Podcasts about Knock

"The Five" on Fox News Channel airs weekdays at 5 p.m. ET. Five of your favorite Fox News personalities discuss current issues in a roundtable discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Steve Cropper falleció ayer, 3 de diciembre, a los 84 años de edad. Miembro de los MG’s y guitarrista de sesión de la casa Stax Records, el estudio de Memphis desde el que ayudó a desarrollar el Soul sureño de los años 60. Instrumentista, productor y compositor; su guitarra o su firma aparecen en clásicos inmortales del género a cargo de Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, Eddie Floyd o Rufus Thomas. Colaborador incansable en incontables discos desde los años 70, e integrante de los famosos Blues Brothers con quienes revivió la música de aquellos años dorados para el blues y el sol que Cropper vivió en primera persona.(Foto del podcast por Bill Carrier Jr.)Playlist;(sintonía) BOOKER T. and THE MG’S “Green onions”PRINCE CONLEY “I’m going home”RUFUS THOMAS “Walking the dog”DON COVAY “Sookie, Sookie”OTIS REDDING “Ole man trouble”OTIS REDDING “Rock me baby”OTIS REDDING (Sittin' on) The dock of the bay”WILSON PICKETT “In the midnight hour”WILSON PICKETT “Ninety-one and half”EDDIE FLOYD “Knock on wood”SAM and DAVE “Soul man”WENDY RENE “Give you what I got”DELANEY and BONNIE “We can loveTHE BLUES BROTHERS “Messing with the kid”BIG STAR “Femme fatale”FRANK BLACK “My life is in storeage”Escuchar audio

In this powerful episode, host Jacqueline Landry interviews Dave Seymour, retired firefighter turned real estate mogul and star of A&E's "Flipping Boston." Dave reveals why corporate professionals are most vulnerable to the coming AI disruption and how multifamily real estate investing can create financial security.Episode Highlights:Why trading time for money creates a ceiling on successHow discipline beats motivation in wealth buildingThe AI layoff wave targeting high-earning professionalsOwning cash-flowing multifamily assets with 2X returns over 5-7 yearsTax strategies that eliminate W-2 tax burden (depreciation & cost segregation)Teaching kids about the "rat race" and wealth-buildingThe truth about real estate failures and why doing nothing guarantees defeatKey Quotes: "Seekers seek, finders find. Knock and the door will be opened." "I can guarantee 100% failure in this business, and that's to not do anything."Perfect for corporate professionals worried about job security, high-earners drowning in taxes, or anyone ready to break free from traditional retirement models.Connect with Dave Seymour: Website: freedomventure.com LinkedIn: daveseymour343 YouTube: @legacyallianceclub X: @daveseymour343 Instagram: @daveseymour343 Facebook: @daveseymourlive Email: info@freedomventure.comAbout Dave: Retired 16-year firefighter and paramedic who launched his real estate career during the last market crash. Leading expert in commercial multifamily and ground-up development. Featured on A&E's "Flipping Boston," CBS, ABC, CNBC, and Fox News. Founder of Freedom Venture Investments and Legacy Alliance.Subscribe to Get Diversified for more episodes on multifamily investing, tax strategies, and generational wealth!

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This week Pip is joined by show pal, comic and podcaster BILAL ZAFAR!A return mission for Bilal who is always welcome aboard, and a lovely chance for anyone less acquainted to become fast friends. Bilal's carving out a really special and unique path in comedy, mixing the daily grind with a ton of different disciplines as well as getting involved with the day job life. It's the path of someone who is listening to themselves and making it happen on their own terms, while being fluid and weaving in and out of the waves. But all that aside, Bilal is also plain funny and a great guest as there's a delicious balance of banter and good time charm mixed with the heavier stuff. Ground covered includes town explorations while on the road, comedian vlogs (one in particular), edgelords and comedians, the humble day job, the Fringe, endometriosis, supporting the arts, streaming skills aiding podcasting, and the good old Twitch world. A lot to enjoy right here fam.PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureALL BILAL LINKS ARE HERE FOR EVERYTHING!INSTAGRAMSUBSTACKSPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMPIP TWITTERPIP PATREONPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conservative talk show waking up America with a Knock-it-off attitude, live from the Freedom State of Florida.   Florida Senator Rick Scott joins the show to talk about the Healthcare Crisis

Runways: Part 3 A Mountaintop Experience By m_storyman_x – listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. "So where are we headed?" the supermodel asked as we walked across the grassy yard of the cabin towards the tree line. "Someplace special," was all I answered, as I aimed us for the small trail that looked like it led around the lake. The hike wasn't long, only about a half an hour, but it was up hill all the way. We finally broke free of the pines at the base of a barren rocky hillside. I held a hand out for her. "Let me help you here. I don't want you to fall." "Okay, but this hike is getting me too damned hot." she answered. She pulled her gauze white blouse over her head and tied it around her slender waist. Then taking my hand and letting me help her up the rock strewn hillside. I had a hard time not paying attention to the way her tits swung and bounced with each step, turning my cock once again rock hard before we had made it even a portion of the way up the hill, on my father’s mountaintop land. But we continued climbing, little trickles of sweat running down her naked top, down between and around her breasts as we climbed. She was clearly not used to this kind of effort, but I had to admit, for a change she made no complaint. "Here we are." I said as I let go of her hand and stood on the top of the rocky hill, able to look all the way around us. "This is the top of the mountain. Highest point around. Well except for those peaks over there. But they're way too steep to climb without special gear. This is the top of what the locals call baldy. "It's beautiful! You can see for miles," she said, moving slowly around me, looking in every direction at the land laid out far below us. "It's like being on an airplane without the airplane!" "Yeah. Sorta is, isn't it? Ready for some lunch?" "I am!" She said as she came over and sat down next to me on the rock. I dug in the bag and pulled out sandwiches and bottles of water. "That's yours," she said, pointing to the one made on rye. "I think I heard someplace you liked rye bread." "I do actually. Thank you!" I answered, smiling at her and taking the sandwich from her. "You know. I think this is the nicest you've been to me since I've known you." "Thank you. Self-preservation I guess. I don't want to get thrown in that damn lake again," she said with a giggle. "Well, I haven't seen any reason to do it again, so...mission accomplished." "Adam," she said quietly. "Yeah?" "I know you don't particularly like me. But I want to thank you for bringing me up here." "Aw hell. I don't dislike you. I just didn't expect you to be quite so..." "Bitchy?" She finished for me. "Yeah, bitchy." I agreed. "When you relax and try to be a normal person you can be quite... Not sure what word to use there." "Captivating... alluring... sexy...enticing?" She suggested, each time getting a shake of my head. "Pleasant." "Pleasant?" she asked curiously. "Uh huh. Pleasant.” I elaborated. “Pleasant to look at, pleasant to be around, pleasant to talk to. Pleasant." "Hmm, I would have thought your description would be more sexual than that. Most guys are." "I'll admit you're hot, but well, the idea of sex isn't exactly the first thing I'd say I think about when I see you." "That hardon you had while we were cleaning fish didn't say you weren't thinking about sex. And the hardon you have now doesn't say you aren't interested in sex." "Are you enticing, sexually? Of course you are. That's why you get paid what you do. Guys look at you and they wanna fuck you." I answered. "But you don't? Come on. With that hardon?" "Okay. I'll admit it. My body is interested in exploring your dark damp spaces. But to be honest, I'm actually just enjoying being able to share something like this view with you as a regular person, not a multi-million dollar super model." "If I was a regular person, would you want to fuck me?" "God what is it with you and fuck? Do you know any other way to say it?” I asked, looking into her eyes. “ Fucking is what you do with someone you don't care about." "So what do you want me to call it?" "Have sex, make love. Either work, if you care about a person. If not, I suppose fucking is as good a word as any to say it." Kim suddenly stood up and undid the front of her shorts. She pushed them down her legs and stepped out of them so she was naked except for her shoes. "What are you doing?" I asked as she leaned down and started undoing the front of my shorts. "Getting you naked," she said as if that were the most natural thing in the world to do at that moment. "Why?" I asked, reaching for her hand to stop her. "For the simple reason that you don't want to fuck me." "So, you want to get me naked why then?" She let go of my pants and stood over me, straightening up and looking around. "Actually, I thought you might want to just lay here in the sun naked with me. Because we can. We have the luxury of wonderful privacy, thanks to your family’s wonderful cabin and land. You don't have to though. I understand," she said, stepping across me and sitting on the rock again. She lay back and closed her eyes, letting her body soak in the sun on her front and heat from the rock on her back side. “This nudity is awesome! Now I think I understand the naturalists!” I looked at her for long seconds, trying to understand her. I stood up next to her and pushed my shorts off, freeing my rock hard cock to stick out in the sunshine. I skimmed off my t-shirt and dropped it next to my shorts and then lay down next to her in the sun. I lost track of how long we lay there, the sun baking the two of us. I started to think that maybe I'd get a good burn laying here too long and was about to suggest that we head back down when I felt her hand find mine. She stroked the back of my hand with her fingers, gently teasing her finger tips and nails on my skin. I lay there for long minutes as she stroked my hand before she wrapped her fingers around my hand and drew it up off the rock to her body, placing it gently on her hip, moving her fingers from around it back to the back of my hand again, stroking my hand as my palm and fingers lay on her bare skin. I really didn't know what she expected or wanted, and I really didn't want to ruin the surprisingly pleasant mood she had been in. She gently used her fingers to coax my hand more onto her body, working it closer to her bare mound until she had coaxed my finger to rest on the firm hump only inches from her pussy. "Would you like to touch me?" She asked softly. "Do you want me to?" "I wouldn't mind if you did," she said a little breathlessly, her hand leaving mine and reaching across to gently rest on me, her finger tips brushing my long since softened cock. "Kim. Are you horny?" I whispered. "Yes," she whispered back. "I really want to come but i want you to do it." "Why?" "Do I need a reason?" "No, but I do." I answered her. "What if I can't explain it?" "When you can, tell me." I whispered, starting to draw my hand away from her. "No! Please!" She practically begged, grabbing my hand with her other hand. She held my hand and pulled it down toward the juncture of her legs, spreading her legs and moving one across mine to give my hand access to her pussy. "Please," She whispered. I nodded, as much to myself as to her, and gently let my fingers stroke her surprisingly wet pussy lips. I felt her wetness as I dipped one finger between her lips, feeling her slick hot juices. She moaned softly, her fingers now stroking along my hardening cock, teasing along its length, concentrating on and around my head as my fingers gently stroked up and down her lips. I let my finger tease just into the entrance to her tunnel and then up to her clit, her hips trying to lift off the rocks toward my fingers with each stroke. "Do you like touching me?" She whispered breathlessly as her hand wrapped around my hard cock, giving it a gentle squeeze. "So you like me touching you?" "Uh huh." I answered honestly. "I'm glad. I like how you feel too," she said softly. I concentrated on her clit, still sliding my finger down to her tunnel entrance and back again, but spending longer and longer each trip circling and teasing her clit, her hips lifting and rocking, her body wiggling and writhing on the rocks as my fingers drove her body closer and closer to climax. "Oh gawd, Adam. You're going to make me come!" She moaned loudly. "You're going to make me come." While I was stroking her pussy she was busy stroking my cock, her hand moving slowly up and down my shaft, sliding all the way up to my head and over it, pushing my under used cock closer to shooting as well. "Shit. I'm going to come." I groaned, trying to hold back while I concentrated on her clit. "Do it!" She moaned loudly. "Let me make you come too! Oh shit I'm so close. So close." "Oh Fuck!" I grunted loudly as my orgasm hit, my hips bucking up off the rocks and shooting a stream of cum into the air, gravity taking hold and drawing it back down to land on my cock and her hand before another shot could lance up into the air. "Oh god. You're coming!" She cried softly as she felt my cock surging in her hand, her own climax deciding at that moment to unleash its chemical cocktail of hormones into her blood stream, making her whole body shake and tremble. "Fuck!" She groaned as she held my cock, her own body climaxing and leaking her juices between her legs onto the hot rocks. I lay there, still stroking her clit, not really able to pay all that much attention to what I was doing as my own climax surged through me, pumping shot after shot of cum out to collect on my chest, cock and her hand. She reached down to my hand and pressed hers over mine, stopping my motions but holding my fingers to her hot wet pussy. We lay there panting for long minutes before she let go of my cock and hand, pushing herself up onto one elbow to look at me. She leaned herself toward me, her tits pressing against my side and chest as she brought her face toward mine, her lips gently kissing my lips, her tongue teasing my lips softly. I kissed her back, letting her choose the pace and duration. She finally chose to break the long soft sensual kiss, holding her lips barely brushing against mine as she whispered a single short statement. "Thank you." Her eyes looking deeply into mine Thought she was done, but to my surprise she tilted her body over farther, her lips kissing my chest and then one of my nipples. She gently, slowly kissed her way down my body, finding the remains of my cum on my chest and gently licking it off of my skin before kissing lower. I couldn't help but get hard again at her attentions, my cock, growing in her hand as she kissed and licked closer and closer to it. The woman had a huge appetite for sensual pleasures. "You sure you want to do that?" I asked as she opened her mouth and closed it around my head, engulfing me with her hot lips. In response she swirled her tongue around my head, teasing me and gently moving her mouth up and down my shaft, teasing my again hard cock even harder as she stroked my shaft with her hand and lips. "Oh god." I groaned as she worked my cock slowly, teasingly. Her hot mouth teased my head and her tongue worked under and around my head, trying to find where I was most sensitive, and locating that spot with her tongue when I suddenly jerked in response to her touch. "Oh damn." Groaned, noticing a sound in the background, but not quite making the connection to anything more than another groan coming from my lips. "Oh god Kim." I groaned softly, my hips trying to lift toward her mouth as she worked my shaft. "So damn good." "Oh!" She cried suddenly, pulling her mouth from my cock. I didn't need to ask. I knew exactly what surprised her before I could ask. The cold drops started large and slow, the mixture of sun and ice cold rain drops a huge surprise. "Shit!" I grunted, sitting up and looking around. I could see it now. I'd heard the thunder and not connected the danger. Being on a mountain top weather wasn't what one expected. The sun was still shining from the west, but the clouds rolling up the mountain side from the north were just starting to top the mountain, the updraft carrying the first drops of rain up into the air to fall on us miles from the edge of the clouds. "We have to go!" I said abruptly, standing up and grabbing the backpack. I stuffed our clothes into the pack and grabbed her hand. "Now!" I said sternly. "I'm not afraid of a little rain. Slow down!" She said, pulling back at me. "Kim, you're not going to be in a gentle rain. And it's not going to be particularly warm." I said as I tried to pull her along. "You're at the top of a mountain. In a few minutes were going to be inside the clouds that are making this rain and what falls is going to feel like liquid ice. Think thawed blizzard." I said, pulling her without stopping. "Oh shit." Kim answered as the first wisps of cloud blew across the landscape in front of us. We were still a ways from the trees when the heavier fog rolled in over us, almost immediately chilling us with its clinging moisture. "Come on." I said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her to where I knew the trees had to be, even though we couldn't see them for the thick fog. I preferred the fog, knowing what was coming next. I'd been caught in one of these on the lake once, only a short fifteen minutes from the cabin, but it was a miserable fifteen minutes that took hours to feel like I had warmed up from. This time we were a lot farther away and a whole lot less dressed. "You know where the trail is?" Kim asked with concern. "Yeah," I lied, "Just watch your step and we'll be fine." At least I thought I knew where the trail was, I just wasn't positive we hadn't wandered off target towards the cliff or the other direction toward the long slope that would take us eventually down to the lodge a couple thousand feet lower. We'd never even see it in this fog and if we could we'd have hypothermia long before we got there. "Stupid. I should have watched closer." I muttered as we walked, a few small trees appearing in front of us. "You couldn't know it was coming." Kim said as larger trees started to appear though the fog. "My job to watch. You couldn’t know, but I’ve made this mistake before. It’s something you vow to never let happen again. That is, if you survive the first time." I answered, as I turned us a bit farther to my right, hoping to find the trail ahead of me. "I let myself get distracted. I hadn't planned on staying up there that long." "Well, for what it's worth, I'm not blaming you." "But I am." I said, angry at myself. She frowned at me and almost snapped at me. "Knock it off. I'm a big girl. I can make my own choices. You don't have to protect me. I didn't ask for you to protect me. I asked for you to share something with me. Something I wanted and something I enjoyed. So we get a little cold on the way home. Deal with it!" Kim’s Hypothermic Therapy "Keep that thought." I muttered as I finally found the gap in the trees that heralded the trail. Forty minutes later we walked out of the woods into clearing of the cabin, both of us shivering uncontrollably in the torrential downpour of icy drops. Kim had been stumbling for the last half mile, her legs losing their coordination, the first sign of serious hypothermia. I carried her the last 200 feet to the cabin. We stumbled into the cabin and I dropped her into one of the chairs and grabbed a towel from my bag and moved to her, rubbing her body all over and then grabbing the heavy wool quilt and wrapping it around her. Still shivering myself, I used the sticks in the firewood box next to the fireplace to build a small fire, my hands almost shaking too hard to get the match struck. The small flame grew in the sticks and I carefully fed larger sticks and then small pine logs onto the fire, allowing it to quickly grow so that I didn't have to huddle over it to feel its heat. With the flames growing larger I stripped off the wet clothing that was robbing my body’s heat. I stepped to the chair and scooped Kim from it, drawing her with me to the bearskin rug in front of the fire. I peeled the blanket from around her shivering body and pulled her to me, pressing her bare skin against mine. I sat on the thick fur rug, then reached a hand up to Kim, to come lay on my chest. Then I wrapped the wool quilt over the two of us and lay down across the front of the fire, letting the heat slowly warm the quilt and the two of us inside it. I closed my eyes, my arms wrapped around her, holding her chest against mine, our legs tangled together in the blanket as we shivered together. The shakes soon turned into drowsiness. Her kisses woke me. Soft, gentle, caring. Soft sweet tender kisses on my cheeks, my nose and my lips, each one slow and unhurried. As I became more awake I could feel that we had warmed, no longer feeling the cold of the rain but the heat of the fire still seeping through the blanket. She’d slid over to my side, with one of her naked legs slung over mine. I could also feel her hand between us, wrapped around my cock, gently, slowly, tenderly stroking me as she kissed me. "Kim." I started to say, as I rolled a bit to face her. "Shush," she whispered before planting another soft kiss on my lips to quiet me. I felt her push with one leg, gently returning me onto my back, leaving her partly on top of me. She continued her kisses, softly and seductively kissing my lips as she teased my cock harder by the moment, finally using her knees to lift her hips up from mine, her soft tits still pressed against my chest. I felt her slide herself up my body as she pushed my dick down between her legs, guiding my engorged head to her wet lips. I felt emotionally safe with her. She’d become a completely different person in less than 24 hours. "Kim." I whispered as she straddled over me, then pushed herself back, letting go of my shaft and sliding her arm up my body to rest on the furry rug next to my body. "Shush," she half whispered, half moaned as she pushed herself back down my body, lowering her mouth to mine and pressing her lips to mind as my cock was slowly enveloped by her hot cunt. "Yum" she moaned as she lifted her chest from mine, and worked her knees up next to my hips. "Oh damn." I moaned as she lifted her lips from mine, her hips slowly rocking up and down, sliding her pussy on and off my rigid dick, working me deeper and deeper into her tunnel. "That's it. Just enjoy. Let me do this, please," she whispered. She was making love to me. Not just desiring sex. She wanted to please me. I was beyond wanting to stop her. Between her attentions on the mountain top and her attentions now, my body was more than ready to let her have her way. I let my hands slide up her hips and sides, reaching for her breasts. She grinned down at me and one by one, reached for my hands and pulled them away from her breasts, moving them to next to my own head and holding them there, clasped with her own as she slowly rocked on me, her rock hard nipples grazing back and forth across my chest with each stroke. "Does it feel good Adam?" "Very!" I groaned back as she continued to stroke on and off of me, the heat from the fire and the heat from our bodies making us both sweat in our loose cocoon. I could feel her soft tunnel stroking my shaft, teasing my engorged head with her tight confines. On and off she slid, her big tits dripping sweat onto my chest and sliding around, her nipples rubbing against mine. "Oh god," she moaned as she rocked on and off of me. "Oh god," she moaned again, her hips rocking and trying to grind her clit against the base of my cock with each new stroke. "Oh god, Adam. Oh god I'm going to come!" She gasped over and over as she continued rocking on me, her legs trembling and making it harder for her to continue rocking. "Oh god, Adam," she cried softly, practically whimpering, but refusing to let my hands go to participate in any way. "Come for me Adam. Come for me!" She practically begged. "Oh yeah. Almost." I moaned back at her as the tingles radiated out from my cock through all the reaches of my body. Her spasming pussy, already so tight, seemed to try and grab and milk me like her hand had done, trying to draw me into her as she stroked on and off of my fat shaft. "Gonna come." I grunted, knowing that I couldn't hold back any longer, even if I wanted to. "Oh shit!" She cried as my body bucked, jamming my cock deep into her and pumping a huge gush of cum up into her pussy. "Oh, Fuck Yes" She cried loudly, dropping onto my jerking body, her hands pushing mine farther over my head. Her big soft tits smashed flat against my chest, her mouth lowering to mine, her lips trying to kiss mine between gasps and moans. My body continued to buck several more times under her, adding more cum to the load already poured into her from within me. Finally I stilled under her, only an occasional jerk still showing my fading climax, my cock twitching within her as it started to soften. She lay on me, her breathing easing, but her lips still erotically working against mine. "God that was incredible." I whispered between kisses. "You liked it?" "Very much." I whispered. “You made love with amazing insights into my soul.” "I'm glad," she said as she let go of my hands and slowly pushed herself up off of me. She tossed the blanket off of us and sat up on my hips, trapping my cock inside her as I softened. I reached for her hips and gently stroked my fingers up and down them before she reached for my hands and pulled them to her breasts, pressing my palms against her still hard nipples. "You know. I don't know what it is about your hands, but i want them on my body all the time for some reason." "Oh?" "Uh huh. Ever since you made me come, up there. I just want to be naked and have your hands all over me." "Not that I'm complaining, because I'm not. But why?" I asked. "If I knew, I'd tell you. Why did you do what you did up there?" "I don't know exactly. I just wanted to." I admitted "Me too," she answered with a smile, still sitting on me, her hands on mine, encouraging me to squeeze her breasts. "Thank you. For letting me do that." "Trust me, it was my pleasure." I answered with a smile. "I think we need something to eat though." "You don't want me sitting on you anymore?" "I'm not minding one bit." I chuckled. "But I do have a question." "Yeah? What's that?" she asked, leaning down against my hands sliding off her chest as she lowered her tits to my chest, her face inches from mine. "Why aren't you always like this?" "Like what?" "Soft, sweet, sexy, intimate, wonderful, caring, alluring, sensual, did I say incredible yet?" "No, you didn't." "Well. Incredible. Since I hadn't said it yet. I've never known you to be like this. What happened? What changed?" "You did the one thing that was required of any man who wanted me to be this way. You earned my respect and you treated me with respect. No one else deserved this side of me." "How did I earn your respect?" I asked a little confused. "Well, throwing me in the lake the first day was a start. You showed me that you set limits and that you weren't going to let me push you around. Second, you showed me skills. You showed me you believed in me. In my abilities that I hadn’t yet discovered. Not just how to get around town or do your job, but skills in many things. Not only could you do things, you weren't afraid to teach me how to do them as well. And the third thing, maybe the most important, you showed me compassion and respect when I clearly didn't deserve it. Those are the hallmarks of a man worth working to keep. Those are the things I've been looking for in a man for the last fifteen years." "I think you over estimate me." I answered. "And did I mention that you are an overly modest man?" She asked with a giggle. "Now, we only have one problem." "Yeah?" "Well, two actually." "Okay, what two problems?" "First, I know you like Amy. The question is can you treat her as well as you treat me, because we do come as a package deal. She's like a sister to me and we share absolutely everything." "Everything?" "EVERYTHING!" She answered emphatically, wrinkling her nose before she smiled. "What's the second problem?" "How do we call her and tell her to come out here and join us? There's a lot of the two weeks left to find out if we can make this work." Cryptic Messages In some ways it wasn't quite fair. I mean I've never been one to be deceitful, but in this case it seemed like the right thing to do. Kim was waiting back at the Rocky Mountain cabin and my job was to get Amy there without any argument. I stood by the plane as the car door opened. "Adam! What's' going on? Your phone call was more than a little bit cryptic," Amy asked as she practically ran across the tarmac at the Chicago DuPage County Airport, pulling the wheeled suitcase behind her. "Oh. Kim is having an absolute fit. She's demanding that you come at once and refusing to come home until you come get her," I said with a scowl. "You so owe me for screwing up my vacation!" I said pretending to be angry as I took the case from her and stuffed it into the hold under the cabin of my twin engine turbo prop. Truth be told I'd had a bit of a crush on Amy since I started flying her and Kim around the country. I'd of course told her about it, sorta, but been shut down cold every time I'd tried to entice her into anything personal. As Kim had told me, Amy was the perfect professional personal assistant. She was a whiz at keeping her schedule in order, able to handle a myriad of details without bothering Kim and in some cases, was as adept at running the lingerie business every bit as good as Kim. The only real difference was that Amy wasn't a super model. In her own right she was good looking. Five and a half feet, not skinny but not fat, modestly large chest, creamy white skin and short cut auburn hair. To me she looked damn sexy, no matter what she was wearing. Today, in a tight fitting, short skirted dress, she looked even more so. I followed her up the stairs to the plane, closing the stairway door just in time to watch her bend over and thread her way into the right hand co-pilots seat of the plane, her skirt pulling up far enough to show me that she had on pink lacy panties under the powder blue dress. "I'm so sorry. I know I pushed you to take her. I'll make it up to you somehow," she said as I stepped over the center console and settled into the left seat. I handed her a pair of bulky headphones with a microphone attached and then picked up my own somewhat slimmer designed headset and mic. I remained silent as I flipped through the startup procedure, spinning both turbines up before keying the microphone. "Dupage tower. X-ray Alpha Gulf Foxtrot Seven ready for departure." "Roger X-ray Alpha Gulf. You are cleared to taxiway W William to Runway 2 Left. Hold at the ramp." "Roger. Taxiway W William to 2 Left and hold," I answered as I throttled up, the only aircraft at the moment on the tarmac with an engine running. In moments we were bouncing along the narrow strip of pavement that would take us all the way south to the very end of the seventy-five hundred foot runway. It was well more than we'd need with the light load I had on board, but I wasn't going to complain. I stopped just before reaching the end of the runway and checked both engines and props, making sure everything was working properly before radioing the tower back. "Dupage tower. X-ray Alpha Gulf holding at two Left." "Roger X-ray Alpha Gulf, you are cleared onto the runway. Depart turning left and contact Chicago flight following at five thousand." "Roger that tower. X-ray Alpha Gulf rolling," I answered. Taking off from a smaller airport like this one was always more relaxing than trying to fight the big boys at someplace like O'Hare or Midway. I let off the brakes and rolled onto the end of the runway, turning the plane to line up down the center line before pushing the throttles full on. "So how long?" Amy asked over the headset as the plane launched itself up from the pavement and I snapped the landing gear handle into the stow position. "About four hours, sooner if the wind doesn’t fight us, and we can avoid any August storms." I answered, letting my voice soften, no longer having to maintain the fiction that I used to get her here and on the plane. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the envelope that Kim had for her, an envelope I wasn't supposed to give to her until we were in the air. "What's this?" "A note from Kim," I answered. "What's it say?" "I dunno. She told me not to read it," I answered with a shrug. "Chicago center, X-ray Alpha Gulf Foxtrot Seven climbing to fifteen thousand." "Roger X-ray Alpha Gulf Foxtrot Seven. Climbing to fifteen thousand." "And you didn't? Read it I mean?" she asked as she unfolded the paper. "Nope. I guessed it wasn't my business. I'm just following orders to get you on the plane and get you there anyway I can." Amy frowned and looked down at the note, reading it slowly. She flipped the paper over and back again, as if looking for more information. "And you have no idea what this is about?" "All I know is that I have specific orders from her highness to fetch you. She said everything else you needed to know was in the note." "But it doesn't tell me all that much." "Well, she was adamant. She wasn't coming home until you got there. I couldn't very well leave her there forever, could I?" "Well, no. But what triggered this? I mean did you do anything to her?" "Besides throw her ass in the lake the first day? Not really," I answered. "You really threw her in the lake?" "Yep. Picked her up, hauled her ass over my shoulder to the end of the pier and threw her right into the water. She was none too happy about it either." "I don't imagine she was," Amy answered quietly. To be continued. By m storyman x, for Literotica.

