Podcasts about christmas day

Watch on Philo! - Philo.tv/DTHThe movie kicks off with a couple dancing at a party, having a great time. It's Ben and Cassie and they end up dating. They are heading to rural Oregon to spend Christmas with his family. We meet Ben's sister who is really into vlogging, and their parents, Kirby & Mia. We immediately see that this family is a bit chaotic. They sit down for dinner and other brother Gordon shows up out of nowhere. The energy at this dinner is real weird. And then it comes out that she doesn't eat meat...and he doesn't eat meat either. Gordon begins to grill Cassie about why she's vegetarian and pushes back why it's about the environment. And Ben just kinda sits there and lets it happen. So Cassie is hurt that 1. Ben didn't tell them about being vegetarian and 2. that he'd just let Gordon attack her like that. He's like oh my bad, but look at my funny ho ho ho underwear. Wanna have smex? She does not. She tells him that this isn't working and has known that for a while. So they break up and we're not even 30 minutes in. The next morning, they go to buy her a flight but there's a big storm and there are no flights until after Christmas. The family is finally looped in. It's a whole thing.Ben decides the best way to fix this situation is by calling her best friend and asking for advice. Obviously that information gets back to Cassie which only makes things worse. His dad takes him out to the train tracks to tell him to stop being a dummy and just let her go. Cassie calls her mom and she could not be less helpful. But Ben's mom comes up and comforts her, cuz mom's gonna mom. The next day, she can't stand being in the room by herself anymore so she decides to go out with his family and she ends up having a fun time with everyone except for Ben who she is still giving the cold shoulder to.This gives Ben time to bond with Gordon over lost love.And Cassie ends up getting close to Ben's sister. Ben continues to not learn his lesson and tries to get back together with Cassie. It's Christmas Day and Cassie is thoughtful AF and gives everyone the perfect Christmas gift including some architecture socks for Ben, And then Ben surprises her by giving her a plane ticket home or a rental car to get her to Portland. She stays for lunch and then goes her way. The movie ends sometime later with the sister now going through a breakup and Gordon & Ben are helping her through while Ben wears his socks from Cassie. 

Join Premium! Ready for an ad-free meditation experience? Join Premium now and get every episode from ALL of our podcasts completely ad-free now! Just a few clicks makes it easy for you to listen on your favorite podcast player.  Become a PREMIUM member today by going to --> https://WomensMeditationNetwork.com/premium Join our Premium Sleep for Women Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Sleep podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here --> https://bit.ly/sleepforwomen  Join our Premium Meditation for Kids Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Kids podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here → https://bit.ly/meditationforkidsapple Hey, I'm so glad you're taking the time to be with us today. My team and I are dedicated to making sure you have all the meditations you need throughout all the seasons of your life.  If there's a meditation you desire, but can't find, email us at Katie Krimitsos to make a request. We'd love to create what you want!  Namaste, Beautiful,

Amanda Greenlee says it may seem odd but they are appealing now for help for their Christmas lunch. The eleven local churches that make up PACT - Petersfield Area churches together - amongst many other things provide a free Christmas lunch at the Community Centre for about 60 people who may be on their own but have space for more. It may be months away but they are starting now and need nominations and volunteers to help; drivers especially. Amanda Greenlee is one of the organisers and spoke to Mike Waddington. You can volunteer your time, your self or your ideas at PACT or Christmaslunch.pact@gmail.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blending Our Lives.by T. Foxal. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Chapter 20.The next morning I was awakened by a beautiful sensation on my hardened shaft. Carrie was licking and sucking me. When my hand caressed her face, she popped off of it and looked at me. “I couldn't help it Babe. It was so hard and wanting attention. Lay back and enjoy.”I smiled at her and said, “You know, if you are quiet, I too, could be licking and sucking something as you do that.” She smiled and moved so we could 69. As her damp panty clad cunt came down to me, my fingers moved the fabric to the side and I began enjoying her sexy slit.It wasn't long before Carrie's body stiffened and she began to cum. I have no idea how she kept from yelling out, like she usually does, but she managed. I was already close when she started cumming, and that just helped me along, because about a minute later I was ejaculating into her mouth, which she somehow kept in and swallowed. After taking one last lick, she came off of me and moved so we could kiss. It was a very passionate kiss, that we both could taste our handy work. After kissing, she looked at me and said, “Good Morning Honey. I like this new mouthwash we use.”, then giggled softly.After resting a bit, I had to get up and pee. Carrie just snuggled back under the covers and smiled at me. It was only 6:30 in the morning, but I was up now. I told her I needed some coffee. She said that I should make two cups and bring one back for her. I looked down at her and said, “You getting used to this morning service young lady?” “You betcha Baby.” then directed me to where the coffee pods were for her Keurig.As I entered the kitchen, lo and behold, Chief was sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. I didn't even think that the paper was even delivered anymore. I red the news online. “Morning Chief” He looked up and said, “Morning Mark.” Good sign I thought. At least he didn't call me Shitbird, or any other name.I got my coffee and started to get Carrie her's. John cleared his throat and told me to take a seat. “So Mark. Tell me what's up with my little girl. I know they found some spot on one of her ovaries.”“Trust me John. That's about all I know. It took some prying to get that out of her. Hell, she was going to send me packing because of this. No way would I walk away from her, especially with something like that. But, I think it is just a cyst, that time and some meds will take care of.”He just stared then said, “Mark. Honestly, I am an overprotective father, and grandfather. I just want only the best for my two girls. I know you and I like you. You have always been a man about things and someone I can trust, unlike that fuck knuckle she was married too. I never trusted that guy from the first day I met him. I know from just looking at Carrie, she is in love with you, and judging how you look at her, the same is true for you. All I ask, is don't play games with her. Either be all in, or all out. I don't want her hurt again. As for her cyst, or whatever it is, I'm sure it is nothing. Connie has had those in the past.”“Sir. And I mean sir as respect as her father. We both know that we had to call officers sir, but we both know they couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag, with a knife and directions on where to cut. But John, truthfully, this is the real deal for us and me. I have never let a woman into my life before. I saw too much when I was in. How they were in love but deployment after deployment, took a toll on those marriages and most ended in divorce, so I never got into that situation. But your daughter has my heart and soul now and I will do anything for her.”He chuckled then said, “Well, I am not complaining. I've seen the same as you. I got real lucky with Connie. We have been together almost 43 years now, married 42 of them. She is the love of my life. Best thing that ever happened to me. How she endured all of my deployments, I'll never know. But I never took her for granted. Every time I was gone, I hurt inside, but I'd never show you assholes that side of me. I made sure when I was home, that she, and Carrie were the only things important to me. And I always acted like we were dating. We had date night a couple times a week. I don't mean sex either. Taking her to dinner, or a movie, or anything that she had an interest in. You do that, and you'll have a very happy home life. And, the sex is great too, even to this day.”“Yeah Chief, Really? Last night?” I said and laughed. He just chuckled and told me “Hey. When she wants it, who am I to deny her”, then laughed again.“Deny Who?” we both heard, and there, standing near us was Carrie. She walked over and behind her dad. Put her arms around him and kissed his head. “Morning Daddy. So who weren't you denying.”“Nothing Princess. Some things you don't need to know.” then laughed. She looked at me and said, “Glad I wasn't dying of thirst Honey” then shot me a glare. “Sorry Babe. But your dad wanted to speak with me. Here, let me get yours now.”, then laughed. Her dad then chimed in, “Christ Carrie, you broke him already. 20 years in the Marines and never broke the man, and you do it in two weeks.”“Mwah? Not me. But you know those Gyrene's, they sometimes need direction. They're not as cool as us Navy people.” then laughed, which made us all laugh. I was glad to see her sense of humor back, and the twinkle in her eye.We were gone most of the day. There was a huge craft show at this one park they we stayed at for most of the afternoon. I did learn that John got into woodworking as a hobby now. He said he always wanted to do that, but being away so long, he never found the time. At one point, I found myself with Connie, while Carrie was with her dad, looking at something a few booths down from us.“Mark. I am so happy you came into Carrie's life. I have never seen her this alive before, except when she took in Jenny. I know that you are worried about her, with whatever this growth is. As I told her last night, it is probably nothing, but a simple cyst. I have had 4 in my lifetime, and they always go away. The specialist will know better on Tuesday. I bet they don't even do an exploratory on her. Her lab results will tell the tale. Her doctor should have eased her mind some, but some reason didn't. Just be there for her, no matter what. That's all I ask.”I told her I would. After a bit we headed to this little Italian place her parents knew of, for dinner. John picked up this tab, although I was willing too, but he told me my money was no good tonight. I did invite them to join us the next day at my sister's, but Connie said they already had made plans to spend the day with Jenny and Alan.After dinner we headed back to Carrie's. I stated I needed to go home and get some clothes. Carrie offered to go with me. But I told her stay and enjoy her time with her parents. I wouldn't be long. Just needed to shave and shower and get some more clothes. I was back within an hour. We stayed up some and chatted more, then we all retired to bed. After the I love you's, Carrie said she wished we were alone right now, and that she needed me inside her. I just held her close and told her soon Baby, soon.Chapter 21.We left for my sister's around noon. The get together was to start at 1pm, but I wanted to see Ann before any others arrived. I knew she would just love Carrie, there was no question in my mind. She'd probably love any woman who could tie me down. Ann and my brother in law have been married 18 years. They have two kids, Kyle, who will turn 16 in November, and Katie, who turned 14 yesterday. They have a very nice and modern house, which they moved into a few years back.Ann met us at the door, when we pulled into the drive. She is 41, same as Carrie, and stands 5'6, 130 pounds. She has dirty blond hair, and blue eyes. She is a spit fire too. Never afraid to speak her mind and tell you like it is. She has tried, unsuccessfully, to fix me up with a multitude of her friends or single neighbors. Nothing ever came to pass with them. A few became sex buddy's, but that was it. None ever made my heart beat fast, or my stomach tighten up in a knot, like Carrie does.After the introductions were made, and a few cracks about how Carrie somehow managed to corral me in, the girls went off to the kitchen, while Brad, Kyle and I went to the family room to watch some football. Eventually, my uncle and aunt showed up, along with 2 of their kids and grandkids. Also was some of my sister's neighbors and friends too. Two of which I had dated, but nothing was ever said around Carrie. At one point, Ann got me alone and said, “I love that woman. She is so right for you. You better not fuck this up little brother.”We stayed until after eating and cake was served, and presents opened. I did not what to get a 14 year old, so I went the safe way and got her a card with $100 visa gift card. She loved that. I signed the card from Uncle Mark and Carrie. When she gave me a hug and a kiss, she whispered in my ear, “I like her Unc. I hope she will be my aunt one day.” I just smiled at her, knowing full well that was my plan too.Carrie's parents left Tuesday morning, to visit, and stay with Connie's sister Bev. Connie did tell me to call her if there was anything wrong, after the doctor visit. I did not stay Monday night at Carrie's. I figure they all needed a break from me. Of course Carrie really did not like that, but I thought it best. We've laid a lot on her parents by being together as a couple and actually sleeping together.I went with Carrie to the doctor's office and sat with her in the waiting room. The whole time, I held her hand and at times, felt as though she was crushing mine, because she was so nervous. Once she was called, I stayed in the waiting room. About forty minutes later, a nurse called for me to come with her. She led me to an office that had Carrie and the doctor.I looked at Carrie and she was smiling. The doctor introduced himself to me, and I did the same. He then looked over some papers, then looked at Carrie.“Ms. Reynolds, you can rest assured that you do not have any tumor, benign, or cancerous. It is what we call a functional cyst. It is a sack that usually contains an egg, then releases that egg during your monthly cycle. The sack normally then goes away. Well this one did not, as of yet. They sometimes don't, which is what has happened to you. It may take a few weeks, but it will go away, and when you come back in three weeks, if it hasn't, we'll give you some medication that will help with that process. Otherwise, you are very healthy. If you have stopped having intimate relations, like many women do at this time, you are very safe to resume, and did not need to stop in the first place. I only say this, because that is the first question I am usually asked.” he said with a slight chuckle.As we were driving home, Carrie was all smiles. This was a huge relief for her, and me too. Maybe our lives could get back on track, after this slight derailment. I asked her if she was hungry, but she said no. She just wanted to get home.After arriving, she excused herself and went upstairs. Lord knows what she was doing, but I finally heard heard coming down the stairs. When I looked up, there she stood, with this white lace Baby doll outfit on. You talk about sexy looking. “Oh My Sweetie. You look absolutely beautiful and very sexy”“Thank you Honey. I feel absolutely sexy right now and I need you to make love to me all afternoon.”She grabbed my hand and led me upstairs to her bed. I did not waste any time in disrobing. My cock was as hard as a rock, before my boxers hit the floor. As I stripped, Carrie got on the bed and lay there, with her legs spread wide, inviting me to take her. Her white thong barely covered her moist sex, and the top did not hide the excitement she felt , with her nipples already hard as pebbles on her beautiful tits.I kneeled between her legs and slipped my fingers under her thongs waistband and gently tugged them down and off of her body. Her labia was glistening in the afternoon sunlight, filtering through the window. I leaned in and blew on her sex, which elicited a moan from her. Then lightly licked her swollen lips. “Later Baby. I need you inside me now” she softly said.I rubbed my head all over her soaking wet slit and then slowly inserted the head. “Oh Gawd” she moaned out. I slowly inched my way into her inner being, which was so soft, and so hot. “God. You feel so good Carrie.”My mouth lowered to her chest, as I sucked in one fabric cover tit. She arched her back some, like she was giving me her tit. I then sucked the other one, which made her moan so loud. Then I moved up and started kissing her. Her legs wrapped around me and we made slow, and very passionate love to one another. Neither of could hold back though. We were like teenagers doing it for the first time, and erupted in orgasm. I shot first. As I was shooting my love juice deep inside her, Carrie crushed me with her legs as this set her off on her own orgasm. Her nails dug into my back, but neither of us cared. My grip around her neck was tight as well. I felt like I hadn't cum in ages. As we settled down, we lay in each other's arms, panting from our euphoric bliss.I was still inside her, and surprisingly, still hard as well. I gently rolled us over, so she was now on top. Our lips still together. Our tongues exploring every inch of tongue. I loved her kisses, but best of all, I loved her more than ever. She sat up on me and looked down at me, smiling. Then slowly removed her teddy from her body, exposing her beautiful tits to me.“My God. You are so beautiful Carrie. You can stay her all day like this.” I told her. She smiled then said, “I had all intentions of doing this all day.” then she started to giggle. I asked what was so funny.“Last night, after we went to bed, I was laying here missing the hell out of you by the way, but I had to endure another night of my parents going at it. You have no idea how horny that made me.” she exclaimed. I asked, “Did you take care of that?”She sort of blushed, then laughed and said, “Yeah. I did. All I could think of was you, making love to me. This sure beats my fingers, or any toy I have.”I chuckled and said, “Wish I could have watched that. That would be so sexy to see.”“Maybe one day I will let you watch. But right now, Fuck me Babe. Fuck me so good”Later that evening, after napping and then showering together, we headed out to dinner at a local bar and grill. Afterwards, I brought her over to my house for the first time.She was in awe of it, just coming down the driveway. The house is big. It is 4 bedroom, Victorian style farm house. It was, at one time, 5 bedrooms. But my grandfather combined two bedrooms into one and made a new master bath in one portion of it. Otherwise, it only had one bathroom.When we entered the house and I turned on the lights, Carrie sort of gasped. I asked what was wrong, but she just smiled and said, “I'm waiting for June Cleaver to come out of the kitchen with her pearls and high heels on. God Mark, this is so 60's looking.”“I know, but it serves it purpose for me, at this time. I do plan on buying furniture, just never got around to doing it. Ann bitches at me all the time. Come on with me, while I gather some clothes for the morning.”We went upstairs to the master bedroom. When she saw the furniture up there, she really gasped. “Oh My Mark. This stuff is gorgeous. Please don't replace this. This stuff has to be from the 20's. I just love the bed.”“Yeah. Gramps said his father built it.” The bed was a big four poster and had matching dressers and nightstands. It was old, but finely built and well maintained.As I was gathering things, she laid out on the bed. “You know, maybe this weekend, we stay here and let the kids have the condo. I'd love to make love to you right here. Also, pack up some underwear and some shirts and pants, so you can leave them at my place.”“Sounds like a plan to me. Where does Alan live anyways?” I asked“He actually lives with his mom. Close by campus. She is divorced for years now. I am actually pretty friends with her. We have gone out for drinks a few times and have had dinners at each other's places. She just adores Jenny, which makes it a whole lot nicer.”After a few more minutes, we left and went back to Carrie's. Of course we made love again that night, and early the next morning, before she had to leave for work. This arrangement worked out quite well for us.Chapter 22.By Thanksgiving time, we were comfortably into our relationship. Most nights were spent at her place, and most weekends were spent at mine. There wasn't a night we did not spend together. I was hooked on her. I never, in a million years, could believe I could wake up every morning with someone. This felt awesome to me and so special. I loved looking at her while she slept. I also enjoyed just sitting with her at night reading, or just watching TV, then retire to bed. The best part is when she folds herself into me and falls asleep. I love that most.Thanksgiving is time for family. This year though, I was spending dinner with Carrie, Jenny and Alan, and Alan's mom, Brenda. I usually would be at Ann's, but she understood. I did tell Ann we would be over after dinner to visit.Carrie and Brenda did all the cooking. Alan and I set the table, but then retired to the couch to watch some football. Jenny was out with the ladies, so this left only Alan and I alone. As we watched, Alan and I would talk some. He was a nice young man and had his head together. He told he would be graduating in the spring and already had a job lined up. He wanted to work a while before he went for his Masters.Then he looked around to see where the ladies were, and saw they were still very busy in the kitchen. “Mr. Roberts, Mark. I… I want to ask Jenny to marry me this Christmas. Do I ask her mom beforehand?”“Well Alan. To be honest, I think that would be a great idea. Are you absolutely sure of this? This is a huge step in your life?” He smiled and said, “Oh yeah. I have never been sure of anything like this. I love her so much and can't wait to start our lives together.”“Tell you what. You get Carrie alone one day soon and ask her. I'm sure she will give her blessing. But, she's not the one you need the blessing from. You know who that belongs to.” I told him.He chuckled, then said, “Yeah. I kind of had a feeling you would say that. But I don't know when I will ever see them before Christmas. That's not something you ask over the phone.”I laughed, then said back to him. “Oh you are so right there. That old bastard would kill you if you did it like that. When can you get a Friday off in the next couple of weeks?”He shrugged his shoulders, “I guess any Friday. I usually have labs on those days, so no biggie, why?”I shook my head. “Between you and I, and I mean this, you don't say a word to Jenny. I too, plan on asking Carrie to marry me. So pick a Friday. We'll tell our fine ladies we are doing a guy thing that day, which we are. But we'll fly down to Florida, and ask the Chief and Connie in person.”“Oh wow Mark. But I can't afford that. Heck, the ring I want to get is a bit over my budget.”“Don't worry about the flight, I'll handle that. Where did you get the ring, or see it?He smiled and said, “Over at the mall, at Kay Jewelers. It's only a half carat, but one day, I'll get her a bigger one.”“Look, tomorrow, the girls are going shopping with my sister, god help me. So why don't you come with me. A friend of mine is a jeweler and has a lot of nice rings. We'll figure it out from there.” He just nodded, and as he was about to speak Jenny popped in.“What are you two talking about. It looks like a very deep conversation.” We both laughed and said football.Dinner was excellent, but the people really made it nice. By the end of the meal, we were all tired. I helped, as did Alan, wish dishes. We figured the girls spent all morning in there fixing it, it's the least we could do. Thank God for dishwashers.That night and Ann's, Carrie and Ann talked nonstop. Jenny and Alan had also come along, but weren't staying long. I was very happy that Carrie and her family were so accepted by my family. Ann and Brad made them feel right at home. I announced that Christmas Eve dinner was at my house this year. Ann, of course, had to bust my balls and ask what take out I was using.“I'll have you know, I am a pretty damn good cook, huh Honey?” Carrie smiled, “Oh Yeah. He actually is. I was very surprised. Jarheads usually know only a couple of things. Walk, March, shoot guns and eat.” then laughed. “Nice Squid. Real Nice”Katie then asked, “Mom? What's a Jarhead?” which made us all start busting out in laughter.“Well Pumpkin, it's like this. See a Marine is a very special person. He, or she, is the very best and people in the other services are very jealous of us. So they call us very derogatory names, to make them feel better about the lowly service they belong too, like the Navy. Squids are so jealous.” then laughed.Carrie was rolling her eyes, then said “Dream on Jarhead. We are just smart enough to stay on a boat, while you get all the crap jobs on land. But, I still love ya.”Once home and lying in bed, Carrie told what a great day she had. She just loves my sister and feels rather close to her. She also said she was so glad that they even accepted Jenny and Alan. I told her that I was glad that they have accepted her as well, and that spending the day with her and Jenny, and Alan's family made this pretty special to me.“Carrie. I don't want any secrets between us, so I need to tell you this.” “Uh Oh” was her response. “It's not bad, not bad at all. Alan is going to come ask you for permission to marry Jenny”Carrie got to her knees, “Really? When? Oh my God. I knew that they would do this.”“Not sure when he is going to ask you, but I do know it is Christmas time he asking her. He's pretty much laid out his life and how he sees it, and he does have a good head on his shoulders. He said they would wait until Jenny graduates in a year and a half.”Carrie was still on her knees, but crying now. “I am so happy for them. Jenny wants to marry him, that I am sure of. She loves him as much as I love you. I just told her when the time comes, be smart, and wait on having kids. Enjoy being a couple, because once kids come, it's whole new ballgame.”“Now you better act surprised about this. He is so scared of what you may say.”“I will. I promise. He has nothing to fear from me, it's gonna be a YES”, then leaned down and kissed me. That kiss turn into a hot, passionate kiss, which led to a love making session. Can't wait to see what she is like when I ask her the same thing.Chapter 23.The next morning Carrie was up and out the door by 7am. I knew I had most of the day to myself, so I got dressed and headed over to my place. Alan and I were to meet at the jewelers around noon.Alan was right on time as we entered the building, which was in one of those strip style shopping centers. My friend, John, was behind the counter when he saw me walk in. After a few good minutes of catching up he directed us to the engagement ring area . Alan stated he had $1200 to spend. John showed him quite a few rings in that price range. He was looking for a pear shaped style. I saw one that was one carat and asked the price. John said he could let that one go for $1800. Alan said it looked great, but he couldn't afford it.“Do you think Jenny would like it?” “Yeah. She's love that.” he said. “Well then, get it. I'll make up the difference. My future stepdaughter should have the best.” “Mark. I promise to repay you as quick as I can.” “You pay me when you can afford too, and nothing sooner. We'll be family for many years to come.”Then John directed me to this one ring. It was marquis shaped with 6 small diamonds around it. It just screamed Carrie to me. It was set in a platinum band, which I already knew she liked. It wasn't to pretentious, or gaudy. John said I could have that one for five grand , normally $6500 for it. He said it was a size 8, but I am not sure of her size. He said, no matter, just bring it in after I give it to her and he would resize it, unless I could find out her size. I chuckled to myself, and thought, I should call her ex and ask.After leaving there, we grabbed a sandwich and beer at this one bar and grill I knew. Then headed over to my house to see about flights to Florida. Alan was so excited, and kept thanking me over and over. I knew now the kid's father had very little to do with him, since the divorce. He's been gone from their lives for almost 12 years now. So this felt pretty good, acting like a father figure to him. Kids coming out of boot camp are kind of like this. They look up to the sergeants when you get them in your platoon. So I know the look all too well, except I'm not going to yell at this one.Once at my house, we went online and found a flight, non-stop to Pensacola, that got us there by 10am, and then one returning at 2:30, arriving back here at 5pm. Before I made the purchase, I called Connie. She had given me her cell number before they left back in October.After the obligatory how are you's and how's Carrie. I told her my plan. I really wanted to surprise them both, but had to make sure they would be home that day. It would have sucked to fly down and find they were gone.“Oh Mark. You are such a good man. John will be so happy you did this. I know he likes and respects you. He has been hoping you would do something like this, marrying his little girl. But to fly all the way down here to ask his permission, well, you'll be at the top of his list. You already are on mine. I promise I won't say a word either.”We hung up after that, and I hit the button to buy the tickets. I didn't tell Connie about Alan coming or his question too. That should make the old man really feel good. Tickets for both of us, just set me back a grand, but it was worth it. I told Alan this one is on me, which he protested too, but I told him tough, get over it.Later that night, while in my bed, Carrie told me about her day with Ann, and shopping. She said she thinks this will be the best Christmas ever for her. Ann told her what she thought I needed and clothes sizes and such. I can just imagine what Ann helped her pick out. I got to admit, when it comes to clothes for me, Ann knew what I liked.Since that few days back in October, when I thought she wanted to call this whole thing off, we have grown closer. Although we are not in our early twenties, we still made love quite a bit. Four or five times a week. But just going to bed with her and waking in the morning and see her next to me, was like heaven. I could care less about the sex actually. That was the bonus. Great thing too, is that she loves sex and on the weekends, it was two or three times a day, unless her monthly friend showed up, but even then, when it first starts, she isn't opposed to doing it in the shower. That has happened twice since we started.Weekends too, was when naughty Carrie comes to play. She is very boisterous, and loves talking dirty. She is always a lady outside of the home, but inside, she gets down right slutty. One evening I let her tie me up to the post of my bed. She teased quite a bit that night. 69ing with me, but having her sex hover above my face, where I couldn't reach it. While she played with my cock. Then she'd lower herself down to let me lick her for about thirty seconds, then pull away again. It drove me insane with lust. When she finally turned around and lowered herself onto me, she rode me like a bull. The whole time asking me how her cunt felt and did I want to cum, and things like that. It was fun and adventurous for us, and we both love it. I really think she has a Domme side to her, deep down.Chapter 24.A few nights before Alan and I took off to Florida, I fibbed a bit and told Carrie that on Friday I was going to help Brad close up their cabin, that he and Ann have by a lake near us. Ann knew of my plans and was willing to go along with it. I told her that Alan was going to help too and that we should be back by 6 that evening. Since the cabin is only 20 minutes from the airport, I was going to swing by before our flight, and move a few chairs on the porch, to a shed he had. That way, I really didn't lie. I hate lying to her.We arrived in Florida about ten minutes early, which was good. I rented a car and was at John and Connie's in no time, thanks to GPS. The look on John's face was priceless when he opened the door and saw both of us standing there. Of course, he thought something was wrong.“What in the world are you two doing down here? Are the girls  okay?”I laughed and said all is fine with them. He let us in and we took a seat on the couch. “Well? What's up. You didn't fly down here for your health.”“John. Connie. I came down here to ask permission to marry your daughter.”“You flew down here just to ask that? What the hell, you could have called on the phone and saved time and money Shitbird.”“No John. You deserve more respect than that. If I am doing this, I want to do it right. So, do I have your permission?”He looked at Connie, who shook her head yes, then said, “Mark. I would be proud to call you my son in law. I may seem gruff at times, but I do like you and respect you, and I know you will treat my daughter good, which is all I can ask for. Connie and I want only the best for her, and Jenny too. So yes, you have our permission.”We shook hands and he actually gave me a hug, and of course Connie did too. Then John asked,“Did you need a wingman, bringing Alan down with you?”“No sir”, Alan said. “I would like permission too, to ask your granddaughter to be my wife.”“Jesus H. Christ. Both of you? Well son, are you sure you are ready for a step like this. That is one person I never want to see hurt, besides my wife and daughter.”“Sir. I have never been so sure of anything in my life. I graduate in May and have a job already lined up and Jenny graduates the following year, and then we would marry.”After looking at his wife again, who stood there smiling, he spoke, “Then I guess I see no point in denying you her hand. Promise me you will always take care of her and love her with all your heart, like we do.”“I promise Mr. Reynolds, I swear.” He chuckled, “I bet you were as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs to ask me this. Both of you clowns, so help me God, if you ever hurt those girls, I will hunt you down and hurt you real bad, and if I am too old, I still know people who can do it. You know the last one Carrie was with, the asshole, the best I could do is have him shipped to San Diego. I wanted to have him put on that team in the Aleutians (Alaska), but the CO thought that would not be a good fit for that team.”We stayed and had lunch with them, then got back to the airport with plenty of time. We did ask if they could come up for Christmas. They had plans for a few days later that week, but said they would be up on Christmas Eve, which I thought was perfect. We also planned on surprising the girls with their presence , that evening at my house since I was cooking dinner that night. John did make a crack about eating before he got there, in case my meal sucked.I got to Carrie's around 6:30, and we went to eat, then to my place. We just cuddled on the couch that night, then went to bed. I was pretty tired, and she completely understood, so we just fell asleep in each other's arms.The next day, we met Jenny and Alan back at Carrie's and headed over to this tree farm to cut down two Christmas tree's They take you out on a wagon, then when you find and cut it down, pick you up and bring you back to the Chalet, where you pay. The four of us had a great time and Carrie, and Jenny were giddy most of the day. I dropped the kids off at Carrie's and helped put the tree in its stand. Jenny was going to start decorating it, while Carrie and I did the same at my place. This is the first tree I have decorated in over twenty years. I was usually never home for the holidays, or if I was, it was for a few days and it was spent with mom and Ann.It took most of the afternoon and part of the evening to string lights and attach the antique ornaments my grandmother had at the house. Carrie did run out to the store and bought ribbon and bows, and some garland too. While we did this, she had Christmas music playing in the background and I had a fire lit in the fireplace. What was real nice, was that it was now snowing some. Not heavy, but a nice downfall, just like you would see in any Christmas movie.We were both dressed in jeans and sweaters, but she looks a lot cuter than I do, in hers. After we finished and ate delivered pizza, we retired to the couch, which faces the fireplace, and the tree, all lit up, standing in the corner by it. Carrie sat next to me, sipping wine, with her legs curled under her. We talked about what we needed to get for people. I had told her I wasn't sure what to get Ann and Brad, or even Jenny and Alan. I did buy the kids laptops for each of them. Ann had only one computer, which they all shared, so this would help out in that department. I know Ann and Brad were going to buy Kyle a used truck, for when he passed his driver's license test. He was taking the driver's ed course now.Carrie said she would help with Ann and Brad, but I didn't need to get Jenny anything. I told her to stop there. She is part of you and she deserves presents as well. Carrie did tell me she is going to get Jenny a car, after the first of the year. Right now, she didn't have one, but she was taking an internship at this one accounting agency, and needed one for that. Then we started kissing, which led to more kissing. I stopped, and got up.“Hold that thought”, I said. Then went to the back closet and pulled out my sleeping bag. I came back in and unrolled it, and unzipped it. I laid it out over the oval rug in front of the fireplace and went and took her by the hand and had her stand up.“Umm, I like how you think Mr. Roberts.” I slowly removed her sweater, then her bra. Of course I had to suck her tits a few times, before unbuttoning her jeans and slowly peeled them down, exposing her black thong. With me now on my knees, I used my teeth to pull her thongs down, and when they hit the floor, she stepped out of them. I didn't even bother with her socks. Now naked, I leaned in and lightly licked her sex, tasting her juices that she was already emitting. God, I love how she taste.She pulled me up then and pulled my sweater over my head and then my t-shirt. She now got on her knees and removed my jeans and then my boxers. When my engorged member sprung free, she licked it a few times, especially on the tip. “Yummy” she said.I had her lay on the sleeping bag, and she readily spread her legs for me, letting me gaze at her beauty. The Christmas lights, and the glow of the fire made her especially beautiful. I wasted little time in going down on her. I wanted her to orgasm in my mouth. I needed to taste her. I stayed down there for a long while. Bringing her off two times, before I kissed my way back up to her mouth, stopping along the way to such each tit into my mouth, which I knew she loved having done.As I kissed her passionately, I made sure my weight was not fully on her, and my hardened member lay at her opening, ready to enter paradise. Her hips gyrated below me, trying hard to have me enter her.“Baby. Please put it in. I need you so bad. I love you”I too, couldn't wait any longer and slid in. Once I was fully in, we both moaned out. We then proceeded to make slow love to one another. We had no rush to this, just two people, deeply in love, joined together, making us one. I have no idea how long we made love for, but it had to have lasted at least a good fifteen minutes. We were lost in each other, until Carrie finally moaned out “Oh God, I'm cumming Baby.” I didn't last too much longer and started shooting my seed deep within her. “I love you baby.” I said as I was cumming.After we calmed a bit, I noticed I was still hard and rolled us over so she was on top. I looked at her, as she sat up. The firelight danced over her skin. She looked incredible to me. “My God Baby, you look so beautiful” I said. “You are beautiful Mark. I love you so much. This is going to be the best holiday ever.” I smiled, and thought, “If you only knew my Love”Chapter 25.The next two weeks flew by. I had talked with Connie a couple of times. She said she told Carrie that they were going to New Orleans to visit with friends down there, from their Navy days. Carrie was a little bummed, but understood. Connie said their flight got in at 4pm that day. Jenny was going to pick them up and bring them over a little past 7, on that evening, along with Alan's mom. Ann was going to meet them out front, so they could follow her up the drive, without lights on. Very clandestine like. I had told Ann to wait until I turned the kitchen and dining room lights out, before sneaking in the back door, and to stay in the dining room until I actually proposed to Carrie. God I was nervous now. This to me, was the biggest leap of faith I would ever take in my life.Carrie came over around 5, on Christmas Eve. She was wearing this beautiful red dress that made her look like a Goddess. Had no one been coming over, I would have taken her then and there.“My God. You are more beautiful than I have ever seen you Ms. Reynolds.” I told her. She smiled and said, “You are just biased, and you want to get into my panties JH. Thank You though. Compliments are always welcome. I love you.”She helped me prepare the rest of dinner. We were having Standing Prime Rib, mashed potatoes, rolls, gravy, and a bean casserole that Carrie prepared. We then set the table for 8, on the dining room table. This table was big enough to feed a platoon on. Everything was almost ready.It was now just coming on 7pm. The roast was done and I removed it from the oven, to let it sit a while before carving. Carrie was standing near me, sipping a glass of wine. I reached the light switch and turned it off, and then walked into the dining room and did the same there. The only light was from the tree and fireplace.I went to the stereo and put on Carrie's favorite artist, Shania Twain. I took Carrie's hand and led her to the middle of the living room, as the music started. I took her glass and set it down, then pulled her into my arms and started to dance to “From This Moment On”As we danced, I made sure her head was not turned so she could see into the dining room. Towards the end of the dance I softly sang the lyrics to her.You're the reason I believe in loveAnd you're the answer to my prayers from up aboveAll we need is just the two of usMy dreams came true because of youFrom this moment as long as I liveI will love you, I promise you thisThere is nothing I wouldn't giveFrom this momentI will love you as long as I liveFrom this moment on.As the music started to end, I looked into her eyes, which were now glazed over with tears, and got to my knee. With her one hand in my, I looked up at her, then reached into my sport coat, and pulled out the ring.“Carolyn Ann. I love you more than life itself, and like the lyrics said, I can't wait to start living my life with you. Would you do me the honor and be my wife, and I your husband?”Her whole body tremble as I awaited her answer. “Oh My God Sweetheart, Yes”I stood and pulled her into me and we kissed a long and very passionate kiss. Just then, our combined family's started clapping and cheering. Carrie broke the kiss and saw her mom and dad coming towards us, with Jenny and Alan, then Ann and her family.Carrie broke from me and ran to her mom and hugged her tight, then her dad. She was now full out crying, and since she yes, it must be from joy. Connie then hugged me and told me how beautiful that scene just was. Jenny and Carrie were hugging and crying together now. Brad and Alan both shook my hand. Ann went up and hugged Carrie and welcomed her to the family, then she came to me.“Brother. You sometimes shock the hell out of me. I never knew you could be this romantic” Then kissed me and told me she loves me and I better take care of that woman, always.John finally came over to me, “Mark. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be calling you son. But you know what, I am glad I am. You are the type of man I would want for a son. Welcome aboard to our family Son.” then hugged me. I could have sworn I saw a tear in his eye.Dinner was excellent and everyone was in a very festive mood. Carrie made a toast, after saying grace before dinner. “To the best Christmas ever. To Ann and Brad, and the kids, I am so grateful to be part of your lives now. You have made me feel part of your family since the day I met you. To you, mom and dad, and you Jenny, for always being there for me and teaching what love really is, so I can now share that with my future husband Mark, who I plan on growing very old with. I love you all”After dinner, the girls shooed us away and told us to relax while they did the dishes. Connie said it was only fair, since I did the cooking. It was well past 9pm when we were all together in the living room. Carrie and I already decided we would open our gifts the next morning, at her place with Jenny and Alan, and now her dad and mom. But we still had to exchange gifts with Ann and the family.Carrie handed out our gifts to them. To Ann, Carrie picked out a couple of sweaters and we got her a $200 visa gift card, so she could buy what she wanted for herself. We got Brad a new fishing reel and a $200 visa gift card. The gift cards were in a Christmas card signed Mark and Carrie. The kids each got a laptop and $100 gift cards. When they opened the cards, their mom asked what was written. Of course they could care less about what was written but said it was from “Uncle Mark and Aunt Carrie” I had signed all of the cards, but Carrie had no idea I wrote that. She squeezed my hand tightly then.Alan and Jenny were sitting by the tree and had opened their presents from my sister. Then Alan reached around the tree and produced a box, and handed it to Jenny. “Please open this Honey.”Jenny was now sort of kneeling and slowly opened the box. Inside was a figurine of a bride. Around the head and neck, was the ring he bought a few weeks back. Jenny just Gasped. Alan was kneeling now too and took her hand.“I was going to wait until the morning, but I just can't. I want everyone to see and hear this. Jennifer Lynn, would you marry me and become my wife and the mother, someday, to our children”Jenny broke down and started crying, but finally said “Yes”, then actually tackled him and started kissing him. Jenny was over the moon now, as was Carrie and Connie, and Alan's mom. Lots of excitement this night, that's for sure. I went out to the fridge and took out 2 bottles of champagne that I had snuck in the back and opened them. With John's help, we gave everyone a glass, including the kids and toasted to a merry Christmas.Katie made me chuckle when she asked if Jenny was now their cousin. I said officially, no, not until Carrie and I marry, but yeah, she is. “Oh Cool. I don't have any girl cousins”, which made us all laugh.I was sitting in the one arm chair, and Carrie in my lap. Of course she had to wiggle her ass a few times, which wasn't the best thing to do, because Mr. happy liked the attention and started to rise. I whispered in her ear, “Keep it up and I'll take you upstairs and take care of this problem I am having.” She giggled and said, “Promises. Promises”Then Carrie asked, “Mark. Did you ask my dad for permission?” I just smiled and said, “Oh Yeah. I'm not that dumb. Actually. Remember two weeks ago when I was helping Brad at the cabin?” she nodded, “Well, Alan and I did go there at 5:30am. I can see Alan is not the type that likes getting up at Oh Dark Thirty either, but, we did go over there. Moved three things to the shed, then left for the airport. We flew down to Florida, got to your parents by 11, had lunch, asked Chief and your mom for their blessings, then back up here by 5 that evening, and you two fine ladies weren't the wiser. So before you say anything, we did not lie, but did not disclose our whole agenda. No way could I lie to you Babe.”John was laughing as I was recounting that day. “Oh yeah, I open the door to find these two Shitbirds. My first thought was something happened to one of you, but then Mark sorted it out for me. Connie already knew he was coming. But I'll tell you. I couldn't ask for two finer men to take care of my girls, than these two.After that, everyone started to leave. We told them we'd be over in the morning, and to not open stuff without us there. As soon as we saw the lights of their cars fade away, Carrie turned off the lights and pulled me upstairs.Carrie turned on the lamp, next to the bed, then turned off the overhead lights. She seductively stripped down for me, and I just stood there in amazement. Once naked, she stood there. So I stripped as well. Not as seductive as she had done, but still slow. I stood a foot away from here and she took both of my hands in hers.She smiled at me, “Baby, you have no idea how lucky I feel and so loved right now. What you see in front of you, is yours, until the day we die. I am all yours.”I smiled at her then, and said, “Babe. For the life of me, I don't know how I ever got as lucky to be with a beautiful person, as you are. I don't mean just in looks, but the whole essence of you. You are my life, and no one will ever come between us. I Love you Carrie”She led me to the bed and we lay beside each other. Her newly ringed hand reached around the shaft of my member and held it gently. “I love this ring Baby. And, quite frankly, it looks really good right now. When did you know you wanted to marry me?”My eyes looked into hers, “Honestly, I wish I could say that first kiss on Whiteface Mountain. But it wasn't then. I knew at that point I had a shot with you though. But, it was the night I made you dinner and drew your bath. I knew then, when you said I love you back to me, that this was it. And, it's gotten better every day since.”She crawled up on top of me, and without any help from our hands, slipped my hard member into her waiting sex. Looking up at her, after we both moaned, “When did you know this was real for us?”“When we kissed on that rock. There was just something about it. But when we made love that Saturday night in the cabin and professed our love to each other. I knew in my heart then. But finally, when you stuck by me, with that stupid ordeal back in October, I knew this man was it.”“Baby, there was no way I was walking away from you. Not then , not ever. Were you surprised this happened tonight?” I asked.She grinned, “Yes and no. I thought maybe tomorrow, and if not then, then Valentine's Day. But tonight threw me. But picking one of my favorite songs to dance too, then asking me then, well it made me speechless. Then to have our whole family here too. You made this the best Christmas I have ever had.”Carrie started pumping up and down on me now. She didn't want to talk anymore. She wanted to complete our love making. It really did not take us long either. Throughout the whole time, our lips were locked together, until we were both ready to cum.“Oh God Baby. I have to cum” I spoke out loudly. “Cum Baby. Give me it all. I Love You Mark”I started cumming deep inside her, and about half way through, she started cumming. My hands were holding her ass as she did. I could feel goosebumps on her cheeks, as she let loose with her orgasm. It was very powerful too. Her whole body was wiggling around as our orgasms continued.We kissed one last time, then both told each other I love you. I wouldn't let her leave me though and she settled in on top of me and we both fell asleep.Chapter 26.Christmas Day saw us going all over the place. First, I took Carrie out to the barn out back. Inside was my old 93 Ford Mustang Boss. I bought this right after boot camp. It was rarity that I got to drive it much. Sometimes, six months would elapse before it got driven. The most use I got out of it was when I was stationed at Quantico. When I moved back here, after getting out, I bought my truck. So this car just sits, except for an occasional spin. It's silver with black interior, and has the 5 liter engine, which is a small V8. The only enhancement it has, is a new radio that has Bluetooth for the phone. It is in mint condition and only has 22,000 miles on it.Carrie asked where did I get this. So I told her about its history. Then I told her I was going to give this to Jenny. “Oh My God Mark. You can't do that. This is an antique, isn't it?”“No. Not yet. Couple of more years. But she needs a car and I never use it. So why not let someone, who I happen to like and is going to be my daughter one day, have it.”“You amaze me JH. You don't have a selfish bone in your body. And you are right, she is going to have you for a father one day. I know she likes that idea too. The ex was never really close with her in the first place, and when I kicked him out, he has never even tried to contact her. Just be patient with her and love her Mark. That's all I ask.”I knew I was going to do this too, after Carrie said she had to buy a car for her. So I had it checked out at the garage I go too, and had new tires put on it. So it was good to go. She'll just have to watch driving in snow. Rear wheel drive and snow don't always mix well.When we arrived that morning, everyone was up. Connie had made cinnamon buns and coffee, which we all enjoyed, while opening presents. After all the presents were opened, I handed Jenny a small gift bag. “From us” I said. Her eyes got real big when she saw they keys. Then ran to the front door and opened it. When she saw the car, she squealed with excitement. This girl was in a fuzzy robe and put on sneakers and ran out to it. Then came back inside and ran up to me and hugged me.“Thank You so much Mark” then planted kisses all over my cheeks. Then she thanked her mom. I told her it was hers to use and to be careful with it. I then told her we would help with insurance and stuff like that. But it is her responsibility to maintain it. “You guys are the best. Come Papa. let me show you my new car.” she said. Jenny, Alan, and John trudged out into the cold. I told Connie that the car is old, but nowhere near the mileage that the old Seadog has on him. Connie winked at me and said, “You know Mark. I think you are going to make one great father.”That New Year's Eve, we were invited to a couple of parties, but we begged off and stayed home. We made dinner together. Watched some movies, then made love at midnight. We did talk about Carrie moving in here, with me. She readily agreed, and two weeks later, she moved in. Jenny and Alan moved into her condo. All Carrie asked of them was to make sure no babies were produced yet. At some point, once the kids were established, and found their own place after they were married, she would sell the condo. Luckily for us, this was not a drain on finances. She made almost $100 grand a year at her job and mine was bringing in almost double that, and this house was paid for.We did settle down and bought new furniture for all over. I let that up to her, and Ann helped out. Those two become thick as thieves. If I was to ever argue with Carrie, I'd never win, but we never argue. We do discuss stuff and come to common ground. One thing was constant though, and that was our love making. I made sure we had at least one date night a week, and I always try to be romantic.The first weekend in October, Carrie and I married. When Carrie got married the first time, it was in front of a judge. So she never had a real wedding, and, her parents weren't there for it, depriving her dad the chance to give her away.The one thing she did ask me to wear was my dress blues. I had to check to make sure that I was still allowed, and found out that it was  okay for that. I had to bring that out of mothballs. I even had the sword. MY uni had 5 gold service stripes indicating 20 years, plus a lot of ribbons and medals on the pocket area.John too, wore his dress blues, or winter uniform. Now he had 9 gold sleeve stripes, since he was just shy of 40 years in. His front pocket area had to weigh a ton with all the service ribbons and medals. He wore blue, so he wouldn't upstage his daughter, in her white dress.Seeing her come down the aisle, with her father, was one of the best days of my life. She was radiant and so beautiful. She picked From This Moment On as her entrance song, instead of the traditional wedding march. Jenny served as her maid of honor, and Brad served as my best man. Alan and Ann were in it as well, as was Kyle and Katie. We both have a small circle of friends, and limited family, so the reception wasn't really big, maybe 50 people in all, but we all had a great time. We spent our first night of the honeymoon, in my uncle's cabin, after climbing up Whiteface Mountain and kissed on that very same rock, where we did the first time.I do remember, as I stood there, at the altar, holding Carrie's hands and was reciting her vows to me, all I thought was,“All this, because I bumped into a this beautiful woman at the ranger's station, who just happened to be a bit clumsy and sprain her ankle later, on a path near the cabin I was staying at. Life is good.”by T. Foxal.

