.com 10 youtube.com 11 youtube.com 12

What sparks youth's interests? A personal challenge or a community issue, or simply a matter of taste! We brainstormed about things we enjoy and why they spark our interest. Even though we worked as a group, topics were explored and research was made individually. Summer 2023 @ El Centro from Northeastern Illinois University. Production and voice by Kaleb, Analia and Astara. Music by Antoine, Johnathan and Chance from the Beat by Beat Program. Edited by Shelby.

    In the very pre daylight hours of February 23rd 2022 Tara Pakanich heard the storm door to her basement close. Tara's 24 year old son, Shad Thyrion was staying with her at the time in that very basment, and had been entertaining an old friend, a woman named Taylor Schabusiness. Tara upon hearing the door close, wondered if they'd both left, or just her son's guest. As Tara made her way down the stairs I'm sure a lot of possible outcomes ran through her mind, but none of them included finding her son's head in a bucket at the base of the stairs, but that's exactly what happened. This case was a request fiends, and boy is it a wild one! Click to learn more Taylor's formal police report 911 call   Validate Us: WWBD Merch Shop Buy us a cup of validation WWBD Official Soundtrack, Vol. 1 WWBD Official Soundtrack, Vol. 2 Shadows of Christmas (WWBD Christmas Album) Sponsors Shore Soaps Try Audible Plus Give the Gift of Audible! Kindle Unlimited Membership Amazon Prime Free Trial Join the Conversation       

This week we Review the Reviews of "Fantasy in Death," and these reviews are so judgy, they make us a bit angry. So, you're going to get a lot of rants from us in this episode. In the first review, we have someone who is upset about Roarke being so "perfect," but then they complain about something Roarke did, (which they misread, btw) so, he's not perfect? Then we have a judgy "author," who wants to gate keep the science fiction genre, and accuses Nora of not having EARNED the respect due a "real" science fiction author. There are more people who hint that Nora has a ghostwriter, and those same people want Eve to get pregnant already. Also one person who "threw the kindle against the wall" because Nora describing how hot Roarke looked in period costuming?? Also one who thought "the final showdown was lame"?? As Tara pointed out: THERE WAS A FUCKING SWORD FIGHT, Y'ALL! HOW WAS THAT LAME!? But, as with every "We Review the Reviews" Episode, we have several really good ones including an author that actually knows how to write a good review, readers who love Susan Ericksen, People who thought the personal interactions were hilarious and that Peabody was especially funny. We Agree!

To become a subscriber, click the link below and start enjoying a Super Strange bonus episode each and every week. You can also binge on the back catalogue of bonus episodes. https://anchor.fm/andy-myers6/subscribe This episode: Andy is joined by special guest, Astara Raven. She talks about her latest book, How the Stars Tell Time. Additionally, she and Andy discuss a variety of spiritual and paranormal topics. Astara's contact info: astara@illuminatinghearts.love tel:415-912-0868 https://astararaven.love/ https://innerspaceacademy.love/ https://astararaven.love/how-the-stars-tell-time-the-book/ Andy's award-winning books - https://www.andymyersonline.com/store Upcoming events - https://www.andymyersonline.com/events Paranormal Dadspodcast - https://www.paranormaldads.com/?from=@ Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/AndysIntuition Insagram - https://www.instagram.com/soulstudios.andymyers/ YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@SoulStudios.AndyMyers TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@soulstudios.andymyers?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc If you'd like to be a guest on the show, please contact AndyMyersManagement@gmail.com

In this episode we have a special interview for you, Astara Jane Ashley, founder of Flower of Life press joins us on the podcast. Astara describes her sacred purpose as midwifing women's stories and wisdom— through their books—into a new cultural narrative that serves the Collective by amplifying the Rise of Divine Feminine energies. Astara shares her suggestions for anyone wanting to write a book, why books continue to be incredibly important in landscape of digital bit sized media, how being a priestess informs her work as a publisher and how to find your creative flow.*Astara Jane Ashley & Flower of Life Press Linkswww.floweroflifepress.comwww.divinewritingjourney.comFB: https://www.facebook.com/floweroflifepressIG: @floweroflifepressemail: support@floweroflifepressSex Love & Relationship Coaching with CarlaSex, Love & Relationship Coaching for women and couplesBody of the Goddess Group ProgramFree 30 minute Discovery Call with CarlaTarot Readings with Little LeahDo they love me? Will I get that promotion? What should I do next? Get answers by booking a Tarot reading with Little Leah! Get info & availability by emailing Leah at deathmothtarot@gmail.com.Have a question or comment about this episode or anything else - let us know by connecting with us on Social!The Radical Sex Witches on Instagram @theradicalsexwitchesConnect with Carla and Little Leah on Instagram @carlawainwright @little_leah78Connect with Carla on FacebookEmail us! radicalsexwitches@gmail.comAND we would love a review on Apple Podcasts, head over and let us know what you think!