Date: November 30, 2025Scripture: Exodus 24:6-7, Isaiah 40:1-31, John 1:1-18Preaching: David HendersonSeries: Knock, Knock. Who's There?Find notes or a transcript of this sermon on our blog: https://www.covenantepc.org/blog/knock-knock-whos-there/

What if the power you've seen in overseas crusades could break open your city this month? We gather with pastors and missionaries who have led tens of thousands into life-changing encounters and unpack the simple, transferable patterns that turn hunger into harvest. From stadiums in Bangladesh to a high school football field in Florida, the stories point to the same truth: when you train people to pray with authority, choose visible ground, and tell the full gospel plainly, doors open—sometimes even through the marquee of a Baptist church along the interstate.Taylor Fish recounts how apostolic mentoring rewired his approach to miracles—moving from pleading to commanding, the way Jesus did. That shift unlocked a flood of healings and fresh confidence he now carries onto college campuses and city streets. David Myers shares how five canceled trips during lockdown sparked a bold pivot at home: renting local venues, filling them with seekers, and partnering with a Baptist pastor for a Jesus Tent that led to baptisms and Spirit outpourings night after night. Missionary James Corbin adds the long view from Bangladesh: crusades don't just count conversions; they lift the faith of an entire national church and remind weary leaders they are not alone.We don't sidestep the chaos of the moment. Fear visits everyone, even bold evangelists. The answer isn't retreat; it's prayer, proclamation, and partnership. Speak faith out loud. Knock on doors you assume are closed. Refuse to flinch when the world shakes. If you're ready to turn conviction into action—locally, personally, and globally—this conversation will give you a clear path: train, gather, declare, and watch God move.If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help more people find these tools for city-shaking, Spirit-led evangelism. Then tell us: where should the next crusade be?We love to hear from our listeners! Thank you! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1639030158?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_VZBSV9T4GT4AMRWEWXJE&skipTwisterOG=1 Support the show https://www.youtube.com/@charlesgrobinette https://www.instagram.com/charles.g.robinette/ https://author.amazon.com/books https://charlesgrobinette.com/

Brandon Scott reacts to the Texans' 20-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts. - C.J. Stroud in his return from a concussion- Defense saving the day once again- Overcoming some odd decisions and play-calling- The controversial whistles (and lack thereof)- A promising road aheadThe B-Block podcast is a partnership with Foolish Club Media.

Introduction: Humble Yourself: 4 Truths to Help You (1 Corinthians 4:1–13) Only GOD'S OPINION of me matters. (1 Cor 4:3–5) I've RECEIVED all that I HAVE. (1 Cor 4:6–8) God wants to SHOW everyone how I SUFFER. (1 Cor 4:9–13a) John 15:20 – Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you... 1 Peter 2:21–23 – For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. The WORLD thinks I'm SCUM. (1 Cor 4:13b) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 4:1-13What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Paul is once again admonishing them on their divisiveness over “who is the best minister”. Why do you think there is so much content on this subject in 1 Corinthians?How would you define humility? Why does the Bible say that you must “humble yourself”, i.e., that job is on you to do?In 1 Cor 4:6, Paul tells them not to “go beyond what is written”? What specifically does he mean by that? How does this principle apply to Bible study in general?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Good morning. My name is Jeff and let me tell you a little bit about myself.That's such an interesting thing, isn't it? Like, let me tell you a little bit about myself.Or when you ask somebody, "Hey, hey, tell me about yourself." It's an interesting thingbecause the first thing that comes out of their mouths is the thing that they want to be knownas, right? Or known for. Let me tell you a little bit about myself. Do you know where you see this a lot?Game shows, right? Let me tell you a little bit about myself. Or if you've ever watched Jeopardy,it's such a cringy moment. You know, they come back from commercial break and some of us remember AlexTrebek, who's the guy now? Ken Jennings, okay? Like, "All right, we're going to meet our contestantsand tell me a little bit about yourself." I'm always so fascinated with the way they identifythemselves, right? It's so fascinating because some are cool, but some are just really, reallyweird. And I'm like, "You're on TV and this is going to go to syndication and this is going to beseen by millions and this is what you came up with." You know what I'm talking about? Like, youknow, this is our challenger Bill. Tell us about yourself. And Bill's like, "Yeah, one time I showedup to work and I had my pants on backwards." "Oh, what'd you do?" "Well, I just kind of stepped intothe bathroom and turned him around." I was like, "Okay. All right, let's meet Glenda." And I'm like,"What was that? Let me tell you a little bit about myself. How do you want to be known?"Well, I was thinking about that a lot this past week as we get to 1 Corinthians chapter 4,because if the Apostle Paul was on Jeopardy and the host says, "All right, well, tell us a littlebit about yourself, Paul." I think we know exactly what he'd say, because it's here in 1 Corinthianschapter 4. Look at the first couple of verses. He says, "This is how one should regard usas servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is requiredof stewards that they be found trustworthy." Tell us a little bit about yourself, Paul. He goes,"Okay, I'm a slave of Jesus Christ." Actually, this word for servant in the Greek is "the lowest slave,"like bottom rank slave. And then he says, "Stewards, what's a steward?" Well, in those days,wealthy people would have someone who was like their house manager. They were in charge ofdistribution and spending and inventory. And you know who got that job? It was one of the slaves,still a slave. Why is he saying this? Well, we've seen throughout 1 Corinthians, the issue wasall of this exalting leaders, putting Paul and Apollo, Sisyphus up on pedestals and all thesefactions. And Paul here in 1 Corinthians is saying, "Look, look, look, you're regarding us as worldchangers. You're regarding us as these elite Christians. You're regarding us as celebritychurch planners." And Paul here is like, "Ah, here is how you should regard us."I'm a slave. That's it. I'm a slave.They had this terrible problem exalting the ministers, and it resulted in them exaltingthemselves. We've seen that. The pride with their alignment, like, "Yeah, I'm one of Paul's guys."Oh, yeah, that's nothing. I'm one of Apollo's guys. And they were proud of their alignment,and they had disdain towards others. Like, "Oh, you must be one of those Paul people."Paul here is saying, "Why are you making so much of us? We're just slaves. All we're trying to dois be trustworthy." That's it. We saw back in chapter, I'm sorry, verse 18, rather, in chapter 3,look back there. Paul says, "Let no one deceive himself."We are so self-deceived. And Paul's like, "Oh, Corinthians, you think you're so wise. You thinkyou have it all figured out. You think you're on the right team. You're so full of pride."Again, that's the issue. You looked down to verse 21 in chapter 3. Pastor Taylor covered this lastweek. He says, "So let no one boast in men." That shouldn't be happening. Not Paul, not Apollo's,not Jeff, not Taylor, not your favorite podcast or YouTube's preacher. We shouldn't be exalting anyone.And when we get to this section here in chapter 4, here's what we're going to see. Paul is giving atrue biblical assessment of himself. And he tells the Corinthians, "Look, you have to takean honest assessment of who we are, and, Corinthians, you have to take an honest assessment of yourselves."So here in this passage, Paul's going to be serving up some humble pie. All right? So,strap on your helmet. This isn't going to be a very comfortable message, because Paul's like, "Hey,stop with the pride. Stop exalting people. Stop exalting yourselves. Here's a reality check. Andharvest, we need a reality check." Because it's real easy for us to point to the Corinthians and belike, "Wow, look at all the pride they have. Look at all the problems they have." That's...Pride is in every one of us problem. You realize that. Every single human has a problem with pride,has a problem with self-exaltation. And it's real easy to do that in a church identity. It was forthe Corinthians, and it's easy for a harvest Bible chapel to begin to exalt ourselves.We can look at some of the nonsense that's happening around us in other churches ororganizations that call themselves churches. And it'd be real easy for us to say, "Well,we're the only ones that are faithful. We are more mature than the other Christians.I don't know what their problem is, but I follow this guy or I listen to this guy.That means I'm one of the smart ones. I'm one of the enlightened ones." Andit's real easy to get on the path of pride.That's what we're going to see in this passage of Bible telling us to humble ourselves.Like, "Hey, hey, knock it off. Stop thinking so much of yourself.You've got to humble yourself." You know, so much in God's Word, we see things that the Holy Spiritdoes in us and through us. Yes, but from what I've studied in God's Word, the command to humbleyourself, that's on you. And that'd be a whole other sermon series, but you and I are commanded.We are commanded to humble ourselves so we don't get carried away in our pride.Because humility is the number one characteristic that God's looking for in people. You're not goingto come to Jesus unless you're humble. You're not going to live a victorious Christian lifeunless you're humble. You're not going to have a fruitful ministry unless you're humble. If you'regoing to be humble, it's on you. So on your outline, I want you to jot some things down.Humble yourself. You're like, "Well, how do I do that?" Paul's like, "Well,here's four things that will help you do that." All right. So I hope you had a good Thanksgivingand I hope you're not too full because you're about to have four slices of humble pie.And I don't feel bad at all because I've had to eat this all week. All right.So pray for me and I'll pray for you. All right. Just pause for a second. Please pray for meas I pray for you. Father in heaven, as we come to your Word, let us not be deceiving ourselves.Every single one of us have this drive to put the spotlight on us, to make much of us,to think too much of ourselves. And Father, this passageis certainly going to give us the attitude that you've called us to have.Father, I pray through the wisdom of your Word, by the power of your Holy Spirit,that you would give us the faith to make the choices that we need to make, to humble ourselvesso we can see the greatness of Jesus Christ manifest in our lives.We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Humble yourself. Here's four truths that will help you.These are four statements that Paul made about himself and that we would commend to you tomake about yourself. Number one, only God's opinion of me matters. Only God's opinion of me matters.Look at verse 3. Paul says, "But with me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged by youor by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself." Now, quick review when we talk aboutjudge, that's like everybody's favorite verse in the Bible. "Don't judge, don't judge." It'severybody's favorite because they don't understand it. Judging does not mean like, "Hey, don't callme out on sin or you're judging me." That's not what that means. Judging doesn't mean that like,"I can be a jerk and I can't care what other people think of me because of my jerking. Just don't callme out." That's not what judging means at all. Actually, this word for judge in the Greek couldbe translated cross-examined. He's talking about people, listen, he's talking about people judgingyour walk with Christ. That's what he's talking about. Judging your, as he mentioned in verse 2,judging your trustworthiness. Some Bibles say faithful or faithfulness. That's what he's talkingabout. People judging your faithfulness, your trustworthiness. And well, what does that mean toyou, Paul? He says, "Well, that's a very small thing." And in the Greek, do you know what thatmeans? That means the smallest. Your opinion of my spiritual walk does not matter for bad or for good.It doesn't. Here's what I mean. After service, if I was a guest receptionand you walk by and you're like, "Jeff, I think you're a bad pastor."Like, well, sorry, I feel that way, but your opinion doesn't matter. And right now, there's some ofyou that are like, "Yes, I can get on board with that." Your opinion doesn't matter.That's not really my main concern, though. You know what the bigger danger is?It's the guy that walks your guest reception and says, "Jeff, I think you're a great pastor."That's the bigger danger, because then that stuff can start going to your head.Right? You can start to think, "You know what? Yeah, they're right. I am pretty awesome.They nailed it. Come back. Tell me more."But the reality is for bad or for good, the opinion doesn't matter.And that's where there's a danger. I've been talking about this with our ministry team andour conference speakers of these conferences coming up.Yeah, people's opinion of your trustworthiness, your faithfulness, doesn't matter good or bad.But watch out for the compliments, because they're much harder to dismiss becausethey're much easier to go to my head. Look at verse 4. Paul says, "For I'm not aware of anythingagainst myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me."See, Paul says, "What other people think of me doesn't really matter.Neither does what I even think of myself." It doesn't matter either.Right? You need to have the funeral.I realize I'm probably not as great as my grandma thinks I am.And I'm probably not as horrible as my critics think I am.Either way, it doesn't matter. Because a slave only cares about one thing.That's pleasing his master. Look at verse 5. He goes on,"For therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comeswho will bring delight to things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of theheart, then each one will receive his commendation from God." Okay, here's what he's driving at.At the end of the day, there's only one opinion that matters. Who's is it?God's, right? That's it. All that matters is what God thinks of me. He's going to make the final judgments.On your heart. Listen, this verse should knock every single one of us down a peg.Because you see what God's word is telling us? God sees what you do. Yes, yes, he does. Butmuch deeper than that. God sees why you do what you do. Your motives, your thoughts, what no oneelse knows, everything that you do in the dark, God is going to drag it to the light. Understandit with God. There are no secrets. You might have secrets from your family, you might have secretsfrom your spouse, you might have secrets from your boss, you might have secrets from your parents,but you do not have any secrets from God. So are you pretending? Are you pretending in yourwalk with Christ? Well, you might fool me, but it doesn't matter. You're an open book to God,and he's going to judge. Are you sincere? Like, look, I'm not perfect, but I'm sincere. I amsincerely seeking to know and honor the Lord. Jeff, I really am seeking to know the Lord.That's great because the Bible says someday you're going to receive your commendation.As far as humbling yourself, my friends, you will never humble yourself until you get to the placewhere only God's opinion of you matters. You've got to get there.Number two, not only do I need to reckon with only God's opinion of me matters. Number two,write this one down. I've received all that I have. I've received all that I have.Verse six, he says, "I have applied all these things to myself and apollos for your benefit,brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written,that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another." There is a lot going on inthat verse. All right, let's break it down here because this is so crucial in so many ways. Firstof all, he says, "I've applied all these things to me and apollos for your benefit." You're like,"I've applied what things?" Everything so far that he's been saying about pride and humility,all of this stuff. He goes, "I'm applying all of this to apollos and I for you." In other words,look, all this stuff that he's talking about, this isn't just a preacher thing and it's not just achurch member thing. This stuff about pride and humility, this is an all of us thing.You get that? He says, "Excuse me, we all need to learn not to go beyond what is written."Like, what does that mean? Listen, this is a principle that carries over in everything.You need to learn that you must not, excuse me, you must not go beyond what the Bible says.You must not go beyond what the Bible says.Like, well, what's he talking about? Here's his point. He's telling the Corinthians and he's tellingus harvests because they were exalting others and they had disdain for others and Paul's like,"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You need to view people only the way the Bible describes people."That's what he's saying. You need to view people only as the Bible describes. That's it.How does the Bible describe people? Every single one of us were born with a sin nature. We inheritedthat from Adam. The Bible says Adam brought sin into the world and he passed it on to his kids,he passed it on to his kids and he passed it on to us. We were born with a sin nature. We arerebellious against God by birth and by choice and we deserve hell. That's what the Bible says aboutpeople. But Jesus came, God in the flesh came, he died on the cross to take away our sins. Herose from the dead to give us the promise of eternal life and he has commanded us to turn from our sinand to believe in him. And when we do, the Bible says that you are born again. When you do the HolySpirit, God's Spirit Himself comes and empowers you to be who God called you to be. And every singleperson who is saved is saved that way. Spoiler alert. If you're going to heaven, you're going to hearthe same testimony a lot. Like, how'd you get here? Jesus! Look, how'd you get here? Jesus! I'mgoing to go ask this lady, how'd you get here? Jesus, you're going to hear that not a lot. You'regoing to hear that exclusively. Paul's point here is, look, you guys are all messed up aboutexalting people. Look, you need to have a biblical perspective of who we are. Don't go beyond that.Or, did you see that at the end of the verse? If you do, you will start exalting yourself, right?He says, you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. Go beyond what the Bible says,you're going to start having pride. You're going to start to think that you're better than others.And then Paul gives them the Dutch uncle. Look at verse 7.He says, he has three questions. Paul says, "For who sees anything different in you?"Like, we're all the same. The Bible describes this is who man is. And he goes,"Who sees anything different in you?" Like, what, you're something different?You're something special? You're a little snowflake?Like, all you're like, "I know what the Bible says, but I'm different. I'm special. Grandmathinks I'm special." He says, "Who sees anything different in you?" Like, what makes you thinkyou're so special? Right? Next question. What do you have that you do not receive?Get back to that in a second. What's that question, Marinette?What is it that you're in possession of that wasn't given to you?All right? Then he drives it home with this third question. He goes, "If then you received it,why do you boast as if you did not receive it?"Paul's like, "Why are you so fully yourselves? Anything and everything about you,you received that." I mean, think about that. Just think about that for a minute.That's true physically, right? Everything about you physically, you received thatgenetically from your parents.You know, occasionally, I'll meet somebody or whatever, and they're like, "How old are you?"I'm like, "Well, I'm 50." And people say, "Well, you look young for your age."And I say, "Have you been to the eye doctor lately?" No, I don't say that. I don't say that.I just smile and say thank you, or like, you know, I got good genes from my mom. But you know what I'mthinking when people say that? Like, that's very nice of you to say, but I contributed nothing to that.Like, this is what I got. That's just what I got. I received this. You're like, "I'm sorry." Well,I received this. This is what I got. This is what was given to me.You're like, "Well, doesn't that upset you?" It doesn't matter how I feel about it. This is what I got.This is the shade of my skin. This is as tall as I'm going to get. But that's true for you.Everything you have was given to you. But I don't really think that's Paul's mainpoint here. I think mainly he was talking spiritually, right? Everything that I havespiritually has been given to me. Salvation? How is a gift from God? God gave me that.What about spiritual giftedness? Where did I get that?The Holy Spirit. God gave me a spiritual gift. He gave you a spiritual gift that was given. That'swhy it's called a spiritual gift. He gave it to you, right? Oh, by the way, your talentsare given to you by God. You know, the Bible says those are given to you by God.You're natural, what we call natural talents. The Bible says those were given to you by God.Look that up. It's in Exodus.Everything about you has been given to you from God directly or from God through your parents.And you're like, not me. I work hard.Who gave you the ability to work hard?You see, why are you acting like you earned anything?And then Paul gets sarcastic with them. Look at verse 8.Obviously, dripping with sarcasm here, he goes, "Already, you have all you want.Already, you become rich. Without us, you would have become kings."That you did reign so that we might share the rule with you.You see the sarcasm? He's condemning their pride. He's like, "Oh, oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realizethat you were these spiritually elite and wise people. I didn't realize that youattained a level of spirituality all by yourselves. You didn't need us, Madam President.Oh, I beg your pardon for thinking different."What Paul's doing here is he's pulling them back down to earth. He's like, "You guys think you're sosuperior with your pride. Knock it off. Get off of your high horse. Stop it."Because everything you have has been given to you. How in the world can you boast about that?You know, just imagine this scenario. Imagine that five of our kids from Harvest Academy,imagine I gave them each a quarter. Like, "No, don't spend it all in one place."But I gave five kids a quarter. And as you're walking out church, you see the five of those kids.Those five kids are sitting at a table up here by Harvest Academy. And you stop and listen for asecond and they're all bragging. And one kid's like, "I got a quarter. I got a quarter. Lookhow awesome I am. I have a quarter." And then the little girl beside him is like, "I got a quarter.You think you're great. I got a quarter. I'm awesome. I got a quarter." And then the next kid's like,"I got a quarter." And like, wouldn't you be like, "What are you guys bragging about? Like, Jeff justgave you all a quarter. Like, how does that... Why are you so boastful?" And that's what Paul's sayinghere to the Corinthians. You're like a bunch of kids bragging because somebody gave each a quarter.Knock it off. We're all equal in God's eyes. And equal does not mean the same, but equal does meanequal. You're never going to humble yourself until you get to the place where you recognizeevery single thing that you have was given to you. All right? Humble yourself and here'sfour truths that will help you. Number three, this is a hard truth. All right?Number three is God wants to show everyone how I suffer.God wants to show everyone how I suffer. Pick up in verse 9. Paul says, "For I thinkthat God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death,because we have become a spectacle to the world to angels and to men." Paul says,"God put us on display." He says, "We're like the lowest people on the earth." You see the picturethere? Paul says, "You know what we're like? We're like men on death row being escorted to the electricchair while TV cameras all around recording us for the entire world to turn on the TV and watch us."Like, hey, look, there they go. Off to be killed. Look at them. Everybody watch.He says, "That's how God put us on display."And you see in verse 10, Paul gets back into some more sarcasm.He says, "We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong.You are held in honor, but we in disrepute."What's he talking about here? It's more sarcasm.See what Paul's saying? Paul's like, "We're out here suffering serving the Lord. We're out hereactually suffering and you're sitting in your little pews patting yourselves on the back."Like, what's going on? Like, well, suffering how? How are you suffering, Paul? Well, he tells usto the present hour, we hunger and thirst. We are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless.And we labor working with our own hands.What is there to brag about again?Paul's reminding them the following Christ means suffering.I don't really care what the health and wealth church down in the street says about that.And I don't really care what the prosperity preacher on TV says about that.All I care is what the Bible says about that. And do you know what the Bible says?The Bible says if you follow Christ, you are going to suffer.Jesus himself said this, John 15.20. Jesus said, "Remember the word that I said to you,a servant is not greater than his master." Jesus said that a bunch.A servant is not greater than his master. What are you saying, Lord? If they persecuted me,they will also persecute you. See what Jesus is saying?God allowed his only begotten Son to suffer. So you think as an adopted child of God thatyou're exempt from that? You think that because you're adopted that you get a pass on suffering?Listen, God doesn't keep you from suffering. He puts you on display in suffering.Why would He do that? Why in the world would God do that? Are you telling methat God is allowing me to suffer so everybody can watch me suffer? That's what He said.Like why would He do that? He tells us.Continuing verse 12 here, He says, "When reviled, we bless. When persecuted,we endure. When slandered, we entreat."So why in the world would God lead us to suffering?So God can show everyone who's watching how we suffer.So He talks here about being reviled and persecuted and slandered. Have you everseen worldly people react to those things all the time? Right? What does the world do whenthey're reviled or persecuted or slandered? The world reactions are on display everywhere.It's retaliation. It's temper tantrums. I'll get even with you. You can't do this to me.It's pity parties. And oh, what was me? And that's how the world reacts. Listen,God wants you to walk through the same kinds of suffering so that you can exhibit the life ofChrist. Do you realize how awesome this is? That God is going to allow you to suffer so the worldcan watch, so God can point to you and say, "Look at how my people suffer." Oh, you see how the worldsuffers and how they retaliate and how they're bitter and how they're angry. And look at my people.When they suffer, they reflect the character of my son.Look at my people. When they're reviled, they turn around and they look for ways to bless thepeople that hate them. Do you see my people do that? God says, "Look at my people." When they'repersecuted, they don't pack it up. They don't boohoo. I quit. I can't take it anymore. Look at my people.When my people are persecuted, they endure. They are not going to give up.God says, "Look at my people." When they're slandered,they don't slander back. They don't hate the people that speak negatively about them. God says,"Look at what my people do." They entreat. They're trying to reach the people that hate them withthe gospel of my son. Look at my people. This guy sounds familiar, doesn't it?Probably because Peter said something almost identical. Look at 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 21.Look at this. Same thing. Exact same truth. For to this, you have been called because Christalso suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might fall in His steps.Here's the example. Jesus committed no sin. Neither was deceit found in His mouth.When He was reviled, He did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten,but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.You're going to suffer. The only real question is, how are you going to suffer?Meaning, what is going to be your attitude during your suffering?You're going to lash out because your pride was hurt? You're going to humble yourselfand show them the example that Jesus gave you.But you'll never humble yourself until you understand that you are called to respond tosuffering like Jesus. One more slice of humble pie, are you full?You're like, you know what, Pastor Jeff, I think I'm just the right amount of humble.Can we sing and get out of here? There's one more.Number four, something to tell yourself when you start to think that you're so important.Number four, the world thinks I'm scum.Look at the last part of verse 13. We have becomeand are still like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.Yeah, we're scum. We're garbage. You know that. We are garbage people.To the lost, they think our message is foolishness. You realize that.You realize that to the lost, they would come in here and hear what we're doing,see what we're doing, and they would say, literally, what a bunch of morons.Look, if you're here for a little ego boost, I'd just like to remind you what the Bible says,you're trash. We're all just trash in the world's eyes.You know, when I was a kid, my dad used to say that he had this little saying that he said allthe time. And as a kid, I never understood what it meant. It was this, anytime somebody was actinguntowardly, somebody was acting like a hog or insulting you or being cruel towards you orspeaking perversely or anytime somebody was acting like that, my dad would just say,well, you got to consider the source. I never knew what that meant until I became an adult. Now I'mOh, I get what he's saying now. And I think that little saying of dad certainly applies here.It's like, hey, hey, you know, the world thinks you're scum.Now consider the source. The brilliant world crucified Jesus Christ.This world who was giving their opinion of me took God in the flesh and publicly executedhim in the most humiliating and painful way. All they think I'm scum, huh? Well,I guess I should just consider the source. You're never going to be popular with the world. If youfollow Christ, you're never going to be popular with the world. It's not going to happen. Theythink you're scum. And the truth is, I'm actually much worse than they think I am.I am. My sin is so bad it took the blood of the spotless Son of God to wash my sin away.That must mean my sin was pretty bad.So it takes us back to point one, right? God's opinion is really the only one that mattersanyways. But you're never going to humble yourself until you're okay with the world regarding youas scum. All right. So if our worship team would make their way back to the platform,I just want to leave you with this. If you're ever a contestant on jeopardy,not likely for most of us, or you start to think that you're pretty important,which is actually very likely for all of us, I'm going to give you your speech.When someone says, "So, tell me a little bit about yourself. If you want to be biblical,here's your speech." Like, my name is, I'm only here to please God. Everything I have has been givento me. God wants me to suffer so that the world can see Jesus. And the world thinks I'm scum.Tell me a little bit about yourself. Let's pray. Father in heaven, I just ask again that you woulduse your word to humble all of us. Our sin is so self-exalting, and we start tothink that we have things figured out, or we reached a level that other people should aspire towhen your word says that we should humble ourselves. Father, remind us of these truthsthat someday we're going to stand before you, and on that day,we will learn the truth that it is only your opinion that means anything.Increase our faith, Father. Give us the drive to humble ourselves. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Walk & Knock is now Drive & Drop, inviting Clark County residents to bring non-perishable food and toiletries to 16 drop sites on Dec. 6 as volunteer shortages reshape one of the region's largest food drives; https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/people/walk-knock-becomes-drive-drop-with-this-years-food-drive-scheduled-for-dec-6/ #ClarkCounty #FoodDrive #DriveAndDrop #WalkAndKnock #CommunitySupport #HungerRelief #ClarkCountyFoodBank

Conservative talk show waking up America with a Knock-it-off Attitude, Live from the Freedom State of Florida.  Independent Whitehouse Reporter Corinne Cliford talks about the DC smoke screen

Conservative talk show waking up America with a Knock-it-off Attitude, live from the Freedom State of Florida

With more puppet eloping than one would expect, it's the Xmas Xtravaganza on Whatcha Been Watchin', the TV and movie review show on The Aewchcast. On this episode, Aewch gets lucky (Knock on wood), as he reviews Rankin/Bass Production's “Pinocchio's Christmas”.Watch Pinocchio's Christmas Right Here!Social Media: @JustAewchEmail: aewch64@gmail.com

Today's NBA Straya looks at the Weekend Winners & Losers and how the final NBA Cup Group games shook out as now out Knockout Tournament is set! PLUS: ranking the WORST NBA Team Situations right now! There's a quick look at all the games from the weekend along with the Daily NBA Straya Awards: That's Not A Knife, Old Mate No Mates, Spud of the Night, Better Than Lonzo Ball… and the Magic Tweet of the Week! Also, YEAH NAHs, Unpopular Opinion of the Day and OUTBACK TAKEHOUSE where we're serving up a flame-grilled take. There's also an ANDREW GAZE GREY MAMBA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE FIELD OF EXCELLENCE! And the AUSSIE PLAYER WATCH… as Lachy Olbrich made his NBA debut for the Chicago Bulls!  There's also a pick & preview for ALL the NBA games on Monday December 1. Plenty to cover & talk about, strap in, lean back & enjoy! … and remember to rate, review & subscribe! Cheers legends, and thanks for tuning in to the best NBA podcast in the world!!Onyas...  Love ya guts ledges!!