Blending Our Lives.by T. Foxal. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Chapter 20.The next morning I was awakened by a beautiful sensation on my hardened shaft. Carrie was licking and sucking me. When my hand caressed her face, she popped off of it and looked at me. “I couldn't help it Babe. It was so hard and wanting attention. Lay back and enjoy.”I smiled at her and said, “You know, if you are quiet, I too, could be licking and sucking something as you do that.” She smiled and moved so we could 69. As her damp panty clad cunt came down to me, my fingers moved the fabric to the side and I began enjoying her sexy slit.It wasn't long before Carrie's body stiffened and she began to cum. I have no idea how she kept from yelling out, like she usually does, but she managed. I was already close when she started cumming, and that just helped me along, because about a minute later I was ejaculating into her mouth, which she somehow kept in and swallowed. After taking one last lick, she came off of me and moved so we could kiss. It was a very passionate kiss, that we both could taste our handy work. After kissing, she looked at me and said, “Good Morning Honey. I like this new mouthwash we use.”, then giggled softly.After resting a bit, I had to get up and pee. Carrie just snuggled back under the covers and smiled at me. It was only 6:30 in the morning, but I was up now. I told her I needed some coffee. She said that I should make two cups and bring one back for her. I looked down at her and said, “You getting used to this morning service young lady?” “You betcha Baby.” then directed me to where the coffee pods were for her Keurig.As I entered the kitchen, lo and behold, Chief was sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. I didn't even think that the paper was even delivered anymore. I red the news online. “Morning Chief” He looked up and said, “Morning Mark.” Good sign I thought. At least he didn't call me Shitbird, or any other name.I got my coffee and started to get Carrie her's. John cleared his throat and told me to take a seat. “So Mark. Tell me what's up with my little girl. I know they found some spot on one of her ovaries.”“Trust me John. That's about all I know. It took some prying to get that out of her. Hell, she was going to send me packing because of this. No way would I walk away from her, especially with something like that. But, I think it is just a cyst, that time and some meds will take care of.”He just stared then said, “Mark. Honestly, I am an overprotective father, and grandfather. I just want only the best for my two girls. I know you and I like you. You have always been a man about things and someone I can trust, unlike that fuck knuckle she was married too. I never trusted that guy from the first day I met him. I know from just looking at Carrie, she is in love with you, and judging how you look at her, the same is true for you. All I ask, is don't play games with her. Either be all in, or all out. I don't want her hurt again. As for her cyst, or whatever it is, I'm sure it is nothing. Connie has had those in the past.”“Sir. And I mean sir as respect as her father. We both know that we had to call officers sir, but we both know they couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag, with a knife and directions on where to cut. But John, truthfully, this is the real deal for us and me. I have never let a woman into my life before. I saw too much when I was in. How they were in love but deployment after deployment, took a toll on those marriages and most ended in divorce, so I never got into that situation. But your daughter has my heart and soul now and I will do anything for her.”He chuckled then said, “Well, I am not complaining. I've seen the same as you. I got real lucky with Connie. We have been together almost 43 years now, married 42 of them. She is the love of my life. Best thing that ever happened to me. How she endured all of my deployments, I'll never know. But I never took her for granted. Every time I was gone, I hurt inside, but I'd never show you assholes that side of me. I made sure when I was home, that she, and Carrie were the only things important to me. And I always acted like we were dating. We had date night a couple times a week. I don't mean sex either. Taking her to dinner, or a movie, or anything that she had an interest in. You do that, and you'll have a very happy home life. And, the sex is great too, even to this day.”“Yeah Chief, Really? Last night?” I said and laughed. He just chuckled and told me “Hey. When she wants it, who am I to deny her”, then laughed again.“Deny Who?” we both heard, and there, standing near us was Carrie. She walked over and behind her dad. Put her arms around him and kissed his head. “Morning Daddy. So who weren't you denying.”“Nothing Princess. Some things you don't need to know.” then laughed. She looked at me and said, “Glad I wasn't dying of thirst Honey” then shot me a glare. “Sorry Babe. But your dad wanted to speak with me. Here, let me get yours now.”, then laughed. Her dad then chimed in, “Christ Carrie, you broke him already. 20 years in the Marines and never broke the man, and you do it in two weeks.”“Mwah? Not me. But you know those Gyrene's, they sometimes need direction. They're not as cool as us Navy people.” then laughed, which made us all laugh. I was glad to see her sense of humor back, and the twinkle in her eye.We were gone most of the day. There was a huge craft show at this one park they we stayed at for most of the afternoon. I did learn that John got into woodworking as a hobby now. He said he always wanted to do that, but being away so long, he never found the time. At one point, I found myself with Connie, while Carrie was with her dad, looking at something a few booths down from us.“Mark. I am so happy you came into Carrie's life. I have never seen her this alive before, except when she took in Jenny. I know that you are worried about her, with whatever this growth is. As I told her last night, it is probably nothing, but a simple cyst. I have had 4 in my lifetime, and they always go away. The specialist will know better on Tuesday. I bet they don't even do an exploratory on her. Her lab results will tell the tale. Her doctor should have eased her mind some, but some reason didn't. Just be there for her, no matter what. That's all I ask.”I told her I would. After a bit we headed to this little Italian place her parents knew of, for dinner. John picked up this tab, although I was willing too, but he told me my money was no good tonight. I did invite them to join us the next day at my sister's, but Connie said they already had made plans to spend the day with Jenny and Alan.After dinner we headed back to Carrie's. I stated I needed to go home and get some clothes. Carrie offered to go with me. But I told her stay and enjoy her time with her parents. I wouldn't be long. Just needed to shave and shower and get some more clothes. I was back within an hour. We stayed up some and chatted more, then we all retired to bed. After the I love you's, Carrie said she wished we were alone right now, and that she needed me inside her. I just held her close and told her soon Baby, soon.Chapter 21.We left for my sister's around noon. The get together was to start at 1pm, but I wanted to see Ann before any others arrived. I knew she would just love Carrie, there was no question in my mind. She'd probably love any woman who could tie me down. Ann and my brother in law have been married 18 years. They have two kids, Kyle, who will turn 16 in November, and Katie, who turned 14 yesterday. They have a very nice and modern house, which they moved into a few years back.Ann met us at the door, when we pulled into the drive. She is 41, same as Carrie, and stands 5'6, 130 pounds. She has dirty blond hair, and blue eyes. She is a spit fire too. Never afraid to speak her mind and tell you like it is. She has tried, unsuccessfully, to fix me up with a multitude of her friends or single neighbors. Nothing ever came to pass with them. A few became sex buddy's, but that was it. None ever made my heart beat fast, or my stomach tighten up in a knot, like Carrie does.After the introductions were made, and a few cracks about how Carrie somehow managed to corral me in, the girls went off to the kitchen, while Brad, Kyle and I went to the family room to watch some football. Eventually, my uncle and aunt showed up, along with 2 of their kids and grandkids. Also was some of my sister's neighbors and friends too. Two of which I had dated, but nothing was ever said around Carrie. At one point, Ann got me alone and said, “I love that woman. She is so right for you. You better not fuck this up little brother.”We stayed until after eating and cake was served, and presents opened. I did not what to get a 14 year old, so I went the safe way and got her a card with $100 visa gift card. She loved that. I signed the card from Uncle Mark and Carrie. When she gave me a hug and a kiss, she whispered in my ear, “I like her Unc. I hope she will be my aunt one day.” I just smiled at her, knowing full well that was my plan too.Carrie's parents left Tuesday morning, to visit, and stay with Connie's sister Bev. Connie did tell me to call her if there was anything wrong, after the doctor visit. I did not stay Monday night at Carrie's. I figure they all needed a break from me. Of course Carrie really did not like that, but I thought it best. We've laid a lot on her parents by being together as a couple and actually sleeping together.I went with Carrie to the doctor's office and sat with her in the waiting room. The whole time, I held her hand and at times, felt as though she was crushing mine, because she was so nervous. Once she was called, I stayed in the waiting room. About forty minutes later, a nurse called for me to come with her. She led me to an office that had Carrie and the doctor.I looked at Carrie and she was smiling. The doctor introduced himself to me, and I did the same. He then looked over some papers, then looked at Carrie.“Ms. Reynolds, you can rest assured that you do not have any tumor, benign, or cancerous. It is what we call a functional cyst. It is a sack that usually contains an egg, then releases that egg during your monthly cycle. The sack normally then goes away. Well this one did not, as of yet. They sometimes don't, which is what has happened to you. It may take a few weeks, but it will go away, and when you come back in three weeks, if it hasn't, we'll give you some medication that will help with that process. Otherwise, you are very healthy. If you have stopped having intimate relations, like many women do at this time, you are very safe to resume, and did not need to stop in the first place. I only say this, because that is the first question I am usually asked.” he said with a slight chuckle.As we were driving home, Carrie was all smiles. This was a huge relief for her, and me too. Maybe our lives could get back on track, after this slight derailment. I asked her if she was hungry, but she said no. She just wanted to get home.After arriving, she excused herself and went upstairs. Lord knows what she was doing, but I finally heard heard coming down the stairs. When I looked up, there she stood, with this white lace Baby doll outfit on. You talk about sexy looking. “Oh My Sweetie. You look absolutely beautiful and very sexy”“Thank you Honey. I feel absolutely sexy right now and I need you to make love to me all afternoon.”She grabbed my hand and led me upstairs to her bed. I did not waste any time in disrobing. My cock was as hard as a rock, before my boxers hit the floor. As I stripped, Carrie got on the bed and lay there, with her legs spread wide, inviting me to take her. Her white thong barely covered her moist sex, and the top did not hide the excitement she felt , with her nipples already hard as pebbles on her beautiful tits.I kneeled between her legs and slipped my fingers under her thongs waistband and gently tugged them down and off of her body. Her labia was glistening in the afternoon sunlight, filtering through the window. I leaned in and blew on her sex, which elicited a moan from her. Then lightly licked her swollen lips. “Later Baby. I need you inside me now” she softly said.I rubbed my head all over her soaking wet slit and then slowly inserted the head. “Oh Gawd” she moaned out. I slowly inched my way into her inner being, which was so soft, and so hot. “God. You feel so good Carrie.”My mouth lowered to her chest, as I sucked in one fabric cover tit. She arched her back some, like she was giving me her tit. I then sucked the other one, which made her moan so loud. Then I moved up and started kissing her. Her legs wrapped around me and we made slow, and very passionate love to one another. Neither of could hold back though. We were like teenagers doing it for the first time, and erupted in orgasm. I shot first. As I was shooting my love juice deep inside her, Carrie crushed me with her legs as this set her off on her own orgasm. Her nails dug into my back, but neither of us cared. My grip around her neck was tight as well. I felt like I hadn't cum in ages. As we settled down, we lay in each other's arms, panting from our euphoric bliss.I was still inside her, and surprisingly, still hard as well. I gently rolled us over, so she was now on top. Our lips still together. Our tongues exploring every inch of tongue. I loved her kisses, but best of all, I loved her more than ever. She sat up on me and looked down at me, smiling. Then slowly removed her teddy from her body, exposing her beautiful tits to me.“My God. You are so beautiful Carrie. You can stay her all day like this.” I told her. She smiled then said, “I had all intentions of doing this all day.” then she started to giggle. I asked what was so funny.“Last night, after we went to bed, I was laying here missing the hell out of you by the way, but I had to endure another night of my parents going at it. You have no idea how horny that made me.” she exclaimed. I asked, “Did you take care of that?”She sort of blushed, then laughed and said, “Yeah. I did. All I could think of was you, making love to me. This sure beats my fingers, or any toy I have.”I chuckled and said, “Wish I could have watched that. That would be so sexy to see.”“Maybe one day I will let you watch. But right now, Fuck me Babe. Fuck me so good”Later that evening, after napping and then showering together, we headed out to dinner at a local bar and grill. Afterwards, I brought her over to my house for the first time.She was in awe of it, just coming down the driveway. The house is big. It is 4 bedroom, Victorian style farm house. It was, at one time, 5 bedrooms. But my grandfather combined two bedrooms into one and made a new master bath in one portion of it. Otherwise, it only had one bathroom.When we entered the house and I turned on the lights, Carrie sort of gasped. I asked what was wrong, but she just smiled and said, “I'm waiting for June Cleaver to come out of the kitchen with her pearls and high heels on. God Mark, this is so 60's looking.”“I know, but it serves it purpose for me, at this time. I do plan on buying furniture, just never got around to doing it. Ann bitches at me all the time. Come on with me, while I gather some clothes for the morning.”We went upstairs to the master bedroom. When she saw the furniture up there, she really gasped. “Oh My Mark. This stuff is gorgeous. Please don't replace this. This stuff has to be from the 20's. I just love the bed.”“Yeah. Gramps said his father built it.” The bed was a big four poster and had matching dressers and nightstands. It was old, but finely built and well maintained.As I was gathering things, she laid out on the bed. “You know, maybe this weekend, we stay here and let the kids have the condo. I'd love to make love to you right here. Also, pack up some underwear and some shirts and pants, so you can leave them at my place.”“Sounds like a plan to me. Where does Alan live anyways?” I asked“He actually lives with his mom. Close by campus. She is divorced for years now. I am actually pretty friends with her. We have gone out for drinks a few times and have had dinners at each other's places. She just adores Jenny, which makes it a whole lot nicer.”After a few more minutes, we left and went back to Carrie's. Of course we made love again that night, and early the next morning, before she had to leave for work. This arrangement worked out quite well for us.Chapter 22.By Thanksgiving time, we were comfortably into our relationship. Most nights were spent at her place, and most weekends were spent at mine. There wasn't a night we did not spend together. I was hooked on her. I never, in a million years, could believe I could wake up every morning with someone. This felt awesome to me and so special. I loved looking at her while she slept. I also enjoyed just sitting with her at night reading, or just watching TV, then retire to bed. The best part is when she folds herself into me and falls asleep. I love that most.Thanksgiving is time for family. This year though, I was spending dinner with Carrie, Jenny and Alan, and Alan's mom, Brenda. I usually would be at Ann's, but she understood. I did tell Ann we would be over after dinner to visit.Carrie and Brenda did all the cooking. Alan and I set the table, but then retired to the couch to watch some football. Jenny was out with the ladies, so this left only Alan and I alone. As we watched, Alan and I would talk some. He was a nice young man and had his head together. He told he would be graduating in the spring and already had a job lined up. He wanted to work a while before he went for his Masters.Then he looked around to see where the ladies were, and saw they were still very busy in the kitchen. “Mr. Roberts, Mark. I… I want to ask Jenny to marry me this Christmas. Do I ask her mom beforehand?”“Well Alan. To be honest, I think that would be a great idea. Are you absolutely sure of this? This is a huge step in your life?” He smiled and said, “Oh yeah. I have never been sure of anything like this. I love her so much and can't wait to start our lives together.”“Tell you what. You get Carrie alone one day soon and ask her. I'm sure she will give her blessing. But, she's not the one you need the blessing from. You know who that belongs to.” I told him.He chuckled, then said, “Yeah. I kind of had a feeling you would say that. But I don't know when I will ever see them before Christmas. That's not something you ask over the phone.”I laughed, then said back to him. “Oh you are so right there. That old bastard would kill you if you did it like that. When can you get a Friday off in the next couple of weeks?”He shrugged his shoulders, “I guess any Friday. I usually have labs on those days, so no biggie, why?”I shook my head. “Between you and I, and I mean this, you don't say a word to Jenny. I too, plan on asking Carrie to marry me. So pick a Friday. We'll tell our fine ladies we are doing a guy thing that day, which we are. But we'll fly down to Florida, and ask the Chief and Connie in person.”“Oh wow Mark. But I can't afford that. Heck, the ring I want to get is a bit over my budget.”“Don't worry about the flight, I'll handle that. Where did you get the ring, or see it?He smiled and said, “Over at the mall, at Kay Jewelers. It's only a half carat, but one day, I'll get her a bigger one.”“Look, tomorrow, the girls are going shopping with my sister, god help me. So why don't you come with me. A friend of mine is a jeweler and has a lot of nice rings. We'll figure it out from there.” He just nodded, and as he was about to speak Jenny popped in.“What are you two talking about. It looks like a very deep conversation.” We both laughed and said football.Dinner was excellent, but the people really made it nice. By the end of the meal, we were all tired. I helped, as did Alan, wish dishes. We figured the girls spent all morning in there fixing it, it's the least we could do. Thank God for dishwashers.That night and Ann's, Carrie and Ann talked nonstop. Jenny and Alan had also come along, but weren't staying long. I was very happy that Carrie and her family were so accepted by my family. Ann and Brad made them feel right at home. I announced that Christmas Eve dinner was at my house this year. Ann, of course, had to bust my balls and ask what take out I was using.“I'll have you know, I am a pretty damn good cook, huh Honey?” Carrie smiled, “Oh Yeah. He actually is. I was very surprised. Jarheads usually know only a couple of things. Walk, March, shoot guns and eat.” then laughed. “Nice Squid. Real Nice”Katie then asked, “Mom? What's a Jarhead?” which made us all start busting out in laughter.“Well Pumpkin, it's like this. See a Marine is a very special person. He, or she, is the very best and people in the other services are very jealous of us. So they call us very derogatory names, to make them feel better about the lowly service they belong too, like the Navy. Squids are so jealous.” then laughed.Carrie was rolling her eyes, then said “Dream on Jarhead. We are just smart enough to stay on a boat, while you get all the crap jobs on land. But, I still love ya.”Once home and lying in bed, Carrie told what a great day she had. She just loves my sister and feels rather close to her. She also said she was so glad that they even accepted Jenny and Alan. I told her that I was glad that they have accepted her as well, and that spending the day with her and Jenny, and Alan's family made this pretty special to me.“Carrie. I don't want any secrets between us, so I need to tell you this.” “Uh Oh” was her response. “It's not bad, not bad at all. Alan is going to come ask you for permission to marry Jenny”Carrie got to her knees, “Really? When? Oh my God. I knew that they would do this.”“Not sure when he is going to ask you, but I do know it is Christmas time he asking her. He's pretty much laid out his life and how he sees it, and he does have a good head on his shoulders. He said they would wait until Jenny graduates in a year and a half.”Carrie was still on her knees, but crying now. “I am so happy for them. Jenny wants to marry him, that I am sure of. She loves him as much as I love you. I just told her when the time comes, be smart, and wait on having kids. Enjoy being a couple, because once kids come, it's whole new ballgame.”“Now you better act surprised about this. He is so scared of what you may say.”“I will. I promise. He has nothing to fear from me, it's gonna be a YES”, then leaned down and kissed me. That kiss turn into a hot, passionate kiss, which led to a love making session. Can't wait to see what she is like when I ask her the same thing.Chapter 23.The next morning Carrie was up and out the door by 7am. I knew I had most of the day to myself, so I got dressed and headed over to my place. Alan and I were to meet at the jewelers around noon.Alan was right on time as we entered the building, which was in one of those strip style shopping centers. My friend, John, was behind the counter when he saw me walk in. After a few good minutes of catching up he directed us to the engagement ring area . Alan stated he had $1200 to spend. John showed him quite a few rings in that price range. He was looking for a pear shaped style. I saw one that was one carat and asked the price. John said he could let that one go for $1800. Alan said it looked great, but he couldn't afford it.“Do you think Jenny would like it?” “Yeah. She's love that.” he said. “Well then, get it. I'll make up the difference. My future stepdaughter should have the best.” “Mark. I promise to repay you as quick as I can.” “You pay me when you can afford too, and nothing sooner. We'll be family for many years to come.”Then John directed me to this one ring. It was marquis shaped with 6 small diamonds around it. It just screamed Carrie to me. It was set in a platinum band, which I already knew she liked. It wasn't to pretentious, or gaudy. John said I could have that one for five grand , normally $6500 for it. He said it was a size 8, but I am not sure of her size. He said, no matter, just bring it in after I give it to her and he would resize it, unless I could find out her size. I chuckled to myself, and thought, I should call her ex and ask.After leaving there, we grabbed a sandwich and beer at this one bar and grill I knew. Then headed over to my house to see about flights to Florida. Alan was so excited, and kept thanking me over and over. I knew now the kid's father had very little to do with him, since the divorce. He's been gone from their lives for almost 12 years now. So this felt pretty good, acting like a father figure to him. Kids coming out of boot camp are kind of like this. They look up to the sergeants when you get them in your platoon. So I know the look all too well, except I'm not going to yell at this one.Once at my house, we went online and found a flight, non-stop to Pensacola, that got us there by 10am, and then one returning at 2:30, arriving back here at 5pm. Before I made the purchase, I called Connie. She had given me her cell number before they left back in October.After the obligatory how are you's and how's Carrie. I told her my plan. I really wanted to surprise them both, but had to make sure they would be home that day. It would have sucked to fly down and find they were gone.“Oh Mark. You are such a good man. John will be so happy you did this. I know he likes and respects you. He has been hoping you would do something like this, marrying his little girl. But to fly all the way down here to ask his permission, well, you'll be at the top of his list. You already are on mine. I promise I won't say a word either.”We hung up after that, and I hit the button to buy the tickets. I didn't tell Connie about Alan coming or his question too. That should make the old man really feel good. Tickets for both of us, just set me back a grand, but it was worth it. I told Alan this one is on me, which he protested too, but I told him tough, get over it.Later that night, while in my bed, Carrie told me about her day with Ann, and shopping. She said she thinks this will be the best Christmas ever for her. Ann told her what she thought I needed and clothes sizes and such. I can just imagine what Ann helped her pick out. I got to admit, when it comes to clothes for me, Ann knew what I liked.Since that few days back in October, when I thought she wanted to call this whole thing off, we have grown closer. Although we are not in our early twenties, we still made love quite a bit. Four or five times a week. But just going to bed with her and waking in the morning and see her next to me, was like heaven. I could care less about the sex actually. That was the bonus. Great thing too, is that she loves sex and on the weekends, it was two or three times a day, unless her monthly friend showed up, but even then, when it first starts, she isn't opposed to doing it in the shower. That has happened twice since we started.Weekends too, was when naughty Carrie comes to play. She is very boisterous, and loves talking dirty. She is always a lady outside of the home, but inside, she gets down right slutty. One evening I let her tie me up to the post of my bed. She teased quite a bit that night. 69ing with me, but having her sex hover above my face, where I couldn't reach it. While she played with my cock. Then she'd lower herself down to let me lick her for about thirty seconds, then pull away again. It drove me insane with lust. When she finally turned around and lowered herself onto me, she rode me like a bull. The whole time asking me how her cunt felt and did I want to cum, and things like that. It was fun and adventurous for us, and we both love it. I really think she has a Domme side to her, deep down.Chapter 24.A few nights before Alan and I took off to Florida, I fibbed a bit and told Carrie that on Friday I was going to help Brad close up their cabin, that he and Ann have by a lake near us. Ann knew of my plans and was willing to go along with it. I told her that Alan was going to help too and that we should be back by 6 that evening. Since the cabin is only 20 minutes from the airport, I was going to swing by before our flight, and move a few chairs on the porch, to a shed he had. That way, I really didn't lie. I hate lying to her.We arrived in Florida about ten minutes early, which was good. I rented a car and was at John and Connie's in no time, thanks to GPS. The look on John's face was priceless when he opened the door and saw both of us standing there. Of course, he thought something was wrong.“What in the world are you two doing down here? Are the girls  okay?”I laughed and said all is fine with them. He let us in and we took a seat on the couch. “Well? What's up. You didn't fly down here for your health.”“John. Connie. I came down here to ask permission to marry your daughter.”“You flew down here just to ask that? What the hell, you could have called on the phone and saved time and money Shitbird.”“No John. You deserve more respect than that. If I am doing this, I want to do it right. So, do I have your permission?”He looked at Connie, who shook her head yes, then said, “Mark. I would be proud to call you my son in law. I may seem gruff at times, but I do like you and respect you, and I know you will treat my daughter good, which is all I can ask for. Connie and I want only the best for her, and Jenny too. So yes, you have our permission.”We shook hands and he actually gave me a hug, and of course Connie did too. Then John asked,“Did you need a wingman, bringing Alan down with you?”“No sir”, Alan said. “I would like permission too, to ask your granddaughter to be my wife.”“Jesus H. Christ. Both of you? Well son, are you sure you are ready for a step like this. That is one person I never want to see hurt, besides my wife and daughter.”“Sir. I have never been so sure of anything in my life. I graduate in May and have a job already lined up and Jenny graduates the following year, and then we would marry.”After looking at his wife again, who stood there smiling, he spoke, “Then I guess I see no point in denying you her hand. Promise me you will always take care of her and love her with all your heart, like we do.”“I promise Mr. Reynolds, I swear.” He chuckled, “I bet you were as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs to ask me this. Both of you clowns, so help me God, if you ever hurt those girls, I will hunt you down and hurt you real bad, and if I am too old, I still know people who can do it. You know the last one Carrie was with, the asshole, the best I could do is have him shipped to San Diego. I wanted to have him put on that team in the Aleutians (Alaska), but the CO thought that would not be a good fit for that team.”We stayed and had lunch with them, then got back to the airport with plenty of time. We did ask if they could come up for Christmas. They had plans for a few days later that week, but said they would be up on Christmas Eve, which I thought was perfect. We also planned on surprising the girls with their presence , that evening at my house since I was cooking dinner that night. John did make a crack about eating before he got there, in case my meal sucked.I got to Carrie's around 6:30, and we went to eat, then to my place. We just cuddled on the couch that night, then went to bed. I was pretty tired, and she completely understood, so we just fell asleep in each other's arms.The next day, we met Jenny and Alan back at Carrie's and headed over to this tree farm to cut down two Christmas tree's They take you out on a wagon, then when you find and cut it down, pick you up and bring you back to the Chalet, where you pay. The four of us had a great time and Carrie, and Jenny were giddy most of the day. I dropped the kids off at Carrie's and helped put the tree in its stand. Jenny was going to start decorating it, while Carrie and I did the same at my place. This is the first tree I have decorated in over twenty years. I was usually never home for the holidays, or if I was, it was for a few days and it was spent with mom and Ann.It took most of the afternoon and part of the evening to string lights and attach the antique ornaments my grandmother had at the house. Carrie did run out to the store and bought ribbon and bows, and some garland too. While we did this, she had Christmas music playing in the background and I had a fire lit in the fireplace. What was real nice, was that it was now snowing some. Not heavy, but a nice downfall, just like you would see in any Christmas movie.We were both dressed in jeans and sweaters, but she looks a lot cuter than I do, in hers. After we finished and ate delivered pizza, we retired to the couch, which faces the fireplace, and the tree, all lit up, standing in the corner by it. Carrie sat next to me, sipping wine, with her legs curled under her. We talked about what we needed to get for people. I had told her I wasn't sure what to get Ann and Brad, or even Jenny and Alan. I did buy the kids laptops for each of them. Ann had only one computer, which they all shared, so this would help out in that department. I know Ann and Brad were going to buy Kyle a used truck, for when he passed his driver's license test. He was taking the driver's ed course now.Carrie said she would help with Ann and Brad, but I didn't need to get Jenny anything. I told her to stop there. She is part of you and she deserves presents as well. Carrie did tell me she is going to get Jenny a car, after the first of the year. Right now, she didn't have one, but she was taking an internship at this one accounting agency, and needed one for that. Then we started kissing, which led to more kissing. I stopped, and got up.“Hold that thought”, I said. Then went to the back closet and pulled out my sleeping bag. I came back in and unrolled it, and unzipped it. I laid it out over the oval rug in front of the fireplace and went and took her by the hand and had her stand up.“Umm, I like how you think Mr. Roberts.” I slowly removed her sweater, then her bra. Of course I had to suck her tits a few times, before unbuttoning her jeans and slowly peeled them down, exposing her black thong. With me now on my knees, I used my teeth to pull her thongs down, and when they hit the floor, she stepped out of them. I didn't even bother with her socks. Now naked, I leaned in and lightly licked her sex, tasting her juices that she was already emitting. God, I love how she taste.She pulled me up then and pulled my sweater over my head and then my t-shirt. She now got on her knees and removed my jeans and then my boxers. When my engorged member sprung free, she licked it a few times, especially on the tip. “Yummy” she said.I had her lay on the sleeping bag, and she readily spread her legs for me, letting me gaze at her beauty. The Christmas lights, and the glow of the fire made her especially beautiful. I wasted little time in going down on her. I wanted her to orgasm in my mouth. I needed to taste her. I stayed down there for a long while. Bringing her off two times, before I kissed my way back up to her mouth, stopping along the way to such each tit into my mouth, which I knew she loved having done.As I kissed her passionately, I made sure my weight was not fully on her, and my hardened member lay at her opening, ready to enter paradise. Her hips gyrated below me, trying hard to have me enter her.“Baby. Please put it in. I need you so bad. I love you”I too, couldn't wait any longer and slid in. Once I was fully in, we both moaned out. We then proceeded to make slow love to one another. We had no rush to this, just two people, deeply in love, joined together, making us one. I have no idea how long we made love for, but it had to have lasted at least a good fifteen minutes. We were lost in each other, until Carrie finally moaned out “Oh God, I'm cumming Baby.” I didn't last too much longer and started shooting my seed deep within her. “I love you baby.” I said as I was cumming.After we calmed a bit, I noticed I was still hard and rolled us over so she was on top. I looked at her, as she sat up. The firelight danced over her skin. She looked incredible to me. “My God Baby, you look so beautiful” I said. “You are beautiful Mark. I love you so much. This is going to be the best holiday ever.” I smiled, and thought, “If you only knew my Love”Chapter 25.The next two weeks flew by. I had talked with Connie a couple of times. She said she told Carrie that they were going to New Orleans to visit with friends down there, from their Navy days. Carrie was a little bummed, but understood. Connie said their flight got in at 4pm that day. Jenny was going to pick them up and bring them over a little past 7, on that evening, along with Alan's mom. Ann was going to meet them out front, so they could follow her up the drive, without lights on. Very clandestine like. I had told Ann to wait until I turned the kitchen and dining room lights out, before sneaking in the back door, and to stay in the dining room until I actually proposed to Carrie. God I was nervous now. This to me, was the biggest leap of faith I would ever take in my life.Carrie came over around 5, on Christmas Eve. She was wearing this beautiful red dress that made her look like a Goddess. Had no one been coming over, I would have taken her then and there.“My God. You are more beautiful than I have ever seen you Ms. Reynolds.” I told her. She smiled and said, “You are just biased, and you want to get into my panties JH. Thank You though. Compliments are always welcome. I love you.”She helped me prepare the rest of dinner. We were having Standing Prime Rib, mashed potatoes, rolls, gravy, and a bean casserole that Carrie prepared. We then set the table for 8, on the dining room table. This table was big enough to feed a platoon on. Everything was almost ready.It was now just coming on 7pm. The roast was done and I removed it from the oven, to let it sit a while before carving. Carrie was standing near me, sipping a glass of wine. I reached the light switch and turned it off, and then walked into the dining room and did the same there. The only light was from the tree and fireplace.I went to the stereo and put on Carrie's favorite artist, Shania Twain. I took Carrie's hand and led her to the middle of the living room, as the music started. I took her glass and set it down, then pulled her into my arms and started to dance to “From This Moment On”As we danced, I made sure her head was not turned so she could see into the dining room. Towards the end of the dance I softly sang the lyrics to her.You're the reason I believe in loveAnd you're the answer to my prayers from up aboveAll we need is just the two of usMy dreams came true because of youFrom this moment as long as I liveI will love you, I promise you thisThere is nothing I wouldn't giveFrom this momentI will love you as long as I liveFrom this moment on.As the music started to end, I looked into her eyes, which were now glazed over with tears, and got to my knee. With her one hand in my, I looked up at her, then reached into my sport coat, and pulled out the ring.“Carolyn Ann. I love you more than life itself, and like the lyrics said, I can't wait to start living my life with you. Would you do me the honor and be my wife, and I your husband?”Her whole body tremble as I awaited her answer. “Oh My God Sweetheart, Yes”I stood and pulled her into me and we kissed a long and very passionate kiss. Just then, our combined family's started clapping and cheering. Carrie broke the kiss and saw her mom and dad coming towards us, with Jenny and Alan, then Ann and her family.Carrie broke from me and ran to her mom and hugged her tight, then her dad. She was now full out crying, and since she yes, it must be from joy. Connie then hugged me and told me how beautiful that scene just was. Jenny and Carrie were hugging and crying together now. Brad and Alan both shook my hand. Ann went up and hugged Carrie and welcomed her to the family, then she came to me.“Brother. You sometimes shock the hell out of me. I never knew you could be this romantic” Then kissed me and told me she loves me and I better take care of that woman, always.John finally came over to me, “Mark. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be calling you son. But you know what, I am glad I am. You are the type of man I would want for a son. Welcome aboard to our family Son.” then hugged me. I could have sworn I saw a tear in his eye.Dinner was excellent and everyone was in a very festive mood. Carrie made a toast, after saying grace before dinner. “To the best Christmas ever. To Ann and Brad, and the kids, I am so grateful to be part of your lives now. You have made me feel part of your family since the day I met you. To you, mom and dad, and you Jenny, for always being there for me and teaching what love really is, so I can now share that with my future husband Mark, who I plan on growing very old with. I love you all”After dinner, the girls shooed us away and told us to relax while they did the dishes. Connie said it was only fair, since I did the cooking. It was well past 9pm when we were all together in the living room. Carrie and I already decided we would open our gifts the next morning, at her place with Jenny and Alan, and now her dad and mom. But we still had to exchange gifts with Ann and the family.Carrie handed out our gifts to them. To Ann, Carrie picked out a couple of sweaters and we got her a $200 visa gift card, so she could buy what she wanted for herself. We got Brad a new fishing reel and a $200 visa gift card. The gift cards were in a Christmas card signed Mark and Carrie. The kids each got a laptop and $100 gift cards. When they opened the cards, their mom asked what was written. Of course they could care less about what was written but said it was from “Uncle Mark and Aunt Carrie” I had signed all of the cards, but Carrie had no idea I wrote that. She squeezed my hand tightly then.Alan and Jenny were sitting by the tree and had opened their presents from my sister. Then Alan reached around the tree and produced a box, and handed it to Jenny. “Please open this Honey.”Jenny was now sort of kneeling and slowly opened the box. Inside was a figurine of a bride. Around the head and neck, was the ring he bought a few weeks back. Jenny just Gasped. Alan was kneeling now too and took her hand.“I was going to wait until the morning, but I just can't. I want everyone to see and hear this. Jennifer Lynn, would you marry me and become my wife and the mother, someday, to our children”Jenny broke down and started crying, but finally said “Yes”, then actually tackled him and started kissing him. Jenny was over the moon now, as was Carrie and Connie, and Alan's mom. Lots of excitement this night, that's for sure. I went out to the fridge and took out 2 bottles of champagne that I had snuck in the back and opened them. With John's help, we gave everyone a glass, including the kids and toasted to a merry Christmas.Katie made me chuckle when she asked if Jenny was now their cousin. I said officially, no, not until Carrie and I marry, but yeah, she is. “Oh Cool. I don't have any girl cousins”, which made us all laugh.I was sitting in the one arm chair, and Carrie in my lap. Of course she had to wiggle her ass a few times, which wasn't the best thing to do, because Mr. happy liked the attention and started to rise. I whispered in her ear, “Keep it up and I'll take you upstairs and take care of this problem I am having.” She giggled and said, “Promises. Promises”Then Carrie asked, “Mark. Did you ask my dad for permission?” I just smiled and said, “Oh Yeah. I'm not that dumb. Actually. Remember two weeks ago when I was helping Brad at the cabin?” she nodded, “Well, Alan and I did go there at 5:30am. I can see Alan is not the type that likes getting up at Oh Dark Thirty either, but, we did go over there. Moved three things to the shed, then left for the airport. We flew down to Florida, got to your parents by 11, had lunch, asked Chief and your mom for their blessings, then back up here by 5 that evening, and you two fine ladies weren't the wiser. So before you say anything, we did not lie, but did not disclose our whole agenda. No way could I lie to you Babe.”John was laughing as I was recounting that day. “Oh yeah, I open the door to find these two Shitbirds. My first thought was something happened to one of you, but then Mark sorted it out for me. Connie already knew he was coming. But I'll tell you. I couldn't ask for two finer men to take care of my girls, than these two.After that, everyone started to leave. We told them we'd be over in the morning, and to not open stuff without us there. As soon as we saw the lights of their cars fade away, Carrie turned off the lights and pulled me upstairs.Carrie turned on the lamp, next to the bed, then turned off the overhead lights. She seductively stripped down for me, and I just stood there in amazement. Once naked, she stood there. So I stripped as well. Not as seductive as she had done, but still slow. I stood a foot away from here and she took both of my hands in hers.She smiled at me, “Baby, you have no idea how lucky I feel and so loved right now. What you see in front of you, is yours, until the day we die. I am all yours.”I smiled at her then, and said, “Babe. For the life of me, I don't know how I ever got as lucky to be with a beautiful person, as you are. I don't mean just in looks, but the whole essence of you. You are my life, and no one will ever come between us. I Love you Carrie”She led me to the bed and we lay beside each other. Her newly ringed hand reached around the shaft of my member and held it gently. “I love this ring Baby. And, quite frankly, it looks really good right now. When did you know you wanted to marry me?”My eyes looked into hers, “Honestly, I wish I could say that first kiss on Whiteface Mountain. But it wasn't then. I knew at that point I had a shot with you though. But, it was the night I made you dinner and drew your bath. I knew then, when you said I love you back to me, that this was it. And, it's gotten better every day since.”She crawled up on top of me, and without any help from our hands, slipped my hard member into her waiting sex. Looking up at her, after we both moaned, “When did you know this was real for us?”“When we kissed on that rock. There was just something about it. But when we made love that Saturday night in the cabin and professed our love to each other. I knew in my heart then. But finally, when you stuck by me, with that stupid ordeal back in October, I knew this man was it.”“Baby, there was no way I was walking away from you. Not then , not ever. Were you surprised this happened tonight?” I asked.She grinned, “Yes and no. I thought maybe tomorrow, and if not then, then Valentine's Day. But tonight threw me. But picking one of my favorite songs to dance too, then asking me then, well it made me speechless. Then to have our whole family here too. You made this the best Christmas I have ever had.”Carrie started pumping up and down on me now. She didn't want to talk anymore. She wanted to complete our love making. It really did not take us long either. Throughout the whole time, our lips were locked together, until we were both ready to cum.“Oh God Baby. I have to cum” I spoke out loudly. “Cum Baby. Give me it all. I Love You Mark”I started cumming deep inside her, and about half way through, she started cumming. My hands were holding her ass as she did. I could feel goosebumps on her cheeks, as she let loose with her orgasm. It was very powerful too. Her whole body was wiggling around as our orgasms continued.We kissed one last time, then both told each other I love you. I wouldn't let her leave me though and she settled in on top of me and we both fell asleep.Chapter 26.Christmas Day saw us going all over the place. First, I took Carrie out to the barn out back. Inside was my old 93 Ford Mustang Boss. I bought this right after boot camp. It was rarity that I got to drive it much. Sometimes, six months would elapse before it got driven. The most use I got out of it was when I was stationed at Quantico. When I moved back here, after getting out, I bought my truck. So this car just sits, except for an occasional spin. It's silver with black interior, and has the 5 liter engine, which is a small V8. The only enhancement it has, is a new radio that has Bluetooth for the phone. It is in mint condition and only has 22,000 miles on it.Carrie asked where did I get this. So I told her about its history. Then I told her I was going to give this to Jenny. “Oh My God Mark. You can't do that. This is an antique, isn't it?”“No. Not yet. Couple of more years. But she needs a car and I never use it. So why not let someone, who I happen to like and is going to be my daughter one day, have it.”“You amaze me JH. You don't have a selfish bone in your body. And you are right, she is going to have you for a father one day. I know she likes that idea too. The ex was never really close with her in the first place, and when I kicked him out, he has never even tried to contact her. Just be patient with her and love her Mark. That's all I ask.”I knew I was going to do this too, after Carrie said she had to buy a car for her. So I had it checked out at the garage I go too, and had new tires put on it. So it was good to go. She'll just have to watch driving in snow. Rear wheel drive and snow don't always mix well.When we arrived that morning, everyone was up. Connie had made cinnamon buns and coffee, which we all enjoyed, while opening presents. After all the presents were opened, I handed Jenny a small gift bag. “From us” I said. Her eyes got real big when she saw they keys. Then ran to the front door and opened it. When she saw the car, she squealed with excitement. This girl was in a fuzzy robe and put on sneakers and ran out to it. Then came back inside and ran up to me and hugged me.“Thank You so much Mark” then planted kisses all over my cheeks. Then she thanked her mom. I told her it was hers to use and to be careful with it. I then told her we would help with insurance and stuff like that. But it is her responsibility to maintain it. “You guys are the best. Come Papa. let me show you my new car.” she said. Jenny, Alan, and John trudged out into the cold. I told Connie that the car is old, but nowhere near the mileage that the old Seadog has on him. Connie winked at me and said, “You know Mark. I think you are going to make one great father.”That New Year's Eve, we were invited to a couple of parties, but we begged off and stayed home. We made dinner together. Watched some movies, then made love at midnight. We did talk about Carrie moving in here, with me. She readily agreed, and two weeks later, she moved in. Jenny and Alan moved into her condo. All Carrie asked of them was to make sure no babies were produced yet. At some point, once the kids were established, and found their own place after they were married, she would sell the condo. Luckily for us, this was not a drain on finances. She made almost $100 grand a year at her job and mine was bringing in almost double that, and this house was paid for.We did settle down and bought new furniture for all over. I let that up to her, and Ann helped out. Those two become thick as thieves. If I was to ever argue with Carrie, I'd never win, but we never argue. We do discuss stuff and come to common ground. One thing was constant though, and that was our love making. I made sure we had at least one date night a week, and I always try to be romantic.The first weekend in October, Carrie and I married. When Carrie got married the first time, it was in front of a judge. So she never had a real wedding, and, her parents weren't there for it, depriving her dad the chance to give her away.The one thing she did ask me to wear was my dress blues. I had to check to make sure that I was still allowed, and found out that it was  okay for that. I had to bring that out of mothballs. I even had the sword. MY uni had 5 gold service stripes indicating 20 years, plus a lot of ribbons and medals on the pocket area.John too, wore his dress blues, or winter uniform. Now he had 9 gold sleeve stripes, since he was just shy of 40 years in. His front pocket area had to weigh a ton with all the service ribbons and medals. He wore blue, so he wouldn't upstage his daughter, in her white dress.Seeing her come down the aisle, with her father, was one of the best days of my life. She was radiant and so beautiful. She picked From This Moment On as her entrance song, instead of the traditional wedding march. Jenny served as her maid of honor, and Brad served as my best man. Alan and Ann were in it as well, as was Kyle and Katie. We both have a small circle of friends, and limited family, so the reception wasn't really big, maybe 50 people in all, but we all had a great time. We spent our first night of the honeymoon, in my uncle's cabin, after climbing up Whiteface Mountain and kissed on that very same rock, where we did the first time.I do remember, as I stood there, at the altar, holding Carrie's hands and was reciting her vows to me, all I thought was,“All this, because I bumped into a this beautiful woman at the ranger's station, who just happened to be a bit clumsy and sprain her ankle later, on a path near the cabin I was staying at. Life is good.”by T. Foxal.