Armenian News Network Groong Week in Review - May 21, 2023Topics:  - Accelerated Negotiations      - Negotiations Carousel      - Meghri Railway      - Russia Finances Rasht-Astara      - Rallies in Artsakh and Kornidzor  - Artsakh Domestic PoliticsGuest:  - Tevan Poghosyan TW/@TevanPoghosyanHosts:  - Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan  - Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriqEpisode 256 | Recorded May 22, 2023Subscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong

We are back with an exciting three-part series titled “In Conversation with ‘Start the Conversation.'” In episode 62, Act 1: “Step In and Go Slow,” Courtney sits down with panelists Caitlyn McCain, Tara Kirton and Nicole Hogsett to discuss how New York City Children's Theater resources came to be, beginning with a three-part video series called, “Our Relationship to Race.” The series we focus on in Episode 62, Act 1, as Caitlyn and Nicole state, was born out of urgency and necessity during the racial uprisings of 2020, following the murder of George Floyd. Caitlyn notes that the series they've created invites deep conversations between adults and kids about their relationship to race and racism within the context of the U.S. and its ongoing struggle to reconcile its society's shared violent past and present. As Tara states, these conversations may seem, to some, too big for kids to understand but, as she also notes in the episode, research tells us that is simply not true. Kids, indeed, notice and are curious about the world around them, and the adults in their lives can either face harsh truths, challenge the status quo and have deep conversations with kids, or they can perpetuate the white supremacist standard of behaving as if these topics aren't meant to be investigated and therefore reinforce white supremacist culture norms in kids, therefore passing down dangerous, deeply-rooted practices that negatively affect humans of the global majority and society at large. Big questions asked here are: How can we get to a place where we can begin to notice, ask, learn and celebrate what we may not understand so that we can grow as individuals and as a society? How can we invite white-identifying families to interrogate themselves in a way that is structured to create brave and meaningful conversations among one another? Despite the current wave of legislation being pushed to restrict knowledge centered on our actual shared history, how can we be brave to push past discomfort to have deeper conversations and learn together to affect societal change? Listen to this riveting conversation to hear and learn more, and be on the lookout for Act 2 next week as we continue to be “In Conversation with ‘Start the Conversation.'”

Come and celebrate with us as Tara announces her new job. Also, Kris finally reveals her age for all of you playing at home. We get advice on book hangovers. The two try to separate the art from the artist with the third season of Ted Lasso (it's hard, y'all). Then Tara describes her new adventure into the world of Bollywood and Indian cinema. Official Recommendations From Kris: Meeting Millie by Clare Ashton A lot of the early scuttlebutt on this book was around its tagline and the reaction to it. “Can two women, one gay and one straight, be friends forever or does sex get in the way?” It hit a lot of readers and writers the wrong way, but the positive is that Meeting Millie is a great book! Kris adored this past-present, friends-to-lovers romance that just makes you feel good. Check it out. From Tara: A New Life and She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat by Sakaomi Yuzaki  Tara has two recommendations this week. The first is a very short video game by Angela He called A New Life, which puts the player in control of a relationship between two women and its possible beginnings, middles and ends. It's a bittersweet game, because isn't love just a (hopefully) really long walk to a sad ending? A New Life is beautiful, short, and worth your time. Tara's second recommendation is the manga She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat by Sakaomi Yuzaki is. As Tara says, it's "just what it says on the tin." One woman loves to cook, one woman loves to eat, and between the two a relationship begins. It's a gentle, lovely, wonderful warm hug of a book, which you might need after playing A New Life. Works/People Discussed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid Ted Lasso, Season Three (Apple+) Alaska Daily (ABC) RuPaul's Drag Race, Season Fifteen (MTV) The Romantics (Netflix) 3 Idiots (2009) Bittersweet by Susan Cain Support & follow the show Buy us a Ko-fi Sign up for our newsletter Twitter: @queerlyrec Facebook: @QueerlyRecommended Instagram: @queerlyrecommended Tumblr: @queerlyrecommended TikTok: @queerlyrecommended Get all our links on Linktr.ee

Hey, Everyone! This episode was a mess! We recorded about an hour at first without realizing we weren't recording!!! So, what you will hear this week is a "Take Two." As with our episode where we reviewed "Encore in Death," with this one, if you haven't read that book yet, you might want to wait to listen to this episode because the book will DEFINITELY be ruined for you. One really weird feature of the reviews for this book is that we don't just have negativity with 1, 2 and 3 star reviews, we have it with 4 and 5 star reviews as well! So many people wanting to make sure everyone knew that the reviewer has read EVERY book in this series and/or has read Nora/JD for 30 years. We've decided that they all for some reason want a medal for this? As Tara might say, Congratufuckinglations. We did find some really great reviews though, and even one from our Episode 101 special guest, Allison Brennan! Enjoy!!