Philemon IntroductionThanks to everyone who supports TMBH at patreon.com/thetmbhpodcastYou're the reason we can all do this together!Discuss the episode hereMusic by Jeff Foote

In this deeply personal and explosive episode of The Redacted Report, Brian — a former Atlanta police officer with sixteen years on the job — breaks his silence about one of the most devastating and shameful incidents in modern APD history. On November 21, 2006, ninety-two-year-old Kathryn Johnston was shot and killed in her own home during a botched narcotics raid that ultimately exposed systemic corruption inside the Atlanta Police Department.Brian goes beyond the early headlines and the department's initial story — the one that falsely portrayed Johnston as a drug dealer who fired first — and lays out what really happened: a chain of lies, planted evidence, and institutional pressure. Three narcotics officers fabricated a warrant, forced entry into Johnston's home, and opened fire after she fired a single warning shot in self-defense. She was struck thirty-nine times. While she lay dying on her living room floor, the officers attempted to manufacture justification for what they had done. Officers Jason Smith, Gregg Junnier, and Arthur Tesler later pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violations and received prison sentences of five to ten years — but as Brian explains, they were not the lone villains.They were the predictable outcome of a system engineered to produce tragedies like this.Drawing from his own experience, Brian exposes the department's crushing quota-driven “productivity points” system. Officers were expected to earn seven points per day: an arrest counted as five points, while answering a call for service counted as only a quarter point. In practice, that meant an officer could respond to twenty-eight community calls and still fall short — or make two arrests, even questionable ones, and exceed expectations. The episode also highlights how confidential informant Alex White became an unlikely catalyst for the truth. Refusing to carry the cover-up forward, White contacted federal authorities and exposed the conspiracy — a decision that put his life in danger and ultimately forced him into witness protection. The resulting federal investigation uncovered a broader pattern of corruption: officers lying on warrant applications, planting drugs saved from prior arrests, inventing “informants” who didn't exist, and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from seizures. One of the most damning revelations is what didn't happen after the convictions. Brian details how the three officers went to prison, but the supervisors who shaped and enforced the quota culture faced no real consequences. Sergeant Wilbert Stallings kept his rank and pension. Lieutenant Mark Pratt retired with full benefits. Captain Dennis O'Brien was promoted just six months after the shooting. The reforms that followed, Brian argues, were largely cosmetic — the quota system was rebranded, not removed, and pressure to generate arrests only intensified as the department tried to repair its image through statistics.Brian also shares the quieter, untold casualties of the same machinery — people whose lives were shattered without ever making the news: Fabian Sheats, who served three years on planted evidence; Frances Thompson, whose family was torn apart by a false raid; and Marcus Williams, whose education and future were derailed by fabricated drug charges. Their stories never sparked investigations.They never received justice. They were simply collateral damage.The episode ends with Brian's personal reckoning. He acknowledges that while he never planted evidence or pulled the trigger on an innocent person, his compliance and silence made him part of the machine that killed Kathryn Johnston. He reflects on the brutal irony that Johnston — born in 1914, a woman who survived Jim Crow, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the Civil Rights Movement — was ultimately killed at ninety-two by officers chasing a daily quota.This is not just a story about three corrupt cops or one horrific night in Atlanta.It's an indictment of a nationwide policing model that rewards numbers over humanity, treats poor communities like occupied territory, and enables predictable, preventable tragedies while the architects of the system retire with full pensions. The Kathryn Johnston case briefly pulled the curtain back — but as Brian warns, nothing fundamental has changed. There will be more Kathryn Johnstons until the structure itself is confronted.The Redacted Report is both confession and call to action. Brian challenges listeners to demand reforms with teeth: an end to arrest quotas in any form, independent oversight with real authority, accountability for supervisors and policy-makers — not just street-level officers — and the demilitarization of narcotics policing.Until those changes happen, he argues, we are all living inside a system that can turn any home into a crime scene and any innocent person into a casualty of the war on drugs.This is investigative storytelling at its rawest — told by someone who lived inside the culture, understands how the damage is manufactured, and can no longer stay silent about the redacted truth behind one of American law enforcement's darkest moments.

Friendzone Fix: Part 2. Blame the biological clock, or a burst of courage.. Based on a post by cilma rae. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chris Benbury and Jennifer Sanders continue to tell the tale of how their friendship took decades to transform into a life connection. We're going to let them finish telling just how it happened. "Chris," she whispered against my lips and then turned her head before leading us into a deeper kiss. Our tongues mingled while our hands roamed. She turned her body and pressed it to me as if she was trying to become part of me. "Come with me," I requested and reached for her hand. She shook her head and pointed down at the ground. "Now. Right here," she answered back. "I need you." "Hold; hold that thought," I advised and held up a finger to show her it would only be a second. I ran into the living room to get a blanket and flew back into the kitchen because I was no fool. I needed this too. "Here's awesome, but the floor is cold," I explained. I dropped the blanket and then scooped Jenn up off her feet. Her squeal only made me want this more. We kissed and pressed into each other like we couldn't get enough. In that moment, I know I certainly couldn't. I tore off my shirt and watched in amazement as she did the same with her own. No bra; just gorgeous tits I'd basically only envisioned and dreamed about more than I cared to admit. I saw her reach over to collect the condoms off the counter before she tossed them onto the blanket as she knelt down onto it. "Join me," she requested and reached for her panties to slide them down. I went ahead and lost my shorts and briefs before descending to the floor myself. The moment I felt her naked body against mine, I knew we were moments from something I had only ever dreamed possible. "Is this happening?" I asked quietly as I slid my hand down her back and over her fine, fine ass. This woman had the best ass. "You're gonna find out real soon," Jenn assured me and slid her leg up mine. "At least I hope you will," she added. I hurried to put the protection on and moaned as she licked a particularly sensitive area on my neck. "Good Lord, woman," I warned and growled as I set myself up to enter her. "Yes," she hissed and placed her heels on my butt. "Now, Chris. I need you now," she pleaded. I didn't need to be told twice, so I made sure I was lined up and began my approach. Yes, it had been a while (a long while) since I'd had sex. I hadn't heard Jenn mention anyone she'd dated for longer than a week or two in over a year. I couldn't imagine that she'd had any activity in recent history either. The moan she let out when I was fully inside her told me I was exactly what she needed at that moment though. I think my own noise told her the same. "Chris, yes," she hissed and ran her fingernails along my back. "Why did it take so long for us to do this?" she asked. "No idea," I answered with what little brain activity I could muster since most of the blood in my entire body seemed to be inside my cock at the moment. "I'm; Jenn, I'm not gonna last," I confessed. "I'm already close," she responded. "You feel so good. You feel so; gosh, Chris. It's so good," she repeated. "If I promise to last longer next time;" "Go ahead," Jenn breathed. "Just keep going," she begged. "I'm; gonna; oh!" she cried out and contracted all around my shaft until I couldn't take it anymore. I thrust into her and came hard. "Chris," Jenn whispered after a minute. I wasn't seeing stars any longer, so that was good. I turned to face her and kissed her shoulder. "Hmm, would you kiss me?" Like she had to ask. I cupped her face with one hand as the other held me up and kissed her with so much emotion, I thought for sure that I was going to shed a tear myself. It was as I pulled away from her that I realized I was still inside her. "Oh, uh;" I stuttered. "Let me get rid of this," I suggested and took care of the minor mess before I headed into the living room to collect another blanket to cover us with. I knew we wouldn't be staying in the kitchen, but for that short period of time, we were going to stick around until we decided what to do next. I laid down next to her, and what surprised me was that she snuggled right into my side like she belonged there. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her temple. She turned to look up at me and kissed my chin. I leaned down and kissed her lips until we ended up making out. It was all so; natural. "I have a confession to make," she admitted as she ran her finger over my chest. "Oh?" "I bought them when I picked up your prescriptions," she confessed and pointed to the box. "I had a feeling from the moment we held hands. I; I didn't realize there could be;" I inhaled deeply and turned to lie on my side and placed my head on my hand with my elbow holding it up. "If we're giving confessions, I have one as well." "Go ahead," Jenn invited and smiled as she let her fingertips glide along my side up to my neck. "I've had a crush on you since high school, Jenn," I admitted and watched her face. "Really? Why didn't you say anything?" Jenn tilted her head. "So, all this time, you've;" "Oh, well, yeah, I mean; if you'd have shown any interest in me throughout these years, I would have totally gone for it, but I value your friendship more than anything, and I was afraid you might not appreciate hearing that I liked you as more than a friend, so I just tucked it away." "But; in high school? Why didn't you say something?" "Well, remember our junior year? I almost asked you to go to Homecoming with me, but you announced in homeroom that Ronnie had asked you, so I decided to let you have your fun. I thought it was best that I just maintained being your friend. If there was ever a dance you didn't have a date to, I was willing to offer to take you, but that never happened." "Oh, Chris," she reacted and cupped my face. "I'm sorry. I had an awful time with Ronnie, if that makes you feel any better." "No, of course it doesn't," I responded automatically. Then I smiled. "Well, maybe a little," I admitted thoughtfully and then laughed when she did. "Why was it awful?" "Well, there's a hot chance the guys who took me to the dances thought I was up for more than just a PG-rated good time, but inevitably, they made a move I didn't appreciate or reciprocate, so it ended on a slightly sour note. In most cases, especially at our senior retreat right before graduation, the guy who took me and made a move came up and apologized. It didn't hurt that the example of 'making right some wrongs in life' was given when it came around to the deeper part of the retreat. And that one person mentioned dances certainly helped my case. I believe a lot of girls were given apologies on that weekend, at least from what I heard." "I've always wanted to dance with you," I admitted without realizing I was speaking out loud. "Why can't we?" "What?" I asked. "Go and get your phone," she requested. "Let's dance right here. Right where we officially began. Let's have that dance, Chris." I wasn't sure why it didn't seem crazier to me, but I did as she'd suggested. We both got up at the same time, and when I got back, she was wrapped in the blanket from the floor. I had wrapped the blanket around my waist, so we were both basically covered. And as if we were in high school, she raised her arms up and put them on my shoulders as I held her waist. "Now I; I wanna fall in love;" sang Chris Isaak. It was just as if we were at a high school dance, though I'm sure we'd have been dressed differently. I smiled down at her and leaned in as she put her hands up into my hair. We kissed as we rocked and swayed on the kitchen floor. When the song ended, she nodded as if she knew what I was thinking. We shut off the television (which had been lighting our way throughout our interactions since she'd come down to the kitchen) and headed upstairs still wrapped in our blankets. I was about to ask about the box, but she held them up and laughed as I picked her up and proceeded to prepare her for round two.   Jenn I woke up wrapped up in Chris' arms and smiled. I was naked. I was spent. I was happy. For the past few days, I had found myself wanting so much more than just friendship with Chris, and last night, when he suggested that I go take a bath and relax, well, I did just that. I took a shower first to shave my legs before filling up the tub and relaxing. The more I laid there, the more I wanted; more. And it wasn't just to have sex and "get some," as many would call it. I wanted Chris. I had laid in bed after our movie date and tried to get comfortable, but the more I thought about it, the less restful I became. And then I remembered that I had purchased the condoms and stuck them up in a cupboard assuming Chris wouldn't see them since I was doing most of the cooking anyway. To put them up there, though, I'd had to stand on my tippy toes to do it. And it was while I was attempting to reach for them the night before that I remembered I had been wearing my shoes which happened to have a bigger sole on them which meant I could have reached it just a tiny bit better than had I been barefoot. I smiled to myself as I remembered feeling Chris' body pressed up to mine from behind. What a kitchen encounter indeed. I hadn't realized that he would have been awake. What I had planned to do was grab the box, walk over to check on Chris, wake him with a kiss on the forehead, and hope that it would progress from there. What happened was so much better. Chris stirred behind me, so I turned my face to kiss his cheek before I carefully got up to go and take a shower. Before I could even get out after I was done, Chris had stepped into the tub to join me. I laughed, kissed him heartily, and got out so he could take a shower by himself. We'd never get out if we were to have stayed in there together. We went down to the kitchen wearing just towels. I think we both knew what was bound to happen. I started working on the casserole I'd been planning, and Chris started up the coffeemaker. Since the casserole would take 45 minutes to cook, we had time. Next thing I knew, I was on the kitchen counter being given the most delicious serving of oral sex I'd ever had. He could work that tongue like he knew my every nerve ending. To reward him, you know, since we still had time, and once I had gotten my bearings back, I slid down to the floor and showed him my own talents in the oral department. From the reaction he gave, I suppose I did a rather good job. At least that's what he muttered in his many comments as he regained his own stability again. "Well, that was an excellent appetizer before breakfast, I must say," I noted as I poured the creamer into my coffee. I handed him his dark, "unflavored" savory serving of wake-up juice and winked at him. He just smiled and put the mug to his lips to take his first sip. We talked, held hands, ate, and did the dishes before he led me upstairs where we make love again. Since we had just had another release (each), we went ahead and showered together, got dressed, went for a walk, came back, ate lunch, and then sat on couch to watch a little TV. One look was all it took, and we were at it like teenagers. Our clothes were thrown everywhere, and we did it right there on the couch. We fell asleep all wrapped up in each other covered by a fresh blanket we'd thrown onto the sofa. After our nap, I managed to get up without waking Chris and headed for the bathroom with my clothes. I did my business and got dressed so that I could start dinner. While I was making dinner, Chris flirted endlessly with me. We continued to tease, fondle, play, and (finally) eat. As soon as dinner was done, I began washing the dishes. Alas, the games were not done. Chris took off his shirt, and then he helped me out of my shorts. He then took off his own shorts. I raised my arms to help him take my shirt off and went back to washing the pans. I was almost done. It was when he lost his briefs that I got unruly. I couldn't work fast enough. He unfastened my bra as I let the water out of the sink. I pushed him back against the large, empty counter and then slid off my panties as he climbed onto it (as instructed) before I joined him and climbed onto him to give us both a ride we'd always remember. We laid there on the counter afterwards giggling. I told him I was surprised he hadn't tried to do me from behind while I was doing the dishes. "What? Would I do that?" Chris asked me. Enough time had passed that we were apparently feeling the desire yet again to have another round, especially one as hot and exciting as the new one I'd suggested. Even while he was asking the words of such feigned innocence, I had gotten down and assumed the suggested position while he prepared himself, and healthy orgasms were had, once again, by both of us. We went into the living room to watch a movie, though most of it went unnoticed since we were busy making out and fondling one another amongst giggles and small talk. We turned off the TV as soon as the movie was over, headed upstairs, and made our way to bed. We slept very well that night. The next day was my final day of staying with Chris. I took a shower and packed my things knowing the plan was for me to leave after dinner. He wasn't bringing it up even as I packed my things, so I decided to stay quiet about it also. I had no idea what the plan was moving forward, but I enjoyed everything so far, and I assumed we'd eventually get to the discussion about our relationship. We had a nice, though simple, breakfast, went on our walk, talked about the weather and something we'd seen on the internet news, and sat down in the living room with our water bottles to relax. Just as I was about to turn and ask him about our future, he leaned in and kissed me. Halfway through our make out session, he pointed down at the floor. Before I could ask about the coffee table, he simply put his foot on it to slide it away. It was so hot. I had no idea that simple gesture would affect me the way it did. We both shed our clothes without words, I assumed my position, and more hot sex was had.     