Election Day is like Christmas Day, with some of us not getting ourselves organised until the very last minute - even though we've known for ages that it's happening. Christmas day is never sprung on us. We know it happens every 12 months, but there's a lot of last-minute panicking, isn't there? We get even more warning with Election Day. We know it happens every three years, but there's the same last-minute rush. Especially for the 110,000 people who were in the last-minute camp at the last election, enrolling to vote on the same day they voted. But the Government's not having any more of that and, as part of its changes to the way elections are run, it's doing away with same-day enrolment. Which I think is a mistake. But ACT MP Todd Stephenson is loving it, saying: “It's outrageous that someone completely disengaged and lazy can rock up to the voting booth, get registered there and then, and then vote to tax other people's money away.” But he's missing the point completely, because isn't it brilliant that more than 100,000 people got to vote in the last election because they could enrol on the day? Isn't it the ones who didn't vote at all who are the lazy ones? The Government's missing the point too. Because instead of penalising voters because it's system can't cope with last minute enrolments, it should be coming up with a system that can cope. It should be building a system that enables same day enrolment instead of getting rid of it. What it's doing is effectively reversing something that was brought in for the 2020 election by the previous government. But it's going even further than just reversing what Labour did, and people are going to have to be enrolled and have their details up to date before the 12 days of advance voting begins. The Government says it's making the changes so the votes can be counted quicker. So that we get a result quicker, and so the politicians can get on with doing coalition deals. But that's just an excuse for not putting in the effort to come up with a better system to count the votes. And I'm not the only one saying that today either. Electoral law expert Graeme Edgeler is pouring cold water on it as well, saying there's nothing stopping the politicians who look like they've been elected from beginning coalition negotiations before the final special votes are counted. He says the final results can change by one or two seats, but nothing dramatic, and he says, “the time delay just doesn't seem like a particularly good reason for this." As for one of the other changes it's making —delivering on its promise to bring-in a total ban on prisoners voting— that gets a thumbs down from me too. Again, it's getting rid of something brought in by the previous government: voting rights for prisoners serving sentences of less than three years. Which is a mistake because I see a prisoner being able to vote as a way of keeping them engaged with the outside world. You might recall a few months back, Sir Ron Young was finishing up as head of the Parole Board and he was saying that the reoffending rate for prisoners who serve short prison terms of two to three years is higher than those inside for longer. That's because they have way less opportunities to get themselves rehabilitated and they end up spending a lot of their time behind bars hanging out with serious crims. So he was advocating for keeping these prisoners more engaged with the outside world, and I see voting rights as a way of doing that. What's more, how does a prisoner serving two years being allowed to vote affect you? Answer: it doesn't. It has no impact on you and no impact on me. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on March 20, 2020.___The world's most powerful communist leader ultimately signed his own resignation with a capitalist's pen on Christmas Day 1991. This episode traces the stunning reversal of the Cold War from 1979, when the Soviet Union seemed poised for global victory with only nineteen non-communist nations left outside NATO, to the peaceful collapse of the entire communist empire just twelve years later. Through the strategic partnership of Pope John Paul II, Margaret Thatcher, and Ronald Reagan, the West forced Moscow into an economic competition it couldn't win, while Gorbachev's own reforms backfired as Soviet citizens tasted Western freedoms. Discover how three leaders changed history and why the Cold War's end wasn't the happy ending many expected.