Fifth-generation dairy farmer Tara Vander Dussen and former pharmacist turned rancher Natalie Kovarik are two amazing women in the regenerative agriculture space.   They're challenging the notion that bigger is bad and smaller is better in farming, and they're highlighting how regenerative agriculture practices can't be a one size fits all approach and must be adjusted based on the region the farm resides in.   As Tara and Natalie share in this episode, since they live in drastically different regions, their regenerative ag practices differ in some ways, and so do their cows, which you'll hear all about.   Despite the differences, they're both focused on running sustainable farms that help mitigate climate change and educating people on what that looks like.   In this episode, you'll learn about Natalie and Tara's unique backgrounds, their struggles on their farms, how their cattle help the environment, and why they're so passionate about what they do.   You'll also discover the current state and future projections for regenerative agriculture, why so many companies are already greenwashing in the space, what can be done about it, and where this powerful duo gets their own food.   Here's a quick breakdown of some of the topics they get into with Dr. Anthony Gustin: Tara and Natalie share their backgrounds and how they found themselves in the regenerative agriculture space The current state of regenerative ag and how many companies are greenwashing and turning the term into a buzzword The spectrum of regenerative ag and why some practices work for some ranchers but won't work for others The struggles Natalie and Tara have personally faced on their farms They also share their thoughts on scaling regenerative agriculture The difference between having a large versus a small regenerative ag herd Tara and Natalie also discuss their farm sizes and how big their operations are Tara shares her thoughts on consuming raw dairy How cattle bring value to our food system Can a commercial model work for poultry or pork to make it more sustainable? One possible solution to mitigate the effects of climate change The weird censorship happening on social media against beef and its true impact on climate change Where Tara and Natalie find the motivation to do the work they do What we need to do and change moving forward to make an impact on a larger scale Where Tara and Natalie get most of the foods they eat   Resources mentioned in this episode: Natalie Kovarik's website Natalie's Instagram Tara Vander Dussen's website Tara's Instagram Natalie and Tara's podcast Discover Ag Discover Ag's Instagram The Natural State Podcast Episode 095: Will Harris - Regenerative Agriculture and Why More Farms Should Switch to this Eco-Friendly Model The Meat Mafia Podcast Wendell Berry's book, The Pleasures of Eating The Holy Earth: The Birth of a New Land Ethic, by Liberty Hyde Bailey, Wendell Berry, and John Linstrom

If you took inventory of your day-to-day choices, would they reveal you're following after Jesus? Or are you merely listening to the Bible but not believing it enough to live out what it says? Those can be hard questions to sit with (for us, too!), but they're important. We all know the struggle to live out what we know to be true, but there is hope for us! In this episode, Tara Sun joins Dwell Differently co-founder Natalie Abbott to dig into what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, how to prioritize the right things in our busy lives, how we tend to get tripped up when we read this verse, and the good news about where our justification from God really comes from. As Tara says, may you know God's Word, love God's Word, and live God's Word. We're here alongside you for the journey!This month's memory verse: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” — James 1:22Today's Dwell guest: Through the Truth Talks with Tara podcast, her Instagram community, her book Surrender Your Story, and other resources, Tara Sun passionately teaches women of all ages how to know, love, and live God's Word for themselves. She shows how to break down God's Word into understandable pieces, while also adding an artistic flare through her digital art. Tara is married to her high school sweetheart, Michael, and is a mom to their newest addition, Hunter. You'll find them living and serving the Lord in Oregon.Memorize Scripture with us: Find out more about Dwell's monthly kit with temporary tattoos, a display card, a key tag, and more to help you know and dwell on God's Word.Get our weekly devotional email: Dive deeper into this month's verse.Did you love today's episode?: We'd love to hear about it! Would you leave a rating or review in your podcast player to help others find the show?Links from today's show:Dwell Differently Monthly MembershipDwell Differently Official Facebook GroupTruth Talks with TaraSurrender Your Story by Tara SunTara Sun MinistriesTara Sun on Instagram (@misstarasun)Support the show

Natasha Astara is a clairvoyant, spiritual artist, and empath, following 20 years as an acupuncturist. She's also mom to 2 girls.  In this episode, Natasha talks about her work with parents of highly sensitive children, often referred to as "star children." We discuss Natasha's journey as an entrepreneur and how she combines her passion for art and spirituality to help parents on their spiritual and healing journeys. They also talk about the concept of star children and the challenges parents face when raising highly sensitive children.