After each time we made love, Chris always took the time to touch and kiss me like I was a treasure. There was such a familiarity between us from all the years of being friends, but the fact that he'd always had deeper feelings for me really played a part in how he held me. I felt rather stupid having not ever picked up on the crush he had on me. He admitted that he hid it well, particularly because our friendship meant more. I just hoped that, moving forward, it wouldn't be an issue. We were still friends, pretty much best friends, but so much more. And I wanted that. I wanted him. And I wanted our future to be together. I just needed to tell him that so that we were on the same page. We cleaned up and had lunch together. He fell asleep on the couch, so I used the time to arrange plans for my brother to pick up Chris' rental vehicle, bring it to the house after we had dinner together, and then Luke would drive me back to my house in my car. Chris woke up and walked over to the bathroom before making his way into the kitchen to find me. I was busy stirring the meat on the stove, but that didn't stop him from standing right up to rest against me and slide his hands up my shirt to hold my tits. I laughed a little, but sighed, rested my head against his chest, and turned to look up at him. He bent slowly and placed his lips on mine. I blindly set the spoon down on the stovetop and turned to face him so that I could properly kiss my man. As we were sitting at the dinner table, the mood was slightly sad, but neither of us was saying anything about it. Finally, he spoke up. "Jenn, I meant to tell you," he noted as he set his napkin down on the side of his plate. "Um, yesterday while I was looking at my emails, I read one from my boss. Turns out there's an opening for a position that he's recommending me for to his boss. He thinks I'd be a good fit. "That's great!" I responded and nodded. "You've been wanting this for a while," I added to show him that I really did pay attention to him when he spoke of his job. "So, once I get it, I'll have to report to the office in Denver." "Denver? Oh, so they'd be good with you working remotely? Like, how often would you have to check in or go visit there?" "Oh, uh; No, Jenn," Chris clarified and shook his head. "I'll be moving there. My new territory will be in Colorado, so I'll have to live there. Sorry," he added quickly. "I guess I should have explained that better. Anyway, when I put my house up for sale, you can do that too, you know? We can start a new life there together." "Colorado? Chris, I can't just drop everything and move to another state!" "Yeah, but you run your own business," Chris argued. "You can just start anew in;" "Start anew in a place where I know no one?" I questioned and added emphasis on the final words. Sure, I could network like a champ, but I'd lived in my city my whole life, and this wasn't anywhere close to any place I'd been before. I didn't know anyone in Colorado! "I don't understand. I can't just up and leave my business. My books are full for the next 6 months! I can't;" I stopped talking when the doorbell rang. Oh, my gosh, what was happening? Chris got up to answer the door, so I took our dishes to the sink to wash them quickly. It was important that I left his house the way I found it. As I ran the sponge over the plates, I began to cry. This was not how I thought our final meal would turn out. He was leaving? And he just expected to snap his fingers, and I'd just leave everything behind? How? Why? "How are you feeling, bud?" Luke was asking as the two men walked into the kitchen. I had just finished wiping down the table and counters, so I hung the towel and made my way upstairs to get my bag and things. I looked around and shook my head. Was this really over? As Luke shook Chris' hand, I made eye contact with Luke and nodded. We too had an ability to communicate without speaking. He'd wait in the car while I said my goodbyes. Luke took my stuff and headed outside. "I'm glad we had this week together," I shared and nodded. "I wish you the best of luck. You'll have to let me know when you get the offer and stuff. Thank God for text messages and Facebook, right?" I tried to laugh but my traitor of a quivering lip gave things away. "Jenn, wait," Chris begged. "We can't end like this," he noted. "Good luck, Chris. Keep me posted, alright? I'm so happy for you that you are finally being given your rightly deserved position in the company." I stepped up on my tippy-toes and kissed his cheek. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Bye," I added and turned to leave. Chris was never one to overstep, so I knew he wouldn't grab my arm or say anything else. I cried all the way home. Luke was concerned and continued to ask me questions, but once I had convinced him that Chris hadn't hurt me and that I would eventually tell him what was wrong, he left me alone. He made sure I made it into my house safely and carried my things up to my room for me. His wife, Corinne, showed up and waved from the driver's side of the minivan as she waited for Luke to come out to join their little family again. I hugged Luke quickly and nodded again that I'd tell him what had happened that had upset me so much. We had lunch two days later, and all Luke could do was hug me and tell me he was there if I needed him.   Chris I didn't call or text Jenn after she left. I just didn't know what to say or how to explain myself. I had returned to work (remotely as usual) and had a surprise interaction with my boss first thing Monday morning. "Hey, bud," Hector greeted me as he usually did. "Yeah, Colorado is off the table," he stated nonchalantly. "I guess I jumped the gun when offering it to you, didn't I?" he asked with a laugh. "Anyway, it turns out the Robert's nephew is going to be taking the position." To say that I was frozen in shock was an understatement. Hector appeared hesitant to go on when I didn't say anything. "Look, man. So, I confronted Robert about it and told him you were set to take the position next month and had even begun making plans for it." "Oh, I;" I began to argue since nothing had been done, you know, unless you counted throwing away the best thing to ever happen to me over it. You know, if you counted that. And the fact that my boss lied to his boss really infuriated me because it made it look like I had jumped the gun when no paperwork or real offer had been made. "Well, listen," Hector continued. "Hearing that you really thought the position was yours and realizing that I had made the offer to you made Robert feel bad that you did all that and were put in this stupid position. He might have mentioned that it was his wife's nephew, and that he kinda had to offer it to him, blah blah blah. Anyway, I had come prepared. He and I went over your review. It turns out, he is finally on board with that raise and title change you've been requesting. Are you ready to start making the big bucks like you should have been making for at least a year now?" "Hell yeah, boss!" I exclaimed. "That's awesome. Listen, can we talk about things coming up in the next week? I've got this girl;"   Jenn "Oh, honey! You don't have to ring the doorbell!" my mom complained when I showed up to her house on Easter morning. "Mom, I'm carrying six baskets and a dessert. I didn't have a choice." "Oh! Well, come in. Come in!" she stated animatedly as she moved so I could enter the house. "Let's get the baskets set up out back. Your father is hiding the eggs now." Six children and a matching number of my siblings were soon added to the mix, and the hustle and bustle of Easter morning was well on its way. We had all attended the services the night prior, so the fancy clothes we were all wearing were by choice. We were a handsome family, and we knew it. We had plenty of pictures to show us all off on a regular basis. Just as Dad had finished with grace, the doorbell rang. I got up to get it since everyone else seemed to be busy with filling plates and getting last minute serving spoons and such. When the door was opened, I was greeted by a sight which took my breath away. Chris was standing at the door holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a lily plant in the other arm. "Hello, Jenn," he sighed and smiled. "Chris, what are you doing here?" I asked as if on automation. "I mean; Happy Easter, and it's been a while," I added. "But;" "Jenn, just listen, please." "Chris, I;" "Jenn, I love you so much," Chris continued before I could say anything more. "Colorado isn't happening. I'm not leaving," he clarified. "Chris, you shouldn't have;" "I didn't," he answered. "Jenn, who's at the; Oh! Chris! Happy Easter! What a delight to see you! Jenn! Let the man in! Oh! What lovely flowers!" "Happy Easter, Mrs. Sanders," Chris greeted her and allowed her to take the flowers and the large plant out of his arms. "Um, my mom and sister are in the car;" "Well, wonderful!" Mom exclaimed. "Go and get them! We have plenty! John! Set up three more places at the table! Julie, Chris, and Cindy are here!" Before Chris could even turn around, Mom had run outside waving her arms. I guessed she had that part under control, so I took Chris' arm and brought him into the office near the front door and closed the door. "What happened?" I asked. Before he answered, he cupped my cheek. I put my hand on his and felt the tears once again welling up. "So much has happened, and even before I could turn down the Colorado offer;" "Turn it down?" "Well, yeah, Jenn," Chris answered as if it was obvious. "I can't go start a whole new life without my best girl." A tear trickled down my cheek before I could say anything else. I sniffed. "I was going to finish up my six months of clients and come be with you once the last one was wrapped up." "You were?" "Chris, I can't live without you," I explained and felt my lip trembling. "So, no Colorado?" "Robert gave it to his wife's nephew," he answered. "But, babe?" I blinked as if to show him I was still listening and not just staring into his big, beautiful eyes. "I got the promotion and raise I've been waiting for since last year." "You got it?" I whispered and tried to laugh through my tears. "Oh, I'm so happy for you!" "For us, Jenn," he corrected. "Now, before anything else happens, can I please kiss you?" For whatever reason, this caused me to cry. I nodded, but I also sobbed. It was a little pathetic, but hugely romantic too. I hurried to grab a tissue, wiped my face, and then wrapped my arms around him with my hand behind his head in hopes to bring it down to mine. "Oh, my gosh, I missed you," Chris whispered before setting his lips on mine. Hmm, those delicious lips I'd been dreaming about and craving were back on mine, and I couldn't get enough of him. "I love you," I sighed as we pulled apart. "My girl," he responded and kissed my forehead. "Uh, guys?" my brother, Luke, yelled through the door. "There are ten adults out here about dying and definitely not eating in anticipation of what's happening in that room. Care to share?" I laughed out loud and wrapped my arms around Chris' neck. "I guess we owe them that, huh?" "Jennifer Sanders, I love you," Chris declared quietly. "Now, I have a crazy idea, but we've waited long enough. Would you want to get married?" "Waited long enough; what; married?" I asked and then gasped. "What; like, today?!" Chris nodded. "I have the rings, babe. I did a lot in the last week. I knew we'd be OK, but this whole Colorado thing put a spin on things neither of us expected. But you said it yourself, Jenn. You were going to come join me. Why wait? Fr. Patrick will come today to marry us. I already spoke with him. I told him everything." I widened my eyes at that. The man had been my coach and teacher in high school. I certainly didn't need him to know that I'd been having wild sex with someone outside of marriage! "What? Chris! You told Father that we had sex?!" While I was speaking at a normal level, yes, you can expect that I certainly whispered that last word. Our families were likely listening at the door! "Well, he asked me directly, and it actually helped our case," Chris justified. "He is set to come over as soon as I text him." He knelt down onto one knee. "So, Jenn, my love, my best friend, my future, will you marry me?" "I think he just asked her to marry him!" Cindy announced. Or at least I was pretty certain it was her. "That was quick!" my mom responded. I laughed and shook my head. "'You had me at hello,'" I quoted and squeezed his hand since he had been holding it. "Yes, and we will do it today." "You don't have to." "'Yes, I do,'" I argued. "'Because I love you.'" Chris smirked and leaned down to put his lips to mine. "'Just remember who said it first,'" he teased and kissed me heartily. When he broke away, he pulled out his phone. "Guys! What's going on?" Chris' mom asked and knocked. "Hello, Fr. Patrick," Chris greeted our favorite priest and teacher. "Yes, sir, she did. Yep, at her house. OK, see you soon." When Chris hung up, he motioned with his head. "Come on. Let's go deal with the restless natives." When he opened the door, ten excited and focused faces, which were either pressed up to the door or turned completely from the dining room table; (because they had to help their little ones with food); met us as we left the room. "Alright, everybody," Chris announced. He was very excited and unusually confident as he greeted the family. It was totally hot to witness. "We've got some news. As some of you know, I was in an accident a short while ago, and when I went home, I had Jenn move in with me to make sure I would be alright. Well, she finally realized that we were (and have been) meant to be together, so what would you all say to us getting married?" Cheers and gasps and laughter (mostly from my brothers) filled the air. Our moms were gasping but crying and hugging and babbling about always knowing. "When?" Luke asked. "Today," Chris answered, and the sudden silence causing us to laugh. "Well," Matthew, my usually observant and generally quiet brother spoke up, "it's not like they need time to get to know each other. I'm up for a wedding if everyone else is. Looks like we finally get to use the backyard for more than just egg hunting and sun tanning. Let's finish eating and get to work! We've got a wedding to prepare for!" I walked over to Matthew and wrapped my arms around him to hug him. His wife, Dina, just smiled and ran her hand up and down his arm. "Congrats, sis," Dina offered and hugged me quickly as I walked back over to see what our moms were saying. "Well, won't this be an Easter to remember?" Julie asked and hugged my mom. "I mean, I shouldn't be surprised," my mom answered and walked toward the kitchen with her arm around Chris' mom. "I was just telling her the other day;" I rolled my eyes and shook my head at Luke who was watching me with a smirk on his face. "Told ya things would work themselves out," Luke teased smugly. "Yes, you did, my big little brother," I agreed. "So, do you think I'll have enough flower girls?" "With this family? You'll have everything you'll ever need like always."   Chris We ate Easter lunch as a large family, and had just begun cleaning up, when the doorbell rang. I nodded at Denise, Jenn's mom, and walked over to answer it since I was pretty sure it was Fr. Patrick. "Chris!" Fr. Patrick greeted me and laughed. "Well, won't this be an Easter to remember?" "That's what I'm hearing," I responded and patted his back as I walked him into the kitchen where a plate had been awaiting his arrival. "Father!" both Denise and my mom greeted him with open arms. "Thanks so much for coming on such short notice!" "Well, I might have been given a heads up along with a promise of some very fine Easter food," he confessed and sat down while the ladies served him. "Babe?" I whispered to Jenn as she was staring out the window into the backyard. The kids were playing on the large swing set her dad had built when he found out he was going to be a grandfather. "Hmm?" "Babe?" "Yes, Chris?" Jenn answered and turned to give her full attention to me. "There you are," I noted and held her hand. "You're all good with this?" "I'm as comfortable as ever with all of it, actually," she answered. I could tell that she was happy. Really happy. That's all I ever wanted. "So, are we going to talk about the living arrangements, work, church, kids; all that?" "Sure, but not today," she answered calmly. "Today? Today, we're going to stand before our family and tell one another that we do, in fact, plan to love and honor each other for the rest of our lives. Today, you're going to take me home to our place and make me your girl with nothing in between us. Today we begin the rest of our lives. As long as it's together, Chris, we'll be doing just fine." "Well, now. That? That I can live with." I responded and brought the woman standing next to me, the woman who held my heart, the woman I was about to marry into my arms and kissed her. About fifteen minutes later, we were married in a beautifully short, small, and intimate ceremony in the backyard. About an hour later, we were cutting a bunny cake and feeding each other small pieces of it with the kids cheering and laughing as they watched us. And about a half hour after that, we were heading home. Luke took care of Jenn's car, and Denise happily offered to take my mom and sister home to their places. Neither seemed to want to leave at that point anyway. As I carried my bride into the house, Jenn rested her head on my shoulder. I set her down in the kitchen and took out my phone to play a song so that we could have our first dance as husband and wife. With the heels she was wearing, we were nearly the same height. We swayed and held one another closely. I was getting a little worked up at the way she kept rubbing against me, but I think it was not only intentional, but also very much mutually rewarding. I slid my hand up her back and played with the zipper of her dress. Jenn smirked and brought her hands down to the buttons of my shirt. With the fact that this was, in fact, our wedding "night," not to mention the first time in over a week that we could finally touch one another again, I was sure that we both had the same idea. It didn't take but 55 seconds for us to be fully undressed. I pulled the blanket off the counter (I had been both optimistic and proactive) and held her as we both laid down onto the kitchen floor. "This seems to be the place where first times are had," Jenn noted and cupped my cheek as I took my position over her. "Definitely the first time making love to my wife," I agreed and leaned down to kiss her deeply. As our bodies became one, we solidified what was always meant to be. I could feel everything, and her moans and reactions told me she felt things she hadn't felt before too. I knew without the condom in the way, it would be different, but this was so much more than that. This was my wife. And as we reached our orgasms, we kissed and held one another tightly. This was the beginning of everything.   Jenn 50 weeks later "Happy Easter, you two!" my mom greeted Chris and me as we stood in the doorway of my childhood home. "Come on, come on! Oh, Chris! Thank you! It's lovely," she offered as she took the new lily plant he'd insisted on bringing. "Just put the pistachio salad on the kitchen counter, please." "Hey! There's my girl!" my dad greeted me and pointed at my belly. "How's it going?" "They say any day, but if it's not soon, Dad, I may just reach up there and;" "Oh, ho, ho, kay!" Chris announced as he slid up to take my hand. "It'll happen when it's time, sweetheart," he reminded me and kissed my temple. "Girl, don't I know how you feel!" Corinne told me and laughed. "You know that's right!" Dina declared. "They aren't lying!" Carli, Mark's wife, yelled from the bedroom where she must have been changing one of the little one's diapers. Just as Mom announced that it was time to eat, the doorbell rang. Chris went to answer it knowing it would be his mom and sister. As we finished the prayer before the meal, I yelped when I felt a sudden gush. "Oops!" I exclaimed and jumped up causing my chair to slide back to the counter. "Baby?" Chris questioned as he buttered his roll. "Baby!" my three sisters-in-law all declared and pointed down at my (now) wet dress. "Ah!" my younger brothers screamed as Luke shook his head and pointed at Chris. "You have the bag, right?" Luke asked calmly. "Been in the car since she was seven months," Chris answered. He'd shoved the roll in his mouth and gotten up as soon as the wet dress was brought to his attention. "And away we go," Luke addressed and followed us out of the house to get into his own car which he'd driven there. He had made all sorts of arrangements to make sure he was going to be at the birth of his godson.   Chris As my wife finally got her chance to relax after the birth of our sons, I took a seat on the bed next to her. "They're beautiful, babe," I praised and kissed her temple. She pressed her head into my lips to share in the special moment. "You did a great job making them," I added. "We sure did," Jenn agreed and looked into my eyes until I brought my lips down onto hers. "Knock, knock!" our mothers announced as they stood in the doorway. "Where are my grandsons?" Denise questioned and then tossed her purse at John as she spotted the bassinets. "Oh! There they are!" One thing Jenn and I had requested was that no one, not even the grandmothers, would just be expecting to grab babies and pass them around. Both grandmothers respectfully hovered over the contraptions which held our sons, so I nodded at John before getting up to introduce them to their relatives. "Steven John David," I stated as I reached down to pick up our first-born son, "may I introduce you to your grandmothers." I handed him to Denise seeing as her husband was the namesake behind one of the middle names. Steven had been the name of a classmate we'd had who had passed away during our senior year. We'd both held him in high regard and felt the name was fitting. "Nicholas Luke Patrick," I continued, "I'd like to introduce you to your grandmothers as well. You were named for my father, your godfather, and a priest who means the world to your mother and me." "Steven John David, you will be loved so much by this family," Denise whispered and smiled at her husband. "Welcome to the world, Nicholas Luke Patrick," my mom greeted my other son. That night, after aunts, uncles, grandparents, and a special visiting priest had left our room so that we could spend our first night alone as a family of four, I laid down next to my wife and the amazing mother of my sons. "Happy Easter, sweetheart," I whispered and kissed her shoulder as she fed our son. "Happy Easter, my love," she whispered back and rubbed her thumb over Steven's hair. Nicholas was still asleep in the bassinet, so we were taking the opportunity to spend some alone time with our firstborn. "Happy Anniversary too," she added and sniffed a laugh. "It was a year ago today that we had our first kitchen encounter." "Well, doesn't that make this date even more special?" I responded and leaned down to kiss her lips. Much like our life had been since our whirlwind romance and wedding, I knew bringing home twin sons and learning to adjust to this new part of our lives was just going to be as wonderful as the rest of our life together had been. I settled back against my best friend, the mother of my children, and let out a relaxed sigh. Life was good, and I couldn't wait to see what else it had in store. Based on a post by cilma rae, for Literotica.