Texas authorities arrested George Hassell on Christmas Day of 1926 after his wife and her eight children went missing. George cried, “I did it,” then confessed to the murder of another family ten years prior in California. This is his story.Sources:Churchill, Marlowe J. “Hassell offered detailed confession.” The Eastern New Mexico News. 3 September, 2019. https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2019/09/04/news/hassell-offered-detailed-confession/162888.html“George J Hassell's Murderous Ways.” Texas Genealogy Trails. https://genealogytrails.com/tex/panhandle/parmer/news_crime_hassell_murders_story.htmGuy, Fiona. “Family Annihilation: The Crimes and Psychology of Familicide.” Crime Traveller. 13 May, 2019. https://www.crimetraveller.org/2019/05/family-annihilation-crimes-psychology-familicide/Hanlon, R.E., Brook, M., Demery, J.A. and Cunningham, M.D. (2016), Domestic Homicide: Neuropsychological Profiles of Murderers Who Kill Family Members and Intimate Partners. J Forensic Sci, 61: S163-S170. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.12908Ortlieb, Tracy Collins. “Inside the Mind of ‘Family Annihilators.'” 19 January 2023. https://www.parents.com/parenting/dynamics/inside-the-mind-of-family-annihilators/Roth, Mitchel P. Man with the Killer Smile: The Life & Crimes of a Serial Mass Murderer (Denton: University of North Texas Press, 2022).Wight, Pam. “‘Death House' Slayings gain attention.”24, February, 2007. https://www.whittierdailynews.com/2007/02/24/death-house-slayings-gain-attention/Newspapers:Douglas Daily DispatchLos Angeles TimesMusic: Credits to Holizna, Fesilyan Studios & Virginia ListonFor more information, visit www.oldbloodpodcast.com

0:00 - MPJ is in Vegas hanging out at Summer League. During a media scrum, he was asked what he meant when he said he "plateaued" in Denver.14:36 - Now that the NFL is taking over Christmas Day...there are too many games on that day. Officially. Whatever happened to watching like 1 game and hanging out with your family?33:47 - The Broncos will open the 2025 season on the road at the Titans. In the words of Marc Moser, that's a BIG TIME WIN. Right now...top of your head...name 5 players on the Titans roster. And you can only name 1 QB. Heck, can you name their head coach?

Don Higgins and Terry Peer are back with a packed episode of the Chasing Giants Podcast, diving deep into trail camera strategy, food plot updates, listener questions, and some wild woods stories you won't believe.

Australia wrap up the series in style! In this episode of Cricket Unfiltered, Menners and Damian Watson break down Australia's dominant second Test win over the West Indies, preview the upcoming pink-ball Test in Jamaica, and celebrate Mitch Starc's 100th Test. They also debate Mulder's controversial declaration, assess the top-order troubles, and go deep on Christmas Day cricket (again). Plus: standout names from the Australia A series, India's big win over England, and all the latest from Major League Cricket. Cricket Unfiltered Merchandise is Here! We've launched our official Cricket Unfiltered merch store thanks to a brilliant partnership with Exactamundo, a longtime supporter of the show.

Interview with Chris Stamey. Chris Stamey began writing and playing music in grade school in Winston-Salem, NC, in the mid 1960s, in what is known now as the Combo Corner scene. In 1976, while studying music composition at UNC-Chapel Hill, he self-released Sneakers, one of the very first American “indie” records. The following year, he relocated to Manhattan to play and record with Alex Chilton in the burgeoning CBGB rock scene, then formed The dB's with fellow Carolinians Will Rigby, Gene Holder, and Peter Holsapple, with whom he made several acclaimed records of original material, including Stands for deciBels (self-produced with Alan Betrock) and Repercussion (produced by Scott Litt).  During the next decade and a half in New York, Stamey worked with a wide variety of musicians. He recorded well-received solo records for A&M and Warners and was a part of Anton Fier's Golden Palominos project, alongside an international touring cast that included Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), Jack Bruce (Cream), Carla Bley, and Bernie Worrell (Talking Heads, George Clinton). He continued recording and producing upon returning to NC in 1993.  His recent releases include The Great Escape, Lovesick Blues and Euphoria, as well as Falling Off the Sky with The dB's and A Brand-New Shade of Blue with the Fellow Travelers. As a producer and a featured singer/songwriter with the Paris-based Salt Collective project, he collaborated with Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Juliana Hatfield, Richard Lloyd (Television), Matthew Sweet, Peter Holsapple, and Susan Cowsill, among others. As a producer, arranger, and mixer, he has worked with over a hundred artists, including Ryan Adams, Alejandro Escovedo, Kronos Quartet, Flat Duo Jets, Skylar Gudasz, Branford Marsalis, Tift Merritt, Le Tigre, Those Pretty Wrongs, and Yo La Tengo.  From 2010-2018, Stamey was orchestrator and musical director for an international series of concert performances of Big Star's classic album Third, alongside Big Star's Jody Stephens, Ray Davies, members of the Posies, R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, Wilco, and Yo La Tengo; Thank You, Friends, a concert film of these arrangements, was released by Concord in March 2017. He currently tours as a member of Jody Stephens's Big Star Quintet, whose line-up includes Mike Mills (R.E.M), Pat Sansone (Wilco), and Jon Auer (Posies). His original radio musical about the early '60s in Manhattan, Occasional Shivers, premiered nationwide on Christmas Day 2016. A “songwriting memoir,” A Spy in the House of Loud (Univ. of Texas Press), was published in 2018, followed in 2019 by his first printed collection, New Songs for the 20th Century, with a companion two-disc CD (Omnivore Recordings).  open.spotify.com/artist/1i7YYagcULgnW5Qilsto1d music.apple.com/us/artist/chris-stamey/4034250 youtube.com/channel/UCG3O3S8Zg_WJoz2uTt_duig# instagram.com/mrstamey/?hl=en facebook.com/chrisstameymusic/ twitter.com/chrisstamey songkick.com/artists/186319-chris-stamey bandsintown.com/a/78299-chris-stamey deezer.com/us/artist/1279457 tidal.com/browse/artist/3611403 qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/chris-stamey/515742 audiomack.com/chris-stamey music.amazon.com/artists/B008LPNC4M @chris-stamey.bsky.social  

Season 08 Episode 02: Christmas Day Code Blue: A Tassie healthcare system wake-up callWARNING: This episode describes a fatality – we urge listening discretion.In this episode, the WhyWork team debate the issues surrounding a senior hospital doctor who, for years, carried the weight of a health system on his back. His widow's lawyer claimed he worked seven days a week and was on call 24/7. He shielded his staff from the bureaucracy and advocated for better staffing care ratios. He managed increasingly complex client care presentations. This is a story of duty, care, and silence.On Christmas Day, this high-achieving healthcare provider died of a heart attack. His wife sought justice from the hospital that demanded so much of him, but the hospital wanted none of the blame.Sara wrestles with ideas about contributing factors: organisational, interpersonal, intrapersonal, lifestyle patterns, and biological factors – Trajce responds excitedly “Oooh, your analysis is prescient.” Sara further provokes, “Did he say the ‘S-word?'” Alan responds, “this is harder for older workers to do,” and Trajce agrees, ‘yes – use the S-word – S-T-R-E-S-S.” Listen to this episode as the WhyWork team debate interacting risk factors and dissect those that relate to the workplace.Check out more on healthcare industry tales in this novel book, Healthcare Insights: The Voice of the Consumer, the Provider, and the Work Design Strategist.

Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar sit down to tackle a weighty and nuanced topic: war. This discussion isn't about political sides—it's about wrestling with the moral, spiritual, and personal implications of warfare in a fallen world. Oscar reflects on how perspectives on war evolve over time. He urges caution against jumping into the hype, especially as Christians. People on every side are made in the image of God. War isn't something to relish. Mark agrees that war is never ideal, but believes it can be justified in certain cases. He points to Scripture and historical examples, including David and Nehemiah, as men who carried weapons while remaining faithful to God. He notes that sometimes war is necessary to establish peace and protect the innocent.The conversation explores the difference between civil and governmental responsibilities, along with the historic Christian approach to violence. The early church leaned toward pacifism, yet history shows that wasn't a universal stance. Oscar introduces just war theory, grounded in principles like self-defense, proportional response, and the avoidance of cruelty. Just war never glorifies violence—it permits it under strict moral limitations.Would a preemptive strike against a hostile nation be justified if credible threats were discovered? Mark believes that standing against tyranny can be an act of love toward one's neighbor. Oscar, however, questions whether such actions always align with just war principles. He points to past U.S. actions—like the tragic downing of a civilian plane—as reminders of how quickly moral clarity can blur. E.Z. underscores the danger of biased media by comparing contradictory headlines from CNN and Fox News, reminding listeners to seek truth from multiple sources. Ray shares how he deliberately checks both conservative and liberal news sources to challenge his own assumptions. Oscar shifts the conversation to the spiritual aspect of war—reminding listeners that violence is a consequence of sin. Defensive war may sometimes be necessary, but it must always be a last resort. Believers are called to be peacemakers because God made peace with them. Mark closes with a powerful story of the Christmas Day truce in World War I. For a brief moment, enemies laid down their weapons in recognition of something greater than the battle. The guys challenge listeners to do the same—raising hands in prayer instead of fists in anger. Scripture urges believers to love peace and pursue it. Before taking sides, one must ask: is there a heart that grieves the loss of life, or one that revels in destruction?Send us a textThanks for listening! If you've been helped by this podcast, we'd be grateful if you'd consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar sit down to tackle a weighty and nuanced topic: war. This discussion isn't about political sides—it's about wrestling with the moral, spiritual, and personal implications of warfare in a fallen world. Oscar reflects on how perspectives on war evolve over time. He urges caution against jumping into the hype, especially as Christians. People on every side are made in the image of God. War isn't something to relish. Mark agrees that war is never ideal, but believes it can be justified in certain cases. He points to Scripture and historical examples, including David and Nehemiah, as men who carried weapons while remaining faithful to God. He notes that sometimes war is necessary to establish peace and protect the innocent.The conversation explores the difference between civil and governmental responsibilities, along with the historic Christian approach to violence. The early church leaned toward pacifism, yet history shows that wasn't a universal stance. Oscar introduces just war theory, grounded in principles like self-defense, proportional response, and the avoidance of cruelty. Just war never glorifies violence—it permits it under strict moral limitations.Would a preemptive strike against a hostile nation be justified if credible threats were discovered? Mark believes that standing against tyranny can be an act of love toward one's neighbor. Oscar, however, questions whether such actions always align with just war principles. He points to past U.S. actions—like the tragic downing of a civilian plane—as reminders of how quickly moral clarity can blur. E.Z. underscores the danger of biased media by comparing contradictory headlines from CNN and Fox News, reminding listeners to seek truth from multiple sources. Ray shares how he deliberately checks both conservative and liberal news sources to challenge his own assumptions. Oscar shifts the conversation to the spiritual aspect of war—reminding listeners that violence is a consequence of sin. Defensive war may sometimes be necessary, but it must always be a last resort. Believers are called to be peacemakers because God made peace with them. Mark closes with a powerful story of the Christmas Day truce in World War I. For a brief moment, enemies laid down their weapons in recognition of something greater than the battle. The guys challenge listeners to do the same—raising hands in prayer instead of fists in anger. Scripture urges believers to love peace and pursue it. Before taking sides, one must ask: is there a heart that grieves the loss of life, or one that revels in destruction?Send us a textThanks for listening! If you've been helped by this podcast, we'd be grateful if you'd consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