Saving for your later years is the ultimate in making sure your hard work pays off. Yet oftentimes, the personal traits that make us great entrepreneurs are also traits which can make it difficult for us to save for retirement. In today's conversation with guest Tara Nolan, we discuss retirement for the self-employed — perhaps not the sexiest of topics, but highly necessary! In this hopeful and judgement-free conversation, Tara and I talk about how we, as self-employed entrepreneurs, need to think about retirement and how to plan for it. We discuss topics including the importance of articulating your goals, having a vision vs. executing on that vision, managing shame about money management, and working with money management professionals. Tara also walks us through her 3-Step financial planning framework. As Tara says, “Where your money lives is more important than how much you have.”   Tara Nolan is a money strategist who supports women entrepreneurs and professionals (who have limited time due to business and family demands!) achieve and retain the lifestyles they want. Since starting her company, she has been obsessed with helping people feel good about their finances. Tara combines finance, her background in strategic military planning, and a focus personal development to create transformational financial plans. She shares her philosophy and approach to money in her book, Money Moves: Change Where Your Money Lives, Change How Your Financial World Grows. Connect and learn more at www.nolanfinancialpartners.com. And be sure to subscribe to The Self-Employed Life in Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode. Everything you need can all be found at jeffreyshaw.com.  Tara Nolan, thank you so much for being here!   Remember, you might be in business FOR yourself but you are not in business BY yourself. Be your best self. Be proud and keep changing the world.     Guest Contact – NolanFinancialPartners.com Tara Nolan on LinkedIn (in/TaraENolan) Tara Nolan on Facebook (@TaraENolanPlanForYourDreams) Money Moves by Tara Nolan Contact Jeffrey –   JeffreyShaw.com Books by Jeffrey Shaw Business Coaching for Entrepreneurs The Self-Employed Summit Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share!     Valuable complimentary resources to help you –   The Self-Employed Business Institute — You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where there is no business education. This is common amongst self-employed people! And, there's no business education out there for us! You also know that being self-employed is unique and you need better strategies, coaching, support, and accountability. The Self-Employed Business Institute, a five-month online education is exactly what you need. Check it out! Take The Self-Employed Assessment! — Ever feel like you're all over the place? Or frustrated it seems like you have everything you need for your business success but it's somehow not coming together? Take this short quiz to discover the biggest hidden gap that's keeping you from having a thriving Self-Employed Ecosystem. You'll find out what part of your business needs attention and you'll also get a few laser-focused insights to help you start closing that gap. Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! — Is your website speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Having reviewed hundreds of websites, I can tell you 98% of websites are not. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. I'll email you a few suggestions to improve your brand message to attract more of your ideal customers. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO!   Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.