Friendzone Fix: Part 2. Blame the biological clock, or a burst of courage.. Based on a post by cilma rae. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chris Benbury and Jennifer Sanders continue to tell the tale of how their friendship took decades to transform into a life connection. We're going to let them finish telling just how it happened. "Chris," she whispered against my lips and then turned her head before leading us into a deeper kiss. Our tongues mingled while our hands roamed. She turned her body and pressed it to me as if she was trying to become part of me. "Come with me," I requested and reached for her hand. She shook her head and pointed down at the ground. "Now. Right here," she answered back. "I need you." "Hold; hold that thought," I advised and held up a finger to show her it would only be a second. I ran into the living room to get a blanket and flew back into the kitchen because I was no fool. I needed this too. "Here's awesome, but the floor is cold," I explained. I dropped the blanket and then scooped Jenn up off her feet. Her squeal only made me want this more. We kissed and pressed into each other like we couldn't get enough. In that moment, I know I certainly couldn't. I tore off my shirt and watched in amazement as she did the same with her own. No bra; just gorgeous tits I'd basically only envisioned and dreamed about more than I cared to admit. I saw her reach over to collect the condoms off the counter before she tossed them onto the blanket as she knelt down onto it. "Join me," she requested and reached for her panties to slide them down. I went ahead and lost my shorts and briefs before descending to the floor myself. The moment I felt her naked body against mine, I knew we were moments from something I had only ever dreamed possible. "Is this happening?" I asked quietly as I slid my hand down her back and over her fine, fine ass. This woman had the best ass. "You're gonna find out real soon," Jenn assured me and slid her leg up mine. "At least I hope you will," she added. I hurried to put the protection on and moaned as she licked a particularly sensitive area on my neck. "Good Lord, woman," I warned and growled as I set myself up to enter her. "Yes," she hissed and placed her heels on my butt. "Now, Chris. I need you now," she pleaded. I didn't need to be told twice, so I made sure I was lined up and began my approach. Yes, it had been a while (a long while) since I'd had sex. I hadn't heard Jenn mention anyone she'd dated for longer than a week or two in over a year. I couldn't imagine that she'd had any activity in recent history either. The moan she let out when I was fully inside her told me I was exactly what she needed at that moment though. I think my own noise told her the same. "Chris, yes," she hissed and ran her fingernails along my back. "Why did it take so long for us to do this?" she asked. "No idea," I answered with what little brain activity I could muster since most of the blood in my entire body seemed to be inside my cock at the moment. "I'm; Jenn, I'm not gonna last," I confessed. "I'm already close," she responded. "You feel so good. You feel so; gosh, Chris. It's so good," she repeated. "If I promise to last longer next time;" "Go ahead," Jenn breathed. "Just keep going," she begged. "I'm; gonna; oh!" she cried out and contracted all around my shaft until I couldn't take it anymore. I thrust into her and came hard. "Chris," Jenn whispered after a minute. I wasn't seeing stars any longer, so that was good. I turned to face her and kissed her shoulder. "Hmm, would you kiss me?" Like she had to ask. I cupped her face with one hand as the other held me up and kissed her with so much emotion, I thought for sure that I was going to shed a tear myself. It was as I pulled away from her that I realized I was still inside her. "Oh, uh;" I stuttered. "Let me get rid of this," I suggested and took care of the minor mess before I headed into the living room to collect another blanket to cover us with. I knew we wouldn't be staying in the kitchen, but for that short period of time, we were going to stick around until we decided what to do next. I laid down next to her, and what surprised me was that she snuggled right into my side like she belonged there. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her temple. She turned to look up at me and kissed my chin. I leaned down and kissed her lips until we ended up making out. It was all so; natural. "I have a confession to make," she admitted as she ran her finger over my chest. "Oh?" "I bought them when I picked up your prescriptions," she confessed and pointed to the box. "I had a feeling from the moment we held hands. I; I didn't realize there could be;" I inhaled deeply and turned to lie on my side and placed my head on my hand with my elbow holding it up. "If we're giving confessions, I have one as well." "Go ahead," Jenn invited and smiled as she let her fingertips glide along my side up to my neck. "I've had a crush on you since high school, Jenn," I admitted and watched her face. "Really? Why didn't you say anything?" Jenn tilted her head. "So, all this time, you've;" "Oh, well, yeah, I mean; if you'd have shown any interest in me throughout these years, I would have totally gone for it, but I value your friendship more than anything, and I was afraid you might not appreciate hearing that I liked you as more than a friend, so I just tucked it away." "But; in high school? Why didn't you say something?" "Well, remember our junior year? I almost asked you to go to Homecoming with me, but you announced in homeroom that Ronnie had asked you, so I decided to let you have your fun. I thought it was best that I just maintained being your friend. If there was ever a dance you didn't have a date to, I was willing to offer to take you, but that never happened." "Oh, Chris," she reacted and cupped my face. "I'm sorry. I had an awful time with Ronnie, if that makes you feel any better." "No, of course it doesn't," I responded automatically. Then I smiled. "Well, maybe a little," I admitted thoughtfully and then laughed when she did. "Why was it awful?" "Well, there's a hot chance the guys who took me to the dances thought I was up for more than just a PG-rated good time, but inevitably, they made a move I didn't appreciate or reciprocate, so it ended on a slightly sour note. In most cases, especially at our senior retreat right before graduation, the guy who took me and made a move came up and apologized. It didn't hurt that the example of 'making right some wrongs in life' was given when it came around to the deeper part of the retreat. And that one person mentioned dances certainly helped my case. I believe a lot of girls were given apologies on that weekend, at least from what I heard." "I've always wanted to dance with you," I admitted without realizing I was speaking out loud. "Why can't we?" "What?" I asked. "Go and get your phone," she requested. "Let's dance right here. Right where we officially began. Let's have that dance, Chris." I wasn't sure why it didn't seem crazier to me, but I did as she'd suggested. We both got up at the same time, and when I got back, she was wrapped in the blanket from the floor. I had wrapped the blanket around my waist, so we were both basically covered. And as if we were in high school, she raised her arms up and put them on my shoulders as I held her waist. "Now I; I wanna fall in love;" sang Chris Isaak. It was just as if we were at a high school dance, though I'm sure we'd have been dressed differently. I smiled down at her and leaned in as she put her hands up into my hair. We kissed as we rocked and swayed on the kitchen floor. When the song ended, she nodded as if she knew what I was thinking. We shut off the television (which had been lighting our way throughout our interactions since she'd come down to the kitchen) and headed upstairs still wrapped in our blankets. I was about to ask about the box, but she held them up and laughed as I picked her up and proceeded to prepare her for round two.   Jenn I woke up wrapped up in Chris' arms and smiled. I was naked. I was spent. I was happy. For the past few days, I had found myself wanting so much more than just friendship with Chris, and last night, when he suggested that I go take a bath and relax, well, I did just that. I took a shower first to shave my legs before filling up the tub and relaxing. The more I laid there, the more I wanted; more. And it wasn't just to have sex and "get some," as many would call it. I wanted Chris. I had laid in bed after our movie date and tried to get comfortable, but the more I thought about it, the less restful I became. And then I remembered that I had purchased the condoms and stuck them up in a cupboard assuming Chris wouldn't see them since I was doing most of the cooking anyway. To put them up there, though, I'd had to stand on my tippy toes to do it. And it was while I was attempting to reach for them the night before that I remembered I had been wearing my shoes which happened to have a bigger sole on them which meant I could have reached it just a tiny bit better than had I been barefoot. I smiled to myself as I remembered feeling Chris' body pressed up to mine from behind. What a kitchen encounter indeed. I hadn't realized that he would have been awake. What I had planned to do was grab the box, walk over to check on Chris, wake him with a kiss on the forehead, and hope that it would progress from there. What happened was so much better. Chris stirred behind me, so I turned my face to kiss his cheek before I carefully got up to go and take a shower. Before I could even get out after I was done, Chris had stepped into the tub to join me. I laughed, kissed him heartily, and got out so he could take a shower by himself. We'd never get out if we were to have stayed in there together. We went down to the kitchen wearing just towels. I think we both knew what was bound to happen. I started working on the casserole I'd been planning, and Chris started up the coffeemaker. Since the casserole would take 45 minutes to cook, we had time. Next thing I knew, I was on the kitchen counter being given the most delicious serving of oral sex I'd ever had. He could work that tongue like he knew my every nerve ending. To reward him, you know, since we still had time, and once I had gotten my bearings back, I slid down to the floor and showed him my own talents in the oral department. From the reaction he gave, I suppose I did a rather good job. At least that's what he muttered in his many comments as he regained his own stability again. "Well, that was an excellent appetizer before breakfast, I must say," I noted as I poured the creamer into my coffee. I handed him his dark, "unflavored" savory serving of wake-up juice and winked at him. He just smiled and put the mug to his lips to take his first sip. We talked, held hands, ate, and did the dishes before he led me upstairs where we make love again. Since we had just had another release (each), we went ahead and showered together, got dressed, went for a walk, came back, ate lunch, and then sat on couch to watch a little TV. One look was all it took, and we were at it like teenagers. Our clothes were thrown everywhere, and we did it right there on the couch. We fell asleep all wrapped up in each other covered by a fresh blanket we'd thrown onto the sofa. After our nap, I managed to get up without waking Chris and headed for the bathroom with my clothes. I did my business and got dressed so that I could start dinner. While I was making dinner, Chris flirted endlessly with me. We continued to tease, fondle, play, and (finally) eat. As soon as dinner was done, I began washing the dishes. Alas, the games were not done. Chris took off his shirt, and then he helped me out of my shorts. He then took off his own shorts. I raised my arms to help him take my shirt off and went back to washing the pans. I was almost done. It was when he lost his briefs that I got unruly. I couldn't work fast enough. He unfastened my bra as I let the water out of the sink. I pushed him back against the large, empty counter and then slid off my panties as he climbed onto it (as instructed) before I joined him and climbed onto him to give us both a ride we'd always remember. We laid there on the counter afterwards giggling. I told him I was surprised he hadn't tried to do me from behind while I was doing the dishes. "What? Would I do that?" Chris asked me. Enough time had passed that we were apparently feeling the desire yet again to have another round, especially one as hot and exciting as the new one I'd suggested. Even while he was asking the words of such feigned innocence, I had gotten down and assumed the suggested position while he prepared himself, and healthy orgasms were had, once again, by both of us. We went into the living room to watch a movie, though most of it went unnoticed since we were busy making out and fondling one another amongst giggles and small talk. We turned off the TV as soon as the movie was over, headed upstairs, and made our way to bed. We slept very well that night. The next day was my final day of staying with Chris. I took a shower and packed my things knowing the plan was for me to leave after dinner. He wasn't bringing it up even as I packed my things, so I decided to stay quiet about it also. I had no idea what the plan was moving forward, but I enjoyed everything so far, and I assumed we'd eventually get to the discussion about our relationship. We had a nice, though simple, breakfast, went on our walk, talked about the weather and something we'd seen on the internet news, and sat down in the living room with our water bottles to relax. Just as I was about to turn and ask him about our future, he leaned in and kissed me. Halfway through our make out session, he pointed down at the floor. Before I could ask about the coffee table, he simply put his foot on it to slide it away. It was so hot. I had no idea that simple gesture would affect me the way it did. We both shed our clothes without words, I assumed my position, and more hot sex was had.     After each time we made love, Chris always took the time to touch and kiss me like I was a treasure. There was such a familiarity between us from all the years of being friends, but the fact that he'd always had deeper feelings for me really played a part in how he held me. I felt rather stupid having not ever picked up on the crush he had on me. He admitted that he hid it well, particularly because our friendship meant more. I just hoped that, moving forward, it wouldn't be an issue. We were still friends, pretty much best friends, but so much more. And I wanted that. I wanted him. And I wanted our future to be together. I just needed to tell him that so that we were on the same page. We cleaned up and had lunch together. He fell asleep on the couch, so I used the time to arrange plans for my brother to pick up Chris' rental vehicle, bring it to the house after we had dinner together, and then Luke would drive me back to my house in my car. Chris woke up and walked over to the bathroom before making his way into the kitchen to find me. I was busy stirring the meat on the stove, but that didn't stop him from standing right up to rest against me and slide his hands up my shirt to hold my tits. I laughed a little, but sighed, rested my head against his chest, and turned to look up at him. He bent slowly and placed his lips on mine. I blindly set the spoon down on the stovetop and turned to face him so that I could properly kiss my man. As we were sitting at the dinner table, the mood was slightly sad, but neither of us was saying anything about it. Finally, he spoke up. "Jenn, I meant to tell you," he noted as he set his napkin down on the side of his plate. "Um, yesterday while I was looking at my emails, I read one from my boss. Turns out there's an opening for a position that he's recommending me for to his boss. He thinks I'd be a good fit. "That's great!" I responded and nodded. "You've been wanting this for a while," I added to show him that I really did pay attention to him when he spoke of his job. "So, once I get it, I'll have to report to the office in Denver." "Denver? Oh, so they'd be good with you working remotely? Like, how often would you have to check in or go visit there?" "Oh, uh; No, Jenn," Chris clarified and shook his head. "I'll be moving there. My new territory will be in Colorado, so I'll have to live there. Sorry," he added quickly. "I guess I should have explained that better. Anyway, when I put my house up for sale, you can do that too, you know? We can start a new life there together." "Colorado? Chris, I can't just drop everything and move to another state!" "Yeah, but you run your own business," Chris argued. "You can just start anew in;" "Start anew in a place where I know no one?" I questioned and added emphasis on the final words. Sure, I could network like a champ, but I'd lived in my city my whole life, and this wasn't anywhere close to any place I'd been before. I didn't know anyone in Colorado! "I don't understand. I can't just up and leave my business. My books are full for the next 6 months! I can't;" I stopped talking when the doorbell rang. Oh, my gosh, what was happening? Chris got up to answer the door, so I took our dishes to the sink to wash them quickly. It was important that I left his house the way I found it. As I ran the sponge over the plates, I began to cry. This was not how I thought our final meal would turn out. He was leaving? And he just expected to snap his fingers, and I'd just leave everything behind? How? Why? "How are you feeling, bud?" Luke was asking as the two men walked into the kitchen. I had just finished wiping down the table and counters, so I hung the towel and made my way upstairs to get my bag and things. I looked around and shook my head. Was this really over? As Luke shook Chris' hand, I made eye contact with Luke and nodded. We too had an ability to communicate without speaking. He'd wait in the car while I said my goodbyes. Luke took my stuff and headed outside. "I'm glad we had this week together," I shared and nodded. "I wish you the best of luck. You'll have to let me know when you get the offer and stuff. Thank God for text messages and Facebook, right?" I tried to laugh but my traitor of a quivering lip gave things away. "Jenn, wait," Chris begged. "We can't end like this," he noted. "Good luck, Chris. Keep me posted, alright? I'm so happy for you that you are finally being given your rightly deserved position in the company." I stepped up on my tippy-toes and kissed his cheek. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Bye," I added and turned to leave. Chris was never one to overstep, so I knew he wouldn't grab my arm or say anything else. I cried all the way home. Luke was concerned and continued to ask me questions, but once I had convinced him that Chris hadn't hurt me and that I would eventually tell him what was wrong, he left me alone. He made sure I made it into my house safely and carried my things up to my room for me. His wife, Corinne, showed up and waved from the driver's side of the minivan as she waited for Luke to come out to join their little family again. I hugged Luke quickly and nodded again that I'd tell him what had happened that had upset me so much. We had lunch two days later, and all Luke could do was hug me and tell me he was there if I needed him.   Chris I didn't call or text Jenn after she left. I just didn't know what to say or how to explain myself. I had returned to work (remotely as usual) and had a surprise interaction with my boss first thing Monday morning. "Hey, bud," Hector greeted me as he usually did. "Yeah, Colorado is off the table," he stated nonchalantly. "I guess I jumped the gun when offering it to you, didn't I?" he asked with a laugh. "Anyway, it turns out the Robert's nephew is going to be taking the position." To say that I was frozen in shock was an understatement. Hector appeared hesitant to go on when I didn't say anything. "Look, man. So, I confronted Robert about it and told him you were set to take the position next month and had even begun making plans for it." "Oh, I;" I began to argue since nothing had been done, you know, unless you counted throwing away the best thing to ever happen to me over it. You know, if you counted that. And the fact that my boss lied to his boss really infuriated me because it made it look like I had jumped the gun when no paperwork or real offer had been made. "Well, listen," Hector continued. "Hearing that you really thought the position was yours and realizing that I had made the offer to you made Robert feel bad that you did all that and were put in this stupid position. He might have mentioned that it was his wife's nephew, and that he kinda had to offer it to him, blah blah blah. Anyway, I had come prepared. He and I went over your review. It turns out, he is finally on board with that raise and title change you've been requesting. Are you ready to start making the big bucks like you should have been making for at least a year now?" "Hell yeah, boss!" I exclaimed. "That's awesome. Listen, can we talk about things coming up in the next week? I've got this girl;"   Jenn "Oh, honey! You don't have to ring the doorbell!" my mom complained when I showed up to her house on Easter morning. "Mom, I'm carrying six baskets and a dessert. I didn't have a choice." "Oh! Well, come in. Come in!" she stated animatedly as she moved so I could enter the house. "Let's get the baskets set up out back. Your father is hiding the eggs now." Six children and a matching number of my siblings were soon added to the mix, and the hustle and bustle of Easter morning was well on its way. We had all attended the services the night prior, so the fancy clothes we were all wearing were by choice. We were a handsome family, and we knew it. We had plenty of pictures to show us all off on a regular basis. Just as Dad had finished with grace, the doorbell rang. I got up to get it since everyone else seemed to be busy with filling plates and getting last minute serving spoons and such. When the door was opened, I was greeted by a sight which took my breath away. Chris was standing at the door holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a lily plant in the other arm. "Hello, Jenn," he sighed and smiled. "Chris, what are you doing here?" I asked as if on automation. "I mean; Happy Easter, and it's been a while," I added. "But;" "Jenn, just listen, please." "Chris, I;" "Jenn, I love you so much," Chris continued before I could say anything more. "Colorado isn't happening. I'm not leaving," he clarified. "Chris, you shouldn't have;" "I didn't," he answered. "Jenn, who's at the; Oh! Chris! Happy Easter! What a delight to see you! Jenn! Let the man in! Oh! What lovely flowers!" "Happy Easter, Mrs. Sanders," Chris greeted her and allowed her to take the flowers and the large plant out of his arms. "Um, my mom and sister are in the car;" "Well, wonderful!" Mom exclaimed. "Go and get them! We have plenty! John! Set up three more places at the table! Julie, Chris, and Cindy are here!" Before Chris could even turn around, Mom had run outside waving her arms. I guessed she had that part under control, so I took Chris' arm and brought him into the office near the front door and closed the door. "What happened?" I asked. Before he answered, he cupped my cheek. I put my hand on his and felt the tears once again welling up. "So much has happened, and even before I could turn down the Colorado offer;" "Turn it down?" "Well, yeah, Jenn," Chris answered as if it was obvious. "I can't go start a whole new life without my best girl." A tear trickled down my cheek before I could say anything else. I sniffed. "I was going to finish up my six months of clients and come be with you once the last one was wrapped up." "You were?" "Chris, I can't live without you," I explained and felt my lip trembling. "So, no Colorado?" "Robert gave it to his wife's nephew," he answered. "But, babe?" I blinked as if to show him I was still listening and not just staring into his big, beautiful eyes. "I got the promotion and raise I've been waiting for since last year." "You got it?" I whispered and tried to laugh through my tears. "Oh, I'm so happy for you!" "For us, Jenn," he corrected. "Now, before anything else happens, can I please kiss you?" For whatever reason, this caused me to cry. I nodded, but I also sobbed. It was a little pathetic, but hugely romantic too. I hurried to grab a tissue, wiped my face, and then wrapped my arms around him with my hand behind his head in hopes to bring it down to mine. "Oh, my gosh, I missed you," Chris whispered before setting his lips on mine. Hmm, those delicious lips I'd been dreaming about and craving were back on mine, and I couldn't get enough of him. "I love you," I sighed as we pulled apart. "My girl," he responded and kissed my forehead. "Uh, guys?" my brother, Luke, yelled through the door. "There are ten adults out here about dying and definitely not eating in anticipation of what's happening in that room. Care to share?" I laughed out loud and wrapped my arms around Chris' neck. "I guess we owe them that, huh?" "Jennifer Sanders, I love you," Chris declared quietly. "Now, I have a crazy idea, but we've waited long enough. Would you want to get married?" "Waited long enough; what; married?" I asked and then gasped. "What; like, today?!" Chris nodded. "I have the rings, babe. I did a lot in the last week. I knew we'd be OK, but this whole Colorado thing put a spin on things neither of us expected. But you said it yourself, Jenn. You were going to come join me. Why wait? Fr. Patrick will come today to marry us. I already spoke with him. I told him everything." I widened my eyes at that. The man had been my coach and teacher in high school. I certainly didn't need him to know that I'd been having wild sex with someone outside of marriage! "What? Chris! You told Father that we had sex?!" While I was speaking at a normal level, yes, you can expect that I certainly whispered that last word. Our families were likely listening at the door! "Well, he asked me directly, and it actually helped our case," Chris justified. "He is set to come over as soon as I text him." He knelt down onto one knee. "So, Jenn, my love, my best friend, my future, will you marry me?" "I think he just asked her to marry him!" Cindy announced. Or at least I was pretty certain it was her. "That was quick!" my mom responded. I laughed and shook my head. "'You had me at hello,'" I quoted and squeezed his hand since he had been holding it. "Yes, and we will do it today." "You don't have to." "'Yes, I do,'" I argued. "'Because I love you.'" Chris smirked and leaned down to put his lips to mine. "'Just remember who said it first,'" he teased and kissed me heartily. When he broke away, he pulled out his phone. "Guys! What's going on?" Chris' mom asked and knocked. "Hello, Fr. Patrick," Chris greeted our favorite priest and teacher. "Yes, sir, she did. Yep, at her house. OK, see you soon." When Chris hung up, he motioned with his head. "Come on. Let's go deal with the restless natives." When he opened the door, ten excited and focused faces, which were either pressed up to the door or turned completely from the dining room table; (because they had to help their little ones with food); met us as we left the room. "Alright, everybody," Chris announced. He was very excited and unusually confident as he greeted the family. It was totally hot to witness. "We've got some news. As some of you know, I was in an accident a short while ago, and when I went home, I had Jenn move in with me to make sure I would be alright. Well, she finally realized that we were (and have been) meant to be together, so what would you all say to us getting married?" Cheers and gasps and laughter (mostly from my brothers) filled the air. Our moms were gasping but crying and hugging and babbling about always knowing. "When?" Luke asked. "Today," Chris answered, and the sudden silence causing us to laugh. "Well," Matthew, my usually observant and generally quiet brother spoke up, "it's not like they need time to get to know each other. I'm up for a wedding if everyone else is. Looks like we finally get to use the backyard for more than just egg hunting and sun tanning. Let's finish eating and get to work! We've got a wedding to prepare for!" I walked over to Matthew and wrapped my arms around him to hug him. His wife, Dina, just smiled and ran her hand up and down his arm. "Congrats, sis," Dina offered and hugged me quickly as I walked back over to see what our moms were saying. "Well, won't this be an Easter to remember?" Julie asked and hugged my mom. "I mean, I shouldn't be surprised," my mom answered and walked toward the kitchen with her arm around Chris' mom. "I was just telling her the other day;" I rolled my eyes and shook my head at Luke who was watching me with a smirk on his face. "Told ya things would work themselves out," Luke teased smugly. "Yes, you did, my big little brother," I agreed. "So, do you think I'll have enough flower girls?" "With this family? You'll have everything you'll ever need like always."   Chris We ate Easter lunch as a large family, and had just begun cleaning up, when the doorbell rang. I nodded at Denise, Jenn's mom, and walked over to answer it since I was pretty sure it was Fr. Patrick. "Chris!" Fr. Patrick greeted me and laughed. "Well, won't this be an Easter to remember?" "That's what I'm hearing," I responded and patted his back as I walked him into the kitchen where a plate had been awaiting his arrival. "Father!" both Denise and my mom greeted him with open arms. "Thanks so much for coming on such short notice!" "Well, I might have been given a heads up along with a promise of some very fine Easter food," he confessed and sat down while the ladies served him. "Babe?" I whispered to Jenn as she was staring out the window into the backyard. The kids were playing on the large swing set her dad had built when he found out he was going to be a grandfather. "Hmm?" "Babe?" "Yes, Chris?" Jenn answered and turned to give her full attention to me. "There you are," I noted and held her hand. "You're all good with this?" "I'm as comfortable as ever with all of it, actually," she answered. I could tell that she was happy. Really happy. That's all I ever wanted. "So, are we going to talk about the living arrangements, work, church, kids; all that?" "Sure, but not today," she answered calmly. "Today? Today, we're going to stand before our family and tell one another that we do, in fact, plan to love and honor each other for the rest of our lives. Today, you're going to take me home to our place and make me your girl with nothing in between us. Today we begin the rest of our lives. As long as it's together, Chris, we'll be doing just fine." "Well, now. That? That I can live with." I responded and brought the woman standing next to me, the woman who held my heart, the woman I was about to marry into my arms and kissed her. About fifteen minutes later, we were married in a beautifully short, small, and intimate ceremony in the backyard. About an hour later, we were cutting a bunny cake and feeding each other small pieces of it with the kids cheering and laughing as they watched us. And about a half hour after that, we were heading home. Luke took care of Jenn's car, and Denise happily offered to take my mom and sister home to their places. Neither seemed to want to leave at that point anyway. As I carried my bride into the house, Jenn rested her head on my shoulder. I set her down in the kitchen and took out my phone to play a song so that we could have our first dance as husband and wife. With the heels she was wearing, we were nearly the same height. We swayed and held one another closely. I was getting a little worked up at the way she kept rubbing against me, but I think it was not only intentional, but also very much mutually rewarding. I slid my hand up her back and played with the zipper of her dress. Jenn smirked and brought her hands down to the buttons of my shirt. With the fact that this was, in fact, our wedding "night," not to mention the first time in over a week that we could finally touch one another again, I was sure that we both had the same idea. It didn't take but 55 seconds for us to be fully undressed. I pulled the blanket off the counter (I had been both optimistic and proactive) and held her as we both laid down onto the kitchen floor. "This seems to be the place where first times are had," Jenn noted and cupped my cheek as I took my position over her. "Definitely the first time making love to my wife," I agreed and leaned down to kiss her deeply. As our bodies became one, we solidified what was always meant to be. I could feel everything, and her moans and reactions told me she felt things she hadn't felt before too. I knew without the condom in the way, it would be different, but this was so much more than that. This was my wife. And as we reached our orgasms, we kissed and held one another tightly. This was the beginning of everything.   Jenn 50 weeks later "Happy Easter, you two!" my mom greeted Chris and me as we stood in the doorway of my childhood home. "Come on, come on! Oh, Chris! Thank you! It's lovely," she offered as she took the new lily plant he'd insisted on bringing. "Just put the pistachio salad on the kitchen counter, please." "Hey! There's my girl!" my dad greeted me and pointed at my belly. "How's it going?" "They say any day, but if it's not soon, Dad, I may just reach up there and;" "Oh, ho, ho, kay!" Chris announced as he slid up to take my hand. "It'll happen when it's time, sweetheart," he reminded me and kissed my temple. "Girl, don't I know how you feel!" Corinne told me and laughed. "You know that's right!" Dina declared. "They aren't lying!" Carli, Mark's wife, yelled from the bedroom where she must have been changing one of the little one's diapers. Just as Mom announced that it was time to eat, the doorbell rang. Chris went to answer it knowing it would be his mom and sister. As we finished the prayer before the meal, I yelped when I felt a sudden gush. "Oops!" I exclaimed and jumped up causing my chair to slide back to the counter. "Baby?" Chris questioned as he buttered his roll. "Baby!" my three sisters-in-law all declared and pointed down at my (now) wet dress. "Ah!" my younger brothers screamed as Luke shook his head and pointed at Chris. "You have the bag, right?" Luke asked calmly. "Been in the car since she was seven months," Chris answered. He'd shoved the roll in his mouth and gotten up as soon as the wet dress was brought to his attention. "And away we go," Luke addressed and followed us out of the house to get into his own car which he'd driven there. He had made all sorts of arrangements to make sure he was going to be at the birth of his godson.   Chris As my wife finally got her chance to relax after the birth of our sons, I took a seat on the bed next to her. "They're beautiful, babe," I praised and kissed her temple. She pressed her head into my lips to share in the special moment. "You did a great job making them," I added. "We sure did," Jenn agreed and looked into my eyes until I brought my lips down onto hers. "Knock, knock!" our mothers announced as they stood in the doorway. "Where are my grandsons?" Denise questioned and then tossed her purse at John as she spotted the bassinets. "Oh! There they are!" One thing Jenn and I had requested was that no one, not even the grandmothers, would just be expecting to grab babies and pass them around. Both grandmothers respectfully hovered over the contraptions which held our sons, so I nodded at John before getting up to introduce them to their relatives. "Steven John David," I stated as I reached down to pick up our first-born son, "may I introduce you to your grandmothers." I handed him to Denise seeing as her husband was the namesake behind one of the middle names. Steven had been the name of a classmate we'd had who had passed away during our senior year. We'd both held him in high regard and felt the name was fitting. "Nicholas Luke Patrick," I continued, "I'd like to introduce you to your grandmothers as well. You were named for my father, your godfather, and a priest who means the world to your mother and me." "Steven John David, you will be loved so much by this family," Denise whispered and smiled at her husband. "Welcome to the world, Nicholas Luke Patrick," my mom greeted my other son. That night, after aunts, uncles, grandparents, and a special visiting priest had left our room so that we could spend our first night alone as a family of four, I laid down next to my wife and the amazing mother of my sons. "Happy Easter, sweetheart," I whispered and kissed her shoulder as she fed our son. "Happy Easter, my love," she whispered back and rubbed her thumb over Steven's hair. Nicholas was still asleep in the bassinet, so we were taking the opportunity to spend some alone time with our firstborn. "Happy Anniversary too," she added and sniffed a laugh. "It was a year ago today that we had our first kitchen encounter." "Well, doesn't that make this date even more special?" I responded and leaned down to kiss her lips. Much like our life had been since our whirlwind romance and wedding, I knew bringing home twin sons and learning to adjust to this new part of our lives was just going to be as wonderful as the rest of our life together had been. I settled back against my best friend, the mother of my children, and let out a relaxed sigh. Life was good, and I couldn't wait to see what else it had in store. Based on a post by cilma rae, for Literotica.