What does it take to lead at every level and shape the leaders of tomorrow? SUMMARY Long Blue Line podcast host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99 sat with Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman '95, the U.S. Air Force Academy's vice superintendent, for a deep dive into leadership, humanity and building a world-class service academy. This episode is packed with wisdom for aspiring, emerging, and seasoned leaders alike.   SHARE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   GEN. SHERMAN'S TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS  - Leadership is a human experience - focus on connecting with and caring about people.  - Love what you do and love the people you lead; passion inspires others to follow you.  - Embrace failures and challenges as opportunities for personal growth and development.  - Set the right culture and values within your team to build trust and mutual support.  - Be present and engaged with your team, understanding their motivations and experiences.  - Leadership is about more than rank or position - it's about earning genuine trust and respect.  - Invest time in understanding different generations, cultural nuances, and individual perspectives.  - Balance professional excellence with personal growth and life experiences.  - Support your team's development by providing encouragement and holding them accountable.  - Your legacy is built through individual interactions and the positive impact you have on people's lives.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Major General Thomas P. Sherman 01:29 Choosing Leadership Over Flying 07:23 The Impact of Mentorship and Values 12:46 Heritage and Evolution of Security Forces 17:43 Personal Growth in Aviano, Italy 24:17 The Importance of Work-Life Balance 29:50 Culminating Command Experience at Bagram 42:25 The Role of Family in Leadership 51:29 Continuous Self-Improvement as a Leader 56:27 Embracing Failure as a Growth Opportunity 01:00:06 Legacy and the Impact of Leadership   ABOUT GEN. SHERMAN BIO Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman is the Vice Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. He is serving as the chief operations officer to the Superintendent and overseeing the Academy's blend of military training, academics, athletics, and character development for cadets. Gen. Sherman commissioned in 1995 from the Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. He built a distinguished career as a security forces officer. He's held command at nearly every level. His key assignments include leadership of the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB and critical staff positions at the Pentagon. In May 2024, Gen. Sherman was tapped to serve as the Academy's Vice Superintendent   CONNECT WITH GEN. SHERMAN LINKEDIN     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS       TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Guest, Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman '95  |  Host, Lt. Col. (ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Naviere Walkewicz  00:00 Welcome to Long Blue Leadership, the podcast where we share insights on leadership through the lives and experiences of Air Force Academy graduates. I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99 today. I'm joined by a leader whose career has taken him from the flight line to the halls of Congress and now back to the very institution that launched it all. Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman currently serves as vice superintendent of the Air Force Academy, where he plays a critical role in guiding the development of our future officers and ensuring the Academy remains a world class institution for leadership, character and Day 1 readiness to win the future fight. A 1995 Academy graduate, Gen. Sherman has spent nearly three decades serving in key operational, strategic and command roles. He's led at every level, from squadron to wing command, and his assignments have included everything from nuclear security enterprise to homeland defense, policy development at the Pentagon, and legislative affairs at the highest levels of the Department of the Air Force. Prior to his role as vice superintendent, Gen. Sherman served in the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, where he was a principal military assistant leading policy integration across joint staff, interagency services and combatant commands. He's perhaps best known in command circles for leading the 88th Air Base wing at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, one of the largest and most complex wings in the Air Force, with a focus on people first, leadership and mission excellence. Gen. Sherman, welcome to Long Blue Leadership. We're so glad you're here too.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  01:32 It is great to be here. Thank you.   Naviere Walkewicz  01:33 We're excited and we're going to dive right in, because I think what is so special for our listeners is really hearing these moments that have changed your life. I'd like to start at the Academy. You turned down a pilot slot. You were rated, but said no.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  01:48 Well, actually it was a little bit before that. You know, it's kind of interesting, because that was the draw that brought me here, is I just had this incredible passion to want to fly, and I love flying, and I truly enjoyed it, especially through all the different airmanship programs and things like and things like that we had here. The experiences were fantastic. But, you know, as I was starting to learn more about myself going through the Academy, I was starting to feel my heart getting pulled in a direction of wanting to really lead people and really spend a lot of time working with the enlisted. And I think that came from a couple different areas. I think it was some really unique exposure that I got during my ops Air Force time, which I went to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, during ops, and just had our action officer that worked this, I think just did a phenomenal job. And I really started getting pulled to what was then called security police. That is actually when Laurie and I got together and started dating, because Laurie is here in Colorado Springs, but she grew up as an Air Force brat. My father-in-law is a retired Chief Master Sgt., and so there was a lot of mentorship that was taking place around dining room table when I was a young cadet. And I think one of the things that her parents really taught me was just the value of the enlisted force, and so I was feeling my heart really getting pulled. And so obviously, there's a conundrum. There's a conundrum on what were the root desires that brought me here — what were the things that I was learning as a cadet, my joy of flying, and also, particularly the culture at that time, was that that was really the job that you needed to aspire to be, that was the expectation of cadets. And so then to really kind of run counter to that strong current was really kind of a unique, you know, almost unnavigated area, right? And so to really kind of take the story out to its next level is that I'd really gotten to a point where talking with people there — we hadn't had the AMT program, but there were these NCOs that were kind of tangentially attached to cadet squadrons. And so I got a chance to talk to one of the master sergeants that was there who was a maintainer by background. And I was kind of pouring my heart out to him on, you know, what had I been talking to him with my now in-laws, about where was my heart pulling me? And so he said, ‘Give me just a second.' And he picked up the phone, and he called my AOC and he goes, ‘Hey, you're gonna be there for a little while.' And this was a Friday afternoon. He said, ‘I got a cadet that needs to come talk to you.' And he hangs up the phone and he goes, ‘Now you go tell your AOC what you just told me.' And so I ended up going to my AOCs office that day, and we had about a two-hour conversation about this. I sat down and really, kind of took the time to explain to him what was I feeling, And obviously, I really try to see the best in people. And so I think from a noble place, he was doing his best to convince me that I was making a grave mistake. And went on to talk to me about what his concerns were, the career field that I was looking at, things along those lines. And we can save that conversation for another time, but I think really where the foundation came in is where we started to talk about leadership. And you know, what I was asking him to do was to pull my rated recommendation form, so we had just submitted them, and I was asking him to pull my rated recommendation form. I didn't want to compete for it anymore. And so we started to talk about leadership. And he says, ‘Hey, Cadet Sherman, you need to understand that leadership in this Air Force is being the lead F-16 pilot on a bombing run, you know, putting iron on target.' And that's true. It's a very important part of leadership. It is a very important part of tactical operational leadership in this Air Force. So he's not wrong in that space. But I was looking at it from a different lens, and I was looking at it, I think, on a larger level. And what I don't think he realized is that 30 seconds before I walked into his office, he set me up for success. I just happened to be waiting outside the office, and all of a sudden, I looked on his cork board, and somebody, and I don't know who it was, had pinned a note that was written to Airman Magazineby an airman first class. And this airman first class titled this, “I need a leader.” And this A1C felt so strongly about what they were feeling — and I have no idea who this person was — felt so strongly about it that they put pen to paper, and this would have been the fall of 1994, and sent this into Airman Magazine, and it says, “I need a leader.” Commissioning sources. ‘Send us lieutenants that we can look up to that will hold us accountable when we do wrong, that will encourage us when we do well, that will be an example that we can look up to, that will care about us as human beings, because you are not sending them to us now. Air Force, I need a leader.' Like that 30 seconds just before I walked into his office — that changed my life, and it changed my life, because for me, at that moment, what I was getting ready to go ask my AOC to do, what I was looking at inside myself, that became my charge. And so as we spoke, you know, 20-year-old Cadet First Class Sherman — I might have been a 21-year-old at the time — Cadet First Class Sherman pushed back on my AOC, and I said, ‘Sir, I disagree.' I said, ‘I want to be that guy. I want to be that guy that that A1c is asking for on your cork board outside, because that's leadership in this Air Force.' And so, to his credit, he said, ‘Hey, I want you to go think about this over the weekend. You know, think about what you're doing. Come back to me on Monday. No questions asked. I'll pull it if you want me to.' And I left there, and I remember feeling like, not like a weight had been lifted off my shoulder, but I almost felt like this sense of like, ‘Now I've got my purpose,' because that little article has shaped me my entire career, and I mean to this day, and at a scale. You know, as a lieutenant, my scale is this big on what I'm affecting to help do and be what that A1C needs to a wing commander. I always keep it in the back of my head, and after all of these years, I am still thinking about, Am I doing right by that A1C that 31 years ago, felt so strongly about something that they wrote a note to Airman Magazine, and that became my charge.   Naviere Walkewicz  08:09 That is incredibly powerful. I'm a little bit without words, because I'm thinking about, first off, being brave enough to disagree with an AOC. I mean, I think that takes courage in showing your leadership there. Were you always like that? Have you always been someone that is steadfast in a decision and being able to kind of speak out?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  08:30 So I get that from my parents. And, you know, I grew up in Corona, California. My mom and dad are amazing people. And we didn't grow up with a lot of money, and we grew up from a pretty meager background, and my mom and dad had made a decision early on in their marriage, when they had my sister and I, that my mom was going to focus to make sure that Nancy and I got an education, and my dad was going to work as many jobs as he had to to put food on the table. And sometimes my dad was holding down three jobs to make sure that we had nutritious food to eat, and my mom was working miracles to make sure that we were fed well, but that also that she was dedicated and had the time to volunteer for things like PTA, being involved as a class volunteer, making sure that we were involved in things and had exposure to things that what they did was they also instilled in me this really strong blue collar work ethic. And it was this aspect of, if I just roll up my sleeves and put in the work, anything is possible. And so on that line, this young kid growing up with a West Coast father and an East Coast mother, and just this, really neat family background that things for me, that I believed in I would go after with all of my heart and soul. And so I found out about the Academy when I was 12 years old. And so, you know, when I at 12 years — we were going to a community event there in Corona, and there was an officer recruiter — Capt. Craig. was her name — and we started talking. She says, ‘Hey, did anybody talk to you about the Air Force Academy?' And I said, ‘No, this sounds great.' So from there, I just made this decision as a 12-year-old, and I worked all the way through junior high and high school to get here, because to go to your point like, ‘I made a decision, I'm gonna see this thing through.'   Naviere Walkewicz  10:30 Whoa. OK, so you knew you were going to the Academy before you graduated high school.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  10:35 Yes, in my mind, there was no other option.   Naviere Walkewicz  10:39 And so anyone in your family serve, or were you the first one in your family to serve?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  10:43 So I am the first officer and career member of the family. My dad was drafted and went to Vietnam in 1967 and stayed through Tet of 1968. I had an uncle, Harry Lee Schmidt, who was a C-47 loadmaster in World War II and Korea, and my grandfather was actually a part of the initial kind of what was the foundation of the OSS and the Navy doing beach recon on beaches in the South Pacific, prior to island hopping campaign and island landings. And so there was this real heritage of service, right? Just not career service. But even then, as a kid, I always had in my mind, ‘OK, one way or another, I'm going to serve, and if I do an enlistment and then go to college afterwards —' but I had this idea that, ‘OK, I'm going to serve,' and then all of a sudden, this became this amazing conduit that got me here, right?   Naviere Walkewicz  11:38 And they also had ties to aviation. How did they feel about your decision, your family?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  11:43 It was interesting, because they knew how passionate I was about aviation growing up. I mean, we did not miss an air show at March Air Force Base, the Chino air show, which was planes of fame, which was all historic aircraft. I volunteered as a high school student to work there, and we helped restore airplanes with me and my friends. You know, it was interesting, because my parents were very supportive in ‘OK, where's your heart leading you? And, what makes you feel so strongly about this?' Because when I first talked to him on the phone, I called him from Ramstein Air Base and said, ‘Hey, I think I know what I want to do in the Air Force. I want to go to security police. And my mom was like, ‘What's that? And, so, as time went by and I explained it, I think my parents probably all along knew that that was probably going to be a very good fit. And then after commissioning and at my first assignment, I think that they were certain of it, right? Yeah, they were absolutely certain.   Naviere Walkewicz  12:37 That is amazing. Well, I want to dive into this profession a bit, because it's interesting. You know, you've mentioned, when you came in, it was security police, and, security forces and you hear people saying defenders and peacekeepers. So there's this lineage and this heritage. Can you maybe talk a little bit about that and then maybe lead us into that next transformational moment that you might have had in this role?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  12:58 OK, I'm very proud of the fact that, you know, I am part of an ever decreasing group of folks that came in when we were still security police, and that was really still the peacekeeper days, because this was all kind of the follow on on the Cold War. The peacekeepers were our cold warriors and that was a huge part. Our defenders came in and really, that name started to really grow in 1997 when the name changed from security police to security forces, and we were actually going back to some of our heritage that was in Operation Safeside, which was the combat security police squadrons in Vietnam. So when you think about the courage that was displayed during the Tet Offensive at places like Tan Son Nhat that those were safe side warriors that were a part of these combat security police squadrons. And so the very — part of the lineage of the very beret, and flash that we have is actually a tip of the hat to the lighter blue berets, and that flash with the Falcon and the crossed runways that goes back, actually, to our Safeside heritage days. The beret goes back even farther than that. It goes back to Strategic Air Command, Elite Guard back in the 1950s. So it's this great lineage. And so, you know, for me, part of it was like when I got my first beret, wow, that meant something to me. And then, you know, as we then kind of transformed along the way, and this amazing career field grew, and the aspects of this air based ground defense, which was really, I would say, was kind of the draw that got me into wanting to go into security police, was I really liked this idea of, ‘How do we do base defense?' The law enforcement side was intriguing to me, but it was based defense that just had me just had me captivated.   Naviere Walkewicz  14:44 And was that something that you found out early in your career? After you graduate the Academy, you're now in security police. Is that when you kind of realized, ‘This is where I want to go in, air, base, ground defense.'?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  14:54 It even happened at ops. So as we were spending time with the security police squadron, I ended up spending time with a captain who was heading up the Elite Guard, and there was an interaction we had as I was doing a ride along. He's like, ‘Hey, you need to come see me.' And so I went and met up with him, and he took me around and introduced me to all of his airmen that were part of the guard. He knew something all about them. And then we went to his office and talked, and he had gone to Ranger School and Airborne and things like that, and said, ‘Hey, like, the future of the career field is actually us looking to the past.' And really kind of got me fired up on what we call back then, air base ground defense. So when I got to McChord — McChord Air Force Base was my first duty station. And the great thing about going to AMC first is it AMC is a mobility — I mean, it is all about mobility and the operations associated with it. And so the first thing that that my task was as the second lieutenant in that squadron was, I was the air base ground defense flight commander. So that was, I mean — we would go out to Fort Lewis, and we would bivouac for days. And I had, you know, a 44 person team that was a base defense sector. I had specialized K-9 units heavy weapons. And back in those days, we had 81mm mortar teams and fire direction centers that we would set up. So I just got completely on board with the air base defense piece. And so that was that was very passionate for me, which then made the next step to Korea an absolutely logical next location, going to the wolf pack at Kunsan, not only getting a chance to then stand up Gwangju as a part of the first Air Expeditionary Unit to go back to Korea since the Korean War, but then doing the mobile reserve aspect of it. And it was just a great assignment.   Naviere Walkewicz  16:40 Wow. So you were right in from the very beginning. You got kind of just into it all.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  16:45 So when we go back, when you were talking to me about, ‘Hey, when you make your mind up...' So I had this five-year plan built out. And, you know, my five-year plan was ‘OK, I'm gonna do my first assignment at the first opportunity to PCS. I need to go remote. I need to go to Korea. And then, OK, how can I get another overseas assignment after that? And then what do I need?' So the thought was, “Let me get to as many match comms as I can, as fast as I can in my career, and use that as a place — OK, because I want to build my experience base out. Because even as a lieutenant and young captain, I didn't want to come across as a one-trick pony. So my thought was, “Let me just get as much as I could under my belt early on.' And so after I left Kunsan, I ended up going to Aviano Air Base in Italy, which, for me, when you look at like those moments in life that are transformational, this was transformational on a different level. You know, some assignments you go to are very much professional growth assignments. This assignment, for me, was very much a personal growth assignment.   Naviere Walkewicz  17:52 OK, so tell me more.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  17:55 I mean, when you think about it, four years at USAFA, very uniquely focused on a plate that is overflowing with things that you need to get done. So you are, you're focused on, you know, everything from grades to military training to all of those things. And then I get to my first base, and I am just working, and I'm volunteering for everything, and we have got a heavy ops tempo of exercises and things like that. And my leadership was fantastic, because they were throwing me into every opportunity I could. And then, boom, I go to Korea, and that is a unique warfighting focused — and at Kunsan especially was heavily warfighting focused. So now all of a sudden I am spending really, when you think about it, the last almost seven years being uniquely focused on mission, right? And so I get to Aviano Air Base, Italy, and the first thing that happens is Operation Allied Force kicks off. So I get there in January, boom. Allied Force kicks off. I think it was in end of February, beginning of March. And wow, what? Again, what an amazing, mission focused experience. And then after we finished up Allied Force and the base returned back to more of its steady-state standpoint, it was the Italians that took me under their wings, that because I made a specific choice, because I grew up — my mom's side of the family are all Italian immigrants — and I was always at my Nonnie and Papa's house, and there was just a lot of that growing up, which is that whole, like, you know, West Coast dad, East Coast mom thing, but I didn't know, you know, my mom and her brothers never spoke Italian. And there was a lot of that, that thought back in those days that, you know, ‘Hey, we're here to be American, so we're going to learn English, and we're not going to speak, you know, the language that we came from,' right? And so my mom and her brothers really never learned to speak Italian. And so my thought was, ‘Gosh, I grew up with this as such a strong part of my childhood that I need to put myself in a position where I can learn the language and start to kind of get an appreciation on the culture. Together.' And so I specifically — and really lucked out on a location, but I was about 20 kilometers away from Aviano. I was in an amazing town. I was the only American living in the complex that I was in. So I was like, ‘If I'm going to learn, I need to just dive in the way that you do, in the way that I do, and just start learning.' And so I ended up kind of building this support group of Italian families that all kind of took me under their wings.   Naviere Walkewicz  20:27 Wait, I have to ask you a question, because back when you're at the Academy, you said you spoke to your now in-laws. So was Laurie not a part of this?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  20:35 So Laurie and I, right. So that's an important part of the story. Laurie and I dated for two years while I was a cadet, and when I was in tech school, her and I made the very difficult decision — and as painful it was — to part ways, so her and I actually parted ways for a few years. I was single at the time. Laurie was still here in Colorado Springs, and I was getting a lot of assignments under my belt, which, to be honest with you, you know, in retrospect, it was very fortunate, because I may not have made the same assignment choices had I been married at the time. And because I wasn't married, there were no other variables that I needed to factor in, other than personal experience goals, right, that I wanted to play into, and so I could just put down whatever assignment I wanted, and that allowed me the opportunity to just focus on job. And while Laurie and I stayed in touch, and I stayed in touch with her parents over the years, I was in Aviano, and her and I were not together at that point,   Naviere Walkewicz  21:39 That makes sense. I was like, why were you alone in Italy?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  21:43 It's a fair question. But I also think that being single in that environment allowed me — and that's where I think it helped me develop as a person. And so there are a lot of, I think, really wonderful things that happened during that time, and that was because I was so uniquely mission focused. It was these, this amazing group of Italian friends together, that really kind of taught me about there, there's a time to relax, you know, there's a time to work, there's a time to relax, and there's also a real human need to enjoy life and enjoy time together, which is quintessentially Italian. And so, as my pool of this, these amazing people — that  by the way, for the last 25 years, we've been going to visit. It's the same families that took me under their wings when I was a lieutenant, are the same families that were all tuning in as we were doing a live stream of me pinning on my second star. And so I've never been stationed anywhere else in my career where I felt more at home. And so I think this sense of like, ‘Wow. This like independently as my own person, this feels like home.' And as time went by and I started to get an appreciation for actually things that were a part of my childhood. Because, you know, we would have these long, huge meals, we would spend four or five hours at the table as a family. And for me, this was all normal. Well, that was also a part of kind of normal Italian life and normal Italian culture. You're not going out to dinner with your friends unless you're investing at least three hours at the restaurant. But for me, this was all — this felt normal to me. And so it was about, you know, you don't need to eat your food in five minutes.   Naviere Walkewicz  So contrary to USAFA, by the way.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN You know, you don't need to chew no more than seven times and swallow. So it was about experiencing that, and learning even just some things that became personal passions. Like, you know, how wine is made and why wine pairing matters, and how is this process? And so all of a sudden, this personal experience — and I think growing as a human being was taking place there, and I was maturing as a human being because I had gotten all of this phenomenal job experience under my belt, but this was where I was growing as a human being. And you know what's interesting, as time has gone by, I have noticed just how impactful that time was, because there are things that I've noticed, even as a senior officer, that I feel very strongly about, that I don't think I felt as strongly about as a junior officer, and it was because of that experience, and it was the aspect of when people are on leave, let's let them take leave. There is a part of the human experience that you need to enjoy time with people that you care about, because what it does is you're not slacking off from work. You're not leaving everybody hanging. What's happening is that, because you're taking some time to just enjoy life with people you care about, when you come back, the restorative effects that have taken place because you simply breathe and you enjoyed what it was that you were doing and whatever your passion was, you know, unencumbered, you could enjoy that. And we all realize that there are times, especially as you get into positions of authority, that, hey, they're going to need to call you periodically. But what was interesting is that, especially, I mean, I'll give an example as a wing commander. As a wing commander, despite realizing how important that mission is and how big Wright-Patt was, we, Laurie and I took leave, and we took two weeks of leave, and we went back to Italia and visited our friends and enjoyed life, because the culture helps us to slow down. But what it also did is I gave my staff some parameters. ‘Hey, here are the things that I think are important, like on a scale of one to 10. Here are the things that I think are an eight. So an eight or higher, call me. Don't text me.' I said, ‘Physically call me, because I will answer the phone knowing it's for — and then you have my undivided attention.' But what it also does is it means that my vice wing commander who is there, that I am empowering my vice wing commander and showing to everybody else I trust this leader to lead this wing in my absence. And if it's something that really needs my involvement, they'll get a hold of me. But I think our junior leaders need to see that at the senior most levels, that I can physically trust and emotionally trust my vice, my deputy, to hold things down while I'm gone, and that I'm not irreplaceable, and that if I did my job as a leader, I set the conditions that allowed the wing to thrive in my absence, and didn't mean that the wing had to hang on every decision I made or every word that I said, that I set the conditions that allowed them to be successful and fostered the leadership that allowed them to lead in my absence. And I felt great while I was gone, because I knew the people that we had there, and I knew the investment that we made in them. So that was kind of a long, you know, trip around this…   Naviere Walkewicz  27:26 I mean, I think it was so powerful that you kind of learned that about yourself in Italy. And then would you say that there was anyone that you saw emulating that? Or was it just something over time, you developed this realization that you need to enjoy life and you need to allow people the space to do so.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  27:43 So I would say the people that I was emulating in that aspect were a lot of the families that were there. I have been fortunate that I have worked for some commanders who, at different times in their life felt the same way. Conversely, I also worked for commanders that did not feel the same way. And, you know, an interesting case in point on something that on an experience I had in a command bill and after I had left Aviano — this is when Laurie and I were back together; we were married at this point. I had a group commander that was frustrated about me taking leave and called me every day at 1500; every day at 1500 I got a telephone call. And you know what that does is now all of a sudden, you're eating lunch, and the clock is getting closer to 1500 and you start to get that knot in your stomach and you're like, ‘OK, what are we going to talk about today?' And so, unfortunately you don't see some of the same appreciation for that across the board. So how do we deal with it? The best thing that we deal with it is that that's where the buck stops. We don't pass it down to our people. So after I got the call from him, I didn't call back to the squadron. I got the call from him. We went through the call, we answered the questions, and I didn't then immediately turn around and call back to my ops officer who was running the Squadron at the time, and say, XYZ. And we just left it there, because at that point in time, the bucks got to stop it at that point. So I think that that's kind of the, you know, the alpha and the omega of learning and then also having your own personal resilience and courage to say, ‘I accept that the buck stops here, and I'm not going to let this roll downhill to my people.'   Naviere Walkewicz  29:41 That's an excellent leadership lesson, because I was going to ask you, ‘What does that look like, and how would you how would you handle that?' And so you went right into that. Thank you so much for that. So what has it been like leading security forces — defenders? What's it been like? Has there been a moment in time where — a particular assignment or something's really stuck into your mind or into your heart, because it's just really affected you?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  30:05 Absolutely. I will tell you, as we go back, as we were kind of talking about decisions that you make in your youth, and that critical decision that I made in the fall of '94 I mean, I have worked with some of the most amazing people I've worked in my life. I have gotten a chance to go to places I never thought that I would see. And so, when you kind of roll up, I would say it was my final squadron command, and I would say that that was a real culminating squadron command. So I commanded four squadrons, and we command early, and we command often, and there's a lot of responsibility that that's placed on us as young officers to command as a young officer. And so having the opportunity to command two times as a captain, or one time, you know, as a major-select, then as a major, then as a lieutenant colonel. So that culminating command would have been Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan in May of 2012 to May of 2013 and you know, it was interesting because all of my previous squadron commands had all been vested in either the contingency response or the kind of combat contingency environments. And it was almost like all of those were leading me to this moment. So let me just kind of set the conditions on what Bagram was like at that point in time. We had grown the squadron to about a 1,200-person squadron, huge squadron. And what we were also responsible for is we had taken over battle space ownership from the Army. So the Air Force was controlling 220 square miles of battle space throughout Parwan province, which is a huge. I mean, it's twice the size of Washington, D.C., if you want to try to give a comparison, more or less is fair to look at that level as just a huge amount of terrain in which our airmen were responsible from everything from humanitarian operations and goodwill outreach to engagements to literal kinetic action and combat in the battle space. And so a part of this culmination was, was an environment where as the defense force commander — as that squadron commander to them as a lieutenant colonel at that point — I mean how we are weaving ourselves into their lives, and how we are working with their section commanders, and how we're working and managing the value of our perimeter defenses with our teams that were going outside of the wire doing legitimate patrolling and engagement and things along those lines, was huge. And I think that that is an example. And when you look in the rearview mirror to say, ‘Gosh, now this, a lot of this makes sense, like all of these assignments, whether by design or whether by fate, somehow gave me an experience that at this moment, I needed it most.' And I think, as I talk, we've really enjoyed being here with the cadets and talking to them about, how does a leader really develop trust, and how does trust really manifest itself? And so, through the time that we were there, and the engagement as their leader — not just the leader who's just simply circulating, because that's important, but they also need to see your decision making and your strategic thought. And how do you react under pressure? How are you reacting as we've got incoming in, and what do you do being the person in the joint defense operations center, helping to manage that, and how are you both taking care of people, and how are you managing mission? And they see that. And so I would say that the development of that level of trust, especially in an environment where you are literally dealing with high costs, is huge. And so I think there was one, situation that really rests on my heart that and I don't talk about this to give validation, but I think I talk about it on it's about how people connect, and why do I feel so strongly that leadership is a human experience, like this is a what we are doing as a human experience. And so I was retiring my chief. So I was asked by my chief at Bagram — this was some years later. He's out of the 105th Base Defense Squadron out of the New York Air National Guard, and him and I were a phenomenal team there. Dave Pritchard and I just made a great team. And so he was retiring, and asked me to come back and do his retirement. So we had done the retirement ceremony. We were at the VFW afterwards, having his after-party and so forth. And so I had gone into the bathroom for a comfort break and washed my hands and things like that. And I noticed, as I was kind of moving towards the bathroom, there was kind of a young man who was kind of floating. You know, floating around. And so I came out of the restroom as I was finished, and he was waiting there at the exit of the restroom for me, and kind of, you know, got in front of me, and he stood there, and he looked at me, and he goes, ‘Hey, sir, I just, I needed to let you know this, that I was one of the airmen in one of your patrols that got hit by an IED, and he said, your investment in us, and the words that you used and when you came to talk to us, and the faith that you had in us gave me the courage to go back outside of the wire when you asked us to go back outside.' And so why that rests so heavy is when you think about what, what is the what is the con? The consequence there is that somebody believed in you so much that when you spoke to them and said the word, they were going to go back out and do it again, in spite of what had just happened to you. And I don't think there is any stronger level of trust that you can ask from somebody than to have one of those moments. And so that moment just resides very, very heavy on my soul, because I think it puts into real, tangible context, what is the responsibility of leadership? What is your responsibility of leadership?   Naviere Walkewicz  36:42 I'm letting that sit a little bit, because I can't even imagine the amount of feeling that you had first for him, the courage to share that with you. Because I'm sure that he really wanted to share that. I'm curious if you can remember perhaps, what he might have been referring to, like what you were sharing with the men and women there.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  37:02 So, you know, it was also a part of things that, in times after Bagram have really been used for me as a senior leader on why I reinforced the importance of values. And, this was one particular incident there that really comes to mind is, and I use this when I when I talk to people, because I again, it's the consequence, and it's why our responsibility as leaders to set the right conditions and culture and all of that is so incredibly valuable. And so I talked to people about a story about we had had a situation where we had some real destabilization in the battle space. There was a particular village that we were having some unique challenges with, and we were doing a lot of kind of battlefield shaping, and we were doing some particular village engagement, and the engagement just wasn't happening. And so we were now kind of starting to escalate our interaction with the village a little bit more and as we were doing that, we were now going to start doing more shaping operations. So it just so happens that one of these nights —this was in the late fall, early winter of 2012 — and we were sending one of our patrols outside to do some shaping and engagement operation there. But this was in the evening. This was a different aspect that we were working for this particular mission. And so mounted up that the airmen are ready to go. They're pushing outside, they're right on time, and everything is going according to plan, and they are getting close to what we call the objective rally point. So that was where they were going to rally up before they actually moved into the village after that. And so everything was going according to plan. And the only thing they needed to do before they got to the objective rally point was really kind of go down a small gully over a rise, and then they meet at their objective rally point at that point. And so teams are moving out. First truck over the rise, getting to the point. Second truck over, everything's going fine. Third truck over, fourth truck after that, BOOM, off goes the IED. And what had happened is, they were waiting for this opportunity, and they knew exactly what to do. And that is, if you hit the last truck in the movement, you've got three trucks that are gone ahead of time, and now we've got folks in a very precarious situation. And so what I talk to people about, when we talk about conditions and the real impact that a leader has, is I'll talk to them about who was in that truck, who was in that MRAP that we were sending down at that point in time. And inside that MRAP was the face of America. And the explosion was significant, and it did some considerable damage. It threw the engine out of it, penetrated the hole, ripped one of the doors off the side in the front. And so, you know, the truck commander was National Guard from, actually from Tennessee, and he had gotten injured, broken an arm because that door had peeled back. And as the door peeled back, his arm got caught and broke his arm. The driver, Asian American coming out of the state of California, active duty. He had injuries to his legs because of the penetration of the hole. We had a gunner up in the turret, African American female from the New York Air National Guard. She had a broken pelvis at the time, and she just stayed on the gun the entire time despite her injuries. We had our radio operator. European American female coming from the Midwest. She was actually Air Force Reserve. She had a case of TBI from the explosion, and she was still making calls on the radio. We had two of our riflemen in the back, both came from Hispanic heritage, one of them from Puerto Rican heritage, one of them from Mexican heritage. They were very fortunate that while they got tossed around the back and had some minor TBI issues, they were more or less bumps and bruises, and they were all by themselves. Yeah, because they were all alone, they were in the middle of Afghanistan, they had just gotten hit. And so for me, what's so important about that story is that if we did not set the right culture and the right values and the right expectations and be in a leader by example, and they were harassing each other on Bagram, and they were assaulting each other on Bagram, and they weren't respecting each other on Bagram, and they didn't care about each other on Bagram, they would have died out there that night. But they treated each other like a family, and they cared about each other like a family, and they took care of each other like a family that night, and they lived and they all came home. So for me, if we're going to talk about what is the true consequence of leadership — and I use consequence deliberately, because oftentimes that's used in a pejorative manner — but this is the true result of your actions, that if you don't set those conditions, then you are legitimately putting your people at risk. And so that whole experience at Bagram, and in so many ways that we all carry our scars and our bruises and things like that. I wouldn't trade that experience for the world, but that was tough. And I often describe it as a tale of two cities. You know, it was the best of times. It was the worst of times.   Naviere Walkewicz  42:34 I think a lot of times, when leaders go through experiences like that, they have some more fortunate than others, but a support network. And I would guess it would be your family. How has your family played a role in these moments in your life, in helping you as a leader?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  42:54 So I will say it's primarily my wife. I have got this wonderful support of parents and my in-laws and so forth. And what's been truly fortunate is how close I am with my in-laws. Because when Laurie and I were dating while I was a cadet, anytime I had an overnight or weekend pass, I was over at her mom and dad's house and so I think that being married to somebody that has truly known you from the beginning, you know, where, whether we got a training weekend going on, or something like that, or I'm working first BCT or whatnot, that Laurie was a unique part of all of these things. And I would say that it has been incredibly heartwarming to watch her interact with the cadets here, because it's fun, because her and I do everything together. And so as we're going to events, I'll have a group of cadets that I'm talking to, and then I'll look over and Laurie's surrounded by a group of cadets who are asking her just very insightful questions about our experiences together, and ‘Was it tough sending them away on deployments?' Or how, you know, in those tough times, ‘How do you how do you keep your marriage together?' Just really insightful questions to ask, but she has just been so central to everything that I do. And so going back a little bit and talking about, like the strength of our relationship and how much that helps, we actually needed to have that breakup period as horribly painful as that was, and wow, was I carrying a torch for her all of those years. I mean, I remember, you know, as time was going by, I would talk to my mom, and I'd be like, ‘Mom, I just wish that Laurie could see the man that I become.' But we needed that time because oftentimes, and what we found in ourselves, we didn't know it at the time, because you're living in your environment and you can't see it, right? Is that in youth, things are often absolutes. And you often will get to a place where you're starting your marriage, your relationship is growing. And if you start to talk about marriage, there are things that we have found were absolutes for us. You know, certain things that we did, how we practiced our faith. Did we open up presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but the expectation was somebody was going to have to give up their particular tradition to conform to the tradition of one of the spouses. And in your youth, that seems reasonable, and I think we needed that time to be apart, having had that time together at such an important time in each of our lives here. But we needed that time apart, because I think we needed that frame of reference as we grew as people into adults. Grew as young adults. And now all of a sudden here I'm getting multiple assignments, and now being thrust into leadership positions with accountability and authority, and then coming back to that, all of a sudden, you're realizing, ‘Gosh, the world just isn't always in absolutes. And maybe a marriage doesn't have to be zero sum, but maybe a marriage can be positive sum.' And do we really have to make somebody give up something that is important to them, that is a part of their identity? Because somehow you feel like you have to conform your marriage into one side or the other. And so, I think for us that was that was so incredibly important. So to kind of get to that story is that, you know, I left Aviano and I went to Al Dhafra. I was in Al Dhafra actually for September 11. It was my first squadron command, but it was a squadron command I wasn't expecting, because I came there as a chief of security forces for about a 70-person security forces flight as a part of the 763rd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron at Al Dhafra. And then all of a sudden, 9/11 happens, and we went from about 400 people on Al Dhafra to about 4,000. And you know, U-2s came in, ISR platforms came in. Everything changed. And all of a sudden, this 70-person security forces flight that I had grew into about a 350-person security forces squadron. And AFSET said, ‘Hey, Sherman, you built it, you keep it, and we'll replace you with a major when you leave.' And I was a six-year captain, and so then finishing up that assignment, and I got picked up for — there was a point to that story — but it was about coming back, is that, hey, I got these new, unique experiences that grew me under my belt. And then I came back to do an AFIT program at Cal State San Bernardino. And that was the moment that brought Laurie and I back together.   Naviere Walkewicz  In what way?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN And so, I had a health scare. Nobody knows what it was. We never figured it out. Doctors never figured it out. But it was one of those things, like, all of a sudden, I shotgun something out to everybody I knew. I said, ‘Hey, doctors are a little bit concerned, you know, keep me in your thoughts.' And so Laurie, Laurie is like, ‘Holy cow, you can't just send a one liner and leave it at that.' So she called my mom and dad and said, ‘What's his phone number?' And so it started to turn into ‘Hey, give me all of your test results after you get it back.' Then pretty soon we're talking a couple times a week, and then pretty soon we're talking every other day, and then we are talking every day. And the beauty of this was that we already knew each other, so we already knew what everybody's favorite color was — by the way, Laurie's is purple. We knew what music each other liked. We knew things about each other. And some of the things that actually drew us together when we were dating here was, you know, we had things like some common family traditions, like, you know, Italian fish on Christmas Eve and sitting around the table for hours and stuff like that were all things that we had in common. So we already knew that about each other. Now, her and I on the phone, we're getting into some real, like substantive discussions, children, faith. How do you how you raise children? How do you know, what are we going to do for different traditions? What happens if I have to take a remote; what does that mean? And so we were getting into these really, deep conversations. And, you know, I would come back from either class or then when I PCs to the security forces center out at Lackland, you know, I would come home from work, and this was in the old flip phone days where you had a battery that came off the back. So I would have one battery in the charger, and then I would have an earbud in, and I'd have the phone in my pocket. Yeah, and I'd come home and to call her, and we would just go throughout the evening. So I'm ironing BDUs at the time, shining my boots and stuff like that, and so, and we were just talking. And then we were just kind of like living life together. And, after that point, it became very clear that those two young people who sincerely cared about each other, now, each of us grew up and had experiences in a place that allowed us to really appreciate each other and really love each other. And you know, we were married just a little over a year after that. And it has been phenomenal, her support. And I think one of the great testaments to that was, 10 days after we got married, I went to Baghdad, but she's like, ‘I grew up in the Air Force. I know how this works. We're gonna move the house. I'll get the house put together.' And she's also a professional in her own right, which is great. So she was working in a legal office here as a paralegal and legal assistant here in Colorado Springs, and has been a GS employee for the last 18-plus years. So what's great is she, too has her own aspect of service. What I love about it is that in the jobs that she's in and then the jobs that I'm in, we can talk shop, and then we cannot talk shop, right? And so she's the first person I go to if I have to ask a question, she's the first person that I'll go to say, ‘Hey, did I do that right? Or do I need to backtrack on that a little bit?' Because she knows me, and she knows me completely, and that level of trust and love and faith that we have for each other has truly enabled me to be able to serve our airmen on a level that I don't think would have been possible without her.   Naviere Walkewicz  51:59 Would you say that she's had a role in your development as a leader, in the way that you lead.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  52:05 Oh, absolutely, absolutely, because, and I love it, because her experience as a brat and her dad as a chief gives her a very unique lens to look through. And so the advice that she gives me she can give me from her teenage self in some way, you know, from that experience, watching how her dad interacted with something or knowing her aspect about this. And then as she's developed professionally, working on the E-Ring at the Pentagon a couple different times, working for very senior leaders, knows how to navigate that space. So then I'll go to her for advice, like, ‘Hey, how did your boss handle something like this?' ‘Well, let me tell you what, how we work through this...' And so I would absolutely say that that Laurie has uniquely influenced and helped me to become the best version of myself that I can be.   Naviere Walkewicz  53:03 Wow. Well, I want to ask you a little bit about developing yourself as well, because one of the questions we like to ask is, what are you doing every day to make yourself a better leader? Can you share what that might be?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  53:17 I've said it a couple times during this: I truly believe that leadership is a human experience, so for me, it's about the interaction. And so oftentimes, advice that I've given to people — like there are amazing resources abound that can help people, give people leadership perspectives, and we can either learn it from history, or we can learn it through study. We can learn it through analysis. We can learn it through books. And I've always talked to people about use the external tools that help to grow you, but make sure that you're using it to influence the personality that you already have. Because oftentimes what happens is, is that people will have this really strong desire to say, “OK, I want to make sure that I do this right. And so in doing this right, let me make sure I've got my checklist, and so I'm going to greet them, I'm going to ask them how their family is, I'm going to ask them if the kid did all right in the baseball game. And I'm going to go through my checklist, and if I do that, I fulfill my leadership obligation.' Now not everybody does, and I'm making generalities on but, but I think that there can oftentimes be the allure that when you are focusing on what may be the theory or the principle of the day, and not using it to supplement and grow and mature your personality, that there is a strong allure to want to wholesale replicate what it was that you learned, and you're doing it in a noble place. It's not nefarious. It's being done in a noble, genuine place. But there's that allure to say, ‘OK, good, I really like what I've learned. I'm going to do these things and step through.' And so why I talk so much about the experience, and why I talk so much about the interaction, is that the more that you know the people that you may be influencing by just simply being there and understanding what that means. It means you're eternalizing the value of your presence. You're listening to their stories, and you're understanding for them, what are the things that are motivating them? What are the things that they value? Because each generation, each environment, each condition is going to require something a little bit different from you, and if you don't take the time to understand your environment or generation or cultural nuances or things like that on where you're at, then you are missing that opportunity to develop trust, where they start to believe in you as a person, and not just the rank and position that you hold, because they'll do the right thing for the rank and position that you hold. That's the caliber of people that we have in this Air Force of ours. They'll do the right thing. But if you transcend that in the fact that they believe in you wholeheartedly and trust you, oftentimes with their own lives, it means that you've invested something into them, where they truly know that you care. And that goes back to that A1C on the cork board that said, ‘I need somebody who cares about me as a person.'   Naviere Walkewicz  56:41 You know, as I think about what you've experienced through your career and the lessons you've learned, both professionally and personally, what would you say to yourself back then that you should be doing back then to get to where you're at now? Because we have listeners that are like, ‘What can I start planting today, that will bloom down the road?'   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  57:03 Absolutely. And so I think if I was to go back and put my arm around Cadet First Class Sherman, I think what I would do is — because it is, it is oftentimes easy to look in the crystal clear mirror of hindsight, right? But I think instead, what I would do is I would put my arm around him and say, ‘Keep following your heart and let the failures happen, because the failures are going to grow and let the stumbles happen and enjoy the triumphs with people and be appreciative for what got you there.' And I think it would be more of the encouragement of like, ‘You have laid out a path for you take the path wherever it goes, the joy, the pain, the triumph, the failure, all of those things, because all of that helps to develop the leader.' And oftentimes you want to go back and say, gosh, if I was going to talk to my previous self, then I would say, ‘Ah, don't do that one thing,' right? But I'm looking at it saying that if I didn't do that one thing, then I'm not sure that I would be where I'm at at a time to make sure I didn't do that thing at a moment that was incredibly catastrophic. And so while we have this desire to want to prevent ourselves from the failure, I think that what we have to do is say you're going to fail and you need to fail, and it's going to sound — relish in the failure, because it is often emotionally troubling, especially those of us that come here because we are Type A perfectionist, and that's part of the draw of coming to this amazing place. Is there a certain personality traits that help us to be successful here, but not all of those personality traits make us uniquely successful in all situations outside, and so you've got to have that failure at some point in time. And the failure that you can get up and say, ‘OK, I did this. This happened. My soul is bruised. My ego is bruised. I may have to take a little bit of accountability for this. OK, now I need to have the courage to take the next step forward again.' Because I could easily retreat back to a safe place, and I could become risk averse, and all that does is hurt the people around you. OK. I have to have the courage to breathe and take the step again and get back in there. So I would tell my — I don't think I would want to prevent myself from doing anything. I think even the growth that took place while Laurie and I were apart — and, like I said, that torch that I carried for her — I think if I had whispered in my ear and said, ‘Hey, just relax, you're gonna marry her.' I think I needed that torch, because that in my own mind and my own emotion was me needing to become a better man, and so I think I needed to go through — like, sometimes you need the struggle, and sometimes the things that are most valuable are the things that you had to go through the struggle for, right? And I think that's where my blue collar ethics background comes in. It's like, I'm just going to roll up my sleeves and I'm going to work through the struggle.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:00:36 Wow. Well, we took a look back. I just want to ask you a question forward. So do you think about legacy? And what do you want your legacy to be? Is that something that plays in your mind as you wake up each morning or go to lead people?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:00:50 I think the way that I look at it is, I look at it in a in a different aspect, and the way that I look at it is in a very confined point to point. It's not about what is going to be Tom Sherman's legacy when he retires someday, but was that interaction that I had with somebody to give them some encouraging words when they fell down, did that matter to them at that moment? Because there are people for me in my failures that were commanders, that were leaders, that were mentors, that were senior enlisted, that, you know, grabbed that lieutenant by the arm and helped to lift me up. And their memories are etched in my fabric. And so I think that it's about that individual event that your legacy will live in the people in which you made a difference to them.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:01:49 Well, I'll share with you, I was telling my son — he's a cadet, a third-class cadet, actually, now he's about to be a C2C — that I was doing this podcast with you, and he said, ‘What an incredible leader, Mom, he motivates me. He's so inspiring.' So your legacy is already through my son—   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:05 Thank you! That means — thank you so much for sharing.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:02:10 —that you really made an impact. So we're going to get to your final thoughts here in a little bit. But before we do, I want to make sure that you know our podcasts publish on every second Tuesday of the month, and you can certainly listen to Gen. Sherman in any of our other podcasts on longblueleadership.org. So Gen. Sherman, what would you like to leave our listeners with today? This has been incredible, by the way. Thank you.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:32 I have truly enjoyed this, and it's just been — it was just wonderful having the conversation with you, and it's in real honor to be a part of this. I truly believe in what you're doing here.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:02:43 Thank you. It's my pleasure to help share your story and help inspire others. And is there anything we might leave with our listeners that that they can part with tonight?   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:02:51 I think, for me, you need to love what you do and love I think, is one of the most powerful words in language. And I don't just say the English language. I say in language because of the strength behind the meaning and how wide the meaning can be impactful. If you love what you do, people will feel that your very presence will make a difference. They'll feel that if you love what you do, then you're being, you know, internally, inspired by the love that you have for what you're being a part of, right? If you love and care about your people, they will follow you to the ends of the Earth, because they know the passion that you have and the belief that you have in them. So I think that as we go back to these things, we oftentimes look at the terms of courage and love may seem diametrically opposed, and I would attest that you can be most courageous and that your courage will be most effective only when it's buttressed by the love that you have in what you do and who you do it with.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:04:08 Thank you, sir, for that. Thank you for being on Long Blue Leadership.   MAJ. GEN. SHERMAN  1:04:11 Absolutely. Thank you. This was a wonderful time. It was a real honor.   Naviere Walkewicz  1:04:14 Thank you. Well, until next time, I'm Naviere Walkewicz. We'll see you on Long Blue Leadership.     KEYWORDS Leadership, Air Force Academy, Major General Thomas P. Sherman, mentorship, personal growth, security forces, work-life balance, family support, continuous improvement, legacy       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation        