In this special episode of Overheard in celebration of Juneteenth, we reconnect with now Rolex/National Geographic Explorer of the Year Tara Roberts, who upends her life—including leaving her job—to join a group of Black scuba divers searching for the wrecks of ships that carried enslaved Africans to the Americas. Tara is inspired by the stories of the Clotilda, a ship that illegally arrived in Mobile, Alabama, in 1860, and of Africatown, created by those on the vessel—a community that still exists today. The archaeologists and divers leading the search for the Clotilda lay out the steps it took to find it. As Tara talks to the living descendants of those aboard the ship, she admires their enormous pride in knowing their ancestry, and wonders if she can trace her own ancestors back to a ship. She hires a genealogist and visits her family's small hometown in North Carolina, where she celebrates the nation's first federal Juneteenth holiday. The spirit of community she finds at the celebration, as well as the surprising results she receives from the genealogist, bring Tara a sense of belonging to a place that she never could have imagined. Want more? Check out our Into the Depths hub to learn more about Tara's journey following Black scuba divers, find previous Nat Geo coverage on the search for slave shipwrecks, and read the March cover story. And download a tool kit for hosting an Into the Depths listening party to spark conversation and journey deeper into the material. Also explore: Dive into more of National Geographic's coverage of the Clotilda with articles looking at scientists' ongoing archaeological work, the story that broke the discovery of the ship, and the documentary Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship. Meet more of the descendants of the Africans trafficked to the U.S. aboard the Clotilda, and find out what they're doing to save Mobile's Africatown community in the face of difficult economic and environmental challenges. Read the story of Kossola, who later received the name Cudjo Lewis, in the book Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo,” by author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. Learn more about the life of abolitionist Harriet Jacobs, author of “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” who escaped Edenton, N.C., through the Maritime Underground Railroad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In celebration of Juneteenth, we revisit the final episode of Into the Depths with National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts. Tara is inspired by the stories of the Clotilda, a ship that illegally arrived in Mobile, Alabama, in 1860, and of Africatown, created by those on the vessel—a community that still exists today. The archaeologists and divers leading the search for the Clotilda lay out the steps it took to find it. As Tara talks to the living descendants of those aboard the ship, she admires their enormous pride in knowing their ancestry, and wonders if she can trace her own ancestors back to a ship. She hires a genealogist and visits her family's small hometown in North Carolina, where she celebrates the nation's first federal Juneteenth holiday. The spirit of community she finds at the celebration, as well as the surprising results she receives from the genealogist, bring Tara a sense of belonging to a place that she never could have imagined. Want more? Check out our Into the Depths hub to learn more about Tara's journey following Black scuba divers, find previous Nat Geo coverage on the search for slave shipwrecks, and read the March cover story. And download a tool kit for hosting an Into the Depths listening party to spark conversation and journey deeper into the material. Also explore: Dive into more of National Geographic's coverage of the Clotilda with articles looking at scientists' ongoing archaeological work, the story that broke the discovery of the ship, and the documentary Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship. Meet more of the descendants of the Africans trafficked to the U.S. aboard the Clotilda, and find out what they're doing to save Mobile's Africatown community in the face of difficult economic and environmental challenges. Read the story of Kossola, who later received the name Cudjo Lewis, in the book Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo,” by author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. Learn more about the life of abolitionist Harriet Jacobs, author of “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” who escaped Edenton, N.C., through the Maritime Underground Railroad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts is inspired by the stories of the Clotilda, a ship that illegally arrived in Mobile, Alabama, in 1860, and of Africatown, created by those on the vessel—a community that still exists today. The archaeologists and divers leading the search for the Clotilda lay out the steps it took to find it. As Tara talks to the living descendants of those aboard the ship, she admires their enormous pride in knowing their ancestry, and wonders if she can trace her own ancestors back to a ship. She hires a genealogist and visits her family's small hometown in North Carolina. The surprising results bring a sense of belonging to a place that she never could have imagined. Want more? Check out our Into the Depths hub to learn more about Tara's journey following Black scuba divers, find previous Nat Geo coverage on the search for slave shipwrecks, and read the March cover story And download a tool kit for hosting an Into the Depths listening party to spark conversation and journey deeper into the material Also explore: Dive into more of National Geographic's coverage of the Clotilda with articles looking at scientists' ongoing archaeological work, the story that broke the discovery of the ship, and the documentary Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship. Meet more of the descendants of the Africans trafficked to the U.S. aboard the Clotilda, and find out what they're doing to save Mobile's Africatown community in the face of difficult economic and environmental challenges. Read the story of Kossola, who later received the name Cudjo Lewis, in the book Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo,” by author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. Learn more about the life of abolitionist Harriet Jacobs, author of “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” who escaped Edenton, N.C., through the Maritime Underground Railroad.

National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts witnesses a new type of maritime archaeology under way in Costa Rica, one with a community at its center and young people in the lead. As Tara meets journalist María Suárez Toro and her band of divers, she sees the power of a society shaping its own history. She also hears the tale of rebellions aboard the Danish ships Fredericus Quartus and Christianus Quintus. Tara dives to a wreck site thought to be the resting place for the ships and has a firsthand view of artifacts on the ocean floor. She and fellow Explorer Alyea Pierce try to picture a female-led insurrection on one of the ships. Want more? Check out our Into the Depths hub to learn more about Tara's journey following Black scuba divers, find previous Nat Geo coverage on the search for slave shipwrecks, and read the March cover story. And download a tool kit for hosting an Into the Depths listening party to spark conversation and journey deeper into the material. Also explore: Find out more about Ambassadors of the Sea and the community underwater archaeology efforts underway in Costa Rica. Check out the work of National Geographic Explorer Justin Dunnavant, and his work with other Black archaeologists in Estate Little Princess, a former sugar cane and rum plantation on the Caribbean island of St. Croix. Find out more information about Diving With a Purpose and its work training adults and youth in maritime archaeology and ocean conservation.