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Get this show Ad Free and the Extended Version at https://tmgstudios.tv COME SEE ME LIVE: https://www.noelmillerlive.com/  This week on Company Lot I'm joined by Pat and Mike, the Crash Dummies, for another installment of $5 therapy. You guys sent us some wild voicemails and got very personal about your relationships, from unique kinks to how to deal with rejection. Nothing was off the table this episode.  Download Cash App Today: THATSMONEY10 #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms and conditions at https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Discounts and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit http://cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. Give the gift of smooth this holiday season with the Performance Package 5.0 Ultra. Get 15% off with code COMPANYLOT15 at Manscaped.com  Knock out all your holiday gifting needs today with MeUndies. To get exclusive holiday deals up to 50% off, go to https://MeUndies.com/LOT  and enter promo code LOT.  Got big game show dreams? DraftKings Casino is making them a reality! All players get a share of SEVENTY FIVE MILLION SPINS on Wheel of Fortune Triple Extreme Spin. For eight days, everyone gets Spins on the house! Just log in and head to the Promos page to claim your Spins every day from five to nine PM Eastern Time. Then tune in to DraftKings Casino week on Wheel of Fortune for more puzzle packed casino fun! The Crown is Yours. Check out Pat and Mike on​ ⁨@CrashDummiesPodcast⁩  LISTEN AND REVIEW ON APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/company-lot/id1751363101 LISTEN AND REVIEW ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6MiOW2rMsgpsp0Vgnl08JB?si=885953cc2c074973 MERCH: https://millerfpo.com  SUBSCRIBE: https://bit.ly/NoelMillerSub MY TOP VIDEOS: https://bit.ly/NoelMillerTopVideos MY SECOND CHANNEL: https://bit.ly/NoelMillerLive PODCAST: https://tmgstudios.tv INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thenoelmiller TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/thenoelmiller TIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@notnoelmiller TWITCH: https://www.twitch.tv/noelmiller BUSINESS: mahzad.ba bayan@unitedtalent.com Produced by TMG Studios and Noel Miller Thumbnail by @dvdaltizer Chapters: 00:00 welcome crash dummies 02:18 mom or mommy? 13:19 being boring  22:29 cash app  24:18 manscaped 26:21 its gonna be a no 32:42 drunk texting ex's  38:55 my girl bullies me  44:22 meundies 46:47 draftkings casino 47:48 spicing up marriages  56:30 pinkeye  59:03 thanks for tuning in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friendzone Skeptics: Part 1. Old classmates spend a week together, and find more. Based on a post by cilma rae. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chris Benbury and Jennifer Sanders tell the tale of how their friendship took decades to transform into a life connection. We're going to let them tell just how it happened. I'm Jennifer Sanders. In high school, I was Jenny, or Jenn. One fall day in the early nineties, Chris and I met at our high school. When? What, like the exact moment? Heck, I dunno. It was a small school, and everyone knew everyone; for the most part. It wasn't until after college that we'd connected again. Just friends, we'd meet up for lunch here and there. A text about family would show up, and one of us would respond with a smile or a few updates on their own life. He was always supportive of my goals, and I was very proud to know him and to witness all he had accomplished as well. Chris would date here and there, but there was never anything serious. I was so busy trying to move up in my career field that sometimes, I'd not even realize that two months had gone by since my last; um, well, even the thought of sex was rare. I was pretty happy excelling in the successes of my own business. It was when I turned 35 that I realized I might have let a little too much time go by. "Jenn," my mom lamented in her usual way on our weekly call, "when am I gonna have grand babies?" "Um, Mom? You have six grandchildren," I reminded her as I thought about my three nephews and three nieces produced by the mix of my three brothers and their amazing wives. "Oh, Jennifer," Mom chided, "you know what I mean. You're my only daughter. No boyfriend, at least that I've heard of. No talk of relationships at all. What about Chris? Do you still talk to him? He was always such a sweet boy in high school. You mentioned that you two keep in touch, right?" "Oh, Mother!" I argued. "Chris is a friend, a very good one at that. It's not like that though." "Well, just think on it, OK?" she requested as if my answer wasn't acceptable. "You never know. I mean, remember how I told you that I didn't realize I was meant to be with your father until;" "Until he kissed you, I know," I mocked and shook my head as I had said each word exactly as she had, only my words were dripping with sarcasm. "Mom, I have never been in a position to kiss Chris. He's a good friend. He dates. We share stories and encourage each other in our work ventures. It's just not like that." "OK, I'm just saying;" she announced as she always did when she finally gave up. "Are you coming for Easter?" "Of course, Mom," I answered as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I'll bring the pistachio salad as usual, and it's my turn to bring their basket contents this year." "Oh, honey," Mom noted and signed. "I know you're the only one without kids, but the boys sure do appreciate that you participate in the 'taking turns' idea for the kids." I couldn't help but smile as she called my 31 , 32, and 34 year-old brothers "the boys." I think I'd actually have to put more brain power into grasping who they were if she were to refer to them as "my brothers." She had always grouped them together when speaking with me. "Oh, believe me," I corrected of her apology, "it's not only no bother, but I'm stoked to get to fill their baskets once every four years. I look forward to earning my properly worded title of 'Best Aunt Ever' twice in those years. Naturally, I have that honor every Christmas!" "Yes, well, just don't show up your brothers with too expensive gifts," she reminded me as she did all the time. She was unaware that I made sure to reach out to my sisters-in-law each year to not only get great (and appropriate) gifts for the family celebration, but also added a few for under their trees in their own homes which would be marked from "Santa." It made my heart full to give them a little extra since I had the means to do it. As I laid in bed that night, I thought about what my mom had suggested. Chris? Really? Had I ever thought about that option? I scoffed and shook my head in the dark. Nah. He was just a friend! I was about to fall asleep when my phone chirped. It was charging on the table next to my bed, so I reached over blindly and picked it up. "I'm really sorry if this is waking you, but I need to talk to you." I didn't think twice and called Chris' sister, Cindy, to see what was going on. We hadn't talked in a long while, but I had her number saved from a surprise party we had thrown for Chris when he had turned 30. "Jenn?" Cindy questioned when answering on the second ring. "Yeah, Cindy, it's me," I confirmed. "What's up?" "Chris was in a car accident!" she exclaimed and let out a sigh as she took the moment to catch her bearings. "Well, oh, gosh," I reacted as I wasn't sure what the severity was. "Is he OK?" I asked as most humans would think to ask next. "Yes, thank God!" Cindy answered and hiccupped. "Oh, I guess I should have led with that. His car is totaled thanks to the jerk who cut him off, but we are at the hospital because he has some injuries." "That makes sense," I replied and shook my head. "Cindy, what's up? I mean, I appreciate the call, and I am happy to check in on him tomorrow, but;" "Well, that's just it," Cindy quickly interrupted. "Um, yeah; so, Dex and I were supposed to be leaving tonight for a week away. Chris is going to need some assistance, so I was wondering, you know, if maybe you could help out?" "Help out?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Cindy, what exactly does 'need some assistance' mean?" "Um, well; he has a concussion, so the doctor mentioned that he shouldn't be left alone for a while," she explained. "No more than a week or so, I think. I mean, as his only sibling, it was logical that I was asked to do it, you know? But we have these tickets, and the trip;" "So, how would it work?" I asked before she rubbed in her little romantic vacation anymore. "He will obviously not be able to work. Would he be able to come to stay at my place, or?" "Oh, I asked that too," Cindy answered. "The doctor said it is best at his place since he knows it the best. You know, corners, walls, and stuff in case he gets dizzy." "So, I'd have to move into his place?" "Yeah," she answered and got quiet. I ran over the short list in my head of other people who could possibly take the position of which I was being offered and realized there was no one else who could do it. His mom was too old and didn't get around very well. His dad was out of the picture. His guy friends were either busy with their married lives or irresponsible enough to not trust in such a position. No, Cindy was right to call me. Now I had to get going. Did I pack? What about my place? Could I leave to check on it throughout the week? Could he come with me? So many questions. "Jenn, are you still there?" I nearly dropped the phone when I heard Cindy calling out to me. "Shoot! Oh, Cindy, I'm sorry. Yes, tell the doctor I'll be there within the hour. I'll grab my things and figure out the other stuff tomorrow. Will you be there?" "Oh, um, we were going to go since he's asleep. Did you need me to stay;" "No, go," I answered and shook my head as I said it. "Go have a blast on your trip. Check in as you can, but don't worry. I'll take care of him." "Oh, thank you, Jenn! I knew you'd be there for him." We continued our niceties as I got dressed again and packed while she told me his room number and promised to text me the information too. We hung up as I zipped my bad shut and headed for the bedroom door. I pointed at the several places my most immediately needed items were usually located and found that I'd packed them all, including my phone charger.     When I entered the hospital, I made my way to the elevator to go straight to Chris' room. I knew it was after hours for the most part, but if I was going to be his person, I had to get in there to speak with the doctor to find out what was required of me. "Excuse me? Can I help you?" a nurse asked as I was looking at the wall to find which direction I needed to go to find the room. "I'm here to see Chris Benbury," I explained. "My name is Jennifer;" "Sanders?" She questioned and nodded when I showed surprise. "Sorry. Chris' sister, Cindy, told us to be expecting you. I'm Marita, and I was here when Chris was brought in, so you can come to me if you have any questions or concerns until 6am when the shift changes. Come with me, hun, and we'll get you comfortable in his room. When I see the doctor, I'll send him in to answer your questions." "Thank you," I answered quietly. The severity of Chris' injuries was still in question, but the fact that I was walking in a hospital being led by a nurse hit me a little. I felt the emotions welling up, so I put up my finger as if to request that we stop so I could collect myself. "Oh, honey! It's alright!" Marita sympathized and rubbed my back. "He's going to be just fine!" I laughed a little at her need to comfort me and shook my head as I wiped my eyes. "Oh, my gosh. This is so stupid. I can't believe I'm standing here crying. I don't know what's come over me!" I inhaled deeply and accepted the tissue Marita offered. As I wiped my eyes, I let out another laugh. "I'm alright. It's just that I am standing here in a hospital, and the sudden realization that Chris could have been really hurt badly, or even;" "Oops! No, no, girl," Marita chided. "No, we aren't going down that road. Chris is going to be just fine. He just got banged up a little. We are monitoring him well, but once you take him home, he'll improve each day. It's just the concussion that has us worried a little bit." "I appreciate it," I responded and nodded. "Thank you. Thanks for letting me get this out before we go in there." "Honey, I gotchu," Marita offered and patted my back again. "Ready? He's right in here." I nodded, so the nurse gave a gentle knock on the door and then pushed it open. It would appear that she did the knocking thing as a habit, but she also seemed to know he was going to be asleep when we walked in. "He has a concussion from the collision. From what I heard, he was turning right onto the street when an impatient son of a b, ," she began to say but stopped herself and cleared her throat. "Excuse me, I mean; when the other driver came along on the shoulder to pass him. I don't know for sure, but the police indicated that the man was being impatient and tried to go around illegally. Because the other driver wasn't paying attention, Chris' continued proper turn into his lane caused a sudden need for the other guy to have to swerve and slammed directly into Chris' car." "Yeah," I replied as I bent over to look at the face of the man who held the honor of one of my longest running friendships, "Cindy mentioned that his car was totaled. It's a shame," I noted as I pushed some hair from Chris' forehead, "because he loved that car. He had it ordered exactly the way he had wanted it only about nine months ago." "That is a shame," Marita echoed. "Well, he's going to have some bruises and aches and pains for a good few days, but other than that, it's the dizziness which might be an issue." Marita continued to check stats and document them since she was in the room. "Well, I'll leave you to visit with him. You can pull out the bed, and the remote is next to his bed if you want to watch something. When I see the doctor, I'll let him know you're here and waiting for instructions." "Thank you, Marita," I responded and nodded.   My name is Christopher Benbury. This is how I got around to getting together with Jennnifer. "Jenn?" My best friend, Jenn Sanders, awoke and looked around as if to try figuring out where she was and who was calling her name. "Jenn? What are you doing here?" I repeated. "Hmm, Chris," she answered and raised her arms to stretch. The chair must have been comfortable, but I don't think she had expected to fall asleep quite so deeply. "Cindy called me after your accident," she explained. "Since she's got her trip with Dax, I came to be your aide for the next week as you heal." "She called you?" I asked and reached up to touch my head. "Ow, stupid headache. Oh, crap! Cindy's trip. Wasn't there anyone else she could have called?" "Wow," she answered sarcastically. "Thanks." "Oh, shit, Jenn," I responded suddenly. I wanted to smack my forehead for acting the way I was. It wasn't her fault I was in an accident, my car had been totaled, and I was waking up in a hospital. "Oh, crap, that's not what I meant. I just; why did she have to bother you?" "Well, I did the math as I pondered my ability to help out, and it comes down to the fact that I'm the only logical person since she's not available. Your mom isn't capable. Andy, Doug, and Erik are either married or, let's face it; not entirely responsible enough to hardly care for themselves; Doug," she muttered, though audibly. I couldn't blame her. Last she'd heard, Doug had locked himself out of his house in a drunken stupor and just slept on the concrete porch one late night. It turned out that he'd also opened his garage door and could have just gone into the house through there. Idiot. Had the weather been ten degrees colder, he could have died. When telling the story, though, he laughed all the way through it and proudly showed off his frozen burnt skin on his arm. I had to reach for Jenn's hand while he told his story to remind her that beating the crap out of the moron wasn't going to change anything. "OK, I suppose you have a point," I realized and laid my head back on the pillow. "Has the doctor been in?" "If he came in while I was sleeping, he didn't wake me up," she answered and stood up to stretch. "Would you want me to call Marita?" "Who?" I asked. Was I supposed to know who that was? Was she already trying to get out of helping me? Was Marita an aide who helped my mom? Why would Jenn know Mom's aides' names? "The nurse," she answered. "I can push the call button and have her come here to check on you, and maybe we could;" "Knock, knock!" Marita announced as she opened the door. "I thought I heard voices! Well, hello there, handsome! And good morning, Jennifer. Last time I was in here, you were hovering over him like a concerned lovebird." I looked over at Jenn, but she was watching Marita, and I couldn't see her face. Was she looking at me with concern? Lovebird? In all the time we'd be hanging out and talking, it had only ever been friendly. Lunches, a rare trip to the movies and shared popcorn, and texts almost every day. But more than friends? Why had Marita said it like that? "The doctor got called away to do surgery in the big city," Marita explained as she messed with the computer and attachments hooked up to my body, "so he left your case, Chris, with Dr. Chesney Ryan. She's due to come in at around 7am this morning. It's 5:30am now. Do either of you need anything? Chris, what is your pain level? Anything other than your head hurting, hun?" "Ask me again once I get out of bed," I requested and sighed. I pulled over the covers and realized I was in a gown. Well, crap. Nice way for my friend to see me for the first time in something other than normal clothes. Maybe I could hold the back together; "How about you, Jenn?" Marita asked. Fortunately, she was keeping Jenn's attention. Or maybe Jenn was just being kind and sparing me the humiliation. I held both sides of my gown together as I hurried to the bathroom to do my business. My friend. Jennifer Sanders and I met during our freshman year of high school. She was always kind to me. We hung out in large groups on occasion, and we laughed a lot when we sat next to one another in homeroom two years in a row. That was a lucky thing for me when many of the other parts of my life sucked so badly. I won't get into it, but let's just say, going to school was a blessing, especially when I got to see Jenn. I chickened out when dances came around, so she was never the wiser that I had a huge crush on her. All throughout high school, I had the pleasure of her company, so why ruin that? I decided during our junior year when I had heard that she'd accepted yet another request for her companionship as the quarterback's date for the next dance of the year to just let go of the dream that one day, she'd want me. And so it went. We graduated from high school in May. We went our separate ways, crossed paths at a restaurant and exchanged cell phone numbers, and reconnected. I have heard from her at least once a week, though recently, if I go two days without hearing from her, I check in. She has always given me the indication that she enjoys my company when we go out to lunch together, and laughter and endless chatting is a given. After countless times of having my mother and sister asking me why Jenn wasn't more to me, I threw up my hands and told them it just wasn't meant to be. Friendship is important to me, and the idea of scaring her away with my declaration of love just wasn't one to deal with. Waking up this morning and finding her there in the room with me was a shock, and I wasn't in the right mindset to acknowledge that my sister had asked Jenn to stay with me. It still wasn't sinking in. I think once the doctor came into the room to discuss the upcoming week of healing, we'd both begin to understand just what was expected of her. I just hoped she wouldn't abandon ship. OK, yes, she'd never do that, but would it cross her mind? When I walked into the room again, Jenn was going through her bag. "Oh, hey," she greeted me again. "I'm supposed to remind you to let Marita know before she leaves if you have any other concerns or pains. She's off at 6am." With her arm full of clothes, she pointed with her other hand. "Are you done in the bathroom? I was hoping to freshen up." "What for?" I asked as I covered myself with the sheet. "You're beautiful as always." "Oh, Chris," she chided and shook her head. "You're both biased and obligated to say so. We old people need to stick together," she claimed, to which I shook my head while rolling my eyes. Because she was always teasing that we were getting old. "And you have to say that because you know if you're mean to me, you'll be left all alone in that big house of yours when I storm out leaving you without anyone to pick you up when you faint." "Doesn't mean it's not true," I argued as she closed the bathroom door. If I was going too far, because I'd never said much of anything before indicating that I saw her as more than a friend, I could claim the concussion as an excuse.   Jenn Dr. Ryan came in just as Marita had indicated at around 7am. She was pleased with the tests she ran on Chris, but she was extremely glad to know that I had planned to spend the week with him at his place. "In the first few days, you should not spend much time on your feet. A shower is fine; but leave the door open so she can hear you. Try not to stand at the stove, for instance." "Oh, I've got meals covered all week," I interjected. "But what about walking?" "OK, good to know about the meals," Dr. Ryan responded. "No strenuous exercise, obviously, but walking is good. Jenn, perhaps plan to hold his arm so that you can feel his speed and stability. Fresh air is definitely helpful." "His bedroom is on the second floor," I informed the doctor. "Oh, I'll be taking the couch," Chris noted. "What?" I asked and shook my head. "Why would you?" "Actually, that's probably a great idea," Dr. Ryan responded. "Even if you help him up the stairs, he will need to come down. If everything is on the main floor, less to be concerned about." "Ha!" Chris teased. I stuck my tongue out at him. He was chivalrous, sure, but he was also stubborn. I could just as easily have stayed on the couch. "Well, I think I'm going to get the paperwork going for discharge," Dr. James told us both as she smirked at our playful nature. Jenn, if you have any concerns, don't hesitate to call my number." I reached out to take her card and gave her raised eyebrows. Her personal number? "I've found that having the patient or caregiver calling me instead of a hospital has dramatically helped in reducing unnecessary trips to the hospital, not to mention going through the painful process of hunting me or another doctor down. I'd say eight out of ten times? Yeah, one-minute Q & A, and the situation is handled. I can give up a minute here or there." I shook my head while smiling. Dr. Ryan just shrugged and winked at Chris. "Welp, are you ready to ditch this joint?" I asked Chris and laughed at my own expression. "Meals? Walks? And you're totally taking my bedroom," Chris added and pointed at me. "How long have you been planning these things?" "Before I fell asleep, I made a list of things I wanted to do or have handled. My brother will stop at my house to get the stuff I'll be texting him once I've assessed things at your house." "Which brother?" Chris asked. "Luke. Duh," I teased. He knew that too. Not only was Luke the brother I was closest to, but he lived closest also. "Well, I never know for sure which gospel writer it'll be," Chris teased. "Well, you know the answer is never John," I lamented. As you can probably surmise, my brothers' names are Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but my parents started with Luke (after me). Since my dad is John, he decided to go in reverse order. I never got that question wrong in Sunday school. "Anyways, he, Luke, will stop in each day at my house. I've contacted my troop and informed them of this situation. I'll be off work other than checking emails, so you can have my full attention." "Oh, well, lucky me," Chris teased. "I'd say so," I shot back. "So, my mail and house are covered. Luke will bring me my food and ingredients for all meals I have planned, and I will order the rest to be delivered." "My treat, of course," Chris interrupted. "I already have an account. I'll add whatever you want to get, but I'm paying." I huffed dramatically. "Ugh, fine," I whined. "We can watch movies, take naps, go for walks, and see how you're feeling each day." "I think Cindy called my boss last night, so I'll just check in with him when we get to my place," Chris noted. He inhaled for a second and then let out the air in a huff. "Jenn, are you sure you want to do this?" "Alright, that's twice," I accused. "What's with you? We went over this already. Why don't you want me to be with you? What did I do? Do you want me to call Doug?" "Jenn! No!" Chris exclaimed. He motioned for me to come sit by him. Seeing as he was still wearing that stupid gown, he couldn't exactly get up. I bowed my head and walked over to stand by the bed. He reached over to take my hand. "Sit, please." Once I did, he continued. "Jenn, I can't begin to explain to you how much it means to me that you're willing to help me out. This stupid accident, my totaled car, Cindy's vacation, my concussion, missing work, rearranging your life so that you can move in with me to babysit me;" "Wait, wait," I argued. "I'm not just some caregiver off the street. It's not like we just met at work a few years ago. I'm not just doing this because you need someone to help you. You're like; my best friend, Chris." I sighed and relaxed a little. "This is stupid, this little fit we're having. Look, you're in a situation that requires help. I'm in a situation that allows me to help you. You'd totally do the same for me, right?" "I mean, I guess, but your parents could easily;" "Chris, cut it out," I argued and playfully slapped his arm. "You'd totally do it and hardly take 'no' for an answer, right?" Chris nodded. "Let me do this. Let's make the most of it. We're always saying at lunches that we should do that more often. Well, we've got about a week's worth of meals to enjoy together. Besides," I teased, "you can see what kind of a cook I am. Maybe after this week, you'll see why it's good that we meet up at restaurants all the time." I shrugged, but Chris didn't laugh. "I just really appreciate it, Jenn," Chris stated quietly. "I'm not used to this, you know? I live alone. I don't depend on anyone. I haven't in years." "Yeah, well, me too," I agreed. "So, let's just see what happens, alright?" I requested and got up because the daytime nurse had knocked and entered the room. "Time to get dressed, young man," Georgie instructed and winked at me as she stood behind him to make sure his bottom remained covered. I turned and checked my bag to give him the decency of a little privacy. As we made our way to Chris' place, we made small talk. I had a list in my head of things needing to be done, but for now, I was thinking that picking up coffee and breakfast sandwiches seemed like the right move. The way Chris' face lit up at the mention of those things made me smile. Once in the house, I began going over my list of necessary items to make all the meals I'd planned for the week. I had a good idea of what I had at my own place since I had made my plans for the weeks' worth of meals a day earlier, so I just had to see what Chris had. I texted my brother the list, thanked him, and told Chris what needed to be purchased for delivery. Once that was all done, I took my things upstairs to his room and set myself up. I still felt bad for taking his room, but he assured me that he was going to sleep just fine on the couch. I only agreed if he was cool with me checking on him randomly throughout the night. He shrugged and agreed. He and I both handled work things for about an hour until the delivery came. I unpacked the groceries and made lunch. Chris joined me at the table, and we talked about movies we'd enjoy throughout the week. It was decided to go with any movies from our high school days for nostalgia's sake. While on a short walk around the block, I offered my arm, but he suggested holding my hand instead. I shrugged and gave it to him. I can't explain what happened, but something inside me awakened. My stomach tightened, my head swam a little, my heart rate sped up, and my skin tingled. He didn't seem to notice, so I tried to play it off and listen to what he was telling me.   Chris "What a beautiful day, huh?" I asked and looked around at our surroundings. "I'm surprised we don't even need a jacket. Easter is a couple weeks away, and I feel like it might even be shorts weather for some egg hunters this year." Jenn laughed. "Remember a couple years ago when you said that at lunch? It snowed on Easter morning that year. I made a comment to my mom about it when I woke up and found it white outside. I literally said aloud to my bedroom, 'Ha! Chris was totally wrong this time!'" "Alright, alright," I admitted and laughed with her. "I suppose I can be wrong some of the time." I squeezed her hand which made her look over at me. She had a different look in her eye than usual, but then again, we didn't ever hold hands like we were either. I admit, I suggested holding her hand for a few other reasons than just her ability to sense that I was losing stability. I had always wondered what it would be like to hold her hand. I wondered if I could get her to dance with me one day too. Maybe it wasn't too late to know what it felt like to hold her in my arms like I had wished for all those years ago. "Shall we go once more around, or was that enough for the day?" Jenn asked, which snapped me out of my little daydream. "Let's play it safe," I suggested and nodded toward the house. "Come on. I feel a little nap coming soon." "Ooo, a nap sounds amazing," Jenn reflected and smiled. "I might even sneak one in too. So, how's your head?" "Oh, I didn't even realize that the headache is practically gone," I informed her and smiled. I almost made mention about her ability to leave earlier than expected, but she didn't seem to like those comments. I guess it did make me seem hard on myself. I just didn't want her to feel like she had to be there if she didn't want to be. I made a pact with myself to stop the shitty comments degrading my self-esteem. She wasn't wrong. It was rather depressing to hear those words, even coming out of my own mouth. "That's great!" Jenn responded and gave me a thumbs up. "Well, let's get you inside and set you up for a nap." Jenn stopped and turned to face me. I had just realized that we were still holding hands. "In fact, let's head upstairs. We can both lie down, and that way, if you need something or don't feel right, I'll be right there." "Um, I mean, yeah. That seems like a good idea." "Right?" Jenn answered. "And also, you can take a shower, grab some fresh clothes, and then we can head down to have dinner and watch a movie or two." So, that's what we did. Jenn laid on the other part of my king size bed once I was set up on my usual side. We fell asleep facing away from each other. She'd set her alarm for two hours for "just in case." We didn't think a longer nap would be good for us. Sleeping the day away wasn't going to help me any, and she didn't want to be too awake at bedtime. I took my shower and tried not to think about the gorgeous woman sitting in my room waiting for me to finish. I thought about a quick release while in there, but even I was nervous that doing so would possibly cause me to become dizzy, and I certainly didn't need her to figure out what had caused me to pass out. Apparently, Luke had come while I was in the shower, so the kitchen was a little more stocked with meal stuff Jenn had planned for. When I came out of the shower, a few more items were sitting on her bag too, so I guessed she'd put those things in the bathroom for herself to use once I was situated downstairs on the couch. Dinner was awesome. The movies were fun and provided several opportunities to laugh, talk about memories that came from the time we had seen the movie or who we saw it with. My mom called to check in on me, and Cindy apparently texted Jenn to let her know that they had made it safely to their destination. Jenn tucked me in, and then she retired upstairs to go to bed. I think she checked in on me a few times, but she didn't disturb me. I woke up to smells of coffee and breakfast. This chick sure knew the way to my heart, intentional or not. I sat up and jumped when Jenn came walking in with a plate and fresh cup of coffee. "Good morning! Rise and shine," Jenn greeted me and set the items down on my coffee table. She left me alone for a minute and then brought her own plate and coffee mug in with her to join me. I generally preferred to eat at the kitchen table for all meals, but this just felt; natural. I really liked it. We checked in on work stuff, watched a little daytime television, walked around the block holding hands, ate lunch, took a little trip to the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions and a few other things Jenn needed. I wasn't sure. I stayed in the car because she said she'd just run in to grab them along with my meds. When we got home, she took me by the hand and led me upstairs so we could take a nap. There weren't many words. We did that a lot lately. It was like we could just communicate without using all the words. We were falling into a nice routine which seemed to be working for us. I fell asleep facing her back this time.   Jenn When I woke up, I realized first that my back was pressed up to something, and something else was holding me there. I opened my eyes to find myself being spooned by Chris. I froze. Wait, why was this so incredibly comfortable? Was it simply because I hadn't been intimate with anyone in; ? Well, it had been a long time. He stirred behind me and squeezed me to his body. Good; ness, did it feel amazing, or what? I closed my eyes and let myself imagine what could happen if I allowed myself the idea of being with Chris. The way it felt to hold his hand was really nice. The way we were always laughing, talking, being open with one another; oh crap! Was my mom possibly right about him? Had I never even given the idea a thought because we'd been friends for so long? I slid my hand down the arm he had over my stomach and rested it on top of his. I sighed and tried to imagine what a life with him could look like. Oh, gosh. What was I doing? Was I just caught up in this special circumstance where we happened to both be off work, hanging out with no obligations? Well, it was only Day Two, right? Couldn't I just see where it went? Chris stirred behind me, so I waited to see what he'd do. Slowly, he pulled back from me and gently slid his hand out from under mine. He must have assumed I was still sleeping. I inhaled deeply and stirred as if his movement woke me. "Hmm, hey," I greeted him and turned to face him. He'd slid far enough away that it didn't feel too awkward. "How'd you sleep?" Nothing came across as awkward, so we went on with our day and continued to go on with the day as usual. Days Three and Four went very much the same, each event bringing us closer together. A routine had been setting in, and the two of us seemed to enjoy the familiarity of each other and the circumstances in which we'd found ourselves. On Day Five, I found myself feeling rather sleepy during the late morning walk, so Chris pleaded for me to allow him to make us some lunch this time. I nodded and rested back into my cozy living room chair as the TV lulled me to sleep.   Chris So, I was making lunch when I realized that Jenn was fast asleep on the chair. I knew I could just leave her there, but I was going to be good for a nap too, so I ate my sandwich after packing hers up in a baggie and walked into the living room to assess the best approach. I covered her with a blanket since she had her hands tucked into her armpits and slid my arms beneath her to carry her up to the bedroom. Once she was settled, I faced her and smiled at the beautiful woman lying beside me in my bed. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead before closing my eyes to fall asleep. What woke me actually surprised me. It wasn't the movement on the bed, but the little kiss I felt against my cheek. I started a bit, but the hand holding mine just squeezed it. "Hi there," Jenn greeted me and smiled as she inhaled deeply. "I must have fallen asleep. Did you carry me upstairs, or did I just stay too asleep to not realize it? Oh; and lunch?" "You were out before I had the bread on the counter," I teased. "I ate quickly and put yours in a bag for after our naps." I took my turn to inhale deeply. I'd had the best sleep during all these naps. I didn't want to imagine what else was going away when the week was over. "Well, shower time if you want," Jenn mentioned. "I'm going to go downstairs to eat and set out the stuff for dinner." She looked over as she slid her hand out of mine. "You good?" "Yep," I answered instinctively. "See you down there." "You betcha," she answered and pointed at me and winked as she smiled and headed toward the door. I was about to get up when she came back in suddenly. "Oh, Chris?" "Hmm?" "Thanks for doing that," she answered. "I have had some great naps. I feel like this week has been a vacation, and it's the best I've ever had. I just; I appreciate that, um; I just appreciate it." "Well, I won't be getting in any more accidents," I teased. "You had better not!" she agreed. "We got lucky with this one only messing with your head a little. I don't want to know how bad it could have been," she added. "I'm kinda getting used to having you around. Might need to step up our dinner dates to once a week instead of once every other month, right? Well, unless you're sick of me." "Nope, definitely not that," I answered quietly. "What?" she yelled as she descended the stairs. "I guess we'll see," I teased. Her laughter made me smile. Dinner was phenomenal as usual. Jenn had a real knack for cooking. I didn't do so badly at it, particularly with the foods I tended to gravitate to since I was almost always only cooking for me, but having her bring in these different dishes made me wish the week was going to last longer. And not just because it was someone else making the dishes. It was Jenn, and I wanted it all: the time, the food, the girl. Yes, especially the girl. Rather than heading to the living room after dinner, I offered to do the dishes. "Go take a bath in the tub. It has jets. Go relax. I promise, if I feel even the least bit lightheaded, I'll sit down at the table. But I'll be fine. Go relax before we watch tonight's movie. We only picked one, remember?" "Thanks, I think I'll do that," she answered. I was relieved. Jenn needed to enjoy the amenities of this "vacation" as she'd called it. I was thrilled that she was enjoying the time with me as much as I was loving this time with her. I hoped it would actually lead to more meals spent together. Who knew what the future held, right? That night, once she'd made sure I was set for the night, she headed upstairs. I was flipping through channels not even acknowledging what was on the television. I was about to turn off the TV when I heard her coming down the stairs. I went ahead and set the remote on the table and pretended to be asleep. I figured she'd come over to check on me, and (forgive me, but; ) maybe I'd be able to sneak a peek. She wore shorts and a tank top to bed, at least while she'd been sleeping over, and I wondered if I might get to see a little something when she bent over to check on me. Rather than coming over to the couch, though, Jenn walked into the kitchen. As I turned to see what she was doing, I found myself staring at her cute, little panty-covered ass. She was reaching up into the cabinet for something. I wasn't sure what it was that she needed so badly, but it was enough for her to keep trying. Now was my chance. I had no idea what I was going to do, but the time was there, and I was taking the chance. I walked up behind Jenn and pressed into her as I reached up into the cabinet to get the box on the top shelf. My mouth had gone dry from staring at her, and my heart was pounding. As I brought the box down, I recognized the label. What the hell did she need condoms for? "Jenn?" "Chris," she replied in a whisper. "What's up?" "I, um; I thought you'd be asleep," she justified. "I;" "; needed condoms in the middle of the night?" "Yes," she answered and exhaled a ragged breath. She was shaking. "Why?" I asked as I set the box on the counter. I leaned forward as I shut the cabinet door and smiled a little to myself as I could feel her ass pressed up against my crotch. "Jenn, what's going on?" "I was going to check on you," she answered and, only to surprise me more, rested her head against my chest. "I; I was going to see if you, um;" I leaned down to brush my lips along her neck. "To see if I; what, Jenn?" Her response was just as I'd hoped. She pressed her bottom into my groin and moaned as I licked her earlobe. "What do you want, Jenn?" I whispered into her ear. With a moan, Jenn looked up at me with pleading eyes. "What is it?" "Kiss me," she breathed and reached up to slide her hand behind my head and into my hair. I leaned down and put my lips to hers. Fireworks. Good God! It was nothing like I had imagined, and so much more amazing than I thought possible. Jenn's moans indicated that she felt the same. To be continued. Based on a post by cilma rae, for Literotica.