The owner of the Wild proclaimed last fall that July 1st, 2025, would be CHRISTMAS DAY! Why? Find out from Vineeta Sawkar and St. Paul Pioneer Press Hockey Writer Jess Myers on the WCCO Morning News.

learn words and phrases related to Christmas

Send us a textIn this episode, we speak with Rebecca, a mother of two from Perth, Western Australia. Rebecca shares her powerful and deeply personal birth stories — from her first homebirth to her second birth, a freebirth.Rebecca begins by taking us through her pregnancies, both of which were marked by hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) lasting up to 20 weeks. She opens up about the physical and emotional challenges of navigating pregnancy while managing HG.For her first birth, Rebecca chose a homebirth with the support of a private midwife, opting not to go through the Community Midwifery Program (CMP). She went into labor at 40 weeks and 6 days, and during labour, performed a forward-leaning inversion to help reposition her baby, who wasn't quite in an ideal position. She chose a managed third stage for this birth.With her second pregnancy, Rebecca decided on a wild pregnancy — choosing not to engage in routine medical care or monitoring — and ultimately had a freebirth. She experienced several days of prodromal labour leading up to the birth and gave birth to her second baby at 41 weeks and 6 days — on Christmas Day.Support the show@homebirthstoriesaustralia Support the show by buying us a coffee! Please be advised that this podcast may contain explicit language. Listener discretion is advised.The information, statistics, and research presented in this podcast are for informational purposes only and are not intended to constitute or replace medical or midwifery advice. All information discussed can be found online and is provided in the links in the show notes. It is always recommended to conduct your own research and make informed decisions. We advise you to discuss any topics or concerns with your healthcare provider. While we strive to incorporate the most up-to-date research in our episodes, we do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of the information discussed on the show.

“As the world braced for intensifying international conflicts between countries, corporations and cultural movements, the final week of 2024 also saw a notable intensification of class conflict within the ranks of the nativist MAGA movement, as tensions grew between its controlling elites and its increasingly vocal white nationalist base. Often referred to as a “MAGA Civil War,” this internal rift was fueled by provocative statements from figures like “President” Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, both immigrants who made pro-immigrant comments in conflict with millions of MAGA nativists. This turmoil exposes the fragility of what is too often perceived as a unified coalition of ideological and cultural allies. In reality, this fragile alliance, however toxic and harmful, is held together by fear, hatred, and anxiety rather than deeply shared values of cooperation and shared responsibility.In contrast, the Kwanzaa season—a time for Pan African solidarity and Black cultural reflection—presents an alternative vision of unity at family, community, national and international levels. During this period, tensions between Social Structure and Governance were laid bare in symbolic convergences such as the live-streamed “Beyoncé Bowl” on Christmas Day. This moment of Cultural Meaning-Making highlighted Africana Ways of Knowing, with Knowles-Carter continuing her commitment to feeding Africana Movement and Memory. While MAGA followers grapple with the fracturing and divisive consequences of their illusory politics of white nativism, Kwanzaa offers powerful reminders that Africana Ways of Knowing emphasize collective work and responsibility. Can we overwhelm impulses to search for differences among ourselves with a rededication to the principle of Ujima, understanding that working together for the common good is essential to survival and progress?” —Dr. CarJOIN KNARRATIVE: https://www.knarrative.com it's the only way to get into #Knubia, where these classes areheld live with a live chat.To shop Go to:TheGlobalMajorityMore from us:Knarrative Twitter: https://twitter.com/knarrative_Knarrative Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knarrative/In Class with Carr Twitter: https://twitter.com/inclasswithcarrSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you've ever wondered how to find yourself again after years of caregiving, silence, or loss, episode 346 of Grief and Happiness is for you. Brenda Coffee, author, blogger, and survivor, joins Emily for a deeply personal conversation about grief, trauma, and the long path back to yourself. Through stories of profound heartbreak and quiet resilience, Brenda shares how she went from being the strong one for everyone else to finally listening to her own voice.In This Episode, You Will Learn:(1:22) Brenda's first experience with profound grief: losing her father(4:00) Living with and caring for a mother with mental illness(5:30) Why trauma made Brenda grow up fast—and stay quiet for decades(8:10) Her first marriage, emotional abuse, and the moment she said, "No more"(12:30) Meeting her second husband and building a new life(14:50) The first experience of anticipatory grief during her husband's illness(17:40) Losing her second husband suddenly on Christmas Day(20:10) The complexity of grief: relief, heartbreak, and isolation(25:40) Why Brenda finally started writing—and what it healed(28:10) The silent cost of being "the strong one"(31:00) How writing and blogging became a path back to herself(33:10) A friend's phone call that helped her shift her perspective(36:50) What survivors really need—and the courage to be vulnerable(39:30) The importance of not comparing trauma or grief(42:10) How happiness can coexist with sorrowIn today's episode, I'm joined by Brenda Coffee, author of Maya Blue: A Memoir of Survival. Brenda is a former caregiver, writer, and speaker whose life has been shaped by loss, emotional abuse, and deep resilience. Her memoir offers a raw and honest look at surviving two marriages filled with illness, addiction, and tragedy. For decades, she put others first, but eventually, she found the strength to reclaim her own identity. Now, she uses her voice to support others in grief and guide them toward new beginnings.Throughout this episode, Brenda opens up about losing her father as a child, navigating her mother's mental illness, and surviving an emotionally abusive first marriage. She shares how caregiving for a husband with cancer became both a burden and a purpose, and how losing her second husband suddenly on Christmas Day unraveled everything she had rebuilt.Connect with Brenda Coffee:WebsiteInstagramLinkedInFacebookMaya Blue: A Memoir of SurvivalRead Brenda's blog - 1010 ParkPlaceConnect with Emily Thiroux Threatt:WebsiteLinkedInFacebookThe Grief and Happiness Alliance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Christmas Day 1988, the body of 23-year-old Venus Xtravaganza was discovered hidden beneath a bed in a New York City hotel room. She had been strangled days earlier—and over three decades later, her killer has never been found.Venus was a transgender performer and a rising star in the ballroom scene, immortalized in the landmark documentary Paris Is Burning. But behind her dazzling stage presence was a young woman living on the margins, navigating a world that often refused to see her humanity.In this episode, we trace Venus's life—from her New Jersey childhood to the catwalks of underground balls—and unpack the police indifference, media silence, and societal stigma that followed her death. We explore how Venus became a symbol of both beauty and tragedy, and what her unsolved murder reveals about violence, visibility, and the cost of being yourself in a world that punishes difference.Who killed Venus Xtravaganza—and why has justice still not been served?

GDP Script/ Top Stories for June 10th Publish Date: June 10th From The BG AD Group Studio, Welcome to the Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast. Today is Tuesday, June 10th and Happy Birthday to Michael J. Fox I’m Peyton Spurlock and here are your top stories presented by KIA Mall of Georgia Car Crashes Into Duluth House Lilburn Campers Celebrate the Program’s 44th Camp Year with a Prehistoric Surprise Police looking for victims of Buford teen accused of child molestation All of this and more is coming up on the Gwinnett Daily Post podcast, and if you are looking for community news, we encourage you to listen daily and subscribe! Break 1: Kia MOG (07.14.22 KIA MOG) STORY 1: Car Crashes Into Duluth House A driver escaped unharmed after their vehicle crashed into the front of a home on Park Bluff Lane in Duluth on Monday. Police reported the driver experienced a mechanical issue, causing them to lose control. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, though the home's entrance sustained significant damage. STORY 2: Lilburn Campers Celebrate the Program’s 44th Camp Year with a Prehistoric Surprise The Girl Scouts Lilburn Day Camp celebrated its 44th year with a "Prehistoric Party" theme, hosting hundreds of campers for paleontology-inspired activities like polishing amber and daily dinosaur visits. Campers voted on the theme and designed T-shirts for next year. Directed by Kathy Lewis, a decade-long volunteer, the camp emphasized teamwork and family among campers and volunteers. Activities included outdoor cooking, crafts, woodworking, and Scout skills, with campers like Faith Addison and Riley Perez sharing aspirations inspired by their experiences. The camp fostered creativity, nature appreciation, and leadership development for all participants. STORY 3: Police looking for victims of Buford teen accused of child molestation Gwinnett County Police are seeking potential victims of 18-year-old Lucas Costea, who is accused of molesting a child on Christmas Day 2020 in Buford. Costea, charged with child molestation, aggravated child molestation, and aggravated sexual battery, was granted $25,000 bail with conditions, including house arrest, a GPS ankle monitor, and no contact with minors except his brother. Police believe Costea may have ties to a youth organization and urge anyone with information to contact the Special Victims Unit at 770-513-5300. We have opportunities for sponsors to get great engagement on these shows. Call 770.874.3200 for more info. We’ll be right back Break 2: Ingles Markets 8 STORY 4: Mining project near Okefenokee on hold as applicant struggles financially Twin Pines Minerals (TPM), seeking to mine titanium near Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, has failed to provide $2.1 million in financial assurances required by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) for site reclamation. The project faces strong opposition from environmental advocates and local governments, citing potential harm to the swamp's ecosystem, while supporters argue it could create jobs in a high-poverty area. TPM is also embroiled in lawsuits, including one alleging insolvency and fraud. Critics, like environmental lawyer Josh Marks, urge the EPD to deny the permit, citing the company's alleged misconduct and financial instability. STORY 5: Gwinnett Police Arrest 2 Suspects Tied To Armed Robberies In Norcross Gwinnett County Police arrested Jairo Martinez-Villafranca, 37, and Belki Reyes-Cordova, 28, for a series of armed robberies at Norcross grocery stores in May. The pair allegedly robbed El Amigo and La Escondida grocery stores on May 13, demanding cash at gunpoint, with one incident involving a clerk caring for a baby. A third robbery occurred in DeKalb County two days later. Using FLOCK cameras, police tracked the suspects' vehicle, leading to their arrests. Both face multiple charges, including armed robbery and aggravated assault, and are held without bond in Gwinnett County Jail. Break: STORY 6: Georgia solar panel manufacturer launching recycling center Qcells, a leading solar panel manufacturer, is launching EcoRecycle by Qcells in Cartersville to recycle up to 500,000 solar panels annually, repurposing materials like aluminum, glass, silver, and copper. This initiative addresses the growing issue of solar waste, which often ends up in landfills, and aims to enhance sustainability in the clean energy sector. Qcells, with a strong presence in Georgia since 2019, continues to expand its role in the circular economy, reinforcing solar energy as a renewable and responsible power source. STORY 7: Georgia GOP delegates go home, keeping their chairman despite grievances ahead of a big election year The Georgia GOP state convention in Dalton re-elected Josh McKoon as chairman amid internal tensions and ideological debates. Delegates passed a resolution to bar Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger from running as a Republican, though it’s likely unenforceable. Discussions centered on upcoming elections, with potential candidates for governor and U.S. Senate, including Marjorie Taylor Greene and others, hinting at future runs. The convention emphasized loyalty to Trump, opposition to transgender policies, and eliminating state income tax. Controversy arose over electronic voting, but McKoon secured a decisive victory, dismissing the disputes as part of the process. Break 4: Signoff – Thanks again for hanging out with us on today’s Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast. If you enjoy these shows, we encourage you to check out our other offerings, like the Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast, the Marietta Daily Journal, or the Community Podcast for Rockdale Newton and Morgan Counties. Read more about all our stories and get other great content at www.gwinnettdailypost.com Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Giving you important news about our community and telling great stories are what we do. Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Produced by the BG Podcast Network Show Sponsors: www.ingles-markets.com  www.kiamallofga.com #NewsPodcast #CurrentEvents #TopHeadlines #BreakingNews #PodcastDiscussion #PodcastNews #InDepthAnalysis #NewsAnalysis #PodcastTrending #WorldNews #LocalNews #GlobalNews #PodcastInsights #NewsBrief #PodcastUpdate #NewsRoundup #WeeklyNews #DailyNews #PodcastInterviews #HotTopics #PodcastOpinions #InvestigativeJournalism #BehindTheHeadlines #PodcastMedia #NewsStories #PodcastReports #JournalismMatters #PodcastPerspectives #NewsCommentary #PodcastListeners #NewsPodcastCommunity #NewsSource #PodcastCuration #WorldAffairs #PodcastUpdates #AudioNews #PodcastJournalism #EmergingStories #NewsFlash #PodcastConversations See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's up, dudes? Clue is one my family's favorite board games. I'm joined by my brother Danny to talk about the British game show version of it. Yes, there was an extended Christmas special and everything! We're talking Cluedo “Christmas Past, Christmas Present!”It's Christmas Day at Arlington Grange, and the lady of the manor, Mrs. Peacock, has invited a few close friends to share the turkey dinner.  Richard Forrest, former owner of the estate, has come calling dressed as Father Christmas and he brought his chauffeur Ken. His father was a judge, and all of the suspects appeared before him in court at one time or other. He also kept diaries with his own thoughts of who was guilty.Just like the movie, the guest brings gifts for each suspect, distributing deadly weapons. Each weapon insinuates their guilt in a court case. During a Christmas scavenger hunt quiz game, Ken the chauffeur is found dead! He was the real Forrest and wanted to blackmail Peacock so she would sell him back the manor. Consequently, Miss Scarlett, who just discovered her liver Col. Mustard was having an affair with her stepmother Peacock, realized the scheme. She killed the real Forrest with the weapon Peacock was given to remove the blackmailer and to throw suspicion onto her.Murder? Check. Christmas quiz? Got it. Father Christmas robes? Only if the murder victim can wear it! So grab your knife, hunt for clues, and play along to this episode on Cluedo “Christmas Past, Christmas Present!”Give us a buzz! Send a text, dudes!Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Totally Rad Christmas Mall & Arcade, Teepublic.com, or TotallyRadChristmas.com! Later, dudes!

Linda Gunter is the Co-Founder of Love Him Love Them. From the moment of stepping off of the airplane onto Haiti soil, shouts of “Mommy Linda!” immediately arise welcoming David and Linda Gunter back to the place where their ministry Love Him Love Them was forever changed. Unbeknownst to them, the greatest source of life change in their own lives and in the lives of the thousands of people they've since encountered started with a few pairs of flip flops and choosing to step out in faith for the 30 orphans they encountered on Christmas Day 2011 during their first mission trip to Haiti. With a heart for sharing the love of Jesus and making a difference in communities overlooked by others, David and Linda once again set out on an adventure of faith, choosing to do something about what they experienced, which has been the cornerstone of their non-profit since its inception. www.LoveHimLoveThem.org

John Marvin grew up in Kansas as a member of a family with significant medical experience. John's father, for example, was a family physician in a small Western Kansas town. John describes some about his life and how his thoughts and attitudes were greatly influenced by his father. Late in his high school career John told his dad that he did not want to grow up to be a doctor because, as he put it, he didn't want to work as hard as his father worked. John will explain that to us. As he also put it, his comment came from a young naïve boy.   In college John settled on securing a marketing degree. After college he ended up going deeply into marketing and eventually he entered the optical industry specializing in optometry.   John and I have some wonderful discussions about self growth, leadership and how to help people and companies grow. I got, and I think you will get, many great ideas from John's experiences and that we all will be the better for what John has to say and teach us.       About the Guest:   John D. Marvin is an entrepreneur and dynamic leader with a proven track record of success in healthcare, wellness, and the eyecare industry. As President and CEO of Texas State Optical (TSO), he has transformed the organization into one of the largest and most respected networks of independent optometrists in the United States, generating upwards of $110 million in annual revenue. With over two decades of experience at TSO, John has cultivated a member-owned cooperative that empowers optometrists to operate independently while benefiting from robust centralized support. His leadership has been pivotal in fostering a culture of innovation, professional growth, and exceptional patient care. John's career spans over 40 years, during which he has held executive roles across various industries, including marketing, consulting, and healthcare. His entrepreneurial spirit is evident in his strategic leadership during TSO's transition from a retail chain to a cooperative network in 2001. Under his guidance, TSO shifted its focus from product-driven services to comprehensive medical eyecare, reinforcing its reputation as a patient-centered organization. Beyond TSO, John serves as President of Texas Eyecare Partners and Health and Wellness Consulting. As a lifelong advocate of personal growth, John has studied the transformative power of mindset and the “inner game” of success. His insights into leadership, achievement, and business management have made him a sought-after speaker and certified John Maxwell Professional Coach. John passionately shares his experiences to inspire others to unlock their potential, offering actionable strategies to overcome challenges and drive meaningful change. John's dedication to education and collaboration is evident in his efforts to support emerging professionals in the field of optometry. He has fostered strong relationships with the University of Houston's College of Optometry and the Texas Optometric Association, contributing to scholarships, professional development programs, and initiatives that promote medical optometry. Through his vision and unwavering commitment to excellence, John D. Marvin exemplifies the principles of leadership, empowerment, and innovation, making a lasting impact on the eyecare industry and beyond. Ways to connect John:   https://www.facebook.com/jdmarvin  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdmarvin/  https://www.instagram.com/jdmarvin/ https://tso.com/   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hello, everyone. Once again, wherever you happen to be, I'm your host on unstoppable mindset, Mike Hingson, or you can call me Mike, whichever you prefer. And our guest today is John D Marvin. John is an entrepreneur. Has been an entrepreneur for quite a while, and he has been involved in a number of different kind of endeavors over his life. And he's worked, worked in the eye care industry a bunch, and is now in charge of Texas State Optical. We're going to learn more about that and and all the other things I don't know whether I care, does me a whole lot of good directly, but it's fun to talk about anyway. No, no doubt. So John, I want to really welcome you. I'm glad we finally made this work. I'm glad we got a chance to connect. So welcome to unstoppable mindset.   John D Marvin ** 02:13 Well, thank you, Mike. It's a real pleasure to be here.   Michael Hingson ** 02:15 Well, I'm glad that we we get a chance to really talk. We haven't really done too many podcasts on eye care and optical stuff, so I'm glad to be able to do it. But I'd like to start, as I'd love to do so often, tell us about kind of the early John growing up, and go from there.   John D Marvin ** 02:33 Okay, I was born and raised in Kansas. I that that's northern Texas, right? That's northern Texas. That's right, yeah, I actually grew up in western Kansas. I was born in Kansas City, but I grew up in western Kansas, and my father is a family physician, and had the kind of stereotypical country doctor practice small town, 2000 people, and my mother was his office manager for a number of years. And so it was a kind of a family business. And I have three siblings, sisters, and so we grew up in a small Mayberry type town, and it was great riding bicycles till the street lights came on at night, and catching fireflies and all that kind of good stuff. And then I decided to go to school. I chose to go to school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated, it's an emphasis in marketing and marketing and business administration, and ended up in the ad agency business for a little bit of a time, and just kind of really decided that wasn't for me, and ended up from there going into pharmaceutical sales. And really enjoyed that, and enjoyed the the outside sales aspects of it and calling on doctors. And my territory was western Kansas, so I used to say, and still refer to it as my territory looked like my high school football schedule. So we would go to these small towns. And of course, most everyone out there knew my father, and so the typical problem of trying to get past the front desk was made a little easier because people knew my family, and from that, I ended up taking an administrative, marketing administrators position with a group of surgeons in in Wichita, and that led to introduction and eating some ophthalmologists in Houston. Them and followed a job opportunity I had with them and came to Houston in 1989 I've been here ever since, but it was after four years of working with them, I ended up going out on my own and started my own business, which was Marketing Management Group, which did consumer research, and then we would develop marketing strategies based on that. And one of my clients, early clients, was Texas State Optical. And because of my background in eye care, both in Wichita, Kansas and in Houston, I had a better I got some insight into the consumer. And so the work I did with Texas State Optical was a lot we did a lot of work, and did several studies with them, and that kind of introduced me to the whole group of franchisees that made up the Texas State Optical organization. Subsequently, I helped them organize, the franchisees organize, and in the late 90s, 1999 I was hired by the franchisees to put together a Franchise Association, and through that, ultimately help them acquire the company, purchase it, and from that during that process, was asked if I would be willing to come on board as the new president of the company once they purchased it. And that was in 2001 and I've been president ever since. So here you go. It kind of takes you from Small Town Living to big city operations and a network of about 100 optometry offices.   Michael Hingson ** 06:47 So what exactly is Texas State Optical? Or maybe first, what was it and how is it morphed over time?   John D Marvin ** 06:56 Well, originally it was founded by four brothers in 1936 in Southeast Texas, little town called Beaumont, and famous for a lot of things in that part of the state. One of them is Janis Joplin, the others, Big Bopper and George Jones and but it also was the birthplace of Texas State Optical. And they grew a network of privately owned they owned them all over 300 locations throughout Texas, Mexico, Oklahoma and Arkansas, Louisiana and and then in the early 70s, they sold it to a pharmaceutical company, ironically, the same one that I had worked for when I was calling on western Kansas. But when they sold it, it got converted to a traditional franchise model, and it stayed that way until the franchisees purchased it in 2001 when we I was involved, and we turned it into a brand license business, taking that iconic license that had been around Texas optical since the 30s, 1930s and and then turning around and licensing the use of that brand to young optometrist who wanted to own their own practice, but saw the use of that brand as kind of instant credibility, because a lot of people were familiar with that brand.   Michael Hingson ** 08:40 So what does it provide? What did one of the organization provide under the brand? Well,   John D Marvin ** 08:46 we use the use of the brand, and so you got immediate notoriety in terms of just people's awareness of it, but also we put together kind of a la carte menu of optional services and support and resources that licensees could either take advantage of or not, and it was a really hands off model. We didn't have any, and still don't have any operational control over the way business was done. We We influenced that through best practices and sharing of information, but certainly we didn't require have any requirements of the way that they would operate. Reality is most private practice optometrists operate pretty well, and so we were there to kind of coach and help, but mainly it was them using our brand name, which had a really strong consumer value to it.   Michael Hingson ** 09:44 And so what kind of changes when the franchisees all joined together and bought the company and so on? How have you and they changed it over the years.   John D Marvin ** 09:59 I. I think the biggest change from 1999 to 2001 when they bought it, and to this day, has been the culture of the company. And that is, you know, it's something of a franchise opportunity, yeah, and a lot of your listeners probably either own franchises. Thought about franchises, and you know, it might you and I spent the next year trying to decide we were going to own a franchise. And we'd go out and do all sorts of research, and we'd look into this one and that one, and what kind of industry we want, and we'd finally select one that we were really impressed with. Thought about for great opportunity. We'd pay our $50,000 franchise fee, and about the second or third day of owning that franchise, we would decide that these people don't know anything about this business that we're in, and there's just this inherent adversarial relationship that exists between a franchisee and a franchisor. Some for good reason, some just because of the independent, entrepreneurial nature of a franchisee. Well, when the franchisees owned the company, they owned the franchise, or that adversarial dynamic kind of left. And so now there's nobody to kind of blame except yourself, and people are inclined not to do that as much. And so there was a greater tendency to kind of work together, work through things, come up with solutions to problems or resources that were needed. And it just created a much more homogeneous type of culture, and to the point where our annual meeting we host every year is referred to as our family reunion. And so we gather everyone together. It's really an atmosphere of all of us being as one family, sharing the same kind of core values, and all out to do the same thing, and that is just provide great quality eye care for our communities. And so that, that is a big change. Of course, there's always the things like collective purchasing, education and training. The main difference in those areas are engagement. When you are asked by a franchisor to engage in certain activities, there's that inherent reluctance to do that in our organization. There's an inherent acceptance of it because it comes from a colleague, it comes from others and doctors are more leading doctors than they are being led by some set of suits someplace in the Northeast.   Michael Hingson ** 12:50 Yeah, and that is such an extremely important thing to be able to really make it a family, a disciplined family, but still a family nevertheless, which is kind of cool. I'm curious about something being blind, and having been blind my whole life, and involved with blindness consumer organizations, one of the things that we have found often is that most people in the eye care industry, primarily in the ophthalmological industry, which is kind of a little bit more relevant to us, but tend not to really have a lot of knowledge about blindness and blind people. And so, for example, there are so many stories of a person going into the office of an ophthalmologist, for example, maybe they're losing their eyesight, but the ophthalmologist examines them and for whatever reason, will say things like, you're going blind. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do, and walk out and never provide any other kinds of resources or knowledge to help the person who's losing eyesight. I don't know whether you see that, given where you are or what your thoughts are on that, but I'd be interested to get your thoughts because it seems to me that there's a lot of opportunity to do significant education about blindness and low vision to recognize that the reality is, blindness isn't the problem. It's people's attitudes traditionally that are the problem.   John D Marvin ** 14:28 That's an excellent point. Mike, I you know my first thoughts are the profession of optometry is really involved in preventing right blindness, and so it's kind of one of the few areas of healthcare that is more prevention oriented than other areas. Most areas are treatment oriented. In other words, you become sick. And then we treat you right, and the profession of optometry is all about we talk to people all the time about protecting your vision and preventing problems from happening. Now, as we see patients that end up either through glaucoma or some form of pathology, retinal issues, start to lose their vision. There comes a point early in that process where they are, frankly, they are outside of the scope of care that an optometrist can provide. So they end up being referred to an ophthalmologist. That being said, there are several optometrists across the country that have decided to devote themselves to low vision, and that's kind of a form of blind and what I would call blindness care, and where it's not complete, there is some level of vision there, but it needs a lot of enhancement, either through equipment or through other types of therapeutics practices. And there are optometrists who say, I'm not going to sell glasses. I'm not going to focus on contacts. I'm going to just provide a low vision clinic. And they're not not there's not a large number of them, but there are some, and what I've experienced in that is it does take a particular type of practitioner to be successful with that. And when I say successful, I mean, to be able to establish the type of patient doctor relationship that actually produces some really positive outcomes and helps people better manage their loss of vision, either whether that's progressive and eventually will become complete, or whether It's stalled at a point where they just cannot function without special aid, like I said, equipment, or some type of therapeutics. And there's just not a lot of people go into Optometry for the refractive side of things, and and so there's, there's not that motivation, really, to learn much about it. We do as an organization. We're very involved with prevent blindness as a national organization, and we'd also have some involvement with low vision clinics that are in the Houston Medical Center. But outside of that, you're right. There's not a whole lot of folks that understand it, probably, or maybe it's just they don't have the patience for it, because it does require a different kind of patient care approach, even   Michael Hingson ** 17:55 so what I wonder is, if there is an opportunity, maybe to provide additional education, so that if your your franchisees, for example, encounter a person who's losing eyesight and they and they realize that that they can help refer them to sources or resources that can assist because part of the problem is that, typically in society, blindness is viewed as such a horrible, devastating thing. And I understand that eyesight is a very wonderful thing, and people want to have it, but the reality is for a variety of reasons that doesn't work for everyone. The problem is that we have so much fear of blindness that we don't tend to deal with and I just wonder if there might be a way to provide some sort of a system or program that would help teach your people that blindness isn't really the end of the world, which is not to say, don't try to prevent it if you can, but when you can't, you can also be an additional source. To say, here are places where you can go, or here are some things that you can learn.   John D Marvin ** 19:16 Well, I do think that it's important, and I'm aware of many, keeping in mind that our members who own locations that use our brand are independent, we have provided them local organizations, clinics, things like that, which help them in referring people that need that kind of help and in education, I think also an important factor is that it's not just the patient that can use that it's the patient's family, because it, while it's perceived as something that you know you. I know that people value their sight, and the thought of losing it and becoming blind is is frightening the individual, but it also is frightening and disruptive to family, who father, mother, wife, husband, son or daughter, to deal with the changes in lifestyle that are required to accommodate that. Loss of vision is significant. You mentioned you've been blind since birth, and that's certainly one group of people, but there's an awful lot of people that end up experiencing blindness when they're in their 30s or 40s, after they've had a large portion of their life with vision. And it's, I don't want to say it's easier by any means. I first of all, I have no right in even suggesting that, but it's a different experience, for sure, not ever having had vision, versus having had it for a number of years and then losing it. And sometimes it might be as scary and frightening for the family around that person as it is the patient themselves. And so we do place a high value on getting people the kind of help and resources they need to better adjust to those changes.   Michael Hingson ** 21:28 Well, when I was born, I actually became blind because of what we now call retinopathy or prematurity, which originally was retro enterofibroplasia, which is harder to spell, but I love the term anyway. At about four months of age, it was discovered that I was blind, and the doctors told my parents they ought to just send me off to a home, because no blind child could ever grow up to be a contributor to society, and all I would do would be a drain on the family and then later on society. And my parents were very unusual in taking the stand that, no, you're wrong. He can grow up to do whatever he wants, and we're going to give him that opportunity. And that was, and really to a very large degree today, still is, a very unusual attitude to take, because we fear blindness so much, and while I appreciate the reality of eyesight is very important for most people, what I would love to see are ways to create more of an understanding so that People understand that blindness isn't the end of the world, and that's what what we see all too often in society in general, which is unfortunate, and you're right. I don't know whether it's easier if you're blind from the outset or become blind later in life. I know any number of people who became blind later in life, who went to programs where philosophically, they were taught blindness was not a problem, and they learned that they could continue to be contributors to society, and they tend to intend to Do that, as opposed to many others from both camps and from birth or not who never understand. Blindness isn't going to be the end of the road if people let it be. So it's it's just one of those conundrums that we end up having to deal with on a regular basis.   John D Marvin ** 23:38 The name of your podcast dealing with mindset, right? A lot of it is exactly that. And if you're find yourself in a you know, the child who's born blind can either have a support system and family and parents that impact his his or her mindset in a way that creates the expectation and understanding that it it doesn't have to be limiting. And same goes with someone who's blind later in life, right? It's a matter of how you look at and decide for yourself. I mean, we all know people that, whether it's a loss of a one of the most five senses, the important senses, sight or hearing, so forth, there is a natural mind. There's one set of mind people that have a mindset that, oh, poor you. Now you've got insurmountable challenges in your life, and this is going to be difficult the rest of your life. And then the other mindset that many parents have recognizing their opportunity they have with their child is to say, yes, that's you. But that doesn't have to define you, that doesn't limit you. You can overcome those things and and I think that that is even in our business, where you have someone who comes into the office and through some type of diagnostic testing, it's determined that they are losing their sight, and that the natural outcome of this progression of pathology will be the total loss of sight. We have the opportunity there, at that point, to affect their mindset, yeah, and to either tell them this is a circumstance that will not limit you or define you, and here are some resources and education materials and opportunities in that area that can help you better understand what you're living with and how that you can overcome that, just from the census standpoint, because It doesn't have to be something you have to overcome in life, per se. It just has to be an accommodation you make, because you can't see when other people can right. And it is all about mindset.   Michael Hingson ** 26:13 It is all about mindset. No doubt about it, you're absolutely correct in that regard. And it is, it is something that we'll all be dealing with for a while, but hopefully over time, the mindset of people will change to recognize that there are always alternatives. Being a Star Trek fan, I love Spock and Kirk who are always talking about there are always options, and there are always ways to get around doing things or to accomplish things that you might not think about, but you have to be multi dimensional in your thought process.   John D Marvin ** 26:52 Well, the other exciting aspect of all of this is the the fact that those with growth mindsets are working diligently on technologies that can actually supplant the deficiency and come up with ways to correct blindness. And so there we may even, in our lifetime, live to a point where the pathological condition that you were born with doesn't have to be permanent. It can be reversed using technology that provides you with as good, if not better, vision than people who weren't born in that same situation.   Michael Hingson ** 27:33 Yeah, the only people who never will come out of it are politicians, because they take dumb pills when they become politicians. So we can pick up them.   John D Marvin ** 27:40 Well, listen, just you could be blind and still be able to see, right? Yeah, that   Michael Hingson ** 27:47 leaves them out. Yeah. No, I understand. I understand they're fun to pick on. But you what? What really made you decide to go into the eye care industry, into that, that whole environment, what, what attracted you to it, or was it just sort of so natural? Well, obviously, that's a mindset. Yeah,   John D Marvin ** 28:10 there's a couple of things. Think the thing that attracted me to kind of eye care in general, and put ophthalmology and Optometry in the same bucket for this. What attracted me to was this whole area of health care that I kind of grew up in with my father and family practice in a small town. Because, you know, my family practice in the 60s and 70s was a whole different discipline than it is today. Oh, I know, you know, especially in a small town where the closest specialist, if you would, is 90 miles away. And so my father had to be what we call today, functionally, you know, a functional medicine, meaning that he had to be able to kind of treat the whole person. I mean, he used to be very proud of the fact that a large percentage of the kids that were in the school that I grew up in, he delivered and so, you know, there was no obstetrician in this small town. So if a woman became pregnant, then he provided her prenatal care. He gave, he delivered the child, and then he gave the provided the pediatric care afterwards. And so having that sense of kind of the global care of of someone kind of gave me a real appreciation for the kind of the system, the the systemic aspects of health. And when I was given an opportunity to get into the eye care business. Because I saw it more as getting into the healthcare business, and even though it was very narrow, defined in eye care, it gave me a connection. And I I'm a big believer that you start down a path and you follow it. And what maybe forest and trees and gardens, they may turn into desert or mountains or valleys or otherwise. So when I started, I really didn't know necessarily where it would go. And I guess you could even back it up and say that my whole entry into the pharmaceutical industry kind of started me down that path and and then that led to being in the practitioner side, which ultimately led to going from ophthalmology into Optometry. I frankly think that all of that background best prepared me to do what I'm doing today, and understanding the whole system of eye care, not just refractions and glasses and contacts, right?   Michael Hingson ** 31:11 Well, you know, and you started out in in the whole marketing world, as opposed to going off and becoming a doctor directly, which which gave you a different perspective. So it really makes sense as to what you're saying and it but you've had exposure to both sides, and that has to really help you in terms of doing the job that you've chosen to do.   John D Marvin ** 31:38 Yeah, I think you're right. I remember having the discussion with my father because as I was like a junior in high school and, and as most juniors you know, you start thinking about what you're going to do when you graduate high school and, and I was graduating high school at a time that I had a draft number given to me, there was a war over in Vietnam that was still going on, and so I, you know, there for a period of time, I didn't know whether I would even have a choice. Yeah, it turns out by the time I actually that last year between junior and senior, the war had really started to wind down. And while I got a draft number, it was very high, and the likelihood of me actually being drafted into service was very low. And so I made some decisions about what I was going to do post high school, and I remember having the discussion with my father about would he be disappointed if I decided I didn't want to be a physician? And he assured me that he wouldn't be disappointed, but he was curious as to why I was not interested in doing that, and I told him, I said, just to be candid, I don't know if I want to work as hard as you do, because at that time, I had spent many Christmases with him, not at home, even though, our town, I mean, you could almost walk to the hospital. Our Town was small enough that, but he was taking care of people in the hospital on Christmas Day or delivering a baby on Christmas Day, and he just, you know, it was clear that in that profession, the way he practiced it in those days was that the patients came first, and the family understood that. And we were all in the doctor business to in that respect, and this whole concept of work life balance was, you know, no one looked at things like that. I mean, everyone understood that this was a commitment that had been made, and it involved the entire family. So I told him, I said, I don't know if I'm willing to do that or not. And so I thought at that time, I decided that I was going to pursue a career in theology, and so that determined where I went to school. And about after my first year in school, I the university I had chosen, their whole theological department was more pastoral, and I wasn't interested in that. I was more evangelical. I was more interested in being an evangelist and and so I not having that in front of me. I decided that it switched to a marketing degree. And it turns out that to be a pretty good evangelist, you got to be a little bit of a marketing person yourself. Anyway, true. So, so I ended up going down that path.   Michael Hingson ** 34:53 Well, I would say if you had chosen the pastoral approach, you would have been working just. Just hard as a doctor. Oh, very much. So, yeah, but I guess I would also ask this whole issue of not working as hard given what you do today, how's that working out for you? Well,   John D Marvin ** 35:14 those were words of a very naive young guy. Yeah, because I didn't take I didn't understand the fact that if you're going to accomplish anything, it's going to require hard work, and you need a family that understands what your what your passion is, and what you've decided to do, and because it is, I mean, no one builds a career by themselves. They they build a career with the involvement and support of other people, and if, if they, if those beliefs aren't aligned, then you're going to end up in conflict and be constantly be torn between what it is you believe you're wanting to do with your life, versus your obligations, your other obligations. And put it   Michael Hingson ** 36:04 that way, well, you've been involved in the whole mindset and activity of being a business leader for a long time. What kind of key lessons have you learned along the way about personal growth?   John D Marvin ** 36:21 I think the thank you for that question. I think the one thing that I have learned, that I've tried to pass on to people is start, begin we I think that we naturally have this reluctance to take risk, because we don't want to fail at anything and and so we kind of take the approach that, well, if I want to pursue something, whether it be personal development or growth or even some profession, I need to know everything there is to know about it before I start it. And that is just not true. The only way you learn is by starting I have a friend and acquaintance who his career and his profession is leading people on climbs of Mount Everest. So that's his job. If you want to climb Mount Everest, I can hook you up with a guy that will help you do it. And it's a fascinating profession that he's in. And I asked him one time, how do you learn how to climb mountains. You know, how do you learn this? He said the only way to learn how to climb mountains is by climbing   Michael Hingson ** 37:46 mountains. I was gonna say, to do it, yes. And   John D Marvin ** 37:49 so I think the number one thing is to start. And if you're committed to it and you start, you'll figure it out. The rest of it, because there are no failures, there's maybe a setback or two, but as long as you keep focused on where you want to be and moving forward and getting better and learning, you'll figure things out. And I think so personal growth is really a decision and a commitment to continual learning, continual improvement and and you're never too late to get started. It's never too late, even if you're at 80 some years of age and maybe limited health wise, you can still start because there's so much, there's so many different resources today that are available to people. I mean, I got an iPad Mike, that's, I bet you I've got three 400 books on it. And, you know, used to be you couldn't have three or 400 books without a library in your house. Now you can have one iPad on a memory card. And I was just, I had a doctor's appointment earlier today, and while I was waiting in the reception, I pulled out my phone and I started reading a book that I'm reading, you know, and I had, didn't have to carry the book The lot of people do, lot of people have, but I was able to do that. And then there's what's available in terms of resources, of books to read are just unlimited. So I think that there's, there's all sorts of opportunities, just a matter of getting started and doing it. Second is consistency. Everybody can start. Few people can be consistent, or few people are consistent. We all know the classic, never if you're if you're someone who goes to a gym and works out, you know. Avoid that gem the first month of the year in January, because it is overrun with people who are starting their new year, and then by February, you also know that you're back to normal, because most people don't stay consistent. So starting and then becoming consistent are the two things that are probably most important, that I've learned   Michael Hingson ** 40:25 well, and that kind of leads to something I was thinking about, and that is the connection between mindset and long term achievement. Because it would seem to me that, as you point out with the gym, the people who create the mindset that I'm going to do this and really decide that that's what they're going to do, are more likely to have analyzed it and made that decision intelligently and then we'll stick with it, than people who just go off and say, I'm going to do it, but really haven't established A mindset, right?   John D Marvin ** 40:59 That's exactly true. And you know, people tend to focus on volume as opposed to continuity. And what I mean by that is people go to the gym and they they put all this intensity into the first day they haven't worked out in weeks or months, or even maybe a few years, and then the next day they're so sore they can't get out of bed and they can't so they decide they're going to take the next day off rest, and then that turns into a week off. And I'm a student of John Maxwell, the author, and he talks about what he calls the rule of five, and he illustrates it by saying that if you have a tree in your backyard that you're wanting to take out, you can take an ax and you can go out there and you can swing that Ax five times, and put down the ax and come back tomorrow morning, hit it five times. Come back tomorrow morning, hit it five times. And over a period of time, that tree will come down, or you can go out there and just try to chop and chop and chop, and that tree will defeat you, because you will run out of energy and you'll be too tired to finish it, but if you'll just be consistent over a time with the rule of five, and he talks about it in any profession, if you want to get good at it, figure out what are the five things you need to do every single day to grow in that direction and to accomplish what you need to accomplish. And so I think that you're right that over a period of time, long term success is not done through intensity. It's done through consistency. And he also says, you know, you're never going to change anything in your life until you change what you do daily? And that is very, very true.   Michael Hingson ** 43:09 I know I haven't really been the greatest at doing a lot of exercising and so on, and a lot of walking, and especially here in the winter, it gets really cold, and so I tend not to do it. But what I figured out, actually, a couple of years ago was we have a wonderful, great room with an island in the middle of it, and I will just put on a book and listen to it and do laps around the bar, and I'll get up to 10 and 15,000 steps a day just walking around the bar. Now it's not going uphill and downhill, but still a lot of good exercise. And I find that not only does that work, but I enjoy it, because I get to read at the same time or do other things. Of course, my dog probably thinks I'm nuts, and my cat, my cat avoids me. But by the same token, you know, it is exercise, and I found that I have no problem really doing that every day, absolutely.   John D Marvin ** 44:12 And you know, we we live in a gym, yeah, and whether it's your room, your great room with an island, or whether it's a backyard or your neighborhood, we lived in a gym. I think that was illustrated in one of the Rocky movies really well when he was held up in northern Russia and just worked out using the materials that were with him. And so there really is no excuse to doing something, and doing something is better than doing nothing at all, and doing something every day will deliver unbelievable results over time.   Michael Hingson ** 44:59 It's a. All about establishing the mindset. Yes, it is. Well, you know, you've done this work for a long time. What kind of advice would you give to people starting out to help them get the mindset and achieve what they want to do with their goals?   John D Marvin ** 45:19 Well, first of all, I think developing and writing a personal growth plan, and I mean writing, setting down and starting, for instance, I made a decision several years ago that I wanted to get better at communication. So that was a decision. And the side of all the things that I wanted to try to commit to developing or growing in or learning, I picked communication. Why did you want as one of it? Because I felt like it was extremely important that you never accomplish, or I didn't believe that I was going to accomplish what I wanted to in life without the ability to communicate well with others, whether that be my spouse or whether it be the people I work with the customers I serve. I wanted to be good at communicating. I wanted to become good at that. I also had a friend tell me one time said, you know, if you will read five books on any subject, you'll know more about that subject than 99% of the people. And so I decided, Okay, I'm going to find five books on communication, and I'm going to commit myself to reading those over the course of the next year. And I just, you know, went out and started trying to determine what are really good books about communication. Some of them I kind of knew, like How to Win Friends and Influence People. That was one that I knew. Okay, I'm going to put that one on the list. Now I need four more, and one of them I knew that John Maxwell had written. So I you know, everybody communicates, but few people connect, and I said, Okay, I'm going to be another one. So I just kind of put together my little library of five books, and I started so I had developed very narrow and limited, but I had developed my own personal growth plan as relates to communication. So as I would tell my grandson, or I would tell a friend, if you want to start on developing a mindset and developing personal growth, sit down and make a plan for what you're going to do. And it's interesting, because if you'll ask people, tell me about your and I do this with people who work for me, and when I'm hiring, tell me about your personal growth plan. What is your personal growth plan? And you know, most people don't even know what I'm talking about, so they start making stuff up, and it becomes real obvious that they don't have one. From my employees, I require that as a part of their job and their annual performance review, we go over their personal growth plan. I want them to become more valuable over the course of this next year, because to themselves, because if they do, then they become more valuable to the company, right? And so I would instruct somebody to sit down and start and make a plan and identify something you want to be better at and and start growing in those areas that that described as starting with communication, has grown now to seven different areas in my life, and I've got at least five, in some cases, more books in each of those areas. And so I've got a very busy personal growth plan that I I work on each year.   Michael Hingson ** 49:12 Do you find that, as you read books on these subjects, as you're dealing with your personal growth, that in reality, you know a lot of the stuff already, at least to a degree. But by the same token, reading what others have written tends to drive the point home a whole lot more. And I ask that from the standpoint of common sense.   John D Marvin ** 49:40 Well, I think so. I mean how to win, which   Michael Hingson ** 49:42 doesn't mean that you don't learn things from the books, but, but a lot of it is, is stuff that you Intuit   John D Marvin ** 49:50 Yeah, I think that you know, a great example that comes to mind is How to Win Friends And yes, people that book, if you read it, it's like, well, yeah, naturally. Of course, but if you read it and you focus, you know, if you read it with the attitude, I want to learn something from this, then you begin to internalize what you're reading. And as you internalize it, you develop more cognitive, a cognitive awareness of it. And what I find super interesting is that book is on my list every year, so I commit myself to read that book every year. So now you know, this year will be probably my 15th, 16th time reading it. What I find fascinating is, I'll read the same chapter I've read, and I'll learn something new, something new, yeah, each time. Because, much like the saying about you can't step in the same stream twice, because it's not the same stream and you're not the same person. Same goes with reading material. You can read that book a second time, and you'll get something out of it, because you're not the same person that you were the first time you read it. And as you mature in your understanding, you get more knowledge out of the reading. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 51:17 Which? Which makes perfect sense, which also says a lot about the quality of the author. But you're right. You will always, if you look for new things to learn, you'll find new things to learn absolutely, which is what makes it so cool. And I I tell people all the time, and I'm not sure they always understand it. If I'm not learning at least as much as anybody else by being involved in this podcast, then I'm not doing my job. Because I believe every episode gives me as much, if not more, of an opportunity to learn as guests or all the people who listen, which is why I think it's so much fun, because I think that learning is as fun as it gets.   John D Marvin ** 52:05 It is, I mean, you're absolutely right, you know, they also, there's a you never learn anything quite as well as when you have to teach it, yeah, you know. And in a way, by hosting a podcast, your your preparation for it, you're setting down, your concentration on it forces you to absorb from every interview that you do, and you can't help but walk away with being different than it was when you sat down to start it. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 52:42 one of my favorite books is a science fiction book written by Robert Heinlein. It's called the Moon is a Harsh Mistress. And I don't know whether you read my science fiction. I   John D Marvin ** 52:52 don't, but that sounds interesting. So   Michael Hingson ** 52:54 the basic premise is, it takes place in 2075 there's a hint, and it's all about the moon, which is being controlled by the lunar authority on earth. And it really parallels the American Revolution. The difference is that a computer on the moon, as they put it, wakes up and helps in doing the revolution that eventually gets Moon free from the earth, but one of the major characters is Professor Bernardo dela Paz, who is a teacher. And one of the things that the that the storyteller describes on a regular basis is how Professor dela Paz can teach on basically any subject, as long as he stays at least one lesson ahead of the people who he's teaching, which often does. So he teaches so many different things, but all he does is works to stay just a little bit ahead of the people that he's teaching, so that he can go back and teach it, and of course, as as you and I would say when he's teaching it, he also learns a whole lot more. But I think it's such a clever book.   John D Marvin ** 54:11 It sounds like it science fiction, but if I if that, when that strikes me that'll be one I put down to read.   Michael Hingson ** 54:23 I think it's the I believe it's high lines better. His best book. A lot of people talk about another one called Stranger in a Strange Land, which is about Mars and the earth. But I think that the Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Was his best book, most imaginative book, which is kind of fun, yeah, but you know, it's, it's, it's just one of those things that I've just it's always stuck with me that dela Paz did that well. So over the time, being the president and CEO of Texas State Optical, i. Uhm, how has that shaped or changed your your views on leadership? Because I'm sure you've, you've had lots to do and lots to think about. I'm sure it's had an effect on you.   John D Marvin ** 55:12 Yeah, I, I think the biggest impact has been it's, it's of what it's required of me in in developing my leadership abilities and deep and making those abilities effective towards an outcome. And let me try to shed on that I mentioned earlier. I'm a student of Maxwell, and Maxwell has a definition of leadership is influence, and and he said leadership is is influence. It's nothing more than that. And, and so at first I didn't know what that meant. And then, as he goes on to explain, and it makes sense, oftentimes, you will, the leadership is not a matter of title. It's not a matter of position. Leadership is influence and the ability to influence. And you can walk into a room and you will observe the group, and in one corner, maybe somebody that is obviously the focus of the attention of the others, and that person is exerting leadership influence. They may not be the may not have title, and they may not be in any position of authority over the others, but the others will follow that person, because that person has influence on them. And so I've in my understanding of that, and then trying to live that I've seen that develop in my own ability. And then I have to sit down and say, okay, if I'm going to be a leader of my team, my executives that will report to me, how am I going to provide that influence. And so you begin to break that down and try to figure out because everyone's different. I mean, I I have four people that report to me, each one of them, I will have to affect and influence those people differently. And it starts with understanding them. And so what it's done is it's helped me to really understand that principle that offered by Maxwell, and then how to incorporate that into my life, so that I feel now confident in my ability to be a leader of any group or situation I find myself in, and I've just agreed to accept a new responsibility in a trade association, and I have confidence that I can provide a strong level of leadership, not because I'm the smartest person in the room, but because I have the ability of providing influence over that organization or in that group through better understanding of others that I Have a position over, so to speak. But you know, it's like the best arenas to develop leadership is a volunteer organization, because that's the only way you're going to get anything done, is to have influence, because these people don't have to do anything that you say. And so oftentimes, if you have the authority, you misuse it, and you provide nothing in the way of leadership to a group. That happens all the time.   Michael Hingson ** 59:13 I think that too many, and I use the term in quotes, leaders, think that the whole idea is that they're the boss. Well, bosses are not necessarily leaders, and you're right. Leaders are not necessarily bosses. Directly. It is all about influence. And unfortunately, all too often, the people who have influence may not be the designated leader, but then the leaders or bosses get jealous of those people, which is also extremely unfortunate they don't get it.   John D Marvin ** 59:45 It's a it can be threatening if you're a boss and you've got people that are supposed to report to you and they're listening or being influenced by someone else who may not be. Intentionally trying to subvert the boss. It's just they, they're more effective in that and so that's threatening. And so oftentimes, given that authority, they misuse it. And   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:15 the good leaders, however, when they see that happening, will try to go and understand from in part, the person who's the real influencer, what it is that they need to improve on to be able to be more effective. But that happens so rarely, by comparison to the number of people who are out there.   John D Marvin ** 1:00:38 Yeah, it's too often politics, and I don't mean that in the government sense, but corporate politics determines positions of authority, and you end up with a bunch of very ill equipped people with an awful lot of leadership responsibilities, but lacking in any kind of real leadership skill,   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:02 yeah, which is something that we need to devote more time to teaching, but people also need to be willing to learn it, and that gets to be a challenge. Well, I have to tell you, this has been fun, and I know you have other things to do in the course of the day and enjoying the weather down there, so I want to let you go, but I really have enjoyed having you on and I've enjoyed all the different insights that you've brought. So I really appreciate you being here to do all of that. So maybe we'll have it again. That would be kind of fun.   John D Marvin ** 1:01:41 Well, my I've thoroughly enjoyed this as I mean, you make it so easy to visit. You're You're a tremendous host and good interviewer, good questions. You threw a couple at me there that I had to really stop and think about. And so anytime you'd be willing to have me back. I'd love to join you again sometime.   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:02 Well, I want to thank you, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching us today. We really appreciate you being here. I'd love to hear your thoughts on today and what we've talked about. You're welcome to email me. It's easy. It's Michael, M, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I, at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I V, e.com, or go to our podcast page, which is at www dot Michael hingson.com/podcast, and Michael hingson is spelled M, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, S O, n.com/podcast, if you know anyone else who you think ought to be a guest on our podcast, love to hear from you. We're always looking for more people to chat with. And in part, my motivation is I want to learn too. But the more people who come on, the more people we get to learn about who themselves are unstoppable. So please don't hesitate to refer people to it. And you know, John, you as well. We really value that wherever you listening, give us a five star rating. We value that. We appreciate your ratings and and love them. But once again, John, I want to thank you. This has been absolutely fun, and I'm glad you came   John D Marvin ** 1:03:13 well. Thank you. Thank you very much.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:20 you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