Friendzone Skeptics: Part 1. Old classmates spend a week together, and find more. Based on a post by cilma rae. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chris Benbury and Jennifer Sanders tell the tale of how their friendship took decades to transform into a life connection. We're going to let them tell just how it happened. I'm Jennifer Sanders. In high school, I was Jenny, or Jenn. One fall day in the early nineties, Chris and I met at our high school. When? What, like the exact moment? Heck, I dunno. It was a small school, and everyone knew everyone; for the most part. It wasn't until after college that we'd connected again. Just friends, we'd meet up for lunch here and there. A text about family would show up, and one of us would respond with a smile or a few updates on their own life. He was always supportive of my goals, and I was very proud to know him and to witness all he had accomplished as well. Chris would date here and there, but there was never anything serious. I was so busy trying to move up in my career field that sometimes, I'd not even realize that two months had gone by since my last; um, well, even the thought of sex was rare. I was pretty happy excelling in the successes of my own business. It was when I turned 35 that I realized I might have let a little too much time go by. "Jenn," my mom lamented in her usual way on our weekly call, "when am I gonna have grand babies?" "Um, Mom? You have six grandchildren," I reminded her as I thought about my three nephews and three nieces produced by the mix of my three brothers and their amazing wives. "Oh, Jennifer," Mom chided, "you know what I mean. You're my only daughter. No boyfriend, at least that I've heard of. No talk of relationships at all. What about Chris? Do you still talk to him? He was always such a sweet boy in high school. You mentioned that you two keep in touch, right?" "Oh, Mother!" I argued. "Chris is a friend, a very good one at that. It's not like that though." "Well, just think on it, OK?" she requested as if my answer wasn't acceptable. "You never know. I mean, remember how I told you that I didn't realize I was meant to be with your father until;" "Until he kissed you, I know," I mocked and shook my head as I had said each word exactly as she had, only my words were dripping with sarcasm. "Mom, I have never been in a position to kiss Chris. He's a good friend. He dates. We share stories and encourage each other in our work ventures. It's just not like that." "OK, I'm just saying;" she announced as she always did when she finally gave up. "Are you coming for Easter?" "Of course, Mom," I answered as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I'll bring the pistachio salad as usual, and it's my turn to bring their basket contents this year." "Oh, honey," Mom noted and signed. "I know you're the only one without kids, but the boys sure do appreciate that you participate in the 'taking turns' idea for the kids." I couldn't help but smile as she called my 31 , 32, and 34 year-old brothers "the boys." I think I'd actually have to put more brain power into grasping who they were if she were to refer to them as "my brothers." She had always grouped them together when speaking with me. "Oh, believe me," I corrected of her apology, "it's not only no bother, but I'm stoked to get to fill their baskets once every four years. I look forward to earning my properly worded title of 'Best Aunt Ever' twice in those years. Naturally, I have that honor every Christmas!" "Yes, well, just don't show up your brothers with too expensive gifts," she reminded me as she did all the time. She was unaware that I made sure to reach out to my sisters-in-law each year to not only get great (and appropriate) gifts for the family celebration, but also added a few for under their trees in their own homes which would be marked from "Santa." It made my heart full to give them a little extra since I had the means to do it. As I laid in bed that night, I thought about what my mom had suggested. Chris? Really? Had I ever thought about that option? I scoffed and shook my head in the dark. Nah. He was just a friend! I was about to fall asleep when my phone chirped. It was charging on the table next to my bed, so I reached over blindly and picked it up. "I'm really sorry if this is waking you, but I need to talk to you." I didn't think twice and called Chris' sister, Cindy, to see what was going on. We hadn't talked in a long while, but I had her number saved from a surprise party we had thrown for Chris when he had turned 30. "Jenn?" Cindy questioned when answering on the second ring. "Yeah, Cindy, it's me," I confirmed. "What's up?" "Chris was in a car accident!" she exclaimed and let out a sigh as she took the moment to catch her bearings. "Well, oh, gosh," I reacted as I wasn't sure what the severity was. "Is he OK?" I asked as most humans would think to ask next. "Yes, thank God!" Cindy answered and hiccupped. "Oh, I guess I should have led with that. His car is totaled thanks to the jerk who cut him off, but we are at the hospital because he has some injuries." "That makes sense," I replied and shook my head. "Cindy, what's up? I mean, I appreciate the call, and I am happy to check in on him tomorrow, but;" "Well, that's just it," Cindy quickly interrupted. "Um, yeah; so, Dex and I were supposed to be leaving tonight for a week away. Chris is going to need some assistance, so I was wondering, you know, if maybe you could help out?" "Help out?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Cindy, what exactly does 'need some assistance' mean?" "Um, well; he has a concussion, so the doctor mentioned that he shouldn't be left alone for a while," she explained. "No more than a week or so, I think. I mean, as his only sibling, it was logical that I was asked to do it, you know? But we have these tickets, and the trip;" "So, how would it work?" I asked before she rubbed in her little romantic vacation anymore. "He will obviously not be able to work. Would he be able to come to stay at my place, or?" "Oh, I asked that too," Cindy answered. "The doctor said it is best at his place since he knows it the best. You know, corners, walls, and stuff in case he gets dizzy." "So, I'd have to move into his place?" "Yeah," she answered and got quiet. I ran over the short list in my head of other people who could possibly take the position of which I was being offered and realized there was no one else who could do it. His mom was too old and didn't get around very well. His dad was out of the picture. His guy friends were either busy with their married lives or irresponsible enough to not trust in such a position. No, Cindy was right to call me. Now I had to get going. Did I pack? What about my place? Could I leave to check on it throughout the week? Could he come with me? So many questions. "Jenn, are you still there?" I nearly dropped the phone when I heard Cindy calling out to me. "Shoot! Oh, Cindy, I'm sorry. Yes, tell the doctor I'll be there within the hour. I'll grab my things and figure out the other stuff tomorrow. Will you be there?" "Oh, um, we were going to go since he's asleep. Did you need me to stay;" "No, go," I answered and shook my head as I said it. "Go have a blast on your trip. Check in as you can, but don't worry. I'll take care of him." "Oh, thank you, Jenn! I knew you'd be there for him." We continued our niceties as I got dressed again and packed while she told me his room number and promised to text me the information too. We hung up as I zipped my bad shut and headed for the bedroom door. I pointed at the several places my most immediately needed items were usually located and found that I'd packed them all, including my phone charger.     When I entered the hospital, I made my way to the elevator to go straight to Chris' room. I knew it was after hours for the most part, but if I was going to be his person, I had to get in there to speak with the doctor to find out what was required of me. "Excuse me? Can I help you?" a nurse asked as I was looking at the wall to find which direction I needed to go to find the room. "I'm here to see Chris Benbury," I explained. "My name is Jennifer;" "Sanders?" She questioned and nodded when I showed surprise. "Sorry. Chris' sister, Cindy, told us to be expecting you. I'm Marita, and I was here when Chris was brought in, so you can come to me if you have any questions or concerns until 6am when the shift changes. Come with me, hun, and we'll get you comfortable in his room. When I see the doctor, I'll send him in to answer your questions." "Thank you," I answered quietly. The severity of Chris' injuries was still in question, but the fact that I was walking in a hospital being led by a nurse hit me a little. I felt the emotions welling up, so I put up my finger as if to request that we stop so I could collect myself. "Oh, honey! It's alright!" Marita sympathized and rubbed my back. "He's going to be just fine!" I laughed a little at her need to comfort me and shook my head as I wiped my eyes. "Oh, my gosh. This is so stupid. I can't believe I'm standing here crying. I don't know what's come over me!" I inhaled deeply and accepted the tissue Marita offered. As I wiped my eyes, I let out another laugh. "I'm alright. It's just that I am standing here in a hospital, and the sudden realization that Chris could have been really hurt badly, or even;" "Oops! No, no, girl," Marita chided. "No, we aren't going down that road. Chris is going to be just fine. He just got banged up a little. We are monitoring him well, but once you take him home, he'll improve each day. It's just the concussion that has us worried a little bit." "I appreciate it," I responded and nodded. "Thank you. Thanks for letting me get this out before we go in there." "Honey, I gotchu," Marita offered and patted my back again. "Ready? He's right in here." I nodded, so the nurse gave a gentle knock on the door and then pushed it open. It would appear that she did the knocking thing as a habit, but she also seemed to know he was going to be asleep when we walked in. "He has a concussion from the collision. From what I heard, he was turning right onto the street when an impatient son of a b, ," she began to say but stopped herself and cleared her throat. "Excuse me, I mean; when the other driver came along on the shoulder to pass him. I don't know for sure, but the police indicated that the man was being impatient and tried to go around illegally. Because the other driver wasn't paying attention, Chris' continued proper turn into his lane caused a sudden need for the other guy to have to swerve and slammed directly into Chris' car." "Yeah," I replied as I bent over to look at the face of the man who held the honor of one of my longest running friendships, "Cindy mentioned that his car was totaled. It's a shame," I noted as I pushed some hair from Chris' forehead, "because he loved that car. He had it ordered exactly the way he had wanted it only about nine months ago." "That is a shame," Marita echoed. "Well, he's going to have some bruises and aches and pains for a good few days, but other than that, it's the dizziness which might be an issue." Marita continued to check stats and document them since she was in the room. "Well, I'll leave you to visit with him. You can pull out the bed, and the remote is next to his bed if you want to watch something. When I see the doctor, I'll let him know you're here and waiting for instructions." "Thank you, Marita," I responded and nodded.   My name is Christopher Benbury. This is how I got around to getting together with Jennnifer. "Jenn?" My best friend, Jenn Sanders, awoke and looked around as if to try figuring out where she was and who was calling her name. "Jenn? What are you doing here?" I repeated. "Hmm, Chris," she answered and raised her arms to stretch. The chair must have been comfortable, but I don't think she had expected to fall asleep quite so deeply. "Cindy called me after your accident," she explained. "Since she's got her trip with Dax, I came to be your aide for the next week as you heal." "She called you?" I asked and reached up to touch my head. "Ow, stupid headache. Oh, crap! Cindy's trip. Wasn't there anyone else she could have called?" "Wow," she answered sarcastically. "Thanks." "Oh, shit, Jenn," I responded suddenly. I wanted to smack my forehead for acting the way I was. It wasn't her fault I was in an accident, my car had been totaled, and I was waking up in a hospital. "Oh, crap, that's not what I meant. I just; why did she have to bother you?" "Well, I did the math as I pondered my ability to help out, and it comes down to the fact that I'm the only logical person since she's not available. Your mom isn't capable. Andy, Doug, and Erik are either married or, let's face it; not entirely responsible enough to hardly care for themselves; Doug," she muttered, though audibly. I couldn't blame her. Last she'd heard, Doug had locked himself out of his house in a drunken stupor and just slept on the concrete porch one late night. It turned out that he'd also opened his garage door and could have just gone into the house through there. Idiot. Had the weather been ten degrees colder, he could have died. When telling the story, though, he laughed all the way through it and proudly showed off his frozen burnt skin on his arm. I had to reach for Jenn's hand while he told his story to remind her that beating the crap out of the moron wasn't going to change anything. "OK, I suppose you have a point," I realized and laid my head back on the pillow. "Has the doctor been in?" "If he came in while I was sleeping, he didn't wake me up," she answered and stood up to stretch. "Would you want me to call Marita?" "Who?" I asked. Was I supposed to know who that was? Was she already trying to get out of helping me? Was Marita an aide who helped my mom? Why would Jenn know Mom's aides' names? "The nurse," she answered. "I can push the call button and have her come here to check on you, and maybe we could;" "Knock, knock!" Marita announced as she opened the door. "I thought I heard voices! Well, hello there, handsome! And good morning, Jennifer. Last time I was in here, you were hovering over him like a concerned lovebird." I looked over at Jenn, but she was watching Marita, and I couldn't see her face. Was she looking at me with concern? Lovebird? In all the time we'd be hanging out and talking, it had only ever been friendly. Lunches, a rare trip to the movies and shared popcorn, and texts almost every day. But more than friends? Why had Marita said it like that? "The doctor got called away to do surgery in the big city," Marita explained as she messed with the computer and attachments hooked up to my body, "so he left your case, Chris, with Dr. Chesney Ryan. She's due to come in at around 7am this morning. It's 5:30am now. Do either of you need anything? Chris, what is your pain level? Anything other than your head hurting, hun?" "Ask me again once I get out of bed," I requested and sighed. I pulled over the covers and realized I was in a gown. Well, crap. Nice way for my friend to see me for the first time in something other than normal clothes. Maybe I could hold the back together; "How about you, Jenn?" Marita asked. Fortunately, she was keeping Jenn's attention. Or maybe Jenn was just being kind and sparing me the humiliation. I held both sides of my gown together as I hurried to the bathroom to do my business. My friend. Jennifer Sanders and I met during our freshman year of high school. She was always kind to me. We hung out in large groups on occasion, and we laughed a lot when we sat next to one another in homeroom two years in a row. That was a lucky thing for me when many of the other parts of my life sucked so badly. I won't get into it, but let's just say, going to school was a blessing, especially when I got to see Jenn. I chickened out when dances came around, so she was never the wiser that I had a huge crush on her. All throughout high school, I had the pleasure of her company, so why ruin that? I decided during our junior year when I had heard that she'd accepted yet another request for her companionship as the quarterback's date for the next dance of the year to just let go of the dream that one day, she'd want me. And so it went. We graduated from high school in May. We went our separate ways, crossed paths at a restaurant and exchanged cell phone numbers, and reconnected. I have heard from her at least once a week, though recently, if I go two days without hearing from her, I check in. She has always given me the indication that she enjoys my company when we go out to lunch together, and laughter and endless chatting is a given. After countless times of having my mother and sister asking me why Jenn wasn't more to me, I threw up my hands and told them it just wasn't meant to be. Friendship is important to me, and the idea of scaring her away with my declaration of love just wasn't one to deal with. Waking up this morning and finding her there in the room with me was a shock, and I wasn't in the right mindset to acknowledge that my sister had asked Jenn to stay with me. It still wasn't sinking in. I think once the doctor came into the room to discuss the upcoming week of healing, we'd both begin to understand just what was expected of her. I just hoped she wouldn't abandon ship. OK, yes, she'd never do that, but would it cross her mind? When I walked into the room again, Jenn was going through her bag. "Oh, hey," she greeted me again. "I'm supposed to remind you to let Marita know before she leaves if you have any other concerns or pains. She's off at 6am." With her arm full of clothes, she pointed with her other hand. "Are you done in the bathroom? I was hoping to freshen up." "What for?" I asked as I covered myself with the sheet. "You're beautiful as always." "Oh, Chris," she chided and shook her head. "You're both biased and obligated to say so. We old people need to stick together," she claimed, to which I shook my head while rolling my eyes. Because she was always teasing that we were getting old. "And you have to say that because you know if you're mean to me, you'll be left all alone in that big house of yours when I storm out leaving you without anyone to pick you up when you faint." "Doesn't mean it's not true," I argued as she closed the bathroom door. If I was going too far, because I'd never said much of anything before indicating that I saw her as more than a friend, I could claim the concussion as an excuse.   Jenn Dr. Ryan came in just as Marita had indicated at around 7am. She was pleased with the tests she ran on Chris, but she was extremely glad to know that I had planned to spend the week with him at his place. "In the first few days, you should not spend much time on your feet. A shower is fine; but leave the door open so she can hear you. Try not to stand at the stove, for instance." "Oh, I've got meals covered all week," I interjected. "But what about walking?" "OK, good to know about the meals," Dr. Ryan responded. "No strenuous exercise, obviously, but walking is good. Jenn, perhaps plan to hold his arm so that you can feel his speed and stability. Fresh air is definitely helpful." "His bedroom is on the second floor," I informed the doctor. "Oh, I'll be taking the couch," Chris noted. "What?" I asked and shook my head. "Why would you?" "Actually, that's probably a great idea," Dr. Ryan responded. "Even if you help him up the stairs, he will need to come down. If everything is on the main floor, less to be concerned about." "Ha!" Chris teased. I stuck my tongue out at him. He was chivalrous, sure, but he was also stubborn. I could just as easily have stayed on the couch. "Well, I think I'm going to get the paperwork going for discharge," Dr. James told us both as she smirked at our playful nature. Jenn, if you have any concerns, don't hesitate to call my number." I reached out to take her card and gave her raised eyebrows. Her personal number? "I've found that having the patient or caregiver calling me instead of a hospital has dramatically helped in reducing unnecessary trips to the hospital, not to mention going through the painful process of hunting me or another doctor down. I'd say eight out of ten times? Yeah, one-minute Q & A, and the situation is handled. I can give up a minute here or there." I shook my head while smiling. Dr. Ryan just shrugged and winked at Chris. "Welp, are you ready to ditch this joint?" I asked Chris and laughed at my own expression. "Meals? Walks? And you're totally taking my bedroom," Chris added and pointed at me. "How long have you been planning these things?" "Before I fell asleep, I made a list of things I wanted to do or have handled. My brother will stop at my house to get the stuff I'll be texting him once I've assessed things at your house." "Which brother?" Chris asked. "Luke. Duh," I teased. He knew that too. Not only was Luke the brother I was closest to, but he lived closest also. "Well, I never know for sure which gospel writer it'll be," Chris teased. "Well, you know the answer is never John," I lamented. As you can probably surmise, my brothers' names are Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but my parents started with Luke (after me). Since my dad is John, he decided to go in reverse order. I never got that question wrong in Sunday school. "Anyways, he, Luke, will stop in each day at my house. I've contacted my troop and informed them of this situation. I'll be off work other than checking emails, so you can have my full attention." "Oh, well, lucky me," Chris teased. "I'd say so," I shot back. "So, my mail and house are covered. Luke will bring me my food and ingredients for all meals I have planned, and I will order the rest to be delivered." "My treat, of course," Chris interrupted. "I already have an account. I'll add whatever you want to get, but I'm paying." I huffed dramatically. "Ugh, fine," I whined. "We can watch movies, take naps, go for walks, and see how you're feeling each day." "I think Cindy called my boss last night, so I'll just check in with him when we get to my place," Chris noted. He inhaled for a second and then let out the air in a huff. "Jenn, are you sure you want to do this?" "Alright, that's twice," I accused. "What's with you? We went over this already. Why don't you want me to be with you? What did I do? Do you want me to call Doug?" "Jenn! No!" Chris exclaimed. He motioned for me to come sit by him. Seeing as he was still wearing that stupid gown, he couldn't exactly get up. I bowed my head and walked over to stand by the bed. He reached over to take my hand. "Sit, please." Once I did, he continued. "Jenn, I can't begin to explain to you how much it means to me that you're willing to help me out. This stupid accident, my totaled car, Cindy's vacation, my concussion, missing work, rearranging your life so that you can move in with me to babysit me;" "Wait, wait," I argued. "I'm not just some caregiver off the street. It's not like we just met at work a few years ago. I'm not just doing this because you need someone to help you. You're like; my best friend, Chris." I sighed and relaxed a little. "This is stupid, this little fit we're having. Look, you're in a situation that requires help. I'm in a situation that allows me to help you. You'd totally do the same for me, right?" "I mean, I guess, but your parents could easily;" "Chris, cut it out," I argued and playfully slapped his arm. "You'd totally do it and hardly take 'no' for an answer, right?" Chris nodded. "Let me do this. Let's make the most of it. We're always saying at lunches that we should do that more often. Well, we've got about a week's worth of meals to enjoy together. Besides," I teased, "you can see what kind of a cook I am. Maybe after this week, you'll see why it's good that we meet up at restaurants all the time." I shrugged, but Chris didn't laugh. "I just really appreciate it, Jenn," Chris stated quietly. "I'm not used to this, you know? I live alone. I don't depend on anyone. I haven't in years." "Yeah, well, me too," I agreed. "So, let's just see what happens, alright?" I requested and got up because the daytime nurse had knocked and entered the room. "Time to get dressed, young man," Georgie instructed and winked at me as she stood behind him to make sure his bottom remained covered. I turned and checked my bag to give him the decency of a little privacy. As we made our way to Chris' place, we made small talk. I had a list in my head of things needing to be done, but for now, I was thinking that picking up coffee and breakfast sandwiches seemed like the right move. The way Chris' face lit up at the mention of those things made me smile. Once in the house, I began going over my list of necessary items to make all the meals I'd planned for the week. I had a good idea of what I had at my own place since I had made my plans for the weeks' worth of meals a day earlier, so I just had to see what Chris had. I texted my brother the list, thanked him, and told Chris what needed to be purchased for delivery. Once that was all done, I took my things upstairs to his room and set myself up. I still felt bad for taking his room, but he assured me that he was going to sleep just fine on the couch. I only agreed if he was cool with me checking on him randomly throughout the night. He shrugged and agreed. He and I both handled work things for about an hour until the delivery came. I unpacked the groceries and made lunch. Chris joined me at the table, and we talked about movies we'd enjoy throughout the week. It was decided to go with any movies from our high school days for nostalgia's sake. While on a short walk around the block, I offered my arm, but he suggested holding my hand instead. I shrugged and gave it to him. I can't explain what happened, but something inside me awakened. My stomach tightened, my head swam a little, my heart rate sped up, and my skin tingled. He didn't seem to notice, so I tried to play it off and listen to what he was telling me.   Chris "What a beautiful day, huh?" I asked and looked around at our surroundings. "I'm surprised we don't even need a jacket. Easter is a couple weeks away, and I feel like it might even be shorts weather for some egg hunters this year." Jenn laughed. "Remember a couple years ago when you said that at lunch? It snowed on Easter morning that year. I made a comment to my mom about it when I woke up and found it white outside. I literally said aloud to my bedroom, 'Ha! Chris was totally wrong this time!'" "Alright, alright," I admitted and laughed with her. "I suppose I can be wrong some of the time." I squeezed her hand which made her look over at me. She had a different look in her eye than usual, but then again, we didn't ever hold hands like we were either. I admit, I suggested holding her hand for a few other reasons than just her ability to sense that I was losing stability. I had always wondered what it would be like to hold her hand. I wondered if I could get her to dance with me one day too. Maybe it wasn't too late to know what it felt like to hold her in my arms like I had wished for all those years ago. "Shall we go once more around, or was that enough for the day?" Jenn asked, which snapped me out of my little daydream. "Let's play it safe," I suggested and nodded toward the house. "Come on. I feel a little nap coming soon." "Ooo, a nap sounds amazing," Jenn reflected and smiled. "I might even sneak one in too. So, how's your head?" "Oh, I didn't even realize that the headache is practically gone," I informed her and smiled. I almost made mention about her ability to leave earlier than expected, but she didn't seem to like those comments. I guess it did make me seem hard on myself. I just didn't want her to feel like she had to be there if she didn't want to be. I made a pact with myself to stop the shitty comments degrading my self-esteem. She wasn't wrong. It was rather depressing to hear those words, even coming out of my own mouth. "That's great!" Jenn responded and gave me a thumbs up. "Well, let's get you inside and set you up for a nap." Jenn stopped and turned to face me. I had just realized that we were still holding hands. "In fact, let's head upstairs. We can both lie down, and that way, if you need something or don't feel right, I'll be right there." "Um, I mean, yeah. That seems like a good idea." "Right?" Jenn answered. "And also, you can take a shower, grab some fresh clothes, and then we can head down to have dinner and watch a movie or two." So, that's what we did. Jenn laid on the other part of my king size bed once I was set up on my usual side. We fell asleep facing away from each other. She'd set her alarm for two hours for "just in case." We didn't think a longer nap would be good for us. Sleeping the day away wasn't going to help me any, and she didn't want to be too awake at bedtime. I took my shower and tried not to think about the gorgeous woman sitting in my room waiting for me to finish. I thought about a quick release while in there, but even I was nervous that doing so would possibly cause me to become dizzy, and I certainly didn't need her to figure out what had caused me to pass out. Apparently, Luke had come while I was in the shower, so the kitchen was a little more stocked with meal stuff Jenn had planned for. When I came out of the shower, a few more items were sitting on her bag too, so I guessed she'd put those things in the bathroom for herself to use once I was situated downstairs on the couch. Dinner was awesome. The movies were fun and provided several opportunities to laugh, talk about memories that came from the time we had seen the movie or who we saw it with. My mom called to check in on me, and Cindy apparently texted Jenn to let her know that they had made it safely to their destination. Jenn tucked me in, and then she retired upstairs to go to bed. I think she checked in on me a few times, but she didn't disturb me. I woke up to smells of coffee and breakfast. This chick sure knew the way to my heart, intentional or not. I sat up and jumped when Jenn came walking in with a plate and fresh cup of coffee. "Good morning! Rise and shine," Jenn greeted me and set the items down on my coffee table. She left me alone for a minute and then brought her own plate and coffee mug in with her to join me. I generally preferred to eat at the kitchen table for all meals, but this just felt; natural. I really liked it. We checked in on work stuff, watched a little daytime television, walked around the block holding hands, ate lunch, took a little trip to the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions and a few other things Jenn needed. I wasn't sure. I stayed in the car because she said she'd just run in to grab them along with my meds. When we got home, she took me by the hand and led me upstairs so we could take a nap. There weren't many words. We did that a lot lately. It was like we could just communicate without using all the words. We were falling into a nice routine which seemed to be working for us. I fell asleep facing her back this time.   Jenn When I woke up, I realized first that my back was pressed up to something, and something else was holding me there. I opened my eyes to find myself being spooned by Chris. I froze. Wait, why was this so incredibly comfortable? Was it simply because I hadn't been intimate with anyone in; ? Well, it had been a long time. He stirred behind me and squeezed me to his body. Good; ness, did it feel amazing, or what? I closed my eyes and let myself imagine what could happen if I allowed myself the idea of being with Chris. The way it felt to hold his hand was really nice. The way we were always laughing, talking, being open with one another; oh crap! Was my mom possibly right about him? Had I never even given the idea a thought because we'd been friends for so long? I slid my hand down the arm he had over my stomach and rested it on top of his. I sighed and tried to imagine what a life with him could look like. Oh, gosh. What was I doing? Was I just caught up in this special circumstance where we happened to both be off work, hanging out with no obligations? Well, it was only Day Two, right? Couldn't I just see where it went? Chris stirred behind me, so I waited to see what he'd do. Slowly, he pulled back from me and gently slid his hand out from under mine. He must have assumed I was still sleeping. I inhaled deeply and stirred as if his movement woke me. "Hmm, hey," I greeted him and turned to face him. He'd slid far enough away that it didn't feel too awkward. "How'd you sleep?" Nothing came across as awkward, so we went on with our day and continued to go on with the day as usual. Days Three and Four went very much the same, each event bringing us closer together. A routine had been setting in, and the two of us seemed to enjoy the familiarity of each other and the circumstances in which we'd found ourselves. On Day Five, I found myself feeling rather sleepy during the late morning walk, so Chris pleaded for me to allow him to make us some lunch this time. I nodded and rested back into my cozy living room chair as the TV lulled me to sleep.   Chris So, I was making lunch when I realized that Jenn was fast asleep on the chair. I knew I could just leave her there, but I was going to be good for a nap too, so I ate my sandwich after packing hers up in a baggie and walked into the living room to assess the best approach. I covered her with a blanket since she had her hands tucked into her armpits and slid my arms beneath her to carry her up to the bedroom. Once she was settled, I faced her and smiled at the beautiful woman lying beside me in my bed. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead before closing my eyes to fall asleep. What woke me actually surprised me. It wasn't the movement on the bed, but the little kiss I felt against my cheek. I started a bit, but the hand holding mine just squeezed it. "Hi there," Jenn greeted me and smiled as she inhaled deeply. "I must have fallen asleep. Did you carry me upstairs, or did I just stay too asleep to not realize it? Oh; and lunch?" "You were out before I had the bread on the counter," I teased. "I ate quickly and put yours in a bag for after our naps." I took my turn to inhale deeply. I'd had the best sleep during all these naps. I didn't want to imagine what else was going away when the week was over. "Well, shower time if you want," Jenn mentioned. "I'm going to go downstairs to eat and set out the stuff for dinner." She looked over as she slid her hand out of mine. "You good?" "Yep," I answered instinctively. "See you down there." "You betcha," she answered and pointed at me and winked as she smiled and headed toward the door. I was about to get up when she came back in suddenly. "Oh, Chris?" "Hmm?" "Thanks for doing that," she answered. "I have had some great naps. I feel like this week has been a vacation, and it's the best I've ever had. I just; I appreciate that, um; I just appreciate it." "Well, I won't be getting in any more accidents," I teased. "You had better not!" she agreed. "We got lucky with this one only messing with your head a little. I don't want to know how bad it could have been," she added. "I'm kinda getting used to having you around. Might need to step up our dinner dates to once a week instead of once every other month, right? Well, unless you're sick of me." "Nope, definitely not that," I answered quietly. "What?" she yelled as she descended the stairs. "I guess we'll see," I teased. Her laughter made me smile. Dinner was phenomenal as usual. Jenn had a real knack for cooking. I didn't do so badly at it, particularly with the foods I tended to gravitate to since I was almost always only cooking for me, but having her bring in these different dishes made me wish the week was going to last longer. And not just because it was someone else making the dishes. It was Jenn, and I wanted it all: the time, the food, the girl. Yes, especially the girl. Rather than heading to the living room after dinner, I offered to do the dishes. "Go take a bath in the tub. It has jets. Go relax. I promise, if I feel even the least bit lightheaded, I'll sit down at the table. But I'll be fine. Go relax before we watch tonight's movie. We only picked one, remember?" "Thanks, I think I'll do that," she answered. I was relieved. Jenn needed to enjoy the amenities of this "vacation" as she'd called it. I was thrilled that she was enjoying the time with me as much as I was loving this time with her. I hoped it would actually lead to more meals spent together. Who knew what the future held, right? That night, once she'd made sure I was set for the night, she headed upstairs. I was flipping through channels not even acknowledging what was on the television. I was about to turn off the TV when I heard her coming down the stairs. I went ahead and set the remote on the table and pretended to be asleep. I figured she'd come over to check on me, and (forgive me, but; ) maybe I'd be able to sneak a peek. She wore shorts and a tank top to bed, at least while she'd been sleeping over, and I wondered if I might get to see a little something when she bent over to check on me. Rather than coming over to the couch, though, Jenn walked into the kitchen. As I turned to see what she was doing, I found myself staring at her cute, little panty-covered ass. She was reaching up into the cabinet for something. I wasn't sure what it was that she needed so badly, but it was enough for her to keep trying. Now was my chance. I had no idea what I was going to do, but the time was there, and I was taking the chance. I walked up behind Jenn and pressed into her as I reached up into the cabinet to get the box on the top shelf. My mouth had gone dry from staring at her, and my heart was pounding. As I brought the box down, I recognized the label. What the hell did she need condoms for? "Jenn?" "Chris," she replied in a whisper. "What's up?" "I, um; I thought you'd be asleep," she justified. "I;" "; needed condoms in the middle of the night?" "Yes," she answered and exhaled a ragged breath. She was shaking. "Why?" I asked as I set the box on the counter. I leaned forward as I shut the cabinet door and smiled a little to myself as I could feel her ass pressed up against my crotch. "Jenn, what's going on?" "I was going to check on you," she answered and, only to surprise me more, rested her head against my chest. "I; I was going to see if you, um;" I leaned down to brush my lips along her neck. "To see if I; what, Jenn?" Her response was just as I'd hoped. She pressed her bottom into my groin and moaned as I licked her earlobe. "What do you want, Jenn?" I whispered into her ear. With a moan, Jenn looked up at me with pleading eyes. "What is it?" "Kiss me," she breathed and reached up to slide her hand behind my head and into my hair. I leaned down and put my lips to hers. Fireworks. Good God! It was nothing like I had imagined, and so much more amazing than I thought possible. Jenn's moans indicated that she felt the same. To be continued. Based on a post by cilma rae, for Literotica.

Welcome to a Wide World of Sports update. A snapshot of the latest sport stories from the 9News team including: Pressure mounts on Usman Khawaja ahead of Gabba test Manly named captain to replace DCE North Melbourne midfielder Ash Riddell named AFL-W Best and Fairest The biggest sport stories in less than 5 minutes delivered twice a day, with reports from the 9News team across Australia and overseas. Subscribe now to make it part of your daily news diet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Knock It Off!” (Episode 310) The ‘Sterds™ ruminate over things people do that are 110% perfectly fine but drive us nuts! | Creative Commons Music: "Habitual Ritual" by Revolution Void freemusicarchive.org/music/Revolution_Void/ | *** Warning: NSFW due to some harsh language, a few sexual references, and potential drunkenness of the hosts and/or guests. Listener discretion advised. | © 2015-2025, JonSquared Media

Guess what? Knock knock, the Ruler's home! Your girls Stephanie and Bianca are back for a new episode of THE Hardy Wrestling Podcast! Women's wrestling continues to shake us up with Mercedes Moné's golden journey, NXT Gold Rush's shocking main event and Maxxine Dupri finally reaching the top of the mountain! Get into it all! It's HWP! Hosts: Stephanie Hardy Follow Stephanie & HWP on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queenstephhardy & https://www.instagram.com/hardywrestlingpodcast Follow Stephanie & HWP on X: https://www.x.com/QueenStephHardy & https://x.com/hardywrestlepodBianca AddisonFollow Bianca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biancaaddisonFollow Bianca on X (formally known as Twitter): https://www.x.com/biancaaddisonFollow Bianca on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/eboniroseringsideTags: #hwp #hardywrestlingpodcast #hwpxtra #wweraw #smackdown #wwenxt #nxtgoldrush #wweonnetflix #survivorseries #wargames #rawonnetflix #wweid #aewdynamite #aewcollision #aewfullgear #mercedesmoné #wowsuperheroes #tnawrestling #weluvwrestling #wrestlingcommunity #womenswrestling New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount!

Today, Evan shares a list of important items to consider before the holiday season ramps up and most people scramble to complete their end-of-year financial planning. Whether you are newer at investing or have been in retirement for many years, listen along to hear how to ring in the New Year with confidence around money and investing.   Want to cut through the myths about retirement income and learn evidence-based strategies backed by over a century of data? Download our free Retirement Income Guide now at paulwinkler.com/relax and take the stress out of planning your retirement.

Conservative Talk Show waking up America with a Knock-it-off Attitude, live from the Freedom State of Florida

This week, we travel from Ireland to Canada to California. Hear Gerry O'Connor, The Gothard Sisters, The Irish Rovers, and new music from May Will Bloom. Discover heartfelt songs and driving reels that keep Celtic traditions alive, on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast  #735  -  -  Subscribe now! Gerry O'Connor, Eloise & Co., The Gothard Sisters, Elizabeth Sutherland, The Irish Rovers, May Will Bloom, The McDades, Celia Farran, Faoileán, Piskey Led, Larkin & Moran Brothers, Derina Harvey Band, Caliceltic, Callán, Ashley Davis Band GET CELTIC MUSIC NEWS IN YOUR INBOX The Celtic Music Magazine is a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Enjoy seven weekly news items with what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Subscribe now and get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2025 This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create this year's Best Celtic music of 2025 episode. You have until December 4 to vote for this episode. Vote Now! You can follow our playlist on YouTube to listen to those top voted tracks as they are added every 2 - 3 weeks. THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC 6:45 - Gerry O'Connor "O'Connor4 (Reels)" from Last Night's Joy 5:01 - WELCOME 6:40 - Eloise & Co. "Janet's/Angel Rocks" from avec Elodie 10:22 - The Gothard Sisters "Golden Secrets" from Moment in Time 13:55 - Elizabeth Sutherland "Evening Reflection" from Forest Dreams 17:16 - May Will Bloom "Star of the County Down" from Single 21:11 - FEEDBACK 26:25 - The Irish Rovers "Oh Dear Me" from No End in Sight 29:49 - The McDades "November 8th" from The Empress 33:36 - Celia Farran "California Ireland" from The Bard of Armagh:  A Tribute to Tommy Makem 36:44 - Faoileán "Far Hills of Canada" from Far Hills 42:36 - Piskey Led "Blackbird of Mullaghmore" from Piskey Led 47:27 - THANKS 49:37 - Caliceltic "Stumbling Distance" from Paddy Paradise 52:09 - Larkin & Moran Brothers "Muirsheen Durkin" from Éistigí 54:12 - Derina Harvey Band "The Fallen Man's Daughter" from Waves of Home 58:30 - Callán "Road From Donegal" from Bloody Callán 1:03:31 - CLOSING 1:04:38 - Ashley Davis Band "Not Today (feat. Mick McAuley)" from When the Stars Went Out 1:08:15 - CREDITS Support for this program comes from International speaker, Joseph Dumond, teaching the ancient roots of the Gaelic people. Learn more about their origins at Sightedmoon.com Support for this program comes from Cascadia Cross Border Law Group, Creating Transparent Borders for more than twenty five years, serving Alaska and the world. Find out more at   www.CascadiaLawAlaska.com Support for this program comes from Hank Woodward. Support for this program comes from Dr. Annie Lorkowski of Centennial Animal Hospital in Corona, California. The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to follow the show. You'll find links to all of the artists played in this episode. Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you'll get 7 weekly news items about what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage. Please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor. Finally, remember. Clean energy isn't just good for the planet, it's good for your wallet. Solar and wind are now the cheapest power sources in history. But too many politicians would rather protect billionaires than help working families save on their bills. Real change starts when we stop allowing the ultra - rich to write our energy policy and run our government. Let's choose affordable, renewable power. Clean energy means lower costs, more freedom, and a planet that can actually breathe. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/. WELCOME THE IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST * Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn. I'm a Celtic musician and also host of Pub Songs & Stories. Every song has a story, every episode is a toast to Celtic and folk songwriters. Discover the stories behind the songs from the heart of the Celtic pub scene. This podcast is for fans of all kinds of Celtic music. We are here to build a diverse Celtic community and help the incredible artists who so generously share their music with you. If you hear music you love, please email artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast. Musicians depend on your generosity to release new music. So please find a way to support them. Buy a CD, Album Pin, Shirt, Digital Download, or join their community on Patreon. You can find a link to all of the artists in the shownotes, along with show times, when you visit our website at celticmusicpodcast.com. Or email follow@bestcelticmusic to learn how to subscribe to the podcast. I will send you a free music - only episode. If you're in a Celtic band, you will also learn how to get your music played on the podcast and get a free eBook called Celtic Musicians Guide to Digital Music. It's 100% free. Again email follow@bestcelticmusic FOLLOW OUR KICKSTARTER PRE - LAUNCH PAGE I just setup a pre - launch page for our next Kickstarter in January. Once again, this will be for funding a Best of 2025 compilation album on CD or Album Pin or even as a Shirt. Follow the link in the shownotes, so you can be the first to get a copy of our next compilation. Only 100 CDs and 100 album pins will be made. Follow the Kickstarter. HAVE YOU HEARD OF ALBUM PINS? Just like this podcast, they are changing the way we hear Celtic music. There were several folks who showed at the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast booth at IrishFest Atlanta. Several people were confused about the album pins I talk about on this show. So I thought I'd share details. An album pin is a lapel pin. Each pin is themed to a particular album I've released. You get a digital download of the album. And then you can wear your help. It's fashion and music combined as one. My pins are beautifully designed and wood burned locally. This makes them better for the environment. If you want to learn more about Album Pins, you can read more about them on my celtfather.Substack.com or just buy one at magerecords.com THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST! Your support makes the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast possible, nearly every week of the year. You're not just funding a show. You're fueling a movement that shares the magic of Celtic music with thousands around the world. Your generosity covers everything from audio engineering and artwork to the Celtic Music Magazine, show promotion, and buying music from independent Celtic artists. If you're not a patron yet? You're missing out! You get ✨ Early access to episodes

ChatGPT said:What if the real fallout from a head knock is not the moment of impact, but the silent systemic storm that unfolds in the weeks, months and even years that follow?In this powerful episode, clinical naturopath Louise Cork reframes concussion as a whole-body injury that is widely underreported, frequently misunderstood, and too often treated as an isolated knock to the head. Drawing on years of clinical experience, Louise explains why symptoms can appear long after the incident, how intestinal permeability and a disrupted microbiome can amplify neuroinflammation, and why a gut-first approach often becomes the missing link in recovery.We explore the systemic cascade that follows impact: increased intestinal permeability, a leaky blood-brain barrier, microglial priming, altered HPA axis signalling and hormone shifts such as low testosterone in men. Louise shows how these shifts can present as headaches, fatigue, anxiety, poor stress tolerance and slow injury recovery. A compelling motocross case study highlights how mapping a patient's clinical timeline across body systems can reveal the turning points many people overlook.We then move into practical strategies. Louise shares evidence-informed tools to repair the terrain and calm an oversensitised brain, including stool-guided treatment plans, endotoxin control with SBI and S. boulardii, targeted probiotics, and nutraceuticals such as saffron for mood and NFkB regulation, PEA for endocannabinoid balance and pain, omega 3s for inflammatory resolution, and thoughtful curcumin use that considers COX LOX balance without overloading the liver. We also explore sleep as a primary therapy, the role of the glymphatic system in clearing neuroinflammation, and how nutrients like L-theanine can deepen rest without immediately reaching for melatonin.Prevention is a major focus. Whether you are working with athletes, military personnel, domestic violence survivors or high-risk workers, Louise outlines how optimising gut health, sleep, recovery rituals and nutritional foundations can reduce the fallout when impacts occur.If you have had a knock, care for someone who has, or support patients navigating persistent symptoms, this episode offers a clear and actionable framework: assess deeply, repair the gut, calm the brain, support sleep and tailor the plan to the individual.If this episode supports you or someone you love, follow the show, share it with a teammate or colleague, and leave a review so more people can access these tools.Connect with Louise:  www.theconcussionnaturopath.comShownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health websiteRegister as a Designs for Health Practitioner and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au Follow us on Socials Instagram: Designsforhealthaus Facebook: Designsforhealthaus DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health

conservative talk show waking up America with a Knock-it-off Attitude, live from the Freedom State of Florida

Framber Valdez Officially Turns Down Astros Qualifying Offer; AND- Do Ya KNOCK or Ring that BELL at Someone's Front Door?! full 610 Wed, 19 Nov 2025 01:20:31 +0000 6NHB34UBOyrvW87nvKdy2R0vT9qoHo74 mlb,houston astros,jose altuve,astros,mlb news,mlb free agency,framber valdez,altuve,astros news,stros,framber,houston astros news,sports The Drive with Stoerner and Hughley mlb,houston astros,jose altuve,astros,mlb news,mlb free agency,framber valdez,altuve,astros news,stros,framber,houston astros news,sports Framber Valdez Officially Turns Down Astros Qualifying Offer; AND- Do Ya KNOCK or Ring that BELL at Someone's Front Door?! 2-6PM M-F © 2025 Audacy, Inc. Sports False

Ask, Seek, Knock

What is that Knock, Knock, Knock under the porch? Snakes 101. And the holidays are almost here and so are the Porch Pirates! That's what Paul is BuZzin' about today on The Daily BuZz!!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're going to love this one because it's straight from our mastermind Q&As. Lori and I share a few of our favorite questions from inside both of our masterminds. We break down the coaching we gave our members, and I promise it'll hit home no matter what stage your business is in. Get ready to rethink how you sell, how you describe what you do, and how you handle slow seasons without losing momentum.   HIGHLIGHTS The new Glōci Glow & Debloat flavors are officially out! How to know if your "behind-the-scenes" season is productive or procrastination. The golden rule for copy that converts. How to craft a one-sentence answer that makes people instantly get what you do. The biggest mistake coaches and service providers make when describing their offers. Why stacking value matters more than lowering your price.   RESOURCES Try the new Glōci Glow & Debloat flavors HERE Apply for our Elite Entrepreneur Mastermind HERE Get on the waitlist for MCM Mastermind HERE Make More Sales in the next 90 days - GET THE BLUEPRINT HERE! Check out upcoming events + Masterminds: chrisharder.me Text DAILY to 310-421-0416 to get daily Money Mantras to boost your day.   FOLLOW Chris: @chriswharder Lori: @loriharder Frello: @frello_app

Dan's at SiouxperCon and gets to have a great chat with comic book author (Knock'em Dead, Midnight Vista) and former standup Eliot Rahal! From his time starting at the legendary Lincoln Lodge in Chicago to his chance at a pilot to writing comic books, they discuss the need for a point of view, the reasons we do comedy, and the need to get out of your “safe rooms” so you can push yourself. The episode also delves into bombing when it counts, the addictive nature of the social aspect of comedy, and the differences between writing for the stage and for the page. Eliot RahalEliot Rahal is a best-selling writer and creator, most known for MADAM SATAN (Archie Comics), BLEED THEM DRY (Vault Comics), PREDATOR: BLACK, WHITE, AND BLOOD (Marvel Comics), and his original titles HOT LUNCH SPECIAL with Jorge Fornes and KNOCK 'EM DEAD. He's also collaborated on several high-profile graphic novels with music and movie stars like Machine Gun Kelly, Last Podcast on the Left, and Emily Hampshire.https://www.patreon.com/c/FuneralSandwichBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-art-of-bombing-a-comedy-podcast--5788059/support.Art of Bombing:"Nobody Had a Podcast Called The Art of Bombing" Theme by John Hult https://johnhult.bandcamp.com/album/half-a-life-to-recoverWebsite: https://www.artofbombingpod.com/ Links: https://linktr.ee/artofbombingpodBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-art-of-bombing-a-guide-to-stand-up-comedy--5788059/support.Hosts:Dan Bublitz Jr: http://www.danbublitz.com/ Larry Smith: https://larrysmithcomedy.com/

With Billy The Sick sidelined by another illness, Vinnie and Brendan discuss Vergil Ortiz's poetic destruction of Erickson Lubin. Will Ortiz Boots happen next or will both Gladiators seek validation by vying for a title first? All that and much more on this episode of Knock 'Em Out the Box. Write to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠keotbboxing@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on Instagram @KEOTBBOXING Subscribe to the Youtube page @KEOTBPodcast. Remember to like, subscribe, and review the show!!!

from Matthew 7:7-12 Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5-7, we know as The Sermon on the Mount…but it is so much more than just a collection of wisdom and challenge and instruction from Jesus. It is at the heart of it, an invitation from Jesus to consider that there is another way, that there is a better way. To … Continue reading "(November 9, 2025) “Sermon on the Mount: Ask, Seek, Knock”"

During his ministry, Jesus repeatedly referred to himself as the Bread of Life. His words would have stirred echoes of the Torah: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." Just as bread sustains the body, the words of the LORD nourish the soul. Yet, Jesus's teachings were not always easy to digest. His words could be unsettling and paradigm-shifting, turning long-held beliefs on their heads. Some who heard him turned away. But Simon Peter recognized the truth. When others left, he confessed, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" In this series, we will dive deep into one of Jesus's most famous teachings, the Sermon on the Mount. We will consider how these words of life nourish us, even as they challenge us, and how we might apply them to our lived stories today. This week, we considered Jesus's invitation to a genuine personal relationship with the Lord on prayer. If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the Core Team. If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at https://thepracticechurch.com/give/

(Matthew 7:7-8 NLT)“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.These are the words of Jesus Himself. Notice his intentional use of the language—you will receive … you will find … the door will be opened. That said, we have to be careful to not manipulate or misinterpret His teaching. This is not like a blank check. God will never go outside of His Word, His ways, or His will. But, inside those holy parameters, He is inviting all of us to ask, seek, and knock.He is telling us to be proactive. Asking, seeking, and knocking all take both action and faith.Listen again to the intentionality “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.What might this look like for you?Notice the transitions. Ask, seek, knock.Asking is between you and God. What do you specifically need to ask for right now?Seek is your choice - If we seek / look for the negative we will find it. It is also true is you look for God in situations you will find Him. Where can you see evidence of God at work in your life right now?Knock is an action, a deliberate move in a direction. What deliberate step do you need to take towards something? Maybe what deliberate step do you need to take away from something?This interactive prayer that Jesus give is a format for everything in our lives. Ask our Father. Seek for Him. Move in that direction.Let's pray together: “Lord Jesus, give me the boldness, the strength, the passion to get up and ask, seek, and knock to discover whatever You have for my life. I believe You spoke these words because You believe we are worthy because of Your sacrifice. May I walk in Your Word, Your will, and Your ways. As above, so below.”

This week on the podcast, your two favorite comedians discuss… —Nikalie Monroe—Mormons—Zohran Mamdani00:00 Introductions00:32 Nikalie Monroe05:23 Mormons11:02 Zohran Mamdani24:09 Lauren Bobert26:40 Peachy Clean31:46 Matt Kalil34:07 Prince Andrew42:28 Millie Bobby BrownNikalie MonroeMan, you wanna talk about heroes not needing capes?Nikalie calls churches, plays the sounds of a crying baby in the background, and asks if they can help her get a can of formula for her child.And guess what?The overwhelming majority say “No.”The local Mosque, a Buddhist Center, and two Black Churches say “Yes,” but all the “good Christian” churches said “No.”Just like you would expect them to. MormonsMormons are rebranding!Don't call ‘em Mormons anymore, because that's their religious N-word. Mormons want to rebrand, and put Jesus more front and center in their religion, because having a polygamist conman like Joseph Smith as their mascot might keep their business from growing. Sorry, did I say business? I meant religion. Zohran MamdaniNew York City is officially a Communist, socialist hellscape.Man, that was fast.Lauren BobertOMG, DID YOU HEAR WHAT LAUREN BOBERT DID AT HALLOWEEN??SHE DRESSED UP IN A COSTUME!!!Dear liberals: your crying and whining helped Trump win in 2024.Knock it off. Peachy CleanFor reasons no one understands, nathan received an ad for “healthy bottoming” in his Facebook feed.Huzzah.Matt KalilMatt is a Minnesota Viking (boo!), and… Well, hung.His ex wife divorced him because he was “too big.”“Like, two coke cans.”Wow.WOW.And, he's white!Prince AndrewTechnically, he's the royal formerly known as “prince.”At least, until the Prince estate in Minneapolis sues.Either way, Andrew has been excommunicated to AN ENORMOUS MANSION.And, he's still living rent free, all expenses paid.Millie Bobby BrownA non-story.Idiots on Parade: we mock the news, so you don't have to.Tune in and get your giggle on.Find Jake at @jakeveveraFind nathan at nathantimmel.comShow your support by picking up a T-Shirt: https://nathan-timmel.dashery.com/

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Abby continues our series on the Sermon on the Mount.

Send us a textWhat is the true beginning of the occult path? In folklore and magical tradition, the first stage of initiation often begins with a supernatural knock - an unshakable call from the otherworld. In this episode, we trace the phenomenon through cunning folk and witchcraft lore, spirit pacts, shamanic visions, and Carlos Castaneda's accounts of meeting the spirit. From British fairy traditions to paranormal encounters and magical omens, we explore how the spirit world chooses its initiates and the timeless patterns of this mysterious calling.Support the showAll episodes are available in video format on YouTube Send your personal experiences (spiritual, paranormal), questions, comments, or business inquiries to: hiddenpassagepodcast@gmail.comYou can also send a voice message through SpeakPipeFollow on Instagram & TwitterPlease consider rating/ leaving a review. Thank you for your support!

Send us a textGod loves us unconditionally. He has provided everything we need for life and godliness, including everything we will face in our careers.When we face obstacles on our journey to fulfilling our God-given goals, it's important to remember the power of faith and prayer. Jesus assures us that we can ask, seek, and knock, and we will receive what we need. Divine promises hold the incredible power to dynamically change our circumstances when combined with our faith and our prayers.We share a powerful promise that "Ask and it will be given you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you." Mattew 7:7Faith in God promises empowers us to move from vague and uncertain outcomes to the faithfulness of our Father in Heaven, transforming prayer from vague hope into purposeful action.Rooted in Jesus' promise in Matthew 7:7-8 and illuminated by Mark 11, we explore how faith addresses obstacles. It's not just our faith, but also the guidance and support of the Holy Spirit that helps us prepare and move forward when God opens the way. The Holy Spirit is our constant companion, leading us, guiding us, and preparing us for the journey ahead.We start with God's heart: unconditional love and a commitment to give His best, not leftovers. From there, we delve into the practical aspects of the Holy Spirit's presence within us. The Holy Spirit is our constant companion, guiding us, ordering our steps, and empowering us to pursue the goals God has helped us set. You'll hear how to ask for wisdom with clarity, seek resources with focus, and knock on closed doors with words of faith that align with God's will. We discuss why speaking to challenges matters, how doubt erodes authority, and what it looks like to expect God to act without trying to control the timeline.Throughout, we emphasize the importance of preparation and obedience. When you believe God will open the door, you get ready: refine the plan, make the call, write the proposal, schedule the meeting. Then, when the door swings open, you walk through it in faith and give thanks. Along the way, we share how practicing time alone with God—using a pen, notebook, and a few verses—helps you hear God's direction for your life and work. Insight shared is insight multiplied, so we encourage you to pass on what you learn to someone who needs courage today.If this message lifts your faith or meets you at a closed door, subscribe for more teachings, share this episode with a friend, and leave a review to help others find it. Tell us: what door are you knocking on this week? Is it a job opportunity that seems out of reach? A relationship that needs mending? A health issue that needs healing? Whatever it is, remember that God is on the other side of that door, ready to open it when the time is right.https://www.seldicompany.com/

This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp.How do you go from barefoot kid to international chess master and co-founder of Chess.com? In this epic first installment, we sat with Danny Rensch to peel back the curtain on his wild journey growing up in the Church of Immortal Consciousness—a high-control Arizona collective commune led by a self-proclaimed trance medium guided by the spirit of "Dr. Duran." Danny shares what life was like growing up in a merged-finances, communal-living environment fueled by spiritual teachings, EST-style group processing, and just enough bathwater-sharing to make any outsider's eyebrows shoot up. From childhood freedom and chaos to early red flags, shifting loyalties, and the beginnings of his path out via chess, Danny's story is a rollercoaster of agency, paradox, and hope. Expect deep dives into cult philosophy, spiritual skepticism, the lure of community, and how genius can bloom in the strangest soil—all before we even get to the chess part. Come for the cult tale and stay for the cliffhanger: part two is a pawn move away.Whether or not you play chess you MUST check out Danny's memoir, Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life. Also, follow him on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn.Also…let it be known that:The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business, individual, anyone or anything. Nobody's mad at you, just don't be a culty fuckwad.**PRE-ORDER Sarah and Nippy's newest book hereCheck out our amazing sponsorsJoin A Little Bit Culty on PatreonGet poppin' fresh ALBC SwagSupport the pod and smash this linkCheck out our cult awareness and recovery resourcesWatch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, ScarredCREDITS: Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony AmesProduction Partner: Citizens of SoundCo-Creator: Jess TardyAudio production: Will RetherfordProduction Coordinator: Lesli DinsmoreWriter: Sandra NomotoSocial media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke KeaneTheme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel AsselinSUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:This month, don't wait to reach out. Whether you're checking in on a friend, or reaching out to a therapist yourself, Betterhelp makes it easier to take that first step. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/culty.Knock out all your holiday gifting needs today with MeUndies. To get exclusive holiday deals up to 50% off, go to MeUndies.com/culty and enter promo code culty.Take advantage of this exclusive offer: For a limited time get 40% off your first box PLUS a free item in every box for life. Go to Hungryroot.com/culty and use code culty.Don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use code CULTY at monarch.com in your browser for half off your first year.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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