The NFL schedule is out — and the Dudes are fired up.In this episode:Predicting which teams will win the most games in 2025Bold takes on the Thanksgiving Day matchups (Packers vs. Lions, Chiefs vs. Cowboys, Bengals vs. Ravens)Breaking down the Christmas Day slate with Cowboys, Chiefs, Lions, and VikingsOver/under debates: Can the Ravens, Bills, Eagles, or Chiefs win 12+ games?A real money bet: 49ers or Lions — who finishes with more wins?Phil gets roasted for joining a charity race without registeringThe guys wrap with their Mount Rushmore of Childhood Fears — quicksand, kidnappers, and 90s kid nightmaresNFL talk, real laughs, and friendly chaos — just what TFF Dudes fans love.Bookmarks00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview02:02 NFL Schedule Reactions02:31 Dynasty Trade Debate04:35 Thanksgiving and Christmas NFL Games06:28 NFL Win Totals Discussion12:02 Food Talk and Personal Anecdotes15:47 More NFL Win Totals and Predictions28:54 Bengals and Chargers Analysis36:28 NFL Team Predictions: Bears, Vikings, and Cardinals36:46 JJ McCarthy: Proving the Doubters Wrong?38:00 Trophy Smack Promo and Custom Trophies38:55 Patriots, Cowboys, and Jaguars: Over or Under?41:36 Swedish Festival and Tacos Debate46:08 NFL Teams with 5.5 Win Totals: Saints, Jets, Titans, Giants, and Browns01:00:16 Childhood Fears: Quicksand, Sharks, and MoreConnect with the Showhttps://twitter.com/TFFDudeshttps://www.instagram.com/tffdudes/Watch the Dudes on Youtube athttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2JAx3YD3P-OJRiaqA7wSQwQuestions for the showtffdudes@gmail.comFollow us on socials athttps://twitter.com/TFFDudesSponsorsTrophy Smackwww.trophysmack.com/dudesUnderdoghttps://underdogfantasy.comPromo Code: Dudes and they will match you up to $100www.sleeper.comDudes100 and they will match you $100 Connect with the Showhttps://twitter.com/TFFDudeshttps://www.instagram.com/tffdudes/Watch the Dudes on Youtube athttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2JAx3YD3P-OJRiaqA7wSQwQuestions for the showtffdudes@gmail.comFollow us on socials athttps://twitter.com/TFFDudesSponsorsTrophy Smackwww.trophysmack.com/dudesUnderdoghttps://underdogfantasy.comPromo Code: Dudes and they will match you up to $1000www.sleeper.comDudes100 and they will match you $100

Join host Ryan Kraus for a breakdown of the days leading up to JonBenet's death, beginning with the mysterious 911 call hang up from the Ramsey's home during a Xmas party on December 23, 1996 to the controversial events that took place on Christmas Day before the family went to bed. Here is a link to a new animated true crime TV show Ryan is developing: https://youtu.be/WAlgo_sz4tY

Episode 508 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Hans Schroeder, the NFL's EVP for Media Distribution. In this podcast, Schroeder discusses whether the NFL front-loaded its schedule and how the league thinks about the first two weeks of the season; Fox's desire to have more AFC teams on its schedule this year; how the league parcels out the Chiefs and Cowboys knowing everyone wants them; the most request game; the NFL's Christmas Day schedule and how should fans of other sports view the NFL playing on days associated with other sports; the Chiefs-Cowboys on Thanksgiving afternoon and the viewership potential for that game; where things stand on who will air the 2026 NFL Draft; what would it mean media-wise for NFL players to compete in the Olympics; the NFL's global desires and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hubble Space Telescope had many “parents” – people who conceived it, lobbied for it, designed it, and mapped out its science mission. But none was more important than Nancy Grace Roman. She served as NASA’s first chief astronomer, and later as director of one of its field centers. She pushed, prodded, and cajoled for the telescope for decades. And once it was approved, she helped get it running. Roman was born 100 years ago today, in Nashville. In sixth grade, she founded her school’s first astronomy club. A year later, she decided to become an astronomer. Despite discouragement from teachers, she stuck with it. She earned her Ph.D., from the University of Chicago, in 1949. Over the next few years she studied the stars, using telescopes at McDonald Observatory and elsewhere. Academia didn’t offer much opportunity for women at the time, so Roman went into government work. And soon after NASA was established, she was hired as chief astronomer. Among other things, she led the development of the first space telescopes – one series to watch the Sun, another to study the stars. Roman died on Christmas Day in 2018. But her legacy is far from over. NASA’s next big space telescope will hunt for planets in other star systems, probe the nature of dark energy, plot the evolution of the universe, and more. The telescope is scheduled for launch in two years: the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Script by Damond Benningfield

On the latest episode of Move the Sticks, Bucky Brooks and Rhett Lewis react to the NFL's 2025 schedule release. The guys look at what’s ahead for the rookie quarterbacks, breaking down their matchups, schedule strength, and when they might take over as starters. They also go through the international games, plus the Thanksgiving and Christmas Day slates. Later, they share their favorite team schedule release videos and pick which social teams nailed it this year. Move the Sticks is a part of the NFL Podcasts Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minnesota Vikings predictions on the schedule leaks coming out; Vikings-Lions on Christmas Day; Vikings preseason games and more on Write That Down.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The guys kick off the show reacting to the absurdity of Javy Baez's career renaissance this season. They make this the subject of the first two hours of the show before shifting gears to discuss the Lions playing on Christmas Day. Mike and Rico close out the show playing the win-loss game with the leaked potential Lions' 2025 schedule.

Mike and Rico react to the news that the Lions will be playing on Christmas Day, which turns into a conversation about the NFL's new tradition of playing games on this day. They take your calls and read your ticket texts on the topic.

The guys hear from some callers, who chime in on their NFL on Christmas Day conversation.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver doesn't mind the Christmas day competition

The Commanders are playing the Cowboys on Christmas in Landover!

How many fans are excited for Christmas Day football?

5.14.25 Hour 1 1:00- The Commanders are playing the Cowboys on Christmas in Landover! 20:00- The Commanders are set to play the Cowboys at home on Christmas, are you in or out?

Kevin and Thom today opened with the miserable NBA Draft Lottery that left the Wizards with its worst possible outcome before getting to more misery....the Caps' Game 4 loss in Carolina. The Commanders now have two games on its 2025 schedule that have been announced officially. The boys are all in on a trip to Madrid to watch Washington face off against the Dolphins and Kevin thinks the Week 16 match-up against Philly may lead into a Christmas Day game against either Chicago or Green Bay. More on Trey Hendrickson and a feel-good story about this year's Heisman Trophy winner on the show as well.   Goldbelly.com, use code sheehan, for free shipping and 20% off your first order of food from around the US.  Go To WindowNation.com. Buy 4 windows, get 4 free!Betting on sports? Go to mybookie.ag. Use code KEVINDC for a bonus!

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys preview Michael Porter Jr.’s game 5 tonight, how healthy will he be? We dive into the conspiracy theories related to the NBA draft lottery and Dallas miraculously winning the first overall pick. Zach questions if an unhappy Trey Hendrickson in Cincinnati could be the perfect trade candidate for the Broncos. How much would the guys be willing to trade for Hendrickson and how big a contract extension would the guys want to give him? Phil explains why he’d prefer to take care of the guys already in the Broncos locker room than bring in an outside guy. Does Travis Hunter have an opportunity to make history and win the offensive and defensive rookie of the year award? With the Broncos playing on Christmas Day, the guys look into the history of the Broncos on Christmas Day and playing the Chiefs on the road. Can the Broncos get the monkey off their back and find a way to win at Arrowhead?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to the NBA draft lottery. Phil explains why he believes the lottery was rigged for Dallas after trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers. We look back at other fishy situations that have happened surrounding the NBA draft lottery in the past. Should the Mavericks be open to trading the number one overall pick and likely Cooper Flag? Zach questions if an unhappy Trey Hendrickson in Cincinnati could be the perfect trade candidate for the Broncos. How much would the guys be willing to trade for Hendrickson and how big a contract extension would the guys want to give him? Phil explains why he’d prefer to take care of the guys already in the Broncos locker room than bring in an outside guy. With the Broncos playing on Christmas Day, the guys look into the history of the Broncos on Christmas Day and playing the Chiefs on the road. Can the Broncos get the monkey off their back and find a way to win at Arrowhead?

It was Christmas 2009 when 57-year-old Lawrence Riegel vanished from Yakima, Washington. Larry had plans to visit his family the day after Christmas, but he never showed up, which was completely out of character for Larry. He was known for always arriving with his famous peach pie in hand. At the time, Larry was living with his girlfriend, Ladena, who told the family that Larry had left town and headed for the coast. That explanation didn't sit right with his loved ones. Larry didn't like traveling to the coast and would never have missed Christmas, especially without calling to let his family know.Ladena later said that Larry returned in early January, and the two got into a physical altercation. Larry supposedly walked out and was never seen or heard from again. This new story raised even more questions. No one else has reported seeing or hearing from Larry since Christmas Day. Though Ladena's account has long been viewed with suspicion, Larry's disappearance remains unsolved more than 15 years later.Today, Larry's family is pushing for a renewed effort to reexamine his case, hoping to uncover new information that will lead them to Larry.If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Larry Riegel, please contact the Yakima Police Department at (509) 575-6200 or the Yakima County Crime Stoppers at (800) 248-TIPS. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.Follow The Vanished on social media at:FacebookInstagramTwitterPatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to Nuggets interim coach David Adelman’s comments after game 4 on Sunday. How can the Nuggets mix in more players to take minutes off of his starters? Will we get another good Michael Porter Jr. game this series? Is MPJ’s injury a reasonable excuse as to why he has had such a poor series, for the most part? We hear from Sean Payton and his thoughts on RJ Harvey being a three down back and how the Broncos can use him to Harvey’s strengths. Will Harvey be an offensive weapon and be able to pass block? Does Sean Payton finally have a running back he will feel comfortable with and use as a bell cow back? We have rumors coming out of the Broncos schedule and Zach and Phil join in on the speculation. How many prime-time games will the Broncos get? Will the Broncos be involved in any international games? Could we see the Broncos on Christmas Day again?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the Nuggets games 3 and 4. How big of an opportunity did the Nuggets blow by not taking a commanding 3-1 lead over the weekend? What was the moment or moments that lost the Nuggets the game on Sunday? Should the Nuggets exhaustion be an excuse as to why the Nuggets have struggled? Zach details the frustration he saw on the Thunder bench, firsthand. How did the Thunder go from looking dog tired and defeated in the third quarter to rallying to take the lead in the fourth quarter?  Why are we seeing one of the worst playoff series Jokic has played? We have breaking news as the Broncos are confirmed to play on Christmas Day this season. How do we feel about the NFL encroaching on Christmas Day and specifically the Broncos playing on that day? We wrap up the show with more breaking news as the Dallas Mavericks have won the NBA draft lottery. Do the guys think there was something fishy or rigged to get Dallas the first overall pick?

Winsome Joy Ray, our precious fifth baby, was born at home on Christmas Day. This is her birth story. Resources from this episode: Nancy Ray Blog Nourish Move Love Labor Inducing Workout Peace album by Bethel Music Matin: Rest album by Jess Ray Matin: Turn album by Jess Ray Matin: Love album by Jess Ray A Vision for this Season How to Visualize Your Dream Birth by Hailey Aliff Nancy Ray Website Nancy Ray on Instagram Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!  

The NFL is smart to avoid hitching the Christmas Day games to the Chiefs. The NBA Playoiffs are set but is the Play-In Tournament a good thing? Plus, Lee’s Leftovers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monday on 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe, Rory McIlroy completes the Grand Slam with a win at The Masters. Huge controversy in college football as Tennessee parts ways with quarterback Nico Iamaleava after he and his father tried to bargain for more NIL money. And the NFL is smart to avoid hitching a Christmas Day game to the Chiefs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's show, Pat, AJ Hawk, and the boys chat about Ja Morant getting fined for another gun gesture in game, as well as the electric Lakers vs. Warriors game last night, the Final Four this weekend taking center stage, Geno Smith signing a 2 year $75 million extension with the Raiders, and more Showcase/Pro Day coverage as Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter take center stage today. Joining the progrum to chat about the Ja Morant situation and what might ultimately come of it is ESPN NBA Senior Insider, Shams Charania. Next, Ian Rapoport joins the show for a weekly wrap up to chat about the Geno Smith contract, Jaxson Dart's draft position, Netflix potentially loading up on more Christmas Day games in the future, James Cook putting his house up for sale in Buffalo and what that might mean, and more. Next, National Champion, National Player of the Year, #2 pick of the 2002 NBA Draft, and current ESPN NBA and NCAA basketball analyst, Jay Williams joins the show to chat about the Final Four and what each team needs to do to win their respective games, as well as everything happening in the NBA right now and his thoughts on all the biggest stories. Later, ESPN NFL analyst and Draft expert, Field Yates joins the show from Colorado's Showcase to chat about Shedeur's draft prospects, where he has Travis Hunter going, and where he thinks Jaxson Dart will eventually wind up. Make sure to subscribe to youtube.com/thepatmcafeeshow or watch on ESPN (12-2 EDT), ESPN's Youtube (12-3 EDT), or ESPN+. We appreciate the hell out of all of you. We'll see you on Monday. Cheers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Flying deer have been a part of our culture since the first tracks were found on snow-covered roofs on Christmas Day. Turkeys that can do math are a wholly different animal in more ways than one. Brent’s sharing a listener's story and looking for answers to a 19-year-old mystery. Turn your ears on and let's see what you think. It’s time for MeatEater’s “This Country Life” podcast. Subscribe to the MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Connect with Brent and MeatEater MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop This Country Life Merch Shop Bear Grease MerchSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.